*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
*Author's Notes: I'm back with a new chapter of 'Slash's Revenge' and it's a super intense one.
Okay, I know some of you are chomping at the bit to find out what's going to happen next, so let's just jump right into the chapter, shall we?
Thanks so much for reading, everyone! (OᴗO)
CJ
Chapter 16 – Look What the Rat Dragged In
"Where is my son?"
The ominous growl poisoning the giant rat's tone sent a shudder up and down Slash's spine. The massive turtle could see the furious glint in the Ninjutsu master's close-set eyes as he awaited an answer to his question. But before Slash could even think to respond, there was something pressing against his neck, making voluntary movement an impossibility.
"Leonardo! Raphael! Michelangelo!"
Slash could only stare slack-jawed at the mutant paralyzing him while the names of the three turtles the rodent had called out for echoed through the night air. Before long, the sound of the brothers approaching could be heard, and thanks to their father, the largest turtle couldn't do a darn thing about it, other than maybe drool a little.
"Sensei?!" Though all three brothers had simultaneously cried out the word, the youngest turtle's voice carried the loudest, as usual.
"Over here, my sons!"
A wave of panic washed over Slash. The immobilized mutant was totally defenseless when he heard the thunderous roar to his right.
"YOU!"
Muscles still seized up, Slash wasn't able to block the incoming blow from the turtle in red. The bigger mutant suddenly felt himself flattened out on the rooftop as a pair of fists pistoned into him without mercy.
"WHERE IS HE?" Keeping Slash pinned beneath him, Raphael unleashed his fury in the most violent means possible. Punch after punch connected, bruising and breaking the skin of both turtles.
Never in all his life had the red-masked ninja felt so much raw rage consume him.
"Raphael! Calm yourself!"
The order from his father did nothing to dissuade the hotheaded turtle's fury. He continued driving his knuckles into his former pet with bone-breaking force, wanting desperately to make Slash feel the pain that he had.
"WHERE! IS! HE!?"
If not for Michelangelo and Leonardo peeling him off, Raphael would've pounded the largest mutant into nothing more than dust. Even as his brothers dragged him backwards, the red-masked turtle continued to throw punches into the air. Both Leo and Mikey did their best stay out of harm's way, but it wasn't easy. Raphael was like a wild animal, kicking and writhing in a frenzied attempt to break free.
"LET ME GO!"
As Raph continued to thrash about in Leo and Mikey's grip, Slash pushed himself partially up off the rooftop surface and leered at the turtle in red. The smirk splayed on the largest mutant's face just about sent Raphael over the edge and his brothers could barely hold him back.
"I'M GONNA TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!"
The threat made Slash's smirk start to grow.
"Are you sure you wanna do that, Raphael? I mean, I am the only one who knows where Donatello is. If you do anything to me, your brother will die."
Mikey's bright, blue eyes widened at this. He had thought seeing the monster that had taken his brother away would make him angry. Like Raphael-angry, but he felt more scared than anything.
Scared to find out the truth…
"Is… Is Donnie okay?"
There was so much hope filling Michelangelo's fragile heart, he was sure he'd be crushed beyond repair if Slash were to answer anything but 'yes' to his question.
"Heh. That all depends on your definition of okay. He's still alive, if that's what you're asking, but he's never gonna be the same after what I did to him."
Unable to form any actual words in response, Mikey let out a strangled-sounding gasp and covered his mouth with his shaking hands, leaving Leonardo to try to contain Raphael on his own.
No simple task…
"Awww, are you gonna cry, Michelangelo? And here I thought your scrawny brother was the pathe – " Before Slash could finish insulting Donatello, his airway was abruptly closed off. Not by a certain red-masked turtle, but rather, by a very, very ticked off rat.
"TELL ME where my SON is."
Master Splinter loosened his grip around Slash's throat just enough to allow the bigger mutant to respond, but not so much that the behemoth turtle could breathe easily. Something about the unhinged expression Slash was on the receiving end of frightened the heck out of him, but he managed to cloak his fear with bitterness.
"He's safe in his cage, where he belongs. Don't worry. I've been taking real good care of him. Me and Donnie boy spent so much quality time together, you probably won't even recognize him anymore."
With that said, the tension around Slash's neck grew noticeably tighter, but he could tell that the humanoid rat was holding back. This was most likely because the Ninjutsu master realized he couldn't chance seriously injuring the vile beast in his grasp. At least, not until Slash revealed Donatello's location.
Suddenly, the largest mutant wasn't feeling quite as intimidated as before and his confidence began to swell right along with the smirk across his face.
"Not that you're ever gonna see him again."
Though the rat's emotionless expression looked as though it had been carved out of stone, there was savageness residing in his dark, unblinking eyes.
"Just tell us where my son is, and I assure you, no harm will come to you."
This declaration made a growl rip out of Raphael's throat, raw and fierce. His father was making a promise the red-masked turtle couldn't keep. There was no way in shell he was going to let Slash walk away from this situation unscathed. Not after everything that monster had put their family through.
Slash would bleed for what he had done.
Raphael would personally see to that.
Perhaps thinking along the same line as his hotheaded brother, Leonardo's once steadfast grip all of a sudden faltered, giving Raph virtually unfettered access to launch another attack on Slash.
And that he did…
The vicious tackling maneuver courtesy of Hamato Raphael was powerful enough to knock Slash right out of Master Splinter's grip and send the huge reptile crashing shell down onto the rooftop. Ignoring his father's repeated demands for him to stop, Raphael pounced on top of Slash and proceeded to shove his forearm against the bigger mutant's neck, effectively holding the giant down. The now homicidal-looking warrior in red leaned in so close to his rival, Slash could see the bloodshot veins branching out from the corners of Raphael's mostly white eyes.
Slash had never seen so much sheer hatred pouring off his former best friend.
It was glorious!
The exact reaction Slash had been hoping for from the get-go, which made the moment all too rewarding.
"Go ahead, Raphael. Snap my neck! You know you want to." There was a demeaning purr in Slash's tone that made it nearly impossible to refuse his oh so tempting offer. Without even realizing it, Raph began to increase the pressure he was placing on the larger turtle's throat.
Though Master Splinter had never had the displeasure of meeting 'Slash' before this evening, he readily recognized the hold this creature had over his second oldest son and it infuriated him that his temperamental child was too blinded by his own anger to see such blatant manipulation.
"RAPHAEL! Control yourself!"
"Awww, come on, Raphael. You've been waiting all this time for revenge. Now's your chance. Or are you too much of a coward to defy daddy's orders?"
Raph's entire body began to shake, as though it was taking every fiber of his being to stop himself from killing the mutant trapped beneath him. In all truthfulness, it was. It would be so easy to just end this. One good thrust would ensure that Slash would never hurt them again.
"Do NOT listen to him, my son! He is only saying these things to get under your skin, but you must not give in to your rage. That is precisely what he wants you to do. Remember, if you kill him, you may very likely be sentencing your brother to death as well! I know you crave vengeance, but at what cost?"
Eyes trailing down to his forearm pushed tautly against Slash's neck, Raphael tried to swallow past the thick lump growing inside his throat. His gaze then traveled up to Slash's face, only it wasn't Slash that Raph was seeing. In his mind, Donatello was now staring up at him; red, swollen eyes silently begging for mercy. The sight made Raphael instantly pull his arm away from Slash, as though he had been badly burned.
"I knew it! You're nothing but a coward, just like your weakling brother. I got him so trained now, he doesn't even bother to fight back. He just lays there while I beat him into the ground, over and over and over – "
A livid roar abruptly cut Slash's taunting short, but it didn't come from the turtle one would've expected.
Much to everyone's shock, it had come from the levelheaded leader in blue.
"SHUT UP! You're the coward! Where's the honor in kidnapping someone and beating them senseless when they're already too injured to defend themselves? You're a spineless monster!"
"Ha! You've never given a damn about Donatello. All you care about is yourself! Speaking of not caring, I made sure to set old Donnie boy straight on how none of you cared enough about him to even bother looking for him. The devastated look on his face was priceless."
No sooner had the words passed Slash's jagged lips when Raphael's hands wrapped around the larger turtle's throat and began choking the life out of him. With his airway completely cut off, Slash couldn't even manage to laugh at the irate reaction. All he was able to do was wheeze for a breath he couldn't take in. Moments later, his vision started to gray around the edges and he watched his eyelids slide shut for what he assumed was the very last time. But just as he was about to lose consciousness, an earsplitting voice startled him back to life, like a pair of touchless defibrillators.
"YAME!"
The force around Slash's throat disappeared and he soon felt the weight on top of him fall away. Slowly, he blinked his eyesight back into focus and turned his head to see Raphael twitching on the rooftop beside him. For a good thirty seconds or so, the two downed mutants just peered up at the outraged rat looming over them until Raphael was finally able to regain partial control of his movements once again.
"WHY, SENSEI?!" The question sounded like an animal howling out in pain with a feral expression to boot, but the turtle in red received no sympathy from his father. Only indignation.
"It was your inability to contain your temper that put your brother's life in peril to begin with, Raphael! Now, you risk losing him for the temporary satisfaction of retribution? Have you learned nothing from what has transpired?"
Though Master Splinter did not wish to admonish his second oldest son in front of an audience, Raphael had left him with little choice.
As to be expected, the most stubborn of Splinter's children still refused to listen to reason.
"All I need to know is that this psycho has been torturing my brother! And for that, he deserves to die!" Needlessly flicking a thumb in the direction of the humongous turtle still lying next to him, Raphael's eyes narrowed into nothing more than icy slits that remained zeroed in on his father.
Master Splinter let out a low, rattly growl before responding.
"It is not up to you or I to decide what he may or may not deserve. I assure you that my soul burns with just as much hatred as yours over what he has done to Donatello, but I will not allow that hatred to cloud my judgment or endanger my child's life any further. The only thing that should be of any concern to us right now is finding your brother!"
Pushing himself up to his feet, Raphael dared to edge within inches of his father. An offense that would surely not be taken lightly, but any sense of fear Raph may have once had was buried somewhere deep beneath his overwhelming anger. The threat of punishment – no matter how severe – no longer frightened him in any way, shape, or form.
"What makes you think that monster is gonna tell us anything? He's got no intention of helping us find Donnie! So why not just let me try to beat the truth out of him?! If he dies in the process, it'll be an added bonus!"
The sound of the hotheaded turtle cracking his knuckles in eager anticipation only served to further frustrate his already agitated father.
"Raphael, I have always taught you and your brothers that there is no monster more dangerous than a lack of compassion."
Balling his hands into white-knuckled fists, Raphael tried and failed to curb his anger, but it came thundering out in rant form.
"Compassion!? You heard what he did to Donnie the night he took him! How could any of us possibly forget the sound of him screaming in pain? I know I never will! And that heartless thing you want me to show compassion to – He's the one who made Donnie scream like that. Not to mention he's the one who's been keeping my brother – your son – in a cage all this time! A cage, Sensei! Like some kind of animal! So, do NOT ask me to show him even an ounce of mercy!"
There was no doubt in Raphael's mind that he was treading some seriously dangerous waters by demonstrating such blatant disrespect towards his father, but the turtle in red couldn't bring himself to care.
Master Splinter's features darkened slightly, but he managed to rein in his temper far better than his second oldest son had. Still, Sensei's tone promised grim consequences if his son's insolence were to continue.
"I am not asking you, Raphael! I am telling you. Until we find your brother, you are not to attack his captor again. Have I made myself understood?"
A snarl sounded out from Raphael, and for a split-second, it actually looked as though he was considering challenging Master Splinter, but the youngest turtle was quick to intervene, insinuating himself between his father and his hotheaded brother.
"Raph! Stop it! Just stop it! Like Sensei said, all we should be concerned about right now is finding Donnie." Big, pleading, blue eyes shifted down towards the rooftop and Mikey couldn't help but stare at his missing brother's tormentor, who was just sitting there, silently taking in the scene. "Please, Slash. Please! Just tell us where he is."
Mouth twisting into an arrogant sneer, Slash gazed up at the youngest brother so the little brat could see just how pleased he was with himself. A well-timed streak of lightning split across the sky, making Slash's expression all the more sadistic.
A storm was brewing, both literally and figuratively.
"I'll never tell you anything! Your brother is as good as dead. If he doesn't bleed to death first, he'll die of infection or starvation." A brief pause followed Slash's harsh words. Just long enough for him to savor the hurt look on the smallest turtle's face before continuing. "Unless... you set me free. It's your choice, Michelangelo. Leave Donatello to die or let me go. What's it gonna be?"
Knowing full well Slash was trying to exploit Mikey's sentimental nature, Raph placed a hand on his baby brother's plastron and gently pushed him a few steps backwards. The hotheaded turtle then moved in front of his youngest sibling to protect him, using his body a shield. Raphael wasn't about to let Slash hurt Mikey. It was bad enough he had already let that monster hurt Donnie.
"Do you honestly believe we're just gonna let you go so you can continue torturing our brother?!" Each word of Raph's question shook with uncontrollable fury. A clear indication he was struggling to stop himself from trying to strangle Slash again.
"At least he'll stand a fighting chance. If you keep me here, he'll probably be dead within a couple of days. Is that what you want, Raphael?"
A stern glance from his father stopped the hotheaded turtle's response cold, so Leonardo seized this opportunity to take his turn at reasoning with the monster at their feet.
"All we want is our brother back, Slash. Please, don't do this. Donnie – He never did anything to hurt you. He doesn't deserve to die." Leonardo's sapphire eyes shimmered in the light being cast down from a nearby billboard sign. His somber expression divulged just how worried he was about his missing brother, but it did nothing to appeal to Slash's conscience. If anything, the leader's show of weakness amused the largest mutant.
"Heh! I like the sound of you begging, Leonardo. Go ahead. Beg some more." Sitting up a little straighter, Slash eagerly awaited Leonardo's response, only to be disappointed by the defeat in the blue-clad ninja's tone.
"I'll do whatever you want if you just tell us where Donnie is."
Spurred on by the family's sudden hands-off approach, Slash boldly pushed himself up to his feet. Four sets of suspicious eyes watched him just as intently as he watched them, but no one actually made a motion to stop him from standing. Apparently, the rat's warning had been enough to scare all three brothers into submission. Something Slash was darn well going to take advantage of.
There came a rumble of thunder in the distance, and a few seconds later, heavy drops of rain began to plunge down from above, but Slash didn't even notice. His sights were set on the leader in blue.
"Nice try, Fearless. I already said I'm not telling you anything. Your brother can rot in his cage for all I care." The biggest mutant half-expected the Ninjutsu master to render him paralyzed again for saying what he had, but the only one Slash managed to get out a rise out of was Raphael.
No surprise there...
"It's me you're angry with, Slash! Not Donnie! Let my brother go!" The words held more desperation than rage, but Slash could still see the hate burning in Raphael's emerald green eyes. That hate just inspired Slash to keep pushing the red-masked turtle towards his breaking point.
"But where would be the fun in that? I've grown rather fond of kicking the shell out of your brother. He takes a beating so well. Hey! You wanna know what Donnie boy was doing when I left him? Lying on the floor, bleeding and crying like a baby. Bet the stupid, little wimp still is."
With that said, Slash stood tall, just waiting for the imminent attack.
But it never came…
Instead, Raphael's expression softened into something Slash hadn't seen since before his mutation.
"I'm sorry, Slash. Sorry for everything I did to make you so bitter. I – I know I wasn't perfect. Far from it, but I tried to take care of you the best I could. Believe me, I did. I thought you knew that. I thought we were friends… Please! If you ever cared about me at all, please, just tell me where Donnie is. I'm begging you, Spike!"
The usage of his former name made Slash's breath hitch in his steadily tightening throat. Donatello's words from earlier once again repeated inside the largest mutant's head...
"S – Stop! Stop! Please! Spike! I know you're still in there! P – Please! Don't let him do this!"
"SHUT UP! Spike isn't here anymore!"
"Yes, he is! Spike, listen to me! The mutagen created Slash, but it didn't destroy you! Deep down inside, you're still Spike! The same turtle Raph took in. The same turtle he loved!"
"L – Loved?"
"Yes. He loved you... a lot more than h – he ever loved me."
Peering up at Raphael, Slash found himself wondering if Donatello's claims had been true, but his brain was quick to deny the allegation.
No! If Raphael cared so damn much about me, why did he choose them over me?
He betrayed me!
But what if the turtle Raphael was currently pleading to wasn't gone, like Slash had thought?
What if there was some part of Spike still left inside Slash?
Why did he suddenly feel different every time someone mentioned that name?
For a moment, Slash found himself lost in the now gentle look in Raphael's eyes that had once been the norm.
That look had always made Slash feel as though he was special.
Like he belonged…
But that had all changed the night of his transformation...
"That mutagen warped your brain, Spike. This isn't you!"
"But I wanna fight you! You're not Spike. You're some kind of warped monster! A deranged, hideous freak!"
"I'd rather be like my brothers than you any day."
"We are nothing alike! You're pure evil!"
The words brought Slash's blood to a rapid boil.
Raphael had turned on him, like their bond had never meant a thing.
As far as Slash was concerned, that was the precise moment any trace of Spike had died.
That was the moment the turtle in red had become Slash's most despised enemy.
Even if there had been a time Slash had cared about Raphael, it didn't matter anymore.
Not after all that had happened.
"You can beg all you want, Raphael! I'll never tell you a damn thing! Your brother's gonna die because of you! How does that feel?"
The momentary silence that followed spoke volumes about Raphael's pain. He peered up at Slash and the rain now pouring down in sheets camouflaged any tears that may had inadvertently slipped past his mask. When the hotheaded turtle finally managed to find his voice, it came out in a croaky-sounding gasp.
"Spike... Please."
"Stop calling me that!" Slash balled his huge hands into fists, eager to slam them into Raphael's face, much the way he had done to Donatello, over and over again. But the red-clad turtle didn't move a muscle. He didn't cower in fear or whimper the way Donatello did every time Slash drew near. Raphael just stood there, ready for whatever Slash was about to dish out.
It was like the hotheaded turtle wanted to take the hit.
Just like his little brothers had done for him the night Slash had first attacked them...
"Slash! You see! That's what real friends do! They stand up for each other! I'd rather be like my brothers than you any day."
A puzzled expression swept across the bigger mutant's face as he stared wide-eyed at Raphael.
"I'm sorry for hurting you, Slash. If you have to punish someone for what happened, I'm right here. Don't punish Donnie for what I did to you."
For a moment, Slash almost felt guilty for all the pain he had inflicted upon Donatello, but he quickly reminded himself that this was all about revenge. It didn't matter if there was collateral damage, so long as it made Raphael suffer.
"I'll tell you what. If the four of you swear you won't follow me, I'll go back to taking care of your brother. It's the only way he gets out of this alive. So, have we got ourselves a deal? My freedom for your brother's life?"
Two pairs of fierce, green eyes were locked in a battle of wills. Neither Raphael nor Slash were about to give Donatello up.
"You know I can't do that, Slash. I won't let you hurt him anymore." Determination cascading off him like the heavy rainfall from the clouds above, Raph firmly planted his feet, as though trying to make himself an impenetrable wall.
But Raphael wasn't the only hopelessly stubborn turtle standing on that rooftop…
Slash's pointy mouth twisted into a fleeting grin as he loomed over Raphael for several drawn-out seconds. The larger mutant's raspy voice dripped with false concern as he spoke. "Even if that means leaving poor, little Donatello to die?"
Muscles corded with tension, Raphael got right up in Slash's face, not the least bit intimidated by the size difference between them.
"I WILL find him! With or without your help!"
"Yeah, but you'll never get to him in time! He'll be long dead and his blood will be on your hands!"
A loud gasp from Michelangelo made Slash's next words particularly sweet. "It's probably better if he dies. Even if you do manage to find him, he'll never trust any of you again! Especially you, Raphael. You should've seen how crushed he was when I told him how much you despised him. How you were always telling me you were ashamed of him and hated the fact that he was your brother."
Raphael suddenly found himself speechless, again. Not necessarily because of what Slash had said, but because of the haunting memory of what he himself had said to Donatello the night of his capture...
"All you ever do is put everyone in danger, Donnie! You're supposed to be the smart one, but you ruin everything you touch! You're the reason Spike's gone! I lost my best friend because of you! It was all your fault! If you weren't such a walking disaster, he'd still be here!"
Those cruel words had made the genius turtle flee the lair, no doubt because he had thought his own brother couldn't stand him.
If Slash had spent the last ten days further convincing Donatello that Raphael hated him –
The hotheaded turtle couldn't bear the thought. Turning his head away from Slash, Raphael stared down at the ground and let the rain continue to hide his tears.
"What's the matter, Raphael? Did I upset you?" The condescending way Slash spoke strangely had little to no effect on the turtle in red. It did, however, have a rather profound effect on the turtle in red's father.
"All I did was tell your brother the truth! At least he'll die knowing how – "
"SHIZUKANI!" A furious voice far louder than the thunder clamoring from above sounded out and all eyes were on the drowned-looking rat. An instant later, that same rat's voice was calm as can be, as though someone else was speaking. "I would like a moment to speak with Slash in private." As Master Splinter announced his intentions, he gestured towards the egress door that lead to an interior stairway of the building.
With a wicked gleam twinkling in his eyes, Slash laughed out loud at the obvious intimidation tactic. He knew the brothers' precious sensei wasn't going to actually do anything to him. Not so long as Donatello was still missing.
"You can try all you want. You'll never get me to talk."
"If you are so sure of this, then you should have no objections to joining me in the stairwell." Once again, Splinter gestured towards the door.
Not the least bit daunted, Slash just shrugged his shoulders and strolled towards the staircase entrance.
In true ninja fashion, Master Splinter followed the enormous turtle like a shadow and quickly latched the door shut behind them in an obvious effort to keep his sons out.
Exactly thirty-seven seconds passed before Master Splinter pushed the stairwell door back open. He then stepped out onto the rooftop, pulling Slash along by the lip of his shell like he was a naughty child.
A smirk somewhere between smug and devilish played on the rat's thin lips as he released his hold on the larger mutant's carapace.
"Slash has agreed to show us where Donatello is."
All three brothers exchanged confused glances, but said nothing. They just silently followed as Slash led the way.
Finally, they were going to find their genius brother.
The only question was, would they get there in time?
To be continued…
*More Author's Notes: Yes, it's another cliffhanger. I'm sorry. Please forgive me, but this part of the story is a bit dramatic. The next installment is no exception. I'll warn everyone in advance, it's another intense one.
I really, really hope you liked this chapter and that you're enjoying this story. Please let me know. I truly appreciate any favorites, follows, likes, reblogs, reviews, and/or comments you send me. The positive feedback always makes my day.
Thank you to the moon and back for all your endless kindness and support. I'm so grateful to all of you. Take care. 8}
CJ