Donatello barely had a second to gasp before the weight of the water crashed down on top of the Slider. In that instant of panic, he was certain the vessel was going to be swamped, and fell flat on his plastron to redistribute his weight. The turtle gripped the sides of the Slider and wedged his legs under the seats as the water rushed underneath him. He jolted as the vessel crashed into something, and he heard the scraping sound of metal upon metal.
In a flash he knew the two Sliders had collided. He could only pray that the vessels would survive the encounter without his flipping. Donatello didn't realize he was holding his breath until his Slider broke free from the obstacle, and splashed back down into the water. The turtle lost his grip as he momentarily went airborne, then slammed down on his chest a second time.
Shell, I can't even see what's happening!
Donatello raised his head a few inches off the floor, as he held onto the sides of the vessel so hard that he could feel his fingers changing color. The sound of the water was overwhelming; he could hardly think straight.
Hold on, hold on and breathe! Don't lose your head, now think!
The extra weight on his belt suddenly registered in his mind, and he remembered his grappling gun.
Okay, that might come in handy at some point. I have to get up first though.
As Donatello tried to sit up, he felt the Slider shifting sideways under the force of the water, and it lurched dangerously as it collided with the wall of the tunnel. The purple-masked turtle looked in the direction of the control panel.
The lights on the display are still illuminated. If the water hasn't fried the circuits, I might still have a shot at using the engine. I can't waste the opportunity though; I have to wait for the right moment!
He fought his way to his knees, and struggled to survey the tunnel speeding by him. As much as he tried to mentally will the Slider to stay on a straight course, it continued to drift to the side, and was driven against the walls a number of times.
I don't know how much abuse this thing can take before it starts to break apart. I need a solution, NOW!
What he needed was one of the metal rung gratings - something upon which the hook of his grappling gun would be able to catch. But the light of day was nowhere to be found currently; only the heavy dark covers were flying by above him.
Dang it, I have to do something!
There was a tremendous shudder through the entire vessel as it struck something under the surface that Donny couldn't see. He imagined he could literally feel the Slider cracking under the pressure of the water and the lashing it was receiving.
I have to try something before I don't get the chance.
Donatello flung his weight backwards toward the controls, and tried valiantly to get his feet underneath him. He settled for making it to one knee, and he quickly brushed the power button for the engine that was faintly lit. Nothing happened.
No, no, no, c'mon!
He mashed the button harder, as if it would make a difference. There was no response, and he attempted to get to his feet again. Donatello was about halfway up when he was thrown violently off balance by a surge of water, and clutched both arms around a seat to prevent himself from being cast overboard.
Donny buried his head as the flood washed over the Slider, coughing severely as some of the water made it into his lungs. He hung onto the seat for dear life as he felt the Slider spin, then tremble underneath him.
This thing isn't going to save me, he realized with cold clarity. The engine has to be shot, and there's no way the Slider can handle much more of this beating. I've got to figure out some way to see where I'm going!
Donatello felt under the seat with one hand, while he still hung on with the other.
There was supposed to be a kit here, I know there was! I'm always prepared!
Donatello didn't find the case he was looking for, and he ended up rolling across the Slider to get to another set of seats. He jammed his hand under another platform, but still couldn't find what he was searching for. The turtle growled in irritation as he ducked his head from another wave, and was swept over against one of the remaining secured pieces of luggage.
An iridescent patch caught his attention, and he realized he was holding onto his youngest brother's bag.
Monster light, he remembered.
Donatello swiftly dug inside of the duffle bag to locate Mike's famous flashlight.
"C'mon, it has to be here!" he yelled out loud.
Donatello sifted through the bag's contents rapidly, though he resisted the urge to throw things. When he felt the familiar cold metal of his brother's favorite flashlight, he yanked it out of the bag.
"Work!" he commanded as he hit the switch.
The powerful beam cut through the darkness, and Don adjusted the light straight up at the ceiling of the tunnel.
Only way out of here is up.
Things were moving by too quickly for him to do anything about objects directly in front of him.
Look down the tunnel, find your target in the distance, and go for it! The rational side of him was still alive in there somewhere.
The beam flashed down the tunnel in front of him; far enough for him to make out the way that water appeared to be cascading over an edge, dropping off to a lower portion of the sewer.
Hm...no, thank you.
He scanned the ceiling rapidly. All he needed was one pipe large enough to handle his weight, or preferably a ladder leading to the surface. Donatello noticed a possibility that was coming up several feet away, and decided there was no time to think about it. Instead he drew the knife from his side to slice the bonds that were securing the last two pieces of luggage. Donatello stuffed his arms through a backpack, and cast the strap of Mike's duffle bag over his shoulder.
He wasn't certain he'd be able to hold onto the bags, much less climb with them, but he couldn't imagine not trying. Donatello was definitely going to have to give the flashlight up for lost, but not until the very last second. One hand now gripped his grappling gun, while the other focused the beam of Mike's light on his goal.
Shell, I hope this works!
"Move!" Leonardo commanded, as though he could instill more speed into his brothers' feet by his voice alone.
There had been little time to do anything except grab a couple of supplies, and leave Olivia in Jenna and Rebecca's capable hands. The blue-masked turtle was certain that Jenna hadn't wanted to stay behind, but a look back confirmed that the young woman was following his order.
The shaky realization that they might not be able to catch up with Donatello had already occurred in the back of his mind, though he wouldn't dare say the words out loud. Leonardo was leading his brothers on a course that cut directly across a field, hoping to buy some more time to catch up with Donny.
I sure hope Don can buy us some time too. He said the engine might hold out...
The hope felt fleeting even as it ran through his mind. Speed was their only ally right now. They were silent, focused, and completely unconcerned about who might be watching. No one had even asked how they would find Donny. There was no question that they were simply going to try everything they could. Leonardo hardly took in the damage of the uprooted trees and downed branches from the earthquake, merely watching for obstacles in his path so that nothing would slow him down.
"Let's check here!" Leonardo broke his determined silence, jerking a hand toward the winding path.
The blue-masked turtle yanked open the first manhole cover they ran into, and he was overtaken by chills at the sight of rushing water.
"Do you think we got ahead of him?" Raphael sounded a little breathless.
"I don't know - it's hard to see anything!" Leonardo leaned as far over as he safely could, and felt both his brothers holding onto him. He was emboldened to look closer, trusting that they wouldn't allow him to fall.
The blue-masked turtle winced at the sound of metal crunching against the sidewall of the tunnel, and strained to see what looked like part of a Slider. He stretched his neck a little further to see down the sewer, and his heart nearly stopped. There was definitely a drop-off.
"I can't see much!" he called to his brothers. "I'm not sure-"
Leonardo was startled when Raphael and Michelangelo dragged him out of the manhole.
"You saw something!" Raphael stated accusingly.
"Part of a Slider," Leonardo admitted. "And the tunnel drops off, maybe a quarter of a mile from here!"
"Then what the shell are we waiting for?" Mike demanded. "Let's go!"
Leonardo leaped to his feet with a nod, and they were sprinting again. The blue-masked turtle could feel his head starting to spin.
If the Sliders have been beaten to pieces by the violence of the water, I don't want to imagine how badly Donny could be hurt.
He swallowed sharply as he tried to force the fear down in his chest. Stop thinking that way, he commanded himself fiercely.
"I need to get ready to rappel," Leonardo reminded his brothers between breaths. "This isn't going to be easy!"
"Like anybody's gonna back off?" Raphael scoffed. "I'll go down there without the harness if I have to!"
"No you won't, Raph, that wouldn't help anyone," Leonardo corrected.
They were still running alongside the path, but Leonardo froze in his step when he heard the sound of a motor.
"Get back!" he ordered the others instantly.
All three turtles jumped off the path, rolling across the grass to get out of sight.
"Why are we hiding from a golf cart, Fearless?" Raphael asked fiercely.
"Those men are from the Central Park Precinct!" Leonardo returned.
"NYPD? Seriously? Do they have nothing better to do right now?" Mike asked tightly.
"They're not stopping," Leonardo said evenly. "C'mon."
They darted out from the brush somewhat more hesitantly than they'd been running. Leonardo glanced up at the sky, wishing he could shake his fist at the sun.
What I wouldn't give for the cover of a little darkness.
Leonardo caught his breath as he spotted another entrance to the sewers a couple of yards away on the paved path. He nearly threw the manhole cover in his haste this time, and he could immediately tell it was going to be a longer drop to get down.
"Need the harness," he requested.
Michelangelo was already pawing through the bag he'd slung over his shell to find the safety equipment.
"Leo, are you sure about going alone?" Raphael asked.
"Only one of us needs to risk ourselves at a time, and I'm going to need both of you on the surface to make sure I can get back out," Leonardo answered.
His brothers helped to loop the material rapidly around to support his legs, and crossed the harness over his shell before bringing it back over his plastron. Leonardo grew impatient as they double-checked the harness.
"Guys, c'mon. We're losing time."
"We're not gonna lose you because we weren't careful, Leo," Raphael insisted.
The blue-masked turtle checked the remaining portion across his mid-section. "It's fine - let's do this!"
Leonardo waited long enough for Mike to strap a headlamp securely over his forehead. He saw the worried look that flashed through Raphael's eyes, but his red-masked brother didn't say anything else as he helped Michelangelo get him into position.
"Try and keep me out of the water!" Leonardo instructed them. "I'll shout if I'm too close, or in any trouble."
"We've got your back, Leo," Mike assured him.
Leonardo's pulse rate increased along with the sound of cascading water, and he reached to adjust his light to see his surroundings better. He felt overwhelmed as he began scanning the surface of the water, without detecting any unusual disturbances. He reached to tug on a supporting line.
"Let the line out more!" he called. "I need to get lower!"
When his brothers started to pull him up, he could only assume they'd misunderstood. "No, let it OUT! I have to get closer to search for him!"
As they gave him more freedom with the harness, Leonardo's light landed on a couple pieces of floating debris that made him feel sick to his stomach.
I don't care how long this takes. I can't budge until I'm certain he isn't here.