Chapter Four- The Tables are Turned
"Did you see the looks on their faces?" Mikey laughed.
"How could we?" Leo chuckled. "They were wearing masks!"
"We saw the look on Dogpound's face." Donnie noted. "I wish I had a picture of that!"
"I think my favorite part was when Sensei knocked out a couple of his teeth!" Raph nodded. He turned to his sensei with a smile. "I knew you were strong, but man! You're unstoppable!"
"Thank you, Raphael." Splinter nodded. "But don't think I'm not going to punish you for running into battle and endangering us all in the first place."
Raph sighed. "Hai, Sensei."
"Come on, let's just get home." Leo said with a laugh, jogging ahead to reach the alley. His brothers followed, but Splinter hung back a bit. He had the most disturbing feeling that they were being followed. He finally rounded the corner and pressed himself against the brick wall. He slowly leaned out to stare down the road. No cars drove down the street or parked at the curb. Wait...was that? Yes, a black van, slowly creeping up to the corner.
"Sensei?" Mikey piped up.
Splinter shushed him quickly, covering his mouth. Mikey stayed close behind his master, his brothers close behind him. Splinter suddenly darted for the fire escape, gesturing for his sons to follow. They silently obeyed, although curious as to why their father acted this way. Splinter reached the roof and started leaping across buildings, all the way to the last building on the corner. Then he scurried down the fire escape and crouched into the shadows. He looked back to his sons and gestured to the street just outside the alley entrance. The black van from before continued to creep down the road, a second one close behind. Dogpound lumbered between them, sniffing the air. Splinter motioned for the boys to follow him and silently walked into the streetlight. They followed the vans, getting closer...closer...closer...
Fong looked down at his mirror and his eyes widened. He slammed on the brakes. "The turtles!"
Dogpound spun around and charged for the reptiles. Leo jumped towards the mutant dog as more Foot Ninja appeared from inside the vans. Fong stayed in the van, waiting for the right signal.
Raph and Leo teamed up to fight Dogpound, slashing him with their blades. Donnie whacked ninjas left and right, using his bō like a bat. Mikey slammed his nunchakus into the ninjas' heads, knocking them unconscious. But a majority of he Foot Ninja were focused on Splinter; at least ten of them battled the rat. Splinter's bō snapped halfway through the fight, and he was forced to go hand-to-hand.
Mikey, realizing his master's disadvantage, ran to help him, but was suddenly lifted off his feet by Dogpound. "Hey put me down ya mutt!"
"Shut up." Dogpound huffed, throwing him into a van. Mikey shouted in surprise, followed by a loud "Oof!" when he hit the inside of the moving van.
"Mikey!" Donnie called. He started towards his brother, but a couple Foot Ninja blocked his path.
"I will get him!" Splinter called, sprinting after the van. He followed the vehicle as it sped down the road and disappeared around the corner. Splinter took a sharp turn and darted down a nearby alley, skillfully leaping over the chain link fence that separated him from the other side of the alleyway. He reached the end just as the van came barreling by. He barely had enough time to jump on and grab the driver's door. He somehow managed to open it and plant his fist in the foot ninja's face and knock him unconscious. Splinter slammed his foot on the brake and the car screeched to a halt. He jumped down and hurried to the back.
"Michelangelo!" Splinter called as he pulled open the door. "Are you alright?"
But when he opened the door, something grabbed him by his robes and yanked him backwards. Dogpound's fist met his face, and he stumbled back. He shifted into a strong stance, narrowing his eyes as the giant dog mutant approached him. He noticed Michelangelo in the van, bound and gagged and feverishly trying to tell him something. But Dogpound suddenly lunged, forcing Splinter to divert his attention toward the large mutant. He ducked as the dog's fist almost took his head off and sidestepped as the beast continued to advance. He continued to side step and simply dodge Dogpound's attacks again and again until the mutant became so angry he aimed a punch for the rat's head, only to smash it into a brick wall instead. Splinter jumped up and put a well-placed kick into the dog's head, where his skull met his neck. Dogpound slumped forward, groaning and half-conscious. Splinter wasted no time in hurrying to Michelangelo, checking for any more Foot Ninjas on the way.
Mikey's eyes widened when he saw Splinter. His frantic words only came out in muffles and groans because of the cloth over his mouth. But he didn't stop, his panic levels rising as Splinter came closer.
"Just calm down!" Splinter snapped. "I'll have you out in a minute." He pulled at the knots around Mikey's wrists, loosening the knot in seconds. All the while, Mikey continued to struggle and produce muffled shouts. Finally, Splinter loosened the ropes enough for Mikey's hand to slip out and fly to the gag on his mouth.
"We gotta get out of here!" Mikey shouted. "It's a trap!"
No sooner had he spoken those words did the doors to the van slam shut. But before the Foot Ninja outside could lock the door, they were thrown backwards as Splinter kicked the doors open. Mikey jumped in front of his sensei as the Ninja returned. He planted his foot in one's face and slammed his nunchakus onto another's head. He laughed triumphantly, even when more approached the van. "Who else wants some? Huh? Ya wanna taste of the Nunchaku Master?"
Splinter's eyes widened in shock. "Watch out!" He suddenly grabbed Mikey's shell and yanked him backwards. Mikey managed to catch himself before he could fall on his tail, but his eyes widened at the sound of a blade penetrating flesh followed by a grunt of pain. He looked up just as his master started to fall backwards.
"Splinter!" He cried as he caught his collapsing master. He gasped at the sight of three throwing knives protruding from his sensei's chest. Suddenly, the doors to the van slammed shut, and click of activating locks rang out. "Sensei?" Mikey shook his father gently, but all the rat could do was wearily blink open his eyes and grit his teeth in pain. He struggled to push himself up, but the pain and shock from the wound forced Splinter to remain stagnant. "Splinter? Are you okay?" Mikey looked up as a white cloud sprayed down from the ceiling. He coughed and tried to stop himself from inhaling the chemicals, but his head already began to feel fuzzy and his vision blurred. Splinter instantly fell unconscious, falling from Mikey's arms and slumping to the floor.
"Splinter!" Mikey called, trying to rouse his master awake. But the chloroform forced him to the ground. He feebly reached for Splinter. "Splinter..." He struggled to keep his eyes open, to save his wounded father. "Dad..."
Everything went black.
Leo shouted in effort as he kicked the Foot Ninja to the ground, successfully knocking him unconscious. One of his companions made a sign, and the remaining ninja leaped into their van and sped away. Leo, Raph, and Donnie breathed a little hard, trying to calm their racing hearts. About a dozen unconscious ninjas lay at their feet as they snuck away into the shadows of an alley. They leaned against walls and knelt to the ground, taking deep meditative breaths.
"Well, that was fun." Donnie said with a half-sarcastic smirk.
"Should we go after Mikey and Splinter?" Raph asked.
"Splinter can handle himself." Leo assured. "I'll call Mikey and see where they are." He pulled out his T-phone and dialed the number. Raph glanced over at Donnie and noticed the odd look on his brother's face. He also couldn't help but notice how Donnie kept twiddling with his bō staff nervously, like when he was little and nervous about performing a kata for Splinter. Raph didn't know it, but Donnie was a little scared. Dogpound wouldn't have taken Mikey if he didn't know Splinter would follow. Donnie knew it was a trap. It had to have been. Wouldn't they have returned by now if it wasn't?
"He's not answering." Leo announced. "That's weird."
"We should go look for them." Donnie encouraged. "Mikey always answers as fast as he can. If he didn't answer the first time, something must be wrong."
Raph and Leo exchanged looks before nodding. The three of them slipped away, down the street and following the van's tracks. Leo couldn't help but feel sorry for and mentally berate himself. He had intended for this to be a night for his family to remember. He wanted to spend time with Splinter outside the dojo; to show off his best out in the real world and make Splinter proud of him. Now, it became a rescue mission to save his father and brother. He was the leader. How could he let this happen?
I'm so sorry, Father. Leo sighed. I'm sorry Mikey. I never should've let this happen. It's all my fault.
"Park over there." Dogpound ordered. The Foot Ninja nodded and steered the van over to a parking lot in front of a supermarket. "We'll hide out around back for a while, just to be sure the Turtles leave. Then we'll get our prisoners back to Shredder." The ninjas nodded and followed the mutant dog around the back. "Fong! Are the turtle and his master secured?"
Fong patted the side of his van. "They're chained up and secure. They ain't going anywhere."
"Then go get supplies!" Dogpound ordered and ran off.
Fong huffed, muttering something about turning Dogpound into a coat. He was so focused on his thoughts he didn't see the girl right in front of him until they rammed into each other.
"Hey, watch it!" Fong snapped.
"Take it easy." The girl huffed as she gathered her groceries.
Fong was about to snap at her again when he noticed a set of keys on the ground. He patted his pockets, only to realize they were flat. He snatched the keys just as the girl reached for them. "You dare try and steal my stuff?"
"I was going to ask if they were yours." The girl protested.
"Well they are!" Fong snapped. "Now beat it, kid!" The girl huffed and scooped up her things, picking up her own keys off the ground and stomping off. Fong scoffed and resumed his sulking walk into the market.
The girl looked back at the man she bumped into one last time before rolling her deep brown eyes. She tucked a strand of her long black hair behind her ear and looked up to find her car. When she couldn't see it at first, she took out her keys and pressed the 'lock' button. Her car honked in response, alerting her to its position. She set her groceries on the shotgun seat before climbing into the driver's chair. She slammed the door shut and started up the car, driving off and disappearing around the corner.
For a long time, the lot remained uneventful, save for the customers that arrived and left. Then, about twenty minutes after the girl left, three dark figures stealthily made their way to the vans belonging to Dogpound and Fong.
"Mikey!" Leo whispered through one van. "Sensei! Can you hear us?" But they heard nothing from the other side.
"They're probably still knocked out." Raph noted as he kept a lookout. "Donnie, pick the locks!"
Leo took a hold of the door handles and pulled. Without the slightest effort, the unlocked doors clicked open. "Well, they aren't in here."
"Then it's safe to assume they're in the van with the chain and lock?" Donnie droned as he started picking the padlock. A few long minutes later, the lock clicked open, and Donnie pulled the chains off the door. He started on the actual door locks.
"Hold on, guys!" Raph called quietly into the van. Donnie finally unlocked the doors and pulled them open. "We'll get you—" The boys froze, staring in shock.
The van was empty.
"If they're not here," Leo sighed. "where are they?"
A/N: Take a guess. Where do you think they ended up?