Chapter 10

Watching as Donnie spun around and leapt away, Mikey turned back to watch the Foot approaching his brothers. He couldn't help but squirm a little, unable to keep still. It felt wrong to just sit here. But just as Donnie had pointed out, he wouldn't be able to save them on his own. Although, that didn't mean he couldn't still help. Michelangelo frowned, taking a swift glance around before heading to the edge of the rooftop. There had to be something he could do to help. Even if it was just… oh. That would work.

The solo turtle used notches in the side of the building to edge his way down in silence, the chips in the brickwork just enough to hold onto. Mikey did his best to go slowly so he didn't draw attention to his movement. The last thing he needed was to get caught, and then Donnie would have to save all three of them. Shaking off the thought, Mikey flicked his eyes back down to the street. The only vehicle close to the building was a big black van. It wasn't the same one that had stolen Raphael in the first place, but either way, he wasn't going to let it leave. Ducking to the far side, Mikey crouched beside it before peeking underneath. He couldn't remember what the best tube to cut was, but if he cut everything, then it was guaranteed that he'd get the right one.

It didn't take a genius to realize that he wouldn't be able to get underneath. His shell would get in the way far too easily… but his arm wouldn't. Reaching under the van with the blade of his 'chucks extended, Mikey struck out at all of the wires and tubes attached to the floor of the van in one quick sweep. A surprising amount of fluid began to rush out from the tubes, giving off a sort of sickly sweet scent. It took him a moment, but Mikey pulled his hand back once he recognized it as gasoline. The broken wires were dangling dangerously close to the liquid. Kind of hoping this didn't turn into some explosions and fires, Mikey pulled away and got back onto his feet. That would keep the Foot from going anywhere with his brothers. Though if he stayed out here beside the van for much longer, he was going to end up joining them.

Climbing back up onto the warehouse was much easier than going down. Michelangelo had to resist the urge to hum as he scaled the wall, pleased with his work. Donnie would be proud of him when he came back. Well… on the inside, at least. Such a small thing would keep his brothers from getting carted off to some lab, so that was good.

A few more shards of glass had fallen from the side of the shattered skylight when Mikey scrambled back over to it. He peered into the building again, his eyes narrowed as he tried to pick his brothers' forms out of the gloom. Rahzar was still standing beside them, but what really caught his eye was the movement on the edge of the shadows. Someone was against the wall.

As Michelangelo watched, it became obvious that this wasn't just some Foot ninja standing guard on the side. Whoever this was, they were trying to stay out of sight. Purposely sticking to the shadows, not showing themselves. But they weren't hugging the wall like they were scared of being caught… it was like they belonged there. Just staying out of the way. They weren't sneaking around at all. Mikey frowned, tilting his head as he kept his eyes on the figure. Shredder must have someone trying to stay out of sight in case he or Donnie rushed back in to save their brothers. But… why only one person? It wasn't Fishface or Tigerclaw, they wouldn't hide like that.

Suddenly the figure shifted. A shudder went down his spine as he caught the glimpse of eyes shining from the shadows, and Mikey's whole body froze up as he felt… something rush through him. Like a heavy, choking wind that stole his breath from his chest, forcing him still. Terror rushed into his chest in its place, making his body quiver until the sensation vanished out of nowhere. The figure had turned away, the glint of eyes gone.

Mikey shoved himself away from the window, gasping to draw breath back into his lungs. Trembles were going through his body now, and the urge to run home and hide in his room was almost overwhelming. In fact, he would have loved to hide in Splinter's room instead. It sounded like a brilliant idea. His father could deal with whatever monster was down there with his brothers—

Wait.

His brothers were down there with that thing! Scrambling back to the window, Mikey's eyes were frantic as he tried to find the person again. Searching through the shadows gave him nothing to work with. Confusion distracted him from the actual task at hand for a moment, his brow creasing. Who just vanished like that?! He didn't know of anyone that worked for Shredder that made him ever feel the way that guy did. Or someone who could just disappear on a whim. Except, well… Shredder.

So this must be someone new, because Shredder himself was standing over on the other side of the warehouse. That couldn't be good news, but whoever it was couldn't be any worse than Saki. So he couldn't really worry yet. Shredder was still the worst thing down there. Mikey turned his eyes back to the net holding his brothers down, feeling whispers of unease going through him. Something was going to go very, very wrong. He could feel it in his gut. But he couldn't see that guy anymore, so… at least his brothers weren't gonna be the target of whoever it was.

He tensed as he kept his eyes on his brothers. Leo looked ready to murder someone, and he was trying his best to lash out as Rahzar gathered the edges of the net, basically scooping the two turtles up into the air. Raphael shifted at the sudden movement, seeming to wake up. That was confirmed once he gave a sharp yelp as Rahzar tossed him and his brother into a sturdy metal box. He landed on top of Leo, a snarl on his face as the lid slammed shut on them. Mikey flinched at the bang of the closure, biting his lip. That box looked heavy. He could see a few holes in the sides, probably to let them breathe, but they were too small to be of any use. Watching helplessly as the box was locked, Mikey sighed, shaking his head. He would have to figure something else out.

Turning his head to the side as movement caught his eye again, Mikey stiffened, almost eager to see if it was the creepy dude. Instead, he felt a flash of disappointment as one of the bots headed for the door.

At once, he remembered the van. The disappointment vanished in a rush. Eager to see what would happen and what the reaction would be, Mikey skittered over to the edge of the rooftop, leaning over just enough to see. The bot didn't even notice him, just going to the van and pulling the door open. Mikey grinned as he climbed in and the door slammed shut. There was a moment of utter silence, before the lights of the van flickered.

BOOM!

Mikey yelled as he jerked back, covering his face to block the wave of heat that rose up from the chaos. As soon as the lights had flickered, the van erupted into flame, the gas tank promptly exploding from the pressure. It only took a moment for the whole thing to catch fire, flames quickly spreading over the fluid on the ground. Shaking his head to clear the daze and going back to the edge, Mikey's blue eyes widened as he appreciated the scene.

Huh. Maybe that wire wasn't the best thing to leave hanging.

Oh well. It worked out great for him. So long as Donnie hurried up before they found another way to rush off. Mikey kept his eyes on the doorway, legs beginning to bounce as anxiety scratched at his core. They didn't have to go anywhere to do horrible things to his brothers.

Maybe… maybe they didn't have time to wait for Donnie. It might take too long for Donnie to return with April and Casey. Shredder didn't need an hour to tear open his brothers from the inside out. That image made up his mind pretty quickly. Letting his nictitating membrane slide over his eyes, the young turtle darted back to his skylight, only pausing for a moment before leaping back down onto the rafters he'd escaped from only a little bit ago.

The metal box containing his brothers had been shoved into the corner, Rahzar looking increasingly frustrated as he stood guard over it. Shredder was nowhere to be seen. Michelangelo hesitated, flicking his eyes around as he tried to catch sight of the trained master. He didn't know whether to feel reassured or terrified that he couldn't see Shredder. Not knowing where his family's greatest enemy was didn't exactly comfort him, but he wasn't getting the chill up his spine like he was being watched. Reassured that nobody was looking at him, Mikey stalked along the rafters. He took a deep breath as his eyes flicked around the room, letting the seconds pass as he formulated a quick plan.

In a split second, he leapt from the rafters, lunging for the thick cords that were stapled to the far wall. They led down to a breaker box, and chances were that if he could get to them, the lights would be out in a flash. Wouldn't help much considering literally everyone in here was a ninja and Rahzar could see in the dark, but it was a bit comforting to know that it would be easier to sneak around and figure out how to get the box open.

No way am I gonna be able to carry that thing out, especially with Raph in it. The guy weighs like 200 pounds! Not to mention what Leo weighs. Imagine carrying both of them at once… jeez. Maybe once Donnie gets here. For now… gotta work with what I have.

Ignoring Rahzar's bellow of fury as he was spotted and responding with a battle cry of his own, Mikey whipped his kusarigama at the cords, taking one more blink of light before the room caved into darkness.