I couldn't hold back the nervous smile that tickled the edges of my lips as the wind whipped around my face and we began sliding across the zip line toward Leonardo and the adjoining rooftop. Without thinking I glanced below us, then instinctively gasped and clung as tightly to Raphael as possible, as I realized just how far below us the ground really was. I normally didn't have a problem with heights, but then again…this wasn't your average situation. So instead, I pulled my eyes up from the ground below and focused them on Raphael. He was already regarding me with a warmly curious gaze, and I suddenly felt my cheeks flush slightly as I quickly averted my blue-green eyes and buried my face sheepishly under his chin.
I swear I felt him chuckle, and for a moment he gently squeezed me tighter against his body as we neared the adjoining building…and our escape.
Then suddenly, Leonardo's voice resounded sharply through our headsets, and I barely had time to register the anxious tone of his words before everything turned from bad, to much worse.
"Raph! Hurry! They're trying to cut the line!"
Leonardo's voice was still echoing between the buildings as I suddenly felt the zip line bounce. Immediately I glanced over Raphael's shoulder and gasped as I saw one of the Foot soldiers standing next to where Leonardo had tethered the zip line; his blade held high as he was about to bring it down on the line for a second time.
I turned back to Raphael, about to warn him of the impending implications as he suddenly shifted his grip on Donatello's customized zip line trolley and turned his amber eyes toward me.
"Do you trust me?"
I stared at him, a strange feeling washing over me as my nervous eyes met his.
"Of course. Completely."
For a moment we simply stared at each other, as a look I can't quite describe flashed across Raphael's eyes. Then he almost bashfully dropped his gaze from mine, releasing a nervous, yet almost unnoticeable sigh. When he lifted his head, his gaze was one of hardened determination, and he tightened his grip around my waist as we felt the zip line bounce precariously yet again.
"Then hang on tight. I promise…no matter what…I'll keep you safe."
I nodded, my eyes locking on to his with a look of complete confidence. Without a second thought, I immediately dropped my now useless pistol from my hand, letting it fall to the alley floor below us. I wrapped my arms as tightly around Raphael's neck as I could (without choking him, of course), but I still couldn't hold back the nervous gasp that escaped my lips as I gently felt him let go of my body and raise his now free arm up to flick a small switch on the left side of the trolley.
A split second later we heard Leonardo's voice shout from the rooftop; at the same moment the line bounced a final time and there was a sharp crack that overwhelmed the sound of his words.
"Raph…hang -!"
CRACK!
For a moment we seemed to simply hang in mid-air; our momentum still propelling us ever so slightly forward. Then, Instead of continuing on our projected path, we suddenly starting to drop down as well, and I immediately felt Raphael lock me in a crushing grip against his chest as he growled quite loudly in my ear.
"Hang on Tess…this is probably gonna hurt!"
There was a sharp jerk as the zip line suddenly grew taunt again in Raphael's grip, and I quickly realized our trajectory toward the building was rapidly changing. We began falling at a more arcing angle, as the opposite end of the zip line thankfully managed to hold in place where it had been tethered. The resulting action left us swinging Tarzan-like toward the opposite building…right toward the solid brick of the building's exterior.
I couldn't help but cry out in fear, as I immediately notice how rapidly we were approaching. My mind quickly realized that we were about to make the same contact that a bug would make on a car windshield…with probably a fairly similar effect.
I buried my face in Raphael's chest, bracing myself for the impact rapidly approaching, when suddenly I heard Raphael loose a snarl of effort as he cradled me tightly against his chest; at the same time he somehow managing to acrobatically spin our bodies in mid-air, just enough so that his carapace shell was now set to impact the brick wall that was rapidly racing toward us. I realized a split second before we hit what this might mean, but the breath I'd been about to use to speak was suddenly slammed out of my chest as we impacted heavily into the wall with a sharp, resounding thud.
For a moment the world went painfully black, then I heard Raphael release an agonizing grunt as his arm loosened slightly from around my body. The world now seemed to move in painfully slow motion, as the stun of the impact seemed to momentarily short circuit my ability to move. My body refused to respond to any command my brain gave it, and I realized in an overwhelming panic that I was slowly sliding from Raphael's grasp. I tried to scream, but all that came out was a choking gasp as my lungs still clamored for the air that had been so quickly knocked out of them.
In response to my cry, I felt Raphael suddenly flinch, and with a painful growl I felt him quickly renew his grip. I also felt our downward progression halt, and with a dizzying glance up I realized that Raphael's hand held a crushing grip on the trolley's break, which was the only thing keeping us from plunging the rest of the way to the ground.
After a few panicked breaths my brain and body seemed to begin functioning as one again, and I quickly called the reserves of my strength into action and pulled myself back up around Raphael's shoulders. This in turn freed up his other arm, and allowed him to now reach up and grab the line with both hands; better securing his grip on the zip line. I could hear him growling painfully with each breath; his arms beginning to tremble slightly with the effort of keeping us both from falling. I wanted desperately to help, but I wasn't sure how…then suddenly I heard Leonardo's voice echo from above us.
"Raph! Tess! I'll pull you up…but you need to climb…now!"
At the same instant I felt the zip line shutter, and we suddenly began moving ever so slightly up the wall toward the roof. I quickly glanced at Raphael, but he hadn't moved; his eyes were still tightly closed and his breathing was sharp and shallow.
I adjusted my arms around his neck, and in doing so realized something wet had smeared across my arms. I caught the slight scent of iron in the air, and with a fearful shutter I quickly realized what I might be feeling.
Jeezus…that's blood. He must have hit the back of his head when we hit the wall.
I could still feel his body shaking slightly as my own arms started to ache; my grip slipping ever so slightly as I gently but urgently tried to rouse Raphael.
"Come on, Raph…we have to move. I know you're hurt…but we have to climb."
For several tense moments Raphael remained motionless, and I was about to call up to Leonardo when I heard shouts from the TCRI rooftop. I looked up, my eyes scanning the roof's edge just as several of the Foot soldiers slid their rifle barrels over and began scanning our direction for a target. I gasped, tightening my grip around Raphael as they quickly fired several rounds across to the rooftop above us, and suddenly the zip line when slack and we dropped several feet, snapping to a quick stop where we had been just moments before.
Dammit! They've got Leo pinned down, so up is no longer an option. The only other way is….
I let the words fall away, the thoughts vanishing in a wave of panic as I watched two of the solders above us suddenly focus their sights in on the line itself and begin following it downward…right toward us.
Without thinking I shook Raphael, trying to wake him from whatever trance he was in. "Raph…please, we have to move! They're going to shoot us!"
Raphael grimaced painfully, then growled under his breath as he slowly lowered his arm and wrapped it around my waist. Then he leaned his head against mine and whispered, his voice exhausted and full of discomfort. "When we land…you have to run. Don't wait for me…get to your bike…." I felt him squeeze me ever so gently, then I gasped as I heard the Foot soldiers shout from rooftop.
"Targets acquired! Bring them down!"
Without a word, Raphael let go of the zip line – and suddenly we were a plaything for gravity once again.
I heard Raphael groan agonizingly as he pulled me close; quickly curled his body protectively around mine. I couldn't hold back the scream that escaped my lips, and I buried my face against his chest as we plummeted the remaining distance toward the ground.
My head swam, and for a moment I couldn't tell which way was up – all I knew was that we were falling…and that Raphael was again about to take the brunt of yet another heavy impact. I tried to speak…tried to open my watery eyes to catch a glimpse of something…anything…then suddenly Raphael's arms tightened around me as another shockwave of pain washed over us and we slammed through something with a loud, resounding crash.
To my utter astonishment, the second impact didn't seem quite as violent as the first, but still…neither I nor Raphael moved for several seconds after we'd finally landed. I quickly surmised by the sudden assault on my senses (and the fact that all the bones in my body weren't shattered into a million tiny pieces) that we hadn't landed on the cold asphalt I was expecting; instead I heard and smelled a rather uncomfortable mound of plastic garbage bags crunch and crackle beneath us as I tried desperately to force my head to stop throbbing.
Ok…so we landed in a dumpster. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted as I fought back a wave of nausea. But…we're alive.
I slowly began to shift my body to one side, realizing at that moment that I was still laying on top of Raphael's chest. I glanced up toward his face, and could barely make out his features in the dim light that radiated down on us from the alleyway. His eyes were squinted painfully shut behind his red mask, and as I slowly rolled so I could better see him, he groaned softly and his arms slid limply off my body and down toward his sides.
Being as careful as I could, I slid my body off to his right, landing awkwardly on both his arm and a pile of garbage as my head started to spin. A cold sweat suddenly washed over me, and despite willing my body to remain upright, for a brief moment the world went dark as my body slumped over beside Raphael.
Instantly I was awake, sitting up sharply as yet another wave of nausea washed over me. I felt myself again starting to slip limply to one side as the dizziness threatened to overwhelm me, but an arm suddenly reached out and wrapped itself gently around my body, keeping me steady until the dizziness passed.
Almost immediately I realized who was holding me up and where we were, and I anxiously glanced toward Raphael. I tried to speak, but all that came out was a sharp cough as my dry mouth and abused lungs still fought to bring in the air that had been knocked out of them.
I noticed that he'd managed to shift his battered body to one side, his amber eyes clenched shut in a painful grimace as he silently cradled his head in his hand. I reached toward him, my hand resting gently on his chest as he groaned again and slowly opened his eyes. He rubbed his head gently as he slid his arm from around my waist and tried to lift himself to a sitting position, then suddenly flinched violently, hissing softly between clenched teeth as his hand quickly clutching at the injury he'd sustained in our first battle with the Foot.
Seeing this seemed to shoot a wave of adrenaline through me, and as quickly as I could I lifted myself up and wrapped a steadying arm around his shoulder. I could feel his muscles twitching slightly beneath my hand, and my voice cracked slightly as I leaned in beside him.
"Raph…are you alright?"
For a moment he didn't respond; he seemed instead to be gathering himself…slowing his breathing as he tried to push the pain aside. After a few tense seconds he raised his head, his eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to mask the pain he was feeling.
"I'm fine Tess…." He paused, attempting a cocky smirk. "You should know by now my shell's tougher than it looks."
I laughed nervously, my anxious gaze flashing quickly toward his injured side. I leaned in closer, gently taking his blood-covered hand in my own and lifting it from his side. This brought a sharp intake of breath from Raphael, but he allowed me to move his hand; beneath which I quickly noticed a rather large amount of blood oozing from a spot on his wound where several of the stitches I'd so carefully placed were either broken or missing.
"Oh no…no no no. You're bleeding way too much! We have to stop it…." I started to take my jacket off, as I had nothing else at the moment to help staunch the bleeding, but Raphael quickly laid his hand on my arm to stop me.
"We don't have time, Tess. We have to move…." He paused, flinching in pain as he tried to take a deeper breath. "Those Foot soldiers will be on us any second now."
I huffed anxiously, knowing he was right but still stubbornly not wanting to leave his wound untreated. I hated seeing him injured, but I also realized that if we didn't get out of here soon, we'd have a lot more serious issues to contend with. So I nodded reluctantly, the worry clearly evident in my eyes as we both shakily got to our feet.
Raphael seemed to call on his own reserves of strength as he slid himself carefully over the side of the dumpster, growling in pain as his feet landed unsteadily on the concrete. Then he reached for me, gingerly lifting me out of the dumpster with one hand while still clutching at his injured side with the other.
No sooner than my feet had touched the ground, we heard shouts from above us, and we both had to dive painfully for cover as the ground around us was abruptly pelted with tranquilizer darts. I heard Raphael cry out in agony as we dove around the corner of the building we'd been escaping toward, but he didn't give me the chance to check on him; instead he pulled me up from where I'd fallen, shoving me ahead of him down the darkened alleyway.
"Go Tess! Get to your bike."
I stumbled forward, grabbing for his wrist as we quickly began limping toward where we'd left the vehicles. "I'm not going anywhere without you!" I paused, my eyes quickly scanning his form for darts, despite the fact I was barely able to see anything in the shadows of the alley. "Are you hit?"
Raphael growled, flicking his wrist so that my hand slid gently into his as we rounded a corner into an adjoining alley. "Nah. I told you before…horrible shots." He paused, his speed increasing ever so slightly as we hurried to the end of the alley and slid around a third corner. "You'd think they were Storm Troopers…not Foot Soldiers."
I couldn't help the sharp laugh that escaped my lips, despite the dire circumstances we were facing. I glanced over at him, my eyes taking in the tired smirk on his face as he gently squeezed my hand and we slid quickly through a broken gate and around yet another corner.
"Hey! I thought you said you didn't speak nerd?'
Raphael snorted, wincing slightly as he clutched at his side. "I don't speak "science nerd" like you and Donnie…but I sure as hell know how to appreciate a good movie when I see one."
I shook my head, smiling despite my pain as we slid past a group of dumpsters and a large, concrete barrier to the small parking garage we'd designated as our rendezvous point. Almost instantly Leonardo leaped out of the shadows, causing both myself and Raphael to start nervously.
His blue eyes scanned us both apprehensively, and I watched as his eyes widening slightly at the sight of his brother looking exceptionally worse for wear. Instantly he was at Raphael's side, sliding his arm around his brother's shoulder to help support him.
"Come on…time to get our shells home."
For once, Raphael didn't fight his brother; instead he leaned heavily against Leonardo's shoulder, giving my hand a final gentle squeeze before letting go. I followed closely behind them, scanning nervously over my shoulder to make sure the Foot hadn't caught up with us yet. The coast remained clear for the time being, so we took full advantage; Leo and I quickly helped Raphael into the back of the Party Wagon, where he collapsed with a painful grunt onto the floor. Then Leo quickly turned to me, his eyes scanning the shadows behind us before laying a hand on my shoulder.
"The Foot are right behind us, so we need to move fast." He paused, glancing toward my motorcycle. "Are you going to be ok?"
I nodded reassuringly, my eyes still lingering on Raphael. "I'm good…we just need to get him home." I turned my worried gaze to meet Leonardo's. "He's hurt worse than he's letting on."
Leonardo sighed, glancing back toward his brother with an uneasy light in his eyes. "I know. He's too stubborn for his own good…." His voice trailed off, and he shifted uneasily before turning to meet my gaze. "But don't worry…he'll be fine. And so will Splinter…thanks to you."
I smiled weakly, nodding toward the vehicles with an anxious air. "You can thank me when we're home and everyone's safe."
Leonardo nodded, then he quickly reached for the small tracker on his belt. "You should turn on your tracker, just in case we get separated." He paused, his blue eyes flashing with worry as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Just stay on our tail...and be careful. We should be home in no time."
I winked at him, reaching down to press the small red button on my tracker before I slid over and onto my motorcycle. "Always. I'll be right behind you."
Leonardo nodded in return, then ran toward the Party Wagon. We both fired up our vehicles and headed for the exit, sliding almost too easily out into the late night traffic. For several blocks it seemed fairly clear, and I dared to hope that we'd somehow managed to allude our attackers.
But…of course…things can never be that simple…can they?
