Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. Just Cadence, Liam, the mother, and the dead Blackthornes. Oh, and the Spirit Hunters. Also, I didn't bother to really do any editing, this chapter took me longer than expected and later I'll do some editing.
Author's Note: Here's the finale! I tried to make this a super long and enjoyable chapter. Hope you enjoyed my stories and thank you for liking it.
. . . .
That afternoon, Cadence not only woke up to one turtle wrapped around her, but she had all four of the turtles and Klunk nestled around her. It took her a moment to realize she wasn't in her bed, since her bed wasn't large enough to contain five bodies. She realized she was nestled on the floor, blankets and pillows thrown across each other. Must have been one hell of a sight because she caught Master Splinter holding up a camera before walking out of her room.
She yawned tiredly, muscles sore from the previous nights events. However, she was comfortable in the position she was in. Raphael laid parallel to her on her left, his arm being her pillow and one arm draped across her stomach. Leo's head was resting where her shoulder and chest met to her right, his arm wrapped around her stomach as well. She managed to lift her head enough to spot Mikey was the one sleeping between her knees, his body curled around her left leg. Donnie, however brave he was, slept at Leo's feet, his head resting on her thigh. His shell being Leo's footrest.
It was that moment Cadence found herself truly, and unmistakably trapped. As humorous the situation was, she felt her bladder was about to explode. Thus, she had several options: lay still until the boys wake up, or start moving. Hence the feeling of her bladder about to explode, she started moving around. Slipping her arm out from underneath Leo.
By the time she was up, she had four pairs of eyes staring up at her with caution. By stating the word bathroom, she relaxed as the brothers returned to their spots and waited until she returned from the bathroom. Cadence, however, had other plans before jumping back into the nest of turtles.
Cadence rushed herself through the bathroom routine before walking towards Splinter's room. There was no reason to be quiet, but she had the habit of walking in silence. The turtles slept noisily in her room, Raph's snores would drown out any noise if she made any. Not that she would have to make much noise; Splinter opened the door before she could knock. She walked in, the door closing behind her to cut off the noise.
In silence, Cadence sat down on the mat across from Splinter, a small table sitting between them. Her expression solemn, a wash of sadness falling over her as he pulled out a camera. A complex camera but Cadence had shown Splinter how to turn it on and off, and to take a picture. He didn't need to know how to do anything, much less delete any. She took the camera into her hands, looking down at it already seeing the pictures that would forever be imbedded into her memory.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Splinter inquired, watching Cadence with a sense of sadness that had fallen on him as well. He didn't stop the sigh escaping him when she nodded to him. "We could help you."
Cadence shook her head, looking over at the rat who became a second father. Tears rimmed her eyes, "No one can help me."
. . . .
"Okay, so it's final. April and Casey will stay in the van while Master Splinter stays here." Cadence snapped, quieting the argument that had rose when Splinter insisted that he stay at the lair by himself. Insisting that Casey and April would be more useful if they were the calvary, if needed, for Liam, Cadence, and the brothers.
Cadence let out an annoyed growl, adjusting the collar around her neck. It was loose enough for when she shifted into the wolf, plus, Donnie replaced the tracking device. She watched the brothers fall silent around her, Leo placing a hand on her shoulder before she shot a glare up at him.
"So be it. I still think Liam should stay in the van with April and Casey." Raphael muttered, wincing whey Cadence shot the glare at him. He ignored the snort from Liam as the redhead showed his disapproval.
"I'm going in. It was already decided." Liam snapped, adjusting his gloves. "I've been training with you guys to make sure I wouldn't set off an alarm or blow our cover."
"Guys-" Cadence's growl was cut off when Leo's hand gently tugged on her hair. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Look, we already made the decisions. There should be no last minute changes. April and Casey joining us was more of a common sense idea. If we get stuck, then we would need Casey and April nearby to help us out." Cadence looked at the brothers along with the three humans. Her eyes met Splinter's for a brief second before looking away.
"You know, I don't really remember agreeing to let Liam join us." Raphael pointed out, looking over at Liam before turning his attention to Cadence. "So want to refresh my memory why we're letting him?"
Cadence turned to look at Liam, a look of understanding passed between them before she looked at Raphael. "To make sure I don't end up in the hospital again." She turned her back to them, adjusting her collar again as she walked towards the doorway of the garage. "Let's get going."
. . . .
The ride to the Spirit Hunter's corporate building was mostly a quiet one. Leo was reviewing the plans once more with Raphael while the latter drove. Donny was speaking Einstein with April, going over the security system that Donnie was able to hack into. Casey had somehow managed to place himself into a conversation with Liam, leaning against the driver's seat. Mikey had somehow been the lucky turtle who got to sit beside Cadence in the back of the truck.
Mikey, for once, had kept silent as he lingered beside Cadence. Watching her trace her fingers over the Shell-Cycle, taking in their small surrounding. As he didn't want to break the silence, feeling the air around her would crack if he even made a sound, he gently touched her arm. He watched as she moved in one fluid motion, her hand breaking contact with the bike as she turned and slipped into his embrace. Being the same height, her chin was able to rest comfortably on his shoulder.
"I hope this works." Cadence muttered, tilting her head so she was resting her cheek on his shoulder, her breath bouncing back at her from Mikey's neck.
"It will, don't you worry about it." Mikey absentmindedly started rubbing her back. Mostly due to habit.
"Says the chicken." Cadence gave a quiet snort, seeing the muscles in Mikey's jaw twitch up into an exasperated smile.
"Look, everything will O.k. Leo knows what he's doing and thanks to Raphael, Mr. Obvious, he'll point out things. Plus, with Donny's brains who now knows the security system better than the guy who designed the system, he'll know where there's a camera, motion sensor, laser, do I need to go on?" Mikey sighed, his fingers finding the knot of muscles between her shoulders.
Cadence shook her head slowly, her eyes grazing slowly over everyone in the truck before closing them. She had taken them all in: memorizing their expressions, the way they moved, how they talked. Last, but not least, she took in Mikey and the comfort he gave. Raphael may have been the one who stole her heart, but Mikey. He was and will be her savior forever.
"We're here." Raph's voice cut through the air, breaking the little noise that had surrounded them into absolute silence. He looked over his shoulder, his eyes looking over everyone before stopping on Cadence and Mikey in the back. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Mikey lean towards Cadence, saying something in her ear. It must be something outrageous because even he couldn't hold back the chuckle when Cadence punched the orange banded turtle in the arm. She had a smile on her face though.
"Alright, you guys be careful. If anything happens, WE are coming in. No ifs, ands, or buts." Casey motioned to himself and Liam, both ready to come to the rescue. If needed, of course.
"Good. Hopefully nothing goes wrong though." Leo opened up the passenger side door, feeling the start of a autumn arriving in New York. He glanced over his shoulder once before shutting the door, meeting his brothers and Cadence at the back before giving a short nod to the three humans left in the truck.
"We ready?" Raphael looked from his brothers to Cadence, giving a nod to Leo as each one of the members gave a short nod in agreement.
Cadence glanced over at Liam right as the turtles rushed off into the shadows. Meeting his eyes, he tilted his head in response and she looked away. Before loosing sight of the turtles, Cadence quickly turned and bolted after them.
Boots thumped silently onto the concrete, meeting up with other silent footsteps. Silence hung in the air around the group, Leo and Raphael using hand signals that Cadence had finally began understanding what they meant. Cadence had stayed with the group, caught between Donnie and Mikey.
Mikey had hardly made a sound, even when they almost ran into several guards who made their rounds around the premises. Cadence had taken note of that, being amused when Raphael would slam his hand across Mikey's mouth to keep the younger turtle from making a sound.
"Alright, there's the entrance of the air vent that will lead us inside. April, once we're inside, we're gonna need you to guide us to coordinates of each security room and office." Donnie whispered, keeping himself pressed up against the wall of one of the buildings. He glanced at Cadence before looking at Leo who went in first. He followed after the eldest, only so he could help navigate through the ventilation shafts.
Raphael glanced once at the hole before watching Cadence crawl on through after Donnie. He managed to catch her eye before she disappeared into the shaft who was quickly followed by Mikey. It was a habit, pure nature that he would bring up the rear. It was so he could keep an eye on them all incase something happened. Also, he'd be the first to do something if they were being followed. To not make anything suspicious, he put the vent lid back on, watching as two guards walked by.
Cadence couldn't help but feel jittery the whole time they crawled through the shaft, she tried focusing on Donnie's voice. Listening to him talk to Leo as April spoke to the genius. She knew the plan like the back of her hand, but she needed that distraction, his voice. Any of their voices.
Cadence knew Mikey was close to her, closer than he needed to. As much as they were all her anchor, he would always shoot a smile her way, whisper a joke. A part of her needed that right now but it was pointless in their situation. She became aware that even she was closer to Donnie than usual. Stopping herself occasionally before she hit her head on the edge of his shell or bumping into his legs. It was then she realized why she feeling jittery.
Claustrophobia. It wasn't her friend, but neither her enemy. She was used to being in small, enclosed spaces. Just not for a long period of time. It was that wolf part of her that was screaming for her to get out. To get into the fresh air. Finding that realization, she nudged Donnie's calf, meeting his dark brown eyes in the darkness.
"Can we hurry up?" It must of been the tone of her voice that set the purple banded turtle into motion. Roughly, but quietly, Cadence watched Donnie push past Leo and started crawling at a quicker pace. One word to Leo from Donnie, Leo understood.
At the pace they started at again, Cadence almost lost track of time. She just remembered the occasional bumps from Mikey to make sure she was okay. They were just moving more quickly, their movement being silent. However, the sound of machinery started to overcome them, blocking any noise that the group had begun to make. Cadence knew they were close when their pace had slowed, but just the slightest.
Cadence stopped just before bumping into Leo, listening to the sound of machinery and knew that they had come to their first destination. After this, they would be walking. The sound of machines working overtime became persistent, blocking out the sound of Donnie unhinging the vent lid. Looking over Leo's shoulder, she watched Donnie drop through the hole then watched as Leo moved quickly to follow. She kept up the pace, dropping down just as Leo moved from the spot where she landed. She shifted, letting Mikey then Raphael fall through behind her. She looked around, not understanding how Donnie was basically drooling.
Lining the walls were large, compacted computers. All of which contained the information about the Spirit Hunters and the history of the Guardian Spirits. The five wandered around the room aimlessly, except for drooling genius. Even though he wasn't really drooling, to the others it just looked like it.
"Stop drooling, Donnie and get to work unless you just want me to start breaking stuff." Raphael's voice cut through the air along with Mikey's snicker.
"Donnie, before you put in the virus, grab the information on how to release the other Guardians." Cadence walked up to Donnie who stood beside a small laptop that was hooked up to one of the computer generators. Feeling tensed when she asked the question, she relaxed when Donnie merely nodded. The others wouldn't have argued, especially since the reason they were there was to stop the Hunters from continuing with their 'job'.
"April's got the camera's right?" Mikey was staring blankly at a camera that was pointed directly at them. Not moving, he moved his eyes over to Donnie. He relaxed immediately when his brother nodded in confirmation.
After several minutes, the sound of a laptop closing made everyone turn to face Donnie. "On this, the main system of this building, computer is wiped clean of any information about Spirit Hunters and Guardians. It's all on here. I just put in the virus, now I suggest we start leaving."
Raphael glanced at the door that led out of the main computer room before he turned the handle, jerking it hard enough to break the lock. Opening the door a crack, he peered on through. Silence hung in the hallway and he gave the others a short nod. "Clear."
"Alright, lets go." Leo quickly followed Raphael out the door pausing only for a second before following Donnie's motion of which direction to go.
"It's funny, how we always do the easy stuff first then do the harder stuff." Mikey stated, running beside Cadence only to glance over his shoulder at the sound of Raphael's gruff voice.
"Well if you think about it, if we started on the hard stuff first, we probably wont be able to do the easy stuff." Raphael retorted, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was following them. Turning his gaze back to his family before him. He probably shouldn't have to be too worried about anyone following them, Cadence would have signaled if there was. She was a security system that he was sure not even Donnie could replicate.
Cadence merely shrugged at their conversation, it was her first time on a mission with them. Her eyes and ears were the only things that were paying attention to their current surroundings. Running down hallways, silently passing closed doors. However, parts of her brain were distracted from the mission. Part of her wanted to turn and run out of the building, another wanted to burn the place to the ground. Her brain focusing on how Liam must be aggravated enough that she let the turtles go with her to infiltrate the building instead of letting him go with. Thoughts of what would happen if they came across any guards; if a stray bullet targeted any of the turtles. Also, of what was becoming of herself.
After pausing again at another corridor, the group made a turn to finally come across the elevator. Yet, as expected, the group froze at the sound of the elevator coming to a stop. Leo managed to hold himself up above the elevator door while Mikey and Donnie ran back around the corner. Raphael snagged Cadence's arm, shoving her and himself into a small closet room with his back to her. The sound of casual chatter floated down the hallways, making it obvious that few late night workers were heading home.
Cadence leaned forward, looking over Raphael's shoulder to listen carefully. Closing her eyes, she managed to catch a glimpse of the conversation that was disappearing. She leaned back, resting her forehead on Raphael's shell as she kept her eyes closed. The voices of the workers finally disappeared but she kept still.
"They're gone." Cadence muttered, lifting her head just as Raphael moved to open the door. She followed Raphael out, looking for the others yet found Leo was holding the elevator door open. She found Donnie and Mikey, coming back from around the corridor.
"Come on." Leo motioned the group forward, keeping the elevator doors open until everyone was inside. He watched the doors close as Donnie pressed a button on which floor to ascend to. He glanced over at Cadence and knew she had overheard a bit of the conversation as well.
"The virus will activate once we cross the catwalk to the other building." Donnie spoke, looking through the duffel bag he brought with.
"Thus, shall there be a big boom?" Mikey inquired, using hand motions to emphasize on the explosion that would erupt.
"Yes, Mikey." Donnie agreed, looking from the youngest brother to the rest of the group. A look of cruel satisfaction crossed Cadence's features before he watched it disappear as she turned away from them.
"If I heard you correctly, Donnie. The virus will travel through the main computer generator to all the other computers throughout the building?" Raphael asked and couldn't help but smile when the genius nodded in confirmation.
"To put it simply, yes." Donnie looked at the door as the elevator came to a stop. "As Mikey said, 'thus, there shall be be a big boom'."
Leo rolled his eyes before he looked over at Cadence, taking note of her silence. He find himself not being able to worry about it at the moment since their current goal was to get in and get out of each building.
As the doors of the elevator opened, Cadence stepped on through past Leo. She shrugged his hand off of her arm before looking over her shoulder. "There's no one near. They're all behind doors." She watched Leo nod before looking back into the hallway.
She listened to the faint sounds of voices from behind each doorway, taking note of each sound. Even the faint footsteps of the turtles behind and beside her. As the hallways were tile, the footsteps were quiet, but not unheard to the trained ear.
"How much farther is the catwalk?" Leo looked over at Donnie, listening to the genius speak to April. However, he stopped when he Cadence held up a hand. He watched curiously, bracing himself when Cadence tilted her head with her eyes closed. He glanced over his shoulder, spotting his brothers grouped together closely.
"The catwalk is just at the end of this hallway. Just straight ahead, no need to make any turns." Donnie whispered, leaning towards Cadence. After seeing her nod, his shoulders relaxed from the tension that had been built up from the moment she raised her hand for them to stop.
"Is everything all right?" Leo inquired, his answer being of that Cadence began moving forward.
"I was just making sure we wouldn't run into any other employees. However, there are guards on the catwalk." Cadence looked over at Leo before letting him rush up ahead of her in a full, silent run.
Raphael made his way up to run beside Cadence, his hand brushing against her wrist. He shared a small smile with her, seeing the tension in her shoulders relax. However, it didn't last when he gave her a question look and she merely shook her head.
I'm scared, Raphael.
Raphael took her hand, ignoring the looks from Mikey and Donnie. He had gotten used to hearing her voice, even in his head when she would contact with telepathy. However, he didn't know she was able to do so while in human form.
The group came across no other employees, but the warning from April about the ten second loop on the cameras made them move more quickly. The way the turtles acted as they came up to the door, looked to be a routine for them. Leo pushed the button to open the sliding doors, and just as the metal door opened, Raphael flew past just before it opened completely.
All Cadence heard was a quiet grunt when Raphael's foot connected with a guard. She managed to catch a few other thumps as fists connected with another guard, and unable to stop the wincing when she saw Raphael stick his head back through the door.
"We're good." Raphael stated, motioning the group past him. He watched as Leo, Donnie and then Mikey rushed past. Seeing Cadence hesitate towards the door. He offered a hand, looking down at it as Cadence did.
"Come on, guys!" Leo's harsh whisper reached Cadence and it made her move past Raphael. She leapt over an unconscious guard before reaching the three turtles, the fourth one running behind her.
"Anyone behind this door?" Donnie asked as he looked over at Cadence, taking a step back when she took a step forward.
Cadence placed her hand on the metal door, feeling the cool result from the cold night air. Closing her eyes, she lifted her chin as she sniffed the air. Catching the various scents of the city below them, then the building around them. She exhaled again, focusing her attention on the door before her. Finding no life form, she pressed the button to open the door. It was enough to let the boys know that it was safe.
Leo and Raphael quickly rushed past Cadence on either side, both entering the building with weapons drawn. As the two paused, both in a fighting stance, they glanced around their surrounding. Noticing that the interior was different from the office building they had exited moments ago.
"Looks so different." Mikey stated, taking in the white tile floor and pale walls that were a contrast to the gray and blue colors from the office building. He looked over at Cadence and Donnie walked into the building, the door sliding shut behind the two.
"This is the lab building." Donnie stated, looking around. "We have to go down, right April?" He nodded as April confirmed his question. "We need to go down to get to the main lab, but on the way down we need to get to the other main computer."
"That's the plan." Cadence pushed aside a lock of hair that had escaped her pony tail. "Lets get going while the night is still young." She looked over at Donnie. "Which way?"
"This way, let's go!"
Cadence bolted right after Donnie, Leo and Raphael coming up beside her just as Mikey brought up the rear.
Noise was not an issue in this building. Machinery echoed around the halls as each room contained a small lab or computer. Cadence took in the sounds, unintentionally shivering as each sound reminded her of a hospital. Even the lack of decor and the tense atmosphere reminded her of death that could linger around every corner.
Catching the scent of several employees that were about to collide into them at the next corner, Cadence snatched the ends of Donnie's mask. It stopped him from running down the corridor any further, but the sudden stop made him fall back. The other downfall was the loud yelp that Cadence had managed to cover with her hand.
"People." Cadence whispered, however, unable to hold back the grin. Though, in response to her rash action. She understood Donnie had every right to make one himself.
After the other three found hiding spots, Donnie grabbed her and she ended up wrapped around Donnie as he held her up above a doorway. His hands braced against the ceiling while his feet braced on the edge of the doorway.
Cadence held back a whine, closing her eyes as her fear of being picked up built up in her. However, she had to be their eyes to make sure the small group of workers made their way past them. Having to be silent in the process.
As the sounds of their voices faded and the sound of the door closing, Cadence shifted from being pinned to the wall against Donnie. "You know I hate being picked up." Cadence growled before letting out a yelp as Donnie jumped to the floor with her to fall to her feet.
"As unlike Donnie it is to act like that, you deserved it." Raphael pointed out as he dropped down from the ledge of a doorway across from Cadence and Donnie. He looked over his shoulder to see Leo and Mikey exit the room he had stood above.
Donnie gave Cadence a quick grin before looking in the direction they were about to head. "Let's get going. We need to get to the other main computer facility for the virus to work through this building."
Leo nodded before following his younger brother down the hallway, following the path that the workers left them. He didn't have to look to know that Cadence and his brothers were behind him. He caught a glimpse of Cadence beside him, watching her bolt past them and ahead of Donnie.
Cadence felt the jolt of adrenaline right as she caught the scent of more employees coming down the hallway to her left. Based on the directions Donnie was talking, that was the direction they needed to go. However, instead of bolting around the corner and behind closed doors, she swerved around the corner.
"Wait, what is she-?" Leo watched as Cadence disappeared around a corner. Though the sounds of pained grunts and surprised shouts answered his question. A loud crash got him and his brothers rushing around, freezing when they spotted Cadence standing over several workers. With her back to them, Leo only saw the rise and fall of her shoulders as she breathed.
"Cadence?"
"Hide them." Cadence growled, holding herself still to prevent herself from making another move to the unconscious Hunters. With her eyes shut, she only heard the shuffle of feet as the brothers moved to take the three Hunters, hiding them behind closed doors. "I could've just killed them. The building is going to explode anyways."
"But you didn't." Raphael placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling the muscle tension in her shoulder. He watched her take the next few steps forward before spotting Donnie move up ahead.
"Can't be so reckless if we want to stay alive." Leo stated, not wincing when Cadence spun around to face him.
"I'm goin stir crazy from just running and hiding." Cadence snapped, yelping when Mikey grabbed the back of her shirt and began pulling her after Donnie.
"As much fun as it is to anger Cadence, we have to keep moving." Mikey glanced at Cadence before pausing at the odd stares from his brothers. "What? I'm not aloud to be serious once in awhile?"
"From the expressions on your brothers, I don't think so." Cadence muttered as she found her footing. "Mikey's got a point, there's cameras that we have to take into account."
"Alright, lets go. The elevator should be to the right." Donnie grabbed his comrades attention and led them around the corner. Running down the hallway, he knew his brothers and Cadence were behind him. Up ahead, his eyes were focuses on the metal doors that blocked the entryway of the elevator. Even though his eyes were focused on the target, his attention was focused on his surroundings; waiting for a door to open.
The ding of the elevator echoed through the tiled hallway, a sign that the elevator arrived to their floor. However, it was too late to hide when the doors began to open and Donnie came to a sliding stop. Even though his attention was tuned in with watching the elevator door, he couldn't help but notice the quick gasp from behind him.
It was like out of a movie, in Mikey's eyes that was. As Donnie leaned forward, sliding to a stop, Cadence shifted. He couldn't help but stare in amazement when he watched her shift before lunging over Donnie, jaws agape in a menacing snarl. He watched as she flew over Donnie, colliding into several armed men. After that amazement, he followed her form to assist the battle with his brothers.
It didn't take long to silencing the guards; Leo stepped over an unconscious from to press a button next to the door. He glanced over at Raphael, standing guard in front of the door before looking over his shoulder. His eyes looked over the youngest of the brothers then looking farther down to look down at Cadence. As frustrated as he was at her, he couldn't help the smile that formed. Sitting still, tail wagging like a puppy and her ears perked up with her head tilted.
"Kinda hard to stay angry at that face, huh?" Raphael glanced over at his brother, sharing a small smile as Leo nodded.
"We're in big trouble if she decides to stay with us." Leo leaned his shoulder against the wall, looking over at Mikey and Donnie. He watched them as they stared in amazement, watching Cadence shifted back into her human form.
"Yo, Cadence. I know you like playing hero but I'm sure that's our job." Raphael glanced over his shoulder at Cadence, grinning when she shot him a feral smile. Even though she was back in her human form, she still had the animalistic look to her. Her eyes glowing and when she smiled, he saw fangs.
"I can't let you guys have all the fun." Cadence stated, rolling her shoulders before turning her gaze onto the metal doors. She felt the elevator slow as they neared their next floor, but she tensed. Nose flaring as she inhaled new scents and her eyes narrowed.
"What is it?" Donnie, watching Cadence's features, spotted her shoulders tense. He turned his gaze to the doors and watched as Raphael took one step to the side, but still guarding the door.
"There's a lot more people down here." Cadence stated, closing her eyes as she tried grasping onto the reigns of her wolf spirit. In her minds eye, she saw Takaia who was ready to jump over the boundaries and take over if needed. Cadence knew that Takaia was just as protective as she was, thus, the Guardian would only jump just to protect her. She opened her eyes the same time the ring of the elevator bell began and watched the doors slide open.
The hall was empty of bodies, but not of noise. Chatter filled the lowered levels of the building, yet it was a good thing. That would cover up any noise the group would make, something Raphael and Leo were grateful for. Raphael followed Leo's order, running in front and he didn't have to look over his shoulder to see if his brothers and Cadence were following. With Donnie behind him, he began following the genius's directions; thus leading the group to their destination.
Leo kept in step with Cadence, the girl trapped between himself and Mikey while Donnie and Raphael led them. He knew having Raphael lead was a rash move, but he knew Raphael was the protector. He may be the leader, the one who decides the mission, but he couldn't decide who had what personality. Plus, if they ran into trouble, he didn't have to doubt if Raph would stumble. Yet, he himself had decided to keep back to keep a closer eye on Cadence. His younger brothers had seen the animalistic side of Cadence when human, but he hadn't. Also, he didn't want her to rush into trouble back when Donnie stopped before the elevator doors.
The blue banded turtle knew Cadence, though. He knew she was still going through what he had gone through a couple years ago. Beating herself up for things she couldn't control and she took that anger, that depression, out on the Spirit Hunters. He knew he wasn't the only one keeping a watchful eye on Cadence, or on their surroundings.
As the group made their way down several corridors, Donnie finally held up a hand to stop, having use the other to grab hold of Raphael's arm. "Right in here." Donnie stated, keeping his voice steady as to not bring any attention to them from the Hunters. To the right of them was a steel door that was the current barrier to the other room, and it was locked. All Donnie had to do was give Raphael a look and the older turtle took over. Donnie looked away as Raphael dealt with the lock, glancing over his brothers and Cadence who all had formed a semi-circle around him and Raph.
"Could you pick the lock any faster?" Mikey didn't bother to tear his eyes away from their surroundings to make the quip remark to Raphael. He smirked when he got Raphael's growly response before tuning his older brother out. Beside him, he saw Cadence's lips twitch up into a faint grin.
Raphael merely had to remember to ignore the youngest brother and continue picking the lock with his sai. He couldn't help but grin, letting out a chuckle, when the lock clicked open. He opened the door just enough to stick his head through, and after seeing no one, he pulled back. "It's clear, come on." He held the door open, keeping an eye out as his siblings and Cadence ran past him into the room.
"So where's the main lab?" Cadence asked, coming up beside Donnie as he flipped open his laptop. She watched him hook up his laptop up to the main computer before finding his eyes on her. Her eyes flicked over the computer screen before turning them back to the genius brother. The only reason she knew as to why Donnie hadn't answered right away was because she could hear April's voice on the other side.
"Three floors down, the basement." Donnie stated and was glad that Raphael was standing guard at the door. He saw Cadence's muscles twitch as she turned around to face the door as though she was about to leave. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her back towards him. "Not without us."
Cadence glanced over her shoulder, nodding barely before feeling the grip on her wrist loosen, but not released. To ease Donnie's worries, she moved closer to Donnie, planting her feet beside him as he held on. Seeing the worry start to fade, she leaned forward. "You have the information on how to release the Guardians. I would be a fool to run off without that information."
"Yes you would." Donnie agreed, chuckling when Cadence rolled her eyes. He let go of her wrist to return to his work, hacking his way through the main system only to unleash the virus that had been released in the office building. Even as he worked, he felt Cadence's presence closer. Obviously her curiosity got the best of her.
"You done yet?" Mikey complained, barely dodging Raphael's hand from connecting to his head, yet he hadn't been quick enough to dodge Leo's. "Heyyy." He whined, rubbing the back of his head. He turned to look at Donnie, spotting both him and Cadence grinning.
Donnie closed his lap top, giving the four a thumbs up to the four waiting. "Lets get going." Everyone had huddled up at the door right as the words left his mouth, though all waited for Raphael's signal.
The signal was given as Raphael stepped through the doorway, almost grinning when Cadence slid past him in a rush. Behind her, Leo and the younger brothers followed in suit. As the last of them exited the room, he shut the door behind Mikey before following the group. He watched as Leo and Donnie ran past Cadence, seeing her coming third in line until Mikey came up beside her.
Quickening his steps, he came beside Cadence, brushing his hand against her wrist. In return, he received a small smile from her. He didn't have to ask her if she was okay, she must have read the look on his face.
I'm okay, Raphael. Just jumpy. Cadence glanced at Raphael, giving him a worried smile. I don't like that you guys are here. She added and in return, Raphael shot her a meaningful glare. However, before he could saw a word, she held up a hand to stop him.
Raphael ground his teeth but held his tongue. He hated, but understood, that she was worried about them. He watched her for a moment before facing ahead, watching his brothers lead the way back to the elevator.
Their footsteps were silent as they ran across the tiled floor, slowing as they would reach a four way, though they never came across any guards. Noise still filled the closed rooms that they ran past, luck must have been on their side since no door opened. However, their luck ran out as they came up to the elevator.
Cadence stood behind the group as the door opened, freezing when a large group of men were standing in the elevator door. It seemed that the two groups were having a staring contest before one of the Hunters pointed at her.
"You!"
"Shit."
"Technically Cadence, the correct term is Shell." Mikey pointed out before dispersing with the group to dodge the oncoming blows. Despite how unlucky the situation was, they were lucky enough to know that the group of Hunters were unarmed.
Cadence back-stepped away as a Hunter managed to weave her way past the turtles and reach her. Cadence dodged another incoming blow, bringing on her own wrath. Cadence was thankful for the extra training from Splinter, mixing her art of fighting with the art of Ninjutsu.
However, Cadence wasn't the only one with her hands full. Raphael and his brothers each had a guard that was trying to make their way pass them. Their only goal is to reach Cadence, and the turtles knew it.
Cadence ducked, dropping herself down to the ground as she swept her foot underneath the woman who was tempting an attack on her person. As the woman fell, Cadence jumped up to her feet, using her hands to spring her up over the fallen woman. She landed just behind another Hunter who was attacking Donnie. With a snarl she grabbed the Hunter's lab coat. "Duck!"
Donnie followed Cadence's order, even though her own voice was echoed by a snarl. As he dropped to the ground, he watched as the Hunter was lifted off of his feet before being thrown over him and collided with a Hunter he hadn't known was behind him. He stared at Cadence, giving a nod of thanks and froze when he saw her eyes. Like previous times, her eyes glowed animalistic when her temper ran short.
Cadence saw the surprise in Donnie's expression and in return she gave him a wink, a feral grin placing itself on her features. She spun around before Donnie could say a word, coming to the aid of Mikey.
"Get into the elevator!" Leo shouted, spotting several doors opening as he dodged several blows from his current emissary. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Cadence picked up another Hunter and threw her against the wall. However, Cadence never let go. Leo had to tear his eyes off of Cadence for a moment to duck. As he was lowered, he listened to a whistle and like a whip, the end of a white lap coat snapped across the Hunter he was going against.
As the Hunter was stunned, Leo took that chance to sweep his foot underneath the Hunter before running towards the elevator, grabbing the Cadence's arm on the way. "Let's move it!" He shouted towards Raphael. He focus was on the elevator, seeing the two younger brothers waiting for them. "Raph!" He shouted and was greeted by the gruff voice of Raphael.
Raphael was glad that he made it just as the doors closed behind him. Panting as he leaned against the steel doors. He looked at Leo and Cadence; Leo gripping onto Cadence as she held onto a shredded lab coat. No blood was on the lab coat, but he saw she wanted blood.
"Leo, I suggest you let go." Cadence breathed, her skin trembling with adrenaline. She felt the urge for the transformation. Anger had started to build, forming itself into hatred. She hadn't known she closed her eyes as she tried stabilizing her breathing.
Cadence's eyes shot open as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder, finding Mikey behind her.
"You were growling." Mikey stated and new he had to intervene. He had heard the growling even as Leo let go of her arm, and he knew her temper. However, he never saw her like this. The first time he had see her transformation was a week ago when Donnie and himself escorted her out of the dojo.
"Sorry." Cadence gave a small smile as the urge to transform began to fade. She looked over at Leo and saw the knowing look. One pat on her head from him and she knew he held nothing against her.
"So that's the famous temper the media seems to love." Leo stated and laughed when she gave a quick smile. He turned his gaze away from Cadence and back to the steel doors that Raphael blocked.
"They're going to be expecting us." Donnie stated and the group knew it.
"So then we have to move quick." Raphael looked to Leo then to the other three who helped occupy the area.
"We just need to give Donnie enough time to release the other Guardians, otherwise we get in and get out." Leo looked to Donnie then to Cadence. "I think I forgot to ask, is there a leader of the Spirit Hunters that we need to know about?"
"It's a Council, a group. Democracy if you want to call it." Cadence stated, her ears twitching when the ding of the elevator sounded. Instantly, her eyes narrowed and a low growl rose up from her chest.
"Time's up." Mikey watched the doors open, though there were no guards awaiting for them. Frowning, he peeked around Raphael but still found no one. "Okay, this is weird."
"No it's not, because watch." Cadence took a step towards the door before Raphael held out a arm, blocking her.
"I know what's going to happen and I'm not going to let it happen to you. If you take one step out of this elevator, there's gonna be a hundred darts shooting at you." Raphael snapped, dropping his hand to his side.
"Fine." Cadence stated taking a step back. Her eyes never left Raphael as she pressed her back up to the wall, one foot planted on the wall behind her then pushed herself forward.
"Cadence!" Donnie shouted, reaching out to grab her but she shifted. Shrinking herself to the ground in the form of a wolf. Dodging Raphael and Leo, bolting out of the elevator in a blur of black fur.
"No!" Raphael almost took a step out of the elevator but was pulled back by Mikey, Donnie gripping onto Leo. He watched as Cadence ran, darts following her every step. The way she maneuvered was impeccable, comparing her movement to the average wolf would be an understatement.
Idiots! Move it! Otherwise I'm distracting them for nothing!
The four turtles winced as Cadence's voice echoed through their minds, all hearing the irritation in her voice. However, they were quick to move, Leo and Donnie going to one side of the room while Raph and Mikey ran to the opposite room.
"I hate to admit it, but this lab is impressive." Donnie muttered, hiding within the few shadows as they tried tracking from where the darts were coming from. From the few grunts on the opposite room, he knew Raph had managed to ferret out a few of the Hunters. "I just need to get to one of the computers by those tubes."
Leo looked over to wear Donnie pointed, then again, it wasn't hard to figure out where they held the Guardians. There were several large tubes in the center of the room, surrounded by several computers. His eyes narrowed when he saw an empty tube and knew that one was for Cadence. He was grateful to see that Cadence was still running, keeping the attention of the Hunters and he found one of them.
Cadence panted as she came to a stop, the whizzing sounds of darts instantly faded with the sound of a grunt. She sat down for a moment as each of the Hunters who were currently in the lab were knocked out from the turtles. Instead she stared at the elevator and shifted back to her human form.
"You!" Raphael snapped as he came out from behind one of the desks, stalking towards Cadence. "Don't you EVER do that again! Ya hear?" He growled as he grabbed her arm, resisting the urge to shake her. Instead of seeing the anger he expected, he nearly shuddered as she placed a hand on his cheek.
"And how many things am I not aloud to do?" Cadence asked, her attention changed over to Donnie as she dropped her hand. Her eyes followed his movement to the the main computer system by the large tubes, and those tubes are what caught her attention. Celestial forms hovered in each tube: Hawk, Elk, Bear, and the Fox.
Cadence looked down as Raphael let go of her arm and she walked over to the tubes, closing her eyes as she placed a hand on the tube that held the Fox. Hearing a faint, barely audible noise, she stifled a snarl. "You might want to hurry, Don."
"Should I ask why?" Donnie glanced up from the computer screen to let his eyes wander over Cadence. Her posture, the way she stood, tensed shoulders and he even saw her leg muscles tighten.
"We're about to have company." Cadence opened her eyes as she turned, her attention focused solely on the doorway to the elevator.
"I need more time." Donnie turned in his chair, facing his brothers as they gathered up beside Cadence near the entrance.
"Then we'll give you more time. Just hurry." Raphael glanced over his shoulder to the genius, his hand brushing against Cadence's wrist. He grabbed the wrist and pulled her to the side as Mikey and Leo went to the opposite side of the entryway.
Cadence was surprised by what had happened within the next few minutes, the elevator doorway exploded open with a flurry of bullets. She expected that the Hunters would skillfully make their way into the lab, not rush in like they did.
Raphael had pressed himself against Cadence, trapping her between himself and wall to block any stray bullets that would go near them. As the sound of bullets subdued, he leaned back and lowered himself with her to the ground. Grabbing her shoulders, even as the sound of heavy footsteps hit the ground behind him. "You be careful, ya hear?" He didn't relax when she nodded but turned around and waited for the oncoming assault.
Mikey let out a shaky breath, even as he continued to plaster himself to the wall, the sound of bullets faded but he watched the Hunters enter the room through the risen dust. He looked to his left where Leo stood and nodded in agreement when the blue banded turtle motioned for an attack. Donnie needed time, and time they were going to give him. Even though he may be hiding behind a desk at the current moment.
"I don't see anyone."
"Except for our employees who you see laying across the floor, idiot. They're in here."
Cadence kept her eyes on the entrance where she began spotting the Hunters entering from. She followed Raph to the entryway before making an attack. Her cue? The grunt of a Hunter that had received Raphael's own assault. In an instant, the sound of an assault from both teams sounded and that was enough to get her blood pumping again.
Donnie took that moment to hop back up into his chair, and work. He couldn't ignore the fighting behind him, thus he didn't try to. His mind was working on finding a way to release the other Guardians, yet he still knew the whereabouts of the Hunters. He glanced up when a Hunter landed on another computer. Spotting Mikey, he frowned. "Do you mind? I'm working here."
"Sorry, bro." Mikey shrugged, ducking as another Hunter flew over his head. He looked over to where the Hunter had came from and nearly laughed when Cadence gave him a thumbs up before returning to the attack.
Raphael grabbed the front shirt of a Hunter, pulling him down to butt heads with the Hunter, shoving the stunned Hunter into the form of another Hunter that was about to attack Leo.
"There's way too many of them! Donnie!" Mikey shouted, coming to the rescue for Cadence. pulling her out of harms way when a flurry of bullets embedded in her current position. He may had been quick enough to save her life, but not quick enough to dodge all the bullets. Her yelp was enough to send him in overprotective mode.
"I'm okay, Mikey. I can walk." Cadence nodded, her eyes widening for a split second before shoving Mikey away from her. Where Mikey once stood, several knives had flown between them. A growl rose from her chest, even as when several Hunters spotted what Donnie was doing.
"Stop him!"
"Donnie, watch out!" Leo snapped, backflipping away as several knives followed his path. He couldn't reach his brother in time, instead, he watched Raphael barrel his way to their younger brother.
"I got your back, Donnie!" Raphael held up his sais, showing all that they were bloodied, blocking the blows that were aimed for the purple banded turtle.
"Don't you always?" Donnie looked up from his work, barely batting an eye even as his older brother worked to protect him.
"Do you guys always talk this much when fighting?" Cadence backflipped once, landing on her hands before pushing off. Her feet connecting to a Hunter's chest, thus making her land on the Hunter as well. She cringed as pain shot through her leg from where a bullet embedded itself in her calf. She cringed once again when a blinding light shot throughout the room, filling the room with white light.
"It's done! Lets get out of here!" Donnie leapt up, dodging a blow that Raphael hadn't been able to stop. Swinging his legs around, his feet connected to several Hunters and landed on the ground.
"Now how do we get out of here?" Leo landed beside his brothers, watching Cadence for a moment as she made her way to their group. His eyes grazed over the entire lab, trying to find another door that led out of the lab.
Cadence's eyes were focused on where the blinding light had came from and watched the Guardians exit each of the tubes as the light faded to where she could see the Celestial beings be released from their prison.
"No! The Spirits!"
Raphael followed Cadence's eyes to where the Guardians once were held. With his attention view, he saw that everyone had stopped to watch the Guardians exit the tubes. Roars and the screech of the hawk sounded around the room before the room fell into complete silence. He turned to look at Cadence before jerking when the sound and vibration of an explosion reverberated around them.
"Guys! Over here!" Cadence pulled the brothers attention to her, pointing to a gap that the Hunters had made within their group. She winced again when a gunshot rang out, feeling a bullet embed itself in her shoulder. Within seconds of that shot, the two groups collided again. Only this time, Cadence found herself over Raphael's shoulders as he barreled his way through to make it to the elevator.
Leo followed his burly brother, helping out to form and easier path to the door Cadence had found; a stairway. He glanced over to see Mikey and Donnie close on their tails, and he didn't have to worry entirely. However, just being able to make it out of the building was still going to be an issue. It had been awhile since he had been in battle such as one like this. Blood covered his swords and form, as blood covered each of his siblings and Cadence.
As the group reached the door, Leo was quick enough to open and shut it just before the Hunters could come through. Panting he almost stopped until he heard another explosion sound through. Each of the brothers almost stopped on their way up the stairs, Raphael being the last only because Cadence demanded to be placed down.
"I can walk." Cadence snarled and relaxed as Raph lowered her, relaxing even more as her feet touched solid ground. "Well, run in this case."
"Good." Raphael nodded, watching as Cadence shifted into the form of the black wolf, the form he was grateful that wasn't trapped in the tubes that the other Guardians were trapped in.
The group ran at that moment, each ignoring the pain that shot through them from either bullets wounds or sore muscles. Three flight of stairs wasn't too bad, not unless you were seriously injured and trying to escape murders and an exploding building. They weren't trying to be quiet, and their footsteps echoed through the enclosed stairway.
As they reached ground floor, they bolted. Leo once more in front and Raphael behind, Cadence in the middle of the four turtles. The sound of the explosions sounded loudly around them and each knew that they had little time to exit the building if they did not want to get caught in the explosion. "Hurry!" Donnie checked his watch before taking one step out of the building.
Luck must have been on their side, because once Raphael took one step out of the building, an explosion sounded behind him. Fire erupting into a deadly flame and the concussion of the explosion sent the group flying forward.
"Cadence!" Liam's voice rang out as he came up to the fallen group. His own form riding on her motorcycle. "Hop on and lets get out of here!" He yelled, his voice barely heard over the several explosions going on around them. It didn't help when the sound of a roaring engine came behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see the battle shell Casey drove. He calmed when Cadence placed herself behind him and he paused before looking at the battered buildings.
"Thank you." Cadence knew she didn't have to be heard to know that the turtles caught her words. Each of them nodded before hopping into the battleshell. However, she zoomed off before Casey had the chance to shift into the correct gear.
. . . .
"Master Splinter!" Leo's voice echoed through the lair and here they saw their rat master. However, their master came alone, Cadence no where in sight. He paused with his brothers and their two companions.
"Where's Cadence?" Mikey spoke up, walking past his oldest brother, his eyes darting from one end of the room to the other. Klunk was his only response and Splinter only gave him a saddened expression.
"Please tell me she was smart and went straight to the infirmary." Donnie spoke up, heading towards their infirmary but the saddened expression on Splinter's face had stopped him in his tracks.
Raphael quivered as he took a step forward. The joy of helping Cadence destroy the Spirit Hunters faded quickly as the thought of her being gone. "Master Splinter?" He took another step forward and paused when Splinter stopped in front of him.
Splinter looked down at his closed hands before opening them. In his hands held the multicolored collar Donnie had fashioned for Cadence when she was in the form of a wolf. "My sons, Cadence has left us."
Author's Note: Oh, did I mention that there's a sequel? :D Ha.