Chapter Twenty One: The Fight For Family (Reprise)
"Ready?" Leo asked, turning from one face to the next and all of us nodding in response. Satisfied, he commanded, "Let's go!"
With weapons in hand, prepared to attack, we charged through the stain glass doors. I fully expected an army of Foot soldiers to be waiting for us on the other side, but the room was empty.
Leo looked warily from one side of the room to the other. "I don't like this," he stated.
"Not much to this place," Donnie said to no one in particular.
"Maybe they all went home?" Mikey innocently asked.
"This is their home, genius!" Raph half-shouted.
"Shh! Guys, keep it down," Leo said sternly.
A voice boomed from the darkness, "I've been waiting for you, Turtles."
Stepping forward, light fully illuminated the owner of the voice. From head to toe, he was covered in metal. Adorning his hands were the razor-sharp claws with which I had become too familiar. Shredder stood in all of his malice across from us on the far end of the room. He wore a twisted grin of amusement. Glancing at me, his lips curled further up making him appear even more sinister.
"Ah, Lauradane," he said playfully, "Here again for your family, I see? Don't worry about them. I've been... taking care of them." With that, the room filled with horrific laughter.
I tensed at his words. What exactly did he mean by that? What could he possibly have done with them... or to them? If he harmed even one hair on their heads... I was growing angrier by the second. "What have you done with them, Shredder? Where are they?" I demanded through gritted teeth. I raised my sword into attack position. Noticing this, Shredder only laughed harder.
"Ha ha ha!" he said. "You think you can defeat me? Ha ha ha! I am the Shredder! No one can defeat me!"
"Maybe not alone, but there is strength in numbers!" I retorted.
"Well then," he replied with a wicked grin as his army of ninjas appeared around him. "I guess I have the upper hand. Foot ninjas! Attack!"
All at once, chaos erupted. Following their master's order, the Foot soldiers charged at us. Not missing a beat, we likewise charged at them. Weapon met weapon, cry met cry, and the sound was deafening.
Wave upon wave of Foot soldiers attacked, but we fought back with all of our might. Leo swiftly and gracefully wielded his katanas taking on each opposing Foot as they came. Donnie skillfully twirled his bo staff, eliminating several ninjas at once. Raph charged at two ninjas with sai in hand, and tackled them making them sorry that they ever attacked in the first place. Mikey flipped over a group of ninjas with ease all while spinning his nunchucks. He connected with them as he landed, knocking them out cold. I had my hands full with a couple of Foot soldiers. However, the time Leo and I had spent together sparring was beginning to pay off. As one Foot ninja charged at me, I was able to dodge him. Then, I quickly spun with my sword extended and slashed at him, knocking him to the ground. When the other Foot ninja charged from the opposite direction, I changed direction and repeated the process.
After we finished off the few remaining Foot soldiers, we turned our attention to Shredder. He was standing tall with arms crossed. His eyes glowed with hatred. In the blink of an eye, he was battle-ready and had fully exposed his sharp, metal claws.
Seeing him like this infuriated me. The arrogance of this man was appalling. Who did he think he was anyway? Did he really think that he could take my family, separate me from them, and expect me to do nothing about it? The more I thought about this, the angrier I got. I glared at him for a few moments before shouting at him, "COWARD! WHY DO YOU HIDE? WHY WON'T YOU FACE US?"
Shredder simply glared back at me. He was staring me down, but why? I soon had my answer. Faster than anyone could react, Shredder rushed at me. Grabbing me by the throat, he lifted me up and slammed me against the wall.
"Do you still see me as a coward?" he growled, tightening his grip on my throat.
I struggled with all of my might unable to properly answer him as a sickening gurgle escaped from my throat. Fear gripped me as I thought of our last encounter. Shredder had struck at me and Leo jumped to my defense. In anger, Shredder had grabbed me and thrown me against the wall. This time, he actually had me in his grasp. There's no telling what he would do now, although I had a pretty good idea. Was this the end of me? If he finished me, then what would become of my family? He'd be free to do whatever he wanted with them. I couldn't let that happen. I had to get free somehow.
Shredder's eyes burned through me. How could he actually claim to be a man? He was a monster! He has disrupted my once happy life. He stole my children and my husband from me in one fell swoop. For what? What did he want from me? Why was it me? Sure, I've been a fan of the Turtles ever since I was a young girl, but so what? Others my age have been as well. What made me a target?
Whatever the reason, it didn't matter right this second. It was getting really hard to breathe and I was beginning to see spots in front of my eyes. I had to get free, but how? I couldn't cry out. Shredder had control of me. I had no voice. However, I didn't need to worry about that because someone else did.
"LET HER GO, SHREDDER!" Leo shouted with a ferocity I had never heard before and hoped to never hear directed at me. One thing I've always known about Leo is that he is usually a calm, centered, patient, and very disciplined individual. He has a pretty long fuse. However, once you light that fuse it begins to burn quickly and you do not want to be in the way when Leo reaches the end of that fuse.
"Foolish Turtle! You freaks have meddled in my plans for far too long. That ends tonight. The girl is the key. She will be the one to rid me of you," Shredder said menacingly. Turning to me he said, "I've known about you, Lauradane. I've known your history and knowledge of these wretched reptiles. You know all about them; their likes, dislikes... and most importantly, where to find the rat."
Shredder suddenly released me from his grip. I fell to the floor, gasping for breath. He continued, "Your knowledge is what led you to the Turtles that first night, and it is your knowledge that will lead me to Splinter! Then, my revenge will be complete!"
Finally able to breathe and glaring up at him, I spat out, "I will never tell you where Splinter is!"
"Oh, no?" Shredder asked. Extending his claw once again, he pointed it right at my throat.
Leo's eyes widened. "No! Lauradane!" he cried. Tightening his grip on his katanas he commanded his brothers, "Turtles, attack!"
Following Leo's orders, they began to charge at Shredder. However, as quickly as they began, they were stopped as Shredder cut them off. "Stay back," he demanded, "Or she dies."
Leo reluctantly halted. He lowered his katanas and signaled to his brothers to lower their weapons. They all relented as well.
Looking at them, I knew that it couldn't end this way. Shredder couldn't win. He's the bad guy. Evil cannot prevail against good. I also knew that while he had the Turtles' attention, they had his. Shredder had begun his banter with them. If I took advantage of this very moment, I just might have a shot at getting free. I've learned a lot from Leo in the short time we've trained together. If I remember nothing else, then I should at least remember this: A ninja is always prepared.
Being careful not to draw attention to myself, I wriggled my hand trying to release the tanto hidden in my wrist wraps. I continued to wriggle my hand and as I did I listened as Shredder overinflated his ego. He droned on about how powerful he was, how he had the Turtles right where he wanted them, and how no one could defeat him. I was finally able to dislodge the tanto. I held it in my hand. I backed up just enough to not have Shredder's claw right at my throat. Then, I took my tanto, stabbed his hand, and quickly rolled out of the way.
"Arrgh!" was Shredder's response. In his moment of surprise, I took the opportunity to run as fast as I could in the Turtles' direction. Thankfully, they weren't too far away and I was able to reach them before Shredder was able to reach me.
Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey quickly retrieved their weapons. Leo handed me mine. Then, Leo began directing his brothers, "Donnie and Mikey, take Lauradane to find her family, and then report back here."
"What about you?" Donnie asked Leo. I was wondering the same thing.
"Raph and I will take care of Shredder," Leo answered.
"But, Leo-" I began as a million images ran through my mind. I looked at him with pleading eyes. Leo noticed, but shook his head and replied, "We'll be fine. Just go!"
I took a step forward, but Donnie placed his hand on my shoulder. I looked at him and saw the worry etched in his eyes. He did his best to put on a brave face, however. "Leo will be fine, like he said. He's healthier and stronger this time. Plus, he's not alone. He has Raph with him. Raph would rather die than let anything happen to Leo," he said, "Besides, your family needs you, Lauradane, and we're going to save them."
As much as I didn't want to believe him, I knew he was right. I could finally see my family again. To be able to hold them in my arms is the moment I've been waiting for. Still, I couldn't help but worry about Leo. He did have Raph with him this time, but I couldn't bear the thought of him getting injured again. What if he didn't make it this time?
"Don't think like that," I quietly said, chastising myself. I shook my head trying to force the thoughts away.
"C'mon Lauradane. We need to go," Donnie said gently. He grabbed my hand, urging me to go with him. Mikey followed closely behind, interjecting, "Yeah, dudette, your family awaits." I looked at Mikey and he had a huge smile on his face. I couldn't help but return it. One thing about Mikey is he never fails to make me smile.
Donnie, Mikey, and I raced from Shredder's chambers. As we did, I took one more glance at Leo and Raph who had already begun battling Shredder. I silently prayed that they would be okay.
We dashed through the stain glass door and retraced our steps back to Shredder's dungeon. We descended the flights of stairs. We wandered through the hallways. We finally found Shredder's dungeon. There were so many cells that it looked more like a prison than a dungeon.
"So, where do you think they are?" I asked Donnie.
"I- I don't know," he answered. Then, I heard what sounded like crying. "Did you hear that?" I asked.
"Hear what?" Donnie answered.
The crying continued. I could hear some small muffled voices. Then, the crying turned into sobbing. "That!" I replied.
"I hear it," Donnie said.
"That's them!" I exclaimed, and started running down the hallway toward the sound. Over my shoulder I shouted, "This way, guys!"
"Lauradane! Wait!" Donnie shouted back, running to catch up to me. Mikey was hot on his heels. I couldn't wait, though. I had to get to them. I had to find them and get them out of this horrible place.
As I ran, the sobbing grew louder. I finally stopped in front of a large cell. I stared in horror as I took in the sight. The cell had large metal bars like your typical cell, but inside it was nothing. There weren't any beds, facilities, or anything. In a dark corner of the cell lay three trays each containing a rice ball and some musty water. As I looked from one side of the cell to the other, I saw my family. They were huddled together as if trying to keep warm. I called out to them, "Don't worry, guys. We're going to get you out of here."
To Be Continued...
Hi, everyone! Sorry it's taken so long for an update. So much has happened in the last two months between Comic Con and school, etc. Anyway, I'm grateful to those who have stuck with me anxiously waiting for an update. So, you know what to do. Read, review, and let me know what you think. Thanks! :)