Chapter Three ~ Followed
Sarah smiled as she limped down the sewer. Her friends had always been pranksters, even Leena occasionally got in on the act. They were young and foolish. She didn't turn or say anything. She was waiting anticipating. The smile vanished as she realised the person following her wasn't one of her friends. She missed them so much. She shook her head to clear it. Her mind was playing tricks - it wasn't possible that this person behind her was a turtle, it's not possible! She thought. TGRI had closed after the incident in Sydney, they didn't exist.... Sarah knew that she had to ditch whoever was following her.
She slowly climbed the nearest manhole and replaced the cover and stood on it while she had a good look around. She had popped up a couple of blocks from her room. She smiled. The alley was full of shadows. She ran to a doorway and hid in the shadow. The doorway was a back entrance to a restaurant she knew. She turned her sights to the manhole. Sure enough, a few minutes later it opened and the person climbed out and looked around. Sarah took it as her cue to leave and silently opened the door and slid inside.
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Raph cursed himself as he walked back to the sewer den. Leo wasn't going to be happy. He opened the door and hung his trenchcoat and fedora. His brothers looked up at him from the television set as he walked into their livingroom.
"And?" Leo asked, standing up.
"What?"
"Did she get home okay?"
"Sorta"
"Sorta? What kind of answer is that? She did or did she not get home okay?" Leo put his hands on his hips and frowned, he was getting angry fast.
"I don't know!" Raph muttered quietly.
" 'Suse me? Did I hear you correctly? What happened, did you lose her or something?" It was going to get ugly. Mike and Don looked at one another and backed out of the room.
"I couldn't help it, she stood on the manhole cover, what did you want me to do? Throw her off? You said follow. So I did!" Raph's anger had started to build, and now the two were almost at breaking point. Leo saw that the situation wasn't going anywhere. He took a deep breath, trying to remain focused.
"What happened after that?" he asked in a quieter and calmer tone.
"She got off and vanished" Raph replied. He too, was trying to stay calm - something that he wasn't any good at.
"Vanished?" Leo's anger was again at boiling point... Raph always had to push the wrong buttons.
"Yeah, within a matter of minutes she was gone..." that was it! Leo couldn't contain his anger.
"I can't believe you! All you had to do was follow her... how hard could that have been? And you couldn't even..."
"Leonardo!" Both turtles turned to see their Master standing in the doorway.
"Enough! You mentioned that she was ninja. Maybe she did not want to be followed." Leonardo lowered his eyes to the ground realising that Splinter was right. HE had acted too quickly without thinking.
"And as for you Raphael, try harder"
"But I..." Raph answered in protest.
"Enough!" Raphael threw his hands down in frustration and walked out of the sewer den, slamming the door behind him. Splinter shook his head. So much anger...
"Kids!"
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Sarah hid in the corridor and readied herself. After a few minutes she relaxed when she realised that the person wasn't coming after her. Quietly she opened the door and slid into the alley. This time it was her turn to follow. Know your foe her sensei's words rung in her ears. She was hurt, she was in pain, but Sarah had a feeling that there was more to the person than meets the eye. She knew that she would have to cope somehow. She took a deep breath and focused on the situation at hand. She hid behind an aluminium trash can and watched. The figure was wearing a trenchcoat and fedora and was shuffling his feet and cursing himself out loud. She smiled. His annoyance was preoccupying his thoughts. She knew that she would follow him undetected.
"Damn! Leo's gonna kill me..." Sarah and the stranger both turned as a trash can hit the ground. Sarah remained hidden, though the stranger pulled something out from under his trenchcoat and went into a fighting stance. Sarah's eyes narrowed as she looked at the weapon in his hand. In the shadows it looked like... a large fork.
"Sai" Sarah muttered under her breath. The pain had started up again, and she let out a soft groan. Maybe I shouldn't do this... no I have to, with a weapon like that, I need to know, I have to be sure she thought. After a minute a cat meowed and jumped off a dumpster. The stranger relaxed and replaced his sai back underneath the trenchcoat.
"Bloody cat!" he muttered as he reached for the manhole cover. Raph was irritated and annoyed. He knew that he wouldn't hear the end of it, and he also knew that Leo was going to lecture him on his failure, something which he didn't feel up to right now. After a minute of walking through the sewer, he sensed a presence and spun around. Sarah stuck to the shadows and swallowed hard. Damn he's good! She knew that she would have to be more careful. Even though his mind was clouded with anger, HE had still known. She had seriously underestimated him. Now she was really curious as to who this man was.
Raph looked around the empty sewer again. Nothing. He turned and took a few more steps foward, then stopped again. He could sense someone and the feeling was nagging at him. He turned around again. This time he backtracked. He saw a doorway blanked by shadows and drew both of his sai. It was the perfect hiding spot. Sarah held her breath as she watched the figure below her pounce into the doorway. The same spot she had been only moments before. She had managed to crab hold of some piping above her and had silently hoisted herself up. She lay still and prayed that he didn't look up. Sarah knew the he could sense her. From the weapons he was carrying and his quick reflexes, she now knew that he too was ninja, just like her.
The futher into the sewer the man walked, the further away Sarah had started to fall behind. Her head was pounding and now her arm had started to tingle. When the figure reached a door and walked in the room beyond, Sarah waited and watched. It was an odd place for someone to go. After a minute she crept up to the door and listened. The voices were muffled, but she picked up on an arguement. That was her cue to leave. Whoever was in trouble, would more than likely storm out - she would have done so under the same circumstance. Sarah turned and headed for the nearest ladder, the voices fading with each step she took.
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Sarah cursed herself as she reached for the handle. She was in pain and shouldn't have let her curiousity get the better of her. Some things are better left alone she thought, but then again it was a weird coincedence that a ninja just happened to tail me. She knew that tomorrow she was going to pay for what she had done. Just thinking about how sore she would be in the morning made her quiver.
As soon as she stepped into the room, she knew that she wasn't alone. Apart from the fact that she could sense a presence, she could smell cigarette smoke. Sarah reached for the light switch and quickly spun around.
"It's about bloody time" a female voice said. Sarah paused, the voice was familar.
"I heard what happened, god you look like shit!" The girl before her was dressed all in black. She stood and stumped the cigarette in the ash tray. Sarah stared at her for a moment. The girl infront of her had grown, and had changed in more ways than one.
"Jesse?" Sarah's vision had now started to swim and she placed her palm on the wall to steady herself.
"Hey it's been a while" Jessica looked at her sister and rushed to her side as she realised that she was about to pass out. She had seen that look more than once. She crabbed hold of Sarah's shoulders just as her legs gave in. Jessica slowly helped Sarah to her bed.
"How'd you know?" Jessica ignored Sarah's question, crabbing the lamp on the bedside table and brought it closer to Sarah's face. She frowned as she reached for the first aid kit, which she knew was in the top drawer. Sarah's grazed cheek was already swollen. It was covered in dirt and sewer mud.
"You didn't answer me" Sarah demanded.
"It doesn't matter now, shut up and keep still while I patch you up!" Sarah looked into her sister's eyes. She saw the same kindess in them which she had from when she was younger, but there also was something else. Sarah snapped out of her train of thought.
"Damn that hurts!" She gritted her teeth as Jessica cleaned the muck of her cheek with some antiseptic.
"You're lucky it ain't that bad, I've seen worse" Yeah like a broken nose, she thought.
~ Chapter Four ~ Up Soon!
Sarah smiled as she limped down the sewer. Her friends had always been pranksters, even Leena occasionally got in on the act. They were young and foolish. She didn't turn or say anything. She was waiting anticipating. The smile vanished as she realised the person following her wasn't one of her friends. She missed them so much. She shook her head to clear it. Her mind was playing tricks - it wasn't possible that this person behind her was a turtle, it's not possible! She thought. TGRI had closed after the incident in Sydney, they didn't exist.... Sarah knew that she had to ditch whoever was following her.
She slowly climbed the nearest manhole and replaced the cover and stood on it while she had a good look around. She had popped up a couple of blocks from her room. She smiled. The alley was full of shadows. She ran to a doorway and hid in the shadow. The doorway was a back entrance to a restaurant she knew. She turned her sights to the manhole. Sure enough, a few minutes later it opened and the person climbed out and looked around. Sarah took it as her cue to leave and silently opened the door and slid inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Raph cursed himself as he walked back to the sewer den. Leo wasn't going to be happy. He opened the door and hung his trenchcoat and fedora. His brothers looked up at him from the television set as he walked into their livingroom.
"And?" Leo asked, standing up.
"What?"
"Did she get home okay?"
"Sorta"
"Sorta? What kind of answer is that? She did or did she not get home okay?" Leo put his hands on his hips and frowned, he was getting angry fast.
"I don't know!" Raph muttered quietly.
" 'Suse me? Did I hear you correctly? What happened, did you lose her or something?" It was going to get ugly. Mike and Don looked at one another and backed out of the room.
"I couldn't help it, she stood on the manhole cover, what did you want me to do? Throw her off? You said follow. So I did!" Raph's anger had started to build, and now the two were almost at breaking point. Leo saw that the situation wasn't going anywhere. He took a deep breath, trying to remain focused.
"What happened after that?" he asked in a quieter and calmer tone.
"She got off and vanished" Raph replied. He too, was trying to stay calm - something that he wasn't any good at.
"Vanished?" Leo's anger was again at boiling point... Raph always had to push the wrong buttons.
"Yeah, within a matter of minutes she was gone..." that was it! Leo couldn't contain his anger.
"I can't believe you! All you had to do was follow her... how hard could that have been? And you couldn't even..."
"Leonardo!" Both turtles turned to see their Master standing in the doorway.
"Enough! You mentioned that she was ninja. Maybe she did not want to be followed." Leonardo lowered his eyes to the ground realising that Splinter was right. HE had acted too quickly without thinking.
"And as for you Raphael, try harder"
"But I..." Raph answered in protest.
"Enough!" Raphael threw his hands down in frustration and walked out of the sewer den, slamming the door behind him. Splinter shook his head. So much anger...
"Kids!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sarah hid in the corridor and readied herself. After a few minutes she relaxed when she realised that the person wasn't coming after her. Quietly she opened the door and slid into the alley. This time it was her turn to follow. Know your foe her sensei's words rung in her ears. She was hurt, she was in pain, but Sarah had a feeling that there was more to the person than meets the eye. She knew that she would have to cope somehow. She took a deep breath and focused on the situation at hand. She hid behind an aluminium trash can and watched. The figure was wearing a trenchcoat and fedora and was shuffling his feet and cursing himself out loud. She smiled. His annoyance was preoccupying his thoughts. She knew that she would follow him undetected.
"Damn! Leo's gonna kill me..." Sarah and the stranger both turned as a trash can hit the ground. Sarah remained hidden, though the stranger pulled something out from under his trenchcoat and went into a fighting stance. Sarah's eyes narrowed as she looked at the weapon in his hand. In the shadows it looked like... a large fork.
"Sai" Sarah muttered under her breath. The pain had started up again, and she let out a soft groan. Maybe I shouldn't do this... no I have to, with a weapon like that, I need to know, I have to be sure she thought. After a minute a cat meowed and jumped off a dumpster. The stranger relaxed and replaced his sai back underneath the trenchcoat.
"Bloody cat!" he muttered as he reached for the manhole cover. Raph was irritated and annoyed. He knew that he wouldn't hear the end of it, and he also knew that Leo was going to lecture him on his failure, something which he didn't feel up to right now. After a minute of walking through the sewer, he sensed a presence and spun around. Sarah stuck to the shadows and swallowed hard. Damn he's good! She knew that she would have to be more careful. Even though his mind was clouded with anger, HE had still known. She had seriously underestimated him. Now she was really curious as to who this man was.
Raph looked around the empty sewer again. Nothing. He turned and took a few more steps foward, then stopped again. He could sense someone and the feeling was nagging at him. He turned around again. This time he backtracked. He saw a doorway blanked by shadows and drew both of his sai. It was the perfect hiding spot. Sarah held her breath as she watched the figure below her pounce into the doorway. The same spot she had been only moments before. She had managed to crab hold of some piping above her and had silently hoisted herself up. She lay still and prayed that he didn't look up. Sarah knew the he could sense her. From the weapons he was carrying and his quick reflexes, she now knew that he too was ninja, just like her.
The futher into the sewer the man walked, the further away Sarah had started to fall behind. Her head was pounding and now her arm had started to tingle. When the figure reached a door and walked in the room beyond, Sarah waited and watched. It was an odd place for someone to go. After a minute she crept up to the door and listened. The voices were muffled, but she picked up on an arguement. That was her cue to leave. Whoever was in trouble, would more than likely storm out - she would have done so under the same circumstance. Sarah turned and headed for the nearest ladder, the voices fading with each step she took.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sarah cursed herself as she reached for the handle. She was in pain and shouldn't have let her curiousity get the better of her. Some things are better left alone she thought, but then again it was a weird coincedence that a ninja just happened to tail me. She knew that tomorrow she was going to pay for what she had done. Just thinking about how sore she would be in the morning made her quiver.
As soon as she stepped into the room, she knew that she wasn't alone. Apart from the fact that she could sense a presence, she could smell cigarette smoke. Sarah reached for the light switch and quickly spun around.
"It's about bloody time" a female voice said. Sarah paused, the voice was familar.
"I heard what happened, god you look like shit!" The girl before her was dressed all in black. She stood and stumped the cigarette in the ash tray. Sarah stared at her for a moment. The girl infront of her had grown, and had changed in more ways than one.
"Jesse?" Sarah's vision had now started to swim and she placed her palm on the wall to steady herself.
"Hey it's been a while" Jessica looked at her sister and rushed to her side as she realised that she was about to pass out. She had seen that look more than once. She crabbed hold of Sarah's shoulders just as her legs gave in. Jessica slowly helped Sarah to her bed.
"How'd you know?" Jessica ignored Sarah's question, crabbing the lamp on the bedside table and brought it closer to Sarah's face. She frowned as she reached for the first aid kit, which she knew was in the top drawer. Sarah's grazed cheek was already swollen. It was covered in dirt and sewer mud.
"You didn't answer me" Sarah demanded.
"It doesn't matter now, shut up and keep still while I patch you up!" Sarah looked into her sister's eyes. She saw the same kindess in them which she had from when she was younger, but there also was something else. Sarah snapped out of her train of thought.
"Damn that hurts!" She gritted her teeth as Jessica cleaned the muck of her cheek with some antiseptic.
"You're lucky it ain't that bad, I've seen worse" Yeah like a broken nose, she thought.
~ Chapter Four ~ Up Soon!