Picking Up the Pieces

Disclaimer: I wish they were mine. Sniffle.

Before anyone says anything some of the spelling mistakes are intentional. You'll see what I mean when you read this. For the rest of the mistakes I apologize in advance but I'm going to be without internet for the next week and wanted to get this up before then. Hopefully by next Friday I'll be back online but it would be nice if it would be sooner.

Chapter Two: In Search of Home

Okay. Calm down. Close your eyes and take deep breaths. That's it, relax. It's going to be okay. This is all nothing more then a bad dream. A very bad dream. The worst I have ever had. Or at least can remember having. I take one more deep breath before opening my eyes and looking at my reflecti-

AAAAAHHHHH!!

Nope, not a dream. I really am a giant turtle. I stare at my reflection in horror. I even have a dull green rounded face. Well, it may be a brighter green in direct light. It's a little hard to tell with such poor lighting in the area. There is a lit up billboard over there selling hair care products or something. Maybe if I go over to it there will be enough light to figure out what shade of green I act-

Okay, stop obsessing over your skin color. You have more important things to figure out.

It's hard not to think about what I am. There is no doubt about it that I am a giant turtle. I even have a shell. I twist my arm over my shoulder and rap on it with my knuckles to prove to myself that it is indeed a real shell. My hands have two over sized fingers and thumb. Great. Just great. I'm a freak of nature.

I'm also mostly naked. The closest things I have to clothes are knee pads, elbow pads, and these wrist wrap thingies that don't seem to have any functional purpose other then being there. I'm wearing a simple belt that is knotted together funny and is the same dirty brown color as everything else I'm wearing. Well the mask I'm wearing is purple with these long tails that fall to about the middle of my back… err… shell. I furrow my brow as I look at my reflection. The mask makes me look a lot more threatening and intimidating.

But why purple?

One of the Black Men laying at my feet suddenly moans and reminds me that this isn't the best place to be looking at my reflection. I was anything but safe right now. I may have been able to defeat the first wave of Black Men but their buddy had no doubt gone to get help. I could be up to my elbows in Black Men at any moment now. I drop the sword and tuck the staff back over my shoulder into its holder. It's time for some cross roof top sprinting.

I don't know how long I have been running over the rooftops but it had to at least be an hour or two. My only real concern is putting as much distance as possible between me and the building the Black Men had kept me in. There was a good chance that that building is their headquarters. I'm so caught up in getting away that I'm not paying that much attention to where I'm going or how my feet are falling in front of me. When my foot suddenly catches on a pipe going across the roof I'm completely caught off guard and fall to the ground knocking the wind out of my and making the constant dull ache in my side flair up again.

Ow.

When I'm able to pull a little air into my tortured lungs, I twist myself around so that I'm sitting in the center of the roof rather then sprawled out on it. I take a moment to glare the stupid pipe that tripped me before looking around at where I am. I'm still on the roofs and I still don't know where I am. Nice to know nothing has changed. At least I don't see any of those Black Men in the area. I probably shouldn't be sitting out here in the open, the last thing I need is for them to find me just sitting here waiting for them to come and take me back. No, if they are stupid enough to come after me after I unloaded that world of hurt on their friends I want to make it as difficult as possible for them to catch me again.

Moving as gingerly as I can so I don't make my side hurt any worst then it already is I get to my feet and walk over to a stairwell shed that is sitting next to the edge of the building. There is about a two foot gap between the wall of the shed and the knee high ledge running around the roof. Just about the right size for me to sit down and rest for a bit. It's even cast in shadows meaning it'll be harder to see me, maybe even impossible if I don't move around to much. I guess that is an advantage to being dark green. Or am I more of a yellow green? True green? Sea green? How many shades of green are there anyways?

I roll my eyes at myself. Trying to figure out my skin color really is starting to annoy me but at least it gave my mind a new direction of thought. However much I would like this situation to go away I know I can't just ignore it. I'm on the run, hurt, unable to remember anything and about ready to eat a small cow on my own despite the fact I have recently been sick.

Now what? For now I'm safe but what if those Black Men find me again? I'm hurt with at least a broken rib, maybe even more now that I'm thinking about it. Will I be able to out run them? Will I be able to fight them off again if they corner me? How was I able to do all that stuff anyways? I sigh and look out over the city. All I have are questions that just lead to more questions with not an answer in sight. How can I figure out anything without any tangible facts to go on?

This city sure is pretty at night. The way the lights from the streets below seem to rise up between the buildings like a glowing fog. Along the rooftops, shadows rule and seem to dance as the gentle breeze moves about objects setting out. Even the constant din of noise that rises up with the light doesn't seem to effect this twilight. I think that has to do with the cities' nickname of not being able to sleep or something like that. The city of insomnia. I think that it more like two cities coexisting in one. There's the City of Light below and the City of Twilight above.

After a few more moments of staring out over the city, I shake my head clear. That was a nice interlude but I need to focus on the task at hand. The first thing I ought to do is not keep asking myself the same questions over and over again. That's getting me nowhere and only giving me a headache. I need to find a different approach to this problem instead of banging my head against the preverbal brick wall of a thought process. Instead of obsessing over what I don't know I should take a closer look at what I do know.

Okay. First off I know that I was put through some form of experiment or medical procedure that destroyed my memory and my appearance. I have no memories of anything before waking in that cold, metal room. Well, I did have that flashback about me being strapped to that table and the voice talking about silence and invisibility. There was something very familiar about that voice… should I even consider the familiar feeling about the rat?

Duh! Home!

I had completely forgotten I had remembered where Home was. Okay maybe not exactly but I do have a clue to its location. Home is down. I'm not really sure about what exactly down means but at least I have a starting point now.

I had been sitting with my back –or shell- against the shed wall with my legs folded up in front of me in the small space left over. Now I move forward and roll myself up so that I'm kneeling there. I lean over the side of the roof so that I can look down on the ground below. Wow, that's one long drop. I shift backwards slightly so that my center of gravity is defiantly over the roof I'm on but I can still see down onto the busy street below.

If those Black Men were the ones to turn me into a giant turtle then it would make sense that Home would be down. I could have an entire life down there just waiting for me to get back to it. I don't think that's possible until I figure out a way to turn back into a human again. People would freak if they saw me as I am now.

But… that just seems off. I don't think I was a human to begin with. Wouldn't I have freaked out before I had seen my reflection? I had seen my arms, hands and body long before I had seen my reflection and those passing glimpses weren't enough to make me freak. If I had changed in appearance I should've freaked out long before being on that rooftop. It's like my subconscious thought process knew what I looked like.

Wait if that's the case that might also be an explanation for my other 'abilities'. I may have lost my memories but my subconscious thought process is still active. I may not remember how to do that cool side flip strike I used to defeat that one Black Man but my subconscious does. As long as I don't focus on what I'm doing my subconscious should step forward and let me accomplish what I'm trying to do. It may not be one hundred percent correct but at least no I have a reasonable sounding hypothesis about how I can do everything I have been doing.

Why do I sound like a scientist?

"Great, another question," I mumble under my breath. I sigh and lean back the wall again, my shell hitting it with a light thud. I sit still, resting for a few more moments and staring idly out over the city. After awhile I climb to my feet and cautiously leave the relative safety of the shadows. It's high time I went Home.

I move over the rooftops slowly keeping an eye out for any of the Black Men but also looking around to see if anything would spark a familiar feeling. There had to be something in this vast city that would help me gain more of a clue as to where Home was. I just jog around only picking up the pace if I needed the extra speed to make a jump and twisting my head every this way and that as I searched. It wasn't much of a plan but it was the only one I had.

It's been almost an hour of fruitless searching so far. I slow down from my trot to a walk and finally to a complete stop so I can take a short breather. The wind shifts blowing the most enticing smell ever towards me before I can look around for a place to sit in relative safety. Mmmmm… that smells good. I sniff at the air letting my nose lead me over to the edge of the roof I'm on. It seems to be coming from that little corner restaurant down on the opposite side of the stree-

-"Hey! Let's grab a pizza before we go!" a voice echoes through the stillness of the night shattering it.

A second voice pipes up sounding much more serious then the first, "We don-"

There's a rumble that sounds like it came from a stomach, "Yeah, what my stomach said." The first voice changes in pitch trying to sound like someone else, "It's saying, 'Food. Food.'"

A third more accented voice joins in the conversation, "I gotta agree with knucklehead here, fearless. Let's grab some grub."

"Yeah, we can tell them to send it to April's," the first voice said. "She said she doesn't mind as long as we pay her back."

The second voice sighs but there is a touch of amusement in it when the person says, "What do you thin-"

I was laying down on my side again, curled into a ball like I was after the last time I had a flashback. All the same symptoms were present too. I was sweating, trembling and clutching at my head as it throbbed in time with my heartbeat. This time the memory had only been voices that I didn't recognize talking to each other. The last statement I knew had been directed at me but other then that I had no idea about these voices. At least now I know that there are people out there somewhere who know me. Hopefully, they are looking for me.

I blink and then realize how close I had come to falling off the edge of the building. My nose… um… beak is maybe an inch from the wall of the knee high ledge going around the roof. I sit up slowly causing my side to remind me again not to fall on it so hard and then lay on it for unknown amounts of time. I look at the wall feeling sick to my stomach and terrified at the same time. I had almost fallen off the roof remembering a stupid conversation!

I scuttle quickly backwards away from the wall as if it's about to bite me. After I feel like I'm a suitable distance away, I stop and just sit there holding my side as my mind whirls in near panic. I nearly died, I'm hurt, I'm hungry, I'm tired, I can't remember anything, and I'm so alone right now. There's got to be a better way for me to remember something else. Anything else. I feel like all I'm doing is running around in an endless circle accomplishing nothing! A feel a drop of wetness land on my arm, that's all I need is for it to start raining.

I small voice suddenly whispers through my head, "Actually, you're crying."

Just like that the floodgates opened and I started to bawl my eyes out. The tears just streamed down my face, leaving a slight salty taste in my mouth. At first I try to contain the harsh sobs but the pain in my side becomes unbearable so I just let them go. Now I'm not only crying because of the loneliness and helplessness but I'm also crying over the pain in my side. Stupid broken ribs, it hurts to even breathe now.

I don't know how long I sat there crying but it had to be for awhile. At some point during my tirade I had laid down on my stomach –plastron, whatever, I don't care any more- and judging on how my fist felt had pounded on the roof several times in frustration. That was mature. I had a five year old cry-fest on the roof out in the open for any one to see. Good going, as if my pride hasn't taken enough of a beating by now.

I can't stay here. I need to keep moving so that the Black Men don't find me again. I struggle to my feet, feeling for the first time how tired I am. Maybe I should just sit back down for a bit. It's not like I'm getting very far looking for Home. I look around, not really paying attention to the scenery. I should find some form of shelter to hole up in for awh-

Wait a second! That water tower over there! I focus my eyes on a water tower perched on top of a roof about a mile from me. Yes, I defiantly know that tower. I've been there before many times. It was a land marker for… for… some place important!

It might be how I find my way home!

I start towards the water tower as fast as I can go. This tiny glimmer of hope is all I need to find the energy to get moving again. I half flew over the rooftops not looking at where I was going or keeping an eye out for the Black Men. I only had my sights on that tower and there is no force on earth that is going to stop me from getting there.

I hurtle over the last gap between the roofs and find myself on the roof with the tower. I walk towards it slowly like I'm in a dream taking in every detail about the tower. It looks fairly old but you can see where someone has taken the time to repair it. I walk underneath the supports and look up to the bottom of the tank before walking out on the other side. I'm next to the ladder that leads up to the top of the tank. My hand reaches out and set on a rung as I look up the ladder at the tank above. I step in front of the ladder as if to climb up it before turning around and looking out behind me.

-Three rooftops back and one to the left.-

I step away from the tower reluctantly letting go of the rung. I am defiantly onto something here. I follow the voice and head three rooftop away from the tower and then hop over to the one on my left side. On a hunch I walk past a brick chimney and head to the side of the roof looking down on the street below. All the buildings on this street are lined with buildings that have a business on the ground floor and at least one apartment above and I some cases more. Compared to the rest of the city this street seems almost deserted. I glance off to my right and see a fire escape heading down the side of the building. It looks so familiar. "Home is down," I repeat to myself and start down the fire escape.

The window that the fire escape leads to is wide open letting the cool breeze float into the room beyond. I crouch down and peer around the side of the window pane to see what's inside. It takes me a moment for my eyes to adjust from the near gloom of being outside to the brightness that is inside. Just because this place is familiar doesn't mean that I want to rush inside. It might not be my home and I don't want to run into a trap.

When my eyes have adjusted, I feel my jaw drop. I've been here before a lot of times. There was a feeling of safety in the wall of this place and I knew nothing would ever hurt me here. I move around the pain and hop down onto the hardwood floor. The room was devoid of life but I knew someone was here. I sigh. I never felt more safe then this since I can remember.

The room is a combination between the kitchen, dining and living room areas. There is a railing less staircase leading up to a loft area above me. The walls alternate between brick and a creamed colored wallboard paint job that is the same as the couch sitting in the middle of the living room. The couch is set in front of a shelving unit that house a large flat screen television that is on mute and looks like it's broadcasting the eleven o'clock news. The shelves are lined with sports trophies and souvenirs that look like they have come from various corners of the world. I turn around a notice that there is another series of shelves behind the couch that is lined with books. I like books. I pad silently across the floor and pull the first book I grab off the shelf to flip through.

Wait a second. Is this written in another language? I open the book to a random page but no matter which way I turn it I can't make any sense of the writing. 'Tilc wil yhnl hx pedbxw nbbflm pmm wil xpew.' What on earth? What does it mean? I put that book back and pull down another one only to be confronted with the same strange language. This could be a problem.

A noise comes from behind me and I whirl around to find myself eye to eye with a human standing on the other side of the room. We both freeze like children with our hands caught in the cookie jar. The guy is well built as if he lifts weights every day. Actually he looks like he came from the gym. He's wearing a pair of white cross trainers and a pair of blue workout pans with a white stripe running up the outside of his legs. He's wearing a red muscle tank that shows of he well toned upper body. I think his bicep is as big as my neck! Long black hair frames his faces and gives him a roguish look. I bet this guy rides a motorcycle or something, he certainly looks the part. A pair of bright blue eyes stares at me in astonishment. I have a feeling I wasn't the only one gawking.

"Mbccnl! Tilrl ipul rbv ollc? Tl'ul ollc ebbfhcj lvlyrtilyl kby rbv! Prl rbv bfpr? Tipw ipaalc?

Ummm... What? He's speaking gibberish. He was trying to talk to me? Do I know him? He sounds glad to see me.

A female's voice suddenly echoes from the loft, "Npxlr? Tipw pobvw Mbc?"

"Npee wil jvrx, opol. Mbcchl gvxw npdl hn wil thcmbt." What is going on around here? What language are they spe-

-You mustn't be seen by humans!-

I gasps as the ancient voice echoes through my head causing me to panic. I jump backwards throwing the book off to the side. I'm was standing close to the wall anyways so I ended up slamming my shell into the bricks and shelf behind me sending several books and knick-knacks crashing to the floor. Hope I didn't break anything important. Man looks shocked at my reaction. Wait… MAN! GAH! He's a human! I bolt for the window, knocking an end table over in my haste.

"Mbcchl! Tphw! Nbbl opnf ilyl!" Man yells after me. I heard the female voice say something else in a questioning tone but I'm already halfway up the fire escape and can't hear her. Not that it matters because I can't understand them. I make it about ten steps onto the roof before falling to my hands and knees. My head was throbbing and I was shivering as if I was in the middle of a snowstorm. I could feel the sweat just running off my body and my muscles were beginning to ache from the shivering. I ignored the pain in my side as I panted for breath.

Why on earth did I walk into an apartment like that? Of course a human shouldn't see me, duh! They would probably lock me in a cage somewhere and study me. I'm a five foot tall bipedal turtle! Who knows how much someone could get if they sold me to a scientist. For all I know that could be how I ended up in that building.

"Mbcchl? Pyl rbv pryhjiw? Tipw'x tybcj, ovmmr?" Man says as a hand lands gently on my shoulder.

He followed me!

I don't even look at him. I have to get out of here! I gather my feet under me and spring away before he can react and tighten his grip. "Mbccl! Nbdl opnf!" I still have no idea what he's saying but it can't be good. He's a human!

I move swiftly over the rooftops but Man just keeps following me. It's not like I'm doing anything more difficult then running like crazy so let's throw something a little harder at him. I head towards a taller building that has a fire escape on this side. I leap upwards, heading up the escape as fast as I can go. On the last rail I just jump upwards easily clearing the edge of the building and landing on the roof. Now where to? I should pick a destination instead of ru-

GAH!

Man lands next to me, completely unfazed by going up the fire escape. He got up here fast which means he went up the same way I did. The only other people that can do that are the Black Men! Crud! He has to be one of them!

His mouth was opened as if he was going to say something and I promptly filled it with my fist. He stumbled backwards looking stunned and turned back towards me just in time for me to kick him in the chest with a side kick. He lands hard on the rooftop. Bet he wishes he had a shell like me.

I don't stick around to see if he is getting back up. I head for the proverbial hills. There is a chance that he has already called his black clad friends and they are on their way to search the area for me. The farther from here I can get the better off I'll be. Maybe after I get a couple of miles away I can hide in a maintenance shed or something. I'm getting tired of running everywhere. Then I can have a few minutes of piece to figure out what to do next.

"Il'x ilpmhcj mbtc dphc xwyllw, Elb!" I glance over my shoulder to see Man still following me. He's persistent, I'll give him that, but I won't just go back to the lab quietly. I would rather die then go back there or I could kill him. It's not easy to kill someone with a staff but I'm sure I know how to do it but for some reason just the thought of killing him or anyone else makes me feel a little queasy. I'd rather not kill but I'm not going back there no matter what. Since killing myself isn't appealing either I guess I'll just have to outrun him.

"Come on then, Man," I mumble to myself as I jump to a lower roof and fall into a roll landing on my feet again. "Catch me if you can."