April pulled her parker tighter around her, but it didn't stop the cold October wind from slicing through her jeans. She gasped at the assault, unable to stop the shivers that gripped her.
"Just what I wanted to do tonight," she said through chattering teeth. "Stand on a freezing rooftop and wait for the Kraang to show up."
"It's not THAT cold," said Leo. He leaned on the edge of the roof, eyes on the alleyway below, in focus, as always.
"Are you kidding me?" She shook her head at her friends, who looked untouched by the temperature, though they were wearing nothing more than their normal leather harness. "Do you guys even feel the cold? Why are you not shivering?"
Donnie stepped up beside her, his eyes on the meter in his hands. "Actually, shivering is a mammalian response to cold. Reptile physiology is much better adapted to work at low temperatures, so we don't need to shiver to warm our muscles in the cold like you do. In fact-"
Raphael appeared out of nowhere and body slammed Donnie, sending him flying into Leonardo. "Oops. Didn't see you there, Donnie." He grinned an evil older-brother grin. Donnie and Leo glared up at him from the floor.
April stifled a laugh at their expressions. She realised that she was marginally warmer. Raphael's bulk made an excellent windbreak. April shuffled closer to him. Hurry up, Kraang. She really, really needed to get warm soon. "Well, it's great that you cold-blooded reptiles are having fun, but I'm dying here."
Mikey bounced up beside her and wrapped his arms around her. "Aw, here April. I'll warm you up." It didn't make much difference.
"Thanks Mikey," she said and patted his arm. "But- AAARGH!" She jerked her hand away. "Your skin is freezing!"
"Is it?" He snuggled in to her. "But you're nice and warm. Mmmm."
"I was." She pushed him away. "I'm not your personal heat lamp, M-m-m-mik-k-key." Oh that was it. Now her teeth were chattering so much she couldn't talk.
"Don't worry, April. You'll warm up when the fighting starts," said Leo, grinning at the thought.
Donnie nodded. "That's right. Muscle contractions generate heat as a by-product of-"
Raphael groaned. "Are they here yet?"
Leo raised a hand, one finger pointing up. "The ones known as Kraang are not yet in this place, known as the place where the Kraang are not."
April winced inwardly.
"Are you kidding me?" said Raph, folding his arms across his chest. "Did you have an extra helping of lame-juice with dinner?"
"Come on. That was good," said Leo.
"Dude, no," said Mikey, shaking his head. "Just no."
The meter in Donnie's hands shrilled. "Got you!" yelled Donnie. "Come on!" He took off across the roof, his eye on the frantically beeping meter instead of where he was going. April's heart was in her mouth but he was over the alleyway and on to the next rooftop in no time, his brothers right on his heels.
And then she had to concentrate on her own jump with cold limbs and hands that weren't working as they should. She leaped, landed, staggered. Her foot slipped, her arms swung wildly. Please don't let me fall. She grabbed for the edge but her cold hands fumbled it. For a moment time slowed down. I'm falling. Under the fear was the tiniest flicker of embarrassment. I'm never going to live this down.
A large hand snapped around her wrist. "Gotcha!" She looked up into Leo's grin.
Relief washed over her. She braced her feet against the wall and pushed upward. Leo hauled on her arm and she was back on the roof. She could feel the colour rising on her cheeks. "Don't tell the others. Please?"
"Wouldn't dream of it," he said. "Do you want to sit this one out?"
She pinned him with what she hoped was a steely glare. "What do you think?"
Leo put up his hands in mock surrender. "Just asking." He wasn't laughing at her, but his eyes were suspiciously bright. Great. She gathered the shreds of her dignity. "Let's go."
The others were out of sight. And she was warming up now, from adrenalin as much as the run across the rooftops. "Which way did they go?"
"This way. I think," said Leo, as they came to the edge of another rooftop and looked out into empty space. "Or maybe not."
The abandoned lot in front of them was empty, save for a gaping stormwater drain and a lot of weeds. "We lost them?"
Leo pulled out his phone. "I'll call Raph and-"
Something tickled her other sense, a warning, and she swung around, to see a looming metal foot heading straight for her. "Look out!" she cried, diving to the side. Fishface landed between her and Leo, the roof tiles shattering under his feet.
Leo landed in front of her, katana already out and pointed at the enemy. "Fishface? Who let you out of the pond?"
Great. She so wasn't ready for Fishface. But she wasn't going to let Leo face him alone. She scrambled to her feet and drew her tessen, slipping into a defensive stance.
"Look at this. A soon-to-be-dead turtle and a pretty little toy." He turned his head sideways to observe her and she found herself face to face with a creepy fish eye. Ugh.
"In your dreams, Fishface," she said with a bravado that she did not feel. You can do this, April. Defend. Move. Just try not to suck. She wasn't sure if the icy feeling in her arms was the weather or flat-out fear.
Fishface leaped at them and she dived aside into an awkward roll that Splinter would definitely have shaken his head at. Okay, it's fear. Get it together, April!
Leo and Fishface met in a clash of steel, katana against knife. April circled behind Fishface, looking for an opportunity. You're kunoichi now. Deception and stealth. Fishface kicked out. Leo flipped away to avoid the titanium legs. She really didn't want to be anywhere near those things. But what could she do?
Master Splinter's words came to her. Look around. Anything can be a weapon. Right. But she was on a rooftop, and there was a distinct lack of things-to-hit-people-with, heavy artillery or anything remotely useful. One industrial-sized airconditioning unit, a lot of dirt, a half-trained kunoichi and a ninja turtle.
Her eyes fell on a red painted square on the wall. A fire hose! She ran over and tore open the door. Oh this was going to be good. "Kunoichi April is in the house," she muttered as she unhooked the nozzle. It was heavier than she anticipated, but she could hold it. She pointed the nozzle at Fishface, holding it with one hand as she yanked down the lever to open the tap.
The force of the water coming out slammed her back against the wall. The arc of water shot across the roof, hitting Fishface squarely in the back and catapulting him over the edge. She heard his drawn out cry as he was swept away.
"Yeah! Take that!" she gasped, trying to hold the nozzle as it bucked and kicked. Her feet slipped on the wet surface. Uh oh.
"Nice one, April!" Leo called. "Very sneaky!" He picked up his katana and walked toward her.
"Thanks!" The glow of satisfaction inside was warming her like nothing else. She let go of the nozzle with one hand to turn off the water. The hose bucked, she slipped. With only one hand on the nozzle she couldn't control it. The stream of water swept across the roof and slammed into Leo's chest, sending him flying. There was a crack as he hit the edge and then he was over and gone.
"Leo!"
No, no, no. She yanked the lever and the water slowed to a trickle. She flung the hose away, running for the edge. It was only one story, but did he have time to get his feet under him? Had he fallen badly? It's dirt below, not concrete. He'd be all right. She reached the edge, her throat closed in fear.
Leo lay sprawled on the dirt. "Leo!" She scrambled down a drainpipe and staggered over to him. "Leo?" Guilt threatened to suffocate her.
"Ow," he said, his voice muffled, and suddenly she could breathe again. He pushed himself up on to his knees, one hand on his head.
"Oh Leo, I'm so sorry." She put a hand on his arm. "Are you okay?" There were fresh scrapes on his chest and a dark patch on his forehead.
He stared at her for a long moment, his expression confused. "What?"
"Are you okay?"
"I...think so?" He seemed unsure, his normally confident voice slurred, his gaze unfocused. Oh no. I really HAVE hurt him. She put one hand under his arm and helped him over to the wall. He stumbled, and her strength was barely enough to keep him on his feet. He slid down the wall into an untidy pile.
She kneeled down in front of him, watched the slow blink. He wasn't focussing. She needed help, and now. She pulled out her phone and called Donnie.
"April? What's wrong?"
"Help. It's Leo. I, um...I kind of knocked him off the roof with a fire hose." She turned away from Leo's dazed expression, colour heating her cheeks.
"You..? Okay, nevermind. Where are you?"
"In an abandoned industrial lot, down near the river."
"Near the ferry berths?"
"No, other way." She felt sick. Of all the stupid things to do.
"Okay, we're coming. Stay there." Donnie's voice was comforting and she clung to the phone after the line went dead.
"Thanks, Donnie," she whispered into the silent phone. Donnie would fix it. But she dreaded facing them. She had knocked Leo off the roof and hurt him. Some ninja.
She turned around. Leo was no longer leaning against the wall. "Leo?" she called. No answer. Where had he gone? She scanned the lot frantically for his distinctive shape. There he was, staggering drunkenly towards the river.
"Ahh! Leo!" What was he doing? She bolted after him. Don't fall in the river! That would just make things a hundred times worse.
