I Don't Own the TMNT
A/N: Sorry for the long delay! R/L issues can be a real bitch. The only ones I'll mention is the military owing us money and taking its dear sweet (months) of time to pay us back, which of course screwed us. And apparently all the tendons in both of my feet are screwed up, which is a royal pain in the ass. Though I suppose I'm lucky I'm so skinny to help with that one lol
IN ANY CASE thank you guys so much for coming back and not giving up on my story! I have in no way shape or form given up on it! I hope that you enjoy this chapter, I hope that I captured the other turtles right. It is kinda sorta a filler. Thank you!
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We bent over the building layout, straining our brains. Now that we knew what kind of fire power I had available a more definitive plan was possible. For the most part Splinter said very little, optting to sit on the table and stare at the paperwork, listening to us. I think that he knew that he was a bit out of his element, after all Don said that it had been six years since he went topside and before that he didn't go often. I was at least glad that he was willing to give me my headway, letting his concern for his sons temporarily outweigh his monster in law behavior.
Unfortunately we kept on having the issue of lack of manpower. At least we could safely estimate our chances of success to 10% instead of our previous estimate. This was both because I was able to get better guns than we thought I would and Don had been working on a juicy virus that would be ready tonight. He would plant it like a time bomb, then while everything was going down, would hack their security and communication systems. But he couldn't start until we started because their systems were sensitive enough to be alerted to it and it would give them warning of our arrival. He said it shouldn't take more than five minutes. But a few minutes could be an awful long time when you're being shot at, and it was within this time frame that our greatest likelihood of failure.
So that was the time that we were really planning for. I looked nervously up at Splinter. We would be fighting side by side. We had to watch each others backs, help each other, could I really trust...?
Suddenly I saw him looking at me. Rising, he approached me, his eyes never leaving mine. We had spoken very little since the time where he had his hand on my throat. I stood my ground, watching him, my body still yet my hands flexing at my sides. Stopping in front of me he narrowed his eyes and stared for a second before speaking. "I want you out of my son's life, out of all of our lives. I will find a way to do so. But this mission is not it. For this to have any chance of working, both of us are needed. So we will work together." He bared his teeth at me, clearly showing me what he thought of that idea. Then his tail lashed. "However, after this mission is complete and my sons are safe..."
"Then you will end me somehow, I get it." My body still on guard, I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes, picking my words carefully. I so needed this to fucking work. "So I have you, on your honor, saying that I can count on you?"
He narrowed his eyes at my invoking his honor. Don was watching us intently. He noticed and grimaced. Standing a little straighter, he nodded. "I give you my word of honor that I will support you until my sons are safe."
I don't know why, but looking at him I believed him. After all what he said was true. Slowly I nodded and saw Don smile then clapped his hands together, clearly relieved to have this part done with. "Thank you Father. That is a load off of my mind. Now, I think I have the perfect way in for both of you. In two mornings we're getting this thing done."
At least at first, part of my mind was on the giant mutated rat beside me, the one who wanted me gone. Something in my gut started to curl at the thought of it, then mentally I stomped on it. No, Jack. For this to work, you can't think like that, feel like that. You're going to have to trust him.
For the sake of Mike and his brothers.
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Something was about to go down. Maybe not now, but within the next day or so. The staff were moving things around, packing papers and going over lists. I was drugged. Again. And woke up again in my shackles and in my cramped cage filled with straw. But now I found myself in a large, sterile room that reminded me of an operating room. Blinking past the bright light I looked around. In the center of the room was a large, sturdy gurney, the metal shining in the light. Several IV poles and a tray of instruments were next to it. A few feet from that, were three large steel cages. They were made of incredibly thick, solid metal, with little holes cut out of the sides in a design similar to pet carriers. The front had a similar disign, only the holes were longer and verticle. At the top and on the sides were large black and white signs saying 'Live Animal Keep Back.' The door was open and from my angle I could see that inside was filled with straw and had two shackles bolted to the extremely thick base. Hanging from each door was something akin to a muzzle.
Made for someone like me.
Then my brain connected the dots and I paled. We were going to be shipped away! But wherre? My heart thudded. If they were smart then we'd be going to another country. But then what would my chance of seeing Jack and my family be? I bent over and shoved my bound fists against my forehead. The heat of tears burned behind my eyes.
No...
Just then I heard a shifting to my right. Jolting up I shifted the best I could in the small cage and looked around the rest of the room. I couldn't help but grin when I saw two more cages, angled in a way that I could only see into a small corner of their cage by the door of it. Touching my bars with my fingers, I squashed my face against them. "Leo? Raph?"
A sudden noise. And Leo's voice. "Mike? You're here? Are you ok? Oh, I'm so glad to hear you."
My heart felt like it was ready to burst. In fact I did a little butt dance in my cage. "Except for the white room fantastic. I've been given a beautiful set of jewelry for my wrists and ankles. They even serve excellent food here, I think it's called Purina One. Or is it Meow Mix?"
I half expected him to tell me to be serious. Instead, I heard him give a low, sad laugh. "Damn Mikey I missed you."
"Right back at you brother." I strained further against the bars until I was sure that little bits of flesh was poking out between them. "Where's Raph?"
"He's in that cage against the corner. They had to drug him up a lot harder. He's still not out of it yet." As if on cue I could hear my grumpy brother give a low moan and shift in the cage, rustling the straw, before giving a snort of a snore.
My grin was from ear to ear, straining to hear more concrete signs that Raph was going to wake up. Then I once again saw the gurney and cages out o my peripheral vision. Slowly my grin dropped. "They're going to ship us away, aren't they?"
Leo didn't answer right away, and that just mede it worse. Tears burned my eyes.
He sighed. Resigned. "Yes. Sometime soon."
I coughed, struggling to clear my throat past the tears so that he didn't hear them. I didn't want to make him more upset. "Have you heard anything? About where, or when?"
"No." I wasn't immediately sure how to respond to that, not with how I was feeling, and for the guilt trip that Leo is probably raging through. All by himself. This whole time. I could just imagine how he was shouldering the responsibility for everything, how he must feel when...
Though he couldn't see it, I forced a smile on my face. I still had my optimism, and at least in part I still believed it. "It will be ok. I'm sure that somehow all of this will work itself out. You'll see. Before you know it we'll be back home and-"
"STOP IT! SHUT UP!" Something crashed, several times, within his cage hard enough for the thick metal walls to resound like cymbals. It was calm for a second, then he made a harsh sound in his throat and there were several more crashes. I sat there in shocked silence. It took me a moment to realize that my body was quivering. Leo was losing control. Raph did it all the time, but controlled, perfectionist Leo... I put a hand to my mouth as the tears ran hotter.
"How can you say that? You ALWAYS say that! And it always happens? How the hell does it always happen! Well, its not going to happen this time! We're fucked! We're screwed! And I did it to all of you! Rescue isn't coming, Don and the others will never have enough people for a remote chance of success. When they try to rescue us, they will get captured too. All because we were captured, when I led us to that rooftop, it fucked the whole damn family! And you're still too clueless to see it!" Suddenly he laughed. But was an unpleasant sound, almost like it was mixed in with a cry and a curse.
I sat there, listening to it all, tears running down my cheeks.
Suddenly he took a breath and started to speak again, only to have it cut short with a grunt from Raph. "That's enough, Leo."
He sucked in a breath, then gave a shudder. There was a long pause and I could barely see his fingertips grip the bars. He let out a sound. "You're right. I...I'm sorry Mike. You were only...I didn't mean...oh damn." He let out a nearly concealed cry mixed in with some coughs, clearly trying to clear his throat.
I could hear Raph shift his heavy bulk in he cage. Then I could barely see his fingertiips poke out of between the bars. It was all that I could see of him, but the sight still sent happiness to my heart. "Raph!"
The straw scraped against the floor. "Mikey, little bro, listen. Believe in what you say. We have to make it out of here. No other options. The odds might be stacked up against us, but we've had those odds before. It's the only thing we've ever known, our whole lives. And don't you worry about the others. Splinter taught us everything he knows, Don's a damned genius and Jack is not only a fucking badass but she loves the shit out of you. I don't see a team like that failing." He gave a sad sort of chuckle. "Besides without your damned optimism I think Leo and I would go fucking insane."
Oh how I wanted to hug him so hard rightt now! I smiled and wiped my nose. "Thanks Raph."
Leo took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I'm...You're both right. We have to act like we're going to get out of here if we are going to get out of here. I'm sorry about before but...I'm here now. And more importantly we're together now. Let's talk." He took another breath and I could just visualize him trying to compost himself. The mental image made me smile. "Maybe with our combined knowledge, of everything each of us has seen, we'll have something to work with."
I listened intently. However it quickly became apparent that my brothers pretty much had nothing, just like me. Then the image of that agent, who loved Captain America, rose in my head. Rhedd. My little seed. Clearing my throat, I interrupted my brothers. "Actually, there is this one agent I've talked too..."
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A/N: So did you like it? The next bout of action will surface either next chapter or the chapter after that. I will give a pessimistic estimage of one month for the next update, but as things are finally cooling off on my end, maybe sooner. Please if you read it, review it! They are so inspiring!
