Chapter 36: Absolution
With a groan, Leonardo unsteadily raised his head and blinked his painful eyes as he tried to look through the surrounding haze. Had he blacked out? There was an uncomfortable pounding behind his brow that promised it was on the way to becoming the mother of all headaches.
"Leo!"
That was Raph's voice. Coughing and choking in the engulfing smoke as he scrambled shakily back to his feet, the leader flapped an arm ineffectually before himself to try and clear the air. It didn't help. Instead, he almost knocked himself back to the floor.
From nearby there was the sound of wretched hacking, before a louder bellow. "LEO!"
"R-Raph! I-I'm coming!" Leonardo gasped, staggering blindly towards the sound.
Fear was driving into his chest, along with the heat of the growing inferno. Leo desperately wanted to turn and flee in the opposite direction, away from the scorching fire and towards the doorway that led to fresh air and safety. But there was no way he was going to just abandon his brother.
"H-help!" Raphael called, panic raising the tone of his voice. "I'm st-stuck!"
Stumbling through the smoke, Leonardo almost tripped over the prone turtle. Dropping to his knees, he reached out to support his filmy vision by feeling as much as he could of Raphael's predicament.
One of the heavy racks had toppled over and partially landed on his brother. Although Raph's carapace had stopped him from being crushed, it meant he was now solidly wedged in place, despite his frantic scrabbles to get himself free.
"D-don't worry… I-I'll get you out!" Leo promised, reaching to grab hold of the nearest bar of the shelving unit.
He strained and heaved as he put everything he could muster into lifting the weight. But it just wasn't enough. The burden was too great, his body was too weak. He couldn't budge the heavy rack.
Gasping and coughing from exertion, Leonardo was forced to let go. He helplessly doubled over, as he fought a feeling of faintness that beckoned invitingly from the edges of his consciousness. From down on the ground, Raphael had been gazing at him in hope. Yet that now slowly faded, as it was replaced with realisation and then growing dread.
A terrifying crunching, cracking noise from the ceiling gave only a second or two of warning before a large section of the smouldering roof began to fall. Leonardo leaned forward to shield his brother as best he could, as the debris hit the ground alarmingly close to the two turtles. A wave of dust and ash briefly engulfed them.
Coughing and spluttering, Raph craned his neck to gaze worriedly up at the remaining ceiling suspended directly above them. It was hidden by the dark, billowing smoke, leaving no way of telling whether it was likely to come down on top of them at any moment.
"G-get out of here," Raphael insisted, his brow furrowing. "Get out, Leo!"
Leonardo shook his head stubbornly and straightened. "I-I-I'm not leaving you!"
"I won't let…a-anyone else get…get hurt b-becush of me!" Raph gasped back, struggling to draw the breath to argue. He reached out with an arm to shove weakly at Leo's leg, as if he could somehow push him to safety.
There was one big reason why there was no way that the leader would ever abandon any of his family while there was still life in his body. But now was not the time to argue about it.
"Shush, Raph! I'm t-trying to think." Leonardo skirted around the rack to examine the containers that were weighing it down.
His brother lapsed into reluctant silence, giving up the dispute in favour of trying to suck down air. It gave Leo the chance to fully concentrate on taking a firm hold of one of the bottles. Launching himself backwards, as he used his body weight more than his strength to haul it free.
Falling ungracefully to the ground, the container tumbled after him and slammed against his chest, winding the turtle.
"Oof…" Leonardo groaned, as he awkwardly shoved the heavy vessel off himself.
He could feel himself trying to sweat from effort, fear and from the heat of the stinking fire. Yet it barely had chance to form upon his grimy skin before being evaporated away.
The flames grew in intensity with every passing moment, spewing stinking smoke and causing his eyes to stream and sting. If they weren't crushed by falling debris, how long did they have before he and Raphael were overcome by the noxious fumes, then burnt to death?
Trying to push the morbid thoughts from his mind, Leo staggered over to the rack and began to scramble back onto it, intending to drag another of the weighty bottles off and hopefully make it easier to unpin Raph.
Everything was swimming before the turtle's gaze. As he climbed laboriously onto the metal structure, he was forced to pause and gasp frantically for air that just didn't seem to exist. He heard Raphael coughing weakly from somewhere beneath him.
Reaching shakily for the next container, Leonardo attempted to get his trembling fingers to close around it. But his traitorous hands wouldn't, or couldn't, do as he required. Gritting his teeth in frustration, the leader refused to accept the failure. He had to keep trying! But how? It felt like his strength and dexterity were draining by the second.
"Leo! Raph!"
The cry was muffled, but there was no mistaking Michelangelo's youthful voice. He'd come back to them! With hope suddenly rising, Leonardo quickly straightened and sucked in what little air he could find.
"H-here! We're here!" he yelled, before dissolving back into helpless coughing.
Through the haze, he could make out the shadow of a body hurrying towards them. Then it split into two distinct shapes that became the welcome forms of his youngest brothers. Their faces were shielded behind masks, like the one Tiger Claw had been wearing.
He had no idea how or why Donnie was here, but there were bigger concerns. "R-Raph's stuck!" Leo gasped, trying to climb down from the rack and all but falling the short distance.
"The fire!" Mikey gasped, as if no-one was aware of the wall of flame that was bearing down upon them.
Running forward to the rack, Michelangelo strained to try and lift it. But although it creaked slightly, there was not enough movement for Raphael to escape. Even when Leonardo tried to assist, the two of them got no further.
"No, stop! It's t-too heavy! We need… We need…"
Donatello looked tired, but the familiar spark of intelligence was there. Leonardo saw his brother taking in the situation, clearly attempting to come up with one of his jury-rigged solutions. Not wanting to apply extra pressure to the palpable tension, the leader silently willed Donnie to hurry.
"Mikey, g-get that ladder!"
A ladder? Why did they need a ladder? The rack wasn't that tall when horizontal. As Michelangelo bounded off to do as he was told, Leonardo found a breathing mask being clumsily pushed onto his face by Donatello. His scorched lungs gratefully sucked in the filtered air as if it were fresh from the forest.
By the time Mikey returned, Donnie had fitted another of the breathing masks onto Raph's face. Leo was relieved to see that the trapped turtle was still conscious and responding weakly to instructions.
Haltingly directing Michelangelo, Donatello arranged the ladder so it was jammed through the shelves near to the ground, while resting at an angle against a solid looking junction box that protruded from the floor.
He'd created a pivot, the leader realised in sudden elation, as Donnie started to awkwardly pull himself up onto the elevated rungs of the ladder. As his weight counterbalanced the effort, the metal shrieked as the two separate pieces interlocked and began to strain against one other.
"Mikey, g-grab Raph's ha-hands and pull!" Leonardo instructed, as he staggered over to add his weight to the ladder.
The littlest turtle was happy to oblige and leapt quickly over to do as instructed. As he grabbed Raphael's hands, he couldn't help but throw in some words of motivation. "Come on, you bulbous toad. Pull yourself free!"
Well, that was one way to motivate Raph. Shaking his head, Leo scrambled up to join Donnie as they climbed the rungs. Beneath him, the leader could feel the metal beginning to buckle.
"I h-hope this holds…" Donnie stammered uncertainly as he shakily inched closer to the end of the ladder.
Silently, Leo was thinking the same thing. But he didn't voice it, he just took hold of his brother's forearms so they could support one another in making their way to the very edge of the impromptu lever. There they balanced precariously, providing the counterweight for raising the heavy racking.
Several ominous creaking noises were coming from the lifting end of the improvised structure, mingling in with the strains of effort from the other turtles as they struggled to get Raph free from his predicament.
Then there was a sudden lurch, causing both Leonardo and Donatello to gasp in shock. The ladder sheared near the ground, causing the end on which they were perched to abruptly drop like a see-saw. There was a grinding clunk that mingled with their yelps of surprise, as the rack clanged to a resounding rest.
Although he'd gained a few more bruises from being dropped so rapidly, it hadn't caused the leader any serious damage. Leo was relieved to see Donnie similarly unharmed, as the two hastily fought to disentangle themselves from the remains of ladder.
"Raph! M-Mikey!" Donnie cried, staggering into the smoke as soon as he was able.
Leonardo, similarly worried, plunged after him. Had the other two escaped in time? Had the rack falling back crushed Raphael more than his shell could protect?
Relief washed over the leader, as the four turtles collided and ended up entangled in a spontaneous embrace with cries of relief all around, at the discovery that everyone was safe.
The rescue hadn't come a moment too soon, as with a renewed blast of heat the containers on the rack began to ignite from fire that had been lapping against them. The rush of flames stretched towards the ceiling, sending more ominous groans throughout the failing structure of the building.
"Go!" Leo cried, pulling at his brothers to prompt them to head for the exit. "GO!"
Rushing from the storehouse as it crumbled behind them, the four of them burst out into the night. Casting aside the breathing masks as soon as they could gulp down the fresh air, it was unclear who was supporting whom as they hurried away from the building and towards the blissful peace of a litter strewn alleyway.
All the turtles were coated in the black smudges of smoke, their reddened and inflamed eyes streaming tears that left tracks through the dirt on their faces. Their bodies bore the bruises of battle, and the cool night felt soothing against skin that had been scorched by the intense heat.
"We made it!" Mikey gasped in exultation, an infectious grin splitting his face. "High-three, dudes!"
As he raised a hand into the air, Leo grinned wearily back and readily reached out to join in as the four of them clapped their hands together in celebration.
"Yeah… We acshully d-did it," Raphael slurred, breaking away to lean back against the wall in exhausted relief as he clutched a hand across his battered ribcage.
It was a sentiment that Leonardo shared with a nod. But he only knew the results of half the mission. "H-how did you and April get on?" he asked, turning to Donatello.
Donnie slid down to sit blearily on the floor, but managed to offer Leo a weak smile. "No p-problems."
"D took the two Foot soldiers out by himself!" Mikey interjected, proudly. "Then the cops turned up just as we left."
"Great work, Donnie." Leonardo commended, smiling at his brother. "For that a-and the ladder idea."
"Y-yeah," Raphael agreed. "Geeze, I've l-lost count of how much I o-owe you."
Donatello chuckled. "Let's just go with nothing."
For a few moments there was calm, as the four of them took the chance to catch their breath.
"Tiger Claw wasn't where we left him," Michelangelo suddenly lamented, breaking the silence. "He must have gotten away."
"That's o-okay, Mikey," Donnie consoled. "You still beat him!"
Raph glanced towards them in surprise. "He b-beat Tiger Claw?"
"By hi-himself!"
"N-nice, Mikey!" Leo said, with a happy grin. It seemed that their brother had finally overcome the problems he'd been facing, and found his reason to fight. Even Raph looked impressed, and reached shakily over to give the littlest turtle an affectionate clap on the shell.
Glancing between his brothers, Michelangelo's joyful smile slowly faded into confusion. "What's with the slurring and the stammering? Are we all doing it now?"
Leo shook his head, but it was Donnie that got there first with the answer.
"It'll be a-an effect of the ch-chemical fume in-inha-ha-lation," he explained. "It's t-toxic to the central nervous system."
Although he suspected he knew the answer, as the effects seemed to be lessening with each passing minute, Leo asked anyway. "It's t-temporary, right?"
There was a disquieting hesitation before Donnie replied. "Yeah, your symptoms w-will wear off," he explained, offering a weak smile. "You and Raph will be f-fine in a day or so."
The edge to his brother's words abruptly threatened to extinguish the elation of success. Leonardo caught the subtle meaning all too well. For him and Raphael, the symptoms would go. That was something Donatello would never have, he would be saddled with the similar effects caused by his injury forever.
How did he even respond to that, the leader wondered remorsefully. However, he didn't have to. Michelangelo suddenly threw himself across Donatello's shell to cling to his brother in a limpet hug that jolted the taller turtle in surprise. The movement was punctuated with the slight noise of one of their t-phones vibrating.
"You two just couldn't cope as well as D does, anyway!" Mikey teased, grinning cheekily at the eldest turtles. "Donnie's got it sorted. He's found himself a new normal!"
Donatello opened his mouth as if to object, but then paused as he seemed to change his mind. With a soft sigh, he twisted to offer Michelangelo a gratified, but exhausted smile. "Yeah, I g-guess I have."
"We all have." Raph stated, unpeeling his fingers from his ribs and reaching a hand down towards them both. "Now c'mon, let's g-get out of here. I don't wanna look at or smell that fire anymore."
Leonardo nodded in agreement, but was surprised to see Donatello shun the offered help and wearily shake his head, while Michelangelo continued to hug him consolingly.
"F-five minutes," Donnie explained tremulously, raising both hands to shakily show the requisite number of digits. "P-pretty sure I'm gonna…"
He petered out, but Leo immediately got the meaning and quickly stepped in to take charge of the situation. "Okay, Donnie, lie down. I'll keep a lookout. Mikey, c-clear some space. Raph—"
"Yeah, I know."
Raphael was already dropping to his knees and tugging to remove his elbow pads, in order to use them to protect Donatello's head and neck. Pulling back, Michelangelo moved to quickly kick the alleyway detritus out of their immediate area, while their tall brother crumpled to the side as the tremors began.
There was no panic, no alarm. The situation was just quietly handled with calm, compassionate care. From his vantage point, guarding the end of the alleyway, Leonardo watched on with an odd mixture of pride and affection as his two brothers worked like a well-oiled team to offer soothing words as they handled the now familiar incident of the third suffering a seizure.
Mercifully they were undiscovered within the alleyway, and after a short while Donatello gradually lapsed into stillness.
"You okay, Donnie?" Raph asked, gently rubbing his brother's shoulders while Mikey hovered attentively nearby.
With a soft groan, the turtle slowly nodded. "Y-yeah. How long..?"
"Four and a half minutes." Leo confirmed, as he headed back over.
Crouching down, he gently pulled one of Donnie's arms over his shoulder and saw Mikey hurry to do the same on the other side. Between them, they carefully eased their enervated brother to sitting and then standing.
Making their way slowly towards the nearest manhole cover, Leonardo paused briefly to glance back towards the smouldering remains of their enemy's chemical storehouse. "Maybe it wasn't the best method," he admitted, "but between us, all of us, we've destroyed Shredder's supply of chemicals and exposed who was p-polluting the sewers."
"I'd say that's mission complete," he declared, with a smile that was echoed by his family. "Let's go home."