Chapter 3 -Pursuit-
"Sylvia, come on, we've gotta get outta here," hissed Jeremy, dragging Sylvia past Michelangelo, out the still-open door. Michelangelo didn't move. He was staring at the German Shepherd.
"N…nice doggy," whispered Michelangelo, his eyes on the dog's teeth, glinting in the dim light. "That's a nice doggy…"
"Wow, that was close," said Jeremy as they stepped into the alley. "That guy almost had us. Let's get outta here, Syl, before it wears off…"
"I don't think so." The voice came out of the shadows, calculating and cold. "What're you kids doing, breaking into jewelry stores, anyway? Didn't your folks teach you not to steal?"
"Run for it," yelled Jeremy, dragging Sylvia down the alley. There was no time to direct her emotions or change her focus. A startled shout and a yelp behind her made her wince. The first turtle must've dealt with the dog. Sylvia shivered. She hoped the turtle hadn't… but if the dog yelped, it couldn't be dead, right? Reaching out, she focused briefly. She sensed confusion, but not pain. She ran on, relieved.
"Come on, Sylvia!" Jeremy's desperate plea was breathless. She was a fast runner, but she was having trouble keeping up. He dragged her toward the subway.
Good idea. We can lose them there, she thought. Focusing her energy, she summoned feelings of strength, of power, loaning her young friend speed. The footsteps behind them were closing in as they dashed down the subway stairs.
***
Raphael knelt on the pavement, holding Leonardo's arm to try and stem the flow of blood leaking out, dripping down his plastron.
Bastards, Raphael swore silently. Dirty rotten cowardly Foot trick, throwing that shurikin as a calling card as they vanished into the night. They knew they couldn't win… so they struck as they ran away, the dirty cowards… The gash on Leonardo's arm was the worst of his injuries, but Raphael knew the kick his brother had taken to the plastron probably meant he had cracked ribs as well.
"Ah, Leo, why da ya have to be the hero all da time, anyway?"
"Don't… know… what… you… mean." Leonardo's breathing was strong, but shallow.
"Come off it. You saw that shurikin comin', and ya shoved me outta the way. Nice goin' Fearless. Now we're stuck here. Yer bleedin', and the cops are comin'. Shell, I hope Donnie and Mike can get here before they do."
"They'll… come. They… always… come."
Raphael shook his head. "I hope so, bro. I sure hope so," he muttered.
***
Jeremy vaulted the gate, hauling Sylvia along behind him. They dashed down the deserted platform to the empty tracks, putting the cement support columns between them and their pursuers.
A ringing sound echoed through the tunnel. Sylvia looked back over her shoulder, but she couldn't see the turtles. The columns hid them from her sight. Jeremy hustled down the short ladder and dropped to the tracks. Sylvia followed.
"Donnie, Mike, are ya there? Dis is an emergency!" The disembodied Brooklyn accent bounced off the walls. Sylvia stumbled, startled. Jeremy pulled at her hand, forcing her to keep up. She heard his breath coming in short, gasping sobs. He didn't speak now, just dragged her along, down the subway tunnel.
"What is it, Raph? We're kinda busy." Unbelievable. The guy chasing them was talking on his cell phone. He barely sounded out of breath.
"You gotta come now, Donnie. It's Leo. He's hurt. Come now."
"Oh shell. We'll be right there. Don out."
***
"Why… didn't… you… wait…" whispered Leonardo. Raphael shook his head. As long as Leonardo could lecture, he knew his brother would be fine.
"If I waited for ya, to come up with a plan, Leo, nothin'd ever get done," Raphael told him, with only half the bitterness he usually managed.
The sirens that flushed the Foot were coming closer. The man and his wife were cowering against the fence, her sobs echoing through the alley. Raphael ignored them. They weren't hurt as far as he could see, just shaken up. He didn't know how much they'd been able to see of the actual fighting, but somehow he didn't think a five foot tall masked turtle would be a comforting sight at the moment.
"Come on, Leo, we've gotta get outta here, Bro." Raphael helped his dazed and bleeding brother to his feet. Leonardo coughed, and his face twisted with pain.
"You've got to be more careful," he wheezed.
"Not now, Leo. We've gotta get down to the tunnels before somebody sees us. I already called Donnie and Mike. Let's get the shell outta here."
"Language, Raphael."
Raphael rolled his eyes. Yep, Leo would be just fine. If he could just get him down a manhole before the cops showed up…
***
Jeremy, it's ok. She projected calm, safety, home.
Jeremy stopped. Gasping sobs heaved his chest.
"Sylvia, what were those things?" he demanded, not expecting an answer. "They almost had us. It's a good thing you sic'd that dog on the one in the store. Man, did you hear him? 'Nice doggy'." Suddenly, Jeremy laughed.
Sylvia smiled. Jeremy was a resilient kid, quick to smile. He lifted her spirits. She projected happiness, and felt him move closer to her in the dark. She took his hand, and led him down the tunnel to their little den in one of the abandoned outlets.
She tugged at his hand, pulling him into the space. Jeremy walked over to the little bundle of blankets in the corner. "All this runnin' sure wears a guy out," he said, flopping down. "I'm sorry we didn't get none o' that jewelry, Sylvia. Maybe we can try another time, huh?" He yawned and stretched. Sylvia sighed. She knew he was a growing boy who needed to eat. Carefully, she reached up behind the odd jumble of machinery she'd attached to a gas line high on one wall.
Jeremy sat up, watching her. "I wish you wouldn't mess wit' the gas, Syl," he whispered. "What if ya, you know, blow it up or somethin'? We'd be blown sky-high. I guess we wouldn't be hungry anymore though…"
Sylvia found what she'd been searching for. Behind her additions to the city's pipes, a crack had formed a sort of shelf in the tunnel wall. She lifted the apple carefully out of hiding, and held it out to Jeremy.
"What, for me?" hope glinted in the boy's hungry eyes, but he didn't reach for the food. "What about you? You gotta eat, too."
Sylvia shook her head, and gestured, holding the apple out to him again. Slowly, reluctantly, Jeremy took it. Sylvia gave him a wide smile as he bit into the juicy fruit.
Good, good… she projected, adding an image of Jeremy as an adult, tall and strong. Jeremy finished the food in record time. Even the core disappeared. He lay down, and was soon fast asleep.
Sylvia sat against the wall, listening. She could feel… something. Distant, but intense. Pain. Fear. Anger. Silently, using the shadows to conceal herself, she got to her feet, and slipped out of the den. She made her way down the tunnel, toward the junction where Donatello's camera kept breaking.
***
"How could this happen, Raphael?" Donatello scowled.
"Lay off, Don. It's bad enough I've got 'Fearless' lecturin' me," Raphael snarled.
"You ok, Leo?" Michelangelo's clear voice echoed off the tunnel walls. "We're almost home, Dude. You're gonna be ok, right?"
"Yeah… Mike… I'm… ok." Leonardo was sweating, leaning more heavily on Donatello as they made their way further into the sewers. He refused to allow Raphael to take his arm, so Donatello was carrying most of the burden of his weight.
"If you hadn't held back, this wouldn'ta happened, Leo!" snapped Raphael.
"Raph, now's not the time," said Donatello. "Save the arguing until I get him patched up, can't you?"
Raphael grunted and stalked ahead. Leonardo's eyes flashed, but he didn't try to argue. All his strength was taken up in getting his lungs to move air in and out of his aching chest.
"You want me to get Master Splinter to make ya some tea?" asked Michelangelo.
"Go ahead, Mike," said Donatello, knowing the hyper younger turtle needed to do something, anything, to help their oldest brother. Michelangelo was off down the tunnel before Donatello finished speaking. Raphael shook his head.
Donatello stumbled, eliciting a gasp of pain from Leonardo. Raphael turned, and in one smooth motion, caught Leonardo before he could fall to the tunnel floor.
"Let me help ya, 'Fearless'," he said gruffly, taking Leonardo's weight from Donatello. "Don needs ta get his first-aid stuff set up anyway." He stood tense, waiting for Leonardo to refuse, his muscles tight as violin strings.
Leonardo met Raphael's eyes. They locked gazes for nearly a full minute before the older turtle sighed and let his brother take some of the weight his shaking limbs could no longer carry. Raphael relaxed slightly as he helped his older brother down the tunnel toward home.
***