Chapter Four : Showdown with a Side of Turtle Soup, Part Two

'The pier' was located along what was once the busiest harbor in New York this side of the Hudson river. That was until during the final years of prohibition when the Fedsfinally took down mob bigwigs Franco "Slip'n'Slide" Fettucini and Lorenzo "Little Wanger" Manicotti who based a profitable smuggling ring here; at one point raking in thousands by the boatload. Today the port facilities lay mostly unused and, unfortunately for the turtles, full of potential hiding places for the little green man toting their brother to take advantage of.

Earlier, it was determined via rock-paper-scissors and The Laws of Forcing a Romantic Pairing that Donatello team up with April to inspect the abandoned storehouses and garages while Leo and Raph maintained a bird's eye vigilance of the outside. To the purple bandana browed ninja turtle this was the closest he had ever come to being on a date so despite the grout, the enveloping cobwebs and the omnipresent odor of a receeding tide it wasn't so bad. But oh, did his tiny reptllian heart lust for her now that he had her all alone but, alas as the cliche goes, she was so close and yet so far away. But as April shines her flashlight into an old boatyard, Donnie has a stunning revelation. He knew just what the situation called for.

"Let's check it out in there." He says, already pulling her into the shadows.

A row of small vessels are situated along the narrow dock, rocking in rhythm with the gently rippling waters.

"Do you think he might try making his getaway on one of these?" The bored sounding broad asks, directing her flashlight at a yacht - 'The Sea Hag' moored there. However, Donatello is too occupied with digging into the various crevices of his shell. Knowing these crevices were like pockets to the turtles, April doesn't interrupt his search for whatever it was. For a brief moment she wonders about what she was doing with her life to have been aware of such an intimate detail about her sewer dwelling companions.

"Found it." He says finally, proudly revealing to her a plastic bundle of one hundred percent premium quality Hawaiian-grown Mary Jane. She cuts her eyes at him - his great unveiling only made her examine her life choices even more critically. "It's my secret stash. If my bros found out about it earlier, they'd have screwed me over big time."

Showcasing incredible dexterity yet again with those humongous fingers, Donatello unravels the bundle and plucks out a clump of herb. After a brief smell test, he rolls it into one of the white papers that were conveniently included with the stuff because Donnie, of course, was the genius of the team. He offers April what was left of the bundle as he places the newly formed spliff between his lips then lights up.

"There's a time and place for everything, Don." She nags the dope-driven dingdong. "We're searching for your kidnapped brother for pete's sake."

He takes an extended drag followed by a long, grateful sigh. "I know you could go for one too, so why not?"

She doesn't deny it. Might I remind you, just moments ago she had her comfort zone severely breached by a psycophath with bad breath wielding a gun, right after he killed someone in front of her with said gun. With a shrug and an embarrassed look, she accepts the clump and imitates the way Donnie rolled it into the white paper. Anyone watching would recognize that she had less experience with the big money herb than he did and, little did they know, as April'O'Neill lights up and takes her first puff, somebody was watching them from the safety of the deck of the very Sea Hag thathad beenspotlighted previously.

They sit cross-legged with their backs against a wooden column.

"I've never had to fight somebody holding a gun before. I was scared, okay." She confesses, her face flushed red from the heavensmoke that now clouded her lungs. However, it was a guilty pleasure. "I haven't done this in a long time. I've been trying to get clean and make something of myself, you know?" She says, pausing to examine the spliff between her fingers sadly.

"Aren't you feeling better already though?"

She has to think long and hard about that one before coming up with an answer. "I guess I do. But I just know I'll regret this later, when I end up wanting more. Then I'll just get into all the same trouble I used to. Except this time, it won't just be juvie." She looks away and crinkles her brow as memories come back to her. "The last thing I want is to be locked up forever for doing something stupid. I would be better off dead."

Donatello summons up the courage to lay a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her, inadvertently smearing loose ashes on her shirt in the process. "Oh sorry about that, I uhh..." He stammers.

"It's alright. This is a crappy shirt anyway." She reassures him, smiling down at the smiling pink rabbit mascot decorating her bustline. "What were you going to say?"

"Nothing special. Just that," He stops, rubbing his head nervously. "Out with it." She urges him.

"...if you ever need a fix again, I'll hook you up."

"Hook me up? Are you trying to sound cool or something?" She laughs but, quickly realizing that he was in fact being serious, she quiets down again. "Sounds good to me, Donnie."

He breathes in then exhales a cloud of smoke. They both watch as it wafts and whirls in the cool breeze and then finally begins its gentle ascent into the voidal eternity of a starless night sky. He clasps his slimy green fingers around her delicate, painted ones and to his surprise she doesn't withdraw. Right when it seemed to Donatello that things couldn't get any better, he spots something moving in the sky.

"Are those lights? Could it be a plane?" Donatello runs outside and strains his eyes to get a better look. "No, it's a helicopter! The mob might be sending backup. April, we should-"

Click. Donatello turns to face April but instead finds himself looking down the barrel of a pistol. Holding it is a man of small stature with skin that matched the color and consistency of a pickle and eyes that protuded from and proceeded to curve along the slope of his forehead. It was Grubber of the Gangrene Gang and in his other arm he holds a struggling April.

"You. Put your hands in the air and follow me." Grubber commands a flabbergasted Donatello. "Make any sudden movements and I'll have no choice but to shoot and possibly kill you."

Donnie complies reluctantly, following each step the hunkering hobgoblin makes outside, under the blinding glow of a police ceaseless whuffuwhuffuwhuffu of helicopter blades grows near deafening as the porcelain white FBI special transfer copter lands atop one of the warehouses where Raph and Leo, who had themselves been busy tapping into their own secret stashes, now lay facefirst on the ground; hands cuffed. The red dots of multiple laser guided rifles polka dot their heads ominously. Donatello watches an officer stride past with a knock-kneed Ace in his custody, followed by four struggling to morandize the ever oblivious Big Billy who was still unnaturally united with Snake. Police squad cars block off every street and armed SWAT team members stand with their rifles poised on every rooftop. There was absolutely no way out. Don surveys a woman with short hair surrounded by armed guards step out of the helicopter and survey the scene.

Then time seems to slow to a crawl.

Sensing a commotion, Donnie turns to see April pull away from the reach of her captor and perform the same technique she employed against Ace to knock the pistol out of Grubber's grasp. Then, for a split second - a split second that Donatello would swear he'll never forget for the rest of his life - she looks up and seems to appreciate for the first time the dire situation they were in and freezes, but it was too late.

Donatello watches helplessly as April is torn apart by a barrage of bullets.

To be continued...