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TMNT – Crossing the Line – Chapter 14 – Cornered
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I do not own TMNT.
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Hello! I tried to get this chapter written
a little quicker, lol.
Sorry to keep readers waiting so long.
I hope you like it; please let me know what you think!
And, as always, Thanks for reading! ^_^
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If Leo's still alive when I get there…I'm gonna KILL him!
Adrenaline surged through Raphael's limbs as he ran; the grip of his hands on his twin sai was vice-like. The sound of his feet splashing in the murky water of the sewer echoed and ricocheted along the walls into the dimly lit corridor ahead of him and followed behind. But it was nothing compared to the roaring in his ears, the rhythmic pulsing of blood rushing past his eardrums, drowning out all other noise.
I KNEW something like this would happen! Maybe she snuck a tiny, hand-held transmitter into the lair and hid it somewhere while Donnie checked the rest of her gear…
Raphael had been trashing a trio of Foot-bots when Donnie's call came through. As soon as he'd finished dismantling them, he answered, and was somewhat surprised to hear the turtle-genius speaking urgently to all of the brothers at the same time in a four-way call. The hasty conversation replayed in his mind as he ran.
"Guys! It's me."
"Duh, we have caller I.D…."
"Be quiet, there's no time for that!"
"What?! I was just…"
"Raph, just shut-up and listen! We-"
"WHAT?! If you think you can talk to me like that and get away with it…"
"KARAI IS BEING TRACKED!"
"…"
"Dude, are you sure? I thought you said she was clean?"
"I WAS sure, Mikey! I don't know how this is happening, but April just told me that Karai left the lair a little while ago to meet up with Leo, and now every bot that was in the sewers before is making a bee-line straight for her AND Leo."
"Karai's on her way here, now? Which way is she coming? I have to get to her-"
"April said Karai was about to reach you when she called; you should see her any second now, Leo. She's tracking your phone with hers."
"Then I'll track hers with mine so I can get to her quicker. Gotta go."
"Leo, wait!"
Click.
"How is this possible, Donnie? You checked her! Did she hide something from you?! Was there something you missed?!"
"Hey, if you wanna accuse me of overlooking something, then fine, but DO IT LATER! Right now we have to get to them – Leo and Karai are surrounded and they're about to get clobbered!"
"FINE! I'm on my way!"
"Same here, dudes! Mikey, OUT!"
Raph had just growled and hung up.
As he'd begun running, he did notice that the sewers were suddenly and oddly empty where before there had been dozens of bots searching every passage. He'd increased his pace, pushing himself to sprint as fast as his legs could go. I'm not slowing down or stopping until I get there to kick some shell!
But that had been over 20 minutes ago.
He snarled to himself as he ran.
Of all the places to be when something this big hits the fan, why did I have to be the farthest away from all the action? What if the guys need me? Why did I have to pick the East, the opposite direction from Leo?
And most of all…WHY is Karai being tracked? Is this all a part of her plan? She was on her way to Leo when this all started... …Is she trying to take him out while the rest of us aren't around? I bet Shredder would love that. Is she playing both sides?
Can we really trust her?
And, most of all, no matter which side she's on…is she gonna steal Leo away from us?
He ground his teeth together. Truth be told, he was afraid of his older brothers' crushes – Karai AND April – splitting up his family more than anything else.
They say we're a team…but I bet if April batted her eyes at Donnie just once, he'd drop everything and do whatever she wanted, follow her wherever she went like the pathetic, love-sick puppy-nerd he is… And Leo? He's even worse than DONNIE now, and that's really saying something. Maybe Karai ISN'T bad…at least, not as bad as she used to be…but that doesn't mean she won't try to take Leo away from us. Well, she'd better NOT try. As much as I hate to admit it…
…We NEED him.
Not that he'd ever tell Leo, but he really did (secretly) admire his oldest brother. Leo had the rare ability to remain calm and think clearly under pressure; to strategize before, and more importantly DURING, a battle; and when things got especially dangerous, he always put himself in the most perilous position rather than risk the lives of his brothers. Sometimes he was just so noble and selfless it made Raph want to puke.
Yet he was always afraid that one of these days, Leo's self-sacrificing ways really would lead to his own slaughter.
Raph had been staring blankly ahead as he ran, lost in thought and the rhythm of his pounding, splashing feet, when suddenly his eyes shot up toward the far end of the tunnel. It intersected another passage, from which he could distinctly hear the clamor of a battle.
Good! I haven't missed the WHOLE fight. They'd better be okay…
Raph turned the corner and put on a new burst of speed for the final stretch. At the end of the tunnel was a junction where several shafts merged, creating a small chamber with openings on all four sides; dim red lights overhead cast the space in a hellish glow. Without slowing, his eyes quickly took in the situation as he entered the cramped battleground: Donnie was positioned on the left, fighting a steady stream of bots as they attempted to enter the area from the south-facing passage; Mikey had hooked the blade of his kusarigama onto a pipe running along the ceiling and was swinging like a pendulum around the circumference of the entire room, striking any bot that got in his way; and Leo and Karai stood in the middle, back-to-back, fighting together just as effortlessly and beautifully as they had the night before. Raph bared his teeth and growled.
Yup…I knew it. Leo's a goner.
He could see straight down the passage across from him; several Foot-bots were running down it to join the fight, so Raph spun the sai in his hands, dashed toward the bots, and let out a roar as he sank the steel prongs into the face of the nearest bot. Pink sparks flew as it crumpled into a pile of cloth-covered metal. He pulled his weapons free and ducked beneath a club as it swung toward his head.
"Hey! Nice of you to finally join us!" Mikey called to Raph impishly as he swung past, taking two Foot-bots out from behind his brother as he went by.
"Whatever; you didn't have to sprint across ALL of Manhattan to get here!" he retorted. "Nice of you to leave plenty of bots for me…guess you guys couldn't handle 'em all on your own, huh?"
"Well, we all know how you love the smell of smoke bombs in the morning," Mikey winked from across the room as he knocked a few more bots off their feet. Raph chuckled and turned back to the fight.
Finally! I get to blow off some steam, he thought, grinning wickedly as he threw himself wholeheartedly into the fray. While Mikey stayed on top of the entire perimeter, Donnie focused on the passage from which most of their enemies were currently approaching, and Leo and Karai continuously mopped up any bots that actually made it into the intersection, Raph was like a ninja pinball, darting to and fro wherever he was needed (or rather, wherever he could get into a scrap). I don't see why those two are so obsessed with those chicks, anyway, he mused while tearing the arm off a bot and beating it over the head with its own detached limb. I mean, what could be more fun than kicking tail and taking names? We're supposed to be heroes…not Romeos…
…Ugh. Don and Leo are so lame.
"Raph!"
Raphael punched the head off a bot and turned toward his brother. "What?!"
"Come here and cover this tunnel for me!"
He dodged and flipped his way through the mayhem to stand beside Donnie.
"Glad to, but I thought you had this covered?"
"I need to call April and get an update on the situation. If these bots don't stop swarming soon, we're going to have to come up with a new strategy for dealing with them."
"So you want me to cover your butt just so you can call your girlfriend?"
"Hey! She's NOT my girlfriend, and I'm not calling her for a chat. I-"
"Oh, you're not? Why don't you stand there and tell me about it some more while I DO YOUR JOB FOR YOU?!"
Donnie glared at Raph but, knowing that arguing with the hothead would be pointless, placed his back to the wall where he could keep an eye on the chaos all around him. He punched a number on the t-phone screen, held the phone between his shoulder and ear, and gripped his bo staff with both hands to fend off any random attacks that might come his way during the conversation.
"Donnie? Glad you called!"
His heart skipped a beat. "Really? How come?"
"You guys are doing great. I know there's been a TON of bots, but I wanted to let you know that they're ALMOST gone. Hang in there for a few more waves, and you should have a break."
"A…a break?"
"Yeah! I mean, like Leo said at breakfast, Shredder doesn't give up. Even if you destroy all of these bots, there'll be more eventually, right? Sooner or later?"
Donnie frowned. "You're right, April. And now that Shredder has somehow tracked Karai here, it'll probably be sooner. Very soon. We might have only hours, or even minutes before the next attack comes."
"Yeah. Well, just wrap things up as fast as you can so hopefully, you guys can have more than a five-minute breather."
"Roger that. Thanks, April."
"Anytime, D."
Donnie ducked just in time for several Foot clan emblem-emblazoned throwing stars to lodge themselves in the concrete wall where his head had just been. He glanced up at them warily while ending the call. This is just great. We're fighting to end this battle, but the war is just beginning…
"Well? What'd your girlfriend have to say?"
"Give it a REST, Raph!"
Donnie resumed fighting at Raphael's side as if he'd never stopped. Between the two of them, not a single bot got past their defense, and the influx of enemies into the junction slowed to a trickle with only one or two bots sporadically entering the fight from the other tunnels at decreased intervals.
"Is that all of them?" Mikey asked, still swinging about the room in a clockwise direction. There hadn't been any enemies for him to fight in several minutes by that time, but he was still enjoying his lofty position and began doing Tarzan impersonations to thwart his boredom.
"Looks like," Donnie said, turning away from the southern passage at last. "Haven't seen any more in a couple of minutes, and none of the sensors I can see on my t-phone map are activated."
Leo and Karai, who, while unoccupied with enemies remained vigilant and ready for battle until Donnie gave the "all clear", now turned to face the brilliant ninja as he hurriedly approached them.
"Leo, Karai…I'm sure you've already guessed what this means, right?"
They each nodded solemnly.
"I don't know how, Karai, but somehow, Shredder must be tracking you."
"I know."
Donnie scratched his head. "Whatever this is, it's not as simple as we presumed. I scanned you in your clothes, and then each piece of your armor individually – nothing. No trace of hidden metal, no radio waves, no transmissions or emissions of any kind, no radioactive substances…"
"You really think Shredder would do that?"
"I really don't know how far he'd go. But whatever he's pulling here, it's tricky. It's not something that will show up using normal testing methods."
Leo instinctively reached for Karai's hand and stepped closer to Donnie, his voice low and urgent. "Well, what're we gonna do about it? How are you going to figure out what's going on here so we can put a stop to it and keep Karai safe?"
Donnie lowered his voice as well. "That's just it… As much as I hate to say it in the face of another inevitable attack, I have to take Karai back to my lab to run more tests."
"But…that will mean endangering the lair! I can't do that to your home."
"I don't like it either, but we don't have a choice, Karai. Shredder is using something that flies under the usual radar. I'm not even sure what exactly I'm looking for, yet, but the only place with the necessary equipment for more extensive testing is my lab."
"Fine. Then let's get her there ASAP and start running those tests. The sooner we find out what Shredder's using on her, the sooner we can stop it."
"It may not be quite that easy, but that is the goal."
"Do what you have to. I can't live on the run forever."
Donnie nodded, and raised his voice so that Raphael and Mikey could hear. "Alright, everyone, Karai and I are heading back to the lair. The rest of you should head that way too, but fan out. Until I know what Shredder is using to track Karai, she's going to keep emitting some kind of signal, and I won't be able to stop it. It's going to draw them straight to the lair while she's there. It's up to the rest of you to guard our home while I'm running tests."
Raph stomped closer. "Are you kidding me? You're taking a walking homing beacon to the lair so that Shredder can pinpoint its location while you run your stupid tests?! How could you have missed this before?!"
Donnie turned on his brother sharply and looked down at him with fire in his eyes. "Raph, there is no time for this. Unless you want to abandon Master Splinter's flesh and blood to Shredder, this is what HAS to happen. There is NO point in blaming me, or anyone else, including her. She obviously didn't know about any of this. And if she hadn't left the lair when she did to join Leo, they WOULD have found the lair by now and overrun it. So we should be thanking our lucky stars that she wanted to join the fight instead of sleeping in."
Raph glanced at Karai sheepishly, then looked away. Leo squeezed her hand. If she hadn't insisted on coming to find me, fight at my side… He shuddered to think what could've happened. They'd have tried to kill her in her sleep.
Karai looked determined outwardly, but inside she was bewildered. How is this happening? I thought I'd be safe down here, with Leo… I would never have come if I'd known I'd put him, and his entire family, in danger. Shredder must have counted on this the whole time, before I even teamed up with Leo. How else could he have had these measures in place, long before I ever gave him reason to suspect me? …Unless…
"I have an idea!" she suddenly blurted out just as Donnie had started to turn away to lead her back to the lair. She dropped Leo's hand and stepped forward. "I haven't thought about this in months, but…I know of a way that Shredder might have tagged me with something, without me really knowing about it."
Donatello turned back toward her eagerly. "Go on…?! Any clues could help us figure out what he's using."
She nodded. "A while ago, he ordered me to spar with several Foot-bots as a training exercise. There's nothing strange about that, but this one time, he had one of the bots shoot me in the neck with a blow gun…"
"But, I know that I checked your neck!" Donnie interrupted. "There was nothing there."
She shook her head. "I know, but the thing is…when the dart pierced my skin, it felt like cold liquid went into my neck. At first I was afraid it might be poison, but I couldn't think of anything I'd done to upset Shredder that much. He assured me it was just water; a lesson in keeping my guard up, and not giving the enemy even the tiniest opening."
Donnie held his chin, looking puzzled. "Hmm…that is interesting. So, it probably was something in liquid form…the question is, what? There are a myriad of substances it could have been…but there's still only one way to be sure. C'mon…the sooner we get to the lab, the sooner we figure out how to stop this."
Karai promptly looked to Leo, her eyes full of regret. "I'm sorry…"
Before she could blink, Leo grabbed the back of her neck, pulled her close, pressed his lips to hers, and released her. She blinked. He grinned, but his voice was dead serious. "Don't apologize."
Behind her back, Raph pretended to hurl.
She half-smiled at Leo. "Alright. Just…be careful."
"You too."
"Karai…? You coming? We really gotta move…"
"I'm right behind you."
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One hour later there were a dozen vials of blood in a stand on Donnie's black lab table. Several petri dishes and microscope slides were also scattered on its dark surface. Karai was sitting on a stool and applying firm pressure to a gauze pad in the crook of her left elbow, her eyes watching the mutant closely as he carefully labeled and reexamined all of the blood and tissue samples he'd taken.
"Think you've got enough there?" She scanned the array. "You've basically got another me to experiment on."
"Well, since I don't know what it is I'm looking for, I need to make sure I have enough to run all kinds of tests. We don't know how long this will take, either."
"How long do you think it'll take to find the answer, if you had to guess?"
"I really can't say. It might only take a day if I'm lucky and happen to run the correct test first; if I don't then who knows. Days, or maybe even a week or more."
Karai frowned. "So…how are we supposed to stay safe in the meantime? I mean, all of us? Just continue to patrol the sewers day and night until you find the solution?"
"No, we can't do that." Donnie turned toward his computer and began tapping quickly on the keyboard. "I've thought of something that I think will keep you, and everyone, safe, though you may not like it…"
Karai rose from the stool and walked over to stand behind him, peering over his shoulder at the monitor. "Is that a…a mine…?"
He nodded. "Right now, I don't know how to stop the signal you're currently transmitting. Our only hope would be to block the signal, but I don't have a good way to do that here – yet." He brought up a map on the screen. "The best plan I can come up with is to get you out of the city, and DEEP underground. It's almost certain that Shredder has a GPS set up to track your movements above ground, but go deep enough and it'll be useless."
"Okaaaaaay…. But how do I get out of the city without being tracked? Shredder will just have me followed wherever I go until the signal disappears, and by then he'll know where I'm hiding…"
"Remember the stealth bike? You know, the one Leo used to save you that time you fell from the Kraang stealth ship?"
She arched a brow and stifled a smile, but nodded. How could I forget the first time Leo held me in his arms, and lap?
"The shields that can be raised to cover the entire topside of the bike are lead plated. They'll block the signal, but only vertically. You and Leo can use the stealth bike to get out of the city undetected by the GPS; however, the signal could still be picked up horizontally."
Leo AND I…? "In other words…"
"Ground forces. Individual bots that are ground level with you could still detect and track the signal. But, they shouldn't pose too big of a problem, IF we get going, and SOON. Raph, Mikey and I can run interference and make sure no bots in or around the city get anywhere near enough to track you."
"So…where is this mine, exactly? And are you sure it'll be safe?"
"It's a couple of hours north of the city; I'll send the coordinates to both of your t-phones. It should be safe. This particular mine goes down several hundred feet; it's abandoned, but still structurally sound. I hate to say it, but you'll have to stay as far from the surface as you can until I send word that it's safe to come back because I've found either a way to block OR stop the signal."
"How will you get in touch with me, then?" She crossed her arms. "If I'm too far underground to be tracked, then my phone will be out of service, too."
"Correct, but that's where Leo comes in. I'll have him go to the surface twice a day to contact me – say, 7 AM and 7 PM? I'll be able to keep you both updated on my progress, and you can let me know if you're safe or if there's anything you need."
Karai pursed her lips in thought. "Supplies?"
Don turned to her and nodded. "I'll throw enough survival gear for at least a week into a bag for you and get it on the bike. I'll check its fuel too, and make sure you're ready to go as soon as Leo gets here. I just need to call him…" He moved his hand toward the phone in his belt.
"No, don't!" Karai exclaimed, holding out a hand as if to stop him. He looked at her, surprised. She grinned. "It's just, I figured I'd call him on the way to my room. I'll fill him in, grab the bag of clothes April gave me, and meet him at the stealth bike."
Donnie gave her a sideways glance as he turned back to the computer. "Okay…if you insist. I'll get these coordinates sent to your phones now."
She nodded appreciatively. "Thanks. I owe you a lot for doing all this."
"What's family for?" When there was no reply, he smiled over his shoulder, only to find an empty lab. His brow furrowed. She sure left in a hurry… He went back to typing, then pulled out his phone and started entering the coordinates for the mine. Send. A phone chimed in the lab behind him. "Karai…?"
"No, it's me. What're these coordinates you just sent me for, exactly?"
Donnie turned quickly and was surprised to see Leo standing in the doorway. "Leo! Sorry, I didn't expect to see you here so soon. I haven't even put the supplies on the stealth bike, yet…" He jumped up from his seat at the computer and began grabbing glow lanterns off a nearby shelf. Leo just looked puzzled.
"What're you talking about? What supplies? The stealth bike? Coordinates?"
Donnie paused and looked to his brother. "Didn't Karai call you to fill you in just now?"
A look of panic shot across Leo's face. Oh no. "Fill me in on what?"
"That you both need to get out of the city, ASAP, before Shredder finds her here." He went back to gathering supplies. "The coordinates are for a mine that should keep her safe from being tracked… She really didn't tell you any of this? …Did she? …Leo?" Donnie looked up from a box of MRE's he'd been fishing through, only to find his lab was once again empty.
…
After leaving the lab, Karai snuck as quietly as she possibly could into the dojo, across the carpet-strewn floor, and into her make-shift room. The tray of tea and food she and Leo had shared a few sips and bites from earlier that day still sat upon the edge of the bed. She went silently toward it and grabbed one of the cups of tea, draining it in several gulps. I'm going to need my strength to make it out of the city undetected…and alone.
As soon as Donatello had mentioned Leo coming with her, memories of the night before last came flooding back: of Leo, lying injured and bleeding under a huge pile of planks, beams, and other debris from the collapsed stage, using his body as a shelter and shield for the woman he loved lying beneath him. Karai clenched her teeth and fists. Forgive me, Leo. I know you'll probably hate me for this, but I CANNOT bear to put you in a position like that again. I can't, and WON'T, let you get killed for my sake. I'd never forgive myself.
Her face was grim as she bent down, lifted the duffle bag from the floor, and slung it across her back.
Forgive me, Leo.
She walked to the door.
I'm sorry.
Karai peered into the dojo, watching and waiting for the absence of any movement or sound, before stepping into the room.
I love you too much.
She stepped closer to the tree…that beautiful, twisted tree she had already grown to love, and was going to miss.
Go straight to the bike, Karai. With or without supplies…it's not worth putting others in danger. Because of you.
Her gaze lingered on those beautiful blue-green leaves that reminded her so much of…
Leo.
He stepped out from behind the opposite side of the tree trunk. His expression was icy cold. Her body lurched at the sight, but she met his gaze with equal steel.
For several agonizing moments, they said nothing.
His voice, grave and forceful, sent chills up her spine when at last he spoke.
"...…Where do you think you're going?"
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