Chapter 23: Three Simple Words
A/N: And here we come to the climatic chapter where everything goes down. I'm so excited to be posting this chapter as it's one of my favorites that I've outlined. I want to thank all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. Thanks so much for sticking with this story even when I left you hanging for so long. Your kind words and encouragement mean the world to me and I can't thank you enough for taking a chance on me. I really hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and the OCs.
Robyn smirked as she motioned to Jason. He walked over to a tap and twisted it. A sweet smell permeated the room, and Don could see that his brothers were confused about what it could be. Don hesitated, trying to pinpoint the smell and then his eyes widened in shock. Robyn and Jason had filled the warehouse with cyanide. Don tried to convey this to his brothers, but they were coughing and gasping so they couldn't hear him. Robyn and Jason smirked as they put on masks so the gas wouldn't affect them.
Don looked frantically around. There had to be a way out of here, but he saw no option. He watched as Robyn strolled up to each of his brothers and taunted them. The hissing of the gas was so loud, Don couldn't hear what she was saying, but he knew it couldn't be good. He sank to his knees, coughing and gasping as he did his best to try to save his oxygen. He knew exactly what was going on. Robyn and Jason had staged this to kill them and then escape. When help arrived, the Turtles would be dead, making it look like they had killed themselves due to their depression over missing April, which was far from the truth.
Robyn strolled over to Donnie, a smirk on her face. "Hey, Donnie, it's been a while," she said. "Did you miss me?"
Don coughed and shook his head violently. There was no way he had missed her.
"Aww, sure you did," she taunted. "You think about me all of the time, don't you?" She ran her hand seductively up and down his arm.
Don shook her off, a snarl coming out of his mouth.
Robyn smiled. "You know, it doesn't have to be this way, Donnie," she said. "I can make all of this go away. I can stop the gas and let you guys live. You just have to do one thing for me."
"What's that?" Don gasped out.
"Tell me you love me," Robyn ordered. "Admit that you've been thinking about me and fantasizing about me. You've been hoping all along that I would repent of my ways and come back to you guys so you could have the happy ending you've been craving. Just say the word, Donnie, and you and your brothers will live."
Don hesitated. Sure, he wanted his brothers to live and for this mess to end, but he knew Robyn was lying. She would never set them free. Besides, he didn't love her at all. He never did.
"I hate you," he whispered.
"What was that?" Robyn asked. "I didn't quite hear you. Say it louder, Donnie."
Don took a deep breath and looked into Robyn's hate-filled eyes. "I hate you!" he said louder. "I never loved you and I never will! You are a sick, twisted, and demented person, and you deserved to be locked up for everything you've ever done! My love is for April and Irma Langenstein, not you!"
Robyn snarled and bared her teeth at his words. "Have it your way then," she said. "I think I'll kill you first." She pulled out a gun, and Don's breath caught in his throat at the sight of it. Why didn't she just let the gas finish them off instead? Why would she want to kill him in this manner? He took in her face which was covered in scars. Her teeth were ugly and one of them was rotted. She was definitely a sick person, and all Don wanted to do was get rid of her, but he was too weak. She held the gun to his head and smiled.
"Say goodbye, Donnie dear," she said.
Don closed his eyes as a shot rang out and his whole world went dark.
22222
Don was floating in a boat with water surrounding him. Where was he? How had he gotten here? He heard a voice and saw April beckoning to him.
"Donnie, over here!" she said.
"April? What are you doing here?"
"We're together at last," she said. "I always knew I'd find you someday."
Shock registered on Don's face. "Am I dead?" he asked her.
Sadness filled her. "I'm afraid so," she said. "You didn't make it."
"No!" Don gasped. "I'm not ready to die yet! I have so much to live for! I can't leave my brothers now!" He pulled away from April and dove into the water. He tried to swim away from her though she kept calling his name. No, he wasn't ready to leave just yet.
He opened his eyes and saw that he was in the infirmary of the Lair. He turned and saw his brothers beside him while Splinter, Ali, and Jack leaned over him.
"Donatello, are you all right?" Splinter asked gently.
Don bolted upright. "What happened?" he gasped.
Jack pushed Don down gently. "Easy there," he said. "You've had a bit of a shock.'
"What's going on?" Don demanded.
"We managed to get you out of the warehouse," Ali replied. "If we had waited any longer, you boys would have been dead with all of that cyanide in there."
"How did you find us?" Leo asked. Don started and noticed that his brothers were sitting up as well.
"Splinter saw you sneak out of the Lair and called us," Ali answered. "He figured you were going to find Robyn, so we tracked you to the warehouse. We burst inside and saw Jason Biggerstaff trying to escape, but we caught him."
"What about Robyn?" Mikey asked. "Did you catch her, too?"
"Robyn wasn't there, Mikey," Ali said. "It was all Jason's idea. He was obsessed with Robyn and lured you to the warehouse to kill you. It was revenge for you killing Robyn in the fire."
"But Robyn was there!" protested Don. "We all saw her, right, guys?"
Raph nodded. "She was definitely there. She wanted to kill us."
"She built a shrine and said it was our shrine to April," added Leo. "They filled the warehouse with gas to make it look like we killed ourselves so they could escape."
"She told me that if I told her I loved her, she would undo all of it," Don chimed in. "I said I hated her and she pointed a gun at my head. Did she shoot me?"
"No, I shot Jason in the shoulder," Jack answered. "Robyn wasn't there."
"You boys hallucinated her, which makes sense given the amount of cyanide in the room," Ali explained. "I think you were imagining her because it was your worst fear. You were afraid you were going to confront her, so your minds conjured her up."
"But that's impossible!" Don protested. "No one can imagine the same things like that!"
"Poisonous gases can do anything," Ali told him. "You imagined her, boys. That's it. We have Jason and he's going to go to jail for what he did. He even admitted to killing April and that he was the one who killed Lynn, too."
"What about Ivy?" Don asked.
"We found her in an abandoned apartment building," Ali answered. "She's alive, but she almost died."
"Then she can confirm it was Robyn," Don said. "I'm sure she knows it was her."
"Ivy Jones isn't in any condition to talk to anyone," Ali informed them. "She's still very shaken up and won't answer our questions. You boys have been through a lot. It's time for you to rest."
"What about Casey?" Raph asked. "Jason said he impersonated him."
"We found his body not too long ago," Ali said. "Jason admitted that he killed Casey in order to impersonate him. Look, Jack and I have to go right now. We'll stop by in a few days to see how you are, but we have a lot of work to do now. Just rest and everything will be okay. It's over, boys. You don't have to live in fear anymore."
With that, she and Jack left the Turtles. After the two detectives were gone, the Turtles gazed at one another. Was she right? Had they just imagined Robyn was there?
"Sensei, do you believe us?" Leo asked.
Splinter nodded. "Yes, I do," he said. "I know you boys would never lie about something like that. I believe you did see her and that she tried to kill you."
"So why don't Ali and Jack believe us?" Raph demanded. "Why do they insist we imagined Robyn?"
"Sometimes it is easier to pretend that things are fine even when they are not," Splinter replied. "I think it is easier for them to believe Robyn is dead so they feel they have succeeded in capturing April's killer on their own."
"But they didn't!" Don protested. "Robyn is April's killer! We know she did it!"
"I know, my son, and I believe you, but it will not be easy to convince Alison and Jack of this," Splinter said gently.
"So what do we do?" Leo asked him.
Splinter sighed. "There is not much we can do," he replied. "For now, you boys need to rest. All of this will be sorted out soon enough. However, I want you boys to remain alert. We know that Robyn is still out there and will stop at nothing to make sure you are eliminated. Be cautious and ready for anything for this war is far from over. Is that understood?'
"Hai, Sensei," the Turtles said.
Splinter kissed each of his sons on the forehead. "I am so glad you are safe," he said. "I was afraid I had lost you." Then he turned and left them alone.
"Dude, this sucks," Mikey said morosely. "I so wish they would have captured Robyn."
"I guess this means it's not over," Raph said gloomily.
"We'll always be running from her," Don added.
"No, we won't," Leo said firmly. "When the time is right, we'll take her down. We're not going to let Robyn win. Jason may be in jail, but Robyn's not going to just let the cops take her. She'll bide her time, and when she feels she's safe, she'll try and strike again."
"And what does that mean for us?" Don asked him.
A determined look crossed Leo's face. "It means we take her down for good," he declared.
The others nodded as they put their hands on top of one another in a show of solidarity. The war was far from over, and they knew they had to end this once and for all. But as long as they had each other, nothing was going to stop them from bringing Robyn down and making her pay for all of her crimes. They were ninjas, and ninjas did everything they could to achieve their ends. Robyn may have tried to kill them, but they weren't down yet, and Robyn needed to learn the most important lesson of all: Never mess with the Hamato Clan.
A/N: And another chapter comes to a close. This isn't the end of the story yet. I have four aftermath chapters to write and then the story will be over for real. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.