The moment Leonardo saw the officers coming, he was tempted to divide up the group and tell the others to disappear without him Even as he contemplated the action, a pit formed in his stomach. Sensei wouldn't want me to do that, and it goes against what we already decided. We're all getting out together. I'm sure Raph wouldn't hesitate to remind me, but how are we supposed to lose these people?!
In the distance, he could see the field. That's where we need to be. Though, if they watch us go in, the cops will keep searching. I bet we're faster than them on foot, but they'll get their vehicles out eventually. Once they do that, the police will comb the entire Industrial Park. Shell, they might shut down all the ports! How would we get a boat then? This can't happen.
The barrage of thoughts rushed through his mind in a span of thirty seconds, until he noticed his brothers staring at him in varying stages of frustration, annoyance, and terror.
"Head for the field," he declared coolly. "We'll beat them there."
Everyone broke into a run, but it was clear concern existed.
"Leo, they're gonna see us!" Don pointed out obviously. "They won't quit looking until-"
Leonardo held up a hand to stop him. "We can't afford to stay on foot with their cars possibly in play. I think we're going to have to try out the vehicle Raph found."
Amber eyes appeared stunned at his admission. "You wanna go with something I said?"
"It wasn't a bad idea, Raph. It's just risky. But everything about the last couple of days has been one giant suicide leap, so...why change course now?"
Raphael threw his head back with a loud laugh. "Now you're speaking my language, Fearless."
Leo managed a small smirk in response. "Don't get used to it." He glanced over his shoulder at each brother in turn. "Stay away from the main path. Mike, I want you to keep right on my shell. Raph, Don, it won't hurt to split up the other way, and make the cops think we're scattering. Stay together, and meet us back at the car."
Leonardo only heard the faintest rustle announcing his youngest brother's presence when he took off. He fell back slightly so they would be side-by-side, tearing through the wet, overgrown weeds.
"Nobody told me to train for a marathon," Mike grumbled. "This really isn't my sport."
"You're faster than any of us, Mikey."
"I'm a sprinter! This is cross country. Leo, what if the car doesn't work, or nobody can drive it?"
The teen swallowed. "Then we'll have to continue on foot, and hope they get tired of looking for us."
Michelangelo's anxious breath made Leo look at him closer. "Otosan needs help. We can't haul him all over creation. We gotta get home!"
"He's strong, Mike, and you are too. You've proved it, and I'm gonna start expecting more from you." Leo's mock threat was meant to lighten him up a little, but it didn't seem to work.
"You won't think so when you find out how we ended up here," the youth lamented. "I'm the dumbest idiot alive!"
Leonardo caught Michelangelo by the collarbone to pull him short.
"Leo-"
"Nobody talks about my brother that way."
The nine-year-old sniffed, rubbing his eyes. "I can't believe he got hurt this bad because of me."
"It wasn't because of you." Leo felt like stamping his foot. "We're gonna make it, Mike. Sensei is gonna make it. This is one of the last big hurdles. We lose these guys, and we're free to find a ship. All we have to do..."
The teen trailed off at the sight of headlights filtering through the brush, and heard the car engine to back it up. Great. Cops are already breaking out the cavalry.
"Raph's the biggest," Michelangelo wavered. "You think he can handle a car?"
"Well, like he said, it's not rocket science. The basic idea isn't that difficult. And Raph won't need to drive on a highway or pass a real test so...Yeah. I think he can."
"I do too."
A second set of headlights going by made Leo grimace and continue to hesitate. They needed to get across the path, which felt more dangerous with every passing second. He kept the nerves to himself, reaching out a hand to encourage his little brother to stay close to him.
They remained on their knees in the overgrowth for several more seconds, while Leo prayed his brothers were making it to the abandoned car. At the same time, he felt Michelangelo growing antsy on his left.
"We gotta go, don't we?" Mike suggested.
"Yep. Not much left to do, except...jump." Leonardo pointed out the hill rising from the field. "That's our goal. The car was off in a thicket at the bottom. Time to run again."
Before he had any more time to think it through, the teen dashed across the path. He could still hear the vehicles which were ahead of them, and noticed more lights approaching. They buried themselves in the brush on the opposite side, and kept going.
The soggy ground felt like it slowed their steps, but they somehow reached the familiar grove faster than Leo expected. Sliding down the slight embankment, the teen found the car's door open, and a figure already bowed under the dashboard.
"Donny!"
Leo's panicked cry caused Don to hit his head with a grumbled curse. "I'm sorry. Where's Raph?"
"He was keeping an eye on the area, Leo. Raph's gotta be close by. Right now, I need to figure out if this thing will even work." He pointed at the glowing dome lights of the vehicle. "That's a good sign for the battery, but it doesn't say anything about the engine or gas level."
Leo peered into the backseat where their father was already lying, and checked his breathing once more for his own peace of mind. Judging from the trash and other effects left behind, he surmised the car had belonged to one of the Crypts from the night before. He didn't want to leave his family, but they weren't all present yet.
"Mike, give him more light under the dash," Leo urged. "I'll be back in a couple minutes."
The teen rapidly climbed out of the thicket and searched for any sign of Raphael. No way did he just walk away from Donny. He's got to be nearby! Leonardo's legs twitched, ready to take off on a mad dash. He's okay. Raph must be. Someone couldn't have caught up with him that fast. They were too far behind, with the exception of the guys using cars. The cops kept going, though, none of them stopped. Did they?
Leo's gaze returned to the road. I have to find him. But I can't leave the others! This is the freaking nightmare from Hell that won't end. Where is he?!
It took every ounce of self control not to scream his brother's name to the sky. The roar of another engine made him jump and then duck to the ground, before realizing the direction the sound came from.
He lunged to his feet and skid back down the small embankment, amazed by the sight of the running vehicle. Leo shook his head at the wires hanging out from underneath the dash and couldn't resist clapping his younger brother's shell.
"You're something else, Don. I think we'll keep you."
The ten-year-old grinned. "It was nothing. We've got at least half a tank of gas in this thing too. Could just about drive it back to Manhattan ourselves, if we knew where we were going. As soon as Raph-"
Donny didn't get to finish, because multiple gunshots wrought the air. At least three wild bullets buried in the car while the turtles dove to the earth. Leo, however, wasn't destined to stay there. He leaped to his feet, thinking of nothing but his remaining brother.
The moment he crested the bank Leo caught the glint of a gun, much closer by than he'd anticipated. Fueled by adrenaline and determination, he ran toward the human aiming at him, not caring if he pulled the trigger. Leonardo heard another shot and dodged left, even as the bullet missed him by several feet.
The shooter's aim was thrown off by the missing turtle plowing into his back, sending the man sprawling. The cop rolled over twice to grab his fallen gun, only for Raphael to stomp down on his side and pin the human to the ground.
"Not tonight, bastard."
Part of Leonardo wanted to chide him for speaking to the man, but a larger part was simply relieved to see him at all. Raph looked up sheepishly at Leo's approach.
"Sorry, bro. Two of 'em were on our trail, and I got a little hung up."
Leonardo shook his head, slightly overwhelmed. "It's okay. Donny got the car running. We have to go!"
"Lemme just finish off this prick."
Raphael barely had a hand under the human's chin when the shocked officer spoke.
"What...are you?"
The twelve-year-old growled fiercely. "Y'know what? I'm freaking sick of that question! I'll tell ya exactly what we are." He hauled the man upright, twisting the cop's shoulder in an immobilizing grip.
Leonardo's heart instantly beat faster when his brother dragged the man closer to the thicket, but he couldn't do anything to stop him. Raphael halted at the crest of the embankment, crushing the cop against the ground in full view of the other turtles beneath them. Though it was amusing to see the twelve-year-old manhandle someone who was bigger and broader than him, it was also terrifying, because Leo didn't know what he would do.
"Raph," he called tentatively. "We need to leave. This is our chance."
"It will only take a minute, Leo," he answered calmly. "Dude asked a question. I want someone to know the truth."
Raphael used the free hand which wasn't pinching the man's vertebrae to turn his chin toward the car. "Ya see that bundle in the backseat? That's our dad. He's a miniature weapon of mass destruction, and the only reason you cops got to pick up a bunch of filthy Crypts last night. He stopped 'em from killing other people, and basically did your job for you.
"He didn't do nothing to deserve being attacked tonight – none of us did! A few of your cronies overreacted to someone they didn't understand, and created this whole mess."
Raphael took a deep breath and drew the man's head toward the younger turtles. "That's my nine-year-old brother, but he also likes to call himself the Turtle Titan. Does it sound familiar? He's the one who phoned this whole thing in and told your people what was up. You bastards turned around, and tried to murder him.
"My brother there? He's ten-fricking-years old, and the biggest genius you'll ever meet. We wouldn't have gotten this far, this fast, without him."
Raph gave a tensing Leo another look. "That guy over there? He's thirteen years old. He's got more guts in one finger, than your entire motley crew. That's who we are, not that it makes any difference to ya. We're only some monsters you gotta destroy, before they take you out. But we didn't kill one person. Not one!
"Your idiot officers shot somebody. That guy tried to use a flash bang which took our dad down hard, and ended up breaking his own stupid neck. Yet we're the enemy because we don't fit in with you! That's how it's always gonna be, ain't it?"
The silence that followed his speech was deafening. Leonardo wasn't sure what to do in response, but slowly moved to join Raphael. He peered into the frightened blue eyes of the cop, and felt like the man still didn't get it.
Leo crouched down beside where he was pinned. "My brother is a twelve-year-old powerhouse. He could already destroy a full-grown man if he wanted to. But he's too strong to do it. The reason he doesn't kill anyone, is because he's better than that," he finished with disgust for the joint police force's behavior.
The man flinched when Leo leaned closer, plucking the handcuffs off his belt. "What are you doing with me?"
"Bring him over here, Raph," the teen instructed, having already noticed a pipe jutting out of the ground.
His brother directed the human none too gently to kneel in the mud where Leo indicated. The older turtle snapped one end of the handcuffs around the man's wrist, and attached the other side to the pipe.
"Now you can just sit for a few minutes in the rain, and think about what we said," Leo told him, feeling like he was addressing a toddler. "By the way, the guns those Crypts were harboring? They're stowed in a bunker, behind a false wall in the maintenance closet. Get past that door, and you'll find everything. If we wanted to kill someone, we had every chance in the world to try. Make sure you collect those weapons, so no one else does."
Leo spotted the radio clipped to the cop's shoulder, and almost confiscated it. In the end, he simply moved the unit to make sure the man would be able to reach the device with his free hand. It wasn't his intention to strand the cop out there all night. "I respect the office you hold. That's why I'm not gonna hurt you. Though, after what your people did to us...I don't think my brothers would blame me if I did."
Donatello cleared his throat. "Leo, we should go. Now. Forget about him."
The teen nodded. "You're right. He's not worth it. This is probably going in one ear and out the other anyway."
"You have...f-five minutes," the cop pronounced shakily.
Leo's brow furrowed. "Five minutes?"
"Head start, before I call you in. Clock is ticking."
The man's words sent the older turtles into overdrive, running back to the car.
"We need to get it out of the gully!" Donny cried. "Raph, go behind the wheel, put it in neutral, and we ought to be able to push it free!"
Someone likely got himself stuck, and then had to ditch the car because the cops were there. I sure hope we can get it out. But there was no time to question whether they could. They had to make it work.
Raphael put the window down as Leo ran around behind the car. "You ought to send the genius back up here! I'd be better off pushing!"
"You can reach everything easier!" Don retorted.
Leo chose not to chime in, bracing against the back end instead. He could immediately tell how hard it would be to keep their footing between wet plants and muddy earth. He sent a glance to younger brothers on either side of him. "Together, okay? One...two...three!"
The vehicle shifted slightly under the pressure, but wasn't freed from the waterlogged ground.
"C'mon, guys, again! Brace and push!" Leo grunted with exertion, throwing in the strength of his core to aid the effort.
The teen heard his brothers straining and felt the car jerk with their combined motion. The moment it made a little headway, he saw Michelangelo stumble out of the corner of his eye. Leo seized his brother by the arm to plant him on his feet, and dug in his own legs to keep balance.
They'd gained a small amount of ground, but there was still a ways to go, and time was running out.
"Leo, we need to switch!" Raph called back. "Come up here, and I'll push!"
"No, Raph! You move too much, and we'll lose the ground we already made!" Donatello shouted in return.
"Stay where you are," Leonardo reiterated. His eyes became narrow slits as he glared at the car. "We can do this."
Over the initial hump, the ground wasn't as sodden. With a simultaneous cry, all three brothers pressed against the vehicle again. Leo was enthused by the way the car partially crested the small embankment.
"A little more!" Raphael told them. "Just a little bit, guys, c'mon!"
Leonardo eyed his younger brothers, wiping away the deluge running down his forehead. "For Otosan."
The nods he received were the most resolute yet. The teen closed his eyes to focus once more on his core, and counted down a fourth time. Eyes remained clenched shut on this attempt, only because he was concentrating so hard. One moment Leo was pushing for all he was worth, and the next he was falling toward the ground.
He fell flat in a muddy tire track, and assumed the worst while picking himself up with burning cheeks. After rubbing bleary eyes, however, he discovered the car was over the bank, and Raph's head was out the window.
"Come on, come on, come on!" the twelve-year-old urged.
"You okay?" Don checked. "Look at me! Did you hit your head?"
"No, I'm fine," he retorted, still a little embarrassed.
Leo fixed briefly on the handcuffed officer watching them.
"All right!" the beleaguered man bellowed. "I guess the clock starts now."
A surprised snort left the teen's mouth while he waved. "Thanks."
Seeing his younger brothers head for the back, Leonardo ran around to the front passenger door. He jumped into the seat adjacent to Raphael and yanked for the safety restraint.
"You know what you're doing, Raph?"
"Uh...sorta? I've got the brake, the gas, steering wheel, a bunch of other buttons that do something-"
"Just put it in drive, and go!" Don told him.
As Raphael whipped the car toward the road, Leonardo already felt like he was going to be sick.
"Small corrections!" the ten-year-old demanded. "Take it easy, Raph!"
"Do you wanna do this?" the hothead challenged.
"I'm not tall enough! I was only saying-"
"Put on a seat belt or something and shut up! I'm trying to get us outta here!"
"And I'm trying to protect Otosan," Don snapped. "So do us a favor and don't flip the freaking car!"
Raphael gave the teen a quick glance while he started pulling up the road. "I don't know about this, Leo. That guy saw us get in the car, which means the cops will be looking for it."
"It's not ideal," Leonardo muttered. "I should have knocked him out. God knows, he deserved it." He peered at his brother's white-knuckled grip of the steering wheel. "Thanks for looking out, Raph. You really are a great brother."
"Too soon to be saying stuff like that, Leo. Ain't nobody dying here."
"That's partially thanks to you. Again."
"We're not keeping score tonight, are we? Figured we could focus on that kind of crap later. Don't worry – I'm not forgetting any of the times I saved your shell."
Leo laughed wearily, using the back of his hands to wipe mud off his face. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and saw Mike extending an old shirt toward him. He accepted, knowing it was better not question where the clothing had been. It was more effective on ground-in mud than his hands.
"Sounded like ya got to eat dirt, Leo. Woulda paid to see it."
"I'll make you eat some dirt if you're not careful, Raph."
"Ain't hungry now, but you can try your best later."
The windshield wipers appeared to be in fast forward, which was exactly the state Leonardo's heart had spent too much of the evening. It was the first time the teen had felt like they might be able to relax a little in several minutes, but he had sinking feeling their night wasn't over.
At the top of the hill Raphael braked to a stop, and glanced in the rear-view mirror. When Leonardo saw his double-take, he quickly turned around too. The brilliant reds and blues of police cars lit up the grounds behind them, indicating only one thing.
"They're coming," Leo said flatly. "We don't have much time."
"Then we gotta get out of here!"
The teen knew he was a second away from punching the gas, and grabbed his brother's arm to stop him. "Hang on. We have to figure out-"
"Raphy can't run from the cops!" Mike squealed. "He doesn't even have a driver's license!"
"How would I, moron?"
"We have to abandon this road as soon as possible," Don blurted out. "I hate to say it, but I think we've got to lose the car too! It's too much of a risk with the police looking for it."
"But if they find the car, they'll still look for us on foot," Leo realized. "They'll spread out, cover the Industrial Park. They could shut down this entire strip. We can't let that happen! We have to find a boat tonight, and be on it before morning."
"A boat isn't our biggest problem right now," Raph argued, pointing behind them. "Those people are, and we gotta get away! We can't lose the car, Donny, not unless the cops are losing theirs. Gonna be hard to outrun them on foot."
"We don't need to outrun the cops, only avoid them! Hole up somewhere out of the way until the heat is off-"
"Sensei needs help, Donny!" Mike interjected. "We can't sit around and wait for things to clear up. We have to do something fast!"
"I know, Mike, I know!" Donatello's voice got a little shrill, signifying just how stressed out he was. "I'm trying to think. If we leave the car behind, they'll probably extend the bulletin to the whole Park, like Leo said. It will get things shut down."
"That's why we gotta keep it!" Raph determined. "Screw the boat. I'll get us home in this thing."
"In a car the cops are already looking for? Raph, we don't even know the way home from here!" Leo pointed out.
"Ya think we can't find it? Look at everything we've done tonight, Fearless. We've come too far to quit now. There's no way I'm gonna give up, no matter how bad all of this looks."
Leo rested his head in both hands, suddenly aware it was pounding. "No one wants to give up, Raph. That isn't what I'm suggesting. We need to elude these people, or get them to stop looking for us. Now how can we do that?"
He didn't expect an answer, and received none. For a couple seconds there was nothing but the pounding rain on the windshield, and the increasing pressure in his temples which accompanied not knowing what to do.
Leo glanced in the mirror again, even though he didn't want to see the police getting closer. The Atlantic stretched out as an imposing backdrop for the scene. It would have been an impressive sight for a movie, but it wasn't helpful at the moment.
There's an answer. There must be. Going forward means being tracked. Losing the vehicle only prolongs the chase, and gets everything shut down. So why would these men stop looking for us? What would convince them to turn back?
A bigger emergency response somewhere else could take priority, a distraction to make them look another direction. But we don't have a phone, or anyone to call. It's only us on top of a hill, the ocean beneath us, and a hundred cops trying to bring us down. Nothing's going to stop the inevitable. Only way they'd give up is if we were already...
Leonardo blinked rapidly in disbelief. He whipped around to face his younger brothers, then turned to include Raph. "I just got an idea."