Salina laid on the ground in the middle of the makeshift campground, shivering slightly as she tried to rest, lest she lose what little strength she had. Though she had since stopped bleeding, she'd lost a decent amount of blood from her side, she was still in pain, and her hunger pangs were beginning to get to her. On the run, they'd always been able to grab some kind of food, even something miniscule. She believed Mr. Bristol's every word about not needing her alive; he sure wasn't trying to keep her that way. One saving grace is since Mr. Bristol needed her to walk in the mean time, he removed the chain from around her ankles. Still, she bore some indentation on her skin and residual soreness from where they were. She could only imagine what her wrists would look like after all was said and done. She only briefly got her cuffs removed earlier in order to use the bathroom behind a tree; she was surprised to have been given that much of a courtesy. Then again, she was sure they didn't want to travel with a soiled Turtle.
Looking around briefly, Salina noticed that Mr. Bristol wasn't there, just the pilot, his rifle still close by, as he drifted in and out of sleep. For just a pilot, he was rather unnerved by the whole ordeal, except for the almost-crash she caused. Sighing deeply, she laid back down on the rather hard dirt, attempting to rest up again, and hoped her family would come for her before it was too late…
Before long, the Turtle crew stopped and Calla dropped down in front of them. "I saw one person…and Salina." The light from the fire illuminated part of the forest. "They're right through there."
Leo peered through the trees, carefully observing the campsite. He then turned towards the others. "Ok, Raph, Cori, go handle that guy over there. Donny, you and me get Salina. Calla, keep an eye out. Mikey, Rita and Shelley, cover us in case of anything." He looked around. "Everybody got it?"
"Got it bro." Mikey reassured, twirling his nunchuks.
Leo nodded. "Good, let's go."
Cautiously using the shadows and trees as coverage, Raph and Cori approached the pilot, as he sat, apparently trying to keep himself awake by idly looking through a map.
Suddenly, he felt a hard blow to his neck, and fell over unconscious.
Startled by the sound of the pilot's body falling over, Salina quickly looked up, just as Leo and Donny approached her. She looked at them in shock and a smile came over her face as they came over to her. "You're here." She said almost in disbelief.
"That's right, we're here." Leo smiled as he began helping her up.
Salina then glanced around, and her smile faded. "Wait, he's still not here. You have to hurry before he gets back."
"He who?" Donny asked.
Salina looked worried. "The other guy, the horrible one. Mr. Bristol…he was here…"
"Guys watch out!" Calla shouted down from the trees. She then jumped down, onto Leo, knocking him back down to the ground along with Salina and Donny.
"Ah!" Salina shouted from the pain of falling back on the side where she'd been injured.
Gunfire rang through the air, just missing the trio that Calla knocked down.
Just as they stood up, they saw Mr. Bristol enter the campsite. He smiled wryly. "Well well well, the gang's all here. I mean I knew you would be eventually, but that was rather, prompt."
"That's him." Salina glared.
Mr. Bristol glanced back at the unconscious pilot. "I see you took care of him rather quickly." He pointed his gun at Leo, Salina and Donny. "I promise I won't be so easy."
"You're outnumbered." Calla circled him slightly.
"Gunpower trumps manpower." Mr. Bristol then grinned at hearing an engine.
The others were confused as the sound of the engine got closer and closer.
"But just in case, I brought some manpower as well."
A Wrangler soon practically bulldozed onto the campsite, almost running down Cori and Raph, who jumped out of the way just in time. Three muscular men quickly jumped out after barely coming to a stop and stood by the Jeep, cracking their knuckles.
"I don't need them alive boys, just get me…" he then gestured towards Salina. "And her, out of here."
"Party time." Grinned Mikey.
Without warning, Raph elbowed one of the guys in the head, causing him to fall down dizzied, but not yet unconscious.
Mr. Bristol slowly approached Donny, Leo and Salina, gun still pointed at them. "While my friends are keeping yours busy, I'll be taking her."
"The heck you will." Calla's voice came seemingly out of nowhere, and she appeared right below Mr. Bristol, and kicked the gun up so that when he pulled the trigger, it went off into the air.
"Go!" shouted Calla. She turned and before he could grab for his gun again, swiped Mr. Bristol across the face with her claws, leaving four bleeding gashes across one side of his face, before kicking him in the stomach, sending him collapsing to the ground. "That's for my dad."
Though the men were very strong, they were hardly a match for a group of skilled ninjas.
Two of the men were already barely conscious, when the 3rd guy, seeing they were being defeated, quickly ran over to the side of the unconscious pilot, grabbed his rifle, and fired it into the air.
Startled, everyone stopped.
He then pointed it at the head of the one nearest him; Rita. "Nobody move!" he shouted angrily, breathing heavily from the battle, blood and sweat running down his dirt-stained face.
Rita gasped as she stared down the barrel of the rifle.
"No!" Donny took a step forward, but stopped as soon as he heard the gun cock.
Mr. Bristol grinned, then looked up at Calla, who had been standing guard over him. "All I have to do is say the word, and she's dead. As I explained to your sister, I don't need everyone alive."
Calla glared back at him, then looked over at Rita.
Mr. Bristol slowly got up, edging away from Calla, who's claws were still out. He then grabbed his gun, straightened up his jacket, and looked at everyone smugly. "We'll be leaving now." He then looked at Salina, still leaned up against Leo. "Hand her over."
Leo put an arm around her protectively.
Mr. Bristol pointed his gun at Salina's head, finger on the trigger. "Need I remind you?" he asked darkly.
Salina, left without a choice, stopped leaning into Leo and turned to face him, a distinct fear present in her eyes.
"No matter what, I'm coming for you." Leo reassured in a hushed voice.
Salina nodded slightly.
Leo stared back at Salina, fear and worry in his eyes, as she turned and weakly made her way to Mr. Bristol.
Salina looked over at Rita, exchanging a worried look.
The injured men slowly picked themselves up off the ground with a few grunts, grabbing the still-unconscious pilot as well.
Mr. Bristol held the gun to Salina's head as she reached him. "I suggest you all keep your distance. I know you won't do so forever...but for now."
The rest of the crew watched helplessly as Mr. Bristol and his battle-weary henchmen took off with not only Salina, but now Rita as well.
"You freakin' kiddin me?! What was that?!" shouted Calla as the Jeep disappeared into the forest. She looked towards the others. "They were right here! Right freakin' here!"
"They had guns…"
"And you couldn't deflect them with your shells or something?!" Calla cut Donny off.
"If they were pointed at us, yes." Raph shook his head, before slamming his fist into a nearby tree, causing some of the bark to fly off. "How'd we not figure they'd have guns?!"
"Who…who knows how they'll be when we find them again…" Cori fought back tears. "And why did Salina look like that? What happene…"
"She's injured." Donny paced for a moment and held his head, before looking up resolutely. "We do this as planned. We go to the lab. We have no choice."
"You heard what he said…."
"We think smarter, we plan. We don't give up!" Leo cut Shelley off. He looked around at the others, then back to Shelley. "Shelley, I'm gonna need you to build up your nerve, get in there, and hit hard."
Shelley, lip quivering, ready to cry again, nodded, trying to keep her composure.
"Calla." Leo walked up to her. "You're our eyes and ears up there." He pointed up towards the trees. "You hear and see farther than any of us can. I need you to focus…"
Calla nodded.
Leo stepped closer to her. "Remember…focus…on everything." He pointed to where the Jeep went. "You use every sense of yours at full capacity to help find them." He looked off to where the Jeep went. "This isn't over yet…"