Tmnt An Agonizing Secret

Chapter 12. The Great Rescue

Mikey crawled on his shaking hands and knees, slowly edging closer to the end of the metal platform. I know I don't have much strength left, but I've got to do something. I guess I'll just make my way down by jumping from pipe to pipe, but there's no way it's gonna be that easy, right? When Mikey reached the platform's rusted-off end, he peered down once more at the cat-shaped silhouette. He closed his eyes for a second to calm his wildly beating heart, reminding himself of his past mistake. Suddenly the turtle reopened his eyes, coughing a bit. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his side, Mikey got into position and mapped out the route he would take across the sewer pipes. This time...I'll make the right choice.

Mikey concentrated all of his energy and jumped out from the platform, angling himself toward a large pipe that stretched out below him. After a tranquil moment in the air, Mikey's feet hit the rough surface of the pipe hard and the youngest couldn't help but cry out at the spurt of pain the impact had sent up his side. Ouch, ouch, OUCH. Dude...I'm glad I made it, but the landing sure hurt like shell! I thought if I didn't jostle my side too much, I'd be okay, but that impact force is killer.

Mikey breathed in and out a few times to clear his head, but he was already seeing stars. Alright...gotta pull myself together here. I still have four more jumps to get down, and then five more to get back up. Just have to get through this one jump at a time...Mikey braced himself and tucked one arm against his side in slight hope that it would somehow lessen the impact. And then he jumped down again, this time aiming for a considerably smaller-sized pipe.

After making contact with the pipe, Mikey immediately tried to balance himself so he wouldn't fall off—the pipe was skinny enough that only the arches of his feet actually touched the metal. With all of his attention on not slipping, Mikey only felt a faint burn of pain that he was already used to.

"Second jump successful!" Mikey exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air. "Wha—oops—" Mikey wobbled a little from the sudden movement but calmly regained a stable pose with ninja skill. Grinning from ear to ear, Mikey felt much more confident that he could handle all the jumps and save the cat. I can do this, I can totally do this.

For the third time, Mikey took off, setting his sights on a very rusty pipe below. He landed perfectly again but made no move to celebrate this time. The stress and fatigue on Mikey's body had really weakened him; it was getting hard to breathe. My chest is getting tighter...and I knew this would happen, but not now. No, it can't be now, I'm not done yet. I gotta finish what I started.

Mikey stilled his shivering frame as best he could, knowing that he could fall if he wasn't careful. He looked up for a moment, catching a glimpse of the metal platform and the two pipes he had just come down from. Just two more jumps, and I can rest with the cat beside me for a moment. Mikey descended from his pipeline once more.

"Gah!" Mikey yelped when he collided with the last pipe. Because it was so close to the drainage pool water, this pipe was much more slippery than the others. Mikey had almost lost his footing. Another familiar meow came from below, and Mikey carefully looked down at the shadowed figure below him. The cat was much closer, and this time the youngest could see its shining eyes and bristly, gray fur. Mikey let out a long breath. I only have one more jump to get into the open pipe. And it's almost like the cat is waiting for me to rescue it. Like it has already forgiven me or something. But that's not possible, right? I mean...Mikey shook his head to clear the thoughts that raced inside. He exhaled another big breath and felt his throbbing side absently. What am I talking about...I just have to think about getting it out of here ASAP. Well, maybe after a short break...

"Al...almost there, 'kay little guy?" Mikey whispered as loud as he could. He knew it would hurt him more if he started to talk. I still don't know if I have enough energy to make it. No, I can't think like that. Pull yourself together, Mikester. Just one measly—