Thanks to my readers and especially my reviewers; you know who you are!
See Chap 1 for disclaimer, it still applies. I only own Samantha Catania (the OC) and the storyline.
Italics are characters thoughts
Chapter 7: The Un-Rescue
Moonlight shined down through street grates, illuminating the way for the two brothers as they walked in silence. Don absent-mindedly pulled at a loose strand of grip tape on his bo as he walked ahead of Mike. His brain was racing because he didn't know how they were going to unburden themselves of Samantha when they got to the convent. Questioning Mike about the details of his "brilliant" plan was not possible at the moment; he was too busy gasping for breath under the weight of Samantha.
After accidentally pulling a rather large piece of tape off his bo, he cursed himself under his breath.
Great Donnie boy, just one more thing you gotta fix now…
In an effort to distract himself from the mundane walk, he began to concentrate on the sound of Mike's breathing. The erratic rhythm immediately caught his attention and caused him to cast a concerned glance at Mike, but his concern soon melted away to disappointment. He frowned as he noticed Mike had broken into a heavy sweat long before he did when he carried Samantha earlier in the evening. He chalked it up to Mike's lack of exercise and unhealthy appetite, things that had earned him many a lecture from Master Splinter and Leo. He was fighting the urge to turn around and say "We told you so!" but decided to stick to throwing disapproving frowns at Mike instead.
Despite the low light, Mike's keen sense of sight allowed him to spot Don's many over-the-shoulder scowls, and at first he tried to ignore them. But with the situation already testing his patience, he could no longer repress the rising irritation and finally had enough of being silently mocked by his brother.
"What's…yer…prob…dude?" Mike challenged between gasps for air.
Don snorted and replied condescendingly over his shoulder, "So this is what happens when you slack in your workouts and stuff your face? You sweat like a gluttonous pig in a sausage factory when you have to do something that seriously tests your stamina and endurance."
Mike's eyes narrowed underneath his soaking-wet bandana.
Aw great, so he's gonna turn into Leo now?
Mike was in no condition to talk, but he couldn't allow Don's flawed lecture to go uncorrected.
"That…ain't…got…nuth-in'…ta…do…with…it… bro,…and…you…know…it. I…am…not…in…the…bus-iness…of…carry-in'…peo-ple…a-round…"
Mike stopped mid-sentence when he noticed a workman's niche in the wall.
Thank you, God!
Wasting no time, he quickly made a beeline for the niche, ignoring Don and the conversation for the moment. With a huff, he sat down and propped Samantha up into a sitting position, spreading his legs to allow the majority of her weight to rest on the bench and not his legs. He pushed his collar down on his shoulder, and allowed her head to rest on top of it, holding it down so he could have better access to air. A small moan escaped from her lips at the sudden repositioning, but she remained unconscious, much to Mike's relief. He was in no mood for her to wake up and start screaming his ear hole off.
Satisfied with the repositioning, Mike dropped his head until it lay flush with his plastron and he began to take in deeper breaths. He struggled to concentrate on every breath, trying to keep his mind off of strange feelings that now manifested themselves.
Samantha's breath was dancing wonders on his neck, and his hormone levels began to rise in response to the new stimulation. He had never been that close to a female before, and the fact that she was laying on his lap made his head spin in excitement. Mike closed his eyes, hoping that Don wouldn't see his cheeks suddenly flush with embarrassment due to his body's unexpected arousal.
Don stopped, and walking over to stand in front of Mike, waited for the rest of the explanation in silence. Mike's eyes fluttered open, and he eyed Don warily underneath the shadow of his fedora. Don appeared to be oblivious to his inner turmoil with his hormones, and for that, Mike was grateful.
After a few minutes of focused breathing, Mike managed to get his hormones in check, but his temper began to flare when he realized that Don was now tapping his foot in impatience. Mike looked up indignantly at his brother.
"What are you lookin' at, dude?"
"A very out of shape ninja, apparently."
Mike shook his head in disbelief.
"I told you this ain't my thing, bro!"
"So what is your 'thing,' Mikey?" Don challenged as he crossed his arms.
"Strike and retract, that's my thing, genius! You know that…everybody knows that. I'm the smallest and therefore the fastest. My job isn't to tote people around, that's Raph's job. I'm NOT out of shape; I'm out of my element."
Don pondered Mike's point as he scratched at his would-be chin.
"You might be out of your element Mikey, but you ARE out of shape too. You got winded too early in the walk AND you're sweating buckets… both are classic signs of prolonged inactivity."
Mike rolled his eyes. "Whatever, dude. Yer just jealous cuz I'm faster than you." Mike paused and cracked a lopsided grin, "Heck, I'm faster than ALL of you!"
Don snickered at the retort, but didn't reply. Maybe in a way he was a little jealous, but he was never going to admit it. Mike was right...he was the fastest of the group. When he performed his katas, it was a sight to behold, and even Leo in all his perfection could not match Mike's speed. It was irony at its finest; Mike, the hyper-active-never-serious-goof-of-the-clan was the only one that possessed an ability that Leo envied with a passion.
Don smiled at Mike in secret admiration.
Maybe the little stinker isn't so bad after all.
Wanting to get his mind off his hormones and end the irritating debate, Mike raised his eyes to the street grate above them and nodded in its direction.
"So, are we there yet?" Mike whined in a classical child-like impatient tone.
Don looked up through the grate and strained his eyes to focus on one of the street signs above.
"Hmm, not quite, but we can probably surface here and walk topside. I think it's one more block over. There are enough shadows to dip into; we should be safe."
Mike sighed, and with a tired glance, looked at Samantha and then looked at Don.
"Next time, let's rescue someone smaller. This dudette weighs a ton!" Mike huffed.
Don looked at Mike as he was pushing up the grate for them to climb upwards.
"Well Mikey, she is a bit of an Amazon, isn't she? I'd guess she's about 5'8" and weighs close to…hmm," Don paused and scratched his head in thought, "…160 pounds at least."
Mike's eyes went wide and he gasped, "160 pounds my foot, I still say she weighs a ton!"
Don stepped off the ladder and walked over to Mike to continue his synopsis of Samantha's bio-statistics.
"Actually, she looks like she's in pretty good shape," Don mused. "A bit on the curvy side, but still, she's a great specimen of physical fitness."
"Ya got that right bro; she's built like a brick house!" Mike said as he gave her a good look over. "Yea baby!" Mike crooned in his best Austin Powers voice as he stared admiringly at her curves.
Don's cheeks flushed at Mike's observation. He began to rub the back of his neck nervously and a goofy grin spread on his face.
"Well Mikey, I gotta agree with you on that point, but I was actually referring to her physical build, not her…um…womanly features."
Mike grinned wildly at his brother.
"Aw come on bro, I know ya think she's hot too, just admit it," Mike teased.
Choosing to ignore Mike, Don curiously rolled her shirt sleeve up to reveal a well muscle-toned arm. "She must work out…maybe does some kick boxing, or gymnastics. That tuck and roll she did earlier was too well executed to be an accident." Don paused and smiled, "Too bad we couldn't teach her some ninja moves, she'd be able to kick some major rear-ends…"
Mike's eyes lit up in hope, but Don was quick to rain on Mike's parade.
"…but, rules are rules. We have to let her go," Don finished flatly.
Mike let out a sigh and said, "Donnie, you sure do have a handle on the whole party pooper thing, you know that?"
Don grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, there has to be a realist in this situation, and you certainly don't qualify for the position."
Having no vocal retort, Mike simply stuck his tongue out at his brother, and with a groan, picked her up and slowly made his way up the ladder to the world above.
Making the remaining block without incident, Mike and Don hid themselves in the bushes that grew in the front of the convent. Satisfied that they were not seen, they began to scope out the scene in silence.
A few minutes passed before Mike finally spoke.
"So, uh….what do we do now, dude?" Mike asked meekly.
Don cast a bewildered look at Mike. "Uh, this was YOUR brilliant idea, remember? Why are you asking me?"
Mike grinned sheepishly and replied, "Yeah, well, my idea was to bring her here, that's it."
Don narrowed his eyes and asked suspiciously, "What do you mean, 'that's it?'"
"The plan stops here, bro. I have no idea what to do next," Mike declared as he shrank a little into his shell.
Don threw his hands up in exasperation, causing a shower of leaves to rain down upon them.
"So NOW you tell me? Mikey, I thought you had it all figured out!" Don said through gritted teeth.
Shamed, Mike shrugged his shoulders and sat in silence, staring blankly ahead at the convent.
For the umpteenth time that night, Don had a burning urge to lean over and strangle his younger brother. Instead, he turned his attention to the convent and began to observe random occupants roaming the halls in muffled light.
"Well, there appears to be people patrolling the halls. I suppose we could just leave her at the front doors and just ring the bell," Don mused.
Mike gasped and tightened his arms protectively around Samantha.
"No way, dude! We can't just leave her outside!" he said in a panicked tone.
Don sighed, "Mikey, she won't be left alone for very long. As soon as we ring the bell, the nuns will come to the door and take her in. She'll be alright."
Not satisfied, Mike continued, "But what happens if they can't get her into the building?"
Don chuckled, "Well, what's your suggestion? Waltz into the convent and hand her off like a football? The nuns will probably call for an ambulance and the police. They can help them when they get here."
Don sighed and put a reassuring hand on his brother's tense shoulder. "She's gonna be alright, Mikey. I wouldn't leave her at the front doors if I didn't feel she wasn't discovered right away," Don crooned.
Mike's lower lip began to quiver as he shot an anxious glance at Samantha and then at the front doors. "If something bad happens to her, Donnie…" Mike began uneasily.
Don leaned over to inspect Samantha's head wrap one last time. Satisfied that it was still holding up, he gave a small nudge to Mike's arm. "Nothing bad is gonna happen. Now, get going, Mikey. Just lay her down in front of the doors and ring the bell."
Mike could feel his eyes burn with the tears that he was trying in vain to hold back. He looked down into Samantha's face as a few started to roll down his cheeks.
"I don't want to let her go, Donnie," Mike whispered.
Don frowned and replied softly, "You have to, Mikey. We can't keep her. She doesn't belong to us."
Mike bowed his head in reluctant agreement. He gave her one last pining look, and raising her head up, he whispered in her ear something that Don couldn't hear, "If it were up to me, I'd keep you forever."
A tear drop fell onto the side of her face, and he gently brushed it off, replacing it with a small, longing kiss.
Don leaned over and whispered to his brother, "Go, Mikey. The longer you wait, the harder it's gonna be."
Mike whispered back in a broken voice, "Alright…I… I'm going. I just wanted to tell her goodbye."
Don patted his shoulder one last time. "Don't worry Mikey; I'm sure you'll see her again."
Mike nodded, and with one last sweeping glance of his surroundings, stood up and hastily trotted in the direction of the front doors. Even with the burden of carrying a person, Mike moved with true ninja stealth, and avoided all watchful eyes with his swift zigzag movements through the yard, moving from bush to bush. Slightly winded, he arrived at the front doors, and stood with his carapace resting against the wall as he waited for the "all clear" signal from Don.
Don's head popped through the bushes, and after glancing at the windows once again, he nodded reassuringly at Mike and gave a quick thumbs up.
Keeping a hand behind her head, Mike laid Samantha down slowly on the top step, careful not to allow her head to hit the concrete. As he removed his hand from behind her head, some of her hair came undone from the loose ponytail she wore, and a streak of white hair stood out from the black mass of hair surrounding it. Puzzled, Mike bent down to inspect the new discovery.
What tha heck?
He lifted her head and noticed a dark spot on her scalp towards the crown of her head. It appeared to be the origin of the streak of white hair, and Mike grunted in confusion.
Must be some kinda birth mark.
Shrugging his shoulders, he combed her hair back and let her head down slowly onto the concrete. Satisfied with her positioning, he turned to the doors and located the ancient doorbell. Not being content with merely pushing the button quickly, he laid a thick finger against it as if he intended to push it through the wall. The dull buzz was heard echoing through the grand hall, and Mike didn't lay off pushing until he could hear footsteps hastily making their way up to the door. Satisfied that the deed was finally accomplished, he looked once more at Samantha and whispered, "Hasta la vista, baby!" With that, he turned and sprinted towards the bushes with the agility of an antelope.
A nun looked warily through the peep hole, and not finding anyone on the other side, pulled the thick door open cautiously to reveal Samantha's still form outlined by the low light of the hall. Gasps erupted from the nuns gathered at the door as they stood motionless, staring at the unexpected "guest." A consensus was quickly taken among them, and it was decided to carry her in and call the authorities. As the concerned group began to circle around Samantha, a nun bent down and pressed two fingers into her neck to check for a pulse. Delighted to find one, she voiced her discovery to the others and they all bent down to grab at Samantha, combining their strength to pick her up. Samantha was swallowed up in the black folds of the nuns' habits as she was carried out of sight behind the doors.
Don turned to Mike, who was watching the nuns with fascination while absent-mindedly rubbing his aching arms.
"See Mikey, I told you it would be quick."
Mike turned and grinned at his brother. "Yeah dude, they were all over her like cheese on a pizza!"
Don made a face at his brother and replied, "Geez Mikey, is that all you think about…food?"
Mike crossed his arms and replied with a grin, "Nope… girls too."
Don snorted, "Mikey, you are totally hopeless."
Mike let out a hearty laugh in reply and they both slapped a hand on each others' shoulders as they headed to the nearest manhole.
Don pulled the manhole cover over the hole as the sound of sirens trumpeted through the night air, announcing the approach of the police and ambulance.
Mike smiled to himself as he heard the vehicles pass overhead, and his thoughts returned to Samantha.
Yep, I'll see ya again, dudette. Don't know when or how, but you can bet on it.
Yep, another chapter coming up…
Thanks for reading and don't forget to review, folks!
