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Story Origin ~~ Chapter One ~~ Chapter Two

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Chapter Three: Road Trip Reunion

The roads were crap. Utterly and completely horrible as they bounced, jerk and practically hobbled down the road. The shocks of the truck were obviously completely gone as everyone nearly had to clamp their jaws shut or risk loosing teeth with the force of the harsh bouncing from falling into yet another of the many, many, many large potholes.

Don’s tail, tucked firmly under the rim of his shell was still not saved as Mikey, or rather Mike, cursed again and tried to swerve around one large pothole only to fall into another smaller one. Don bit down a small curse of his own as the force of the truck falling raised him up slightly only to fall back down at an odd angle and right on the poor tip of his tail that had slipped out momentarily.

With a small wince, he moved it back under his shell and tried to firmly plant himself in the seat, hooking his knees under the seat to try and keep himself from bouncing as much but it seemed everything was against him as the truck bounced once again. Don grabbed the door handle but even so, the bouncing continued as the roads were utter crap.

“Damn it,” Mikey hissed again as he glanced at April after he was unable to avoided yet another hole. “Check the back will ya?”

April nodded and twisted around as much as she could squished between two turtles with rather large shells as she glanced back at the flat bed and the items stored within. “So far nothing’s gone.”

“Well that’s some good news,” Mike growled as he eased up off the gas and around yet another pothole, trying his best to follow the small beat up sedan before him. “At least this is one of the better roads,” the turtle muttered.

“You mean they’re all like this?” Don gasped as he looked over April’s head at his brother.

Mikey spared a moment to look away from the road and glanced at the other turtle in the truck. “No city workers to fix ‘em,” he explained. “Since the main roads are for Shredder’s personal police we have to stay to the back ones even if they are crap.” Mikey broke off in his explanation as he swerved around another pothole.

Don blinked in surprised before he sat back down in his seat again. “Oh,” he said softly.

Mike risked another glance before he was forced to watch the road once more or risk falling into yet another pothole as April reached over and patted Don’s hand reassuringly. “I know this is a lot to take in,” she murmured. “After being gone so long.”

“But I wasn’t gone April,” Donnie muttered. “That’s the frustrating part. I mean I just talked with you and Casey yesterday when we watched that horrible sci-fi movie Mikey picked out.”

“Hey!” Mike called out from the drivers seat with a small chuckle. “I may have done a lot of mistakes when I was younger but I never had bad taste in movies.”

Don blinked. “Err…”

April just rolled her eyes and gave Don’s hand another small pat. “Just start from the beginning Don.”

Don gave April a wan smile before his expression turned serious as he started thinking over everything that had occurred in the past eight hours. It was still so surreal. It was almost like he wasn’t there but as the truck suddenly jerked once more around a pothole and Don was bounced so hard his head momentarily hit the roof of the truck, he knew that it was most defiantly not a dream.

Donatello’s eyes widened as he moaned and dropped his head. “This is really happening, isn’t it?”

April gained a worried look and the reassuring pats on the hand became a rather unending staccato of nervous smacks as Mikey glanced away from the road ahead of him to look over at Donnie once again, nearly rear ending the small sedan as it slowed down to pass another abandoned car. “Son of a-” Mikey snarled as he practically stomped on the breaks.

“Language,” April instantly chastised and Mike managed to pull a small sheepish look.

“Sorry,” he muttered as he pulled forward once again.

April seemed to be appeased as she turned back to Don. “It’s okay Donnie, just take your time. I know it’s a lot to take in.”

Don sighed as he leaned back against the seat as they reached a somewhat smooth road and it took him a moment to realize they were on the sidewalk. Not that he supposed it mattered since there was no one about. “It’s like I said,” he started slowly. “Yesterday we had our movie night. Casey and Raph got in a fight with Mikey over the popcorn bowl, Leo spent nearly the entire time trying to break them up so we could watch the movie in peace and Splinter fell asleep halfway through.” He shrugged. “It was like every other movie night.”

April and Mike shared a glance before April turned to Don again. “And what happened next? Was that when you found yourself here?”

Don shook his head as he held onto the door handle again. “No, we said our goodnights and went to bed and that’s the last I remember. I know that I had to have gotten up and started the day like normal but for some reason I just can’t remember.”

April sighed and gave Don’s arm a small squeeze in lieu of a hug in the small confined space. “It’s okay Don. It’s going to be okay.”

Don didn’t believe her and knew that she didn’t even believe it herself but he just smiled as he gave his friend a tentative smile. “Thanks,” he muttered, “but now I’m really curious about all this.” Don motioned towards all the abandoned buildings and rusted out and abandoned cars as they passed.

There was a small groan from Mike and a small smirk appeared on his face. “Here it comes. Donnie’s version of twenty questions, the advance edition.”

Don frowned but could help as the questions that had been swirling around in his mind refused to be suppressed any longer. “What’s going on in the world?” was the first question that popped out of his mouth. “How in the world did the Shredder win? Why isn’t there anyone else fighting him? What happened to the government? What about this rebellion? Why is it only April in charge? And what are the factories all producing? We passed seventeen so far! And what about the Foot? That group we first met up with were nothing like them but they weren’t the Purple Dragons? Where are they? What about-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Mikey laughed loudly. “One question at a time Brainiac! We can’t keep up with your quick mind.”

Don blinked in surprise as his questions were suddenly interrupted. “Oh… right. Sorry.” He ducked his head a bit embarrassed at his behavior.

April stifled a small chuckle herself before she suddenly turned serious. The atmosphere in the truck suddenly dropped dramatically as a tense silence fell over the two older passengers as they sent small glances at one another, seemingly having a whole conversation. Don looked from one to the other confused but something in his gut said to just leave them for now and wait for them to start on their own.

It was Mikey who finally broke the silence. “It all started after you disappeared,” he began. Don frowned but said nothing as he hung on to every word that now poured from Mikey’s mouth. “We searched for you everywhere Don. God it must have been nearly two years that we spent just looking for you.” Don’s eyes widened at that announcement and he reached over April’s lap and placed a hand over Mikey’s arm.

Blue eyes glanced over at him and they locked eyes for a moment before Mikey was forced to look away and back at the road. “Of course, while we were looking for you, the Shredder wasn’t idle,” Mike continued gruffly. “He worked furiously in those two years using the left over Triceraton technology and soon, he had the entire city under his control.”

“It was an attack no one saw coming,” April nodded sadly. “He had used the pretense of ‘rebuilding the city’ to get with the mayor and soon the governor of the state and before anyone knew what was happening, Foot ninja’s, Purple Dragons, hell, every scum bag in the entire city just attacked everyone with the advance weapons that the Shredder had created from the Triceraton’s weapons.”

“But weren’t you still fighting him?” Don couldn’t help but question. “Don’t tell me that you guys put looking for me before the good of the city and trying to defeat Shredder.”

Mike was quiet for a long moment, his lips pursed before he finally shook his head. “When you disappeared Donnie…” he began slowly, a far away look in his eyes. “When you were gone, everything just fell apart somehow.”

April looked saddened but Don was now more puzzled than ever at Mikey’s words. “Fell apart?” he asked softly.

Mike nodded. “We were a team Don; a unit of four fighting as a whole. We relied on each other to complete that unit.” He glanced back over at the purple clad turtle. “It wasn’t until you were gone that we realized just how much we needed all of us to keep that unit whole. We couldn’t fight without you.”

Don’s eyes widened in surprise. “That can’t be all of it,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I mean… I’m just me. The three of you should have still be enough opposition to Shredders operations.”

“You don’t get it do you?” Mikey suddenly roared as he banged his fist against the steering wheel. “Without you we were completely overwhelmed. None of us knew how to even fight against the weapons they had much less defeat them! With out you… it just didn’t work.”

Donatello quickly fell silent after Michelangelo’s outburst and the cab fell into a hushed silence one more. It was overwhelming. The notion that his brothers were unable to fight without him was completely incomprehensible. Don wasn’t even that good of a fighter anyway. He spent most of his time working the science end of things anyway while his brothers ran interference while he… … ‘oh…’

Don’s eyes widened as a sudden realization struck him. He always was the one working against whatever new electronic device that they came across. Mikey and Raph and Leo never cared about that stuff so they always took on the task of kicking some major shell while Don always toiled away. Don had always felt bad that he left his brothers to do all the hard work but apparently that wasn’t the case. If what Mikey and April was saying was true, then it was their lack of technical knowledge that was their downfall.

Why didn’t Don ever think of that? ‘I should have been able to think of that!’ Don instantly berated himself. ‘That their lack of technical knowledge could hamper them, I should have been able to realize that it could become a possible flaw in our group. Hell, Leo can barely work the microwave!’ Don scowled, glaring out the front window as he thought. ‘Knowing how to fight the Shredder on a technical level is just as important as fighting him in hand-to-hand combat! The Shredder knows this; why he’s such a dangerous adversary.’

“It was complete chaos,” Mike sighed, drawing Don out of his thoughts and back to the conversation at hand. “We never even knew what hit us when the lair was attacked.”

Don had to quickly swallow the lump that seemed to appear in his throat out of thin air. “The-the lair?”

Mike nodded. “It was the middle of the night. We-we had no warning.”

Don’s eyes just widened. “What about my security system? I have those powered so they’ll work for years!”

Mike cringed. “We… kind of accidentally… shut ‘em down.”

Don just stared. “You shut them down?”

“It was an accident!” Mikey quickly defended. “We were trying to re-wire the lair and… well, some wires got crossed and we never really managed to get the security system back up and running again.”

Don just stared at his brother in shock before he turned to look back at April who nodded in agreement. “The city worked on some pipelines that cut into your power supply,” she explained. “When the guys tried to fix it,” she shrugged helplessly.

Don just groaned, his first instinct was to lay into Mikey about his lack of responsibility but it was a moot point now. What was done was done and it was only a small part in the bigger picture apparently. “And then?” he asked hesitantly.

April picked up the story. “Shredder completely took over the city. Those who survived were forced into his labor camps, forced to build his weaponry for his invasion of the Utrom home world. They guys did a lot of hit and run operations until we came upon Angel and her small team. After that we managed to find even more groups against the Shredder and formed the Resistance.”

“Which you lead,” Donatello finished and April nodded.

“Mikey helps train them when they first join but it’s pretty much just us,” April said with a small smile at Mikey.

Don chuckled at this before a thought suddenly occurred to him and he nearly kicked himself that he hadn’t thought of it earlier. “Just Mikey?” he asked, startling the other two occupants of the car. “What about Leo and Raph? And where’s Master Splinter? Are they hold up somewhere too?” April and Mike shared a sudden worried glanced and Donatello instantly became alarmed. “Guys, what’s going on? Where are they? They weren’t?” Don was instantly sitting sideways on the small seat, facing the other two in the cab. “You can’t tell me that they were-?”

Mike suddenly cursed and the truck jerked as he yanked on the wheel and stopped the vehicle. Don instantly grasped the dash to try and keep his balance at Mikey’s sudden move. The truck sat there idle as Michelangelo leaned forward and placed his head against the steering wheel silently while April looked at a loss between comforting an upset Mikey and reassuring the distraught Donatello. “No, Don. Leo and Raph are alive. They’re not dead,” April said quickly as she placed a hand on Mike’s shoulder.

“They’re not…” Donatello sagged back into his seat in shocked relief, the hammering of his heart suddenly slowing a bit back to a somewhat normal rhythm. He looked over at Mikey and was surprised to see a dark, grim look on his features. “I don’t understand,” he began when there was a sudden static screech in the small cab and a voice came over the line.

“Boss? Boss are you okay?”

April quickly fumbled by her belt and pulled out a small hand radio that was apparently held together only by the duct tape that was wrapped around the base. “We’re okay George,” April quickly spoke. “Just go on ahead. We’ll meet you at the new base.”

There was a pause from the radio before it suddenly clicked back on. “Understood. Be careful boss.”

April nodded even though the other person couldn’t see her. “Will do. April out.”

The few cars that had been behind them slowly began to pass them and soon they were alone on the small, abandoned road. Mike finally reached forward and turned the key and the truck became silent. The three sat there, in silence for a long while, Don to afraid to ask the questions that were whirling in his head as he took in the grim looks of the two before him. Mike suddenly cursed in the silence and shoved his door open, jumping out of the truck and out into the night.

April cringed as the door was slammed shut and looked down at her hands in her lap. Don turned to look at her, completely puzzled but she shook her head. “I shouldn’t be the one to tell you,” she said with a small nod towards the other turtle standing under a darkened street post.

Don just looked at her saddened face before he nodded and turned towards his own door. He had to steady himself a moment before he finally opened it and managed to step down out of the vehicle. Mike didn’t look at him as he approached and Don had a dark sinking feeling in him. “Mikey? What happened? Where are the others?” Don finally asked quietly.

He jumped as Mike’s fist reached out and slammed against the pole, the lamp above them shaking a bit under the force but Mike still refused to say anything. Don frowned as he stepped forward and reached out, taking Mike’s bruised fist in between his own hands gently running a finger over the bleeding knuckles. “Mikey…” he said quietly. “Please tell me.”

Mike turned slightly and instantly met sad, yet unwavering eyes. Eyes that showed someone who was determined to get the truth. Eyes that Michelangelo had missed for over thirty years. The two siblings stared at each other for a long moment before Mikey sighed. Mikey finally spoke, slow and hesitant in a shaky voice began to tell Don why he was so upset.

“That night that the Foot destroyed the lair… we were completely caught off guard. We were instantly overwhelmed and we nearly didn’t make it. The main wall collapsed and we were backed into a corner, literally. We knew that we had to get out of there and we were trying to make it out of the damaged south wall and into the main sewer but it was almost impossible.” Mikey closed his eyes and swallowed deeply before he looked back at Don, who was listening to him intently, waiting for him continue.

Mikey frowned before he finally turned to face Don completely. “Master Splinter-” he took a deep breath, “father- took them all on so we could get away. Raph, Raph absolutely refused to go. Leo and I practically had to drag him out of there but what else could we do? His leg was broken as was one of his arms, Leo had broken ribs, my collar bone…” He looked down at the hands that still held his. They were shaking violently by now but Don still refused to say anything, waiting for Mike to finish. Taking a deep breath, he looked up and met those determined eyes that were already brimming with tears. Mikey shook his head and realized he didn’t have to say anything more as the tears finally fell to stain the small purple fabric across his eyes and Don’s knees seemed to buckle.

Mike reached out and hooked his arm under Don’s to keep him from falling as Don’s head fell forward to rest against Mike’s shoulder as the tears fell freely. Mike just clung to him as he gently allowed them both to sink down to the ground under the darkened lamp as Donatello wailed out his sorrow. Tears were something that Mike had learned long ago solved nothing but with his long lost brother, crying his heart out before him for the loss of their father and he began to feel the familiar sting in his own eyes. Mike hugged him tight as his wailings dimmed to a heart wrenching, hiccupping sobs.

He looked over Don’s head to see April still seated in the cab of the truck, her own tears falling freely from her own eyes as she watched the two turtles. Mike took a deep breath before he finally gave Don a finally squeeze and leaned back, allowing Don some time to compose himself slightly. Don let out a small sigh as he whipped his eyes and looked back up at his brother. “I’m okay,” he reassured at Mike’s worried look.

Mike looked as if he were about to say something when he thought better of it and sighed. “I’ll take you to where we buried him later, so you can say good bye but we have to wait until later tonight.” he said as he helped Don to his feet. “Dawn’s almost here.”

Don nodded as he took ends of his mask and wiped his face. “I’d appreciate that,” he said quietly. Mike nodded again as they headed for the truck once again. Don glanced back over at April and managed a small smile. The woman gave a small one back as she scooted over and waited for the boy’s to climb in, this time Don finding himself in the middle. He waited for Mike to climb back into the drivers seat but spoke before he could turn the truck back on. “What about Leo and Raph?” he asked quietly. “They’re not with you and the resistance are they?”

Mike sighed as he allowed his hand to drop away from the key. “Leo and Raph? They’re not with anyone these days.”

“What happened?” he asked as Mike finally completed the movement of turning the truck back on.

“After Master Splinter passed on, we still looked for you but we just… I don’t know, couldn’t keep it together,” Mike shrugged as he eased out into the road. “The fights between them just got worse and worse and the fights against the Shredder’s forces became harder and more deadly and…” He sighed. “Raph wanted to do an all out assault against the Shredder in revenge for Splinter on the anniversary of his death and for once, Leo actually agreed with the hot head.”

Don cringed. That did not sound well at all. “What happened?” he asked and April suddenly began crying softly beside him again. Don glanced at her surprised before he turned back to Mike, dreading what he had to say.

Mike’s expression turned grim. “We lost Casey,” he said softly and Don jerked in surprise before he turned to April, understanding finally lighting his eyes.

“Oh God. April, I’m so sorry,” he whispered as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

April just nodded as she leaned her head against his shoulder. “It was a long time ago.”

Don gave her a small reassuring squeeze even as new tears began falling down his cheeks. “God… this is just so unreal,” he sighed as he looked around at the abandoned buildings and broken streets.

“But reality,” Mike growled. “And reality is hell.”

Don turned back to look at him in surprise at the darkness in his tone. “Mikey…”

“Well it is,” Mike snapped and Don reared back at the bite in the other turtle’s tone and Mike instantly deflated, his anger gone in an instant. “Sorry,” he muttered. “Anyway, after that failed attempt at fighting Shredder head on Leo and Raph finally couldn’t take each other any more or me,” he added bitterly. “They left to fight the Shredder on their own.”

“What?” Don gasped. “You mean you haven’t seen them?”

“They help the resistance every once in a while but never together,” Mike hastened to reassure Don. “And every time I see them I tried to convince them that we have to work together like we once did but I’m afraid once Splinter died, they just couldn’t move past it and that last fight… God that last fight.” Mike shook his head. “They nearly killed each other that night. God it was so awful.”

“Trying to get them to work together after that was nearly impossible,” April continued. “Hell, just trying to get them in the same room is hard enough as it is.”

“So Leo and Raph are gone?” Don asked.

“They’re still in New York,” Mike answered. “They both gave April a way to contact them and they’ll speak to me once in a while but every time I bring up us as a family or even so much as mention your name…” Mike sighed again as he trailed off.

“Are they mad at me?”

Mike and April turned surprised at the turtle between them. Don didn’t even look at them, looking at his lap instead as he waited with held breath for the answer.

“Damn it Donnie, no one is mad at you,” Mike growled.

“You were,” Don couldn’t help but snap back childishly and he was instantly remorseful at his angered jibe. Mike cringed at the remaindered and Don went to apologize when he thought better of it. Mike did blame him when they had first been reunited at the warehouse and he was still a little bit angered at that.

Mike just sighed. “I’m sorry Donnie,” he said quietly. “I was just… just frustrated.”

Don nodded as he shifted slightly over towards Mike till he was leaning on the other turtle. “I know,” he murmured. “I’m sorry too.”

April wrapped her arm around Don’s arm again and leaned on him as well as they continued on in silence. Don was quiet as he thought over everything that he had been told. His family torn apart by the Shredder and everything that he had ever known was gone forever. His breath hitched as he fought tears once again, his emotions running high. He found himself wrapping an arm around both April and Mikey and just hunkered down in the seat as they continued down the road.

Mike smiled but soon shrugged off Don’s shoulder as he sat back up straighter and cracked his neck. “Look alive you guys. We’re almost there,” he said.

Don still gave Mike a small hug before he slid back a bit further away from Mike as April sat back up and wiped her face. Don settled himself as he looked around now to try and figure out where they were. It seemed that they were in the old warehouse district and Mike turned into one of the side roads towards the far end of the compound.

April leaned forward and pointed at a small cluster of vehicles. “There they are. They’re still unloading.”

“Damn it,” Mike growled. “The sun’s rising. They should be under cover by now.”

“Mike, it takes time to unload,” April sighed.

“Don’t care,” Mike snarled. “Get them under cover and those vehicles hidden. We can finish unloading tonight.”

April looked like she wanted to argue before she finally just nodded. “You’re right… as usual,” she huffed.

Mike just chuckled as he pulled up beside another truck and April quickly climbed out, barking orders that sent nearly everyone scrambling to obey and engines roared to life as the vehicles were moved and people scrambled to move everything into the large building.

Don moved to get out of the truck when he was suddenly grabbed and pulled back further into the truck. He turned surprised to look back at Mike who was frowning at him. “Donnie…” Mike began. “You have to remember that a lot’s changed around here.”

Don frowned as he closed the door that April had left open and turned back to give Mike his full attention. “What is it?” he asked, instantly knowing that there was something that Mike wasn’t telling him.

Mike just sighed. “A lot has changed and everyone here knows the story about your disappearance and knowing Jordan as I do, everyone already knows that you’re back and still only sixteen.”

“Mike…” Don said slowly. “Just tell me.”

Mike sighed and nodded. “During one of our raids, we came across a research lab and liberated a few of the subjects there. One of them… or rather two of them you’ll know.”

Don just stared at him. “Mikey, please just tell it to me straight.”

Mike opened his mouth to answer when the door behind Don suddenly swung open and a rather eerily familiar voice rang out. “Well this is a shocker. Usually you are so careful Michelangelo, but to actually bring this creature here with your precious resistance is a rather large oversight on your part. Do you even know where he’s been for the past thirty years? The possibility that he’s a trap by the Shredder is quite great.”

Donatello gasped as whirled around, instantly rearing back as far away from the figure that shadowed the doorway. Mike grunted as he bumped into him but Don’s focus was solely on the figure before him. He could feel Mike grabbing his arm, to keep him from attacking or running away but he didn’t have to worry about anything like that. Don was to stunned at the sight before him to even really think straight.

“Ah Donatello,” Stockman continued from his glass jar that was attached securely to Hun’s shoulder. “Looking younger than ever. And how do we look? Another of the Shredders apt punishments.” Don just gapped at the two as the floating eyeball in the jar turned to the leader of the Purple Dragons. “Well? Say hello Hun.”

Hun sneered at the floating brain attached to his shoulder before he looked back at the two turtles still in the truck. “Greetings Donatello.”

“What the-?” was all Don managed to get out.

“It’s a long story,” Mike sighed behind him before he turned a sharp look at the two. “And you should be getting under cover,” he snapped.

There was a huff from Stockman. “Temperamental as always I see. Is that a family trait or a mutant turtle trait?”

Mike’s frown deepened before he turned to the full-blooded human. “Hun,” he said darkly, the warning clear in his tone.

Hun just nodded and Don was surprised to see him reaching down. He soon saw why as the wheelchair came into sight. “But I wasn’t finished yet!” Stockman shouted as Hun rolled away and up into the warehouse.”

“Was that-?” Don began, shock still rendering him speechless.

“Uh huh,” Mike nodded as he reached back and opened his own door.

“And were they-?” Don began again as he followed his brother out the drivers side door.

“Uh huh,” Mike nodded again, a small smirk beginning to appear as he went to the back of the truck and quickly handed Don his Bo Staff.

Don just mulled over this for a moment before he glanced back at Mike who was pulling out a few bags from the flat bed and a small smile lit his own face. “They must drive each other nuts,” he finally stated. Mike threw back his head and laughed uproariously, momentarily startling the rebels around them as the two turtles just leaned against the truck and laughed hysterically together till Angel came to fetch them.

To be Continued