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CHAPTER SEVEN: Progress
The turtles were perched on the Empire State Building, high above the glittering landscape that had been their home for eighteen years. Leo's eyes were closed as the wind howled lowly, a mourning song that always accompanied the heartbeat of the big city. Donatello was adjusting a small transceiver along the base of the peak, innocuously surveying the city and transmitting potential alien radiowaves to a device he designed to act as an early warning system. He had finished it only an hour ago and now he was leading his brothers all over town, installing the transmitters in a grid pattern.
Raph and Mikey were several floors below, watching the traffic crawl at an agonizing pace. Neither had said anything to Leo about Master Splinter's perplexing insight the night before.
"Done," Donnie called, sliding along the glass and metal to land next to his brothers. "Only 27 more to go."
"Lead the way," Leo said, gesturing toward the massive expanse of lights and sounds.
Donnie leapt from the side of the building and began leading them south.
Rejuvenated, Leo instructed Raph and Mikey to take flanking positions and scour the city while Donnie worked. Raph flexed happily, swooping down into shadows as a silent wraith. Mikey attempted the same thing, dropping onto a fire escape. Sadly, someone's cat was sitting there and squalled bloody murder upon finding a 6ft turtle staring at it in the dark.
By the time Donnie finished setting up his sensory net, Leo, Mikey, and Raph had nabbed a couple dozen criminals and left them for constabulary pick up.
"Good job, guys," Leo said. "Head back to the lair. I'll be there shortly."
"Gonna see your lady love?" Mikey crooned. He got a palm in the face for his effort. "Bro, totally cool if you want to be alone. Totally understand."
"It's not like that, Mikey." Leo protested. "I'm only stopping by to make sure she made it home safely. She walks home after working the hotline."
Mikey smirked. Raph had explained about the suicide hotline, but Mikey still possessed a dirty mind and warped the truth into something unseemly. "Yeah, 'hot' line. Right. You're hoping she'll buff your shell tonight."
thunk!
The sound rang out as Leo smacked Mikey on the shell, causing him to stagger.
"Enough!" Leo warned. "It's not funny, Mikey. May deserves respect. She helps people. She makes a difference. You shouldn't insinuate such things about her. It's...dishonorable."
"Sorry, man. Only trying to lighten the mood," Mikey said, shifting his shoulders to ward off the lingering pain from Leo's punch. His shell took the impact without damage, but the tremor still rattled throughout his frame. "You're wound too tight, dude. Need to loosen up. She's a cool chick."
"Broad," Raph corrected automatically. "She prefers to be called a broad. She thinks chick makes her sound childish and immature."
"Exactly. Time to stop acting like children. We're adults now. We need to start behaving as such," Leo said, hopping up onto a rail to launch himself to the adjacent building. "I'll be along shortly."
Leo jumped from one building to the next, scaling the heights with practiced ease. He half expected his brothers to follow him, but after ten blocks, he realized they had heeded his instruction. At least he hoped so. He'd kick some serious shell if one of them dropped by unannounced.
Landing quietly on the fire escape, Leo was about to knock on the window when he saw the white note taped on it. He plucked it up and opened it to read May's message.
Leo,
Had a looong, tiring evening. Need some quiet time to decompress. Hope you don't mind. I promise to stop by tomorrow afternoon. I'll even bring pizza. Don't tell Mikey.
Goodnight and Stay Safe, Leo.
-May
He extracted a small pen from his pocket and scribbled affirmation and taped the paper lower on the window, letting May know he had received the missive. With wraithlike stealth he retreated several blocks away and escaped into the sewer to begin his trek home.
His disappointment must have shown through because as soon as he entered the lair and Mikey saw him, he frowned.
"What's up, bro? Did she slam the door on your tail?"
Leo wandered into the kitchen where Mikey was putting two pizzas into the oven. "May was already asleep. Didn't want to wake her."
"You could have wakened her with a kiss," Mikey suggested with a brow waggle.
Leo gave his incorrigible brother an exasperated sigh. "Mikey..."
Mikey piped down, nudging Leo with his shell, his expression lowly. "What's wrong, bro? You seem...blue."
Leo chuckled. One couldn't be mad at Mikey for long. "I'm going to work out. Save me some food."
"Will do!" Mikey saluted and guarded the oven door.
Leo retreated to the dojo, where he spent the rest of the night practicing the more complicated forms of traditional ninjitsu. When the sun was chasing away the long shadows of the night to fill the world with brilliant light, he dragged his tired shell to bed, where he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
May struggled with the four pizzas she had ordered. When she had taken this route previously, she didn't have to balance four pizza boxes. It was a lot harder than what she thought. Deciding not to risk dumping all four onto the ground, she carried them one by one until all four were safely in the sewer. Replacing the manhole cover, she began the two block journey to the turtle's home.
To her dismay, the turtles were no where to be seen. The only one in the lair was Splinter, and he was sitting regally on pillows, hands resting on knees, eyes closed. Since there was no door to knock, she rapped her knuckles on the underside of the pizza box.
"Knock, Knock," she said softly.
Splinter opened his eyes and smiled at the visitor bearing such delicious smelling gifts.
"Ah, May, please, come in," he said, standing up and stretching out his legs. He hobbled to the kitchen where she placed the pizza on the table. "You did not have to do this." He motioned toward the food. "It is unnecessary to provide such things for a visit."
"I felt horrible for ignoring Leo last night, so I thought I'd make it up to him by surprising you all with a light lunch," May said, pointing to the boxes. "Meat lovers, cheese lovers, taco, and Hawaiian. Not really sure what they'd want, but hopefully this will be enough."
"More than enough," Splinter said kindly to the young woman who had befriended his sons. "Pizza will never go to waste in this house."
"Teenagers, huh?" May quipped.
"They have loved pizza since they were tiny," Splinter imparted, handing May a napkin. She accepted it and together, they took a slice of Hawaiian and settled on the couch. "Would you like to see videos of their youth?"
"Family movies?" May asked, kicking off her shoes and tucking her feet under herself. She was wearing a pale pink tee shirt over black cargo pants. Her socks were mismatched, brilliant neon, and a crime against fashion. Splinter loved them immediately.
"Precisely. April recorded many videos of the turtles and myself in her father's lab," Splinter explained, picking out the first DVD and putting it in the player.
"The one you told me is a reporter for Channel Six? That pretty girl with the dark hair?" May asked, recalling the harrowing tale Splinter told her of their origins.
"She had a nose for news even at such a young age," Splinter said and pushed play.
The childish voice of a young brunette came on, showing a standard lab with all kinds of scientific equipment. There was an explanation of genetic research and a brief glimpse of a green ooze, then on the screen popped four adorable baby turtles swimming in an aquarium. April's voice named each one, showing their faces up close and the colored wax on their shells.
Each turtle's introduction earned May's exclamation of adoration. "Awwww! How cute! Oh my gosh, look how adorable!" When one of the turtles lurched at the glass, shattering it, May nodded. "Gotta be Raph." Sure enough, when the camera panned, there was a telltale smudge of red.
The video was only thirty minutes long. Splinter asked if May wanted to see another and she eagerly accepted, loving the glimpse into their lives. It was hard to imagine such strong, powerful warriors started out so helpless and tiny. Before the next movie started, May glanced around the room.
"Shouldn't the guys be getting up? It's almost one in the afternoon."
"They went to bed at ten this morning, so they should be getting up soon." At May's astonishment, Splinter added. "They require far less sleep than the rest of us. A trait of which I am extremely jealous."
"Yeah, me too," May admitted. "I need at least 7 hours or I'm intolerable. And don't forget the coffee!"
"Hmm," Splinter hummed in agreement.
The second movie started and within two minutes, Raph came half stumbling into the room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He zeroed in on the pizza, not realizing they had company until he went to sit on the couch and found May smiling up at him.
"When did you get here?" he asked huskily.
May took in Raph's appearance more closely. Usually the turtles wore various cord, tape, strips of fabric, and even a couple bandaids along with their masks. They also wore utility harnesses that looped their shoulders, crossed their shells, and secured around their waists and held their various weapons and gear. The other three also wore footwear, whereas Raph preferred the natural feel of barefoot.
The only thing he currently wore was his signature red mask and a pair of loose fitting red boxing shorts with the word 'Everlast' stitched along the front. His shell, arms, legs, and sides were devoid of all other ornamentation. Naked without his gear, every bulging muscle was in full display, his wide, powerful thighs, broad shoulders, thick corded biceps, he was the epitome of powerhouse masculinity.
Now that he was so stripped, May could make out the extent of his ink as well. There was a turtle tattoo on his left arm and a full sleeve tribal pattern that covered his right shoulder to halfway down his bicep.
"Hasn't been long. Brought pizza and Splinter's been showing me your baby movies," May said, nodding toward the screen that showed a tiny Michelangelo swimming in circles.
"Thanks for the grub," Raph said, saluting with his plate of five slices.
Leonardo staggered in the room at that moment. Like his brother, he went straight for the food before realizing he had company. He too was bare of all regular gear, wearing only dark blue shorts and mask.
May noticed the same turtle tattoo on Leo, though his was on the opposite shoulder. He also had two other tats on his forearm that had always been covered by a brace when she saw him. She had noticed the thin barbed wire tat on his left bicep when he first entered her apartment. She had thought it an oddity, but now she realized the extent of their ink.
Leo halted midstep, staring at May as if he'd never seen anything quite like her. "What are you doing here?"
"Hello? Left you a note last night saying I'd be by with pizza," May said.
Leo blinked several times, his foggy brain throwing off the last vestiges of sleep. "Right. Sorry, forgot." He barely sat down in a recliner when the pizza paused halfway to his mouth. "What are you watching?"
May crooned. "You're baby videos! You all were so adorable!"
The scene changed to one of Leo swimming and pooping in the water. Leo blushed, sinking into his chair. "Thanks, dad," he muttered, lowering his head partially into his shell. If it was possible to die from mortification, he wished it would happen already.
May roared with laughter, Raph chuckling beside her. Splinter sat nonchalantly, staring serenely at his son.
A grumpy voice mumbled from across the room. Mikey came in, dragging his shell in semi-consciousness. He didn't immediately head to the kitchen as his brothers. Instead, he directed his step to the swimming pool. His hands were already at his shorts, ready to jerk them down to jump in the water when three voices raised in alarm.
"Michelangelo!" Splinter, Leo and Raph all yelled in unison.
The orange clad turtle nearly jumped out of his shell from fright. He went to scream at them for the rude awakening, but caught sight of May.
"Hey baby!" he said, sauntering over. "You almost caught me during bath time." He struck a sultry pose. "Wanna join me?"
May pointed to the screen where a baby Mikey was paddling after Raph. "I've already seen you take a bath. And it was absolutely a-dor-able."
Mikey gasped at the screen, then to Splinter. "Showing her our baby movies? That's low, sensei."
"Father's prerogative," Splinter said with a dismissive wave. He stopped the movie as May was no longer watching.
Mikey plopped down into another recliner, stretching out his short legs.
May noticed he had a small tattoo peeking out on his hip. She couldn't tell what it was and didn't feel comfortable asking about it. Knowing Mikey, he'd want her to inspect it. Closely. He shared the same turtle tattoo on his arm.
May arched a brow. "You guys have tattoos? Aren't you a little...young?" She asked Leo, who had reemerged from his mortification. "You said you're eighteen and yet your tattoos don't appear new."
Raph flexed his arm, showing off the turtle tribal tat. "Donnie was sketching one day and I liked the pattern so I asked sensei to tattoo it on me. Got my first ink when I was thirteen." He nodded to his two brothers, "Leo and Mikey got theirs shortly after. Donnie doesn't have any. He's afraid of needles."
"I don't blame him," May said with a shudder. "But, thirteen? Kinda young, don't ya think?"
"Oh, we're Jewish, so it's okay," Mikey said. "Legal adults." His facade didn't last long. He broke into a wide grin and made a kissie face.
"Yeh, Jewish," Raph said, gaining his feet to get another slice of pizza. "No one's docking my tail."
May's jaw dropped.
Mikey gave an involuntary shudder. Leo shrunk partially into his shell again. Splinter sent a disapproving look at Raph's retreating back.
Donnie came scurrying into the room. Unlike the others, he was alert, bright eyed, and brimming with energy.
"Guys, there was a break in at the museum last night, and oh! Hi, May!"
"Hey Donnie," May said, waving at the perky turtle.
"We'll check it out tonight," Leo said, shifting into his natural leadership role. "Has April given you any information?"
"Just that there was a break in. She didn't get the assignment. She said she'll try to stop by and get a list of stolen items, but can't promise she'll find something."
"Speaking of which, I ran those symbols through some of my games and didn't find anything that matched," May said. "Sorry, Donnie. I'll keep trying though."
Donnie displayed his dimples. "I haven't come up with anything either." He perked up, eyes wide and expectant. "Do you want to see my work station?"
"Would I?" May said, getting up to follow Donnie. She gave Mikey an affectionate pat on the shoulder as she passed. He of course, basked in the attention. Leo scowled and finished his breakfast pizza.
Donnie lead May through the family room, around the corner and in a small niche, at least a dozen computer screens were arranged hanging from a conglomeration of metal pipes. One screen blinked with security feeds that surrounded the lair. Another flashed with a series of numbers, no doubt a decryption program still trying to decipher the strange symbols heisted from the alien ship.
Six screens flipped through various security feeds. May was able to identify several subway stations and a few traffic intersections.
"Donnie, have you hacked into the city's security feeds?" May had a feeling she already knew the answer.
"Maybe," Donnie said unevenly.
"You little rebel," May said, nudging the purple turtle with her shoulder. Donnie's dimples made another appearance. She noticed at least four Ipads splayed about on his desk, flanked by three keyboards and a mouse on each side. "What's on these?"
"This one is directly linked to the sensor net I developed to monitor for transmissions that may be of extraterrestrial origins." Donnie tapped the screen to show its ever active sweeps of the city. Little dots indicated the transmission points. "This one is set to monitor police frequencies with a program running in the background that's designed to alert us to any potential threat using key words." He lifted a flat rubbery keyboard to expose two Ipads that were charging. "The one on the left is formatted to detect radiation and various isotopes. The one on the right is a backup for the portable system I carry." He turned to show the small device held via velcro and straps.
"And that one?" May asked, pointing to a pad that blinked.
Donnie suddenly grew skittish. "I use that one to read."
"Read?" May asked, having a feeling what was causing the turtle such distress. She picked up the device and tapped the screen. Sure enough, a book appeared. "Sexy Sirens of the Caribbean?"
Donnie blushed, snatching the tablet from her and clicking the screen off. "Research." He mumbled, placing the Ipad on the opposite side of his desk, furthest from her.
Not wanting to cause him further embarrassment, May pointed to a screen that showed the moon. "Screensaver?"
"Live satellite feed," Donnie corrected. "In case Krang decides to rebuild at a greater distance and then attack the Earth from a place where we have no defenses."
"Smarty pants," May said, bumping her shoulder into his.
Donnie shied away, ducking his head slightly into his shell.
May picked up the sheaf of papers that held Donnie's scribbles of the symbols. "I keep feeling as if I have seen these before. I just can't place it. It's right on the edge of my brain." She held the paper up to one of Donnie's computer screens. The light x-rayed the drawing, but didn't provide any more insight. "You know, I even traced these with colored pencils, held them up to mirrors, and still came up with nothing."
"I feel as if the answer is staring us in the face," Donnie muttered. He hated having a puzzle he was unable to solve. He thrived on challenge, but if he didn't make noticeable headway, he became frustrated.
May shuffled the papers together and laid the stack on top of Donnie's Ipad. It turned on from the touch, lighting up the stack of papers. May glanced to the layered symbols, then back again.
"Whoa! Donnie, check it out!" She straightened the papers so the symbols lined up to form a rudimentary hieroglyphic.
Donnie jumped to his feet, staring down at the new icon. "What the..."
"We were thinking in two dimensions. Up, down, backwards," May said, beaming at the purple clad turtle. "When we needed to be thinking in three dimensions. Like that chess game on Star Trek."
Donnie snapped a picture and uploaded it to his decryption program. It immediately hummed with life, spitting out variations and possible translations from long dead cultures. One word in particular seemed to become a reoccurring theme despite the culture of origin.
Donnie glanced to May. "Go get Leo."
May didn't need telling twice. She dashed from the room in a red headed blur. She too had noticed the dire warning flashing on the screen.
Donnie stared at the warning still being translated, a dark and horrible feeling creeping into his gut.
