*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
*Author's Notes: I'm super excited to share this new chapter of 'Slash's Revenge' with you. Maybe that's because this happens to be one of my very favorite chapters in the story. I truly hope you all enjoy it.
I want to thank the following readers for reviewing chapter 44 of this story: LittleMiss Icequeen, Briecat, Ralip71, Pilyarquitect, Aly's Gaming, aminegamefanfic, reader6657, and guests. I appreciate your feedback more than words can say. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I adore all of you. I truly, truly do!
Okay, on with the story… Thank you all for reading!
CJ
Chapter 45 – Not Alone
As much as Donatello adored April, he couldn't help but to roll his eyes as she approached. It was incredibly demeaning that his brothers thought he was so frail and damaged, he needed April to watch over him as though he was a helpless child. He just hoped she didn't decide to bring Casey Jones along with her. Like this whole situation wasn't embarrassing enough as it was.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Donatello rubbed his forehead with his right hand. He could feel the start of a migraine coming on.
Just perfect…
"Thanks so much for coming down on such short notice, April. I'm sorry you had to drop everything you were doing on my account." As he spoke, the genius turtle did an admirable job of hiding any trace of annoyance behind a voice that carried both his utmost sympathy and guilt.
He truly felt bad about making April come down to the lair. He knew she had a big exam she needed to study for. She had been talking about it for weeks. And now, she was stuck watching him.
Donnie was about to spin his chair around and give her the big, puppy dog eyes when the screen of his T-phone lit up, indicating he had received a new text. His family had finally sent him an update. Reaching for his phone, he eagerly opened the message.
Hey, D. Just wanted to let you know I'm on my way. See you in a few.
All the air instantly deflated out of Donatello's now-compromised lungs while his heart started to race about a million miles per minute. For several agonizing seconds, he couldn't move as he listened to the sound of footsteps drawing closer and closer. They soon came to a stop, just a few feet behind him.
Then, the room fell painfully silent.
Paralyzed with fear, the purple-masked turtle could only stare down at his T-phone in utter disbelief.
The text was sent less than a minute ago.
Less than a minute ago!
That meant it wasn't April who was standing right behind him.
But if it wasn't April, then who the heck was it?
He suddenly found himself praying on all that was good that it was actually Casey, but deep down inside, the brainy turtle knew better.
Casey Jones was incapable of sneaking up on anyone, period. Maybe that's because there was no way in shell the teenage boy could keep his mouth shut long enough.
With Casey and April officially ruled out, Donatello felt his whole body start to tremble with horror. So much so, he thought he might vibrate right off his chair.
Well, at least I can move again… Donatello's caustic inner voice mocked.
Desperate for air, the terrified turtle attempted to gulp down the thick lump forming in his throat to no avail at first. However, after a few more swallows, his breath began to come out in shallow, almost inaudible gasps, as though he was quietly hyperventilating to himself. Donatello pressed his lips tightly together to stop himself from making any additional noises, listening closely for anything that might reveal who was standing behind him.
The suspense was killing him.
Donatello sealed his eyes shut for just a moment, trying to steel himself. Then, against his better judgment, he cast a nervous glance over his shoulder. He immediately regretted his decision when a giant pair of hands pulled his chair right out from underneath him. The genius turtle fell gracelessly to the floor with an "Oomph" sound.
Scrambling to his unstable feet, Donatello backed away from the immense figure that was slowly advancing towards him. The frightened turtle made his way to other side of his desk so that the large piece of furniture separated the two of them. When the figure tried to move closer, Donatello circled around the desk like they were playing a demented game of tag.
"S – Stay away from m – me!" The order was both defiant and fearful at the same time as though Donatello was torn between his fight or flight response.
The two creatures continued to circumnavigate around the desk. One creature wore a terrified expression while the other creature couldn't seem to stop grinning. The larger of the two creatures was clearly enjoying watching the other creature suffer.
"What's wrong, Donnie boy? Aren't you happy to see me?"
The all too familiar raspy voice made Donatello shudder and he shook his head in denial.
"This is… This is just another nightmare. I must have fallen asleep in my lab again…" Donatello tried to convince himself that what he was seeing wasn't real, but being in such close proximity to the monster that had tortured him was making it impossible to think straight.
Wake up!
Wake up!
WAKE! UP!
"Awww! Does little Donnie have nightmares about big, bad Slash?"
"No!" This was, of course, a bald-faced lie. Donatello was plagued by constant nightmares of the beast currently stalking him, but he wasn't going to give Slash the satisfaction of knowing it.
If it really was Slash at all…
The smaller mutant was still clinging to the blind faith that he was simply dreaming again. That this was nothing more than a hallucination that had manifested itself from his deep-seated fear of being left alone.
But the closer Slash got, the clearer it became this wasn't a nightmare.
Donatello's senses were on fire.
He could feel his heart trying to scrape and claw its way out of his plastron.
He could feel the intense pain in his thigh and shoulder from his fall just moments ago.
He could hear the quaking terror in every breath he took.
He could smell the stench lingering on the monster before him.
He could see every scute on Slash's plastron with such nauseating clarity.
It was all too real to be a dream.
The ninja in purple felt an overpowering sense of déjà vu wash over him. His family was clear across the city while he was at the mercy of a heartless monster… again! He flashed back to that night on the rooftop when Slash had kidnapped him…
"Why… Why are you… d – doing this?"
"You mean you haven't figured it out yet? I thought you were the smart one."
"Y – You… You want… to use… m – me as bait… to get my brothers."
"Not exactly. I want to use you as revenge on Raphael. He'll never get over losing you."
"You're... You're going to k – kill me?"
"Kill you? So soon? Why, we're just getting started here, Donnie boy."
A pitiful whimper squeaked out of Donatello's parched throat. For ten days, he had endured Slash's 'revenge.' It had been the most painful, unspeakable, humiliating experience of Donnie's young life. He was left a traumatized wreck as a result of Slash's abusive treatment.
The genius turtle peered up at his tormentor, a blend of fear and anger mingling in his reddish-brown eyes.
This only seemed to entertain the larger mutant. His devious grin twisted into a crooked smirk.
Silence once again fell over the room as the two turtles just stood there, staring at one another as though they were daring each other to make the next move. That's when the sound of Donatello's T-phone blaring out almost gave both turtles a heart attack. Temporarily caught off guard, Slash glanced down at the flashing device on Donatello's desktop. The smartest turtle swiftly took advantage of the momentary distraction and made a break for it.
Was it his best plan ever?
No. Probably not…
The memory of what had happened the last time he had tried to run away from Slash was still fresh in his mind. It made him sick to his stomach just thinking about it. One generally doesn't forget having a mace slammed into their leg…
"Let's see you try to get away now."
As if to remind him of the ordeal, his wounded thigh screamed out in agony while he bolted out of the lab.
"Heh! You can run all you want, Donatello! But there's nowhere you can go that I won't find you! I'll even give you a thirty second head start." It was an exceptionally arrogant move, but then again, Slash was an exceptionally arrogant turtle, so the decision to spot Donnie a lead came as no surprise to the genius turtle.
Still, half a minute wasn't much of a lead when it was Slash on your tail…
Once outside of his laboratory, Donatello had a split-second decision to make. He could choose to head away from the lair and hope against hope that he could lose Slash in the endless pinched corridors of the New York City underground sewer system, or he could opt to hide somewhere within the lair and pray that Slash assumed he had chosen his first option.
The problem was, Donatello knew that April was heading straight for the lair. If the brainiac turtle chose to stay in the lair, he could be putting April in danger. On the other hand, if he tried to lure Slash away from the lair, Slash could double back and go after April, who would be all alone.
It was a lose-lose situation.
Ugh!
Donatello hated that April could be in peril because of him. He needed to make an impossible decision and he needed to make it now. He then heard his T-phone go off a second time and it only added to his dilemma.
What he wouldn't give to get his hands on that phone right now?
He could text April to go back home and send his brothers a distress signal.
If he would have just –
The proverbial lightbulb went off in Donatello's brilliant brain.
His bedroom!
There was a spare T-phone in his bedroom! He always kept an extra on hand because his family was so hard on their phones.
Never before had the genius turtle been more grateful that his brothers were so destructive.
Sprinting towards his room without a sound, Donatello slipped through the doorway and quietly locked the door behind him. He knew the wimpy lock wouldn't hold off Slash for long, but at this point, Donnie was just trying to buy as much time as he could.
Donatello hurried over to a crate in the back of his room that was filled with all kinds of miscellaneous spare parts and electronic devices. Rifling through the contents of the crate, the intellectual turtle soon found what he was looking for. He pushed the power button on the phone only to discover the dang thing was dead.
Oh, of all the turtle luck…
Digging inside the crate again, Donnie produced a charging station and quickly plugged the phone in. Normally, he would pitch a fit if someone tried to use a phone while it was in charging mode, but he didn't have time to practice what he preached right now.
No sooner had Donnie turned on the power when he heard Slash's sing-song voice call out, "Time's up, Donnie boy! Come out, come out wherever you are!"
Sewer pickles!
As fast as his fingers would go, Donatello typed a message to April…
April, this is Donnie. Please turn around and go home now. Do NOT come to the lair. I'll explain later. Just know it's important that you NOT come down here. Please trust me on this.
He hit send just as there came a knock at his door, nearly making him jump out of his own skin.
"You in there, Donnie boy?"
Holding perfectly still, Donatello hoped that Slash would simply move onto the next door. After all, hiding inside his own room seemed too obvious, right? Surely, Slash would assume the supposedly genius turtle was smart enough not to hide in his own bedroom.
Wrong!
"I think you are. I can smell your fear."
Slash turned the door handle and soon found out it was locked.
There was now no doubt that Donatello was in his room. It was just a matter of time before Slash would force his way inside.
"Open the door, Donatello." The obvious threat behind Slash's words made the purple-clad turtle tremble. He turned his attention back to the T-phone clutched in his now violently shaking hands. All he needed to do was send his brothers a message, but his thick, unsteady fingers wouldn't cooperate.
He managed to key the word 'Help' just as Slash broke open the door and came storming into the room. Without a moment's hesitation, the stronger turtle easily seized hold of the phone in Donatello's hands before the smartest turtle got a chance to send his message out.
"What the shell do you think you're doing?"
Donatello let out a feeble whine as he watched Slash smash the phone in his bare hands and throw the sad remains of the device to the floor at the genius turtle's feet. The smaller mutant couldn't help but to worry he was going to suffer the same fate as the T-phone.
Sure enough, Slash was soon balling his huge hands into tight fists, clearly ready to pound on something or someone. The massive mutant's breathing grew ragged and heavy as he edged closer to Donatello, looming over the smaller turtle like a malevolent shadow. Donatello tried to back away, but his shell was soon up against the wall.
There was no way of escaping…
"Someone's in definite need of a beat down. What's it been? Like ten days since your last one?"
Terrified out of his mind, Donatello shook his head from side to side. Tears sprung from his eyes as he futilely held his hands up to shield himself from a thrashing he knew darn well he couldn't prevent. "No! P – Please just l – leave me alone!"
"Leave you alone? Ha! Not a chance. What fun would that be?"
All Donatello could do was whimper when Slash drew one of his fists back, preparing to strike. But the would-be beat down was interrupted by a female voice echoing throughout the lair.
"Donnie! Donnie, where are you?"
April!
Oh no!
Before Donatello even had a chance to respond, Slash roughly grabbed a hold of him and pressed one of his enormous hands over the genius turtle's mouth to shut him up. Donatello struggled wildly in Slash's iron grip, but it was no use. Slash was just too strong.
The intellectual turtle was struck by another sickening sense of déjà vu, as he flashed back to his first encounter with Slash. He felt just as frightened and helpless now as he had back then.
"Donnie!"
April called out for him, again, at the exact same time as Donatello felt a long syringe plunge deep into his neck. He let out a panicked cry, but the oversized hand covering his mouth successfully muffled the sound. Unable to produce any actual noise, Donatello realized that April was totally oblivious to his plight.
The effect of the potent drug injected into his bloodstream was almost immediate, much to his dismay. Donatello's whole body started to go limp and his vision began to soften and gray around the edges. He fought tooth and nail to stay conscious, but it was a battle he could not win. One moment, it felt as though his veins were filling with sand, and the next, it was like he was light as a feather. Everything turned fuzzy and distorted all around him. He was vaguely aware of Slash hoisting him up over his shoulder when his eyes sealed shut and his world went dark.
Slash let out a small cackle when he felt the genius turtle wilt in his grasp.
"Donnie!"
The teenage girl was persistent. Slash had to give her that.
Hiking his heavy cargo further up on his shoulder, Slash crept out of the bedroom and into the dormitory hallway. He could tell that Donatello was out cold just by the way the smaller turtle was draped over him, motionless and flaccid. The knock-out drug had done the trick.
Heh, heh. Nighty-night, Donnie boy.
Slash had brought the powerful tranquilizer along just in case he ran into any trouble. It had actually been intended to take out the rat, if need be, but Slash had been forced to improvise a little. He hadn't counted on the redhead showing up. This threw a bit of a monkey wrench into his plan, but nothing he couldn't handle. It wasn't like the petite human girl could stop him from taking what was his.
Still, he didn't want a confrontation. At least, not with her. Not because he gave a crap about her or anything like that. He just didn't feel comfortable hitting a girl. Sure, he had done a lot of terrible things as of late, but striking a female was just plain wrong.
He still had some morals intact.
Just not very many…
Poking his head out around the corner of the hallway, Slash narrowed his beady eyes and searched for any signs of the O'Neil girl. It didn't take long for him to figure out that the coast was clear. The mouthy little redhead was inside the laboratory, no doubt vainly searching around for her missing turtle friend.
Foolish girl.
As soon as the human teenager moved out of sight, Slash skulked through the pit of the lair, heading straight for the turnstiles that led out of the Hamato's so-called home.
Just a few more feet…
His face bore a salacious grin as he effortlessly made his way across the floor completely undetected.
Once he reached lair entrance/exit, he easily scaled up and over a turnstile without so much as a sound. He then disappeared into the inky depths of the sewers with an unconscious Donatello in tow.
To be continued…
*More Author's Notes: So… how is everyone feeling about the return of Slash? I'm sure you all guessed he would make another appearance in the story at some point, right? Well, now that he's officially back, I probably should warn you, the next few chapters are rather nerve-racking. Who's ready?
As always, please take a little time to favorite, follow, like, reblog, review and/or comment on this story if you are still with me. Even if it's just a word or two, I'd love to hear from you. It totally makes my day to receive kind feedback on what I've created.
Thank you, everybody, for reading and for sharing your thoughts with me chapter after chapter. I'm incredibly grateful to all of you! *hugs*
CJ