DISCLAIMER: Nothings changed; I still don't own them. Personally, I think it's wrong to own any sentient being, anyway, so even if I had the opportunity, I'd pass on it. Shame on Eastman and Laird. I wanna picket sigh, give me a picket sigh…Oh, that's right, the TMNT's aren't real. Hmm…just try to convince any one of us of that…just try, dagnabit! Our stories make them real so – hand me that picket sigh, will ya? Now, go read, enjoy, play, review if you want to, but at least read it! Be blessed while yer at it, too!
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CHAPTER 3 – THE CHASE
Fortunately, her students had yet to show up. The fire department was already working on the fire by the time Rachel arrived. When the students finally made it moments later, she told them that she would have to cancel practice and the following week's competition as well. Additionally, she had to cancel all classes for the next week or two and for probably quite a while after that until she could find a suitable location to resume business. Reluctantly, Rachel sent the kids back home. Twenty-minutes later, the fire department had the fire out, but the place looked completely totaled. All Rachel could do was to sit in her car and cry.
About two hours later, the insurance adjusters came out to assess the damage. Fortunately, Rachel had paid for the building and the insurance in full with the money her husband had left her, so there weren't any of the usual problems associated with such a calamity.
After a quick inspection, the fire marshal determined the cause and found that it had been deliberately set. "Ma'am, I'm sorry for your loss, but you'll have to account for your time. With suspicious fires like these, it's a standard request."
"No problem, I was visiting friends. They can vouch for my whereabouts." Rachel replied glumly.
She didn't really want to involve the Angelo's as she knew about their private nature, but she had to as there wasn't any way around it. Pulling out her cell phone, she quickly dialed their number. Mike was, at first, quite upset for her and eagerly spoke to the fire marshal after Rachel gave the officer the phone. There was the usual dialog about how long she was at the house, how long they had known her, and then some casual chitchat that had nothing to do with the investigation. Rachel had to smile a little when it dawned on her that Mike obviously knew the marshal. As the conversation wound down, though, the formalities returned and then they ended their talk.
After they finished, Rachel took her cell phone back where upon Mike talked to her, "Hey, you just take care of things there and don't worry about Jess. She can hang here until you get things squared away, okay?"
"Thanks, Mike, I really appreciate it. I really don't know how long I'm going to be here, though. As soon as I can, I'll be up to fetch her."
After the marshal inspected the remains of the studio, he surmised that the fire had been set during the time she was at the Angelo's house, so whatever suspicions the authorities had for her dissipated. Yet, why would anyone set fire to her studio? As the marshal went through the burned out debris, he found that an accelerant of gasoline and rags had started the blaze. Whoever did the deed lit the fuel-drenched rags and ran off. Though Rachel was quite distressed, she finally had her emotions in check and her perspective on an even keel. She knew she could rebuild with the insurance money once things settled down. Maybe she would even build a better-equipped studio, as well! Smiling to herself just a little, her mood lifted a bit.
It was well after dark by the time things calmed down enough for her to leave. There wasn't much left of the inside of her dojo and any equipment to worry about was trashed and completely worthless anyway. Therefore, boarding up the glass-less windows would have been a waste of time. However, Rachel did need her insurance papers so she decided to swing by her house first before picking Jess up, a short drive that would put her in the direction of the Angelo's estate. She called ahead to let them know of her approximate time of arrival and then drove back to her home.
A few minutes later, as she came up to her property, she was at first puzzled that the automated security lights were not on as they normally were. She slowly turned into the driveway, still thinking about the fire yet also concerned about the lack of lighting. As she approached her garage, the back of her neck suddenly tingled in apprehension. Something was there, something in the shadows! What was it? Who was it? Why was she feeling like she was...?
Then, without warning, two people - each clad in black - leaped out of the darkest shadows. Their faces concealed with black ski masks, they each wore a bandana around their heads with insignias that looked vaguely familiar to Rachel, as if she should recognize them. The people came running at her flat-out, each carrying in their hands what appeared to be swords. They quickly prepared to strike at the windshield of her car, reaching back with their weapons to ensure a full force hit.
However, Rachel instinctively shoved the car's gears into reverse, slammed on the gas pedal, and forcing her SUV back up the driveway. With the tires squealing in protest, the car left a cloud of blue gray smoke in its wake as it roared backwards and out onto the street. Rachel frantically turned the car away from her would-be attackers, the car's wheels protesting loudly once again. She quickly geared the vehicle into drive and jammed the gas pedal to the floor, heading back towards the studio.
Looking frantically into her review mirror, Rachel sucked in her breath as she saw a dark SUV roar up in front of her house, slowing just enough to allow her assailants to get in. Nixing her idea of finding anyone in authority still at the burned out remains of her dojo, she took the next block she came to and turned right, her heart pounding furiously. The street led up the hill and away from her intended pursuers, but how far she would be able to take it would be the real trick. She knew there were several cul-de-sacs littered throughout the hillside neighborhood and though she was familiar with the area, one wrong turn could prove disastrous. However, the street she found herself on was not a thoroughfare. She complained under her breath as she made a tight right at the first opportunity and then after another block, she made a left onto a street that she did know to go through! Elated, Rachel raced frantically up through the residential area for three more blocks, all the while keeping an eye on her rear view mirror. Just as she came to a street that she was familiar with and just as she was beginning to make the left turn, she saw the black SUV again as it roared around the corner, three blocks behind her. She took the turn almost on two wheels as she forced her car around, once again racing up the street at freeway speeds for 3 more blocks. She slowed down just enough to make a right without losing traction or leaving tire marks. Just as she straightened out to tear up the road, she quickly chanced a look to see if the other car was still following her. She barely caught a glimpse of it before loosing sight of the black SUV as her pursuers careened onto the block she was swiftly leaving. Gunning her car, she exhilarated the vehicle up the street, switching her lights off just in case the occupants in the chase car hadn't seen which direction she had gone.
Finally, after about three blocks, she realized where she was and remembered something. Looking in her rearview mirror, she noticed that the car chasing her had whipped passed the street she was on, completely missing where she had turned. Not taking any chances, though, she desperately made a left turn at the next street and immediately saw a familiar hedge on the right along one side of a split driveway. The streetlights in that block were out - the city had been slow in replacing them, but, at that point it was to her advantage. The other side of the driveway behind the bushes would allow her to park and hide. Her car was dark, so that was an bonus. Though the house was vacant with a For Sale sign out front, the abandoned curtains in the windows made the house seem lived in. One of her students had resided there but he had since moved out of the area. Thankfully, she had remembered this very important fact!
Rachel carefully turned the car into the driveway and parked as close to the garage as she could. Then, turning off the car, she lowered her posture just enough so her head was below the headrest.
Her heart pounded for what seemed like an eternity, her breathing coming in gasps as she realized she had been holding her breath throughout most of the ordeal. She turned her head slightly to see if she they had followed her.
She waited.
Minutes passed. Just as she began to think that the coast was clear and she was seriously considering sitting up, the dark SUV roared passed her, oblivious to her position. Her heart, which had begun to calm down, started pounding once again in alarm. She slipped even lower in her seat as she turned her head quickly in the direction of the SUV, visually following its course as the car roared further up the street. Oblivious to her position, it made an almost two wheel right turn a couple blocks beyond her position, its wheels squealing loudly as it raced farther up the hill and away from the main highway. It was that same highway that Rachel needed to get back to. She had to make it back to Mike's estate as quickly as she could. She sat there and wrestled whether or not to stay where she was or to make a run for it. If the pursuit car came back the same way, it was a good bet they would spot her if she stayed where she was.
Her breathing was now coming in short, panic gasps as she contemplated what to do next. She was mentally out of shape for such escapades. Yet, not wanting to sit too long and quickly becoming mindful that her window of opportunity was closing, she carefully started her car and slowly backed out of the driveway. Keeping watch of her rearview mirror in case the other car showed up, she drove swiftly in the opposite direction that they went, retracing her own frantic route back down to the Cabrillo Highway. Once she reached it, she turned left and floored the car, taking into consideration the twists and turns of the winding coastal road.
Keeping one eye on her center mirror just in case her assailants managed to figure out her course of action, she mulled over the chase. Not knowing what their agenda was or even who they were, Rachel had to assume that they knew her schedule as well as where she had been. As she thought about the attack at her home, she realized then that the fire was in some way related to it. Yet, she didn't have a clue why any of this was happening. It had been thirty years since she had to worry about such things, so why now all of a sudden? She pushed a button on her steering column and soon her windows rolled down. She heard the soothing roar of the ocean through the right window with the crash of breakers as high tide met the coastline. As the wind enveloped her, she could taste the of the sea salt in the air and, for a moment, the woman felt a gentle calmness as she drove south along the two-lane highway. After a while, she came up to the familiar T-crossing that was Mike's private road. She made a left turn onto it, driving as fast as was safe to do so. Rachel truly wanted to relax, but something inside her said that she needed to keep on the alert. She had to get to Jessie. As she drove along, Rachel decided that once she had her daughter, she would then head out of town, not even going back for their clothes, and maybe drive north where her ex in-laws lived. As she rehashed the events from earlier, she kept thinking about the disguises.
Something about her would-be attackers' headbands pulled at her memory. She was turning it over in her head, aware that the bands and insignia were all too familiar, yet obscured in her distant past. As she was approaching the security gate, she suddenly realized all too well that this was not a failed home invasion robbery. It almost made her nauseous and yet she couldn't justify the current situation for the life of her.
As she stopped at the Angelo's security gate, she tried to regain her composure. An electronic keypad opened the gate with security cameras positioned there as well to video record anyone visiting. Yet, the last thing Rachel wanted to do was to appear frazzled, thereby worrying Mike and his family even more. The fire would obviously have her upset, so they would be expecting some sort of emotional backlash. Yet, she was deeply worried and nearly frantic to get Jess. "What if these 'people' who chased her knew where Jess was? Who are they and what did they wa...?" Then it hit her like a ton of bricks! The clothing, the insignia on their bandanas, the way they moved, the swords...her past! "Could it be that there's still a remnant that's finally caught up with me?" she asked herself, gulping nervously.
As she thought about it, one interesting bit of observation came to her. The two who tried to attack her had moved too slowly, almost deliberately. Obviously, it had to be a warning attack! If killing her had been their intent, then she would been dead already. The chase was just for good measure, maybe to scare the life out of her. Yet, what was the warning about? From whom did it come from? As sat in her car at the gate, her thoughts went back 30 years...
He was dead, killed by his dreaded enemy, no longer did he have power and no longer did he rule her life. Everything that connected her to him and his elite forces were dead or had moved out of the country! Before that happened, however, she had been severely beaten by him for her failure in the field. Then, thrown into the same cell as a recently captured 'enemy' she was mentored by this captive with a kindness she had never known. Over the course of the few days they were together, his calming voice and wise words pierced her heart. Although he was strange looking, in chains and beaten as well, the compassion he had for her comforted as no one else had. Even though she had confessed to him the failed attempt she made on the lives of his family, he was kind to her. He made gentle pleas for her to leave the place she had called home for so many years. She eventually opened herself up to him out of despair and desperation, sharing with him how she came to be in that awful organization. After several days in his fatherly-like care, she decided to make a change. In the end, despite trying to free him, time ran out as her unit came under attack. Rachel was then spirited away by her ex-compatriots, too injured to save even herself. She knew his family would rescue him before her fellow soldiers had a chance to kill him. That was the last she had seen of the strange creature. It took nearly a year for her to find the opportunity to leave the only family she had ever known, yet not until they had physically abused and experimented on her. In hindsight, she was amazed that her experience hadn't left any serious emotional scars, the physical ones she bore being a testament to what she had suffered.
As she punched her number into the security pad, Rachel's heart pounded in anxiety. She waited, ever mindful of her rearview mirror. She tried to get control of herself, but the panic attack that was slowly creeping up her spine was determined to win. It was another by-product from 30 years earlier, where she lived a life always looking over her shoulder, enduring the changes that were forced upon her. Then, she thought about her 'release' from those experiences and the person who helped her find her sanity and her humanity again. Her recollecting went back to that time, causing her to become slightly melancholy as a result.
A year after her 'family' had finally disintegrated, she faked her death to escape the scrutiny of those who were still watching her. She then changed her name to Rachel, cutting and then dying her curly auburn hair to black, finally moving to Alaska. It was as far away from New York as she could possibly get without actually leaving the States. She lived there for several years on a parcel of land that she helped to maintain in exchange for living in the small cabin afforded her. It was in Alaska that she met Hal. He was a Christian, but he fell head over heels in love with her. First, it was because of her name and then, as he became more acquainted with her, the person she was becoming. It had taken quite a while for her to recover from her experiences. Her old family's warped values and perverted honor took years for her to undo. However, relaxing in the embrace of one man's honest and sincere love for her and through Hal's encouragement, Rachel accepted his Christian faith as her own! It was such an irony, though, since she had practiced the belief of bushido through her involvement with her now defunct family. Nevertheless, it failed in comparison with her new faith as she discovered an incredible peace within her she had never experienced before! She would always bear the physical scars and evidence of belonging to such an evil empire that had abused her, but none of what she endured would touched her soul as deeply as her newfound belief. After thirty-three years, she felt her past finally put behind her.
Now, however, she wasn't so sure if 'everything' had died so many years ago.
Waiting for the gate to open seemed like an eternity to her, but soon the gate began to move ever so slowly. As quickly as she could, she eased through and then gunned her car, cautiously raced the mile up the winding road to the house. However, she looked in her rearview mirror out of reflex. Startled, she thought she saw a shadow slip through the gate right after her, just before the gate closed. She stared a moment longer but then realized her car was drifting towards the curb. She quickly straightened it out and then focused on the road again, stealing a quick glance in the rear view mirror as she did so. However, obscured with all the other shadows, she had lost sight of what she thought she saw, yet she was certain that she had seen something.
Although she was positive she saw something, the woman realized that her anxious mind was more than likely playing tricks on her. Aware of her task and the limited time she probably had to complete her plan of getting out of town safely, she gunned the car up the hill.
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He had seen the car drive up to the gate moments after he had arrived at the same location. He couldn't make the driver out, but – whoever it was – the person was definitely female! He waited. He could tell she had used the security keypad before; she fingered the keys with too much precision to be a new visitor. From his observation, the driver also seemed a bit on edge. He would have looked more intently at her to discern who she was, but then he didn't want to give himself away, either. As the gate swung inward and the car eased through the opening, he quickly used the umbrage of nearby trees along the driveway and slipped in behind it. He followed the car as it slowly drove past the still-opening gate and onto the property. Just before the SUV accelerated, he quickly ducked alongside the driveway and in among the trees where their deeper shadows were. For all she would be able to see, he would be just one of the many darkly shaded areas along the road. Yet, the more he focused on the driver as she sped away from him, the more he could sense that not all was right with her. Whoever she was, he would make haste towards the house, just in case the one in the SUV was more than a simple visitor.
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ZIPTANGO: Cool! Glad you're enjoying this. I really debated about uploading yet another WAP TMNT universe story, but I just couldn't help myself, especially after your encouragement! :0) I've had to rewrite much of what I wrote originally, but at least I don't have to hunt for ideas, just different wording, phrasing, etc… I'm addicted to my MS Word Document Tool bar, I really am. It's been quite helpful, but I have to take care not to lose the personality of the fic because proper literary rules and the like. Anyway, thanks for encouraging me! And I'm sorry for blowing yer cover! LOL Thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed (and get another DBD chappy up, okay, or I'll sic Buster on ya!) LOL
QK: Yeah, I thought I uploaded the wrong version of Chapter 2. Come to find out, I did it right after all, only now there are two alerts going out. Oh well! Glad you're enjoying the story; now I can breathe a sigh of relief! Raph will visit, no doubt about it! I take it you're a Raph fan! Too cool. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.
