Ch 1 Prologue
"You monster!" A women's voice screamed out through the darkness of the night. "How could you do this to your own son?!"
A young female turtle dressed in jeans and a light blue t-shirt under a plain jean jacket stood in a lab room on the top floor of the TCRI building. In her arms she held a small five year old screaming turtle tot whose arms were covered in bruises and bandages. She stood with her shell against a lab table and was facing a tall Japanese man with dark hair, broad shoulders and firm jaw. Next to him, a shorter African American man with afro like black hair and glasses, he wore a lab coat and held a hypodermic needle. The taller man scowled at the young female turtle as she tried to soothe the crying little turtle who shook violently in her arms.
"Venus." He intoned in a low dark voice. "Give me back our son and go home." He reached his hands out but she only backed further into the table, her left hand reaching behind her to find something, anything to hold him back.
"Never!" She screamed. "I'll never let you touch him again!"
"Venus! You are mistaken by what you think you saw." He scolded her. "The shots he got were for childhood diseases, nothing more." He began to advance on her. "Now put him down, go home, and get back in bed like a good little wife and I'll forget about this idiocy accusation..."
"Liar!" The young female turtle called Venus grabbed a bottle filled with liquid she found behind her and tossed it at the advancing man, hitting him full in the face. He screamed and covered his face. "I found the file you were keeping on him!" She screamed as the man began to wildly swing his arms in pain and confusion. The other man backed away in horror, watching as the tall man blindly staggered around and accidently turned over a table filled with other bottles. "I know what you've done and I will not let you use him like this ever again." With that she turned and ran out of the room while behind her, screams mixed with a series of small explosions could be heard and the top floor quickly became engulfed with flames.
Venus frantically ran out the building, clutching the little turtle tightly in her arms. She ran to a small car and quickly got her son in and buckled. She took one quick look at the building, watching in both shock and fear as the top of the building burned and screams could be heard from inside. In the distance she could also hear sirens coming toward them.
She got in the car and scrambled to get the keys out of her jacket and into the ignition. She got the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot, tires screeching. Looking in her rear view mirror as she drove, she could see the emergency vehicles coming into view. She pushed down on the gas pedal and sped away. She got on the highway and breath a sigh of relief. Looking down at her still crying and shaking son, she placed a gentle paw on his head.
"It's alright now my little one." She soothed. "It's over now." He looked up at her with big bright blue sapphire eyes moistened with tears. She smiled down at him and turned back to the road toward home. "Remember." She told herself and forced a calming breath. "No matter what, always look ahead, never behind, your son must come first."
She looked back down at him and forced a smile. "You are safe and we'll be okay" She continued to force herself to calm down and hold back a sob. "I'll never let them harm you again...my sweet little Leonardo."