CHAPTER EIGHT

ESCAPE

Raphael looked down at his hands. The spaces between his fingers were badly scarred, but they didn't hurt anymore. He imagined that the scars would fade with time. Maybe he'd get lucky and forget this whole thing had ever happened. Maybe he'd forget everything, and be able to lead a normal life. He heard his brother cry out in his sleep and looked slowly to the place where he was lying, strapped down. The memory of hopeful thoughts faded. He knew he could never forget. Those cries would haunt him for the rest of his life, and he knew it.

Michaelangelo arched off the table, and sobbed in a way that led Raph to believe he was more conscious now than he had been for the past few days. They'd kept him sedated, just like they'd done to Raphael. It was for the pain, he guessed. But then again, they hadn't cared too much about pain any other time. He wondered what they would do with them once this "experimental transformation" was a "total success". As far as Raphael knew, they hadn't really begun to run any tests on him as a human. Of course, he had no idea what they might've done while he was unconscious. He shivered at the thought. All his life, he'd been jealous of humanity. But right now, it scared him half to death.

Michaelangelo had started the "treatment" after him, and it only made sense that he would finish after him. His own relative health gave Raphael hope that it would all turn out okay. He was still sore, and he could still feel several wounds on his back. But they didn't ooze blood anymore. They were healing fast.

He wanted to think that being human gave him rights, that they couldn't do anything more to him. But he also realized that they were the only ones who knew he was here. He leaned his head back against the wall and sighed. He was tired and weak. He hadn't been out of this room since he woke up. For a moment, he wondered how Leo and Don were holding up.

Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling. The lights flickered and Raphael's eyes snapped open. The floor was shaking. What was happening? He braced on his hands and knees as the world around him shuddered. The floor shifted and without warning, a large hole appeared a few feet away. Raphael jumped back and watched with wide eyes. He crawled over and looked down into a dark office. The desk rattled as the thunder continued to destroy the building. An earthquake? In New York? He paused as he considered that. He didn't really know what state he was in.

He struggled to his feet, and nearly fell over. For the first time in... how long? he considered escape. It had to have been a few weeks at least. It wasn't like they ever told him what day of the week it was. The rumbling ground wasn't helping, either. He focused all the strength he could find in himself and took a few steps.

The sight of his brother up close took the breath out of his lungs. It always did, and he'd learned that it was better to watch him from afar. At least when he couldn't do anything to help him. But right now, he had to get him out of here or they would both be crushed.

A loud cracking sound behind him got his attention. He spun and saw the entire floor fall out by the doorway. He turned back to Michaelangelo and yanked the IVs, spilling more blood. He pulled the tubes and the monitors, and shook his brother. "Mikey! Michaelangelo, wake up!"

He wasn't sure if he was expecting a response, but he got none. He checked to make sure he was breathing, then pulled him up.

***

She'd always been taught not to pick up hitchhikers, but these two were the exception to the rule. Mostly because one of them was obviously hurt. The fact that they weren't wearing any clothes was also kind of interesting. She pulled her red pickup off to the side of the road and Raphael looked up. "Are you okay?" she called.

He felt like he was about to die. She was the first person who'd come down this road in the hour and a half he'd been walking. "Yeah," he gasped.

"Get in."

He opened the door and lifted his brother into the bench seat, then moved over as he crawled in next to him. As soon as the door closed, Raphael dropped his head between his knees and coughed hard. "Do you want me to take you to a hospital?" the driver asked. "Or maybe uh, get you some clothes first?"

Raphael almost laughed. Yes, it had occurred to him that he had been walking down the side of the road in a trenchcoat and nothing more. He'd gotten it from the office beneath the room. Michaelangelo didn't even have that; he only had bloody bandages. He coughed a few more times and rasped something that the girl didn't understand. "What?"

He looked up. "Manhattan," he coughed. "We need to get to Manhattan."

She laughed. "Manhattan? That's a hell of a drive. Why don't I just take you to the hospital?"

"I'll pay you."

She stared at him, startled by the words. "What?"

"You don't understand," he struggled. "We gotta get home."

Raphael wanted to go to the hospital, but he also knew that the hospital was the first place they would check. He couldn't take that risk, not knowing what kind of rights they may or may not have now. "Please just take us home," he heaved. "I'll give you anything you want. Please."

She studied him for a moment. She was going in the opposite direction from New York. "Look, I... I'm not even going that way."

He glanced out the windshield. "You can't get through up there anyways," he informed her. "There was an earthquake; the roads are destroyed."

She laughed. "What?" She'd been driving fast, but she couldn't imagine that she'd been too far away to feel the effects of an earthquake.

He glared at her. "Turn on the radio, princess," he growled.

She stared at him for a moment, then flicked the radio on. It didn't take her long to find a local news station. "... measuring 6.2 on the richter scale, was centered in a remote area. But the shock was felt as far away as..."

He tuned it out and turned his attention to his brother. If nothing else, he wanted to make sure he was still breathing. He was. He was still alive. "You said it's a long way," he reminded the driver. "How long?"

"Like, two hours at the very least, if we didn't hit any traffic and drove at eighty miles an hour."

He looked up. There was a long pause as he watched her. "Please," he whispered.

"I'll take you to the hospital."

Out of nowhere, the passenger produced a knife. She gasped in surprise. "Take us. To Manhattan. Now."

***

Michaelangelo coughed and began to pant, squeezing his eyes closed. Raphael studied him. "Mikey?" he asked. Was he waking up? "Mike, you with me?"

Mike whispered something, but Raph couldn't make it out. His breathing came staggered, and he began to shudder. Raph was no doctor, but he could tell that wasn't good. "Michaelangelo?"

"So... cold..." he stammered. He was literally shaking.

Raphael felt his skin. The heat radiating from him nearly burned his hand. He'd never felt a fever so hot. "Mike, open your eyes."

Michaelangelo heard the voice as if it had come from another dimension. He was confused. The only thing he knew right now was that he was cold, and he was dying. He forced his eyes open, but couldn't focus them. He stared at the blurred figure over him, then closed his eyes again. He didn't know who it was and he didn't care. "Cold..." he gasped between panted breaths. He wanted to curl into a ball, but his body felt paralyzed.

"Mikey, you're okay." That voice. "We're gonna get you home. To bed. You'll be warm, you'll be safe."

"He doesn't need a nap; he needs medical attention."

He didn't know that voice. But the other one was Raph. Something inside of him identified it immediately. He coughed. He felt like his lungs were filled with fluid. "Ra..." he tried, but his mouth wouldn't work.

"I'm here."

Michaelangelo stood separated from himself and saw cold and pain swirling around him. Beyond that, the darkness was comforting. It was warm. Why was he fighting it? "Tell... Rei..." he struggled, choking on the words. His whole body was convulsing as he struggled to keep warm. "I... love... her..."

"No," Raphael said strongly. "I won't. You're gonna hold on and you're gonna tell her yourself."

"I can't..."

"You will."

"No..."

Raphael turned and put his palms against his brother's burning cheeks. "Listen to me," he hissed, leaning in close. Michaelangelo's body went limp, like a rag doll. "Open your eyes and listen."

There was no room for debate. The words were spoken without the slightest hint of sympathy for Mike's condition. Slowly, painfully, he forced his body to obey, and stared into the blazing eyes of his brother. "I am going to take you home and you are going to go to bed. And when you see Rei, she's gonna fuck your brains out and make you feel all better okay?"

A weak smile played across Michaelangelo's lips. Raphael's sense of humor. Surely he knew that sex was the furthest thing from Mike's mind right now. But his thoughts lingered on Rei. He remembered the first time he kissed her, and how unsure he was. How afraid he was of anything that felt so good. His eyes closed again slowly.

"Michaelangelo, don't you dare let go," Raphael growled. "I do not wanna have to tell Rei that you made it this far and then you died on the way home, do you hear me?"

A quiet moan answered him, and Michaelangelo continued to shiver as he slipped away again. Raphael watched him for a moment, then looked up again. They were inside the city, and he recognized the landmarks. "Just pull over here," he ordered.

"Where?"

He pointed to an alley and she turned into it. "You just want me to leave you here in an alley?" she laughed. "You gotta be outta your mind."

Raphael turned to her. "I am," he answered flatly.

"I'm going to call the police, you know."

"Do that."

"Did you try to kill him?"

Raph looked up, shocked at the sudden and unexpected implication. "Lady, for you to ask me that, you are seriously blind."

He opened the door and slid to his feet. "But you tell the cops whatever you want," he mumbled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet, he emptied it of cash and offered it to her. "Oh, and here. For gas." She took it hesitantly and he slipped the wallet back into his pocket. "And thanks."

He lifted the unconscious figure from the seat and turned away. Just like that? He was going to just walk away into the alley? He didn't seem to think that was strange at all. He shut the door before she could protest, and walked into the darkness, carrying his friend. She watched him go, wondering where he was headed, then backed out of the alley into the street. She had to find a phone and call the cops. She didn't want to be implicated in a murder.

Raphael watched her truck vanish, then set his brother down on the alley floor. He lifted the manhole cover, surprised at how heavy it was, and tried once again to wake Michaelangelo up. He got blood on his fingers, and no response.

He carried him carefully down the ladder and through the familiar tunnels. About a hundred feet from the entrance to the lair, he laid him down. Michaelangelo moaned quietly. Oh great, Raphael thought. Now he's going to wake up!

Mike coughed blood and turned his head to the side to let it drain from his mouth. He felt so strange. He opened his eyes and at first saw only darkness. Then he formed the outline of an unfamiliar man. He stared at him for a minute, confused. Where was he?

"Mikey? Mikey, it's okay."

The man was talking to him. That voice was so familiar. He stared at him for a moment. "Raph?" His voice was raspy. It sounded foreign to his ears.

The man smiled faintly. "It's okay, Mike. You're gonna be alright now."

"Where...?"

"Listen to me," he whispered, cutting him off. "I'm gonna go away." He paused for a minute, searching for words. "I don't... want you to tell them. That I'm alive."

Mike was confused. "Why?"

Raphael took his hand. "I just need you to do this for me, Mikey. Please."

"Where'll you go?"

Raph shook his head. "I don't know yet."

Mike's eyes slid closed. "I'll go with you."

"What about Rei?"

Michaelangelo's heart was jolted by the sound of her name. He didn't answer, immediately realizing that Raphael was right. "Hey." He opened his eyes again and Raphael laid a human hand on his forehead. "You're gonna be okay," he promised. There was a long pause. "Tell Leo and Don..." But the words were lost on his lips. Michaelangelo nodded slightly. He knew what his brother meant.

After another long silence, he stood up, pulling away. "Bye Mikey."

Michaelangelo sighed deeply. He felt like he was caught in a dream, where he didn't care about anything. But something inside of him began to care as Raph turned away from him. "Raphael?"

Raphael turned and locked stared with his brother one last time. Neither one of them spoke for a long time. Then, finally, Michaelangelo took in a long, slow breath. "I love you."

Raphael watched him, and swallowed hard. He nodded, but couldn't speak. He looked away again, picked up a beer can from the floor of the tunnel, and threw it toward the entrance to the lair before he disappeared into the shadows. It only took a few seconds for Leonardo to appear at the door, weapons in hand. He looked around, not sure what he was expecting. He knew that noise didn't belong here. And he could feel someone close by. But that presence was strangely familiar.

A muffled cough set every nerve in his body on end, and he turned to the darkness as Donny appeared beside him. There was someone there. They approached the figure cautiously. He was slumped against the wall of the tunnel, and covered in blood. "Oh my god," Donny whispered, kneeling next to him. "What the hell happened to him?"

"How'd he get down here?" Leonardo wondered out loud, looking for any other sign of life in the surrounding area.

"Leo..."

His eyes widened in shock at the sound of his name. His head spun around and he stared at the man for a long time. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he saw that he was more of a teenage boy. He was instantly caught by his dark eyes. The boy smiled faintly. "Leo... It's me..."

Leonardo's heart leaped into his throat in a confused mix of elation and panicked fear. "Raphael?"

His eyes closed slowly. "No..."

"Mikey," Don realized. He stared for a moment, his jaw dropped. "Oh my god, you're...!"

Michaelangelo exhaled fully and his head lulled to the side. Raphael watched from the shadows as his brothers tried to wake him up again. He could hear their murmured surprise, and made sure to stay out of the way of their darting eyes. As they picked him up, Raphael turned away.

***

"Hey, Mikey, you with us?"

Michaelangelo listened to the sound of his own breathing, trying to steady it. "Yeah..."

"Don't suppose you could tell us what happened?"

"Nnnnnh..."

"I didn't think so."

"He's got a fever," Leo mumbled.

"Yeah, a really high one," Don agreed. "I'm gonna go get my medical supplies. These bandages need to be changed and I want to see just how high his fever is."

"Right."

Donatello left the room. Leo's eyes fell to the still figure on the bed. His breathing was shallow, and his skin was burning, but he was alive. Leonardo didn't need an explanation to tell him what had happened. He could guess. He knew it wasn't any natural circumstances that had turned his brother human. Well, nearly human. His coloring was still slightly off. Of course, Leo didn't know if that was the transformation itself, or whatever illness he had. "Leo...?"

"Yeah, Mike?"

"Where's Rei?"

"She went up to buy food," Leo informed. "She should be back in a few minutes."

Michaelangelo didn't answer, but Leo knew he heard. He let the silence continue for a moment. "How do you feel?" he asked quietly.

Mike breathed as deeply as he could and choked on the air. He was wheezing when his breathing started again. "Like hell..."

Don walked back into the room. "Hey, Mikey, open your mouth."

Michaelangelo accepted the thermometer underneath his tongue without hesitation. He was relaxed here. He knew that they wouldn't do anything to hurt him and he intended to cooperate as much as possible. He felt Donny's hand pressed to his forehead. "Can you tell me where the pain is, Mike?" he asked. "I mean, besides everywhere."

Not with a thermometer in my mouth...

He thought for a minute and tried to locate the worst of his pain. Donny took the thermometer away. "My stomach..." Mike managed. "Inside... All over there."

"Your lungs hurt too?"

"Not as bad."

Donny stared at him. He was coughing up blood and it wasn't as bad as the pain in his abdomen? He checked the thermometer and cringed. "Hundred three," he mumbled. "That's way too high."

"How do we bring it down?" Leo asked. Ordinarily, he probably would've known that. But right now, his mind was a total blank.

"Get me some rags in lukewarm water. Not cold, because I'm sure he feels like he's freezing."

"Okay."

Leonardo left the room. Mike opened his eyes and couldn't help but smile as he saw his brother. "Hi, Donny..." he managed.

Donatello forced a smile in return. "Hey, Mike," he answered. "I gotta cut these bandages off, okay?"

Mike's eyes closed again and he nodded. "Careful..."

"I know. I will."

He cut carefully up the center of Mike's torso and took the bandages aside carefully. He didn't want to rip open the wounds, and there were quite a few of them. Donny wasn't surprised. How they'd managed to get his shell off in the first place was beyond him. That must've hurt like hell. He pushed those thoughts aside and ran his fingers over Mike's skin. Maybe they'd killed the nerve endings. "Can you feel that?"

Michaelangelo nodded. Damn. "I've got some painkillers, but they'll make you real drowsy and they might not help at all," he offered. "You want them or no?"

Mike shook his head. He didn't want to sleep anymore. Besides, he knew that whatever the scientists had given him hadn't totally worn off yet. In a few hours, he might be more than willing to be knocked unconscious again.

Leonardo walked back into the room and placed a washcloth on Mike's forehead. "I'm gonna put some pressure on your ribs to see if they're broken, okay?" Don informed. "Tell me if it gets too much, okay?"

"Mmm hmm..."

Don tried to work around the wounds to feel along the ribs. He was surprised to see that none of them were broken. That eliminated the possibility of a punctured lung, and that was a good thing. But then why was he coughing blood? Donatello stood back and considered that for a moment.

"Hey, Mike?"

"Mmm?"

"On a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst pain you've ever experienced, how bad is the pain in your lungs?"

Mike thought about that for a while. "Seven."

"What about the pain in your abdomen?"

"Ten."

Don sighed. "Okay. Let me get a blood sample from you and I'll see what it can tell me. I'm gonna try and get you some more powerful painkillers available and possibly a blood infusion. You look like you've lost a lot of it, and I'd do it right now except I'm not real sure what your blood type is. Leo or I could've donated before, but I'm not real sure if that changed too. I'm thinking it probably did."

"Whatever Donny..." Mike exhaled, relaxing as he placed his life in his brother's hands without reservation or fear. "Just... do what ya gotta... do... I trust you."

Donatello smiled as he pulled the sterile wrapping off of a hypodermic needle. "Thanks for the vote of confidence there, bro."

Mike forced a weak smile in return. "Anytime."

Leo watched as Don drew blood from Mike's hand. He could even get to the veins in his arm, with all the bruises. "Hey Mikey?" he asked after Don pulled the needle back.

"Mmm?"

"Where's Raphael?"

Donatello paused and turned to him. He'd thought of that, but he hadn't asked yet. He was quite interested in the response. Michaelangelo breathed steadily and considered his words carefully. "He's..." he started. But he paused. "I don't... want you to tell them. That I'm alive." Why had he said that? And did it really matter? He coughed hard, choking on blood, and tried to think of something to say.

"Mikey?"

He took in a slow breath. "He... wanted me to tell you," he whispered. "He... loves you guys."

Leonardo's eyes closed slowly as the words sank in. He'd been half-expecting them, but it didn't make them any easier to hear.

"Hey, I'm home." He snapped out of his trance as the front door closed hard. Rei. He darted out of the room and met her in the living room. She stared at him. "Leo?" she questioned, suspicious. "What's going on? Why are you in my room?"

For a moment, Leo could only stare at her. She set the bag of groceries on the back of the couch and held them steady as she watched him. "Is he here?" she whispered, her heart skipping a beat.

Leonardo swallowed hard, and nodded slightly. "Oh god!"

She darted toward the bedroom and he caught her arms. "Rei, wait..." he protested. "There's... something you need to know."

Her breathing stopped. Fear filled her. For a long time, neither of them could find words. "Is he dead?" she finally managed, her voice barely a whisper.

He shook his head. "No, he... He's been with scientists."

She gasped. "Oh no!"

"He's alive but... he's different. And he's really sick. I just... want you to be prepared."

She closed her eyes and envisioned the worst possible scenario she could, then nodded. She was prepared for anything. Leo stepped aside and followed her into the room. She felt tears burn her eyes as she saw him. Or at least, what used to be him. He didn't look anything like Michaelangelo, or how she would have pictured him as a human. His hair was just beginning to grow in, but it was patchy. He was mostly bald. His skin was somewhere between a pale white and an olive green. He had wounds all over his naked torso. Rei covered her mouth with her hand, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Donatello stepped aside and Rei approached the side of the bed. Mike's eyes opened slowly and he smiled as he saw her. "Rei..."

"Oh god..." She sat on the edge of the bed and pressed her hand to the side of his face. "Mikey?"

His eyes closed again, and he breathed slowly. "Missed you..."

Her vision blurred with tears. Donny rested a hand on her shoulder, then left the room. Leo remained at the door, still and silent. Mike turned his head slowly and kissed her palm. He used what little strength he could manage to pull her to him. She didn't fight him, still too astonished to think of such a thing, and his lips brushed hers, kissing her lightly. She pulled back, startled as she realized what he'd done. She felt uneasy, and unsure if she could even believe...

He opened his eyes and smiled faintly. "You... kiss by the book."

Her heart broke.