Disclaimer: if wishes were turtles...ninja turtles *grins* (my people are MINE LOL)

Chapter 7: Contact

Raph gripped the edge of the boards and pulled back straining to break the weaken part if the boards. Grunting he punched the crate a couple more times grinning when the boards creaked and split. A gap appeared and Raph jammed his hands in tearing at the gap in an effort to make it bigger. His hands stung but he ignored it. Gritting his teeth he jerked the boards apart and dropped the broken pieces at his feet. Adar was staring at him, eyes wide. Jade got up and grabbed his hands, stopping him. He nearly threw her against the wall in frustration, but her voice and what he said made him pause.

"Your bleeding," she said quietly. Raph grunted and looked at his hands, they were torn apart, he grimaced. His hands were shaking painfully.

"Great," He spat. Jade sighed and pulled his hands close, he jerked away and went back to the crate. Jade and Adar exchanged both worried and impressed looks.

'He's tough" mouthed Jade. Adar nodded.

"Stubborn too...we have to stop him though...he'll ruin his hands," Adar mouthed back. Jade nodded and gasped when she saw that he was watching them with one eye ridge raised and a humored expression on his face.

"Over twenty-two years of ninja training and I think I'll be fine....my hands are stronger than they look," Raph said smugly, flexing his bloodly fingers easily. The girls winced but nodded.

Raph twisted around and kicked the board hard, once, twice, thrice...a "crack" made him grin. The front of the crate hung open. He peeked out and pulled back in.

"We're in a truck, you two coming?" Raph asked as he slipped out. They looked around as Raph examined the truck's back doors.

"Jade! I found your blades!!" squeeked Adar holding up two nasty looking obsidian blades. Jade grinned wickedly and grabbed them tossing them in the air and flexing her fingers over the leather bound handles.

"How's my babies?" she breathed, looking fierce. They search the hold quickly but found nothing else. Raph growled in frustration and slammed his bloody fist against the wall. They froze at the sound of movement toward the front. When it stopped they relaxed.

"Hey Rafel come here!" called Adar.

"It's Raphael...Raph-i-el" Raph grumpled. Adar rolled her eyes but held up a piece of fabric. He looked at her quisically.

"Ah," Jade agreed.

"Your hands...so they don't get infected,"she pointed out to Raph. He sighed but let them quickly bind his hands in the cloth. The vehicle suddenly slowed. Raph tensed and moved toward the door, motioning for the girls to hide. The door opened and they heard a gasp of shock.

A man slowly entered the truck a dart gun in his hand. Raph lashed out, sending the man sprawling to the floor and he spun out the door, a loud cry announcing that the others were being attacked. A minute later Raph's head peeked in.

"Let's go," he ordered. The girls quickly followed. Jade glanced at the fallen men and grunted irritably. Adar looked worried.

"Are they-?" she started to ask.

"They'll be fine...nasty headaches but fine," Raph replied, "Let's get off this road." He pointed to the woods. Jade nodded and gestured for her sister to follow. Adar slipped into the shadowed woods behind the two darker figures in front of her.

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Leo was sitting in the Lotus position, perfectly still. Jake was staring at Mike quisically, obvisouly wanting to talk. Mike had managed to remember that gestures that meant "not sure...don't know enough", but Jake wan't satisfied, he kept grabbing Mike's hands and demanding attention. Fawn wasn't feeling well and Rose was sitting with her, they were talking quietly. April was driving while Casey doozed in the front, head lolled back, mouth open, snoring softly. Don was holding Fawn in his lap, exhaustion had finally got the better of him, and he was asleep, he resting on Fawn's shoulder. Leonra had planted herself at her dad's side and was playing with her doll, humming softly. Luke was sitting with his hand under his chin looking bored out of his mind. His blue eyes flicked toward his father and then landed on his hazel-eyed sister. Jake had his father's golden-brown eyes. Luke manged to resist the urge to take his siter's doll away, fearing that his father would probably make him do flips or katas until he fell asleep on his feet. Luke sighed loudly, boredom etched into his features.

"Luke," Rose said softy, gesturing for him to come. Luke got up and sat by his mother only to be pulled into her lap, he grumbled irritably but relented. Fawn pulled out Mike's old game-boy and handed it to Luke. He gave her a look of absolute confusion and stared at the battered black retangle in a quisical look of interest. Fawn showed him how to turn it on and Luke's eyes widened in shock, he threw the game-boy away from him and gasped.

"W-what?" he gasped. Mike, Fawn, and Rose laughed gently. Mike got up and handed it back showing Luke how to play. Jake was curious for about three seconds and then returned his attention to his uncle Mikey, golden-brown eyes boring into him. Luke grinned and played quietly, not caring that he was again in his mother's lap. Leo grunted and sat up straight, streaching stiff muscles, wincing when his abdomin protested the movement.

"Raph's out of the crate...just about gave him a heart attack...but other than he split his knuckles up pretty bad, he's fine. Johson found others like us, they're with him, "Leo informed gently, streatching his right leg out a second before folding it back up. Lenora crawled into her father's lap and sat there, he looked down and smiled, roughling her hair gently. She grumbled a little.

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