Disclaimer – Well, gee, one can get really tired of repeating the same ol' thing. So, I'll just do it the Raph would. (Rein looks over at Raphael, sees what he's doing and what he's recommending Rein to do, then she realizes she really can't do that, so…) Okay, taking back control, I've decided to just say, nobody's mine in this story other than Beth. Enough said.
Be expecting an official TY from me with chapter 33 reviews through that new feature Fan Fiction included with each story review that comes in. That's right, folks, you can now reply individually to every reviewer! Just explore your reviews as they come in and you'll see the reply back addy. Cool, eh? See Home Page for more details.
As a side note, Fan Fiction has stated that any individual 'review thanks' in the body of chapters is prohibited, not sure if that would include simply naming the reviewers, too, like I've been doing lately. So, to play it safe, I'm gonna just use the new feature. Just the same, ya'll know who you are, right? Well, more importantly, I do and I really appreciate all of your comments.
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Chapter 33 – Wait Until Dark
The moment they heard someone grunt, they melted deeper into the shadows, all the while continuing to edge silently towards the noise. As they kept to the darker side of the sewer tunnel, their weapons were ready, just in case. Yet, all four held their breath in anticipation, their senses keen to their leader's next command.
When the grunting suddenly stopped, they stopped, too.
As they waited there, with each brother quietly and slowly releasing their breath, they looked towards the far end of the tunnel where the lighting was better. It was from there where the sound had been coming.
Suddenly, the grunting noise began again, causing three of the four brothers to hesitate before resuming their march.
The fourth, however - the one in the lead, did not hesitate, but began to step towards the origin of the sound once more. He was careful, silent with each step. Methodically, he shortened the distance between him and the source of the grunting. Where the area ahead was softly lit, contrasting the darker part of the tunnel where he walked, he couldn't see anyone. Just the same, Leonardo was certain that someone was there. He knew that, whoever it was, they might be hiding inside the sewer alcove some fifty yards away along the far right wall.
As he heard another grunt, its sound echoing sharply against the brick-lined tunnel, Leo's eyes snapped towards the hollow in the sewer wall ahead of him. Following the grunt, the click of nails against metal came to his ears. With Leo's keen understanding of sounds, he knew that fingers were now working desperately to find purchase on something, probably the access ladder. The effort almost sounded desperate to him, in fact, as the noise repeated itself in quick successions. Yet, to Leo, it seemed as if the person was having difficulty with the task.
For a moment, Leonardo hesitated slightly, waiting and wondering. He cocked his head a little, to gain better reception. He then heard something that sounded like shoed feet, with said feet dropping and then slapping against the concrete floor in the alcove. It was certain to Leo that the person had failed to gain ground on the ladder and had lost their footing. Leonardo was sure, now, that whoever it was, they were attempting to climb out of the sewers.
Suddenly, a sigh and a groan echoed out from the niche, telling Leo that whoever they were, they were becoming frustrated, too.
However, the blue-banded turtle also recognized that the sound wasn't male, as much as it was female and, in that moment, Leo knew the person in the access shaft was Beth.
After an hour of searching for her, he felt complete relief that the hunt was finally over. Fortunately, where she seemed firmly entrenched within the crevice, she was unaware of his presence. Still, even if she had taken a quick look into the tunnel, Beth still wouldn't have been able to see him – or his brothers, for that matter. Skilled in the art of ninjitsu, they were currently one with the shadows, a mixture of odd shapes and forms replicating much of what Beth had already seen during her exodus from the lair.
Just the same, realizing where they were under the streets of New York City made Leo anxious. West Fifty-Seventh ran straight above him, as well as the main sewer line that he and his brothers were in. Leo knew that Fifty-Seventh was a very busy thoroughfare, too, packed with taxis, buses, and cars, and all traveling in a mad rush to their appointed destinations. Although he highly doubted the girl could even lift one side of the sewer lid, Leo was still afraid that, if she began calling out for help, people topside might hear her. Despite the distant roar of cars and the muffled noise of blaring horns, all it would take would be for one person to be in the right place at the right time to sound an alarm.
Although he was certain that Beth wouldn't give away his clan's secret existence, Leonardo highly doubted that the authorities would let her return to her apartment, not after emerging from a city-owned and controlled sewer system.
With his clan's and the girl's personal safety his main concern, Leo did what he felt he had to.
Without warning, Leonardo sheathed his swords, and silently charged ahead of his brothers towards the access shaft in question. Without a sound, he moved to where the girl was and with such speed and abruptness, that his brothers stood stunned in his wake. Finally, though, Raphael quickly recovered and charged after him with equal speed. He knew only too well how Beth would react with such a surprise encounter, and he alsp knew that Leonardo was clueless about how that would go, too. Forgetting what had happened before regaining his old memories, Leo only understood that Beth suffered from some sort of 'malady', something that caused her to 'lose focus'.
In any event, before Raphael could catch up with his brother, Leonardo had already slipped into the alcove and had grabbed Beth, pulling her free of the ladder. With his one hand firm across her mouth while his other arm encircled her waist, he held onto her with very little trouble.
Nevertheless, Beth still tried to scream, even though her assailant's hand muffled her attempt. Unable to break her mouth free, she then flailed her arms and legs as she tried to defend herself. However, in the next moment and just before Raphael reached the sewer access and his brother, the girl suddenly went limp in Leonardo's arms as she passed out.
As Leo turned around and stepped out into the tunnel again, revealing the girl in his embrace, Raphael knew immediately that Beth was unconscious. She was flopped forward in Leo's arms, while her head listed to one side, as her arms and legs dangled limply, like a rag doll's. Although she had her coat on, Beth hadn't yet employed the hood, which allowed her brown hair to fall haphazardly around her face.
"Geeze, Leo…what'd ya do t'her?" Raph asked in concern, as he quirked his head to look at Beth's condition.
Leo tried to defend himself, "Hey, it was either that or…"
"Dude, you knocked her out?" Mike interrupted as he joined up with Raphael, his eyes wide with surprise as he looked at the unconscious girl in Leo's arms.
"I didn't knock her out!" Leonardo reiterated, and too loudly, too. He checked the tunnel instinctively, aware that anyone from the Foot might be patrolling nearby. Nevertheless, he had been all too mindful of the fact that the girl's truncated screams were also too loud, loud enough for anyone to hear who happened to be nearby. Just the same, Leo explained quietly, gritting his teeth in irritation, "I was afraid if she started yelling for help, someone topside might hear her, okay?" He then adjusted the girl in his embrace, taking his free hand and bringing his arm underneath her legs. Now, as he cradled her, Leonardo looked into Beth's face. With the lighting above softening her features, he mused contritely, "I…didn't realize she would pass out, though." he stated simply. Sighing as he shook his head, "Sensei said something about a malady?"
Donatello, who arrived at the same time as Mikey had, explained, "Beth goes catatonic, Leo, whenever she's stressed or surprised," and he added dryly, "Seems you've done both to her, bro."
Chuckling, Mike added, "Well, let's look on the bright side, guys; at least she won't be giving us problems taking her back to the lair!"
Raph smirked, then, at his youngest brother and nodded in agreement, "Yeah, guess yer right 'bout that, Mike." He then looked back over at Beth again, "She's gonna be pissed, though, when she wakes up." Raphael glanced once at the sewer alcove, "She was pretty close to finding her way out, too."
As the foursome trudged back through the tunnels towards their lair, Leonard insisted on carrying the girl. He had felt badly for initiating Beth's reaction and decided he should be the one to do the honors. Where she was light enough, it was an easy carry for him. As he walked along and as he further studied the girl's features, a gentle warming rose up within him…and he smiled.
………….
Beth felt as if she were having another one of those dreams, where someone was carrying her. As her mind began to wake up, she distinctly remembered her travels through the mostly darkened tunnels. Then, a picture of a sewer opening came to her, with the lid of a manhole cover looming enticingly overhead. She remembered staring at it and wondering if she would be able to lift it, but then decided it was worth a try. Beth recalled leaping and grabbed onto the first metal rung of the access ladder, then straining as she attempted to lift her body up to grab the next one. In her mind, she could almost feel her hands grasp desperately at the metal bars, too, trying to climb up the ladder. But then, she found her hands slipping against the smooth, wet surface of the iron rungs. Nevertheless, Beth knew that she had to reach the sewer lid in order to go back home, that was what her memory told her. Then, as she lost hold of the bars, she dropped back down to the concrete floor of the access shaft. Beth made another attempt, endured yet another failure, and she then recalled almost giving up, but decided on trying one more time.
However, the memory of what had happened next, before she could execute that third attempt, jerked her back to the waking world.
The moment Beth snapped her eyes opened, she found herself in inky blackness. The smell alone told her that she was still in the sewers, but the lack of lighting told her she was in a darker part of the system, one where the overhead lighting no longer worked. All she saw was pitch black. This did not seem familiar to her at all.
Yet, what grabbed her attention the most, though, the instant she became aware of her surroundings, she knew that someone was holding her.
She couldn't tell who it was and she rightly didn't care, because the moment she realized her situation, she screamed. Just as she did, though, the arms holding her tightened up and effectively kept her from freeing herself, despite how hard she flailed around in their arms. She vaguely heard someone tell her to hush, but she was in panic-mode, now, and she refused to be placated.
"Let me go, Let ME GO…HELP!" she yelled as loudly as she could.
Immediately, a leathery hand clamped over her mouth, effectively stifling her words as she continued screaming. Beth then felt the person stop walking, but when he did, she suddenly sensed others nearby, as well. Beth began to panic, now, but in doing so, she also tried to recall Splinter's words about self-control. She knew that if she blacked out again, Beth was certain that whoever had her would take full advantage of her. Why he hadn't already done so mystified the girl, but Beth wasn't going to dwell on it, not when she could make it difficult for him.
The moment she realized that her arms were free Beth fisted her hands and launched a volley of hits at her 'assailant', screaming at the top of her lungs. In that moment, the hamd slipped off her mouth as she felt her first few strikes land effectively along what appeared to be his head. Yet, as she continued to bash furiously and yell at whomever it was who had her, she heard him cry out, "Ow, hey, quit it."
Beth knew that voice; she had heard it before, and it caused her to stop her attack. However, before she had a chance to figure out who it was, the one holding her spoke again, this time more quietly, "Beth, it's me, Leonardo – be quiet!"
Grateful that it was Leo and not some pervert, Beth wrapped her arms around his neck. Burying her face into him, the girl sobbed from relief, apologizing as she cried softly, "I'm so sorry, Leo, I…I didn't know…it was…you."
Leo smiled and said as he whispered, "Don't worry about it, Beth; I've been hit worse than that." He allowed the girl to cry just a little, though, and after a moment, he said to her, "But you have to be quiet, now, okay?
Beth pulled away, releasing her arms from around his neck, as she asked between hiccupy sobs, "Wh...wh...Why?"
"SHhhh…" another voice piped in and then Raphael whispered, his words full of concern, "yer gonna bring the whole friggin' Foot clan on top of us if ya keep blubbering' like that!"
"The Foot? What's that?" the girl asked hesitantly.
"Long story, toots," Raphael replied softy, sternly adding, "no time to tell ya, but ya better keep yer yap shut, 'kay?"
Beth hunkered deeper into her benefactor's embrace, shrinking away from Raphael's abrasive words.
"Hey, Raph, knock it off, she doesn't understand, all right?" Leo hotly exclaimed, his own voice barely audible.
"Well, if she keeps cryin' an' talkin' the way she's doing, she'll know soon enough!" was his brother's hushed retort.
"We've been all through these tunnels, Raph, and there hasn't been one sign of…" Leo suddenly went mute, and the moment he did, Raphael followed likewise. Mike and Don clustered closer to their other two brothers, all four of them silently edging up to the sewer wall.
Beth felt Leo's embrace tighten even more. It was obvious to her that he was nervous and concern; but about 'what', she didn't know. Then, quickly remembering what Raphael had said, something about The Foot occupying the sewers, Beth began to panic just a little. Although she hadn't a clue who these 'Feet' people were, if her friends considered them enemies, then that was enough for her to know that they were dangerous. So far, Leonard and his family had been kinder to her than her own species, not giving her any reason to question their integrity.
Their enemy would therefore be her enemy.
As she kept silent in Leonardo's arms, she thought she sensed movement from one of his brothers. Then, in the blackness of the sewer tunnel, someone pressed against her on the opposite side from how Leo held her. Beth stiffened slightly in his arms and she had all she could do to keep from yelling out in surprise. Yet, it was then when she realized it was Raphael. It was obvious to her, now that he was trying to get close enough to say something to his brother. Barely audible, she heard Raph order, "Stay out of it, Leo; protect Beth," and then he dragged his next set of words, "do – not – en - gage!"
Leo's chest swelled then, as if in defiance, causing the girl to wonder if he would comply or reject Raphael's request. However, in the next moment, Leonardo seemed to relax, apparently giving in to his brother's command. With her head resting against his shoulder, Beth could feel Leo nod, as if it were possible for Raph to see him, and maybe he could, given the fact that the turtles were used to the darkened environment of the sewers.
Without saying a word, Leo suddenly backed up and allowed Beth to slip out of his arms. The moment she was standing again, he took her and gently placed her between himself and the sewer wall. "Stay here with me. Whatever I ask you to do from this moment on, do it without question, okay?"
His voice sounded oddly disembodied, where she couldn't see him. Still, Beth nodded and then she felt the softest brush of his hand against her cheek as he stroked it. She had been trembling, but now the touch Leo gave her assured Beth that he would not let any harm come to her. Then, as he turned his back to her, Beth reached out for him, grabbing his arm, "I'm…afraid," she whispered.
Leo turned around and touched her face again, saying confidently, "No need to be, Beth, because I'll be here to protect you," and then she heard the soft scrap of metal against leather as Leonard unsheathed his twin katana.
Very soon, Beth knew that she would find out why Leonardo had to protect her. She could only hope, though, that whatever happened, she would have enough presence of mind and enough self-control to avoid going catatonic.
"