| Part 20 |
| The following morning, many children of the upper level were falling for the rumors told to them. Cynthia and Cameron tended to exaggerate that fire and brimstone would be brought forth to the building that the students attended. Some believed them while others ignored them, calling them typical weirdoes. The Turtles munched softly on a muffin, thanks to a stop at a bakery before returning the kids to the dreaded building. Cynthia wouldn't let them go hungry. Too much of her mother's qualities. Cackling and gabbing filled the halls on the top floor. The kids were being their usual selves. Boys playing electronic games or girls chattering incessantly. Cynthia and Cameron reached the top steps with the Turtles behind them. "Have to change into our gym clothes, guys, so we'll head back to our rooms." Cynthia said. "Well, have a good day!" Raphael cooed like a typical parent sending the kids off to school. Donatello elbowed him with a roll to the eyes. The kids waved, walked to the group, passed by, and headed down the halls to the line of doors. "Think they'll spread the word?" Raphael tossed his wrapper to a waste basket in the hall, making perfect aim. Donatello shrugged. "We told them what's involved so all they've got to do is take action. They'll be okay, I'm sure. They're strong." "Heh. Yeah, very strong. How's your arms, Donnie?" Michaelangelo grinned. "Sore. Cameron said he weighed around 110 pounds. I think it was a little more. 20 pounds more to be exact." Leonardo chuckled lightly. "Cynthia was no feather either, Don. But I have to admit, she was very light in comparison." "Yeah, I think if I had known, I would have settled for her then bowling ball butt." The kids voices were getting higher as boys were teasing girls with poking or chasing after them. "Are we done up here?" Michaelangelo complained as he threw the last piece of muffin in his mouth. "Seeing these youngsters brings back memories of my childhood." Leonardo started to descend the steps, still watching. "I do believe so, Mike. Let's get going." Heading down two flights to the third level, Leonardo stopped halfway down the hall. Something caught his scent as he began sniffing around. He looked to his brothers. "Whew! Either something died or we need to find a place to shower." The three stared at him, blinking at his response. "Damn, Leo. I was about to blame it on the kids!" Raphael smirked. Donatello also sniffed around, his nose scrunching up. "Hate to say it, but it's us. We haven't bathed in days and plus hanging out in the dump, the pungent aroma is starting to kick in." "I think it already has." Michaelangelo sniffed next, frowning to his attire that stuck to him. Raphael looked up and down the halls before speaking. "Well, how can we shower without being seen? There should be a guy's locker room around here with all the workouts they do." Leonardo agreed. "Right, let's see if we can find something like that around here. It's one thing to be heroes but it's also another thing to stay clean." "Heh, really! Who wants a smelly super hero to rescue them?" Mike pinched his nose, speaking like a female. "Oh, thank you for- Eeeeew! And when did YOU bathe last?" "I bet all your girlfriends tell you that." Raphael grinned. Early risers are considered tougher fighters. With enough energy from a full night's rest, they're able to take on anyone whom ever dares to cross their path. In this case, Risa hardly got any sleep, slept in too late, and was weak against any combating students in training. She pulled out of bed around 8 when she normally gets up at five. She suited up in her workout clothes in a tired-eyed, disheveled-hair, appearance. Leaving her room, she went down the hall to an upper level toward one of the many gymnasiums. The climb up the stairs got her blood to start boiling. Reaching the top, her body felt warm and numb. While reaching the two large doors, she caught movement from the corner of her eye. Ignoring what it was, she went through the doors, past the girl's locker room and out into the large gymnasium. The first class was already over. Her class. Another one was in there doing a feverish aerobics step to blasting tunes from the surround sound speakers. Risa decided to exercise on her own, starting off with a borrowed jump rope, several jumping jacks, leg stretches, and 30 female-style push-ups. No one seemed to notice her in the back so she started in with the group, following the steps. They were fairly the same like all classes. She had no trouble keeping up. Later on, she felt hot and sweaty, wanting to take a hot shower. Funny as it sounded, a hot shower felt good to a hot body. It relieved aching muscles. Returning to the locker room, she grabbed a towel and headed for the bath hall. It was a light-pink colored tiled room with shower heads all in a row. For privacy reasons, each shower head was in a stall with a thick curtain. Risa removed her ponytail holder and kicked off her shoes at the entrance, walking into
the stall area before removing her clothes. A small bench was used for her T-shirt,
shorts, Tying her towel tight around her, she stepped out and headed on down to the men's side,
asking herself over and over why she was doing this. The place was empty with the
exception Minutes later, two of the shower heads shut off. Risa gasped and tip toed into
one of the stalls further away from the first four. She quietly drew the curtain
shut, thankful for the sounds of the other showers deafening the noise. She backed
up against the farthest wall under the shower head so that her feet couldn't be seen if
one looked under the curtain. The ones with Mixed talking was heard speaking in low tones. She strained to listen to what they were saying. "Man, this sucks I hafta put this disgusting coat on after being clean! Can't we find something else to put on?" "There's not much clothing in here, Raph. And what there is in here isn't clean either. May as well put on your coat anyway and deal with it." "Raph...." Risa whispered as she stared at the drawn curtain. She was thinking deeply about jumping out to embrace him, despite only wearing a towel. She kinda hoped the towel would drop so she'd feel his skin next to hers. Her teeth started to chatter next. The other two shower heads shut off followed by more talking. "Hand me that towel, Mike. Thanks." "I feel like we're wasting our time here. I mean, I feel better but what have we done to make changes so far?" "Staying alive has been a good thing." "We got some kids to listen to us. The adults are on their own. They're not as understanding unless the building became a flaming rubble." "Yeah, they'd turn us in the minute they laid eyes on us. Some of the girls here were reasonable. Like Jenny, Risa...." Raphael said her name. That voice she could point out easily. Yes, she knew she was reasonable with them. After hearing that, she smiled and nodded. "What about Sam? Haven't seen much of her lately." Risa covered her mouth, remembering Sam got in trouble the other night with the master. "She's probably still around. I guess. Who knows? This is a big place. We might run into her by chance." "Come on, guys. Let's hurry it up. Anyone could come through this way and see us." The group quickly reapplied their gear before putting on the moldy trench coats and hats. Risa shook her head, accidentally whapping it back against the tile wall. She puffed out a breath and grabbed behind her head, slowly rubbing it. "What was that?" One of their voices popped up. Despite their ears not being visible, turtles have excellent hearing. This, Risa skipped in science class. She covered her mouth again, slumping down into the corner of the stall. "That stall's curtain wasn't drawn shut when we got here, was it?" "Ooh, very observant Mike! It was probably nothing." "No, 'nothing' makes a noise like that." "Sure it does. Our plumbing at home used to make the weirdest sounds." "That's cuz you installed it, Boy Genius." Risa caught green legs standing by her curtain. Now, she stopped breathing. As much as she wanted to, she could not let herself be seen to them. "I'm gonna open it. On the count of three." "Nooooo......" Risa breathed out. He lied. There was no count. The curtain shook opened fully and Risa ducked her head down onto her legs. "Marisa?!" She looked up to see two of them standing there, the other two off near the exit.
Leonardo's exclamation brought them over to look. Raphael ran over and halted
with a quick gasp. "Guys, go away, please!" Raphael stepped in closer, only making her scrunch up more. "Don't come near me! Please, guys! You must leave me alone and get out of here!" Raphael looked hurt. "I- I just wanted to touch you to see if I was imagining this." He said gravely. The anger was beginning to swell up. Leonardo spotted her exposed chest was clear. There was no laser wound of any kind. It was as if she never got hit. "Risa, the laser wound. It...." He looked away, totally baffled. "It's gone. How did it...." "What he means is, how the fuck are you still breathing?!" Raphael suddenly burst out. "You were dead, girl! I saw you myself!" Risa started to tremble, her teeth still chattering. It was close to them, watching everything that happened. She pulled herself up off the tile floor, clinging for dear life on the small towel. "I can't talk to you, now. I mean it, guys. I'm giving you a head start. If you're not out of my sight within 2 minutes, I'm summoning soldiers to come arrest you." Raphael's eyes widened as he looked to his brothers. His harshness quickly softened, almost to tears. "Risa, why are you doing this to us? Why would you do such a thing to the ones you trust? We have done nothing to you to deserve this." His acting skills were average but Risa was buying it. His brothers knew him better and did their best to keep a straight face. It was merely a scheme to get her on their good side again. Only certain people could see through Raph. With Risa, it was total understanding. She was in love with him and listened to him without any doubts. The words he spilt drove into her like a knife in the back. Tears welled up in her eyes and he knew he was home free. "Listen to me very carefully, sweetie...." Her eyes darted every corner of the room as she extended a hand to him. She stepped cautiously closer to him, her body almost brushing the fabric of his coat. Her eyes were everywhere except on him. That made him uneasy. "What are you do-" "Shhh...." Her head was almost resting on his shoulder. Her hand cupped below his cheek as if she was going to say something quietly. She did. "Something is watching us. Right here. Right now." Her voice was below a whisper in his ear. "It's evil and it knows who you are." He could feel her body was cool and clammy from the dried-up sweat. She didn't want to leave his side but knew, safety-wise, they had to be apart for the moment. "What are you saying?" He whispered back. "Are we in danger?" She slowly nodded, looking to the others. "Sam's been placed in holding on the second level in the cell block area. I know this for a fact. Go help her. Please, understand what I'm saying. She needs to get out of here. We all do." "We'll help her. But I want you to come with us." Risa looked to the others again, witnessing an errie shadow forming on the walls behind them. She moaned silently. "I can't. Not now." "I won't leave you, Risa. I swear it." "Please, go." The tears slid down her cheeks. "I'm sorry for doing this.....your two minutes are up...." She looked to Leonardo. He nodded to her as if reading her mind more than her face. He started to back away, taking the others slowly with his lead. "Leo, what is it...?" Michaelangelo walked backwards, frowning at Risa. Donatello also backed up while Raphael stood the closest to Risa, watching her with sadness. She breathed out before exclaiming, "GUARDS!!! GUARDS!! HELP! THEY'RE HERE!" Raphael quickly leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, muffling her shouts, before getting pulled away from the others. Risa continued to shout and holler as the Turtles ran as off fast as possible. "Raph, what the hell...why did she....what ...?" Michaelangelo was flabbergasted. "It's not of her control, Mike." Leo uttered. "What do you mean-" "I'll tell ya, later!" "But, why did she- Raphael pushed Mike to run faster. "Forget it, Mike! Let's just get the fuck outta here now!" Leonardo understood perfectly. Donatello was in total shock and surprise. Soldiers were coming in every direction, causing the group to scatter every which way. Risa ran out, continuing to scream as loud as she could, finally stopping herself. The shadow faded back within the walls. "Are you happy now?" She demanded through sobs. The words echoed in the empty bath hall. The room returned to it's normal temperature. Midday was approaching. Sam rested on the small cot with nothing to do but ponder about the hours to come. She felt it was an unfair decision. A death sentence without even a trial first. Where was the justice in this building? For a demon-like, crazed madman, it didn't matter if she was innocent or guilty. A traitor was the only good enough reason to kill her. A stupid reason in her opinion. Her door unlocked again. In walked three soldiers, one waving the other two away.
They did as a request. The soldier approached the cot where Sam laid still.
Removing his helmet, "Oh, hello Craig. What do you want?" Craig's blue eyes glimmered in the sunlight. He bent down to her level, taking hand into his. "Why are they doing this to you? I missed you at the post today." Her smile widened. "That's sweet. You won't be seeing much of me later on." Her voice cracked. "Are you leaving us, Sam? Have you been suspended?" "I'm not permitted to talk about it. Like it really matters anyway." He stared at her for a long time till she looked away. The room went silent for a few seconds. Craig shifted legs to get comfortable. "Soldiers are permitted to know reasons of people in holding. You can tell me if it would help anything." "Craig, you were the only so far that seemed to.....um......understand about those, you know, green guys?" When she said 'green guys' her voice dropped incredibly low. Craig nodded. "What about them? Are they the reason that you're in here?" Oh, God! If he knew, he would never trust them ever again! I can make it sound like it was my fault. Yes, that it! "No, Craig. I was the one responsible for being in this mess." Craig frowned to her. "I mean, this is going to sound funny, are you ready for a laugh?" She was stalling. And she was losing him. "Alright, I'll put it to you this way. If I didn't go swimming that day and almost drown, I wouldn't be here now." "No, you'd be dead." "No, no! I mean if I had a change of plan and not even step into the swimming hall, I wouldn't be here in this room." "Wait, let me get this straight. You got arrested because you were caught swimming in the pool and almost drowned?" "Something like that, yes." "Samantha?" "Yeah?" "That is the dumbest reason I have ever heard! You'd think you'd being seeking medical attention but instead get placed in holding?! What lamebrain would take that as a punishment?" "The master." "Oh." Craig's voice echoed. "Sammy, you're not telling me the whole story. No one gets in trouble for going in the swimming hall just like that. It was..." He thought carefully, remembering when she told him she was rescued by the Turtles. "It was those turtles, wasn't it? They rescued you and if you hadn't allowed them to, you wouldn't be here now!" "No, I'd be dead." "Well, yeah. I said that already. There was a puzzle missing here. A big, green piece of the puzzle. Sam...." He shook his head. "I don't know why you say it was your fault. You were with them, that's why you got in trouble. They have hidden cameras in that area, you know." "Yes, I know." Sam rolled her eyes, thankful she never went skinny dipping in there. "Why would you defend them, Sam?" "Because I didn't want you to think it was their fault that I'm being held in here." "But it is there fault!" "No, damn it! It's not! I would have died that day, Craig! If they weren't there to give me mouth-to-mouth-" Craig made a face when she said that. She ignored him and continued. "-I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you. I would be blue, bloated and floating at the bottom of the deep end." She sighed deeply, taking a breath. "The master had me arrested because I lived. Because I was rescued by them. Had I left to summon soldiers instead of letting them escape, that would have been different. But I couldn't do that to them. Not after they saved my life." Craig stared silently once more. She was right. She would have drowned if the Turtles had not been there to pull her out. "Okay, Sam. I see your point, again. So, it's half their fault for you being here." Sam rolled her eyes. "If you believe what the master thinks, it's their fault one hundred percent. You have to know where I'm coming from with this. You can't blame them for doing what's right. It's their job to help people. If it had been you, you would understand what I'm going through now." "Well, I don't know about the mouth-to-mouth thing if it were me-" "Oh, please, Craig! Guys give mouth-to-mouth to other guys! There's nothing sexual about it! Jeez, listen to yourself!" Craig looked down with a hand to his forehead. "So, do you love any of them?" Sam sighed, knowing he wasn't as dangerous as the master. "I love..one of them, yes. The one that saved me. I can't stop thinking about him, Craig. The feelings I have are boundless." Craig nodded, now knowing he'd never have the chance. "I dunno, Sam. Let's not argue anymore about why you're in here and let's figure out how we're gonna get you out." "Well, that's why I happened to mention those 'green guys' in the first place. If you want to help me out, you'll need to get a hold of them somehow." "Oh, like they'll trust me, Sam! Got a better idea?" "Craig, please. I'm running out of time. Think of something. Anything. Do what you can. Once I'm out, I can never return here." "I'll help you out, Sam. I promise I'll try to find them and get you out." "I really appreciate that, Craig. You're the only one I can really trust." "How much time do I have?" "Till sunset. Nine o'clock to be exact." "What'll happen to you, Sam?" Sam covered her chest in a quick tremble. "I'm sentenced to death." Craig backed away in shock. "Noooo....oh, God, noooo. This has gone too far." He stood up and backed toward the door. "I will find them and get you out, Sam. Even if they are to blame, they saved you. I've considered them allies in my book. Rest easy." Craig was running out of words. If he stayed longer, he would have cracked into tears. He quickly turned and left the room. Sam stared up at the ceiling, saving her last hours with thoughts of being rescued. "Get out." She whispered. "Or be carried out." |
Eve Of Destruction
By: Brinatello
After a bomb destroys their home, the TMNT seek new lodging and discover a place full of unknown horror.
Rated: Fiction M - English - Adventure/Supernatural - Chapters: 30 - Words: 122,941 - Reviews: 5 - Favs: 5 - Follows: 1 - Updated: Apr 28, 2001 - Published: Apr 26, 2001 - id: 266176
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Full 3/4 1/2 Expand Tighten
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