Sorry I took so long to update! I've been super busy recently, and writer's block kept rearing it's ugly head x.x
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Enjoy the chapter!
Splinter felt as though his heart stopped beating in his chest. Pain and hope battled for a place in the former humans eyes.
The Shredder chuckled darkly, pulling up on the teen's hair a bit more. The teen hissed, teeth bared to prevent any other sound of pain from coming out.
"It took quite awhile to track him down." He stated slowly. "I had to bribe many techs to hack into hospital systems and search for the correct DNA tests and such. But it was well worth the wait. Wouldn't you agree, Jack?"
The only reply was a defiant glare from the teen.
"And now, old friend." Shredder hissed, turning his gaze back to Splinter. "You shall get to see me kill him before your very eyes."
Horror filled the faces of Splinter, the turtles, and their human companions.
But then...something rather unexpected happened.
The teen, Jack, jerked, one bound hand delving in his pocket. In one swift motion, the youth stabbed a pocket knife into a gap in the Shredder's metal armor.
The man cried out in pain, throwing the teen away, off the edge of the warehouse, in favor of cradling his now bleeding leg.
"Got'm!" Raph called, jumping over the Foot ninja. He slid, managing to catch Jack before he hit the ground.
"Raphael! Take him back to the lair!" Splinter ordered as he blocked an attack from one of the Foot ninja.
The red turtle, knowing better than to argue with his father, nodded and took off.
Splinter was only able to watch for a split second before the fight intensified. He could only hope that Raph would get Jack to safety.
Jack was not happy. Not at all.
In the past three days he'd been kidnapped by ninja, earned a couple of broken ribs and fractured a leg, and now was being carried by a giant, humanoid turtle.
Now, Jack had experienced many strange things. He was involved in an alien war, for goodness sake! But a mutant turtle? That was just as insane as giant sentient robots from another world!
Jack gave a soft groan of pain when the large turtle that held him accidentally jostled his broken leg. The red clad mutant grimaced.
"Sorry, kid. Jus' hold on a little longa'."
Jack made no reply, his throat too dry to speak. The last thing he remembered was the sound of metal scraping against pavement.
When Leo, Donnie, Mikey, April, Casey and Splinter all arrived back at the lair, they were bruised and scratched, but were otherwise alright.
Splinter was at the very front, eyes searching quickly for Raph and Jack.
"Raphael?" He called out.
"In Donnie's lab, Masta'!" A voice yelled back. "Don, get yer shell in 'ere! The kid's not doin' too hot!"
Leo took Don's staff so that the purple turtle could go to the lab. While Leo put up everyone's weapons, the others hurried into the lab.
Raph had set the teen down on a folding cot, and now Jack lay there, shoes, socks and shirt removed. Ugly bruises mared the youth's pale skin, and his leg was at an odd angle.
"'E's in pretty bad shape, broken bones an' stuff." He glanced up at Splinter. "Is he really yer son, Masta'?"
Everyone looked at the former human, the same question on their minds as well.
The mutant rat was silent for a long moment, staring at Jack. He then slowly nodded.
"Yes...He is. His aura on the spirit plain is the same as my son."
A small, almost incredulous smile came across the rat's face.
"He is Naozumi."
Jack groaned as he slowly awoke, a headache throbing at the front of his head.
What had happened? He remembered the man called the Shredder...yelling...and a giant turtle? Had he hit his head too hard at some point?
Slowly, Jack pushed himself up into a sitting position. His side ached in protest, and a pained hiss pushed past his lips as he grabbed at his ribs. That did not feel good at all.
Jack heard a slightly startled gasp, then the squeek of someone standing up from a rolling chair that was in need of a good oiling.
"Woah, easy there. Just lay down, okay? You need to relax." A kind voice said softly. A hand pressed against Jack's chest carefully, trying to coax the teen into laying back down.
Jack looked up and gaped when he saw a large, purple banded turtle. The mutant stared down at him with soft, worried eyes.
"W-who...wh-what..?!" Jack stammered, alarmed.
"Just relax!" The turtle implored. "You were injured pretty bad, and moving around will make it hurt worse. I promise, I'm a friend."
Jack hesitated, staring up at the turtle with worried eyes. But he slowly lay back down all the same. The purple ninja smiled, slightly relieved.
"Thank you. Are you hurting anywhere? I have some painkillers if you need any." He offered. Jack bit his lip, unsure of what to say. Finally, he managed a small shrug.
"M...My side. It h-hurts a lot." Jack mumbled. "I don't...I'm not s-sure if I...n-need painkillers."
The turtle smiled, nodding understandingly.
"Okay. Let me get you a couple, just in case."
The mutant turned, going to a nearby cabinet. He began rumaging through it, and as he did, he glanced back at Jack.
"My name's Donatello, by the way. But feel free to call me Don or even Donnie. Whichever you prefer."
Jack hesitated.
"Jack. My...My name's Jack."
Don smiled.
"It's nice to meet you."
Jack slowly nodded.
"Uh...nice to...to meet you too?" He half said, half asked. Don chuckled softly as he returned to the teen's side, a bottle in hand. He used a free hand to help Jack sit up painlessly.
"Hold out your hand." He ordered gently. The teen did as told, and Donnie carefully shook two pills out of the bottle. He made sure Jack could read the label, so that the younger male would know he wasn't being poisoned. He then offered a paper cup filled with water that had been waiting on the table.
"Just swallow those and I'll get Mikey to make you something to eat." Don instructed.
"M-Mikey?" Jack asked. He then popped the two pills into his mouth and took a gulp of water. Don nodded.
"Yeah. His name's Michelangelo, but it's a mouthfull to say, so everyone calls him Mikey."
"'Everyone'?" Jack echoed. Don nodded, slightly surprised that the teen had caught that.
"Yes. I have three brothers, a father, and two human friends. Only father calls us by our whole names."
He picked up a small flashlight, cupping Jack's chin in a hand and shining the light first in one eye, then the other.
"Hm...No concussion." Donnie said to himself quietly. "That's good."
Setting aside the flashlight, he made Jack lay down and turn over so he could look at his back. Don frowned when he saw dried blood staining the teen's shirt.
"It looks like you've got a cut. I'm just gonna lift up your shirt to clean it up. And my hand's are cold, telling you that now." Don told Jack, ensuring the younger male wouldn't freak out. A hum was given in reply, and Donnie pushed up the shirt.
A gash to the left of Jack's spine stood out, an ugly red-brown contrasting against pale skin. Jack flinched slightly when callused fingers gently proded about his back in search of any other, unseen injuries.
"Well, there's only a cut, but I need to stitch it up. Fair warning, I don't have anything to numb it. Sorry in advance." Donnie informed, moving to rumage through the cabinets some more.
Jack watched, arms folded under his head, as Don produced a sterile needle and sturdy thread. He sat down in the rolling chair at his desk and slid over to the cot.
Jack grit his teeth, looking away and preparing for the sting of the needle. Donnie began to talk, deciding to try and distract Jack as he began to stitch the wound shut.
"Beside's Mikey, I have two older brothers. Raphael and Leonardo. Raph's a hothead, so if you suddenly hear yelling at any point in time, it's probably him."
Seeing Jack's frown, he quickly added.
"But his heart's in the right place. He might act like a tough guy, but underneath it all, he's a real softy."
He paused, pointing a finger at the raven haired human.
"Don't tell him I said that. He'd turn me into turtle soup."
A soft, weak laugh came from Jack. The sound prompted Don to continue.
"Leo's the eldest of the four of us. He's our leader when we go above ground. He's a nice guy, I'm sure you'll like him. And then Mikey is the youngest of us. He's a real prankster, but sweet. He can read us all like a book at times, and knows just how to make us smile."
Silence fell as Donnie began to finish off the stitches. Then Jack spoke up, voice cracking slightly.
"And you?"
Don blinked in surprise, hands halting for a moment as he stared at Jack.
"M-me?"
"Yeah."
Donnie returned to finishing his work.
"W-well, I'm the second youngest. I mostly work on fiing anything the others break and deal with most of the medical situations that come along. There, all finished. Let's get you to the kitchen so you can eat." Don said, a tone of finality in his voice at the end.
Jack allowed the purple banded turtle to help him sit up, then stand. One pale arm slung over olive green shoulders, the two left the room at a slow yet steady pace.
Jack looked around, interest lighting his eyes. The room was large, with another floor above. A kitchen was ahead and to the left, a couch to the far right along with some patched up chairs and a large tv.
"Hey Mikey!" Don called out, searching for his younger brother. A sound came from upstairs, and a head poked out from above.
"Yeah dude?"
Jack jumped slightly in alarm, but Don was quick to steady him before looking at the orange banded turtle.
"Think you could help me out in the kitchen?"
Mikey paused, awe showing on his face as he looked over Jack, then he beamed, nodding.
"You got it dude!" He chirped, jumping over the railing. Landing lightly, the young turtle trotted into the kitchen, beginning to pull out several ingredients, pots and pans. The noise seemed to attract the other residents of the sever home, as they heard a door above open, and a screen door slid open.
Don felt Jack's fingers curl slightly against his shoulder with anxiety as the younger male shied back a bit. The purple turtle offered a supporitve smile.
"Hey, it's okay Jack. They don't bite."
A red banded turtle jumped down from above, landing a few feet away. Amber eyes turned to Jack, inspecting him critically, and the teen seemed to shrink away only a moment before staring back.
From the other room with the sliding door of paper, a turtle in blue and a mutated rat entered, the turtle looking confused while the rat seemed only a bit curious. All eyes fell on Jack.
The teen, seeming uncomfortable with all the attention he was being given, ducked his head. Black hair fell in front of blue-grey eyes, effectively shielding him from the many stares.
Don smiled, using the hand that held the teens arm over his shoulders to rub Jack's forearm soothingly.
"It's alright, Jack. Remember? They're my family, they won't hurt you."
Jack hesitantly nodded, peering up shyly through his bangs. He licked his lips, steeling himself. Finally, he spoke.
"H-hello."
There was a moment of silence, but the turtle in blue was quick to break it, not wanting Jack to feel nervous or foolish. Smiling, the blue banded turtle moved over.
"Hey. My name's Leonardo, but you can just call me Leo. I'm glad to see you're doing better, we were all worried you wouldn't wake up until much later. How are you feeling?"
Jack seemed a bit taken aback, but then smiled slightly.
"I...I'm feeling okay, all things considered."
Everyone jumped when Mikey's voice suddenly split the air.
"Think he can handle scrambled eggs, Donnie?"
Don sighed, then called back.
"Yeah, that should be fine."
He then looked back at Jack.
"Let's get you settled down at the table, then we can answer any questions you have."
Jack nodded in agreement, letting the turtle guide him to the second-hand wooden table. Leo, the red banded turtle and the mutant rat followed closely, sitting around the table as well. Jack looked around, sharp eyes inspecting his surroundings intently.
"Where are we? I don't...I don't recognize this place."
"Yer in New York, kid. Th' sewers, ta be exact." The red turtle to Jack's left replied. "Name's Raph, by th' way." He added.
Storm colored eyes snapped to Raph.
"New York?!" He asked, alarmed. He ran a hand through his hair, stress consuming his features. "Just how long was I held captive?" He asked himself in a soft whisper.
Leo cast Jack a worried look.
"Are you not from around here?"
Jack shook his head. It was then that Donny noticed the teen's minutes shaking, goosebumps prockling his pale skin.
"Are you cold?" He asked, concerned.
Jack looked up, shrugging.
"I...Yeah. I'm used to the Nevada desert heat, not...not this cold."
"Nevada." Raph muttered incredulously, shaking his head to himself and giving a low, drawn out whistle. "Long way from home, kid."
Jack scowled.
"My name's Jack. Not kid." He said quietly, watching as Donny went back into the lab, only to return with a blanket.
Don handed the blanket to Jack, who accepted it with a word of thanks. Donny then sat to Jack's left.
The human teen felt eyes bore into him and he looked around. The mutant rat who sat right across from Jack was staring at him, an emotion in his eyes that Jack couldn't name.
Feeling a bit shy again, Jack shrunk into the blanket around him, eyes falling to stare at the floor.
"Can...Can I call my mom soon? She's probably really worried." Jack asked, glancing at Don momentarily.
The turtle smiled.
"Once we get some food in you and make sure you have no trouble keeping it down, then I'd be more than happy to let you borrow a phone."
Jack nodded eagerly, a small smile on his lips.
"Alright."
Donny returned the smile.
"Until then, why don't you tell us about you?"
Jack grinned.
"Sure. I guess that'd be okay. But you guys gotta tell me how you ended up...uh...mutated? Am I right?" He asked, unsure if his theory of them being mutants was right.
Splinter finally gathered his nerves and spoke to his son for the first time.
"We would be more than happy to tell you our own story."
Splinter's words were rewarded with a smile that just about melted the father's heart.