Ugh, finally! For some reason, I had some trouble uploading this ^^; But finally, I did it.
I should explain to you first: I've recently received some very disturbing news, so I've been a little depressed lately. I'm not going to bother you with that by letting it out on the story, but I just wanted to let you know that this is why it took so long for me to finish this chapter. The next one will probably also take a while, so please be patient with me. I luv you all! ^^
Hope you like it anyway! ^^;
What Splinter says in the beginning means: "Don't die... Hang in there..."
"Shinuna…" mumbled Splinter in meditation. "Shikkari shiro…"
He focused on the Turtles, April and Naomi. He had a very bad feeling about Naomi.
"My sons," he mumbled. "Do not let me, nor her, nor yourselves down. There is not much time left."
******
"Everyone knows what they have to do?" asked Leonardo. The others nodded.
The door of their cell opened again on the third day of the kidnapping. Two tall, broad men entered.
"Remember," said one of them. "One wrong move…" He showed a small device he was holding. "All I have to do is push this button and your friend will die."
The Turtles looked at the green button. This simple button could end Naomi's life. Leonardo looked up and nodded.
"Good," said the man. "We're bringing you to our boss. I'm not gonna take my eyes off you." His eyes narrowed.
"That's fine by us," said Leonardo calmly.
"Hang on a second," said Donatello. "How do we know we're talking about the same person?"
"Oh, right," said the other guard, reaching in his pocket. He took out a picture and showed it to Donatello. "Is this her?" he asked with a smirk.
Donatello's eyes widened. Usually penetrating green eyes were now staring at him, begging for help. Half her awfully pale face was covered with blood. Donatello was shocked, desperately wondering if she was still alive!
"Guess it is," said the guard. The others tried to get a glimpse of the picture, but the guard crumbled it and threw it on the floor. "As you can see," he said while the other guard was unlocking the chains, "we don't have much time. One wrong move will relieve her from her misery in the blink of an eye. But that's not what you want, right? Poor girl." He chuckled.
"Dave," said the other. "That's enough. I think they get it."
Donatello felt a stinging pain in his chest. His body was trembling with a mixture of anger and anxiety. "Just what… have you done to her?" he asked, his voice shaking.
"We didn't do nothing," said Dave. "You'll see after you've completed this small task."
"Donatello," whispered Leonardo, rubbing his wrists after he was freed. He looked deeply into his brother's eyes. Don't let whatever they did to Naomi get to you, he said with his eyes. Our top priority is to save Naomi before she dies. Donatello took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
As soon as all four Turtles were loose, Dave opened the door, followed by his colleague.
"Let's go," he said. "The sooner we get this over with, the bet—"
His partner hit him on the back of his head, causing him to fall unconscious immediately and drop on the floor.
The Turtles looked at the guard who had just been knocked out, then looked at the other man in surprise.
"Dude… what's goin' on here?" asked Michelangelo.
The man looked at them. He loosened his necktie, undid a few buttons of his shirt and revealed a huge, ugly scar on his chest. "See this?" he asked. Leonardo looked at him. "I don't get it," he said.
"When I was in my early twenties, I had been taken hostage by a madman," explained the man. "He made me suffer for a long time, throwing stuff at me, even burning me. There wasn't a thing I could do. When I finally managed to escape, I was found by Mr. Greco himself. I was scared, confused… and embittered. He promised me that I would get my revenge. I was mad at the world for making me suffer so much. I wanted others to feel what it's like."
"It wasn't the world's fault," said Leonardo. "It was one man."
"There's plenty of people like him in the world," said the man. "That kind of people can't be forgiven, ever. But I've only recently realized that the world doesn't always work like that."
"What made ya change your mind?" asked Raphael.
"A certain friend of yours," answered the man. "Miss O'Neil."
"April?!"
"She's… really something," said the man, vaguely smiling. "She kept yelling and threatening… challenging us…"
"Yeah, that's April," said the Turtles all at the same time.
"Anyway," continued the man, "After a while, I ended up talking with her when my colleague went to lunch. I told her my story and… she made me realize my way of thinking was wrong. Especially when I saw that girl you're looking for, I realized that I shouldn't make other innocent people suffer, but save people like that girl. For cryin' out loud, she's what, 16? 17? An innocent girl is being punished for what an old man believes she did in a previous life. I've seen the man. He's losing his mind. His lust for revenge has taken over him. I won't let that happen to me."
"Great," said Leonardo. "We could use a little help here for a change."
"I have all the keys," said the man. "Let's free Miss O'Neil first."
"Right, let's go guys," said Donatello.
"By the way," said Raphael, "what's your name?"
"Jenaro Santos," said the man. "Call me Jim."
******
April looked up when the door of her cell opened. She had never guessed who was about to enter first.
"Yo, April!" Michelangelo ran inside and hugged her before April even got the chance to realize who it was.
"Michelangelo!" she said in surprise. "Guys! But... how did you – Michelangelo, you're crushing my bones here…"
"Sorry."
When Jim appeared in the door opening next to the other three Turtles, April's eyes widened.
"April, tell us," said Leonardo, "can we trust this guy?"
"Jim?" asked April. "Yeah, we had a good little chat. I just never expected he'd set you free."
"I'm gonna do what's right for a change," said Jim. "I'm sick of making wrong choices."
"Are you sure this is the right choice for you?" asked Leonardo. "They might be out to kill you if you betray them."
"I'll manage," said Jim.
"While we're standing here having a nice conversation," interrupted Donatello, "Naomi is still out there. I saw the state she's in. We can't waste any more time."
"Right," said Leonardo. "Jim, you know where she is, right?"
"Yes," said Jim. "But first…" He unlocked the door behind him. "I think you'd like your weapons back."
The four brothers looked inside and found their weapons piled up next to a desk.
"Ahw, my babies," said Michelangelo, carefully picking up his nunchakus. "Thrown on the cold floor like that. I missed you."
"Dude," said Raphael, picking up his sais. "How could they?"
"Humans…" sighed Leonardo. He quickly turned to April and Jim. "Oh, n-no offence," he said quickly. "What I meant was… umm…"
"I know," said April, slightly annoyed. "Relax."
"So Jim," said Donatello, "got a plan?"
"Yeah," said Jim. "We don't have much time, so I'll just briefly explain what everyone has to do."
******
"Yes, Boss?"
"What the hell is taking you so long?!"
"Sorry, Boss. We had some problems with the locks. But we're ready now and on our way."
"And why is your partner not responding?"
"I'm not sure, Boss, but I think there's something wrong with his communicator."
"Honestly… Well, get your asses over here. I want the girl to die by the hands of her own… friends. If you keep it up like this, she'll be dead before you even get here."
"Yes, Boss."
Dun dun DUNN!! That's the sound of a climax coming our way! =O Will they make it in time?
I was too lazy to go in detail xD Sorry for that...
I PROMISE I'll try and make the next upload sooner and more exciting! X3
Until then, sayonara ~ nano desu! ^^
