Wow...another chapter! I'm on a roll, lol. The next chapter is under construction and I will get it up as soon as I can, promise. Hubby has his surgery tomorrow, so most of my time will be taking care of him...and Christmas...and the kids...:)

I don't own them, no I don't! e-i-e-i-o...um..yeah.

Chapter 16: When First We Practice to Deceive

Mikey could not shake the uneasy feeling as he, Raph and Casey slipped through the empty corridors. They took the stairs and checked each floor as they went.

"Dude, where is everybody?" Mikey whispered. "Shouldn't there be at least a guard or something in these halls?"

"Don't jinx us, Mikey, " Raph whispered back. Let's take advantage of not runnin' inta any foot goons while we can."

Elyse had waited at least five minutes, crouched against the door. The hall remained quiet. She took a deep breath and barely cracked the door. She peeked out to see if everything was clear. She was just about to open the door and make a mad dash to the stairs when she heard heavy footsteps echo through the hall.

No! No, no..." Her mind raced. "I'll never get out of here!"

Tears stung her eyes as she gently pulled the door shut. She took several deep breaths to try and calm herself, and she pressed her ear against the door. The footsteps were louder now and she could hear a muffled conversation. Her eyes fell to the crack at the bottom of the door where just a sliver of light seeped through. She saw shadows right outside the door.

They were right outside the door!

She held her breath and silently prayed that they would continue on...but they lingered. She could now make out the voices. One was Jeff, but he was not talking to Professor Starcher. He was talking to a female.

"Karai," Elyse thought. The woman only spoke a few sentences to her, but she could recognize the tone and accent.

Her breath hitched when she heard more footsteps and shouting.

"Karai!" A new voice boomed and the footsteps thundered closer.

Elyse sat perfectly still and tried to calm her breathing...and she listened.

Raph opened the door to the next floor and expected to find another empty hallway. They were all empty. When he saw Karai standing there with someone in a lab coat his vision blurred for a second. Mikey and Casey reached to grab him, but he was too quick. He bolted out the door with his sai drawn.

"Karai!"

Mikey and Casey were next to him in an instant with their weapons drawn too.

Jeff stepped back when Karai unsheathed her sword and took a defensive stance.

"You must be extremely brave, Raphael," Karai stated as she blocked his sai and kicked the turtle away. "Or extremely foolish."

"Why are you here?"

Raph scrambled to his feet. "You know exactly why I'm here!" he glowered.

"You have already rescued your brother." Karai's eyes fell to Casey and his mask-less foot uniform.

Her stare snapped back to Raphael. "Shouldn't you be with him?"

"Where is Leonardo?" Mikey snarled.

Karai's eyes narrowed. "Did your brother not tell you?"

"No more games! Where is he, Karai?" Raph spun his sai and stepped forward.

"He is dead."

"Lair!"

"Donatello witnessed it. Surely you believe your brother." Karai sheathed her sword and motioned for Jeff.

Jeff slowly approached and handed her the black vase.

"He is dead. I was there too." Jeff's voice shook. He now had the red banded turtle's attention.

"You stay outta of this, SuperMario!" Raph pointed his sai at the man.

Jeff shrunk under the enraged turtle's glare. He quickly took several steps back.

Karai held the vase up. "I was on my way to deliver his ashes to my father."

She stepped forward and closed the gap between her and Raphael. She pushed the vase out to him.

"Take it. Take it to your Master."

Raph felt like he could choke on the lump that had formed in his throat. "I-I don't believe you." His eyes darted from the vase to Karai.

Karai let out a frustrated sigh. "I am not completely heartless, Raphael. Leonardo had always tried to find the good in me."

Her small smile seemed sincere.

"Do not taint your brother's memory."

Raphael slowly sheathed his sai and reached for the vase. He felt like he couldn't breath...he was drowning. He faintly heard a whimper from Michelangelo as his fingers wrapped around the cool porcelain. He clutched the vase close to his chest.

His brother...all that they had left of his brother.

"This isn't ova', Karai," he ground out through clenched teeth.

"I know," she said softly. "I have no doubt that our paths will meet again. For now, go and morn your loss...with your family. My ninja will let you pass."

Raph locked eyes her. "Why are you doin' this?"

"It is the right thing to do," she answered. Her eyes hardened. "Go now...before I change my mind."

Anger surged through his veins and he had to loosen the grip that he had on the vase. His feet didn't move until he felt a tug on his arm.

"C'mon, Raphie," Mikey's voice seemed so small...lost. "Let's go."

Raph nodded and turned to leave. He glared over his shoulder at Karai. "You will pay for this."

Karai nodded.

The turtles and their friend hurried down the hall and through the stairway door. When it closed Jeff turned to Karai.

"Why did you let them go, Mistress?"

He felt sick all over again when the ebony haired woman scowled at him.

"Do you question my actions, Mr. Hale?"

"N-no...I just.." The man's face flushed.

Karai's laugh rang through the hall. She pulled her communicator out and flipped it open. "The vase has a tracking device in it."

She pointed to the small red dot that was moving across the screen. "And soon I will have all of my father's enemies. Including the rat and their human friends."

Jeff let out a nervous laugh and roughly rubbed his fingers through his hair.

"I have succeeded where Professor Starcher had failed. Failure, Mr. Hale, will not be tolerated."

She turned and quickly walked toward the elevator with Jeff a few steps behind.

Elyse slowly released the breath she was holding when she heard the doors shut to the elevator. The conversation she overheard replayed in her mind.

"There were more of them...brothers. A family." Her heart ached a little at the thought of the turtle still bound in one of the labs. His family thought he was dead. And now they were walking into a trap.

"But what can I do about it," she thought. "Why would they listen to me."

She mentally shook herself. She knew that she had to get out, and Karai had said that the halls would be clear for the turtle's brothers. It was her only chance.

She quickly opened the door and darted to the stairs. She just need to find an exit. Then she could return to her apartment and pack a few things...and be on the next bus out of town. Far away from here.

She ran down the stairs as fast as she could, no longer checking to see if it was clear. This was her only window out of there and she didn't have time to sneak around. She reached the last flight of stairs and threw the door open. Relief washed over her when she saw that the last corridor was empty and the door to the outside was half open.

Before she knew it she was in the alley breathing the cool night air. She made her way to the end of the alley and peeked around the corner. Her heart skipped when she saw three shadows dart across the street into a fenced parking lot.

She started out of the alley and walked in the opposite direction of the shadows. She needed to get away...far away.

That is why she couldn't believe it when she turned around and headed toward the parking lot.