Chapter Text
It was quiet.
To describe New York City as quiet would be wrong. Given its nickname, the city that never sleeps, one would expect the city to be lively at all hours. But yet, there was no other word Donnie could find for the town that night. The city was rarely peaceful, never silent, so Donnie opted for quiet.
New York City was quiet that night.
The chilled January air nipped at Donatello’s skin. It was a brisk breeze that seemed to drain heat from Donnie's core. It left a chill that brought a dull ache to old injuries. A hoodie would probably solve the issue, but as luck would have it, Donatello didn’t bring his hoodie. April had gracefully gifted each of them a hoodie last Christmas.
Color coordinating, of course.
But Donnie found himself only wearing the purple shaded cloth when relaxing, fearing the thought of the gift getting stained with motor oil or other grimy fluids while working in the lab. He never wore it out in the city either, especially on patrol. The baggy purple fabric that brought Donnie comfort was also impossible to fight in. The baggy sleeves catching the end of his bo staff or the hood covering his face while dodging a strike from a highly motivated brother proved to be more difficult.
Honestly, If it wasn’t for the fear of filth and lack of mobility, Donnie would probably wear it all the time. He loved the sense of security it brought him. The hoodie also fit better than other types of clothes that Donnie had tried on previously.
But, to his dismay, Donatello was left on the quiet, freezing roof, not sporting the purple hoodie which he had conveniently left on the chair in his lab.
It was useless to mope about the loss of his hoodie so Donatello shifted his train of thought, instead observing his brothers.
The rooftop they were stationed on- per Leo’s orders, was located on the border of the purple dragon’s side and near where the Foot’s turf began.
There had been a turf war between the two sides for a couple of months. Typically Donnie and his brothers didn’t get involved in those petty gang-like fights, they observed from the shadows. Not imposing on either until the petty fights started inflicting harm on the innocents who also happened to inhabit the area.
As of recently the war had died down, and the foot and dragons had seemed to come to an understanding. If you could call it that, it wasn't hard to draw the conclusion that the foot outnumbered the dragons.
Regardless, the absence of the war led to a rise in crime, such as robberies, break-ins, and in extreme cases, homicides. All of this left innocent people at risk. Business owners such as Murakami and others who happened to live nearby paid for the crimes that the two gangs left in their wake.
Leo had figured they would catch the most action if they stayed near the two. Hence the rooftop between the two borders.
This was the fourth night that Leo had made them stake out on the roofs overlooking this part of the city. A different roof each night, but it would eventually led down a path of boredom as well as a rising tension between the two oldest brothers.
Leonardo was leaning over the ledge of the building where they were stationed. The leader stiffly watched over the street underneath them, waiting for some unlucky robber to choose a building on this block as their target. Leo had been pretty quiet that night, almost like he was on edge. Flinching at loud sounds and his eyes scanning everything twice.
Donnie was sure he wasn’t the only one who noticed the eldest’s odd behavior. While Leo hadn’t mentioned feeling off he had been snappish all night. It had reached a point where Raph had not so kindly suggested that Leo remove a misplaced stake from his backside.
This resulted in a quick-sided tracked argument on their way to their rooftop for the night.
Mikey on the other hand, was taking less space in conversations than his normal chipper, talkative self. Donnie was positive that this was contributing to the silence that had engulfed the city that night.
The youngest laid across a vent, tapping half-heartedly at his phone, his eyes low and dull with boredom. He had even left his skateboard back home to the surprise of his brothers. Mikey would refocus his attention on the oldest every few minutes, observing his motions with extra consideration.
Donnie made a mental note to speak to Mikey later that night, the youngest often caught onto their brother’s mental state far better than Donnie could ever hope to do.
Raph leaned against the water tower support beams, arms crossed over his chest and gazing down at the same street as Leo but with much less interest. Raphael was still fuming about the previously mentioned argument he had with Leo. He had only stomped down the emotions after Leo threatened to bench him for the night.
Donnie was less sure that Raph had taken notice of his brother's abnormal behaviors, maybe at least subconsciously he had noticed?
The second oldest was a lot more alert, and antsy. He was currently biting at his lip, a nervous stim that Donnie had picked up on years ago.
Unfortunately, a nervous Rapheal meant a more explosive Rapheal.
Donnie leaned his shell against the ledge wanting to sit down and continue on his latest plans.
Leo would most definitely rather him be watching the street, but with the fact that for the past three nights, nothing had been happening. Donnie figured it would be fine
Donnie wasn’t sure how long they would wait before Leo called it. Last night had only been a couple of hours before Leo had shrunk in on himself and motioned them home. Donnie assumed the odds of them doing something other than sitting on this freezing roof were slim to none, and so...
Donatello slid down the rest of the ledge, drawing his knees up to lean his chin against.
It should be fine. Besides, both Raph and Leo were watching the street, surely they would be able to catch whatever petty crime would occur.
What did they need him for?
Leo shot him a quick look but didn’t seem to have the energy to chastise Donnie, instead, the blue-banded turtle sighed and focused his attention back on the small shops and row of apartment buildings.
In an attempt to relieve the boredom creeping up on him, Donatello received his T-phone and pulled up his latest plans for the Shell-raiser.
The vehicle had been making a grinding noise after an unfortunate meeting with the foot, Donnie suspected the shocks needed work. The only issue was the shocks would be an easy fix and there was no reason to make a detailed blueprint on them, after Donnie made a quick plan for them he would be left bored again.
The wind whipped around them, the chill was still present and just as mean as before.
Donnie was right with his prediction and was quickly losing interest in his plans on his phone.
The turtle's thoughts instead drifted back to his clean purple hoodie, draped carefully over his chair in his lab.
Donnie glanced up at Leo, the leader hadn’t moved an inch. His mouth was in a tight grimace, eyes darting around soaking up the dim street below.
Leo was sure something important was going to happen tonight, and so they waited.
Donnie shivered slightly curling into himself tighter, It was going to be a long night.
Donnie wasn’t sure how much time had passed, having lost track of how long they had been stuck- stationed on the roof. He had been able to get absorbed in his work, solving the shock issue hours ago.
Instead, he was now focused on how to transition the shellraiser from gasoline to electric- or..or maybe he could make it run on both? Since Gasoline could be difficult for them to get their hands on from time to time and electricity was a lot easier to come by, buuut the electrical wouldn’t last as long-
“Guys...” Donnie's thoughts came to a screeching stop as Mikey’s voice cut through the silence.
“This…is so boring.” The youngest drawled out.
Donnie blinked up from his phone.
Mikey was perched up on the vent, his phone left discarded next to him. The youngest stared at all of them, a pouting look painted on his face.
Next to Donnie, Leo’s pose tightened, and the leader let out another small sigh. Donnie noted that the sigh was a more 'oh boy here we go' rather than a sigh of annoyance.
Movement from Mikey's left drew Donnie’s focus onto Raph who had pushed himself off the support beam, stalking towards Leo. The leader's previous sigh was not for Mikey directly no, it was for giving Raph an opportunity to attack.
“Not to say numbskull is right,” Raph started, uncrossing his arms and jerking a thumb back towards Mikey.
Mikey shot an offended look towards the older, protesting. “Hey-!”
Raph ignored Mikey and continued forward “But yeah,” the hothead took his place right behind the eldest.
“This is boring Leo, we’ve been out for three nights and jackshit has happened! Why don’t we actually get to work huh?” he snarked.
Leo inhaled shakily, probably silently counting to ten, Something Donnie found himself having to do when interacting with Raph.
After reaching only six, seriously you needed the full ten when it came to Raphael.
Leo braced himself, turning to face Raph. “What do you propose Raph? We take a stroll down Central Park?” the leader replied smoothly.
Donnie saw Raph’s eye twitch, his stance tightening.
Leonardo had not been counting to ten. No, the leader had been thinking of a button-pushing reply to get on the red-banded turtle's nerves.
Donnie didn’t know if he could blame the guy. He was already so tense and probably needed to release some of the nervous energy. Not to mention it was Raphael he was dealing with. Unfortunately, Donnie didn’t think that now was a great time to release that energy since technically they were on a mission.
A boring ass mission but a mission nonetheless.
Donnie began to tap on his knees, switching his attention from Raph back to Leo.
Raph wasted no time closing the remaining space between him and the leader. The younger’s fiery glare clashed with Leo’s icy stare. Raph huffed, clenching his fists as Leo’s face remained neutral and expressionless.
“It would be better than just sitting ‘round on our shells waiting,” Raph growled, gesturing towards Donnie.
It was Donnie’s turn to twitch an eye. Apparently, everyone was catching strays from Rapheal tonight.
The genius swallowed the remark that bubbled in his chest, It would only add fuel to the fire. Even though it seemed like no one else cared, Donnie would like at least one of them to keep a level head.
Donnie drummed at his knees at an even quicker rate in an attempt to self-regulate. This was not his fight.
Leo’s attention returned to the street, losing the staring contest with Raph. “It would waste time and energy.” He countered.
Stepping even closer to the eldest, probably hating that Leo refused to look at him, Raph continued to push. “Pfft like this is a great use of time.”
Donnie glanced down at his phone, reading the time. It was 7 minutes past 2 am, and the sun would begin to rise around the tail end of 5 which meant they only had a few hours before they would go back to the lair. Donnie looked back up at his brothers, biting his tongue. They wouldn’t last even 5 more minutes it seemed.
Leo peered at Raph from over his shoulder. “Master Splinter would say that-”
Raph clapped and then threw his hands into the air. “Of course, Master Splinter this, Master Splinter that! Why do you always bring him up? He isn’t here, why should we care what he would say?” Raph fumed.
Mikey and Donnie locked eyes, having a silent conversation. Do we stop them? Donnie hoped they weren’t this predictable in battle. The two’s voices were starting to rise, this argument was slowly defeating the whole purpose of being stationed on this frigid roof.
Leo stiffened before pushing himself off the ledge to face Raph, Donnie didn’t miss the small smirk that Raph had for a split second. Donnie wanted to bang his head against the wall. Why could nothing ever go according to plan?
“Our sensei would say that watching from the shadows is much better than being in the spotlight, Raphael,” Leo responded.
Donnie growled quietly to himself bouncing his leg up and down. Leo was aware this was putting the mission at risk and he was still entertaining it?
Raph crossed his arms over his chest again, The smirk he couldn’t hide anymore growing wide.
“Did you just remember that he is our Sensei, not just yours?” The second oldest gestured to himself, Donnie, and Mikey.
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
"Then, Please enlighten the class, what did you mean Leonardo?”
Donnie watched unamused with the two of them. Raph was grilling the older, while Leo clumsily defended himself. Mikey's gaze followed both of them switching back and forth as their voices went from harsh whispers to yells. Mikey’s eyes paused on Donnie for a moment, a silent plea for the older to step in.
Donnie shrugged at him. Maybe the two would run out of steam eventually.
"It’s not my fault you don’t take training as seriously as I do!” Leo lashed out.
Donnie felt his jaw drop, his breath hitching. Leo wasn’t usually this bad as de-escalation…right?
Raph went through a series of emotions, at first he was blank-faced, processing the leader's words, then he drew his mouth in a firm line, squinting at Leo before his face was engulfed with rage.
Raph’s fists were shaking at his sides, clearly itching to grab the sai’s inches away.
“ What?! ” The hothead snarled.
Mikey shot Donnie a look of terror, mouthing “Stop them.”
Donnie raised a fist and the younger's eyes widened in realization before he raised his own. The older shook his fist in the air four times, Mikey following suit. Donnie sighed deeply when his hand stayed in a fist while Mikey’s laid flat.
A sheepish smile spread across Mikey's face.
Donatello examined his older brothers again, the two had resorted to circling one another and screaming. Donnie cringed, if by some miracle they weren’t in that “Spotlight” that Leo had been so scared of seconds prior, they would be soon.
Donnie heaved himself to his feet. Blocking out the argument for a moment preparing himself to most likely catch some of the anger for attempting to disarm the bomb that was his two older brothers. While he shook the static feeling from his feet, he caught movement from the corner of his eye. The turtle paused and focused on the street below.
The street was splayed out with many businesses, ranging from a computer repair store to a laundromat, the closest store looked to be a small grocery store on the corner across from them. All the lights but the flashing ‘closed’ sign were dark. It appeared to be a normal street in New York City at 2 am, all was ordinary.
Except the lone footbot stumbling in the middle of the road.
Donnie knitted his eyebrows, staring down at the bot. Which was swaying and tripping over its legs, like one would do when consuming too much alcohol. The turtle chalked it up to the footbot malfunctioning with its movements clucky and stuttered.
The machine froze in front of the doors of the corner store, swaying back and forth before it wrenched the door open with unnatural strength. It did a quick scan of the area before slipping into the store.
Donnie blinked, examining the street for any more of the bots, his confusion only mounting as nothing else stirred. “uh-”
“You heard the guy Mikey! We should all be little teacher pets like Leonardo over here!” Raph’s outburst brought Donnie’s attention back to the argument.
“Hey guys?” Donnie called out, his eyes not leaving the street in fear of missing something, The genius knelt by the ledge.
Further down the road was a white van, it had seemed normal before but as Donnie looked closer he could see two figures in the front seat of the vehicle. Could it just possibly belong to one of the numerous businesses lining the street? With some poor souls working graveyard?
Donnie shook his head, No. The white van was familiar. His mind raced trying to pinpoint where he had seen it before.
“I am just saying that if you took more of Sensei’s teachings to heart you could improve quicker.” Leo’s voice clipped in, breaking Donnie’s concentration.
Donnie sighed. Drumming his fingers on the ledge of the roof and squinting down at the van. It would be easier to remember without the two idiots screaming at each other. Donnie glanced down at his belt, trying to find his binoculars.
Donnie tried again, “Guys.” He prayed his tone would pique the interest of either of them.
Mikey stepped in between the two. “Hey, you two are being pretty loud maybe if-”
“Improve quicker?” A sharp clang interrupted Mikey, followed by Raph’s strained words “Oh, I can show you improvement Leo.”
Donnie’s hand grasped around the enhanced binoculars, he brought them to his face, scanning the van.
‘Chris Bradford’s Dojo’ was written in large font across the side of the van.
Donnie slammed his fist against the ledge, Stupid. He should know that.
“Guys, come check this out!” Donnie huffed now trying to get a glimpse inside the heavily tinted vehicle.
There was some shifting from behind Donnie before Leo growled out a retort “Oh come on Raphael! Why is everything a fight with you? You have the emotional regulation of a chihuahua!”
Donnie dropped the binoculars, giving up. Bradford and Xever were most likely in there anyway. Why would they just sit there as a clearly unfit footbot was roaming around New York? That didn’t make any sense, why would the footbot go into the corner mart anyway? Looking for some cheese puffs and an oil can?
Grunts and a loud clash echoed from behind Donnie. They both had drawn their weapons.
Donnie growled, swiveling around, “Hey Morons!” The two didn’t even flinch.
Donatello snarled as he reached back into his belt, Mikey wanted him to end this? Fine.
“Chihuahua! Why when I-” The hothead was interrupted as a shuriken shot towards him.
Raph yelped, raising his Sai to meet the star before it could hit its mark, the projectile ricocheted against the sai making a sharp turn toward Leo’s katana.
Leo stumbled back, lifting the sword to deflect the star. The shuriken bounced off of the blade’s steel and clattered to the ground.
All three brothers froze, staring at Donnie like deer caught in headlights.
Mikey was standing like a barrier between the other two, having ducked when he saw Donnie had reached for his shurikens. The youngest was facing Raph who had his Sais clutched tightly, his face twisted into a snarl. Behind Mikey was Leo, one of his katanas raised in a protective position.
The rooftop was again covered in a blanket of silence only being broken by the star rolling across the concrete back towards Donnie, it spun on its head for a second longer before tipping over at his feet.
Donnie narrowed his eyes, letting them linger on said morons.
“Are we ready to listen?” Donnie mocked like he was talking to toddlers instead of his brothers.
Mikey nodded, Leo’s grimace was back and Raph simply rolled his eyes before giving a curt nod as well.
“While I absolutely love seeing you two argue and get nowhere with it…again!” Donnie bent down, pocketing the Shuriken. “We have a situation!” the genius hissed the last part with pent-up venom. Donnie stood straight, giving both another glare before pointing over the edge towards the market.
Leo blinked before snapping out of the surprise. The leader sheathed his sword not before shooting Raph a look of his own. After collecting himself Leo raced toward the ledge that Donnie had once again knelt at.
“What’s happened?” Leo asked.
Donnie zoomed in on the binoculars, the two large figures were still in the van, the tint covering their identities. “The foot. Just saw one go into that market down there.” Donnie explained, handing over the binoculars to Leo, who immediately put them up to his face and scanned the area.
“Two people parked in that van on the curb, haven’t been able to see-” He was cut off as Raph let out a cheer.
“Hell yeah, finally something to do! Let’s go kick some foot ass.”
Without missing a beat Leo spun around, shoving a finger harshly in Raph’s chest. “We cannot just rush in Raphael!” The leader snarled.
“Oh for fuck sake!” Raph threw his hands in the air again, groaning in frustration. “Why not? Master Splinter wouldn’t approve?”
Leo took a step back, arm falling limply back to his side. “Well, yeah… But that's not the main reason.” He lamely defended.
Donnie could feel his patience teetering. “Hey, guys are you going to let me finish or are we going to argue some more?” he asked.
Slowly breaking eye contact with Raph, Leo glanced down at Donnie, giving the younger a nod, and signaling him to continue.
Donnie’s gaze returned to the empty street. “The van is Bradford's. We can probably assume that he and Xever are in there. The footbot was…acting strange, malfunctioning I think. It stumbled into that corner mart though- “ Donnie pointed to the dark building below. “I don’t know why they would want to rob a convenience store. We should probably move forward in silence, and observe before engaging because something is off.”
Leo, who was y'know, the leader, Would usually be the one who created the plans but he seemed to be a bit…distracted. Donnie thought he would try his hand at it because there was no way Raph would be allowed to make the “plan”.
Donnie snuck a look back to gauge the reactions of his brothers.
Leo nodded along, hand on his chin, he seemed lost in thought. Mikey was reaching for the binoculars, Donnie wasn’t sure if the younger had heard a word he said, And Raph…wasn’t there.
Donnie sighed deeply again for what felt like the 10th time tonight. This was going fantastic.
Leo caught on quickly as well. “Raph? Raphael!” He spoke in a hushed yell, spinning around looking for the now missing brother.
“Uh- Dudes.”
Donnie turned towards Mikey who had received the binoculars and was looking down into the alleyway below.
“He is already down there.” Mikey pointed to their lost brother who was already engaging, opening a side window into the market without so much as a glance their way.
“Oh- He is so getting benched after this,” Leo growled before swinging himself over the ledge.
Panic flared up in Donnie’s gut at seeing not one, but two brothers completely ignore his advice. “Uh- Uh, Leo did you hear me when I said-”
The leader shot a glare at Donnie. “You wanna be benched too?”
Donnie gawked at Leo. “Me?...Benched?”
Leo narrowed his eyes at him, giving him a short nod.
Donnie dug his nails into the palm of his hand, attempting to stomp down the snide remark that sat heavily in his throat. The genius shakily inhaled as he met Leo’s glare with one of his own and then gave the Leader a wordless shake of his head.
“Well come on then! We are charging in, Without a plan! Because Raph thinks he is-.” And the oldest was gone, ducking into the window as well.
Donnie and Mikey were left unable to hear the rest of Leo’s sentence. It wasn’t like Donnie had any interest in it anyway, instead fighting off the urge to flip Leo an indecent finger.
“Bench me? That's- urg.” Donnie began to pace along the side of the ledge. “I can’t believe he would even consider that after his performance tonight.” His rant was interrupted by a hand gripping his shoulder.
Peering behind him he saw Mikey shifting back and forth on his toes, seeming indecisive about his next move.
“At least, uh we won’t be sitting on this cold ass roof anymore.” Mikey pointed out, flashing
Donnie a quick grin.
Donatello felt some of the tension seep out from his shoulders, returning Mikey's grin with a meek version of his own. Mikey's face buffered from confusion to delight at seeing Donnie’s reaction.
Donnie exhaled, letting the knot of bitter anger untangle. No matter the situation, they could be under attack from aliens, crazed uncles, and mutated plant creatures and yet, Mikey was always able to find a positive.
Donnie raised a hand patting the younger’s hand which was still resting on Donnie’s shoulder.
“Yeah, that’s true. Thanks, Mikey.”
Charging in without a plan had been a horrendous plan.
The building was surprisingly deceptive, being a lot larger than it appeared on the outside. A small lamp located near the cash register was the only light source in the whole store causing the rest of the building to be quite dim. The long aisles seemed to tease Donnie as they stretched vertically down into the darkness.
Each aisle was numbered from one to six, and each had a general theme and the products to match. Everything from hardwire supplies to some fresh products such as eggs and milk.
Donnie froze as soon as his feet softly landed on the ground after crawling through the window. The turtle didn’t have to be a genius to see that they were meant to be lured in here. The lack of visibility along with all the places to hide in plain sight didn't bode well for them.
Donnie winced, the fact that they had separated themselves stacked the already high odds against them even higher.
Mikey hopped down from the window and began to follow the voices of Raph and Leo, who by the sound of it were still arguing.
Donnie held his arm out in front of the younger, The older scanned the aisles letting his eyes adjust to the lack of light in the room.
“We do this stealthy,” Donnie whispered to Mikey, answering his questioning eyes. The younger one followed Donnie’s gaze and nodded.
The two crept through the store, staying close to the edge of the area by the wall. They paused with every sound that echoed through the room, hesitating before they continued to move along the aisles. The store would’ve been pleasant if it wasn’t so dark. The shadows dance across the walls playing tricks on Donnie's mind.
The turtle stopped dead in his tracks as the arguing from his older brothers went silent. Any other time that would be a good thing, But the quiet was followed by a crash and a screech of pain by one or both of the older turtles.
Mikey gasped before he broke out into a run towards the sound, Donnie following quickly on his heel, stealth being forgotten. They made it halfway through the aisle before Donnie skidded to a stop as a shelf to their left wobbled.
“Mikey!” Donnie squeaked, reaching out for his brother's shell, his fingers grasping the lip of it.
Donnie yanked on his shell, pulling Mikey backward. The two stumbled back as the shelf crashed down on the spot Mikey had been a few seconds previously.
“Thanks, Dee,” Mikey whispered, staring at the broken shelf and cans that now littered the ground.
Donnie nodded and pushed Mikey behind him. The turtle scanned the aisles, someone had pushed that shelf. It hadn't fallen on its own. Slowly Donnie stepped over the mess. Seeing no movement from the aisle next to them, Donnie pushed on.
He was able to see flashes of lights ahead. Each step they were getting closer to Leo and Raph, it would be a lot better to fight together.
Donnie couldn’t shake the foreboding feeling that had settled in his gut. Each crash and movement from the corner of his eyes left Donnie’s heart pounding. Something was wrong.
Shuffling and a cry of pain sound from behind Donnie pulled his attention away from his thoughts. Donnie spun around gasping at the sight in front of him.
Mikey was pinned against the wall, Rahzar’s bony paw curled tightly around the turtle's neck.
Mikey clawed frantically at the paw, wheezing harshly.
“Mikey!” Donnie gawked at the scene before him.
Mikey's face was etched with panic. The younger turtle kicked out at the mutant pinning him down with no use.
Rahzar licked his lips “I can’t wait to see the lights leave your eyes.” The dog growled.
Donnie was breathing rapidly, his feet stuck on the ground. For once Donnie’s mind was blank.
A harsh wheeze from Mikey sent feeling back into his legs and Donnie made a quick decision and surged forward, raising his staff into position. The genius put all the strength he could muster into the swing.
Rahzar’s head jerked towards Donnie, Bo's staff inches from his face the dog raised a bony elbow, deflecting the strike.
“I’ll deal with you in a moment, turtle.” Rahzar spat, his amber eyes glaring a piercing hole right through Donnie.
The strike had been a strong enough distraction for Mikey to land a solid kick in the mutant's chest, it sent him stumbling backward.
Donnie swung again, swiping the dog off his feet. The genius dove towards his brother as the dog was sprawled out on the ground.
Rahzar raised his head “I’m going to tear you apart.” he snarled, bearing his teeth.
Donnie lowered Mikey to the floor, the younger coughing and hacking attempting to bring air back into his lungs. Donnie wanted to analyze his brother's throat, but the mutant was already on his feet and had begun charging towards the turtles.
Donnie briefly snuck a look at Mikey, who hadn’t moved from his place on the floor. The younger seemed too preoccupied with the task of getting oxygen back into his lungs to notice the danger they were still in.
Guilt stirred in Donnie's gut, and he made another mental note to check up on Mikey when he had dealt with the mutt. All Donnie could do in the present moment was get the attention off of his younger brother.
Donnie sprang up from his place on the floor next to Mikey. He sidestepped quickly in front of the downed brother, bringing his staff up in a defensive position. Shooting the youngest one last glance before planting his feet into the ground preparing for the impact.
Rahzar barreled into Donatello.
The blow rattled his teeth but Donnie held firm, his arms shaking with effort.
His staff curved under the force of Rahzar, any more pressure, and Donnie was afraid it would snap the staff in two.
The hound didn’t stop with one attack but continued to pelt the turtle with strikes. The dog mutant shot a grin at Donnie that reminded him of a hyena's smirk.
Donnie dipped his staff down slightly, protecting his legs from a swipe then spun the weapon to knock away another strike coming at his face.
To Donnie’s surprise and relief, the staff held solid.
Rahzar was determined to break through Donnie's defenses. He continued to hammer the turtle with attacks.
Donnie gritted his teeth, each block he managed to put up was shakier and weaker than the last.
Donatello scanned the mutant, waiting patiently for an opening in his form to open up.
Donnie couldn’t stop his eyes from sneaking a peek at Mikey every few seconds. He seemed to be recovering but it made the older uneasy with just how long the recovery was taking him.
Finally, after deflecting a shattering punch Rahzar threw, Donnie saw an opening and leaped for it.
He brought his staff back, winding up and jabbing out toward Rahzar’s face.
The dog’s bright yellow eyes narrowed.
Donnie let out a grunt in dismay as the hound leaned sideways, watching Donnie's staff jab outwards and strike nothing but air.
Rahzar had been expecting the attack, the mutant curled a bony claw around the wooden staff, snatching it from the air.
Donnie gasped, realizing his mistakes a few seconds too late.
The genius was yanked off balance, and a knee slammed harshly into his chest. Air forcefully escaped from Donnie and he fell forward limply.
The turtle kneeled on the floor desperately trying to pull air back into his lungs when one of the dog’s claws wrapped around his foot yanking him back, tossing him like a ragdoll.
Donatello bounced a couple of feet before harshly slamming against the far wall, he slid down the surface and lay on his new place on the ground still trying to pull air into his spasming lungs.
Donnie snapped his eyes open after hearing a grunt from the mutt. His staff rocketed toward him, brushing against his face and embedding itself inches deep into the wall inches above his head.
"Bradford!” Fishface snapped while jumping off a cereal shelf between Donnie and the other mutant. “What did Shredder just say?”
The dog mutant straightened up from the crouched position he had been holding, "Simple slip-up, wouldn’t have happened if someone hadn’t been hiding from the fight." he shot back.
Donnie internally groaned. He was already getting his shell handed to him. Why couldn’t Fishface find something else to do?
He scanned the two, letting heavy breaths finally bring air back into his system.
Despite being the ones acting the ambush, the foot seemed tense, and the two mutants were arguing just like how Raph and Leo had been minutes prior. They had both Mikey and himself downed and instead of taking advantage of that fact, they were fighting like little kids.
Air had seemingly reached Donnie's brain and he mentally scolded himself.
They had both him and Mikey downed. Donnie needed to get up before the knuckleheads came to that same conclusion.
The turtle pushed himself up, reaching for his staff that had been conveniently given back to him.
With a yank and a twirl of the staff, Donnie was back into stance.
Mikey had recovered as well, the younger was still breathing heavily but he was on his feet and posed to attack. The two meet eyes. Mikey gave Donnie a grin and they leaped into action.
Mikey reached Rahzar first, grappling the dog mutant from behind and pulling him backward onto the floor. Mikey’s chains wrapped tightly around the hound’s neck, getting revenge for the earlier attack.
Fishface, who had just been interrupted while insulting his partner in crime, froze, biting back a laugh. “Idiot." he chuckled to himself.
Donnie jumped, winding back his staff. “I concur!” and he swung, giving the mutant a face full of oak stick as he spun around.
The fish mutant bounded backward, feet scraping on the floor.
The mutant heaved himself off the floor. “Stupid turtle.” He growled glaring at Donnie while darting back towards him.
The turtle ducked and managed to avoid the kick aimed at his head.
All Donnie had to do was keep Fishface from getting too close, that should be easy. His bo staff was much longer than the fish’s legs.
The fish mutant took another kick at Donnie, this time fainting, looking at Donnie’s head and then aiming for his legs.
Donnie yelped as he was swept off his feet, landing hard on his shell.
Donnie growled to himself, as he impacted the ground. It should’ve been easy to dodge.
“Got ya, I knew it would be easier than Tigerclaw thought.” Fishface gloated.
Using his hands to spring off the floor Donnie shot himself feet first toward the fish, he collided with the fish’s chest, knocking the mutant back.
Rolling away Donnie quickly located his weapon. Snatching it up before crouching in front of the fallen fish mutant.
"Easier than Tigerlcaw thought?” Donnie repeated. “Why are you guys even here?” He gestured around the store. “There isn’t anything useful in here unless you guys are on an errand run.”
An uncomfortable gleam appeared in the mutant's eye. “You turtles are really so clueless? Ha! You haven’t figured it out? And I thought you were the smart one…”
Donnie's eyes were drawn to the movement of the fish’s hand.
“Figured it out?” Donnie murmured before returning the Fishes glare.
The Fish grinned before a puff of white powder was tossed in the air.
“Uck!” Donnie cried out, stumbling back from the mutant.
The powder stung his eyes and coated his throat in the thick substance. The turtle wheezed and hacked, trying to get a breath of fresh air. Donnie rubbed the powder away briskly, catching sight of the discarded bag of flour a couple of feet nearby.
Caught off guard A metal foot connected with Donnie’s chest, the force from the blow sent Donnie sliding across the floor, and a greasy substance covered the tiles.
Donnie cracked his eyes open, blinking away the teary flour combination.
Fishface’s foot was coming down towards his face.
Donnie groaned while rolling away from the attack, landing on his elbows. His head snapped up, seeing the tile his head had previously been lying on, get shattered into pieces by Fishface’s kick.
“Oops,” Fishface smirked.
Donnie peered down at his hand, an oily substance covering his fingertips, scanning the shelve he had crashed into Donnie realized he was surrounded by several broken and leaking containers of olive oil. Which had coated the ground around Donnie and Fishface.
Fishface was on the move again, sprinting towards Donnie. The mutant hadn’t seemed to realize the slippery situation.
Donnie grabbed a bottle and emptied the contents of the bottle onto the checkered floor in front of him, before carefully pushing himself to his feet.
Fishface's eyes widened while he tried to stop his attack. The situation of the greasy floor finally occurred to him. The mutant managed to skid to a stop, his hand having a death grip on the shelf next to them.
The mutant stared at the grease-covered ground for a moment before raising his head to snarl at Donnie.
“I usually use WD-40 for fixing squeaky and annoying mechanisms.” Donnie hummed. Getting his own feet underneath him, attempting to avoid as much of the oil as possible.
Fishface’s snarl faltered, replaced with confusion. The fish attempted to step forward only to slide and skid back into his original position of tightly gripping the shelf. His metal legs shook with the effort of not falling completely to the floor.
Donnie glanced at the shelf between the two of them. Grabbing the shelf with both hands he raised himself into a handstand.
The shelf trembled and shook underneath his weight. With one large push, Donnie swung himself towards the mutant, striking him in the temple with a kick.
The mutant cried out, releasing the shelf and using his hands to protect his head.
Donnie’s weight was too much for the shelf to bear as it began to creak and groan.
With the last bit of momentum, Donnie flipped over the yellowish-green goo on the floor, only slipping on the landing a little bit.
Fishface snapped his attention towards Donnie. His snarl returned and with one last glance at the oil, The mutant lashed out. Attempting to push himself towards the turtle.
Donnie couldn’t help but grin while the mutant reached for him. The fish’s fingers were inches away before the shelf came crashing down onto the unexpecting victim.
Donnie took a couple of steps backward, rubbing at his eyes again, flour still stinging at them.
“Guess olive oil works too.” Donnie duly noted to himself.
Rahzar shot past Donnie, landing on the very same shelf that had just crushed Fishface. The dog attempted to raise himself before his eyes rolled back into his head. His body became limp on top of the shelf.
The sound of Mikey’s footsteps raced toward Donnie “Oh, we ate that up! High three Dee!” The younger beamed, raising his hand in the older’s face. Donnie raised his hand meeting Mikey’s but with less enthusiasm.
The older one scanned the younger for his injuries, aside from the strangle marks on his throat and the slight raspiness in his voice, Mikey seemed more or less okay. Mikey’s eyes traveled up and down Donnies form while he rubbed his fingers together before smelling his hand.
“Dee, have you been baking?” he asked.
Donnie exclaimed the shelves around them, spotting kitchen towels on the far right of one of the shelves. “Baking?”
“Yeah! You're covered in olive oil and flour, two of the main ingredients to make a pizza crust.” The younger one continued.
Donnie picked up a blue towel with a sardine design printed on the bottom left corner of the cloth. He brought the towel up to his face, taking delight in the feeling of the oil and flour mixture being removed.
“No Mikey, I wasn’t making a pizza.” Donnie continued to run the towel down his arms, picking up some of the oil left on them.
“That's what someone would say if they were making a pizza without me!” Mikey accused, shooting Donnie a look of suspension.
Donnie rolled his eyes before chucking the dirty towel at Mikey's face. The younger yelped and scoffed as the fabric hit its mark.
Mikey threw the towel to the floor before turning his attention back to the messy pile of mutant and baking supplies. "We wiped the floor with these losers!" Mikey cheered, giving the group of defeated villains an 'L' with his fingers.
The fact he was able to dance and mock his enemies was proof enough to Donnie that whatever injuries Mikey had sustained, could wait till they found their other brothers. Regaining some lost confidence, Donnie scavenged around the front of the store, in search of loose rope that had been scattered near the hardware department.
For it being such a small building on the outside Donnie had to admit that this convenience store offered quite a bit of products.
He made another mental note to visit it sometime on a supply run. The turtle cringed slightly, gazing around at the destroyed market…
Maybe he would avoid this place, as they had already caused the owner enough damage.
Shaking his head and returning to the task at hand, Donnie gathered the rope in his arms and made his way back to the pile-up.
Donnie obversed that Mikey had dragged both of the mutants out from the mess. He tossed some of the rope to Mikey before bending down over Fishface.
Donnie signed as began the process of tying the mutants together.
“Mikey, have you seen the other two?” Donnie questioned as he tugged on the rope, finishing it with a knot. He should probably do another just to be safe, Mikey looked only halfway done with Rahzar, and Donnie would need to go over the younger’s knots to make sure they had been tied correctly.
The turtle in question blinked up and scanned the area. “Nope.” He answered, popping the P.
Donnie rolled his eyes, pulling on the knot tighter. “Okay well, we should-”
A sharp scream pierced the air, and the breath was sucked from Donnie’s lungs. Mikey's face went pale, horror replacing the smirk he had previously.
“Th-that was-” The youngest started.
“Leo.” Donnie finished, biting at his lip.
Donnie examined the area where the sound had originated. The older dropped the rope and motioned for Mikey to follow. The two bolted towards the back of the store. Dodging and jumping over toppled shelves and spoiled products. Donnie slowed as he saw movement ahead, he reached from Mikey's shoulder slowing him as well.
The two crept behind a shelf and peeked over it.
The scene that played out before them was chaos and nothing short of the word. Tigerclaw and Leo had gone a few rounds, both of them panting and sloppy. The leader staggered backward away from the tiger mutant, grasping his shoulder. Leo swayed on his feet, his movement slow and staggered.
Donnie’s mind began to race, Leo looked injured and he wasn’t able to spot Raphael at all. They needed to retreat so Donnie could take a look at Leo’s shoulder. Donnie bit the inside of his cheek. Raph could be hurt as well.
How was Mikey and he supposed to keep Tigerclaw distracted enough to grab the two older turtles out?
Donnie’s fingers began to drum rapidly on his knees again.
What use did Donnie and Mikey have against Tigerclaw if he was able to down both Leo and Raph?
Mikey tapped on Donnie’s arm before pointing to a flipped shelf surrounded by cans and scattered bags of rice. An olive-colored hand with 3 fingers stuck out from underneath the large shelf.
Well to be fair to Mikey and himself, ‘Team A’ were working as well together as bleach and vinegar. Tigerclaw looked winding at least, the mutant taking a second to breathe as Leo fell to his knees.
The tiger began to stalk towards Leo, reaching into a pocket.
Mikey and Donnie didn’t have much of a choice. Donnie was adaptable. He could adapt. The first thing would be to distract Tigerclaw and check on Raph, and then Maybe if Leo had a distraction he would be able to recover. Donnie stopped tapping and cleared his throat.
“Mikey,” Donnie whispered, making sure he had the youngest attention. “Go help Leo, distract Tigerclaw.” Donnie jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards the shelf crushing their older brother. “If Raph is stable, I'll be over as soon as I can.”
The younger nodded his eyes locked onto the scene of Leo and Tigerclaw.
Donnie patted his head before watching Mikey bolt for the mutant. Donnie shakily raised himself and zigged zagged his way towards Raph.
Donnie scanned the floor around Raph. A bunch of large industrial kitchen-sized cans were clustered around the older one. Cans of green beans and tomatoes were dented and leaking juice onto the floor. The shelf was bent in several places and the heavy metal pinned Raph on his back.
“Raph?”
Donnie gripped the top of the shelf heaving at it with all his strength. His brain blanked when the hothead didn’t utter a response. “Raphael?”
The shelf scraped across the floor as Donnie lifted it a couple of feet in the air. His arms trembling with effort. The shelf was surprisingly heavy, without help Donnie wouldn’t be able to lift it to his knees. Maneuvering the weight around and leaning the metal ledge of the shelf into his shoulder, keeping the weight off of Raph. Donnie stretched out towards one of the larger cans, barely reaching the lid with his fingertips.
Grasping the can Donnie slid it under the shelf, before scanning the area for another large can and stacking that on top of the other can. The turtle continued to do this until the shelf was hoisted several feet from the ground.
Finally taking a peek at Raph it was clear that he had been struck in the head, his face was contorted in a grimace.
Grunting, Donnie crawled under the shelf, praying that the cans would hold.
“Raphael.” Donnie breathed heavily, reaching towards and putting a hand on Raph’s head.
The turtle groaned, his eyes flickering open. Donnie searched his pupils, letting out a sigh of relief when he found them the same size.
“Don?” Raph asked, he blinked a couple of times as if trying to get his eyes to focus.
Donnie was once again cut off by a yell, His head shot up, observing the fight behind them.
Mikey had been tossed aside and had crashed into the furthest wall, He slumped against it.
Leo had stood again, wobbly and uncoordinated but standing. The leader dove towards one of his katanas, and after receiving the sword he circled Tigerclaw. The turtle's right arm hung limply at his side.
“Raph can you get up?” Donnie questioned. The older raised a hand running it over his face before reaching out the hand towards Donnie.
Raph nodded with determination. “Yeah.”
Donnie grasped the offered hand tighter and yanked Raph out from the unstable cavern that was cans and the shelf.
The shelf wobbled as the two crawled out before the Jenga tower of cans tipped over. A crash echoed around them. Donnie let the tension seep out from his shoulders, seeing that both of them had gotten out mostly unharmed.
“Thanks,” Raph said shortly, bending down to pick out his sai’s that glinted in the darkness.
Donnie nodded, bringing his staff out. “Don’t mention it.”
Donnie rushed towards the ongoing fight, relieved to see Mikey had gotten back on his feet, he was flipping and striking the tiger mutant when there was an opening. Leo was keeping the cat on his toes, constantly swinging at the larger opponent.
“Check on Leo, I have Tigger,” Raph ordered.
Donnie visibly relaxed, finally, someone else was giving orders.
Donatello gave a curt nod before bolting towards Leo, feet from his brother Donnie was knocked off course. Something crashed harshly into him. Donnie skidded across the floor, His bo staff clattering off to the side.
Panic engulfed Donnie as Rahzar rushed him again, his heavy footsteps shaking the ground.
Raph stumbled to a stop “Donnie!”
Rahzar tumbled into Donnie. The turtle dodged the claws coming for his face and attempted to throw a punch. The two scrambled on the floor, each trying to land a hit on the other.
“I’m fine.” Donnie huffed, managing to roll away from another strike. “Help Mikey.”
Raph hesitated for a second, a second too long as A flash of metal and purple collided with him next.
Donnie's heart sank as Raph became consumed with his fight. Donnie had no chance of winning against Razar like this. He was surprised he hadn’t been torn to shreds yet.
Each swing the dog mutant took at him gained in power, and the dog growled in frustration as each hit missed its target.
Donnie reached out trying to grab something, anything to use as a weapon against his opponent.
With a final huff of exasperation, Rahzar seized Donnie by the lip of his plastron. The dog raised Donnie high before ruthlessly slamming him against the checkered tiled floor. Donnie gasped as sharp pain radiated from his shell, the genius went limp for a moment, letting the waves of pain roll over him.
Donnie lay on the floor panting trying to recover from the attack. His thoughts frantically fired.
They were losing to Fishface, Rahzar, and Tigerclaw, His brothers were all hurt and Donnie was unable to reach any of them. They had been ambushed, and separated. The whole time the other mutants had been fighting differently than their usual rage/panic-filled swings. They fought with precision and purpose.
This had all been planned.
There wasn’t anything in here that the foot needed. It was a grocery store for heaven's sake.
The plan had been them, and Donatello had led his brothers straight into the flames.
Rahzar growled as his foot stomped down on Donnie’s chest earning a wheeze from the winded turtle. The crushing weight made it nearly impossible to draw a breath in.
“Get off.” Donnie gasped, tugging at the mutant's foot.
“TC, I got the turtle, give me it so we can get out of here,” Rahzar grumbled from above, ignoring Donnie completely.
Donnie blinked up at Rahzar, seeing the dog look quite unamused. Donnie's brain was now moving like molasses, He yanked at the foot pinning him to the ground, still gasping for air.
Donnie caught movement from the corner of his eye and saw Tigerclaw knelt beside him.
“This shouldn’t hurt too much child, if you hold still.”
Donnie spun his head toward the cat, “What?”
A syringe was clutched in the tiger's paw. The long needle protruded into Donnie’s face.
Donatello's breath hitched, quickly examining the vial he found that it was filled with a clear liquid. The substance looked slightly thicker than water, and an air bubble slowly flowed to the top of the chamber.
“No!” Donnie strained against Rahzar, forcing the dog to hunch over and pin down the turtle’s limbs.
Donnie hissed and leaned further away from the tiger mutant, attempting to pull himself into his shell. He was not eager to find out what sorts of concoctions Baxtor Stockman had been playing with.
“What is it?” Donnie squeaked.
The tiger grabbed Donnie by his head, stilling him. “Nothing harmful.” Tigerclaw attempted to either lie or reassure, but Donnie couldn’t tell which.
Donnie's breaths were labored, he pulled at the hands restraining him. “No, no no,” he shuddered.
A streak of red crossed Donnie’s limited vision, Tigerclaw was shoved aside, and the mutant tumbled away crashing into another aisle.
“He said get off asshole!” Raph snarled from above Donnie.
Rahzar’s weight was lifted from Donnie's chest both physically and mentally as the dog mutant took a blow to the face.
Donnie stared up at his older brother, breathless.
Raph glanced down at him and offered a hand.
Donnie shakily accepted the hand for the second time that night. “Th-Thanks.” he stuttered.
Raph smirked, yanking the younger to his feet, “Don’t mention it.”
Donnie was able to find his discarded staff which he quickly snatched up. He backed away, while his staff held in a protective stance. Raph was standing behind him, crouched in position, his eyes focused on the two mutants in front of them.
Donnie saw the limp forms of Leo and Mikey in the distance, Neither seemed awake.
“We should call Casey and April,” Donnie suggested under his breath, the mutants had stood and were gaining ground, forcing Donnie and Raph back further.
“And get them involved? No way.” Raph took a jab towards Rahzar who dodged with ease. “Plus, Casey would never let me live this down,” He grumbled.
Donnie swiped down with his staff, hoping to catch Tigerclaw off guard. “That’s what you’re worried about?!” Donnie squeaked, narrowly ducking the cat's blade. “Raph we need to get out of here, we can’t leave Leo and Mikey!”
Rahzar leaped, engaging with Raph, a clash echoed around as claws met sais
“What…do you ugh- suggest then brainiac.” The older strained, locked in combat with Rahzar.
Donnie tightened his grip on his Bo staff. This exact kind of attitude had landed them in this situation and Raphael thought more attitude would help? Donnie felt anger pull behind his eyes.
Their brothers were in trouble and Raph was still worried about his ego?
Donnie tried to stomp the frustration down, allowing deep breaths to fill his lungs.
A growl from Tigerclaw reminded Donnie of the predicament he was currently in. The tiger’s blade connected with Donnie's staff. The two were locked together, their weapons straining against each other. Donnie stood his ground, resetting the urge to fold underneath the pressure of the larger mutant.
The tiger’s eyes narrowed as he stared down at Donatello, his face vacant of any emotion.
Donnie panted, his arms aching with the effort of keeping the other mutant at bay. Donnie’s feet slowly started to lose traction, instead slipping out of position. Tigerclaw’s sharp blade slowly chipped through the oak wood staff.
“What the fuck.” Raph cursed from beside Donnie.
From the corner of his eye, Donnie saw his brother stumble away, his shaky hand reaching for his neck.
“...Raph?” Donnie grunted, unable to give his full attention to the older.
Raph didn’t respond right away. Donnie’s pounding heartbeat filled the silence.
Donnie sharply turned, letting the tension from his arms release. The staff fell away from his grasp, giving way to the pressure Tigerclaw had been applying. The mutant stumbled past Donnie, falling face-first into the shelf behind the turtle.
“Raphael?” Donnie cautiously asked. The lump of fear in his chest spread to his limbs and he bolted towards his brother who had yet to answer him.
Raph removed his hand from his neck, revealing a couple of drops of blood smeared on his wrappings. Blood beaded against his green neck.
Raph glanced up at Donnie, his face pale.
Donnie gasped and stared in stunned silence at his brother. His brain returned to the molasses state.
Both of them jumped as a chuckle ranged out, Donnie didn’t miss how Raph’s timing seemed to be out of sync with his own.
Fishface emerged through a darkened aisle, raising a vial and shaking it. “Raphael wasn’t cooperating,” The fish laughed while dropping the empty vial.“ Thought I would make it easier.”
Raph swiveled around glaring at the mutant “What the hell did you inject me with?”
Donnie stepped back, observing his brother, despite his anger and threatening pose Donnie could see the slight sway in his turn, the mystery serum was already taking effect. Numerous possibilities raced through Donnie’s mind, at worst. A Baxtor Stockman's attempt on retro mutagen.
Donnie was frankly surprised that Shredder hadn’t attempted to turn them back into their original forms already, a retromutagen would be worse than bad. The fact that Raph hadn’t reacted severely yet gave Donnie some hope that it wasn’t a shitty version of retro.
In all of his own attempts subjects usually reacted within seconds of being exposed, although the mystery serum did seem to be taking effect on Rapheal, It wasn’t aligned with how Donnie’s previous attempts.
Donnie had lost count of how long the substance had been in Raph’s system, his best guess was it had been no longer than 10 seconds.
Raph took a clumbliy step forward, and Sai gripped tightly in his fist. “Fine, I’ll just- beat it out of you.”
Donnie scanned the ground for the vial, it sat harmlessly on the floor, inches away from where Fishface had dropped it.
Though the liquid had been drained a couple of drops remained, The serum was clear, just as it had been in Tigerclaws own vial. Many chemicals started clear, without breaking down the chemicals in his lab Donnie had no idea what the serum held inside it.
A loud clatter snapped Donnie’s attention back to his brother. Raph’s swaying had worsened, his Sai’s now lay on the floor in front of him. Raph didn’t even blink or attempt to receive the weapons.
Raph had dropped his guard along with his weapons, His arms hanging limply at his side and his fists loose and open.
Raphael had dropped his weapons and he hadn’t even reacted.
Donnie’s eyes soaked up every movement the older made. “Raph?” he worried.
Raph stumbled back, crumpling under his own weight. Donnie quickly rushed to his side, looping an arm under Rapheals, attempting to keep the older one stable.
“Raph, what's going on?”
“Let me at 'em.” his brother demanded, trying to tug away from Donnie’s hold. The younger complied and released Raph, only for the turtle to take a couple of steps before collapsing to his knees.
Donnie swallowed hard, coming to Raph’s aid again. He crouched at his side, taking some of Raph’s weight. “Raph, We need to go come on.” Donnie breathed, taking in the state of his brother.
If Raph went under then they were in trouble. Raph’s eyes stared intently into Donnie’s, the cloudiness and far-away look in them only increased Donnie’s worries.
“Don? His brother murmured. “I don’t feel good.”
Donnie tried to ignore that his brother was slowly leaning his weight more onto him with each passing second. “Stay awake Raph, Can you do that for me?”
Donnie quickly stole a glance at the other mutants, surely they had recovered enough to attack them by now?
To Donnie’s annoyance, All three were standing in front of the turtles. Watching the scene unfold before them.
“Donnie, what’s happenin’ my head feels..weird….fuzzy?” Raph’s words were becoming slurred together, his eyes glazed over and unfocused. Donnie was practically carrying his brother at this rate.
Donnie turned to peak over his shoulder, Leo and Mikey were still motionless. Two little vials the genius hadn’t noticed before, laid on the ground surrounding them.
The lump of fear jumped into Donatello’s throat. “Stay awake Raphael.” Donnie urged a higher pitch in his voice.
“Tired, want to sleep.” Raph’s sluggish voice responded.
The turtle returned his attention to the villains who were stretching and had begun strolling after the two with little urgency.
The serum wasn’t retro mutagen, it was a sedative—a sedative strong enough to render them unconscious after only a few seconds of injection. The serum had been in Raph’s system for 30 seconds now and the turtle was seconds away from passing out, leaving Donnie alone to face three other mutants and find a way to get all of his brothers home.
Donnie swallowed hard again, No pressure. He reached for his staff, only to remember his previous foolish move.
Tigerclaw’s rough voice made Donnie jump “We need to finish up, the cops will be here soon,”
“What bout the other three? Fishface asked, gaze set on the brother In Donnie's grasp.
The genius tightened his grip on Raph, His brother was fighting a losing battle and Donnie wasn’t sure how long he could keep supporting him.
“Leave them.”
Donatello and Raph sank to the floor as the last bit of consciousness flowed out of Raph’s body.
“No Raph, I need you to stay awake, please.” Donnie’s voice trembled slightly.
The turtle’s now free hand found his T-phone, Sliding the device behind his back Donnie started to activate the emergency protocol he had installed months ago on each of their phones, including Casye’s and April's.
Rahzar stepped in closer, feet away from Donnie’s and Raph’s place on the floor “Maybe Shredder wants all of them?” he suggested out loud.
“ No, ” Tigerclaw growled. “We have our instructions, now move it, can’t you hear the damn sirens?”
Now that the cat had mentioned Donnie was able to hear police sirens in the background, no doubt they would be here within the next couple of minutes, they had two…three at most.
The cat paused and began to stalk around, his eyes narrowing at something behind them. The cat growled and snatched his gun from the holster, firing once over Donnie’s head.
Tink, Swish.
Donnie’s phone was knocked from his hand and skidded across the floor, Smoke slowly rising from the device.
Donnie choked on his breath. Spinning around swiftly he was met with his reflection looking back at him on a large security mirror, hanging from the shelf behind him. He turned slowly back towards his destroyed phone, and the shattered glass glistened in the darkness. His hand trembled.
“Who did you call?” Tigerclaw snarled, demanding an answer.
The turtle carefully shifted Raph to the ground, his hand brushed against Raph’s T-phone tucked neatly in his belt. Donie fought the urge to react to it. He was nearly sure his SOS had been sent, not positive but pretty sure.
“Turtle, look at me when I am speaking! Who did you call?” Tigerclaw asked again, frustration evident in his tone.
Donnie’s hand clasped tightly around Raph’s phone before Leaning down, monvering Raph’s body as a visional barricade against the other mutants' prying eyes, and slipped it into his foot wrapping.
It was uncomfortable and if they looked at his feet at all they would see it. Donnie didn’t have any other choice, less he wanted to fix two broken phones when…if they got home.
Donatello hardly finished hiding the phone before Tiger stomped forward, closing the distance between him and the turtle.
Donnie rose to his feet, holding his hands up “N-no one, you broke it before I could contact anyone.” he stammered.
The cat’s ears flicked backward “Liar.” Tigerclaw began to stalk towards Donnie, kicking Raph’s Sais to the side.
The turtle tried to keep his distance, retreating backward. “You can’t just leave my brothers here!” Donnie squeaked, “The cops will find them like this.”
“So?” Rahzar barked a laugh. “That’s not our problem, turtle.”
Tigerclaw attempted to snatch Donnie by the arm, but the turtle dodged, driving into a roll and rolling a few more feet away.
“Let me at least uh- hide them or..or something, I’ll come with you w..without a fight if you let me hide them.” Donnie proposed.
It was an assumption that the three of them were after Donnie. Process of elimination really, They could’ve grabbed Leo or Mikey at any point during this. Xever was the only one paying any attention to Raphael at this point and that just left Donatello.
“And I’ll tell you who I called!” he offered quickly as Tigerclaw made another swipe at him.
The cat mutant paused, considering the proposal, his gaze switching from Donnie to his brothers.
Sirens could be heard from far off, approaching fast. Donnie glanced towards the sound of the sirens and back to the mutant he was attempting to make a deal with.
“Please.”
Tigerclaw looked almost sad before he shook his head. “I’m sorry child, it would not be in our best interest. We need your brothers out of the picture and if the humans take care of that for us well then…”
Donnie didn’t want to think about the implications. The turtle’s mind spun as he attempted to think of another deal for the cat. His eyes scanned the grocery store for possible escapes. The store had been trashed. Countless shelves were knocked to the ground, and food and products were destroyed.
The footbot that Donnie had seen from the street was slumped against the far wall next to the storage room. Its eyes were devoid of any signs of life.
It had served its purpose, luring them here.
“Shit,” Donnie whispered, His gaze returning to the mutants surrounding him.
“I will find out who you called in other ways. It won’t matter much, " Tigerclaw hummed before snapping his fingers.
Rahzar's paws wrapped tightly around Donnie from behind, pulling him upwards. Donnie’s feet scraped the ground as he strained against the choking grip. A strong paw wrapped around his head, twisting his head to the side and stretching out his neck.
“It was always going to be a fight anyway Tortuga.” Fishface snickered, “It's more fun that way.”
Donnie wrestled against the arms, pinning him down, kicking his feet out in an attempt to hit whoever stepped in close. “Let me go!” he shrieked on deaf ears.
Donnie’s body went limp as he felt the sting of the needle enter his neck. A sinking feeling wormed its way into his chest.
Donatello had failed.
The hound dropped him on the ground before roughly shoving him backward with a laugh.
Donnie staggered away from the mutants. His hand came up to his neck, just as Raph had done minutes prior. When he brought it away, there was a mix of blood and serum smeared on his hand wrapping. Had Mikey and Leo had the same experience as well?
The serum smelled sweet, not like candy but a sickly sweet, like rotten fruit. A smell that one would typically attribute to poison. Donnie shakily inhaled, Had they been poisoned? The feeling of numbness started to creep through his limbs.
Donnie’s eye snapped up, the previous escape routes he had planned out seemed a lot harder to reach. The icy numbness was increasing with every breath he took.
The sirens were ear-piercing at this point, the sound vibrating in Donnie’s chest. The genius forced himself to slow his breaths, hoping it gave him more time. He continued to back away from the mutants.
Donnie peered behind him and was met with the limp forms of all three of his brothers.
“No,” Donatello murmured.
The turtle's legs had started to feel like jello and his arms dangled heavily at his sides.
This wasn’t supposed to happen, If Donnie hadn’t said anything they would still be on that frozen rooftop.
If Donnie had stepped up for once, his brothers wouldn’t be in danger.
“Let's go,” Tigerclaw ordered from behind Donnie.
Donatello was not fond that the simple act of holding himself up was becoming a chore.
“I think we should bring one more.” Fishface voiced, pointing toward Raph “Maybe we can use him as leverage?”
Donnie searched for his staff, regretting his earlier move of tossing it away. It lay a few feet away, a chunk had been removed from the part where Tigerclaw had struck it.
Feeling like a newborn deer Donnie forced himself to move towards the weapon.
“That is not- Shredder just wanted…whatever fine grab the red one.” the cat ordered again,
Donnie was a tad bit grateful that the sole attention was no longer on him.
The turtle heard the mutants in the room shuffle. It would take too much time and energy to observe exactly where each of them was, Instead, he stayed on target,
Once reaching his weapon, Donnie carefully lowered himself, to avoid falling to his knees. He bent over, to scoop up his staff.
Donnie’s fingers were inches from the oak wood before it was snatched away.
The turtle wobbled back, glaring at the thief.
“Looking for this?” Rahzar taunted, holding the staff just out of Donnie’s reach.
Donnie’s vision faded in and out, a tight pressure was forming around his head squeezing his brain into mush.
Donnie reached into his belt snatching a shuriken, grasping it tightly in his hand.
“Give…it,” Donnie demanded sluggishly.
The world around the genius tilted, his legs shaking with the effort of keeping him upright.
Donnie attempted to step forward, a sharp sound interrupting his movement. He blinked slowly, realizing that he had collapsed to his hands and knees.
The sharp sound had been the star falling to the ground in front of him.
The shuriken rolled in front of Donnie, making a full circle before tipping over…inches from Donatello's fingertips.
It seemed to tease Donnie, glinting in the dim light, light scratches were imprinted on the metal from wear and tear over the years.
Donnie didn’t have the strength to lift his arm to reach for it.
Donnie stared at the motionless throwing star, black eating away at his vision, his limbs as heavy as boulders.
“Yeah- him- the van.” Someone was saying something.
They were speaking and Donnie couldn’t understand the words being said around him. He was only getting broken bits and pieces.
His vision flickered up, staring up at where Rahzar had been last. It was an empty space now.
Donnie continued to strain, keeping his eyes barely open. Each movement took more effort than the last.
The last bit of strength he had was fading rapidly, Slowly Donnie let his body succumb to the floor, the cold tile was nice on his pounding head.
He felt something yank him roughly off the floor, and then the unsavory sensation of being dragged started.
As he was being lugged around like a sack of potatoes, Donnie was able to catch a glimpse of orange and blue.
Mikey and Leo.
Their forms were motionless and unaware of his and Raph's current situation.
The pressure was unbearable now, his head feeling like a can being crushed.
Donnie let his head fall to his chest, eyes flickering shut.
Voices were floating around him.
Donnie wished they would be quiet so he could sleep…Wait, no he shouldn’t sleep.
Donnie was hurled through the air, landing roughly on cold metal that left a burning sensation on his skin.
A loud growl shook the floor around Donnie and he lurched backward, slamming into more metal.
Red was next to him.
Blackness overcame Donnie, snuffing the life from him.
The sounds of the sirens faded to background noise, Donatello's consciousness fading along with them.