Author's Note: Ok You all here's the chapter you all have been waiting for, the one where Don finally meets back up with his brothers. I hope it's as good as you all wanted it to be. I had to change things but they managed to fit everything. Now here it is. Also on a side note I'm anouncing two firsts. The first is that I broke the 100 review mark. I never had 100 reviews before and I thank you all for your support. And the second first is that I broke the 100k mark. Never before have I wrote that many words for one story. I'm very glad to have done this story a year ago. Now please enjoy.
Chapter 22: The Chase
Hours Earlier
"Man Mikey a tape just ratted you out," Raph smirked at his brother, who just looked like a deer caught in headlights. Previously they were watching a video of the sea green turtle hurting himself while attempting to skateboard, claiming his training would help him. And he was caught in a lie on how he got hurt when the tape basically busted the younger brother.
"B…But it was Don's idea!" he protested.
"Yet you still agreed to it," Splinter responded with a neutral expression. In reality the old rat was amused at his youngest trying to get out of the trouble he was in and let it continue.
"But that was a long time ago, best forgotten," Mikey smiled, trying to get out of it with that statement.
"But you still lied," Leo responded, arms crossed and a disappointed look on his face. "And that goes a long way."
"And it could make us not believe you in the future when you end up crying wolf," Raph smirked, which caused the orange clad turtle to sweat some more.
Splinter couldn't help but shake his head, as much as it was fun seeing his son sweat like this it was best to come to his rescue, especially since it was already morning by the clock and none of them had slept. He then lightly tapped his walking stick on the ground, catching their attention. "As much as you all want to purse this topic, I suggest we take a pause for the moment."
They all watched as their father paused the tape and get up, Leo the first to speak, "Why is that sensei?"
"It is morning, we have spent the whole night watching these tapes. It would be wise if we all get some rest," he then silenced them with his hand when they were about to speak. "Do not worry how long you rest, take as much time needed, you all deserve it."
They all bowed once their father did it first and watched him head for his room. "Sleep tight sensei," Mikey said. Once their father's doors closed they all turned to one another.
"Master Splinter is right, we need to sleep, if we're going to go out later tonight we need to be rested," Leo said.
"We know fearless," Raph said as he started to stretch and walk off. "Believe me I'm up to catching some Z's right now."
"Ok, and remember, sleep as long as you need to," Leo repeated.
"I'm not deaf I heard what Master Splinter said," the red clad turtle said as he headed up to his room. Soon his other two brothers followed, the lights to the lair following once they entered their room for much desired rest.
They all rested alright, after going through the night without sleep they all were really tired. Plus the fact they were relaxed after and had the peace of mind they hadn't had in a long time that they finally had some peace. Watching the tapes really helped them out and it made them happy. They all woke up close to sunset, which surprised them all. They used what time they had left to do what they needed to do before the three brothers went out for patrol.
Leo sat in the chair within the lab, the bright screen of the Donatello's computer right in front of him as the password screen was before him. The leaf green turtle sighed and drummed his fingers on the table, once again trying to think of a password for the thing. This is one thing the brothers have been trying to do all year long, trying to get into their brother's computer by guessing the password and like all the other attempts they always failed, but that didn't mean they were giving up.
"Techno," Leo said as he typed, but once again he got the access denied screen. "Ok…what about TCRI?" he scoffed once again as the same screen came up.
"Still going at it?" A voice spoke from behind.
Turning in the chair Leo saw Raph leaning against the doorway, "Yeah…it has to be something, I can tell we're close."
"Leo we been trying for a year, and haven't cracked it, I don't know what else to try," The red clad turtle sighed as he pushed himself off the door frame. "Believe me when I say that Donny didn't want anyone to get in his system, even us."
"Still…can't give up, not now. Something may be on here," Leo defended, in truth he didn't want to, he just had a feeling that what they needed was on the computer but the only way to get the information they need is to guess the password, which is harder than they originally thought.
Raph sighed, knowing that his words were taken wrong, "I'm not saying to give up…it's just…what are the chances of us actually guessing Don's password? Chances are it's something very special to him and we're not sure what that is."
The truthiness of the statement caused silence to fill the lab, both brothers not sure what to say, or if they should say anything further about the topic. They weren't sure who was going to speak first but thankfully they were saved as Mikey came in, "Guys, aren't we leaving yet?"
Hearing that made Leo remember the time, the sun had set and it was a good time for them to go out. Standing up from the chair and turning off the monitor he nodded toward his younger brother, "Yes, let's go." Raph also nodded as one by one they all left the lab, heading for the main entrance.
Sometime later the three were hopping across the rooftops, all in silence as they enjoyed the wind hitting their faces and the exercise they were getting. Leo lead his brother, but of course tonight wasn't going to be a regular time out for patrol, and along with finding their brother, but he decided they were going to do something different for the beginning of their outing. Maybe have a little fun to get their minds clear enough to focus.
Seeing a taller building the blue clad turtle deemed it a good spot to tell his brothers the changes of tonight's outing. Leaping onto a fire escape he started to scale up it, his brothers following right behind him. Once close enough they jumped on the roof and stopped on the center of the building, taking a moment to catch their breaths.
"What's going on Leo?" Raph asked, arms folded. Mikey nodded as well and looked at his brother to hear an answer.
"I thought we try something different for a moment, just something for fun…even though Don isn't here," he responded, looking down a bit at the mention of their brother.
"Like what?" Mikey asked, wanting to get past that topic.
"I thought we go down to the construction and have some exercise, could help us clear our minds."
It took a moment for the suggestion to fully register in both of his brother's mind, a surprised expression on their faces, but then it changed to smiles.
"Sure, I could use an extra workout," Raph said.
"Sounds fun," Mikey nodded as he seconded his brother, which in turned caused Leo to smile, glad that his suggestion was well received.
"Alright, lets race to the spot," Leo suggested.
"Hey what's that?" Mikey's eyes narrowed as he pointed behind his brothers.
Leo and Raph turned and looked where their brother pointed, but were confused when they didn't see anything at all. Leo sighed as he turned back, "Mikey what are-"
"Suckers!" Mikey shouted to his brothers as he was at least two building ahead of them, shocking the two since they fell for such a simple trick.
"That little cheat!" Raph shouted as he ran after his brother, "Just wait till I catch you!" Leo couldn't help but chuckle as he followed right behind.
Mikey laughed out loud as he soared across the rooftops, glad he was able to pull one over his brothers. He's so far ahead, and thanks to the fact that he's the fastest out of the all he was sure to win.
He ran across the rooftops for a few minutes, all the while hearing his brother's echo's from behind. Soon the yard was in sight and the orange clad turtle knew he's going to win for sure. Running even faster then took a large jump and soared across the air. His feet landing silently on the roof of the construction site, smiling as he won. He was about to yell out in victory but froze as something caught his eye.
A figure stood a couple yards away, shell to him. It couldn't be, could it. The figure then turn and seemed to freeze where he was, a look of shock on his face as the sea green turtle had been spotted. "D-Donny?"
Don's heart beated very fast as he didn't know what to do. Nearly two years and his youngest brother is right before him. He should be happy and emotional to see him, but for some reason, he was panicking. The flashbacks to before keep appearing in his head, not stopping as he took a small step back.
"Don…is that really you?" Mikey couldn't still believe what he was seeing as he moved closer.
"S-Stay back!" Don said, much to the surprise of his brother.
That comment caused the youngest turtle to stop, both eyes raising at that comment, surprised that his brother had said that. Didn't he know who he was? "Don…it's me, Mikey…Why-" he took another step forward.
"No!" the black clad turtle said as he assumed a fighting stance, which surprised the youngest.
"Donny…what are you doing!?" he stopped his advance, confused and now scared at what was going on.
"Finally, now I can pound your-" Raph's voice rang out as the emerald green turtle landed near his brother but froze as he looked forward. The same shock that Mikey had now on his face as he stared. "No way…Don?"
The panic now doubled as Don looked at his older brother, one of them was bad enough but now two of them here.
"Raph, don't do anything-" Leo's voice could be heard as he landed on the same stop but was shocked as well at the sight of his younger brother. "Donny…is that you?"
"Don!" Raph shouted out as he walked forward, smile on his face as he opened his arms.
"Raph don't!" Mikey shouted out but the warning was received.
Don's heart skipped a beat as his second oldest brother approached him, arms out wide. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, but for some reason his body reacted. It was like the world around him went in slow motion as he reached out and grabbed his brother's left arm, his weaker one, and then swiftly spun around and tossed him back, where the rest of his brothers caught him, nearly being knocked down. Once the action had be registered they had shocked expressions on their face.
"Don, what the shell!" Raph shouted as he slowly got up.
"I tried to tell you, there's something wrong with him," Mikey said as he helped his brother up. All three of them surprised now at what they saw and were silent, not sure what to think about it.
It was then Leo looked at the olive green turtle with concern, "Don…why did you do that…and wh-" Just then he noticed the black bandanna on his face, and with having keen eyes he saw the Foot symbol on it even if it was dark. Now this brought up some major concern to him, many questions now on his mind. "Don…what happened to you?"
"Stay back…" was all he said as he moved back. He couldn't believe that he did that to Raph, he reacted but it was like he was on autopilot. He wasn't sure what to do but all he knew was that he wanted them far from him.
"Ok, ok…" Leo said, his hands up, showing there was nothing in them. "We're not moving from this spot…just calm down."
"Leo what are you doing?" Raph whispered, surprised at what he was saying. Finally after so long they finally have their brother before them, but now they weren't going to be near him?
Leo didn't look at them, instead whispering to them, "Guys…something is terribly wrong…Don is much different…I mean just look at him."
Raph and Mikey looked forward at their brother in silence, and it was then they noticed the differences in their brother. "He put on muscle…no wonder he was able to throw me easily," Raph said.
"And…is that a black mask he's wearing?" Mikey pointed out.
"Yes…but look at the spot right between the eyes," Leo pointed out.
They then looked, and it was then dread filled them as they saw the Foot symbol. The same concern that filled Leo now filled the both of them as well. They weren't sure what it meant, but their brother is wearing the Foot symbol, did that mean he was one of them?
"Donny, what happened, why are you wearing that!?" Raph shouted, angered at this revelation. "What did the Foot do to you!?"
Sudden outburst caused Donny to flinch, moving back more. And just like that he turned and bolted from the area.
"After him, this may be the only chance we get to get him back!" Leo shouted as his brothers started to pursue.
Donny breathed very fast as he moved across the rooftops, trying to get away from his brothers. He wasn't sure why he was running away from them but instinct told him to do it. He didn't dare look behind him, too scared to see how far they were from him, so using his powerful legs he moved across the rooftops, both eyes looking around to find a hiding spot. Luckily he found a fire escape on the side of the building and lower the power he used In his legs so he would fall down right on it.
Staying perfectly still within the Shadows, the olive green turtle could hear his heart beats as he waited to see his brothers pass over him. After a minute he saw only two of them fly over, which caused him to raise an eye. "Two? Where's the third?"
Both of his eyes widen as his senses picked up something, reacting quickly he jumped off the fire escape and towards the ground of the alleyway just in time to miss a pair of leaf green arms from grabbing him. Leo scowled as he just missed his brother. They were chasing him and the leaf green turtle seemed to be the only one to see him duck into the alley, so quickly instructing his brothers he told them to go on while he snuck up on his brother.
"He never used to sense me like that," Leo said to himself as he looked over the railing, seeing his brother land on the ground.
Don's feet hit the ground with a loud thud, as he panted at bit, worried that he was almost caught there. Looking up he kept his eyes on Leo, who just stood on the fire escape not doing anything. What was he up to? Unfortunately that distracted him enough that when he heard a thump behind him he didn't have time to react as strong arms wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his side.
"Gotcha Don, now you're coming with us!" Raph's voice said as he help a firm grip on his struggling brother. The red clad turtle knew they had him, in the past when he had his genius brother in this hold he could never break free, no matter how much he struggled.
Donny was panicking as he was held by his brother, his heart on overdrive as he struggled. He then felt himself being tilted back, lifting his feet off the ground, so now he had no leverage. "Not good, not good!" He thought to himself, knowing full well he couldn't escape from this hold, or could he? He wasn't the same ninja like before, and he was a lot stronger than before. So using his strength he started to push outward, hoping to pry his brother's arm's apart.
Raph's teeth clenched as he held Don but then his eyes widen as he felt his arms being pushed against, slowly prying them apart. "What the shell!" he said as his hold was slowly loosened. "Leo, Mikey, some help!"
Don's heart skipped at beat as he heard his other brother's names, knowing he didn't have much time he remember about pressure points. So bending his arms he then grabbed Raph's wrists and squeezed a certain point. The emerald green turtle cried out as his gripped fell and Donny was dropped.
Not sparing a second the black clad turtle dove forward just in time to miss his other brothers joining in. Looking up he then raced back up the fire escape, hoping to get back to the top of the building to run once more.
"Raph I thought you had him!" Leo said as they ran after him.
Said turtle clicked his teeth at the comment, "So did I, he never used to break free like that!"
"Dudes, he's already at the top of the roof!" Mikey pointed out, which was true because they lost sight of their brother as they were still climbing the fire escape. "Man Don has gotten faster!"
"Guys, as much as we don't want to hurt him, we may have to use excessive force," Leo suggested, which put a grim feeling in his brothers.
The olive green turtle ran for what seemed like hours, which was only for a couple of minutes. He didn't bother to look back, knowing his brothers were right behind him and weren't giving up. His heart pounding fast as adrenaline poured into his system, blocking out any exhaustion or pain he felt in his limbs.
Deciding to chance it he looked back, and to his surprise didn't see any of his brothers, he must have lost them. Sighing in relief the next building Don landed on he instantly fell to his hands and knees. Taking a big gulp of air, his body shook as he tried to get his breathing under control. "Finally…lost…them…"
He was so relieved to be away from them, but yet he wasn't sure why he was so relived. Originally he wanted to find his brothers but over time that desire slowly withdrew. But now, why? Why did he run, why not go with them? The flashes of his tortures played before him, nothing but his brothers causing him pain were stuck in his mind, both eyes closing as he tried to rid himself of it. Finally, nothing but silence as the cool air caressed his body.
Finally after a bit of rest he managed to get his breathing under control, but that was shortly lived as he heard thumps on all sides. His body froze as he slowly looked up, and was distraught to see Leo in front of him. Turning his head he then found Mikey and Rap behind him, his brothers had him surrounded from three sides, easily able to block him off from escaping if he tried to bolt.
The panic from before renewing as he stayed on his hands and knees, trying to come up with a way to escape. Both eyes returned to Leo as he saw his oldest brother's eyes narrowed, almost as if he was giving a 'no more games' expression.
"This has gone on long enough Don, please come back home with us!" Leo said, body stood with authority.
"Please Don, we have no idea what the Foot done to you, but we can help!" Mikey pleaded.
"Donny please…just come with us willingly," Raph said last.
Hearing his brothers pleads sort of made Don calm down, sensing sincerity in their words. Yet some other part of him said not to trust them. "What do I do…they want me back…but…I can't…I can't do it…not after what I've been through…Not…when…But this is my only chance to return back to the way things were…and I was happy back then…but…what about now? My new life is good…I…I…" Brief flashes of his torment played once more, both eyes closed as the pain returned and the fear renewed. He couldn't do this, he had to get as far away from them…part of him wanted to go, but not yet for some reason
"Just…stay back…please," he nearly sobbed.
Leo just sighed as he heard this, as did the others, knowing that they had to resort to their next plan, which is something they didn't want to do.
"I'm very sorry to hear that…but Don, we want you back home, and if we have to resort to using force to bring you back…then we're so sorry," His head dipped down as he said those last words.
That caused Don to go ridged, couldn't believe to hear this. His brothers actually agreeing to bring him back by force, something they wouldn't have ever done. Of course he could fight his way through, but he didn't want to hurt them, and that really limited his choices on how to escape. He moved to get back on his feet but Raph voice stopped him.
"Don't even try it Don, I don't know how you did it but you may be able to take us all on one on one, but there's no chance you can take all three of us at the same time."
Don's body shook as he heard this, true he could take then on one at a time but against all three of them? He had trouble getting away from Raph but add in his two other brothers and he wouldn't stand a chance. It's just then something came into his mind, he had one ace in his sleeve, or rather pouch. Slowly his hand reached to the pouch on his belt and he fished something out, holding it in his hand.
"Forgive us for this bro," Mikey said, and like that all three of them charged towards their brother. They were about to jump on him but then a bright flash came from their brother and they all cried out as their vision went white. Immediately they all clutched their eyes in pain as all movement stopped. All of a sudden each one of them felt themselves being manhandled to the ground and movement around their bandanas.
They couldn't move at all, especially since they couldn't see, and they were all filled with dread as they heard footsteps moving away from them. A minute passed as their vision started to return and the pain faded. The first thing Leo saw was blue, both eyes rose in confusion as to what was going on. It was then he realized that his bandana was turned, further blocking his vision. Turning it in the correct position he then saw his brothers, kneeling on the ground and figuring out their masks were turned and were fixing them. The leaf green turtle then looked around, hoping he could find his brother.
"No…no…" Leo started to say in disbelief as he couldn't find any trace anywhere; Don was long gone
Mikey then looked around once he got to his feet, the same emotions as his oldest brother coursing through him. "No…that was our only chance."
Finally Raph got himself situated and looked around, also finding his brother gone and nowhere to be seen. Dread and anger filled him. Dread because the one chance to finally end the nightmare was gone and anger because he had failed to accomplish this.
"NO!" Raph shouted as he punched the ground. The three were left on the roof, all of them down because after nearly two years they finally found their brother, but yet something was off. But still in the end they failed to bring their brother back home.
A/N: Hope you like. once again I tried with this part and I hope it's good. I bet some of you thought Don was going to go back with them right? Well sorry to say that it's not happening now. Believe me the next few chapters are going to be good, you won't believe what I have planned next. Till next time.