The Nevada desert, to many it is a place of beauty and wonder…to others is a hostile environment, but all can agree that it is a place of mystery. And no place was more mysterious then Area 51. Horror stories, tales of Aliens and UFOs, and weapons testing where common place among those on the outside, but few knew what happened on the inside…one of those was a man by the name of John Bishop, or as he was better known as Agent Bishop.
A tall lean man with dark hair and eyes, he dressed every day in a long dark trench coat, a pair of black slacks, black shoes and a white button-down shirt with a black tie. Over his dark eyes he wore dark sunglasses. And with his pale skin, sharp jaw line, and cheerless face…he was a dark creature. Even now, deep within his base at Area 51 he leaned over the corpus of a grayish blue figure…he took a lance and cut the creature open.
"Amazing," came an arrogant voice from across from him.
Bishop looked up as his top scientist Dr. Baxter Stockmen joined him in the lab. Once a man, his body had slowly been hacked away by a being known as "The Shredder" and his right-hand man Hun until nothing but Baxter's brain was left. A holographic image showed his once human form as dark-skinned man with dark hair and eyes much like Bishop's. In robotic form Dr. Stockmen was still a leading force in the EPF, he had been most helpful in helping Bishop achieve his finest work to date.
"Get back here! You know you aren't supposed to leave your quarters!" a voice shouted from down the hall.
"Ha-ha! You can't catch me!" a small voice teased back.
Bishop rolled his eyes, and smiled, "Take over Stockmen, I have to see to my other work."
"And such fine work indeed," Dr. Stockmen said smiling back.
Taking off his gloves and washing his hands, Bishop smiled as the small little voice came closer to his lab. Hands clean, Bishop stepped out and scooped up his greatest achievement…his little five-year-old daughter, Grace Charlotte Bishop.
"Hello Father!" she said happily embracing him. Unlike her father, Grace had strawberry blonde hair and lively blue eyes. She had recently lost a front tooth and had a dimple in her chin that she had inherited from her mother. She had a sweet personality even with her temper…something she had gotten from her father…in Bishop's mind there was never a finer daughter.
"What are you running from little lady?" he asked giving her a big raspberry on her cheek.
"I was running to see you!" Grace said…how he loved to see her eyes sparkle.
"Sir!" the solider rushed up to him. "Sir, I told her she was not to…"
Bishop held up his hand and order the solider silent, "I will see to my daughter, you go assist Dr. Stockmen."
"Yes sir," the solider said.
Bishop carried his daughter back to their living quarters just down the hall. Smiling he carried her into the kitchen and they began making dinner together.
"Can you set the table please my little darling?" Bishop asked as he began cooking two pieces of chicken.
"Of course, Father," Grace said.
Bishop watched as she grabbed two plates and silverware. Grace's mother had died shortly after child birth…Bishop had hoped his child would be a boy, but the moment he held his daughter in his arms, he knew he been granted something special. Grace was his cherished treasure, and some day he hoped she would stand by side him in the EPF. After setting the table, Grace darted off to her room and came back out carrying a piece of paper.
"I drew this for you Father," she said.
Bishop flipped the chicken and then took the paper in his hands. Two stick figures stood in front of a house on a green lawn with a fluffy green tree. The house was yellow with four blue windows with red shutters, a red chimney with gray smoke coming out of it, and a gray path leading up to a blue front door. A purple swing hung from the tree.
"It's you and I…in our house," Grace said.
Bishop smiled and kissed her again, "I'll put it up on the fridge after dinner," he said. "Have you had your bath yet?"
"Not yet Father."
"Well I trust you to fill the tube…go take your bath and dinner will be ready when you get out…okay little darling Grace?"
Grace nodded and hurried off to the bathroom. Smiling, Bishop looked at the picture, her initials written in pink crayon stood out boldly against the green grass. As he folded it up and placed in his pocket of his shirt, he let his smile fall away. Though only five, Grace was already dreaming of a life outside of Area 51. Recently he had gone into town with her and he had to explain to her what a house was…now all she talked about was what it would be like for them to live in a house. Granted she got most of her ideas from her books, but the idea of raising his little girl outside of area 51 terrified him. She was a special little girl…a very unordinary girl…the outside would never understand her…no he'd keep her here, see to her education, and see to it that she be trained to stand by him…how he hoped that day was still far off.
"Father?" Bishop jumped slightly. Grace- now dressed in a flannel night gown printed with small purple flowers- had returned to the kitchen. "Are you okay Father?" she asked.
"Yes sweetheart…I am fine, sit down and I'll dish up," Bishop said.
During a meal of chicken, green beans, and tomatoes, Bishop asked Grace what she did today. Grace told him about swinging on the swing set, what had happened on her favorite tv show, and how much she was enjoying the coloring books he had brought her back from town.
"Did you read your book today?" Bishop asked.
"Yes Father, but can we read it together before bed too?" Grace asked.
"Of course," he agreed and ruffled her hair.
After a bowel of pre-bed ice cream, Grace brushed her teeth and then got into bed. Bishop joined her in her room. Holding her stuffed Tigger, Grace moved over so her father could sit next to her on the bed. Bishop picked up the book on her little nightstand; Beauty and the Beast had become her current favorite book, he found a copy of the classic French version at the little book store in town.
"And they lived happily ever after," Bishop finished.
"One more time Father, please?"
"Sorry sweetheart, but I need to finish something before I goes to bed. Tell you want I'll put this book in your backpack and we can read it tomorrow when we go for our walk after lunch…okay?"
"Okay Father."
Bishop slipped the book into his daughter's gray denim backpack. Then he tucked his daughter in and gave her a goodnight kiss, "Sleep tight Grace. Sweet dream my treasure."
Yawning Grace wished her father good night and gave him a goodnight kiss. She curled up under her blankets and closed her eyes. Bishop kissed her one more time and leaving her night light on, Bishop left her bedroom and returned to his lab.
"She asleep?" one of his men asked.
"Yes…she shouldn't give you any trouble Captain Mansley. I'll be in my lab if you need me."
The Captain nodded and went to take up his post. He was Bishop's second in command, he was a good man. Bishop went into his lab and requested that his prisoner brought in. Two soldiers wearing dark riot looking gear left the lab and returned minutes later with a very large crocodile by the name of Leatherhead.
"You'll never get away with this Bishop!" Leatherhead snarled as he was pulled in.
"Name me one good reason why I wouldn't," Bishop said.
"They'll come for me," Leatherhead snarled as he was strapped to a table.
"Well until they do…let's make good use of our time shall we," Bishop mocked.
Up above…a helicopter landed on the dusty hard ground, five animal shaped creatures and two human figures jumped out and headed towards Area 51. They scaled the fencing, took out the guards and put on their uniforms. They broke into the base where they split up to find their friend. The sounds of screams alerted them to their friend's location. Rushing to the source…they crashed into the lab.
"Let him go Bishop," called the smallest figure.
Smiling, Bishop calmly set down his tool and turned to the figures. He asked them to remove their uniforms. Two human- a muscular, blue eyed, blue haired male and a thin, tall, red haired green-eyed female- four large human like turtles, and a human like rat emerged from the uniform.
"My friends," Leatherhead weakly called out to his friends.
"Hang on Leatherhead…we'll get you out of here," said the turtle wearing a red mask.
"Again, and again, you meddle in my affairs," Bishop said calmly.
"You take our friend…it becomes our affair!" the red masked turtle replied angrily and charged Bishop and his men.
The battle that ensued sent equipment flying, glass breaking, weapons thrown, and gun fired. Bishop was kicked in the chest by the rat and in landing Bishop knocked over some chemicals that were flammable. The lab suddenly erupted into flames. Alarms started going off as the fire raced out the broken door.
"Sir! We have to move!" one of the soldiers called.
The turtles, the rat, and the two humans were already racing out of the lab with Leatherhead. Bishop refused to leave without his daughter, he knew their living quarters would protect her from the smoke and fire, but they base-now compromised- was due to blow any minute.
"Captain Mansley, code red…I repeat code red…get my daughter and yourself to the gathering point on double," he said radioing his daughter's body guard.
"Yes sir."
In the Bishop living quarters, Captain Mansley rushed into Grace room, the poor girl was wide awake in bed frozen in fear.
"Grace…I am Captain Mansley, your father sent me…you need to come with me sweetie," he said calmly as possible.
Grace got up out of bed, pulled on her slippers, her bathrobe, and grabbed her backpack in which she placed her Tigger in to. Grabbing what her father called dog tags from the nightstand, Captain Mansley attached oxygen to both of them, then took her hand and hurried out the door.
The smoke from the fire blinded them, but they pushed forward using the exit arrow as guides. Suddenly the ceiling came crashing down. Captain Mansley pushed Grace out of the way but was unable to save himself.
"Help! Help! Please help!" Grace screamed removing her mask. The smoke started making her cough, but she couldn't get the mask back on. Suddenly figures emerged from one of the side halls. "Help me! Please help!"
One of the figures lifted her from the ground and they began to run.
Bishop and his men now fleeing by SUV. He watched as his base went up in flames. Reaching to the radio he called to the other SUVs looking for Captain Mansley and Grace, but no one had seen them in this part of the convoy. Bishop radioed the other convoys that had left via other motor pools on base, but all reported the same thing…no sight of Mansley or Grace.
"Turn around solider!" Bishop yelled. "I have to find my daughter!"
"Sir, you gave us orders…" the solider driving said.
"I ORDER YOU TO TURN AROUND NOW!"
Up on a ridge overlooking the flaming base, Grace was being hooked up more oxygen by a turtle in a purple and being loaded into the helicopter that had brought them to the Nevada desert.
"What would a child be doing in Bishop's base?" asked the red masked turtle as they took off into the night sky.
"I don't know," said his blue masked brother.
"Think she might be someone's kid?" asked the orange masked turtle.
"Michangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello," Leatherhead said. "It is highly unlikely she was the child of any of those soldiers.
The blue masked turtle, Leonardo- Leo for short- knelt down and examined the girl. He noticed something bright hanging around her neck. With the help of the purple masked turtle, Donatello- Don or Donnie for short- they removed a set of dog tags. Suspended on a thick periwinkle satin ribbon was a mental tag that read Grace Charlotte Bishop.
"Bishop? Her last name is Bishop!" exclaimed the orange masked turtle Michangelo- Mikey for short.
The red masked turtle, Raphael- Raph for short- smacked his brother on the head and looked at the tag and at the small passed out figure on the bench, "Is she Bishop's kid?"
"Any thoughts Master Splinter, April and Casey?" Leatherhead asked the rat and the two humans up front.
April and Casey shrugged, but Splinter took a good look at the little girl. She bore a slight facial resemblance to their foe. Bishop was not a common name and since they knew no one else- friend or foe- with the same name and she had been in base… "I have no doubt she is the daughter of Agent Bishop," he said.
"Why was she trapped in the smoking hallway instead of with her father?" Leo asked
"Either he cares nothing for her, or that solider crushed by the ruble was meant to bring her to him…we may never know the truth as this may traumatized her and she will forget what happened."
The four mutants looked at her. "She… was calling for help…" Raph said his voice cracking with sadness as he touched her forehead. "Poor kid…no family other then that creep…"
"Can we keep her?" Mikey asked. "Please?"
"My son, she is not a pet," Splinter reminded him.
Splinter looked to his other sons, who all had the same longing expression. Sighing Splinter replied that since the child was in need of a home they would raise her.
"I have long since wanted a daughter. No more will you be a Bishop, hence forth you shall be Grace Charlotte Hamato."
As the sun rose over Area 51, Bishop dug though the ruble. They found the remains of Captain Mansley, but no trace of Grace. John Bishop broke down in tears, kneeling he pounded the ground and cursed towards the sky, distraught over the loss of his daughter. The one thing he held closest to him, the one thing that he felt kept him human was now gone. And the turtles! It was all their fault! They would pay dearly for this. Taking out the picture he had folded into his breast pocket, he swore he would not rest until his daughter was avenged.
"A life for a life, and my daughter is worth all their lives! I swear my child…I will avenge you…I swear it on my own blood," Bishop said poking his finger so that it would bleed on a shard of broken glass.
"Sir, we better go…the president will be enquiring about this. And, Mansley's family needs to be informed."
Still in tears Bishop got back in the SUV. Life would have to go on, his country still needed his work, but he would never forget his vow, or his child. He never wanted to forget them. If his daughter was out there then he'd find her. He would bring her home. After all he was John Bishop, and he got what he wanted come hell or high water.