POV Donnie:
"A year...", anger filled my mind as I raced through the tunnels, my feet thumping against the wet concrete ground, making a sort of dripping effect, "A whole ffffff-", I slammed my fist against the concrete wall, grinding my jaw down, and gripping my fist even tighter, making the ends of my knucks become a pale green. I pulled my fist back and stared ahead of me, punching the wall over and over, smashing each fist into the wall as the skin slowly tore off, blood dripping slowly down my fingers, it hurt, but I didn't care, "A WHOLE FUCKING YEAAAAAARRRR", with one final punch, I hit the wall, and fell to my knees, I felt lost, I just felt...worthless, 'The person I trust, who had equal smarts, maybe even better...lied to me...', I pushed myself up to my feet as I charged toward the lab, running in silence as the pads of my feet made not one sound, "Ha-...How could I be so stupid...", reaching down towards the ground, I yanked the door up, just enough for me to crawl inside and close the door, making only the slightest of noise, 'I need to talk to him-', groaning tired, I turned around only to be greeted by the people I had no time to talk to, "Guys, I don't have time right now, I need to talk to Bishop immediately-"
"Bishop?!-"
"No! Donatello, where were you?! It's Almost Two- Three in the morning!"
"Leo-", I groaned as I walked passed the group, my back facing them as I sat at my desk, searching around for my computer, ready to call Bishop the moment the time comes, "I don't have time for this, I seriously need to call Bishop-"
"No! Donatello, I am the oldest and your leader, so listen-", Rolling my eyes I noticed my computer over on the bed, right where I left it before leaving for my solo mission, 'Ooooooo the full name and leader tactic, god, like he hasn't used that every single time', picking up the computer I headed back to my desk, setting it next to the Kraang communication sphere, "oh my- Donnie if you don't listen, I will get sensei to deal with you-", that was it, that was exactly what set me off, "Oh! Now you want to be a fucking snitch! Leo Hah! I'm looking for our brother, you can ask Karai, guessing that's the one who snitched! Huh! Didn't you Karai?! Didn't know all of my siblings were freaking snitches!".
"Donatello!", Sensei yelled from the entrance of the lab, his tone angry, his very yell made me fall silent, so I looked down towards the ground "You are to listen to your leader, to follow his words, that is what will keep you all safe from harm", I understood what Sensei was saying yet, "But Sensei-"
"Yame!"
"But Master Splinter?!"
"Donatello! Do I need to teach you Japanese once more!", I was confused when he said that, 'Of course I know Japanese, I'm the most well-versed in the language, I may not speak it a lot, but I knew it', so I shook my head as Sensei walked closer, "Then you should understand the word Yame...", Sensei stood a few feet from me, glaring down as he towered me, " Donatello you are grounded"
"What?! But Sensei, I did nothing wrong, I went on a mission to look for Mikey-"
"Which could have put your family in danger-"
"My family is in danger! Did you forget that Mikey was you son?!", Leo and Raph watched from a far, whispering amongst eachother, laughing under their breath, "Donatello, I will not continue this conversation! You are grounded from missions, and working inside your lab-", I couldn't believe what he was saying, 'He wanted me to do what?', stepping away from Sensei with my computer in hand and my pouch still wrapped over my shoulder, my back was pressed against the door, trembling in fear, but I felt something else... anger, I glared as Sensei continued to speak, "So you don't care about your son...", for some reason he said nothing, he just stood there, "He...Michaelangelo was given multiple chances to come home, to come back to his...family...yet he decided against it...I will not fight for a boy that does want to be found", my skin itched, my throat burned and my eyes stung, I had no idea how to feel, I just felt...overwhelmed, yet shock was what covered my face, but not just me, it even shocked the others behind him, 'He...what?!', I didn't want to be here any longer, I sighed angerly, and turned around, my face turned toward Sensei, "Fine", I watched as he quirked his brow, and just stood there, waiting for my next move, "Then I guess that includes me as well...", looking behind towards the others, and just stood there waiting for them speak up, to say that what Sensei said was wrong, but of course...they stayed silent. I chuckled as I scoffed at the others, Leo, Karai, god even Raph looked worried as they walked towards the conversation, standing right behind Sensei, muttering my name, "I knew you all were just gonna be a bunch of teacher's pets", Splinter kept himself walled between the others and I, his hand blocking my view of the others, "If you wish to leave, no ones stopping you..."
"Sensei?!", all three yelled as they looked up towards the rat wearing a robe, each one questioned their father's judgment, they were shocked, their own father, willing letting his child leave his clan, yet...I wasn't, I laughed, "Ha...Ha ha I guess this is why, Mikey never came back-", reaching towards the ground, I lifted the large metallic door, and walked around the room collecting everything I needed, and stood by the door holding everything in two bags, "Leave...the bo", I looked back towards the mutant that stood behind me, and handed him the the weapon I was trained to use since I was a mere child, but in a way this separation felt...good. I stared at the sibling and adult I called my family, glaring at each one of them, "And just so you know, if I find Mikey, I'm not bringing him back...", with that I closed the door, walking down the long empty tunnel, "That isn't a home I would bring him back to...".
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Sighing tiredly, I looked up at the sky as I remembered the moments and words passed through my mind, words spoken between Splinter and I's conversation, "Maybe I should have thought this through...", I sat on top of Murakami san's noodle shop as I ate a fresh bowl of noodles, I kept pulling out my phone as I continued to check the time, 'three...hours...', no one searched or called for me, not even a text, 'Did he really...would-', the thought of Splinter telling everyone to not speak to me, saying that I dishonored the family was the on;y thing that ran through my head, just made it felt so much more real...
I hated these feelings, for one I was happy, I finally was able to get my words across, it felt empowering and freeing, yet...at the same time I felt terrible, for years I was taught that I was to obey my elders, and to go against them is dishonor...not just on myself but on the entire clan. Everything just felt like so much, the overwhelming urge to go back, and beg for forgiveness, to make my father proud of me once more, but that will never happen, Sensei was never proud of my talents, my machines, not even the one thing he trained me to do, it was never enough for him...
I needed to talk to Bishop, I was still angry at that liar, that...robot, but I needed some rest, I needed somewhere to think, to live, but I couldn't think of anything, 'Maybe I could find a warehouse...', scanning the area, but I gave up on the idea, some of my failed experiences sometimes end with an explosion, and I know that would cause disturbence, humans would call police and if they catch me, I'll be tested on, maybe given to the Kraang, 'Heh who knows, maybe I'll be sent to the same facility as Mikey', that sent guilt through my body, my body felt heavy and my eyes felt heavier, "Is this how you felt Mikey-", looking up towards the sky, I never believed in dieties, nor anything with similar attributes, just the thought of a being, watching over their creation and just watching made me feel sick, yet I just hoped that somehow, Mikey could hear my words, "Was I...was I really that bad of a brother", memories flowed through my mind, but of course it was never the good ones, just...memories of moments I was a bad brother flowed through my mind.
It hurt, remembering the moments I yelled, cursed, blamed, and degraded the only younger brother I had flooded through my mind, hugging my knees, I pressed my face against my knees as tears flowed over, "I'm so...sorry, Mikey...I-I didn't mean to I-", it felt wrong, why should I be sad, when I did this to him, I caused him...so much harm, yet I'm the one crying. Wiping my eyes clean, I finished off the rest of the ramen, and walked towards the edge, tossing the empty to-go bowl into the bin below. I stood there as I listening, waiting until...*tap!* the sound of the box hitting the bottom.
Reaching into one of my two pouches, I pulled out the wrapped crystal, and just stared at it, rubing my thumb along the edge of the cloth, 'We've had this for so long, I didn't even figure out how to make an additional one for Splinter, regardless in this moment, I was happy that I didn't. So far out of my family, I was the only one to not use the crystal, excluding Lita and Jennika, I never used it once, not even on the mission, when we finally first saw Mikey I didn't use it, and for that...I was happy. None of my family nor friends will know what my human form looks like, so they'll never find me'.
Unwrapping the crystal, I pushed the crystal between the cloth wrapped carefully around my arm, squinting as a glint of pink and purple flashed around me, and when I opened my eyes, my mask changed into a bandana, resting neatly on the top of my head. Tight braids reaching my shoulders, tied loosely into a low ponytail with four loose braids two hanging on both sides. This style felt right, it felt symmetrical, looking down at my skin, it was a deep dark brown, so badly I wanted to look at everything but where was I supposed to go? Looking down at my outfit, I wore white tennis shoes highlighted with a hint of lavender and plum, black cargo pants, and a purple hoodie, I noticed something written on the hoodie so I tried, only to notice that it said, "I may be N.Er.Dy...but only Periodically...damn, got roasted by a stinking object", I groaned tiredly at the stupid pun as I continued looking towards the side, noticing the fire escape just a few steps away, climbing down to the very bottom and for the first time in so long I... conformably walked on the sidewalk, it felt... nice.
I wasn't scaring anybody, no one screamed in fear, nothing, I was free, staring down towards the ground, I noticed a single drop fell towards the ground and another, then another, looking up towards the sky I searched for the clouds yet the sky was clear, no rain, not even a sprinkle, there was nothing, that was until I touch my face, soaked with fresh tears that flowed as the freeness set in, but...why was I crying, I was sad, I was actually happy. For years the only thing that truly made me smile was science and April, yet here I stood, no brothers or parents telling me what to do, no one scared of me ready to send me to a lab, just a fresh new start, 'Was this what it was like Mikey, you felt so free, was this why you never came home?', I laughed at the irony, for months I begged for him to come home to his family yet I never got to experience what he got to live with, no fighting, no kraang, none of the Shredder's gang, not even the purple dragons have come out to start another, I was just...a normal human.
I needed to look normal, if Leonardo and Raphael were to come out they wouldn't know I disguised myself, looking down at my out I knew dressing in my signature color was like Batman's signal too obvious. 'The shoes are fine, but the hoodie and bandana?', it was already too late for anything to be open, I was lucky with Murakami, but convenience stores and other stores should be opening in a few hours. So I continued to walk down the streets, I needed something to think about so I decided to look at my new features, well the easiest and most appropriate to look at in public. Looking down at my hands I noticed I couldn't separate some of my fingers, both hands imitated the Vulcan salute, and my fingers separated only if I used my other hand to do it but on its own, I couldn't, "Interesting...". Reaching up towards the side of my head, I felt where the slits we called ears were, now they were weird flaps of cartilage and skin, not scales, actual skin, it felt weird.
I continued to feel everything new about me, my nose, my chest, and my back, weirdly I felt lighter without a shell, which makes sense, but the newest thing was the shoes, every single day since I was young, I walked with wraps to protect my feet, this felt so much better, the calluses under my feet didn't press against the concrete instead were pressed a cushion, 'I wanted to continue, I wanted to learn more about the new features, yet...', yawning tiredly, I walked down the side walked as I pulled out my phone, thats when I noticed new notifications, texts from everyone, well...except for mom...and Splinter, shoving my phone into my pocket I continued to look for anywhere to sleep. Having no slept for three days was starting to take a toll on my body and having no experiments to wake me wasn't helping, so staying awake was harder than I thought initially.
I just walked down the street, looking down each alley, I decided against every single one, I honestly didn't mind a mess no matter what size, heck my labs were always a mess, but this...I'm sorry no. I searched, 'I can't stay at Mom's place she sold it to one of her coworkers, who pays her rent- Wait!', two places popped into my head, I may like neither, and it may not be a good idea, but...they're ideas.
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~Back with Centi and Dannie~
POV Centi:
"What?! You...you can't be serious! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we can finally be human-"
"And what if I don't want to go back to how I was huh?!", I walked towards the vial ready to get rid of this curse, but Dannie took it away as he laughed loudly...crazily, "So what! You want to be a freak for the rest of your fucking life?!", I was shocked, he's never acted like this before, that was when I knew that vial needed to go, or maybe, "Dannie, you know very well I can't turn back human, don't be stupid..."
"Stupid?! Ha! Then tell me, what could possibly happen to you old hag-"
"I COULD DIE PENDEJO!...", for once the kid's once crazed expression softened, he reached for me, but I just stepped back, I no longer knew who was standing in front of me, "This-", motioning to myself, I tore my eyes away from the kid, "mutation was the first one done on planet earth, so if I changed back into a human, heh so many things could happen to me...I may be close to the end of "human life expediency", but I'm not ready to die yet...if-...if this did work and I turned back into a human, I would only turn into "an old hag", so screw you for pressuring me to, in a way, end my life..."
"Centi, I'm sorry, I-I-I-I don't know what came over me-", I held my hand up as I walked towards the stairs, only to stop at the very top, "Dannie, if you really want to know if that piss is safe, let's get the creator's brother's opinion...", jamming my finger into each number, I slammed the door open, and knocked on the door, waiting for him to answer.
W H A T
"I need you to look at something real quick...something was dropped off and maybe you know something more about it?", silence, I knew there was a very high chance Pequenito wouldn't come out, saying that the outside was too dangerous or something similar, yet I was surprised, Pequenito pushed open the door, I shut it quietly behind. It was so sad to look at him, the bags under his eyes were dark yet they puffed out, and his cheeks no longer held it's innocent roundness, now it was just...sunken in, "Sorry, follow me...", with Pequenito on my tail, walking down the starts, I stood beside the table and waited for him to come forward, yet he didn't, standing at the bottom of the stairs on the other side of the room, he just stood there.
W H E R E D I D Y O U G E T T H A T
"Pequentio...I am going to be a hundred percent honest with you...one of your brothers stopped by asking for you-"
Y O U
Y O U W E R E S E R I O U S
He stepped back ready to retreat back into the nursery, "-Yes, but we just told him you were taken somewhere else...", the kid's body relaxed, only taking one step closer to us, I took a deep breath, ready for him to tell us anything, "Mikey...do you know anything about this stuff? Like I said your...brother...dropped this off as said it was called-"
R E T R O M U T A G E N
Finally, after some time, Pequenito walked closer to the vial, so me and Dannie stepped off to the side, watching as the kid analyzed the vial.
D O N N I E W H Y D I D H E B R I N G T H I S
'Donnie?', looking back at Dannie, I pointed towards him, only for Pequenito to shake his head.
E X O L D E R B R O T H E R
"Oh! Well, he came to talk about any additional sister facilities you could be in, I informed the kid that if he didn't find you he wasn't looking hard enough, so I told him that if he ever found where Bishop was stationed then he'll find you...and as a thank you he wanted to... 'cure' you, turn you back into your normal formal...", I watched as Pequenito picked up the large vial, yet it was funny for both Dannie and I, we had to carry it using both hands, yet for him, he held it perfectly in just one palm, he stood in front of Dannie, with his elongated nails touching his chest. Raising the vial above Dannie's head, Pequenito used the other to hold the boy in place, Dannie trembled wiggling helplessly as he tried to escape from what, neither of us knew.
Y O U D O N T W A N T T O B E A F R E A K
R I G H T
Dannie's eyes widened as he stared up at towards Pequenito, I needed to stop him but stop him from what, "Mikey, please I didn't mean it, I was just spewing none sense, please listen to me-", he kept flinching as Pequenito's grip hardened, "Mikey, I'm sorry...", his free hand tried to rip off the turtle's arm, run away, maybe find another lab, Dannie wanted to do something, but he had no strength, as the muscles and tissues were only strong enough to walk, barely even run, and his wings just able to fly less than a hundred feet, he was weak he knew it, I knew it, yet I stood, there. Pequenito stood there, the liquid just on the edge of overflowing, and hanging just above the bat's head, yet he stood still, Dannie whined, begging for freedom, but Pequenito never gave him a chance.
S A Y H I T O Y O U R F A M I L Y F O R M E
D A N N I E P E N N I N G T O N