A/N: Here is the next installment! Hopefully chapters will start coming out a little faster as I've been given about four days off! Pretty excited to spend my time relaxing and just writing especially with all the action scenes coming up.
Thank you so very much to Diana Fay, TheHalfmetalAlchemist, BubblyShell22, Drusilla52, and mela989898. You guys always, always make my day. Your reviews are what are keeping me flying through these chapters :)
008 – Where the Old World Shadows Hang Heavy in the Air.
It was raining. April thought that was suitable weather. After placing her steaming mug of coffee down on the table, she collapsed upon her couch. It was five in the morning and she couldn't sleep. With a warm, furry housecoat wrapped around her shoulders April listened to the loud snoring coming from down the hall. If only that could be her. She was utterly exhausted but every time she closed her eyes she would awake with a start, gasping as horrifying memories of blood and terror flashed through her mind. They had seemed more vivid lately.
The Shredder had been defeated years ago and for the first couple months after his demise April found herself awakening in fits of horror. Her nightmares had lessened as the months went on but lately they had returned in full force, blood red skies and all. She would watch helplessly as her husband was slain, a sword straight through his chest. Next went Donatello, his head severed from his neck and thrown at her feet. Michelangelo and Raphael always seemed to die together in a gore mess as their plastrons were cut through. Leonardo went last, standing bravely with tears rushing down his face as his throat was slit.
When April went to cry for help, screaming for Master Splinter to save them she would find her sensei's body in a crumpled heap, innards and all falling around him. It was then she'd awake to Casey shaking her or her own blood curdling scream.
She had been happy when the nightmares lessened, ceased to exist when they realized the worse threat was the bumbling Purple Dragons but that wasn't the case anymore. Ever since Donnie mentioned they were taking the girl they rescued home with them the nightmares started. April hadn't been sure what it was at first until she realized this was the same feeling she had before. This constant worry that rested on her shoulders was the same when the Shredder was alive.
Something big was happening and April O'Neil knew their lives would once again be on the line.
She gazed down at her coffee table, drawing her mug into her hands before taking a tiny sip. Papers littered the surface, files and old newspaper clips strewn about. Picture after picture of new Dragon recruits lay in front of her. Getting into their system had been a piece of cake but handling the shock had been another thing. Something wasn't adding up and until she figured that out April didn't plan on sleeping.
Lifting up a file she came eye to eye with a young face. His name was Elijah Moore. The boy wasn't a child but he looked so young with eyes that were so very angry. Elijah reminded her of Angel, the rebellious girl who had once upon a time tried so hard to get in with the Purple Dragons. She was now in California, studying at UCLA on a full paid scholarship. If only that were the case here. This young man didn't look like he belonged. He was clean shaven, had no trace of a record and had been, at one point, on his way to law school.
What had driven him into a life of crime? What had driven him to leave his family to the hands of the Purple Dragons?
April released a loud sigh, downing another sip of her coffee and tossing the file back to the table.
Why was this happening again?
"Hey babe, what're you doin' out here?" She hadn't noticed the snoring had stopped, hadn't even heard Casey's heavy feet treading down the hall. Peering over her shoulder, she found her husband standing over her, a hand carelessly ruffling his wild morning hair. April just quietly shook her head. "Awe, c'mon, what's wrong?"
Casey dropped down beside her on the couch, a bulking arm slipping around her shoulders. The warmth felt nice, the comfort felt better and she fell into the hold.
"I can't sleep, Case," said April. "I just know this is the beginning of something... bad and I can't seem to figure out what yet."
"You will," He breathed, planting a gentle kiss on her temple.
"I'm scared, Casey," she admitted. "It's been years since the Shredder was destroyed and I thought – I guess I thought we'd all be able to live happily from now on. I mean what could be worse than Oroku Saki?"
"This feels like it, don't it?"
"Yes," She whispered. "These people – The new Dragon recruits are all wrong. They don't fit the typical profile. This man -" April leapt forward to grab another file. The photo was of a burly man, gruff with a beard and a scar over his right eye. Casey sure as hell thought he fit. "His name's Henry Adler. He's a veteran. He came home from Iraq six months ago. He has a family – two kids – and a great job! They have plenty of money so I don't understand. Why would he sink this low?"
Casey took the file from her hands, peering at the solider. "I dunno, April, who knows what his family life is like, right?"
"This kid!" April grabbed a picture of a very skinny boy, glasses and all with a scowl on his lips. "Casey, this boy could be Donnie. He's an absolute genius who flew through university at the age of fifteen. He was working at Harvard – Harvard, Casey. Why is he with the Dragons? None of this makes sense."
"What about him?" Casey pointed to Elijah's file.
April gave him a sigh. "Even Elijah seems out of place. His school records say he passed with a 4.0 GPA. He was on his way to law school. He was smart, Case."
"But he's still a kid," Casey reminded her. "Kid's gotta have wanted somethin'. I mean when I was that age all I wanted was to make money. Dragons can offer yah that, you know?."
"Yes but Harvard and Adler wouldn't need money."
"Well what else could the Dragons give 'em?"
April tiredly shook her head, the bright red strains of hair spilling into her face. "I – I don't know."
"Then we should figure that out, right?"
"Yes, I guess we should." A light smile flitted over her lips and she leaned up to plant a sweet kiss on his cheek. "Thanks Case."
"Hey, don't mention it," He grinned, reaching forward for another file to read. "And if it makes yah feel any better I promise nothin' bad will happen to our guys. I'll make sure of it."
Casey wouldn't be able to keep that promise.
For hours the tired couple poured over Hun's new Elite team. The rain continued to slosh against the windows, wind howling as the chilly October morning went on. April was left tossing her head back in frustration, groaning as she placed a hand over her forehead. There was a rather persistent headache raging on. Digging into those people's background hadn't been hard but other than about three men, the Purple Dragons had nothing to offer them expect for a life of crime.
"I don't understand!" She cried, getting up to fill her coffee mug. "Unless these men are tired of living by the rules then there is nothing at all. What connects them? There's nothing about any of their lifestyles that -"
"They've all lost someone," Casey muttered. He was peering at a girl, a woman now, who had lost her fiancé to a fire years ago. April stopped; her bare feet cold against the kitchen tile. That was right. She could clearly see every member and the articles she found online blaring the words CRASH, HOMICIDE, FIRE and so on. Henry Adler, the soldier, had lost his best friend in Iraq. There was an interview about how the men had held his friend as he died in his arms.
When the Harvard genius turned twenty his older sister lost her fight to cancer. He had up and disappeared from the school for a month, mourning the loss of the woman who had literally raised him. Apparently his family life hadn't been so wonderful. Elijah Moore had lost his parents when he was young to a car crash where his Aunt and Uncle took full custody.
April hurried back to the couch, rapidly poring over the files, flipping through the endless pages she had found online. One man lost his daughter to a murderer who raped and tortured the girl in an abandoned warehouse for hours. Another found his mother on the floor, a stroke taking her life before he could come fetch her for church.
Death.
Death.
Death.
There was at least one significant death in every member of the Elite team's life, one death that completely turned their world upside down.
This is impossible, thought April. Hun could never, in his wildest dreams, offer these poor people what she thought he was.
"You can't - you can't actually bring back the dead," April whispered, staring at the photo of the beautiful girl who had been murdered. "There has to be something else, anything else. Casey, read over these files."
Casey just fell back into the couch, holding onto the file of the girl who lost her fiancé. "Ape, we've seen some pretty fucked up things over the years."
He couldn't be serious, she thought. There was no way he was actually considering this. This was ridiculous. You can't bring back the dead. It's impossible. April shook her head. There had to be something else. Everyone has lost someone. It'd be hard to not have that as a tie.
"We have to keep looking," She said. "Bringing the living to life is impossible, even on the standards we've seen. None of this makes sense. We can't be looking hard enough."
"April," Casey whispered. His hands were gently coaxing the papers from her lap. "Maybe that's just it. Maybe we are lookin' too hard."
"But Case," she cried.
"Who knows what they're going after," said Casey. "But maybe that's just it. Maybe they were promised it'd resurrect the dead. There are lots of hopeful people out there. Whatever it is all I think Hun cares about is if it'll bring him power. He's still scared shitless about the Shredder comin' back."
With a loud sigh, a tiny smile flitted over April's pale face. "When did you get so smart?"
"Ah, I hang around you too much. It rubs off I guess," He teased, planting a sweet kiss on her head. "I'm gonna go shower. If you wanna join -"
She laughed, "Get going. I need to pack all this stuff up anyway. I'll have to show Donnie what we found. Hopefully he's targeted which museum they plan to hit. That may give us a little bit more on what Hun thinks will bring him power."
"Your loss, babe!" He teased, chuckling as she tossed a throw pillow at him. Casey disappeared, the bathroom door closing behind him. When April heard the shower begin, she slowly began to gather her papers, shoving them into her brief case. Her laptop soon followed and with a loud yawn, she moved to pour another cup of coffee.
Whatever was happening, and she was sure something was, they would handle it. The turtles had defeated every enemy they had come across. They would handle this like they always did, swiftly and in the dark. No one would know and April and Casey could go on as they always did.
April took a sip of the coffee in her hand, a little laugh following. Whatever this was there was no possible way it would be as destructive and as terrifying as the Shredder or at least April could only hope.
When Casey and April arrived at the turtles' home they weren't surprised to see Donatello poring over his computer. He looked exhausted, a mug of coffee in one hand and a grouping of papers in the other. The desktop screen had various windows open that all seemed to be picturing some strange, rusted old war tools.
"Looks like you've found something," said April but she had no doubt he wouldn't have.
"Oh, April, Casey," called Don as he turned around in his chair. "I didn't hear you come in."
"Hey Don," said Casey. "How ya doin'?"
"I'll probably be a little better after I take a nap," said the turtle with a soft smile. Even with the purple mask on April could see the big black bags under his eyes. "The others are in the kitchen. I'll join you soon. I just have a few more things to go over."
"Let's see what you've found." April walked to his side, dropping her briefcase by her feet as she gazed down at his desk. Endless amounts of papers littered the area but until like her coffee table these were all about museums and exhibits and artifacts.
"Well," Donnie muttered, trying hard to hide a yawn. "I started looking into which blueprints they had stored on file. I figured if there was a certain one they were going to strike there would be countless hits but I came up empty handed. So I began looking at the bigger museums, which ones had newer exhibits and found that the Museum of Natural History just opened a new display. It arrived yesterday and should have been fully functional by this morning."
"That's what these are?" asked April. Her finger gently tapped the computer screen, eyeing the very old stone tools. "These are the artifacts on display?"
"Some of them," said Donnie. "The new exhibit has various artifacts from the United Kingdom and Ireland. They're from tombs and burial sites or at least the ones I've seen on the museum's site. It's a shot in the dark but the timeline places this as the most logical place to hit. I don't know what Hun is after though. I still need to try and figure that out."
"I think I can help you there. Casey and I could go take a look this afternoon."
Donnie's tired face lit up causing a pleased smile to cover April's. "That's actually perfect. I'll need photos and any information you can get from the guides there."
"You're positive the Dragon's plan to hit this museum?"
"Not one hundred percent," replied the turtle. "But it's the best chance we have. Have you found anything more on Hun's Elite team?"
April sighed. "I... I'm not sure. I think I should tell everyone what Casey and I've managed to piece together. It's not exactly the sanest conclusion."
Donatello eyed her curiously but April just muttered that it looked like he needed more coffee. She sure as hell did. The turtle boy agreed, grabbing the Bo staff that leaned against the brick wall and followed her towards the kitchen, heavy briefcase in tow.
When they reached the kitchen, April was a little surprised to see a young woman standing over the stove. She had known the girl they rescued was staying here, Michelangelo had told her frequently about her and how she had managed to throw up all over Donnie. It was just actually seeing her for the first time and in such a relaxed position was strange. The girl was cooking, an omelet to be exact and April watched as she rather easily tossed the creation briefly into the air to flip it. That was right. Donnie had mentioned something about her being a chef.
No one else seemed bothered by the odd sight. Donatello simply walked on in, muttered a tired hello as he headed to the coffee maker. Leonardo politely replied. Before him looked to be a nearly devoured plate of eggs and April assumed the girl had made them for him. When she wandered farther in the entire table said their course of hellos and the girl peered over her shoulder, a nervous smile on her lips.
"Hello," April said. "You must be Lana."
"I am," said the young woman. "You're April, right? It's nice to meet you."
Lana Cruise's face was very young looking. April blamed that on the horrendous amount of freckles that dotted her cheeks and the brown eyes that were as big as a deer's. The lack of makeup probably had something to do with it, the wild bed head as well, but Lana's face looked so little. She could see the resemblance now between her and Elijah Moore. The youth that Elijah hid with angry eyes and Lana hid with heavy makeup.
What told April Lana wasn't a young teenager was the curvy body that was covered in nothing but a long, white t-shirt. She had large hips, a huge butt and a matching chest. Her waist was tiny but Lana would tell her later she struggled through high school with her weight and spent hours of her life working out to try and shed the pounds. Unfortunately for her the Cruise ass and hips stayed and no matter what she did, she couldn't seem to get rid of them.
"Nice to meet you too," April replied, dropping her briefcase on the table.
Lana had slid the omelet from the pan onto a plate before tossing the scorching metal into the sink. Steam rose in an instant. Lana thought April was pretty, very pretty and very Irish looking with bright, fiery red hair that she had high in a bun and green eyes that looked like emeralds. Skinny and tall, April reminded Lana of a very pale Megan but the jeans and the long sleeve top that covered her torso quickly took that away. Megan had never been a big fan of covering up, regardless of weather.
"Do you want something to eat?" offered Lana. She wasn't really sure what to say to this woman so she did what she normally would do when she was nervous. Food always seemed like an icebreaker.
"No," said April. "I'm alright, thank you."
Lana gave her a nod and began picking at omelet on her plate, leaning against the kitchen counter. April was still having trouble with this.
"So Donnie, yah find the place or what?" asked Raphael. He shoveled a mouthful of eggs into his mouth.
"I think so," yawned his brother. Donnie had sat himself beside Leonardo, quietly sipping at the mug in his hands. "A new traveling exhibit just arrived at the Museum of Natural History. Logically, this is where the Purple Dragons will go or at least I'm hoping."
"Casey and I are going to go take a look," replied April. She was clicking open her case. "See if any of the tour guides have some stories."
"What's the exhibit?" asked Lana, placing her plate down beside her.
"It's a collection of artifacts found around the United Kingdom and Ireland. It's depicting life around the time of the High Middle Ages," said Don.
"So what? Like knights and stuff?" called Mike. He had long since finished his meal, an omelet Lana had stuffed with nearly everything in the fridge.
Don nodded. "Exactly like that."
"Maybe Hun's goin' after some fancy sword or somethin'," offered Casey who still had his leather jacket on. His long hair was damp from the outside, dripping droplets that ran off his shoulders.
Lana laughed. "Like Excalibur?"
"That'd be so cool!" cried Mikey. "You think it's something like that, Donnie? How awesome would that be?"
"Well Excalibur is just a legend and if it did exist it would have been from around the fifth century. I highly doubt it would be at the museum but there are quite a few swords on display. I'm more concerned on what Hun would want."
"Well it wouldn't be about money," said Leonardo. "He has enough as it is."
"What Hun is after is peace of mind," said Master Splinter, his voice wise and gentle. Lana was pretty sure anything the old rat said would come out sounding sensible. "He has always been frightened of Oroku Saki and for good reason. I fear that until Hun is certain he would stand a chance if our old enemy did rise again he will never relax."
"So he's goin' after a weapon or somethin'?" scoffed Raph. "What could be in that museum that would actually protect Hun from the Shredder?"
"We won't know until we check," answered Donnie. "I'll need pictures and names if I'm to search anything. The exhibit is fairly new. In fact New York was its first stop so there's not a whole lot about it on the internet. Until I have some more information there's not a lot we can do but guess."
"Casey and I will head out soon," said April. "I just... I have a few things I need you guys to go over."
"Been tryin' to figure it out all mornin'," grinned Casey, watching as April pulled out file after file from her briefcase. Lana strolled over, her breakfast plate now empty and in the sink, and stood beside Raphael, peering over his head.
"What is all this?" asked Master Splinter, carefully pulling a file into his paws. Lana watched him open it and she felt her breath catch. That was Elijah, an entire file on Elijah.
"Master Splinter," She murmured. "Can I – Would I be able to see that one?"
"Of course, Lana."
Were her hands shaking? She was pretty sure her hands were shaking. Lana gazed down at the piece of I.D. Her cousin looked so angry.
"What is it?" asked Raphael. She placed it in front of his face; his hands gathered her wrists to stop them from quivering so he could see the picture clearly. A scowl came from his mouth and Lana pulled the papers back. "Hey Ape! What the hell you doin' with a file on Lana's deadbeat cousin?"
"I have a file on all the apparent Elite team," said April. Leonardo was flipping through the file of Henry Adler. "I've been trying to figure out what would drive half these people to join the Dragons. Someone of them can be easily pinpointed as joining for money but most of them don't have a need for that."
God, Elijah looked so angry. Lana flipped the paper over and she nearly dropped the file. In was an old newspaper clipping. The headline read, "MOORE FAMILY KILLED IN CRASH." The photo was the one hanging in her living back in Michigan. It was of a beaming Elijah, age twelve, and his cheerful parents. Her finger ran itself over the faces of her Aunt and Uncle. She had almost forgotten what they looked like. Her Aunt looked just like her father except for the more lithe, female version. They both got their dark hair from that side of the family. Her Uncle had been a squat man with a smiling face and she wondered if Elijah would ever grin like that again.
"Eli – Eli said he joined for the money," said Lana. "I don't really know if he was telling me the truth though."
Gently hands pried the file away and she saw Master Splinter's aged face. She hadn't notice before but strains of white fur had mingled with the grey, kind of like a dog's hair did when he past into the senior years. He patted her quivering hands before handing the file off to his son. Raphael was eyeing Lana cautiously; his dark eyes sharp and she did her best to look away. God, she was such a fucking mess.
"I've heard of this kid," muttered Donnie. "He's written at least twelve papers, three on Quantum Physics. His paper on String theory was absolutely riveting."
Mikey snatched the file from his brother's hands. "So if he's so smart why the heck is he working with the Purple Dragons? I mean the guy works at Harvard as a professor. He's got to make a killing."
"Which is what has stumped me," said April. She placed the remaining files on the table. "Casey and I went over and over the data but nothing seemed to connect them. They're all from different cities, different ages. They have different jobs, went to different schools. If anything they look like randomly chosen candidates, which they could be, but..."
"But?" asked Leonardo.
April looked troubled.
"What is it, April?" wondered Mikey. "Awe, c'mon, it can't be that bad."
"They've all lost someone significant," muttered Donnie. He was looking at the file of the man who had lost his daughter to a sick rapist.
"Everyone's lost someone," growled Raph, tossing Elijah's photo to the pile.
"I know," said April. "That's what I said but... I can't find anything else."
"So what are yah sayin'? That Hun's promised to bring their loved ones back from the dead?"
"I... don't know," muttered the woman. "Logically, that makes no sense and is completely impossible but -"
"You have all seen the impossible," said Master Splinter. His cane clunked against the floor as he returned from the fridge, a tall glass of water in his hands.
Donnie chuckled to himself. "If anything there are five of us here that should be an impossibility. Seems like we proved those odds wrong."
"You – You can't bring the dead back," whispered Lana, her hands were clinging to the top of Raphael's chair. "That's not... That can't happen."
"We've seen it before," said Leonardo, calmly peering at the suddenly anxious girl. "Not in the manner I'm sure they were promised but when the Tengu Shredder had taken over New York he had made a number of Foot soldiers rise from the dead."
Elijah wouldn't have bought that though, thought Lana. He would have laughed in their face and snarled to leave him alone. Elijah wasn't stupid. That couldn't be the reason.
Mikey tossed the Harvard boy's photo down. "I don't know if Harvard boy would have fallen for that. I mean you think you'd believe Hun if he told you some rusted artifact would bring back the dead?"
"No," replied Donnie. "But there is a mystery man hiding in the Purple Dragon's headquarters. I have a feeling if we find him we'll be able to piece all of this together."
"Whoever he is," said Leonardo. "He has to be the one behind this. Hun may be able to orchestrate a few killings but the depth of these files is amazing. He has men for everything."
"There are few I'm not positive what they are for," said April. "Like Lana's cousin. He seems... misplaced."
That was a good word for him.
"Don't look at me." Lana tried hard to laugh. "Elijah doesn't have that many skills other than a rather uncanny ability of talking his way out of anything. He's smooth but... I mean he can't even aim a gun properly."
"We'll try looking farther into it," said Leonardo. "April, you and Casey just worry about the artifacts."
"Right," agreed April as she offered the few papers in her hands to Donnie. Casey slowly stood, releasing a loud yawn as he wandered towards his wife.
"Would – Could I go with you two?" asked Lana. The table turned to see her smiling lightly. She looked a little nervous like they were going to tell her no. Lana just really wanted to help or at least do something. If she stayed here she'd be staring at the photo of her cousin or sitting on the couch not watching TV. This bringing the dead back to life sent chills down her spine. The dead were supposed to stay dead and she didn't care what anyone said. That was unnatural and spooky. Lana wanted out of the pumping station now.
"Of course," smiled April. "Why don't you go get ready and we'll leave when you're done?"
"Perfect," breathed the girl before rushing off towards the bathroom.
Driving in New York City was something Lana had learned long ago she hated. She was used to driving down the open highway near her small farm town in Michigan. She was used to driving down a road that could go for miles before she saw another car. New York City was not like that. Her nails had literally dug themselves into the back of Casey's old beat up Chevy. Horns honked constantly as they swerved through traffic and all she could do was pray they wouldn't crash.
This was why Lana took the Metro every day.
"Have you ever been to the museum before?" asked April from the front. She peered over to see Lana, who was now fully dressed, trying hard not to wince every time Casey took a corner to sharply.
"Once," said Lana. "When I first moved here my parents came down to help move furniture in. My dad wanted to go see it. Do you... have any idea of what were looking for?"
"No," replied April. "But I'm hoping it will be suspicious enough. How are you – How are you doing with all this?"
Lana hadn't expected her to ask that. In fact, Lana hadn't really expected her to talk much. They had spent most of the car ride in silence, the radio humming and the rain pitter pattering against the window. Horns honked all around them and there was the occasional swear from Casey as he was cut off.
"Alright, I think," said Lana. She wasn't really sure how she was supposed to handle this. "I'm still a little scared to go to the apartment with it being watched and all but Raph said he and Mikey are gonna go grab some of my leftover stuff tonight so I guess I won't ever have to go back there."
That hadn't been what April meant but she kept her mouth shut and offered to talk to her about her schooling. Lana was happy to talk about that. It was a couple minutes later, about half way into their conversation about what life was like as a beginning chef, that Casey found a parking spot. Climbing out of the car, Lana pulled the collar of her jacket closer to her, the rain pounding down on her head.
The Museum of Natural History was an absolute wonder. She had seen it a few times, been in it once but the building still left her in awe. The architecture was brilliant, mimicking an old style with towering pillars that reached for the skies. Hurrying up the stairs, they ducked into the warm building joining the many crowds wishing to spend a rainy day at the museum.
"You know where you're goin', right babe?" asked Casey as they stood to the side. He was eyeing a nosy group of schoolchildren he wanted nothing to do with. If they got stuck behind them he was pretty sure he'd knock someone in the face.
"Yes," said his wife. "Donnie told me which floor it's been placed on. Let me just grab the tickets."
April disappeared into the line, leaving Lana and Casey standing against the wall. Lana peered up at the man. He was rather tall, about her father's height, with arms that could probably rip a truck in half. Casey reminded her of a football player. She was pretty sure even Raphael would have trouble moving him.
"So you, uh, like livin' with the guys?"
Lana peered up at the man. He was pushing his long, dark hair out of his eyes as he peered around the grand room. Even though she was a little caught off by the question she managed to give him a nod.
"I've only been there for a few days but they're pretty easy to get along with," said Lana. The herd of school children bustled by them, about half of the kids eyeing the strange pair leaning against the wall.
Casey peered down at her. "That mornin' trainin' routine don't piss you off?"
"Pfft!" Lana brushed the comment off. "I can sleep through anything. Just this morning I slept through Mikey and Raphael wrestling in front of me. I don't hear a thing. A bomb could go off and I'd snore right through it."
He snorted and Lana looked over to see April wandering to their sides. She held three tickets and motioned for the two of them to follow her. Lana happily did and as they wandered through the floors, trying hard to avoid the crowds, she kept finding herself getting lost in the sights around her. Casey had to frequently grab her by the scoff of her coat to keep her moving.
"Just over here," said April, pointing to a room that surprisingly didn't seem as filled as the others. Lana was busy swatting Casey's hands away, grumbling that she promised to stay focused from now on.
The room they entered was large and filled with glass case after glass case. Some held weapons, swords and bows, while others were filled with clothing that looked like it had seen better days. People gapped along the boxes, hands pressed to the glass as they peered inside. April said she would take one end of the room, Casey the middle and sent Lana to the far side. The young woman situated herself beside a couple, a man and a woman who looked like they were bickering over the exhibit.
"Old junk," said the man repeatedly, flattening what little hair he had on his head. "Are you actually looking at this stuff, Sara? It's just old junk."
Sara didn't seem to think so. Lana watched the frail woman press her hands against the glass. She was tiny with short blonde hair and eyes that just seemed to glow as she stared down at the history below her fingertips.
"I think it's beautiful," said Sara. "Imagine what this locket once looked like."
Lana saw her tapping above a necklace, a simple metal chain with a closed locket at the end. Vines and leaves seemed to have been carved into the metal, Celtic knots etched into the surface. It looked rusted and worn.
"It's pretty," Lana found herself saying aloud.
Sara looked at the girl, pleased. "Imagine. I'm sure some young man gave this to his wife. I wonder if there is anything inside. It's too bad it's been melted shut."
Lana frowned, reaching over to gaze into the glass case. Sure enough the locket's edges looked to have been welded, melted closed. It was a rather strange sight.
"One of the guides said someone must have tried to get rid of it long ago," muttered Sara. "Strange, isn't it? That only the edges are welded shut. It's a bit of a shame. Maybe the woman died and her husband could no longer look at her trinket."
"Maybe," said Lana as she shifted her phone out of her purse. With the flash off, she quickly took a picture of the locket. This cheap thing couldn't possibly be what they were looking for but Donnie had said to take a photo of everything. Sara continued to ramble about it, how jewelry was made and how romantic she thought the pretty piece of metal was until she pointed to a dagger just above it. Lana supposed Sara was just happy someone was listening to her as her balding husband had wandered off, disappearing from the room.
"That dagger was most likely used for hunting," said the woman. "Probably to skin their kill."
Lana took another picture with her phone.
"You seem rather interested," said Sara. "I'm surprised."
"Oh you have no idea," Lana laughed to herself. "My family's actually from the UK so my father's a big fan. What about that sword over there?"
"Oh! Yes, isn't it a beauty?"
Lana had to admit it was actually very pretty. Standing in a tall, glass case, the sword looked well kept, cleaned enough that there was still a dull luster. The handle looked worn, dirty and Lana wondered who had once wielded it.
"We were told they found it in some castle ruins. Must have been quite the sight in the day. Can you imagine seeing that being swung at your face?"
Lana supposed she could. She had seen Leonardo gracefully fiddling with his katanas briefly when she awoke this morning. He moved like a dancer, swinging with utter ease. Lana snapped another photo. Sara spent the remainder of her museum time explain various items from arrow heads to horseshoes to which garments were worn by whom until Lana was spent just listening to her. When Casey loomed over her with a grin, she bid the enthusiastic woman goodbye before trailing after the couple.
"Anything?" She asked April as they shuffled through the nattering crowds.
"Nothing very significant but we'll see what Donnie says. There is one sword that I thought might be something, you know the one in the big case?"
"Oh yeah, that thing was huge!" gushed Casey. "I bet that's it. Nothin' else looked special enough, you know? I mean unless Hun is lookin' for a basket to put his laundry in or somethin'."
Lana snorted. There was nothing there that screamed death and destruction. There was nothing there that Lana could see would actually have the ability to bring back the dead. It had to be a dead end. From the little melted locket, to the nameless sword Lana was pretty sure they left emptied handed.
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