Chapter 8 Part 1

Chapter 8 Part 1

This would have been a perfect night.

Higher temperature with a cool breeze just light enough to be almost nonexistent. Jumbotrons from Time Square lighting the horizon as the usual chorus of the city blared.

This would have been one of those nights before the big battle that they would dream about. Where it would perfect to sit atop the rooftops and have a peaceful freedom filled night. Just 4 brothers and an amazing night.

“Dee you good?”

Raph’s call broke Donnie from his thoughts. Right. Find your brother then daydream.

“Yeah coming.”

Swiftly swinging to the Leo and Raph, Donnie remembered to put his thoughts together. Making a wall between emotions and the needed actions. Preventing one side from interfering with the other nice and orderly. Manageable. Controllable.

Oh who was he kidding? Nothing was in his control right now. It did anything but remain in control last night. And in every moment since then.

Focus

No need to have more worried faces resurface unless absolutely necessary.

Despite the conditions, an uneasy awkwardness had settled on the rooftop. Leo twitched his leg nervously(a bad stimming habit of his) as he looked down to the docks. Raph was completely silent, which brought both relief and concern to Donnie, as he watched his twin.

Donnie proceeded to move behind them, both an attempt to look at the docks below and push his lingering anxieties of strangers reappearing to attack to the side. The dock seemed to be clear. Nothing looked out of the ordinary or suggestive to their missing brother. What if this was just an empty lead? What if they were wasting another night looking in the wrong places?

He heard Leo bring up that TCRI may be involved. What if Mikey was already wherever they had retreated to?

…

What if he was hooked up to the machine?

Out of all of them, out of any of them, Mikey got the biggest dose of torment. So much so that he had to live off an IV for 48 hours and even then was insisted on staying at the hospital an extra night. When the adrenaline wore off he straight up passed out without so much as a weak call for Donnie. Thank God for the kindness that humans show to celebrities like they’d become.

After that night was the first time Mikey ever had sensory issues that hurt him. Before it was just the usual ‘this feels kinda weird’ or ‘I’m absolutely obsessed with this slime. Just feel it.’. He and Leo were the ones with that burden. Overstimulation and hypersensitivity were their crosses to carry. For three weeks anything that merely brushed up against the holes in Mikey’s shell caused him to completely breakdown. Yelps and inconsolable cries of pain that rang out.

Donnie knew how much Mikey loved to be comforted through his shell. And now he was barely capable of letting someone hug him. A Hug. And this is his brother Micheal-fricking-Angelo we’re talking about.

…

If all of that stress and pain could come from something that couldn’t have gone on for more than 3 hours of torture with his family to guide him through it, then what would more than 24 hours alone and tortured do?

He wouldn’t let that happen. Over his cold dead body. Donnie couldn’t let that happen.

“Hey! Hey Leo. Earth to Leo!” Leo turned to face them, his Batman face was on. But it didn’t take a genius to understand now was not the time for teasing. It didn’t have the usual goofy look anyway, just one of anxiety and nerves at their breaking point. “Sorry it’s just…confusing.”

“What is there to be confused about? There’s nothing there.” At least was being his usual self minus the heavy bags under his eyes.

Damn why did they take their surprise day off from school for granted. Donnies limbs felt like stale jello, dried out, stiff, and good for absolutely nothing.

But as angry as Don was with his oldest brother, he had a point. The news had made a pretty big deal about this attack. With dramatized descriptions of blood and gore at the scene of the crime. So where were the people. The only thing you could tell from the dock was that these “attackers” were pretty experienced. Like serial killer level of experience. No blood stains. No foot prints. No possible weapons. Nothing. Not even a sign that this wasn’t just a normal night at the docks.

That being said something felt wrong. What exactly Don had no idea but maybe-

Something reflected off of his glasses. Like a fork… or a metal blade.

His brothers must have seen it too because now they were all in fighting stance. Someone was here. And something told him that they weren’t here to chat.

Donnie twisted his bo staff nervously in his hands. Waiting for the attack to come. He and his brothers had been taught how to fight since they were 4. The first lesson in war is never let your enemy know your moves.

For few minutes nothing happened. Dread started to fade from the atmosphere. Don started to lower his weapon to let out a sigh of relief. Worst mistake of his life.

The guy came out of nowhere and kicked firmly in the abdomen. Away from his brothers. Away from his safety.

“Dee!”

Raph started to run over before being firmly knocked to the ground by another stranger. They both wore dark clothes and oni masks. Their masks covered their whole face with glowing markings and eyes that sheened against the dark night.

Leo barely caught the blades of a third stranger with his katana.

But right now Don had other things to worry about as his attacker pounced on top off him. Somehow he managed to use his bo to block them. Woah they’re strong. His muscles strained under the weight as he pushed back against them. Aaaaannd his glasses were slipping too. GREAT!

Somehow he managed to catch a glimpse of Leo’s attacker. She(Don didn’t usually assume gender but she looked like a she) had a similar color palette to her colleagues. Her initial mask only covered half of her face leaving her amber eyes exposed. Her dark hair highlighted with white was held up in a ponytail with two long pieces hanging down from behind her ears.

AH! RIGHT! RIGHT! STILL FIGHTING!

Donnie was starting to loose his grip and his patience. Using all his strength he gripped his bo and swung it and his attacker to the ground. Hopefully that will keep this bastard down for a while.

Turning to face his brothers, he saw that Leo was still locked in a one on one with Amber eyes. Raph had managed to get back up and start wrestling with his attackers. He started to head over to help his brother in red, their eyes meet for one moment before-“Donnie! Watch out !”

Leo came plunging into his plastron sending them both to the ground. Where he JUST GOT UP! Not again!

Raph was there when Don readjusted his glasses(his CRACKED glasses). Suddenly more attackers showed up looking almost identical to Don’s and Raph’s. Amber eyes stuck out like a sore thumb. Or at least she would have if she didn’t look so intertwined with the others.

Raph helped Don get to his feet quickly right before the fighting started again. It went on for a while like the fights they had when looking for Superfly but with much more skill and obvious challenge.

These guys kept coming one after the other. But the tensions started to die down. They were becoming easier and easier to knock back. Almost like-

like they were stalling.

Donnie looked up to find his brothers but only saw Raph. “RAPH! Where’s-”

Leo cried out before he could finish.

They both turned their heads to see him locked in between two of their attackers. They’d plunged the same device in the same spot as last night into Leo. Donnie’s breath hitched. No no no no no NO

“LEO!” Raph started rushing over to his twin bashing in the heads of anyone blocking his path. Donnie followed his lead as he watched Leo loose consciousness, eyelids slowly sliding closed.

His big brother was looking right at him. Silently pleading for help like Donnie had done to him countless times. His whole life he had looked up to Leo for help. And every time his brother came through. But for once in his life he couldn’t do the same for him.

Someone threw a smoke bomb where Leo was standing and just like that he was gone. Donnie’s big brother was gone. He lost two brothers within 24 hours. “NOOOO!”

They weren’t dead yet. There was still a chance to fix this.

Without a single clear thought in his mind, violent thrashes escaped from him. He could only keep pushing forward. He needed to get to his eldest brother. He COULDNT lose him too.

A yell tore through the air and Raphs throat. He was knocked onto his stomach curled over and jolting at every movement that affected his shell.

He’d been hurt by the machine too. Even if it was only for like 5 minutes it still affected Donnie’s brother in red. Unlike Mikey, Raph barely managed to try and cover it up for almost 2 weeks. They knew he was sensitive about feeling vulnerable but this was why he needed to tell people. So he could have someone to-literally-watch his back.

“RA-ack.” Someone hit Donnie on the back of the head right down infront of his only remaining brother. He was on his hands and knees. His head was swimming like a drunken man. During the whole car chase with Superfly, when they were driven off the highway, he landed on his head. This gave him some of the worst amount of pain a person like him could experience- a concussion. Of course he still wasn’t used to normal blows after a whole ass month of healing.

Shock filled his body and suddenly-

He couldn’t breath.

Panic and fear and memories swirling through his pounding head was making him lose control. He COULDNT not be in control. He needed control so he could fix this. Fix problems. Fix wounds. Fix himself. Fix fricking EVERYTHING.

Donnie crawled quickly to Raph ignoring the few remaining attackers leaving. His throat was burning. Through the blurs and cracks in his vision he shook Raph hurriedly. A loud yell echoed in his broken mind.

Donnie heard the horrifying shing of a blade being unsheathed. He turned to see Amber Eyes stand above him and Raph with her weapon raised to her waist.

Donnie cowered next Raph like a little kid. Like when he was a little kid and used to fear the dark and the same brother told him to man up. Like when TCRI was in the process of abducting them and he had already watched them knock out his other brothers.

Raph held a hand on his shoulder and Donnie curled over to it was the blade was raised to her head.

He clung to Raph’s hand as he waited for the blade

🎶Oops! I did it again!🎶

Yeah but no I’m serious. Oops sorry for the long wait (again) but man I have not been motivated to write this at all until like June apparently. Hope y’all like the cliffhanger. Cowabunga turtle fanz!

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