Race. [TMNT 2012]

033. Mission; Raphael

The moment Charlotte and I arrive back at Shredder's lair, we instantly go back to being emotionally guarded. We walk as a single, monotone machine. We ignore any Footbots we pass as an attempt to not seem suspicious. It works, because none of them drag us off to be confronted by the Shredder on our disappearance. Actually, I'm not even sure they know we left.

I'm not angry anymore. At least, not in a reckless sense. We have a mission and I am channeling my irritation into that. I know that, if we carry out the plan precisely, I will be able to avenge my father and save New York City from Shredder's devious hands. I can't wait to get started.

We start down the hallway towards the surveillance room. Before we're even halfway down it, however, Tiger Claw appears. He is walking in the opposite direction from us. When his yellow eyes settle on the pair of us, they narrow suspiciously.

"Why are you two still awake?" he asks in his raspy voice. He twirls his laser gun between his furry fingers.

"We're heading to our room now. We got held up by the Shredder," Charlotte replies smoothly, her gaze giving away nothing. "He was rather pleased with our performances today. I believe he mentioned promoting us to a higher rank soon." She ends her explanation with a tiny smirk.

Her words strike a slightly jealous edge to Tiger Claw's expression. A low growl sounds in the back of his throat. "Go to sleep," he orders stiffly, before brushing passed us.

Once he's gone, I glance at Charlotte. It makes me nervous how easily lies roll off her lips. She can make a fairy tale full of unicorns and frog princes sound realistic.

Still, her skill did us some good. I give her a simple nod and start on my way to the surveillance room once more.

But Charlotte stops me. "We need to cancel the mission," she whispers.

I spin around, shocked. She just weaseled us out of being questioned, and now she wants to give up? "You're kidding, right?" I snort.

"You know I wouldn't joke about that," Charlotte responds defensively. "Tiger Claw is onto us. He's probably getting reinforcements right now to take us away."

I don't see the problem. "All the more reason to be fast," I say, as if it isn't obvious. "Leo is already on his way with the others. We need to carry this out until the end. Even if we don't make it, they still can. They can end this by themselves if they have to."

I've never realized how much I rely on Charlotte until this moment. She and I are in the mess together. If one of us backs out, the other is done for as well. It's either both of us, or neither. And if we don't do anything, all of Plan 2 is a bust.

   Charlotte seems to be thinking twice about the situation. The way her brown eyes flickers with fear reveals how afraid she is to die. I don't blame her, but I'm not about to feel sorry for her. She knew what she was getting into from the beginning!

   "You can't back down," I snap immediately, though I keep my voice down. We can't risk drawing attention to ourselves.

   "I didn't say I was going to!" Charlotte fires back in a vicious whisper. She shoves me away from her, except she isn't strong enough to make me go very far. "And give me some space. You treat me like a little girl."

   I glare at her and close the tiny gap she had tried to create between us. "Maybe that's because you act like a little girl!" I can't stop my voice from shivering with rage. She always manages to get under my skin at the worst times.

   Charlotte's eyebrows shoot up. "Excuse me? A little girl?!" She rubs her forehead in frustration. "After all I've done, you still see me as some stupid and useless teenage girl?"

   I am a bit taken aback by how quickly her anger fizzles to exasperation. Maybe she isn't as hot-headed as I assumed. I am so lost that I fall silent.

   Charlotte looks at me again with her hands on her hips. Her gaze softens slightly, but only just. She's still severely annoyed as she starts talking again.

   "I lied and deceived my way in here. But not for my sake; for you and everyone else in this city. When I decided to come here, I wanted to come by myself because I knew I wouldn't make it out. It's not possible to be this close to the Shredder's grasp and survive. Sooner or later, it's going to steal the very breath from my body." Her voice rises and her gaze hardens. "I'm not a hero. I don't want to be one. I just want to end this sickening hold the Shredder has over this world. I'm willing to sacrifice myself if it means destroying him. And I know I'm going to have to sacrifice myself. That's why I didn't want you to come with me."

   Charlotte's eyes are suddenly sparkling with tears. She seems embarrassed at her sudden weakness, because she turns her head away and chews on her bottom lip.

   But her words settle in the soft part of my heart.  For once, we're on the same wavelength.  She is willing to die just as much as I am, if it keeps our family and friends safe.  I finally understand her.  And I guess that explains my motive for what I do next.

   I kiss her.

   It's awkward, weird and everything in between.  My palms are sweaty and my fingers shake too violently to fit between hers correctly.  But she doesn't seem to mind.

   It's the strangest feeling I have ever experienced.  I never thought feeling a pair of lips touching mine could make my heart come so close to exploding.  I never expected my stomach to feel so full of feathers.  Everything about it is unpredictable.  And that's why I like it so much.

   Our lips separate at the same time.  Green eyes meet brown and stare for a while, sharing a mutual expression of shock.

   Eventually, I recover enough to speak.  "That was the most reasonable thing you've ever said," I murmur, referring to her earlier speech.

   A smile tampers with Charlotte's pale lips. "Are we in this together?" she breathes.

   I inhaled deeply without breaking eye contact with her. At last, I release my hold on her hands and nod, returning the grin. "Until the end."

   Charlotte looks relieved. "Then let's go take out those cameras."