A/N: This is the final chapter. Once again, I do not own any of the characters. I'm merely borrowing them so that they can be pawns in my wicked games. :P
Chapter Seven: Conclusion.
Calm and focused, Donatello reloaded the harpoon gun. Exhaling his breath while he steadied his aim, Don fired. A wire beautifully flung through the air, being led by a sharp, heavy metal arrow. The turtles could barely see it in the flames of the fire, but they could tell when the arrowhead had made its mark, burying itself amongst the concrete tiles of the floor. Pulling and tugging the wire tight, making sure it would serve its purpose, Don instructed Michelangelo to remove the wire from the harpoon gun so he could tie the end off.
"Where's that backpack we brought?" Don wondered, already moving on to the next step of the plan. Raph, still mesmerised by the explosion, suddenly snapped out of his daydream.
"I have it. Geez, I almost completely forgot about it," Raphael said, slightly shocked that he had completely tuned out for minute. Receiving the bag, Donatello started to rummage through it, tediously pulling out and untangling the four harnesses he had packed for their trip.
"Okay, put one of these on," Don said as he handed out a harness to each of his brothers.
"Don, are you sure this is gonna be safe?" Leonardo worried, staring skeptically at the cluster of straps and buckles in his hands.
"Yes. We'll be fine. Those straps are supposedly strong enough to withstand the weight of a car," Don dismissed Leo's concerns.
"Oh man! This rides up!" Mike started to whine as he tightened up the straps around his waist and thighs.
"Deal with it, Mikey!" Don said, starting to become impatient with everyone's grumbling. After he had prepared himself, Donatello zipped up the backpack and slipped it over one shoulder. "Now when you've secured all of the straps, making sure to double them over so you don't slip out, hook yourself to the wire, like this," Don demonstrated. His brothers looked on as Don raised the only strap that wasn't wrapped around his body, before snapping the large metal clip at the end of it onto the zip line. "Now when you tighten the clip, don't twist it all the way to the top. Rather turn it two or three times, and when it's really tight, give it a half-twist back. Otherwise your clip may jam when you try to detach yourself from the wire at the other end," Don continued to instruct.
Raphael unappreciatively rolled his eyes. "Don, you're acting like we've never done this before," Raph scoffed. "Take it easy, will ya?"
"Well then, I guess I'll see you over there," Don said. The turtles watched as Donatello leaped out of the window. They held their breath as they watched their brother rapidly slide down the line. It was a fast, steep slope, and Donatello had managed to pick up a lot of speed. They could hear the clip rubbing violently against the wire. Traveling at a fast pace, Don flew straight through the flames, landing safely in the Shredder's skyscraper. It looked like the landing was somewhat rough on the feet, but the main thing was that he had made it.
"This looks fun," Raph gruffly commented.
"Cowabunga dudes!" Mike explained, earning himself yet another slap upside the head from Raphael. Once Don had unclipped himself on the other side, Michelangelo practically dived out of the window. Leo groaned when the orange-wearing turtle started to show off on his descent by striking a number of classic poses, such as mimicking Superman.
"Idiot," Raph muttered under his breath as he leapt next. Leo finally took his turn afterwards, taking up the rear.
The sight the turtles were greeted with was horrific. Within a second of observing their surroundings, the turtles knew that this was no ordinary lab. Crimes had been committed there. They weren't exploring science; instead they were performing gross injustices against the natural world. After slinging off the backpack and dumping it onto the ground, the first thing Donatello noticed about the room was the shelves. There seemed to be over a hundred of them. Cabinets filled with jars lined the walls, stretching back so far that the light from the flames couldn't reach the end of the room. Everything from blackened city-living human lungs to the decapitated head of a dog was suspended in fluid and placed on display. The shelves were lined with these odd and disturbing dissected subjects.
But that wasn't the most of it. Halfway down the room, what looked liked slabs of meat hung from the ceiling. But the specimen was neatly sliced, and encased in what looked like plastic. Morbidly curious, Don walked closer to inspect it. He gasped when he realised it was human. Don could only gawk in horror and intrigue. A human had been sliced vertically at small, regular intervals, before being preserved in Perspex. It was a disturbing display. Don could see everything; the layers of skin resolving into muscle tissue, ligaments and bone; vertical cross-sections of a human's organs. Staring at the hanging body-length dissections, Don made a discovery. The spinal column and brain had been removed.
"What… what is that?" Mike was almost afraid to ask.
"This is Stockman's body…" Don shuddered.
"So this is what the Shredder did to him?" Leonardo disapproved.
"It might have been his own doing. When you die, in your will you can state if you want your body to be donated towards science. Well… I guess Stockman got his wish," Don murmured, hypothesising a likely scenario.
"Why would anyone want this?" Raph hissed in disgust.
Donatello shrugged. "How do you think doctors, nurses and physical therapists study the human body? I guess donating your body to science is just returning the favour. It's just in Stockman's case, Shredder twisted things to his liking," Don assumed.
Disturbed and grossed out, a few seconds of silence flitted amongst the four turtles. Looking back the way they came, Don frowned when he realised that the fire was starting to become a problem. Smoke was streaming along the ceiling, building up in the room, even though the majority of it leaked outside. Don could only imagine what a spectacle Shredder's skyscraper must have been for bystanders on the sidewalk. But the smoke wasn't the only problem. A couple of flames were growing in ferocity, edging along some of the shelves. Donatello started to regret creating such a large explosion in the first place. Now it was obvious that they had to speed up their search, especially if they wanted to find the ingredients for the antidote before it was engulfed in flames. "Okay… Let's start this," Don ordered his brothers.
Leonardo nodded in agreement. "Stay strong, Danny." Donatello blinked in confusion. April now stood in front of him, though her voice sounded like Leo at first. He was back at the mental institution, in his padded cell. The transitions were getting smoother; less obvious. Don was disorientated for a couple of seconds.
"I, I don't know what's happening next…" he admitted.
"Yes you do. You know what must be done. Just keep focused," April advised him.
"Okay… I'll try," Don said. Before he knew it, he was back in the burning building.
Leonardo looked at him skeptically again. To him it seemed that his purple-wearing brother had answered his own question. "Let's make this quick," Leo added, seriously wanting to medicate Donatello.
All four of them started to rummage through the drawers and shelves. "Eew," Raph muttered when he came across a brain in a jar.
"Is this where you had your lobotomy done?" Mike joshed, elbowing Raph.
"Ha. Ha," Raph said sarcastically. "Keep searching," he grumped afterwards. Raphael's head alertly whipped around when he heard the sound of people coughing. "I guess we've got ourselves some company," he muttered softly to Michelangelo. Sure enough, some Foot ninjas emerged from the darkened end of the room. Obviously they had heard the explosion and had come to check things out.
With the flames of the fire behind them, making Mike and Raph only silhouettes in the night, the pair rushed forwards, weapons at the ready. Three in total, their enemies weren't flunkies. Instead they were highly qualified people Shredder had employed to work in his science facilities. Naturally knowing ninjistu was part of their job description. One withdrew a weapon with two scimitars attached to either end of a handle. Another produced a sword, while the last opponent wore a gauntlet not unlike Shredder's. Although dangerous, Raph couldn't help but grin at the challenge presented before him.
Raphael took on the one with the joined scimitars. He closed the distance, and at the first opportunity, Raph locked a sai either end, preventing the Foot member from harming him with the blades. They stood eye to eye for a moment; the enemy grunting in effort to try and unlock his weapon from Raph's prongs. The Foot member got annoyed, let his scimitars dangle in the turtle's grasp, and smacked him in the jaw with a solid punch. Raph reeled back, more from shock than from pain. Unfortunately the man managed to untangle his weapon in that short period of time, and decided to quickly follow through with a downward slash of one of the scimitars. Raphael instinctively blocked the attack with a sai, once again entwining a prong around it. Yet the other scimitar was still free, and since the two scimitars were joined together by the handle, the man had no other option but to slash upwards. Raph didn't have time to dodge it completely, but he did have time to lean slightly to his right. Placing all of his weight on the right, his lifted his left leg, precariously keeping it just a millisecond above the rising blade.
Raph knew that there was a limit to his flexibility and that eventually the scimitar would slice into the underside of his thigh. The harness that he still wore also hindered his maneuverability. Yet luckily he still had a sai entangled with the other end of the weapon, and since both blades were connected, he could therefore have some control over its positioning. So with his left leg straight up beside his head, practically standing in a vertical version of the splits, Raph yanked the top scimitar towards himself. This caused the bottom scimitar to travel in the reverse direction; towards the Foot ninja. Raph grinned sadistically when he heard the sickening squelch of the lower blade imbedding itself into the top of his enemy's right kneecap. Before the man could react, Raph twisted his hips, and with his already-raised left leg, he finished the human off with a roundhouse kick to the temple. In reality, the entire confrontation had only lasted a couple of seconds.
Michelangelo, on the other hand, had two opponents. The Foot ninja armed with a gauntlet came first, quickly followed by the man holding a long sword. Twirling his nunchucks, Mike expertly wrapped a chain around the extended gauntlet. He had to be fast as the sword-wielder was already making his first swipe. Practically controlling the person's entire arm with his nunchuck, Mike yanked him sideways, forcing the gauntlet to block the sword. He chuckled; he loved it when he got his enemies to fight against each other. Michelangelo swiftly proceeded by kicking his trapped 'friend' in the gut. The turtle knew that his enemy would be occupied for the next few seconds. Now Mike could focus solely on the sword expert.
The large bladed weapon was raised again to make another downward slash. Once more, Mike used his nunchucks for grappling. A chain snaked around the blade of the sword, and with a strong flick of his wrist, Mike attempted to disarm his opponent. Yet the Foot ninja held on tightly to his weapon; he wasn't going to give it up that easily. Mike gasped in surprise when the gauntlet-wearing man had recovered faster than he had predicted; the turtle just barely missing a spiky punch to the face. With another yank of his nunchuck, he controlled the sword, forcing it to hit and block another oncoming strike from the man armed with the bladed bangle. With so much force behind both attacks, the sword swiftly slid down the gauntlet, accidentally descending at an odd angle, slicing into the fingers that lived underneath the plated armour of the forearm.
The Foot ninja wearing the Shredder-like gauntlet screamed in pain, clutching his injured hand with the other. Blood dribbled down, splattering onto the floor. Mike even started to wonder if he had lost a finger entirely. Being so distracted, Michelangelo found it easy to whack his spare nunchuck at the man's head, putting him out of his misery. Stunned that he had hurt his accomplice, Michelangelo dealt with the sword-wielder by quickly disarming him. It seemed he didn't have such a tight hold on the sword this time around. In one smooth movement, Mike closed the gap, kneed the ninja in the stomach, and when he doubled over, he smacked the base of his neck with an elbow. The human dropped to the floor in a heap.
Leonardo watched the fight from a distance. He could have joined in, but he knew that Raph and Mike were more than capable of doing the job. Instead, he continued to search for the ingredients. "Um, Don? Any idea of what it could look like?" He asked as he scanned his eyes over a bunch of stacked bottles in a cupboard. "Don?" Leo called out. He turned around and spotted his brother. Donatello was just standing there, in the middle of the room. The turtle's gaze seemed to be fixed on Raph and Mike as they fought. "Donatello?" Leo called again. He began to wonder if Don was stuck in some sort of trance. "Danny?"
Donatello finally took notice of Leonardo. He felt as if he was miles away, and the voice of April had brought him back. Yet April was nowhere to be seen, even though he could have sworn he had heard her. Leonardo was there instead, his body being gently illuminated by the flames of the nearby fire. Don clutched his forehead with a hand, really starting to feel confused. "What the heck is going on here?" Don had thought the same thing, but it was someone else who had spoken those words. Looking back towards Raphael and Michelangelo, Don witnessed Dr Chaplin enter the room.
Without thinking, Raphael rushed forwards. He snatched up the scientist's body and pinned him against the nearest wall. Holding him steadily by the shoulders, Raph glared Chaplin in the eyes. "What did you do to Donny?" Raph growled. He shifted his grip, removing Chaplin from the wall before slamming him back into it.
"It, it was just an injection-"
"-What did you do?" Raphael interrupted, trying to get some information out of the man.
"N, nothing serious," Chaplin quibbled.
"If you don't spit out the answer, I'll shove this sai up your nasal passage!" Raph threatened, whipping out a sai with one hand in order to intimidate the man further.
"Raph! Quit it!" Leo commanded as he bolted over. "We might need him! We won't get any information out of him if he's dead!"
"I'm not stupid, Leo!" Raph growled, still maintaining his hold on Chaplin.
"Leo!" Mike called out in panic. The turtles watched as another figure emerged from the dark depths of the room. It was Baxter Stockman. He didn't have a mechanical suit. He was just a brain in a jar, like many of the other specimens that lined the walls. The turtles stopped to stare at him, as if they were expecting some kind of response. But none came. Instead he just hovered there for a few moments, observing the scene.
"Oh, don't mind me," Stockman finally spoke up, his voice originating from electronic equipment, since his body was incapable of creating noise on its own. "Kill Dr Chaplin. See if I care," the floating brain added.
"Baxter Stockman!" Dr Chaplin gasped in Raphael's tight grip; quite surprised by his mentor's attitude, even though the floating organ had repeatedly plotted to kill the younger scientist for over a month.
To Don, it seemed as though he was there in the thick of the action, and yet at the same time he wasn't. The burning realm was like a thin veil that had been placed over his eyes, though at the same time he could see and hear the happenings of the mental institution underneath. In a blink, he was there. The room was a stark white, especially after spending so long in a darkened science facility. Once again his limbs felt horribly weak. His was sitting on the ground in a clump, in the corner of the room. He groaned in anguish as he rested the back of his head against the padded walls. "Baxter Stockman," he heard the name being repeated in this world and the next. April stood in front of him like always, though this time she was welcoming Stockman inside the room.
"Any progress?" the man wondered.
"I think he's getting there," April assessed.
"Carry on then." Donatello didn't know which Stockman had said that. The non-mutilated scientist, or the hideous brain? It seemed as though both had said it at the same time. Don shuddered. The two worlds were merging, making it impossible to know the difference.
Stockman backed away, disappearing into the dark, choosing to ignore what was happening to Dr Chaplin. Leonardo wondered if they should go after him anyway, just in case the dissected man alerted Shredder of their presence. Michelangelo returned to searching the room, while Leonardo was torn between completing the mission or keeping Raph in check. Like before, Donatello stood as though he was in a trance, just completely undecided on what to do.
"Danny?"
Donatello looked towards the door to his padded cell. Oroku Saki stood there. His father. His presence sent shudders through his frail body. "I invited your father over," Stockman explained. "I thought it might be nice to have a family member guide you through this process," he ended his reasoning. Oroku Saki gave Donatello a gentle smile. Don could see the sadness in his eyes, the echo of loneliness in his stance, and most of all, the subtle hints that showed that the man did indeed love his estranged son.
"How is he going?" Saki quietly asked as he stepped into the room.
"Alright, I think," April murmured.
"I'm so confused," Donatello whispered mostly to himself.
"Just take your time, Danny. There's no rush," Saki calmly advised his son. "You hear me, Danny?" The man asked, feeling as if his son was in another world. "Danny?"
"Donny?"
"Danny?"
"Donny?"
"DONNY!"
A scream from Michelangelo jolted Don's senses. Oroku Saki was in front of him. Not the kind-hearted man, but instead the cold-blooded killer. Donatello haphazardly rolled away just in time to avoid his neck being sliced off by the Shredder's bladed armour. Still dazed from jumping back and forth between fantasies, he wasn't fast enough to dodge the sweeping kick the villain followed up with. He grunted in pain as he slid across the floor. Mike was by his side in an instant.
"What happened then? You didn't move! I thought you had been hypnotised or something!" Mike worried, helping his brother to stand up. Donatello rubbed his head. He felt like he had missed minutes of action. Dr Chaplin was still conscious, though he was huddling against the wall. Raphael and Leonardo meanwhile had stepped forward, getting ready to confront Shredder.
"I can't believe it! You're actually going to fight! I thought you would have been lazy like always and just send out your crappy goons!" Raph commented, twirling both sai in preparation.
"Don't encourage him!" Leo muttered angrily to his brother. He certainly didn't want to deal with Shredder's elite guard or Hun.
"Never send a pawn to do a king's job," Shredder answered as a threat. He stood still, eerily almost, not even bothering to enter into a fighting stance. Taking their chances, Raphael and Leonardo rushed forwards. Like an unstoppable machine, Shredder made short work of their conjoined attack. He snatched up Raphael as though he was mere kitten, and, holding him solely by the top rim of his shell, he threw the red-wearing turtle into Leonardo's path. Both turtles fell to the ground, sliding back a few feet. Michelangelo moved from Don's side in order to construct his own attack. The turtle whipped around his nunchucks, but Shredder managed to grab onto the opposite end of one of them.
Even before it occurred, Donatello knew that Mike was going to be tossed like a bucket full of garbage. But how did he know that? Was what he was witnessing really just a bunch of fantasy characters, dueling it out in his mind? Could he really orchestrate everything that was going on? Was this really what he had to do; was it what he wanted? Or did he just know that Mike was going to be thrown because he was used to the Shredder's fighting style?
Michelangelo heavily hit the side of the wall, crashing into several shelves as he made his descent back to the tiled floor. The shelves cracked and split, falling on top of the defeated turtle. Jars and contained specimens crashed to the floor, their disgusting contents piling on top of Mike's fallen body. The orange-wearing turtle realised what had happened a few seconds after hitting the ground. He jumped up and did an odd dance, attempting to peel off all the creepy things that had fell on him. "Gross, gross, gross, gross, GROSS!" Mike freaked out. The expertly dissected nervous system of a rabbit sat on Mike's shoulder. Its furry, fern-like red and blue veins could be delicately seen. Mike stared at it as though he had just grown a second head. "GROSS!" he screamed again, slapping it off his body, destroying the fragile specimen in the process.
By that time Leonardo was already making his second move. Katana drawn, he clashed with Shredder, making a series of blocks and strikes. For a moment he believed he had Shredder on the retreat, yet a sneaky swipe of his metal foot changed the outcome of their short battle. Feet swept from underneath him, Leonardo fell backwards onto his carapace. Shredder heavily slammed a foot onto his plastron, pressing his body painfully into the ground. Raphael tried to assist his brother, but he was abruptly whacked away. "Don! Don, help me!" Leo grunted, trying his best to reach one of his katana that had slid out of his grasp.
But Donatello couldn't move. He couldn't take his eyes off the sight in front of him. Everything was so surreal that Don thought that it must all have been a dream. Surely none of this was happening. Surely he wouldn't just sit there while his brother and leader died in front of him. Was this what needed to be done? Could he say goodbye to a person in this fashion? A person who he adored with all his heart? It wasn't Leonardo that was dying; rather it was Donatello. A part of him was lost in the haze of desire, love and despair. It felt real, but was it really? What was the definition of reality anyway? What did he exist as?
It was Michelangelo who rescued Leo in the end. He performed a double-footed flying kick; a kamikaze move that sacrificed a decent landing, although since he had his entire body behind the attack, it was a powerful choice. Shredder was knocked off balance long enough for Leo to escape and for Mike to recover from his organised fall.
Donatello was scared. How could he have behaved like that? In an instant, he knew the ultimate truth to his dilemma. Effectively, by hanging back and doing nothing, if his family died, then it would be in order to save himself. That is, if the other world was real. Yet if he fought alongside his brothers, helping them to live on, then his body would slowly shut down and die. Of course, once again, that was if the other world was the true one. Ultimately it was a choice of other people's lives or self-preservation. It wasn't an easy decision, especially when every fact seemed to be skewered or tampered with. There was only one option left that Donatello could take that would ensure a definite result.
He bolted towards the flames of the fire, returning to where the wire had imbedded itself into the ground. The gigantic hole in the side of the building he had created loomed in front of him. Coughing, Don carefully edged his way forwards and looked down into the glittering streets below. If he fell, death would be imminent. His shell would shatter; his skull would crack like an egg. Was this the only answer? He had always heard that if you died in your dreams, then you would die in real life…
Leonardo was alarmed when he saw Don precariously teeter near the edge. "Don! What are you doing?" Leo cried out. Distracted, he copped a punch in the shoulder from Shredder. He staggered back a few paces, his arm burning in pain.
"It's the only way Leo!" Don shouted back.
"What is?"
"I'm the only one who can end this!" Don sadly responded. Raphael overheard his answer.
"Don! What are you thinking?" Raph barked, worried about his brother's sanity.
"I don't know who I am anymore," Don whispered, his voice not carried beyond the roar of the surrounding flames. The fire was so close. The heat felt so real. Flames practically licked at his heels, but Don didn't know whether he should move away or experience the so-called make-believe pain. How could he ever decide what world was real? If he were wrong in his choice, then someone would lose, whether it be his family -human or mutant, or himself in the war against his mental illness. Donatello didn't want to see anyone suffer. So he figured that neither world should have him. He would end his life in both, negating the need to choose.
Donatello looked over the edge once again. The cold night air blew gently over his face, giving him a quick break from breathing in all of the smoke. "DON!" The yell made the turtle jolt in surprise. He turned around to see Leo a few steps away; Raph and Mike were dealing with Shredder. "Take my hand, Donny. You don't want to do this," Leo tried to convince him. Timidly stepping forward, hoping not to scare him into jumping, Leo extended his hand as an invitation.
"Leo… How do I know that you're not simply a figment of my imagination that's refusing to die?" Don questioned.
"Snap out of this, Don!" Leo angrily said. "You just know. Don't tell me that you haven't got a clue as to what is the truth!"
"I don't, Leo! I really don't! That's why I can't choose. That's why I have to take this option. I can't bear the thought of making a mistake!" Donatello sputtered. By looking into his eyes, Leo knew that Don really didn't want to commit suicide. He was crying out for help, begging for an answer.
"But you are making a decision, Don!" Leo interjected. Donatello listened intently. "If you jump off this building, then you really are a nutcase!" Don looked away. He knew what Leo said was true. "Now step away from there, please," Leonardo softly demanded, his hand still extended.
"I'm sorry, Leo… I don't want to keep hurting people…" Don whispered. He was scared that his brother would change his mind. He was mentally weak, and through some bizarre amount of reasoning, he honestly believed that this was the correct course of action. He peered over the edge once more, still trying to make up his mind.
Leo's eyes went wide. Donatello really wasn't thinking clearly. "But you are hurting us!" Leo said. "I can live with a cracked shell. I can even live without both legs. But don't ask me to try and live without you!" Leonardo stepped forward, his hand trying to grab his brother's. Donatello blinked in shock. He knew his brother was making perfect sense. Relying simply on instinct, Don took Leo's hand in his, allowing himself to be pulled away from the edge of the sheer drop and the burning debris.
"Don't be like that! Stay strong!" April urged him, getting quite scared about what she was hearing from Don. He had been muttering in his dreams. Listening to her words forced him to snap awake, back in the foreign human world.
"Remember everything that we've told you," Stockman calmly advised his patient. Donatello blinked, still shocked over what he had considered doing.
"Danny!" Oroku Saki couldn't control his outburst. He rushed forwards, wanting to embrace his son, but Stockman held him back.
"Maybe we shouldn't have him in here," Stockman said to April, referring to how agitated Don's father was getting.
"Danny!" Saki cried out again. He pushed past Stockman's grip, and despite April's pleas for him not to come any closer, the elderly man grabbed his son, pulling him into a tight hug. "Don't leave me!" he whispered into Don's ear.
"DONNY!"
A large shout ripped through Donatello's senses. He could still feel his father's embrace. It was tight. Too tight. Soon Don wondered if he would be able to breathe. Two red eyes glared at him from under a metal helmet. Oroku Saki was definitely holding him, but it was his enemy instead.
Donatello wanted to vomit due to being so disorientated. It seemed a few minutes had passed since Leonardo had pulled him from the edge of the building. All of his brothers had been either kicked, punched of flung against the walls; all of them dealing with their own pain. Donatello sucked in another agonising breath. Shredder was indeed hugging him, although his intentions were to squeeze the life out of his reptilian body. Don's arms were pinched by his sides. His legs dangled helplessly in the air. He could feel the strain against his scutes as Shredder pressed him harder and harder against his giant metallic chest.
Donatello felt as though he was slipping into unconsciousness, but he was really traveling back into the other realm. Oroku Saki, his father, caressed his face. Don didn't whether he should be comforted or repulsed.
The tremendous strain across his back forced him to see the metal face of his nightmares. His feet experienced a sense of weightlessness.
"Stay with me, Danny," Saki said softly, looking into his son's confused gaze.
"Prepare to die," Shredder announced. His enemy's metallic, almost hollow voice riveted through his eardrums.
"I'm going to die!" Donatello gasped in his human father's embrace.
"Danny, look at me!" he ordered. Don's fearful eyes locked onto his father's; the same man that had only ever shown him kindness in the short amount of time Don had known him. "Danny… Deep inside, you know who your family is. If you can't trust me, then trust your instincts," Saki whispered sentimentally. Donatello remained silent. Who was his family? Was it simply the people who were related to him genetically? Or was it the people, regardless of age, race and, in his case, species, who were always there, even in the darkest of times? Don could feel his heart slow down considerably. He mulled over what he had learnt about both worlds. When it came to who his family was, he could only make one choice.
"I'm sorry," Donatello whispered. "My family needs me…"
There was a moment of silence. Stockman and April were unsure as to whether Don had meant those words, or if he had muttered them in his daydreams. "Danny?" Saki shook his son gently. Donatello didn't respond. "Danny?" Saki repeated, getting worried. The elderly man allowed himself to be pushed away as April and Stockman checked his vitals.
"He's gone…" April sadly announced.
"Gone? Gone where?" Saki worried.
"Gone back to his fantasy," Stockman answered, disappointed that he couldn't cure his patient.
Donatello gasped once again as Shredder continued to squeeze his shell. Unable to use his arms, Don had to commit himself to an unorthodox fighting style. Using all of his energy, Don sunk his teeth into Shredder's shoulder, wiggling his legs around at the same time in an attempt to kick his enemy's kneecaps, thighs or calf muscles. His frenzied attack worked, surprising Shredder into throwing him away. Don ripped through the air like a football, flying into the darkness of the room. He bounced off what seemed to be an operating table and like Mike had done before, he crashed into the shelving on the wall. Dazed, Don slowly moved to all fours, though through the thick of the darkness and smoke, he noticed something roll beside his hand. It must have just fallen from the shelf he crashed into. Curious as to why it hadn't been smashed, Don picked it up.
It was a plastic jar. A large lump of matter floated amongst a specially prepared fluid. Its label was small and precise. 'Na', it read. "Sodium," Don whispered to himself in awe as he recognised the chemical symbol. Ordinarily it wasn't anything special. Sodium was found in many products, and when combined with chlorine, it would form one of the most commonly known formulas; sodium chloride – otherwise known as salt. But this wasn't a compound or a mixture. This was pure sodium.
Excited, Donatello looked around the room, wondering what features that end of the lab held. He grinned when he found what he was looking for. Due to Occupational Health and Safety reasons, every laboratory had to be fitted with an emergency shower, sink and hose. Although Shredder didn't care about his employees, even he couldn't bypass the lawful building regulations. Scanning the rest of the room, a couple of permanent work benches stood further along, each featuring a couple of drawers and cupboards. Crawling with determination, Don made his way over. He moved aside the tripods and flasks he found in the cupboards, before pulling out a pair of forceps. Don grinned again; his plan was coming together nicely.
Opening the jar, Don pinched the large piece of sodium with the forceps and took it out. Standing up, he made a quick move towards the emergency shower area, grabbing onto the hose. "Hey Shredder!" Don called out. He got the villain's attention. "That last hit didn't hurt me at all!" Don boasted. Luckily Shredder didn't see him wince; shouting that loud hurt his lungs.
Shredder didn't reply. Like a machine he whisked towards Donatello. Watching his movements, Don could tell that the evil Utrom was aiming to grab onto him once again. Donatello broke into his own run, tugging the hose along with him. Surprising Shredder, the turtle dropped to the ground and skid along the floor on his carapace. He slipped right past the Shredder, ramming the hunk of sodium onto one of the blades of his shin guards. With a push of his free hand, he swiveled around, aiming the hose at the spot he dumped the sodium. In the corner of his eye he could see his brothers running up to help him. "Get down!" Don screamed, worried about their safety.
Thankfully his brothers listened. They dropped to the floor as soon as Don squirted the hose. The Shredder's leg violently exploded into flames when the water made contact with the volatile element. The fire was ferocious; engulfing Shredder's armour in large blue, yellow, red and orange flames. The fire Don had started before seemed nothing in comparison to what the Shredder was experiencing. The villain panicked, desperately looking for a way to extinguish the extensive and violent flames. Don knew that using water wasn't an option. Any chemistry student would know that pure sodium reacts violently and ignites when combined with water. Somehow he felt Shredder knew the same thing. The armour melted off, dripping onto the floor. The exo-suit's framework could be seen. Shredder started to run, unable to think of a solution. The turtles rolled out of his way as he scampered past them. Donatello couldn't believe what happened next.
It looked as though Shredder had just kept running until he ran out of ground. Like a giant fireball he leapt out of the hole in the wall, the same place where Don had contemplated suicide earlier. The turtles could only imagine what Shredder must have looked like from bystanders gazing upwards from ground level. Don wouldn't be surprised if people mistook the villain as an asteroid, falling from the sky and burning up on the way down. Fascinated and morbidly curious, all the turtles rushed over towards the hole and peered over the edge. A bonfire could be seen miles down, splattered onto the sidewalk. Silence settled between the turtles as they tried to let the facts sink in.
They had defeated the Shredder.
Some movement caught Raph's eye. "Oh no you don't!" the turtle called out as he grabbed onto Dr Chaplin as he tried to retreat. "Where's the ingredients for the antidote?" Raphael asked, starting back where he left off. Personally the turtle was surprised that Chaplin didn't have the guts to run away back when he had the chance. Instead the scientist had gaped stupidly at the entire battle.
"I, I have the antidote already made. It's over there," he fearfully pointed towards a particular drawer located on the opposite side of the room. Mike searched where he was told and found a filled syringe a few seconds later, holing it up for all to see. It seemed Dr Chaplin was telling the truth. After what he witnessed happening to Shredder, he was more than happy to oblige.
"Thanks," Raph smirked. With no warning he delivered a solid punch to Chaplin's face, causing the man to drop to the floor in unconsciousness.
"Raph!" Leo complained at his brother's behaviour. Raphael gave him a blank look. "Ah, forget it," Leo gave up. After everything that had happened, even he wanted to hit Chaplin. "Come on, Don. Let's finish this," Leo commanded softly. Donatello eyed the syringe as Mike walked towards him.
"You know… I feel like I don't need this anymore. I think I'm cured," Donatello honestly admitted.
"Yeah? Well we're not taking any chances," Raph grunted.
"But what if Chaplin lied? What if the needle is infected? What if it causes stronger illusions?" Don warily questioned.
"After seeing my boss explode, heck, I reckon I'd be telling the truth!" Raph explained.
"Just take it, Don," Leo advised, his words only filled with kindness. Obeying his family's wishes, Don calmly watched as Mike administered the antidote, carefully injecting it into his upper arm.
"All done!" Mike grinned.
"So, uh, I hoped you thought of a way to get out of here. Or was going crazy and committing suicide your escape plan?" Raphael asked. Although it may have sounded harsh, Don knew that it was just his way of being funny. It was hard for his brothers to offend him; Don just knew them too well.
"No, I thought of a way out," Don settled his family's nerves. He walked over to where he had dumped the backpack earlier, though now it was slightly singed from the heat of the flames. The fire had quieted down considerably after running out of easily flammable materials. Overall the damage wasn't bad; it was just the type of fire that produced a lot of smoke making it seem worse than what it was. Flames still burned, though they were merely flickers of light in the darkened room, lining the edge of the large hole in the wall. The wire they had slid down earlier was still there, though it was a little worse for wear. Leonardo gave the line a tug, and while it seemed a little melted, it still seemed strong.
"Take one of these," Donatello instructed. He each handed his brothers a solid metal triangular clip that looked like it could be attached to their harnesses.
"What's this?" Mike questioned.
"If you clip it onto the wire, the gears will allow you to travel in one direction only; they lock up if you attempt to go backwards," Don explained.
"So if we equip ourselves with one of these, we can pull ourselves along the wire without having to worry about sliding downwards?" Leonardo wondered, though it was mixture of both a rhetorical question and a statement.
"That's right!" Don grinned.
"Oh man! We have to climb back up that thing!" Mike whined. This time Raph was too tired to slap him upside the head.
"It's great to have you back, Donny," Leonardo sincerely said, staring at his brother.
"It's good to be back," Donatello agreed.
As the turtles climbed back over to the office building they had originally broken into, thirty-three stories below them a body burned on the pavement. Foot ninjas dressed as policemen guided the public away from the amazing spectacle. With a heavy fire blanket, Karai covered the burning parts of her master's suit. Extinguishing the flames, she lifted the blanket off and inspected the damage. The shiny metal armour had either been melted by the heat, or shattered and crumpled by the fall. But with the torso being the most protected part, there was still hope yet.
Karai's eyes flickered with relief when some movement was seen. The little red Utrom pushed open the door and weakly climbed out of his machine's chest compartment.
"Are you alright, Master?" Karai asked as she gently picked him up.
"I'm fine," Shredder reassured her, his voice defiant. "Those turtles will never defeat me!" The Utrom gave his most loyal servant a very sadistic grin, just ecstatic that he would live to fight the turtles some other day.
The End.
A/N: Well, I guess that's it! So much for this being a short fic --! Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it and thank you all for your support, whether that be through answering my questions during my planning phase, or through your reviews. Thanks once again!