A/N: I'll talk more in the end Author Note.

Chapter 10

The Rescue

Chris lifted his large head and scented the air. He was making his way cautiously down one of the many corridors in the laboritory, searching for the turtles. It had been at least a couple of hours since they had set out, and he was worried. His ears pricked up; a lab assisstent pushing a trolley rounded a corner. Chris jumped upward, claws digging into the plaster of the ceiling and wedging there.

The assisstent shuffled underneath the giant wolf, humming a tune. He disappeared up the corridor, his footsteps echoing eerily. Chris dislodged his claws and fell to the floor with a muffled thump. He set off down the hallway once more, determined to find his terepin friends and Akasha.

He passed rows of doorways and closets, evading the small groups of workers that appeared from time to time. He found the security room, a large space occupied by numerous screens showing the views of video cameras all over the building. He opened the door and went cautiously inside, checking for any human inhabitance. Satisfied that he was alone, the mutant locked the door and settled his bulk into a swivel chair, turning his attention to the TV screens, tucking his spiked tail behind him.

His search pulled up nothing, however. He was not surprised; his friends were ninja's, after all. They would have no difficulty in hiding from the painfully obvious security cameras. He leaned back in the chair, brow furrowed thoughtfully. The chair groaned in protest to the sudden shift of immense weight.

"Perhaps they have already left," Chris mused out loud. "And forgot to tell me. But where would they have gone?"

Only then did he remember the small, green Shell Cell his new friends had presented him with before they had departed. He unhooked it from his belt and flipped it open. He clumsily dialled Leonardo's cell phone number, using his claws as opposed to his fingers, which were too big to press the correct button. He finally managed it and waited while it rang.

"Hello?" The voice sounded as if it's breath was laboured. Chris instantly became worried.

"Leonardo? Are you alright?"

"Oh, fine… just… running, out of… breath," came the reply. "Going to… Shredder's – Oroku Saki's – building to get… Akasha's mother," Leo panted. "Where are… you?"

"I am in the security room in Dr. Andrew's laboritory," Chris answered, relieved that his friend was not hurt. "You did not tell me you had left."

"I'm… sorry," Leo apologized. "We got… caught up in helping Akasha. Long story. Listen… a pair of men called… Mr. Touch and Mr. Go are in the building… trying to steal some vital information concerning Dr. Andrew's mutations. They… must be stopped. Can you… prevent them from leaving the building?" Leo described what the duo looked like to the wolf-mutant. Chris agreed to intercept them and stop them from leaving. He exited the room.

Akasha hated her powers with a passion, but she did have to admit they came in handy. She was able to keep up with the turtles easily and not be too out of breath. She was careful to fake bouts of exhaustion now and again, so that they would not be too suspicious.

"Aren't you tired?" Michelangelo's panted querrie interrupted her thoughts.

"A bit," Akasha replied, giving a huge artificial gasp for effect. Mikey raised an eyeridge.

"You were really fast when we tailed you before. Y'know, just before we met Chris," Mikey scruntinized her, as if seeing her for the first time. "How do you do it?"

"I'm just as tired as you are," she retorted. "I just hide it better."

Mikey opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by the line of roofs they were running along ending abruptly. He skidded to a stop and bent double, wheezing.

"I… hate… running," he complained as he regained breath enough for talk.

"You hate everything," Akasha informed him tartly. "Except pizza and comics."

"And TV," Mikey added with a goofy grin.

"There it is," Leo came up beside them, his ice-blue eyes fixed on the towering building before them: The Shredder's headquarters.

"Yeah, let's jus' get in, find Dr. Andrews, an' get the shell out," Raph growled, eyeing the building with loathing. "The place gives me the creeps."

"Aww, is wittle Waphie scwared?" Mikey cooed in a mock-baby voice. Raph smacked him upside the head, drawing a yell of pain from the orange-clad turtle.

"You do ask for it, ya know," Akasha smirked.

"Humph," Mikey scowled, rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"Enough, let's go," Leo ordered. They jumped to the ground and snuck over to the building. Donatello pryed open a metal plate and fiddled with a clump of multi-coloured wires.

"You doin' your geek thing?" Casey asked.

"Yeah, I'm doing my geek thing," Don replied, shooting the man a contemptuous glance. He snipped off a wire and the huge set of double doors opened. "I think my geek thing is pretty good." He strode into the building.

"What's bitin' him?" Casey asked in confusion.

"Let's just hurry up," Akasha interjected, changing the subject to one less dangerous. They all followed the purple-wearing terepin.

Inside the building, they crept along as quickly as they dared, keeping to the shadows. Once a trio of Foot went past, but they were comfortable in their own territory, and did not notice the turtles or their human friends.

"Let's get in that elevator," Leo pointed to the set of metal doors at the bottom of the hall. As they readied themselves to make a break for the elevator, a group of Foot – about fifteen in all – appeared from around a corner. The turtles dropped into fighting crouches, pulling their weapons loose. Casey yanked out his baseball bat and tapped it threateningly on his palm.

Akasha's eyes flicked left and right; they were sorely out-numbered. If they could hold them off long enough for them to get inside the elevator, there wouldn't be a problem, but she wasn't sure they could do that.

Leo tripped at Foot ninja and disarmed a second, slicing the sensetive bunch of muscles behind his knee. He dropped with a howl. The turtle whacked a third opponent on the head with the handle of his katana and whipped around, searching for a new target.

A ninja ran at Akasha, brandishing a chigiriki. She ducked the chain and grabbed the handle, pulling it from her advesary's hands. She punched him in the face and he fell to the ground. She stepped over his unconsious form to engage another ninja with the chigiriki's chain whirling above her head.

"Retreat!" Leo called as he bashed a Foot ninja on the head. "To the elevator! NOW!"

Casey kicked his foe in the stomach and ran toward Leonardo, panting. Raphael and Michelangelo followed. Donatello pounded the ninja in front of him on the head one more time before following, sheathing his Bo staff. Akasha tossed the enemy's chigiriki on the floor and lept into the elevator just as the doors closed.

"Phew!" Mikey grinned. "Good fight, dudes and dudette!"

"Where'd you learn to use a chigiriki like that?" Leo wanted to know, looking at Akasha.

"I can do martial arts. I always used a chigiriki, it was my favorite weapon." She explained with a shrug.

The elevator shuddered to stop on the top floor; Shredder's chambers were on this level. The turtles, Casey and Akasha snuck out of the elevator and hurried along the passageway, searching for a door that looked like a cell door.

"This ain't any good!" Raph exploded. "All the doors look the same! We're never gonna find Ash's mom at this rate!"

"Calm down, Raph," Leo said. "We'll find her."

Akasha lagged behind the others, deep in thought. When a hand came out from a dark niche in the wall, she was unprepared. The hand was clapped over her mouth, preventing her from screaming. A knife's blade was pressed against her throat.

"Keep silent, girl," a voice hissed in her ear. "Or you will regret it." Akasha nodded carefully, to show she understood. The hand pulled her into a room. A wad of cloth was shoved in her face; the fumes of the cloth entered her nose, making her dizzy.

They're drugging me, she thought sleepily, before she fell into blackness.

Raph was the first to notice Akasha's absence. At first he decided she must be at the front with Leo, but she wasn't. He approached Leo.

"Where'd Akasha go?" he inquired.

"We thought she was with you," Leo said, puzzled.

"We have to find her," Raph frowned.

"Aww, is Raphie worried about Akasha?" Mikey grinned. He ducked Raph's swipe at his head.

"Don't call me 'Raphie'," Raph snarled.

"We'll continue down here and see if we can't find her mother," Leo said. "Then we'll double back and find Akasha. She can take care of herself in the meantime."

Raph nodded reluctantly.

They followed the corridor. They reached a metal door with a guard outside. Leo took care of him while Don managed to open the door.

It was empty.

"Damn!" Raph swore.

"We have to find the Shredder," Leo stated grimly. "I'll bet Quicksilver that he's behind Akasha disappearing."

"You are smarter than you look."

They spun around; Hun leaned on the doorjamb, casually pointing a Federation blaster at them.

"Ah, four freaks and a human," Hun said idly. "Are you looking for your other freak friend?"

"She's NOT a freak!" Raph took a threatening step forward; Hun's finger hit the trigger; a huge blast ripped the wall behind them apart. Raph didn't move.

"The Master will want to see you." Hun smiled cruelly. He snapped his fingers. Foot ninja's swarmed into the room, snatching their weapons away and tying their hands behind their backs.

"Come. Master Shredder is waiting." Hun led the company out of the room, dragging the others behind them.

Shredder paced his chambers, face unreadable behind his metal helmet. He slashed at a curtain impatiently with the two curved blades on his right hand; the fabric fell to the ground, its edges frayed.

"Where is Hun?" he said to himself.

"Right here, Master," Hun came into the room, hauling Raph by the shoulder. He threw the turtle onto the floor with a contemptuous snort. Leo, Don, Mikey and Casey were escorted by Foot ninja's. "We obtained the terepin freaks and their human friend with the hockey mask."

"Very good, Hun. Now I can dispose of them once and for all!" Shredder laughed evilly, throwing back his helmetted head.

Raph rolled forward, kicking out at the Shredder's stomach, where the Utrom resided. Shredder jumped out of the way.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," he hissed. "Your friend is in peril." He motioned to a cage at the far end of the room. Akasha lay there, bound and gagged.

"Akasha!" Raph yelled.

Shredder chuckled. "Unless you surrender, she will be killed," he informed them.

"Why, you…!"

Shredder flicked his wrist; Foot ninja's came forward and pulled Raphael back.

"Perhaps I should tell you why I have captured her." Shredder said. "With her powers I shall be unbeatable! I will be immortal, invincible, more so than I already am! Even those cursed Utrom's could not stop me, with her on my side."

Akasha gave a muffled yell.

"What powers?" Raph asked blankly.

"She hasn't told you?" Shredder advanced on the cage. He thrust his arm through the bars and sliced at the girl's face, opening a shallow gash across her right cheek.

Raph attempted to throw off his guards to run to Akasha's aid, but Shredder stepped aside, motioning for the turtles and Casey to watch. They turned to look at Akasha in spite of themselves. The awful cut began to shrink. It shrank and shrank until it could not be seen. It had healed itself. Akasha looked away, as if ashamed of what had just happened.

"You see?" Shredder asked. "With her on my side, I can never be harmed. Any injuries I sustain will be mended instantly! I will be unbeatable!" He cackled evilly.

Leo was inching his right hand, which had been poorly bound, toward the belt knife of the ninja holding him. Akasha noticed his attempts and managed to rip the gag off; Shredder's blade had cut through the cloth as well as her flesh.

"I'll never work for you!" she yelled, trying to keep him talking. Leo's hand was inches from the knife.

"On the contrary, my dear," Shredder said silkily. "You will do whatever I want." He snapped his fingers of his left hand and a couple of Foot ninja's came out of the shadows at the base of a pillar. They supported an unconsious Dr. Andrews. "If you don't, your mother will suffer the consequences."

Akasha's blood ran cold.

Leo grabbed the knife. The Foot ninja, absorbed in the conversation, had been lax on his hold of the turtle's wrists. All it took was a quick twist and Leo was free, the belt knife firmly in his grasp. He deftly flicked the blade against the rope, cutting his hands free. He likewise severed his brothers' bonds.

"You fool! Stop them!" Shredder screeched.

Raph raced over to Akasha's cage. He found the catch on the door and pulled it open, before stepping inside, untying Akasha's handcuffs, and scrambling outside with her again.

"Karai!" Shredder barked an order. A tall, slim woman with a katana came out of the shadows.

"Yes, Master?"

"Finish them," Shredder hissed. "For good!"

Karai launched into battle. Leo saw her and jumped to meet her, the knife in his hand. Metal clanged on metal; they landed on the ground, panting, their blades vibrating from the impact.

"Oh no, not Karai!" Raph groaned. "We'll never get out of here!" He found Casey wresting his baseball bat out of a Foot ninja's grip.

"Take that!" Casey yelled, twacking the ninja on the head for the third time. The black-clad warrior fell to the floor, unconcious.

"Yo, Case," Raph punched his friend on the shoulder in a friendly mannor. "We gotta get the Fearless Leader outta here before he an' Karai rip each other to pieces." He pointed to a secluded corner of the room where Leo and Karai dueled with ferocity, despite Leonardo's undersized weapon.

"I'm on it!" Casey nodded and entered the fray, bashing ninja's left and right in order to get to Leo.

"You go and help. I'll be fine." Akasha kicked a ninja in the stomach for emphesis and nicked his nunchuku before turning and knocking out another foe.

"I don't know," Raph said doubtfully.

"I'll be fine. Go. Now." Akasha didn't give him time to argue; she hooked her leg around a Foot ninja's ankle and brought him crashing to the floor before whirling and banging another ninja smartly on the head. Raph reluctantly left to aid Leo; Akasha didn't see him depart, being in the thick of combat, fending off blows and dealing them out just as fast.

"C'mon, Leo, we're goin'!" Casey was trying to pursuade the blue-banded turtle to leave from the sidelines, avoiding Karai as best he could. Raph came over and yelled to his brother, "Let's go, Fearless Leader! I think Donnie needs some help." He pointed to where a group of Foot ninja's had cornered the purple-clad turtle against a wall. Just as they saw this, though, Akasha whizzed past, nunchuku raised. The ninja's saw her too late; she smashed into them with enough force to send them sprawling, before whipping around, spotting Raph and Casey. She raced over and joined them her hazel eyes alight with battle fever.

"I'm going to finish this!" Leo cried. "Once and for all, Karai, choose; will you do the honorable thing, or the cowardly thing?"

"I will to the honorable thing Leonardo," Karai called. "By obeying my master, the Shredder!" She fell upon the terepin, viciously slashing at him with her katana.

"They're like this every time," Raph muttered to Akasha out the corner of his mouth.

Akasha looked over to where her mother was being carefully guarded by Foot ninjas. "We'll never get to my mother without Leo." She turned to the fight and raised her hands; a blackish, irredescent electricity shot from her hands to envelope Karai. The woman's eyes fluttered and she dropped; her katana fell from her hand to clatter on the floor. Leo's jaw dropped.

"What happened?" he whispered.

"I put her to sleep," Akasha informed him. Karai was indeed snoring lightly. "See? Now we can go."

"How didja do that?" Raph asked, eyes wide.

"I have… erm… powers," Akasha explained haltingly. "Like what happened when the Shredder cut me. I have powers of healing. Sleeping is one of 'em."

Leo sheathed his katana's and turned to Akasha.

"Using sorcery to win a fight is not honerable," he said slowly. Akasha made a face.

"You think I don't know that?" she wanted to know. "That's one of the reasons I hate my powers so much. It's dishonerable." She sighed, and her shoulder's slumped. Raph glared at Leo.

"Hey, Raph, think fast!" Don yelled; Raph whirled around and caught his twin sai's by the hilts. Leo likewise caught his katana's, thrusting the knife into his belt.

Shredder was duelling Michelangelo; Mikey was losing.

"We have gotta get out of here!" Akasha said. She scanned the room. "You guys help me get my mom, then let's go!"

"I here ya there!" Casey agreed whole-heartedly, pausing in his thorough pummeling of a Foot ninja to glance at Dr. Andrew's prone form.

The group made their way toward Akasha's mother, cutting through the crowd of ninja's. Akasha sent beams of electricity at them, sending waves of them to the floor, fast asleep. They reached Dr. Andrew's, and sliced their way efficiently through her guards. Raph hoisted her unconcious form onto his shoulder and turned to the door. Leo bellowed, "DON! MIKE! We're leaving, c'mon!" and followed. Akasha brought up the rear. She cast a glance around her; chaos reigned, ninja's exchanging blows with Don and Mikey, whome were both retreating, panting hard. She heard Raph shout something, then felt a strange thudding sensation in her chest. She looked down. A black arrow was protruding, blood streaming around it, soaking her shirt. A ninja with a bow and quiver of arrows stood a little way off, she noticed.

A burning, prickling sensation quickly spread up her, starting at the horrible wound. Even as she felt it, she knew it was too late. Her fingers felt numb, her ears roared, and she fell into a black void. The last thing she heard was Raphael screaming…

A/N: First of all... please don't hate me for the cliffie! (sobs) Second of all, do you think I should change the rating to T? I can't decide. By the way, special thanks to Canadian Pierate Queen and virtual wenrog for helping me with the story. I couldn't have done it without you guys! I'll try to update as quickly as possible, next time.