SAINW!TMNT

Donatello's Story

(Quick Key: BOLD - Memories, Normal - Present Time, Italic - Thoughts/Mental Voices)

        It was cold; it was dark.  The air stank of sweat and spilled waste; of metal and despair; of rotting flesh and spilt blood.  I don't know how long I've been stuck in this Hell hole.  No light touched the cold stones except for the single torch that stood at the base of the stairs.  It's pretty much how you'd envision a midevil dungeon right?  Well, it's certainly not in the past and I'm not just a prisoner; I'm a trophy.  I'm just a reminder sitting on a shelf -- or in this case, in a cell -- collecting dust...and multiple wounds that definitely would remain visible whether they closed up or not.  It's been months since I was captured; weeks since I was last fed; mere days since the Shredder announced that he would be going after my brothers and father.  I felt so useless as I screamed at him; even more so when I discovered that my Sensei was dead and my brothers gone.  How could I go on?

        It was strange, being back in New York City.  Heck, it was strange to see the city lights shining as if the horror of the Shredder hadn't happened.  The wrecked buildings were in the middle of being reconstructed, and I knew that the despised Utrom wouldn't have allowed anything to be rebuilt, so that could only mean one thing; my brothers were alive and they had ended the reign of the Shredder.  I had to find them; I had to tell them how sorry I was that I left like a coward...but I had no choice.  If I told them to the truth, I'm sure they'd understand... Please let them understand.

        I looked down at the streets below; not a person in sight.  They must still be afraid to go out after dark, being under the Shredder's rule for so long.  I pulled the hood of my worn cloak up over my head and leapt to the street below, brandishing my bo staff like I had so long ago.  I began jogging for the Resistance Lair that Angel had given me the location of.  I wasn't sure how she knew, seeing as she was quite far from where she claimed it was, but I was just grateful that she understood why I wasn't around when I explained what had happened.  I could only hope my brothers would understand as well.

        "...he's planning on killing you..."

        I looked up, eye narrowing as I clutched my bloody eye socket.

        "Death's better than this torture," I spat, trembling.

        The Foot Ninja eyed me, taking in my battered form, my missing arm, and my empty eye socket.

        "You should escape," he stated plainly, brushing his pale hair from his face.

        "How? Find a weapon that just happens to be lying around?"

        I wished he would just end it instead of toying with me and trying to drag hope out of me before crushing it.  He remained quiet for a few minutes -- he seemed to be doing that a lot -- before kicking up the bo staff -- my bo staff -- into his hands and walking towards the door of the cell, keys swinging around his finger.  I turned away, not wanting to watch him leave me alone with no hope of escape...again.

        There was a soft chink noise after he noisily closed the cell door.

        "Oops," he mumbled, almost too softly for me to hear.  There was a soft tapping noise, then nothing.

        I risked looking back and shock filled me when I saw the soft gleam of the key ring in the dull light.  I stumbled to the cell bar, suddenly glad my arm wasn't bleeding any longer as the room spun around me.  I laid on my plastron and reached out with my remaining arm, pressing my face against the cold metal and ignoring the screaming pain in my eye.  I managed to hook my finger on the keys and pulled them to me, fumbling with them as I stood.  I shakily inserted them into the key hole of the cell door and unlocked it, stepping out.  I noticed my bo staff leaning against the wall right next to the stairs and moved quickly, grabbing it in my left hand.  I gave it a few experimental spins to get used to the weight -- and the fact that I had an actual weapon again -- before looking up the stairs.  This would most likely be my only chance to escape; I had to act immediately, but cautiously.  Taking in a deep breath to calm my nerves, I began my trek up the stairs to join the world above once more.