Rene – Actually it's quite the opposite. I've just finished my school holidays and now I'm back at school ^_^ In Australia, the school year begins at the start of the year, not halfway through, so our big holiday summer break happens from December through to the start of February. The reason why the last update was delayed a bit was because I went down to Canberra (Australia's capital city) for a couple of days to * ahem * visit a zoo (yes, how ironic) and go behind the scenes to pat 3 cheetahs for 15 minutes!! While I was at it, I fed the tigers and brown bears as well… yes, I still have all my limbs. I'll have to add a photo of it to my website profile :o)
Pretender Fanatic – Yes, Raph's ghost still has his shell. He physically looks like he did the moment he died; therefore he has the bullet hole, but anything done postmortem doesn't count. Hope you enjoyed your tour behind the scenes of a zoo :o) Basically zoo keepers start off the day by cleaning the enclosures and hiding the animal's food for behavioural enrichment purposes. Then they do food prep to get ready the food needed for the next day. Around lunch time, depending on their roster or particular job they'll do a keeper talk, while in the afternoon they do odd bits and pieces, like paper work, making toys for the animals, or training the animals that aren't out in the enclosure that day. It really depends on what section of the zoo they work in.
Chapter 24: Halloween.
Halloween. Nearly 8pm.
"So are we still going through with this?" Michelangelo asked while Leonardo stared obsessively at the video camera's red power light. The turtle in blue nodded wordlessly.
"Do you know what you have to do?" Venus asked Raphael and Diana worriedly. The two children said nothing and nodded nervously. All fell silent as they joined in with Leo in staring at the power light. It suddenly turned off.
"C'mon let's move it!" Leo commanded swiftly. In an instant he was hurriedly removing the metal grate that covered the air vent.
"Is the fan on?" Raphael asked nervously. Leonardo quickly looked down the vent.
"No," he answered affirmatively.
"Then put me in feet first," Raph suggested. Leo gave the boy a quizzical look before obliging. He picked Raph up and with a little trouble, slid Raph feet first into the air vent. When the boy had slid past the fan, Leo then proceeded to place Diana in as well.
"Good luck," Venus and Leo wished their daughter as she also disappeared into the metal shaft.
Raphael awkwardly moved through the air vent on his back. He smiled with success when he felt the metal grate at the end of the tunnel with his heels. With a grunt of effort, Raphael smashed the grate open with a swift kick, allowing himself to progress into the next phase of the plan while also preventing himself from badly grazing his knuckles again.
Raphael gave Diana a comforting smile as he helped her out of the air vent. "Do you remember what to do?" the boy whispered to his half-sister while he replaced the metal grate. Raphael turned around in time to see her nod. The girl scrunched up her face and began to cry on cue. This was all part of the plan. Diana was to lure the trusting Dr Aquel into the enclosure, where Raphael would wait in the shadows ready to steal the scientists' keys and render her unconscious. When they first heard the plan, both Raphael and Diana weren't too comfortable about treating Dr Aquel like that, but when the three adults informed them that deceit was simply a role that ninjas sometimes played and that it was crucial for the mission, the two children just accepted the facts as they were.
Raphael hid in a corner near the enclosure's staff entry door while Diana wailed and cried, completely visible in the dim moonlight. She continued to make a loud fuss for about a minute before something finally dawned on Raphael. The plan was doomed to fail.
"Diana! Stop!" Raphael hissed at her from the shadows. Diana stopped her false crying and stared at her brother in confusion.
"But… But Daddy said…" Diana protested, getting nervous.
"It's not going to work. The plan was made before we got the tracking devices injected into us. Hiding is useless! They'll already know where we are!" Raphael panicked while he tried to explain everything to his confused sister. With a rushed determination, Raphael tried to think of an alternate plan. He ended up staring at the tree. It was their only chance to escape…
Raphael ran over to the trunk of the tree, and with nervous and scared hands he pulled himself up. "Raph…" Diana whispered to him in a frightened tone, knowing what happened the last time he tried to attempt the stunt. Raph stopped and looked at his sister's worried face.
"Don't worry. Just stay there. I'll be back," Raph spoke to her as calmly as he could even though his heart was beating rapidly. He knew that they had already wasted two of the four minutes of the video camera's down time. Shaking partly from fright and from the cold night air, Raphael continued to climb until he reached the highest branch that could support his weight. His body froze with fear when he looked down towards the ground, remembering the pain and suffering he endured weeks ago. He gulped and closed his eyes, trying his best to focus his mind on the task at hand. He didn't have time to freak out right now. He needed to free his family.
Raph breathed in and out, quickly putting into use the meditation training he'd received since his stay in the glass prison. When he reopened his eyes, confidence and tranquillity filled every bone of his body. The turtle slowly bent his legs and jumped the leap of faith. With a calm and relaxed persona, the boy landed safely on the forty-five degree angled fence attached to the perimeter wall, just missing the dangerous barbed wire. Raphael looked at the jump he'd just made, completely stunned by what he had just achieved. With a proud smile, he stepped onto the wooden boardwalk and ran over to the top of the stairs before quickly descending.
'31, 32, 33, 34,' he counted roughly how many seconds had passed and calculated approximately how much time he had left before the video cameras were fully functional again. Raphael continued to run, following the wall until he came to a wooden fence and a padlocked door labeled 'staff only'. The boy frowned at the obstacle. Thinking of a solution, he took a few steps back, then rushed at the door and performed a solid forward flying kick within the last moment. The wooden door splintered around where the padlock was, and from there all Raphael had to do was slam the door again with all his body weight, leading by the shoulder.
Raphael entered the large building relatively easily. He squinted his eyes the first time he entered the white painted corridor, and froze when he heard some footsteps being emitted from another room. Not wanting to waste time, Raphael bolted down the hallway as soundlessly as possible. He entered the unlocked glass prison room and smiled proudly at his trapped family. Raph took a deep breath and stared at the many buttons on the metal control panel. He bit his lip as he tried to remember what button it was that the scientists always pressed in order to release them into the enclosure. Thinking hard, Raphael pushed two buttons in particular, and to his relief both his family and Silver's steel doors opened. The boy watched as the others quickly vacated their cells. He sighed in contentment, knowing that the hardest part of his mission had been accomplished. Raphael turned towards the exit so he could meet up with the others, but instead he came face to face with a barrel of a gun.
Dr Aquel's body shook with indecision as she firmly held the tranquilizer dart gun. If she shot him with the adult dosage, Raphael would fall asleep and never wake up… He would die in the exact same place where his father had years ago. Then again on the other hand, if she didn't stop him, he would escape along with the rest of his family. Either way, she'd lose her job. Dr Aquel stared at the turtle, and deep down she knew she would never pull the trigger. Sensing her indecision, Raphael swiftly lunged forward and pickpocket her keys to the enclosure. With a cocky grin, Raphael waved a thank you to the female scientist before taking off back down the white corridor.
Once back outside, it was only a short jog to the staff entrance of the enclosure. Raphael nervously looked around as he tried to find the right key. When he finally did, the door suddenly opened and soon everyone experienced a taste of freedom. The hugs of happiness were short, yet their smiles didn't fade. Wanting to get as far away as possible, the five turtles and the Yeti started to run in the direction towards the zoo's exit. But it wasn't so simple this time around…
"There they are!" Dr Aquel said to the two security guards that she managed to find within the last couple of minutes. Everyone froze with indecisiveness as the two guards and the scientist aimed their tranquilizer rifles. But they never fired at shot. Leonardo immediately stood in a prepared stance, though he couldn't help but feel confused when the three humans stared into space; all of them with a frightened expression. No one said a word. The humans kept staring in fright and horror. Raphael looked at them and observed that they weren't gazing particularly at any members of his family or Silver, but rather they were frightened by something that stood behind all of them.
Partly scared himself, Raphael gathered up the courage to turn around. He suddenly saw what the humans were so frightened of. Yet for some reason, the boy suddenly felt calmed and the feeling of fear unexpectedly dissipated. Raphael observed the unknown turtle's well-defined muscles, the rough and chipped battle scars on his shell, the savagely torn bandanna and the reptile's sly smirk. A small bullet hole could be seen on the plastron and in an instant Raphael knew that this was his deceased father coming back from the grave to help everyone one last time.
The boy smiled to himself, thinking that the adult turtle in his twenties looked impressive. Raphael's body froze when the ghost suddenly locked eyes with him. At first he was afraid, but he quickly learnt to relax when his father's hard smirk softened to that of a thankful smile.
"Raph, come on! Let's go!" Leonardo urged the boy, snapping him out of his gentle trance. When Raphael looked back to where he was staring only seconds ago, the ghost of his father had disappeared. The three humans were still too freaked out and stunned to do anything useful. Leonardo leaped at the opportunity and swiftly and safely led everyone past the two guards and Dr Aquel. The chase had started once again as they hurriedly headed for the exit. As they ran, Raphael wondered if anyone else saw what he'd saw, though judging from their focused haste, he'd figured that he was the only one. The boy smiled to himself as he jogged, keeping quiet about his ethereal encounter, as he wanted to cherish and remember the moment that had just passed for the rest of his life.
Their bare feet slapped on the pavement as they hurriedly rushed over to the zoo's closed gift shop and hence the exit. Quickly turning around, Leo slammed against the locked door with his carapace, causing it to spring open in defeat. It was dark inside the shop, and it took a few moments for the turtle's eyes to adjust. Leo was about to keep running when he noticed Silver admiring a pair of pants that advertised the zoo logo. "Silver, we've gotta get moving!" Leo called out to the ape hastily.
"Not before I get a pair of pants!" Silver hissed back, sick and tired of being naked. He pulled out a pair from the rack, held it against his waste before releasing that it wasn't his size. As Silver kept fishing for a pair of pants, Mike walked over to the zoo's merchandise.
"Hey Leo! Want a Diana figurine?" Mike asked lightheartedly. Leonardo frowned before casting his eyes out the window hoping that the security guards and Dr Aquel wouldn't catch up to them all too soon.
'They looked pretty freaked out…' Leo pondered to himself. Michelangelo looked down as Diana poked his leg, wanting to grab his attention. The little girl reached upwards, her fingers extended, wanting to see her figurine. With a smile, Mike handed the small plastic toy to her.
"Hey, I'll try and find a Raphael figurine for you as well," Mike grinned. Squinting his eyes in the dark, Mike pushed over the toys standing on the shelf to try and find what he was looking for. He gave Diana a toy of her brother when he found it, before attempting to search for something else. "Oh man!" Mike exclaimed.
"What is it?!" Venus asked hurriedly, starting to get edgy.
"I'm sold out! There are heaps of Leo and Venus figurines though…" Mike mumbled the last part.
"Silver! C'mon!" Leo said irritably. Silver glared at him angrily and tried on the pair of pants that he was holding. Luckily for the turtles, they fit him. All of them froze when they saw the illuminous beams of several flashlights. "Go, go go!" Leo whispered frantically, escorting everyone out of the shop and into the dark streets.
It was Halloween. The one time of the year where everyone with the holiday spirit dressed up to celebrate their favourite villain, beast or monster. This is what they were hoping for. This was what Leo was counting on. As a group, they broke out of their frantic running and stepped into a casual walk, blending seamlessly into the candy gathering crowds. Thankfully for them, mutant turtle and yeti costumes were the newest thing this year, and were extremely popular around the residential areas that surrounded the zoo. No one batted an eye at the group of escapees. No one did a double take. It was like they were never there, disappearing into the night like silent ghosts.
Back at the zoo, Dr Yesmal and Dr Quease had finally arrived and had immediately received a briefing about what had happened; though Dr Aquel nervously left out the part where she saw the deceased turtle's spirit. The male scientist was slightly angry at her irresponsibility, yet he let that pass for the moment being in order to focus on the problem at hand. Together with Dr Quease, the three scientists gathered the tracers that received the unique signals being emitted from the tracking devices they implanted into all of the turtles and into Silver. Within the next couple of seconds, the zoo staff knew where the escaped animals were.
In an instant they led the large group of security guards armed with tranquilizer dart guns out the zoo exit and down the street, causing panic in some of the local residents. But they didn't care about the public's well being, not when the rarest creatures on the Earth were on the loose. Dr Quease observed the blip on his tracer. He watched as it moved forward rapidly before stopping entirely. Knowing the animal's habits from previous confrontations within his life, he knew that they were most likely traveling underground through the sewer system.
With that theory in mind, Dr Quease raised his hand to signal for the current search to stop. The scientist explained his train of thought to the hunting party, and everyone agreed that they should search underground. With everything said and done, the entire group found the nearest manhole and proceeded down into the dank depths of the sewers. "This way," Dr Yesmal whispered as an order to the search party, using his tracer as a guide. Dr Quease and Dr Aquel followed close behind the group of shooters. The closer and closer they got, the quieter they became. With unheard footsteps, the team hastily rounded the last corner. "Gotcha!" Dr Yesmal called out.
But no one was there. Just a dead end. "I don't get it. The signal says that they should be right here…" Dr Aquel said with a confused tone of voice.
"Yes, but the tracer isn't three dimensional. It can't tell whether the signal is coming below or above ground. It doesn't work that way," Dr Yesmal groaned. Everyone stared at the disgusting gray concrete ceiling, knowing that their most prized possessions were standing just a few feet above them. Without saying a word, everyone rushed back up the ladder and climbed into the moonlit streets. Their hardened shoes clicked and slapped against the pavement as they ran rifle in hand. Glancing at the tracer, Dr Quease noticed that the animals still hadn't moved, though he didn't necessarily think anything about it. Running down the street, the group slowed to a walking pace as a whole.
"Shouldn't we be able to see them by now?" Dr Aquel asked worriedly. Neither Dr Yesmal or Quease answered her. Getting ready to fire at anything suspicious, the group moved cautiously the rest of the way until they were practically on top of where the turtles and Silver should be according to the tracking devices. Curious, Dr Aquel looked into a wire mesh garbage bin located by the side of the road and found all six tracking devices disembodied. The turtles and Silver were free once again…
A/N: See, they weren't rescued! Why rescue them when they can save themselves? Hehe. Sorry this post was a little late. I wanted to make this chap longer, but when I looked at my story board/map/plan I realised that the next section was longer than I thought, so I cut it off here and wasted a day because of my indecision * looks around sheepishly *. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this soon because of school purposes and also because I've only got a few more chapters to go (though it depends on how I decide to split it all up).