Leo scowled. Crooked cops. Those were the worst kind of criminals. It was one thing to be up to no good and up front about it. It was another to impersonate good in order to catch people off guard. Leo had no doubt Angel would've turned that guy away if he hadn't been wearing a uniform. But the fact was he had been in uniform, and she had let him in, and no matter what grievances Leo had with the situation they were all in it now and he was going to have to deal with it.
Through the open window, Angel and her grandmother still had their arms up in surrender. The cop remained out of sight, blocked by the building's architecture.
They had to get in there. But they had to be smart about it. Leo was at odds with himself. Being smart about it meant strategizing first, but there was no telling when that crooked cop might open fire or what might set him off. No telling how much time they had. Memories of Angel's brother and his ambush weighed on Leo's mind. He hadn't been fast enough then.
Next to Leo, Casey curled his hands into fists, clenching his teeth while Dragon Face and Max loitered in the alley behind them.
"Even if the cop's crooked," said Max. "He isn't really gonna shoot someone's grandma, is he?"
"Who knows," said Dragon Face.
And these two. They couldn't be trusted. Casey was right. If they cared about Angel for real then they would've done something to prevent what happened to her brother. Leo didn't trust their sudden change of heart. A sense of impending battle tightened Leo's muscles, and he found himself barking orders at the rest of them on reflex.
"Casey, you're good at distractions. Be a distraction."
"You got it, Leo." Casey stuck his thumb in the air and hopped from foot to foot. He shook out his limbs in preparation.
"While Casey does that, I'll find a back way in." Leo pointed one sharp katana at Max and Dragon Face. The threat was clear. "You two. Stay out of our way."
Dragon Face stared down the blade and didn't argue.
"Ain't you worried you're gonna get shot?" Max's mouth twitched like he might burst into laughter, but the rest of his posture projected pure anxiety. Leo noticed how young he was under that mop of blue hair. And Dragon Face didn't look much older. Casey might be older than both of them. And Angel was younger than all three. Four if Leo included himself.
"I ain't afraid of no cop. Least of all a crooked one." Casey took off and made a ruckus on the way. High sticking. Low sticking. He whacked the buildings and lamp posts and anything else in his path of mayhem, as long as it wasn't a person. He bashed that hockey stick into street and sidewalk alike. With guttural threats through the slats of his mask he scared off any bystanders. "Yoo-hoo! There's some freak in a hockey mask out here causing trouble! Ain't there any cops around to tell him to quit making a mess of the neighborhood?"
Leo had to move, and now. There wasn't much cover since it was the middle of the day but nonetheless he maneuvered with stealth across the street and into the alley behind Angel's grandmother's place. Getting into position meant he lost visual of the situation inside, which jolted his heart so his pulse thudded louder. He couldn't afford to lose focus to fear so to calm himself down he reasoned that if the gun went off he would've heard it. For now it sounded like Casey's distraction was doing its job. Leo could still hear him banging around near the front of the building, up and down the street.
"Lotta illegal activity going on around here! Don't no one wanna stop me?"
Leo snuck through the house and stayed out of sight until he was right behind Angel's grandmother's chair. Angel stood in a place where she should've been able to see him, but she hadn't taken her eyes off the crooked cop. All Leo needed was for the crooked cop to turn around, glance back. Be distracted. Just for a moment. That was all the time Leo would need to disarm him. But right now Angel and her grandmother were in the line of fire. Leo couldn't risk revealing himself too soon.
Outside, two new voices joined Casey's whooping and shouts. The cacophony continued.
"I'm gonna break someone's window!" said Max. "I ain't kidding!"
"I'm disappointed!" said Dragon Face. "Prissy neighborhoods like this should have better security!"
Crash, crash, crash. A few more thwacks for good measure. The sound of window shatter.
"Know what I love?" Casey's taunt might've been just that, but it also might've been him having fun. "Property damage!"
Whatever they broke, it set off a car alarm. And finally—finally—the crooked cop glanced at the door. Leo flipped over the couch and brought down his katana, slashing the gun right out of the crooked cop's hands. With perfect form for good measure. Leo stole the space, backed him against the door with a grimace and a glare, then set the tip of his katana at the crooked cop's throat. With nowhere to go, the crooked cop put his arms up, a mirror of how Angel and her grandmother had been posed moments before, and attempted to gulp without Leo's blade piercing his jugular.
That car alarm kept blaring.
"You're going to walk out of here," said Leo. "And you're never going to bother these people again. Ever."
The crooked cop nodded, shrinking away terrified and tiny.
Leo reached past him, grabbed the knob and turned, watching the crooked cop sweat as he oh so kindly opened the door. And then with one swift kick Leo punted him outside. When Leo turned around, Angel's grandmother was gaping at him. Right. On to damage control.
"No one's hurt, are they?"
Angel shook her head no.
Angel's grandmother closed her mouth but it soon flopped open again.
"Uh." Leo multitasked. He gave both of them a quick once-over and spewed some nonsense in the hopes that it worked. "I'm a figment of your imagination. Feel free to forget everything I say. And that I was even here. Better yet, I'm not here. I'm… um. Definitely imaginary." This had gone a lot better in Leo's head.
"Oh dear." Angel's grandmother crocheted in a flurry of absent motion. She watched him wide-eyed, her face slackened by surprise. "Young man, you're a giant turtle."
Well it's not like he could argue with that assessment.
"Yeah, yeah. He's a giant turtle." Angel helped her grandmother back down into the chair. "Gramma, it's a long story."
"Do you eat giant goldfish?"
"What? No." Leo waved his hands to dismiss that ridiculous notion, and because he didn't know what else to do with himself. "Look, uh. Just pretend I was never here. And can I borrow Angel for a second?"
"Well it seems to me it's none of my business what a giant turtle does with his time. I'm not an aquatic creature."
"Um."
The kitchen was located behind her grandmother's chair. Angel relocated there and waved Leo over. Before he complied Leo plucked the crooked cop's gun off the floor. He'd find a permanent place for the weapon later. That or anonymously drop it within reach of the NYPD.
"I gotta join back up," whispered Angel.
"No." Leo kept his voice low as well. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."
"It's not like they're gonna stop."
"I'll think of something. Just give me some time."
"And in the meantime there's gonna be more crooked cops knocking on Gramma's door. All I gotta do to make them stop is rejoin. I've been a Purple Dragon before. Almost. I can deal with whatever they want me to do."
"And put your honor at risk doing it. This is a dangerous road, Angel. And a slippery slope. You know better than anyone it's the type of situation where things escalate. Don't you remember the first time, back when Casey had to get you out of it?"
"But what am I supposed to do? I can't just do nothing. First Ryan and now… and now…" Angel might act tough, but she was also technically still a kid. Anyone could see the emotions were overwhelming her. She shook with unshed sobs. "What if they'd shot Gramma too?"
Brotherly instinct had Leo pulling her into a hug. She returned it, small against him, and he tried not to think of the trail of tears that slid down his plastron. He let her have as much time as she needed. After all, her own brother was out of commission, and Leo considered Angel more or less a little sister. He had to step up in Ryan's absence. Angel's grandmother rocked back and forth in the chair, humming some tune, and Leo felt resolution solidify in his heart.
He had to fix this. He had to.
Angel sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve.
Three knocks on the door. Angel's grandmother stopped rocking the chair. Angel stared past Leo, hesitant to leave the kitchen. After what just happened Leo couldn't blame her. So he took it upon himself to deal with whoever was knocking. Outside, the car alarm went silent.
"Hey, you guys okay?" Casey's voice.
Leo felt all the tension sink out of him. He opened the door.
"Oh," said Angel's grandmother. "Casey." She resumed her crochet project.
"We're all okay," said Leo. "For now."
"That's a relief." Casey clutched at his muscle shirt, a tight fist over his heart. "Don't mean we can rest easy though. I can't believe a buncha thugs like the Purple Dragons got the cops on their side."
Dragon Face and Max lingered in the doorway. They shared a glance but had the decency not to comment. They also had the decency not to enter. Casey didn't move to close the door, and Leo was left in limbo holding the doorknob. He tried to choose whether or not to let the two former—did they really count as former?—Purple Dragons in. Max and Dragon Face had helped with the crooked cop but they were also part of the reason he'd been here in the first place. Plus the longer the door remained open the more anxious Leo became. He was a ninja. Playing usher was just so… not ninja-like.
"In or out," said Leo. "I'm closing the door."
"Oh," said Angel's grandmother. "I don't mind if they come in."
The two Purple Dragons hesitated a moment longer but they did pass through the threshold. Leo closed the door behind them. Dragon Face and Max both stood awkwardly behind Casey, so out of place inside the quaint home of this friendly old grandmother with their dyed hair and tats and street punk attire. It was actually kind of comical to see the two of them fidget as if they were trying to make their intrusion seem less intrusive, but that might just be Leo's relief coming into play.
But already that relief began to fade.
"Dragon Face." Angel balled her fists and hunched into a fighting stance. When she leveled a glare on Dragon Face she was still flushed from crying. The redness of her nose made her look even angrier. She didn't ask. She demanded. "What're you doing here."
"Whoa whoa, Angel." Casey blocked Angel's view of Dragon Face. "Hold up. I know how you feel. Trust me. I know the kinds of thoughts that must be swirling around in your head right now. And I'll be the first to tell you they're justified. But as much as it pains me to say this, these two did help get that crooked cop outta your grandma's house."
"Casey dear," said Angel's grandmother with the nonchalance that can only come from an aged New Yorker. She continued to crochet but her head tilted in a manner that suggested she was listening in earnest. Leo felt like he wasn't the only ninja in the room. "I'm right here."
"Leo got him outta here," said Angel.
"Well, yeah, but what I'm saying is—"
"Guys," said Leo. "Can we focus on the bigger picture for a second?"
Dragon Face and Max shrugged at each other.
Casey frowned.
"Like where me and Gramma are supposed to go." Angel stared at the floor. "If the Purple Dragons have the cops on their side then I don't know how I'm supposed to avoid them. And Gramma…"
Angel's grandmother put her crochet project aside and pat her lap invitingly. Angel wandered over as if on autopilot and sat, though she was more leaned against the arm of the chair than sitting on her grandmother's lap.
"If you need a place to crash you can hole up at my place for a while," said Casey. "It's a bit of a mess though. Compared to here."
"How kind of you to say," said Angel's grandmother.
That was a generous offer and it would probably work in the short term but Leo was more worried about the long term. He observed the two Purple Dragons, considered the fact that they hadn't so much as made a peep since being let inside, and wondered about their motives for helping Angel in the first place. They had mentioned they disapproved of the new Purple Dragon head honcho and that might be reason enough for them to get involved with Angel's predicament, but Leo didn't trust either of them as far as he could throw them. Being a mutant ninja turtle meant he could throw them pretty far.
"You two."
Dragon Face and Max snapped to attention.
"What's your angle in all this?"
"We don't like how Basilisk is running things," said Dragon Face. "What's so hard to get?"
"I meant what's your angle in helping Angel."
"She was almost one of us once," said Max.
"And?"
"And?" Max shook his head in confusion like that was all the information Leo needed in order to understand. And if these two were honorable, it would've been. But these were Purple Dragons Leo was talking to. He pressed on.
"Let's just say it doesn't make much sense for you to go out of your way for someone who wasn't even an official member," said Leo.
"Yeah?" Max spoke indignantly, as if he wasn't one of the criminals in the room. "Well what's a giant reptile got to say about it anyway? Jane ain't a member either and we still worry about her."
"Jane?" Casey turned to Angel.
Angel shook her head. Apparently she hadn't ever heard of this Jane person either.
"Our newest initiate," said Dragon Face. "Story goes she wouldn't kill me."
The next hour was one of the longest Leo had ever experienced in his life.