Evening, everyone. Thanks once again to everyone who spared me a review. Lovies to all for your consideration. Thanks for pointing out my error BubblyShell22. I went back and found it, but have yet to fix it. I'm my own editor, so I don't catch a lot of the little stuff, haha. Anyway, hope you all enjoy this next chapter.
IMPORTANT! I will be gone for a week to an anime convention, so this will probably be the last update until next Monday. If I have a chance, I might update tomorrow, but don't count on it.
Disclaimer: (0.0)/ This is not the disclaimer you're looking for.
To say that this was the worst night I'd ever spent would be an understatement. I'd slept more soundly the night I'd been posing as a runaway living under a rail bridge. You know you've got it bad when you're longing for a flea-laden blanket under the most obstreperous bridge in the state.
Despite the fact that I had tied the rope over my clothing, it had still managed to chafe the area above my hips, leaving an itchy, pink ring. The lifejacket had done the same to my neck, along with giving me a nasty crick. My hands felt strange against my face. They were so wrinkled I couldn't properly bend my fingers. My feet could only look worse.
I began the arduous task of reeling my duffle up from the depths of the ocean. I coiled the rope as I did so. Finally, I managed to haul it above water level and stuffed both the rope and deflated lifejacket back in. I hitched the bag up over my shoulder and groaned as I felt its weight. You were so bored only yesterday, I reminded myself ruefully. I began a slow crawl, heading toward the rising sun. Not bored anymore.
By the time I could see the next island on the horizon, I was exhausted. I thanked myself yet again for my meticulous exercise schedule. "Anal-retentive" my foot, Raph could blow it out his ear next time he whined about training. It was probably the only thing keeping me alive right now, and if my brothers had it as bad as I did, it was probably keeping them alive too.
After another hour of swimming, I hobbled up the beach. My legs were weak after propelling my body through so much water, not to mention the extra strain created by the drag from the duffle bag. I dropped to my knees after making it above the water line, resting for a few precious seconds. I needed to scout the island, to find someone with access to a phone. First things first though, I stripped off my wet clothes and pulled out a fresh set. I slipped on a light blue tank top and knee-length khakis. I briefly considered my katanas, but decided against it. I wasn't sure who lived here, better not to be seen with two large swords strapped to my back.
I hauled the bag back up over my right shoulder and headed farther up the beach. It wasn't long before I found a road and subsequently a house. I was just about to walk up the drive when something made me hesitate. Something, some sixth sense, twinged inside of me, and I veered off the path at the last second, seeking shelter in a clump of bushes. I peered through the branches, and my eyes widened in surprise. No way…
I rocked my chair back, balancing on two legs. Captain Morales had left me below decks, heading back up the ladder to check on her crew. My stomach grumbled loudly, and I patted it apologetically. "Sorry, bud," I said, "Captain Morales says there's no room for food on a boat this size, but she promised to feed us as soon as we pull into port."
It had taken a while for me to explain my whole story to Morales. I wasn't sure where to start, so I went all the way back to the beginning, when this mess started in New York. I told her about The Foot, about being kidnapped, about Dr. Morris' lab… She had perked up when I mentioned the cryogenic chambers and my "parents."
"I met your parents once," she'd said, "It was a long time ago. They were very brilliant."
I'd shrugged awkwardly. Of the four of us, I remembered our parents the least. I was only three when they died, though, so that was kind of to be expected. I remembered Mom's eyes. The rest of her face was a blur, but the eyes really stood out. They were round, pointed just a bit at the ends. A murky brown, with depths that just pulled you down, losing yourself and revealing nothing. None of us had her eyes. No one could have eyes like she did.
Dad…Dad was harder to bring to mind. Nothing really stood out on him. He had an average face, average mouth, average nose… His eyes were green and bright, but they were eyes I saw every day, in the eyes of my brothers, when I looked in the mirror; he branded all of us, stamping out Mom's mystery brown. I guess what came to mind when I thought of Dad was his voice. It was deep and rich, with a note of warmth in it, just at the bottom of everything he said…
My eyes snapped back to the present as I tipped my chair just a little too far. I fell back into the wall with a crash and toppled off to the side. "Smooth, Mike," I chided myself as I rubbed my head. "Very smooth."
I straightened the chair and sat back down. I heard footsteps on the ladder and watched Morales climb back down. "Everything ship shape up there, Captain?" I asked.
"Yep, we're right on course," she answered, sitting down across from me once again.
"Where are we headed any way?" she had yet to tell me much about our course or destination.
"Well, at the moment we're headed for an airstrip located just off the coast. From there, we'll take a plane up to New York."
"Have you called T.M.N.T.? Let them know what happened and everything?"
"Yes, yes, I let them know. I told them we'd bring you back up with us. They can decide what to do with you once we get up there."
"And my handler? Agent Splinter? Did you get a chance to talk to him?" Of all the people I could trust, Splinter was right at the top of the list. If anyone would know what to do, he would.
"I'm sorry. I had to keep the transmission short. I'm sure he'll be waiting for you when you get back, though."
"Yeah, yeah, of course," I replied, a bit dejectedly. Surely Splinter was worried about me. Wouldn't he have wanted to make sure I was ok?
"Michelangelo, I did have something I wanted to talk to you about," Morales began.
Before she could speak any further, though, a shout from on deck interrupted her. "Captain! We could use you up here."
Morales sighed. The corner of her mouth lifted in an apologetic half-smile. "Looks like we'll have to continue this conversation later. Maybe you should get some rest. You've had a long night."
I nodded, stifling a yawn, "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll just make myself comfortable down here." Dr. Morales left me to my own devices, and I pushed together a couple of chairs to make a makeshift bed. It wasn't comfortable, but it would do. With that, I drifted off, letting my worries for the coming future drift away.
The end of chapter 7. Like-y? No like-y? Give-y me review-ys?