Chapter 6: Tundratown
"So, you and Nick are basically brothers."
Phantom turns to me from looking out the window and nods, "Yeah. His mom loved my dad. They almost got married but…"
He doesn't continue. I think for a moment, then say," I've heard you're adopted. Is that true?"
He nods, "Hai, it is."
I look in the little mirror to the backseat. Nick is back there, sleeping. Our police car gently bumps around, careful not to wake him. Phantom sits next to me, staring out the window as we pass into Tundratown. The night has caught up to us and Leonardo is getting antsy.
"Look," Leo says slowly, "Um…I'm sorry I broke your mom's cup."
I shrug, "It's okay. It's just a mug. I guess I overreacted because it's her favorite and you said it was cheap."
"It was, but whatever."
"How was it cheap?"
"The good mugs have ink that forms my eyes on the bottom. Hers did not."
"Well, sorry if my family isn't rich."
Leonardo shrugs, not saying anything else. He turns to the window, scanning the snowy land.
I feel bad for Leo. Being sad all the time doesn't sound like a great life but he makes the best of it. I feel like I'm shooting him down every time I say something. Sure he has millions of fans that encourage him but sometimes it can take one person to knock you down. I should apologize.
I open my mouth right as Leo says," Judy, don't move."
I freeze everything except my paws. I glance over at Leo. He's crouching up on the seat like a frog. His eyes are big as he looks out to the rearview mirror.
"Leo?" I say.
He reaches into his coat and brings out two ninja stars with an insignia etched on it. Where does he get all these weapons? And how can he hide them so well?!
"Thought you could take my brothers and get away with it, did ya'." Leo growls lowly, "Well, I'll teach you."
"Leo," I gasp, trying to be quiet like him," Who is it?"
Leo doesn't take his eyes off of the mirror," Judy, do these two things and you won't get caught."
"Wait, what!?"
"One, don't swerve. Two, don't hit the brakes. Speed if you have to. Just drive."
"Leo, what are you-"
He jumps out of the car!
I have to bite my tongue to remember not to swerve. The door slams shut. A few seconds later, a loud explosion nearly flips us. Somehow Nick is still sleeping, too!
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" I howl silently. Please let Leonardo be alive. Oh, God, please!
Just then Leonardo drives by on the freakiest motorcycle I've ever seen. Its front is a dragon with spikes. The back has spikes, too, and is jet black. A whole biker gang follows after him.
"What are you doing?!" I hiss.
Leonardo doesn't know how to drive a motorcycle! He looks like he's just barley learning from a crappy teacher. But his crappy driving is actually keeping him alive. Bullets miss him and I can see flash of weapons.
Suddenly, the biggest bike rounds him and slams right into the bike's front. Leonardo goes flying off the bike, tumbling down a snowy hill. The bikers abandon their vehicles and chase the fallen turtle.
"NO!" I howl as a lone biker comes at me. I disobey both of Leonardo's rules and break and swerve.
Nick hits the seat and yells. There's two loud pops as the back tires are blown out by an unknown source. The car spins and I'm unable to stop it. Nick and I scream as that biker jumps off his bike and lets it hit us.
The car goes flying! It hits the snow, then keeps going downhill. Glass is flying, Nick is yelling and I'm grabbing at the wheel. The car jerks backward sending Nick flying and scratching my neck with the seatbelt. Black and white roll by. Finally, the car stops rolling.
The roof is dented in, close to my head. I'm hanging upside down, the seat belt stuck, holding me tight to the seat.
"Nick," I croak, "Nick, answer me. Nick!"
"CARROTS!" I hear. He's outside the car. He got thrown out. He won't know if I'm okay. He's frantic, "CARROTS, ANSWER ME!"
"NICK," I yell, "HELP!"
"JUDY!" The side of the car gets a kick and Nick is suddenly by my side. "Carrots, you're hurt!"
"You didn't have your seat belt on." I say.
Nick's eyes bulge," You have no room to talk about safety right now, Judy."
"Then get me down."
As Nick cuts me loose, I see both a cut on his arm and on his head. "You're hurt, too."
"You got a gushing cut on your side, Judy. Hold still."
"Leonardo, where is he-!?"
"CRAP! LEO!"
I fall from the seat. Suddenly, I'm dragged out of the car, cold nearly freezing me. Snow skids under my feet as I'm drug up a ravine, across an icy road (where Nick almost falls), then down to a ditch.
"LEO!" Nick yells. He stops halfway down. The world spins as I turn and see Leo, fighting the same figure who put the clamps on me and tried to cut my foot off.
Leo kicks the other ninjas away from him the same time the ninja grabs his wrist, twists the sword, and stabs it into Leo's chest.
Leo screams in pain, collapsing into the powdery snow. Nick screams just as loud. He drops me and pulls out his gun. The ninjas retreat as the bullets spray around them. Nick only hits one as it runs.
"Leo!" I yell, running to him. Leo is slumped, face pressed to the snow, and he's breathing hard, as if he's having a seizure.
"Nick, he's…he's…"
Nick slides in next to us as blood stains the ground around Leo's shoulder.
"Leo." Nick says, "Leo, can you hear me?"
When Leonardo doesn't answer, Nick pulls out his phone. "Nick?" I question.
"We have to call for help. If we call the ZPD, Leo will be all over the news and I know he doesn't want that."
"So…"
Nick holds his phone out to me," He likes you better."
I take the phone and hold it to my ear as Nick blocks Leo's wound.
There's a click, then, "Hello."
"Mr. Big," I say, hiccupping in pain, "We need your help."
