Dimensional Adventure
A soft sound echoed around the room. Leo stood up immediately and pulled out his katannas, his shell pressed firmly against the wall. He heard footsteps and knew that someone was in the room with him. He held his breath, ready to attack this person as soon as they got closer. The person was walking along the wall he was pressed against and Leo moved forward, silently, and then faced the owner of the noise. He could just see an outline of someone and, with the speed of a true ninja he ran forward and pushed both of his katannas in the wall, trapping the person in between them. Though his katannas only dug into the wall a mere few inches, Leo could feel the person's sharp breathing on his beak.
"Show yourself!" Leo demanded. He kept his katannas firmly against the wall and stared at the faint outline of this person. He didn't know how anyone could show themselves in such a dark room, but Leo knew that nothing was what it seemed.
The person took a sharp inhale. "Leo . . . It's - me . . ."
A flame appeared in between Leo and Kida. The small room lit up and Leo saw that Kida was holding a lighter, her quite brown face a slightly lighter colour. His katannas remained in the wall as he looked around the room. They were opposite the train track, on which a red train sat, the opened doors waiting for them. Leo definitely knew that they weren't there when he was on his own.
Turning round, Leo pulled his katannas away from the wall and put them back in his shell. He looked at Kida's shocked face.
"I - I'm sorry", he said quickly.
Kida nodded and headed towards the train before the lighter burned her fingers. Leo followed her and they hopped on. The flame died from Kida's hand and Leo looked back in the dark room before the doors closed on his face and the train made its journey along the tracks. He took a seat opposite Kida, letting her see the unasked questions that marked his face. First, she held up her lighter.
"I always carry one with me. Just in case people keep getting trapped in that room, and trust me, so many people do". She put the lighter in the front pocket on her black jeans. "A torch would be too big to carry around".
Leo nodded. "I'm sorry", he repeated. "Did I scare you?" He knew that he did definitely scare her with his ninja skills.
Kida smiled, "Yeah, kinda".
"Sorry".
"Don't worry about it", she said, waving away his apology. Truthfully, he had sacred her to death, though Kida managed to keep a straight face about it. She didn't know how he learned martial arts, and she was curious, but asking would just make things harder for her.
"How did you know where I was?" Leo asked.
Kida smiled again. "I'm watching ya, remember?"
Leo smiled and nodded.
"Anyway", Kida said, praying that Leo didn't ask her how she got there. "I'm going to take you back to the yellow paths so you can pick another train and start over. Mikey's ok, don't worry about him. I'll try and get him back to you but it's hard travelling from one place to another by train - each one comes at a different time. Raph and Donnie are fine, the only thing you can do is carry on your journey, your brothers will meet you along the way".
"How do you know?"
"I grew up in this place", Kida replied, pulling her lighter out and examining it. "Looking for your brothers will just cut down your time, so the best thing to do is carry on - if I can't get your brothers to you then you'll just have to hope you can find your Master. Trust me, if just one of you finds your Master than you can all go home. This world can't separate you".
"How do you know all this?" Leo asked, resting his elbows on his knees and cupping his hands together. He leant forward towards Kida a little.
Kida smiled. "I just know. I've been here a long time".
"Erm, how long?" Leo asked, not wanting to interfere in Kida's personal life.
She shrugged, turning her lighter on and off. "About 7 or 8 years", she said.
"You don't -", Leo said, pointing to her lighter. "You don't, erm, well -"
Kida looked at her lighter than back at Leo, confusion covering her face, then she sat up straight in her seat. "What me?" she asked shocked, but then she gave out a small laugh. "Hell no! Gross!"
Kida got up and Leo did the same. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. "The train will stop in a bit -"
The train stopped so sharply that Leo was forced to the end of the train, hitting his shell sharply. He held out his arms and stopped Kida before she could hit his plastron, the thought of being winded did not appeal to him. The train rolled forward a bit and then started to roll backwards. It stopped with such force that Kida was thrown forward, landing on her stomach but holding her hands out so she didn't fall flat on her face. Leo had clung tightly on to the edge of a seat so he didn't fall on her.
Kida waited until the train made no more movement before getting up.
"Ok, that's the last time I take this one!" She turned to Leo. "Thanks", she said, rubbing her knee where she had banged it. "Are you ok?"
Leo stood up straight. "Yeah. What happened?"
"Oh, well, this one always does that when it stops", Kida explained. "Though I didn't know which one I had picked until it actually did stop. Only 2 trains lead to that room you were in. I didn't know which one your brother was on so I just picked this one. Sorry 'bout that", she added.
Leo nodded. "It's ok. Did you hurt yourself?" he asked, pointing at her knee.
Kida stood up straight. "No, probably just a bruise, I'm ok. Come on, let's get out of here before we get thrown around again - sometimes I think the trains have a mind of their own".
Leo smiled slightly. "Maybe they do".
()()()()()()()()
"OW! OUCH!"
Raph drummed his two fingers and thumb on the floor of the train and looked up into Donnie's face. His brother was lying on his plastron on Raph's shell. Raph rested his cheek in his free hand and sighed. The train was still moving slowly.
"Ok, Donnie", Raph said slowly, "explanation please".
"I don't kn - whoa!"
Donnie flew from Raph's shell and hit the end of the train with his shoulder. He struggled into a sitting position and watched Raph do the same. His brother was just about to stand up when the train came to a sharp stop again, sending Raph flying into Donnie, who just managed to grabbed his brother's shell before he got crushed by it. Raph looked over his shoulder at Donnie.
"I'm getting bored of this", he said.
Donnie nodded. "Same here -"
The train screeched to another stop and Raph flew forwards, landing on his plastron again. Donnie landed on Raph's shell for a second time and he breathed out deeply as it winded him slightly. Raph went back to drumming his fingers on the floor and Donnie put his hands either side of Raph, so that they rested on the floor and he could lift himself up again. Donnie hauled himself off Raph and he walked over his brother before turning around to help him up. He grabbed Raph's hands and heaved him up. Donnie rubbed his banged shoulder before turning to Raph.
"Ok, I think it's - what's that?"
Raph looked from Donnie's finger to a small, 5cm cut on his leg, just below his knee. Blood trickled down from it and he shrugged.
"Musta scraped it against on of the seats", he said.
"Well, we should get that cleaned up", Donnie said, taking his hand away from his shoulder and heading towards the door.
Raph smiled slightly. "Yeah right, with what?" he asked, following his brother. "There's nothing around these dimensions and unless you can just make some bandages magically appear, there's nothing you can do about it".
Donnie pulled open the doors and smiled. "You were saying?"
Raph looked over his brother's shoulder and shivered slightly. He gazed down the deserted hospital corridor that was facing him and turned his head towards several doors that went along either side of it. Raph thought that it must have been a real hospital because of the smell that hit them when Donnie had opened the doors. A sign was on the right hand side and they both turned to look at it, leaning out of the door at the same time to read it:
FIRST-AID CORRIDOR: First floor.
EMERGANCY ROOM: Second floor.
TRAIN EXIT: Third floor.
MAZES: Fourth floor.
DIMENSIONS AND REALMS: Fifth floor.
HOSPITAL ROOMS: Sixth floor.
"Riiiiight", Raph said slowly. "This is the weirdest hospital I've ever seen".
"You've never been IN a hospital", Donnie pointed out.
"Doesn't mean I haven't seen one", Raph replied.
Donnie shrugged and stepped out onto the cool floor. He didn't know how, well, medical a hospital could smell. Mikey wouldn't like the smell in here, Donnie thought, sniffing the air. It smells like the medicine I give to him if he's ever sick. Donnie turned to Raph who had jumped off the train.
"Ok", he said. "This must be the first floor because it didn't say that this place has a ground floor. Or, it could be the train exit but I don't think it is because the train wouldn't drop us off at the exit".
"And you know that . . . how . . .?" Raph asked, looking around.
Donnie shrugged again. "Just a guess. If this is the first aid corridor than we can clean your cut up and then go to the third floor. There must be a set of stairs around here or summit, but we'll see to you first".
"There's nothing wrong with me!" Raph argued.
Donnie looked at the droplets of blood that fell on the floor from Raph legs and then looked back at his brothers. "Well I don't care if your trail of blood may be useful - it's off-putting, so we're cleaning ya up".
Raph growled quietly. "Fine".
"Fine", Donnie said. He walked over to the first door on his left. "Come on".
Raph walked to the door and Donnie pushed it open. He peeped inside before walking in. Raph followed Donnie and saw a plain hospital room. A bed sat in the middle of it against a wall and some cupboards were lined across the walls. A bedside table sat next to the bed with some red roses laid on it. In the corner stood a metal sink and a mirror cabinet was stuck above it. Donnie started looking through the cupboards for a first aid kit and Raph plonked himself on the bed, listening out for any sounds of movement or any sign of life.
"Aha! Bingo", Donnie smiled, picking up a first aid kit out of the top draw of the bedside table and opening it. He grabbed some bandages, tape and cotton wool. He grabbed a small beaker from one of the cupboards and filled it up with water from the sink before kneeling down in front of Raph.
"Don't you think it's strange? That this place is deserted?" Raph asked, watching his brother dip some cotton wool in the water and clean his cut with it.
"Maybe it isn't deserted", Donnie replied. "Maybe some corridors are full".
"Maybe", Raph said.
Donnie chucked the cotton wool in a bin that stood near the small beside table and wrapped a bandage around Raph's leg. He taped it tightly so it wouldn't fall down and it look like a normal wristband. Raph jumped off the bed as Donnie put everything back where he found it.
"Thanks, Doctor Donnie", Raph smiled.
"Hey, catchy", Donnie replied, laughing. "Come on, let's find the third floor".
()()()()()()()()
The train came to a complete stop and Mikey got off, rubbing his head where he had been thrown into the door. He could feel a small bump on the top of his head where he had banged it. Definite bruise, Mikey thought. He took his hand away from his head and looked around. He frowned at the dark corridor he was facing and then looked at a sign on the wall, squinting his eyes so he could read it properly:
SNAKE PIT: Down the corridor.
SPIDER DEN: Down the corridor, on the left.
LIONS: Down the corridor, on the right.
WOLVES: Down the corridor, second door on the left.
WASPS AND BEES: Down the corridor, second door on the right.
Mikey quickly turned back round and jumped on the train, deciding immediately that he was NOT going down there, no matter how much he would get thrown around when the train stopped again. The doors closed as he sat down and the train went along the track. Mikey hoped that the train would take him back to the yellow paths, that way he might see his brothers walking along them. He didn't like being on his own, with no one to talk to. Maybe I'll see Kida again, Mikey thought hopefully. But when Donnie's theory popped up in his head, the hope that had just sprung up in his heart disappeared.
()()()()()()()()
"Hey, thanks for everything, Kida", Leo said.
They were now safely off the train and on the yellow path, watching loads of other trains zoom at light speed past them. Leo gazed at them, letting each one tangle his bandanna tails around his head. He turned back to Kida and saw her pulling a hair bobble out of her pocket then putting her hair into a loose, neat plait. Some layered strands covered her face, still whipping around as more trains travelled past them.
"No problem", Kida said, flicking her long plait over her shoulder. Her aqua eyes looked into Leo's blue ones for a split second before she turned around and starting making her way up the yellow path.
"Hey, Kida, wait", Leo said and she turned back around. "Do you, erm - well - do you know when my brothers are gonna meet up? I figured that -"
"Sorry, Leo", Kida said, knowing what he was on about. "I just know where you all are and getting you together is a bit too hard of a task for me, I've never had to deal with 4 people at once. But I don't know WHEN you're going to meet up, it's just a feeling I have, you might not even meet up. Sorry".
Leo's sad expression made a twinge of guilt hit Kida's heart.
"S'ok", he said quietly.
"Hey, don't worry", she said, "just carry on with your journey and I'll try and get you and your brothers back together. Make sure you're careful, ok? But with such speed and skill, you might not have to be".
Leo smiled. "Ok. Thanks".
"It's ok", Kida smiled. "See ya later".
Leo watched her walk down the path until she was out of sight. He turned around and walked the opposite way, looking at each train go pass. How was he supposed to know which one to take? Guessing was the only answer.
()()()()()()()()
Mikey leaned back in his seat, trying his hardest not to fall asleep. This train journey was lasting forever, and Mikey had a horrible feeling that where it led him wasn't going to be very pleasant. Sighing, Mikey let his eyes close before immediately opening again. It wouldn't be very good if he fell to sleep. Mikey prayed that he would meet up with Leo again. His older brother always knew what to do and Mikey didn't have a clue where to go. He was really beginning to hate this. At least Donnie and Raph were together and he was on his own -
"Hey Mikey". Kida smiled above him.
Mikey stood up to face her properly. How did she get on here? Mikey looked around and could tell that the train was definitely still moving. Ok, he thought. I'm not on my own. He smiled at Kida.
"How'd you get here?" he asked.
"Me? Oh, I can't explain it. I just have this thing where I can go from one train to another", Kida said. "Teleport, if you like".
"Wow, cool!"
"Yeah, guess so", Kida said. "But I can only do it if someone else is on the train".
"Boy, am I glad to see you, though!" Mikey said, smiling.
"Why?"
"Well", Mikey said, "we turtles get a little lonely sometimes". Mikey didn't want to say that he didn't have a clue what to do with these stupid trains and that he was glad to see her because she knew her way around.
Mikey sat down opposite Kida. "So", he said, "what are you doing here?"
"Well, I've just took Leo back to where he first started. Earlier I led Donnie and Raph back to the starting point as well, and now, I'm doing the same for you".
"How?" Mikey asked. "This train won't stop".
Kida smiled and got up. She walked over to the end of the train and tapped the wall with her knuckles. "Give it a minute", she said. "It'll turn round and head for the beginning".
Mikey got up again. "How did you do that?"
"It's a code", Kida said. "Just tap the wall and it'll head somewhere else. They don't all head back to the beginning, but they do head somewhere else".
Mikey grinned. "Great!"
"Yep", Kida nodded. "But sometimes they stop -"
Kida suddenly flew backwards into Mikey and they both fell to the floor. Mikey landed with a 'thud' on his shell and Kida landed on top of him, her back on his plastron. They both hit the wall as the train stopped a second time.
" - sharply", Kida finished, standing up again. "I hate these trains -"
The train jolted again and Kida flew into the wall behind her. Mikey let out a "whoa!" and fell on his front, sliding down the floor on his plastron. He grabbed the poll that went into ground near the train door to stop himself banging into Kida. She began to walk forward towards Mikey but the train gave another jolt and she hit the wall again, knowing her back was going to be bruised. What it must be like to have a shell, she thought, picking herself up again and heading for Mikey. He picked himself up also, and wiped his hands on his plastron.
"Ok. That winded me a little", Mikey said, clutching his plastron. "Not good".
Kida winced and put her hands on the base of back where she had hit it. She pressed it and knew that it would hurt now whenever she would bend over. "Not good's right", Kida agreed, rubbing her back. "Ow, man, that hurt".
"You ok?" Mikey asked.
Kida winced again, but she smiled. "Yep. I'm fine. You?"
Mikey nodded, taking his hands off his plastron. "Fine. It better not do it ag -"
The train screeched to another stop and Kida gripped the poll nearest to her. Mikey gripped the other one and they both clung onto them as the train kept going up and down, stopping sharply each time. Kida wrapped her arms around the poll tighter until the train finally stopped.
"Quick", Kida said. "Let's just get off until it does it again".
"I'm way ahead of ya!" Mikey said, letting go of the poll and grabbing the door handles. He pulled the doors apart and jumped onto the yellow path, breathing in the fresh air. Kida jumped out after him, rubbing her back again.
"Yowch", Mikey said sympathetically. "That must have hurt".
Kida smiled slightly. "I hit my butt more than my back", she said.
"Oooh", Mikey winced. "That'll hurt when sitting down for a while".
"Don't I know it", Kida said, watching the train leave the side of the path and speed off into the distance. She looked around for Leo, but he wasn't there so Kida figured that he must have picked a train.
"I have to go, Mikey", Kida said apologetically. "I can't help you anymore, but maybe I can fix the trains".
"You can't help me?" Mikey said sadly. "I guess it is cheating if you just lead us straight to Splinter. Don't worry, I understand".
Kida smiled. "You'll find Splinter, I'm sure of it".
"You think so?" Mikey asked, perking up.
"Yeah", Kida said honestly. "Just try your best. Pick a train and just carry on. I'm sure you'll fine your brothers on the way. 5 hours and you're not going to give up now, are you?"
"No way!" Mikey grinned.
Kida grinned back. "I'll still be watching you, don't worry, you'll do fine".
Mikey smiled and watched as she disappeared silently, leaving him alone. He was slightly worried because he saw her hit her back a little too hard. It was ok for him, he had a shell to protect his back, and a plastron to protect his front, but Kida had connected her back twice with a solid wall, and nothing had protected her from it. Shaking these worries from his head, Mikey walked towards the tracks and looked around, thinking about which train he should take.
()()()()()()()()
A soft sound echoed around the room. Leo stood up immediately and pulled out his katannas, his shell pressed firmly against the wall. He heard footsteps and knew that someone was in the room with him. He held his breath, ready to attack this person as soon as they got closer. The person was walking along the wall he was pressed against and Leo moved forward, silently, and then faced the owner of the noise. He could just see an outline of someone and, with the speed of a true ninja he ran forward and pushed both of his katannas in the wall, trapping the person in between them. Though his katannas only dug into the wall a mere few inches, Leo could feel the person's sharp breathing on his beak.
"Show yourself!" Leo demanded. He kept his katannas firmly against the wall and stared at the faint outline of this person. He didn't know how anyone could show themselves in such a dark room, but Leo knew that nothing was what it seemed.
The person took a sharp inhale. "Leo . . . It's - me . . ."
A flame appeared in between Leo and Kida. The small room lit up and Leo saw that Kida was holding a lighter, her quite brown face a slightly lighter colour. His katannas remained in the wall as he looked around the room. They were opposite the train track, on which a red train sat, the opened doors waiting for them. Leo definitely knew that they weren't there when he was on his own.
Turning round, Leo pulled his katannas away from the wall and put them back in his shell. He looked at Kida's shocked face.
"I - I'm sorry", he said quickly.
Kida nodded and headed towards the train before the lighter burned her fingers. Leo followed her and they hopped on. The flame died from Kida's hand and Leo looked back in the dark room before the doors closed on his face and the train made its journey along the tracks. He took a seat opposite Kida, letting her see the unasked questions that marked his face. First, she held up her lighter.
"I always carry one with me. Just in case people keep getting trapped in that room, and trust me, so many people do". She put the lighter in the front pocket on her black jeans. "A torch would be too big to carry around".
Leo nodded. "I'm sorry", he repeated. "Did I scare you?" He knew that he did definitely scare her with his ninja skills.
Kida smiled, "Yeah, kinda".
"Sorry".
"Don't worry about it", she said, waving away his apology. Truthfully, he had sacred her to death, though Kida managed to keep a straight face about it. She didn't know how he learned martial arts, and she was curious, but asking would just make things harder for her.
"How did you know where I was?" Leo asked.
Kida smiled again. "I'm watching ya, remember?"
Leo smiled and nodded.
"Anyway", Kida said, praying that Leo didn't ask her how she got there. "I'm going to take you back to the yellow paths so you can pick another train and start over. Mikey's ok, don't worry about him. I'll try and get him back to you but it's hard travelling from one place to another by train - each one comes at a different time. Raph and Donnie are fine, the only thing you can do is carry on your journey, your brothers will meet you along the way".
"How do you know?"
"I grew up in this place", Kida replied, pulling her lighter out and examining it. "Looking for your brothers will just cut down your time, so the best thing to do is carry on - if I can't get your brothers to you then you'll just have to hope you can find your Master. Trust me, if just one of you finds your Master than you can all go home. This world can't separate you".
"How do you know all this?" Leo asked, resting his elbows on his knees and cupping his hands together. He leant forward towards Kida a little.
Kida smiled. "I just know. I've been here a long time".
"Erm, how long?" Leo asked, not wanting to interfere in Kida's personal life.
She shrugged, turning her lighter on and off. "About 7 or 8 years", she said.
"You don't -", Leo said, pointing to her lighter. "You don't, erm, well -"
Kida looked at her lighter than back at Leo, confusion covering her face, then she sat up straight in her seat. "What me?" she asked shocked, but then she gave out a small laugh. "Hell no! Gross!"
Kida got up and Leo did the same. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. "The train will stop in a bit -"
The train stopped so sharply that Leo was forced to the end of the train, hitting his shell sharply. He held out his arms and stopped Kida before she could hit his plastron, the thought of being winded did not appeal to him. The train rolled forward a bit and then started to roll backwards. It stopped with such force that Kida was thrown forward, landing on her stomach but holding her hands out so she didn't fall flat on her face. Leo had clung tightly on to the edge of a seat so he didn't fall on her.
Kida waited until the train made no more movement before getting up.
"Ok, that's the last time I take this one!" She turned to Leo. "Thanks", she said, rubbing her knee where she had banged it. "Are you ok?"
Leo stood up straight. "Yeah. What happened?"
"Oh, well, this one always does that when it stops", Kida explained. "Though I didn't know which one I had picked until it actually did stop. Only 2 trains lead to that room you were in. I didn't know which one your brother was on so I just picked this one. Sorry 'bout that", she added.
Leo nodded. "It's ok. Did you hurt yourself?" he asked, pointing at her knee.
Kida stood up straight. "No, probably just a bruise, I'm ok. Come on, let's get out of here before we get thrown around again - sometimes I think the trains have a mind of their own".
Leo smiled slightly. "Maybe they do".
()()()()()()()()
"OW! OUCH!"
Raph drummed his two fingers and thumb on the floor of the train and looked up into Donnie's face. His brother was lying on his plastron on Raph's shell. Raph rested his cheek in his free hand and sighed. The train was still moving slowly.
"Ok, Donnie", Raph said slowly, "explanation please".
"I don't kn - whoa!"
Donnie flew from Raph's shell and hit the end of the train with his shoulder. He struggled into a sitting position and watched Raph do the same. His brother was just about to stand up when the train came to a sharp stop again, sending Raph flying into Donnie, who just managed to grabbed his brother's shell before he got crushed by it. Raph looked over his shoulder at Donnie.
"I'm getting bored of this", he said.
Donnie nodded. "Same here -"
The train screeched to another stop and Raph flew forwards, landing on his plastron again. Donnie landed on Raph's shell for a second time and he breathed out deeply as it winded him slightly. Raph went back to drumming his fingers on the floor and Donnie put his hands either side of Raph, so that they rested on the floor and he could lift himself up again. Donnie hauled himself off Raph and he walked over his brother before turning around to help him up. He grabbed Raph's hands and heaved him up. Donnie rubbed his banged shoulder before turning to Raph.
"Ok, I think it's - what's that?"
Raph looked from Donnie's finger to a small, 5cm cut on his leg, just below his knee. Blood trickled down from it and he shrugged.
"Musta scraped it against on of the seats", he said.
"Well, we should get that cleaned up", Donnie said, taking his hand away from his shoulder and heading towards the door.
Raph smiled slightly. "Yeah right, with what?" he asked, following his brother. "There's nothing around these dimensions and unless you can just make some bandages magically appear, there's nothing you can do about it".
Donnie pulled open the doors and smiled. "You were saying?"
Raph looked over his brother's shoulder and shivered slightly. He gazed down the deserted hospital corridor that was facing him and turned his head towards several doors that went along either side of it. Raph thought that it must have been a real hospital because of the smell that hit them when Donnie had opened the doors. A sign was on the right hand side and they both turned to look at it, leaning out of the door at the same time to read it:
FIRST-AID CORRIDOR: First floor.
EMERGANCY ROOM: Second floor.
TRAIN EXIT: Third floor.
MAZES: Fourth floor.
DIMENSIONS AND REALMS: Fifth floor.
HOSPITAL ROOMS: Sixth floor.
"Riiiiight", Raph said slowly. "This is the weirdest hospital I've ever seen".
"You've never been IN a hospital", Donnie pointed out.
"Doesn't mean I haven't seen one", Raph replied.
Donnie shrugged and stepped out onto the cool floor. He didn't know how, well, medical a hospital could smell. Mikey wouldn't like the smell in here, Donnie thought, sniffing the air. It smells like the medicine I give to him if he's ever sick. Donnie turned to Raph who had jumped off the train.
"Ok", he said. "This must be the first floor because it didn't say that this place has a ground floor. Or, it could be the train exit but I don't think it is because the train wouldn't drop us off at the exit".
"And you know that . . . how . . .?" Raph asked, looking around.
Donnie shrugged again. "Just a guess. If this is the first aid corridor than we can clean your cut up and then go to the third floor. There must be a set of stairs around here or summit, but we'll see to you first".
"There's nothing wrong with me!" Raph argued.
Donnie looked at the droplets of blood that fell on the floor from Raph legs and then looked back at his brothers. "Well I don't care if your trail of blood may be useful - it's off-putting, so we're cleaning ya up".
Raph growled quietly. "Fine".
"Fine", Donnie said. He walked over to the first door on his left. "Come on".
Raph walked to the door and Donnie pushed it open. He peeped inside before walking in. Raph followed Donnie and saw a plain hospital room. A bed sat in the middle of it against a wall and some cupboards were lined across the walls. A bedside table sat next to the bed with some red roses laid on it. In the corner stood a metal sink and a mirror cabinet was stuck above it. Donnie started looking through the cupboards for a first aid kit and Raph plonked himself on the bed, listening out for any sounds of movement or any sign of life.
"Aha! Bingo", Donnie smiled, picking up a first aid kit out of the top draw of the bedside table and opening it. He grabbed some bandages, tape and cotton wool. He grabbed a small beaker from one of the cupboards and filled it up with water from the sink before kneeling down in front of Raph.
"Don't you think it's strange? That this place is deserted?" Raph asked, watching his brother dip some cotton wool in the water and clean his cut with it.
"Maybe it isn't deserted", Donnie replied. "Maybe some corridors are full".
"Maybe", Raph said.
Donnie chucked the cotton wool in a bin that stood near the small beside table and wrapped a bandage around Raph's leg. He taped it tightly so it wouldn't fall down and it look like a normal wristband. Raph jumped off the bed as Donnie put everything back where he found it.
"Thanks, Doctor Donnie", Raph smiled.
"Hey, catchy", Donnie replied, laughing. "Come on, let's find the third floor".
()()()()()()()()
The train came to a complete stop and Mikey got off, rubbing his head where he had been thrown into the door. He could feel a small bump on the top of his head where he had banged it. Definite bruise, Mikey thought. He took his hand away from his head and looked around. He frowned at the dark corridor he was facing and then looked at a sign on the wall, squinting his eyes so he could read it properly:
SNAKE PIT: Down the corridor.
SPIDER DEN: Down the corridor, on the left.
LIONS: Down the corridor, on the right.
WOLVES: Down the corridor, second door on the left.
WASPS AND BEES: Down the corridor, second door on the right.
Mikey quickly turned back round and jumped on the train, deciding immediately that he was NOT going down there, no matter how much he would get thrown around when the train stopped again. The doors closed as he sat down and the train went along the track. Mikey hoped that the train would take him back to the yellow paths, that way he might see his brothers walking along them. He didn't like being on his own, with no one to talk to. Maybe I'll see Kida again, Mikey thought hopefully. But when Donnie's theory popped up in his head, the hope that had just sprung up in his heart disappeared.
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"Hey, thanks for everything, Kida", Leo said.
They were now safely off the train and on the yellow path, watching loads of other trains zoom at light speed past them. Leo gazed at them, letting each one tangle his bandanna tails around his head. He turned back to Kida and saw her pulling a hair bobble out of her pocket then putting her hair into a loose, neat plait. Some layered strands covered her face, still whipping around as more trains travelled past them.
"No problem", Kida said, flicking her long plait over her shoulder. Her aqua eyes looked into Leo's blue ones for a split second before she turned around and starting making her way up the yellow path.
"Hey, Kida, wait", Leo said and she turned back around. "Do you, erm - well - do you know when my brothers are gonna meet up? I figured that -"
"Sorry, Leo", Kida said, knowing what he was on about. "I just know where you all are and getting you together is a bit too hard of a task for me, I've never had to deal with 4 people at once. But I don't know WHEN you're going to meet up, it's just a feeling I have, you might not even meet up. Sorry".
Leo's sad expression made a twinge of guilt hit Kida's heart.
"S'ok", he said quietly.
"Hey, don't worry", she said, "just carry on with your journey and I'll try and get you and your brothers back together. Make sure you're careful, ok? But with such speed and skill, you might not have to be".
Leo smiled. "Ok. Thanks".
"It's ok", Kida smiled. "See ya later".
Leo watched her walk down the path until she was out of sight. He turned around and walked the opposite way, looking at each train go pass. How was he supposed to know which one to take? Guessing was the only answer.
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Mikey leaned back in his seat, trying his hardest not to fall asleep. This train journey was lasting forever, and Mikey had a horrible feeling that where it led him wasn't going to be very pleasant. Sighing, Mikey let his eyes close before immediately opening again. It wouldn't be very good if he fell to sleep. Mikey prayed that he would meet up with Leo again. His older brother always knew what to do and Mikey didn't have a clue where to go. He was really beginning to hate this. At least Donnie and Raph were together and he was on his own -
"Hey Mikey". Kida smiled above him.
Mikey stood up to face her properly. How did she get on here? Mikey looked around and could tell that the train was definitely still moving. Ok, he thought. I'm not on my own. He smiled at Kida.
"How'd you get here?" he asked.
"Me? Oh, I can't explain it. I just have this thing where I can go from one train to another", Kida said. "Teleport, if you like".
"Wow, cool!"
"Yeah, guess so", Kida said. "But I can only do it if someone else is on the train".
"Boy, am I glad to see you, though!" Mikey said, smiling.
"Why?"
"Well", Mikey said, "we turtles get a little lonely sometimes". Mikey didn't want to say that he didn't have a clue what to do with these stupid trains and that he was glad to see her because she knew her way around.
Mikey sat down opposite Kida. "So", he said, "what are you doing here?"
"Well, I've just took Leo back to where he first started. Earlier I led Donnie and Raph back to the starting point as well, and now, I'm doing the same for you".
"How?" Mikey asked. "This train won't stop".
Kida smiled and got up. She walked over to the end of the train and tapped the wall with her knuckles. "Give it a minute", she said. "It'll turn round and head for the beginning".
Mikey got up again. "How did you do that?"
"It's a code", Kida said. "Just tap the wall and it'll head somewhere else. They don't all head back to the beginning, but they do head somewhere else".
Mikey grinned. "Great!"
"Yep", Kida nodded. "But sometimes they stop -"
Kida suddenly flew backwards into Mikey and they both fell to the floor. Mikey landed with a 'thud' on his shell and Kida landed on top of him, her back on his plastron. They both hit the wall as the train stopped a second time.
" - sharply", Kida finished, standing up again. "I hate these trains -"
The train jolted again and Kida flew into the wall behind her. Mikey let out a "whoa!" and fell on his front, sliding down the floor on his plastron. He grabbed the poll that went into ground near the train door to stop himself banging into Kida. She began to walk forward towards Mikey but the train gave another jolt and she hit the wall again, knowing her back was going to be bruised. What it must be like to have a shell, she thought, picking herself up again and heading for Mikey. He picked himself up also, and wiped his hands on his plastron.
"Ok. That winded me a little", Mikey said, clutching his plastron. "Not good".
Kida winced and put her hands on the base of back where she had hit it. She pressed it and knew that it would hurt now whenever she would bend over. "Not good's right", Kida agreed, rubbing her back. "Ow, man, that hurt".
"You ok?" Mikey asked.
Kida winced again, but she smiled. "Yep. I'm fine. You?"
Mikey nodded, taking his hands off his plastron. "Fine. It better not do it ag -"
The train screeched to another stop and Kida gripped the poll nearest to her. Mikey gripped the other one and they both clung onto them as the train kept going up and down, stopping sharply each time. Kida wrapped her arms around the poll tighter until the train finally stopped.
"Quick", Kida said. "Let's just get off until it does it again".
"I'm way ahead of ya!" Mikey said, letting go of the poll and grabbing the door handles. He pulled the doors apart and jumped onto the yellow path, breathing in the fresh air. Kida jumped out after him, rubbing her back again.
"Yowch", Mikey said sympathetically. "That must have hurt".
Kida smiled slightly. "I hit my butt more than my back", she said.
"Oooh", Mikey winced. "That'll hurt when sitting down for a while".
"Don't I know it", Kida said, watching the train leave the side of the path and speed off into the distance. She looked around for Leo, but he wasn't there so Kida figured that he must have picked a train.
"I have to go, Mikey", Kida said apologetically. "I can't help you anymore, but maybe I can fix the trains".
"You can't help me?" Mikey said sadly. "I guess it is cheating if you just lead us straight to Splinter. Don't worry, I understand".
Kida smiled. "You'll find Splinter, I'm sure of it".
"You think so?" Mikey asked, perking up.
"Yeah", Kida said honestly. "Just try your best. Pick a train and just carry on. I'm sure you'll fine your brothers on the way. 5 hours and you're not going to give up now, are you?"
"No way!" Mikey grinned.
Kida grinned back. "I'll still be watching you, don't worry, you'll do fine".
Mikey smiled and watched as she disappeared silently, leaving him alone. He was slightly worried because he saw her hit her back a little too hard. It was ok for him, he had a shell to protect his back, and a plastron to protect his front, but Kida had connected her back twice with a solid wall, and nothing had protected her from it. Shaking these worries from his head, Mikey walked towards the tracks and looked around, thinking about which train he should take.
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