Carnival of Rust Chapter 7
Being knocked unconscious became part of her routine, every 6-7 days, her cell would be filled with gas. Each time it happened, the dark wish that she wouldn't wake up this time was her last thought. The hope of rescue had withered and died over the past few weeks. Weight melted off her recently healthy form as depression overwhelmed the urge to eat. Groups of scientists would huddle at the front of her cell each morning, or at least what she assumed was morning. The topic had to be her and the recent weight loss. But Kori just couldn't get up the energy to care.
One morning, Kori was contemplating the chain attached to her ankle. It was long enough to wrap around her neck, but she doubted they would let her suffocate herself before intervening. With a broken sigh, she turned her attention back to the wall. Kori jumped to a standing position as a voice sounded over the intercom in her cell. The room spun from the rapid movement and she sat back down heavily. "You are too valuable to starve yourself. If you continue to not eat, we will have to force feed you." She shot her tormentor a glare before curling back up on her bed and facing the wall. "Have it your way." Kori didn't even move as the gas hissed into her cell.
Raphael leaned in the doorway to Michelangelo's room and watched him for a few moments. Mikey secured his nunchakus in his belt then turned to face his brother. "You sure you're up for this, Mike? We don't even know if we'll find her tonight, or what kind of condition she'll be in."
Mikey's eyes flared with blue fire, "Then I'm gonna need sharper weapons."
"God damned it, Mike! Stop and think for half a second. You think we don't wanna shut this hell hole down for good, too? But none of us are gonna do that if we have to worry about you running off and getting yourself injured or killed!"
"Talk about pot calling the kettle black! How many times have you flown off the handle and left the rest of us worry if you were going to come back?"
Taking a deep shuddering breath, Raphael closed his eyes and reminded himself the whole point of this little chat was to make sure his younger brother was focused for tonight, NOT to get him wound up. "Mike, you know I'm not the best to preach about focus and all that, that's Leo's job. I want to beat the crap outta whoever's responsible, maybe not as much as you, but sure as shit I want to see it done. But how much good do you think you're going to be to the mission, to Kori, if you make Leo worry about the both of us?"
The honesty surprised a chuckle out of the orange clad turtle. Raphael was relieved to see a spark of mischief in his blue eyes. "About as much good as it is having two fearless leaders." Raphael gave his younger brother a light punch on the arm, rolled his eyes and left.
The four brothers were hidden in shadows across the street of their target. The seemingly abandoned warehouse had all its windows boarded up, but Donatello assured them there was quite a bit of activity in the building.
"I was able to hack into their security system. Really once I knew the physical address, the security system was a bit of a joke. I was able to insert a virus that should target their computer systems in about 20 minutes. It seems like most of their activity is in the evening and at night. I'm guessing they're trying to keep from attracting too much attention with people coming and going from a supposedly abandoned building."
"So we're going in there at night, when there's most likely to be the most people?" Raphael looked at Donatello, a little confused.
"Do you really think US strolling up to the building would attract less attention? Plus more heads to bash to keep you two hot heads busy."
Leonardo was a little disturbed to see the equally cold grins Raphael and Michelangelo shared. "Let's remember the mission. Get information, find and free Kori and any other captives. We are not here to destroy the place, at least not tonight."
"Don't forget, we need to plant my bug." Donatello held up a small memory stick.
"Alright, Donnie, where are we going in?"
The four brothers were able to make their way towards the center of the building. Leonardo had grabbed a scientist and they had drug him into an empty room and were questioning him about the place as Donatello uploaded his 'bug.'
"Figure we got all the info we need." Raphael looked at Leo with an eye ridge raised.
"Please, please, don't kill me, I won't say anything, I'll find a new job, seriously anything!" The scientist babbled with tears of fear streaking down his face.
Golden eyes rolled before the red clad turtle cracked the babbling scientist in the back of the head knocking him unconscious. Leonardo shot his brother a disapproving look. "What? He was making a racket. I didn't kill him."
"Well we know where Kori is. Raph, feel up to making a diversion?" Leonardo grinned as his brother just twirled a sai in response. "Right, stupid question. Donatello, I want you and Michelangelo to wait here until we cause a big enough distraction. Then go find Kori. We'll meet back at the lair."
"So fearless, feel like cuttin loose?" Raphael and Leonardo were in the air vents to the holding room. The clear cells filled Leonardo with a rage he seldom felt the urge to express. Three of the four were empty, but the last one held a bird mutant. From the look of the walls of the cell, those talons could do some damage.
Leonardo nudged Raphael, "I think getting her loose would cause sufficient distraction." The brother's shared a rare conspiratorial grin.
An angry battle cry echoed through the halls followed by the wail of an alarm. Booted feet rushed in the same direction Raphael and Leonardo had disappeared. "Distraction?"
"Distraction." Donatello followed his brother out of hiding. As they rushed down the hallway, Michelangelo barely slowed down as he knocked out the few slower responders to the alarm. Heart thrumming in his chest, Donatello followed his brother. The hallway suddenly opened into a large lab. The room was mostly empty, except for two scientists in lab coats. Michelangelo rushed them with a yell. Donatello paused, then rushed to the table they had been hovering over. Strapped to the table was an emaciated Kori. All of her vitals seemed strong. "Mikey, don't knock them both..." He looked at his brother who now had both scientists unconscious at his feet. "...out."
Michelangelo tentatively walked up to the table where Kori was laying. "Donnie, what's wrong with her. She's so thin, is she alright?" Without waiting for an answer, Mikey leaned over Kori's unconscious form. "Kori, wake up, please. We're going to get you out of here. Come on, dudette, answer me." His trembling hand cupped one of Kori's cheek. Tears started streaking down his face and landed on Kori's. The heartbreak in his younger brother's voice caused Donatello to choke up and turn away. His eyes widened in shock as a weak voice answered.
"M...m...mikey?"
A loud wailing started penetrated the darkness that engulfed her. A murmuring voice helped push the darkness even farther back. And then the voices started to resolve into words.
"...Come on, dudette, answer me." A trembling three fingered hand cupped her cheek as something wet dripped onto her face. As her eyes opened, she met Michelangelo's bright blue eyes.
"M...m...mikey?" She rasped out.
"Hey, I told you I'd find you." His voice rough with tears. A noise at her other side made her turn her head, and Donatello swam into focus.
"H..hi Donnie." Kori gave him a weak grin. Donatello returned the smile as he released the straps holding Kori to the table. The room tilted crazily as Michelangelo picked her up. Closing her eyes, Kori pressed her face into his plastron and felt his breath hitch as he held her just a little tighter. Michelangelo felt her sigh and relax into his embrace.
Donatello called his brothers on their shell cell. "Leo, we have Kori, we're out of here." He heard a screech and a lot of chaos over the cell. Donatello couldn't suppress a grin. "Do I even want to know?" Donatello laughed at his brother's reply and hung up. Mikey raised a questioning eye ridge at his brother. "Don't ask." Together with Mikey still carrying Kori, they headed back to the lair.
Leonardo hung up his cell and surveyed the pure chaos of the room around him. Between the released captive and Raphael, most of the security guards were dead or unconscious. The rest were looking like they had serious doubts about their career choice. Their new companion flared her wings and gave another shrill battle shriek. The remaining security fled. The bird mutant slicked her feathers back and folded her wings to her side and eyed her rescuers with what Raphael and Leonardo hoped was interest.
Raphael returned her stare. "Well, you don't want to stay here, do ya?" He was impressed despite himself at the sheer destruction that was accomplished between the two of them. The piercing golden eyes regarded Raphael for a few moments before she clicked her beak once and nodded.
"We better get out of here." Leonardo regarded his brother and the bird mutant with a bit of worry, then led the way out of the warehouse.