Hello again, and happy holidays! I know I haven't updated in a while, and I can only say that I am truly sorry to leave you guys hanging for so long. I myself had to go back and reread a few things that I didn't remember. But finally, the chapter has been finished, and the next is not far behind from being done. In short, you can expect to see a new chapter next week. (Awesome, right?) And most of all, please review and tell me what you think!


Mikey crawled on his shaking hands and knees, slowly edging closer to the end of the metal platform. I know I don't have much strength left, but I've got to do something. I guess I'll just make my way down by jumping from pipe to pipe, but there's no way it's gonna be that easy, right? When Mikey reached the platform's rusted-off end, he peered down once more at the cat-shaped silhouette. He closed his eyes for a second to calm his wildly beating heart, reminding himself of his past mistake. Suddenly the turtle reopened his eyes, coughing a bit. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his side, Mikey got into position and mapped out the route he would take across the sewer pipes. This timeI'll make the right choice.

Mikey concentrated all of his energy and jumped out from the platform, angling himself toward a large pipe that stretched out below him. After a tranquil moment in the air, Mikey's feet hit the rough surface of the pipe hard and the youngest couldn't help but cry out at spurt of pain the impact had sent up his side. Ouch, ouch, OUCH. Dude…I'm glad I made it, but the landing sure hurt like shell! I thought if I didn't jostle my side too much, I'd be okay, but that impact force is killer.

Mikey breathed in and out a few times to clear his head, but he was already seeing stars. Alright…gotta pull myself together here. I still have four more jumps to get down, and then five more to get back up. Just have to get through this one jump at a time…Mikey braced himself and tucked one arm against his side in slight hope that it would somehow lessen the impact. And then he jumped down again, this time aiming for a considerably smaller-sized pipe.

After making contact with the pipe, Mikey immediately tried to balance himself so he wouldn't fall off—the pipe was skinny enough that only the arches of his feet actually touched the metal. With all of his attention on not slipping, Mikey only felt a faint burn of pain that he was already used to.

"Second jump successful!" Mikey exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air. "Wha—oops—" Mikey wobbled a little from the sudden movement, but calmly regained a stable pose with ninja skill. Grinning from ear to ear, Mikey felt much more confident that he could handle all the jumps and save the cat. I can do this, I can totally do this.

For the third time, Mikey took off, setting his sights on a very rusty pipe below. He landed perfectly again, but made no move to celebrate this time. The stress and fatigue on Mikey's body had really weakened him; it was getting hard to breathe. My chest is getting tighter…and I knew this would happen, but not now. No it can't be now, I'm not done yet. I gotta finish what I started.

Mikey stilled his shivering frame as best he could, knowing that he could fall if he wasn't careful. He looked up for a moment, catching a glimpse of the metal platform and the two pipes he had just come down from. Just two more jumps, and I can rest with the cat beside me for a moment. Mikey descended from his pipeline once more.

"Gah!" Mikey yelped when he collided with the last pipe. Because it was so close to the drainage pool water, this pipe was much more slippery than the others. Mikey's had almost lost his footing. Another familiar meow came from below, and Mikey carefully looked down at the shadowed figure below him. The cat was much closer, and this time the youngest could see its shining eyes and bristly, gray fur. Mikey let out a long breath. I only have one more jump to get into the open pipe. And it's almost like the cat is waiting for me to rescue it. Like it has already forgiven me or something. But that's not possible, right? I mean…Mikey shook his head to clear the thoughts that raced inside. He exhaled another big breath and felt his throbbing side absently. What am I talking about…I just have to think about getting it out of here asap. Well, maybe after a short break…

"Al…almost there, 'kay little guy?" Mikey whispered as loud as he could. He knew it would hurt him more if he started to talk. I still don't know if I have enough energy to make it. No, I can't think like that. Pull yourself together, Mikester. Just one measly—

Mikey suddenly started to cough again. He sunk to his knees, gripping the slick pipe with all of his might and prayed that he wouldn't fall off. Pain washed over his body with renewed intensity as Mikey struggled to suck in air and stop coughing. Abruptly, a white flash surged in front of Mikey's eyes—it was as if something burst inside of him. And as Mikey was on verge of losing consciousness, he could barely feel himself slipping from the pipe. In the short, surreal moments that followed Mikey confusedly stared up at the pipe that withdrew from him. He could vaguely hear screaming echo across the large room and wondered if he was hearing himself. Mikey plunged into the drainage pool headfirst.


Pain was what came first through the darkness. Mikey's body convulsed and he could feel something dripping out of his mouth. He shivered. The voices came next, noisy and pleading. The sound of water rushing. The faint sound of a cat crying. Mikey's breathing hitched heavily, and a tiny half-whimper parted his lips. He struggled to open his eyes as his body jerked again.

Raph, Leo, and Don watched fretfully as Mikey's eyes flitted open for a fraction of a second, then were forced shut as if he were in pain. Mikey continued to retch and shudder miserably, and was still unresponsive to his bothers' cries. Don and Leo started to rub Mikey's arms and plastron in attempt to warm him up. Raph just sat with Mikey's limp body in his arms, calling out his name.

It took a full minute for Mikey to open his eyes once more. He had stopped coughing by then, but the grimace on his face hadn't disappeared yet. Ugh, what's all this pain from? I can't even breathe right, and my chest hurts so much again. What was I just…? Mikey suddenly focused on his brothers who had leaned in close. My bros are here? How did that happen? Last time I saw them I…wait that's right! I locked them in—

"Mikey? Bro?"

The youngest jolted a bit and rolled his head over ever so slightly so he could see Raph. A feeble, quivering smile formed on the turtle's lips before a small cough ripped them apart.

Raph shifted Mikey a bit and laid a warm hand on his brother's head. "Can ya hear me?" he said softly. When Mikey nodded, Raph, Leo, and Don all sighed in relief. "Ya gave us one hell of a scare, chucklehead."

Don huffed. "That's the understatement of the century! We sprint through the sewers like mad to finally find you falling into the drainage pool!" Don grabbed Mikey's hand and squeezed it hard. "You really could've drowned…"

"And when we get back we will discuss the consequences," Leo announced sternly. Mikey flinched, fully understanding what his oldest brother meant. Leo softened his voice. "But I guess that can wait until after you've recovered. For now just know that we were very, very worried about you."

Raph cleared his throat awkwardly, hoping to hide his embarrassment. "Alright, enough waitin' around. Let's get ya outta here and go home already."

Mikey was about to agree, but a single thought stopped him. Something feels wrong. He looked around at his surroundings and saw that he was laying on the metal platform again. His thoughts were broken as soon as Raph tried to sit him up, when pain shot through his body like an arrow. He moaned in agony.

"Easy, Raph, easy. He might have cracked another rib or something," Don advised.

Ow…Well that's good to know. But I still feel like I'm missing a critical thing that—wait a second…the cat! I can't believe I almost forgot! Mikey motioned for his brothers to stop.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked fearfully. "Is the pain too much?"

Mikey shook his head slowly and pointed to the large cut-off pipe below them. "There's a cat," he whispered, coughing a bit at the use of his sore throat. "Please…rescue the cat…" It's gotta still be there, and I won't go home without it. I don't know how much time passed when I was out, but the cat can't be gone, can it?

Raph looked down to where Mikey pointed skeptically, and Leo had a confused expression. Mikey was about to protest that he wasn't delusional when Don said gently, "I'll do it."

The three brothers watched in silence as Don made his way down, jumping on the same pipes that Mikey had used not long ago. Mikey held his breath when Don's form vanished as he walked further into the large pipe. It has to be there. It has to. I don't know what I would do if I lost it again.

All of a sudden, Don's jovial echo rebounded throughout the area, bouncing off the high walls of the drainage pool. "Hey, I found it!"

Mikey almost cried out of relief. He waited anxiously as Don jumped back up to the metal platform with the cat cradled in his arms. Mikey noticed right away that the cat had a patch of dried blood on its stomach, but was too happy to worry over it for the moment.

Don lowered the cat next to the youngest with a large smile. "You were right, Mikey. And this cat may not have made it if it hadn't been for you."

In contrast, an angry frown had crossed Raph's face; but an exchanged look with Leo made him make a tacit agreement to stay silent about the whole thing. At least until Mikey was a little better. He still looked pale and cold, and every time he moved he could cringe. Despite the pain, Mikey reached out and petted the damp fur of the cat. At long last, you're safe, little guy. Sorry it took a few tries. But now you can stay with us and get a nice bath and brush out your pretty black fur—

Mikey's hand stopped as he realized something incredibly important. This cat has black fur. But the cat I tried to save earlier, the one I saw in the sewers that day—had gray fur.

Mikey looked up to stare into the black cat's bright yellow eyes. Which means…you aren't the same cat.