Drowning; he was watching his brother drown, and for some reason, he was unable to stop it. He saw the older turtle's colored bandana break the surface, and he couldn't understand why his brother wouldn't tread water, or try to escape from the death trap that was dragging him under. He also didn't understand why his own legs weren't working properly, and he'd been rendered powerless to assist him.
I'm right here – he can't die with me watching this close by. I have to do something!
No number of mental commands could convince his cement-hard limbs to move. He'd been struggling so badly with his progress, he didn't notice the point at which his brother slipped beneath the lake again. When he looked at the water, he saw no sign of the other turtle, only a calm surface that granted no trace of a fight for survival.
Donny, no! Donny!
Fingers were gliding across his shoulder, their gentle pressure summoning him to wake up.
"Donny!" The orange-masked turtle cried once more out of reflex.
Rebecca ducked her head close to his. "Shh, Mikey," she soothed. "It's all right. You were dreaming."
Mike was surprised to discover how hard he was breathing. "Yeah," he agreed uncertainly. "A dream. Shell, I'm sorry, Beck. Is Nate still asleep?"
The curly-haired woman rose on her side of the bed to see into the bassinet where the two-month-old turtle was sleeping. "He's fine, Mike. He slept through it."
Michelangelo sighed in relief as he propped up on his elbow to face his wife. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "I don't know where that came from, Becky."
She brushed her hand across his cheek in a calming gesture. "Mike, it's okay. I think it's to be expected with all the drama you four face. Do you need something to help you sleep?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm sure I'll be fine. I've got you – what else do I need?" Mike gave her a toothy grin in the glow of the faint night light.
He held out an arm to draw her in, and Rebecca snuggled into the crook of his elbow. "Let's try to get some sleep before Nate wants to eat again. Hopefully the next time you wake up to yelling, it'll be coming from the baby and not me," Mike said wryly.
One of her arms rested against his plastron as Mike evened out his breathing and tried to go back to sleep. He closed his eyes, but he kept seeing the same picture of Donatello disappearing beneath the surface of an otherwise sparkling lake.
The uneasy sensation persisted in his spirit, to the point that he realized he wasn't going to be able to relax. For twenty minutes Mike had tried to assure himself that it was nothing but his imagination, and had listened to the sounds of Rebecca and Nathaniel sleeping. The foreboding feeling had only grown in that span of time, now hovering over him like a low-hanging cloud.
This isn't right, he finally told himself. Something isn't right.
Michelangelo began to carefully rise, but he couldn't escape Becky's grasp without waking her up again.
"Mike?" she murmured, sounding confused.
"Becky, something's wrong," he said in a low voice. "I don't know what it is, but I can't shake it."
She sat up straight as he got to his feet. "Something's wrong with Donny?" she clarified.
"You know how I get these feelings about him."
Rebecca nodded. "He had a rough night, falling out with Bran like that. If you need to talk to him, Mikey, then go."
Mike squeezed her hand. "I'll be back soon."
The orange-masked turtle smiled down at the sleeping baby as he passed the bassinet, and then quietly headed out of the room. He listened carefully as he crept past Olivia's room, but he didn't hear Raphael's one-year-old stirring either.
It was dark downstairs, with the exception of the light they usually left on. As Mike started down the steps, he caught sight of Jenna fast asleep on one of the couches. His brow furrowed as he studied the raven-haired woman.
There's no way Don got into a fight with her too. Geez, I'd better find his shell and figure out what's going on.
Michelangelo snuck past the young woman without disturbing her, and headed for the bedroom that Donatello shared with Jenna on the first floor. The door wasn't completely closed, so Mike inched it open slowly. A cursory glance of the room revealed no sign of his brother.
Donny's not asleep. Big shocker.
Mike crossed through the hall to check the dojo and followed it up with the Lounge, but didn't find the purple-masked turtle.
I suppose he could be working in his Lab, but I didn't see any lights on.
Mike stuck his head into his brother's inner sanctum, but the room was cold and dark, as if it had been abandoned for hours. He turned lastly for the kitchen, now fully expecting to find his brother sitting alone in the darkness. That room too was empty.
Mike felt confused as he returned to the living area, and pondered the matter in the middle of the room. Where the shell is he? I know he's not off sleeping with Leo and Calley. That'd be too weird. I guess he could have gone for a walk. I need to find out.
He went to Jenna's sleeping figure, and carefully prodded her arm. "Jen, wake up," he urged.
The young woman jerked in surprise, and Michelangelo crouched down to her level. "I'm sorry to bother you. Do you know where Donny is?"
Jenna tossed black hair off her forehead sleepily. "Yeah, Mikey, he went to return Brandon's phone to him. Bran accidentally left it behind when he stormed out earlier."
Mike looked at his watch for the first time. "Jen, it's pushing 3AM. When did Donny leave?"
"It's what?" Her Australian accent automatically rose.
"It's about 3:00 in the morning," he told her. "Has Donny been gone long?"
Jenna swore loudly as she sat up, surprising Michelangelo a great deal. "Yes, he's been gone…It was around 11 when he left, Mike! I can't believe I let myself fall asleep!" She snatched her phone off the table, as if she needed to convince herself that it was really that late. "He wouldn't have stayed this long to talk to Brandon," Jen said to herself.
"Did Don go to make up with him?"
"That was his main incentive I think," she said distractedly, holding her cell up to her ear.
Mike waited as her expression changed.
"Don't you do this to me, Don," she said under her breath. Jenna hung up the phone, and immediately dialed again.
"Is he not answering? Which one are you calling?"
"Donny's phone went straight to voicemail. I'm trying Brandon's."
Even as she put the phone back to her ear, Mike had the sinking certainty that something was dreadfully wrong. He'd sensed it upstairs, but now proof was unfolding right in front of him. His initial inclination was to run and wake Leo up, but he waited to see what Jenna's efforts would accomplish first.
Her rate of breathing increased as she continued clutching her phone. "It's the same thing, Mike. The phones don't ring, they just…" The woman faltered, her light blue eyes suddenly looking lost and vulnerable.
Michelangelo took a deep breath and gave her the calmest look he could muster. "We'll track him down, sis; everything is gonna be okay." He patted her shoulder encouragingly. "Why don't you go look for his scanner, and I'm going to get Leo."
The blue-masked turtle bolted upright in the darkness before the shadowy figure who'd entered the bedroom that he shared with Calley could reach him. "Who—"
"It's me, Fearless," Mike said quietly. "Get up. Donny never came home."
Leonardo immediately pressed the button to illuminate the display of his watch, and he lunged to his feet when he saw what time it was. "Did you hear from him, Mike?"
"No, Leo. I just had a bad feeling, so I came down to check on Donny. I didn't even know he left."
"He went after you'd already gone to bed with Rebecca and Nate," Leo filled in. "Did you try raising him on the phone?"
"His cell and Bran's both go straight to voicemail."
"Don wouldn't have been gone this long without checking in," Leonardo reminded himself. "We're going to have to track him down."
"Leo, what's wrong?" Calley sounded a little dazed.
"Don's missing," he replied. "We have to get moving."
The blond woman's feet hit the floor in seconds. "What do we do first?"
"I asked Jen to find his scanner," Mike volunteered.
"Good," Leo replied. "Go wake up Raph and get him down here too."
As the blue-masked turtle strode out of the room, he felt like his heart was in his throat. I should have insisted on going with him. I shouldn't have let Don go alone. Where could he be?
Leonardo shook his head at the sight of the two black and white border collies lying by the front door, probably waiting for Donatello to return. As he entered the living area, Jenna dashed out of the Lab.
"His scanner isn't here, Leo! I think he might have taken it with him!"
"Why would he do that?" Leonardo growled, more out of anxiety than anger.
"I don't know, Leo, but I can't find it, and he always leaves it in plain sight."
Leonardo sighed noisily. "Then we'll have to track his implanted beacon through the computer."
At Jenna's doubtful look, he shook his head again. The coordinates are more difficult to decipher through the computer than just following the tracking technology with Don's hand-held device. But if the computer program is all we've got, then we have to make it work.
Before Leonardo could step one foot inside the Lab, his other two brothers were pounding down the stairs.
"Leo, what's the deal, huh?" Raphael demanded.
"I don't know anything more than you do, Raph," he tried to say patiently. "Don didn't come back, and we're going to look for him."
The red-masked turtle was already clutching the pommel of one of his sai. "Can't we do the tracking on foot, Fearless? Let's get going!"
"It's not that easy, Raph. We think he took the scanner with him, so we're stuck using the regular computer."
"Are you kidding me? None of us know what we're freaking doing with that thing!" Raphael didn't even try to contain his frustration.
"That's not true, Raph, Don worked hard to make sure we could use the interface too."
"Leo, do ya even know what an interface is?" he shot back.
"Forget about using the computer!" Jenna interjected. "Get on the phone with Doc. Have him pinpoint Donny with his scanner. Then if Don…if he needs extra help, Luke will already be prepared to assist."
Leonardo liked Jenna's logic, and that the plan allowed them to leave at once. "That's what we'll do, Jen. We'll head for the surface, and I'll call Doc while we're en route. We'll be in touch the minute we find out something."
"Be careful!" Karina called from the second level.
Leonardo looked up to see Raphael's wife at the railing, admitting to himself that he hadn't realized she or Becky were watching from above. The blue-masked turtle scanned between all four women, and tried to appear reassuring.
"Don't worry, ladies. We're on this, we'll find Don. I'll call you soon."
Leonardo led the way out the main door into the tunnel, trying to convince his own mind that Donatello was all right. He never set off his panic button, and Don didn't try to call anyone. There could be a legitimate explanation for his disappearance, but it doesn't seem likely.
The grim look in Michelangelo's blue eyes made Leonardo more nervous.
"What kind of feeling did you get about him, Mikey?"
The orange-masked turtle wouldn't meet his eyes. "It was a dream, Leo. I'm trying not to read into it."
"Tell me," Leo insisted.
Mike's gaze remained focused on the floor of the tunnel as the younger turtle picked up speed, running slightly ahead of Leonardo. "I dreamed that he was drowning, and there wasn't a thing I could do to save him. When I woke up, the fear wouldn't go away."
"Genius will be okay," Raphael said gruffly. "He's had his share of trouble, and always come out on the other side. We just gotta figure out where he is, Leo. You gonna call Doc, or what?"
Leonardo unhooked his phone from his belt, and hit Luke's speed-dial. Sorry, Doc, this is the price you pay for choosing to align yourself with this bunch.