As the six-story apartment building singed and burned with flames climbing high into the amethyst sky, a large crowd of citizens who once inhabited that establishment encircled its entrance in dismay. Distraught that the place they once called home was now burning to ashes right before their very eyes, all the teary-eyed people could do was watch as their memories disintegrate; and thank their maker that, in the wake of this disaster, at least they still had their families.
Many were still in tears, some were just amazed… and others were confused. As their clouded memories looked back on the tragic incident, some recalled four large, bulky creatures assisting the elder citizens down the stairs and helping the smaller children locate their families as they pointed the way out of the burning building. In the thick, black smoke, nobody could make out whom, exactly, these guys were. Some thought them to be fire men, but many dismissed that theory: as the fire department had rolled in only a few seconds ago. Well, whoever those strange figures were, they were a major reason why those citizens were still alive. Though a part of their lives were destroyed, they were safe.
Yes, in the regional frontage of the burning building, things looked bad. As it turned out, however, things were just as awful around the back of the housing facility, as well…
"Oh-ho, man," hacked a heaving Raphael, "That was clo-hose, dudes!"
As the turtles wiped the black soot from their shoulders and shells, they coughed incessantly while trying to regain the vast amount of oxygen that had escaped their lungs in the fire rescue they had just performed.
"Yeah," Leonardo commented, catching a quick gasp of air, "Good thing April called us when she did. Otherwise-"
"Excuse me," Donatello interrupted after clearing his throat, "Whaddya mean 'us?' It was my shell-phone she called, y' know. "
Making an effort to engage in the conversation, Michelangelo— who was doubled-over trying to catch his breath— attempted to pick his head up to add in a comment of his own. However, his efforts were dismissed as a deep, chesty cough racked Mikey's exhausted body: quickly resulting in a hacking fit. He wasn't sure why, but for as long as he could, his lungs were his Achilles' heel. This always happened to him: every cough turned into a fit, and every cold, eventually, turned into pneumonia. For a while, Donnie was sure that Mikey was asthmatic, and insisted that he use an inhaler. Mikey, however, refused: claiming he 'didn't need one': and whenever Mikey started to cough like he was now, all Donnie could think to himself was, 'I told him so.'
"You alright over there," Donnie huffed as he watched his poor brother strain his lungs for air.
"F-fine," Mikey choked out hoarsely as his green, freckled cheeks blazed a deep tint of burgundy.
"Alright, guys," Leo chimed, dusting some soot off his left shoulder, "Time to hit the sewers. Our work here is-"
"Emily?! Emily!"
Startled by the absent-bodied cries, the half-shelled heroes quickly looked at each other before locating the source of the sound.
"Sounds like it's coming from the front of the building," Raph said, tilting his head towards the direction of the voice.
Peeking out from the side of the building, the turtles quickly identified the body of which the cries belonged. Frantically pushing her way through the crowd of a now-homeless populace, a young lady in her mid-twenties called the name of her daughter, Emily, who was nowhere to be found after all of the chaos of exiting the building ensued.
"Emily," the young mother screeched as she pushed through the mass of bodies, "Emily! Emily, sweet-heart- where are you?!"
The boys in green were both shocked and confused. They thought they had helped all of the children find their parents. How could there still be somebody missing?
"Maybe," Donnie whispered, "She's just… lost in the crowd, or something."
"We scoped that building top to bottom," Raph added indefinitely, "It's completely clear."
"Don't be so sure," Leonardo inquired anxiously as he pointed up at the smoky apartment building, "Look up."
Obeying their eldest brother's wishes, Donnie, Mikey and Raph gasped as they saw a tiny silhouette peak out from the window: inaudibly screaming from balcony on the second level of the apartment, mouthing what appeared to be the words 'Help me'. Unfortunately, just as quickly as she appeared, the small figure vanished back inside the burning building.
"Wait, dudette," Mikey cried with a cough, "D-don't go back in there!"
"She can't hear you," Donnie gestured worriedly, "She… she's-"
Just as Donatello was about to bring an unfortunate close to his sentence, a roar of screams invaded his train of thought. Startled by the horde's cry, the turtles rushed around to the front of the building toward the back of the crowd so not to be seen.
Screeching in terror, the citizens pointed to the smoke-singed building as they little girl appeared just as she did to the boys in green: on a balcony, crying for help… and scared.
"Let me through," the young mother huffed as she tore through the crowd, "Let me-"
Stopping short, the mother gazed upon the small silhouette which she knew belonged to her daughter. Though she appeared to be nothing more than a blonde-headed blob, a mother knows her daughter.
"Emily," she cried as tears stung her eyes while grabbing the attention of a nearby policeman who was guarding the blockade and taping it off with a bright-yellow band labeled, 'Caution.'
"Officer," the woman screamed, "Officer! Please, my daughter… sh-she's still in there! She's right up there! Please- you have to let me through: I need to save her!"
"I'm sorry, ma'am," the police officer heaved forlornly, "But… This area is prohibited to both citizens and authorized personnel."
"No," the mother hushed quietly, her eyes set wide with disbelief, "No, please- I –I can't just leave her up there. Somebody has to-"
"I really am sorry, ma'am, but this building could collapse at any second. A-and we can't admit anybody: fire men, the Pope. Nobody is permitted to pass through the yellow tape-"
"But my baby! My Emily- she'll die!"
"I'm truly sorry, miss. If there was something I could do to save her-"
"There is something you can do: let me in there!"
"But ma'am-"
" 'But ma'am', nothing," the young mother said forcefully, "That's my world up on that balcony."
As the woman went to pass through the yellow-tape, the police officer used his entire body to stop her from entering the building.
"Ma'am- Bill, Roy: come as soon as you – It's a safety hazard, ma'am," the official yelled through his walky-talky as he called for back-up.
Over-hearing all of this commotion, the boys in green made their way over to the back of the apartment building to conjure up an idea in hopes of saving the girl.
"There's gotta be something we can do," Raphael exclaimed, slamming his right fist into the palm of his left hand.
"But wait," Donatello cut in with his face stained with a discouraging frown, "You heard the officer- no admittance."
"He also said that the building was about to go down any second," Leonardo added as he placed a hand on his eldest brother's shoulder, "Face it, Raph: There's just no way to save her. I hate to say it, but… it's hopeless."
Though he was aggravated and upset by these responses, Raph knew they were right. Needing a way to channel his rage, the red-clad turtle stormed furiously over to a nearby mailbox and punched it. With each repeated jab, the angrier Raphael became. Finally coming to the realization that this, of course, was not helping the situation, the infuriated turtle slumped down beside the dented mailbox: hiding his face in his hands to hide the tears of frustration that were frenziedly streaming from his wide, green eyes.
After beholding their brother's eye-catching display, Leonardo and Donatello look at each other and bowed their heads in rout. Never had the turtles felt so defeated. Just as upset, the youngest of the turtles sighed sadly. Gazing at his brothers, and then looking up at the smoldering edifice, Michelangelo knew what he had to do.
So in a matter of seconds, Michelangelo took a deep breath, looked at the building, and charged through the smoke-blackened back door of the building.
"Mikey," Donnie exclaimed as he saw the quick, orange flash of his brother sprint away, "W-what are you-"
"Mikey, get outta there," Raph shouted, jumping up worriedly, "That building's gonna fall any minute, you moron!
"Michelangelo," Leonardo cried as he went after his brother; only to be stopped by the purple-clad turtle.
"Leo, no! That building can barely hold two people, let alone-"
"So, what are you proposing, Don," Raph intruded furiously, "We just let him go in there… alone?!"
"Raph," Donnie said with a tone of urgency, "If we go trampling through there that entire foundation could collapse. We… we just can't take that risk."
As the three worried brothers stared nervously at the burning ton of quaking construction, they each had the same thoughts buzzing through their minds: 'How long is that building going to hold?' 'What if it collapses?' 'What would we tell Master Splinter?' Though it was difficult, the brothers silenced these thoughts; and focused on the most important thing… Michelangelo.