Chapter 11: Escaping

Third POV

Raphael's heartbeat was beating rapidly against his plastron. He sat there frozen, and lost in his own mind as he stared at all the burns and cuts that were visible throughout Mikey's form.

"We got to get out of here!" Leo hollered at the other two when the adrenaline started pumping through his veins.

"How!? There's going to be Kraang droids everywhere!" Donnie blurted out after taking his wide brown eyes off the youngest member of the family.

"I don't know okay!? We just need to go! NOW!" Leo told them loudly as he stood up abruptly, and turned to the cell door. "Raph, I want you to carry Mikey. Donnie and I are going to take the Kraang that get in our way."

Donatello stood as he stared at the leader, looking ready for about anything. Noticing Raph wasn't moving, Leo bent down to him, and lifted Raphael's chin so he hothead was forced to look into the dark blue eyes.

"If we don't go now, he may die."

The green eyes blinked then he carefully pushed him his arms under the injured turtle, and he lifted him up bridal style. Silently the red masked turtle nodded and Leo sprinted to the door and stepped out.

"Mikey, stay with me… Please…." Raph whispered before he stood and jogged after the purple tails of the third oldest.

Once they were all out, an army of Kraang bots stood waiting for them. Leo nodded to Donnie, and they both bolted forward with their weapons swings fiercely at the aliens. Raph watched quietly as the battle enfolded. Then turning his head to the sealed shut orange ones, Raph laid his forehead on top of Mikey's and willed him to live. He could feel the weak pulse against his skin, he could hear the slow ragged breathing going in and out.

"You will stay alive for me. You will…" Raph breathed softly and he listened to the yells and cries of the fight.

As Leo fought the Kraang with his katana, he turned and smashed the lock on a glass cell. The mutant within jerked up, and dashed out without muttering thank you to the katana wielder. Donnie followed the leaders actions, and released the hostage mutants.

"Raph! Get Mikey to the elevator! We'll meet you there!" Leonardo shouted over the noises of gunfire the Kraang were making as they shot laser-like-bullets at him.

Raph's blazing green eyes moved to the exit of the room, and he nodded solemnly.

"I'm going to get you out of here safely." Raph whispered softly as he shifted the younger brother to his left arm, and he slipped out a Sai. Then without another word, the second oldest sped past the robots towards the other side. Many times he had to slam his Sai into the droids and push them away from his form to get past them.

A small tear leaked out of the corner of Mikey's right eye, and it slowly slide down his cheek and onto Raph's arm. The moisture caused the older to look down, and he could see the pale color blending in with the lime green.

"Mikey! Don't you dare leave me!" Raph shouted as he kicked a Kraang out of his way. Once he was out of the room, he glanced back to see Donnie trying to get through the wall of Kraang so he could help the trapped blue masked leader. Fear was escaping through Raphael's quick breathes as he watched his two other brothers fight. Donnie yelled softly when a bullet skidded across his arm, and Raphael made a loud cry when the third tripped and fell to the tiled ground.

As the blue masked turtle swung his blades, he switched his gaze over to Raph and shouted, "Get Mikey out of here!"

"I can't leave ya!" The green eyed turtle yelled over the noise.

"I'm leader! Listen to me!"

Lowering Mikey to the hard ground, Raphael took off towards his brothers with both Sai's out. One kick sent a Kraang droid flying into the air, and a punch had one smashing into the ground. Donnie was now free from the metal robots, and he and Raph both turned towards the oldest. Working together they pushed and shoved until they were next to the blue eyed turtle.

"You left Mikey! You left Mikey!" Leo yelled when Raph took his wrist and pulled him towards the exit.

"I had to save ya!" Raph called over his shoulder while he dragged the older turtle.

Stepping out into the hall again, Raph turned towards the limp body, and he lifted him off the ground gently. The pale color had taken over the youngest turtle's skin completely, and left him looking lifeless.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Leo yelled as he pointed the tip of the katana at the end of the hall. Without hesitation, the three brothers bolted towards the elevator.

As he ran, the second oldest felt the arm of the orange masked turtle slip and hang limply over his own.

"Mikey!?" Raph shouted and stopped quickly. He pushed his finger into the limp turtle's neck and checked for a heartbeat. It was becoming extremely difficult to find one.

"Raph! Come on!"

Shaking his head fast, the red masked turtle dropped down to the floor and he checked for breathing. The chest he laid his head upon was nearly silent.

"RAPH!"

"His… Pulse is slowing down…" Raph whispered as he pulled his head back up, "He's not going to make it…"

"He will! This is Mikey we're talking about!" Leo yelled as he slipped his arms under Mikey and stood up quickly.

"I want to carry him!" Raph said urgently as he pulled Mikey back and held him in his own arms.

"You two are wasting time!" Donnie shouted to them as he watched. Turning around, Leo sprinted over to the metal doors and pushed in the button. A couple second later, the door to the elevator slide open and the three hastily stepped in.

"He's not going to make it…" Raph whispered again as he felt the small uneven thumps in Mikey's wrist.

"I have a ventilator we can hook him up to until we get to the lair…" Donnie told them in a soft tone as he stared at the slow rising and falling chest.

"We won't lose him. Not like the clone." Leo confirmed then he readied his katanas when the elevator stopped at the bottom floor. The doors slide open and Leo sprinted out with Donatello behind him. Raph followed the other two while keeping an eye on Michelangelo's chest.

"Please Mikey…" Raph begged as he moved towards the front doors.

"Donnie, we don't have the shellraisor!" Leo suddenly yelled at the purple clad ninja, "We don't have anything to hook him up to!"

"I texted April and Casey to bring the Party wagon…!" Donnie announced to him as he slammed his shell against the glass door, and held it open for Leo and Raph. Once they were all outside, the cold air swirled around their hot sweaty face and filled their lungs. As they ran into the street, a bright light blinded them, causing them to stop as the Party Wagon wheeled in front of them.

"Hear you-"

"Shut up Casey!" Donnie spat out as he yanked the passenger door open and jumped inside with a quiet, "thank you April."

"Thanks for coming, but now we need you to hurry to the lair." Leo ordered as he climbed in, and began to help Donnie with the ventilator.

"Oh my gosh, he looks terrible!" April cried when Raph passed her, and she got a small glimpse of the limp turtle.

Once they were all seated, the passenger door slammed shut and Casey took off down the road. Donnie carefully placed the breathing mask over Mikey's mouth and it began to fill with air.

"He's going to be okay... He's going to be okay…" Leo whispered as his dark blue eyes stared at the youngest turtle.

"I can barely find his pulse…" Donnie announced with a finger over Mikey's neck. The purple masked turtle was forced to let go when the vehicle swerved quickly to the right, and the three turtles toppled over to the floor with loud thuds.

"Casey! You idiot! We're trying to save Mikey! Not get him killed!" Raph shouted once he had pushed himself back up.

"You wanted fast!" The black haired boy blurted out as he spun the wheel to the left, "I'm going fast!"

After glaring for a couple seconds, Raph turned back to the youngest, bent his head, and pushed it against Mikey's forehead ,and held it there.

"Don't leave me here without ya, okay buddy…? Stay with me please… I don't want to lose my baby brother... If I lose you, then who will I carry to bed on those late patrol nights…? Who will be a challenge when it comes to playing games…? Who will be there when I need someone to comfort me…? I need you... I love you... I won't be able to live without you…."

Raph went silent as he listened to the small beats of his little brother's heartbeat. Bubump… Bubump….. Bubump… Bubump…..

Small tears slide down the green eyed turtle's face and landed on Mikey's pale forehead. Fear was eating him away, he didn't know how much longer his little brother was going to survive...

Just then Casey drove the Party Wagon forward as the concrete wall opened to admit them in. It was quiet, with only the sound of the wheels move across the tracks.

"Stay with me…" Raph breathed out quietly as his hand moved across the floor, and wrapped around Mikey's still one. Casey suddenly stopped at the lair, and Donnie nodded to Leo. The leader jumped up and sprinted out the open door of the Party Wagon and disappeared from sight.

"Hurry Raph. We have to take him to Splinter." Donnie said urgently.

"Why Sensei…?" Raph asked suddenly as he looked into the frightened eyes of Donnie's, "I thought we need to take him to your lab."

"We need Splinter to do the healing hands... I don't think anything I can do will help him..." Donnie answered as he closed his eyes, and pulled the breathing mask off Mikey's mouth. The second oldest looked like he wanted to scream when Mikey's chest started to become slower.

"Hurry Raph! There isn't much time!" Donnie said quickly as he shook the older turtle to snap him out of his horror. Raph blinked quickly then he pulled the younger turtle into his arms, and he bolted out of the Party Wagon towards the Dojo.

As The second oldest entered, Splinter pointed to a mat laying on the ground and said, "Lay him there."

Following the directions Splinter gave him, the Raphael gently laid the younger brother down. Once his hands were no longer supporting Mikey, Raph moved back and watched and Splinter knelt in front of injured turtle.

Silently the old master began to cross his fingers over each other while muttering softly under his breath. After a couple seconds, his hands begin to glow a pale white color. The blue, green, and brown eyes watch intently as their father placed his hands on Mikey's silent plastron, and wait. The pale glow transfers off to the younger turtle's body and he begins to bright up.

Each held their breath, as they waited for their little brother to give them any sign of life.