Part 13
Part 13

Leo and Raph met up with Mike and Don back at the junkyard. There were arguments and mixed emotions as to what happened to both groups. Leonardo listened carefully to Mike's story after blowing his top about them leaving the area without telling anyone. Don and Raph were silent the whole time, both feeling an emptiness for what had occurred merely hours ago. Don was still upset that Emiko left and Raph was suffering from anxiety about his beloved Marisa, a girl he hardly knew but also didn't want to lose. After Mike's exhausting long story, Leo started with his, leaving Mike and Don to stare at him with mouths agape. No one felt like sleeping that night. All their hearts were set on returning to one place.

"Let's end this thing, Leo." Raph spoke somberly.

Leo looked to him, then to Mike and Don. "Yes, all of us."

The Turtles started at a quick pace toward the police station. The streets were empty, allowing our heroes to sprint along without any disturbances from hand-me-downs or gangs looking for a fight. Gangs would be messing with the wrong group at a definitely wrong time. They were in no mood to deal with ordinary street punks. The Turtles froze at the front of the entrance, immediately going into their trained ninja stealth of surveying the perimeter first before moving forward. Their heavy breathing ceased to utter silence; the only sound was hearts thumping to their own ears. Leonardo jumped off the concrete pavement at the side of the building and dropped down within the stems of the high grass, slowly inching his body near the back of the building. The others followed his lead. This method of sneak would have been avoided, had it not been for the 60 some-odd soldiers guarding the outside of the building. These men knew something was going on. Large spot lights swung around the ground from the roof, making it a chore to dodge. Mike, with dreams of being a comedian, knew this spot light would not just throw rotten tomatoes at him. They felt like they were trying to get into Alcatraz other than escape from it. The Turtles were low to the ground, slithering their bodies like snakes toward the entrance to the basement. Two guards stood on each end of the wooden doors. A pad lock secured it closed. Leo slid over to one side, motioning Raph to follow him. Both rolled carefully up against the back wall, sucking in their breath. Mike and Don remained where they were. Glued to the floor. The guards were looking left to right, staring out and upward but never below or behind them. They never saw it coming. Two hilts from two different swords knocked them out quickly and quietly. Raph caught his victim and looked down at his belt to see a string of keys attached.

"Guess I won't have to bust the lock after all." He muttered.

Raphael loosened the belt and slid the keys from the loop, snatching them all before they clanked together. Leonardo watched him before signaling Mike and Don to come over to them. They remained in their spot as a light flashed over awfully close to them. Mike swallowed as quietly as he could while Don started to move at Leo's command. The two soon joined the group where they waited for Raph to find the right key for the padlock. His thick fingers made it difficult to hold the keys without making a sound. A tiny drop a sweat fell down from his forehead, soaking into to the top part of his bandana.

"Damn!" He whispered as he fumbled with each key to insert it in the lock.

Leonardo was looking all around with impatience. This was too easy. They would have spotted us by now. What are they waiting for? Something's not right. And it's us being here. A small 'click' filled his ears as he looked back to see Raph twist the final key on the ring into the lock, the iron 'U' shape lifting up and over.

"Ha, ha. Save the best for last!" Raph whispered again as he removed the lock and turned the handle on one of the double doors. The door creaked open, causing Raph to freeze in his tracks. The group remained still. Damn squeaky door! Don't these people know how to oil the hinges? Leo motioned Mike and Don to go first in a single file procedure. He held the door and gestured Raph to go next. Raph saluted him and followed behind Don.

Michaelangelo circled around to see the others step through into the darkness of the basement. He sighed and placed his hands on his hips.

"So what are we doing here besides risking our necks?"

"Finding out why our necks are being risked to begin with!" Raph wrapped his arm around Mike's neck, rubbing his fist into his head.

"We're putting whoever's in charge here out of business." Leo said as he stepped down from the entrance. "I made a promise to Jenny that I would end this war for her. To stop these people from abusing innocent children as well as adults."

The Turtles moved up the staircase and out into the darkened halls. Empty and silent for the time being, they still took the precautions and moved around within the shadows along the walls. The air around them was freezingly cold to the point of goosebumps and teeth chattering. Each sucked in a breath with bodies pressed to the walls as soldiers passed by them. The men and women were heading downward toward the dungeon area. Something was definitely wrong with them. Their pale faces showed pure emptiness. The worst of it was, they weren't breathing.

"Should we follow them?" Michaelangelo turned to Leonardo.

Leonardo stared with uneasiness.

"I think we should see what they're up to."

The Turtles moved out to follow behind the line of soldiers. The group reached a familiar spot and descended the staircase to the laboratory. An orange glow started to fill the room as the soldiers reached the bottom of the stairs. The Turtles stopped mid-way to watch where they were going. A door on the opposite side of the room slowly opened where a bright light shone through on the other side. The soldiers walked through the door with the Turtles slowly following.

"I don't like the looks of this." Donatello whispered from the back.

The door closed half-way, leaving the Turtles to stand at it's entrance with confused expressions. Leo removed a katana and pushed opened the door using the blade. The door creaked as it opened up to reveal another staircase leading down and more orange light.

"Where does this go to?" Leo asked to himself.

"To Hell. What'd you think?" Raph joked.

Leonardo ignored him and took one step down, feeling exploding pain in his foot. He yelped and jumped back, looking down to see the steps were made of iron, heated by the warmth of the room below them. Leo lifted his foot to see the sole was reddened and scarred. Michaelangelo was at his side within seconds and stared at it with concern.

"Whoa, Leo! You okay?"

Leo squeezed his eyes tight. "Yeah, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt." He lied.

Raph crossed his arms. "Oh, really. It will later on when it starts to blister."

"Hmm." Don said quietly. He stepped closer to the steps and got down on one knee, licking a finger and placing it on the first step. It made a sizzling sound. Don pulled back and rubbed his finger and thumb together with a quick gasp. "You've got guts, Leo. And tough skin. This metal is like touching the tray on the inside of a 400ยบ degree oven. Believe me, I know!" Don rolled his eyes, recalling one time he was in charge of cooking up a store-bought pizza. He opened the oven door with mittens but accidentally touched the oven rack with his exposed arm, having the same results of pain and scarring as Leo was going through at the moment.

"An oven? It's more like walking on hot coals." Leonardo rubbed his foot.

"Here, go wash it in the sink." Mike guided his brother over to the black sink where he quickly twisted on the ice cold water. Leo lifted his leg into the sink, clutching the side as the water hit his foot. It stung like the dickens but soothed and calmed the burning sensation slightly. Mike searched the upper cupboards for any medical supplies.

"Oh, cool! They do keep first aid kits down here!" Mike's voice echoed within the shelves. He pulled out a white box with a red cross on it and looked through it to find the proper remedy to medicate the burn mark. As Raph predicted, it started to blister. Leo balanced on one foot as the water continued to spray into the drain. Mike shut off the faucet where the burning pain quickly returned. Leo watched as Mike rubbed on some sort of ointment. He then unfolded a string of white gauze and wrapped it completely around his entire foot up to the ankle with a silver clip to hold it in place.

"Thanks, Mike."

"Sure, no prob."

"So, do you want to try again?" Raph grinned.

Leo stared at him. He opened a hand toward the door. "Be my guest."

"Nah, I may be hot-headed but I don't want to end up hot-footed. Heh." The others groaned. "Seriously though, how about sliding down the banister instead?"

"The banister? I didn't see one."

"Huh. Really?"

Raphael walked over to take a look. The staircase was built into the wall on both sides. No banister was in view. He bent down lower to get a better look at what was down below.
The area looked like the inside of a volcano with walls made of rock. Curiosity was building up within him.

"How 'bout we run down really fast?"

"What's this fascination you've got to go down there, Raph?" Don walked over with lowered eyes. "We can come back later with more protective garments."

"I've got a feeling this door won't be here when we return. It wasn't here when we were here earlier. I would have remembered seeing it."

The other Turtles thought for a moment. For one who doesn't take note of things, Raph made a valid point. Each looked back to the door to see if anything happened. Leo walked back over and began observing it. Before their eyes, the handle slowly disintegrated within his hand and melted into the wall! The Turtles gasped and stared wide-eyed.

"How...how did you know, Raph?" Mike turned to him.

"I didn't. That was a guess!" Raph straightened up with hands at his hips. "A pretty damn good one if you ask me."

Leo felt the wall where the door was, finding it warm to the touch. He shook his head with disbelief.

"Well, Raph, your guess was as good as mine. I felt the same way. We'll have to return later, hopefully when the door will be back to walk through. And with safety might I add. We need to get some strong protection before going any further." He paused with a sigh. "I too, have a fascination as to know what dwells down there. Down below."

"Guys, it's almost 5 in the morning." Donatello announced while twisting his wrist to show his watch. "We should get going."

"Hmm, yes. Let's get out of here." Leo nodded and headed for the stairs. The others slowly followed up back to the hallway.

Sam couldn't sleep anymore. Her shift started at five and it was only 4:45. She suited up early before meeting her group at their post. The first and second halls were her roundabouts, followed by the rooms that surrounded them. Each one had to be inspected. She knew something was wrong when she saw the soldiers were doubled in guard. A male soldier approached her with his dark helmet concealing his face.

"Hi, I'm your partner, Craig, for this morning."

"Hi, Craig." Sam shook his hand and stared at his suit. "You know, these costumes are really ridiculous. I feel like an astronaut or something."

"Don't let the master hear you say that." His voice was muffled in the helmet.

The two started to walk off on their patrol. Sam was full of questions.

"What's going on? Why are there so many of us this morning?"

"Ah, must be another drill. The extras were called in for some reason. Can't remember what for."

"Is it because of those mutants running loose?"

Craig turned to her. "Who told you that?"

"No one of importance. But am I right?"

Craig slowly nodded. "I think so. I was told to shoot anything in range that looks unusual. These things are dangerous."

"So, I've heard." Sam's voice drifted off.

"What'd you say?"

"Uh, so you've heard, huh? They're dangerous."

"Yeah, and they need to be killed and brought to the master so he can have a look for himself as what to do with them."

"How about bury them? They'd be no good to him dead."

"On the contrary, they'd be under his control and more powerful than ever before. Let me let you in on a little scoop I picked up."

Sam leaned closer. "I'm all ears."

"Well, I got word that the soldiers who perish in battle here really don't die at all. It's really weird but, I think the master is like some kind of magician. He can perform miracles."

Sam looked around and lifted the shield of her helmet. "Uh, you're losing me. How can he possibly do that? No human can ever do such a thing."

"Well, my friends and I have been talking and we agreed that this man is not considered normal. He's not even human."

Sam tried to hide her fear but failed. Her body began to tremble. Not human? Here she was thinking she'd get an education for school while in the meantime, there's been supernatural happenings going on in the same building where she was. She missed her friends whom she had no idea been injured by the evils done by the same people she was taking orders from to become a professional soldier. Sam swallowed hard with thoughts swarming in her head.

"Um, Craig. What did you hope to accomplish when you came to this place?"

"To be a person of the law and prevent crime. Why?"

"What if we told someone outside of this place about what's going on? What if we confess?"

"We have no proof, Sam. They'd never believe us. Besides, if you dare to even think of doing that, they will hunt you down as a traitor and kill you."

"They would never kill one of their own."

"Oh, yes they will. And they have. Marisa's already been shot down and presumably dead."

Sam stopped in her tracks and gasped as those words escaped from his lips.

"WHAT? Marisa? Marisa Stratford?" He slowly nodded. Sam pressed a hand to her mouth. "Oh, my God! Oh....my....God."

"Hey, they don't know for sure if she's dead or not. But they won't stop looking for her til she's found and as the boss says, 'taken care of.'

Sam backed up against the wall, tears spilling over and soaking the bottom half of her helmet.

"Why did they go after her? Where was she?"

"The reports came in that she was found on the street fighting with some gangsters-"

"So? She might have been on duty! What the hell is wrong with you soldiers?!"

Craig sighed and finished his statement. "-And she was seen with some strange mutants."

Sam shook her head. "They killed her because she was with...them?"

"That would be my guess. I told you these creatures are not safe. Even if you think they are, which I doubt, if you're caught hanging around them, you will be a traitor to us and will suffer the consequences."

"Craig, tell me the truth. Do you think these mutants are really dangerous? Not because of what you only heard but by speculation?"

Craig looked off to a corner of the hall, not wanting to give his answer.

"I was told they are dangerous and that-"

"No, Craig. You're missing the point. I don't want you to tell me what you heard. I want to know what you, yourself think of them. If you were a mutant, disfigured and a freak to society, would you oppose humans if they tried to hurt you? Would you arm yourself with weapons and try to protect your own skin from getting killed?"

Craig stared at Sam for a moment.

"Um, yes, I guess so."

"So, then, you know how they must feel around us. It's not that they want to fight. We leave them no choice. Ignorance is what hurts them. It's people like us that are a threat to them."

"But they came to us first."

"And do you even know why? Maybe they know more about what's going on here than we do. Maybe they're trying to stop whatever evils are prevailing within these walls. If they're good, they'll try to save us than harm us. But when you shoot at them, they'll recoil before coming back for another attack."

"Sam, I get the feeling you know these mutants far too much."

"I only know what I see and hear. And from what I've heard, these mutants are strong." Sam paused, looking from side to side. "And from what I've seen, these mutants are heroes."

"So you have met them."

"Yes, the other day."

Craig groaned. "I knew it. So, now you're friends with them. Is that what you're saying?"

Sam sighed. "Craig, I met them after spitting out a mouth-full of chlorine water. I almost drowned in our swimming pool. They saved my life. I can't possibly take a life from someone who just restored mine."

"When did this happen?"

"Sometime in the late morning. That was the last time I saw Marisa-" Sam broke off, feeling a lump in her throat. "Um, Marisa and Jenny before going to the pool to do some laps. I jumped in the water off the high dive and got my foot stuck in the broken drain. I wouldn't be standing here now if it weren't for those mutants."

"Aw, jeez, Sam." Craig spoke softly. "I had no idea."

"Please, Craig. You can't tell a soul. If what you said was true about killing traitors, they will kill me next for sure. Please, Craig. Promise me you won't tell anyone."

Craig padded her shoulder and nodded slowly.

"I promise."

The Turtles reached another storage room to take a breather from the many maneuvers of being caught by patrolling guards of the halls. This was not their way of finding things out. To keep hiding like this was becoming a pain. Leonardo hobbled to a crate and took the weight off his sore foot, cursing at himself for not looking before leaping. He put his leg up over his knee to see how the scar looked. Removing the bandage, he winced as the cloth stuck to the sole of his bare foot. White blisters appeared with red markings around the heel and front part near the toes. Michaelangelo came to his side and hunched over to take a look.

"Hmm, I think a white blister means it's not infected. Any other color would be more serious. You were lucky we got to it before walking around any further."

"I'm no good in this condition. We need to return to the junkyard to get suitable attire. If there's going to be troublesome walking, we should pick up some extra padding."

"Well, you can't really walk around with just a bandage on. It's not a good idea." Mike crossed his arms.

"How about Raph and I go?" Don suggested. "Mike can stay with you while we return to the junkyard for some protective garments. What do you think?"

Leo shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Raph, do you mind going with Don?"

Raph threw out a hand. "Nah. The Boy Genius is pretty cool. Just as long as he doesn't start acting weird on me- no wait, that's all the time. Never mind what I said."

Don pouted. "Ut! Thanks a lot, Raph!"

Raph smirked and headed for the door. Don followed still pouting at him. Mike rolled his eyes and looked to Leo whom was staring in deep thought. He sat quietly. Too quiet. Uh, oh. Mike looked down to him. What's on your mind now, Leo? Fearless Leader? Do you feel fear right about now?

"Mike, I don't know what to think....about this place.....anymore."

"You gotta look on a bright side, bro!" Mike said with a positive tone. "It's like a fun house. And we just saw a neat trick. A door disappear into thin air. Wow! Wasn't that exciting?"

"Not as exciting as feeling the door vanish from your hand. One minute I was holding it, the next, it disintegrated. I guess I'm not in the mood to feel like having a good time."

"So, what are you feeling right now?"

"Something I've felt since we first came into this place."

"And what might that be, Leo?"

"Fear."

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