Sorry for the endless wait. Life was kinda busy as of late. As in BUSY. But here we are...
Thanks to all my reviewers. Amazing how much feedback you get when you dare to kill one of them. You should know I couldn't kill Leo. The others, yes, but never my Leo. (I think I'm joking.) Thus, I now promise you a happy ending. For most of them anyway. ;D
To Dipsey: Yes, Raph gave Leo that wound. Read Chap 5 properly. ^^ Why? Well, go into a box with your most annoying sibling for 6 hours straight and you'll see...
To Sim: I don't like repetitions, but you are awesome. =3
I'm strong on the surface
Not all the way through
I've never been perfect
But neither have you
[Linkin Park - Leave out all the rest]
Silent Chambers - 7
Time: Unknown, Location: Unknown, In a box, Underground
"Ya're bleedin'."
Raphael's voice sounds strangely small and frightened. Leo doesn't look at him but keeps his gaze locked at the opposing wall. "I guess." He sounds tired, because he is. The wound is still bleeding. He doesn't understand why. And it hurts.
The nail is still where it was, not even half-way pulled out. The steel of Raphael's sai held. His arms did not. The awkward angle above his head, only centimeters from his eyes, and the rapid loss of blood slowed him down more than he expected. More than he is still willing to admit.
Raphael is silent for a few moments. Leo still doesn't look at him. He doesn't know what he will see if he does, and he has no interest in finding out. Guilt, probably. Anger. Or worse, hopelessness. Fright. He doesn't want to know. As long as he doesn't look, everything is possible.
"What do ya t'ink Bishop wants wit' us?"
To Leo's surprise, Raph's voice is now calmer. More focussed, maybe. Almost against his will, he turns his head. The amber orbs in front of him shine with an inner fire, but not with the flame of anger but with a lively spark. He smiles almost involuntarily. Then a grimace covers his features as his wound itches suddenly. Raph's face copies his brother's in an instant.
The blue-clad turtle lets out a weary sigh. Suddenly the white light in the cube seems much too bright, and he almost closes his eyes. Almost. But he is not willing to give in to this insane mess. Not yet.
"I don't know, Raph. But I sure hope he decides fast."
12:01 p.m., London/GB, Bishop's Office
Agent John Bishop smiles before he lifts a walkie-talkie to his mouth and presses a black button.
"Start phase two", he says, and his voice is cold despite the smile. Menacing. "They are ready now."
His eyes are blood-shot, he sees it in the mirror. With a small tssk he reaches for his dark glasses before he stands up and stretches his muscles. "More than ready."
12:03 p.m., NYC, Secret Lair
"I still don't get what you are talking about!"
April O'Neil's voice is shrill through the line. Donatello barely supresses the deep sigh that is about to leave his mouth. With one hand he puts clothes in a bag- for they will probably need disguise-, with the other hand he throws gadgets into his duffel bag, and the phone is pressed against his head and the corner of his shell. He has more important things to do, he is in hectic, he has no clue as to where to proceed from here, and he really can't explain it all to his human friend a third time.
"Ape, I'm sorry, but I don't have time for that."
He picks up a wide hat, thinks about it for a second and throws it into the bag with the rest of his stuff. Leo and Raph will need disguise too, after all.
"We need to get to London as fast as possible. Best would be a jet or something, but I don't have time to hack into the goverment's system either."
Speaking of Leo and Raph, he will need a first aid kit. Donatello's brown eyes search through the room and he frowns. Where was that again?
"Leonardo and Raphael are there, and we need to find them fast."
Ah, there it is. Underneath the bed. How did it get there? But he shakes off the thought; he doesn't have time for that. He doesn't have time for anything, or so it seems. No time for packing. No time for explaining. No time for research. No time for a plan.
"Bishop has them. Enough of an explanation, right? Ape, we need to hurry. My question is, can you get us to the airport? As in now?"
12:16 p.m., NYC, Main Street
Donatello wondered how April had managed to get out and the car ready in less than twenty minutes. But looking out the window, at the blurred street signs and angry drivers, and at Mikey's green face, he suddenly gets the idea.
Time: Unknown, Location: Unknown, In a box, Underground
The ground starts to shake.
It's a distinct feeling at first, and for turtles used to American earthquakes it is almost nonexistent, but it is there. Along with it comes the strangest sound, like metal scraping on stone, just far away and muffled. And every once and then there is a strange thump, like something heavy falling to the ground.
"Wha's dis again?" Raphael's amber eyes search the small space, but of course no information is revealed by the deep red walls. In the meanwhile, the shaking grows stronger.
"Leo, what'ya t'ink?" He shoots a worried glance at his older brother. What he sees doesn't exactly lighten his mood. Even with the red color, he can clearly see the crimson blood slowly dripping off Leonardo's plastron.
The leader gives him a weak, but strangely reassuring smile. "I don't know. Can't be good, I guess." He takes a deep breath. "On the other hand, can't be worse either, can it?"
Raphael tries hard not to look away, to see the pain he causes the one he loves and to deal with it. But he finds that he can't. Ashamed, he avoids Leo's gaze, looking at his hands instead. His deep green hands, scarred with wounds and wounds. Hands that inflicted as many blows as they recieved. Rarely has he hated them more than now.
"This is Bishop", he mutters. "Worse is his second name."
I know, it's a short chapter, but it's important. I'll try and update every two days or so, but the way things are right now, I can't promise you anything.
Please do tell me what you think, tho.
