Mikey's Underwater discovery

Part 7

The turtles spent a few moments psyching themselves up, they were unsure how the Kraathatrogons would react to them and were nervous not from fear but that they would fail in their mission of getting the mutagen the consequences were going to be the loss of their brother everything was riding on this. 

Donnie led the way while Raph and Leo wheeled the tank in, April and Casey hung back, but Donnie set them to work in another way, he had set them the job of destroying the Kraang's secret lab through the neighbouring tunnel otherwise more Kraang & their droids would pick up where the previous ones left off when they eventually returned. 

April and Casey were to quietly take the computers to pieces they couldn't do so with an explosion as it would attract the humans attention above and they didn't want that it might discover their own lair if they came down here, it was this fear that had driven Mikey on i his own actions earlier, also the mutagen in the tanks could mutate people animals and even any organic life form if the area exploded it was safer not to go that route the turtles had scene this happen before. 

The three turtles approached a medium sized Kraathatrogon and it stayed calm and was unbothered by their presence. Which was a relief and made this easier.

"So how do we do this again Donnie?" Raph asked, 

"We need some protective clothing?" Donnie muttered, scanning the room with his eyes hoping to find something they could use. 

"What about that?" Leo said finding white plastic overalls hanging up, 

"that'll work" Donnie said pleased and instructed Leo to put them on, it was a tight fit with his bulky shell but he got to putting it on.

"I guess the Kraang don't want mutagen on them anymore than we do!" Leo said as he slipped the suit on complete with plastic covering his face, it looked a bit like a spacesuit. 

"Ok Leo there's a suction device that pumps the mutagen into the tanks, lets disconnect it and see if we can use it ourselves" Donnie muttered as he pulled the end off the tank and used it like a hose directing one end into the tank.

"now attach the other end to the Kraathatrogon there" Donnie said, as Leo did the suction device began working instantly but only very small amounts came out, merely drops at a time, 

"This is gonna take forever" Raph grumbled, 

"Yeah, could we not just take some from the tanks?" Leo questioned, 

"It's already been mixed with other stuff, it's not 'pure' see it's a different colour than what's coming out." Donnie explained, Leo and Raph nodded yeah they could see that. 

Meanwhile April and Casey were taking the computer's apart, piece by piece and this too was a slow process, they had taken the computers back off and were using screw drivers taking things to bits bolt by bolt. 

"Shame it's too big to take back to Donnie's lab he could really use this thing" April grumbled, 

"Why can't we just smash everything" Casey moaned, 

"Sometimes slow and steady in the better option" April said, as she continued to work, 

"The Kraang are gone why not just abandon the whole thing?" Casey groaned impatiently. 

"because, Casey it's only a matter of time before more Kraang come here, if Donnie didn't cut the wire on the portal earlier they'd probably be here already and if they do come back another way at least we'd wrecked their plans" April explained to Casey. 

Who muttered in acceptance of what she was saying.

Above them they failed to notice their was a triangle purple shape of a portal window where the Kraang were listening, watching and biding their time. 

Meanwhile, through the tunnel the turtles were still collecting the mutagen so far it had taken 45 minutes and they only had a equivalent of a small cup full. They had moved to Kraathatrogon to Kraathatrogon there were 12 in total and so far they had gone to four only able to get a little from each one at a time. 

"How much do we need?" Raph asked irritated, at how long this was taking,

"More than this.... I'd like at least a pint, two if possible" Donnie stated, 

"At this rate that's gonna take 3 or four hours" bemoaned Leo, 

"shame we can do more than one at a time" Donnie muttered but there was only one suction cup and safety suit and one milking station. 

"Can Mikey even wait this long?" Raph snapped, 

"I hope so, Sensei would of called if he had reason to be really concerned, so lets just assume the healing hands is helping stabilize Mikey" Donnie said hoping he was right. 

Meanwhile back in the lair Mikey had deteriorated several times with his breathing and tremors recurring and Splinter had just performed the healing hands mantra for the third time since the turtles left on their mission and Splinter was beginning to become extremely concerned but knew his son's would work as fast as they could so felt it useless to add to their  anxieties by calling them, the last healing hands treatment had been less effective as the earlier ones and he had now put Mikey on the oxygen Donnie had left. He hoped his sons would return soon. Mikey was running out  of time. 

Meanwhile  April and Casey were continuing with their dismantling operation and another hour had now gone by, Casey started coughing and as April tried to help him by patting his back but she too was struggling to breathe, the Kraang atmosphere was seeping into the room from the portal above sucking away their oxygen, April now saw the portal and realised there was about to be big trouble ahead. 

"Sewer apples!" she cursed. 

"Casey call Leo" April gasped as they staggered out of the Kraang lab, April knew they ought not to go into the room with the Kraathatrogon's so Casey called Leo's T-phone but as it rang out Leo was unable to answer it was under his overalls and he couldn't get his hands on it. To his frustration. 

"Raph go check on April and Casey, and if it's not them call Sensei" Leo ordered it was likely either them or Sensei calling he reasoned. 

Raph headed out and met April and Casey in a adjourning tunnel, 

Casey told him "The Kraang are onto us dude" he said still coughing but not as much as before the Kraang atmosphere hadn't reached where they were just yet and there was oxygen for them to breathe here. 

"They had a sky portal and their toxic air is seeping through" April told him. 

"The Kraang are watching us, they gotta be up to something" Casey cried out, concerned, things were about to get hairy. 

Raph scrambled back in where Leo and Donnie were and told them, he barely got his words out when April and Casey rushed in behind him panicked causing the Kraathatrogon's to cry out and pursue them causing chaos. 

"We told you not to come in here" Donnie snapped, wheeling his tank trying to avoid it being broken to protect the mutagen they had just painstakingly spent nearly two hours collecting as the twelve Kraathatrogon's were going berserk chasing April and Casey. 

"Sorry but the lake we crossed with the eggs in has flooded the tunnel water is rising & we were forced this way" April explained as water now flowed in there too. Including the gunky liquid and the venomous beasts and they toxic eggs no doubt would soon follow, they had to get out of here and fast.

Donnie was panicking he was going to lose his mutagen and was trying to think of a way to protect it but the water level was rising by the second. 

Leo shouted "we gotta get out of here now, if the mutagen in the Kraang tanks leaks into the water due to water pressure we'll all be mutated chances are, lets go." As they headed towards the exit tunnels with water coming up to their knees. 

"how do we get our tank out of here" Donnie cried, Mikey's survival depended on it. As he and Raph were carrying it between them.

The turtles looked at each other all hoping the other had an idea time was running out and they had to think fast.