A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying this one!
Max lifted the binoculars, scanning the tree line on the far side of the lake. Behind him another man was taking soil samples. "You're supposed to be helping, you know?" The man grumbled. "Not goofing off."
Max turned to look at him. "I'm tired of this grunt work. We're scientist, Kevin. We should be in a lab somewhere solving diseases or something, not out here being government lackies."
Kevin stood up and stretched his back. "Well, it pays the bills."
"Yeah, well, I'm tired of it. I didn't graduate at the top of my class at Yale to do this." Max gestured at the equipment. He turned away again, raising the binoculars. "I should be giving the orders, not taking them." He suddenly froze, his mouth falling open. "What are those!"
"I don't care. Get your butt over here and help." Kevin growled.
"No! You have to see this! Hurry!" Max waved an urgent hand behind him, trying to get his companion to come see what he was looking at.
"Fine, if it will get you to get back to work." Kevin marched over with a frown.
"Here! Look!" Max handed over the binoculars. "Over there where there's a grassy patch beside the trees."
Kevin moved the view to where he was directed. "What the-"
"Do you think that's why they sent us to take samples, because of those things?"
"What are those things anyways? Some kinda swamp creatures?"
Max's eyes lit up. "I don't know, but if we caught one they'd have to realize how valuable we are!"
Kevin lowered the binoculars to stare at the other man. "We're supposed to be taking soil samples."
"Screw the samples! This is a lot better!" Max turned and began throwing his gear into his bag. "Come on! We have to hurry or we'll lose them!"
Kevin frowned. "And how exactly are you going to catch one?"
"With the dart guns." Max continued to stow his equipment.
"Those are supposed to be for emergency use, in case we have an encounter with a bear."
"So, now they'll have a better use." Max threw his pack over his shoulders. "Let's go catch us a swamp creature."
"It's been fun guys, but it'll still be good to get home." Raph was now at the rear of the group.
In front of him, Mikey's eyes lit up. "Do you think Sarah will make us some chocolate chip cookies?"
Don chuckled a few paces in front of him where he walked with Leo. "I'm sure she will if you ask, Mikey."
Leo chuckled as well. "She always did have a soft spot for Mikey."
Raph snorted. "He is a soft spot."
Mikey grinned. "Whatever, bro. You know you love me and my awesomeness!"
Raph gave him a playful shove from behind and Mikey stuck his tongue out at him. Leo suddenly stopped, his body tensing. The others immediately stopped moving. They knew that look very well. Leo scanned the trees around them. The area was thick with underbrush, but he knew someone was there. As he tried to determine where exactly that someone was, he sensed the attack. He swung around to block the projectile. "Don, look out!" The attack had come from the other side. As he went to grab his brother and pull him out of the way, the projectile struck his arm.
"Leo!" Don caught him as he collapsed almost instantly from the dart sticking out of his arm.
"Mikey!" Raph had caught Mikey as well. A second dart was in his shoulder.
Raph and Don exchanged a look. They were two brothers down and they couldn't tell from which direction their attackers were coming from. Both dropped to the ground shielding their unconscious brothers. "Who do you think it is? No one knows we're out here."
Raph growled. "It don't matter." He pulled his sai. "I'm gonna rip 'em a new one!"
"Raph, wait! We don't know where they are or how many there are!" Don tried to reason with his hot-headed brother. "Our first priority is to get Leo and Mikey someplace safe."
"And how we gonna do that, if we're bein' hunted!" He glanced at their brothers. "You stay with 'em, I'll take care of whoever's out there."
"Raph!" Don hissed as his brother disappeared into the underbrush. He sighed. Some things never change.
The way Raph figured it, if he could get high enough, he could spot their attackers. He also figured there had to be at least two, possibly more, since the darts had come from two different directions. He didn't know who they were, but they'd attacked them completely unprovoked. And for that, he was going to pay them back in pain. Leaping up, he swung up onto a branch, which groaned more than he would have liked under his weight. Making sure he was hidden from view, he scanned the area. There! There was movement. It had only been for a second, but it was enough.
The trees in this part of the forest were rather small. They wouldn't be large enough to use for cover. He'd have to attack from the ground. Landing silently again on the forest floor, he crept towards his target. Quiet as a shadow, he moved up behind a man crouched in the bushes several yards from where he knew his brothers were. The man turned just in time to see Raph as he tackled him and knocked the dart gun from his hands.
Raphael's sai dug into the man's neck. "Who are you! What do you want!"
The man's eyes grew wide as if he hadn't expected Raph to speak. "We-We're scientist! We didn't know you were intelligent creatures!"
Raph glared. "What's that supposed to mean!" Before the man could answer, Raph felt something prick his leg. He looked down to see a dart sticking out of his thigh.
Max grunted as the large turtle collapsed on top of him. Shoving him off, he smirked. "But apparently you're not that intelligent."
Don pulled his bo, still trying to stay low. There was no point in making himself an easy target. He listened intently. Several yards to his left he could hear a small scuffle. To his right he could hear something moving in the bushes. With any luck, Raph had just taken out one of their adversaries. He clenched his jaw, he would take out the other one. When the sound of the approaching attacker stopped not far from his position, Donnie decided it was time to strike. He sprang into the air, avoiding a dart that was fired wildly in his direction. He landed on a rather frightened looking man. Pinning him down with a foot on his chest and his bo to the man's throat, Don glared. "Who are you? Why did you attack us?"
The man just stared back at him, gaping like a fish out of water.
"Are there more of you?" Don tapped him on the jaw with just enough force to jar him. "Answer me! Did someone send you after us?" Still nothing. The sound of someone approaching behind him made him pause only for a moment. "Talk! My brother won't be nearly so nice." The man looked like he was completely paralyzed with shock. Don sighed inwardly. Raph will probably just rough him up then knock him out. Then I won't get anything out of him.
The approaching person stopped several feet behind Don and for some reason it didn't feel right. He turned to look back expecting Raphael, but he couldn't see through the thick foliage. "Raph?" Gasping, he swung his bo up in time to stop a dart, but a second fired a split-second later slipped past his guard and tagged him in the thigh. He crumpled to the ground.
Kevin slowly stood, rubbing his jaw. "Those darts sure work fast."
"Well, they are made to stop a quarter ton bear." Max ran a hand along the small cut on his throat. "Though, I'd bet that one back there weighs that much." He shot a thumb over his shoulder in Raph's direction.
"Now that we got them, what do we do with them?" Kevin frowned down at the large turtle beside him. They seemed really intelligent for wild animals.
Max grinned wickedly. "Now, we claim our reward and get what we deserve." He pulled his cell from his pocket. "Dr. Devins, I have something you're going to want to see…"
Shinta peeked out his door into the hall beyond. It was quiet, a little too quiet. Quite frankly, he'd expected some resistance or something along that lines. As if he'd summoned her, Ona stepped out of the elevator. She smiled at him as she approached. "Hey, you're up."
He tried to keep his expression neutral. "Yeah."
She frowned a little as she stopped in front of him. "I heard about what happened last night. And I figured you weren't up to having lunch with everyone." She handed him a plate with some of his favorites on it.
He smiled a bit at the gesture. "Thanks."
She squeezed his arm warmly. "They were just worried about you. You know that, don't you? They were all prepared to go searching for you, if you didn't get home soon."
"Yeah, I know." He said softly, not meeting her eyes.
Ona touched his cheek. "We all love you very much, Shinta."
He nodded. "I know. I love you guys too. But I think I'll spend the day in my room. I'm grounded apparently." He sighed. "Could you tell everyone?"
She smiled sadly. "Yeah, I understand. Would you like me to bring you another plate at dinner time?"
"Yeah maybe. I'll think about it." He lifted the plate a little. "Thanks again."
"Any time, sweetheart." She gave his arm another squeeze and turned back to the elevator.
When she was gone, he frowned down at the plate. He felt a little guilty running out on everyone again. I'll text Mira when I'm gone. That way they'll know where I'm at. Taking a few bites of the food, he set the plate down inside his room. He quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Pulling the door open a bit, he checked once more to make sure no one was outside, before creeping down the hall towards the roof. Outside he pressed his thumb to the security panel, hoping no one had thought to lock him out of the system. The light flashed red to indicate the alarm had been temporarily deactivated. It would reactivate once he was gone and no one would know the difference.
Shinta darted across the rooftops for several blocks. Finally he stopped and turned on his holo. It was lucky he'd taken it upstairs with him the night before. Climbing down the nearest fire escape, he paused in the alley to text Mira. "Don't be mad. But I've gone to see Amber."
A split-second later his phone chirped with a text. "What!"
He texted back. "U said to tell u if I left. So I'm telling u."
"I didn't mean you could take off whenever you wanted to though."
"Don't worry. I'll only be a few hours."
"3 hours Shinta!"
"Okay, 3 hours."
He could almost sense her glaring at him. "I mean it, Shinta! If you're not back in 3 hours I'm telling Kane."
"I promise, I'll be back in 3 hours."
"You'd better be. Have fun, but be careful."
Shinta smiled to himself as he closed his phone and headed off down the street. He wondered what Amber had planned for them. Whatever it was, at least they would get to do it alone without his family hovering.
Mira frowned as she closed her phone. Shinta owed her big time.
She started back towards the living room where everyone was settled around the television. But after a few steps she stopped, a strange sensation washing over her. Fear. It had only lasted a second but she paused to consider it. No one in the lair was scared, so it had to be one of her parents. Maybe mom was startled by something like a spider. Shrugging it off, she went to sit beside K-three.
He slipped his arm around her and nuzzled her cheek softly. "Everything all right, my flower?"
"Yeah, I don't think it's anything to worry about." She gave a soft sigh, resting her head against his plastron and remembering what it was like to be a teenager. When K-three had arrived all those years ago, he'd swept her off her feet. It made her wonder if that was what Shinta was feeling now. She sent a wave of love to her mate and he smiled down at her. She could only hope that her younger cousin could find the kind of love that she had.
A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. Don't worry there will be more soon! ;)