*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
*Author's Notes: The new installment of 'Slash's Revenge' is here and it's a bit of a roller coaster ride.
Before we delve into the chapter, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who nominated my stories for the 2018 TMNT Universal Reader's Choice Awards. OMGeeeeeee! I'm so very touched by the nominations I received. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all my readers, followers, and friends. Thank you all so much. I also want to congratulate my fellow nominees. I'm incredibly blessed and honored to be amongst so many insanely talented writers. ❤ (◍•ᴗ•◍)
Okay, I'm getting all emotional here. We'd better move onto the chapter. I truly hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading! =)
CJ
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Chapter 17 – Reality Check
Leonardo had to wonder if he was the only one starting to think they were being led on a wild 'turtle' chase. They'd been trailing behind Slash at a relentless pace for a good twenty minutes now and it didn't appear as though he was going to let up anytime soon.
The largest of the five mutants leaping from rooftop to rooftop had guided everyone to a part of New York City the ninja brothers weren't overly familiar with.
There's a good reason for that...
A shudder crept along the blue-masked turtle's spine as he glanced at the scores of rundown buildings they were darting past. Most of the structures in the vicinity appeared to be on their last leg; hardly stable enough to support the weight of a pigeon let alone four mutant turtles and a human-sized rat.
One thing was for sure, if Donnie was indeed being held captive in this section of the city, it would explain why his family hadn't located him yet. Even the Shredder's lowlife cronies knew better than to hang out in a place like this. Leonardo was willing to bet that that was exactly why Slash had chosen this particular neighborhood.
Less likelihood of being found...
Of course, Slash could have just as soon been leading them straight into a trap.
Shifting his steely, sapphire eyes forward, Leo fixed a glare on Slash, who continued to hurdle across buildings with practiced ease. The fact that Slash seemed to know the area like the back of his palm made the leader in blue furrow his forehead in deep thought. His brother's kidnapper had clearly been to this location on multiple occasions, but Leonardo wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. If Donnie was being kept somewhere nearby, Slash had probably made this trip numerous times. But then again, the psychotic turtle might have purposely been leading them away from their missing brother, heading for a location he knew better than any of them on the off chance he might be able to give them the slip.
Master Splinter may have been duped into believing Slash was leading them to Donatello, but Leonardo didn't buy it. As far as the ninja in blue was concerned, trusting the monster who had terrorized and tortured his missing brother was suicide.
This was just plain crazy.
Leo wasn't about to let his family fall victim to the same fate as poor Donnie.
"EVERYONE! STOP!" Despite Leonardo's commanding tone, his family continued to sprint along the rooftops, afraid of losing Slash if they slowed down, even a little. The lighting in this part of the city was minimal at best, and with the rain coming down in sheets, it would've been all too easy for the largest mutant to disappear into the night.
They needed to stay vigilant.
The turtle in blue was about to repeat his command when Slash unexpectedly came to a screeching halt and stood frozen like a statue. The family followed suit, stopping a couple feet behind Slash, whose back remained turned to them.
"What the heck did you stop us for, Leo?" There was no mistaking Raphael's patience was long gone. If his yelling wasn't proof enough, the deranged look in his eyes was.
Leo's features hardened as if he was bracing himself for a fight.
"Do you seriously think he's gonna actually lead us to Donnie?"
Not wanting an ill-timed argument between his two oldest boys to distract them from the critical task at hand, Master Splinter stepped forward and calmly tried to diffuse the situation.
"Slash assured me he would show us where he has been keeping Donatello."
Though Leonardo was not generally in the habit of questioning his father, he felt his family's safety warranted it.
"With all due respect, Sensei, I don't believe a word that monster says! Have you forgotten that he tried to kill all of us?" Casting an arm in Slash's direction, just in case there was any doubt who the 'monster' he had been referring to was, Leonardo twisted his face into a bitter scowl. Upon further inspection, one might have accused him of pouting, but the rain was doing an admirable job of protecting Leo's secret.
"I understand your misgivings, Leonardo, but I have made it abundantly clear to Slash that any form of deception on his part will have dire consequences."
This comment sparked Michelangelo's curiosity.
"But you talked to him for like thirty seconds."
"Yes. I can be very persuasive."
Momentarily flicking their gazes towards one another, the two oldest brothers grimaced in understanding. The youngest turtle, however, was still struggling to catch his father's drift.
"I'm totally confused. What on Earth could you have possibly said or done in that short of time to get him to cooperate?"
Raph and Leo both looked over at Mikey with expressions that said, 'you don't want to know.'
"Ohhhhhh. It's one of those kind of things." The youngest turtle's 'aha' moment was followed by a nervous chuckle. As much as Mikey loved his father, sometimes Sensei could be downright frightening. Whatever he had done to Slash in that stairwell couldn't have been pretty.
Mikey was definitely better off not knowing.
"Now, if there are no further objections, I would like to find your brother. Slash, could you please lead the way?"
"No." The biggest mutant's blunt response earned Leonardo complete 'I told you so' rights; a boasting opportunity the leader wasn't about to pass up.
"You see? I told you he isn't gonna help us!"
A small growl from Master Splinter could be heard, although no one but Sensei knew for certain if it had been meant for his eldest son or for Slash.
"I am sure I do not need to remind you of what will happen if you fail to keep your word?" The rat's threat had been clearly directed at Slash, but the larger mutant kept his back turned to the family; perhaps to hide whatever emotion he may have been feeling.
Several long seconds passed before Slash finally offered up his highly snarky answer.
"I'm not gonna lead the way 'cause we're already here."
"What?" The word was gasped out in near-perfect unison by three very shocked turtle brothers. The reaction made Slash spin around, if only to see their stunned expressions.
"You heard me." Mouth arching up to demonstrate his amusement, Slash crossed him arms over his chest and stared at the brothers, eager for their response.
"Are you saying Donnie's inside this building?" Leo spoke as though he couldn't believe what he was saying, which only further amused Slash.
"Wow! Figure that out all on your own, Leonardo? And here I thought your daddy did all the thinking for you."
Before Leo could even try to wager a comeback, Master Splinter held up a paw to stop him. There were more important matters at hand. Namely, finding his missing child. "Where inside this building is Donatello located?"
"He's on the eighth floor. Apartment eight-zero-three. There! I held up my end of the agreement. Can I go now?"
Slash was just about to leap away when Master Splinter seized him by the back of the arm. The tautness of the giant rodent's grip betrayed his anger far more than his calm voice did.
"I am afraid I cannot allow you to leave just yet. I must insist you accompany us to the apartment. At least until I can confirm that you have spoken the truth."
"And how do I know you're not gonna attack me the second you find Donatello?"
"You don't."
Raphael was just about to add his two cents, but again, Master Splinter held up a paw to stop one of his sons from speaking. Both of his oldest boys were failing to see the bigger picture.
"I personally guarantee that no one will attack you, so long as Donatello is in the location you provided. You have my word."
For reasons he couldn't explain, Slash felt sorry for the old rat. Almost like he owed the anguished father some form of closure.
Nodding his head in defeat, Slash trudged towards the rusty, old roof access hatch. The others followed without comment, silently watching on as Slash slipped down through the rather small access panel. Mikey was half-tempted to ask how someone the size of Slash could fit through a hole so tiny, but decided against it, telling himself that it must be a similar method to the one Santa Claus uses to squeeze down a tight chimney. This correlation immediately made the youngest turtle shudder inside his shell. Just the thought of Slash sneaking down a chimney in the middle of the night was absolutely terrifying.
Letting out a sad, little whimper, Mikey lowered himself down the roof hatch and rushed to catch up with Master Splinter and Slash. The two oldest brothers trailed behind, watching for any signs of a setup. Though Leo and Raph didn't see eye to eye on much of anything, they did wholeheartedly agree that Slash shouldn't be trusted.
Not for a second...
The group swiftly made their way down several flights of threadbare steps, stopping when they reached a door with a faded, black number eight painted on it. The door emitted a noisy creak as it was pushed open, which only added to the mounting tension. The long, dark hallway that stretched out before them looked like something straight out of a horror film, dark and sinister.
Mikey gulped so loud, it echoed down the corridor, but Slash paid no attention to it. He casually strolled over to the second door on the right and proceeded to unlatch the five, heavy duty, steel security chains affixed to the outside of the door.
Obviously, Slash had gone to great lengths to keep something or someone locked inside.
Appalled by the thought of his little brother being held prisoner in such an awful place, Raphael couldn't stop a growl from slipping out.
Smirking from ear to ear, Slash pushed the door to the apartment open and gestured for the family to enter. "After you."
Not wasting any time, Raph stormed past Slash, casting a glare over his shoulder as he went.
The moment the red-clad turtle stepped inside the rundown apartment, he was assaulted by a noxious odor that made his toes curl. It was a sickening combination of what he could only assume was blood, sweat, body odor, and decay mixed with his missing brother's scent.
Somehow, the overpowering smell was both encouraging and disturbing at the same time.
Donnie had definitely been here.
But what kind of shape was he in if Raph was smelling blood and decay?
Anger coursing through his veins, yet again, Raphael balled his hands into tight fists that he would have gladly slammed into Slash's face if he wasn't so concerned with finding his brother.
Returning his attention to his search efforts, Raph started checking the handful of rooms in the apartment. To his left was a rather nasty-looking bathroom that he guessed hadn't been cleaned in years; to his right was a puny bedroom that had nothing but a dingy, twin-sized mattress and a tall, shade less lamp sitting on the dust-covered floor.
Trying to ignore the fact that the place was a total dump (and that was saying a lot because Raphael lived in the sewers), the hotheaded turtle made his way past the first two rooms of the apartment and approached what looked to be the main living space. A few seconds later, he was standing over a small cage, shaking out of control.
Slash had barely registered the dull roar from Raphael when he was suddenly dragged into the living room by a now very livid-looking rat.
The family's irate reactions threw Slash for a bit of a loop. After ten days, they had finally been reunited with Donatello.
Shouldn't they be jumping for joy?
Unless...
Slash turned towards the cage to lay eyes upon what they had seen.
Or, in this case, what they hadn't seen.
"What the? Where'd he go?"
An instant later, Raphael had seized hold of the upper lip of Slash's plastron and yanked him forward so the two of them were standing face to face.
"Shouldn't we be asking YOU that?"
"But he was right here when I left! I'm sure of it! I threw him in the cage after I – "
Eyes widening with dawning horror, Slash began to frantically scan the room.
"After you what?"
Raphael's question went ignored. Slash was too preoccupied with locating the –
"Wire cutters."
Roughly pulling away from Raphael's grip, Slash looked down at the cage once more and saw the lock on the door had been cut.
"But – But they were lying in the middle of the – " The comment stopped cold when Slash saw the substantial blood stain from where he had attacked Donatello earlier. The cutting tool that had caused all the damage was nowhere to be seen, just like the genius turtle.
"Wire cutters? Why would – " It was Raph's comment that now stopped cold as his eyes landed on what Slash was staring at.
Having been distracted by the empty cage, the family had failed to see the center of the living room floor was painted in red. At least, not until Slash had drawn their attention to the fact. Intermittent flashes of lightning revealed both old and new blood stains splattered across the room, and suddenly, Raph was like a rabid dog, readying to rip Slash into shreds.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BROTHER?!"
Still trying to piece things together, Slash shifted his gaze back to the cage. All he could see inside were dirtied bandages and –
"A MUZZLE? YOU PUT A FREAKIN' MUZZLE ON HIM?!" The sheer rage in Raphael's voice threatened to bring the roof crumbling down on top of them. He bent down to scoop the muzzle up with the intention of crushing the vile thing in his bare hands, when he noticed it, too, was covered in blood.
Donnie's blood, no doubt.
What happened next was inevitable.
Anyone who'd ever met the temperamental turtle before would know he was bound to go berserk sooner or later.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
Only four punches into the vicious attack, Raph was forcefully yanked away from Slash, grunting and snorting like a wild animal caught in a trap. He was then unceremoniously dropped to the floor by his very displeased father. As the hotheaded turtle tried to gather his wits about him, he heard a low, rumbling sound from above. He wasn't sure if it was coming from the storm raging outside or the infuriated rodent towering over him.
"RAPHAEL! OCHITSUITE! Your anger does nothing to help your brother!"
"Yeah, Raphael. Be a good boy and listen to daddy, will ya?"
The second the goading words passed Slash's lips, Master Splinter did a complete one-eighty and his face was suddenly mere inches away from Slash's. The rat's darkened expression made the largest turtle recoil in fear.
"I warned you of the severe repercussions if you failed to deliver us to Donatello's exact location."
The brazen overconfidence Slash normally oozed over with was nowhere to be seen or heard as he stammered out his response.
"I – I don't know what happened to him! I s – swear! He was – he was in his c – cage when I left the apartment!"
"So, what you are telling me is that you locked my son inside a cage and just left him here to bleed to death? And now, you have no idea where he is?" The calm manner in which the rat stated his questions was unnerving. It was obvious that he was teetering on the edge of his sanity, liable to snap at any moment.
"N – No! Well, I mean, yes. B – But I can't imagine he got very far in his condition."
The ominous words made Master Splinter's stomach curdle and his paws began the tremble against his will.
Though the various scents lingering in the air had already alerted Splinter that his second youngest child was not well, he had still been holding onto hope that his heightened sense of smell was deceiving him. That what his nose had detected was somehow wrong, but he now feared the worst.
"And what exactly is his condition?" Finally breaking his prolonged silence, Leonardo's voice sliced through the tension like a well-honed blade, sharp and deadly. His eyes burned with such ferocity, it was a wonder Slash didn't burst into flames from the homicidal glare now narrowed in on him.
The largest mutant awkwardly cleared his parched throat, feeling somehow small and vulnerable despite his immense size.
"He, uh... kept whining about his leg being infected. Said something about needing an antibiotic."
"And so, you just kept right on beating him?" Pushing himself to his feet, Raphael sidestepped around Master Splinter to get within striking distance of Slash once again. Then, much to the hotheaded turtle's surprise, his father moved out of the way without so much as a passing glance, granting Raphael full access to the turtle he so desperately wanted to disembowel. The warrior in red was about to capitalize on the opportunity when he noticed his father crouch down next to the cage; whiskers twitching up and down as he took in the scent.
"My son... "
All eyes fell upon Master Splinter, whose ears were now pinned flat against his head while he examined what had been his missing boy's prison for the past ten days. The closer the father inspected the cage, the more appalled he became. The awful stench was potent enough to make him nearly retch, but the foul smell was not nearly as offensive as the thought of his intellectual son being treated like nothing more than some mindless animal. It was painfully clear from both the stench and the filthy confines of the cage that Slash had not allowed Donatello to bathe or properly cleanse his wounds. The dirtied bandages as well as the old blood stains mixed with the fresh ones were evidence of Slash's continued negligence.
"Donatello's leg... How long ago did it become infected?"
Shrugging his shoulders rather nonchalantly, Slash kept his gaze fixed on Raphael as he replied. "I don't know. I guess he started complaining about it like four or five days ago."
The answer made Master Splinter spring into a bolt, upright position. An unusually panicked expression conveyed something was dreadfully wrong.
"What is it, Sensei?" With a worried frown tugging the corners of his mouth down, Leonardo followed closely behind his father, like he wasn't sure what else to do. Master Splinter appeared to be trying to pick up Donatello's trail, perhaps in an attempt to retrace his son's footsteps.
"We must find your brother."
While the declaration itself came as no shocking revelation to Leonardo, his father's extremely rattled behavior did. Master Splinter no doubt had discovered something they had not.
"Will you be able to follow his scent?"
Making his way over to a hideously upholstered sofa, Master Splinter studied the heavy-duty chain secured to the leg of the couch. His scrutinizing eyes followed the chain that went up and out of the window. Upon further inspection, he spotted several smears of blood on the window's lower sash and sill. The opening of the window was somewhat small, but obviously big enough for a man-sized turtle to squeeze through.
"Your brother has always proven to be extraordinarily resourceful." A ghost of a smile passed Splinter's lips, but it soon faded when the rain striking against the window panes captured his attention. Any clues Donatello may have inadvertently left behind were being washed away by the torrential downpour.
Of all nights for a storm...
Fate could be so incredibly unkind at times.
"I fear we will not be able to track him in this storm. My guess is that Donatello took this into account, hoping to use the rain to aid in his escape."
"But won't he just head straight to the lair?" The innocent way Michelangelo posed this question tore at Master Splinter's heartstrings. His youngest child always sought out the good in every situation, but alas, there was no good to be found here. The damage that had been inflicted upon Donatello these past ten days could quite possibly be irreparable. Something the youngest turtle would have the most difficult time coming to terms with.
"Michelangelo, we do not know what shape your brother is in, physically or mentally. If Slash has led him to believe that we do not care, Donatello may have no interest in returning home, my son."
As to be expected, denial was Mikey's knee-jerk reaction.
"What?! Nuh-uh! No way! Donnie's super smart! He knows all that stuff Slash said isn't true! He knows we care about him! He does! I bet he's already waiting for us back at the lair even as we speak! You'll see!" Snatching up his T-phone, the orange-masked turtle dialed his missing brother's number, certain Donnie would respond.
"Mikey... " Leonardo reached a hand out to console his visibly distraught baby brother, but the smaller turtle was quick to bat the incoming hand away. He didn't need comfort or pity. All he needed was his genius brother to answer his call and prove him right.
"Come on, D. Pick up... Pick up, pick up, pick up!" The sound of Donnie's voicemail message made tears start to pool in the youngest turtle's big, blue eyes, but he shook his head, still refusing to accept that his father was right.
"No! You're wrong! You're WRONG! He'd never believe those lies! Donnie knows we love him! Tell them, Raph! Tell them they're wrong! Please, Raphie!"
The usage of the word 'Raphie' made the red-clad turtle nearly choke on his own breath. He couldn't help but think back to that horrible night Donatello had been taken away from them. The genius turtle had gasped out 'Raphie' not long before Slash had beaten him into unconsciousness. Hearing Mikey use the exact same term of endearment made Raphael want to curl up into a ball and just disappear.
All the pain they were going through...
All the torture Donnie had endured...
It was all Raphael's fault.
Taking several steps forward to shrink the gap between himself and Mikey, the hotheaded turtle spoke with as much volume as he could muster, which wasn't a whole lot.
"It's okay, Mikey. We'll find him."
Brushing away his tears with the back of his left hand, the turtle in orange sniffled a few times and nodded almost imperceptibly. "I just want him home, Raph. I just want this whole nightmare to be over with."
"I know you do, little brother. We all do."
As the family briefly exchanged reassuring glances, the seemingly forgotten mutant in the room recognized their moment of grief for what it was: the perfect distraction.
"Awwww, this is so very touching. But if you'll excuse me, I have a turtle to catch."
The father and sons turned back towards Slash just in time to see him slip out of the apartment and slam the door shut. They then heard the telltale sound of Slash latching the security chains outside of the door, effectively locking them inside.
"NOOOOOO!" The guttural roar that ripped out of Raphael's throat was immediately followed by the sound of him slamming full-force into the door, attempting to use his body as a battering ram. He continued to crash his weight into the door, over and over again, ignoring the pain that shot through him with each violent impact.
In his mind, he deserved it...
"Let him go, Raphael! We need to find your brother!"
Despite his father's demands, Raph just kept right on barreling into the door. At least, up until he heard Leonardo call out to him.
"Raph! Come on! Let's go!"
When Raphael finally stopped his wrecking ball routine, he saw his family was climbing out of the living room window, using the chain Donatello had left behind to lower themselves out of the apartment.
Rushing over to the window, Raphael squeezed through the opening and used the chain to swing over to the nearby fire escape. His family was already climbing down the fire escape, presumably following the route they believed Donatello had taken.
Raphael, on the other hand, had no intention of taking the same route.
Confident his family had everything under control, the red-masked turtle started to scale up the fire escape rather than down.
"Raph! What are you doing?"
"You know damn well what I'm doing, Leo! You guys find Donnie! I'm gonna find the monster who did this to him and make him pay!" Raphael knew his family wouldn't approve of his decision, but he wasn't about to let Slash find Donatello before they did. The hotheaded turtle would rather die than allow Slash to lay another finger on his little brother.
"Raphael! You will do no such thing!" Though Master Splinter's voice rang out loud and clear from his position on the ground, the ninja in red acted as if he hadn't heard it and just kept right on climbing.
"Sorry, Sensei," Raph muttered under his breath as he made his way up to the rooftop and vanished from their view.
As much as Splinter wanted to go after his temperamental child and talk some much-needed sense into the boy, he also knew that time was of the utmost essence.
They needed to locate his wounded son before it was too late. Each moment they wasted, put Donatello's life further at risk.
A feeling of dread suddenly snaked its way around Master Splinter's heart, dark and ominous, as his breath hitched in his throat.
What if they were already too late?
To be continued...
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*More Author's Notes: Raphael is too darn stubborn for his own good. This poor family. They were so close to finding Donnie! Ugh!
I'll warn everyone in advance, the next chapter is an emotional one. (｡•́︿•̀｡)
As always, please vote and/or comment on this story if you are enjoying it. I would absolutely love to hear from all of you. It's always nice to know if people are still reading.
Thanks so much! (๑>◡<๑)
CJ