Now and Forever


CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Death and Deception



The rumbling continued, the deafening grinding growing ever louder as the ceiling continued its decent. Raphael searched the room frantically for a way out, but found nothing. The walls were bare and seemless, except for the outline of another door on the opposite side of the room.

Ready for release from the nervous raw energy that coursed through his veins, he charged toward it, kicking it with all of his might. A sharp pain shot up his ankle, and he staggered away painfully, but it was to no avail. The door would not budge.

The spikes were getting closer. Casey had to duck his head now, so his skull would avoid the sharp tips. "This is nuts!", he yelled above the noise. Then, he got an idea. Maybe this thing is motion sensitive.

"Stay perfectly still Raph."

Raphael shot him a bewildered look. "Stay still!? What, and just let this damn thing crush us like ants without even tryin' to escape? Sheesh Casey, you're more screwed up in the head than I thought!"

Casey shook his head. Leave it to Raph to knock a plan before he even tries it! Oh well, probably wouldn't have worked anyway.

Raph ran his hands along the wall's smooth surface, in a desperate attempt to find a flaw. There has to be a crack somewhere, someway of breaking through this! But Raph, being Raph, grew inpatient, and after about thirty seconds of that idea, gave up. Better come up with a much better plan, and quick!

The spikes were getting close to his head now. He ducked and glanced at Casey who was on his knees on the floor, cursing. He scrambled over to the door and wedged his sai in the tiny crack of its inner hinge. Bearing all of his weight, he pushed on the weapon, but the door did not move. He tried again, concentrating hard, his cheeks turning red from the strain, but still nothing. In furious defeat, he pulled the sai from the openening to reveal a bent tip.

"Dammit!", he cursed. "Stupid piece a' shit!"

Casey almost found this amusing, but being that his life was at steak, he just couldn't bring himself to laugh.

Raph hurled the sai across the room in anger and dropped to his knees as the sharp tips grew closer.

Casey stood the hockey stick on end in hopes of wedging it between the spikes of the approaching ceiling. In just a couple of seconds, it would be low enough to test his experiment. He said a silent prayer as the metal touched the end of the stick. If his plan succeeded, it could buy them a little more time. As the wood met the metal, an ear curdling screech filled their ears. The stick was not going to hold for long.

Raph glanced over at Casey as if to say now what? Casey shrugged, a nervous lump forming in his throat. "I always knew I'd die some day, but this wasn't how I pictured it."

Raph was silent. Good bye Splinter,he thought to himself. He pictured each of his brothers in turn and said a silent farewell to them as well. It was not like Raph to give up, but he knew there was nothing he could do now. He though about Megan. Now I'll never even get the chance to find out... He stopped himself from thinking about it. If this was how he was going to go, he would atleast do it with dignity.

____________________________________________________________________________________

"No, over here!", Robyn's voice echoed through the damp tunnels. Donatello lifted his head to gaze in her direction. The black powder covered the floor around her, illuminating a set of two-toed footprints.

"Hey, it worked!", April grinned and rushed over to examine Robyn's handy work.

Megan wrapped Don's good arm around her shoulders and helped him over to the others.

"Good job!", he stared down at the tracks, studying the lines and details that made each print unique. Kind of like us.He thought about his brothers, how each of them looked the same upon first glance, but once someone looked beyond the surface, they would find that each of them were quite different.

"It's our differences that make us whole.", he said quietly.

"What?", Megan stared at him curiously for a moment.

"Nothing.", he mumbled.

"Should I do some more?", Robyn grinned, proud of her accomplishment.

Don studied the prints silently, lost in thought for a moment. "Yeah.", he said atlast. "It looks like they headed north, so we'll need to continue this way.", he motioned with his good hand.

April grabbed her bag of powder, a new found sense of excitement rushing through her. Finally, I get to join the turtles on a mission!

Don scratched his head. "Once we figure out which course they've taken, I should be able to follow their trail through the tunnels pretty effortlessly." Then, as if he had read April's mind, he added matter-of-factly, "The three of you are staying here."

"Now wait just a minute!", Megan lowered his arm so she could gaze into his face. "You mean to tell me that after all of our help and all of our involvement in this, you're going to tell us we can't go?"

"It's dangerous.", he said softly, "You don't know what this Foot Clan can do."

Pain coursed through Megan as she stared down at her bruised body. "I don't know what the Foot can do?"

Don was instantly regretful for his remark. "I'm sorry Megan.", he stared at the bandages that peeked out from under her clothing. "I guess you would know as well as any of us. But that's why you shouldn't come. You almost got killed once. I don't think the others would ever forgive me if I let that happen to you again!"

"Yeah?", Megan was determined to prove her point. "Well, so did you, and look who helped patch you up! Besides, Raph made me promise to watch over you, and that's what I'm going to do!"

April spoke up. "Don, we are a family. We stand together. And I am sick of being left out of everything. My step-daughter is in there, and people I care about. I refuse to sit on my hands while you go play hero! Besides, you are in no condition to do this alone. I have a car. You need me!"

The others turned toward Robyn, half expecting her to argue next, but she just stood there, shrugging. "Don't look at me.", she smirked.

Don stood there silently for a moment, contemplating his dilemma. Megan was right. She had proven herself to be a much appreciated ally, and her stamina and first aid abilities were commendable. He thought back to the other night when they had come home to find a delirious Raphael standing over her unconsious body, and the obvious joy that emanated from him when he found out she would live. Even then, he could tell that his brother had special feelings toward this girl, and he could see now what Raphael saw in her.

April was also right. She was part of the family, and they had been through many things together. She and Casey had proven themselves time and again as loyal comrads. They had also gotten them out of many a jam in the past, bringing medicine when they were sick, and getting into places that only humans could access. He also knew that she was right about his condition. He would never make it there on time, if at all if he tried to travel through the dark tunnels of the sewer alone.

"Okay.", he said finally. "We'll all go."

Megan and April grinned from ear to ear, and took eachother's hand in congratulation.

Robyn was a little more skeptical. From what she'd seen and heard of these Feet guys, she wasn't so sure she wanted to meet them.

April pulled her keys from her pocket. "You guys figure out where we need to go, and I'll go get the car!"

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Master Splinter?", Mike gazed around the room cautiously as the two entered the gloomy structure. "This place is creepy!"

The rat allowed his eyes to slowly scan the room, his ears perked as he listened to the silence. His whiskers twitched as he sniffed the air, catching a brief familiar scent, before it was gone. Raphael?

A loud boom startled him from his search, and he whirled around to find the door had shut behind them. Mike drew his nunchuks and stood in a ready stance, frantically glancing around the room, waiting for the Foot to attack. But no one came.

"Welcome.", a loud voice filled the room. The two searched the darkness for a moment, but found no one there.

"Are you looking for your friends?"

Splinter thought the cruel voice sounded slightly feminine, but he couldn't tell for sure over the obvious distortion.

"Where's Shadow?", Michaelangelo called out, half out of nerves, and half out of anger.

"Ah...don't worry about the little girl. She's still intact.", the voice grew colder, mechanical as it spoke next. "Too bad I can't say the same thing for the hot headed reptile and the hockey player."

Splinter grew outraged. "Where are they? What have you done to them?"

The voice cackled. "Oh, don't worry, ninja master. I assure you it was painless enough. Atleast, after the metal sunk deep enough into their flesh."

"You're lying!", Mike yelled at the invisible voice.

"Ha ha ha ha!", it broke into a loud evil laughter, so wicked that it hurt his ears. "Poor little naive turtle. Well, don't worry. You will join them soon enough."

Splinter began to mock their captor, to tell this person that they weren't afraid, and if they died, atleast it would be with honor, but his arguments were broken by the sound of a new voice.

"Unca Mike?", the sweet innocence broke the tension, melting Michaelangelo into a pool of sorrow.

"Shadow!?"

"Unca Mike!", the terror in her voice pained him. Atleast I know she's alive, he tried to reassure himself.

"Shadow, are you alright?", Splinter called into the darkness, his rodent eyes still trying to locate the source of the sound.

"Grampa Spleentur!"

Splinter had never thought of himself as a grandfather before, and infact, it made him feel old beyond his years to hear of himself referred to in that way, but, realizing the fact that the turtles might never have children of their own, the thought also delighted him.

"Do not worry Shadow, we will find you. We are on our way."

"Where's daddy?"

Splinter opened his mouth to speak, but the static from the p.a. system died down, leaving them in ghostly silence.

Mike lowered his head into his hands, the tears streaming down his cheeks. Splinter wrapped his arm around the turtle's shoulders, and they stood in silent mourning for the friends and family member they had lost.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Snap! The wood began to splinter as the weight of the metal pressed down on it. It was almost over. Raph damned the Foot Clan as he watched his destiny come crashing down on him.

In a final effort to postpone the inevitable, Casey rose to his hands and knees, the sharp tips just centimeters from his back, and gripped the stick, holding it in place. Raph sighed, knowing it was all for nothing. No mere stick or human, or even turtle for that matter was going to stop the heavy fall of their approaching doom.

Raphael removed his mask, out of respect, and laid it on the floor, next to one of the holes. If and when Splinter and his brothers found what was left of him, atleast his mask would be intact, and they could keep it as something to remember him by.

Casey shoved the torch into one of the holes so he could get a better grip on the hockey stick. He placed one hand over the other and leaned into it, using all of his weight for support. But there was no need. As the torch handle settled into the hole, there was a loud snap. Raph lifted his head slightly, just on time to see the ceiling begin to rise.

He sat up, unable to believe his eyes as the spikes rose back up toward the top of the room.

"Casey? Hey, how'd that happen?"

But Casey looked just as dumbfounded as Raphael felt. He stared at the broken hockey stick in his hands before tossing it to the ground. The other door swung open and the two scurried out on hands and knees, leaving the stick, mask and sai behind.

The room was now behind them, as was that perilous ordeal. They sank to the ground from exhaustion, breathing heavily as they tried to regain their composure.

Casey was on his knees. He looked like he was going to throw up. "Stop the ride mommy. I wanna get off.", he moaned, before slumping face first to the ground.

__________________________________________________________________________________

"We must be getting close. It looks like this area has been explored recently." Don stuck his head out the window, clutching the map tightly, as the wind threatened to snatch it away. April drove slowly down the dirt road, scanning the area for signs of passage.

"I knew this map of the sewer tunnels would come in handy one of these days.", Don grinned proudly. "Yep. Looks like we're almost there. Wherever 'there' is."

He thought about how Mikey and Raph had taunted him, telling him he was wasting his time as he explored the underground passages, making notes and drawing lines that connected and branched out in all directions. The map had been confusing at first, but when it was all done, he had been able to tell which tunnel would lead in which direction, and for how long, almost as if he was above, on the streets.

"Get back in the car!", Robyn scolded, pulling him by his shell. "Do you want people to see you?"

It should have been light out by now, if not for the looming fog and the dark clouds that covered the sky, threatening rain. Don frowned at her, but said nothing as April followed the tracks onto the wet grass.

"Hold on everyone! We're going in!"

___________________________________________________________________________________

Darkness surrounded them as they crept through the silent passages. The eery feeling of death consumed him as he watched in cold terror. Mike lit a match and held it up, their only source of light.

He could see nothing as his brother and sensei continued their journey, only feel their horror, their loss. Something had happened, but what? Was it Shadow?

He strained his eyes to make out their sillouhets in the darkness. An eery feeling of doom hung in the air as they stepped further down the hall. He could tell they were approaching something important, but he wasn't sure what it was.

He strained his eyes harder to make out a split in the hallway. Splinter and Mike seemed confused, lost as they stood there contemplating in the darkness. They could see nothing down either side, and not wanting to split up, knew they would have to go one way or the other.

For some unkown reason, Mike seemed to be pulled toward the right. Splinter stood in silence for a moment before nodding his head in agreement.

Leo couldn't hear their words. It was as if they were off in the distance somewhere. He could only watch their actions, feel their fear and apprehension. They were afraid of finding something; something that tormented them.

They made their way slowly and cautiously down the hall. It took what seemed an eternity before they finally reached a small room. He knew this must be the cause of their apprehension. Somehow he could feel the tight knot in his brother's throat. As Mike peered through the door, a tidal wave came crashing down, soaking them all to the bone...

Leonardo opened his eyes. The cold, wet rain beat down on him, stinging his skin. He sat up quickly, rubbing his eyes for a moment as he regained his bearings. He was still sitting under the tree, the small sack of food at his feet. His stomach grumbled with hunger, but he was too anxious to eat.

A white streak of light flashed across the grey sky as he forced his weak body up to his knees. He crawled over to the edge of the hill, to a small break in the trees, and peered over the loominous cliff at the bizarre structure below. Big wet drops pelted his head as they fell from the branches, but he ignored them. His brothers and sensei were down there somewhere. They're in trouble. He pressed a hand to his wounded side, reminding himself that he was in no condition to do this. It doesn't matter. He gazed up at the clouds as a loud clap of thunder rumbled across the sky. This isn't me. I'm not a quitter. I am a leader. He glanced down once more at the fortress, then grabbed onto a tree branch. Using it for support, he rose carefully to his feet. I'm going in.

____________________________________________________________________________________

The drive through the trees had been tough. On more than one occasion, April had had to swerve quickly to avoid colliding with the tall trunks, while the wet tires slipped across the grass. Don no longer needed the dusting powder. He could see the path clearly up ahead, as broken branches, trodden grass and muddy footprints lead the way.

April parked the car a few yards from the gigantic mountain range and gawked up at it in awe. Within seconds, Megan and Robyn were out of the car, helping Donatello out of the backseat. His legs were weak, and they felt like jello as he forced them to support his weight. With the girls' help, he limped toward the mud covered mountain side.

They glanced down at the soil, barely able to make out the outline of the tracks where the rain had not yet washed it away. The water was cold. Megan brushed the matted hair away from her face, and stood there for a moment while the rain beat down on her bruised body.

"Looks like this is the place.", Donatello studied the footprints for a few moments more as they slowly dissolved into nothing. His 'dream' came back to haunt him again. He pictured the Shredder's evil grimmace as he stared into his eyes. It had felt so real. His family had been in there for a long time, and time was running out.

"So I guess we go this way then.", April held him by the arm and began to step up the hill.

"Wait a minute, April.", the worry in Donatello's eyes frightened her. "You girls should wait in the car."

______________________________________________________________________________________

"Raphael! Noooo!", Mike closed his eyes again, the searing pain coursing through his body as he tried to block the images from his mind. This can't be happening. It can't!

It was silent. Splinter stood in the center of the room, gazing dreamily at the spikes above their heads. They were motionless now. He lowered his eyes and stared back at the floor where the red mask lay.

"Raphael.", he whispered, finding it hard to control his emotions. He knelt down and picked the fabric up carefully, gripping it tightly in his hand as the tears began to roll down his cheeks.

Michaelangelo was a wreck. The thought of his brother being stabbed and crushed to death made his stomach turn. Poor Raphael. He sobbed as he remembered his brother's words just moments before he had left on this perillous journey. Fine then, stay here, but I'm going! A soft voice broke his thoughts.

"Michaelangelo."

He opened his eyes slowly. It was Splinter, and despite the moisture around his eyes, he was smiling.

"Sensei?", Mike was confused.

"Look around you Michaelangelo.", he said softly, "What do you see?"

The turtle took stock of his surroundings. The room was simple, plain. Raphael's sai lay in the corner, along with one of Casey's hocky sticks, cracked down the middle and broken in two. He looked up again at the sharp metal protruding from the ceiling.

"I dunno.", he shrugged wearily, "What do you mean?"

Splinter gestured toward the floor, and Mike allowed his sight to follow. He stared at it for a long while, before he finally understood what Splinter was getting at.

"The floor!", he gulped, "It's clean. There's no blood!"

Splinter nodded. "Yes, and there are also no bodies."

Mike was lost in thought for a moment. "Do you really think...?"

Splinter layed a reassuring hand on Mike's shoulder and smiled warmly. "Knowing Raphael and Casey, yes, I do."

______________________________________________________________________________________

The pain was great as Leonardo made his way toward the mountain. His side was still mended, but the stitches pulled with every step. He felt light headed again, like he had when Splinter had resown the wound. The weight of the pack didn't help matters either. It wasn't that it was all that heavy, but in Leo's condition, it felt like a ton of bricks. Atlast he had made it. Even though the rain had washed away the tracks, he knew this was the right spot. Deciding to rest for a moment, he dropped the pack and sank greatfully to the soft ground.

"No, you can't go there by yourself!"

Leo strained his ears as he heard voices. It sounded like they were arguing.

"You're in no condition..."

They sounded strangely familiar, but he couldn't quite place them.

"Look. Thanks for your concern, but this is too dangerous! I refuse to risk your lives. You've done enough of that already!"

Leo rose quickly. "Donnie?" Ignoring the pain, he rushed around to the other side of the hill and peered through the fog. What he saw next sent shivers of joy and adrenaline rushing through him. "Donatello!"

The four friends quickly turned to find a very excited Leonardo jump out of the shadows.

"Leo!?", Don grinned as his brother rushed to him and gripped him in a bear hug.

"Uh, Leo? Watch the arm."

He let go and stared at his brother. "You're alive! You're okay!" He fought back the tears of relief that threatened to escape.

"He's alive, yes.", April also embraced Leo in a hug, "But okay...not really."

Leonardo was confused.

Donatello looked frustrated. "They think I can't make it over the hill alone."

Leo smirked at his brother. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

Megan broke in, "Look at his hand. He can't climb like that. All we want to do is help!"

"What are you doing up here? I thought the battle was going on down there?", Donatello ignored Megan's pleading and gestured toward the other side of the mountain.

Leo felt slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, Don, it is.", he lowered his head and stared at the ground for a moment. "But Master Splinter thought it would be best if I stayed here."

"You mean as a lookout.", Don nodded in agreement.

"Uh...not really.", Leo lifted his arm just enough for Don to get a look at the wound.

"Ouch!", he gasped in understanding. "Atleast I can't feel mine."

As the brothers talked for a few moments more, Robyn huddled with the girls.

"Neither of them can get down there alone.", she whispered, "And if they try to do it together, they're just gonna pull eachother down."

"Yeah.", Megan and April agreed, and as the three of them stood there looking at eachother, the idea seemed to come to them all at once. With a final glance at the turtles, and a nod of agreement, the girls began to scramble up the hill.



Chapter 14

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