I know, it's been a while. I'm so terribly sorry, this year will be a very busy one, so updates will be far in between. Please bear with me, I'm trying to fix my schedule so that it can work out...

DISCLAIMER: So many chapters in, and you think I own TMNT? Nah!

There are a few things that someone can be when they're captured, chained up and blindfolded.

Scared, worried... bored.

To Halley's surprise, she was the third. If any person who had ever been abducted happened to know that, they'd try to strangle her. As it was, though, she couldn't really care!

There was nothing she could look at to fight the boredom, no one to talk with, nothing to do at all.

There was only one thing she could do. And that was to think.

Earlier that day, someone had approached her cell. She had heard the footsteps, arrogant and cocky. At that instant, she had decided to fake sleep - it wasn't like it would be easy for her abductor to tell the difference, anyway.

Now she regretted it. Because the man had spoken in a voice she recognized. Thinking her asleep, he had revealed everything about his plans. And he had told her that her only way out, Raph, had simply escaped, leaving her behind.

She wished she wasn't such a coward. Then perhaps she would have at least tried to play a mind game or two with Baxter...

"We've been over this, again and again, freak!", Han was now pretty much barking at Raph. His interrogation was getting nowhere, even though the green abomination in front of him now knew of the other hostage. It was pissing the blonde brute well off. He shoved the light in the ninja's face, trying once more to intimidate him "I'm only gonna ask you this One. More. Time. Who do you work for? How long have you been on this planet? What is the level of your technology?"

Raph stared at the Purple Dragon incredulously. Was he serious?! "Planet?", he repeated, hoping he'd heard wrong and Han would correct him. No such luck... "Technology?! Boy, you barkin' up the wron' shell..."

"Answer me!", the blonde banged his open palm mere inches from the turtle's face.

Said turtle groaned "Come to think of it, who do you work for?". He couldn't resist pushing his luck a little "I mean, you look way too dumb to be in charge of all this."

A sickening sound made him cringe, as Han brought forth a mechanical cutting wheel - and Raph was ready to bet his shell it wasn't for pizza slices. "Your choice...", the brute smirked. "You can talk, or you can let your DNA do the talking for you. Now...", he inched the wheel closer, "is there something you want to tell me?"

He was so sure of his victory, that he didn't notice Raph's right hand wiggling free of its restraints. "Just...", the turtle struggled some more, before punching the brute straight in the gut, "this!". Grabbing the gas mask Han most certainly planned using on him, he pushed it to his captor's face "Sweet dreams, lard butt!"

The blonde struggled to keep his senses, but the sleeping gas turned out to be too stong for him. Eventually, he closed his eyes, and fell heavily on the floor.

This was his chance!

Without further delay, he used the wheel to free the rest of his limbs, and rushed to the table holding his belongings. He resheathed his sais, and pocketed the cracked shell cell - no matter what state it was in, Don would kill him if he left it in enemy territory.

Exiting the room, he found out he was actually on a boat, just a bit outside New York's port. He could see the city in the near distance.

He looked around. Should he leave now that he had a chance? Turtles are amphibious, he could make it safely back on shore. But what about Halley? He couldn't leave her behind!

The sound of approaching footsteps made the decision for him. He had to leave now! If both of them were caught, no one would be able to find them. He would escape, and search for her with his brothers.

Convincing himself that she would be fine, he dived in the cold, dark waters...

"You fool!", Baxter screamed at the fallen Purple Dragon, in barely contained rage. If the brute wasn't three times his size in muscled mass, he would have even tried to strangle him! "I was this close to obtaining a DNA sample, and you ruined everything! You let him escape!"

Han rubbed his head, replaying the scientist's words in his mind. True, he had been careless, but that didn't mean he would openly admit it. He smirked at the small opening Baxter unknowingly gave him. "Precisely. I let him escape, to lead us to the others. Even as we speak, a squad of Foot Tech Ninjas are trailing the creature. So now it's all up to your invisible boys... Better hope they don't blow it", he let the danger of what that meant hang in the air, before heading for the door.

"And the girl?", Baxter finally remembered their other hostage. "What use is she to us now, since we don't have anyone to interrogate?"

"The blonde stopped and thought about it. A sinister smile crossed his features "Tell her how her friend abandoned her. Make her feel betrayed. And then we'll take her to our Master to help her... exact her revenge on the heartless monster who turned his back on her."

The scientist cracked a smirk of his own at this "For once, I agree with you. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned..."

I know, this is beyond unacceptable! Do forgive me, with everything going on in my life these days, I barely have time to breathe, let alone write fanfiction! I have my blog, I became a member in LibraryThing and I have tons of things to read and review, and I'm still looking for some free time to send my job application. Not to mention my uni classes and tutoring sessions. I start my day from 9 am and finally get back home after 7 pm! I barely even eat normally - if at all! So, yeah, updates will be very scarce from now on. I'm terribly sorry :(