After visit from April, and week of resting and building his strength back up Splinter allowed Don out of bed but on the condition that he wouldn't leave the lair until he had healed completely.
For a time Don seemed to obey, he spent a lot of time in his lab, reading comic books and spent time with Mike discussing super heroes, costumes, villains and gadgets. He also developed the strange habit of watching the nightly news every time it came on without fail. Sometimes he watched on the TV in the living room, sometimes he used his small TV in his own lab but he always watched it, no matter what. He would often write on a small notepad as he watched, no one knew what he was writing or why he was so interested in the news but Leo had the sneaky suspicion it had something to do with the metal foot. In the company of his brothers he acted mostly normal, though they gradually begin to get the feeling that there was something different about him. Beyond the much deeper, darker tone to his voice, and the hardness in his eyes, he was more serious, colder and quieter. He never openly insulted or ignored them, but he was distracted and he only spoke when spoken to, even then his responses were short and to the point.
It would become worse whenever his brothers had to leave the lair. Because of the growing absence of super powered heroes in city crime was escalating at an alarming rate. Leo, Mike and Raph were forced to make nightly trips up to the top to try to stem the tide of criminals as best they could. Every time they left Don was always there; pacing back and forth in agitation like a lion in a cage.
Finally he went to Splinter and asked to be allowed to go back to the city.
Splinter was surprised, normally it wouldn't have bothered Donatello to stay down below. He was usually content to sit in his lab working on his projects, read a book or work on his computer. Now however he was as impatient, as Raphael would have been.
"Why is it that you wish to go above my son?" the elderly rat asked.
"I've got some things I need to test and they can only be tested up in the city." Don said scowling at his father's questioning.
"And what purpose do these inventions serve that they cannot wait for another week?"
"Because in another week there probably won't be much of a city left Sensei, these inventions are going to help me..uh..us go after that metal Foot and not get our shells kicked in while doing it." Don said, he was trying to act calm and patient but Splinter could see that he was anything but.
"Indeed, and if you were to encounter the foot again, do you believe you are well enough to be able to defend yourself?"
Don snorted. " Of course Sensei, I'm better than I've ever been."
Splinter stared into his sons eyes, Don stared back refusing to back down.
"Then I will allow you to go to the surface, on the condition that you complete a training session to my satisfaction. Only then will I allow you to leave."
Don nodded a fierce look on his face. " Thank you Sensei." He bowed to his father and backed out of the room.
The next day Donatello was the first into the training area and was working out alone when his brothers came into the room. It took his brothers a second to realize that something was odd about their purple masked brother and then they realized what it was, he was wearing his belt, his elbow and knee pads..everything but his purple mask
"Hey Don, I'm glad to see you're up and back to training." Leo said pleasantly deciding not to say anything about the mask, thinking his brother might have just forgotten it.
Don stopped when Leo spoke and gave his brothers a cold smile.
"So am I." He said.
"We'll go easy on ya today Don, seein as though you're just gettin better an all." Raph said with a teasing grin.
Don's smile disappeared immediately and was replaced with a scowl. "I don't need you doing me any favors Raph. I'm not going to be holding back so I suggest that if you don't want your shell kicked, you won't either." He growled.
Raph's eyes widened. " What did you just say?" he asked surprised.
"Are you deaf?" Don asked crossing his arms across his plastron.
"Donatello." Leo began sternly.
"Uh, hey Donnie I had an idea for something why don't you come over here and let me explain it.." Mike said hurriedly drawing Donatello aside before Raphael exploded.
With a final glare at Raph, Don allowed Mike to pull away and turned his attention to what his orange masked brother was saying.
"I don't believe he just said that." Raph said in amazement.
"Neither do I." Leo said looking puzzled. "He's been acting odd lately..maybe he's in a bad mood."
"I don't know Leo, there's somthin different about him,and it goes way beyond a bad mood." Raph shook his head.
"Well whatever it is there's nothing we can do about it now." Leo said his head turning towards the door of Splinter's room as he came out.
All four turtles lined up and bowed respectfully in front of their master, and then the training commenced. Splinter showed them the techniques for two new moves, and drilled his sons until each had gotten both moves more or less perfect; or rather he drilled Raphael, Michalangleo and Leonardo. Donatello had carefully watched his Sensei's demonstrations, and had pulled off each move almost flawlessly. This surprised Leonardo the most, he was most skilled of the three and usually learned new moves before his brothers. Splinter allowed Don to stand and watch while the others continued to practice. He then pared them up, Mike and Leo, Don and Raph, with the instructions to put their newly learned techniques to use. Mike and Leo fought well, but both were so distracted by the virtual grudge match that went on between Don and Raph that they finally just stopped to watch. The air between the two brothers was thick with aggression as Don and Raph circled one another, each watching for an opening to attack. Splinter was watching them with a sharply disapproving look on his face but he let the fight play out for the moment, Leo and Mike knew their father would intervene if things got out of hand.
Don made the first move launching a punch at his red masked brother, Raph blocked the punch easily but didn't realize it was a feign until Don dropped to the floor and knocked his feet out from under him. Raph tumbled to the floor with a curse and flipped back to his feet, immediately going into a crouch and leaping head first for his brother. Don dove under the leap, popping up behind Raph as the red masked turtle landed on empty space. Don tried to go for Raph from behind but Raph grabbed his arm and threw him. Don landed with an "oomph" plastron first but immediately rolled to his feet and went into a defensive pose. "Thought you weren't holdin back Donnie." Raph grinned at his brother. "I'm not." Don sprang forward, bounced off his hands, flipped in mid air and kicked Raph back across the room. Raph landed on his shell and skidded to a stop, he wasn't about to be taken out so easily however and like a break dancer Raph whirled on his shell, flipped to the side and leapt to his feet.
He and Don rushed one another and they grappled for a few minutes like two wrestlers in a WWF match, Donatello broke first and pushed Raphael backwards causing him to loose balance.. then he did something no one had ever seen him do before, and he did it so fast they could barely track it. Don dropped to the floor in a handstand just as Raphael recovered from his stagger and began to rush forward. Don then let his legs fall forward wrapping them around the red masked turtle's neck, still in his handstand he whirled in place swinging his legs down and around, he then released his brother just in time to send him flying across the room to land against a pillar. Don dove forward rolled and came back to his feet. Leo and Mike gasped and ran to see if Raphael was okay, helping their red masked brother to his feet. Raph was slightly dizzy but otherwise fine, he shook off Mike and Leo and stalked towards Don.
"You got a lucky shot in braniac, let's go another round and I'll be cleanin' the floors with yer shell." Raph growled poking his brother in the plastron.
"After all these years Raph, one would think you'd be used to loosing." Don said coldly. He batted Raphael's hand away. " If you poke me one more time I'm going break your hand."
"Donatello, Raphael that is enough!" Splinter's voice barked.
With one last glare Raph turned to face Splinter and bowed, Don did the same.
"Donatello it was very dangerous to use that technique on your brother, you could have seriously injured him." Splinter said.
"I calculated the force necessary to throw Raph without hurting him Sensei, I knew exactly what I was doing." Don said crossing his arms across his plastron.
Splinter snorted. "So you say, yet I know your mind was too clouded by anger and hostility to have thought so clearly."
Don frowned but did not reply.
"I expect this sort of behavior from Raphael, but from you above all of your brothers." Splinter shook his head and sighed.
"Hey Sensei, I ain't that bad." Raph said angrily jerking a thumb towards himself.
"No?" Splinter asked raising an eye brow. " I seem to remember an incident with Michalangelo and a large metal pipe."
Raph blinked a few times and then grinned sheepishly. " Uh, yeah I'd kinda hoped everybody'd forgotten about that."
Don wasn't grinning, nor was he in the mood for remembrance. "Can I go up top now?" He said turning to his father.
Splinter shook his head. "No Donatello, you are to remain in the lair for another week."
Don's jaw dropped. "But you said I could go if I had completed a training session….."
"To my satisfaction." Splinter said grimly. "You have not done so."
"But my skills are fine…"
"Yes your skills in fighting are impressive my son, but it is in other areas that you are lacking."
Don's face transformed into a scowl. "And what would those areas be?"
"You are strong in body yes, but I believe your mind is still weak. You are acting strangely Donatello, you are angry, hostile and arrogant. You fight violently, without giving though to the consequentes of your actions. This is not like you and I will not allow you to leave the lair until you and I have worked out what is wrong with you."
Don looked like he was going to explode, but then he looked at the worried faces of Leo and Mike, and the frowning face of Raphael and simply turned and stomped out of the room.
Splinter sighed and looked to his remaining sons. " Raphael, are you injured?"
Raph shook his head. "It'll take more than that to hurt me Sensei." He gave a grin.
"Yeah his head's about as hard as that wall." Mike grinned.
Raph turned to regard Mike. "You're a regular barrel of laughs you know that?"
Splinter held up a hand to stave off any further remarks from Raph and Mike."There will be time enough for humor later my sons, I am concerned about Donatello."
"We are too Sensei, we've never seen him act like that." Leo said concerned.
" Neither have I my son and I find it disturbing to say the least. I think that the three of you should keep a careful watch on Donatello. He is planning something, but I do not know what. And I am deeply concerned about his recent behavior."
"I'll keep an eye on him all right." Raph nodded looking grim.
"You will not attempt to draw him into a fight Raphael, he no longer fights as he used to do, there is something dangerous about him and I do not wish for any of you to get hurt."
"Donnie, hurt me? Please, this is Donnie we're talkin about. Every time we fight somebody he's usually the first one ta get knocked onto his shell." Raph scoffed waving a hand.
"And yet he just tossed you across the room Raph." Leo said crossing his arms across his plastron.
"Bah, lucky shot." Raph said.
"No, it was not luck Raphael. I do not know how but Donatello's skills have somehow increased. He is stronger than he was, and faster. You will do nothing but watch him, and if he attempts to goad you into a fight I want you to walk away. Do you understand me Raphael?"
Raph nodded but with reluctance. "Yeah, sure Sensei. You got it."
"Good, you may go." Splinter nodded at his sons and bowed, they in turn bowed and filed out together. As he watched his sons leave he frowned.
The next day Mike found his brainy brother working out in the living room. The orange masked turtle had a stack of comics with him all packed into neat little plastic covers and, steadied with backing boards. He laid them lovingly on the table that held Don's computer and went to watch his brother work out.
Don was practicing the moves they had learned the day before, and adding a few moves of his own, his teeth were clenched and he looked very angry. Mike went to lean against a pillar and gave a half smile. "Sorry about what Sensei said Donnie. I brought you some more comics to help you pass the time."
Don kicked the air and let out a grunt. "Thanks." He said between gritted teeth and continued to train punching and kicking the air letting out grunts of anger and frustration.
Mike watched his brother train and after a second it hit him that Don still wasn't wearing his purple mask, nor did he have his Bo which he hadn't touched since he had woken.
"Hey Don, I uh..don't mean to be nosy or anything..but..where's your mask?"he asked in puzzlement.
"In the room, I will not wear it." Came the reply between grunts.
Mike blinked. " Why not? Purple not your style anymore?"
Don gave the air a few last kicks and came to a stop, panting. He went to a nearby chair and picked up a towel, wiping the sweat off his face before answering. "I'm not wearing it because it isn't mine, just like the stick."
Mike looked puzzled. "What are you talking about Don, it's your mask, your Bo."
Don toweled off his arms and wrapped the towel around his neck. "No Mike, they aren't mine they belong to him."
"Him..him who?" Mike felt like he'd fallen into some strange alternate reality.
"The other Donatello, the one you guys keep comparing me to. I'm not him." Don clarified matter of factedly, as if he was talking about something as ordinary as the weather.
"Uh..you're saying that you're not Donatello?" Mike said grasping to make sense of what his brother was saying but not having any luck.
Don sighed. "I am Donatello, just not that Donatello."
When Mike just blinked a few times Don shook his head. " Forget it Mike, you won't understand. Just go get your Turtle Titan costume and meet me in my lab in a half an hour okay? We're going for another test run." He said strolling towards the bathroom.
"Wait a minute, didn't you hear Sensei?You can't go up top, you're not well enough yet." Mike stood up straight and shook his head fervently.
Don turned to regard his brother, eyes narrowing. "Sensei still thinks I'm that Donatello, he would be too weak to handle a potential fight. I on the other hand am a completely different matter. I'll decide whether I'm fit enough to go up top. Just meet me in the lab in a half an hour." Don then turned and walked towards the bathroom leaving a puzzled and worried Mike behind.
A half and hour later Mike met his brother in the lab, wearing his costume. Don was wearing a black mask in place of his purple one, and this mask not only covered his eyes it covered the entire top of his head as well. He was slipping on a black jacket when Mike walked in.
"Woah cool jacket Donnie, where'd you get that?" Mike asked raising an eye ridge.
Don shrugged. "Around." He said evasively and picking up a pair of black boots from the table, slung his bag over his shoulder. "Are you ready?"
When Mike nodded he strolled towards the door.
"Uh, shouldn't you bring something, you know in case we run into trouble?"
Don shook his head " If I need a weapon I'll take one from whoever's lying around." His meaning was clear that if any bad guys attacked them, Don would make sure there would be plenty of them lying around to take a weapon from.
"Okay" Mike sighed, giving up. " I guess that works too." He followed his brother out the door and into the sewer pipes. The farther they got away from the lair the more Mike began to worry, he knew Sensei would be angry when he found out that Mike had allowed Don to go up to the streets; but he knew he couldn't let Donatello go up to the streets alone and risk his brother getting killed if someone attacked.Oh boy, he thought to himself.. rock and a hard place.
Don had continued on ahead and only when he realized that Mike wasn't following did he stop and look back. " Are you coming Mike?" He asked impatiently.
Mike looked back at the lair once more and sighed again.Splinter had told them to keep an eye on Don, and the best way Mike could do that was to stay with him.
"I'm coming."he said hurrying to catch up with his brother.
The two didn't see the small figure of Master Splinter keeping to the shadows a few feet behind them, and when they went up top they never saw him sneak out of the sewer grate and follow them.