It was a long drive, and a very uncomfortable one. They lay hunched over in the rickety bed, a thin blanket their only protection against the bitter cold wind. Luckily for them, the owner of the truck had headed north on the I-87 freeway, exactly where they'd needed him to. Splinter was no fool. He'd listened carefully from his hiding spot among the shadows, until he'd found someone who was traveling into New York. They could only hope that he was taking the path they needed, or they'd have to do a lot of backtracking. It was a lucky break that they'd hitched a ride from someone who shared their approximate destination, but their luck ended in Sabael, where the trucker stopped for fuel and asked the gas station attendant for directions to Sunmount.

"This is our queue to exit." Leo whispered. He knew from the map that Sunmount was a great deal north of their destination, and he doubted very much that the man would be stopping again any time soon. As soon as the men were out of view, he jumped down from the bed, helping the others behind him. They moved quietly into the shadows, completely undetected by either of the men. Aside from them, the gas station was deserted. Leo wished he had a watch. They'd finally pulled out of the parking lot at about seven-thirty, he'd estimated. He assumed it was probably near midnight by now.

They waited silently as the man boarded the vehicle again, totally oblivious that he'd ever been carrying the strange passengers. They kept their backs to the wall, barely daring to breathe until the truck sped off, leaving them alone in the darkness. They rounded the station's shop and huddled together near the back corner. Donatello pulled an entire array of maps from a pouch in his belt, fiddling with them anxiously to find the right one.

Raphael sighed. It was cold, and the wind was picking up. He glanced skyward. There were no signs of rain, but then again, one never could tell. Weird things had a way of happening to them when they least expected it.

Finally found, Leonardo took the map from Donatello and stretched it out, studying it carefully for a moment. Michaelangelo didn't like the worried look that came into Leo's eyes. Neither did Splinter. There was a nervous tension in the air, one which none of them could shake. They were close. She was somewhere nearby. They only hoped they could reach her on time.

Leonardo broke the chilling silence. "Okay..." He pointed at their location on the map. "This is Sabael..." His finger traveled northeast up a short line of freeway, then changed directions, moving to the northwest. "Here..." His finger finally stopped on a smudge of blue. "This is Blue Mountain Lake."

"How long?"

"I dunno, Raph. According to this map, the driving distance is..." He consulted the map key, estimating the length of a mile to be about half the width of his fingernail. He then used that as a guide to judge the mileage between where they were now, and their final destination. "...about sixteen miles."

Don calculated that quickly in his head. "About a half hour by car."

"Great." Raph grumbled.

At least they were close. And they had maps. It was time to move.

"What do you mean, they all got away?" Larry asked angrily.

"I...they were too powerful." The man defended. "We brought you the dog like you asked--"

"Forget the damn dog! I asked you to bring me the rat!"

They kept their voices low, so as not to alert Holly of the situation. Still, Larry was finding it awfully hard to control his anger, and his side of the conversation rose in volume a notch as he interrogated his subordinate.

"I'm sorry." The man said quickly. "We did our best."

"Your best...?" Larry glared at him. "Well, it sure as hell wasn't good enough, now was it!?"

The man swallowed, yet stood his ground. "Look, you'd have to see the way these things fight. It's like nothing I've ever witnessed. They're...strong, agile. They've had expert training--"

"Enough." Larry sighed and rubbed his temples. "Why wasn't I told about this sooner? I thought you'd defeated them. I was told they'd been killed."

"I don't know anything about that." The man lied.

He'd been part of the small group that escaped from the farmhouse with their lives. In fear that they had much more to lose than simply their jobs if they returned with bad news, they had agreed to announce that they came away the victors of the battle. It was decided that the chances those creatures had a sufficient means of transportation was probably nil. It didn't seem logical that turtles or rats would possess the ability to drive. They would more than likely have to travel by foot, and that would take a very long time. In their minds, they'd always believed that turtles were slow. It was common knowledge. Of course, these mutants were different from any other turtles they'd ever seen. They moved like lightning. Even so, walking could take days. By then, Larry, Jim and Curtis would have acted out their plan, and no one would be the wiser. Unfortunately for his comrades, this man was a weak link in the chain--one who couldn't help but spill his guts for fear of his life.

Larry was very angry, yet he told himself he needed to relax if he was going to be able to think clearly. He'd been hoping his enemies really had been vanquished, but this was even better. Not only would he get the chance to carry out his experiment on a live specimen, but he'd managed to break Holly's spirit as well. It wouldn't be much of a struggle anymore to get her to do as he wished. Besides, he still had the dog as a means of persuasion.

"Fine." Larry said finally. "Tell Paxton and Yamoto they're fired. Then get to work and ready the equipment."

The man nodded and hurried from the room.

"Why?" She whispered, barely able to form the words around her thoughts. Something hazy lingered at the back of her mind--thoughts and images that painted a picture of who she was, why she was here, but she could hardly comprehend them. She felt exhausted, though her heart was racing. She laid her head against the bars, breathing slowly, her eyes never leaving his.

Jim felt uneasy under her stare. She'd forced him to think about things he'd rather not--to justify his reasoning for all he'd put her through. Try as he might, he couldn't come up with an acceptable answer.

"What made you so evil?" Her voice was barely audible, her eyes threatening to close, yet she would not allow herself to look away from him. She wanted answers. Why was he doing this to her? Did he really hate her that much?

"Evil...?" It was as if he was realizing something frightening about himself for the first time.

She waited in silence as he contemplated her words.

"I'm not evil, Holly." He said at last. "I'm only trying to do what's in the best interest of science--"

"Science!" Her voice was weak, yet strained with rage. "Science...that's all life is to you! You have no love for human existence! Any existence. It's all about money and fame. And you don't care who you have to hurt to get it." She closed her eyes as a waft of pain attacked her head. "You were never overly kind to me...but I used to believe in you."

He lowered his eyes, suddenly feeling very guilty. What was he doing? He'd never meant for things to get so out of control. Quickly, he buried the remorse and returned his attention to the greater picture. If all went well, he would attain the fame and fortune he sought. And surely that was more important that one human life. Wasn't it?

Their trek was proving long and laborious. They'd been walking for what seemed like ages, yet they'd just managed to hit the halfway point. There were still about eight more miles to go. It felt as though they would never get there. And it was bitterly cold. The night held a chill breeze which blew all around them, playing with the ends of their bandana tails as if to mock their efforts. Raphael shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, his mind ablaze with ideas of what he was going to do to these guys if they'd dared to lay a finger on Holly.

Donatello kept his eyes and his thoughts on the compass in his hand. He couldn't bear to think about anything else at the moment. Focusing on the task at hand seemed to shield him from unpleasant feelings like worry and doubt. Finally, he spared a glance at Leonardo. His brother walked quietly, gripping his jacket tight around his neck, as if trying to shield as much of his body from the cold as possible. His teeth had begun to chatter, but his gaze remained serious and contemplative.

Leonardo looked over at Splinter, who'd been traveling in silence for quite some time. His face was an unreadable mask, but Leo knew him well. He could sense the intense emotions that were struggling to surface within him. He couldn't help but worry about his master. He'd never seen him so distraught over anything. Ever. Yet he was forever their father, the protector and mentor. He wouldn't allow himself to show his anguish, for fear of what it might do to his pupils. Leo had to admire his courage and determination, even in the face of defeat.

There were so many things he wanted to ask him. He had to wonder how Holly's disappearance was truly affecting him. It was obvious he was upset, and for good reason, but was he angry with her for leaving? What was he hoping would happen if they managed to set her free? Did he love her? Of course, he would never voice any of his curiosities, deeming it disrespectful and rude to intrude in Splinter's affairs. But as he watched his sensei, he realized for the first time just how vulnerable he could be, and how...human.

He felt a pause as the group came to a stop suddenly. As Donatello consulted the map and checked the compass, Leo averted his attention to the darkened shapes of mountains that beckoned to them in the distance. They were getting close now. He could sense a feeling of anticipation and urgency among his brothers, and he shivered. There was an electricity in the air that was so thick, he thought he could cut it with one of his katana if he tried. What would they find when they got there? What if they were too late?

She lifted heavy eyelids, opening them to darkness. A silhouetted shape--massive and bulky--was moving toward her. Straining her eyes against the pain in her head, she studied the form, soon realizing it was Curtis.

"What do you want?" Her voice was edgy and filled with hate.

"They told me to do what I needed to make sure you're awake and ready." He smiled evilly.

She held her breath and stared at him as he entered the cage, not daring to take her eyes off of him. The look he was giving her made her nervous. He reeked of beer and sweat. She wanted to vomit. He lowered to his knees next to her, staring into her face. How she longed to remove her sight from him, but she was worried about what he might do. She didn't want to be caught off guard. Instead she watched him, noticed how his eyes seemed to darken even in the dimness.

She swallowed hard. She already knew what his intentions were.

He moved closer to her, one hand gripping the bars behind her head, the other resting on her knee. She sucked in a breath, trying to clear her head enough to form a coherent thought. She had to think fast. From the look in his eyes, Curtis wasn't going to give up easily this time.

"You don't look very awake to me..." He said softly, his left hand trailing up from her knee to her thigh. "Looks like you need some coaxing..."

"Leave me alone..." She warned.

He just laughed and knelt over her, straddling her legs.

Weakened from the drugs, she moved her legs frantically, attempting a kick to the groin, but her knees were pinned beneath him. He grinned at her pointless efforts and brought his face close to hers.

"You tried to turn me away, Holly, but we both know that this is as it should be. Humans belong with humans."

He was getting dangerously close now. She struggled against the shackles at her wrists, trying desperately to break free.

"Playing hard to get hasn't gotten you anywhere. Let's not kid ourselves. We both know you'd rather be with me than some...animal."

"I wouldn't be with you if you were the last human being left on this planet." She spat. "And I use the term 'human' loosely."

That made him mad. He raised his hand to strike her. She closed her eyes waiting for the blow, but he stopped in mid-swing and lowered his arm. Instead, realizing the opportunity before him, he leaned over her, covering her mouth with his.

She writhed beneath him and pushed with her legs as hard as she could, managing to knock him back a bit. Mustering all of the strength she had left, she cried out into the darkness.

"Help! Please help me!" Her voice cracked. "Jim, I know there's some good in you...please don't let him do this!"

Curtis covered her mouth and leaned over her again. The look in his eyes sent shivers up her spine. "He doesn't care. Jim and Larry are in another room discussing the steps of the experiment. They can't even hear you. Besides...Jim sent me here himself."

She leaned back into the bars as far as she could, trying to keep some space between them. Curtis leered at her and moved closer, his hands brushing the fabric at her sides. She swallowed and closed her eyes. If she couldn't make him stop, at least she would deny him the satisfaction of an acknowledgement. She felt the moist heat of tears ignite behind her eyelids as Curtis slid his hand up the bottom of her shirt.

His hand moved up to cup her breast, over the fabric of the bra. She gritted her teeth, determined not to cry. One way or another, she would win this battle. She would maintain her dignity no matter what he did to her.

His other hand moved up to her shoulder, gently caressing. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, her breath catching in her throat. How could Jim allow this to happen to her? Why were they doing this? Hadn't capturing her and killing her friends been enough? When would it end?

Curtis' free hand slowly slid down to her waist, his mouth planting hot kisses over her neck and jaw line. She shuddered, some of the tears peeking out from behind her closed lids. His breath was ragged in her ear, his hands fumbling with the button of her jeans.

Finally, he got the button undone and moved his fingers to the zipper. She had to do something! This was going too far. It was going to happen for real this time! His hand slipped into the waist of her jeans and her anger and fear peaked, sending her over the edge.

"Bastard!" She screamed and kicked at him, this time planting a firm foot into his stomach. He slumped backward, a feral growl rising in his throat.

"You bitch!" He slapped her across the face. Hard.

The skin burned from the blow, but the tears streaming down her cheeks weren't signs of physical pain. They were indicators of the mental anguish she was experiencing, and knew she had yet to experience in the moments to come.

He pushed her back against the bars, covering her mouth with a sweaty palm, stifling her screams. Her eyes grew wide as he tugged the jeans over her hips, his finger running over the elastic seam of her underwear. She struggled against him again as more tears streamed down her face.

She felt herself giving in to despair. She closed her eyes again, trying to shut everything out. There was nowhere to go. She was trapped here. There was no one to save her. Silently, she prayed it would be over quickly. As he leaned over her again, she sucked in a breath. She could hear the sound of his belt buckle unlatching...