Now and Forever


CHAPTER TWELVE

Trapped



"Come on, we've gotta hurry!", Donatello croaked as April and Megan led him by the arms toward the alleyway. Robyn trailed not far behind, carrying their jackets. She was still somewhat leary of this giant turtle, and even though she trusted her sister's judgement most of the time, the thought of teaming up with this creature frightened her a little.

Megan was nervous as she gazed up into the darkness. The moon and stars still shone in the early morning sky, but in the distance, a streak of red began to peek over the horizon. It would be light soon, and the new day would bring people from their rooms and houses. Don's right. We need to hurry if we're gonna make it out of here on time! She glanced over at April, who in turn shot her a concerned look, letting her know her fears were shared.

Robyn had no idea where they were going, but she didn't like the direction they were taking. Exploring dark alleyways at five o'clock in the morning was not her idea of a good time. Something nagged at the back of her mind. There was something significant about this alley. April had pointed it out last night....

"Oh no!", she moaned, realizing what they were about to do. "I can't believe this!"

Megan steadied Donatello as April stooped down to tug at the manhole cover. The disk was so big, she figured if the three girls squished together, they could enter the hole at the same time. As she stared at the words "New York City Sewer", vivid memories began to flash through her head. The first time she had met the turtles, she had passed out from the shock, and they had brought her to their underground home. Now, almost seven years later, she was removing a manhole cover and entering the sewers like it was second nature. She ran her fingers over the beveled lettering, discovering four small holes about the circumference of a quarter. She stuck the thumbs and forefingers of both hands into the openeings, as she mustered up all of her strength and began to pull. The iron was heavier than she'd expected, and it barely budged. How do the guys get these things up so easily? She glanced at her sister who was gawking at her in awe.

"Robyn? I could use some help here."

Robyn's face grew pale again, that same washed-out color it had been before she'd passed out last night. "I can't.", she shook her head as if trying to rid herself of the reality of what she was about to face.

April frowned at her. "Of course you can Robyn. Now come here and help me, or we'll still be standing out here when the neighborhood wakes up, and we'll either be beaten up, or shot at, or taken downtown for lab testing!" The irritation in April's voice matched that of Robyn's as she listened to her sister's crazy demands.

"Fine.", she snapped, squatting down to help lift the cover. "But I'm not going down there!"

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The crisp, moist grass snapped under their feet as they trudged along in silence. The darkness of night seemed to fade with each step. The rat paused, lifting his head slightly to search their surroundings. A distant car was slowly approaching.

"Stick to the trees.", he instructed. The turtles changed course slightly, leaving the side of the road to enter the dense undergrowth.

The fresh, earthy aroma of the plants wafted up Leo's nostrils, reminding him of Casey's farm in the country. How he longed to be there right now, for this to be over. He wanted nothing more than to know that everyone was safe. He was exhausted, but he was doing a pretty good job of covering it. He didn't want Splinter to get too concerned and make them stop to rest again, and he was growing tired of Mike's preaching at him about how he should be eating more soup. He decided that he definately didn't need his brother's nursing and temperature taking. He just wanted to get there already.

The car's headlights illuminated the trees, creating tiny rays of light that danced through the branches like playful fireflies. Then, with a loud swooshthe car was gone and the forest became dark once more.

Michaelangelo couldn't wait to see Shadow. He had thought about her a lot since she had dissappeared, half expecting to see her come running out of the tunnels at any moment. But that, of course, hadn't happened. He thought about the first day he'd met her in the park. He had been surprised to see Casey with a baby, and when he'd thought it was April's, he'd been shocked. It was as if destiny had brought them all back together again. Even after going their separate ways, they had all migrated back to the same spot as if some unseen force had directed them there. We belong together. We're a family. Don and Splinter had stayed in the company of nature for a while, each needing some time to sort out what had happened to them. Mike and Shadow had instantly bonded, and he had carried her all the way back to the farmhouse. Shadow...so small, so innocent...

"There.", Splinter's words jogged Mike from his trance. He blinked a couple of times before following his master's finger toward a giant mountain.

"Is that the place?", Leo asked.

"Yes, Leonardo. We are here. But I am afraid we must climb to the other side."

Leonardo moaned inside. His body ached for rest, and his side hurt something fierce. But on the outside, he hid his anguish and pulled himself together. He couldn't let Mike and Splinter down. This was too important.

"Do you think you can make it, my son?", Splinter asked him concerned.

"Yeah, master, I'll be fine.", he lied.

They moved on through the trees, the branches snapping at their approach. Mike stared down at the ground. He couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of loss and worry that now devoured him.

The grass turned into rock, then to dirt, and finally soft slippery mud. Mike stared at it for a while, noticing a familiar pattern embedded in the wet earth. He gawked at it for a moment in disbelief before calling Leo and Splinter.

"Look.", the others followed his gaze to discover freshly made tracks in the soil. Two-toed foot prints scurried up the side of the mountain, followed by the familiar pattern of tennis shoe soles. Michaelangelo knew it had to be Raph and Casey. "They were here. They went this way!"

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They each pulled a torch from the wall and exchanged nods of agreement before taking their first step down the dark hall. Neither knew of the dangers they were about to face, or who it was exactly that they were about to meet.

Raphael lifted his head to examine the ceiling, his thoughts turning to Leonardo. I'm not good at figuring stuff out like this. He's always so damned focused! Where is he when I really need im'? The menacing voice still nagged at the back of his mind. It can't be Shredder. It can't be...

Casey still held the bat in one hand and the flaming torch in the other, gripping them so tightly, his knuckles were beginning to turn white. Where the hell are we?

They walked slowly, taking care with each step. It felt to Casey as if the walls were closing in. Just your imagination, he told himself to keep from panicking. He thought about his daughter. How could they keep her in a place like this? He prayed to God that she was alive and well.

The halls were silent; a little too silent for Raphael. The anger surged through him as he crept down the dark passage. Shadow's in this hell hole somewhere.

The light from their torches flickered on the cold stone walls, casting eery, dancing shadows before them as they made their decent.

Casey shivered. This place was definately giving him the creeps, and Shadow was only a little girl. He thought about how frightened she must be. If they hurt one hair on her head... The claustrophobia crept up again as he tip-toed cautiously behind Raphael. It was growing ever darker, the puny flame from their torches barely lighting the way just a few feet ahead of them.

Raphael was nervous. This has to be a trap! They're leading us somewhere where we won't be able to escape. The thought nagged at him, but yet he continued on. They had to rescue Shadow. Afterall, it is my fault that she's missing!

The hall ended now, branching off in two directions, one to the left, and one to the right. Not knowing which to choose, Casey walked to the left, holding the torch up as he strained his eyes to peer down the tunnel.

"Well?", Raph stood behind him awaiting a report.

Casey looked at him blankly. "Nothin'. I can't see a damn thing!"

Raph followed Casey's example and peered down the right side. Unfortunately, even with his enhanced sense of sight, he was unable to discern anything in the darkness.

The two stood there for a moment, each pondering the path they should take. Should they split up? Or, should they just pick a way and go with it? Raphael decided on the latter.

"C'mon.", he motioned Casey toward the right. "Let's check it out down here."

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"Oh Robyn, come on!", April was annoyed. "You're apartment's dirtier than this place!"

Robyn shot April an unappreciative frown. "For your information April, my apartment is not messy! You just caught me at a bad time the last time you were there."

The look on April's face let Robyn know that she knew better. "Fine.", she said at last. "Don't come. But we're going.", she stepped down into the hole, securing her foot on the ladder before lowering the other one. Once her footing was stable, she motioned for Megan to bring Don over.

Robyn couldn't believe April was actually doing this. Entering the sewer? This is so disgusting! She scowled at her sister again. And my apartment is not dirty!

Megan helped a limping Donatello toward the opening. His body ached from head to toe, but he pushed himself forward. Gotta help my brothers he reminded himself over and over. Megan gripped his arms as he lowered a foot into the hole. April guided it to a step and wrapped her arm around him, steadying him as he entered. He could only hold the rail with one hand, making his descent even harder. April was concerned for him, but he assured her that he could manage.

Once Don and April were about half-way down the ladder, Megan decided it was her turn. She had been down here before. It was no big deal to her anymore. She stepped into the openening, lowering herself a few steps, until just her head was sticking out above the hole. She looked up at a terrified Robyn.

"You coming?"

Robyn was apprehensive. She had never been in a sewer before. She was horrified of rats and bugs and didn't know if her stomach would be able to handle the stench, but even more horrible, was the thought of staying behind, of not knowing what was going on, of being alone in this strange city. Sighing, she decided that this was something she must force herself to do.

"Yeah...I'm coming.", she mumbled.

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Leonardo laid down on the soft earth, breathing heavily as the pain ran down his side and across his temples. The climb had been tougher than he'd expected. The mud was soft and it had been a struggle just to keep from sliding back down with each step. He knew he was in no condition to push himself, let alone fight once they got inside. He wondered how Raphael and Casey were doing, and if they'd found Shadow yet.

Mike knelt down beside his brother, looking him over closely.

"Leo?", he whispered in concern. "You okay?"

Leo nodded and laid his head back down on the ground. His heart was pounding, and he was freezing.

Splinter also stooped down to examine the turtle. "Leonardo.", he said softly, "You are not well." The concern in his voice frightened Michaelangelo.

Splinter examined the stitches on Leo's side again and sighed in relief when he realized they were still intact. "You must rest, my son."

He began to protest, but the look in his master's eyes told him this was one battle he wasn't going to win.

"You will take cover in the trees until we return." He motioned for Michaelangelo to help him lift Leo. Mike did as Splinter instructed and they guided him to the protection of the surrounding forest.

"But master, I..."

"No Leonardo. You will do as I say." The harsh tone in Splinter's voice told Leo that there was no point in arguing. As he lowered himself against a tree trunk, he though about Raphael. Why did he have to do this? Then, the answer to his own question came to him, and for the first time he began to understand his brother and the urgency that drove him. He needs to act, to do, just as I need to succeed. It pained him to have to stay behind. This was not his way. He was a ninja, a leader. He sighed as he watched Mike and Splinter ready themselves to leave, amazed at his own startling discovery. Raph and I are a lot alike!

Mike removed one of the packs from his shoulder and set it next to Leo. "Here bro. In case you get hungry. There's no can opener, but your katana makes a nice replacement." The warmth of his smile seemed to emanate and spread out toward Leo, wrapping him in a protective blanket.

"Thanks Mike. You take care of yourself in there.", he said seriously.

Mike patted him on the back. "Yeah, you too bro."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Don flopped down on the couch, greatful for the chance to rest.

"So...this is your place?", Robyn questioned apprehensively as she glanced at her surroundings. Most of the bodies were gone now, but a few bloody corpses remained. The sight of them frightened her all the more, the blood causing her to feel nauseous.

"Yep.", Don said distracted, "This would be the place."

Without looking, Megan reached her hand down to the belt loops on her jeans, feeling for the cold metal of the sai. Yep, still there. The relief washed over her as she scanned the area and went to join Don on the couch.

April went to the kitchen to get a drink of water.

"So, what should we do?", Megan asked.

"First we gotta figure out which direction they took.", he tapped the index finger of his good hand to his lips. This was not going to be easy.

"God I'm starved!", Robyn moaned at the familiar gurgling of her stomach. "Got anything to eat?"

April returned from the kitchen, shrugging her shoulders. "Sorry Robyn, the place has been cleaned out! All of the food is gone!"

Don rolled his eyes. "Great! Well, they must've taken it for the journey. Splinter always likes to be prepared."

"So now what?", Robyn was not enjoying herself. First, she'd had to endure those foul sewage smells, now there was no food. She wondered what would go wrong next.

Don sat quietly in thought for a moment. "Hey! I've got it!" He tried to rise quickly, but the pain that shot up his legs made him sit back down. "April, there's some dual contrast dusting power in my lab."

She stared at him for a moment. "dual contrast...what?"

Don sighed. He tended to forget that most people weren't as scientifically minded as he was, and didn't understand the technical names for things. "The little jar of black powder sitting next to the flask with...orange stuff in it."

April nodded and headed toward the lab. Megan and Robyn exchanged curious glances as Don began to explain. "This powder is what the police use to dust for fingerprints after a crime has been committed. It makes the fingerprint visible, allowing them to distinguish the criminal. Utilizing the same concept, I can make the guys' tracks visible, thus allowing me to follow their path."

Megan was silently amazed at Don's insight. She had known he was the "brains" of the group, but would have never imagined he'd come up with an idea like this.

As he continued with the specifics of his plan, Megan's attention drifted far away, to Raphael, Casey and Shadow. Please be okay. She lowered her eyes to stare at the glimmering light that reflected off the sai. A strange feeling began to envelop her. Something was wrong. She could feel it, but...how? Something nagged at the back of her mind, and seemed to pull her toward Raph's room. She rose slowly, not wanting to draw the attention of the others, and exited the living room.

Raph's room was dark, but the candles still surrounded his bed, reminding her of the events that had taken place just two nights ago. A shiver ran down her spine as she pictured her own body lying in a pool of blood on the matress. She shook her head, trying to rid it of the memories, and picked up an old matchbook. There were still three matches in it.

As she lit the candles, she wondered to herself what she was doing. Somehow this just seemed like the right thing to do. As each candle was lit, the room grew a little brighter, bathing the walls and furniture in a warm orange light. The heat from the small wicks comforted her. She slid the sai from her belt loops and sat down on the bed.

For some strange reason, she couldn't get Raphael out of her mind. Something about him disturbed her, but she couldn't place it. She held the sai up to the candlelight, turning it around in her hand, watching as the yellow light reflected off its shiny surface. She thought about how Raphael, just last night, had used this beautiful weapon to destroy his enemies.

As her thoughts drifted to her rescuer, she closed her eyes and sat back on the bed, laying the sai across her stomach. Her body still ached from the wounds, but she ignored them and focused on finding the others. Where are you?

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The hall seemed to stretch on for eternity, the cold concrete below them numbing Raphael's feet. Casey shivered in the darkness as he looked over his shoulder to gaze back the way they came. Nothing but darkness. They were trapped. An icy feeling of panick rushed over him as he realized that they had no idea where they were going or what would be waiting for them when they got there.

The light on their torches began to flicker and grow slightly dimmer as they burned. Raphael knew that it was only a matter of time before they would burn out completely and they would be left in the pitch-blackness of night.

He held his torch up to the brick, examining the funny charicatures and ancient writing, wondering sliently how old this strange structure really was.

As Casey stared forward down the hall, he thought he could make out a clearing, some kind of room. He squinted at it curiously. Yes! It was a room...with light!

"Raph!", he tapped the turtle on the shoulder, jogging him from his thoughts. "Look! Down there!"

Raphael apprehensively turned his attention from the wall and gazed in the direction Casey was pointing.

"It's a room. Maybe that's where they're keeping Shadow!"

"Hey yeah...", Raph was puzzled at their new discovery. "Come on, let's go. But...be careful. This could be a trap." Man, now I'm startin' to sound like Leo!

____________________________________________________________________________________

The candlelight flickered all around her as shadows danced on the walls. She sat motionless, gripping the sai in both hands, breathing deeply as she blocked her mind from the world around her. She had never done this before, but had seen Splinter do it once. She knew there was no way she could contact anyone, or leap from her body, or any of that other paranormal stuff. She only wanted the reassurance of knowing somehow that they were okay.

Meditation was proving itself to be difficult. Her over-active imagination kept trying to get the best of her by sending her images that weren't really there. Time and again she'd had to take a breather and recollect her thoughts.

She sat silently again now, envisioning each of them in her head; Casey, her big buff cousin, who acted more like a little boy, but whom she loved like a brother; Raphael, the mysterious rescuer who had come to her aid; Shadow, the innocent little cousin whom she had never met; Splinter, the rat that had shown her kindness and taught her a few things about life; Michaelangelo, the wittiest and funniest of them all, who had gotten her to laugh despite her pain; and Leonardo, the focused steady thinker. She wondered where they all were, what kind of horrible trechery they were now facing. She struggled to push her mind past her conscious, to bring herself to where they were, but try as she might, it was impossible.

A sudden nervous twinge jarred her from her concentration. She opened her eyes in surprise, slightly disoriented as she focused on the candles. "Raphael?", she whispered aloud. It had lasted only for a split second, but the intensity of the emotions frightened her. Had that been his fear that she'd felt?

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"Mrrroww?"

Donatello heard a sound coming from under the chair and cocked his head to peer underneath.

"Mrowww!"

Don smiled. In the chaos, he had forgotten all about Mike's cat. "Here Klunk.", he said softly, "Come here boy."

The feline strolled out from his hiding place cautiously, glancing around the room at the fallen bodies before jumping up next to Don on the couch.

"Aw, you were scared, weren't ya?", he scratched at Klunk's head with his good hand. "Well, don't worry, the bad guys are gone, and Mikey'll be home soon."

The cat purred and rubbed his cheek up and down Don's arm.

"I see you have a way with animals.", Robyn grinned as she watched the two of them cuddle.

"Ah...actually, that would be Mike that has the nack for animals. Me, I'm more of a science guy."

Robyn continued to observe as the cat crawled up on Don's legs and curled up in his lap, purring all the while. "Hmmm...would've never guessed it.", she smiled to herself. Donatello was starting to grow on her. Her apprehension and fear of the turtle were now just a memory. She realized how human he really was, how he experienced emotions just as real as her own. Besides, he was nice, and he was smart. Now if only they could find a nicer place to live...

April returned carrying a small glass jar of what looked to Robyn like crushed up coal.

"Is this what you wanted?", April frowned, handing Don the container.

"Yeah.", he studied it carefully, holding it up to the light so he could better examine it. "Thanks, April."

Just then, Megan came running in from Raphael's room. "Uh, guys?"

The three of them turned to look at her, bewildered.

"I think we need to hurry."

Don opened his mouth to ask her what she was talking about, but before he could speak, she answered his question.

"It's the guys...It feels like something's wrong. They're in danger!"

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The room was oddly plain. The smooth concrete walls were flat and undecorated. The floor was covered with hundreds of funny looking holes that appeared to be no more than a couple of feet deep. This place gave Casey the creeps, even more so than the dark hallway they had just come from. There was no sign of Shadow, or anyone else for that matter. Raph was behind him, still standing in the hallway, just outside the entrance. He wondered silently again if this was a trap. Deciding that there was no where else to go, he entered the room to join Casey.

As his feet cleared the hallway, the door shut behind him with a loud slam! He whirrled around to face it, but could find no handles or doornobs of any kind. Casey rushed to his side, and together they rammed the door repeatedly, but to no avail.

"Damn!", Raph shouted at their defeat. "Great! We're stuck in here! I knew this was a trap!"

As Raph continued rambling his complaints, Casey's attention was drawn toward something else. As his sight rose to the ceiling, his jaw dropped in shock.

"Uhhh...Raph..."

The turtle frowned in Casey's direction.

"Uhhh...", he pointed upward as Raph's eyes followed his to the top of the room. Hundreds of sharp, pointy spikes hung down above their heads. Before Raph could respond, a loud rumbling came from above, and the ceiling slowly began its descent.

Casey gulped as he stared at the approaching spikes. "I think we're in trouble!"



Chapter 13

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