It wasn't difficult to figure out where Raphael had gone, I just followed the trail of destruction and unconscious Footclan soldiers. And then I heard screaming and my heart stopped when I realized it was Raph.
I ran faster, entering a brightly lit laboratory with desks of computers and equipment scattered around.
"Guys!?" I called, looking around desperately. "Raph!?" My eyes landed on Leo, Donnie and Mikey, who were stripped of their gear and strung up by their wrists in thick, glass-walled cages; their blood being sucked up through huge clear tubes and running through a machine before being deposited into a metal canister.
Oh my god. They looked lifeless with their heads bowed forward and their shoulders rising rapidly with each quick breath. Nobody was around and I couldn't see Raphael and I knew I had to help the turtles before it was too late. Okay, Liv told me that first, blood loss victims would look pale and feel anxious, then they would start breathing faster and feel tired then they would fall unconscious and enter some sort of shock and die. But she'd told me that only a blood transfusion or stopping the blood flow and allowing the person to rest would 'cure' blood loss. And I didn't have the time, knowledge or equipment for that.
There must be another way. They just look tired, all they need is a jump start. I sucked in my breath suddenly. A jump start! I rushed toward the caged turtles and found a control pad beside Donnie's container, searching wildly for a dosage option. There!
The genius murmured something almost inaudible. "Adrenaline," he breathed urgently. They were running out of time, I could hear it in the weakness of his voice.
"I know, D," I replied, voice shaking. My pulse raced as I amped up the dosage of adrenaline until I couldn't anymore. An overdose warning flashed on the screen and I looked up at the turtles but they still weren't moving.
Why isn't it working!? Why aren't they getting up!? I stared at them hopelessly, tears stinging at the corners of my eyes, wondering what the hell I was going to do and where the hell Raphael was. Then there were arms around me, trapping my arms against my sides as I was dragged backwards, away from my friends. Dread curled around my stomach and I kicked and screamed at them to get up! to do something! But they hung there like dead specimens and I was helplessly trapped and Raphael was gone.
I screamed for Raph and for the brothers to wake up but something sweet-smelling was pressed to my mouth and my nose, making my vision blur and my mind cloud with dizziness. My eyelids turned heavy and everything around me became slow and calm. An ache built in my head. Distantly, I heard something shatter, then there was...loudness. Yelling, I think. Then that smell was gone, and I could breathe. I felt arms around me, strong and warm. I saw blurs of green and I felt so tired. There were voices, too. Saying my name, maybe. Ow. Something pricked my arm. Slowly, my hearing returned and the drowsiness evaporated.
"—okay, right Don?" Mikey?
"She's fine, just give it a sec to counteract." That's definitely Donnie.
"Raiya?" Leo. "Raiya, come on. Wake up, we gotta go."
I tried, I really did. But that stupid rag had knocked any adrenaline from my bloodstream and now I had to fight the exhaustion from not sleeping for over twenty-four hours.
"Can I get some adrenaline, too?" I asked hopefully, lifting my eyelids and finding three, anxious green faces in front of me.
"No time," Donnie said, strapping his gear on hurriedly.
"We gotta get out of here," Leo said, still holding me securely against his plastron.
"I got us a ride," I said, trying to wake myself up. "Where's Raph?" At that, the turtles stiffened. "What?" I demanded. "Where the hell is he!?" I struggled against Leo to let me go. He can't be dead. He said he'd be fine. He said I wouldn't have to wait for him. Mikey and Donnie raced across the lab and leaped over a railing, disappearing into the level below us. "Let me go right now," I growled, punching Leo as he followed his brothers and jumped over the railing. The landing was a bit jarring and helped to wake me up but when I saw Raphael laying on the ground motionless I felt an awful twinge in my heart that spread through my whole body and I fought Leo's grasp. He let me go and I scrambled to him, hoping the crevasses on his shell weren't as bad as they looked.
"He fought Shredder," Mikey said quietly.
Of course he did. "Raph," I touched his arm, this sort of rage beginning to fill me. "Raph, you can't be dead you owe me a carving, remember?" I blinked against the threat of tears. "You have to be okay," I whispered, my fingers shaking as I pressed his wrist in search of a pulse. I just about fainted with relief when I felt it.
"I remember," he breathed, slightly amused. "I'm working on it." I grinned, wanting desperately to throw my arms around his neck and hug him. I punched him instead.
"You asshole!" I cried. "You're not allowed to scare me like that! It's not fair!"
Raphael chuckled and got to his feet. "I thought it was kinda funny."
"Hey, this is great," Leo intervened, picking his katanas off the floor. "But we really gotta go." I glared at the blue-clad leader as he sheathed his swords, but obeyed because he was right. We were way behind Shredder and Sacks and we had to catch up.
"We'll catch you dudes up on the way there," Mikey said, retrieving his nunchucks from the ground and handing Donnie his bō. Raph must've dropped his brothers' weapons during the fight with Shredder.
"Alright, we gotta go!" Leo waved us after him and he led the way out of the building and into the backyard where the helicopter awaited us.
I grinned and rushed over. "Hop in, boys!" I called, climbing into the cockpit.
Raphael stared at the copter in what appeared to be horror. "You're kidding," he muttered.
I laughed. "Nope! Mikey, you can squeeze up front with me if you want." I pulled on a headset.
"Sweet!" He ran around to the other side of the aircraft, threw open the other door to the cockpit and shuffled into the copilot seat with a massive, childish smile.
I watched him excitedly put on a headset. "Just don't touch anything," I said, before turning back to the others with a huge grin. "Let's go!" Leo grinned back and hopped into the passenger cabin, Donnie close behind him.
"You sure this thing can carry us all?"
"Yup. This is an Agusta Grand," I explained dramatically. "Top of the line. And I'd like to keep it after so please don't wreck anything." I sent a pointed look in Mikey's direction, but he was too busy staring gleefully at the controls. Raphael still stood unmoving, staring fearfully at the helicopter.
"Come on, Raph!" I shouted, then whispered to Mikey, "what's his deal?"
The younger turtle just shrugged. "I dunno RaiyRaiy. Maybe he's afraid of heights."
"Seriously?" I glanced out the window again and watched as Leonardo yelled at his brother to get inside. Raph growled in annoyance and crawled into the cabin. I need to ask him about that later. "Everyone get a headset on!" I yelled, firing up the propellors. "Where're we headed, boys?"
"Sacks Tower," Leo answered through the headset. "Eric Sacks is planning on releasing a bunch of toxins from the top of his tower to infect everyone in New York."
"Asshole," I muttered, pointing us in the direction of NYC as we rose higher. "What the hell for?"
"To get rich," Mikey replied, his disgust evident.
"He's gonna use the mutagen in our blood to make a cure that people will have to buy from him," Leo explained.
"But your blood is back down there," I said. "In the estate lab." An explosion in the Sacks Estate laboratory ripped through the air, almost making me jump.
"Not anymore," Donnie said.
"Nice one!" I laughed. "Problem solved!"
"Not exactly," Leo interjected. "Sacks still has one canister of our blood that he took with him to the city."
Great. "Alright, problem not solved," I muttered. "So what's the game plan?"
"You're gonna drop us off at the tower then go back to the lair to help Sensei," Leo decided firmly.
I scoffed. "Like hell am I leaving you guys to fight robo-warrior on your own. At least let me grab the blood and break Sacks's face."
"Yeah!" Mikey agreed, grinning at me. "That sounds like an awesome idea!"
"It is a decent contingency plan," Donnie added supportively.
Leo's sigh crackled through the headset. "Alright, fine. But as soon as you have it take it back to the lair and give some to Sensei. You can't wait for us, Shredder is too strong."
Fuck that. "Fine. How's the view?"
"Awesome," Donnie replied.
"Can we go higher?" Mikey asked.
Raph didn't share the others' enthusiasm. "Can we land now?"
I laughed. "How's your shell?"
"Fine," he replied. "Don just finished taping it up."
"Since when did you guys go from hating each other to dating?" Mikey asked.
Leonardo exploded with laughter and I couldn't help but glare a little at Mikey, silently demanding what the hell!?
"Ohhh," he nodded and corrected himself. "So you guys aren't dating."
That only made Leo laugh harder.
AN: SURPRISE! Two updates in 48 hours! YOU'RE WELCOME lol I am seriously impressed with myself.
So based on the suggestions I've received so far (you guys still have time to submit some) the new OC is still going to be Leo's love interest unless the majority shifts to Donnie or Mikey before TSS is over. I want her to have a really tomboy nickname. I'm thinking J.T., so her first name could be something like Jasmine Taylor, or something that starts with a J then something that starts with a T lol. I just really like the nickname J.T..One issue is gonna be the double periods when a sentence ends with J.T.. (like that). So if that's gonna annoy you guys I could just write it like JT instead.
ANYWAYS, thank you all so much for all the feedback and suggestions! Lemme know what you guys thought of this kinda boring chapter lol (the next one will be interesting).
And when the hell is that damn first kiss scene coming!? SOON! ;)
