A/N: I know this is naughty –slaps self on wrist- but I've quoted a few lyrics from a song in this chapter. The song is 'Silence' by Delerium and if anybody takes exception to this detail then please just let me know and I will re-write it, with profuse apologies. Though I'm getting bored with just quoting song titles… and I confirmed the correct lyrics from a couple of freely accessible web sites! For those who are familiar with this tune, I have deliberately left the chorus out; Mike is basically talking over the top of it. That doesn't mean it has any less significance than the rest of the song in its entirety.
Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.
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"Darn!" Leo cursed as a tune from his belt over-rode the engine noise.
'Give me release
Witness me
I am outside
Give me peace'
"Dude, you have got to change your ring tone. You need some thing way more upbeat!" Mike earned a light frown from Leo. Trying to fish his Shell-cell out of his belt pocket, from under his coat, whilst driving, was distracting enough without running commentary.
'Passion choke the flower
Until she cries no more'
"Got it!" Leo held up his prize triumphantly.
"Chuck it here!" Raph practically demanded. Leo didn't argue, happy to toss the handset over his shoulder and return his attention to the road.
"He… Hello?" Raph asked hesitantly, scowling at Mikes' quirked eye ridge.
"Raph? Is that you? I thought I called Leo…" Raph slumped in what he almost convinced himself was relief.
"Yeah, Ape. It's me, Leo's drivin'. What's up?"
"Could you tell Casey to pick up some milk on his way ho… Hang on. Leo's driving? In the van?"
"Yeah!" Raph sarcastically confirmed the obvious.
"Where to?"
"Your place, of course! Sheesh!" Raph rubbed his fore head, wondering why April's IQ had suddenly dropped a few hundred points.
"But… Casey said you'd said you couldn't get the van going… He left a little while ago, to drop Tau off to you guys."
Raph froze as dreaded possibilities paraded through his brain.
"No." he whispered.
"Yes." April insisted. Raph closed his eyes, but that just made the images clearer.
"No." he moaned.
"Yes." April was adamant, and starting to sound a little irate.
"Why would Casey lie to me about something like tha…? Oh. He wouldn't… Raph, you don't think…?"
"I'm gonna kill 'im."
"Raph! Wai…!" Slamming the phone shut in his fist Raph launched himself as far over the back of Leos' chair as his seat belt would allow.
"Leo! We have to get to Purple Dragon Headquarters. NOW!"
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"Eargh, bla!" Casey tried to clear the grit from his mouth, wiping his eyes clear of the muck in time to see Hun closing in.
"FORE!" he tried to swing his golf club at his visible adversary's head, his blow ruined by an unseen punch to his ribs forcing him to involuntarily yank his arm back. A kick to the back of his legs had him on his knees, though he managed to strike backwards with the handle of his
club, satisfied with the wheezing grunt that action caused.
He had pretty much always been good in a rumble, but he had learnt a thing or two from his friends. Securing the club across his back with the crooks of his arms he managed to swivel on one knee in a move Don would have been proud to see. It won him the chance to gain his feet once more, but he was starting to think reinforcements could come in handy right about now. Surely after all the times the Turtles had gone against the odds to fish him out of whatever mess he'd gotten himself into it wasn't to much to hope, pray, beg they'd somehow save his butt this time? Was it?
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"Calm down Raph!" Leo ordered in response to the back of his seat being thumped, again.
"You shoulda just cut in front of that guy Leo! We don't have time to hang about! Damn it! Let me drive, will ya?"
"NO!" the chorus from his three brothers elicited a growl and impressive string of curses.
"We're headed the wrong way anyway." Don stated calmly from in front of the tracking computer "You need to take the next right Leo." He was curious as to why Raphs' signal was adjacent to Caseys' on the screen, but figuring there was enough for them to worry about right now, without Leo going nuts over what he would probably consider a security breach, he didn't bother to mention it just yet.
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Tausha walked down the busy street as calmly as she could, fighting the urge to run and hoping no-one would take any notice of her tousled hair, battered face or dangling right arm she was trying to hold still to her side with her left. This was New York right? There was weirder stuff than her on the streets every day. The people she passed seemed to agree, most ignoring her outright, a few shying away slightly. She was still wearing the old over-coat, so she figured she just looked like another homeless kid anyway.
Reaching the end of the block she hung back in the lee of the building, wondering which way to go. Where could she go? She wasn't even sure where she was, though from the size of the towers surrounding her she guessed somewhere in Manhattan. Deciding not to brave the brighter light and bustle of the intersection she swung left.
It was a clear night, with a chill breeze cutting through the streets. Walking directly into it Taushas' cheeks stung with the cold as she reached a narrow alley. Ducking in to escape the wind she rubbed her face, realising her situation wasn't being helped by the wetness on her cheeks. Tears of frustration joined those caused by the pain in her arm as she leant back against the grubby wall, feeling utterly alone.
After wallowing in self-pity for a moment she decided to pull herself together with a quick shake of her head to clear it. She wasn't sure just what had happened to her shoulder; just that it hurt like hell. Trying to figure out the extent of the damage she tentatively wriggled her fingers. That checked out OK, so gritting her teeth she gingerly pushed against her hip. Yep, that hurt. A lot. The problem seemed to be right at the joint, but whether it was broken or not, she couldn't tell. There was already a bit of swelling and it was too tender to touch directly.
Closing her eyes she concentrated on breathing whilst the pain of her investigations eased a little. Slowly she realised her hand was resting on something in her pocket where she had pushed against her hip. Confusion furrowed her brow for a moment before she gently clunked the back of her head against the wall.
"Idiot!" she breathed in relief, the difficulty of trying to fish in her right pocket with her left hand not enough to wipe the smile from her face.
Pulling out the phone she managed to figure out the catch to open it fairly quickly. Then she was stymied. The buttons weren't set out like any other mobile she'd ever seen, and little white flecks here and there were testament to the characters that had long been rubbed off keys. The darkness of the alley wasn't helping matters, so she edged closer to the side walk.
Engrossed in pushing random buttons to see what reaction she'd get Tausha didn't pay much attention to the guy that wandered out of the alley after her. Her cry as he grabbed her back into the shadows by her damaged arm was cut short by the wicked knife tip she felt against her throat.
His other hand quickly wrapped around her jaw, forcing her to turn her head to each side as he leered closer.
"I knew it!" he rasped "You're that kid from the TV, the one that's worth big bucks!"
"No!" Tausha desperately tried to deny, but the guy just laughed.
"Looks like tonight is my lucky night!"
Roughly he clutched her about her shoulders with his arm holding the knife, causing her to hiss in pain. She daren't say a word as the sharp tip nudged against her throat again, though she could also feel the end of his thumb he was hiding the small blade beneath. He was much taller than her, his grip almost shoving her under his armpit as they moved toward the alley entrance.
The people on the sidewalk made an effort to ignore them; Tausha guessed they looked like two bums hugging as they walked. The smell from his jacket was nauseating, almost like it had been dragged through a sewer or something. Despite her situation a funny thought popped into Taushas' head. Hadn't she just been living in a sewer for a week? It occurred to her that despite the contents of the surrounding tunnels the lair had never smelt unpleasant. Neither did the Turtles or Splinter. A scent she hadn't appreciated before, like the musk healthy muscles always seemed to create mixed with a touch of sea salt, taunted her memory. What she would give to have him here now!
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Despite Leo stomping on the brake Raph kicked open the doors before they skidded to a halt, launching himself out with a feral battle cry. Worried their brothers' temper may actually put their friend in greater danger, the others followed in quick pursuit.
"ARRGH! HUN! Don't you dare!" Raph bellowed, sprinting towards the pair. Casey managed to wrench his neck from Huns' grasp as his adversary looked up to motion with two short jabs of his hand towards the Turtles.
"Iz 'bout time you guys made it." Casey managed to gurgle in relief before Hun punched him again.
"GRR! Hun I'll kill ya if ya kill him! Yer both mi… URK!"
"Darn! Foot-techs!" Don exclaimed as Raph landed heavily on his back, looking like he'd just been 'clothes-lined' by thin air.
"Keep alert guys! Don, you got any tricks?" Leo asked, dropping into a defensive stance as he watched Raph flip back onto his feet. From the evil snarl on his brothers' face, and the savagery he attacked the air around him with, Leo guessed the majority of their foes would be coming for the rest of them. Sudden punches from what felt like three different directions confirmed his guess, especially as Mike started trying to deflect blows as well. Don was already leaping back into the truck.
With the arrival of the Turtles Hun whipped his head around, wanting to check his daughter was well out of harms way. It took him a moment to realize she was gone.
"What the…? How the…? Bitch!" Nothing else for it, he took his renewed anger out on Casey.
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"Stop cryin'!" the guy ordered Tausha with a harsh jerk of his arm about her shoulders; the pain causing more tears to spill down her face.
"Is there a problem here?" Looking up Tausha was never more relieved to see a cop.
"No officer, none at all." her captor assured brusquely, trying to quickly drag her past. His efforts foiled by the policeman grabbing his wrist, pulling it away from her neck.
"Tch tch. What's this then?" the officer asked, spotting the knife "And who are you, young lady… Hey! You're that missing girl!" Tausha
cringed as others on the street noticed the commotion.
"She's mine! I got her first! The money belongs to me!" the guy from the alley made a grab for her again. She managed to leap back, only to come up hard against the chest of another guy who immediately caught her in a bear hug.
Chaos ensued as a mob coalesced from those on the street. The guy holding her got a punch in the jaw, letting her loose. For once she blessed the fact she was vertically deficient as she ducked through the crowd in a crouch. She was sure half her hair had been ripped out by those grasping at her, but with a dive through a pair of legs at the perimeter of the group she managed to leave the majority behind, too busy arguing with each other to realise she'd gone.
Adrenaline helping her to ignore the protests from her body she pelted down the street and ducked into the first alley she came across. Shouts from behind warned her she didn't have a great head start as she skidded to a halt by a man hole. Grunting in frustration she gave up the futile task of trying to lift the lid one handed as the pack filled the mouth of the passageway. She bolted down the narrow lane, managing to lose quite a few of her perusers in the twists and turns between the buildings.
One young man managed to make a grab for her coat. Tausha hardly broke stride as she swivelled to punch him, the phone still clutched in her hand acting as a handy little club. He fell back with the blow, overturning some bins that helped slow the others still following as Tausha shot down yet another siding. Again the yells let her know she wasn't safe yet; turning another corner she skidded to a halt. A fence barred the other end of the passage.
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Raph was practically foaming at the mouth in anger and frustration. All he wanted was to get to the two figures he could see in a fuzzy red hue. But these damn invisible bastards kept getting in his way! To make matters worse, somehow it had registered in his brain that Tau was nowhere to be seen.
"This should do the trick!" Don exclaimed, jumping back out of the truck with something that looked like a small umbrella, sans material, turned inside out.
"What is it?" Mike asked, managing to grab a hand that punched him and return the favour.
"It's a sonic oscillator. I finally managed to identify the frequency these suits work…"
"DON!" Leo and Raph yelled in unison.
"Later." added Leo.
"Dag!" grunted Raph as he savagely kicked at something he held at arms length.
Don was taken aback for a moment. Was that an insult, or what? He'd never heard Raph say that before. Putting it out of his mind he activated his gadget. Slowly the invisible fighters flickered into view as he pointed the transmitter towards them. Drawing his bo with his spare hand, Don
leapt into the fray.
"Yes!" Raph yelled triumphantly, launching himself on a group of thugs materializing nearby, relishing the opportunity to vent his frustration.
Once back-up arrived Casey found things a little easier, he quickly realised he was facing Hun one-on-one now at least. That had to be good, right? And the other goons starting to lose their camouflage was even better. Though it would have been nice if his friends had moved their damn butts a bit faster, given he was now on his knees too exhausted and battered to stand. He looked up to see Hun sneering over him, with his own golf club being raised to use his head for driving practice. Closing his eyes Casey waited for the inevitable 'CRUNK!'
Cracking open an eye Casey was curious why he hadn't felt anything. Maybe what they said about death not hurting was true. Nope. He managed to toss himself sideways just in time to stop himself being crushed under Huns' weight as the giant fell unconscious towards him. He was just as surprised to see his rescuer. Still holding onto the end of a length of heavy chain suspended from the metal framework above them, Tausha was spun about by the momentum she'd given the metal to be dumped unceremoniously on her butt in the dirt.
"Thank crud!" shouted Raph in relief. Casey managed a grin as his best friend sprinted towards him.
"I'm alright, really…" his smile fell as Raph leapt over is head to slide to a halt in front of the girl on his knees.
Both his sai dropped, practically forgotten, in the dirt Raph held a trembling hand to the gritty streaks down her bruised cheek. It was all he could do to stop himself scooping her up in a fierce hug, but it was obvious she was in pain. Despite that however, she managed to get to her own knees to throw an arm about his neck, burying her face in his shoulder with an odd sound Raph wasn't sure was sobbing or laughter. There was no mistaking her whimper though, as he gently tried to wrap his arms around her.
Leo had suspected the Foot-techs weren't actually ninja, but now they had lost their advantage it was plain they were nothing but common street thugs. It was only a matter of minutes before the lot of them were subdued. Leo stopped by Casey for a moment to check he was OK. He'd taken a good beating, but he'd recovered fine from similar punishment in the past. Helping his friend to his feet they both made their way over to where the others were gathered about Tausha.
She was still clung to Raph, her grip tightening as Don manipulated her shoulder. Mike was kneeling beside them, giving her a consoling rub on the back. All three looked up as Leo approached.
"She's hurt, Leo." Mike stated the obvious; from the look on his face anyone who didn't know better would have thought Tausha was terminal. Raph just seemed lost, quickly dropping his gaze to return to whispering in the girls' ear. Tausha didn't acknowledge anything at all, most of her face
still hidden behind the collar of Raphs' coat where she'd nuzzled the material aside to lean against the crook of his neck.
"It's completely dislocated." Don reported on his examination "But I don't think the bone's fractured. It's best we pop it back in as soon as
possible though." Nodding in agreement Leo moved to stand behind Raph.
"This way?" he asked Don.
"Yep, up on a 45 degree angle I think would be best."
"Brace yourself Raph." Leo warned, gently picking up Tausha's limp arm.
"It's alright. I've got ya. I've got ya…" he heard Raph sooth over her moan. Propping a foot against his brothers' shell Leo gave a short, hard tug, feeling more than hearing the 'crunch' as the ball of the joint settled back into its' socket. Tausha muffled her scream against Raphs' coat then slumped, almost in a faint; though she squeaked as Dons' fingers went back to work before he gave Leo a 'thumbs up'.
An approaching police siren and some sort of commotion coming from behind the rear fence put Leo on edge.
"C'mon guys, time to move. Mike, you right to drive Casey back to the lair?"
"Sure thing, Leo."
"Good. Raph, Don get her to the Battle-shell." As the group started moving Leo scooped Raphs' sai and Shell-cell out of the dirt, wondering how his brother had managed to drop his phone too. With a quick look around to check nothing else was in danger of being left behind he spotted black strands blowing in the breeze a short distance away. Walking over he rescued the wig, giving it a gentle brushing down before tucking it through his belt.
He quickly caught up with the others as they paused beside Huns' still form.
"Ya know, we should take advantage of this and get rid of that slime once and for all!" Casey scowled. After glancing at the bruised face of the girl he supported Raph glared at his friend, Casey figuring all the anger in his look was for Hun.
"Damn straight! I'm not gonna let him get away with this. Leo, give me a sai." Despite the evil glare it earned him Leo shook his head.
"It's not honourable to strike a hapless opponent Raph."
"Do you think I give a shit? Do you think he gave Tau a chance to fight back? Besides, he'd do the same ta us. Now give me a damn sai!" Given the determination set in Raphs' jaw Leo was afraid he'd follow through with his threat, weapon or no. It wouldn't be difficult for him to break Huns' neck bare-handed. Leo decided to take a chance.
"And what about Tausha, Raph?"
"C'mon Leo. The way he was hoein' into her, I'm sure she'd be glad to be rid of 'im too!" Casey assured. Raph nodded, but still turned to the girl for approval.
"I… know you've sworn to… kill each other. I…, Please… just make it quick." she murmured weakly, though the look in her eyes seemed so sad.
"See?" exclaimed Casey, snatching a sai out of Leos' hand "She's fine with it."
"No." Raph grabbed his sleeve before looking up from Tausha's face.
"We can't. Not like this. Not in front of her."
"But…!" Raph jerked Caseys' arm with enough force to bring him nose to beak.
"I said, 'no'." Taking advantage of his friends' proximity, Raph landed a solid punch to Caseys' jaw, Mike catching him before he hit the dirt.
"And that was for dragging her here in the first place. Moron." Casey shook his head to clear the stars from his vision as Mike stood him back up.
"What the…?"
"Hey. You deserved that, dude. Just be glad you didn't get worse!"
Raph didn't unclench his fist as they set off for the Battle-shell again.
"You did the right thing." Don assured softly. With a frustrated growl Raph glared at his brother, his snarl softening as Tausha gave him a small hesitant, but relieved smile.
"Thank you." she whispered. With a nod Raph felt himself start to relax a little as she rested her head on his shoulder. Glad to have her close and safe he leaned his cheek against her hair.
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A/N 2: Think I may be walking a fine line with the end of this chapter. I know some will disagree with it. There are a few precedents in the new toon for this kinda situation (it's not as obvious, but Angel stops Case making a similar mistake in 'Fallen Angel'), and when emotions are running high sense is often an early casualty.
I'd also like to point out that even in Japanese culture Honour is not a black and white concept. It is more a general grouping of principles open to individual interpretation. This idea probably runs a bit 'deeper' in my fics than in the toon, but I've always thought of Leo sticking to a very austere version of the precepts of honour, whilst Raph would be more inclined to adapt them as a situation dictates. Here he is weighing up the difference between his need to protect those he cares for, as opposed to his keeping is own conscience clear about how to go about achieving that goal; though he does realize that his actions may have greater implications than just freeing them from a long-time enemy. Nice little patch of greyishness!
Anywho, as per usual, if you think it does step over the line feel free to let me know. I'm always happy to listen to a different opinion. I'm half-way through writing the next chapter, so with a bit o' luck I'll get that up in the next few days. Caseys' motives for what he's done will (hopefully) become a little clearer in that one!
BTW, if anyone is curious about some of the Aussie slang being used in this fic a good web site to check out is www (dot) australianexplorer (dot) com (/) slang (/).