A/N: Here is where the language warning comes into effect and going forward. One of my OCs and a certain angry turtle we all know and love have gutter mouths. Enjoy!
Once everyone exited that did not belong in the lair, Donnie immediately went to the door with the black box the blonde had given him and went to work to scramble a new algorithm. Leo sat on the couch and put his hand to his forehead. His stress was so high, he didn't know where to begin to relieve it.
"Leo," T'mana said softly. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry?" He repeated softly. "You don't have to apologize because people care for you, T'mana." She didn't know what to say about that. "Don, don't bother." He called, seeing his brother at the doorway. "We can't stay here." His words fell like bricks on his brothers. He was met with a cacophony of dissent. They had all moved and were speaking several lines of thought all at once with their arms flailing to enforce their meaning. "Enough!" Leo's shout rang out sharply and silenced them all in shock. "We can't stay here." He repeated firmly. "I think you all know that. You don't have to like it. I don't, but we all saw what happened. We need to start scouting for a new home immediately."
"Leo," T'mana began. "Sandra's a really nice person once you get to know her. I know she comes off a bit extreme, but she's loyal. She would never-"
"Maybe," Leo comforted, cutting off her thought. "But what about the other two? Can you vouch for them? I know you don't know them yourself, only that Sandra employs them, too. T'mana, I can't gamble the safety of my family on them." He turned to Don. "Can you figure out how Lyde located us? I thought we were GPS proof? We'll also have to scale up the security. Apparently a key code isn't going to cut it anymore." Don's mouth thinned having been chastised on the sly. He was impressed with Lyde, but also resented that she seemed to have bested him.
"Don't take it too personal, Don." T'mana offered, reading his thoughts. "Sandra has a lot of money at her disposal and all the latest technology that isn't released to the public yet."
"I'd still like to pick her brain, though." Don mused. His tech interest had to take a back seat in his late teens when he and his brothers started getting more serious injuries. It became more important to keep them alive than tinker around, but he still was impressive with his gadgets. He believed, whether it was accurate or not, that if he had been able to focus on technology, Lyde wouldn't have stood a chance against his protective devices. But he had to be spread across several fields since his brothers couldn't carry the load the way that he could. Medicine took up most of his time because there were so many intricacies he had to be well versed in: stitches, anatomy, viruses and diseases, surgeries, anesthesiology and pain medication, blood science, the list went on and on. So he tried not to take it too personally when Leo backhanded him with Lyde's hacking skills.
"And she gave you that…um…thingy back." T'mana reminded. "So it seemed like she didn't want to keep your security down…right?" Don shrugged.
"It seems like a friendly gesture, but Leo's right. We can't assume. We'll have to relocate to make sure. But we definitely aren't going anywhere right now."
"We could go to April's. She let us stay the last time we were looking for new digs." Mikey chimed in.
"Yeah," Raph said. "I'm sure she'll love that. We don't have to go anywhere. We can totally take them." He folded his arms. "The only one mildly threatening was O'Rourke. And she's fresh outta sucker punches." Mikey blushed. Leo shook his head.
"Raph, I want you and Mikey to start scouting. Now. Don and I will pack our essentials. If you don't have anywhere by tomorrow, then we go to April's. No arguments." Leo looked directly at Raph who was clearly fuming. He walked up to Raph and spoke so only he could hear. "I don't want her to get hurt even more because she's in the middle of this, okay?" Raph's eyes flicked to T'mana who was watching them.
"Whatever." Raph muttered. Leo knew that Raph understood and would listen. At least for the time being.
T'mana knew she was too weak to be anything but a burden right now. She watched Mikey and Raph head out. Don went to the medical area, no doubt to start packing the supplies. Leo was left standing in the middle of the room. The weight of what just happened was pressing down on him. They had been discovered, uprooted and antagonized. He felt lost at sea and knew his crew was dependent on him to sail them home. But where was home now? He shook his head quickly as if to clear his mind and turned back to T'mana. He went over to her and sat down, taking a minute to let the events settle calmly in his mind. Then he pulled something out that he had kept in his belt and set her cell phone on the coffee table in front of her.
"You should call your mom." He said. "She was very worried about you." He started to get up, but T'mana put a hand on his knee. It was not a strong enough touch to force him to remain sitting, but it had the same effect.
"I'm so sorry, Leo. All of this…it's because of me…I wanted so much to avoid all of this for you. I tried so hard…"
"What do they say?" He mused aloud. He could feel the heat from her hand warm his skin and his heart at the same time. "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans?" He smiled softly. "Is this how I wanted things to work out? Not exactly. But I'm grateful for the things that did turn out the way I wanted. You're awake and okay and I'm out of Stockman's hands. Don's shot wasn't bad at all, just a flesh wound." He paused. "So, I'm going to focus on that and just do the best I can with the rest of it."
"Beautiful lies." T'mana said, her brow arched. "But I know you can't be so cavalier about being discovered. Or losing your home. I get the whole small victory mentality and take a win when you can get it, but if there's anything I can do, Leo. I mean it. I want to help fix this. I'm good at problem solving. I'm always getting Sandra out of trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" He asked self-righteously. "Mouthing off to the president?"
"If she met him, I have no doubt of it." T'mana laughed. "But she has no problem speaking her mind to officers of the law or airport personnel. She's gotten thrown off four airplanes since I started working for her. This is why I finagled a system with her designated airport. She's been flagged and the personnel have been briefed on her. I put out a lot of fires with her, so I bring order to her chaos. I think that's why we work so well."
"Well…I think the…uh…parameters you have to work with are very different with us." Leo asserted.
"True." T'mana admitted. "But I like a challenge." Her eyes twinkled and Leo noticed that her color had remarkably improved since they had started this conversation. He realized that she needed to feel useful.
"Well, then I think you got one. You don't happen to have sewer zoning maps, do you?" Leo joked. T'mana blinked.
"Actually…" She reached for her phone and started tapping the screen. "Wow." She said. "Really good 4G here."
"Yeah. Don kind of manufactured a tower for us. The shell cells, you remember."
"Wow…he is ridiculously ingenious." She kept tapping. "Found it." She held out the phone and Leo took it from her, unsure what to expect.
"Sewer zoning maps." He said surprised. "Well…you don't happen to have a million dollars?" he asked, trying his luck. T'mana made a show of patting her pockets and made an 'awww shucks' look.
"Sorry…"
"Had to try." He smiled serenely as he started to peruse the maps, scanning with expert eyes. "Hold up." He murmured to himself. He reached down and grabbed his shell cell then dialed out. "Mikey…hey, where are you guys?" Leo was moving the map on the phone. "Okay, I want you guys to take that tunnel north for about a mile and then take the tunnel on the left, by the trash mound. Right, call me when you get there and I'll tell you where to go from there. I have something I want you guys to check out. Looks like an underground storage area. Might work out for us...Got it. Leo out." He hung up the phone and looked back at the map. "Not that I want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why in the world do you have these?" T'mana shrugged.
"I told you my boss was extreme, but she's also eccentric. She asked me to get these plans and I don't know why. She didn't tell me. But I keep everything, so there you go. "
"Okay…" He tapped a bit on the phone. "Well, I just emailed the plans to Don, so we have them now. Here." He held out the phone. "Seriously, call your mom or she'll have my shell."
"So…you talked to my mom?" T'mana asked as she took the phone from him.
"Yeah."
"Did it…go well?"
"As well as it could. Call her." He pointed to the phone to reiterate his direction. "We'll talk later." Leo began to move around the room, gathering things in his arms, but he didn't stray too far. T'mana had the feeling that he didn't want to leave her alone in case something happened. Like they were found again, but by Stockman or someone just as bad. She dialed and it only rang half a ring before her mother answered.
"Yes?" Her voice was nervous and expectant.
"Mom?"
"T'mana? Baby girl? Is that you?"
"Yes, Mom. I'm okay. I'm sorry I made you worry."
"Oh, Cante Washte, are you sure you're all right?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I'm pretty weak, though. I've been asleep for a while now. I have no energy."
"Where are you? I'm coming to you now."
"Mom…you can't do that." T'mana didn't know how to refuse, but knew that she had to.
"What are you saying? That a mother cannot see her sick daughter? Of course I can. Where are you, Cante?"
"Mom, it' a little more complicated than that. Soon, after a few days, I'm sure I'll be stronger and then you can come see me. But not right now."
"When you are stronger is not when you need me. You need me now. Please, T'mana. I just need to see your face. I need to see that you are all right."
"I'm sorry." T'mana was near tears and close to sobbing. "I'll call you tomorrow. I have to rest now. Toksha ake." T'mana ended the call and set the phone down gently, reverently on the table. Leo didn't know what to say. There was nothing he could say, to make this better for T'mana. He placed the items he had gathered in his arms in a box he found in Don's lab. He sat down next to T'mana on the couch again.
"T'mana," He began.
"Please don't." She begged quietly. "I don't think I can bare one more apology for what that bastard has done to us." Leo widened his eyes in surprise at her blunt anger. "And you have nothing to apologize for. Everything you do, everything you've ever done, is right." She leaned back slowly, allowing her spine to rest on the cushion and take some pressure off her torso.
"Could you tell Raph that?" Leo smirked.
"I'll consider it. If I want to be on the business end of one of his knives."
"Nah…he'd never slice you. Punch you, maybe. Probably in the jaw." He fisted his hand and tapped her left jaw. "Right there."
"That would suck. That's like the one spot I'm not bruised." She chuckled and Leo sobered, letting his hand fall slowly back to the couch as he looked away. Awkward silence fell. Luckily, his shell cell rang.
"Leo." He said.
"Dude, I know. I called you, remember?" Leo sighed.
"Yes, Mikey?"
"We're here. Where do you want us to go now?"
"Right." Leo stood abruptly and went to Don's computer in the other room. He looked up the map and relayed the directions. He could hear Raph griping in the background, but Mikey said they would check it out and get back to him. Leo hung up the phone and hoped that his gut instinct would work out.
Raph grumbled while Mikey twirled his nun chucks and whistled through the tunnels.
"Can it, Tuneless." Raph smacked Mikey behind the head and Mikey didn't lose his stride walking or with his chucks. His whistle, however, did stutter.
"Hey," he whined. "I'm not tuneless. I totally got tune."
"Where the hell does he have us going?" Raph growled. "I feel like we been walkin' for days in circles. Go left, go left, go left, go right, go left. What the hell?" He chuffed with frustration.
Raph pulled out his sais and stabbed, seizing one of Mikey's chucks from the air and yanked it away, irritated. "Enough already. I want get to this damn place and get back. Oh, I seriously need to bust some heads. Stockman is goin' down for this. No one takes my damn home and gets away with it."
"Stockman doesn't know where we are. Just those chicks do."
"Yeah, but he's the reason that those chicks do. Besides, I'm pissed at him already so, I'll just really give'im hell when I finally see that snarky bas-" Raph's words stopped as he came to a tunnel hole that was fed from other tunnels. "Hey, brainless."
"Tuneless." Mikey corrected politely.
"Yeah, that, too. Isn't this where Leo said?" Mikey squinted and stuck his tongue out, recounting the directions.
"Yep. This is it. Wonder what we're supposed to see?" Raph huffed. Just like his brother. Make them do all the legwork on a wild goose chase.
"Nothin'. There's nothin' here, Mikey. Leo's gonna get his ass-"
"Wait, look over here!" Mikey pointed and ran toward something shining against the wall.
"What's that?" Raph asked, his curiosity peaked.
"Dunno. It almost looks like a thermostat thingy."
"Does it got a dial on it?"
"No. But it's got a button."
"Mikey, don't-" Mikey pushed the button, his tongue sticking out in thought. The metal device started to blink, flashed five times, and then stopped. They heard a 'ding' and watched as two elevator doors opened up. They had been painted to resemble the sewer wall. And with the dank lighting, it hadn't been discernable until they opened. "Riiiggght." Raph said. He pulled out his sais and kept them at the ready. Mikey stepped in.
"Going down?" He asked. Raph shrugged and stepped in, too.
"What the hell." Raph challenged. "I'll go down swingin', that's for sure." Mikey smiled.
"Raph! You made a punny. I'm so proud of you!" He hugged his brother as Raph pushed him away.
"Get off, ya idiot! Get your chucks ready!" Mikey did as commanded and the doors opened. "Oh, shell." Raph whispered. "Mikey, get us outta here. Now." Raph's quiet, serious voice made Mikey act without question. He hit the button and they began to go back up.
"What did you see, Raph?" Mikey asked.
"Explosives. Tons of explosives." Mikey's eyes widened. "And Foot ninja."
"Crap! What do we do?" Raph's mouth thinned.
"I don't know." The elevator opened and they stepped out silently and began to make their way back. "Wait." Raph said, raising a hand. "You hear that?" Mikey tilted his head, trying to listen.
"No." He said. Raph turned and softly went back the way they had come, towards the elevator.
"This is where it's coming from. I'm sure of it now." Came a soft voice. It was a whisper and it wasn't Raph or Mikey. Raph palmed his forehead. It was Lyde.
Without thinking, Raph stepped out and blocked Lyde's path. She squeaked, just like she had before when Raph frightened her.
"What the shell do you think you're doin'?" Raph whisper yelled. "When you were born, did you forget to wait in the Common Sense line? Cause you seem to be missin' your share!" O'Rourke stepped from the shadows, gun pulled. Raph glanced at her, but saw Mikey come out as well.
"We meet again, mwah ha ha." Mikey teased. O'Rourke rolled her eyes and returned them to Raph.
"Lyde said she saw a weird signal."
"And you decided to follow it? Just you two?" Raph wanted to smack both of them so hard they sailed up onto the surface and got picked up by a cab and driven to the airport.
"I think it's Stockman." Lyde said confidently. Trying desperately to appear as confident as she sounded. She failed.
"What did I tell you about him?" Raph sputtered furiously. "You think this is a game?"
"No, but you are amusing." Lyde mocked with false bravado, her quivering hands giving her away.
"Get the fuck outta here. I mean it. I don't want to see you or you," He pointed at Lyde then O'Rourke. "down here ever again. I'll walk you to the nearest manhole." He gestured behind O'Rourke. He walked toward Lyde, believing that she would crumble at his approach and he could herd them away. He was surprised, because she didn't. She couldn't look at him, but she held her ground.
"Wait." She begged. "You don't understand-"
"No, you don't understand. I don't need a geeky wisp of a chick like you, tryin' to be the Last Starfighter. This is real life, not some computer role game or whatever you call them. So just go home and talk to your Captain Kirk bobblehead complainin' how the mean nasty turtle ruined your fun." Lyde pressed her lips together in frustration and seemed to take a breath.
"Yes, I'm a geek. I get it. If you keep hitting the same joke home, that makes you the loser."
"Listen, small fry, we do not have time to babysit-"
"No one's asking you to!" Lyde shouted in a hushed , shrill voice. "I can take care of myself and you know she can." Lyde gestured behind her and O'Rourke raised her head as if asking Raph to challenge that assertion.
"Okay, everyone can take care of themselves. Go adulthood! But seriously, we need to get out of here, like pronto, dudettes." Mikey looked at O'Rourke. "Can we just peacefully get you ladies to the surface and finish this argument another time?" O'Rourke frowned, but not with anger.
"No," She said. "Lyde said-"
"Wow, she's says a lot for someone shakin' like a leaf." Raph warned. "I betcha she doesn't say anything else now." He took another step toward Lyde and she hated herself for it, but she did step back. "Now, do you go up the easy way," he pointed in the direction of the manhole cover. "Or the fun way?" He shook his sais. "I'm hopin' for the fun way, 'cause I got a lot of aggression I need to vent." He grinned wickedly. Lyde blinked and stepped forward.
"You know what I think?" She knew she was all bluster, but hoped her words backed her up. "I think you're all talk. I don't think you'll hurt us, because we're not actually posing a threat to you right now."
"You willin' to bet your life on that?" His grin widened. She looked at him, straight in the eyes.
"Yes." She said simply. "So, if I'm wrong, you'll punch me in the nose or something. But if I'm right, and I think I am, you'll just hurl more insults while not actually doing anything." Mikey laughed and Raph tossed a glare his way.
"Oh, dude. She's totally got you pegged!"
"Mikey…I have no problem kickin your shell later." Mikey fell silent, but his smile remained.
"Okay, Frau Freud, since you got me all figured out, what do you make of this?" He grabbed her arm and started to move her into a position where he could pick her up and carry her. But they were interrupted by the 'ding' sound that made Raphael and Michelangelo freeze, while the two ladies looked around for the source of the sound. Raph reacted first. He grabbed Lyde, placed a hand over her mouth and he dragged her into the side tunnel into the shadows. Mikey grabbed O'Rourke's arm and nodded toward the tunnel and they both melted into the shadows.
"Shhh." Raph whispered to Lyde very quietly as they heard footsteps approach. Lyde had been struggling until she heard the sound and froze, she breathed as lightly as she could. Once Raph knew she would be quiet, he released her mouth from his hand and signaled to Mikey, who was in a better position to see. Mikey shook his head and they waited. After about two minutes of an endless flow of footsteps, they started to fade. Raph signaled again to Mikey, who nodded. He silently slipped out and did some quick reconnaissance. Mikey slipped back in and seemed to have an entire conversation through hand gestures with Raph. Raph nodded that he understood and they waited a moment more. Finally, Mikey nodded and Raph stood and indicated the girls should go as well. He held his finger to his mouth again, and led them silently out of the tunnel toward the manhole. They had almost reached it, when a voice called to them.
"I had something on our sensors, but I assumed it was rats." Stockman grinned. "Imagine my surprise when my security said they saw two turtles in the elevator. I just had to handle this myself. Things get so messy up when you leave it to others. Don't you find?" Stockman stepped into the light. "Oh, but we have more guests. How charming!" He saw that each turtle had gripped a girl's arm to lead them. "More willing subjects." He steepled his hands. "The blonde…yes, I think the blonde will look good with tentacles. What do you think? Crossed with a squid or an octopus…?" Raph stepped forward, blocking his view of Lyde.
"Oh, just give me a reason, Stockman. I am so ready to take out the trash." His sais were out. Stockman's eyes gleamed.
"Maybe not tentacles…but something mammalian. Maybe I can crossbreed the old fashioned way. She might even survive the mating…"
"Arrrgh!" Raph dove forward. "Shut your filthy mouth, you fuckin' bastard!" Several Foot ninja stepped out and Raph came to a halt, with a glare. "S'matter, Stockman? Can't fight your own battles? I'll grease all of them and leave you a stain on the floor."
"Actually, I think all of you will join me at my lab for some fun and games." Raph heard Mikey's nun chucks and knew that they were surrounded.
"O'Rourke, you wanna get in on this?" Raph called out.
"Oh, yeah. I'm so in." Lightning-quick she pulled her gun and rapid shot six bullets, all hitting a different Foot ninja. Mikey chucked and spun, weaving his way through the Foot crowd and collapsing them as he went. Lyde ducked into a corner and was pulling something out with wires. Raph saw two Foot ninja advancing toward her and he jumped in, making quick work of them.
"Mikey, how many did you see leave?"
"Dude, you don't want to know."
"Shit." Raph muttered. O'Rourke had to kneel down to re-load. Raph covered her and saw two more ninja going for Lyde. "Damn it." He cursed. "Mikey!" He nodded towards Lyde, but three Foot circled Mikey. "O'Rourke, let's pick up the pace!"
"Done!" Raph ran towards Lyde without further encouragement, but saw the two Foot ninja flying past him in the air as if they had been flung. Lyde came out of the corner with a thick wand. "The hell…?" Raph murmured.
"I like electricity." Lyde said, grinning. Raph couldn't help but grin in return as he pointed in the direction that she should retreat. Raph now worked his way to Mikey, covering his back.
"How many?" Raph asked.
"Too many. We need to blow, Raph. We gotta call it." Raph hated to call retreat, but they needed to get out of there.
"I'm callin' it. The willows?"
"You got it, bro. Meet you there." Raph tapped his sai to Mikey's chuck and the deal was struck. He saw Mikey dance his way through and get O'Rourke. Raph followed, and nodded for Lyde to follow him. She did.
"Get in front." Raph commanded. Lyde ran in front of him now that the Foot were trying to follow. He knocked a throwing star away with his sai and held them off while she ran ahead. She realized he wasn't behind her and she stopped, looking for him. "Get outta here!" He shouted. "I will kill you myself!" She hesitated and saw he was going to shout again, then ran and turned the corner. He held the Foot for a while and then took flight on his own. He made sure to turn the other direction so he could lose the Foot and not lead them to Lyde. After several minutes of dodging tunnels and circling back, he began to silently slink through the tunnels to see if he could find her again. He walked for a while in this way until he heard a very subtle sound. He wouldn't have heard it unless he was listening for it: breathing. He followed it and found himself suddenly on his shell as his feet were swept from under him. He felt a large stick press to his throat, but he immediately, flipped forward, knocking the person back into the wall, he had his sai at their throat in seconds.
"Raphael?" Came the whisper. He was looking at Lyde.
"Jeez! The fuck you think you're doin?" He growled. "I was gonna kill you." He indicated the sai at her throat and lowered it. She smiled and tapped him with the baton that was still apparently at his throat.
"I woulda knocked you on your shell again first." She said. "I thought you were them. They're real quiet, like you."
"Ninja." Raph shrugged. "C'mon. This way." He pulled away and expected her to follow him. She did. "The hell is that thing, anyway?" He accused.
"It's what I call my lightning stick. It gives out three times the volts of shock that a police stunner does. That's why they fly."
"You design that?"
"All nerds can. I got lots of gadgets. They kinda fill the gap of my not being able to fight so well."
"Yeah, well, gadgets or not, you coulda got killed just I like I said you would. You got a death wish? Did I not tell you Stockman was a maniacal fuckhead?"
"You did." She assented. "And yet, I did not truly believe…" She seemed shocked at some of the things Stockman had said, but didn't continue.
"Well, I hope now you do. Cause that shit he was sayin' isn't a load of bull. He's that sick." Lyde remained silent and Raph took that to mean she felt properly chastised.
"Good. No more bein' stupid. That's a fuckin' order."
"The reason I came out this way was because my sensors picked up unusual readings."
"Yeah, your brain waves. Idiot." He muttered.
"No, Raphael." She grabbed his arm to get him to stop. "Fulminated mercury." Raph looked at her a moment and then continued to walk on. "That substance is a highly unstable and a volatile explosive." She explained.
"I know what it is. I have a geek for a brother. 'Sides, I saw it. There's tons of that shit down there. That's why I wanted you to fuckin' leave. But do you listen? No! You argue with me until my enemy is out in force to kick our asses."
"You knew it was there?" She asked, bewildered.
"Did I stutter?"
"Did you put it there?" Raph stopped walking and swung around to face her, intimidation leaking from his pores.
"Well, let me think." He put his finger to his chin in mock thought. "Would I put tons of explosive shit within walkin' distance of my home and family? Hmmm…what the hell do you think? What, the flash mob of ninjas didn't tip you off that maybe someone else put it there?"
"Are you done monologueing? Because if you are, then I can tell you I know how to render the substance inert." Raph took a deep breath and clenched his fists. He let the breath out.
"Inert?" He focused on that part of her sentence.
"It means-"
"I know what it means! Just because I'm a mutant turtle does not automatically make me a fuckin' moron!"
"Okay. Just like being a nerd doesn't automatically make me one. I'm not exactly defenseless." She tapped her stick. "So why don't we both stop assuming the other is stupid and go from there?" Raph huffed and began to walk again.
"How?" he grunted.
"I'm going to assume you mean how do I render it inert and not how you'll stop assuming I'm an idiot."
"How?" He repeated, exasperated.
"Well, I have this device. I'm not exactly sure about the how…"
"So you don't know how to make it inert. You're a fountain of information."
"I can make it inert; I just don't know how it does. I have this device that was designed to do just that. See, Ms. Grey isn't my only boss. I work lots of projects and on this one team, someone figured out how to render fulminated mercury inert by some kind of wave. I think it's supposed to disable your enemy's igniter substance. Making their bombs useless."
"Okay…I'm gonna repeat your own words: highly unstable and volatile explosive. I think the 'how' and the 'why' in this case, is pretty damn important." He shook his head. Lyde fell silent and followed him.
"We've passed several manholes." She observed.
"Not worried about your partner?" Raph grated.
"O'Rourke? She can handle herself just fine. I think she's indestructible. Like gum."
"Gum?"
"Ever try to destroy gum? You can't. You can even burn it, but it just gets tougher. That's definitely O'Rourke ."
"Anyway…" Raph said. "We're meetin' up with her and my brother."
"Oh. Okay." Raph rolled his eyes. He hoped Mikey was at least having a less annoying time.
O'Rourke had no problem losing the Foot and keeping up with Mikey. They both made it to the willows, which was the cute way of saying the area with all the broken, hanging cables. They looked like electrical weeping willow wisps drooping down from the tubing. The wiring had been stolen long ago, so it was just empty plastic tubing now.
"Charming." O'Rourke said as she lifted some tubing with her gun nozzle.
"Yeah, it's home." Mikey grinned. He took a quick survey and put his nun chucks in their holster. As O'Rourke was doing a visual sweep, she holstered her guns. She felt that the orange banded turtle warranted the respect of not holding a weapon on him. That didn't mean she trusted him.
"So," She began good-naturedly. "You got some moves on you, Green." Mikey smiled triumphantly as he turned to her.
"Awww, are you admitting I'm top dog?" O'Rourke snorted.
"I'll admit you're a dog." She offered.
"Weak, dudette." Mikey shook his head. "I know you're just basking in the awesomeness that is me. I totally chucked them up!" O'Rourke allowed a nod in acknowledgement. "Sweet…you know I'm awesome, shyeah!" She rolled her eyes.
"There was this one thing you did…" She was almost embarrassed to bring it up.
"Just one? Of the many rockin' moves I did?"
"It started like…and then it kinda…" She tried to mimick the move; she was ignoring Mikey, trying to recall his image in her mind as he did the move.
"Oh…I know what you mean." His voice rose with understanding. "Here," He took the crook of her elbow and positioned it and he moved her other arm. "Now like, turn your foot inward a bit, like you're hanging ten on a surf board. Then you can pop this one up!" He grabbed behind her knee and pulled to show how the weight would balance.
"Whoa!" She cried at the unexpected tug. But she stabilized pretty quickly and took in her position. Mikey raised an eye ridge.
"Think you got it?" He challenged. O'Rourke narrowed her eyes. Mikey released her knee and waited. She took a breath and then very quickly reproduced the move, extending her leg, just missing Mikey's head. "Yep." He said. "You got it." She smiled and lowered her leg.
"You like being a teacher, don't you? Makes you feel all smug." She teased.
"I like to impart my genius upon the lesser beings," Mikey agreed genially.
"Oh my god." O'Rourke rolled her eyes. "You're very into yourself, aren't you?" Mikey shrugged.
"Someone's gotta be." He answered simply and O'Rourke fell silent. It had to be tough being what he was. Lonely. No wonder he was a great fighter. He needed something to focus on. Several minutes passed.
"Raphael, the red one, he knows where to meet up with us, right?" O'Rourke was nervous. She wasn't friends with Lyde. O'Rourke didn't really do the whole friend thing. Most people wrote her off as arrogant and distant and she didn't bother to correct them. But O'Rourke liked Lyde. She was quirky and damn smart.
"Yeah. He picked the spot. I'm sure he's just leadin' the Foot the other way to get Lyde a good head start."
"I've never heard that phrase before."
"What phrase?"
"Leading the foot the other way. What is that like, taking the scenic route or something?" Mikey chuckled.
"Nah…the Foot clan. That nasty mass of ninjas we fought. They're called the Foot clan."
"Oh. Interesting name. But I get what you're saying now." Awkward silence fell again. Mikey decided to let it ride since O'Rourke seemed to be more vocal when she started the conversation. He wasn't disappointed. "So…can I ask a really personal question?"
Mikey looked over at O'Rourke. She had crouched down on her haunches and was inspecting one of her guns. Mikey was leaning against the wall.
"You can ask." He permitted. O'Rourke didn't look up.
"I don't mean it to be rude…" She continued, uncharacteristically soft.
"Ahhh," Mikey uttered knowingly. "I know the question you want to ask. Everyone ends up asking it." O'Rourke looked up to see if he was angry. "You want to know…what my sign is, don't ya?" He nodded sagely. She stared at him a moment before barking out a laugh, and then she clapped her hand over her mouth and looked around, bewildered. She stood and let her eyes survey and her ears listen for danger. Mikey squinted. "You always on duty?" He asked.
"Not always, but when a hundred ninja attack me in a sewer, I tend to keep my guard up."
"Fair enough." He paused. "It's Sagittarius." He whispered conspiratorially. She rolled her eyes, but allowed a ghost of a smile to curve her lips. She didn't attempt to ask again. Mikey waited, but when she remained silent he spoke.
"Hey, I was just crackin' a joke. What was your question?" He asked earnestly. O'Rourke shook her head.
"Never mind." She sat down again and went back to inspecting her gun.
"Can I ask you one?" O'Rourke raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know, can you?"
"Why do you work for Ms. Grey? I mean, the thing with T'mana was kind of a weird scenario, you know? I mean, aren't you kind of overkill?"
"I'm not allowed to discuss my contract with Ms. Grey."
"I wasn't asking about a contract. I was asking about you." She looked up at him, surprised to hear sincere wit and intelligence.
"I'm not overkill. I'm necessary."
"Why?"
"There are a lot of jerks in this world." O'Rourke intimated.
"Gee, does Ms. Grey have a problem with jerks?" he mocked. "She's so easy to get along with."
"Ms. Grey is an excellent and attentive employer."
"Oh. Robot O'Rourke's back." She was on her feet instantly.
"You. Don't. Know me." She gritted. Mikey shrugged.
"Who's fault is that?" She swept her hand back and intended to slap him, but he caught her by the wrist deftly. He twisted her arm behind her back and pushed her up against the wall all using only one of his own hands. Her cheek was pressed to the wall as he spoke. "Just because I'm talking to you and didn't let the Foot kick your cute butt, doesn't make us friends. I only let angry friends slap me. I haven't forgotten what you did to Don. If you give me a reason, I will take you down." He pushed her away, but not roughly. Just enough to let her know how he felt. She didn't move away from the wall, and didn't try to get revenge for his action.
"I'm sorry about your brother." She finally said. "It seems we had wrong information." Mikey snorted.
"Wrong information? Wrong information is, like, when you mess up someone's phone number when you write down. This was a blind attack. You didn't bother trying to sort out friendly fire."
"The information we had to go on was legit!" O'Rourke defended. "T'mana was missing and her last point of contact was a man that not only she, but Ms. Grey, suspected had shady dealings. So when we located her, we believed she was being held by Stockman and his men. T'mana distinctly told Ms. Grey that she thought animal experimentation was going on. So when I entered that cavern and saw four mutated giant turtles made of 100% muscle with samurai weapons strapped to their shells, I sort of assumed that Stockman managed to engineer some pretty heft security. So I don't regret my actions. I handled the situation the best I could with the information I had, you ninja bastard." Mikey had listened to the rant patiently.
"100% muscle, huh?" He grinned and twitched his eye ridges suggestively.
"Oh my god!" O'Rourke shouted, furious. "Is everything a joke to you?"
"If you're not laughin', you're not livin'." He drawled.
"Well, life is not a joke."
"You better hope I keep thinkin' it is. Or I'll turn into Raph and want to beat everyone down. And I would seriously kick your butt if you really think that Stockman had a hand in creating this magnificence." He gestured to himself.
"Yes, I know. You're so awesome." She derided. "The only reason your brother got shot to begin with is because you took a gamble when he was behind you within weapons range. You never take a shot that could incapacitate your team!" She shouted. "You have to be aware of your surroundings and know where everyone is at all times. If you don't, then you don't take the shot. That's when people die!"
"Are you saying I'm the reason Don was shot? Not the fact that your finger squeezed the trigger on the gun?" Mikey was incredulous.
"You knew I was the enemy." She broke it down. "You knew I was capable of firing the weapon. That's all you knew about me. So trying some peacock move to save the day was a risk that you took. End of story. You had to assume I would retaliate if you attacked. If you didn't think I would, then you're far more idiotic than I originally estimated." Mikey was shaking he was so angry. He wasn't used to anger. He didn't like it. He had never hit a woman, but he imagined his fist meeting her jaw at high speeds. "I guess what I'm saying is, that we both made bad decisions with the information we had." O'Rourke sighed. "I only hope that hasn't happened to the other two. Where are they?" Mikey sobered immediately at that thought.
"Raph can handle it." He reassured her. She looked over to him with slight gratitude and it warmed Mikey a little more to her.
"Lyde's no slouch, either. Little twig had my back a few times." O'Rourke smiled in memory.
"That little blonde?" Mikey asked.
"That's what everyone thinks." She smiled. "And they're dead wrong. I've worked with her a few times. I was pleased when Ms. Grey hired her as well."
"And you're Ms. Grey's security?" O'Rourke nodded once in acknowledgement.
"I've never been bested on a job." She said proudly. "Until today." Mikey's eyes widened at her acknowledgement. "No one has ever been able to get my gun from me before." He could tell she was disappointed in herself at being shown up. Mikey decided to throw her a bone.
"Well, we did have shock value on our side."
"Your shocking awesomeness?" O'Rourke asked.
"You know it!" Mikey grinned. "So, does Ms. Grey own, like, a chick company or something? Only women work for her! I need to get a job like that." He grinned.
"Ms. Grey does tend to lean toward female employees." She answered vaguely.
"Oh! Is she battin' for the other team?"
"No." Was all the answer he received.
"Uh-huh. So how come no men? Does she think we're all dumb or something?"
"I really can't-"
"Discuss your contract with Ms. Grey. Yeah, yeah. Just asking a friendly question. Can't I get a friendly answer?"
"I…can't. I'm sorry."
"Hey!" Came a new rough voice. Raph. "So you both survived and didn't kill each other. Progress! Me, too. I didn't kill her, either." Raph pointed to Lyde. O'Rourke went right up to Lyde.
"You okay?" she asked the petite blonde.
"Yep." No emotion.
"Alright, let's get them outta here so we can go home and ream Leo a new one for sending us on that damn hike." Raph commanded. Mikey took over.
"There's a manhole just over here." He pointed. "It's in a safe part of the city so you ladies can catch a cab pretty quick and go home safely." O'Rourke was nodding, knowing that had been the plan once Lyde was back.
"No." Lyde said. Raph wanted to slam her into the wall until her bones were dust. She was really grating on his last nerve.
"We ain't askin." Raph growled, turning on her. She didn't even flinch. She was tired. All that fighting and walking and intimidation had worn her out. She didn't have enough in her to be afraid.
"I need to talk to your brother." She stated simply.
"Why?" Mikey asked.
"I need to speak to another geek." Mikey smiled.
"You mean, Donnie. He's definitely that. But what do you need his geekspertice on?
"Rendering fulminated mercury inert."
"Of course. The girls are always asking him that." Raph smacked Mikey behind the head.
"Shaddup! No one's talkin' to anyone! You two are goin' home up there and we are goin' home down here. Which, of course, won't be home much longer because you two lovely ladies broke into it. So, thanks. I'm homeless, pissed off and ready to kick some-"
"Then just do it already!" Lyde complained. "My gosh! I'm so sick of hearing how ticked off you are! You know you scare the pee out of me, so just hit me and let's move on! I won't be waiting for it anymore and you'll be happy 'cause you finally hit something. It's win frickin' win, so just do it. Right here." She tapped her chin and closed her eyes as if waiting for it to land. She waited a moment, and then peeked through one eye. Raph was fuming and his glare could melt metal. It made her quake and she hated herself in that moment. Allowing herself to be afraid of him.
"What's the matter?" She taunted, unsure where her bravado was coming from. "I thought you were 'pissed off'. Do you need some motivation?"
She timidly stepped up to him and in a burst of anger and idiocy, lightly shoved him. He barely moved. His eyes narrowed. It would have been funny, like something out of Monty Python, except Raph looked like fire was ready to spew from his mouth.
"Ya know? A nice 'thank you' woulda been appreciated. 'Thank you, Raphael for not lettin' Stockman juice me up with octopus DNA.' Or maybe, 'thank you, Raphael for not lettin' the Foot smear me into the pavement.' But no, I get 'just hit me already.'" He mimicked her light push and she was forced back several steps. Lyde paled and lowered eyes.
"Thank you." She said. "For not letting Stockman juice me up with octopus DNA." Her voice was very low and soft. Raph threw up his hands, assuming it was a sarcastic reply.
"I'm done! Mikey, you get her the hell outta here 'cause she is pissin' me off. And I will take her up on her offer if she keeps it up."
"Would he really have done that?" She asked, her voice a whisper. Raph paused, gathering his patience, of which he had very little.
"I keep tellin' you. Stockman is a sick twisted bastard. And yes, he would have." Raph's voice was low, but as calm as he could make it. Mikey joined in.
"Yeah," He agreed. "We've seen his handy work, dudette. It's not cool. I mean, we turned out pretty awesome for mutations, but Stockman's experiments…if they survive, they don't want to." O'Rourke wrinkled her nose and Mikey nodded solemnly.
"Then I really need to speak with Don." Lyde insisted. Raph slapped a hand to his forehead. "I can help." She insisted softly. "You helped me, let me help you." Raph shook his head before lifting his hand from it. "Look, you still have the problem with the fulminated mercury regardless. If I bounce my idea off Don, then it might be a quicker solution. If he says 'no', then I'll trust what he says. But why won't you even try? Are you such an egotist that you won't accept help from someone like me?"
"Are you still insultin' me?" Raph asked, flabbergasted. "I don't believe you!"
"Offer still stands." She said, smiling and pointing at her chin. He thinned his lips and took a breath.
"Don't tempt me." She tapped it again at his words.
"My gift to you." She said. "I can take it." She tilted her head as if to offer her chin as a more accessible target. Raph stepped forward and she closed her eyes again in anticipation of the blow. He gripped her chin and squeezed making her mouth into a fish face. She opened her eyes in surprise, but took her punishment.
"I'll take you to Don, but his word is law. You got it? He says 'no', this ends. No arguments. No sneakin' back in with your doohickeys trying to solve it yourself. No hirin' GI Jane over here to watch your back either. Do I make myself clear?" She nodded her fishface. He teasingly pushed her face away. "Good. Mikey, it's late. Use your shell cell to order pizza. I'm starvin'."
A/N: I have no idea when the turtles were born, so I just guessed at Mikey's sign based on his fun loving personality. Sagittarius signs are supposed to be vivacious, exuberant, adventurous and optimistic, so I went with this sign for him.
Cante Washte: Literally means 'Good Heart' in Lakota, but can be translated as Dear Heart. FYI, I know Washte is typically spelled Waste in the anglicized version, but for the similarity to the English word, I changed the spelling to avoid confusion. Also, an fyi that 'C' is usually pronounced as 'ch' and 'S' is usually pronounced as 'sh'.
Toksha Ake: See you later in Lakota (or we'll meet again)
