Chaplin breathed heavily against the door that Alexandra had just slammed shut before her death threats. He hadn't signed on to this, he didn't want harm any humans. Those turtles however, that was for the name of science. Of course he wanted to study them, see what their DNA was capable of. Now, he wasn't sure he'll ever have the option if Karai hears about this.
"Oh man..." He sighed, stepping away from the door and going back to the computer desk, taking a seat and putting a shaky hand over his mouse making the screen come back to life from sleep mode. Karai's face stared back at him with a glare that seemed to look right into his soul. He felt a shiver crawl up his spine.
"Chaplin." She said, her face reddened from sweat.
"Yes Mistress..." He tried to get out as steadily as he could, clearing his throat.
"You got the vial ready?" She asked, sitting up from her seat, her arms braced against the desk that seemed to be set up in a cement room. A cell of sorts in the lower levels of the building.
"Y-yes Mistress." He nodded as Karai sighed, her head dropping to her chest.
"Did you put it in that Jones girl?" She asked through clenched teeth. Chaplin looked at the vial still full and sitting on the table that Alexandra once sat upon.
"No..." He sighed, looking back towards the screen and down as Karai growled, the screen going black. Chaplin sighed once more, looking back towards the lab entrance as two Foot Ninja came in. They picked up the vial and walked over to Chaplin. "W-what are you doing with that? You don't know the molecular formula..." He stammered out as a Foot grabbed Chaplin's arm, stabbing the needle into his vein and pumping the golden liquid into his blood stream. "What have you done?!" He cried out, trying to shake his arms away from the Foot as they both held steady.
Alexandra looked over her shoulder in the darkened corridor towards her brother and best friend barely holding onto her turtle boyfriend and leader of the Hamoto clan.
"I didn't see nothin'." Casey said, adjusting his mask to the top of his head, pushing back his matted with sweat black hair.
"I did..." Alex sighed, walking slowly down the corridor as Leonardo handed Hayley over to Casey, following closely behind Alex.
"I think I did too." Leo said in a whisper as Alex looked over at the blue banded brother. The light bounced against the concrete walls, making elongated shadows play down the halls.
"Think it's Mikey and Don?" She asked as Leo shook his head.
"They wouldn't need a light."
The sound of feet running towards them made Leonardo and Alexandra both take stances, Leonardo hand on his Katana and Alex, twisting the metal rod she had found in her palm. The running and heavy breathing got closer and closer as Alex's feet twitched in anticipation to attack whomever was rounding the corner at them.
Sliding to a stop in front of the corridor April's flaming red hair and red, tired face shown itself in the minimal light she was holding. Alexandra dropped her rod to the ground as the metallic sound echoed throughout the quiet space.
"Oh my God. I found you guys!" She sighed happily, taking the black haired young woman into her arms and looking over at Leonardo as he smiled.
"Why are you here?" Casey asked, walking with Hayley on his arm as April sighed with a shrug.
"Well, I went to the liar to see how your little practice run, as Casey called it was going." She said giving her significant other a glare. "Splinter said that you have been gone for hours and he too was getting worried. We waited and once morning came I couldn't take it anymore. I knew something was wrong..."
"Wait... How long have we been gone?" Leo asked, looking over at Alex then his best friend.
"Nearly forty eight hours." April sighed. "Splinter has been worried sick. I went to the lab and got the tracking devices that Donnie set up on your cells and followed it down here. I can't find Mikey or Don... They're signal isn't even on the screen anymore..." She sighed as Leonardo looked over his friend's shoulder towards the cell phone she held in her palm.
"That's weird..." Alex said, with a furrowed brow as she looked towards the screen as well. "How did you get in here? We've been trying to find a way out of this hell hole for... Hours? I don't even know..." Alex sighed as April looked down the hallway she came from.
"I was able to sneak in the back, and I needed to take some Foot out on the way..." She shrugged. "But, they weren't anything I couldn't handle." She smirked as Alex turned towards Casey.
"Why isn't she allowed to come with us when we go out? She could be useful."
"Because she doesn't like to." April interjected as Alex turned back towards her soon to be sister in law. "Anyways, I found the Battle Shell in the abandoned building on sixth. That's normally where Donnie likes to hid it. It's outside."
"Good." Leonardo said, taking Hayley into his arms and handing her nearly collapsed body over to April. April pulled the poor girl up on her feet as much as she could. Hayley looked up towards the red head with a sad smile.
"I'm sorry..." She said softly as April shushed her, moving her matted hair from her face.
"Take Hayley back to the Battle Shell. Casey, go with them and make sure they make it to the Battle Shell. Donnie has tools and anything we'll need to get Raphael out of that cell. Grab whatever you can and move, quickly. Alex and I will wait here in case we get any company." Leo said, looking over at everyone. April nodded, making her way back towards the way she came as Casey followed his hand reaching behind to his bag for his bat at the ready.
Alex ran back towards the cell where Raphael was, making her eyes adjust as best she could making out the small indents she caused on the soft metal.
"Babe...?" She asked softly, pressing her face as closely against the door as she could get. Raphael sighed on the other end, waiting for her response. "April came and found us, she brought the Battle Shell, she's taking Hails back home and Casey is going to find somethin' to get you out of here."
"What 'bout Don and Mikey?" He asked as Alex sighed herself.
"We're not sure where they are."
"Fuck..." He groaned out. She could make out the sound of chains scrapping against the concrete floor from the other side of the thick door. "Get me out of here so we can find my brothers." He said as Alex nodded, looking over her shoulder at Leonardo who kept a look out.
"Raph..." He said, moving closer to the door as Alex, moved out of the way.
"Leo, you have any idea where they could be?" He asked as Leonardo sighed, shaking his head.
"No. But, Casey is coming with something to get you out. The quicker we're able to get out of here the faster we'll find them."
"I still cannot believe that you self taught all of this to yourself. It just is inconceivable." Eliza said with an astonished chuckle as Donnie leaned forward between the two front seats. The small car they traveled in carried them as fast as she could go back towards the City. The skyline just coming into view.
"It was simple from reading books and, then of course the internet." Donnie shrugged with a modest smile as Mikey sighed heavily in the back seat, his hand on his cheek as he looked out of the window.
"Are we there yet?" He asked as Donnie looked over his shoulder at his bored brother.
"Almost Mikey, possibly... Twenty more minuets."
"Hopefully. The traffic in his city is ghastly. I don't understand how people can live like this." Eliza said with a shake of her blonde head.
"So, why the Foot? Why work for Karai?" Donnie finally asked as Eliza met his brown, concerned eyes wrapped in purple in the review mirror. She sighed heavily, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
"Well, when I graduate from Oxford I was looking for an internship with a prestigious company. I didn't know much of New York being a girl from over the pond, growing up in a very small town. Even London seemed like a dream to me. I..." She sighed shaking her head once more and glancing back in the mirror at the same brown eyes. "I met Karai when she was giving a speech in a London library. I was just there for some self interests and I walked in on her seminar. She was speaking of mutations of DNA and this new Chemical formula that would change Science as we knew it. I was of course intrigued. I stayed and waiting until she was done and went up to her and told her of my credentials and how I was interested in a job. She seemed so... Normal." She sighed shaking her head. "Once we were back in the city it was like everything changed. This dark ora surrounded her and then I met that man... Hun. I knew something wasn't right. Something felt horrible. Then, you and your brother's and that Chemical..."
"Yes, you spoke of a Chemical, what exactly is that?"
"I wasn't sure of the formula or if it would even ever work. It was a mixture of your DNA and that of her father's. Then she was also speaking of other worldly things... Something called the Krang? I-I am not even..."
"That Krang are in this as well?" Donnie sighed, looking back at Mikey and sitting back in his seat. "The chemical formula she was speaking of would mutate the whole city if she had the right consistence. She would be able to take this city with the mutations she created from willing or, in her case I suppose unwilling followers. Her Foot Ninja would gladly be put under anything for their Master..." He sighed again, rubbing his large hand over his face.
"This is bad dude." Mikey said as Donnie nodded.
"Should be still go back to the City? I mean if this is going to be an apocalyptic type event the maybe we should..."
"No, our brother's are in that City. We need to get back to her head quarters. Where ever you picked us up from, we need to get back there. Now." Donnie said leaning forward again as Eliza looked at his eyes once more, now shrouded in fear but hardened with determination.
"I got this thing..." Casey sighed, holding up the flash light on a large pair of hedge clippers with a motor and button on the side with wires hanging down nearly to the floor.
"Looks like a Donnie project prototype." Alex sighed as Leo nodded.
"It'll do." He said, taking it from Casey. Alex and Casey looked down the hallway once before shining the light on Raphael's cell. Leonardo put the large pair of cutters against the door's handle with the chains wrapped around it. He pressed the handles of the clippers together as hard as he could, gritting his teeth together as he used the force of his arms. He groaned, pushing harder on the metal handle as it groaned too from the pressure. Snapping the metal Leonardo handed the clippers over to Casey and tried to door again.
Raphael squinted from the new light coming into the dark room illuminating from the small flash light. Alex rushed over to him, pushing past her brother and Leonardo to fall on her knees in front of him.
"Babe, are you ok? Is anything hurt?" She asked, her eyes filling with tears as she looked over his body quickly in the small light. His face bruised and cut up from the fighting hours before. Dried blood caked around the chains that held his wrists and body down. Alex put her hands on his hands, brushing away as much blood as she could as more bubbled up from the dried scars.
"Get me outta here." He sighed as Alex nodded, moving out of the way so Leonardo could cut the large chains around his wrists. "Thanks man..." He sighed, slowly getting to his feet. "How long?" He asked as Leonardo shrugged.
"April said about forty eight." He sighed as Raphael nodded.
"Seems about right." He said as Alex took his other arm, wrapping it around her shoulder as Leonardo did the same, helping his brother out of the cell. "We have any company?" He asked as Casey shook his head, lighting the way towards the Battle Shell.
"No, weird huh?" Casey said, looking over his shoulder Hayley being basically carried on his other.
"They're occupied with something..." Leonardo said as Raphael nodded.
"Somethin' not good."
"There was this vial..." Alex said as they finally made their way out towards the back of the building. The sea air making them all take a slow and steady breath in deeply.
"The cars this way." Casey said, looking around before making his way over to where April had hid the large vehicle in an alleyway.
"A vial?" Leonardo asked as Alex nodded. "What type?"
"A syringe. This guy Chaplin, they took me in to question me, the Purple Dragons and he stopped them from beating me from an inch of my life." She sighed as Casey ran ahead, knocking on the back of the large van. April opened the door, jumping down and helping Alex and Leonardo put Raphael into the cab of the Battle Shell, sitting him as comfortably as he could.
"April, Alex is talking about some kind of vial. Did you see or hear anything while you were looking for us? Anything about a formula?" Leonardo ask, as April looked over at Alex and shrugged.
"No..."
"It's gold right?" Hayley said from the passenger seat of the large cab as everyone turned their heads to her.
"Yeah, it was gold in color, almost metallic." Alex said, getting up to go over to her barely conscious friend.
"They didn't give it to you did they?" She asked, looking up with already tear rimmed eyes as Alex shook her head 'no'. "Oh good." She smiled, letting tears fall down her reddened cheeks.
"What is it?" Leonardo ask, walking up behind Alex as Hayley met his eyes. She shook her head, tears starting all over again as the things she had done to him and his family. To him and her best friend.
"It's a mutagen." She sighed, trying to sit up in the passenger seat. Alex went to help her but her friend pushed her hands away with a shake of her head. "They were going to give it to us." Hayley said, looking up at Alex. "I don't know why, or what's in it..."
"Did they give it to you?" Alex asked, taking her friend's arm and looking to see any needle marks as Hayley shook her head.
"No, her plan changed for me." She said in a low voice, chuckling bitterly. "She was to kill me in front of Leo." Sighing she put her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. "I was to die with his Katana slitting my throat." She shrugged. "Seems fitting considering..." She started as Alex slapped her friends arm.
"Stop it. It wasn't..."
"Yes it most certainly was." Hayley said softly as Leonardo sighed, getting in the driver's seat.
"We'll talk about it once we're back at the lair. Find out what they did or didn't do. Find Splinter, find Mikey and Donnie. Then we'll take care of this." He said, starting the Battle Shell as Hayley kept her eyes closed, moving her face away from his voice and towards the window. She opened her eyes to a small yellow Volkswagen Beetle pulling up to the back of the building in a squealing stop.
Donatello and Michelangelo jumped out of the back of the small car with a tall blonde woman coming out of the driver side. Donatello put a hand on her shoulder, they sharing a few words before Hayley jumped out of the Battle Shell.
"Hayley!" Leonardo yelled out, noticing what she was running towards, getting out himself.
"You're safe!" Hayley cried, wrapping her arms tightly around Donatello's large shoulders, moving to Mikey next as Eliza sat, looking terrified down the alleyway she had just sped her car down. She looked towards every closed door as Hayley walked over to her. "Thank you." She said with new tears steaming down her face. Eliza hugged back, a little taken aback from Hayley's boldness considering their situation.
"You're both alright?" Leonardo asked as the younger brother's nodded. "Good, we need to go. Now. Get in the van." He said, nodding towards them as they took off in a run towards the back of the van, being opened by Casey. "You are coming with us." He said to Eliza as she nodded, her eyes widened by his large, blood splattered appearance. He took Hayley's hand and pulled her with him as they ran back towards the Battle Shell.
"Oh my..." Eliza said as she took in all of the Battle Shell. Donnie was in the back of the cab, holding his large hand out for her to take. She took it and he pulled her up in the cab easily.
"Can we trust her?" April asked looking up for a moment from her examine on Raphael making sure he didn't have anything more than a concussion.
"We have so far?" Donnie shrugged as Eliza sat in one of the barren seats.
"I-I am not going to harm anyone." She stammered out as Raphael snorted a laugh.
"We didn't have that thought sweetheart." He said, glancing over at her as Eliza looked down, pushing the large framed glasses up her nose.
"I think what my brother is trying to say is that we didn't suspect you'd harm us. What we need to know is that you're not going to run off to anyone and tell them anything." Donnie clarified as Alex got up and stood in front of the woman.
"If you speak a word of any of this to anyone I will see to it, personally that I have your blood on my hands, do you understand me?" She asked as Eliza swallowed hard, looking up at the young woman before her. Her clothing a tattered mess, her ebony hair matted with sweat and pushed from her face that was splattered with blood. Hers and whoever else.
"I p-promise t-that I will n-not tell a soul." Eliza stammered as Alex sighed, rolling her eyes.
"She's good. If I could scare her then you guys aren't an issue." She said taking a seat next to Raphael and grabbing his hand in her own.
"So, who are you exactly?" April asked, sitting beside the woman as she sat with her hands in her lap, looking around the cab and taking everything in, quietly.
"I-I worked for Karai as a biologist... I-I was to study them." She said nodding her head towards Donatello.
"And, now...?" April asked with a furrowed brow, starting to get scared, annoyed, mad that his woman wasn't giving her straight answers considering her brother's.
"I couldn't handle the fighting. She was saying things in the name of science however, killing these... Guys are not for science. It is for vengeance! Even I could see that without Donatello telling me what he did on the drive back. I'm sure if it was for the name of science Donnie would have done it willingly..."
"What did Don tell you exactly?" Alex asked, eying the purple banded brother as his face reddened.
"Only what he was willing to tell. I didn't want to push." She said with a shrug and soft smile towards the brainy brother. April watched them for a moment, giving Donnie a look as he caught her eyes. He looked down quickly, then up ahead to see where Leonardo was headed. Walking to the front of the cab he leaned against his eldest brother's seat.
"Can we trust her?" He asked as Donnie looked down at the blue banded brother with a sigh.
"I believe so."
"If you think so, I have no room to doubt you brother." He said as he turned a corner, opening a hidden metal door that lead down underneath the city.
Leonardo turned off the Battle Shell, getting out of the cab as Casey opened the back jumping out with Michelangelo and April.
"Stay close." Leo said, going over to the passenger side. Hayley had fallen asleep on the ride. Her body slumped over towards him as he caught her, carrying her in his arms.
"Please just leave me to die..." Hayley whimpered as Leonardo sighed, kissing the side of her head softly.
"Never." He whispered softly.
Alex helped Raphael out of the cab, putting his strong arm around her slender shoulder as they started their way down the abandoned subway tracks.
"You think you can hold me the whole way?" Raphael asked in a grunt as he limped himself along with Alex, trying to keep most of his weight from her.
"I would carry you to the ends of the earth if I had to." She said with a shrug, walking with his pace as he chuckled, coughing a little.
"You got hit too many times in the head." He said as Alex smiled back.
"So, Donnie..." Eliza said as she walked as quietly as she could beside Donatello. They let the others go ahead a little. April and Casey talking with Michelangelo as he told them about what happened. Alex and Raphael trailing behind them as Leonardo walked in front, an unconscious Hayley draped over his arms. "I hope you don't think me bold but, where are we going?" She asked with a grimace as Donnie smiled.
"We're going to our lair."
"So, you do live underground." She said in a surprised tone.
"You knew that?" He asked as Eliza sighed, pushing her golden hair over a shoulder and tugging on the ends in a nervous gesture.
"I-I had over heard Karai talking about finding your underground home. She wanted to find your father? I was to study him as well... I thought..."
"Did they succeed?" Donatello asked, turning towards her as she stopped abruptly, putting her hands out to stop herself from walking into his large form.
"I-I don't know... I walked away before I heard anymore. I think they were interrogating that young woman there." She said pointing towards Hayley. "She was so scared..." Eliza sighed with a shake of her head. "It-It was so wrong..."
"When was this?"
"A few nights ago I believe. Before you all were captured I know that."
"Hayley was... Leo!" He cried out, walking ahead to catch up with his eldest.
"What? What's wrong?" He asked, turning towards the brainy brother as everyone stopped.
"Hayley, she was interrogated days ago, before we even..."
"I know." Leonardo sighed, walking ahead.
"Wait!" Donatello said, grabbing his brother's shoulder so he'd turn back to face him.
"I already know Donatello. She told us, Karai told us. She was going to kill Hayley's mother." He sighed as Donnie's face dropped in shock. "We need to get back to the liar and see if they had done anything to it."
"Eliza said they were going to study Splinter." He said as Leonardo looked down the line of everyone towards the blonde woman. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously as Leonardo handed Hayley over to Donnie effortlessly.
"You heard something about our father?" He asked, stalking towards the scared woman as she cowered away from his glare.
"I-I I had heard that they wanted me to study him once they captured him as well... I-I had nothing to do with..."
"Did they capture him?"
"Not that..."
"Yes or no." Leonardo seethed as Eliza felt tears start to prickle in her eyes from fear.
"N-n-no... No I didn't hear or see another turtle or..."
"A rat." Alex said as Eliza looked over to her.
"I-I'm sorry?"
"He's a rat." She said as Eliza furrowed her brow, looking back towards Leonardo who kept his glare locked on her.
"N-no, no rat." She stammered as Leonardo nodded, turning back towards the front of the group. He took Hayley back from Donnie's arms
"Keep an eye on her and do not let her out of your sight. She is your responsibility brother." He said, walking ahead as Donnie could feel the disappointment rolling off the eldest as he passed.
Donnie let everyone pass him as slowly as they did, looking back towards Eliza as she stood with her arms around her torso.
"I-I'm sorry Donnie... I-if I knew...I never wanted anyone to get hurt." She said, her sad face looking up to his as tears streamed down her face.
He couldn't decipher what he was feeling. He couldn't understand how someone could be this good of an actress if she really was setting them all up for a trap. He was being as cautious as he could before, speaking to her in the drive from his and Mikey's holding cell and experiment testing. But now, seeing the look of pure disappointment on Leonardo's face and the idea that their father may not be waiting for them back at their home started to eat away at him. His stomach twisted in anger and fear as he thought of their home being destroyed. All his files from his lab taken, all their weapons broken and lost. He hated the thought of this being all done because of two woman they were suppose to trust.
"I know." He sighed, walking over to her and placing a arm around her shoulders. "Once we get back to the liar we'll be able to see what had happened." He said as she nodded, sniffing back some tears as they followed the group.
A/N:
Well hello there :)
I have been reading and re reading this story and I missed my Alex. I am finishing this and most of my other stories. I needed a break from Those New York City Nights so, I came back to this. I hope you enjoyed the comeback. :)