Title: Cat and Mouse
Author: Jayde
Rating: PG-13 for violence and language.
Summary: Angst, drama, violence. (Do I write anything else?) I have nothing against Law Enforcement professionals. They have a job to do. Sometimes human curiosity is a good thing, and sometimes it isn't.
Credits: Thanks to Sassy for the beta read.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything, except Samantha, her partner Eric, and her NY Cop friend Dan. And even them, I'm perfectly willing to share.
Chapter 4:
"Thanks, April. Thanks for calling." She was still talking, but Leo's mind was elsewhere. The F.B.I. That was the big time. He was going to kill Raphael, and dump his remains in the deepest, darkest section of the sewer. "Yeah, I'll let them know. Thanks again, April. Take care, and say hi to Casey." Leo hung up forcefully, and struggled to think of what to do next.
"What is it?" Don. Leo thought either he was psychic, or he overheard the telephone conversation.
"We've got trouble," Leo replied, deadly serious tone of voice.
"What kind?" Mike said, strolling in from the direction of the kitchen. He froze in place when he met Leo's ferocious scowl, then started backing away slowly.
"Don't you even try to vanish, Mikey," Leo warned, his voice cold.
"Hey, guys," Mike said, trying to cover for his attempted escape. "What's up?"
"The F.B.I. paid April a little visit," Leo said tightly. Mike dropped the soda can he was holding. It hit the floor and exploded like a caffeine-filled bomb.
"Shit," Mike cried out in surprise. "Sorry." He looked at the mess with horror.
Raph tore into the room, weapons out, and looked around for any sign of trouble. He skidded to a halt near Don. "What the hell, Mikey?" Mike looked incredibly guilty, but maybe not for the soda explosion.
Leo was looking back and forth between Raph and Mike like they were playing ping-pong. "I would like some answers," Leo said through gritted teeth. "And I'd like them now."
"It's that woman from the rooftop," Mike said anxiously. "That redhead you fought with Raph. She had on a jacket that said FBI on the back."
"Tell me you didn't attack a federal agent," Leo said. His eyes were wide with shock.
"I'll take care of it," Raph snarled, shoving his sai back into his belt.
"Don, go with him," Leo ordered. "See if you can keep the other security agencies from finding out about us."
-
Mrs. Jones, April, had been a very interesting interview. She had been cautious, but when Sam started asking about green costumed men, April had proven what a bad liar she was.
Sam walked back to her car. She was on the right trail. She could feel it.
Motion caught her eye in an alley across the street. Sam stopped dead still, and stared. Someone was in there. A flash of green came and went so quickly she almost didn't register it.
The 'right trail', indeed.
Samantha dashed across the street, and entered the alley. Her eyes darted every which way, searching for some sign of her quarry. The ground was littered with paper, cans, and bits of garbage. A dumpster hugged the brick wall to one side, the lid mercifully shut, but she could still smell it. It wasn't cold enough, yet, to freeze that stench away.
The streetlight cast her shadow onto the concrete. She stopped and listened. No sound reached her ears save the wind as it whipped around the buildings. She was anxious to find this guy … creature … but she wasn't going to die for it. Cautiously, she pushed one side of her jacket back, and slid a hand towards her gun.
She never got a finger on the grip. The world spun, and she was abruptly pressed to the wall, the brick scraping against her cheek. Her hands were ruthlessly pinned behind her back in a harsh grip. Her injured wrist screamed in agony. The temporary cast rubbed against her good hand.
"Listen," Sam started, breathless with surprise and pain.
"No," her attacker snarled in her ear. "You listen."
Sam twisted violently, trying to throw him off. He grunted, and slammed her against the brick with incredible force. Her teeth clicked together, catching part of her tongue. Sam flinched from the bite.
"You do not want to screw with me," he warned, firming up his hold. He leaned in and pressed his weight against Sam. Her breathing was shallow – she didn't have room to draw air.
"I don't mean you any harm." Sam's reassurances were made in a voice barely above a whisper. His low chuckle cut her off.
"No? But maybe I mean you harm," he breathed, ruffling the hair near her ear.
"Raph, knock it off," came a second voice from further away. The one pinning her, Raph, backed off a bit. Sam couldn't see either of them. Her face was pressed to the brick, and her view was of the dead end of the alley. "Agent Gallagher, why are you looking for us?"
"The bomber – I need his location," Sam pleaded, gritting her teeth against the pain. "You know something."
"We've given it to you before – you idiots lost him," Raph complained. He tightened his grip on Sam's hands, and she let out a pained cry.
"Raph, ease up," Don said sharply. "Why the rush to get him now?"
"He killed four cops today," she hissed.
Raph and Don exchanged a startled glance behind her back. Raph let go of her hands, and stepped back. Cautiously, she turned and pressed her shoulders against the brick wall. In the faint light, she stared at the two large, green creatures.
"What are you?" She whispered, her eyes wide as saucers.
"Mutants," Don answered. "Turtles. Your bomber is nearby. Are you going to call for backup?"
Backup. If she called it in, Sam thought, then she'd have to explain how she knew where the suspect was. And during the interminable wait, he might move on. She shook her head and straightened from the wall. "No. Let's go."
Don's eye ridges rose. "You're not going to do this alone, are you?" He observed the way she was holding her wrist close to her chest – it was obviously paining her.
"We'll go with you," Raph said firmly. He plucked a sai from his belt, and spun it with impressive dexterity. "You got all the backup you need."
-
She found herself in a unique situation. Running with these unusual individuals as they passed from one shadow to the next, Samantha began to realize what Ninjitsu was, and how they had avoided detection. They arrived at a dark and, by appearances, empty brownstone.
"This?" She whispered the question to Don. He nodded, and pointed at the side door. Raph went first, and jimmied the door with his sai. They slipped into the dark hallway, Raph, then Sam, and finally Don.
Sam held her gun in her good hand, and took a deep breath. Pressed between the two turtles, she waited for some sign or sound. Above their heads, the floor creaked. Don nudged her shoulder, and pointed up when he had her attention. She nodded, and they approached the stairs cautiously. Raph stopped on the first step, and pointed toward the front of the building. Don took the hint, and grasped Sam's arm to hold her back. Don motioned towards the front door with his head. Sam hesitated, and Don's eyes, behind his mask, narrowed to slits.
Sam swallowed. If anyone had told her that a big turtle would be capable of scaring her with a facial expression, she wouldn't have believed it – before. She nodded, and Don led the way to another set of stairs. They started up, and paused at the second floor. From ahead came the sound of something scraping against the floor.
Raph appeared ahead, and waved them down the hall. Don caught his bo out of the holder on his shell, and hurried down the hall. Sam trailed behind until they reached a closed door for one of the apartments. Raph pointed to the door, and mimed kicking it in.
Don nodded, and Raph slammed his foot into the door. It flew open and banged into the wall. The turtles dived inside. Sam went to follow, but she was brought to a halt by Don's hand reaching back and catching her uninjured arm.
"Wait," he said. Across an empty living room sat an old kitchen table. On top, was what appeared to be a large wad of C4, all rigged up to explode?
"Shit," Raph cursed softly. He turned the corner to check the rest of the apartment. A moment later there were sounds of a scuffle, and then Raph appeared dragging a shaggy haired man by the arm. "We need some restraints here."
Recovering from her shock, Sam dug out her handcuffs, and tossed them to Raph. He shoved the bomber into a wooden chair near the table, and cuffed the bomber's hands behind his back.
"This is on a timer," Don noted, leaning over the table and studying the bomb.
"Donnie," Raph started. The bomber grinned from his seat in the chair, his eyes glittering through the mass of hair. Don glanced at him, and decided that the guy probably wasn't going to be any help.
"This thing is set to go off in less than fifteen minutes," Don continued. "There's enough explosive here to destroy this building, and probably the one next door."
"The building next door is occupied," Sam whispered. The bomber giggled – a high-pitched and grating sound.
"Can you …," Raph waved his hands at the bomb vaguely. "You know, do your thing and turn it off?"
"Yeah," Don said, distracted. He slipped his bag over his head, and set it on the floor. He unzipped it, and pulled out a pair of wire cutters. "Piece of cake."
-
Red and blue lights flashed, making Sam squint. The street was filled with cars and vans and fire trucks. A small crowd had gathered across the street to observe the chaos, along with a good-sized contingent of the local press.
"So you just … guessed on the location," Eric, her partner, offered darkly. They were leaning against Eric's car. Samantha sighed, and shook her head tiredly. "That's your whole story?"
"That's my whole story," Samantha said firmly. She held her wrist against her chest, and watched as the NYPD brought the bomber out of the apartment building.
"Aliens! Little green men from mars!" The bomber shouted wildly, jerking at his restraints. The cops around him pulled him along less than gently towards a waiting car. The bomb squad was upstairs, but they would be done dismantling before too much longer. Don had completed most of the work before he left.
Vanished. Disappeared. They had left her here when she called in the report.
"You're going to have some serious questions to answer, Sam," Eric sneered. He shifted his collar up to protect himself from the wind, and walked away. Sam shrugged at his retreating form, and straightened from the car. Whatever. She rubbed at her eyes. It had been days since she had slept, and it would be many, many hours of paperwork to sum up the capture for her superiors. And somewhere in there she had to find a story everyone would believe. A story that didn't include mutated turtles.
-
Don tiredly ran a hand over his face, and rubbed at his jaw. Almost home, he turned the corner, and slammed into something hard. The strap crossing his torso was caught by thick fingers, and Don found himself hurled back against the brick side of the tunnel.
"What did you do?" Leo snarled, pinning Don to the wall. Don struggled for a moment to recover his equilibrium and come up with an answer.
"We took care of it," Raph replied evenly. He had moved close up to Leo's right shoulder. He wasn't trying to get in the middle – yet.
"Leo …," Don started, his hands wrapping over Leo's to attempt to pry Leo's fingers off.
"Were you seen?"
Mike watched as Leo's question prompted Raph and Don to share a fairly guilty look. "Oh, shit," Mike mumbled. Leo's eyes squeezed shut. His arms were shaking as he held Don against the wall. "Leo, man, let him go. Damage has already been done."
With a final shove, Leo released Don and turned away from them. He paused in a wide leg stance, his hands curled into fists and resting on his hips. Leo brought his breathing under control, and tried to find a place to put his fury. "Who?" He asked at last.
"The FBI agent," Don answered. He shifted cautiously away from the wall, and jerked his strap back into position. Don's heart rate was returning to normal now. For a moment – just a second or two – he had been convinced that Leo was going to kill him.
"I can take care of it," Raph suggested.
"No," Leo snapped, turning his head to level a hawk-like stare at Don. "Don gets to fix this."
Donatello nodded, acknowledging his responsibility.
"Let's go home, okay bros?" Mike attempted. He scanned each of his brothers. They stood apart from each other. Divided.
-
Steam curled up from the bowl as soon as she peeled back the cover. The soup smelled wonderful. Sam debated getting a bowl, and then decided she would eat it straight out of the take out carton.
The knock at the door was completely predictable. She slid the lid back over the soup, and walked to the door. Opening it, she found Richard standing outside.
"Is that chili?" He asked even before she had a chance to offer a greeting.
"No, Mr. Adams. It's chicken noodle," Sam responded.
"I thought I heard a man in here. Have you got company for dinner Samantha?"
Sam was relieved that he was blind. Her cheeks had flushed at the mention of 'men' in her home. Thin walls. She would have to remember that in the future.
"Must have been the television," Sam offered lamely. It hadn't been the TV, but Mr. Adams didn't need to know that a large turtle had stopped by to visit her. He had scared her half to death, slipping in from her balcony while she had been flipping on lights, and stripping off her jacket and shoes. She had turned around, and he was standing there, his staff in his right hand.
"You should get out sometimes, Samantha," Mr. Adams instructed, heading back to his own apartment. "All work and no play, you know."
"I'll work on that," Sam muttered, amused.
-
"You refuse to reveal your source of information, Agent."
"We wanted to give you a warning," Don intoned when she turned to find him in her apartment. Her heart had been hammering in her chest – was this a threat?
Samantha Gallagher sat on the edge of the chair, and nervously swallowed before nodding an affirmative. The review board frowned at her collectively. She tugged at her skirt – damned thing just wasn't comfortable. She hated wearing suits, but this was one of those occasions that warranted it.
"You realize that there will be consequences for your silence. We cannot have rogue agents, Gallagher."
"It won't be easy. We've had other human friends, and … well …," Don shrugged and lifted his ankle up onto the opposite knee. He was seated on a chair in her living room, and he looked both incongruous, and completely at home.
"I will keep your secret, and you can trust me. I owe you guys." Sam handed over a manila folder containing police reports, and her own notes. Everything she had gathered on them.
The review board was made up of five grumpy looking men and women – all well above her in the chain of command. Sam glanced down at her hands, and nodded again.
"I think we're ready, now, to explain those consequences: two weeks suspension, without pay. When you're back, you'll be closely monitored, Agent."
"When we can help you on a case, we will," Don assured her, rising to his feet.
"Same here. I will help you in whatever way I can," Samantha said firmly.
"Samantha, don't make promises you can't keep," Don cautioned. His mask made it nearly impossible to read his eyes. "You don't know what it might cost you."
Sam released a small, relieved sigh. She wasn't fired, at least. She fingered the cell phone in her jacket pocket. When she was out of here, she would place a call, and let them know they were safe. And that she had two weeks off. Don had said he would share their stories with her, when she had the time.
She had the time.
End of Book 1
Author's Notes: Yes, there is more to this. Did you think I could just leave it there? No, there is much more to come. To everyone who reviewed: sporksareweird, Reluctant Dragon, Fallen Hikari, Sassy, pacphys, Reinbeauchaser, and BubblyShell – thank you very much for the kind words.
In answer to Sassy's query on Sam's neighbor – he's going to continue to show up in the stories to follow, and that's all I'm saying. Yes, very good on catching the 'line' business there. That's one of the themes in this collection of stories.
The rest of the stories will be posted right in with this one – I see no point in posting them separately, because then it's harder to follow. Each will be about the same length (although the next one keeps growing, so who knows). Book 2 is in rewrites, and I'm hoping to start posting it in a few days. I too, Fallen Hikari, prefer quick updates to waiting a month for a new chapter.