Disclaimer: I don't own the ninja turtles and I never will. Please don't sue me.
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews you guys. I'm extremely busy with homework right now, but I'll keep working on these chapters. It will be slow until December when I go on Christmas break, but I do have a pretty detailed outline for this story, so at least I won't have writer's block problems. I also know that some of you may be waiting for the last chapter of Death's Messengers, and I promise I will get that out as soon as I can.
Chapter 3
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"How bout some food you freaks!"
"Hush," Splinter said to Dave as he hollered at the creatures, "You should not call attention to yourself."
"But I'm hungry.." the burly man whined.
"Just be patient." Splinter watched the hairy creatures, but fortunately they took no notice of either he or Dave. Splinter sighed and turned his mind to more pressing matters. He could only ignore the pain in his tail and foot for so long, and now they were beginning to throb with hot, painful intensity. He carefully prodded at his foot and ankle, sucking in air quickly upon finding a particularly painful spot. Dave gave a low whistle.
"Man, look at your foot! I didn't realize you were hurt..."
"I have suffered worse pains," Splinter said, clenching his teeth as his hand strayed over the worst of the break, "However, this is not a situation I would like to be in with a broken foot and tail."
"Your tail's broke too? Aw, man..."
Splinter just nodded and moved on to inspecting his broken tail. It was bent in an odd way, and Splinter could see that there was some fairly intense bruising. It was a difficult break, located in very small bones and much cartilage. Splinter would have trouble fixing it even if he had Donatello's help and equipment.
"I may have to simply deal with my broken tail," Splinter said, "But if I do not get help for my foot, I may become crippled."
"That's no good," Dave said, "How are you supposed to protect me with your ninja-action if you're cripple?."
"Precisely," Splinter said, "I'm afraid I may have to call attention to myself after all."
"Good. Maybe then I'll get some food."
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"This way..." Raphael whispered. Leonardo shook his head.
"There's a creature over there," Leo said, "It'll see us."
"It won't if we hurry," Raph said, "Are we ninja or what?"
Leo sighed, "All right, on three."
"Three," Raph said and darted away from Leo. The blue-wearing turtle rolled his eyes and followed, hoping his ninja skill would work against whatever technology these things were packing.
The two turtles bobbed and bounded over the rubble of fallen buildings; they were effectively making their way across an urban wasteland, littered with concrete, girders, and vast amounts of paper. This was particularly grim; it was far easier to associate paper with people than concrete and boulders. It was sobering to think about how many must have died during the first few minutes of the attack. It was also sobering to think how quickly their city had been reduced to an urban wasteland.
Leo and Raph ducked underneath a large piece of concrete, each looking around for signs that they had been spotted. There were no creatures in the area, and as Raphael surveyed they area, he realized that there were actually a few buildings standing. He poked Leonardo in the shoulder and pointed to one. Before Leo could respond, Raph was off and running towards it. Leo sighed and followed after him.
The building they were running towards appeared to be some kind of municipal building, but neither turtle could find a sign describing its function. The two main doors leading into the building were both broken from their hinges, and one was dangling dangerously, swinging like a leaf in a calm wind. Raphael dashed through the doorway, with Leonardo close behind. The two turtles skidded to a stop on the marble floor, suddenly feeling much more self-conscious than they had outside, though neither could figure out why.
Then, Leonardo felt cold steel press itself into the back of his neck, and he knew why he'd felt uncomfortable.
"Don't move, monster," a low voice hissed from behind them, "Put your hands up."
Leonardo and Raphael complied, but Raph looked like he wanted to protest. However, even he knew better than to say anything when he had a gun pressed against his head.
"Now," the voice hissed, "March."
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Mike was fretting, and despite some of the fretting he'd done in his life, this was truly the worst he'd ever worried about anything. The hour had been up two hours ago and still there was no sign of his brothers. Donatello was still unconscious, and Mike was beginning to wonder if they'd even be able to help him. He also swore he'd heard something outside, but he didn't dare leave his brother to go see what it was.
It wasn't until he heard a loud clunk and the hissing of falling rocks that he stood up to face whatever it was that was around. The sound of tiny rockslides continued for an agonizing moment, and then two eyes appeared in the darkness about two meters away from him. Mike grabbed his weapons and heard a sharp intake of break from the general vicinity of his visitor. Then, he heard a voice.
"Go back! Go back!" it snarled, "There's a monster in here!"
Mike put down his weapons, "No, no...I'm not a monster," he said, relieved beyond words that his visitors were human, "Please don't leave...my brother needs help."
The shadowed figure in front of Mike paused for a moment, and then spoke, hesitantly.
"What....are you?"
Mike realized that the voice was female, "I'm just a turtle. Not a monster. Just your every day, run of the mill mutant turtle."
"Mutant turtle??" the figure took a few steps back.
"I know...it's weird," Mike said, putting up his hands in the dark, "But I'm a –good- mutant turtle. Seriously. Plus, I'm a ninja, so if you help me out, I'll promise to protect you. My brothers will too."
"You mean, there's more of you..?" the voice sounded very frightened.
Suddenly, another voice spoke, this one distinctively male. "Come on Kate, in or out?" Mike could see the figure, now known to him as Kate, turn sharply.
"There's a –mutant turtle- in here," Kate said.
"A what? Let me see."
Mike could see another figure approach, this time coming closer than Kate had. Mike could now distinguish some facial features, though they weren't very clear in the poor light.
"Well, I'll be damned," the man said, "There –is- a mutant turtle in here."
"I –told- you," Kate said, "Now, let's go before it decides to eat us."
"No..." Mike said, putting up his hands, "Please don't go. My brother needs help, and...well, it's good to see that other people are around after all of this.'
"Other people...heh,"
Mike could see the man shaking his head,
"It's definitely a mess out there, and this is a pretty good hiding place. Come on, Kate. He hasn't hurt us yet....that probably means he won't. Besides that, he isn't kidding about having a hurt friend. I can see him, and it's pretty bad."
"But...I don't like this, Seth."
"It's ok, Kate. You aren't gonna bite, are ya buddy?"
Mike realized he was being addressed, "No...no way. Seriously, though. I really am a ninja. I'll fight for you if you stick around."
The man named Seth turned around, "What do you say, Kate? Safety in numbers, after all."
"I....I guess," Kate said, clearly reluctant.
"Great!" Seth said, oblivious to her concern. He began to make himself comfortable in the cavern. Kate approached slowly and cautiously, gasping slightly when she got a clear view of Michelangelo.
"Sorry," Mike said, feeling guilty, "I really am a nice guy."
Kate didn't respond, instead taking a seat right next to Seth, hiding her face in her hands.
"So..." Mike said, "Are either one of you doctors...or do you know a doctor?"
"Sorry man," Seth said, "Kate and I are just theatre students....well, we were anyway. Plus we haven't seen anybody around since this whole thing started. You're the first."
"Damn," Mike said, "Well, you're welcome to take shelter here....as long as it lasts."
"Thanks man. What's your name?"
Mike smiled, "Michelangelo. But you can call me Mike." The turtle extended his hand and Seth shook it.
"Normally I'd be a pretty skittish guy," Seth said, "Never would've shaken hands with a giant turtle. Seeing alien ships come down out of the sky and blow up your city kinda changes the way a guy thinks."
"Aliens," Mike said, "I thought so, but I didn't actually see what happened."
"Saw the ships myself," Seth said, "So did Kate."
The girl didn't say anything, but Mike could see her nodding.
"Well," Mike said, "Somehow it'll be ok. My other two brothers went to get help for Donatello here." Mike guestured toward his fallen brother, "When they come back, maybe we can come up with some kind of plan."
"A plan," Kate said from underneath her hands, "I have one of those. Run away for a little while and get caught by monsters. That's the only plan we have."
"Maybe not," Mike said, "You'd be surprised what my brothers and I have gotten through in the past."
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a/n Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Here's a shout out: Zelda's Fox 38, FF Demon-angel, Jo Dawn, Lioness-Goddess, White Pheonix, dp03kf, torrant2