Chapter 10: Technical Difficulties
A/N: Hey, I'm back with the next chapter. I promised you I would finish this story, and I plan to keep my word. I just want to warn you that Donatello is the Turtle I have the most trouble writing for, so he seems off in any way, I apologize in advance. I'll do my best to do him justice. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed thus far. It really means a lot to me that you like this story and the way I've been writing it. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
Disclaimer: See chapter one.
Donatello picked up a motherboard he'd found at the junkyard. He really hoped he could fix it because then he could have a spare one in case his other one crashed. He studied it carefully to see what needed to be fixed, then picked up a screwdriver and set to work. He narrowed his eyes in concentration as he worked, a look his brothers often teased him for. They called it his "geek face" when they saw him at it. He often ignored them and continued to work. Sometimes his brothers just didn't understand how much he loved to work on things. It made him so happy to be able to take things apart and fix them.
"Donnie, it's time to go on patrol!" Leonardo called, sticking his head in the lab.
"I'll be there in a minute, Leo," Don replied. He sighed in frustration, knowing that he'd have to continue this later. He hated having to give up any of his free time, but this was the lifestyle they had chosen. Don wasn't a bad fighter by any means, but he often wished that their lives didn't revolve around trying to kill others. It just didn't seem right.
The purple-clad Turtle set his work down and got ready to leave. He waited for the others and was ready to go. Splinter wished them well as he always did and expressed a desire to stay up for them. Leo insisted that he didn't need to, but Splinter was adamant about it, so the Turtles knew better than to argue with him.
When they got up to the surface and the rooftops, Leo laid out the game plan. It was just going to be an ordinary patrol for anything suspicious. Then Mikey decided to suggest that they play a game of Ninja Tag. Leo wasn't for it at first, but then Mikey gave the famous puppy dog eyes he was so good at. Don smiled a little in amusement as Mikey worked his charm on his older brother, who eventually gave in. Mikey tagged Leo and then took off running, causing the others to do the same. Then they all split off. Don had fun with this and could see why Mikey really liked playing games. It made things more interesting if you shook things up a bit. Don traveled the rooftops for a little while not encountering anything out of the ordinary. Maybe there wasn't anything going on tonight, which would be a good thing. They'd get through this game and then go home.
Then, Don's Shell Cell went off, causing him to jump in surprise. Raph was calling, which made Don curious. "Hello?" he said.
"Don, we got trouble," Raph said. "Come over to Fifth and Main, now." He said no more as he hung up.
Don was a bit confused. What sort of trouble? Had Raph initiated it? He quickly put this Shell Cell away and hurried to the destination. He only hoped everything would be okay.
When he reached Fifth and Main, he soon saw what was wrong. Foot Ninjas were attacking them. Don immediately went into the fray, his bo staff twirling at a dangerous speed. More ninjas were upon him as soon as he dispatched of others, but he met them head on. He looked for his brothers and saw Raph and Mikey fighting a group of their own. He could tell they were talking, though he couldn't make out what was being said. Why was it that they could talk and fight at the same time like that? Weren't they worried about paying attention? Don snapped out of these thoughts as more ninjas descended on him. He couldn't afford to go into one of his daydreams now. Time was of the essence.
He was so busy fighting, he became startled when Raph called Leo's name. He sounded panicked, and that was enough to alert Don that something wasn't right. The purple-clad Turtle hurried to Leo's side, along with his brothers. Leo was lying on the ground, not moving. Instinct told Don to get over there and check his vitals, but before he could even do that, the Foot Elite appeared. They stared at the Turtles for a short minute and then engaged them. One of the Elites picked up Leo and disappeared before any of them could blink. The three Turtles tried to go after him, but the others blocked their way. Don continued to fight alongside his brothers and was determined to do anything he could to get Leo back. His focus began to waver as thoughts of what could possibly happen to Leo filled his mind as well as memories of another ambush where Leo almost didn't make it. The Elite managed to knock them all down and then disappeared. Raph made to go after them, but Don held him back, something only Leo would do.
"Raph, don't!" Don commanded. "We have to come up with a plan first."
Raph wasn't listening to Don. "Those bastards took our brother, Donnie!" he yelled. "We hafta go after them and get him back!"
"Not without a plan," Don insisted. "You know that if any of us were missing, Leo would make sure he had a plan to rescue us." Although Don was a strategist in some ways, he wasn't as good as Leo. He knew they needed to come up with a plan, but what that plan was, he had no idea.
Raph's face softened, and he conceded that Don was right. Brokenhearted, the three Turtles headed home and broke the news to their father. Splinter was saddened to hear the news, but he was glad to hear that the Turtles were working on a plan. Don said he would call April in the morning and talk to her about what happened. Even though her sister was in a car accident, she deserved to know about this. Mikey suggested using the Justice Force as spies, and Don figured that would be a good idea, so he told Mikey to do it. He figured they would need all the help they could get with this.
Once they had the basics laid out, Don headed to his lab to see if he could do any research. His eyes traveled to the motherboard he had originally been working on before all of this had happened. "Looks like this is going to take a backseat," he said dejectedly as he put the motherboard to the side. He had no time for his inventions or repairs now. He had a brother to rescue. He thought about trying to hack into the Foot's security base. Last time, April had helped with that, but Don wanted to see if he could do it himself. He typed in some words to see if he could do a search, but all that came up were foot doctors and ways of treating foot pain. How had April managed to do this? He decided to ask her once he called her so that he could at least get a lead.
There was a knock on his door, and Splinter voice said, "Are you all right, Donatello?"
"Yeah, Sensei, I'm fine," Don lied. He was far from fine at the moment. He didn't even know where to start on rescuing their brother, and he knew that one mistake could cost Leo his life, if he wasn't dead already. A shudder ran through Don as he imagined all that could happen to his brother. Would the Foot keep him alive, or would they kill him instantly and put his body somewhere for the others to find?
"May I come in?" Splinter asked.
"Sure, Master Splinter," Don replied and opened the door for him. He never allowed anyone in his lab without permission, a fact that his father knew all too well. There were just too many valuable tings here that he liked to work on. How many times had Mikey broken an experiment because of his curiosity?
Splinter entered the room and sat in another chair that Don had. "I see you have been working hard," he commented. "I know that you are anxious about your brother and want to help him, but do not want you to tire yourself out. Make sure that you get some rest, Donatello."
"Don't worry, Master, I'll make sure I get some sleep," Don replied. He knew he'd be no use to anyone if he stayed up late again He could almost hear Leo's voice chastising him to get some sleep. Don remembered many nights when Leo would come in and tell Don to sleep when he caught him having a late night in his lab. Don smiled at the memory, but then his smile faded. Who would do that if Leo was gone? No, he couldn't think like that right now. Leo would want him to be strong for his brothers.
"What are you thinking of, my son?" Splinter inquired.
"Nothing much," Don replied. "Just thinking about how Leo would chew me out for staying up late."
Splinter chuckled. "Yes, he often would be concerned about you," he recalled. "I feel that he would still be concerned about you now."
"I know he would, Sensei, but I also know that Leo wouldn't give up if we were missing," Don replied. "I have to do this for him. I have to try and rescue him."
The rat put a paw on his son's shoulder. "I know how you feel, Donatello," he said gently. "You strive to do what your brother would do in a situation like this and feel that if you fail, you have failed him. Do not be discouraged, my son. Do your best. I have faith that you will do well and that we will rescue him. Just try not to stay up too late."
"I'll do my best, Sensei," Don promised. That was all he could give his father at the moment.
Splinter seemed to accept that and smiled at his purple-clad son. "That is good," he said. "I will be checking on your other brothers and then I will go to bed myself. Perhaps I will meditate to clear my thoughts for the night."
"Sounds like a good plan, Sensei," Don replied. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Yes, I will see you in the morning. Good night, Donatello."
"Good night, Sensei." After Splinter left, Don continued to try and hack into the Foot's security with no luck. Deciding to leave this for tomorrow, he turned off his computer and tried to meditate himself, thinking that maybe it would help him. But each time he tried, he couldn't get rid of the thoughts that plagued him. Leo was so much better at it than any of them because he had more patience with it. Sighing, he went to his bed and lay down, hoping that he would get some sleep soon. He really needed to be in top form if he was going to rescue Leo.
22222
The next day, Don called April after practice. He was hoping she would be there and would answer her phone. Before she'd left for her sister's, she'd promised that her phone would be on at all times when she wasn't in the hospital and that Don could reach her at any time. And if she was in the hospital, he could always leave a message. He took a deep breath as he dialed the familiar number. Anxiety filled his chest as the phone rang, and Don feared he'd have to leave a message. But then he heard someone pick up, and his heart leaped. She was there.
"Hello?" April's voice said.
"April, it's Don," Don replied. "How's Robyn doing?"
"She's doing much better," April answered. "The doctors say she'll be able to go home soon, but she still needs therapy. I'm going to have to stay longer so that I can take care of her. Is everything okay?"
Don could hear the concern in her voice, and it made him feel guilty. She was already going through so much, and now she had to hear that one of her friends was missing. "No, it's not," he answered. "We were on patrol and got ambushed by the Foot. They took Leo, and we have no way of finding him right now. I've been trying to hack into the Foot's security systems, but I can't do it!" His last sentence ended on a plaintive note and a question as to what he should do next.
"Don, calm down," April soothed. "I'll try and come back as soon as I can and help you out."
"But what about now?" Don asked. "We don't have time to really wait. They could be killing Leo or hurting him. He could be dead already. Don't you see how we're suffering here?"
"Yes, and I'm sorry, Don," April replied. "I really wish I could be there, but I can't do anything. What about Casey? Is he back from the farmhouse?"
Don shook his head. "No, he hasn't come back yet," he replied. "There's just no way to get into Foot Headquarters by ourselves. We need you."
"Don, I really wish I could help." He could hear the guilt in her voice and knew that she'd give anything to help them out. She was caught in a position that made it impossible for her to do anything for them. It wasn't her fault, but Don couldn't help but be angry at her and at her sister. If Robyn hadn't gotten into an accident, none of this would've happened.
"I understand, April," Don said stiffly. "Let me know when you get back. I'll handle things until then and see what I can do until you come back. We've got some spies that might help, but I just don't know how good it's going to be. I'm just worried, April."
"I know you are, and I am, too," she said gently. "Just do the best you can. I have faith in you, Donnie. I know you can do whatever you set your mind to. Just stay strong, okay?"
"I'll do my best," Don promised. "I'll talk to you later, April. I know you have to get to the hospital to see your sister. I'm glad she's okay."
"Thanks," she said. "Give the others my love. I'll try and come home soon. Bye."
"Bye," Don replied. After he heard the click, he shut his phone off. He knew it was a lost cause now. There was no way they'd be able to wait until April and Casey got back. By then, Leo could be dead. With a sigh, he relayed the news to his brothers, expecting them to be as angry as he was, but they weren't.
"Man, that sucks, but what can you do?" Mikey declared. "Family comes first. I know April would be here if she could, Donnie. She wouldn't just bail on us."
"Yeah, the same goes for Casey," Raph added. "I know he wants to be here. I've been keepin' him updated on this, and he said he's not sure when he's comin' back. His mom wants to stay there for a few more days."
"You have done all you can, Donatello," Splinter soothed him. "Miss O'Neil will come back when she is ready to do so. Her obligation to us is admirable, and I know she will do all she can to return to us soon. For now, we must just proceed as planned with the spies from the Justice Force. They may prove useful."
"You're right, Sensei," said Don. "I guess we just need to go ahead and do what we need to do."
22222
Two months passed, and it looked like they had no leads. Although the Justice Force did all they could to help, they barely got any leads and had few opportunities to use their equipment on any of the Foot Ninjas. The Turtles and their father were about to give up in despair of ever finding Leo. Don knew he'd done a horrible job of trying to form a plan. He was just wasn't good at it.
He was working on the motherboard again because he'd pretty much given up attempts to hack into the Foot's security base. His face was once again fixed in concentration as it had been the night when their world had been turned upside down. He was just on the point of putting in a new screw when his Shell Cell rang. He was a bit confused as to who could be calling, but he figured maybe it was Leatherhead. He picked up the phone, and his heart leapt when he saw that April was calling.
"Hey, April, what's going on?" Don asked when he picked up the phone. "Is everything okay with Robyn?"
"Everything's fine, Don," she replied. "I'm back in the city and ready to help you get Leo back."
"You are?" Don repeated. "That's great! I'm so glad you've come back."
"Me, too," April agreed. "I'll be down shortly so we can start planning. See you in a few."
"Okay, see you then," Don replied. Then he ran out of his lab and shouted the news to his brothers. Mikey was ecstatic and hurried to tell Raph the news. When they came downstairs, they reported that Casey was also coming to help out since he was home. It made Don feel better to know that their friends were finally going to come and help. He only hoped that they weren't too late to save their brother.
When April and Casey came to the Lair, they apologized for taking so long to come and help. The Turtles accepted their apology without question and said that it wasn't their fault. Then they began to formulate a plan that would save Leo. April showed Don how to hack into the security base, and they began to discuss ways of getting in and then getting out. Don's confidence began to grow, and he felt that Leo would be proud of him for doing all of this.
As soon as everything was put in place, the Turtles, Splinter, and Casey left the Lair to go and get Leo. The tension was high, but thanks to Don's and April's technical skills, they were able to make it into the building with no trouble. They encountered quite a few Foot Ninjas and began to battle. There was just no way they were going to let anything stop them. Don's bo twirled with precision as he kept striking his opponents. Just when he thought they would have a break, more kept coming. It was getting harder and harder to keep up and to keep these enemies at bay. Then Mikey suggested they use their chi to try and force them away. Although it was something they hadn't tried since the defeat of the Tengu Shredder, they decided it would be a good idea and did just that. Sure enough, things became easier after that, and they were able to get into the room where Leo was being held.
When they encountered Leo, shock filled them. He was chained to a wall, his body limp. A lump came to Don's throat at the sight of his battered and bruised older brother. Was he dead already? And if so, why hadn't the Foot removed him from the wall? There was no time to contemplate this as Raph leapt into the fray of Foot Ninjas guarding their brother. Don and Mikey followed suit and disposed of as many Foot Ninjas as they could. Don could hear Raph trying to free Leo and just hoped that Raph would be able to do so soon. Then he heard a cry of triumph, which signaled that Raph had been successful.
Don used some new smoke bombs that would distract the Foot longer than the original ones they had. He had invented them a few weeks ago and was glad he had a chance to use them. They made their way out of the building and into the Battle Shell. As Casey drove, Don checked Leo's vitals and was pleased to see that he was still alive, though barely. He looked really thin as though the Foot had been starving him. Maybe it was an incentive for them to find out the whereabouts of the Lair or something like that, Don mused to himself. He made an assessment of Leo's injuries and surmised that while he was badly hurt, he would make a full recovery if treated properly.
Once they arrived home, they hurried Leo into the infirmary, and Don began treating his brother's wounds. He had various cuts along his body, and some of these looked like they were starting to get infected. Don treated them to the best of his ability and also treated the many bruises his brother had sustained. He just hoped that Leo would wake up and talk to them. Don knew that Leo would also be suffering emotional wounds as well as physical, and it would be hard for him to talk about what happened. He would probably need time to really talk about all of this and get it out.
They arranged to take watches every two hours. Splinter decided on the first watch, then Raph would be second. After him would be Mikey and then Don. After this was settled, Don made his way to his bed to get some sleep. He knew it would be a little while before his first watch, so he resolved to get as much sleep as he could. Surprisingly, he settled into a good sleep and slept until Mikey shook him for his watch. Maybe it was the fact that Leo was home again and that he would likely recover from all of this that let Don fall into a peaceful sleep. As Mikey woke him, Don asked if there was any change in Leo's condition.
Mikey shook his head. "Nope, sorry," he said. "He's still the same."
Don nodded and made his way to the infirmary. He saw his brother lying there and just willed him to wake up. He figured that maybe talking to him would help as it had the last time Leo had been attacked like this. He remembered suggesting this to his family and how Splinter had declared that it was a good idea. He settled himself in the chair by Leo's bedside and took a deep breath.
"Hey, Leo, it's Don," he began. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I just wanted to say that I'm glad you're back with us. We were so worried about you. I know it took us a long time to get you, but don't think that we didn't try to rescue you sooner. We just couldn't with April and Casey not being there. I tried to do all I could to help, Leo. I tried to come up with an effective plan before they got back, but I couldn't do it. We couldn't find any leads no matter how hard we tried. I know you're probably mad at me for not doing well with the plan. I'm just not as good at it like you are. But once you wake up, I'll make it up to you, I promise. Maybe you can even teach me how to do it right. That would be a good thing for me to learn. I just wish you would give me a sign that you can hear me. Just let me know you're still here and that you're on your way back to us. Don't give up, Leo. We need you."
He squeezed his brother's hand to see if he'd squeeze back, but there was no response. Leo just stayed unresponsive. It began to alarm Donatello and made him think that maybe Leo wasn't coming back. Maybe he'd stay in a coma forever. The thought haunted Don, and he almost missed telling Splinter about his next watch. When he went into his father's room to wake him, Splinter put a gentle paw on his son's shoulder as though he could sense the turmoil going on inside of him. Don smiled at his father and left to go back to sleep.
22222
A few days later, they were all gathered in the infirmary, hoping their presence would entice Leo to wake up. Mikey asked anxiously if Leo was awake yet, and Don said, "Not yet." Raph declared that Leo had better wake up soon and even threatened to kick his brother's ass if he didn't. Suddenly, Leo moaned and opened his eyes, confusion on his face. He spoke as though he were surrounded by Foot Ninjas and demanded to know where his brothers were. They reassured him that they were there, but Leo didn't believe them. Splinter reached out and soothed Leo until the confusion left his face. He questioned whether he was dead or not, and they told him that he was alive. Don was a bit confused as to why he would ask that, but then Leo revealed that Karai had told him that the others were dead. It made Don mad to think that Karai would like that to his brother.
Once Leo had calmed down and had finally been reassured that they were okay, Don and Raph left to notify April and Casey of Leo's recovery. April was thrilled and made a promise to visit him later. She hugged Don and told him how proud she was of him for taking the reins and trying his best to save his brother.
"Do you really think I did a good job?" Don asked her.
April nodded. "I think you really did Don," she said. "You really did. I think Leo would be proud of you."
"Thanks, April," Don said gratefully. "That means a lot to me." He left her apartment and headed home, happy that she had so much faith in him. He really did do a good job, and he felt that Leo would be proud of him for stepping up to the plate and doing what he needed to do. Once Leo was healed, they'd talk about it, and maybe he'd hear the words that he'd been longing to hear after Leo got back. All that mattered now was that Leo got better and that they made the Foot pay for what they'd done to their brother. Don vowed that he would do all he could to make sure Leo was healed no matter what it took. He knew the road to recovery would be a long one for his blue-clad brother, but he would make sure that they were all there for Leo every step of the way. It was the natural thing to do. Donatello knew that he wasn't just the science nerd or the doctor anymore. He could be a leader when he needed to be, and even though he'd never want to take on the post permanently, he was happy that he'd been able to accomplish the task in a thorough way. That was all that mattered to him, and he carried that confidence for days to come.
A/N: Well, that's the end of the Donatello chapter. I'm actually quite pleased with how this turned out, and I really hope you liked it, too. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day. Raph's chapter will be up next.