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Othello Von Ryan (a.k.a. Donnie) had been working for days now to excavate their once beloved home. He had managed to tunnel into what used to be their living room. He had set up several temporary support beams and other technological gadgets to keep the whole place from falling in on him while he labored. Hand-made lights lit up the darkness, giving him the sight he needed to continue.
Now, using an old floor plan he had made of their lair a while back, he was gradually making his way to his lab.
“It should be riiiiiiiiight here.” Donatello muttered to himself as he marked the next spot for his drill. If he was correct, this was where the hallway that led down to his lab should be.
This would be the last time he would use his drill. Everything after this point would require a much more delicate touch for fear of damaging what he was trying to find.
Using a shovel, he placed the rubble leftover from the drill in a floating cart behind him. Once full, the cart would transport the debris to a separate part of the sewers to clear his path. He searched through each shovel-full diligently before placing it in the cart.
Once he drilled as far as he dared and after setting up the necessary support beams, Donnie used his mechanical legs, a crowbar, and occasionally just his own two hands to move rubble aside.
The sound of shifting concrete, creaking metal, and dripping sewage were his only company as he carefully moved the broken materials behind him, searching for something, or someone. Other than that, he toiled silently, his brilliant mind completely zeroed-in on the task at hand.
Until something interrupted the familiar sounds.
Donnie paused his digging to listen carefully. He could hear heavy footsteps gradually growing louder and louder in volume. After a brief period Donatello recognized the owner of the footsteps and continued his work.
The footsteps paused just behind Donnie. The purple turtle didn’t even bother to turn around. He kept digging through the debris, half-hoping that he would be left alone if he didn’t say anything.
“Heya Donnie, how ya doin’?” Rumbled a deep and familiar teenage voice.
Alas, hopes are meant to be crushed.
“Fine.” The word dropped from Donnie’s mouth like a stone. He picked up a shard of purple metal and examined it closely before tossing it to the side. Why did he have to make everything purple? It made it so much harder to distinguish one shard of crushed tech from the other.
‘Because purple is the superior color, my friend,’ Donnie replied to himself. ‘To even consider any other color would be a travesty.’
‘Touché.’
Donnie’s inner conversation was interrupted by the tapping of Raph’s large three-toed foot.
“Are you sure you’re okay, bro?”
Donatello sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow. He turned to behold his big brother standing behind him.
Raph had his arms crossed and his head slightly tilted to the side. Concern lined his face, leaving Donnie to suspect that he would not be so easily dismissed with a few half-hearted responses.
“Yes," was Donnie's curt response. "I have just finished doing a scan of my own brain and I am 100% sure that I am a-o-kay. The concern is appreciated but unnecessary.” Donnie returned to his prior activity of sifting rubble. “Now, if you excuse me I have a lot of digging to do, so if you wouldn’t mind leaving me to work in peace, please go.”
Silence stretched between them. The big lug made no move to leave. He just stood there, shifting his feet from time to time.
Just as Donnie was beginning to feel guilty for snapping at him, Raph spoke up again, sincerity in his voice.
“Look, I’m really sorry Don. I know how much he meant to you.” The turtle with a red bandana rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, clearly unsure of what he needed to say in this situation. “If you wanna talk about it, I’m here. Ya know that, right?”
Setting down the broken metal Donnie was studying, he considered Raph’s words. He hadn’t said anything to anyone about what had happened the day Shredder attacked their home. Not even when Leo told him that he had asked Sheldon to protect Gram-Gram.
That was when Donnie realized why Sheldon hadn’t been answering any of his messages.
He understood. It was the best thing that Leo could have done in that situation. The fate of the world was in the balance. Gram-Gram’s life was at stake. Donatello would have done the same. Right?
Donnie fought down the overwhelming urge to snap at Raph again, to release his anger, frustration, and fears at the only other living thing in this desolate place. He knew that his big brother didn’t deserve it. If anyone did, it was the Shredder, but he was already gone.
Taking several deep breaths, Donatello reached into that peaceful place he had discovered with his brothers after saving the very turtle who stood behind him. The same place he reached into to keep from losing his mind at Leo when he realized he never got to say goodbye to his most beloved piece of tech, his greatest pride and joy.
“Yeah, I know. Thanks Raph. Really. I just-” Donnie paused, searching for the right words. “-need to do this.”
“Okay.”
Donnie was expecting Raph to leave after he said that. He was not expecting Raph to bend down and pick up some of the larger pieces of stone and move them to the rubbage cart.
“Raphael, what are you doing?”
“I’m helping!” Raph responded cheerfully, tossing a large pipe fragment into the cart. "We'll find our friend faster if we do this together."
After a moment of shocked silence, a grateful smile graced the genius turtle’s face.
“Thank you.”
“Mmm-hm!”
“Any purple metal you find, bring it to me. I should be able to recognize Sheldon’s casing. Be careful not to crush anything in the process.”
“You got it!”
Hours passed as the two brothers chiseled, dug, and shoveled wreckage side by side. They chatted about their favorite subjects from time to time. Mostly they labored in silence, Raph sensing the importance of their mission and Donnie simply forgetting that talking was an option. The purple turtle was used to working alone.
With a yawn, Donnie rubbed his eyes and checked his wrist-screen, realizing just how late it was. He glanced over at the other turtle by his side.
Raph seemed rather tired yet determined. To Donnie, he was moving noticeably slower than he had when they first started.
If he had been alone, Donatello would have kept on toiling away. However, with Raphael by his side, he felt responsible for calling him off. For once, Donnie studied all they had done so far, and deemed it sufficient. He had gotten a lot more done than he had in previous days with two pairs of hands instead of one.
“Okay Raph, that’s enough for today.”
Raph lifted up a large chunk of concrete that only he could carry.
“Really? What time is it?”
“1:21 A.M.”
“What!?” Raph quickly ran the conglomerate to the debris cart and tossed it in. “You wanna head back?”
“You can. I’ll be sleeping nearby so I can get an early start tomorrow.”
A deep frown clearly displayed what the big brother thought of that. “C’mon, if you come back to our new place, you’ll get much better sleep there. You’ll be able to work better and faster with a good night’s rest.”
Donnie drew his lips in a thin line and stared at the broken entrance to his lab. Fingers clenched tight into fists at the thought of his favorite creation lying there, twisted and broken, every hour that passed by making it more and more likely that water would leak into his circuits, ruining them forever.
A strong and comforting hand was placed on his shoulder and Donnie regarded his brother with shining eyes.
A sad yet loving smile was all Raph could offer him, but it was enough.
Clenched hands loosened and Donnie bowed his head in submission, nodding slightly.
With an arm around his shoulder, his big brother led Donatello down the tunnel and out into sewers, walking back to their temporary base.
~
The next day Donatello got up earlier than anyone else in their new hideout, just like he had every other day since they defeated the shredder.
He quickly made his way back through the sewers to his self-made entrance to their old home. He had memorized the route by now, and it didn't take him long to transport all of his gear alongside him.
One by one, he flicked the switch to turn each of the lights throughout the tunnel back on. He soon reached the place where he and Raph left off. He flicked on the final light and got to work.
Just as he was getting into the groove of things, his task was interrupted again by the sound of footsteps. Not just one pair, but several.
Donnie swiveled from his position on the floor just in time to see a green head with an orange bandana pop up the ladder.
"Hey there Donald! Your back-up has arrived." With a smooth jump and a flip, Mikey launched himself up and off of the ladder, landing just behind his brother.
Before Donatello could respond, another turtle, this time wearing a blue bandana zapped into existence above the ladder. He strode over casually until he reached Donatello.
“You should have told me you were down here, man," Leonardo complained, crouching down next to Donnie and placing a hand on the back of his battle-shell. "I would have helped earlier!”
Their final brother finished climbing the ladder without any special stunts. He grinned at Donatello, his handsome snaggletooth gleaming in the artificial light.
“Alright Donnie, we’re here to help. Just tell us what to do and we’ll do it!”
The inventor was speechless. His eyes were wide with shock as he gazed at one brother to the next.
Eventually he smiled, then drew himself upright, determination overcoming his face.
“Thank you brethren,” he said gratefully, stretching out his arms, then bringing them together to pop his knuckles.
He gave each of them the same instructions he had given Raphael the night before. Raph was put in charge of moving the larger pieces of rubble, while Leo, Mikey, and Donnie all searched through the plentiful shards of broken purple metal, looking for any sign of Sheldon.
Leo worked the hardest of all of the brothers, excluding Donnie. He was abnormally quiet, only dropping the occasional pun every few minutes instead of every few seconds.
After a while they had cleared a large space into what used to be Donatello’s lab. With Raph’s help, Donnie set up a few support beams, asking his other brothers to pause in their occupations as they did so.
Donnie tapped at the screen on his wrist and activated several devices.
A half dozen miniature hovering drones flew out from behind them and over the wreckage, making Raph jump. They scanned separate areas until they stopped to hover over different spots with red lasers pointing down at the ground.
“These are special sensors programmed to find any part of my tech that might still be potentially functional. Let’s focus on digging up at the indicated locations from now on. It should help us spend our time more efficiently.”
The three brothers nodded in understanding and returned to the grind.
At some point, Donnie and Leo found themselves on their knees working side-by-side while the other two brothers moved rocks and metal across the room.
“Don?”
“Hm?”
“I’m really sorry.”
Donnie sighed. He should have known this conversation was coming.
“I shoulda asked permission before I told him to protect Gram-Gram.”
“We were in the middle of a battle, dum-dum, there was no time.”
“I know but, if I hadn’t, he would still be here.”
Leo stopped sifting through the debris and stared down at the broken remains of their home. His expression was dripping with guilt. His shoulders were tight, held high as he bowed his head low in shame.
Donnie realized Leo must have been beating himself up about this for a while now. He cursed himself for saying nothing, for attempting to let the issue disappear on its own instead of addressing it.
“I doubt that.”
The red-eared slider tried to protest again but the softshell cut him off.
“Leo.”
Donatello’s tone forced Leo to switch his gaze from the rubble beneath him to Donnie’s face. The inventor’s expression was calm. It held no trace of anger or resentment, which caused Leo to relax his shoulders.
“I’m proud of Sheldon for giving everything to protect our family.” Donnie explained with a wistful smile. “I don’t blame you for what happened. There’s nothing to apologize for.”
After hearing Donnie’s words, the guilt left Leo’s frame. He returned the smile and got back to work.
The smile soon transformed into one of mischief as he held up a fragile chunk of rock.
“Wow dude, I guess we’re really-” Leo dropped the stone and it cracked in half. “-breaking through to each other, huh?”
“Ugh. I retract my previous statement. An apology is required.”
“Maybe you just need to dig a little deeper and find your sense of humor.”
After a few minutes of familiar bickering, the twins continued digging together in silence, feeling much more comfortable with the other.
An hour later, Leo called for help from one of the spots that had a drone pointing a laser over it.
“Raph, lift that piece up, I think I see something!”
Raphael was quick to come to Leonardo’s aid. Leo peeked underneath the block of concrete that Raph was holding up into a hole in the wreckage.
“Guys! I see Sheldon's eye!”
Leo tried to reach his arm in the hole without success. "It's too small, I can't fit my arm through!"
The other turtles scrambled over to peak into the hole. Sure enough, what appeared to be Sheldon's mechanical eye stared back up at them, lifeless.
Raph grunted, pulling the chunk of concrete over and setting it down on a different part of the ground. "Mikey! You're the smallest. Reach in and see if you can get Sheldon outta there!"
Mikey attempted to do as his big brother asked and managed to touch Sheldon's frame. "There's too much stuff in the way!" He declared, desperately pulling to get more debris out of the hole. "We gotta clear this out before we can get to him!"
A desperate sense of urgency fell over the group of teenagers. As much as they wanted to rip the spare rubble from the hole as fast as possible, Donnie reminded them that they had to be careful or risk damaging the drone even further.
With forced surgical expertise, they moved bits of metal along with any stone they got their hands on out of the way, slowly enlarging the gap in the floor.
Mikey was the one who finally managed to pull the damaged drone out of the hole.
Sheldon had been cut clean in half. He was still in his larger battle form. His outer casing had been severely damaged by the fallen debris, and one of his orange-red eyes was completely crushed. The remnants Mikey held in his arms were a sad reminder of what Sheldon used to be.
Mikey's enthusiasm faded while he studied Sheldon's broken body. His eyes watered and tears flowed out over his cheeks as he mourned the little robot.
"I-*sniff* I'm sorry Donnie."
Donatello slammed into Mikey with an uncharacteristically large hug.
"No-no-no, you beautiful, beautiful, boy, this is fantastic!" The overjoyed turtle exclaimed. He took Sheldon's remains from Mikey's hands and examined them carefully, investigating for signs of water damage. "If his hard drive and inner circuitry is intact, I'll be able to save him! All of his unique updates, memory files, personality coding, everything!"
Hugging the broken machinery to his chest, Donnie beamed down at his little brother.
"Well, I was the one who found him." Leo pouted, folding his arms and looking off to the side. "I woulda grabbed him if I could."
Shortly after Leo's complaint, he became the next target of Donnie's hug-attack. "Thank you so much for finding him, o' dear brother of mine!" Donnie proclaimed, squeezing Leo as tight he could. "All of your past transgressions have been forgiven."
Two huge and muscled green arms wrapped around Donnie, Leo, and Mikey.
"Great job team!" Raph praised, lifting his three brothers into the air triumphantly. As he did so, the floor beneath them creaked ominously, making them all look down uneasily.
Raph set the other turtles back on the ground. "Now let's get the heck outta here before this place collapses on us!"
"That is a fine idea."
"Alright, I’ll cave."
"Let's gooooo!"
The ceiling did not collapse on them as they left.
The four brothers chatted happily as they made their way back to their temporary lair. Donnie was the happiest of all of them, clutching Sheldon tightly to his chest the entire trip home.
~
Back-up drives restored. Processing systems online. Rebooting…
A purple drone's flawless electronic eyes blinked on from their powered off state. His small head looked up from his recharging station, stopping on the purple turtle in front of him.
"Hey Dee, how long was I out?"
Donatello was unable to respond before the drone remembered what he had been doing just before he went down. His wings kicked on, propelling him into the air.
"Wait, Karai!"
Sheldon zoomed into the air, spinning around in the air, searching for his charge.
"The Shredder, he just came in. Donnie, where is he?!"
An answer didn't come. Donatello had his two hands pressed together and held up over his lips. His eyes were sparkling as he watched his drone zoom around the room, without any hint that he had been previously broken.
The drone stopped his frantic search and turned towards Donnie, confusion coded plainly across his little face.
"Dee?"
Without saying anything, Donatello reached out and pulled the drone towards him into a hug. Dr. Feelings would have been proud.
"It's okay," Donnie comforted, holding Sheldon's warm metal close. "He's gone now. You're here, that's all that matters."
"Oh." The rare hug lasted a full minute, something Sheldon enjoyed until curiosity got the better of him and he pushed away from his creator.
"Seriously though dude, what happened to Shredder?"
~
“Leo, Sheldon, you are not allowed around each other without adult supervision. This is non-negotiable.”
“Wait, whaaaaaat?”
“C’mon Dee, that’s not fair!”
"Sheldon, you went offline and Leo, you were the last one to see him before that happened. I have the right to impose some restrictions.
"Hold a grudge why dontcha."
"Ugh. Fine, Dad."
"..."
"Donnie, are you crying?"
"No! I have oil in my eye!"