Sorry, another cliff-hanger, but I'll update again soon. Only three chapters left. Thanks for the reviews! : )
Apologies in advance to Mikey for that bite. You can't blame Jeremy, tho. It's not every day a kid gets nabbed by a giant turtle!
Just a warning in advance, Sylvia swears near the end, but I think it slides under the "T" rating. And she is, after all, under duress at the time.
Happy reading!
Rejoicing in the day,
-Mary
Chapter 14 -Saki-
"So, Donnie, you wanna go sewer-skatin?" Michelangelo looked morosely at his older brother. Donatello looked up, and lifted the magnifying goggles he was wearing.
"Not now, Mikey. I've got to fix this camera."
"Can I go wit' ya to put it back up again?"
"Sure, Mike, but I've got to get it fixed, first." Donatello turned the unit over, examining the underside of the camera's inner workings. "This is weird."
"What's weird?"
"This camera's been turned off. No wonder it wasn't working. But who could've turned it off?" Donatello flipped the tiny switch, and the camera hummed to life. Donatello clicked on the monitor, and Michelangelo appeared on the screen.
"Hey, that's me!" He waved, sticking out his tongue.
"Well, it's working now," said Donatello. He grabbed his tool bag. "Might as well get it put back up."
"Can I come? I can hold your tools."
"I don't know, Michelangelo. Last time I let you hold my tools you dropped that sprocket…"
"Puh-leeeeeeeze? Come on, Donny. There's nothing to do around here. I'm bored."
"Oh, all right."
***
Jeremy huddled in the corner of the ravaged den, his shoulders shaking with snuffling sobs. Sylvia was gone. Their little home in the tunnels was destroyed. The blankets were slashed, the pipes to Sylvia's carefully built heating system pulled down, crumpled and sliced into scrap. Nothing was left.
***
Number Sixty-two knelt in the presence of his Master, trembling slightly even though he'd successfully completed the mission. He bowed his head reverently, and felt sweat drip down the back of his neck under his mask as Saki stood, watching him from behind the metal mask he wore as the Shredder.
"You found her in the subway?"
"Yes, Master."
"And you returned her here. Is she secure?"
"Yes, Master. She's being held downstairs."
"No one saw you?"
"No, Master." Sixty-two would have been insulted if he'd dared.
"Good. You have done well, number Sixty-two. You may go."
"Hai." Sixty-two got to his feet and gave a short bow before backing from the room. He knew better than to ask about his reward. It would come soon enough, through his superior. Until then, being allowed to leave Saki's presence in one piece was reward enough.
***
Sylvia was falling… Falling into darkness, tumbling in an endless void of night… Voices called out to her, hands caught at her clothes, but still she fell, on and on, until… She landed quite suddenly on a hard, cold, smooth surface.
Her head ached terribly. She heard someone moaning, as if from far away. After a while, she knew she was moaning, which made it possible to stop. The light was too bright against her eyelids.
Am I back in the hospital? she wondered. What a weird dream… there were giant turtles, and a talking rat.
Rough hands caught her arms, lifting her. She turned her face away from the onslaught of rough, angry emotions as she was propped against a solid wall. A rough hand slapped her cheek, once, twice.
"Wake up, girl. Wake up. The Shredder requires your presence. Wake up!" The anger and fear behind the words reached Sylvia more clearly than the rough handling or the sharp tone. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, and her mouth opened in a silent scream.
A black mask with bug-like eyes was inches from her face. The voice hissed from behind it, weirdly mouth-less words forming. "Come on, girl. Get up."
Where am I? Sylvia stifled her instinct to project her confusion and anxiety. The coldness, the fear, the hostility convinced her this person in the horrid mask was not a friend, and would not react empathetically to her fear. She squirmed away from the black-clad assailant as he raised his hand again to strike her face.
"Get up!" he snarled, grabbing her arm and hauling her to her feet. "The Shredder wishes your presence. You do not want to keep him waiting."
Sylvia managed to get her feet under her. She jerked away from the man holding her arm, noticing an odd red symbol on his garb. He grabbed her again, and steered her out the door and down a gray hall. She was ushered through a pair of huge wooden doors, but before she had time to take in the magnificence of the room, a man wearing a metal mask and spiked shoulder-gauntlets stood up.
"Hello, Sylvia Rose," he said. "I believe you have a gift, an ability which will be useful to my… organization."
Sylvia stared at the strange man. The black ninja let go of her arm, and bowed out of the room. Sylvia considered making a dash for the door, but she instinctively knew running would be the worst possible option. She held out her hands to the man, palms up, and shrugged, showing confusion. The man's eyes narrowed under his silver helmet.
"Let us not play games with one another, Miss Rose." His accent reminded her faintly of Splinter, but the feeling she got from him was entirely other.
Where Splinter was calm and wise and steady, this man was chaotic, volatile, and dark. "I am aware of your gift, Miss Rose, and I intend to make use of it." He walked slowly toward her. Sylvia backed up, but her shoulders brushed the wall, and he was too close. She stared into his dark eyes, terror closing her throat, choking her, like the thick, black smoke of the fire.
"I do hope we can come to… an understanding," he whispered.
***
Donatello held the camera in place. "Hand me that screwdriver, will you, Michelangelo? No, not the Philips head. The flat one." Tools clattered, rattling on the concrete, and the screwdriver rolled into a puddle of muck.
"Ooops, sorry, Dude," said Michelangelo.
Donatello gritted his teeth. "Mikey. Please. Find something to wipe that off with." he ground out. Michelangelo wiped the tool on his elbow-pad.
"There ya go, Donny, good as new," he said, handing his brother the screwdriver. Donatello shook his head, and turned his attention to re-mounting the camera.
"There, it's up. Hopefully this time it'll keep working," he said, gathering his tools and packing them carefully back into the bag.
"Dude, you hear that?" Michelangelo whispered, crouching. He yanked his nunchucks from his belt. Donatello glanced at his brother, suspecting one of Michelangelo's famous practical jokes, but Mike wasn't smiling. Donatello set the tool bag down and drew his bo staff. He strained, listening. Sure enough, a soft whimpering could be heard from somewhere further along in the tunnel.
"Geez, what is that?" he asked softly.
Michelangelo shook his head. "I dunno, bro, but it sounds like an animal or sumpthin'. It could be hurt. We gotta check it out." Donatello nodded. Michelangelo slipped through the tunnel, silent as a shadow, his brother at his side.
***
Jeremy sniffled. He sat up. His tears were cried out. There was nothing for it, the safe little home he'd shared with Sylvia was destroyed. Wherever the guy in black came from, he was a nut job. Jeremy knew the little den was no longer safe. He wondered if he'd ever see Sylvia again. He got up and started gathering all the oddments he'd collected, sorting them into piles, the things he wanted to keep, and those that could be left behind.
He was so busy packing his meager belongings, he never heard the two ninjas approaching. They moved closer, silent, unseen. Jeremy wiped his nose on his shirt-sleeve, and silently cursed the loss of his coat. He'd have to steal a new one. It wouldn't be easy to find another perfect jacket, with so many pockets…
"Yaaaaaaah!" he screamed as an arm came around him from behind. He was lifted up, off his feet. A hand clamped over his mouth, cutting off his scream. The fact that the hand felt odd, with not enough fingers, registered in his mind an instant before he got a glimpse of his attacker's skin… it was green. Jeremy's eyes bulged, and he kicked and struggled as if his life depended on it. He managed to get his mouth open, and bit down, hard.
***
Must… not…Sylvia's mind was beginning to wander, her focus breaking up. She was attempting to barricade her mind, but the relentless assault of noise was breaking her. The light… it was too bright. The room she was in was absolutely smooth and white. The noise came from outside, from all around, crashing off the walls, assaulting her ears. There was no escape. Sylvia lay down on the floor and covered her ears with her hands. Tears streamed down her face. There was no way out… no way out.
LET ME OUT, she screamed silently. Let me out! Bastards! Let me out of here! You dirty, sneaking rotten bastards! LET ME OUT!
The silence was so sudden and complete, it was a full minute before Sylvia registered the change. Slowly, she sat up, taking her hand away from her ear, fearing the noise would start again. Nothing. The room remained silent. A door swung open on the far wall, and the Shredder stood, framed in the gap.
"I knew a little… persuasion would convince you to reveal your ability," he said smoothly. Sylvia's mind was touched momentarily by a powerful, oily-smooth emotion. She recoiled, trembling. Saki smiled, watching her.
Oh Donatello, I wish you were here. Sylvia tried to dampen the thought before it escaped, but the Shredder's black eyes widened, and he leaned down, grasping her shirt and lifting her off her feet.
"The turtles," he hissed.
Sylvia stared into his eyes, and saw death written there.
***