Dude, Worlds Are Gonna Collide (A Sonic-TMNT Crossover)

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

As soon as her fingers touched the cool surface of the Emerald, Kay knew she was making the right choice, however unexpected it may have been. A wave of affirmation washed over her, and she quickly placed the gem into her backpack and stood up. The twenty-four hours Eggman had given her were almost over, and she still had to sneak out of the lair and get to the surface.

After hearing of the predicament she'd gotten them into, Leo had made an executive decision and ordered them all to stay in the sewers until further notice. If the Foot and the Purple Dragons didn't know where they were, he reasoned, then Eggman couldn't send them to retrieve the gem. He would have no choice but to wait for the Turtles to make the next move.

Kay didn't bother to explain that if Eggman had found her on Earth to begin with, he could easily pinpoint her location in the sewers. If she didn't comply with his request, he'd send his newfound troops to storm the lair and the Turtles' hideout would be discovered. That's why she'd decided it was best for her to abandon ship at the very least.

But then she'd experienced a small twinge in her gut, and for reasons she could not even understand, she suddenly realized that giving the Emerald to Eggman was the best course of action in this situation. She hated to admit it, but the doctor was right. Sonic needed the Emerald, too, and Kay had faith in the Blue Blur. Sending the Chaos Emerald back to where it belonged was the best thing she could do now, even if it meant that her time on Mobius really would be over.

Kay stopped in the doorway, checked the hall, and then casually made her way towards the fireman's pole. Once in the living area, she made sure to keep to the shadows just in case Master Splinter was in the dojo, though she knew that if he was aware of her movement, he would stop her before she could get to the entrance of the lair.

Her heart racing, she questioned her decision one last time, again feeling a rush of affirmation coming from the backpack slung over her shoulder. As crazy as it was, she was making the right choice. To Eggman, then. Kay pulled on the lever, the brick wall slid open, and she bolted into the open sewers.

Now that she had a better idea of where she was going, Kay didn't stop in her race for the nearest manhole cover she could find. She didn't care how much noise she was making. All she could think about was how quickly she needed to get to the doctor before he lost his patience and sent the villains after her or the guys.

There was her turnoff. A quick trip up the slick ladder and Kay found herself pushing up on the manhole cover to move it out of her way. It was way heavy; she wondered how the Turtles were able to move them so easily on a daily basis. Nevertheless, she managed to create an opening large enough for her to fit through. Once on the surface, she kicked it back into place and then bolted again. She wasn't going to bother with the rooftops this time. She wasn't going to need them to get where she was going. Plus, the guys were going to be right behind her, most likely. She needed to put as much distance between them and her as she could while she had the chance.

Finally, when she felt like she'd been running long enough, Kay slowed her pace to a brisk walk and took the time to observe her surroundings. Here in the residential areas no one was out on the street. All the shops were closed, all the windows darkened. It was just her.

At least, that's what she thought before she heard the voice.

"Good evening, Miss Kay."

She stopped in her tracks when a man in a black coat stepped out of the shadows in front of her and stood in her path. Kay took a step back.

"There is no need to be afraid," he said. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm simply here to retrieve your gem on behalf of Doctor Eggman."

A chill went down her spine - a clear signal that something was wrong. Her earlier confidence diminishing, she frowned. "Who are you?"

"I think you know who I am, Miss Kay," the man replied. He took a nonthreatening step closer to her, further into the light. He lifted his face so she could see.

Her heart stopped.

Raphael wasn't stupid, of course. He'd been around the block a few times. He knew that Kay was going to try and sneak out of the lair again that night.

Morning. Whatever.

She probably had waited until it had gotten all quiet in their sewer home, then somehow managed to get past Master Splinter before booking it through the underground maze towards that same first manhole cover. He'd made the mistake of helping her out last time (having no clue that she was on her way to meet Karai, of all people). But this time was different. This time, no one would be chasing after her when she left.

Because Raphael was already on the surface waiting.

He grinned when he heard the manhole cover grind loudly on the pavement, and he peeked over the edge of the rooftop to watch as she slipped through the opening she'd made, a backpack slung over her shoulders. After pushing the cover back into place she took off again, ignoring the fire escape entirely.

That was when he became confused.

Raph had, of course, followed her trail from the high rise, keeping an eye on her movements and trying to keep pace. She was surprisingly quick, that kid.

It wasn't until after he heard the man's voice that Raph even realized he was there. He was just as surprised as she was when he stepped out of the shadows. After beating himself up for momentarily letting his guard down, he crouched low and gave the man a once-over as he and Kay stood there alone on the darkened street, speaking to one another.

For someone so smart, she sure can be stupid sometimes, he thought to himself, shaking his head. Country girl. Doesn't even have enough common sense to keep away from a strange man in the middle of the night in freaking New York City.

He watched them, saw when Kay suddenly froze and said, her voice tense, "Bishop."

Bishop? Raphael squinted down at the man and gave him a closer look. Again he beat himself up for letting his skills slip at the most pivotal moment possible. Of course it was Bishop. Why not? Kay had already managed to get the Foot and the Purple Dragons to come out from under their respective rocks.

"In the flesh," the agent was saying. "Now, if you don't mind, I will take that Emerald off your hands for you."

There was a brief hesitance that came over her, but then Kay came back at him with, "If you knew I'd know who you are, then you must also know that I'm aware of your true allegiance. You won't give the Emerald to Eggman. Why would you? It's an alien artifact. You want it for yourself."

"Clever girl." Bishop was grinning. "May I have the gem, please? I will not ask nicely again."

The red-clad Turtle automatically reached for his sai, grabbing the hilt of both weapons and preparing to jump to her defense.

She took a step back, Bishop lunged, and Raphael moved.

But then he stopped.

Kay was fighting back.