Trying to convince the guys into letting me go with them was no easy task. I had to go to each individual one by one and persuade them into letting me tag along. Mikey was fairly easy, Donnie took some convincing but was able to get on board with the idea, and I refused to confront Raph about it. It would've been like trying to talk to a brick wall, the asshole. Leo and Master Splinter were harder obstacles, especially Leo.
I mean, I get it. It's a dangerous mission. Traveling all the way to the tropical rainforests of the Amazon where we'll most likely confront a group of Shredder's lackeys and his personal mutant errand boys, Bebop and Rocksteady. The possibilities of the mission going wrong are endless, and Leo says he doesn't want me to be at the expense of such horrible outcomes. He made it a priority to tell me every few seconds, drilling it into my skull.
Yet after a full hour of arguing, he finally agrees, mainly because he just wants me to shut the hell up rather than permitting me to come.
Finally!
So here I am, quickly slipping on a more appropriate outfit for the occasion. A black T-shirt, cargo pants, combat boots, and a camouflage jacket.
I'm not sure that when April had picked this out that she thought that I might assemble a decent looking outfit, something more stylish than the plain blue top. Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. Yet all I know is that if she had had it in mind, she didn't consider the sizes too well. The shirt is way too long, the pants are baggy, the sleeves of the jacket flap at my sides, and there's a full inch of space between the head of the shoe and my toes.
The thought of the reporter strikes me harder than expected. I barely know the woman, and yet she's already treated me with more kindness than I could ever ask for. She's given me clothes and protection, sanctuary and security one might say. And now she's locked up inside the police headquarters being interrogated for the presence of the mutants.
This is a dangerous mission, one that I am by no means prepared for. If things go right, we'll return home victorious. And if not, the fate of the city and possibly the world will be thrown downhill.
I shouldn't be doing this. I have no business in any of this shit. I should be trying to escape as I had promised, but nOOooOOoo. I just had to put my bitchass nose where it didn't belong and get my sorry self enlisted to go to fucking Brazil. But the lingering urge to plant my feet into the ground like the roots of a tree has me clutching the hem of my jacket harder, refusing to flee.
What the hell does that mean?!
I don't know. But only two things are for certain; one, there is no way I can back out of this now and two, if I don't come back I'll never be able to thank April for her good deeds to me.
I stuff the extra fabric of my top into the pants and shove on an extra pair of socks to fill the emptiness. I shoulder my bag that holds my possessions; the journal, the stuffed animal, and the ring as well as few extra things from April's duffel bag; and follow the boys out.
Sneaking onto the plane is one thing, but the flight is what makes me regret ever talking them into allowing me to come the most. We have to sit in the compartment where suitcases and animals are held because we can't be exposed to the people sitting in the air-conditioned, comfy seats of the coach.
God fucking dammit! I regret this.
It's been hours since I've had a whiff of fresh air. And if that's not bad enough, the compartment is stifling hot as fuck. Sweat tickles my temples, collecting under my armpits and the back of my legs. I am so glad I'm wearing black or else I'd have to hide the pit stains.
Jesus fucking christ! It's hot!
I rummage through my bag to pass the time. I write a few shitty entries in the journal, take a nap with the purple and orange hippo-like creature as my pillow, and play around with the ring. The ring itself is the same as it was the first time I saw it. The butterfly is the size of my fingernail, still and lifeless. The turquoise stones embedded in its wings aren't anything spectacular, but petty enough. The loop of metal is a pale silver although it's lightness proves that it's nothing of value. Any jewelry loving person would write it off as a piece of shit, not worthy of being worn. But to me, it's beautiful just the way it is.
Why? Why of all things was I given a ring? Does it hold some kind of secret? Will it prove to be of use to me aside from being just an accessory? Is it mine or does it belong to someone else? I don't know.
I slip it onto my ring finger. It's a perfect fit.
Leo saunters over and sits across from me on a sturdy wooden crate filled with coats and hats. I should know, I dug through it out of sheer boredom. He clasps his hands together after wiping at a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. The light from the half-dead light bulbs and windows of the plane are shadows compared to his glowing blue eyes. They shine like moonstones in his sockets.
Don't think about that don't you dare fucking think about that!
Focus! Focus on the mission.
"You nervous?" I ask.
"No," he answers. But by the way his eyes dart back and forth, the way he wrings his wrists and pops his fingers one by one as he had at the museum, shows that he's definitely nervous. I know the feeling.
"You?" He remarks.
I want to tell him that after fully realizing what I've gotten myself into, I just want to wait till the plane lands and walk away from all of this. That I wish I"d never stolen that stupid motorcycle and snuck into a chariot of Foot ninjas and get involved with these turtle vigilantes and go back to being the girl who had no identity. That I desperately wish none of this had ever happened.
"You really shouldn't do that." I motion to his hands. I avoid the subject because I don't want to say out loud that I'm scared shitless, especially with the Incredible Hulk aka Raphael so close by. "I hear it's bad for you."
He drops his hands in between his legs, elbows resting on his knees. "Guess I shouldn't, huh?"
"Guess not."
He pauses. If he had picked up on me dropping the subject or not, he doesn't say anything about it. And for that, I'm grateful.
I look at him. And when I say I look at him, I mean really look at him. For the first time ever, I see past the leaderly figure of stability and order and witness with new eyes the anxiety and fear underneath it all, like a building built over the ruins of another. I see the worry lines crinkling the corners of his eyes, the crease of his brow, and the utter exhaustion clinging to his form. He wears it like an invisible cloak, and the heavier it gets the more tired he becomes. He may have the others fooled, but I can see past it.
Suddenly, I take his hand and hold it in my lap. He flinches but doesn't pull away. I feel his eyes, those big ass, gorgeous eyes trained on me, but I keep steadfast on the hand that had held me so many times rest on my knees. His hand is huge compared to mine, his palm nearly three times bigger than my own. I wedge my fingers around his knuckles and the inside of his hand and start to rub at where I believe he's most sore. I dig the tips of my fingers between bone and muscle, massaging the tendons back and forth expertly.
Leo, as surprised as ever, can't help but sigh in relief. I smile to myself.
I do this for a whole hour. I don't know how I know how to massage hands, but for what it's worth I'm pretty good. Everything I do, from squeezing his palm repeatedly and smooth over his bandaged fingers to running over the hard ridges and hills of bone in his wrist, are done with skillful, practiced movements.
After a while, he switches hands and I do it all over again.
Fuck! I shouldn't be doing this. Again, I shouldn't be doing this!
If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. THEY ARE NOT MY FRIENDS! They are my enemies! My nemesis, the sole reason why I wanted—er, want to run away. It's hard enough to hang out with just one of them and now only two days later I'm massaging their leader's hand.
What the actual hell is wrong with me?!
"Ugh." Mikey groans behind us, waving a paper at his face to fan himself with cooler air. "Aren't there supposed to be, like, pretty steuradists handing out warm hand towels and stuff?"
"Not down here, Mikey," Raph grumbles as he tosses his rubber ball against the wall again and again. "Not for us."
I roll my eyes and go back to rubbing out the tight muscles at the base of Leo's thumb.
"Oh boy!" Donnie intervenes loudly. "Bebop and Rocksteady are en route back to New York."
"What?" Leo stands to his feet and I release his hands. He goes to his purple-banded brother's side where the genius' display of transparent screens is in full view. The other two turtle's and I stand to our feet and look at the half-visible 3D images.
"They must have already retrieved the last piece they need to open the portal," Donnie announces.
Two animated planes zoom lazily over a holographic globe. One is ours and the other must belong to the mutant rhino and warthog.
"It looks like our planes will intersect with theirs, right?" Leo notices, pointing to where the two aircraft models fly, one about to go over its counterpart.
"Yeah, with a 3,000-foot separation. Uh, I can plot a course to intercept, but we'd have to jump."
"Jump?" Raph asks, his mossy green eyes growing wider.
Wait wait wait wait. Did he just say jump? Like out of the airplane?! Out of the goddamn motherfucking airplane?!
"Donnie, please forgive me, but I thought you had just said the word 'jump'." I say.
"I did."
"O-Oh." I stutter, my knees starting to shake under my cargo pants. "Good to know."
Donnie treks over to the door panel and pulls at a nearby, slender red lever. A loud click resonates throughout the room and the door slides open with a whir of its gears. I'm immediately blasted with stunningly cool air that dries the sweat off my body. I squint as it gets wider and wider until it stops. The world outside the now open door is bright, blue, and green. The sky beams in all its wonder above a lush jungle that stretches for miles and miles. The plane holding the two other mutants and the new piece of alien technology is before us, hundreds of feet below.
I feel small. Insanely small, like an ant on the top of the Himalayas in the middle of a windstorm.
"Oh, boy!" Raph gasps. His once rich green face turns a sickly pale Veridian. "Guys, I don't think this is such a good plan."
Wait a minute! Is he scared? Is the big, strong hulk of a mutant scared?
"Aw, come on," Mikey urges playfully. "Don't get soft on me now, Raph! This is gonna be fun."
I almost smirk at the red-clad turtle's cowering figure, but then a gush of wind slams right into me and I nearly stumble to the side. My lungs short circuit at the motion and I quickly stand to my feet, clutching a nearby box for support, gasping.
Guess he's not the only one who's terrified of heights.
Before I can forget, I compose myself and run back to snatch up my bag, tying the end strings around my waist in a complicated knot.
Now it won't fly away.
I hurry back to the others.
"We gotta go now. We only have a 30-second window." Donnie says as he tucks away his screens. He stands inches away from the open door, his pants flapping against his legs. "You know the plan." And then… whoosh!
OH MY FUCKING GOD!
He's gone! He just jumped! He just fucking jumped!
I stand there, motionless, staring at the spot Donnie was just a split second ago.
"Uh, dudes?" Mikey says next to me. He matches my reaction to the disappearance of his older brother.
"What?" Leo retorts as he helps Raph strap into one of the many parachutes hanging off the wall, both of them turned away from the scene of vanishment.
"He jumped." I answer.
The two turn and see for themselves.
"He jumped?!" Raph screams.
"Alright, one for all," Leo states as he goes to the open door, the tails of his mask flapping like flags in the howling gale. He turns to me, his hand held out to me in a gentleman-like manner. "Care to join me, m' lady?"
I giggle anxiously.
Is he crazy? Didn't he just witness for himself his own brother fly out of a moving airplane? A flying, moving airplane?! How isn't he terrified that we're thousands of feet away from dying?!
His gentle grin graces his lips smoothly, cool and calm. I clasp his outstretched hand, the hand I had caressed ever so tenderly not so long ago, and he pulls me to him. I hook my arms around his middle and before I can even brace myself, we are launched into the outside of the plane.
"Wait! You don't have a 'chute!" Raph squalls as we descend.
At first, there's pure panic. My brain flashes white and I can feel my heart stop in my chest. I yelp and clamp my eyes close, sheltering into the inside of Leo's side.
Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god...
I'm gonna die I'm going to fucking die!
After what feels like an eternity (it's actually, like, two seconds), I take a peek at the whirling atmosphere of wind. It's absolutely breathtaking… literally. It's almost as if I'm floating through a whirlwind of blasting air. My stomach twists at the sensation of weightlessness.
Holy shit! This... this is amazing!
A maniacal smile takes over my mouth and I laugh breathlessly at the beauty of freefalling, my eyes watering. I feel like a falcon zooming through the sky, diving faster and faster towards the ground.
How hadn't I felt this before when we were running and jumping the skyscrapers of the Big Apple? Was it because of the hectic crowdedness of the city? Maybe the anxiety of swinging up and down like s roller coaster? Or maybe even how here the air is fresh and clean, the sky riddled with fluffy white clouds instead of the murky blackness of the night.
Leo whoops blithely next to me. His smile's even bigger than mine, a wild look in his blue eyes glints against the sun's rays beautifully.
He's breathtaking.
Before I can reprimand myself for thinking like that, I hear cheering above me and I glance back to see Mikey zip after us on his rocket of a skateboard.
"This is awesome!" He yells gleefully.
We continue downwards, flying like daring falcons.
I'm almost convinced that I actually am a bird of prey, soaring through the sky alive and just… free! I wish I had felt this way when we were back in the city, running and jumping over the giant skyscrapers of the concrete jungle.
From what I can depict, we're falling fast and hard. Our landing spot is the plane. Donnie waits for us, tethered to a rope tied around the lower body of the aircraft.
And we're heading straight towards the wing!
"Uh... I-I'm off." Leo bellows over the whistling of the rushing air. "I'm off. I'm off target!"
Oh no!
Not good! Not good!
"We're off!" I scream. "We're off."
"Need a lift, bro?" I hear Mikey holler, much louder than before.
Something big crashes into us and it takes me a moment to realize its Mikey coming to the rescue.
"Slow down, Mikey!" Leo yells, his face half blocked by his younger sibling's forearm.
We flail around in the air, falling towards the plane but now directed more to the left.
Any second now…
"Prepare for the 'ouch'!" Mikey calls out.
We crash into the hot, steel surface of the plane hard and roll down its back. Leo instinctively curls around my body and I cling to him for dear life. "Ouch!" We yowl in unison, tumbling and tumbling until we nearly ram into the tail of the airplane. Donnie snags Leo and Leo snags me and I snag Mikey by his nunchucks. We thrash in the wind, a chain of arms hanging onto one another as the speed of the plane propels us forward. We slam into the large structure of the tail and I cry out in pain, my nose throbbing on impact.
"I got you!" Leo cries.
"Hang on, Mikey!" I scream, clenching the wooden weapon in my hand tighter for fear it might slip. Something wet coats my lips. Licking them rapidly, I conclude that my nose is bleeding.
Dammit!
My arms are being pulled harder and harder and they feel like they're two seconds away from being torn straight off of my body. Leo yanks me to him and grasps around my waist and hands me to Donnie while he pulls up Mikey. We trudge upwards against the strong gale to where Donnie has made a makeshift anchor for us to be bound to.
"Lock in!" Donnie commands. We do as he says, the brothers using their belts and me using a length of excess rope to loop around my waist.
Wow! That was… exhilarating!
If that isn't the understatement of the century, I don't know what is.
My hair billows at the back of my neck, flying free from its ponytail. the sides of my jacket flap furiously at my sides as I ground my boots into the roof of the plane. I clutch the rope in a vice-like grip, the braided strings digging into the flash of my palm.
"Wait! Where's Raph?" Donnie asks, clutching his end of the rope. I peer through the racing wind and the intensity of the sun's glow to see if the jackass of a hothead has yet to follow us. Nothing but an endless blue sky and the rainforest underneath us. The plane we'd been on previously looks like a toy above us, like the ones you hang on your ceiling with string when in contrast to the void of blue above.
Scaredy pants, I think to myself wryly.
A dot of green comes shooting straight out of the hull of the plane, speeding downwards like a bullet.
Oh! Wait. There he is!
"Isn't he falling kinda fast?" Mikey asks.
He is, in fact, falling super fast.
If he doesn't slow down, he'll miss the plane in all!
The green blob that is Raph suddenly sprouts a cloud of green and yellow, his parachute thrusting him upwards. He would've breezed over the nose of the plane if he hadn't collided with the front of the cockpit. Momentarily, there's no movement. Then Raph slides off on my left and smacks into the wing of the plane, slipping and sliding as is parachute is sucked into the engine not three feet away from him. The mutant turtle clutches the front of the wing and is losing his grip fast.
"Raph!" Leo barks out. The leader in blue leaps, swings off of his rope and catches Raph right before he could be swept away into the millions of miles above the jungle. Raph stabs the side of the plane with his sai, pinning them to the aircraft securely.
"Nice catch!" He cheers.
Author's Note: DUN DUN DUUUUUNNN! Hahaha, I left you guys on a bit of a cliffhanger, didn't I? Sorry, I really am, but y'all are just gonna have to wait. This chapter is a little shorter than most, but that's mainly because there's quite a bit of action in it. Don't worry, though. The next chapter is going to be crazy! Stay tuned for more!