Rachel's POV

When I opened my eyes again, blinding white lights force them shut again. I groan and rub the remains sleep out of them, but the movement sparks a familiar numb sensation and spreads through my body. My limbs suddenly feel cold and heavy. I seemed to be lying on the concrete floor of some kind of cell, my back against a wall. Four white lights hanging from the ceiling are all focused on me. How did I get here? Just minute ago I was lying on the roof. A flash of bright red comes to mind. Raph! He hit me! Then I ran and climbed onto the roof. Then...the Foot...came. The Foot!

Horrible terrifying thoughts fill my head and almost at once, panic seizes me! Staggering onto my feet like a newborn foal, I take several strides forward away from the wall, but I don't get very far before I'm jerked back by all four limbs and at my neck! Bolted to the wall that I'd been leaning against, a chain connects to a thick collar around my neck! My hands and feet were bound with chains as well! I tugged at them, but the movement only made my heavy arms and legs even more tired and soon gave up. Fumbling through my pockets, I searched for my T-phone. Only then did I realize that I wasn't wearing my black sweater shirt and ripped jeans anymore. I was dressed in a grey worn tank top and extremely short grey shorts. No shoes. But I can't fall asleep. I lay against the wall, rubbing the skin under my shackles. Guilt found its way into my mind. 'I wonder how long I've been here. I'll bet the guys are searching all over the city for me. All of this trouble all because of me. I wonder what Raph's thinking. Punching the life out of the practice dummy no doubt. All because I didn't listen to Leo's instruction. They trusted me! Raph trusted me! And because of my pride, I let my own desires get in the way and let Jones get under my skin. I should have been smarter than that!' The lights above my head dwindle and flicker, the first movement I'd seen in hours. Curling into a ball, I tucked my head down against my chest as best I could.

The sinister creak of a door opening turns my gaze up toward the other end of my prison. The room I was in was relatively long, but the chains would only allowed me to move so far. And at the end of the room was a tall slab of stone and a face appeared right behind it. A girl's face. Closing the door behind her, she just stood there eyeing me with her hands on her hips. She had black hair, most of it styled up on top of her head. She was dressed in a black Foot uniform, her arms decorated with long razor blades. Her dark reddish-brown eyes were lined with thick black eyeliner, red make-up that trailed up towards her eyebrows, and the corners of her red mouth pulled back in a smirk that made me draw back into the corner.

"About time you woke up!"

She strode casually toward me. The closer she came, the more I wanted to melt into the wall. Then I remembered Master Splinter's words. 'I can't show fear!' I told myself. When she was just a few strides away, I stood up and stepped as close as the chains would allow to meet her. I wasn't afraid of her, but I still wanted to keep my distance. A common thing anyone would remember if they had limited moving space and a stranger before them that had more advantage than them. And to top it off, I was the one in chains.

"You must be terrified," she whispered mockingly.

I scowled and crossed my arms. "Hardly. It isn't the first time."

"So...you're the one that the Kraang are hunting. And here I thought you'd be much more of a challenge to find since you've been able to slip past their nets for so long."

"If you've come all the way down here just to tell me how pathetic and worthless I am, then you're wasting your time."

Before I even blinked, I felt a hard smack hit me square in the face, causing me to stumble back and she held her katana against my throat, the other hand gripping the back of my neck. An evil grin grew on her face as she drew very close to mine.

"Don't be a fool! I would have slit your throat hours ago without so much trouble if you were not even remotely useful to our cause." She drew even closer to my face. If her intention was to intimidate me, it still wasn't working. "Since the Kraang need you so much, they would give anything to have you handed to them. In addition, we have reason to believe that you're friends with the turtles. All the more reason to use you as bait."

I continued to scowl at her. "Seems like your style Karai. Just like the other hundred times you tried to use April as bait for them."

Growling viciously, I hissed as she pressed the cold metal closer to my neck so it began to sink into my skin, but a gruff voice with a brazilian accent stopped her.

"If I were you Karai, I would not damage Stockman's fresh new test subject anymore, unless you wish to hear about it from Master Shredder." Out from the shadow of the doorway stepped a….a fish?! A tall fish with dark pinkish skin, needle-like sharp teeth, and metal robotic legs approached us, followed by several more foot ninja, a few carrying long sticks with clamps on the ends. A chill ran down my spine at the words "test subject." Horrible memories of the Kraang's cruelty in their lab flashed in my head again, causing me to lash out at the excruciating pain in my head and gripped it with both hands. After experiencing it first hand, I had no interest whatsoever in becoming a lab rat a second time.

Karai said nothing to me. She was clearly angered by Xever's 'rude' interruption, but obediently backed away from me and sheathed her katana, her red eyes fixed on me all the while. If looks could kill, I would already be dead!

"Secure the test subject," Xever ordered. The footbots blindly did as he said and advanced toward me. I immediately recoiled and held up my arms in a threatening position. I had to get out of here! I wouldn't be another test subject! I wouldn't! I struggled against my bonds as if my strength would tear them from the wall! More ninja grabbed me by the arms and legs while the other's unbolted my chains from the wall. The ones with the sticks came closer. With a beep, the clamps locked onto the collar around my neck!

They pressed me towards the door, Xever and Karai taking the lead. I gritted my teeth and ground my feet into the stone to stop myself from walking any further, but my meaningless attempts proved futile. I fought as hard as I could against the bonds, but all I did was rub the skin raw. My eyes fixed at the ground, I walked.

If I was going to escape, I had to memorize where I was and where an accessible escape route would be possible. There were no windows visible, but several doors. I counted seven as we walked to a long row of pillars. After we passed them, we moved on to another set of doors. This room was enormous! It was round with different cages built into the walls all the way to the dome at the top. In the very center, a large round tank of some sort of ominous green glowing substance hung from the ceiling. And below it was over a million dials and gauges where man with buzzing wings and an ugly fly's face flew back and forth, punching in keys at random. He turned his gaze away from a beaker of cerulean liquid and flew to meet us as we entered, a look of utter pleasure when his eyes landed on me.

"Ah, Mizzzzz Rachel. Suczzh a pleasure to finally meet you. You szzzzzould be honored to be playing a very important role in one of the moszzzzzt brilliant experimentszzzz in human history!"

I didn't say anything. I simply frowned and shot him a glare. He ignored me and then turned to my captors.

"Tie her down there," he said, gesturing to a long white table with shackles and another table beside it laid out with different neatly arranged syringes! A sight that made me skin-crawl! I lashed out, trying to punch the soldiers that held me! Something was slammed into my head, making me really dizzy! A searing pain spread through me!

"Careful! Don't beat her up too muczzh!" Baxter retorted.

I felt paralyzed, because I couldn't feel anything except for the cold metal of the dissection table. When my eye caught the glint of syringe in Baxter's hand, I jostled the restraints! He walked towards me in such a nonchalant way, as if this was a regular routine, which it probably was to him. The closer he came, the more I fought!

"Hold szzztill!" he instructed irritably and brought the needle closer to my neck!

"Let me go!" I didn't care how much the metal dug into my flesh! "Let. Me. Go!"

With a great huff, he stabbed the syringe into my neck! An earsplitting screech pierced the air! I screamed at the painful sensation with a ferocity I'd never known before as if was the only thing that would save me from it! But it only lasted a second, but my vision started to fog up!

Baxter laughed at my reaction, and pressed one of the dials on the control panel beside him. Two large metal doors in the floor slid to the sides, and rising from it was a very large tank of clear water, close to about twelve feet deep. Switching on another gauge, the table that I was attached to started to move up, hovering over the tank. Slowly, the table edged closer to the water below! Adrenaline shot into my veins like the bullet from a gun and I fought as hard as I could against the metal confining me! They were going to drown me! I was going to die! A million thoughts flooded my brain! I would never know my parents or my past! I would never see my sensei or the guys again! Worst of all I'd never see Raphael again! I had to get out NOW! With a last try, I wrenched my arms away from the table, the cuffs coming with them!

Whatever drug had been injected into me obscured my vision, but I heard several gasps from beneath me, including Baxter! He then yelled orders to the soldiers to secure me again! Still recovering from the shock of what I had just done, I began to fall forward, but my legs were still clamped to the table, my entire body dangling dangerously above the water with my fingertips almost touching it! With my hands free, I reached up and grabbed the shackles on my legs, but my arms were wrenched free of them as more hands grasped me! Several large heavy chain were draped over my front to prevent me from moving. I fought against it, but these were far stronger and my body was completely immobile!

"Faszzzzcinating. When driven to fight as hard azzz you can, your szzzztrength is at it'szz peak! We'll szzzee if I can amplify it! Szzzome mutagenic chemical booszzt szzhould do the trick," he cackled as he prepared another syringe, and then turned back to his collections of buttons, pressing one that read "down." Or at least I think it said that because I couldn't really see. "But firszzt...Let uszzz teszzt your reszzzpiratory capaczzzity!"

The table began to more once more! I struggle the chains again, but my energy had almost expired! Pleading would just be amusement to them. It's just the sort of thing they'd expect from me, but I wouldn't give it to them. I counted the seconds and my feet dipped into the water! 5! The water was nearly up to my midriff! Karai smirked wickedly at me and if there was anything kindness or goodness in her at all, it would be buried deep inside of her, under her malicious dishonorable exterior. 4! Xever wrung his hands together, fingering a switchblade and pretended to slit his own throat as he watched the water rise to my shoulders. 3! Baxter's enormous bug eyes watched intently as I sank deeper! 2! The images blurred, but the only picture I could make out was two emerald hues surrounded by a bright red mask. I felt the gentle caress of his hand on my cheek. The softness of his lips against mine. 1! His voice begging me to stay with him, clutching my hand to keep me from slipping away as I took what I thought would be my last breath. Until only silence and darkness remained.

DUN DUN DUN! Cliffhanger! :)

What will happen to Rachel?

What plans does Baxter Stockman have in store for her?

Will the guys save her in time?

Please comment!