*And now the continuation some of you have been waiting for. Why am I still talking? I have no idea. Just read. ;)
Nerves rocketed through Donatello's mind as he ran, consuming the turtle to the point that he became almost numb to the fact that he was high above the city streets, leaping from one building to the next. The journey was easy to take for granted in any case, because the apartment that Greg and Brandon shared was a frequent stopover when the turtles were on the surface.
Donny was anxious about facing Brandon so soon after offending the man, but he also knew that he wouldn't be able to rest well until he'd made things right with his friend. He's more likely to talk to me if I come in person. Bran leaving his phone behind was the kick in the shell that I needed to force me to do this.
Upon another landing the purple-masked turtle shifted his backpack, which he'd only carried with him tonight for the purpose of housing his scanner. Donatello had checked Brandon's coordinates through the beacon in his watch before he left the Den, but taking the scanner had guaranteed his ability to track down the man if he was on the move.
I knew it was wrong to search for his father without telling Bran or Karina from the start, he silently fumed. Why'd I let myself get talked into this? No one was supposed to get hurt. Kat's only trying to be a good big sister, but talking to Brandon and Karina would have been a lot more effective than setting me to work behind the scenes. It's my own fault that all of this happened though. I should have gone with my gut.
Donatello slid across a rooftop awning, barely skimming the surface of the material with his knees, before swinging around the corner of the building to land on the fire escape. He took a couple of seconds to breathe and stared at the familiar structure across from him.
It'll be okay, he reassured himself. Brandon will come around to forgiving me. The guys are right; he just needs time to burn. If Brandon doesn't want to talk to me tonight, I won't force myself on him. I'll just leave his phone, and get out of the way.
Donatello climbed up on the railing, tensing the muscles in his legs in preparation to make the leap to the other fire escape across from him. He made his way down a couple more floors, and paused again on the balcony that was attached to Brandon and Greg's apartment, before willing himself to knock on the door.
The turtle waited close to two minutes for a response, and knocked again. When Brandon didn't appear, he reached for his key with a soft sigh. There's nothing like barging in on the guy who just stormed out on you. I don't have much choice. I won't get another chance to reunite him with his phone before he leaves for Jamaica.
Donatello let himself into the apartment, which was presently illuminated by a single light in the living room. "Brandon?" he ventured. "Where are you?"
The last thing he wanted to do was startle the man. He withdrew Brandon's phone from his belt, fully prepared to extend the device in explanation as to why he'd come. The apartment felt quiet. Aside from the light being on, there was nothing to signal that anyone was there. A strange chill coursed through his body as he looked around the room, along with a confusing sense of foreboding.
Donatello shook off the sensation as he circled around the living room to peer into the darkened kitchen, then headed for the hallway that led back to the bedrooms. He immediately noticed the light coming from underneath Brandon's door and took a sharp breath.
He cleared his throat nervously as he knocked on the door. "Bran? It's Donny. Could you maybe open the door?" Donatello shifted uncomfortably at the lack of an answer. "Or not, that's fine," he continued. "I, uh…I brought your phone. You left it underground. I'm really sorry about everything, Brandon. I hope we can work this out when you get back. In the meantime, I'm still here. Don't hate me, all right?"
The turtle's shoulders slumped when he heard nothing from the other side, but he hadn't truly expected differently. Donatello's eyes were averted as he turned away from the room, so that he saw two sets of feet before his head jerked up to take in the rest of the figures. A gasp automatically leaped to the surface as he fell back a step in surprise.
The first thought to run through his mind was simply confusion and fear over being seen by strangers, but the moment the hall light clicked on, disbelief struck a strong note in his heart. The men weren't the slightest bit startled by his appearance. Their Japanese ethnicity and smug expressions made Donatello feel like he was having an out of body experience.
Akiudo? No, it's not possible!
Donatello held his ground unflinchingly, though he couldn't control the way his breathing quickened. The warriors were obviously trying to hem him into the narrow hallway, where there was nowhere to go except the two bedrooms. He had every intention of making good on an attempt to get past them, but first his fingers slipped toward the watch on his left wrist so he could set off his emergency beacon.
A large hand wrapped around his right wrist from behind before Donatello could blink, wrenching his arm painfully. Don cursed himself for allowing the man to sneak up on him, biting back a cry as the stranger landed a powerful blow to his other arm, which crushed his watch and probably cracked his wrist bone along with it. Brandon's cell phone went flying from the clenched fist with which he'd been gripping it.
"Not tonight, demon," a low voice said triumphantly in his ear.
Donny jerked his head around and laid shocked eyes on none other but Daichi. The purple-masked turtle felt the contact point of metal barbs on the back of his neck, and instantly broke away from the large man before Daichi could activate the taser. Even as he lunged forward, Donatello knew his chances for escape were small. They'd neatly cornered him in the hallway, where there was little space for him to resist.
But how could they possibly get into position that fast? I haven't even been here that long! Daichi would have had to beat me down the hall. I know they weren't following me, so how—
In a horrifying moment, he understood that the warriors must have been inside the apartment before he ever got there. The frightening realization made him so concerned for Brandon that his heart nearly stopped beating. The anxiety gave him new energy with which to fight back, and Donatello threw all his strength into an escape attempt.
A powerful thrust from his knee took down the one to the right in front of him, but two more men crowded in behind where the warrior had been standing. Donatello tried to reach for his own phone that was still on his belt, at the same time as he lashed out his foot at the closest man to him.
The warrior ducked his blow, and a surge of men converged on the turtle. Among the mass of arms grasping at him, Donatello felt someone searching his belt, and snapping up his cell phone. Another warrior relieved him of his backpack, yanking it from his shoulders as Don struggled uselessly.
As of yet, none of them had tried to hurt Donatello, but only to contain him. He wasn't going to return the favor. As he was wrestled to the floor, Donny landed another blind kick toward one of his assailants. The sight of Daichi rubbing his jaw made the turtle smirk slightly, even as he was dragged upright again by four individuals, who were each controlling one his limbs.
"Where's Brandon?" Donny angrily demanded of Daichi. "What have you done with him?"
"Do not be concerned for your friend, demon. You will be reunited with him soon."
"You don't need him now that you have me!" Donatello insisted.
"You are correct, demon. I will get to enjoy killing him."
Panic made Donatello's mind seize up entirely as he was carried forcefully into the living room. He caught sight of restraints in Daichi's hands, and cold awareness cut through the fear he was experiencing for his friend.
I can't let them take me! If they get me out of here, Brandon is a dead man!
Two fingers alighted across his neck as Donatello renewed his struggling, and he could tell that one of the underlings was trying to immobilize him with the use of a pressure point.
Idiot, he's way off. Donatello almost laughed as the touch didn't produce the intense pain that the warrior had been attempting to deliver. But if I can get them to relax their guards a little…
The purple-masked turtle growled and flopped limply in the arms of his captors, praying he was sending the correct message that he was weakening.
"Hurry up!" Daichi ordered the men. "I want to get him out of here while we have the opportunity!"
I bet he thinks reinforcements are coming, Donatello recognized bitterly. I wish it was true. How many times have we said it to each other? We shouldn't go off alone, yet we still do it. Leo wanted to come with me, but no, I had to face Brandon on my own. Stupid!
The four men handling his arms and legs were starting to put him down again.
"On his front," Daichi instructed. "This one is a gifted fugitive, and he is not getting away from us this time."
Nice to know he remembers me, Don thought morosely.
He brightened as the man on his left inexplicably let go of his leg while they were turning him over. Even as Donatello retracted his knee, he felt the warrior's fingers glide across his skin to recapture him. The man wasn't anywhere near as fast as the turtle. Don snapped his leg out as hard as he could, striking both men positioned near his feet before they could even speak.
A warrior shouted, his voice resounding loudly in Donny's ears as he laid another man flat with his flailing legs. Then he drove one of his feet into the shin of the man gripping his right arm, and spun violently to break the grasp of the last man trying to keep him nailed down.
Before Donatello could take a single stride, a looming shadow overtook him. Daichi's shoulder rammed into his plastron, and sent the turtle crashing into a side table. The wood collapsed underneath him as the turtle heaved for air. Despite the fact that he was fighting for oxygen, Don scrambled to rise as Daichi held him down in the splintered remains of the furniture.
The turtle saw the taser coming, and a thought lit through his mind like lightning. I've got enough experience with being shocked to know that my shell absorbs par—
That was as far as Donatello got before Daichi activated the taser against his shoulder. He couldn't even think straight through the sharp pain that caused every muscle in his body to contract. Don trembled uncontrollably, and a daze lingered on his consciousness even as Daichi lifted the taser.
Rational thought fought its way to the surface. I can take a worse shock than he realizes. If I can just fake—
Daichi depressed the taser against him a second time and Donatello allowed his eyes to roll back as pain lanced across his nerves. When the man removed the barbs, Donatello's body convulsed for a few seconds longer. His limbs tingled with temporary paralysis, but he was in firm control of his own mind.
Fake it.
The turtle feigned being unconscious, allowing his head to slump backwards. Daichi's open-handed slap almost elicited a response from Donatello, but he controlled it through an act of sheer willpower. Don was surprised by how quickly Daichi yanked him off the floor and threw him over his shoulder.
"Too much noise! Move now!" Daichi ordered.
"Daichi-san, two of ours are out cold!" another voice exclaimed.
"Then pick them up, fool, and move your feet! We cannot afford to leave evidence behind!"
He's more concerned with someone else tracing him than he is about the men, Donatello thought grimly. Why should that surprise me?
Donatello wanted to cringe as Daichi carried him up the fire escape, and groaned inwardly when the man twisted his injured wrist. He could feel the tension in Daichi's body just by the way he was handling him.
"Take them below," Daichi told someone else. "You will only slow us down if you try to carry the injured along with us."
"But what are we supposed to do with them?" one whined.
"I don't care. Just keep them out of the way until they wake up, and you can find transport back to our district with the clean-up crew."
"But that means we will be stuck—"
Donatello could only imagine the menacing look Daichi had probably given the man to shut him up.
"Yes, Daichi-san," the same man finished.
The purple-masked turtle was anxiously waiting for feeling to return to his muscles, hopefully before Daichi stopped to restrain him. It was a nerve-wracking experience to be at the human's mercy as he jumped from one roof to the next. Donatello's stomach lurched with each weightless sensation, while he wondered where Daichi was taking him, and whether they'd already harmed Brandon.
If I hadn't ticked Bran off, none of this would have happened, he thought fleetingly. In that case, I'm glad I was the one who came and not-
He broke off abruptly as Daichi landed with a thump, and this time stopped in his tracks. Donatello had a moment to mentally prepare himself before the man flung him facedown on the gritty surface. The turtle bit his tongue to prevent himself from crying out upon the impact.
"Watch him," he heard Daichi say. "Good evening, Yukiko-san."
The greeting made Don's brown eyes shoot open in disbelief, but all he saw was the rooftop directly under him.
"All is well, I assure you," Daichi said soothingly. "Our number continues to grow. It has taken some research on the streets, but…no, we're closer to two dozen now."
When Donatello didn't hear the woman responding, he realized that Daichi had to be talking on the phone.
"I can contain them for a few more weeks, Yukiko-san, it is not as if we are running wild. Of course we are staying out of sight! Do you really think I am so stupid?...Yes, call me. I want to know the status of Takashi-sama's appeal. As you wish, Yukiko-san. Goodbye."
The urge to throw up was so strong that Donatello barely contained it. Yukiko, alive? How the shell is that possible? It sounds as if they're regrouping, but what is Daichi doing on American soil? Surely he didn't come all the way back here to pick up a few measly men he could have easily replaced in Okinawa!
Donatello's beleaguered muscles still felt tight, but he found that he was capable of flexing them. I have to try. Even if I fail, it's better than doing nothing.
"You did not tell Yukiko-san about the Shitenno," one of the others observed.
"Now why would I do that? So she could try to steal the credit?" Daichi snorted. "We are going to be the ones to reap the reward for catching this one when Takashi-sama comes."
What? Donatello was only feeling more confused. But Takashi is behind bars! Why on earth do they have so much confidence in this appeal? They must have something else plan—
He didn't bother finishing as he felt someone drawing his wrists together, and realized that this was probably his last chance to get away. The nerves of his left wrist screamed at Donatello as he tore his arms out of the unprepared man's grasp.
A string of Japanese curses pursued Donatello as he rolled to the right, and leaped to his feet with more difficulty than he'd hoped to have. His legs felt weak, and Don knew that he was in no condition to beat a hasty retreat. The likelihood of landing even one jump to another building felt slim.
Donatello jerked his bo from its holster and warily faced off with Daichi and two other men, as he also rapidly scanned his surroundings.
"You miserable demon, I am going to make you beg for death!" Daichi proclaimed fiercely.
Donny didn't acknowledge him. Out of the corner of his eye, he'd noticed an insulated cable line. He knew from years of practice that he wouldn't get shocked by the wire unless he gave the electricity a chance to complete the circuit by coming into contact with another solid surface.
There wasn't time to think it over. Turning rapidly, he lunged off the roof toward the wire, and hooked his bo over his head to give him traction on the line. Donatello had already traveled several feet when he felt the cable jerk under the influence of too much weight behind him, and it was followed by a terrible snap.
In an instant he knew that Daichi had cluelessly followed him, ignoring the need to distribute his weight properly on the cable line. Fear barely had time to register as the sheared end of the wire hurled both of them toward the building that was directly in its path.
Donatello had seconds to realize that the glass was coming, and buried his head to protect himself. Daichi's weight and momentum combined with his, shattering the large pane with a tremendous explosion. The turtle closed his eyes to protect them from the shower of glass, unable to fight the force of gravity that carried him further across the room. Don never saw the object in the path of his collision.