Chapter 21: You Get a Super Mutant

The large, dark, demonic-like creature that had finally made its appearance from the darkness loomed over the four turtles as it dragged its large, bone exposed body towards them. It had elongated, skeletal claws that touched the floor, and his entire body covered in a black coat of thick, unkempt fur. Its massive, carnivorous jaws twisted into a gaunt snarl as it glared down at them with its piercing amber eyes that seemed to glow like fire in the darkness, its long black ears twitching at every sound atop his head.

In a sense, this creature was the very definition of a nightmare.

Gazing upon their new foe in abject horror, the four young turtles cautiously backed away from the twice over mutated canine as it dragged his claws across the snow covered wooden boards of the docks, stepping closer to them with a purposeful, threatening steadiness. Michelangelo gulped as he stared wide eyed at what used to be Dogpound. "Um, m-maybe you need a day or two to get to know the new you, eh Dogpound?" he offered with a nervous laugh.

Unheeding, Dogpound growled loudly as he suddenly swiped his claws at both Raphael and Leonardo, knocking them out of the way and sending them flying to the snow. Lurching forwards, he grabbed Donatello and Michelangelo, his bone-like claws locking their arms to their sides as he held them above the ground with ease as they struggled futilely in his strong grip. "H-hey! P-put us down!" Donnie grunted, but the monster had them locked in his paws like a vice.

Dogpound inhaled deeply through his nose, and exhaled slowly with a sickening pleasure. "I feel the mutagen coursing through me," he spoke, his voice deeper and further foreboding than before as it resounded in his bony chest. "I feel faster, stronger, more powerful than ever…I feel like a Ninja again!"

"Plus you lost a lot of weight too. Which is a bonus…?" Mikey mused with an uneasy smile, still squirming in Dogpounds' grasp.

Despite his own terror, Donnie managed to roll his eyes and cast Mikey a flat look. "Now, Mikey? You're gonna do this now?" he barked.

Dogpound's bony muzzle twisted into a sadistic grin as he sneered down at the two turtles trapped in his clutches. "To thank you for this…" he began with a foreboding edge that made the turtles shiver fearfully, "I'll make your end swift!" He then drew his arms backwards, preparing to throw the turtles even as their struggles increased, and he tossed them with a powerful heave across the wooden walkway of the docks. They both screamed and flailed as they sailed through the air, before they landed and rolled across the splintered wood, landing on top of each other and groaning in pain.

Donnie sat up and rubbed his aching head. "Ugh…oh, he is so going to regret that!" he growled testily.

In two powerful bounds, Dogpound leapt over to them and roared in their faces. His blue eyes narrowing, Mikey sat up and glared up at the dog. "Raaaaaah yourself, you razor-faced dog!" Mikey cursed him with a glare.

"Don't ever call me dog!" he barked back.

Mikey grinned mischievously. "You got it, Rahzar!" he quipped.

The newly named mutant, 'Rahzar', snarled at the two of them, and raised his claws in the air once more, preparing to bring it down upon them both. They flinched, yelping in fear and held onto each other as they awaited their doom.

"HEY!" called a gruff voice from the side as a Sai sailed through the air, hitting Rahzar's hand away from Mikey and Donnie. Rahzar spun around, only to be met with a foot to his face as Raph charged and kicked him with all the force he could muster. "Keep your paws away from my brothers!" Raph snarled, grabbing his Sai from the floor as he spun them both in between his fingers.

Not far behind Raph, Leo quickly ran over and helped both Mikey and Donnie to their feet as Raph stood between them and Rahzar. "You guys alright?" he asked.

They both nodded at him. "We're fine, let's just beat this guy already!" Donnie growled as he unsheathed his Bo and charged after Rahzar, with Leo and Mikey right behind him.

Leo reached Rahzar just as he knocked Raph away from him and sent him spiraling back into the snow. Narrowing his eyes, he leapt upwards and swung his blades down upon the dog's head, but Rahzar sidestepped the attack with ease and caught the blue turtle off guard as he grabbed his head, lifted him off his feet and landed a hard kick into his stomach that sent him flying into the debris of the building.

Donnie was next, spinning his staff over his head as he prepared to swing it hard, but Rahzar grabbed him by the face and shook him around roughly. Donnie screamed as he was shaken back and forth like a ragdoll. "Waaaaah! He's grabbing me by the face, you guys!" he wailed helplessly.

With Donnie still trapped in his claws, Rahzar turned around just as Raph launched himself for another attack, his Sais at the ready. Rahzar grinned devilishly, and then used Donnie's body like a baseball bat as he swung him around to whack the red turtle back again. Rahzar then tossed Donnie aside like a sack of potatoes on the bridge.

"Donnie, Raph!" Mikey cried. He growled as he spun his nunchaku and made a beeline for the giant dog. He leapt and spun in midair, releasing his kusarigama blade as he swung it at the wolf-like mutant, only for it to caught with ease. Mikey whimpered as Rahzar's muzzle twisted into a grim grin as he tugged Mikey forwards , spinning him around and sending him flying into Raph, who lay at the edge of the docks.

Still very dazed from being used like a bat, Donnie groaned as he pushed himself back to his feet again, only to be greeted with the unpleasant sight of Rahzar as he towered over him once again. Rahzar closed in on Donnie, forcing him toward the edge of the wooden bridge. Donnie nearly tripped and fell into the icy waters below the bridge, if not for his Bo staff being his saving grace as he used it to launch himself over Rahzar's head. He was just too powerful. And they had all thought he was strong when he had been mutated the first time, but now he was picking them off as if they were merely insects!

In fact, Donnie had begun to notice that with every passing moment, it seemed as if Rahzar was turning more and more savage as he fought them, slowly losing whatever sense of humanity he had left to hang onto. The mutagen had increased his strength, but with a high price it seemed; it was turning him into a true monster.

Donnie's eyes widened as the mutant suddenly threw his head back and let out a howl, the sound echoing in his ears and through the air. Was this what the mutagen was truly capable of doing? Was this its true purpose…?

Mikey and Raph both charged for him, but Rahzar knocked them both down again, this time with a powerful kick that sent them both crashing down onto the bridge, the force of the blow forcing the bridge to break as they both fell through to the muddy earth beneath it. The splintered wood above them broke apart and buried them before they had a chance to move out of the way.

"Raph! Mikey!" Donnie cried out, and then turned a hard glare at Rahzar as he turned on Leo with another savage bark.

Rahzar roared as he smacked Leo hard in the chest with his claws, sending the blue clad turtle flying across the docks. Despite his efforts to stop himself, Leo slipped on the icy surface as he skidded across the bridge, falling through the hole that Raph and Mikey had made and landed painfully on his shell in the mud. He shook his head to clear the dizziness, and gasped sharply as Rahzar loomed over him.

Before Leo could move, Rahzar brought his large foot down hard upon his leg. Leo shrieked in pain as the bone popped out of place in his leg underneath the dog's weight.

Rahzar chuckled darkly as he watched the turtle writhe in pain on the ground, clutching his broken leg in agony. "Time to die, turtle!" he snarled as he raised his claws and prepared to bring it down upon the helpless turtle. Leo gasped and shut his eyes, cringing as he awaited the pain and death that was soon to come.

"GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!"

Donatello suddenly leapt in front of Rahzar, using his Bo staff to block his claws, shielding his brother with all the strength he had left moments before his claws could impale his leader. Eyes widening, Rahzar gazed down at him in mild surprise; he hadn't thought the third turtle was this strong.

"You're not gonna touch him!" Donnie screamed as he pushed Rahzar backwards before spinning his staff and jabbing him straight in the stomach, hard.

Rahzar staggered backwards a couple of feet, coughing out blood from the force of the jab. He looked down at Donatello, who stood protectively in front of his older brother, growling ferly at him. Unfazed, Rahzar chuckled. "So, the weakling scientist comes to the rescue," he mocked with a cold sneer. "You know, there are still some more mutagen canisters out there; why don't you go back to your lab where you belong and study on that, turtle?"

Donnie growled lowly as he held his staff outwards in a defensive stance. "You shut the hell up, you mangy-faced dog!" he bellowed.

Still gripping his throbbing leg, Leo looked up at Donnie from where he lay in the muddy earth below with breathless astonishment. He had never seen Donnie this angry before, not even when they were kids. The worst he had ever seen him was whenever Mikey or Raph messed up any of his inventions or teased him about April, and even then, he was never as mad as the turtle that stood above him now.

A frustrated Donatello could be difficult to deal with, or even funny depending on the situation. An enraged Donatello, however, was something else entirely.

"You really think I'm just some kind of weakling?!" Donnie fumed, "You really think that I'm just a lonely geeky turtle who only thinks about the secrets of the mutagen?! Well I've got news for you, and for the Shredder; I am more than capable of beating you and all of Shredders' little goons into the ground! The mutagen may have been what turned us into what we are back then, but the past is the past! All I have to worry about is the present, the here and the now! I love science, great big whoop! But I love my brothers more! And if this is the true nature of the mutagen, what it eventually makes you become, then I want nothing to do with it anymore!"

With that, Donnie let out a loud enraged cry as he charged at Rahzar, Bo staff at the ready. Rahzar was barely able to land a hit on him as Donnie slapped, jabbed, kicked and punched him multiple times all over his body with extraordinary speed. He tried to swipe his claw at him, but Donnie only back flipped over his head, dodging his attack before continuing his own barrage.

Rahzar was quickly finding himself overwhelmed. Just how strong was this turtle?

Donnie was livid. He was so pumped up with uncontrollable rage that he could no longer think. It was as if his body was reacting and moving on its own free will as he fought. Whenever Rahzar had tried to strike him, Donnie naturally retaliated with a quick dodge and then a spinning back kick.

He was done with others thinking he wasn't strong enough on his own. And he was done with letting people like the Shredder, like Rahzar, continue to hurt his family.

In a fight, he would usually overthink, try to come up with as many different battle strategies as his massive intellect could take in. Now, he was fully in the moment. He no longer thought about anything except protecting the ones who he loved and who loved him back. He mused that he was like Mikey in that regard.

Just do what Mikey does. Do what Master Splinter always told me. Fight without thinking.

Don't think...

Just do.

With a final cry and a solid kick into his back, Donnie sent Rahzar flying several feet away from where he had once been, crashing into numerous support beams. The beams snapped apart from the blow and the bridge began to quake as Rahzar lay slumped on his side, groaning in pain as he lay limp in the mud below the bridge.

Panting from exhaustion, Donnie didn't move for several seconds as he glared at the unconscious mutant. "…how's that for a geek?" he spat, spinning and sheathing his Bo staff expertly before turning on his heel and hurrying over to Leo, who hadn't moved an inch as he stared up at Donnie with a near laughable expression. "Leo, are you okay?" he asked worriedly, his entire demeanor suddenly reverting back to the Donnie they all knew and loved as he slowly and carefully helped his older brother back on his feet.

Leo squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip as he nodded. "Yeah, I-I think so…" he winced, looking back up at Donnie with a strained but sure smile. "You did great back there, Donnie. Nice work," he said as he patted the back of Donnie's shell proudly.

Blinking in surprise, Donnie smiled back with a hint of a blush on his cheeks. "Yeah, well, um, I hadn't actually meant to lose it like that…" he admitted. Then his smile fell instantly as his eyes widened. "…wait, where're Mikey and Raph?" he gasped, darting his head left and right in search for his other brothers, and Leo followed suit as he called out to them.

"Raph! Mikey! Where are you?!" Leo cried, slowly starting to panic. "Answer me!"

The two aforementioned turtles rose from underneath the wood moments later, with Mikey supporting Raph with his arm draped over his shoulder. "Over here, guys!" Mikey called with a chesty cough.

Sighing in relief, Donnie wrapped his arm around Leo's waist and slung the other around his shoulders as they both hobbled over to their brothers. "You guys alright?" Donnie asked.

They both nodded weakly as they struggled out of the wreckage. "Eh, just a few scrapes, no big deal," Raph smirked, trying to hide the worst of his pain even with Mikey's support. "You kicked some serious ass there, Donnie. Way to go, man!" he praised with a weak thumbs up.

Mikey grinned and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, bro! Wicked moves, dude! What did I tell you about those backflips, huh? Pretty cool!"

Donnie only rolled his eyes grinned back at his younger brother. He hadn't meant to lose control over Rahzar like that; everything that had mounted on them over the past few days, and his little comment had simply boiled over to the point where he could no longer contain his frustration. He had no idea how Leonardo managed to keep his head, and he was the leader.

But Donnie had to admit, kicking ass had never felt so good before.

Suddenly, the bridge began to tremble violently and crumble above them, shaking as planks of wood began to fall and crumble around them. The turtles looked up and gasped as the old bridge began to break down. "Oh no!" Mikey wailed, clinging onto Raph for dear life. "It's coming down!"

"Rahzar must have caused the structure to weaken when he hit the support beams!" Donnie cried, "The bridge can't hold up for much longer!"

As if on cue, Rahzar regained consciousness as he leapt back to his feet, roaring in rage as he smashed his way through another beam to reach the injured terrapins. "I'll smash you rotten turtles into the ground!" he snarled.

Growling, Donnie released Leo as he stood in front of his brothers, his arms spread out to wide shield them from the raging mutant. Out of all of them, his injuries were less serious, and if Rahzar were to try and strike at them, he would have more of a chance of surviving the blow. But he'd been wrong before. At this stage, who knew how powerful the dog was when pushed too far.

"Rahzar! You've gotta listen to reason!" Donnie shouted over the noise of the shuddering bridge above them. "You gotta stop this! If you keep this up, you're gonna kill us all, don't you understand?!"

Rahzar only replied by grabbing Donnie by the throat, lifting him off the ground as he struggled to breathe.

"Donnie!" Leo cried, watching helplessly as Donnie gasping for air as he clawed at the mutant dog's large hands.

"I understand completely," Rahzar snarled in Donnie's face. "If I fall, then you're all going down with me!" Then he roared as he threw Donnie back down to the floor, crashing into his brothers as they all tumbled backwards.

Rahzar swung his fist into yet another beam, and the bridge quaked further, large chunks of broken, splintered wood falling upon their heads relentlessly. "What do we do? It's all coming down!" Raph yelled, shielding Mikey as much as he could with his own shell as the wood fell upon them, not caring if he was cut in the process.

"We're turtle pancakes!" Mikey cried as he held onto Raph with all the force he could muster.

Leo scanned the area around them, looking for anything that they could use to either knock Rahzar out, or for any means of escape. There was no way out but the waters beyond…

And then it was in the midst of the panic that Leo remembered what Master Splinter had told them back at the lair, before this 'war' had begun , his wise words echoing in his mind…

His eyes quickly darted back to the waters. It was very risky considering that they were cold blooded, but it was their only option if they were to have any chance of survival. "Guys! Remember what Sensei said!" Leo called, drawing their attention back to him again. "He sais that 'A Ninja is both a master of himself and his environment'! So don't forget…we're turtles!" He declared, pointing towards the water. Realization dawned on them, and Donnie, Raph and Mikey grinned and nodded at their leader. With Donnie supporting Leo, the turtles quickly ran as fast as they were able to towards the icy waters.

Upon seeing that the turtles were attempting to flee Rahzar growled. "You're not getting away!" he roared as he loped after them.

The turtles dove into the waters, seconds before the bridge collapsed entirely as it crumbled to the earth in a pile of broken timber. The water was freezing against their reptilian skin, and felt like thousands of knives continuously stabbing them all over their bodies, but they had to keep swimming. As mutant turtles, they could swim better and hold their breaths for far longer than humans could, but as cold blooded reptiles, the cold slowed them down a great deal.

However, much to their good fortune, they weren't far from the shore. They could make it if they fought against the cold.

But their chances of survival became ever slimmer as Rahzar dove in and swam after them. And being a mammal, the cold bothered him but little compared to the turtles he hunted.

Leo was at the very back of the pack, for his broken leg hindered him from swimming any faster. So of course, Rahzar went after the weakest member.

He was easy prey for this insane predator.

Rahzar lashed out and grabbed Leo's broken leg. Leo nearly let out a scream, but bit it back unless he wanted to drown quicker. He desperately tried to kick the savage dog away with his only good leg, but Rahzar was stronger than him, and he was running out of air.

Rahzar would drag him down until they both drowned if he had to.

Raph, Mikey and Donnie broke through the surface, gasping, coughing and shivering bitterly in the cold. Realizing that they were a turtle short, Raph's eyes widened. "W-Where's Leo?!" he panted in panic.

"Rahzar has him!" Donnie cried. "He's dragging him down. I'm going back down after him! You guys keep going!" Before they could argue, Donnie took in a deep breath and dove back down after Leonardo.

Reluctantly, Raph took Mikey by the arm as they both swam towards the shore, silently praying to whoever was listening that they wouldn't be the only ones who made it out alive.

Pushing himself to his limits, Donnie swam down as fast as he could, going deeper and deeper into the freezing depths. The deeper he swam, the more his chest felt as if it were being crushed as he struggled to hold his breath. His reddish brown eyes scanned the darkened waters, desperately searching for his older brother. He couldn't stay down there much longer, but he had to find Leo. He couldn't let him die.

Finally, he spotted Rahzar dragging Leo down with him to the bottom, with Leo looking as if he was ready to pass out. Donnie's eyes narrowed with searing anger as he drew out his staff, swimming until he was level with the mutant that held his brother, and he viciously jabbed it into Rahzar's face several times, before the dog finally released his hold on Leo's foot.

Once Leo was free, Donnie pushed Leo upwards, helping him towards the surface as he swam to follow him.

But Rahzar wasn't letting him go anywhere...

Clasping his hands together, squeezing them until his knuckles turned white, Mikey shut his eyes as he knelt down in the snow, tears threatening to seep through his lids. "Come on, come on, come on," he whispered on repeat, drowning out the sounds of Raph's pacing across the shore as he called Casey on his T-Phone for him to bring the van.

Mikey was terrified. Both his brothers were still underneath the waves, and there had been no sign of them since he and Raph had made it to shore. They had to be okay. They had to be. If they died now, it would be all his fault.

If hadn't gotten himself kidnapped, they wouldn't have had to come and save him. Dogpound wouldn't have been mutated into Rahzar. Leo wouldn't have broken his leg. Donnie wouldn't have had to go down after him…

"Come on, please," he begged, his voice wavering. "Please, come back up, guys…"

Suddenly, Mikey's prayers were answered as Leo's head finally broke through the surface, and he struggled to swim the rest of the way to dry land as he coughed and gasped greedily for air. "There he is! Leo!" Mikey cried as he and Raph ran towards the waters' edge, wading through it as they reached the half drowned turtle, helping him climb out onto the snow covered earth.

Raph patted his shell as his older brother coughed and spluttered out the water from his lungs. "Leo, are you okay?" he asked, his teeth chattering from the cold winds that swept through as snow continued to fall. Mikey stood beside him with his arms wrapped himself and shivering badly. Cold blooded mutants swimming in freezing waters was never a good idea. But at least they were still alive.

Leo took in a few steady breaths before he lifted his head again. "…yeah…I'm fine…" he said, sending his brothers a reassuring smile. "My leg still hurts like crazy, but" He trailed off as his eyes widened. "…wait…where's Donnie?!" he gasped as he shot up and looked left and right in search for the purple turtle, as did Mikey and Raph. Where did he go? Wasn't he right behind Leo after he freed him from Rahzar?

"Donnie? Donnie! Donnie, where are you?!" Raph called into the night. He looked out to the water where he had last seen his purple clad brother before he dove in after Leo. The waters remained tranquil, as if they had never even entered it to begin with. That didn't ease their fears whatsoever; they only increased. Donnie was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Rahzar. That could only mean…

The snow continued to fall from the black skies as the three turtles continued to call out for their lost brother. "Donnie! Answer us, please!" Mikey cried, tears threatening to spill. Still, no one answered their desperate calls.

Something came up from beneath the surface, and floated gently towards them from the water. Still unable to properly walk, Leo crawled over to the water's edge and picked it up, removing morsels of sticky seaweed and other varieties of filth from it.

His eyes widened and his hands trembled.

It was a strip of purple cloth, with two round holes for eyes in the middle. Blood splatters stained the tails.

In his grasp, he held the ripped and bloodied purple mask of Donatello.

"NO, DONNIE!" Leo screamed, clutching the mask to his chest as tears poured down his cheeks. Mikey covered his face with his hands, falling to his knees as he began to sob.

Raph stared at the mask in Leo's hands, his eyes wide and unbelieving. He saw the blood stains on the ends of the mask as Leo held it, his tears soaking into the fabric as he cried.

It wasn't true…it couldn't be…Donnie can't be dead. He can't!

Hot tears began to pour down his face as Raph ground his teeth together, clenching his fists tightly until they turned white. "Why…?" he whispered, his voice trembling. He then raised his head and shrieked, "WHY DID YOU DO THIS?! DONNIE, YOU JERK! YOU CAN'T LEAVE US LIKE THIS! YOU CAN'T DIE ON US! YOU CAN'T DIE ON ME!"

He fell to his knees, letting the tears drip down his cheeks and land on the snow. "You can't…please…don't go…" he begged in a whisper.

"…I'm not going anywhere!"

Startled by the sound of a voice, their heads snapped up and turned sharply to the left in search of the source, and they gasped collectively. Leaning weakly on his broken Bo staff, soaked to the bone and panting heavily in exhaustion near the water's edge, was Donatello, alive and whole, smiling at them with his gap-toothed showing.

"DONNIE!" they all cried as they scrambled to their feet and ran to meet him, before they all leapt on him, wrapping their arms around him and squeezing him in their tight embrace. They fell to their knees as the four brothers hugged each other. Donnie winced a little bit, but he couldn't care less about his scrapes; all that mattered was that he was with his brothers again.

"You're alive! You're okay!" Mikey sobbed as he buried his face into his taller brothers' shoulder.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, you egg-headed jerk!" Raph bellowed, not bothering to hide his tears this time.

"Donnie, why did you do that? Why did you go after me?!" Leo cried as he and the others pulled away slightly so that they could look at him.

Donnie only smiled. "I meant what I said to Rahzar," he said. "I love you guys more than anything. I'd rather die before I let any of you slip away from me." He then sent his older brother a tired grin.

Leo let out a watery laugh before he took Donnie's face between his hands and kissed Donnie's forehead firmly, then wrapped his arms around his neck again as he buried his face into his shoulder. "Donnie, you idiot. We love you, too. Don't scare us like that again. Promise me, Donnie," he said softly.

"Promise, Leo." Donnie replied as he held him back just as tight, tears streaming down his face as Mikey and Raph joined in the embrace once again. "However…just because I almost died for you, doesn't mean I really wanted to die today…" he joked.

The brothers laughed together at that. But before long, the fear and relief exhausted them as they fell on their backs, and stared up at the sky as the soft snowflakes fell from the heavens and onto their faces. They lay there, side by side, for a long time in complete silence, simply letting themselves relax, not bothering to hide for they were out in the open.

Nothing mattered at all in that moment. Nothing but the fact that they were still together.

"…I don't wanna walk back home, dudes." Mikey murmured, breaking the silence as he nuzzled his cheek against Raph's shoulder.

"I can't walk," Leo sighed, holding Donnie's hand tighter. "Not with a broken leg. Any ideas guys?"

"I just called Casey a little while ago to bring the van over," Raph said tiredly as he slipped his arm around Mikey, "but we should really get one of our own or something…"

"We'll talk about it later…" Leo murmured. Raph didn't bother to retort.

But just before they let their drowsiness take over them completely, Donnie laid his cheek upon Leo's head as he announced to the group, "Guys…I know I've said it once already, but I'm gonna freaking say it again…"

"God I Love Being a Turtle," they chorused in unison before they finally closed their eyes, letting the events of the night slip out from their minds as they lay together on the snow covered docks. They had won the battle. They had saved the city again. And, once again, they had risen above their enemies together, as a team. As brothers.

And now, they would rest together as brothers, finally let sleep overcome them as the snow flakes buried them in its soft, delicate, frozen blanket…