Chapter Twenty Three
Doctor Jonathan Gershin paced back and forth in front of his group of captives, rubbing his white, furry chin while he tried to decide who to kill first. After months of watching them, he knew all of them so well, which made him hate them even more.
The youngest of the four brothers was highly annoying to Gershin. He had spent months listening to the young turtle's mindless babbling, which seemed to get worse as Gershin's main target, Mandy, became friends with Michelangelo, and the endless chattering doubled. But he could wait on destroying him.
Gershin then thought about Donatello or Leonardo, but also decided against it. He could use one as intelligent as Donatello and someone as strong minded as Leonardo in his army, and Gershin began plotting ways of making them join him.
Then there was only one left, the one who got in the way of the doctor's plans. Gershin stopped pacing and stood in front of Raphael, popping his knuckles as he stared into the turtles' fiery eyes.
"What the hell are ya lookin' at?" Raphael snapped.
The doctor's grin grew bigger. " I was just imaging your head impaled on a stake." Gershin laughed slightly as Raphael's eyes narrowed at him, and the doctor soaked up the hatred that rolled off of the turtle like a thick layer of smoke. The doctor's eyes then went to Linda, and his gaze made her move closer to her mutant lover. Gershin laughed again as Leonardo wrapped his arms around Linda as she cowered into his chest, and his eyes burned like Raphael's.
Gershin took a few steps backwards from the circle of soldiers that surrounded his captives, their rifles ready to fire at the slightest movement.
"I would have to say this is a very hard choice to make," Gershin scanned the captives once again with his yellow eyes. " Things would be so much easier if one of you would just volunteer." His eyes then landed on Mandy, who was slumped over on the floor. Michelangelo held her head in his lap and wiped at her tears of pain as they rolled down her cheeks. Gershin smiled wickedly as he finally made his decision.
"In the wild, it is always the weak, sick, and the wounded that are the first to be caught and killed," Gershin snapped his fingers, then pointed at Mandy, and Michelangelo watched helplessly as two gunmen pulled Mandy up and dragged her toward the doctor.
"NO!" Michelangelo shouted as he jumped to his feet, only to be thrown back down by the soldiers.
"I am so sorry, Ms. Anderson." Gershin said as he took a handgun from the palm of his dark-haired, second- in- command, then lowered the gun down to Mandy's temple, ignoring the plea that shone from her blue eyes. " Tell your parents I said hello."
It was then that all hell broke loose.
As Gershin fired his .45, a flash of green suddenly appeared between the doctor and Mandy, and everyone gasped as Michelangelo's limp body skidded across the floor and smashed into the concrete wall.
" MIKEY! NO!" Raphael cried out, then grabbed two of the soldiers by the shoulders and bashed their heads together. Leonardo, Donatello and Linda took down the rest of the soldiers before they could react. Leonardo grabbed their weapons back, while Linda helped Donatello block the heavy steel door, preventing the rest of the gunmen outside from coming in. They then went to work on releasing Angie as Leonardo and Raphael held their gaze at Doctor Gershin. Raphael spin his sai around in his hand, becoming one with his old friends again, as he watched Mandy crawl over to Michelangelo's motionless body, and he brought his eyes back to the doctor. Gershin suddenly spun around and was about to fire at Mandy when he felt a searing pain rip through the flesh of his right arm, and the gun clattered on the concrete floor. His yellow eyes grew big as he saw blood erupt from the wound around the three pronged weapon, but made no sound as he jerked it out and flung it to the ground.
"You better hope that Mikey's okay, doc," Raphael growled. " Cause if he ain't, I'm gonna personally take you out!"
Gershin laughed. " It was his own stupid fault he took that bullet! You four let your feelings get in the way of everything! You are all pathetic and weak!" Gershin's eyes jumped from the gun on the floor to the cold stares he was receiving from the two turtles in front of him. He saw Leonardo tighten his grip on the handles of his katanas, and Raphael did the same with his remaining sai.
"You should be blaming yourself for all of this, Raphael," Gershin said, his eyes jumping back to the gun on the floor, which sat within inches of his left combat boot. " You were the reason all of this came to pass."
"What the hell are you talkin' about?" Raphael shouted. " If you're gonna start that shit about Vanessa again, I don't wanna hear it cause it's all a bunch of fuckin' lies!"
Gershin gave Leonardo an exaggerated look of confusion. " You mean to tell me that he didn't read the reports like you did, Leonardo?"
Leonardo sighed heavily, but kept his eyes glued on the mutant tiger. Raphael noticed the sudden change in his brother and as he turned his head toward Leonardo, he could see the sadness and the confusion that rested on his oldest brother's face.
" No, no, Leo. It can't be." Raphael shook his head. " She wouldn't do that to us. She wouldn't do that to me!"
"I'm sorry, Raph," Leonardo said, still holding his gaze ahead. " Just don't think of that right now. Just-just stayed focused."
Raphael turned his head away from Leonardo, and stared into the ground under his feet. Tears of confusion began to run down his face, and he lifted his eyes back up to the doctor just as a wicked smile spread across the tiger's face.
"Oh, come now, Leonardo," Gershin said as he watched the anger rise in Raphael.
" There is so much more he needs to know!"
Raphael jerked his head back up to Leonardo. " What other stuff?"
"Shut your mouth, Gershin. I'm warning you." Leonardo said as calmly as he could from behind his gritted teeth.
Gershin laughed. " Isn't it tragic how Vanessa sacrificed herself for my cause, Leonardo? How she unwillingly devoted herself to my studies?"
"What the fuck is he talkin' about, Leo!" Raphael grabbed Leonardo's shoulder and shook him.
Leonardo turned his eyes away from the doctor and pushed Raphael's hand down. " Don't you see what he's trying to do, Raph? Just calm down!" Leonardo looked back at the doctor, and quickly stopped Gershin from reaching the gun by placing the ends of his swords in the doctor's face.
" And I told you to stop talking!" Leonardo's voice rose. " You're not going to manipulate my brother's feelings with this!"
Gershin clinched his sharp teeth together and laughed through them as he eyes the gun. Then out of the corners of his eyes, he watched Linda slowly crawled across the cold floor on her hands and knees toward Mandy and Michelangelo, and the wheels continued to grind in his brain as he turned back to the arguing brothers.
"Leo, you better fuckin' talk to me!" Raphael demanded, causing Leonardo to growl in frustration.
"No, Raph! We are not discussing this! You are too emotional right now and this is NOT the time for it!"
"What about the child, Leonardo?" Gershin said in a low voice. " I'm sure you know all about her too. About who the father is-"
" I said SHUT UP!" Leonardo screamed as he placed his katanas up to the doctor's throat. " I won't tell you again!"
Gershin's smile expanded as his eyes went down the blade and up into Leonardo's evil glare. " Just tell him, Leonardo. I'm sure sooner or later he's going to find out that he is the father."
The tears that had been falling down Raphael's face began to fall faster as the doctor's words hit his ears. He lowered his head down, not really knowing what he should be feeling at the point. He could feel his heart breaking all over again, but he could feel the anger growing in the pit of his stomach, and the shame from acting so cold toward Andrea for so long made him feel like falling to his knees. All Raphael wanted to do was scream out his frustrations, but he couldn't find his voice, and his tears fell faster to the concrete below him.
Leonardo turned his eyes to his brother. " Raph, I-"
Raphael suddenly flung himself at the doctor, only to have Leonardo push him backward.
" I'm gonna fuckin' kill you!" Raphael screamed, pushing at Leonardo as he pushed back. "Let me go, Leo! He's fuckin' dead!"
"See?" Gershin shook his head. " It's because of that mouth and your uncivilized behavior that I don't think you deserve to raise a child." Gershin laughed at Raphael, making the turtle more irrate. " Don't worry, though. She will make a fine addition to my army."
Raphael growled louder, and he slammed into Leonardo. " Over my dead fuckin' body she will!"
"Get a hold of yourself, Raphael!" Leonardo demanded as the pressure of Raphael's chest bared down on his shoulder.
"How about you get the hell outta my way so I can kill that son of a bitch!" Raphael screamed back. " He might have taken Vanessa away from me, but I'll be damned if does it again!"
As the two turtles continued to argue, Gershin finally saw his chance.
Down on the floor, Linda crawled along Michelangelo's back side, then rolled him over. Her hand touched a wet spot on his chest, and she pulled it back, scared that the bullet had entered his chest. She glanced down, only seeing a large wet spot that was made by Mandy's tears where she had laid her head on him.
" Is he-he-" Mandy stuttered as the tears flowed freely.
Linda placed her palm over Michelangelo's open mouth, and she sighed in relief when she felt a soft wind hit her hand.
" He's still breathing."
Mandy sat back on her good leg as a smile found its way to her face, and the tears flowed even more.
"I still can't believe he did that." She mumbled. " He is just- just- so incredible."
Linda offered Mandy a smile then ran her fingers over the spot in his side where the bullet had entered.
" I think I can pull this out," Linda adjusted her position, trying to get more light to reflect on Michelangelo's green skin. " It doesn't feel like it went in that deep. I'm sure it didn't hit any organs or anything."
Mandy then heard Michelangelo moan as he lifted his hands up to his face.
" What happened?"
Linda placed her hand on his forehead. " Just keep still, Michelangelo." Linda then removed the long sleeve shirt that she had been wearing and held it under the wound. " Now this is going to be very painful, but please try not to move."
"Huh?" Michelangelo moaned again, trying to adjust his vision to the lights in the room.
Mandy pushed herself closer to Michelangelo's head. " Shhh. Don't talk. It's okay."
Michelangelo smiled weakly at her as her hair fell into his face. He lifted his hand up and pushed it back behind her ear as Mandy returned his smile.
"Okay, are you ready?" Linda asked.
" Aren't you supposed to give me something to bite on, like a stick?"
Linda giggled at Michelangelo, then stopped when she felt her head being jerked back, and she screamed out when she realized Gershin had wrapped his claws in her hair.
Gershin retrieved the .45 from the floor as he dragged Linda up to a standing position, then wrapped his arm around her slender waist, squeezing her tighter as she struggled. Linda's screams caught the attention of Raphael first, and he stopped pushing against his brother as Leonardo turned sharply. When he saw Linda trapped under the doctor's powerful grip, Leonardo was sure that his heart stopped beating, and the world behind him faded away. Gershin then placed the gun on Linda's temple, and his evil laughter grew louder as it became Raphael's turn to hold back Leonardo.
" Let her go!" Leonardo cried out as Raphael grabbed his arm, not removing his eyes from the growing fear in Linda's face.
Gershin kept his eyes on the two turtles as he slowly dragged his sharp thumbnail down Linda's cheek, then grabbed her chin in his hand, forcing Linda to look at him.
" You really are quite exquisite, my dear," Gershin said as he looked over Linda's facial features. He then nuzzled her cheek with his black nose, letting out a low purring sound that made Leonardo's stomach do flip-flops.
"Don't you dare touch her like that!" Leonardo screamed, shoving Raphael forward as he tried to move toward the doctor, and he raised his swords. Gershin pulled back and cocked the .45 at Linda's head.
" It would be very unwise of you to attack me at the moment!" He pressed Linda closer to him, restraining her tightly as she began to beat on him with her fists.
"You- you disgusting monster! Let go of me!" Linda shouted in Gershin's face, not letting up on her struggle to free herself. Gershin jerked her around, caught Linda by the hair again, and forced her to her knees. Linda then felt the barrel of the gun hit the top of her neck, and she couldn't stop the tears as they began to roll down her face.
"Now then," Gershin looked back up at Leonardo and Raphael as he continued to hold Linda down. " I'm going to make this very easy. If you let me go, I will spare her life. If you choose not to, well, we all know what will happen next."
Leonardo's breathing pattern quicken as another wicked grin grew on the doctor's face, and he moved his eyes to Raphael, both of them knowing they had no choice in the matter. Raphael nodded slowly, then let go of his brother, watching the doctor over his shoulder as he kicked Linda forward with his boot-covered foot. Leonardo bent down and pulled Linda up, holding her tightly to his chest as his eyes went back to Gershin.
"You have made a wise decision." Gershin said as he raised the gun back up to their heads. " Too bad I was planning on killing all of you."
As he started to pull back the trigger, a sudden blast of light shot out from behind Leonardo, Linda, and Raphael, and they stared in disbelief as Gershin was knocked backwards into the concrete wall behind him. Raphael chuckled to himself as he, Leonardo and Linda turned to see Angie standing behind them, her eyes glowing white as she levitated a few inches from the ground.
"I, uh, finally got these things unlocked," Donatello said as he dangled the metal cuffs from his thumb and forefinger, then began to work on Mandy's cuffs.
"Ya always gotta wait until the last minute! I don't know why!" Raphael said throwing his hands into the air.
Angie then returned to normal and ran over to where Michelangelo lay while everyone followed. She knelt down next to him, and without a word, placed her hands over the bullet hole. Michelangelo winced in pain as he felt the bullet twist around inside of him as it slowly pushed its way back out, and they all heard a faint metal sound as the bullet hit the concrete.
" How are you feeling, Mikey?" Leonardo asked as he knelt down and placed his hand on Michelangelo's forehead.
" Like I've been shot," Michelangelo joked sarcastically, which caused Raphael to laugh.
" Well, dumbass, that kinda happens when you jump in front of a bullet."
"LOOK OUT!" Mandy screamed, causing everyone to duck down as they heard the sounds of ricocheting gunfire on the wall above them. When the firing stopped, they all looked up as Gershin slammed his empty gun down and then yanked off the metal piping that held the doors together.
"SHOOT THEM! DON"T LEAVE ANYONE ALIVE!" Gershin screamed to his soldiers as he ran out of the room. The Germans wasted no time in following orders, and jumped into the room firing their rifles. Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael managed to knock down a few as Linda and Angie pulled Michelangelo behind a tall metal storage case. Mandy, who was finally released from her restraints, kicked up her own powers and shot balls of fire back at the remaining gunmen, forcing them back out into the hallway. Donatello and Raphael shoved the door back and held it shut, then they both turned to Leonardo.
" We need to get Andrea," Raphael pointed out. " I know that shithead is goin' try ta run off with her."
"And we get by them how?" Donatello asked as he shoved his thumb at the door.
" We'll hold them back for you." Angie said as she went back into her trance. Mandy joined her side as they stood at the door, waiting for the Turtles to move.
"Alright," Leonardo hunched down between Donatello and Raphael. " Ready?" His brothers shook their heads, then Donatello swung the door back and ducked down, as did Leonardo and Raphael. Angie and Mandy delivered several series of blows to the Germans, knocking their numbers down one by one. As they cleared the way, Leonardo led the way down the red hallway, with Raphael, Donatello and Linda close behind him.
After traveling a short distance, Leonardo stopped everyone when he heard noises coming from the adjoining hallway, but when the upsetting cries of an infant echoed toward them, Raphael couldn't hold himself back any longer.
"Andrea!" Raphael screamed as he ran around the corner, slipping right through Leonardo's fingers.
" Raph! Wait!" Leonardo yelled out after him, only to have the sound of a gun shot answer back. Leonardo felt his heart stop again, and the three of them quickly ran around the corner.
Raphael was sprawled out in the middle of the hallway, laying face down in a small puddle of blood. Leonardo dropped down to his knees and flipped his brother over, then breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the bullet had only scraped across Raphael's neck line.
"Somebody needs ta take that damn thing away from him!" Raphael grumbled as he sat up.
" Come on!" Linda jumped over Raphael and pulled him to his feet. " We can still catch up to him."
Donatello joined Linda and Raphael, but before they could move, Leonardo stepped in their way.
" No. I want you three to stay here."
The two turtles and the human exchanged glance with each other, then looked back at the stern expression that sat on Leonardo's face, and they knew he meant what he had said.
" Leo, are you crazy?" Donatello asked. " Gershin is way too powerful for you to fight alone."
"Yeah," Raphael agreed. " Plus, he's got my kid! I ain't goin' let you-"
"Just stay here! I mean it!" Leonardo voice echoed around the corridor. " There is just too many of us and I can't risk having any of you injured again. We've been cutting it too close. I need to go alone." Leonardo then saw the fear in Linda's eyes, and he instantly grabbed her into his arms.
" Please don't," Leonardo wiped at the tears that were beginning to fall. " I'll be okay."
" I can't help it. I'm afraid that-" Linda looked deep into Leonardo's eyes, then pulled her body closer to his. " Just promise you'll come back to me."
Leonardo squeezed her tightly as he whispered into her ear. " I promise."
And with that, Leonardo disappeared into the shadows.
Doctor Gershin laughed to himself, grateful that the mutant turtle who had screwed up his plans was finally dead, and Gershin knew that the others were sure to join the turtle after his soldiers got ahold of them. Gershin pulled on the lock of the steel door that led to the outside, only to find it locked tightly. He growled, then pulled out the rifle he had found on the ground, and fired several shots at the lock. The loud noises startled the baby that was laying inside the duffel bag that sat across his shoulders, and she began to scream again. Gershin growled louder, then shook the bag back and forth as he ran outside.
" Shut up!" He yelled at the infant as he crossed over the metal walkway that hung over the great Niagara Falls. Gershin then smiled when he saw the tail end of his black helicopter that sat across the ridge from the falls, and he quickened his pace.
" Gershin!" A voice called out suddenly, and the doctor stopped dead in his tracks. His growling resumed as he turned around, and his eyes glowed brightly as he stared at Leonardo.
Leonardo returned the doctor's stare, then lifted one of his kantanas. " Hand her over, Gershin."
Gershin then let out a high-pitched laughter and held his stomach. " You have such a flair for the dramatic, Leonardo. You act as if you were some love-stricken hero from a Shakspere play!"
Leonardo blew out a heavy sigh and took another step forward. " I'm not fooling around, Gershin. Give the baby to me now, or I'll come over there and claim her myself!"
Gershin's laughter died down slowly and he wiped a tear from his eye. He then pulled the strap of the duffel bag over his head and extended it toward Leonardo, but the turtle didn't move.
" Oh, what's the matter?" Gershin teased. " Change your mind?" He then pulled out his rifle and began to fire, causing the baby to cry harder. Leonardo flipped up to the thin metal rail, then bounce back and forth as he neared closer to the doctor.
" Stay still!" Gershin screamed. The firing suddenly stopped, and Gershin screamed in frustration when he realized he was out of ammunition. He slammed the gun down, and it skidded across the walkway and plummeted down into the water below. As Gershin looked back up, Leonardo's right foot caught him in the face. The doctor fell back, and the duffel bac flew into the air. After placing the kick, Leonardo pushed off the tiger's face, flipped back over and landed squarely on the walkway, catching the straps of the bag with the blades of his swords.
"Leo!"
Leonardo turned to find Raphael standing below him at the doorway, his hands stretched out. Leonardo moved over to the sides of the railing and carefully slid the bag down into Raphael's waiting arms. Before Raphael turned around, he looked back up at Leonardo, who saw the tears building up in his brother's eyes, and Leonardo gave his brother a warm smile.
" Take care of yourself, Leo." Raphael returned the smile. " I'll get everyone outta here."
Leonardo said nothing, just nodded back in response. After Raphael disappeared, Leonardo turned and narrowed his eyes at the doctor as he began to stand back up. A slightly cold breeze from the falls below brushed across Leonardo's face as he moved closer to the tiger, readying himself to finally take down the mutant who had caused his family so much pain and suffering.
Gershin regained his footing, feeling slightly dizzy from the blow he had received. He saw the look of anger in the mutant turtle's eyes, and it only made a smile grow on his face. The tiger narrowed his eyes, flexed his clawed hands, then made a leap across the walkway, catching the turtle by surprise.
Down below them, Raphael and Donatello pushed open the hatch that led to the underground hell they had been in, and helped Linda as she pushed Michelangelo up. They carried him over to Leonardo's Jeep and sat him up against the back tire. Angie assisted Mandy out of the hole, then placed her down next to Michelangelo. Donatello reached into the Jeep and grabbed Leonardo's cell phone.
" Who are ya callin'?" Raphael asked as he knelt down next to Michelangelo.
" The Feds, that's who." Donatello finished punching the numbers, then held the phone to his ear. " I think they would be very happy to hear about a German base camp that sits under one of the biggest American tourist spots." His eyes went over the broken crowd below him and he smiled. " An ambulance would probably help too."
Raphael laughed as his eyes went over to Andrea, who was sleeping comfortably in Angie's arms. It was then that Angie's words came back to him, and as he watched Andrea sleep, Raphael realized that the 'great thing' that he had been searching for all of his life was finally here. He was finally happy, and he swore to himself that he wasn't going to let anyone take his happiness away ever again.
Donatello finished his phone call, and after placing the phone back into the Jeep, he turned around and noticed someone was gone.
" Where's Linda?"
The rest of them looked up and watched as Linda ran back over to the gated-off sidewalk that went around the lake below the falls. Raphael and Donatello followed her, but didn't bother to try to pull her away as she looked up to the metal walkway above them.
Leonardo brought his feet up to Gershin chest and pushed him off. He rolled over and jumped back to his feet, ignoring the blood that ran down from the scraps that sat just below his left eye. Gershin's tail twitched and his ears laid back, and Leonardo put up his swords as the tiger leaped at him again.
Gershin grabbed onto Leonardo, and he screamed in pain as Gershin pushed his claws into the turtle's green skin. The swords clattered to the ground, and Gershin threw Leonardo over his head and slammed the turtle onto the railing behind him. Leonardo cringed at the blow his shell received, but shook it off as he shoved his thumbs into Gershin's eyes. The tiger howled, releasing his hold on Leonardo. The turtle dropped down, catching himself on his feet, and lunged for his swords.
Gershin blindly stepped in Leonardo's way and pulled out another .45 from the inside of his right combat boot. Leonardo reached for the gun, knowing Gershin's vision was still too blurry to find him, and he wrapped his fingers around the barrel, almost sliding it out of the unsuspecting tiger's hand. Gershin pulled the gun back, jerking Leonardo toward him, and wrapped his other hand around Leonardo's. A tug-of-war game began as they both pulled against each other, and a low growl rose up from Gershin's throat as Leonardo shoved the gun into the air as Gershin pulled the trigger.
The gun was then pulled back down, and Leonardo could feel the sparks of the bullet hit his feet as another shot was fired at the walkway under them. He looked back into the glowing eyes of the tiger and saw the evil grin on his face.
" Four more left," Gershin chuckled. " And can you guess where I'm going to put them?"
Leonardo braced himself as Gershin pulled the gun back up and shoved it into Leonardo's abdomen, wrapping his furry finger tighter around the trigger, and as Leonardo pushed on the barrel and twisted Gershin's wrist, the gun fired all four of its remaining bullets.
Neither one of the mutants made a move nor spoke for what seemed like an eternity. Leonardo's ears were filled with the sounds of the rushing falls below him, and the distant scream of the woman he loved. He closed his eyes, letting his breath out slowly as he dropped his hands down from the gun. When he opened his eyes, he found Gershin's eyes glowing back at him, and the evil smile on his face had dropped.
" There was a quote I once read by one of your American journalists that I found quite amusing." Gershin said as the air staggered out of his mouth. " Would you like to hear it?"
Leonardo blinked his eyes, then nodded his head.
" ' Ein sterbeter Mann muss sterben, als ein schläfriger Mann schlafen muss, und dort kommt eine Zeit, wenn es falsch ist, sowie nutzlos, zu widerstehen' " Gershin then repeated the phrase in English. " 'A dying man needs to die, as a sleepy man needs to sleep, and there comes a time when it is wrong, as well as useless, to resist.' "
As Leonardo ran the words back through his head, Gershin suddenly slammed his claws into Leonardo's shoulders and dragged him over to the edge of the railing, using the last bit of energy he had to resist Leonardo's swinging legs. And while Leonardo tried to free himself from the doctor's grip, Gershin pushed both of their bodies over the railing and down into the rushing falls below.
When the shots fired, Linda felt her heart fall down to her feet, and the tears poured out of her eyes just as fast as the water fell down the cliff above them.
"NOOOOOOOO!" She screamed out in agony as Raphael stopped her from going up the staircase. Linda twisted her body around, and beat and kicked the turtle, but gave up when her tears overpowered her. She then sank into Raphael's embrace, and cried into the front of his ripped t-shirt. Raphael said nothing to her as he caressed her hair, trying to hold back the tears that were entering his eyes too. He sighed heavily as he closed his eyes.
"Holy shit."
Raphael and Linda turned around, both of them wondering what had made Donatello cuss. They followed his finger back up to the walkway, and they gasped in disbelief as both Leonardo and Gershin plummeted into the lake.
" Oh, dear god, no," Linda pushed herself out of Raphael's arms, then jumped over the wooden fence and raced down the shoreline. Donatello and Raphael chased after her, each of the hoping that their oldest brother was still alive.
" I can't see a damn thing!" Raphael said as he peered into the dark water in front of them.
" He has to be here." Linda's words came out in a whisper as her tears fell faster. " He promise me..."
" What's that over there?" Donatello pointed to an object that was floating in the water, and he pulled his flashlight out of his back pocket. After slamming it into his hand a few times, the light flickered on, and it shone brightly on the orange and white furry body that was floating face down in the murky water. Donatello moved the light around the body and shuddered at the blood that spilled from the doctor's chest area.
Linda looked out over the water as Donatello moved the flashlight around again, finding nothing else, and the lump in her throat became bigger.
" He's-he's-" Linda's sobbing took over her words, and she once again fell into Raphael's arms. Raphael felt his tears break through the invisible dam in his eyes, and he shared in Linda's crying.
" That stupid bastard," Raphael said through his sobs. " Why did he always have ta do shit like that?"
Donatello sniffed back a few tears as he patted Raphael's shell, and the three of them stared into the water.
Across from them, Leonardo sunk his fingers into the wet sand and he pulled himself up out of the water. He laid on his stomach, trying to regain his breath while he let the painful sting from hitting the water fade away. Leonardo then sat up and hung his head down between his knees as the swirling contents of his stomach stopped. He looked back up at the walkway high above his head, and he shuddered, blocking out the thoughts of how far he had just fallen.
Leonardo shuddered again as he stood up. He wrapped his arms around himself as a breeze ripped through his wet clothing and he followed the circling shoreline back to the parking lot. As he got closer, he saw Donatello, Raphael and Linda standing together near the edge of the water. He heard them all crying, and he raised an eyebrow as he moved closer to them without making a sound. Leonardo stood on Donatello's right side and looked down into the water at the floating dead body as they did, then back up into Donatello's face.
" Why are you guys crying?"
The three of them turned their heads all at once, and Leonardo couldn't help but a smile at the surprise in their eyes.
"You asshole!" Raphael smacked Leonardo's already sore shoulder. " Don't you ever pull that crap again!" He then grabbed Leonardo in a tight hug as did Donatello, then they moved back as Linda jumped into Leonardo's arms and wrapped her legs around him.
" I was so scared," Linda pressed her forehead against Leonardo's and caressed his face.
" Hey, I made a promise to you." He looked deep into her tear-filled eyes. " I intended on keeping that promise." Leonardo then kissed her deeply as the sounds of police sirens rang in the distance.
The sun poked out over the tree tops, and reflected of the roofs of the state police and FBI cars. Leonardo watched from the edge of the water as the rest of the Germans were pushed into a waiting FBI van, and the body of Doctor Gershin was pulled out of the lake. He sighed heavily, then moved his eyes over to his family. Michelangelo and Mandy were being loaded into separate ambulances, until Mandy refused to go and be treated unless she could ride with Michelangelo. Angie and Donatello sat in the back of the Jeep while an EMT staff member patched up the few cuts and scraps they had, and Leonardo smiled as Donatello leaned over and planted a shy kiss on Angie's cheek, and it caused her to blush. Raphael was sitting in another ambulance, holding onto Andrea as the EMT removed the bullet from his leg. Leonardo could see the warm look in Raphael's face, and he knew deep in his heart that his brother was going to be a great father.
Leonardo then down at Linda, and her tighten his grip on her hand. He stared into her face, then watched the reflected morning sunshine bounce off of her hair and her face, and Leonardo again felt like he was falling in love with her for the first time. Linda felt Leonardo's eyes on her, and she smiled as she returned his loving gaze.
" What?" Linda said as she bumped her hip against his.
Leonardo turned his eyes away and looked back at the sky, feeling a slight flush in his cheeks. Linda giggled, then slipped her hand free and wrapped her arms around Leonardo's neck. Leonardo returned her embrace, then had a thought. He quickly pulled away from her and shoved his hand into the left pocket of his soiled khaki pants. Leonardo took a deep breath, then grabbed Linda's hand as he dropped down to one knee.
" Leonardo, what are you doing?" Linda's eye grew wide and felt her heart skip a beat as Leonardo lifted up a small blue velvet box.
Leonardo cleared his throat, then spoke. " I was thinking I had do to do this somewhere romantic, someplace special, and make it something that you wouldn't forget. But, I don't think it matters where I do it. All that matters is how much I love you, and I want you to be with me for the rest of my life."
Linda's eyes doubled in size as Leonardo opened the box, and the shine of the diamond ring inside hit the tears of happiness that began to fall down her face.
Leonardo squeezed Linda's hand as he stared into her eyes. " Linda Evelyn Okasana, will you marry me?"
" Of course I will!" Linda shouted as she jumped back into Leonardo's waiting arms and they shared a long and deep kiss. After they pulled away, they smiled and giggled at one another happily, until Raphael's familiar angry voice rang out over the tops of the trees.
"THOSE SHITHEADS DID WHAT TO MY CAR!"