The next morning Artemis had Donnie accompany her topside. They hadn't been gone more than an hour when they came rushing back to the Lair. Artemis was shouting for someone to come help her as she half carried half dragged a young man with shaggy brown hair wearing her shirt wrapped around his waist. Tracey realized with a start that it was Donnie in human form and naked except for Artemis's shirt wrapped around his hips. She was wearing a dark blue bra and seemed totally unconcerned by her state of undress as she laid the unconscious form on the couch, her nose was bleeding and a dark bruise was forming along her ribs but she ignored them both while she hurried to explain. "I was just starting to do some readings when the Foot Clan attacked. Jesus they just attacked out in the open. If Donnie hadn't come up they'd have taken me. There were just too many of them. They took a shot at me with this," She held up a syringe dart with a few drops of purple ooze in the cylinder. "But he took the hit and then collapsed and started twitching. Then they just… left. Like that's what they planned all along. I got him back down the grate and he started convulsing. Then he changed…" She unslung her satchel and tossed it aside the contents half spilling out onto the floor her Tarot cards falling out of their wrapping.
She started checking him over while Raph, Leo and Mikey all crowded around them. Master Splinter banged his cane on the ground. "Move back." He ordered and they reluctantly moved.
"Someone, I need a flashlight." Artemis said calmly as she started checking his vital her finger pressed against the side of his neck taking his pulse. "And someone grab a blanket. He's going into shock."
Having hurried into the living room at the start of hearing Artemis shouting for help, dashed around the living room and grabbed at the pillows to stuff under Donnie's pale legs and then she ran to Leo's room and pulled off a blanket from the bed. She grabbed a flashlight on the way out and rushed passed the boys, handing Artemis the flashlight and tucking the blanket around him quickly. Tracey knew how the boys were feeling at that moment and nodded at her own thoughts. "Mikey I need you to get a bowl of hot water and rags together. I'm going to get a container to put the syringe in so we don't accidently get oozed."
She started, looking from one to the other. "Leo and Raph, we need to make bring all of Donnie's equipment here, he's going to want it when he wakes up. Please go get it and be careful, watch each other's backs. It must have been a blitz attack that took Donnie by surprise and that's how they got close enough to you both... Arty where were you setting up today and what direction were the Foot Clan were heading?"
Tracey had a theory that if she could figure out what direction the Foot Clan had gone that she might be able to track their movements. She had to find them and she knew she'd have to do it soon. If her theories were correct and the Foot Clan was doing what she figured they were then they could be in trouble. At the moment she thought that the Foot Clan was making the attempt to turn all the turtles into humans so they have a better advantage for whatever came next... that's what she was worried about. What comes next if the rest of the turtles were turned scared her.
"Remember to be careful." She said, giving Leo and Raph a worried look. "We have everything under control here."
Artemis didn't look up from examining Donnie. "We were setting up by the 14th Street Subway Entrance. They disappeared into the Subway Tunnels. I managed to stash all of Donnies equipment in the storm grate before I brought him back." She was shining the light into one eye that she held open and her face was grim.
"He's got minimal pupil response, he is out cold." She muttered and Leo had to shove Raph to get him moving out of the Lair to get Donnies equipment.
Artemis was examining the puncture site and when she squeezed it gently foul smelling gunk oozed out, she grimaced and wiped it away with a wet rag. "Mikey, I need you to call Casey or April, I need antibiotics and mens clothes, size large. Tell whoever you call that they can get fish antibiotics at any petstore but it has to be 250mg per capsule."
Mikey made the call, he couldn't get April but he got ahold of Casey who protested but eventually gave in. Master Splinter knelt beside Artemis looking worried. "Why does he need antibiotics?"
Artemis squeezed the wound site again and collected the pus onto a rag. "Smell this." She said holding it out to him.
He did and made a face, Artemis nodded. "Infections are basically a part of the body decaying and the white blood cells trying to fight the rot. You can smell it, back in the day that's how doctors used to diagnose an infection, by smelling the wound."
"But why a pet store?" He asked trying not to sound offended on his sons behalf.
Artemis gave him a slight smile and rested a hand on his bony arm. "It's not because they're turtles Splinter, the FDA ruled a while ago that any product that can be consumed by an animal must also be consumable by people, to prevent accidental poisonings and such. Fish antibiotics are the exact same thing given to humans in the same doses but you don't need a prescription or Doctor's appointment to get them. We can't take Donnie to a hospital but we can't leave him untreated either." She watched as Donnie started to shiver and leaned forward to press her forehead on his. "He's started a fever, a high one too."
Artemis looked over at Tracey. "I don't want to try cooling the fever right yet, can you put some wet cloths in baggies and throw them in the freezer, we'll need them later but right now I want the fever to do what they're meant to."
"What are they meant to do?" Mikey asked looking worried.
"A fever is the body's way of burning out the infection. If it gets too high it can cook the patient's brain but back before modern medicine Doctors used to let a fever burn to help fight whatever illness was plaguing the patient, letting the body fight for itself." Artemis replied smoothing Donnies new hair back.
"But we have modern medicine now." Mikey protested.
"I don't know for certain how much of Donnies body is still a turtle." Artemis replied looking up at him calmly. "He could still have a lot of the internal functions of a turtle in which case cooling him too fast could kill him, or he could be totally human in which case cooling him too fast without the antibiotics could leave him with brain damage or worse. I was an EMT, it's not the same as being a doctor. I know the risks but the best I can do is provide life saving measures with best guesses and all the weird esoteric shit I've learned over the years."
"Trust her Master Splinter, Artemis knows what she's doing." Tracey said, getting up after looking at Donnie in concern she turned to Mikey, resting her hand on his arm.
"Mikey, my sweet, we're going to do all we can to make him well. But I need your help... come on."
She tenderly pulled him away from the living room and toward the kitchen. Once there she grabbed several plastic bags and began filling them half way with water, leaving room for the water to expand when she put them in the freezer. She fished around the kitchen for more rags and Mikey started to assist, heating up water and handing her a plastic container to Tracey, who in turn, took it and carefully placed it inside and snapped the lid on tight. A sudden thought occurred to her and she popped into her shared bedroom and grabbed a spare shirt for Arty, coming out to hand it to her before she looked back at Mikey. She noticed him glancing back at the couch to Artemis and Master Splinter from time to time. Gently placing her hand on his cheek, Tracey had him look into her eyes and take a deep breath.
"I want you the remember to breath and believe me when I say that the reason that Artemis and I are here is to help you. It will take some time to figure out what the Foot Clan are up to, but we're here to help." She said, embracing him and holding onto him tightly. "Now let's refocus and meet up with Casey."
Raph and Leo returned with Donnies stuff just as Mikey and Tracey were headed out to meet Casey. Lleo insisted on heading out with them and about twenty minutes later they were opening a storm grate and helping Casey down. He stopped and stared at Tracey. "Who's this?" He asked looking wary.
"This is Tracey, she's a friend." Leo replied as Tracey moved to take the bag from Casey.
"So why did you need me to get aquarium medicines?" Casey asked curiously.
"Donnies hurt, really bad." Mikey replied his face pinched and Casey looked shocked.
"Well let's go then." He replied handing the back to Tracey.
"Whatever you say Green Arrow." She muttered, eyes flashing to a goldish color when she looked him in the face. She had a slight smirk playing on her lips, but she didn't care to elaborate on her statement while they jogged back to the Lair, Casey in tow looking slightly confused at what he thought he saw. His mouth worked but no sound came out and he was even more confused when their group got back to the living room.
"We have them Arty! I'm going to crush one up and mix it with some water so Donny will drink it with a little help. How long do you think it will take for the medicine to take effect and is there anything else we can do to help him?"
"Don't mix them with water, here, let me have them." Artemis got up and ignored Casey who stared at her.
She took the bag and pulled the antibiotics out. "Oh good, it's the powdered stuff, no need to grind it up." She took it into the kitchen while Raph, Mikey and Leo gathered behind the couch. Casey stared at Donnie in human form on the couch then looked back into the kitchen. "What the hell? Who is she? What happened to Donnie?"
"She is Artemis." Artemis replied mixing the antibiotics with honey in a bowl. "And Donnie got shot with Purple ooze. I am trying to help him, now do me a favor and take the other three somewhere while I work." She crouched down beside Donnie with a thermometer and stuck it under his tongue.
"You got it, holler if you need anything." Tracey said, brushing her fingers over each boy's arms to get them to focus on something else. "You heard her boys, there's nothing more we can do for Donny for now. We'll take turns watching over him throughout the day because I know you guys won't negotiate any other way... Artemis and Master Splinter are taking the first shift. The rest of us should try and change mindsets from the situation here to what our next moves will be."
Tracey took a deep breath and gently nudged them to move. She patted Leo's shoulder, knowing that he was probably feeling the most torn up, almost as if he was personally blaming himself. Letting out a breath, she passed him and went to the training room. A slow, burning sensation had been growing inside her and had started when she noticed Mikey's worry and now with the rest of them. She didn't like to see them hurting, it was bad enough that she had to endure Artemis getting kidnapped and beaten, she sure as hell didn't like it happening to her newest friends. Tracey hesitated before taking the final step into the training room, but when she did a low breath escaped from her and she felt the crackle of energy run through her to her hands.
'Why is this happening to them?! Who's behind it? What is their endgame!?' Tracey asked herself, but with each question her temper flared and the energy crackled fiercer. "Stay in control, Tracey... breath and stay in control." Her words were quiet, as if she was trying to use them to regain control.
"Look I don't know what is going on, or who you guys even are but can someone please explain? I thought the Purple Ooze was gone!" Casey had followed Tracey dodging Mikey who tried to stop him.
Without knowing what he was really stepping into, Casey followed Tracey into the training room right as she let the sizzling energy accumulate in her hands. Casey nearly pissed himself and made a noise of objection and Tracey spun on him, both of her hands flicking outward so suddenly that there wouldn't have been a way for him to avoid being shocked even if he tried. She grunted and withdrew her hands quickly, creating a yo-yo effect and whipping the lightning balls back before they could even scorch his shirt. The energy she had used stuck around as she twirled the balls on strings of lightning that she clasped in her hands.
"God what the hell are you?!" He shouted at her, nearly falling back and clutching at his chest as if to make sure he was still in one piece.
Tracey gave him a look and raised an eyebrow at him. "I am pretty close to being human... just like you, but with a few differences." She answered, shaking her head at him. "You're lucky; the last person who accidentally stood behind me before I had something that even remotely resembled control got a ball of lightning thrown at them and a few years scared off their life... didn't you Mikey?"
Tracey noticed him at the door, but hadn't said anything. She brought her hands together and allowed the lightning to join together to form a single ball of energy. Slowly she closed her hands until the energy vanished and smirked at her success. "Just goes to show what hard meditation and practice can do." She said absently.
Mikey walked in slowly and helped Casey up. "She's gotten better at it." He agreed.
Leo walked in and leaned against the wall crossing his arms. "Artemis and Tracey are from a different world than ours, they have abilities and can both transform, Tracey into a Thunderbird and Artemis into a Dragon. The Foot Clan has gotten their hands on more Purple Ooze and they apparently have decided to see if they can turn us into humans so they can finally beat us." His face was tight and worry filled his eyes.
Casey opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water for a minute then closed it and ran his hands through his hair. "I'm friends with giant talking turtles who are super ninjas… why should this be any stranger?"
"My thoughts exactly though I stopped asking them a long time ago." Tracey replied with a nod, crossing her own arms and shifting her weight to the left. "I have a theory that follows your statement Leo. If the Foot Clan are trying to turn you guys into humans then you would be more vulnerable to attacks, especially if they decide to play geneticists or God and create more animal hybrids like Bebop and Rocksteady." She rested her chin on a fist while her arms were still crossed and shrugged her shoulders.
"Do you have any other ideas what the Foot Clan could possibly be doing? I'll have to do some research and with that ghost file that I plucked from TCRI I might be able to find something there. But I hope there's something in there that will help me find Baxter Stockman too... I think he may have something to do with this. Shredder is gone, so I know it's not him so someone else is pulling the strings and Stockman is the only one that comes to mind who has the know how to manipulate the purple ooze."
Leo shook his head. "I have no idea what they could be up to but his Lieutenant, Kurai is probably running the show these days until they find Shredder again. And before you ask, no I have no clue where she is, she keeps a low profile, we haven't been able to get anywhere near her."
A sarcastic laugh escaped from Tracey's lips as she uncrossed her arms and stretched them over her head. It was an odd laugh and she knew it, but she smiled. "Oh they won't find Shredder so they're just wasting their time looking for him... He's long gone and he's not coming back." She said. "While they're wasting their time, that will give us a slight advantage. I can at least try to find Stockman and perhaps my ghost program in the TCRI computers has copied another update from them... I'll check that out later."
Leo stood up and gave her a sharp look, Raph and Mikey gave her a similar look. "How do you know that?" Leo asked. "We never found out where Shredder vanished to, just that he disappeared when the TechnoDrone appeared. We figured he went into hiding somewhere overseas. He's real big on self preservation and an alien invasion would put him at risk."
Tracey studied each of their faces and chewed on her tongue for a moment before pushing her hair out of her face and letting out a breath. She nodded and figured that if she didn't tell them then Artemis would have to later.
"With all the chaos going on with the invasion, Shredder was transported to the TechnoDrone, but only after he had Kurai send Baxter Stockman to their facility in Tokyo. After that Shredder went to talk to Commander Krang, but as with all evil beings, the Krang betrayed Shredder and turned him into a human popsicle. He was tucked away in a capsule with several other beings, I couldn't tell you what they looked like because there was a thick frost over the glass so he's not getting out." She answered, resting hands on her hips. "Unless the Krang come back, then Shredder will stay gone."
The guys all exchanged glances and Casey shook his head. "I don't even want to know how you know that. "This is freaking me out enough."
They paused when they heard thumping in the other room and Artemis yelled for Tracey. When Tracey ran out she saw Donnie thrashing violently on the couch. Artemis had fresh blood flowing out of her nose and she was trying to tilt him onto his side. "He's having a seizure! Help me get him on the floor."
Artemis was watching Donnie intently. "We just have to wait out the seizure. It's probably a combo platter, high fever and mutagenic triggers." She took the rag Raph offered and wiped her nose trying to staunch the flow without taking her eyes off Donnie. She lowered him to his back when the convulsions stopped. She peeled back an eyelid and checked his pupils then dropped both the rag and the flashlight swearing violently. "Shit shit shit…" She tilted his head back and breathed into his mouth before she started chest compressions. "Come on Donnie." She was putting her whole body into the compressions.
She stopped and breathed into his throat again as the brothers crowded forward and she resumed compressions. "Back up!" She snarled huffing for breath. "Casey! I need you to spell me. I can't keep this pace."
Casey's training kicked in and he dropped down and took over compressions while Artemis breathed into his mouth then looked up at Tracey. "Tracey get them out of here!"
Tracey looked at the situation and shook her head a little and pushed against Leo's chest to get him moving out of the room. She gave Mikey's arm a pull to bring him out of his trance-like state, but Raph was a little bit more stubborn and he and Leo showed equal worry to Mikey's. "Get going or else..." She started, applying pressure to Raph's arm, despite him being so much larger than she was around. "We're not doing any good here."
A sudden thought occurred to her. Tracey turned to Artemis and then moved closer. "Has Donnie's heart stopped?" She whispered quietly, praying that she was wrong. "If his heart has stopped perhaps I can give him some juice to restart it."
Artemis shook her head and took over from Casey so he could take a break. "Defibrillation doesn't work that way. It looks… flashy on tv… but Defib refers to… the heart rate… not the equipment…"
Donnie suddenly jerked and Artemis stopped pumping and rested her head on his chest. "Oh thank the Gods." She checked his eyes again breathing hard. "Casey help me get him up on the couch."
Casey helped move Donnie back onto the couch then helped Artemis sit on the floor. "Easy… Just sit and breath for a minute."
Raph pushed forward his eyes blazing. "You can't tell us to fuckin' leave! He's our brother!"
Leo tried to pull him away and Mikey reached for his arm but Raph pushed them away. "He needs us!"
Casey stood up and moved in front of Raph. "Right now he needs Artemis. She's trained to save lives, let her do her job."
Raph swallowed convulsively and stepped back hands in fists before he spun on his heel and stomped away. Mikey looked close to tears and he followed his brother. "Raph! Raph wait!"
Tracey stood up and let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. She rested her hand on Mikey's shoulder before he got too far from them and shook her head.
"Mikey, let him go, he needs to vent and I don't want you to end up being his punching bag. Raph will blow off some steam and then come back when he's ready." She said, hoping that she could give him some comfort with her words. "Leo, Mikey, please take a breather and I'll come get you if and when anything changes."
She walked to the kitchen and got a bowl to fill with cool water before coming back over to Artemis, Casey and Donnie. Kneeling, Tracey took a rag and dampened it so she could sponge his forehead until the sweat was only faint beads on his skin. She was concerned for Donnie's well-being and she knew how hard it was for the boys to see their brother in so much pain. Tracey had experienced it when Artemis was kidnapped and beaten. She herself felt helpless, but she trusted Hercules and Iolaus to help her get Artemis back and so here the boys needed to understand that she and Artie were going to do all they could to get Donny back on his feet. "Can you trust us to do what we can to help Donnie?"
Mikey swallowed and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I can do that." He all but ran to his room and closed the door. Leo watched him go and then looked over at Artemis who was checking Donnie, blood was smeared under her nose and on her chin but she ignored it. "I trust you both but I can't walk away. I'll stay out of the way, I won't go near the couch but I can't leave until I know." He looked at her with scared blue eyes and she could see he was struggling to stay strong, to be the leader.
Tracey stopped her work and gazed into his eyes and seeing such strength that only a great leader could possess. "Thank you Leo. You are a brave, noble leader and you inspire dedication and skill in your brothers... at this very moment though Mikey needs you, go talk to him. In about an hour go to Raph and the three of you need to talk to each other. Show them your strength and it will comfort them too."
He took a deep breath and looked back over at Artemis who was putting cold compresses on Donnies neck, armpits and legs to try and bring the fever down. "Ok... ok…" He walked to Mikeys door and knocked before walking in and shutting the door.
Casey walked over to Tracey his face drawn with worry. "Artemis told me to come get more ice packs. And she's asked for a list of medical stuff." He handed her the hastily scribbled list and a wad of ones and fives. "I'm supposed to go with you and keep you safe since the boys aren't up to it." He glanced back at the couch and Tracey saw that Master Splinter had pulled up a low stool and was sitting at one end of the couch stroking Donnies hair. "Is he gonna be ok?"
"I certainly hope so. I know Artemis is doing all she can and Donnie is a strong guy so I know he'll push through this, but it will be touch and go for a few hours." Tracey replied, taking the list from Casey and quickly looking over it. "There's a Walgreens not far from here, we'll hit that up for the items we need and hurry back. Let me grab my bag."
Stuffing the list in the pocket of her BDUs, Tracey and Casey went to Leo's room and Tracey grabbed her bag. She made sure that the plastic bags, her wallet and phone were inside before shouldering the satchel diagonally over her chest and closed the door behind them. As they passed by the living room again to get to the storm doors,
Tracey patted Artemis's shoulder for reassurance and bowed respectfully to Master Splinter. She motioned to Casey to follow her and let the way through the tunnels. It took a little while to navigate through them since she had only been this way once before, but Tracey soon had them on the right path and soon they came to the right manhole cover that led out to an alley.
"Let me check it out first." He insisted, already starting to climb the ladder.
"As you wish." Tracey smirked, giving her head a little shake at his sense of nobility. "I hope you don't mind heights because if things go sour we may be flying home or avoiding hiding out for a while."
Casey nodded and then peeked through the holes of the manhole cover to make sure there was nothing out of the ordinary lurking in the alley. With nothing out of place, he pushed the cover off and climbed out, holding a hand out for Tracey to take. She neared the top and took his hand, scanning around them and peering into nooks and crannies for signs of life.
"Okay, let's go. Donnie needs these items quickly and we don't have time to waste."
She allowed Casey a moment to replace the manhole cover and walked to the edge of the alley, looking around the corner until she could see up and down the street. Having become very paranoid that there would be attempted kidnapping for both herself and Artemis wherever they were sent to, Tracey didn't want to take any chances today, especially not today.
There was no lurking band of Foot Clan soldiers waiting to ambush them and they hurried into the Walgreens. It didn't take long to get everything on the list and oddly Artemis had included a few comfort items on the list like chocolate bars and oreo cookies. As Tracey was passing an aisle with a cart full of stuff she caught sight of a rack of T-Shirts. One in particular caught her eye, a pale gray background with a black bird in flight but the markings on the wings and breast were bright blue. It reminded her of Nargis and in a fit of near homesickness she put it in the cart on top of the shirt, sweatpants and boxer briefs Artemis had put on the list for Donnie. She's also asked for more socks and a pair of sneakers mens size ten. Casey had darted across the street to a shoe store for those and was hurrying back in when Tracey had just finished paying for everything. As they were sneaking back down into the Sewers Casey hefted the bag with the Blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. "What does she want all this stuff for?" He asked.
Tracey looked over to see which of the several bags Casey had in his hands and then answered. "We'll need it for Donnie and after him... well there's no telling when they'll come in handy later."
Picking through her bags, Tracey pulled out the T-shirt she got at Walgreen and pulled it on over her head and then took off her tank top and jacket. She brushed her fingers of the bird and sighed heavily. Hefting the bags that clustered around her, Tracey started walking after hanging a right at the next tunnel opening.
"Come on, I want to check on Donnie to make sure he's okay and then see how the others are doing... I'm pretty sure Raph is still pissed as hell fire and won't calm down unless he fights it out or I take him flying again."
She shook her head and about twenty minutes later they were back in the Lair and depositing the bags on the floor and began to pull all the things that Artemis had asked for. The rest she took to Leo's room and deposited on the bed before returning to the living room, figuring, almost hoping, that the boys were in the training room blowing off steam. Artemis inclined her head at Mikey's room as she unwrapped the blood pressure cuff. "They're all in there, they've been in there for about half an hour, I'd leave them alone, they just stopped shouting."
She picked up a pad of paper that had her neat cursive writing in columns and settled the stethoscope into her ears while she checked his blood pressure. Casey watched her for a few minutes before he sat down across from Master Splinter. "Master Splinter. How ya holding up."
Master Splinter held his hands clasped in his lap and shook his head. "As well as I can. I thought I had made peace with the idea that my sons might become injured but the reality of it is…" He trailed off when Artemis came over holding the pad of paper. "His blood pressure and vitals are human normal. I've given him antibiotics and fever reducers and as far as I can tell he's stable. I can't be more sure since I'm not a doctor, I'm going to be keeping a really close eye on him but I think we're almost out of the woods."
Master Splinter stood carefully then reached over and pulled her into a hug that surprised her. "Thank you, Thank you for saving my son."
"Don't thank me yet. Thank me when he wakes up." She patted his shoulder and went back to sit beside Donnie.
Tracey let out a relieved breath and used both of her hands to push the hair from her face. "Artemis, you need to take a break." She said softly, resting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Take a shower and perhaps a nap. Master Splinter, Casey and I have this covered." She took a rag, crouched beside the couch and dabbed it over Donnie's forehead.
Artemis nodded. "In half an hour check his temperature, take his pulse and write them down on the pad. Do it every half hour. I'll check his blood pressure when I come back."
Tracey nodded and took the pad and pen from her. Watching her leave to room, Tracey looked back at Donnie and let out another quiet breath and touched his face with a gentle hand. She studied his face, noting his soft, human skin, gentle features and almost nerdy appearance. Her smile was a soft one and she checked the clock on her phone so she knew when to take his temp and pulse. 'He's cute... for a nerdy science guy.' She thought to herself. 'Can't wait to see his reaction when he wakes up and sees his new body. God I hope this isn't permanent.' A few minutes later she took the thermometer and put it beneath Donnie's tongue and waited for it to beep at her. She used her index and middle finger to check his pulse too, counting each beat and then writing it down on the pad of paper.
She heard the shower start, then stop a few minutes later and saw Artemis walk into Leo's room and close the door. She'd been in there about 15 minutes when Mikeys door opened and the brothers walked out into the living room. Raph looked around then headed over to Tracey. Where's Artemis?" He demanded.
Tracey looked up at him after wringing out the rag in her hands and folded it across Donnie's forehead again. Her chest rose as she inhaled and fell again as she exhaled and looked at them all in turn before her eyes fell on Raph. Standing up she barely reached the middle of his massive forearms, but she didn't care. "Check the attitude before you speak to her because you're not the most patient of turtles and you all will be happy to know that Donnie is doing better." Tracey answered, looking Raph in the eyes calmly. "Artemis is in the bedroom and should be out shortly to take his blood pressure."
Raph nodded and moved to the back of the couch leaning his arms on it to look down at his brother. Leo and Mikey moved to take places beside him and they all stood a silent vigil watching over their brother who breathed slow and even. When Tracey moved the blanket to wipe sweat off his chest she winced at the bruises on his chest from the chest compressions needed to restart his heart. About half an hour later the door to Leo's room opened and Artemis came out running a hand through her messy hair. She paused when she saw the brothers standing behind the couch. Tracey half expected Raph to rush her but they all stayed put. Artemis raised an eyebrow but moved to kneel beside the couch, she checked his vitals again and finished by checking his blood pressure. She made notes on the pad and tapped her pen on the pad. "Elevation of 6%... he could be coming around soon…" She muttered and stood up smiling at Tracey. "Thanks for keeping an eye on him, I needed that nap.
Raph, Leo and Mikey all moved around to the middle of the room and Tracey noticed Splinter standing to watch them his own face curious. The boys knelt down in front of Tracey and Artemis and bowed their heads respectfully as Leo spoke. "Thank you both. We can never repay you for saving our brothers life, our lives are yours, where you walk we will follow, we will put our bodies between you and any harm from this day forward." It had the sound of ritual and Splinter dropped his cane.
"Nani?" Tracey started to ask, her face slightly confused and she looked at Artemis and then to Master Splinter to see if they knew what the boys meant. "There's no need for that guys. We would do anything we could to help."
She was in complete and utter shock without a clue of how to take Leo's statement, but she figured his words had a deeper meaning behind them. Artemis sighed softly and set the pad down on the floor. She stepped forward and rested a hand on each of the turtles heads in turn. "We cannot accept this oath, we are not from this world and we will someday return to our own world." She took Leo's hand first and raised him up to his feet then Raph and finally Mikey. "You owe us no debt but the debt of friends, no oath but the oath of family. We will walk with you as with brothers and hold unto our hearts our new family line." As she spoke her eyes glowed green and Tracey felt her own eyes glow gold, Artemis was weaving a spell and it resonated with her own burgeoning magic.
She sealed the spell with a kiss to each of the boys cheeks and motioned for Tracey to do the same. Stepping forward, Tracey took each of their faces in her hands and kissed their cheeks too, her eyes still glowing softly. Her fingers lingered on Leo's cheek before she nodded and let him go.
"We understand the importance of siblings and family. Understand more the needs of those on your team, they have more to offer than you think." She looked over at Mikey and gave him a wink.
The mood in the room broke when Casey cleared his throat. "Uh… What the hell just happened?"
Splinter spoke softly. "Old oaths of fealty. The boys felt they owed Artemis and Tracey a debt."
Artemis turned back to Donnie while Splinter explained, she peeled one eyelid back and checked his pupils and made a note while Leo moved in closer. "How is he?" He asked softly.
"Improving." She replied and set the pad down.
"What do we do now?" He asked reaching down to touch Donnies shoulder.
Artemis looked up at him. "You keep being the leader. Don't doubt yourself or what you've accomplished. "The Foot will make another move soon enough."
