Ears ringing, Donnie sat up, holding his pounding head. Correction, he tried to sit up. Something was pinning his torso down.
His low-light vision was pretty good, but this wasn't a city night, filled with light pollution. This darkness was total, leaving him blind.
Running his free hand across the surface on top of him, it felt like a concrete slab. The ceiling? Good thing he was a turtle. His shell was the only thing preventing him from being a gooey splat right now. And by preventing the slab from reaching the ground, he'd also saved his messenger bag, so silver lining there.
The bag, unlike his phone, was on the side of him where the concrete angled up, allowing him to slip his hand underneath. Digging around inside, he found the tablet. And then there was light.
Total destruction. His lab, his entire home actually, was gone. The building had to have been leveled. Which required expertly placed, military-grade explosives. Battle. Perhaps, he hadn't been as underestimated as he'd thought. If his lab hadn't been a concrete bunker sub-basement, that he'd added on without informing his landlord, the city or any other bureaucratic authority, he'd have gone down with the building.
As it was, the ceiling had fallen like a stone tent, leaving him mostly unscathed in this small pocket. Aside from the chunk that landed on him. Otherwise the room and everything in it had been obliterated.
There was something important he was supposed to be doing. What was it? If only his head would stop hurting, he'd remember what felt so urgent...April! She was in danger. How long had he been down here? Too long. He needed to get out. Now.
There was no exit above him anymore. Fortunately, he never quite let go of his roots. Craning his neck back, he could see the steel plate covering the access down into the network of tunnels below the city. So close, but unreachable.
He immediately abandoned the idea of trying to lift the slab. He had no leverage in this position. But there was plenty of concrete debris all around him that could work as a fulcrum if he only had a lever. But where would he... his staff. Of course.
Blaming his slow problem solving on a probable concussion, he felt around for his staff. Which of course was attached to his belt and pinned between his plastron and the hunk of ceiling. All he needed was a gap. With all his strength, he rolled just a smidge to his side, possible only because his shell was rounded. Not much and he couldn't hold it for long, but it took enough pressure off his staff for him to pull it free.
Catching his breath as he let himself roll back, he lifted what appeared as a metal baton above the slab and pressed a button that extended it out into a titanium pole. One end needed to go under the concrete on top of him and the middle needed to balance on that chunk of cement to his side. Gripping the far end of his staff at the limit of his reach without sacrificing too much strength, he pulled with everything he had.
With a grunt of effort, the slab lifted and he slid his body free with agility that came from a lifetime of intense physical training. He was free.
Closing his staff and tucking it away, he crawled over to the steel hatch and lifted it up. Not enough space to open completely, but he could still slip through and, right now, that was all he needed.
Hang on April, I'm coming.
TSOTCTSOTC
Splinter had just jumped out the window and was going after Phoenix, except he had no idea where she'd gone. To Battle, yes, but he did not know where to find the man. How did she? It didn't matter. Locating her was his only priority right now.
He pulled out his phone, recalling Donatello mentioning something about using the devices to track down family members. Unfortunately, any such explanations about the device had eluded him and never seemed important before. Ignoring the large, red, 'Call Leo' and 'Call Phoenix' buttons on the lock screen, the only features he'd ever used other than answering phone calls, he wasted several seconds trying and eventually succeeding at unlocking his phone.
Getting inside was no help whatsoever. The screen was now awash with dozens of colorful, little icons, labeled in microscopic text. Teeth clenched in frustration, he jammed the useless device back into the pocket of his robe. There had to be a better way.
While she didn't meditate in the same manner as himself and his sons, per say, having little interest in the astral plane, she was deeply spiritual and seemed to have an intuitive connection with everyone who was hers. Perhaps that was something he could find.
Chastising himself for not ever seeking the bond before, he knelt into seiza and closed his eyes. Despite every instinct insisting he get up, pick a direction and run, chafing at the delay, he willed himself calm, slowing his breathing. She was not Shen and Battle was not Saki. Tonight would not end in loss.
Years of practice and experience enabled him to disconnect from the physical and rise up it, even as old wounds in his psyche tore open afresh. Not effortlessly free of the distractions that bind mind to body, he applied his awareness as never before, focusing on himself, seeking what was simultaneously him and not him. There.
To his surprise, it appeared as a vibrating, golden thread, intensely bright, so much so that his awareness of it was almost unbearable, and drowning in Phoenix's essence. How had he spent years unaware of this? He could feel her even closer than when she was physically by his side. Mentally latching onto that thread, he retreated back into the physical realm. Dulled and muted, he could still feel the link between them and probably would for the rest of his life. It might be like a game of hot and cold, but he was certain he could follow its call straight to her now.
TSOTCTSOTC
Mikey grabbed the sides of his head as Slash's voice boomed through his skull. "Dude, dial down the volume." Then, the message sunk in. LH was in his bad place. But Denim...
She saw his hesitation. "I'm fine. Go."
With another wasted moment of indecision and an uncertain nod, he was over the ledge and swinging down the fire escape, bullets biting the building around him. Not a one could shoot like his Blue Jeans. He blew a raspberry at them before landing on the pavement beside the massive, raging croc.
Bullets bounced off LH's thick hide. He guessed the baddies hadn't brought big enough guns. But it sure looked like it stung as LH swatted around wildly as though he'd mistaken a beehive for a ball. Mikey had done that once and never again.
Unsurprisingly, the area around them was completely clear, not that it would help anyone once LH switched from roar-mode to attack-mode. Ducking a blindly flung arm, Mikey scrambled up his back, clinging tight as his bud spun around to throw him off and bullets hit his shell.
"Easy, easy, LH. It's me, Mikey, your total bestie. I really need you to come back right now, buddy, please." He petted LH's head as he spoke, which unfortunately resulted in him losing his grip.
"Waaah."His cry cut short as he splatted against the brick wall of the shelter and flopped down to the sidewalk. "Ooohhh, really gonna feel that tomorrow."
He rubbed his head and looked up to see LH towering above him, fists held high like twin hammers, and definitely no one home in his friend's eyes. Instinct screamed run, but then what would happen to LH?
No. He charged in as the fists came down and flung himself to LH's chest, clinging like velcro in the best version of a hug he could manage with their size differences. "I'm here for you bud and I'm not going anywhere. Promise."
LH grabbed his shell and he closed his eyes, holding even tighter. "You're not alone. I'm here."
The giant hand on his shell relaxed. "Michelangelo?"
He opened his eyes to see LH looking down at him in confusion.
"Did, I...?"
He shook his head. "Nope. Everything's cool. Just lost you for a second there. It's all good now."
The crowd around them stared at, and in some cases recorded, them in bafflement, unsure of what had just happened.
Leatherhead sniffed the air. "What is on fire?"
Mikey's eyes flew wide as he remembered. "The shelter! We gotta help."
Denim didn't need to be told twice. Scanning the rooftop and spying a familiar black bag, she wondered if Mikey planned their rescue to end right back on the very rooftop where she'd left her weapons. The smile on her face was a little too joyous given their situation, but finding her guns waiting was reason to celebrate. Her fingers closed around steel as she both walked and loaded her tranq gun at the same time. No time to set up a stand, she folded her left arm around forming a triangle as she placed her weapon across it to rest on her shoulder. A quick survey of ideal hiding spots for other shooters offered her first and second targets. Finally. Game on.
TSOTCTSOTC
Leo landed on the building across from Shelter 3 and surveyed the situation. Karai, in full serpent form, had thrown herself into the center of an angry mob and, even with her full strength and elastic agility, was just barely keeping from being overwhelmed. But, with the armed swat team along the edge of the crowd, there was no other way to neutralize their guns than to make friendly fire an unacceptable risk.
Beyond her the school burned, completely engulfed in flame despite its brick frame. With all the refugees sheltering in the basement that was a huge problem. There were no windows and only one way in or out. The building was old enough that the floor wasn't likely to collapse in quickly but, unless they were evacuated soon, everyone inside might suffocate.
Two police officers banged on the door, locked from the inside. Before Leo could evaluate whether or not they were friend or foe, the eaves and a chunk of the low sloping roof broke free directly above them. The officers crouched defensively and ducked their heads as the flaming debris rained down on them and blocked the door. Not good.
Trusting in Karai to hold her own just a little bit longer, he dropped the bags and yanked Arcos's hammer out of the heavier pack. There was a water tower at the corner of this building, overlooking the school. He swung with all he had until the two legs at the edge of the building buckled inward and, under its own unbalanced weight, the tower began tilting downward.
Dropping the hammer, he leapt over the ledge, caught the arm of a street light and slid down its base.
Only a handful of seconds had passed but it still seemed too long. By the time he'd sprinted to the stairwell, the water tower had crashed down behind him, sizzling as it hit the burning roof and Leo dove into the now flooding space. The roof still burned to touch but bearably so and the buoyancy made it possible to quickly lift it and grab the officers.
Badly burned and sputtering up water, they were alive and conscious as he dragged to the safety of the sidewalk. One hurdle jumped.
The water level was already dropping as the areaway drain sucked it out of the stairwell. Working fast, he threw as many chunks of ruined roof and eaves out of the way as he could while the water still eased their weight. Even so, he lost precious minutes digging out debris while the water drained completely away.
But now he had the same problem as the officers. Banging on the locked, steel door and yelling warnings wasn't working. Either he couldn't be heard or wasn't trusted.
He'd helped people in this shelter during the war. If memory served, it was just a bar lock. As long as no one had padlocked the end, he could open it, though doing so would almost certainly terrify anyone watching the door inside.
Drawing one of his swords, an oddly nostalgic motion in his modern life, he carefully forced the blade between the door and the frame. Karai's tanto would have been better, but it was still in the bag on the roof. Worried about pushing too far and jabbing someone, he slid the blade up until he felt the weight of the barlock. Lifting it and angling his sword it slipped free and clanged to the ground on the other side. Before anyone could replace it, he pushed the door open. Dozens of terrified eyes stared back at him.
"The building is burning, you need to evacuate."
Eyes wide, they shuffled after him. But leading them to the top of the stairs, where the beleaguered police officers had managed to unsteadily return to their feet, he remembered the last hurdle. How did he get the refugees past the mob? Even with the distraction of Karai and escaping via a treacherous route alongside the burning school, this many people would certainly be noticed and fired upon.
As if reading his thoughts, the female officer stepped forward. "We'll get them to safety if you can provide us cover."
How could he...? A memory flitted through his mind and he almost laughed out loud.
Giving the officer a nod, he turned back to the people behind. "When they tell you, follow them to safety." He turned back to the officer. "Trust me, you'll know when to move."
With that, he darted back across the street, launching off the street lamp, onto an awning and to the first row of window ledges which he jumped up back to the top where his bags awaited.
When he'd first seen it while packing the bags, he'd been annoyed but unwilling to waste anytime unpacking to optimize weight and space. A fortunate turn as his plan now pivoted on this. With almost hysterical triumph, he pulled out a box labeled 'Mikey's prank kit. For fun times ONLY!'
Double fisting smoke bombs, he peppered them into the mob making sure to get the swat teams extra good. He lit every string of firecrackers and threw them in all directions amidst the smoke clouded mob.
In the corner of vision, he could see the mutants fleeing away from danger down the street. With a victorious grin, he leapt down into the crowd. Time to see how they liked it when he and Karai had the advantage.
TSOTCTSOTC
Sprinting towards shelter 3, Aries came to a jarring halt half a block away when he found a massive group of refugees in a standoff with a team of soldiers. Even dressed in plain clothes to blend in, he knew what they were. They were coordinated, moving as a unit, too well armed and efficient to be anything other than professionals.
A pair of frightened but defiant police officers, both soaking wet and scorched somehow, appeared to be leading the stand off.
On the roofs of the two buildings on either side, he could see men moving with tanks and long nozzles. They'd just started spraying something.
Aries sniffed the air and caught a whiff of accelerant. These bastards were going to torch all the fleeing civilians.
Fuck that.
Beyond enraged, Aries charged in, bowling over the first surprised soldier. He ripped the rifle out of the man's hands and blasted the butt of it into the soldier's face before returning his attention to the men on the roof.
He knew the other ground soldiers were already taking aim at him but didn't care. He wasn't a marksman like Denim, but spraying and praying turned out to be good enough, mowing down his targets in what was probably the most wasteful use of bullets.
Speaking of, why wasn't he riddled with them?
The refugees. They'd seen and attacked. Even now, they were locked in struggles with their attackers, numbers versus skill.
Fire exploding above them in a massive BOOM interrupted his amazement. One of his bullets must have caused a spark.
Everyone ducked away from the firestorm igniting overhead and Aries took that opportunity to act. The clip in his rifle was empty, but it still served just as well used like a club. He ran the edges of the herd, clobbering the distracted soldiers. Spread out, still entangled against the boldest of the refugees and facing him individually, they stood no chance. By the time the sky finished burning, he'd laid them all low.
Giving the cops a nod to proceed, he trudged on to the shelter, which was a fireball of its own, windows exploding out in the intensity of the heat. The shattering glass bounced harmlessly off his wool.
Apparently the cloud of fire had caught some attention, even with the school going up like a matchstick, because, as he stepped into view through the smoke and flame, everyone was staring. The mob. The swat teams. Even Leo and Karai, islands of resistance among the rioters.
Just him, Leo and Karai against them all. Bring it.