Author's notes: Thank you to my only reviewer, Arty Kidd- you're the reason I updated as quickly as I did. I've been considering back-burnering this fic. Also, a reminder- the narrator is a character, not an author's note.

Rated 'M' for violence, language, sexual content and a plethora of potentially offensive material including but not limited to drug use, underage drinking, and possible mild references to rape.

Disclaimer: They're still not mine, but I can pretend.

Equilibrium

-Transitional relevance-

The scent of sandalwood drifted throughout the room; soft, subtle, and relaxing. Smoke rose from the ember of an incense stick, curling and tumbling upward. Unable to fight gravity any longer, a gray clump of ash fell onto the ornate wooden tray- unseen by the room's occupant.

Leonardo sat unmoving in the lotus position, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow but steady. His mind was a mess of thought, like static noise. It began to rain in his mind, washing away the trivial daily nuisances. The clearing of his thought felt true to a rainstorm, cleansing and refreshing. Through the repetitiveness of this particular meditation, the more important issues sounded through his mind with magnified clarity.

A new threat…danger from yet another direction…the unfamiliar danger is often the most threatening…thinking in circles…the attacker was neutralized…could be an isolated incident…too prepared for chance…

"I've got it!"

Leonardo opened his eyes at the sound of Donatello's voice. Apparently he had come to a conclusion in regards to the dart his brothers brought back with them. Mike and Raph were already gathered by the makeshift lab when Leo walked out. Raph asked, "So what's the diagnosis? If bonehead here had gotten himself pricked, would he have been knocked out for a few days?"

"He'd be out all right…but he would not be waking up."

The silence stretched for a few moments, then Leo uttered a single word: "Poison."

"I'm afraid so. Unfortunately, It's not like I have many samples to compare it to; I haven't been able to identify the poison by name. It is, however, rather potent. The effects would be immediate and with the absence of an antidote, we're looking at a twenty to thirty minute life expectancy."

Leo spoke, "Just what we need: someone else who wants our lives for some unknown reason." Raph gritted his teeth. "The bastard's dead now. I put a sai through his head- he's not a threat anymore." Mike's voice was unusually serious, "That's what bothers me…"

He was interrupted. "Look, what happened-" Mike cut him off, "That's not what I meant, Raph. You saw him; he died instantly. The guy didn't even know what hit him." Receiving only blank stares, he continued. "So who screamed?"

Realization broke upon the turtles like a wave.

"There was somebody else up there," Leo stated. Raph brushed it off. "They sure as hell left the scene pretty quick." Leonardo folded his arms over his chest, just emanating authorative energy. Everyone could guess at what was coming.

"This could have been premeditated, or just a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way, there's someone in the city who has access to some professional grade equipment and knows how to target us. It doesn't help that we killed their partner. For the next few days we should limit our above ground activities to our nightly patrols, which we'll be doing in pairs. No unnecessary outside contact. That means April and Casey- we don't want them to be targeted."

The turtle in red rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, Leo. Some loony with a gun was on a roof we happened to pass, so now we're on lockdown? It's New York. There's crazies with guns everywhere."

The other's stance didn't budge an inch. "Exactly Raph- all the more reason to be cautious. We're supposed to be exercising stealth as it is. We're just stepping it up."

Any further argument was nipped when Donatello gave a sigh. "I don't suppose the museum is part of our patrol." That's when it hit Leo that he had promised his brother that it wouldn't hurt to sneak into some exhibit after-hours. "How long is it in town for?"

The orange-banded brother was lost, "What's in town?"

Don shuffled through an array of loose papers looking for the article he salvaged from the newspaper. "There's a Mayan exhibit showing this week. It's on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art until Friday. Today being Wednesday, tomorrow is my last chance to see it- there's no telling if they'll start packing it up Friday or not. Usually, modern sciences interest me more than anthropology, but I've been reading some fascinating material lately about the Mayan star-gazing and their calendar. There are a number of theories related to a Mayan end-date, ranging from the chaos theory to more radical ideas of a spatial equator." He paused, trying to suppress his enthusiasm. "It would be great stealth training in the area of infiltration."

If his slightly rushed speech was any indication, this was something their brother had really been looking forward to. Six eyes were turned to Leo, and under normal circumstances he wouldn't buckle under such pressure; however, with the still-hopeful look he was receiving from one turtle in particular…

"All right Don. But we're all going, just to be safe."

Mike and Raph exchanged looks. It was great that one of them was able to wrestle an exception out of stone-cold Leonardo, but a museum exhibit about some culture that's been dead for hundreds of years? An evening at home would be more exciting. Hell, a triathlon for people with narcolepsy would be more entertaining.

X

Now before you ask me what this has to do with anything, we're about to gain some relevance to the story. Something more familiar to the reason we're gathered here…