A/N: Well obviously I'm back from holidays. The first half was spent out in rural Australia with my family where we visited my Grandpa and his farm for Christmas (it was 40 degrees Celsius out there!! – but I must say that he has excellent air conditioning). The better half of my holiday was then spent at a sports camp with my friends where we celebrated the New Year. The most memorable moment was when a kookaburra swooped and landed on the archery target before attacking my arrow o_0 Where's a camera when you need it?…
Anyway thanks for voting for The Glass Prison and SimTurtles in the TMNT Fanfiction Awards. I really appreciate your support. Now, on with the chapter!
Chapter 4: Turtle Chase.
Washington DC.
Donatello exhaustedly jogged through the complex sewer tunnels that spread underneath Washington DC. After escaping the Pentagon, Don had managed to secretly hitch a ride on a large truck that was carrying a number of new cars for cargo. Once he reached the nation's capital, the turtle instinctively headed for the nearest manhole, hoping to hide from any possible pursuers.
Donatello rested for a moment. His chest was beating rapidly and his brow was soaked with sweat. He couldn't remember the last time he had exercised. Trying his best to relax, Don cautiously listened to the sounds of the echoing sewers. He could have sworn he heard footsteps. Donatello held his breath, furiously straining to hear over the rapid beating of his own heart. Nothing was heard.
A cold draft drifted along the tunnel, causing Don to shiver due to his sweat covered body. He rubbed his upper arms for warmth, before freezing in panic. The turtle's eyes snapped to the small lump in his lower shoulder area, only to confirm the sense of doom he was feeling in his churning gut. 'The tracking device! They'll know where I am!' his thoughts raced.
Desperately he scoured the sewer tunnel for anything that could be used to remove the tracking device from his arm, but the area was surprisingly clean. Don growled in frustration, angry at his own stupidity for not noticing it sooner. His head whipped around swiftly and caught sight of a flashlight's beam bouncing off the walls of the curved tunnel. He was about to be discovered once again.
Using all the remaining energy he could find, Donatello sprinted further down the dark tunnel while remaining as quiet as an alley cat. To his utmost joy, he spotted a ladder in the rebounding light, reaching into the world above. The turtle didn't waste even a second and climbed upwards, escaping from the sewers. A dark alley greeted him in the thick moonlight. He panicked when voices were heard from the depths below. His pursuers were right on his tail. Instinctively Donatello wanted to climb to the rooftops, but after failing to spot a method in order to do that, the turtle realised that he had no other choice but to run along the sidewalk.
It was the middle of the night so there weren't that many people walking the streets, yet there were still plenty driving on the roads. Donatello continued to run, trying to ignore the shocked stares of the vehicle owners. He knew that he couldn't do this forever; he needed to remove the tracking device from his arm. 'But how!?' Don's mind screamed frantically. The last thing he wanted was to be shot down by a tranquilizer dart gun.
Bare feet slapping against the footpath, Donatello urged himself to carry on. He rapidly turned at the end of the small city block, ready to run down another long stretch of concrete. The turtle stopped for a split second to catch his ragged breath. Ears straining, Don acknowledged a foreboding sound carried by the wind.
He shielded his eyes in horror as a spotlight from a low flying helicopter was focused on him. Don jumped out of the light just in time to avoid getting tranquilized by the sniper in the aircraft. Chest heaving from exhaustion, Donatello started to run again, only this time a helicopter had joined the chase. He frantically searched for a way to remove the tracking device. The turtle skidded to a stop when he realised he had just passed a hospital situated on the opposite side of the road. Adrenaline pumped, he drastically crossed the rather busy road. Not wasting anymore precious time, he didn't wait for an oncoming car to pass but instead frantically slid over the metal bonnet, and forward somersaulted to dodge another vehicle heading in the other direction.
Donatello slammed through the hospital doors, desperate to avoid the spotlight of the chopper outside. The injured people in the waiting room screamed as he passed, but he didn't care. Don bolted down the white corridors and jumped over patients in hospital beds that were being pushed by shocked nurses. Brains coming into play, he pushed his way behind the heavy metal doors to enter the emergency room. Surgeons looked up from their current operation and hurriedly vacated the room as soon as they could. Grabbing a scalpel, Donatello made a rash incision into his arm. Blood dripped onto the floor as he squeezed and flicked the tracking device out of his shoulder; too adrenaline rushed to bother about the pain.
Donatello constantly stared at the operating theatre doors, fearing a bombardment of soldiers and tranquilizer guns. Not having time to sew stitches, Don grabbed some bandaging off a nearby steel table and hurriedly wrapped it around his arm, swiftly biting the end instead of using the scissors that were available.
Donatello grinned after becoming free from the hell-bound tracking device. Now he could put his stealthy ninja skills into play to avoid being caught by the pursuers outside.
Fifteen seconds later, ten army personnel armed to the teeth with rifles and other sedative weapons barged into the operating theatre. They all stopped when they spotted the bloody tracking device on the cold white floor. The turtle was nowhere to be seen.
*****
One hour later…
Donatello hung up the receiver of the pay phone after learning what flights were available from the nearby airport. After stealthily avoiding the many soldiers that were after him, Donatello had cautiously made it to his destination, although he still had to be careful about being seen or found.
The turtle sighed, reflecting on the information he was just given. There were no immediate direct flights to either London or Los Angeles, but there was one to New York he could sneak onto that left in an hour. He hoped with all his heart that there would be an easy connecting flight to LA or London from there instead.
*****
London, England.
Raphael continued to cry, despite everything Venus tried to do. She knew very well that the noise could travel up to the surface. Venus continued to cradle her infant in her arms, trying her best to calm him down. She could tell that the baby was getting agitated from all the crying he had endured only to not succeed in what he wanted.
Venus worriedly gazed over at the entrance pipe, fearing that a human would discover them at any moment. The female turtle was getting more and more concerned as she couldn't hear anything over the baby's wails. Raphael lowered his voice for a couple of seconds, and within that short space of time, Venus believed that she heard something; somebody down the many tunnels of the sewers.
Her heart beat faster and Raphael's wails became louder once again, destroying her ability to hear her surroundings. She hesitated before placing Raph back in his crib, instinctively not wanting to abandon her child. Yet Venus had no choice and, as quietly possible, she left the lair to see if everything was alright.
Venus slowly walked away from the safety of the narrow pipe and began to stealthily travel down the dark tunnel; hearing Raphael's constant cries in the distance. Suddenly she stopped, listening hard to the distinct footsteps nearby… very nearby. Venus couldn't breathe due to her inner fear of being discovered. She wished it was just Leonardo, but she knew the footsteps weren't originating from his movements; the noise was definitely coming from a person walking with shoes.
Venus froze when she heard the human's pace quicken, obviously because they had figured out where the 'stranded' baby was located. The female turtle panicked; not only was she scared for herself, but she was more afraid of what would happen if Raphael were to be discovered. She scrambled back through the lair's pipe and grabbed the little turtle that was still bawling in his crib. Venus' heart pumped faster when she listened to the human's footsteps pound harder and harder into the concrete floor, swiftly becoming louder with each stride towards them. There was still hope, as the person hadn't spotted them yet.
Venus scampered over to the rusty emergency exit pipe and desperately crawled through; Raphael crying ever louder from being jostled around in her fearful grip. She bolted down the dimly lit tunnel and rounded the first corner she came to; hoping that she'd be able to confuse her mystery pursuer. Not bothering to stop, she took the second left, then the first right before climbing down another level entirely. Venus continued to run and Raph continued to cry, leaving clues to their whereabouts.
It didn't take long till Venus was hopelessly lost in the unknown, dark sewer tunnels. She slowed her pace, trying to both breath and see clearly at the same time. Raphael wriggled about restlessly in her arms as she cautiously walked around. There was little lighting on this level of the sewers. Raph gave another short, tired wail and the human's nearing footsteps were heard once again. Venus contemplated whether or not she should just face the person, but she quickly scrapped that thought out of her mind. She couldn't fight with a baby in her arms and without any weapons.
She entered a large room with several pitch-black niches on either side. Not having any other choice she hid in one of the dark alcoves in the concrete wall. Raphael started to cry again, but Venus gently put a finger in his mouth; anything to subdue him for the next couple of minutes. It worked for the time being.
A single policeman entered the room. Taken from his heavy panting, he didn't have time to contact the rest of the police officers that were also searching the sewers for the distressed baby. He had a strong lead, and he wasn't about to give that up. With a gun in his right hand and a flashlight in his left, he slowly treaded down the now quiet room.
Venus held her breath, fearing that if she made even the slightest noise, she and her infant would be discovered and the rest of the police force would be notified immediately using the walkie-talkie attached to his belt.
The officer treaded purposefully, slowly moving closer and closer to where Venus and Raphael were hiding. He stopped and scanned the area with his battery-operated light, a metre away from the dark niche in the wall. Venus' hands began to shake and a pleading silent tear rolled down her cheek. All the policeman had to do was turn to his left and they would be discovered. Normally in this situation, Venus would attack the person, yet it was the gun and her maternal fears that changed her tactics.
Raphael, totally oblivious to the heavy tension occurring around him, scrunched up his face, as he was still not contented. Venus' body froze in shock and horror as the little turtle emitted a garble. Her heart pounded faster than ever, when her pupils narrowed from the flashlight being shone into her eyes. They were spotted…