The thumb, wide by any standards, and a rich green from all the time he had spent in the park. He gave a long, souring glance at the sore indentation in the center of it. Using his finger instead, he pressed it hard into the appartment button. The sodium lights gave the dark street a chic orange glow, making Michelangelo decide to come to Boston again to stay with his brother. That is, if Leonardo didn't tear Raph's head off first.

Mike glanced back at the car. Leo and Don were now leaning against the hood, their expressions hardly shocked. Oh, come on Raph. Couldn't you have been good this once? He pounded the buzzer until the squeal droned too hard in his ears.

"Give it up, Mike." Leo called. He took his finger off the button resignedly. Turning to his brothers, they sympathetically waved him back. "Don," He tossed the keys to Donatello. "We're going to have to find someone who knows the way."

"I think I saw a seven-eleven a couple of blocks back." He said with a sigh.

"Come on guys, maybe he just stepped out for a sec?" Mike took the place beside Leo as Don went to the drivers seat. Leonardo shook his head.

"Fat chance. Our boy's smart. Even if he is led by his dick." Mike looked at his feet. "If you want, you can stay here and wait for him. You can meet us at the Historical society as soon as he comes back."

"No, that's ok." Mike nodded. "I'll come with you guys." He opened the side door and knocked the McDonalds bags aside. "Don't want you to have all the action for yourselves." He grinned at Don in the rearview mirror as Leonardo opened his door.

"All in the spirit of sharing."

Air turned into wind, howling passed like the beginning of a tornado. The two dropped through the frictionless tunnel, apparently made by sheets of sodered metal. Raphaels jacket caught up behind him, cutting into his armpits. He struggled keeping his eyes open against the stinging wind. They were dropping like rocks, the girl a little below him.

He grasped her by the arms, and pulled her up to him. Her hair flew up beside his face, and he wrapped his arms around her back, up to her shoulders. After that first shriek, she gasped breathlessly for air. He had to breathe deeply through his nose, keeping close track of the unlit tunnel. They were falling at a slant, his shell being used as a sled. They wheeled up the sides. The track was turning. He forced them the other way so they wouldn't flip over and crush her skull.

The trip only took less than ten seconds. By eight there was a orange glow from below. Furrowing his brow, he stretched his neck to see over the girls jacket shoulder. The glow grew brighter as the tunnel dropped. Heat grew up the metal. Finally the shaft opened below them, exposing licking flames in a ten foot pit that was sliding up much too fast below.

He instinctively tightened his hold around the girl. It was hot as hell, burning his lungs as he sucked in air. He could feel his face getting an itchy tightness as they plummeted down, and the leaping flames bursting up at them. The fire simmering down a moment for another burst exposed the liquid fire beneath. Black chunks of crustiness were overturned and poped in a bubble of hot flame.

Still clutching the girl close, the open rim of the pipe was coming up. He struggled to see over the billowing edge of the rug, still tangled beneath his feet. Then finally, and floor edge appeared aside the fire. Narrow by the angle it was cut off at from the pipe rim he was seeing from, but still. He set his sites on the edge and planted his feet into the rug.

A roar of flames swelled over his view. When it was gone they were already at the end of the pipe. Raphael hooked his feet at the rim and jumped. The force launched him off, diving over the pit. The updraft scorched his face and he tucked the girls head into his neck. Another blast of fire flew, extinguishing before them into a screen of smoke. Flying through, they landed on the edge, which extended farther back. They fell hard and skidded to a stop, throwing up a copius cloud of dust ash.

The ignited corner of the red rug was slowly swallowed by the liquid lava, leaving a small hot bubble in its wake. The dust, suspended in air, began its reluctant drift down. Raphael, still questioning if he was alive or not, opened his eye. The grey screen resembled smoke, but with relief it was completely heatless. He opened his other eye and tentatively lifted himself up, listening hard.

The girl had landed beneath him, he hoped she had not broken part of her spine on the landing. Her eyes were still sealed shut and he watched her intently for some sign of life. Dust was settling over her face, leaving a light layer of paleness. She coughed hard, and he frowned. While he wiped his face she coughed several more times, leaning over to the side.

"Are you ok."

"Yea-*ough* " He hardened his arm around her back and helped lift her up. They looked over into the fire beside them, a jealous flip of flame trying to jump up to the floor. "You?" She said before another cough.

"Fine." Raphael patted himself down, checking his inventory. Everything felt fine and he worried. Something was missing, he instantly went for his sai. A light whisking sound alerted him, and he grabbed the hilt of his weapon. The small black case came soaring down the shaft. It flew off the end and dropped into the fire, flipping helplessly over itself. Raphael took his hand off his weapon.

"Wasn't that…"

"It was."