Mask and the Arsonist

Mask and the Arsonist

"Oh shell!" Mikey's yell reverberated throughout the lair. "Guys, guys, come here!"

The call was different from his 'see my high score' shout and drew his family instantly. Master Splinter and Leo came out of the dojo to join the youngest in front of the television array. Don stuck his head out of the lab, saw the three of them standing there and moved swiftly to join them.

Raph patted Mask's side as she ate her dinner and left her in the kitchen while he went to see what all the fuss was about.

"Once again, the police are urging citizens to stay indoors. The area from Broad and 12th in a twelve mile radius has been cordoned off as the authorities search for the suspected arsonist.

"This is a repeat of our breaking news. The police believe they are pursuing the arsonist and murderer who calls himself 'Fire Man'. A quick thinking resident spotted the alleged criminal as he attempted to set another apartment building on fire, calling the police and sounding the fire alarm before the blaze could become out of control.

"Several citizens jumped the arsonist as he tried to escape but were unable to hold him for long. One of the brave men tells Channel six news that the suspect, dressed entirely in black, used karate to beat he and the others back just as the police arrived on the scene.

"The suspect ran from the police, refusing to stop even though several shots were fired. Officials say they do not believe the man was hit and that he dropped into the sewer tunnels through a manhole in the middle of Jefferson.

"Search crews are sweeping the tunnels in an attempt to locate the alleged arsonist. We will follow this story through the night and give you updates as they become available."

"He's here, dudes," Mikey said excitedly.

"Jefferson is only a couple of miles from here," Don said. "There are dozens of places down here where he could hide and the police would never find him. The maps they'll be using are far too outdated to do them much good."

"Then we should help them," Leo said, his voice heavy with determination. "That 'Fire Man' has killed seven people with the fires he's set. He's not going to stop burning apartment buildings until he's caught."

"He carries a gun, my sons," Master Splinter said. "One of his victims was killed by a bullet, not by fire. This man is insane and dangerous. Capturing him is paramount to the safety of all citizens, but I must urge you to use caution. You will not only have to avoid becoming a target, you will also have to avoid being seen by the authorities."

"Mask can help," Raph told them. When they turned to look at him, he said, "Really, she can. Mikey and I have been training her ta track ever since she found little Sally. Don did some research and found out that pits are good trackers."

"Don't tracking dogs need something with a scent on it?" Leo asked. "We have nothing of the Fire Man's to help her."

"No~o," Don said in a thoughtful tone, rubbing his chin. "I do know from news reports the type of accelerant the Fire Man favors though. I could mix the chemicals and put some on a rag for her. The fumes will undoubtedly have left the scent on his clothing and she can track that."

"Ya' don't think the police will be using their own tracking dogs, do ya'?" Raph asked.

As Don shrugged, Mikey said, "I've been watching the news since the bulletin came on dude. I saw the live feed of the cops going into the tunnels. They didn't have dogs with them."

"That doesn't mean they won't have the same idea Donny had at some point," Leo said. Turning to Master Splinter, Leo asked, "Could you monitor the news cast for us, sensei? If they report that the police are going to start using dogs to track this man, you can give us a heads up with the shell cell."

Master Splinter nodded. "Once the police begin using their own trained dogs you must abandon your search. You do not want to mislead their animals with the scented rag or yourselves. Nothing should be allowed to pull the authorities away from their hunt for this dangerous man."

Don was on his way back to the lab before Master Splinter finished speaking. While they waited for him, Raph grabbed Mask's leash from the peg on the kitchen wall and jangled it. Mask loped over and began to jump at him excitedly.

Kneeling next to her as he attached the leash clip to her collar, Raph muttered, "We got a real job for ya' tonight sweetheart. There's a very bad man out there and we gotta catch him. Are ya' up for it?"

Mask barked as though she understood and possibly she did; Raph found that the more he talked to his dog, the smarter she seemed to become.

He led her to the entrance into the sewer tunnels and stood with Mikey and Leo, waiting for Don to appear. A couple of minutes later Don joined them, holding one of his new shop towels.

"I decided to use this because there wasn't any other scent on it already," Don explained.

Don handed the towel to Raph who leaned down and held it under Mask's nose.

"Take the scent, baby," Raph told her. "Come on Mask, take the scent."

Mask looked up at him and then snuffled the towel noisily. Mikey opened the hidden door and the group trudged out into the sewers.

They stood still for a moment while Mask lifted her noise, trying to catch a match for the scent her Master had just given her. When nothing came to her nose she whined and looked up at Raph with wide eyes.

"He's not close enough to us," Don said. "He probably didn't come in this direction. We'll have to make an educated guess from the point where he dropped into the sewers as to where he might have headed."

"The police will be doing the same thing, Donny," Leo reminded him.

Don grinned. "True, but they don't know our shortcuts."

"Okay genius," Raph said. "Make an educated guess and let's get moving."

Taking a moment to get a mental picture in his mind of the tunnels under Jefferson, Don turned and started running. The others followed; Mask's cropped ears swept back as she jogged alongside her Master.

They had gone about three miles when Leo held up his hand to stop them. Don glanced at him curiously and then he too heard what had caught Leo's attention.

Up ahead of them the sounds of police radios bounced off of the tunnel walls, joining the voices of the policemen as they called to one another.

"Guess they ain't found him yet," Raph whispered.

Mask whimpered and Raph shushed her, thinking she was responding to his voice, but when she made the same sound and began to pull on her leash, he looked down.

"I think she smells something," Mikey muttered quietly. "Let her take the scent again to be sure."

Raph dug the towel out of his belt and held it out for Mask. Without him having to tell her anything, Mask sniffed the towel and then lifted her head and whined, her nose quivering.

"Oh yeah, she's got it," Mikey whispered.

"Towards or away from the police?" Leo asked in a harsh whisper.

"She's pulling away from them," Raph answered. "We better go, 'cause if we don't move she's gonna start barking."

"Keep a good hold on her, Raph," Leo said as they followed Mask's lead. "We don't want to run head on into that lunatic's gun."

As they moved along at a fast clip the sounds from the police search party began to fade.

"They're going in the wrong direction," Don said. "This tunnel isn't on their maps; they'll miss seeing the entrance."

"That guy knows the tunnels," Mikey added. "Maybe that's why they can never find him; he ducks underground just like we do."

"Maybe he lives down here, too." Raph was watching Mask to see if he needed to give her the scent again, but she was looking straight ahead and tugging on her leash, wanting to go faster.

"What happens when she finds . . . ." Mikey started to ask.

A gunshot rang out and Raph caught the edge of Mikey's carapace, pulling him out of the center of the tunnel and falling back against the tunnel wall with him.

Leo was crouched against the opposite wall and Don was flat on his plastron, his bag in front of him.

"Everyone okay?" Leo called out.

A chorus of yes's answered him. Mask had begun to bark, the hair on the nape of her neck standing straight up, her tail a stiff line and her teeth showing in a fierce snarl.

They heard a shuffling sound ahead of them to the right, coming from a bend in the tunnel.

"You have nowhere to go Fire Man!" Leo called out, using his command voice. "Give up before you get hurt!"

Another shot answered him, this one ricocheting off of the walls above their heads.

"Shit!" Raph yelled. In a lower tone, he said, "Either we back up or he's gonna come around that corner and blast us."

Mask was twisting and spinning as she barked furiously, trying to pull the leash out of Raph's hand. As a precaution, he looped a section around his wrist to keep her from getting away.

"We can go around behind him," Don whispered. "I know another way to . . . ."

Before he finished speaking, Mask turned to face Raph and squatted down, pushing with her muscular haunches as she tugged against Raph's hold. In a flash, she pulled her head out of the collar and was off.

"Mask!" Raph yelled, leaping to his feet and darting around the corner after her.

"Raph!" Leo shouted, jumping up as well and going after his brother.

Gunfire erupted as both Don and Mikey joined the chase. Mask yelped loudly and then Raph let out a blood curdling cry, followed by the sounds of scuffling.

Don dug into his bag for a flashlight as he ran, turning it on to shine into the darkness of the tunnel in front of them.

The light caught on the figures of Raph and Leo fighting a man dressed completely in black. Mask had a solid grip on the back of one of his calves, but even hampered by her weight, he was giving the two brothers a workout.

His hand dipped into his belt and he drew a long hunting blade, slashing across at Leo's plastron. Leo jumped back as Raph kicked the man's arm, swinging it away from them. The man retained his grip on the weapon and lunged towards Raph.

Don flashed the light directly into the man's eyes as Mikey leaped into the fray, his nunchucks out and spinning. When the man stumbled back and turned his head to avoid the flashlight's ray, Mikey slammed his wrist with a nunchuck.

The crunch of broken bones was loud in the tunnel, as was the Fire Man's cry of pain. The blade hit the ground and Leo kicked it aside as the man tried to grab for it with his other hand.

Raph's big fist came down on the side of the man's temple and he toppled over without another sound.

Breathing hard, the brothers looked around at one another and then Raph dropped to his knees as he reached for Mask.

"Come here girl," Raph crooned. "Oh shit! Donny, Donny come quick. She's hurt."

Don darted over to them and slid to the ground next to Mask. A long trench along her back had shaved the hair off of her; blood pooling out of it and dribbling along her sides.

Handing the flashlight to Mikey, Don examined the wound as Raph held Mask still. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a wad of cotton and a flask of water, wetting the cotton lightly before pressing it gently against Mask's wound.

Mask whimpered but didn't move as Don cleaned the blood away and then rolled out a long piece of gauze, affixing it to her back with medical tape.

"It's not bad, Raph," Don told his brother. "Just a flesh wound. I'll disinfect it and do a better bandaging job once we get back to the lair. What happened?"

"He took a shot at me," Raph said as he scratched behind Mask's ears. "Mask launched herself at his arm and he saw her in time ta squeeze off another round before her teeth snapped down on his wrist. He dropped the gun and lost track of it when she pulled him down with her weight. Somehow he managed ta get his arm out of her mouth just as Leo and me got there, so she grabbed onto his leg."

"He's had some martial arts training," Leo said, looking down at the unconscious man.

"What do we do with him?" Mikey asked.

Don reached into his bag and pulled out a coil of rope, tossing it to Mikey. "Tie him up."

With Leo's help, Mikey trussed the man up tight. Don located both the gun and the knife while Raph slid Mask's collar back around her neck.

Mikey picked the man up and tossed him over his shoulder. The group headed back to the main tunnels and found a spot just in front of the police search party's route where they could leave him. Don dropped the gun and knife in his lap.

"Could we take a look at his face before we leave?" Mikey asked, even as the sounds of the police drew closer.

Leo shook his head. "Let's not touch him anymore. Besides, the face of evil always looks the same and I've never cared much for that view."

Sliding into the shadows, the group headed back to the lair. Don walked next to Raph, who was very quiet.

"You okay, bro'?" Don asked.

"I could've lost her tonight, Donny," Raph said in a low voice. "I thought teaching her ta track was a great idea, but now I ain't so sure about it."

"She did a good thing tonight, Raph," Leo said, overhearing the conversation.

"Yeah dude, she saved your life and she stopped a murdering arsonist," Mikey added.

"Don't forget about the little girl whose life she saved," Don said, placing a hand on Raph's shoulder. "Teaching her to track wasn't a bad idea at all; you just don't have the proper gear for the job. We need to get a harness for her; tracking dogs wear them so that their handlers don't have the problem of their dogs slipping loose from their collars."

"With those kinds of precautions, there isn't any reason why Mask can't be a good tracker for us," Leo said. "You just have to remember that when she gets excited like she was tonight, she isn't going to listen to voice commands."

Mikey grinned. "Oh man, Raph. Mask is just like you."

Raph growled and swatted the back of Mikey's head as their brothers began laughing.