Part 6
Part 6

"Ow! Mikey, be careful, would ya?"

The Turtles recuperated in a dark room that was filled with storage as well as dust. A room that considered to be a cellar but larger and more classier. Mike stood bent over Raph and applied slight pressure to the holes that covered his arms with white gauze. Surgical tape was added to the sides to hold the wrap in place. Leo nursed Don's arms with the same treatment, taking a first lesson in healing wounds from Mike whom would occasionally help him with the materials. He held the kit in his lap as Don rested on a box up against the wall. Mike removed more gauze from the kit and applied it to the other side of Raph's arm. He winced and groaned at him.

"Sorry, Raph. I'm trying to get this on as carefully as possible. I already warned you it was gonna hurt."

"Well, thank you, Patch Adams. I feel sooooo much better."

Mike rolled his eyes and held the gauze down while reaching for more tape. This was the strangest wounds he had ever seen. They've been stabbed, shot at, heavily beaten, received bruised ribs and broken bones in various spots, but none have come close as to 2 inch holes blown through the skin. Some holes were wider and deeper than others. Mike tended to the more severe ones first. He took a damp cloth to remove the blood streaks around the holes.

"Does that hurt?"

"I'll let you know in a minute."

"By telling me to stop?"

"By me kicking you till you're dead."

"After all I'm doing for you. Hmph!"

Leonardo stood up and closed the lid of the kit. He approached Mike and sat down on a box.

"Well, Don's taken care of." He and Mike glanced over to see Don resting. He almost looked mummified. "The gauze should hold him for now, but I feel we should rest before leaving this spot."

"Good plan. I was thinking the same thing but felt you should say it instead." Mike grinned wide but Leo never cracked a smile. "Something botherin' ya, Leo? And I don't mean the battle either."

"Mmm." Leo folded his arms and watched Mike work on Raph. "I've been thinking. Whatever it is that's going on here, we must have come for a reason. Do you notice how the places we've been to in the past involved us in a way that was important to us?"

"Huh. I thought it was our dumb luck to fall into a place like this. I never imagined we were sent here for a reason."

"No, everything that has happened had a reason. Ever since our first battle at 13 years old. It seemed to take us on a bizarre pattern of events. We seem to be the ones fit for any major catastrophe in total stranger's lives. But with Jenny, she doesn't seem like a stranger. Somehow, I feel as if I've known her before. As in like a past life."

Raph shook his head. "Whoa! Leo's finally lost it."

"Do you believe it's déjà vu, Leo? Cuz that's what it sounds like to me. It could happen to anyone at anytime."

"I can't really say, Mike. There's a word I'm looking for and it's not that. It's....um...."

"Reincarnation?"

Mike and Leo turned to see Don sit up as best as possible. The white gauze's turned red since Leo left him there. The blood was seeping through.

"Huh?" Mike frowned but Leo nodded.

"I'm merely guessing." Don tried to gesture but chose not to.

Leonardo looked skyward to think for a bit. "Yes, that's something quite humanly possible. Rebirth in new bodies or forms of life."

Raph groaned. "Are we getting into a philosophical discussion here?"

"You weren't bothered by these topics before. Why the change?"

"I never changed Leo. I just chose to ignore it. That talk about life after death, past lives, and new life is all a bunch of bull."

"I wouldn't say that." Donatello winced as he sat up. "Depends on how you look at it. It's what you believe in that makes the difference."

"And what do you believe in? Do you think there's more to life than just computers and technology?"

That comment hurt Don. He could only save himself in this situation.

"My life....does not....revolve around computers. I have seen the world out there. I have suffered through hard times that never once involved the world wide web or the mere click of a mouse cursor. I believe there is more to life than just my lab at home. The home that we used to have, that is. I don't have it any more as you can see. But that doesn't mean I don't have anything. I've got my health, my brains to pull us through the difficult obstacles, my family whom I know loves me unconditionally, I have friends out there near and far that I've met and stayed in contact with, and I have-" Don looked down to see his gauzes dripping with blood. "I...have a brother who will help me dress my wounds." He grinned shyly to Mike whom had propped an elbow on one knee as he listened to him.

"Interesting life. Heh. Hang on a sec." Michaelangelo stood up and took the kit over to him.

Leo looked to Raph and sighed. "At least one of us will have something to say that's meaningful at Thanksgiving."

The surgical tape was a quick rip on Don's skin. He groaned to Mike whom could only apologize and reapply another gauze.

"We need to get more material. I'm afraid we used it all up in this kit. Do you know where there's more?"

"I'm sure there's more somewhere. We'll have to check around. What floor are we on?"

Mike shrugged. "I dunno. I don't even know how many floors there are."

"Five. And from basement level, we took one flight so this is the first floor, where I got the first aid kit."

"Ready to go?" Mike stood up and closed the empty kit.

"Nope, but we really should get moving." Don sat up next with bones cracking. "Oh, what I would give for a massage."

An hour after eating, Sam found herself roaming the halls alone. Some friends Jenny and Risa were. Wouldn't even come join her. Her flip flops stuck and unstuck to the soles of her feet, making a smacking sound as she walked. Both the pool and the Jacuzzi were empty. Just the way she liked it. She dropped her towel onto a nearby table and removed her shorts, placing them on the chair. She placed her flip flops underneath the table and walked over to dab her foot into the water to feel the temperature. Could be warmer but not too bad. Her eyes squinted as she stared down toward the deep end. The cleaners just left sometime in the morning, leaving the pool spotless. But the drain looked out of sort. Their cleaning contraption must have pulled it out again. Sam decided to stay clear of it when she went in. No one was around if something should happen. And with her luck, something always did.

The Turtles walked along on the second floor after scouting the first. A glass window that looked out onto the swimming court below halted them to view the area before venturing on.

"A swimming pool? In the police department? What gives?" Michaelangelo was now confused.

Donatello looked out as well.

"It's quite possible they either built one in or this building used to be for something else. A health club maybe."

"It has to be from a health club. A police department doesn't need a swimming pool. It's unheard of." Leonardo said with satisfaction.

"Wasn't there a pool in those Police Academy movies?" Raphael was recalling the scene about the blonde cop who dove into a swimming pool for a training course, only to come up with her shirt stuck to her chest; her nipples exposed through the thin material. She exclaimed "Okay! Who's going to rescue me?" All the cops dove in after her, uniforms and all.

Sam stepped away from the pool and headed for the diving board ladder. The Turtles caught sight of her and watched her moving around. Michaelangelo's eyes widened.

"Ooh, who's the girl? Certainly not Jenny."

Donatello shrugged. "Never seen her before."

"Is she wearing a thin shirt?" Raph watched with a grin. "There sure are some hot chicks in this place."

Michaelangelo was mesmerized. "I wanna get a closer look."

He walked down the staircase and entered the swimming hall as quietly as possible. He looked straight up to see her climbing the ladder to the top diving board. Looking down, the height made her dizzy. Of all her training from summer camp lessons, she was a pretty good diver as well as a swimmer. She pointed her arms straight out to prepare her dive. Bouncing slightly to get a high rise, she bounded out, did a double flip and dove straight down into the water with a small splash. Mike was impressed. She plummeted straight to the bottom and looked around before pressing her feet onto the pool floor to push upward and reach the surface. Mike backed away behind the door, away from view. He waited for her to come out. Something was wrong. He looked again to see her head bopping on the surface. Nothing. He ran out to take a look while his brothers stood near the exit. Sam felt a sharp pain as her foot slipped into the open drain and anchored her to the bottom. She started to scream bubbles and tried to get it out while using little of her oxygen as possible. She looked above the 15 feet of water and the ceiling, seeing nothing but blurriness and a lot of blue. The sound of someone diving in hit her ears with a loud thud. White bubbles filled a spot near the other side. The last thing she saw was something green swimming over to her like a torpedo. By now, she was out of oxygen. Sam went unconscious as her lungs filled with water. Her vision went from blue to black. A hand grabbed her ankle and tugged her trapped foot loose. Once freed, she was pulled upward all 15 feet of water. The climb was agonizing and slow. Michaelangelo gasped for air as he topped the surface with Sam under his arm. She didn't gasp for anything. The others ran out in concern and watched him swim frantically with one hand to one side of the pool.

"Ack, guk! Leo! Help, hurry!"

Leo was already near the pool's edge where Mike swam over. He pushed up Sam's body and Leo grabbed under her arms, pulling her up. Don grabbed her legs and both hauled her onto the tile floor. Mike climbed out and ran to her side, only to get pushed back. Raph stared at him when he realized his holes were pouring out with water.

"Mike, your wounds. Looks as though someone stuck you with a pitchfork. You've sprung a few leaks."

Mike looked at his arms. Then back to Sam. He wasn't in the mood to laugh.

Leonardo sat down and pushed her hair out of her face. Her lips and face were a pale blue. He bent down to listen for a breath. Nothing. He then tilted her head back with her neck up on an angle and began pumping and counting on her chest. Her skin was deathly cold. He pressed his lips to her mouth, breathing once. Mike watched in silence, wishing he took lessons on CPR. He could only do a few things to save a life. Not restore it like that. Leo continued the procedure for several minutes, getting no reaction. He sat back and looked to Mike with a sad expression.

"I'm sorry, Mike. I did my best."

Michaelangelo looked to her with tears in his eyes. He barely knew her, didn't know her name, but felt guilty of not getting to her on time.

"No, no Leo. You gotta try harder. This isn't fair!"

"Mike, I'm sorry. I did what I could."

"NO!!!" Michaelangelo bolted over and pushed him out of the way, attempting to do his best at CPR. He pumped and counted 4 times and then pressed his lips hard to hers. Nothing. He tried again more faster and harder. No response.

"Mike-"

"Leave me alone!" Michaelangelo tried a third time, pumping and counting faster and blowing air into her mouth. Still nothing. "Damn, you! Come on! Get up, now!"

He turned away with a feeling of loss. He was sure he messed up big time. If only he got to her sooner. As the guilt passed through him, Sam's mouth began to twitch slightly and her eyes tried to open without the feeling of the water burning them. He looked back to see her body stirring as she started to gurgle and gasp. With a cry of relief, he placed her back onto his lap to elevate her forward. The constant pumping on her chest caused her to spit out a fairly large amount of chlroine water from her mouth. Her lungs finally cleared as she gulped in the air greedily with an occasional coughing and sputtering. It was a sign that she pulled through and was breathing on her own.

Mike smiled to his brothers. "Oh, coolness! We did it, Leo!" Then looked to Sam. "Hey, there. That was a pretty close call for a minute there."

Feeling somewhat awkward, Sam looked up to four unusual faces staring down on her. She then looked to her foot which had some wide scratches on it. The drain, she thought back. Her foot got caught in the drain. It was something that could have been avoided if she went off with her friends instead. Now, she was surrounded by strange people who just saved her life. Strange people that Jenny mentioned earlier to her but left out the big details. They weren't people. They were turtles! Man-size even. She didn't know whether to thank them or jump up running and screaming out of the room. She was too weak to do that but the thought had crossed her mind. Jenny had a point. They seemed harmless. And cute! But she couldn't possibly say that as a first greeting to waking up from a near-death experience. She noticed she was still in her bikini that was wet and stuck to her body. Funny thing was, they were looking at her face instead of her figure. Regardless, she crossed her arms over her chest and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Thank you. Whom ever you are. I guess I'm a little accident prone."

"Hey, aren't we all? I think I'm the one who always has a black cat cross my path. My brothers can tell ya stories." Michaelangelo looked to his brothers again.

Sam looked to each of them.

"All of you are brothers?" They nodded. "And you're turtles, right?" They hesitated before nodding again. "Oh, my friend mentioned something about meeting some green guys. That must be you, huh?"

Raphael looked skyward. "Green guys is a nice way of putting it. We've been called much worse."

Sam nodded, imagining a few hundred words that came to mind. None of which were appropriate. She just knew if they didn't rescue her, she'd be one of those people shunning them for the way they look. She grew up at a school where she hung out with the popular kids. Everything was so perfect about her, aside from the many accidents, but her friends stuck up for her. She was the type that would make fun of deformities, find little critters to be gross and would want to date teen heart throbs. Now, with this quick brush of death and being brought back by reptiles, her whole outlook quickly changed. She never cared for that lifestyle anyway. She was a popular girl in an unpopular body. It was an image for her.

"So, what do I call you besides heroes?" That word lit up their faces and left them speechless. "What's your name?" She pointed above her head.

Mike looked down. "Huh? Oh, I'm Michaelangelo."

She looked to Leo.

"Leonardo." Leo spoke out quickly.

"Oh, like DiCaprio?"

Leo grinned. If it pleases her, why not? He nodded. "Yeah. Like DiCaprio."

Sam pointed to Raph next. "Something Italian, right?"

Raph pointed back. "Yup, I'm Raphael."

She looked to Don who sat by her feet. A smile widened her face.

"Don't tell me. Rembrandt?" There was silence. Raph, Mike and Leo suddenly bust out laughing. Sam frowned. "No? Is it a Renaissance name?"

Don finally smiled. "Yes, but not that particular artist. I'm Donatello."

"My name's Samantha, not as exciting or unique as yours is. So, who's idea was it to name you those names?"

"Our father." Leonardo said quietly.

Sam went serious. "Oh. Oh, right. That's how it usually works, I guess."

The group went silent again. Sam sat up more and felt a pain as she moved her foot.

"Oooh! Ow! I did a number on my foot, didn't I?"

"Your foot's got a few scratches, but I don't think it's a big worry." Donatello said calmly as he examined her foot. "Plus, from it's sensitvity, it's probably sprained." She watched him touching the several gashes from where the prongs of the drain scraped her skin as she tried to pull it out. Sam felt an explanation was needed.

"I can swim. Really good, too. The drain was broken and that's how my foot got stuck. I've taken lessons in breathing longer underwater but I released too much oxygen when I screamed." She laughed and looked away. "Like screaming underwater is going to help! No one can hear you, you dolt!"

"I didn't hear you but I watched you dive in. When you didn't resurface, I knew something was wrong. That's when I dove in after you. I'm a pretty good swimmer myself."

"Of course your are, Mike! You're a turtle, or had you forgotten?" Raphael glared at him.

Mike played along. "So that's what I am! That would explain why I'm green and have a shell! And here I thought I was a weird kid with a growth problem!"

Sam rolled her eyes and grinned. "I've heard enough. Help me up, please?"

Michaelangelo curled his arms under hers and stood up while lifting her to her feet. Her bad foot automatically lifted off the ground as if her body knew it could not support it. She placed a hand on Mike's shoulder to balance on one foot.

"Okay, we got this far. Now, I need to get my stuff at that table over there." Sam pointed to her shoes, shorts and towel.

Donatello started to walk over. "I'll get it." Sam watched him walk around the pool toward her stuff. He grabbed the shorts, towel and the flip flops. He came back in less than minute with her towel and shorts in hand. She placed the shorts on and wrapped the towel around her body, tucking it securely. She looked down to her feet to where Don dropped her shoes. She slipped one on and hesitated with the other. She bent down and slowly slipped it through.

"Now, I need another arm." They frowned at her. "I can't walk too well and I think it would be easier if I could have a little help back up to my room."

Leonardo understood and walked over to the other side of her. She placed both her arms behind the ridge of their shells. They began to walk slowly and Sam hopped, using them like crutchis. It reminded her of grade school when one of her friends would sprain her ankel on the paralle bars and two others would carry her like this to the nurse's office for an ice pack. Don and Raph walked in the front out through the exit on the look out for any oncoming soldiers so they would be able to warn Leo and Mike more quickly. The dreaded sound of boots clomping indicated an arrival.

"Heads up, guys!" Don exclaimed to the trio.

"Wha?" Before Sam could get an answer, Leo dropped away toward Don and Raph while Mike lifted her into his arms. The four started to run in the opposite direction and quickly turning down another corner. They knew they were spotted. The boots clomped faster behind them. Sam looked behind her and ducked to Mike's ear.

"Michaelangelo, let me go. I'm only slowing you down."

"But, what about-"

"I'll manage somehow. You guys don't want to battle with these men. They're dangerous."

"I know. We already have once."

The Turtles ran toward another sharp turn to hopefully throw the men off. They kept coming up along the way. Sam sighed and looked to Mike carefully.

"Please, Mike. I don't want to see any harm come to you or your brothers. You saved my life. Now, I'll save yours."

"What are you going to do?"

"Stall them."

The group finally fell into the dark shadows, off from the soldier's trail. Mike put her down and took her hands, looking at her solemly.

"Will I ever see you again?"

"I'm sure our paths will cross again. You just hang in there, big guy." Sam placed her hands on his shoulders and lightly kissed his cheek. "See you around." She smiled and stepped out carefully to the soldiers. She called to them, explaining her accident and that she needed to get back to her room. They asked if she were alone and she simply replied: "Only the shadows can answer that question." It only confused them, never considering to scout around. The Turtles took a breather before venturing off on their own again.

Risa walked the darkened hall by herself. Jenny parted ways when she said she was going to find other friends. Instead, she followed her and laid low. A large room came into view and Risa entered it thinking she was alone. Jenny followed and stood outside to hear low grunts and a struggle. She looked in to see the master with Risa. Or what appeared to be her friend. Her eyes glowed red and she started to growl like an animal. She heard the master say something and Risa started to run and jump around in a frenzy.

"My, God...." Jenny whispered as she watched her friend doing flips and twirls. Minutes passed and Risa finally calmed down. The master clapped his hands and approached her, speaking again in a low voice that Jenny could not figure out. Risa bowed and headed through another exit. The master looked up to see Jenny quickly hiding behind the door. He started to walk over to her. Shit! Jenny started to run down the hall, looking back to see if she was being followed. Nothing. She turned forward to slam head on into the master. He grabbed her and shook her firmly.

"What did you see? Tell me!"

"N-nothing, master! I swear!"

"You lie! You saw us. You saw everything."

"No, please. I didn't!"

"Liar! You must be punished!"

"Noooo!"

Master Nomed grabbed her wrist and pulled her along to an upper level. He started to throw out commands and guards appeared out of nowhere to assist him in pushing her forward. Jenny screamed and fought to be released but her captors only held her tighter. They pulled her into a darkened room that was full of machines. Jenny sized up each of the contraptions and moaned in terror. Without an explanation, she was stripped down to bra and underwear and placed onto a long wooden plank. She screamed as her ankles were tied down with ropes and her wrists were clicked and locked within iron restraints. A guard smacked her across the face to silence her. Master Nomed approached her and caressed her cheek.

"I cannot allow you to tell anyone what you have seen. My dear, it's for your own good. You swear you saw nothing but I know you did. You have lied to me and in doing so, I shall have your lying tongue removed. It will be painful, I can assure you, but it will be very quick. To lessen the pain, you will be unconscious."

"You are a monster sent from Hell!" Jenny screamed at him.

"I'm sorry you feel that way. It's a shame I won't be able to hear you say that ever again."

Jenny looked above her at all the weird objects within the room. She began to shake with fear as she watched the men moving around to prepare the procedure. Her mind started to wander while waiting for them to get it over with. Leo, where ever you are, please hurry! Or I won't be able to explain the feelings I have for you.

PART 7 BACK TO PART 5 BACK TO FAN FICTION PAGE