Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the Cave of No Return
By Blue Rose Kelly. Disk F (Disclaimer; I do not own TMNT thank goodness.)
Chapter 1 Drive into town.
It was getting late in the afternoon and the turtles had been traveling in the Battle Shell for almost three days now. Three days on the road on a search for their beloved father and master who had disappeared with not a struggle and almost no trace. All the turtles worried about Splinter and manifested this in their own ways. Leonardo and Raphael were in the front seats and took turns sleeping and driving and staying for the most part completely silent keeping to their own thoughts. Donatello kept a constant vigil on the Shell-Cell signal on his computer. He could not tell if Master Splinter was at that location now all he knew was that is where he had been. Even Michelangelo was more subdued than normal watching the scenery pass by the window and occasionally crack a joke to lighten the tension or looking over his brother's shoulder to make sure the signal was still there. They all drove in silence praying that their fears were ungrounded and Master Splinter was alright.
Mikey looked out the window at the steady rolling foothills and mountains so close it felt as though he could reach out and touch them. "Dang this is nuts, I didn't realize there was this much open land in Colorado! This is nothing like home sweet New York." Mikey couldn't help but smile thinking about running around in such a big area without fear of being seen.
"Do you have any idea where we are Donnie" Raph said waking up from a nap in the passenger's seat and also checking their surroundings.
"Well guys, we just left Highway 133 and we are looking at the Elk Mountains at McClure Pass" Don answered in his usual matter-a-fact tone looking at the details on the computer screen.
"So you have no idea where we are, do you" Raph said turning around to face his brother from the passengers' seat with his usual irritated expression.
"Not a clue" Don said sheepishly then added "but we are on track with the signal. Turn left here Leo."
The Battle Shell turned onto a side road then suddenly stopped and all the power died.
"What the shell?' Leo exclaimed as he tried to revive the Battle Shell but to no avail. They were stuck.
"Everybody sit tight I'll go check the engine" Raph said getting out of the van.
"No wait, Raph..." Leo said fearing that someone would come and see them.
Chill out Leo we haven't seen anyone in a while, this is more out of the way than the farmhouse" Mikey observed looking out the window down the road in both directions. There was no one in either direction.
"Are there any towns near by Don" Leo asked cautiously getting out of the van to help Raph. "There is a town called Marble on one of the maps. What does the battery look like Raph?" Don replied checking a road map.
"Completely dead! And I know I checked it before we got into Denver and it was fine then" Raph said in frustration checking the vans' battery.
"That's odd it usually doesn't work like that" Mikey commented sticking his head out the door to get a better look at the engine.
"Back inside Mikey we will need to go on foot from here so we need to get our stuff. You still have a pretty good idea where that signal was Don?" Leo asked his brother hoping that it would not be much longer until they had their father back.
"Yeah it should be just up the ridge over there" Don pointed to where they should start their hike.
"Hay Donnie" Mikey chimed in with interest. "There's really a town called Marble, do they make marbles there?"
"No but they do have a marble quarry nearby that was used to get marble for the Lincoln Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Equitable Building back in New York" Don said having researched the area a bit.
"Wow how did they get it out of here with no cranes?" Mikey said in astonishment.
"They put it on trucks and drove it out of the pass." Don explained to his ever curious brother as they started to hike up the hill to get a better view of the land.
On the way all four turtles couldn't help but marvel at the majesty and tranquility of the mountains and the forest. As they reached a break in the trees they were able to see a small town down in the valley next to a clear blue lake. The scene was very rustic and soothed the aches and pains they all had from sitting for so long.
"Wow this is incredible!" Leo exclaimed as they all view of the valley.
After a moment of admiring the scenery the turtles turned their attention to getting back down the mountain face into the valley. There were only dirt roads in this area with no traffic and lots of trees to provide cover making it easy for the turtles to walk without fear of being spotted. Suddenly a shadow drifted slow but urgently away from them between the trees. Leo became especially leery as he noticed the lack of bobbing associated with footsteps; the figure seemed to simply glide between the trees. Was this what had taken their father with no clues other than the Shell-Cell signal. Raph tensed, preparing to chase the shadow person. Don had his bo staff at the ready and scanned the area behind them for movement. The apparition had made Mikey uneasy and he held his nunchakus at the ready and backed up so he was shell to shell with his bothers. Leo tried to concentrate on the figure but it was difficult like trying to catch the wind. The air in this area was stifling, thick with energy and unsettling; though Leo could not put his finger on why. Suddenly they heard footsteps coming from the valley and in a few seconds an elderly woman came into view.
"Come! It will be dark soon it is dangerous to be out here after dark." the woman exclaimed beckoning the turtles to follow her. Dumbfounded the turtles obeyed following the woman back to the village.
