Do people even remember this story?

Chapter 20: Pursuing The Target, part 2

A bullet flew in the air

A target was hit

And a body fell heavily on the ground.

"No..."

Everyone stared hard at the body. Blood was seeping out from the wounds and he coughed blood, a sure sign of how grave the condition was. Leatherhead was stunned. He could not believe this was happening. Raphael was confused as to what drove him to do that. Who was he anyway?

"D-Davis?" Mikey said, unsure of how the human's situation really was.

Davis coughed again. More blood dripping from his mouth.

Bishop growled "Stupid human!" He pointed the gun again at Mikey.

Raph was very near now, and as soon as he saw Bishop's hands lifting that gun again, he felt white-hot anger toward the scientist once again. "Hell, no" he muttered and kicked the gun out of Bishop's hands. Bishop had been too concentrated on the smallest turtle to notice and was startled when the red ninja did that, but before he could do anything about it another kick was sent his way. Bishop dodged, once again proving his fast reflexes. But then yet another attack came his way from his right and Bishop had to jump away from it. He looked at the three turtles who were now coming his way.

He chuckled "Three on one? That hardly seems fair for the good guys"

Raph's eyes narrowed and opened his mouth to say something back, but surprisingly, Leo beat him to it "Fair or not fair, you have crossed the line too many times. It's time for you to pay"

Don didn't say anything and instead glared venomously at the scientist, silently agreeing.

"You say that as if you have a chance of winning. But do you think I will be that easy to fight?" Bishop said smirking "Remember, even if you have foiled my plans many times, not once have you been able to beat me in a fight, but just so we can put that doubt to rest..."

And here Bishop took a fighting position "Why don't we have a final fight right here, right now"

Over to where Davis was, Leatherhead was trying to stop the bleeding anyway he could. He had torn up a piece of the lab coat that Davis still had on and was pressing it against the wound, but he knew that wasn't going to be enough.

Davis coughed again and then laughed a mirthless laugh "You c-can stop trying Leatherh-head... I know I w-won't make it"

"Do not say that, Davis. There may still be something we can do" Leatherhead said, pressing the wound a bit more in a vain attempt to save his human friend.

"T-That's not gonna happen" And both Davis and Leatherhead were burdened with the truth behind that statement.

Mikey begin to cry, and for the first time in two weeks, it was not for himself he was crying "Why?" he asked, his voice broken by his tight throat.

Davis turned his head weakly toward Mikey. He gave him a sad smile "T-To be honest, I'm not e-even sure" He turned his eyes to the sky spotting the first few stars.

"But when I saw the way your brothers had gone through everything to get you back, and the way the humans thought of you as family, and the way Leatherhead threw everything away to make sure you were all right...I just... I couldn't let all of that be in vain"

He turned his gaze to Mikey again "T-That's why I grabbed you back in the van, and probably why I jumped in front of a b-bullet. You're a special kid, Mikey. You have something that makes people want to p-protect you. And even if you don't know it, you, in turn, make them smile and think life is worth living" He laughed again, but it turned to a weak cough "B-But I guess I'm not fitted to say that"

"D-Don't lose that, kid... keep on smiling... don't let what happened here scar you forever..." Davis was turning paler, and his voice weaker and weaker.

Leatherhead saw this "Please, Davis, stop talking, rest"

But Davis wasn't listening "Y-You're a l-light, Mikey... r-remember that. D-Don't let B-Bishop take that away from you..."

"Davis" Mikey said in a tiny voice, tears streaming down his face "Please don't die, please"

Davis didn't say anything, instead he just looked back to the sky, contemplating the stars with the few seconds he had left. "I wonder..." he whispered "Would this make up for what I did to her...?" Davis' voice trailed off, his eyes grew dull, and his chest rose and fell for one last time.

Davis Heaton, scientist and recent friend, was dead.

Mikey's eyes grew wider "Davis?" he said weakly "Davis?" a little louder. Not really knowing what to do, Mikey turned his eyes desperately to Leatherhead.

The alligator met his eyes with a sad gaze, then looked down to his human friend's body. He closed his eyes and cleaned the blood on his hands with the snow. And without saying a word he grabbed Mikey and hugged him. Mikey cried quietly in his arms, the sobs making his little body shake.

"Why did he die, Le-ley?" he asked through sobs "Why? Why the the Bad Man hurt me? Why did he take me away from my home? Why, Le-ley? Why?"

Leatherhead's heart clenched every time he asked. He couldn't tell him why. No matter how intelligent he was, he couldn't tell him why Bishop thought it was okay to hurt them, or why he couldn't see they also had feelings, or why all these things had happened to them. He couldn't answer his questions, so instead he hugged even tighter, trying to bring some comfort through the act, while in his mind he was also asking...

Why...?

Bishop looked to see the scene, he smirked "Looks like the human finally died" he announced to the brothers.

Neither of them dared a glance to that direction. They knew Bishop could be tricky and he had proved to be a lot more of a challenge that they could have imagined. He didn't even seem that tired! But they all knew that it would end today, one way or another.

Bishop smirked again at the turtles. He knew what was passing through their minds. He knew it because he had seen that same face many times. It really never got boring. It was always a pleasure to wipe those faces that held resolution and turn them into dismay. Especially if they were horrid mutants. But, still, these mutants had proven to be more resourceful than many others, it would be wise to end the game now, while he still could. Underestimating them had always been his undoing.

Without any warning, Bishop launched himself against Don who was in the middle. Don blocked the attack with his Bo and counterattacked with a low kick. Bishop jumped and at the same time tried to get Raph with a roundhouse kick. Raph ducked in time and Leo tried to grab the leg from the air. Bishop swung his other leg around and almost hit mark, but before he did Don had gone back up and took the hit instead of Leo. He was sent back for a second. This gave time for Raph to try to chambered punch against Bishop's stomach. Bishop took the attack and backtracked a few steps. Leo then came at him with a combination of kicks and hits. Bishop blocked them all using both his hands and knees.

Don came from below trying a low kick at Bishop and twisted his body and cartwheeled safely out of the way. Raph came from behind and tried to cut him with his sai. Bishop grabbed his wrist and kicked him on the stomach. Raph planted his feet on the ground and instead of being drawn back he growled and kicked Bishop with the same kind of kick. Bishop didn't resist and staggered backward. Leo saw his chance and made a sweep making Bishop finally fall. Don ran forward and with his Bo, hit him square on his face.

Leo stood in front of Bishop "It's time to end this" He said, and his brothers nodded.

The sides of Bishop's mouth turned upward "Time to end this? Are you not having fun mutant?" He punched Leo on his stomach, then did a sweep on Don, back kicked Raph, and stood up straight as smoothly as he could "Because I am" he said, a cold smile on his lips.

The blue ninja let a growl escape his lips. How could he have let himself unguarded like that? As if he didn't know any better. He had trained all his life and he knew that even a beginner knew the 'Don't let your guard down' rule.

Bishop's outward demeanor showed the flawless, cool, smooth criminal he liked showing, and most of the time he truly was that, but not this time. This time the cool exterior showed nothing of the turmoil he was on the inside. This was not going the way he had imagined. According to his plan, the little freak should have died in front of the bigger freaks, while those aforementioned suffered and also died in agony. But now what had come to pass was nothing of what he had predicted. The mutants were all alive, even the alligator whom he was using simply as an experiment. His lab security had been a joke, his men were defeated before they did any real damage to the turtles, his back-up lasers had been destroyed, his clones had been desabled even before they even started fighting, and now he was being constantly attacked by these annoying beasts.

His demeanor might show calmness, but it was not so at all.

There was only one option left.

"But as much fun as I am having, I think it is time to end this" Bishop swept his gaze over the the faces that glared blood-red hate.

And then he turned and ran.

There was half a second of astonished silence at the action, but that was quickly over as the brothers turned to follow. Leonardo looked back at Mikey who was clutched in the alligator's arms "Leatherhead" he called "Take Mikey back to the van. Do not let him out of your sight!"

Leatherhead nodded "I will" and stood up with Mikey in his arms.

Leo turned quickly to see where he was going and took the lead again. His brothers were flying in a speed that seemed impossible to have after all the fighting they had done. But Leo understood. He could see Bishop's black coat perfectly in the whiteness of the snow and the trees barely covered the moving target. Bishop changed directions abruptly and ran toward the sea that the brothers had come from.

Bishop looked back and saw them. He turned his head again and ran faster than a normal human being should be able to run. His face remained fixed, no smirk, no scowl, there was nothing to read from his expression. But his actions more than spoke. His running became a bit desperate at trying to get away. These turtles had to get tired by now, and Bishop knew he still had stamina to burn, but he needed to use it to be able to retreat. A good commander knows when it is time to retreat and fight another day. The thought came and went, but Bishop's lips twitched, he hadn't remembered that piece of advice in a while. It came from another lifetime. A lifetime where aliens did not exist and mutants were only a figment of the imagination.

But now was not the time to reminiscence. He had a get away to orchestrate.

The scientist ran until he finally reached the sea. He once again changed his course and ran across the shoreline. The shore wasn't sandy in the least, instead in went from water to rock and ice. It became trickier to try to outrun them, but he had set up his most important lab here for a reason, and that lab had been here far longer than anyone really knew. He had traveled this place better than anyone else alive and he knew he could use it to his advantage.

He ran until he reached higher ground, the ninja brothers were still following him, they seemed to keep good track of him until now, good, it would be a shame for him if his worst enemies could not follow him in this ground. That would have spoken badly of him. He ran a bit more, he knew that it was around here... there! The wall that cut through here, perfect. He never really thought he would use this, but planning in advance was something he had always prided himself for, back-up plans may be looked down by some, but personally he liked knowing there was always something he could do to surprise his enemies.

The ground had risen until the shore had become a cliff an extreme diver would be proud to jump if it wasn't for the ice-freezing water that would wait at the end of the dive. He stopped, right in front of the wall that couldn't even be climbed because of the slippery ice that formed there. Bishop's face was still expressionless when he turned to the turtles.

Leo and his brothers tensed as Bishop turned. Something was up, he could feel it, and he knew Don and Raph could feel it as well. Bishop did not just run out of a fight without something being in his mind. They all had their weapons in their hands, whatever happened they would not be found defenseless. What could Bishop be thinking?

"Whatever the heck yer plannin', Bishop..." Raph said, voicing their suspicion "You better stop. No matter what, we're gonna end up making you pay fer what ya did"

Bishop clasped his hands behind his back, showing them he wasn't taking them as seriously as he should "Really? And how do you know I don't have a plan to re-capture my little guest once he goes back with his human friends and keep on doing what I did?"

Raph growled, and it was Don who answered "That's not going to happen since that would mean you'd be leaving this place" The purple ninja narrowed his eyes "And you're not"

The agent gave a few steps toward the cliff "An intelligent mind such as yours should not turn to barbaric violence, Donatello" he tisked, shaking his head in mock disapproval.

"You're the last person I want to hear that from" Donatello said through gritted teeth.

Bishop came to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the cold freezing water that met that fall. He turned to the turtles again with the patience of someone dealing with good acquaintances than with the ones who wished the most violent of deaths by their hands.

"There's nowhere to run Bishop" Leo said, although he felt uneasy about the agent standing there.

Bishop didn't say anything immediately and instead looked down at the water again "I beg to differ" he said quietly and his muscles tensed for some reason almost as if...

Leo's eyes widened "Stop!" he yelled, but Bishop did not heed the blue ninja and jumped.

The trio ran to where the agent had jumped with just enough time to see the splash he had made. Raph then made as if he was also going to jump, but Don restrained him knowing that water that cold could kill a warm-blooded human fast, not to say how much sooner it would be for a cold-blooded reptile like themselves.

"Well, what do ya want me to do, Don? He's getting away again!" Raph yelled, angry to have been stopped, but he had no time to say anything else because of a rumbling sound that seemed to come from the very rock itself.

The brothers stood still trying to decipher what they had just heard, but then they heard it again, and not only heard but felt the rumbling. It felt like a earthquake was happening, but as Leo found out when he looked up, it wasn't. The rocks at the top of the cliff came tumbling down and Leo could only stare as the first one made impact and multiplied into the many pieces that now flew to them and hit their bodies. It wasn't enough to throw them off the cliff, but more crashed and they knew that unless they did something, they would be crushed to death by the land itself.

"Run!" Leo yelled a one word command again and in this different scenario, his brothers did heed the advice. They ran away from the crumbling wall of rock well until the boulders had stopped rolling after them. They had made it almost back to where the sea met with what could be called a shore again. They panted, their breaths visible in the cold moisture of the air. And once they had regained their breath again...

"Damn! DAMN IT!" Raph fell to ground and punched the frozen rock, no doubt some part of him wishing he could hit it harder so he could break it, or at least feel enough pain.

"He... he escaped again..." Don whispered in disbelief.

Leo became aware that his hand was shaking, it wasn't because of the cold and it wasn't because he was afraid of something. It was because of rage. Rage that wanted to be let out, that wanted to make him hurt something, anything, that wanted to make him lash out at whoever he could come across. A small part of his brain wondered if it was the same rage that he had for a time before he was sent to the Ancient One. But no, it felt different. This rage wasn't because he had failed himself, it was because he had failed the one person in his life who needed the most protecting...

Don was shaking his head and muttering to himself "There must be something we can do. There has to be something, anything! This can't be the way it ends..."

"It's not gonna be the way it ends" Raph growled "I'm gonna follow that bastard and MAKE HIM PAY!" Raph got up and started toward the cliff where Bishop had jumped from. Leo saw him go.

"...Bishop has to have something that we can use..." Donatello was still muttering to himself, but a bit more calculating "He's always doing all of these things to mutants and aliens, he doesn't seem to care about family or friends, but he has to care for something..."

Leo kept looking at Raph's retreating back. He could see Raph's muscles were stiff with anger that hadn't been satisfied and he could relate. He was barely listening to his younger brother.

"... What's the most important thing for him? What's the thing he has lived for? What..." Sudden realization dawned on Don's face "THAT'S IT!"

His sudden yell was enough to jolt the blue ninja out of his daze and for the red clad brother to turn back to look at them. Don looked at Leo with a happiness that seemed out of place at the moment. Raph had jogged back to them with a glare that seemed to say 'This better be good or I'll turn my rage on you'

"Guys, don't you see?" Don asked "Bishop has tried to tortured us by using Mikey. He knew that he was especial to all of us, April and Casey included. Hun said that there had been rumors of a fourth turtle and Bishop sent that small robot to spy on us and find out if it was true. He not only found out about it, but saw the way we all treated him and the way that Mikey was so especial."

"Yeah, but we know that, Don" Leo said "Where are you going with this?"

The genius turtle looked from Leo to Raph "Guys, he knew we would all suffer if Mikey was kidnapped because knew that he was precious to us. And I think... I think that we can make him pay with the same coin"

"But the bastard doesn't care for anyone" Raph glared on "The heck do you think we're gonna do? Kidnap a lackey? He can replace those any time he wants!"

Don shook his head impatiently "No, not a person. I know Bishop doesn't care for anyone no matter what he says he's doing for humanity" he added an eyeroll.

"Then what?" Leo asked, getting impatient as well.

"His research" Don said "No matter how we look at it Bishop has lived his life for his research. He kidnaps, murders, steals, and lies just so he can advance on his precious data and figure out how to make humans "better". Those cyborgs we've fought are just a product of what he has acomplished so far. And I'm not sure, but the fact that he's faster and stronger than most humans are could mean that he's getting somewhere dangerously near his goal."

"Then what we have to do..." Leo said slowly, working out what Don had said "is destroy his research..."

"Exactly"

"That's ridiculous!" Raph yelled "How is Bishop payin' fer what he did to us? Even if you destroy all his labs an' erase everything, he's still gonna be free! He's still gonna do whatever he's doing! And he's still gonna be out there planning something ta take Mikey away from us again!" Raph turned sharply around and began walking briskly to the cliff again "I dunno what you guys will do, but I'm gonna go find that Bishop and truly make him pay fer what he has done to us"

Leo and Don watched him go, then Don let his face fall "He's right. I don't know why I didn't think of it, but he's right. Even if we destroy everything Bishop would still be out there doing what he alwas does..."

"He is right" Leo conceded "But so are you" he turned to Don and said ninja looked up to him "Everything you both said is true, so what we have to do is make sure Bishop pays both ways."

"Both ways?"

The blue ninja nodded "Don, you're the only one who can understand the system, so you're going to have to go back to the lab and make sure Bishop pays for what he did to us" Leo looked to the cliff "I'll go with Raph and we'll both make sure that Bishop pays for what he did to Mikey"

Don smiled determined "Double pay back"

Leo smiled back, then turned serious again "Be careful" he said, and started to run toward the cliff just like Raph had done.

Donatello didn't wait a second and as soon Leo had turned his back, he turned his and started to run back to the lab. The night was dark and it looked darker once back in the forest. Don's running wasn't as fast as when he was running to catch up to Bishop. Right then he had been fueled by anger, a very good booster that made him understand how Raph could go on fighting for so long, but Don knew he wasn't like Raph. His anger was beginning to tire him and the fact that they had been in action since the morning wasn't helping. He knew he had to reach the lab as fast as he could. Otherwise Bishop might come to a conclusion that he needed to escape with everything as soon as possible, and that included the information that he needed to erase.

The cold was numbing to his muscles, and even though he was sweating, there was no denying the fact that he could see his breath every time he panted. He could hear the sounds of the night crawlers at the distance, all of them going on with their daily lives of surviving another night, unaware of the problems that went on between humans and mutants.

Don saw one of the frozen clones out of the corner of his eye. He was getting nearer. He could see other clones who had been barely coming out of their hiding places. Don shuddered, he had no idea just how many of those things Bishop had in store. If they had almost lost with only three of them, then all of these would have killed them in less than a minute, and then all hope for rescuing Mikey would have been lost. As annoying as it was, it really was a good thing that Bishop hadn't thought of them so highly. Otherwise they might had not made it out.

About five minutes later he had finally reached where they had fought with Bishop. Don slowed to a stop unwillingly. He looked around at all the signs of battle. Leatherhead had already taken Mikey away, he noted approvingly. He didn't know the alligator much, but if Leo, who was the kind of guy that was hard to win his trust, was allowing him to help them and take care of Mikey, then he could trust him as well.

His eyes rested on the body of the human. He walked over to him, noticing the red snow that looked almost black in the darkness. He frowned, he didn't know who this person was, and yet, he had saved Mikey's life by sacrificing his own. He wished he could thank him. The human had not only saved his little brother, but had also saved Raph. Don knew that Raph could have been the one laying there if this human had been a second later.

"Thank you, Davis" he whispered, finally remembering the human's name, then turned and ran again, faster than before.

He still didn't know why Davis had done something like that, but what he did know was that his life would not be lost in vain.

Should I ask for a review?