Sorry for the long delay, but so this chapter will be a little bit longer and the climax of this fic so far. I'm not so good at action scenes, yet I hope you like it nevertheless.
TMNT, Shredder, Splinter etc. belong to Mirage; Tally Brown is mine.
Great thanks to Cynlee for betaing and corrections!
And thanks to everyone who still has the patience to follow this story.
Chapter 13: Until the Very End
"It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you.
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do..."
Toto: In Africa
Tally clung to Splinter's shoulder as if to her dear live, desperately sobbing. She hardly noticed how he tried to calm her, gently stroking her back and soothing her overwhelming inner pain. He held her in his arms, speaking softly with her, while she sopped his shoulder with her tears. She couldn't hold back any longer. Somehow, she had still believed that her life would turn to normal eventually, that this whole affair would be over and forgotten soon and everyday routine would come back to her. A normal life, her normal life. No turtles, no angry men chasing and threatening her.
No Splinter.
But when she buried her face in the fabric of his robe and felt his soft fur at her cheek, she suddenly realized: She did not want to miss him. He had become a part of her live already. Still sobbing, she tightened her embrace. This was so unfair. Life was unfair. And what the hell was she just doing? They did not even belong to the same species, and nevertheless…
She pressed her cheek against his, feeling the tips of his whiskers in her neck. Involuntarily a thought of Robert flashed into her mind. Almost subconsciously she compared Splinters kindness with Robert's arrogance. How could she ever have gotten a crush on Robert? Slowly she turned her face towards Splinters.
Splinter was in an inner turmoil as well. He had given his sons a shoulder to cry on when they were younger, but he could hardly compare that with his present situation. Despite his prejudice, he embraced Tally as well, doing his best to calm her down. With his nose nearly in her hair, he inhaled her special scent, this time mixed with sweat and the salty smell of tears. He carefully stroked her back, saying softly that she was safe and no one would harm her, that everything would turn out fine. The whole time he was fully aware of her soft skin at his cheek, pressing against his face, her tears wetting his fur, and even if he would not admit to himself, he slightly relished the feeling of holding her in his arms, of being so close with her.
Then she moved her face- and suddenly he felt the sensation of her lips pressed against his. His lips prickled, and suddenly his stomach stirred and he broke out in a sweat. Abruptly the sewers weren't cold anymore, his body felt red-hot. Instinctively he returned the kiss.
She had kissed other men before. This time however, it felt almost like an electric shock. Her eyes closed, she pressed harder against his lips, feeling him responding and tightening his embrace. She almost lost herself - until realization struck both of them like a lightning bolt.
Embarrassed, they immediately separated. They didn't dare to look at each other and stared at the opposite wall. It was an awkward situation.
Splinter cleared his throat. "I… I am sorry", he said slowly, unsure what to say or to do. Tally shifted her shoulders in discomfort and jumped up. She did not face him.
"Let's just… forget it, okay?" she said to the wall.
She didn't wait for Splinter's reply and started to walk further into the sewer system. Splinter had to hurry to follow her. Both made sure that there was at least a meter space between them. They walked in silence, but now it felt uncomfortable and odd. Tally wasn't sure about her feelings. Had she really kissed him? She knew him for only a few weeks, and he was… she risked a side-glance. Splinter walked a few steps behind her, looking straight forward, his face expressionless. Her thoughts must have short-circuited. Already lost in this maze she moved on and Splinter followed her silently.
He looked into the dark tunnel, avoiding staring at her back. How could he just… Had he really been that stupid and taken advantage of her situation? But she had started, in the first place. He slightly shook his head and tried to restructure his thoughts. It was almost like a daydream. He really cared about her, but in such a way? He wasn't sure about his own feelings. So he just followed her as she stomped through the filthy water. Her inner uproar was much more visible than his.
After some time, Tally couldn't stand the silence any longer.
"Hasn't it been difficult to live all on your own, with four toddlers?" she asked, picking up their previous conversation. She felt his gaze at her back. What a stupid question! Of course it has been difficult.
"When they were very small, I had to lock up them to gather food. Later they understood that I had to leave them frequently, although they were always worried- and I was, too…
They chatted as they walked on, carefully avoiding what had happened just a few minutes before. Nevertheless, they constantly watched each other closely and their talk became more private again. They talked about their past, Tally's youth as well as Splinter's experiences with raising the Turtles, about their liked and dislikes, their families and friends- and eventually, they walked side by side again, just enjoying their friendship. Yet there was more, beneath the surface of their talk. What did she have to say to make him chuckle, what memory Splinter shared with her would let her smile? It was as if they encircled each other with words and played a game of tagging, a game that was so much older than their short acquaintance, and although Splinter was rather inexperienced, he did well.
Suddenly he stopped.
"What's the matter", Tally asked irritated, but Splinter waved her to be silent.
"Do you hear this?"
Tally fell silent for a moment and listened, and then she shook her head. "Nothing".
Splinter looked around and orientated himself with the surrounding tunnels.
"I haven't been in this part of the sewer system for a long time… I'm not quite sure where exactly we are. We should go back immediately before we get lost."
"From where does the noise come?"
Splinter pointed to a tunnel.
"From there, but-"
Tally was already headed into the direction.
"Let's take a look and find out."
"Tally! We should leave, we do not know what's causing the sound."
"I don't hear anything at all, but I want to find out. Maybe you're just worried about nothing at all."
Splinter had no other choice than to follow her. He knew her already well enough to know that he couldn't change her mind that easily. But this noise did scare him more than he admitted. It was a deep, constant hum, barely audible even for his sensitive senses in the beginning, but when they followed the tunnel it became louder and louder until Tally could hear it as well.
"I hear it now, too", she whispered. She could barely see in the dim pipe and pressed against the wall, which vibrated softly. "What the-"
"Some kind of big machines", Splinter said slowly. He laid his hand on the wall and felt the vibrations as well. "There shouldn't be any repair work in this area, it's always announced weeks before in TV and the newspapers".
His tone became more urgent.
"Tally, we should really leave!"
"Don't you want to know what is causing this sound?"
"Not like this. My sons may investigate, but I would prefer to keep you out of danger."
"YOU want to keep ME out of danger? I'm able to look for myself!"
"Can't we discuss that somewhere else?"
But Tally already left. Splinter hurried after her and grabbed her sleeve.
"Let go!"
"For heavens sake, please be silent!"
Then he turned around nervously. There had been a slight tap from the direction they had come from… He stepped deeper into the tunnel.
"So, suddenly you want to find out-"
"We're being followed."
He tightened his grip around her sleeve and wrist, almost feeling the presence behind them.
"Tally", he whispered, "please don't talk anymore, and just nod. We MUST get away from this place!"
His nervousness was catching. Tally nodded silent, and then she followed him. Splinter perk up his ears and tried to catch a sound from their pursuer, but there was nothing. Unfortunately, there was no side tunnel either. They could only go forward, directly to the source of the machine sound.
"You're not kidding, are you?"
Splinter shook his head and touched his lips with his fingers. Tally nodded again.
The tunnel became brighter; there was a light source somewhere in front of them. The walls looked thicker here- and newer. They passed a few side tunnels, but each one was blocked up. They had no change to escape. Right in front of them, the tunnel turned around a corner. The light, as well as the now overwhelming stamping machine sound seemed to come from there. They stopped, and then Splinter looked up, a question in his eyes. Tally nodded nervously and gulped, then she searched for his hand and pressed it tightly.
"We don't have much of a choice, have we?" she said in a low voice. They carefully peered around the corner.
--
Leo looked up to clock. It was almost time to eat, yet Splinter hadn't come back. He became worried, for he couldn't reach his master via the Shell Cell, which seemed to be deactivated. When he went to the lab to ask his brother if he could track down Splinter, he found Donatello sitting at his desk, staring at a test tube and muttering angrily.
"What's wrong?" he asked curious, surprised by his brothers angry face.
"I forgot to label the test tube."
Leo glanced at the innocent looking clear liquid.
"And?"
"It could be EVERYTHING!" Don snarled. "I already ran a few tests, but I've worked with a lot of dangerous chemicals today, so I can't just pour it into the drain! Oh man, I don't get it. I do ALWAYS label my equipment!"
He stared furious at the fluid as if he could force it to tell him its nature by pure willpower. After a second look at Don's expression, Leo decided to better change the subject.
"Do you know where Master Splinter and Tally went?"
"On a walk?" Don asked absently and rummaged in a box filled with flasks.
"It's almost seven and I can't contact him!"
Don stopped and turned around to his brother.
"He does so NOT appreciate it when we sneak after him."
But after he tried the Shell Cell as well without a more promising result than his brother, he agreed to track Splinter down. After a few key presses, he pointed at an orange dot on his monitor. Leo frowned.
"That's almost at the other end of Manhattan!"
The dot remained at the same place. Don typed a new order.
"His Shell Cell is switched off and I can't activate it from here."
Leo nodded.
"Let's go and check this out."
He left the lair to tell his other brothers and almost fell on Mikey, who spied on Don in his lab. Before Leo could ask him what he was doing, Mikey wanted to know:
"Did he find out already that I just put a tube filled with water in the rack?"
Leo just sighed and went for Raphael.
--
They stood in the entrance of a floor lit cave. Blinded, they narrowed their eyes, but Splinter recognized the machine standing in the middle of the cavern immediately. Besides him, Tally took a sharp breath.
"What is that?" she asked amazed, having only eyes for the machines and didn't paying attention to the men working around it. Splinter gripped his cane faster. Even without the sound of her exclamation they were detected and at once surrounded by around twenty foot ninja, which held their weapons nonchalant in their hands. Their facemasks could not hide their sneers, confident of victory. They had already awaited them, alarmed by the guard in the sewers.
Tally swallowed hard, but hold her tongue. Splinter grabbed her wrist and retreated slowly to a wall. The tips of the katana followed his movements, but the foot didn't attack. They didn't have to, they knew as well as Splinter did. He had no chance, especially not with Tally. He concentrated on their leader, who casually waved his hand. The meaning was clear: Weapons down, and hands up. In the corner of his right eye he saw a unit of foot coming from the sewers and blocking up the entrance, which was the only exit he could figure out. With his right paw he held Tally's hand. She was becoming more and more nervous. She sweated and trembled visibly.
In what kind of situation she had gotten herself into again? It almost felt surreal, being surrounded by a bunch of guys dressed up in black pajamas, but the swords looked damned sharp. Splinter beside her stayed totally calm, holding her hand gently with no sign of an inner turmoil. What was he up to? He could not really considering fighting them, could he? Tally looked around nervously. The entrance on their right was blocked, at their left side was a buildup of boxes, behind that the cave went on. The big machine in the middle of the cavern hummed constantly. She had never seen anything like it before and would have gladly done without this experience. And then Splinter suddenly dug his claws into her palm!
"OUWW! What the-"
She immediately retreated her hand and stepped back, for a split second the attention of the foot was concentrated on her- and the world went gray.
Splinter honestly regretted that he had to hurt her; he needed a distraction to be able to throw a smoke bomb. He grabbed Tally's hand and pulled her to the ground-within the very last moment as he heard the sound of shuriken digging into the wall above them. As fast as he could he crawled through the smoke towards the box pile and dragged Tally along. Behind the boxes he had seen a metal door, so maybe, maybe there was still a slight chance…
A katana came swung out of nowhere and slashed his right arm. Unwillingly he let go of Tally's hand, but he turned around at once, hit his cane at a venture into the direction the sword had come from and was rewarded with a painfully groan. He managed to grab a hand of Tally's pullover, pushed her into the direction of the door and covered her with his own body. The smoke already vanished; he saw the silhouette of a foot standing directly in front of him. The ninja attacked, Splinter ducked and landed a definite hit into his solar plexus. His enemy convulsed with pain and fell to the floor, being disabled for quite some time. Splinter lifted the katana the foot had dropped, turned around to Tally and ran to the door. In the nick of time they managed to close it behind them. Weapons dashed against the metal. Splinter pressed his back against the door and kept the door closed with all his power. It was useless, nevertheless. They were stuck within a little chamber with no exits, surrounded by walls out of stone. There was no way out.
"Trapped like the literally rats", Tally murmured shakily.
Splinter didn't reply. He scanned the walls for a possible weak point. Then he sighed.
"Looks like our only way out is heavily under siege. Well, we have no choice. Even if they wouldn't manage to come through this door, they would just have to wait. Sooner or later we have to go out. Tally, have a look at the boxes over there. Anything we could use?"
Tally glanced at the boxes hopelessly, but she did as he requested.
"I can't even open them. They're locked."
She turned around. Splinter leaned against the door, deeply pondering while trying to keep it closed. Only now Tally noticed his soaked right sleeve. Under his elbow there was a red puddle, which was expanded by more and more blood leaking down his arm.
"You're hurt!"
"That's my least concern at the moment. I lost my shell cell somewhere out there… So we cannot call for help."
Tally examined his arm.
"That's a deep cut. I have to bandage it up… close you eyes."
"Why?"
When he noticed that Tally was about to doff her pullover he immediately obeyed and turned his head around. She slipped her undershirt off, put on her pullover
"You can open your eyes now"
and ripped the shirt into stripes, which she used as a makeshift bandage. The sleeves of her pullover and her hands became red and gluey of his blood.
Splinter was sure he couldn't bear up another fight. He hardly felt his right arm and his vision was blurred by dancing white spots. Yet he had to get at least Tally out of here.
"Listen. I have a few more smoke bombs. I will distract them; you hide beneath those boxes and at the first opportunity you will run. Go to April's place, not to the lair! They'll follow your for sure, but I'll do my best to-"
"Have you totally lost it? They are going to kill you!"
"Not at once. With this superiority they'll want to catch me alive so the Shredder can do the job personally. And somebody has to tell my sons… not only about my capture, but also about the machine out there. It's a utrom transmat."
"A what?"
"My sons do know. The foot… they MUST not be allowed to activate it, do you understand? It's essential, and much more important than my life. If the Shredder manages to use this machine, billions will suffer! He had tried to get one before. The foot searched deep under the city for an utrom base, but they didn't find it back then. Seems as if they were right all along."
"You can not honestly think that I'll run and leave you here! You have the better chance to make it back to your turtles anyway. They would catch me in an instant!"
"They don't know you. Maybe they'll let you escape, especially when they have to worry about me. I can fight them off long enough for you to reach the exit, you couldn't do so. And I…"
Splinter looked away and didn't face her anymore. Behind them, katana still stroke the door. The blade of one stabbed through the gap in the doorway and got stuck vibrating.
"Yes?" Tally. Suddenly her mouth got dry.
Splinter addressed the wall.
"If something would happen to you- I could never forgive myself."
Tally blushed. Then she reached forward and gently touched his shoulder.
"Hey. We'll make it!"
She smiled reassuringly. Splinter looked directly in her eyes.
"You will leave. You will run until you are safe. Do you understand? You will NOT hesitate!"
For a moment Tally was tempted to give a sharp reply, but she could see in his face that he was serious about the situation- and about her. So she held back the remark. Instead she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek. Bewildered Splinter raised his hand and touched the spot, looking inquiring at her.
"For luck", she said softly.
Splinter hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to save the memory. What irony! To find someone as her, now as both of them were going to die… He vowed to himself to make sure that Tally would get out of this mess alive, no matter the cost. He carefully touched her fingertips. He didn't dare to go further, he had to keep his head clear. Easier said than done. But what thought! As if this wannabe-ninja were going to separate them! He had fought them many times before; they were no match for him. He gripped Tally's hand tightly.
A sharp bang at the metal behind him brought him back into reality. He cleared his throat.
"Tally, just in case. In my room, there's a lashed up box at the lowest storage rack board… for my sons."
Tally swallowed hard, but nodded. They stood up, still hand in hand. Then Splinter let reluctantly go of her and took out another smoke bomb. At his questioning look, Tally nodded her head in agreement, so Splinter threw the door open and dropped the bomb.
--
Donatello led the way, consulting the monitor of his tracking system every now and then. Leonardo and Michelangelo followed him in silence, only Raphael was constantly muttering under his breath.
"Why are we following them at all? I bet everything is just fine!"
"Yeah", Mikey smirked. "I guess they just want to be alone-Ouch!" Mikey took a leap to get out of Raph's range. "What? I mean, he even cut off his shell cell-OUCHOUCHOUCH!"
"MIKEY!"
Being slapped by all of his brothers and being clearly outnumbered, even Mikey thought it would be wiser to keep his mouth shut. Which didn't stop his smug smile. Heck, what was their problem? He actually liked the idea of Tally being around more often or even staying- her cake was fantastic!
"That doesn't prove anything", Don said although the situation made him uneasy. "He had disconnected the communicator before."
"But he's never run two and a half hour late", Raph snorted contemptuously.
"Well, the signal hasn't moved the last half an hour".
Don's general statement was accepted in silence. Every one of the brothers was absorbed in his own thoughts- and in his own conclusions.
--
Splinter had defended the door long enough for Tally seeking cover. Then he retreated with his back to a wall, so that he had at least not to worry about an attack from behind. Not that it would make much of a difference. His captivity was a matter of time, but his assertion toward Tally seemed to be right. They really tried to take him alive, but unfortunately not unharmed. He was already bleeding from a dozen superficial cuts. Under normal circumstances he would have surrendered and waited for a more fitting bargain to escape, but he was determined to buy Tally as much time as possible. He hoped she had already left the cave, for he couldn't possibly fight much longer.
Tally watched Splinter from behind the cover of the boxes. There had been no possibility for her to leave unnoticed, but just a few meter away was his communicator lying! If she could at least reach it… When she felt not being watched, she gathered all her bravery and leaped behind a few glass cylinders filled with a green liquid. If a foot would watch in her direction he would probably notice her, but the shell cell was nearly in range- then she heard the shot.
Splinter ducked in the very last moment and felt the heat of the laser shoot singing his fur. Obviously they had changed their strategy. So did he. Leaping sideways, he avoided the next shot and ran as fast as he could to the transmat. Three foot got in his way. The last one ended up with Splinters katana in his chest. Splinter got to the control board. If he couldn't destroy the transmat, he could at any rate do as much damage as possible, so he picked up a fist tall stone and smashed it all out into the console. It exploded as he had hoped. Behind him, the foot screamed bloody murder and threatened him with a preferably slow and very painful death. As if they wouldn't want to grant this to him anyway. He turned around, knowing he had achieved a temporary victory, and again he managed to dodge the laser beam at the last moment. This baka were actually shooting at him! Behind him, the transmat exploded in a fireball that rocked the whole cavern. Splinter protected his face with his arms as the kinetic energy of the blast hit him and he was blown away. Unfortunately he landed at his already hurt right arm, hissing in pain. Above him the ceiling rumbled threateningly. For a moment everyone paused, looking up. Then the ceiling came down.
Splinter limped back to the wall as fast as he could. Right know the foot were too busy to attack him any longer. The cavern was about to cave in, the transmat was permanently destroyed and his enemies couldn't decide whether they should rescue their equipment or their own lives. He slumped down and leaned against the wall. His right leg didn't want to carry him much longer and his vision was blurring. The fall had battered him more than he thought. A few ninja made a halfheartedly attempt to attack him, but decided to run when a boulder as big as a car landed in front of them. Splinter could almost laugh if the situation wasn't that serious. He knew that he had to get out of this mess, but somehow he couldn't pull himself together to stand up. He was half aware that he probably had a concussion. So he stayed sitting were he was, watching the foot deploying activity like an ant covey. With a lot of black ants…
He felt nauseous. The noise became lessened until he only heard a soft high-pitched whistle. Absent-minded he looked around the cavern. At least this whole uproar should have allowed Tally to escape without problems. Then she saw her, pretty much near the entrance, ducking behind some glass cylinders. What the hell was she doing?
Gathering all his will power, Splinter jumped up staggered in her direction. This was the best chance she would ever get! Now she had seen him and waved eagerly, at least he presumed so. Colored spots danced in his vision. She was not honestly waiting for him, was she? She stood up and took measures to run to him. Splinter raised his hands in shock. He had nearly reached her when a boulder hit the cylinders behind her, sending her to the ground spattered with the content.
"TALLY!"
Then another boulder hit him, he collapsed
"T-tally…" he reached out for her fingertips and grasped them tightly
The world went black.
--
Suddenly they heard a rumbling, which reached through the whole pipe. For a moment the tunnels were quaking, then there was an odd silence.
"It came from over there". Don pointed in the direction they were heading at.
"And Master Splinter?" Leo asked worried.
Don turned around, a worried look on his face.
"Over there, too."
They quicken their steps, and then they ran. Leo only broke in their search to examine some suspicious footsteps. When he stood up, blood stuck at his fingers. He stared at it for a moment, and then he moved his hand in order to go on. They ran through the pipes, following the signal of their master's communicator, worried and still hoping that everything would turn out to be fine, to be something they could laugh about later. No one dared to speak out his worries. Soon they passed their very first home and reached an area where they had never been before. The pipes there were old and close to collapse. When they were kids, Splinter had strictly forbidden them to play here and had accompanied his ban with massive spanking.
Was it that what had happened? Just a pipe, which collapsed? It sounded worse…
Leo raised his hand to signalize another stop. His brothers saw it as well. A lot of people had walked along here, and a good number of them must have been hurt, considering the bloody traces.
The air was dense and filled with dust. When they turned around a corner-
"You got to be kidding me!"
Raphael stared in disbelief at the buried cavern. Boulders piled up and completely blocked the entrance. Donatello stared at his display. The dot which was representing his fathers shell cell was still not moving- and it was somewhere behind those stones.
TBC