8A/N: I honestly don't know what the bad guys' names are, nor do I know what the boys call them. So, I improvised. If anyone knows what names I should be using, please let me know. ':D I'll probably stick with the improvised names for this story, though, since it's mid-season one, anyway.
"And remember-"
"The mission comes first," Raph droned along with Leo and Mikey, drowning out Donnie's statement.
Honestly, get distracted by lost kittens in the alley once or twice -or five times- and Donnie acted like his brothers didn't know how missions worked! Go in, beat up the bad guys, grab the thing the bad guys stole, then get out and celebrate with pizza. Easy!
Slight movement from the right caught Raph's attention. He turned and waved at Mikey, then pointed at the fire escape he was supposed to be waiting on. Mikey threw a dramatic salute, then scrambled up the fire escape ladder with a clatter of his knee pads against the metal.
"Hey, guys," Leo said over their comms, "Whoever takes down the biggest foot guy chooses the pizza toppings this time. Spoiler alert, it's gonna be me!"
Raph and Mikey protested -Leo chose the worst toppings! Donnie's only contribution was a sigh.
Raph shook his head, telling himself to focus. The mission came first, celebrate second.
A door opened at the front of the alley, and three of the foot-face ninjas hurried out. The largest of the trio -who Raph called Flame-Face- was holding an odd-looking gadget that sparked from the broken cords dangling under it. The scrawny guy -Foot-Face, not to be confused with the general foot-face ninjas- was doing something with a palm-sized piece of shiny metal. With them was the girl Raph had only called "Recruit," so the name had stuck.
Raph looked across the alley to Donnie, who was obviously still in place and waiting impatiently for Raph to give the signal. Raph smiled and didn't disappoint.
"Cowabunga-a-a!"
Roaring, Raph ran into the alley, swinging at Recruit in the back. Donnie leaped Raph with the aid of his battle shell, his staff swinging for Flame-Face.
The foot-faces were caught by surprise by the sudden, loud attack. Raph's fist threw Recruit into Foot-Face, knocking him over. Donnie's staff hit Flame-Face, who didn't even flinch. Donnie quickly sprang back behind Raph.
"Retreat!" Foot-Face rasped, pushing Recruit away.
Raph charged with another roar, keeping the foot-faces' attention on him. Flame-Face ran away and was promptly tripped by Mikey's kusari, which had been strung across the alley. Flame-Face fell, flailing wildly as the device slipped from his fingers. A small, blue portal appeared on the ground, and the device slipped into it before Flame-Face could grab it.
Raph grinned and looked up. Leo sat at the top of the fire escape, his expression mildly stunned when the device dropped out of a second portal and into his hands.
Leo leaped to his feet, recovering quickly. "Hah! In your footy-faces!"
Foot-Face growled and threw a handful of paper warriors. Raph retreated a step as three of them grew to full size and crashed into his tonfa. Another paper warrior leaped over Raph at the same time that Recruit dodged around him. Raph twisted, catching sight of Donnie turning to face the paper warrior.
"Donnie, look out!" Raph yelled as he struggled to push away the paper warriors.
"I see it," Donnie said flatly, swinging his staff.
The bo staff sliced through the paper warrior with ease, reducing it to shreds. At the same time, Recruit leaped! Before Donnie could react, the girl was on his back. She stabbed a sai downward, and Donnie lurched forward a step with a startled shout.
Raph roared in anger. Oversized, mystic arms appeared around Raph's tonfa, hurling the paper warriors away. He grabbed Recruit and ripped her away from his brother, throwing her down the alley without a second thought. Donnie's battle shell hit the ground.
"Donnie!" Raph said, grabbing his brother's shoulders.
"I'm fine," Donnie said with a hint of irritation. He brushed Raph's hands away. "She only severed the harness. Mission first, Raph!"
Raph looked down the alley to find Leo and Mikey had been forced halfway into the alley. Paper warriors lined the upper fire escapes, blocking their way out. Not that Leo seemed overly concerned, slicing away at paper warriors and blocking Flame-Face's attempts to retrieve the device. Mikey was jumping and swinging around, mockingly bouncing his fundo off Foot-Face's face tattoo.
"Wait here," Raph ordered Donnie, then charged in.
Foot-Face suddenly caught the fundo and yanked on the weight, throwing Mikey off-balance so he sprawled on the ground and lost his grip on his kusari-fundo. Mikey yelped and rolled away from a paper warrior, just as Leo jumped in.
"Hate to cut in," Leo said with a laugh. "Can I have this dance?"
"Only if I can lead," Mikey said with a broad wink.
Foot-Face paused with a raspy, "What?"
Mikey scooped up one of the fundo. Leo grabbed the other and threw it past Foot-Face. The kusari hit Foot-Face across the stomach, and the momentum carried the fundo around Foot-Face so the kusari wrapped around him three times. One firm yank from Mikey sent him spinning around. He staggered dizzily around while Leo and Mikey laughed, oblivious to Flame-Face charging their way.
Raph leaped over his brothers and punched Flame-Face. The hulking ninja barely flinched, and Raph had to duck a return punch. The two traded a few punches, both largely unaffected by the glancing blows.
Recruit suddenly ran past the pair, bearing a katana and a wicked grin. A glance told Raph that she was headed for Leo, who was facing a couple paper warriors with Mikey.
Before Raph could shout a warning, Donnie vaulted over the fighters to intercept Recruit. He stumbled when he landed -probably because he wasn't used to fighting without his battle shell!- and crashed into Recruit. His momentum sent the two of them tumbling past Raph.
"Donnie!" Raph yelled, turning half after Donnie.
Donnie, now facing Raph after the tumble, sprang to his feet. "Mission, Raph!"
The reminder came a second too late. When Raph turned back to his own fight, Flame-Face was already swinging. The punch to the jaw sent stars dancing across Raph's vision. He dropped to his knees, shaking his head in a frantic effort to recover.
Mikey's yelp brought Raph's head sharply up.
Flame-Face had thrown Mikey against the wall, causing the youngest turtle to lose his grip on his weapon. Leo, slicing the last paper warrior in half, had to quickly face another six paper warriors unleashed by Foot-Face.
Raph glanced behind him, pausing only long enough to ensure Donnie was holding his own for the moment, then threw himself forward. He forced Flame-Face away from Mikey, giving his little brother time to recover his breath. Flame-Face stumbled into Foot-Face, knocking him forward just as Leo finished a downward slice of his odachi.
By pure bad luck, Foot-Face landed on the back of Leo's odachi, preventing Leo from attacking. Leo was also caught off guard, and the pair fell awkwardly to the ground.
Foot-Face made a slicing motion, and a paper ninja burst to life right in Leo's face. Leo jerked backward, pulling his odachi out and up to defend himself. At the same time, the device slipped from his fingers and clattered to the ground.
"Now!" Foot-Face yelled.
Fire escapes clattered as the watching paper warriors threw themselves downward. Raph instinctively turned toward Donnie, knowing he'd be the most vulnerable.
Donnie was flat on his back, bo staff the only thing between him and Recruit's katana. Still, he saw Raph turn.
"Mission!" Donnie hissed.
"Raph, he's fine, the device!" Leo hollered.
Raph spun with a growl. Paper warriors had backed Leo and Mikey away, allowing the two foot-face leaders to reach for the device. Raph roared a challenge and charged!
Foot-Face yelped and Flame-Face tried to fend off the attack, but a single swipe of Raph's mystic-powered arms threw them against the wall. He scooped up the mystery device and cradled it against his body with a scowl, daring the foot-faces to try and take it.
Foot-Face growled, then called, "Retreat!"
Recruit leaped over Raph, landing beside the pair. A big, purple-white portal appeared beside them, and the trio ran into it. They vanished in a blink, leaving the turtles and a half dozen paper warriors.
Raph smashed a pair of paper warriors, getting the last of his anger out in a single swipe. Seeing Leo and Mikey had the rest of the paper warriors in hand, Raph turned back down the alley.
Donnie was climbing to his feet, moving slowly. His face was bruised and dirty from the alley trash, but he was upright. Mostly.
Raph narrowed his eyes in worry when he saw Donnie was using his bo staff for support. But where else was he hurt? The alley was just dark enough that Raph couldn't tell if the dark spots on Donnie's body were dirt or blood.
"Donnie, are you hurt?" Raph asked.
"Did you get the disruptor?" Donnie asked in response.
Leo chuckled. "Yeah, he's fine."
Raph turned to give Leo a mildly unimpressed look. Leo raised his free hand with a smile.
"The disruptor?" Donnie asked again, his voice harsh.
"I got the device," Raph said, holding it out so Donnie could see it.
"Good." Donnie took a few steps closer, until he was just a step away from Raph. Then he lifted his head and said, "Because I'm about to pass out."
Startled by the straightforward warning, Raph almost didn't react in time. But when Donnie's eyes rolled back, instinct took over. Raph dropped the device and thrust out both arms, catching Donnie when his brother fell limply forward. Donnie fell silently into Raph's arms, his bo staff slipping from his fingers to clatter to the ground.
"Donnie!" yelled Leo and Mikey.
Raph might have yelled, too, except he suddenly felt as though he couldn't breathe. He'd finally seen where Donnie was hurt.
From his right shoulder to his left hip, Donnie's carapace was cleaved right through!
A/N: This fic might've been inspired by one of the old comics... bye!