Chapter 7: Preparation
Kiziah giggled as Alexander stabbed at the dummy with a determined scowl upon his face. Uncle Raph was holding the dummy in place, encouraging Alexander to hit harder, straighten his wrists, adjust his stance. He barked out order like a drill sergeant.
Don was trying to coax Kiziah to do the same on another punching bag, but she didn't like the feel of it against her skin, and her knuckles were already sore. She kicked it feebly and stuck out her tongue at the punching bag with a face painted on it. Lil' Sis snorted from her stall, watching the turtles.
"I think we're done," Don said wisely, noticing Kiziah's stubborn look coming on. He heaved the dummy over to the corner and took Kiziah off to a corner of the barn to practice the tumbles she loved. They were reserved for last so Kiziah knew she had to do well in her former lessons to get to tumble. She flipped back and forth, moving gracefully from hand-stands to splits.
"Very good," Leo complimented, coming over. He and Mikey had been working his wings again, which were nearly back to their original level of strength. It had gotten to the point where Mike would hold onto his wings and resist Leo's movements, since they didn't have enough weights to strain him.
"Look Daddy!" Kiziah squeaked, flipping onto her hands. She walked towards him, delicately balanced on her hands, her feet bent just slightly over her head.
"Nice, little one." Leo glanced at Don and nodded slightly; he caught Raph's eye and did the same. Both teachers stopped the lessons and helped the children cool down.
"Time for a bath," Don ordered. "Mikey will come help you, but it's time you learn to take them on your own. And no splashing around!" Both children giggled and raced after Mikey towards the house.
Don and Raph then turned to Leo. He watched the little ones disappear inside and then turned back to his brothers. "It's time. We've been working every night. We aren't going to improve significantly any more. My wings are back up to par, and Kiziah and Alexander are old enough to be left with Master Splinter and April and Casey for a few days." He didn't say what would happen if they didn't make it back before then.
Raph nodded, grinning slightly. "'Sides, all the time we've spent 'ere, Shredder could be getting' close. An' who knows what he's done t' our city." He was stroking Lil' Sis's neck as she nuzzled him.
"I am with Raph. But we must be careful. We should leave tonight," Don added. "Kiziah is especially good at picking up on emotions, and she'll pick up on it if we wait."
"Agreed. After the children are asleep." Leo was clearly having issues with just abandoning his kids; he shuffled his wings and rolled his shoulder slightly in an attempt to shake off the feeling. "No one tell Mikey; he's the most expressive of us. I will talk to Master Splinter."
The younger adults nodded and headed back to the house. Leo lingered in the barn a moment, hand on a post. His children were going to be left, vulnerable, while he and his brothers rushed headlong into a fight. He wasn't the gung-ho type like Raph, but even he knew it was the only way at this point. Raph was right; it was just a matter of time before Shredder found them, especially since the farm was a prime place. It was listed as being under Casey's mother's name, but it was also close to New York and away from real civilization. A prime target for any hunter of outcasts.
Leo found Master Splinter in the master bedroom and told him the plan. Master Splinter was sad but knew it was necessary; he also understood how much it hurt Leo to leave his children again, without an explanation.
"Be safe, my son. I will take care of your children; keep your mind focused on keeping mine unharmed," Splinter said kindly, his hand on Leo's shoulder. He could feel the tension coursing through the eldest; already, Leo was back into leader mode, ready to make a snap decision and follow through with it. "Return to me safely."
"Yes, Master." Unspoken between them was the knowledge that, if necessary, Leo would die for his brothers. He wouldn't allow them to be hurt.
Leo breathed in slowly and loosened his muscles one by one. Exhaled all the fear, the sadness, the guilt, the pain; it left him slowly, unwillingly, and he felt it hovering there, waiting to be invited back in the moment he allowed it. He only had to hold it off for a few hours; then the children would be asleep and he would return to the more simple life of being a mutant turtle, leader of the best three brothers a guy could have, fighting evil even if humans didn't know it existed. The complications of fatherhood would have to be left behind for now; neither he nor his brothers could risk the coddling, careful nature he had adopted around his children.
Splinter noticed the change and nodded in approval. Leo smiled slightly and exited. He found Kiziah, dripping wet, on the floor of the kitchen under the table. Alexander was on the ceiling, also dripping water. Mikey had a towel in his hand and was looking back and forth. If he went for one, the other would wreak havoc on the furniture.
"Alexander, Kiziah!" Leo barked. Both children yelped; Mikey turned to Leo with an apologetic grin. "You know better than this. Go back into the bathroom and dry off, properly. You will then clean up the puddles."
"Yes, Father," they muttered, trooping past Mikey with a pout. The youngest adult threw the towel over Kiziah, who snuggled into it.
"It's turtle instinct," Don remarked, coming out of his lab. "We like to be wet." Raph sniggered and Don shot him a dirty look. "Very mature, Raph."
"Still," Leo said. "They need to learn manners. This is not our house."
"It might as well be," Casey remarked cheerfully, appearing from the closet. Leo glanced between the three males in front of him.
"You were hiding and didn't feel the need to help Mikey?" he asked.
"I was experimenting," Don pointed out. "We need shell cells." The braniac returned to his lab, closing the door softly. They could hear the classical tunes he listened to when working hard floating out from his lab.
Leo eyed Raph and Casey. "It was fun to watch," Casey protested. "If he'd've needed help, he'd've asked." Raph nodded and Leo shook his head in exasperation as he went to make sure Mikey had the children under control.
The bathroom was less wet than it could have been; the two children were bundled up in towels and dripping onto another towel as Mikey drained the tub and put the soaps back in their proper places. Kiziah insisted on using a girly-scented soap while Alex preferred to steal Casey's manly-scented body wash. As a result, bottles and bars were strewn about the bathroom. Leo knelt to help Mikey clean them up as the children wiggled in the towels. Mikey had pinned each other such that they couldn't get out; Leo chuckled slightly.
Once the bathroom was clean and the children dry, they were released from their towels. They raced to the TV, Alexander pushing Kiziah out of the way. She retaliated by jumping on him. They tumbled into the living room only to find Raph already there with the remote in one hand, grinning down at them.
Kiziah glanced at Alexander; the pale turtle smirked. Raph blinked and then shouted as he was assaulted; the two little turtles clambered all over him, trying to get the remote. Mikey appeared and Raph tossed him the remote, which was followed quickly by a pair of howling kids.
Mikey chuckled as he was knocked down by the little ones and tickled Alexander until the winged child was breathless while Raph scooped Kiziah up and did the same. Leo watched, smiling bemusedly. Raph may act like a hard turtle, but he was a softie inside.
"Alright, time to calm down," Leo finally ordered. "It's dinner time."
"I made your favorite," April called from the kitchen. "Lasagna!"
"Lasag-na!" Alexander shrieked, squirming away from his uncles and shooting into the kitchen. Kiziah giggled and ran after her brother. Leo watched them; Mikey chased both, leaving the remote in the living room. Raph watched Leo.
"You could stay here," Raph said quietly, coming up behind the leader. "They need you, and you need them."
Leo shook his head and glanced back. They had their fights, and they had their differences, but when it came down to it, they were brothers and they loved each other. "You need me, too. They will be safer when this is over."
Raph patted Leo on the shoulder and went to the kitchen. Master Splinter was slowly making his way down the stairs; Don had just opened his lab door and was fiddling with something in his hand. Reluctantly, he put it down inside the doorway and went to the kitchen. Leo watched his family – his entire world – gather around the table, the children chanting "Lasag-na, Lasag-na!"
I have to keep them safe, he said to himself. He sat down to dinner at the head of the table, opposite Master Splinter. Raph was to his right, Mikey to his left. The children sat between Mikey and Don and Raph and April; Casey sat next to his girlfriend and to Master Splinter's left.
The dinner was delicious, though more pasta seemed to end up on Kiziah and Alexander than anywhere else. They needed another bath by the time the meal was over. Leo and Don offered to do dishes while Mikey and Raph took the children upstairs for a quick shower, this time supervised. Master Splinter returned to his room and Casey and April went to the living room to watch the news.
Leo washed the plates carefully and then handed them to Don, who dried each one and placed it back in the cupboard. Matching plates were something they had not grown up with, and they were careful not to harm them.
Keep it together, Leo told himself as the time came to put the children to bed. The brothers let Leo do it alone, though they usually worked in pairs. Kiziah and Alexander were worn out from the long, busy day and didn't protest as much as they usually did. Leo waited until both had fallen asleep – they were in the same bed in the small room, surrounded by blankets and pillows like a fort – before leaving. The other adults were already on the porch.
Outside, Raph handed him his katanas. The brothers had hidden their weapons while the children were around, but now it was time to don them again. They settled over his shoulders like old friends; his wings closed around them.
"Let's go," he ordered. Raph had started the truck already; they left Casey and April's car in the barn with a note explaining where they were and not to tell the children. They all patted Lil' Sis and made sure her stall door was locked so she couldn't try to follow them. Don and Mikey piled into the truck and Raph climbed into the driver's seat; Leo's wings made sitting in the truck very uncomfortable, so he opted to fly instead. Raph didn't turn the headlights on as they wove their way out through the dirt track that served as a road.
Leo floated above them, watching as the truck finally hit the highway, turned on its high beams, and turned onto the road. He kept pace easily, mostly soaring on the early-night thermals rising from the sun-warmed ground. Leo flicked his tail slightly as he saw another car pass the truck, but it couldn't see him – it was a moonless night – and the windows of the truck had been coated in a special paint Don had developed in order to keep people from seeing in.
The cool air slipped around his wings, the warmer columns that lifted him high into the sky a sigh of spring against his plastron. Leo felt alive again; he hadn't realized how much he missed flying.
This time, he wasn't held back by the slower pace of Lil' Sis. He was probably flying along at about 50 mph, he estimated; he wished he could call Don on the shell cell and ask how fast the truck was going, but Don hadn't been able to finish a new set. It would more difficult now, he knew, to storm the tower if they couldn't reliably communicate if they split up.
In the distance, the lights of New York City grew brighter. Leo flapped his wings in the thermals and soared until he was cold; it would be easy to mistake him for an owl or other night bird at this height, he knew.
Raph wound through the exits and on-ramps expertly, weaving indirectly closer to the Foot tower in the heart of Manhattan. He parked the truck a few blocks away, behind a strip club. Leo could barely see his brothers as they climbed onto the roof; they had chosen a dark area of the street to be above, so Leo quickly dove towards them. The longer he was in the air, the easier he was to spot.
Leo landed with the thump right next to Mikey, who yelped quietly. The eldest furled his wings and stood up, re-orienting his balance to standing position mentally. He wobbled slightly for a minute as his body adjusted, which wasn't helped when Mikey hugged him, but regained his balance eventually.
"Alright, here's the plan," Leo said quietly. "Our primary goal is to kill the Shredder. We need to get in; Raph, Don, you are in charge of security." The two nodded. "Mikey, you will be the diversion." The youngest grinned widely. "We'll meet in the lobby once the security is down and go from there."
"Where will you be?" Raph asked.
"Watching your backs." Leo glanced to the east; the horizon was beginning to turn pink as dawn crept up on the city that never sleeps. The young ones would be getting up soon, too… He turned his mind violently away from that line of thought. "Go."
The brothers slipped silently over the rooftops towards the building. Don and Raph broke off to take care of the security measures; Don for the cameras and laser trips and floorboard sensors, Raph for the ninjas. Mikey dropped from the rooftop onto street level just in front of the lobby, which was dark and silent. Leo was poised on the roof directly above him as Mikey walked back and forth, waiting for someone to respond.
The lobby didn't explode in ninjas, which meant they had to go in. Leo landed next to Mikey and motioned for them to head for the lobby. Both were wary of the possible booby-traps as they approached the glass windows. However, when Leo smashed the left front door and nothing beeped or blew up, both grew more tense. It was not usual for there to be so little security.
Raph and Don were behind the lobby desk. Don was tapping away at the computer while Raph watched the hallway leading away from the perfectly business-like area.
"No one's home," Raph muttered as Leo and Mikey joined their brothers behind the welcome desk. Leo shook his head; he felt uneasy.
"I've shut off the cameras," Don remarked finally. "You two tripped a silent laser wire, though; they know we're here." Leo winced; he usually wasn't so careless. There was nothing for it, though, and he motioned for his brothers to follow him.
They took the stairs – too easy would it be for Saki to catch them unaware in the elevator, or cut the cables and just let them plunge to the bottom of the shaft. However, Leo supposed the warlord would want to lord his success over the mutants…
They trooped up silently, checking each floor quickly for any ninjas. They found nothing but abandoned – or, more likely, never used – offices and cubicles. When they were at the top floor – all four of them had aching calves by then – they found one large open room. Leo wandered out into it, but it was clearly uninhabited; the dust that covered the floor was thick enough to almost be a carpet.
"I feel stupid," he confessed. "Where are they?"
"Down?" Mikey suggested, pointing.
Raph eyed the staircase. Though they were all in great shape, 20 floors was a lot of stairs. He didn't relish the idea of walking all the way back down.
"I saw we take the elevator, Fearless," he grunted. "Maybe there's an underground lair we ain't found yet."
"They were upstairs last time," Don noted. "Where could they have gone? I don't think the Shredder would abandon this building."
"Let's see if the elevator has anything," Leo suggested. He crossed the room to the elevator in the middle of the building and pushed the call button. His brothers joined him.
"Heroes of the day… Waitin' fer the elevator," Raph snickered. "It'll prolly play some elevator music fer us, too." Don rolled his eyes.
The elevator dinged open and the four brothers jumped aside as the doors opened, but nothing popped out and a quick check confirmed the clear glass elevator was empty.
"Is anyone else thinking this is a trap?" Don asked. Mikey nodded, and Leo sighed quietly.
"We have no choice by to spring it." He stepped into the elevator; his brothers followed him. Leo examined the buttons, labeled 1 through 20. There was another button, G. Probably for garage, Leo assumed, frustrated. How hard can it be to find them?
"Whenever we don't want 'em around, they show up. Now we're tryin' t' find 'em and they disappear!" Raph growled. He twirled his Sai in restless anger. Leo shook his head in silent agreement and pressed "G."
