Race. [TMNT 2012]

058. Trap; Raphael

Song: Devil in the Mirror - Black Veil Brides

"You are aware of the routine," Tiger Claw growls at his evil-looking companions.  He removes a laser gun from his tool belt and flicks his ears to signal his minions.  "Get them."

   As I take my stance to attack Tiger Claw, something terrible happens.  A group of Footbots drop into the room and encircled us with their mechanical gazes, beeping sounds exploding from their insides.  Though there aren't that many, they cover every possible exit.  We are toast.

   "Footbots?!" Donatello exclaims, his sepia eyes round with shock.  "I haven't seen them since-"

   "-We ended the Shredder," Leonardo finishes in a deep, angry tone.  He raises his ocean blue eyes to Tiger Claw's, his biceps bulging with defiance.  "How'd you manage to get them under your control, Tiger Claw?"

   Tiger Claw's furry lips curve into a leer.  He does not answer the blue-clad turtle's question.  Instead, he lets out a yowl and leaps at the turtle, knocking him off his feet.  Leonardo falls to the ground, and unable to recover quick enough, gets heavily overpowered by the tiger mutant.

   "Leo!" I yell.  I start over to help him, but I get swatted to the side by a huge paw.  I roll across the floor and smack right into a wall, groaning.  That's going to leave a mark.

   As I raise my gaze, I see my assaulter.  It's Rocksteady.  The oversized rhinoceros mutant looks overjoyed that he knocked me to the side so easily.  As he approaches me, he makes a point to drop his large feet heavily onto the ground.  The floor shudders, which succeeds in its effort to frighten me.

   "Turtle will be crushed into the pancakes under foot of rhino!"  Rocksteady announces in his heavily accent voice.  To keep his promise, his foot rises until it is directly over the top of me, sending a fear chill up my spine.

   Suddenly, a scream pierces my ears from close by.  I turn my head sharply to see that Lucy has been pinned to a wall by Footbots.  She is doing her best to break free, but she refuses to hurt them, so she is trapped.

   The horrifying sight sets my headache spiraling away.  I ungracefully throw myself out from under Rocksteady's foot and scramble across the floor to Lucy.  Regaining my stature, I pull myself together long enough to charge at the Footbots holding my friend captive.  I jab one in the head and toss it aside as if it is merely a ragdoll.

   However, that is a poor choice.  Lucy lets out a terrified scream as she witnesses my treacherous action, her pupils so big that they cover her irises.  "That's cruel!" she exclaims, her raised eyebrows nearly hidden in her hairline.

   "It's survival!" I defend myself hotly, though I make a point not to harm the other one as much.  I simply pick it up and throw it far away, letting it clatter to pieces elsewhere.

   "Get back here, turtle man!" Rocksteady roars as he charges towards me with his horn forward.  His feet send waves through the ground as they connect with the floor.

   Alarmed, I grab Lucy's wrist and tug her out of the way.  I zigzag through the crowd of fighting masses, trying to lose Rocksteady.  The whole time, Lucy clings to my arm desperately, as if she is afraid I'll leave her.

   Honestly, I do have half a mind to forget about her.  I told her to stay close to me, yet she ended up in her own party of Footbots instead.  She must have gotten scared and went to cower, only for it to bite her in the butt.

   Then again, I can't blame her.  I charged off without warning.  Besides, I'm the one who allowed her to come into battle with us in the first place.  She's my responsibility, so all the mistakes she makes are on me.  I don't like it, but I don't have a choice.