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Abducted Pt. 2

Mikey

Mikey scooped up Pepper and ran, naturally assuming that Ara was right behind him. When he was positive that Dogpound was off his trail, he set down Pepper, breathing hard. "Wow, that was clo…" He turned to face Ara, the words dying in his throat when he discovered that she was nowhere to be found.

"Ara?" Mikey called in panic. "A-Ara?" Nothing. "Ara!" Mikey's voice rose, ending in a squeak. The silence that followed his calls seemed deafening. Where was she? Wait, had she stayed behind to fight Dogpound? She must have! Why would she do that?! Mikey's legs wobbled, and he leaned against the sewer wall for support. What to do?! He could go back, but they were probably already gone. Plus, what could he do? He was no match for the vicious mutant on his own.

He had to get help! Yes, that was it. His mind made up, Mikey scooped up Pepper for the second time that day. Pepper was pretty heavy, but that didn't stop Mikey from running like he'd never run in his life. It took him five minutes to go the distance it had taken him and Ara thirty to casually walk through. He burst into the lair, completely and utterly out of breath. Setting Pepper down, Mikey managed to stumble into the den before he sank to his knees, fighting for air. He was surrounded by concerned brothers almost immediately.

"Mikey, are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"Are you hurt?"

Mikey shook his head, just managing to squeak out, "Dogpound," between gulps of air.

Leo's comforting hand stiffened on his shoulder. "Where's Ara?"

Tears sprung into Mikey's eyes, and he shook his head harder. "I…I think Dogpound has her." His brothers all sucked in a sharp breath.

"How?" This was Splinter. He had just walked into the room, his usually composed face creased with worry.

Mikey re-encountered the walk between sniffles and pants. "…And so I came back here for help."

Leo didn't waste any time. He grabbed his katanas from where they lay and sheathed them. "Let's go." Nodding, Raph and Donnie grabbed their weapons. "Mikey, lead the way." Mikey did just that, quickly and without question leading them through the many twists and turns he had taken.

When they reached the battle area, the four turtles froze in horror. There was no one around, but a trail of blood stained the floors. In a horse whisper, Donnie choked, "Is that…?"

He was interrupted by a sigh of relief. "It's Dogpound's. With a pained grin, Raph picked up Ara's sword from where it had been lying in the shadows, the tip dyed a deep red. The forced smile on his face couldn't hide the massive amount of fear and worry portrayed in his eyes. "But he has her. Ara would never just leave her sword lying there."

The four brothers examined their surroundings, trying to determine where Dogpound had gone. Infuriatingly, though, the blood splotches abruptly came to an end. A thorough investigation brought no results. It was as if he had gone a few paces, then just…vanished into thin air. There were no tunnels or manholes nearby that he could have used to escape. Because he weighed at least a ton, Dogpound left little cracks wherever he stepped. But when the blood stopped, so did the footsteps. "I just don't get it!" Donnie finally groaned, throwing his hands into the air. "How did he… arrrggg! It's impossible!"

"Well, we aren't getting anywhere just standing here," Raph sighed. "It's a dead end!"

Leo nodded. "We'll wait until nightfall, then head topside. Maybe the purple dragons know something. And if they do…" Mikey had never seen Leo so angry, or so grimly determined. "They're going to talk."