Buried Alive
A/N: Here's my response to a challenge issued by Connie Nervegas over at Stealthy Stories. So many authors have done this challenge, and I thought I'd give it a try. So, here's what I came up with. I highly recommend checking out the other stories that have been written for this challenge. All of the authors are awesome writers and have good twists and turns in the stories. I hope you enjoy my take on this challenge.
Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT or any related characters. They are owned by Nickelodeon.
Additional Disclaimer (FF only): See my profile under Important Note. So far, I haven't encountered any problems, so maybe the glitch was fixed. However, I don't want to take any chances that it hasn't.
Summary: Splinter is captured by Bishop and trapped in a casket. Can his sons reach him in time before it's too late?
"It has been an honor seeing you again, Splinter-san," the Daimyo said warmly. "I wish that you could stay longer."
"As do I, Daimyo," Splinter said. "Btu I know my sons are expecting me and will be making a feast to celebrate my return. I will come back soon."
"Very well," the Daimyo said. "Give your sons my regards. Perhaps you can bring them along next time."
"Perhaps I will," Splinter replied. "Thank you for inviting me to your home, Daimyo."
"You are quite welcome, Splinter-san," the Daimyo responded. "Have a safe trip home." He used his war staff to create a portal that would transport Splinter to New York.
Splinter bowed to the Daimyo and entered the portal. He came out in an abandoned alleyway in New York City. He waited until the portal disappeared then made his way through the alleyway. Suddenly, he heard a woman's scream coming from three blocks away. The ninja master made his way to the scene of the commotion and spotted two men harassing a young woman.
"Please, let me go!" begged the woman.
"Aw, don't be scared, little lady," replied one of the men. "This won't hurt a bit."
Using his stealth, Splinter came upon the two men and attacked them with his walking stick. One of them turned around and tried to fight the rat, but Splinter was too fast and soon rendered him unconscious. The second man saw what happened to his companion and fled, screaming about monsters in New York. Splinter turned to see if the young woman was alright, but she must have fled because she was nowhere to be found. Feeling relief that she had escaped, Splinter made his way out of the alley But before he could venture any further, he felt a sudden prick in his arm. He turned and found a dart embedded in his shoulder and tried to pull it out, but it was too late. He was feeling the effects of it and tried to fight it off with no success. His last thought before collapsing was how his sons wouldn't know what happened to him.
On the rooftops, two men were looking down at the unconscious rat. One of them was holding a small dart gun. He smiled as he saw the results of his attempt.
The other man took out a cell phone and dialed a number. "Agent Bishop, we've got the rat known as Splinter," he reported.
"Good," said Bishop. "Bring him here so we can commence our plan."
"Yes, sir," replied the man. He hung up and turned to his partner. "Let's get him to Bishop," he said. The two men went down and retrieved Splinter's limp form then went back to Bishop's base via the rooftops. They would have taken a truck, but they were worried citizens would spot them and report them. Both men were happy with their success and knew that Bishop would give them a good reward for their efforts.
"What does Bishop want with him?" asked the second mean.
"Beats me," replied the first man. "I just know we have to take him to Bishop. Let's get moving."
22222
Michelangelo hummed a tune as he stirred the spaghetti noodles and checked on the sauce. Everything was set for Splinter's homecoming. The Turtles thought it would be a good idea to cook a meal in honor of their sensei. When Mikey asked Splinter what he wanted, the rat had stated that he had a taste for spaghetti and garlic bread. So Mikey had set about getting everything ready for when Splinter came home.
Raphael peeked his head into the kitchen. "How's it coming, Mikey?" he asked.
"Almost ready," Mikey reported.
"Great," Raph said. "Leo set the table. I'll drag Donnie out of the lab so we can greet Splinter together."
"Good luck with that, bro," Mikey teased. "What time is Splinter coming home?"
Leonardo looked at the clock. "He said he'd be back around seven," he said. "So, I'd say he'll be here in ten minutes."
Raph went into the lab where Donatello was working on an invention. "Hey, Donnie, Splinter's gonna be home in ten," he said. "Get out here so we can greet him."
"Coming," Don said. He took off his goggles and set his invention down. He followed his brother into the living room where Leo was watching TV as he waited for Splinter. Mikey turned off the spaghetti noodles and sauce and took out the garlic bread to cool. Then he joined his brothers to wait for their father.
Ten to seven….
Five to seven….
Five past seven….
"Where the shell is he?" Raph demanded.
"Calm down, Raph," Leo soothed. "Maybe he's just running late."
"That's not like Splinter though," Don pointed out. "He's never late, and if he is, he calls us."
"Do you think he's in trouble?" Mikey asked worriedly.
"I don't know, Mikey," Leo answered. "Let's give him thirty minutes."
But thirty minutes later Splinter still wasn't home. Leo concluded that they couldn't wait any longer and had to eat dinner. Though they tried to make polite conversation their thoughts were on their missing father. Where could he be?
22222
When Splinter awoke, the first thing he noticed was that he couldn't see anything. Had the dart caused him to be blind? He tried to move around but found that his arms and legs were tied together. Where was he? And, more importantly, who was behind this?
"Sir, he's awake," a voice reported.
"Good," another voice responded. "Remove the blindfold."
Splinter felt the blindfold come off, and his vision was assaulted by bright lights. He squinted until his eyes got used to the light and saw the familiar form of Agent John Bishop leering at him.
"I'm glad to see you're awake, Splinter," Bishop said. "I thought it would be best for you to have one last look around before your demise." He smiled in satisfaction.
Splinter glared at the agent. "What do you want, Bishop?" he demanded.
"You of course," he replied. "It was a little difficult planning how to get you here, but I have managed it. Now, I know you're wondering why I have you here. You see, I've always been fascinated by your mutation and the effects it has had on you and your sons. So, I've decided to conduct an unusual experiment. I'm going to put you in casket and bury you alive to see if you can survive. If you do, I'll set you free so you can return to your sons. If not, then I guess you won't return to them."
Splinter's heart leapt in his throat at Bishop's words. Buried alive? Yes, he knew what that meant. They sometimes had matches in wrestling where the object of the match was to bury your opponent alive. And now such a thing was going to happen to him! What about his sons? How would they know where he was?
Bishop read Splinter's thoughts. "I am giving you a cell phone so you can call your sons," he said. "They will have exactly two hours to come and get you. If they do, you go home unharmed. If they don't, you die. Oh, and Donatello can't track the phone. I thought it would be more fun to give them a challenge to find you. Now, let the experiment begin."
The two men picked up Splinter and put him in the casket, closing the lid. Now Splinter couldn't see very well due to the blackness. He felt the casket being lifted and carried out. He wasn't sure how long it was before the casket was lowered into the grave. His thoughts turned to his sons and how they had to find him within two hours. He only hoped they'd be able to do so and get him out of this mess. Before the dirt was piled on the grave he heard Bishop say, "Remember, your sons have two hours to find you. Good luck."
Splinter waited until the dirt was poured on the grave and his enemies' footsteps had faded away. Then he fumbled in the casket until he found the cell phone Bishop mentioned. He flipped it open, and the screen lit up with a small light. He knew his sons wouldn't be able to track him, but he knew it was the only thing he could do. He wasn't good with technology, though his sons had taught him the basics. He dialed Leonardo's number and hit the Send button, hoping his sons would answer his call.
22222
Back at the Lair the Turtles had finished dinner and were sitting in the living room. Splinter still wasn't home, and they were really getting worried now. They kept looking at the clock and at each other.
Then Leo's Shell Cell rang. They all looked at each other as Leo answered it. "Hello?" he said.
"Leonardo, is that you?" Splinter asked.
"Yeah, Sensei, it's me," Leo answered. "Are you okay?"
"No, I have been captured by Agent Bishop," replied Splinter. "He told me he wanted to conduct an experiment to see whether I could survive being buried alive."
"Buried alive?" exclaimed Leo. His reaction caused the others to start in alarm.
"Yes," responded Splinter. "He said you have two hours to come and rescue me before I die."
Leo's teeth clenched together at his father's words. "Don't worry, Sensei," he said. "We'll get you out of there."
"Please, hurry, my son," begged Splinter.
"We will," reassured Leo. "Do you know where you're at?"
"No, Bishop would not say," answered Splinter. "And you cannot track the phone either."
"Shell," muttered Leo. "Okay, we'll figure it out. Just hang on."
"I will try," promised Splinter. "Hurry. I love you, my sons."
"We love you, too, Father," said Leo. "We'll be there soon."
"Alright," said Splinter. Then he broke the connection to give his sons a chance to get there.
Raphael rounded on Leo. "What the shell was that about?" he demanded. "Where's Splinter?"
'He's been captured by Bishop and buried alive," replied Leo. "Bishop wants to see if Splinter can survive. He said we have two hours to rescue him, or he's dead."
"I'll try and track the signal from the phone," said Don, going to the computer.
"You can't," responded Leo. "Bishop made it so tracking isn't possible. Can you do a search of cemeteries in the New York City area?"
"Yes, I can," Don answered. He began clicking the keys and brought up the results.
"There have to be thousands of cemeteries here," Mikey said worriedly.
"No, there's only two," Don replied. "Pine Crest Cemetery and Holy Angel Cemetery."
"Great," Raph said. "Let's go."
"Wait, how are we going to know how to find Splinter?" Leo wondered. "I mean, he's gonna be hard to find."
"Well, first, we have to look for a spot with no tombstone," Don explained. "That's the easiest way to tell where he's buried. I've also upgraded the night vision goggles to sense body heat better than before. With any luck, we'll find Master Splinter faster that way."
"Okay, we're all set," Leo said. "Raph, you and Mikey will go to Holy Angel Cemetery on the east side. Don and I will got Pine Crest Cemetery on the west side. Call if you find him."
"You got it, Leo," Raph said. After grabbing some shovels they normally took to the farmhouse in the winter time the Turtles were ready to go. Raph started the Shell Cycle, and Mikey got on behind him with a feeling of trepidation in his stomach. Weren't zombies in cemeteries? He had no time to ask before Raph gunned the engine and they were off.
Don and Leo took the Battle Shell to Pine Crest Cemetery. They just hoped they'd be able to find Splinter in time before he ran out of air.
22222
Splinter lay in the casket trying his best to maintain his air supply. He even tried a meditation exercise that would help regulate his air, and it seemed to work. He only hoped his sons would get there soon.
22222
Raph and Mikey arrived at Holy Angel Cemetery and parked the Shell Cycle in a safe spot. Raph got off and began to make his way into the cemetery when he noticed Mikey wasn't with him. He turned to see Mikey by the Shell Cycle, a look of terror on his face.
"Mikey, cone on," Raph said. "Let's go."
"Um, Raph, don't zombies usually appear in cemeteries?" Mikey asked.
Raph rolled his eyes. "No, they don't," he said. "You watch too many horror movies, bro. Now, come on. We have to look for Master Splinter."
"Okay," Mikey quavered. He wasn't eager to do this, but he knew they had no choice if they were going to free Master Splinter.
'Let's split up," Raph said. "You search these plots, and I'll search the rest. Call if you find anything."
Mikey nodded and began looking through the plots. He was still scared about being in a cemetery. Zombies loved appearing in abandoned cemeteries. What if a zombie came and grabbed his ankle? What if the ghosts of the deceased people here came out and tried to hurt him? A sudden rustling made the orange-clad Turtle jump in fright. What was going on? He trained his flashlight in the direction of the rustling and waited. Then he saw a black cat sneak out of the bushes.
He breathed a sigh of relief and continued to search with no luck. He met up with Raph who hadn't found anything either. They concluded that Splinter was at Pine Crest and headed that way to help Don and Leo find Splinter.
22222
Leo and Don arrived at Pine Crest Cemetery and began searching the plots. It almost seemed like they would never find him, but then Leo spotted a mound of dirt without a tombstone. He called Don and reported it.
"Good job, Leo!" Don said. "I'll call Raph." He dialed Raph's number, excitement coursing through him.
Raph picked up on the second ring. "Don, what's up?" he asked.
"Leo's found him," Don replied. "Get over here."
"We're almost there," Raph said. "We'll see you in a few."
Leo was shoveling the dirt rapidly, trying to get to his father. Don came over to help, and they soon found the casket that contained their father. Before they could open it, Raph and Mikey came barreling into the cemetery. They hurried over ot their brothers and helped them lift out the casket When they opened it, they saw their father with his eyes closed, making them fear the worst. But then his eyes opened and he looked around at the Turtles.
"My sons, you made it," he said with relief. He climbed out of the casket with his sons' help.
"Sensei, are you okay?" Don asked, examining his father for any signs of problems.
"I am fine, my sons," Splinter replied. "You made it in plenty of time."
"Good," Leo said. "Now, let's get you home."
Don and Leo helped him into the Battle Shell while Raph put the Shell Cycle in the back with Mikey's help. Mikey was looking at the graveyard and gave a small shudder. He never wanted to be there again. He went back into the Battle Shell with his family, and they made their way back home.
22222
Agent Bishop and his two men watched the Turtles and their father leave. Bishop knew the Turtles would likely succeed, but he also knew that one day he would get the best of them. His day would come.
"Sir, why did you let them leave?" one of the men asked. "You could have captured them."
"Because I gave my word," Bishop replied. "I said that if the Turtles could find their father, they would be able to leave. But don't worry. One day I will have what I want, an the Turtles and their father will wish they never crossed paths with John Bishop."
The End
A/N: So, how was that? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Feel free to leave a review, and have a shell-tastic day.