Across the City
Chapter 1: Rescue
A/N: This is a story that has been in my head for quite some time so I figured it would be a good idea to just get it out there. This is an AU set during and after "The Invasion" and showcases what would have happened if the Turtles hadn't fled the city to the farmhouse and were still there when all of this went down. As for what happens, you'll have to read on to find that out because I don't want to spoil anything. I hope you enjoy this story.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and that's it.
Summary: The city is in chaos, and the Turtles are separated from one of their own. Can they reunite and stop the Kraang, or will the aliens succeed? AU set during "The Invasion"
The city was in chaos as the Kraang invaded. People were being mutated left and right, and everything was just a mess. Slash jumped from the rooftops, trying his best to avoid anyone who might see him. He was looking desperately for Raphael and the other Turtles because he felt they would probably be in the middle of all of this. His eyes darted this way and that, but he found no sign of them. Then he heard a commotion up ahead and hurried to see a group of ninjas chasing Leonardo. Slash decided to follow them and see what else was happening. He arrived just as a tiger mutant had Leo in his hands. He was also holding a phone and looking at the screen.
"They wait for him in the girl's home," he reported.
"Bait them out," a man in armor who had to be Shredder ordered.
Slash knew this wasn't a good thing, so he immediately leapt into action and landed in front of them.
"Let him go!" he commanded.
"Ah, another Turtle?" Shredder mused. "This should be interesting."
Slash ignored him. "I said let him go," he commanded again.
"Our orders are clear," the tiger mutant replied. "We are to bait out the others."
"I'm not leavin' without Leo, so you better let him go," Slash snarled.
"Foot, attack!" the tiger mutant ordered.
The ninjas converged on Slash, but the bigger turtle was able to defeat them in no time at all. The tiger mutant growled and released Leo, throwing him at Slash. Slash caught the Turtle and carried him protectively. He reached into his belt and used one of the smoke bombs Raph had given him to cover their escape. He waited to see if anyone was pursuing them, but there was no sound. Slash continued to run worried that he'd find no place to go.
"Hey, down here!" a voice said.
Slash turned and saw a middle-aged man waving to him. Slash immediately came down and joined the man.
"Good thing I found you," the man said. "This city is in chaos. Come inside where you'll be safe." He motioned Slash inside, and the bigger turtle came in still carrying Leo.
"Who are you?" Slash asked.
"The name's Jack Kurtzman," he answered. "I'm a journalist who knows all about the Kraang. I set up this base as protection for anyone who needs it, but so far you're the only one I've found."
"Is there anywhere we can set him down?" Slash asked.
"Here, set him down on this couch here," Jack replied.
Slash carefully set Leo down. The Turtle didn't even stir, and that began to alarm Slash.
"Looks like he got ambushed," Jack noted. He began examining Leo and concluded that he was severely injured. "I can fix him up, but it'll take some time for him to heal. How did you find him?"
"I was looking for his brothers when I found him being ambushed by the Foot," Slash answered. "I got him away from them and then found you."
"Where are his brothers?" Jack asked him.
"I think they're at some girl's home," Slash said. "That's what the tiger mutant said."
"Must be April O'Neil's place," Jack noted. "They're good friends with her."
"Yeah, that sounds about right. You think we should get them?"
"No, there's no way we can get to them now. Best to just lie low since the city's in chaos. We'll just have to do what we can for Leonardo. I hope he'll wake up soon."
"Me too," Slash said. "I'd hate to think what would happen if he didn't make it. Raph would go ballistic."
"I bet he would," agreed Jack. "Look, we'd better just get some rest for now. There's not much else we can do at the moment."
"I'll keep watch over Leonardo," Slash offered. "I think it would be a good idea."
"Sounds fine. We can always switch watches if you want."
"I'll let you know. Thanks for this, Jack. I don't know what we'd do without you."
"No problem. Our next point will be to see if there's anyone else in the city who needs shelter. We can do that tomorrow though."
Slash nodded and turned his attention to Leo. The Turtle still hadn't woken up, and Slash was really getting worried. Leo was never like this and was the toughest Turtle Slash had ever known. But now he looked so vulnerable and hurt with the injuries spanning his body. Jack had patched him up the best he could, but Slash had to wonder if Leo was going to survive all of this in the end. If he didn't, there was definitely going to be hell to pay, and Slash was going to join Raph in giving Shredder a taste of his own medicine. With a sigh, Slash gently took Leo's hand in his own.
"Leo, I hope you wake up, brother," he said softly. "You're safe now, and nothing is gonna happen to you. Just get better for Raph's sake. I don't know where he is, but I'm gonna find him and bring him to you so you'll be together again. We'll get through this and take back the city just as we should." He waited, but Leo didn't even stir at his words. It felt like a bad omen to Slash, and it was something he didn't like to think about. He remained in silence as he kept watch over Raphael's injured brother.
22222
The next day, nothing had changed. Leo was still in a coma, and Slash wasn't sure what to do. Jack surmised that it would probably take some time for Leo to recover from what he'd been through.
"So, now what do we do?" Slash asked.
"I think the best thing we can do is lay low until nightfall then search and see if anyone else needs shelter," Jack answered.
Slash nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I guess I'll just keep an eye on Leo then."
Jack gave him a smile and left him to do other business. Slash wasn't sure what the investigative journalist did in his spare time, but it had to be something interesting. And how did he know so much about the Kraang? Deciding not to ponder this, Slash kept vigil over Leo. It wasn't much fun, but he knew Raph would want him to do it. The bigger turtle talked to Leo, hoping that he would hear him and wake up. He told stories about Raph and what he remembered that even Leo probably didn't know about. Raph would probably kill him for saying something, but Slash didn't care. He wanted to do anything to help Leo get better, even if that meant betraying Raph's trust.
When night fell, Slash left Leo's side to patrol the city. He hated leaving the blue-clad Turtle, but he figured the sooner he found Leo's brothers, the better. As he scoured the city, he found no sign of any of the other Turtles, but a commotion drew him on. He saw a group of Kraangdroids surrounding what looked like a mutant alligator. The alligator was holding his own, but it looked like the tide could turn at any moment. Slash leapt into action, swinging his mace and clobbering quite a few of the robots himself. A Kraangdroid tried to sneak up on him, but before he could do anything, someone else entered the fray and took down the robot. Slash turned to see a mutant monkey with a strange head piece battling the robot. Further on, he caught sight of a mutant pigeon who was doing his best to fight but not having much luck. Slash aided him and quickly disposed of the robots who were trying to hurt him.
"Thanks," the pigeon mutant said. "I was afraid no one was gonna help me out there."
"No problem, brother," Slash replied. "What's your name?"
"The name's Pete," the pigeon answered. "The alligator is Leatherhead, and the monkey is Dr. Rockwell. Who are you?"
"My name is Slash," Slash told him. "I live in a special base. If you guys want, you can come with me where you'll be safe."
"That would be delightful," Rockwell said. "We have been on our own for some time, so it is nice to see someone else who knows where we have been. What say the rest of you?"
Leatherhead smiled. "I would be honored to join you, Slash," he replied.
"I'll come too as long as you have some bread," Pete added.
"I'm sure we have some at the base, and if we don't, then we can find some. Follow me, fellas."
The other mutants followed Slash to the base. All of them were impressed by the size of it and even more surprised when they saw Kurtzman there.
"Who did you bring with you, Slash?" the journalist asked.
"Meet Leatherhead, Pete, and Dr. Rockwell," Slash introduced them. "Guys, this is Jack Kurtzman. He's a journalist who has studied the Kraang for years."
"A pleasure to meet you, old chap," said Rockwell, and the others echoed the sentiment.
Then Leatherhead's eyes fell on the couch and who was laying there. "Is that Leonardo?" he asked.
Slash nodded. "I helped him get away from Shredder and his army. They were ambushing him, so I brought him here after Jack encouraged me to come with him. I've been trying to find his brothers, but I haven't had any luck so far. But now that you guys are here, maybe we'll have more luck with that."
"We would be honored to help you, Slash," Leatherhead said.
"Great. I think we'll make a good team. And all good teams have a name. I propose that we call ourselves the Mighty Mutanimals. What do you say, fellas?"
Rockwell nodded. "I think it is an ingenious name."
"I like it as well," Leatherhead said. "It is something that will give us a purpose for as long as we are here."
"I think it sounds cool like one of those comic books," Pete piped up.
"Then it's settled. You better make yourselves at home."
Pete asked Jack for some bread, and he happened to have some. The mutant pigeon ate happily, sighing in contentment. Leatherhead settled down to sleep because he was tired. Rockwell examined Leo and then turned to Slash.
"What's the verdict, Doc?" Slash asked.
"He's been through a lot, but hopefully he will recover. Tomorrow, I'll see if I can delve into his mind and coax him to wake up. There has to be something there that is preventing him from awakening so quickly."
"Will it work?" Slash asked him.
"I hope so," Rockwell replied. "For now the best thing we can do is keep watch over him."
"I can do that," said Slash.
"No, you've been doing it all of this time. You need your rest too. I'll stand guard over him and then wake you when I feel the need to rest."
"Sounds fine to me," Slash agreed. "See you later, Doc." He went over to his makeshift bed and lay down. As much as he wanted to stay by Leo's side, Rockwell was right. He'd been doing it for a long time, and he needed his rest. He figured if anything changed, Rockwell would alert him and let him know. His last thought was that he hoped that Raph and the others were safe and that they would be okay. He would hate to think of what Leo's reaction would be if anything happened to his family. With a sigh, Slash drifted off to sleep and was happy that he'd found a team of mutants who would help him. He only hoped that things would get better from here on out.
A/N: So that's the end of the first chapter. What do you think so far? I have to admit, I'm excited to be doing this story. Next chapter will be about the Turtles, April, and Casey and what they were doing while this was going on. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.