Chapter 10
Up on the street an unmarked black van sat in an ally. Eric Bigley cussed as he watched, on a small monitor, one of the canines get its jaw broke. When the ten foot flames shooting out of the gas pipe like they were coming out of a flame thrower stopping him from obtaining the turtle, Eric threw his coffee cup across the back of the van, the foam cup exploding against the dash board. "Damn it."
The driver jumped as the coffee splattered all over the cab of the van. "What happened?"
"These turtles are proving to be one hell of a pain in the ass. Call back the dogs and find out who that girl is. And Joe…" Eric leaned over the front seat. "Get it done before Cael gets anymore pissed off. 'Cause I start getting yelled everyone below me starts loosing limbs. Shit roles downhill, you know what I mean."
The driver nodded and jumped out of the van pressed a whistle to his lips and blew.
Eric didn't feel he was being unreasonable. How the hell hard was it supposed to be to catch turtles. Weren't they supposed to slow! It was irrelevant. All he knew was if he didn't start delivering being Cael's son wasn't going to matter.
The hatch to the layer slammed closed.
"For the umpteenth time I am not sleeping with Collins', he is married." Raina's voice echoed through the layer.
"Then why are you carrying his shit?" Raph asked curtly.
Leo frowned from where he and splinter were meditating, Mikey was trying. Obviously things hadn't gone as well as Riana had hoped.
"…and as far as your brother goes we were having tea. Why are you so upset about that?!" Riana sounded exasperated.
"I'm not." Raph bellowed.
Riana pursed her lips in that way that made Raph want to taste them, which didn't help the situation. "Obviously." She said sarcastically.
Splinter slowly stood and made his way to the kitchen intending on settling the two down.
"So you are gunna stand here and tell me you ain't sleeping with what's his face and you weren't over there flirtin' and gigglin' it up with Leo earlier." Raph couldn't decide which upset him more. One on account for his brother and both on account for himself. He didn't think he had a chance in hell with Riana. Really he didn't think any of them did. But she did seem to be getting along well with Leonardo. Which normally he wouldn't have given two leaps about exept, Damn it, he liked her. He sure the hell wasn't gunna put himself out there when he was sure he would be shot down, but he didn't want her seeing anyone else.
Raph clenched his jaw in frustration. What the hell kind of mess did he get himself into… He leaned back away from Riana as her realized his issue, he was jealous.
Riana advanced on him emphasizing her frustration with his lack of listening skills by poking him in the chest, "That is exactly what I am going to tell you. I am not sleeping with, the married, Collins and I have no interest in Leo! No offence Leo."
"None taken." Leo answered from his place on the floor.
Raph brushed her hand away from his chest. Suddenly he was wishing she was involved with someone. Cause then the fact he didn't have a chance wouldn't have been because he was a freak. His expression changed from angry to broken.
"Raphael." Splinter said firmly "Perhaps it would be best if you…"
Raph's eyes darted back and forth trying to focus on anything other than the woman in front of him. His jaw clenching and releasing as he struggled to process the onslaught of conflicting emotions. He suddenly felt as though he was drowning and burning at the same time. He finally focused on splinter, "I'm going to go meditate."
Splinter watched in surprise as his son rushed past him and locked himself in his room. Storming off to his room wasn't so much out of character for the turtle, but meditating was, especially without at least some prodding.
"What have you done to my son?" Splinter asked softly.
Riana blinked at Splinter, the poor woman was just as confused as splinter was. Raph was the most fantastically frustrating man she had ever met and right now she had no idea what to do with him. She rubbed her face trying to alleviate some of her frustration. "I think I'm going to go home."
Splinter nodded. "The other's will walk you."
Riana shook her head. "I'll be fine splinter."
"No way babe, there are giant mutants running around out there." Mikey said as he walked into the kitchen, Leo walking behind him.
Riana smiled at Mikey. "There are giant mutants running around down here too."
"Ya, but we're the good kind." Mikey grinned playfully.
Riana giggled at Mikey's silliness.
"Besides we should do another run now that it is dark." Leo stated then turned to call to the other side of the room. "Don, we're heading top side. You coming?"
Don rubbed his eyes and sighed as he looked in the direction of Leo's voice then back down to his computer screen. On it was a long list of dropped charges, useless information, and affiliates of Cael Bigly. Don had been sifting through it for hours he hadn't found so much as a phone number and definitely no address. Someone had already hacked the records and eliminated anything that could have led them to him. All the dead ends they had come across were getting to be irksome. With a sigh Don got up from his computer table.
"Coming Leo." He called back. He grabbed is gear then headed top side with the others.
Raph sat with his carapace against the door to his room. He listened as the others left; As Splinter paused by the outside of the door, sighed and then moved on to another room. There in the silence with only the sound of his own breathing to comfort him as he was finally able to clear his mind of Ray ray and the cluster of emotions she stirred in him that threatened to burn him up and devour him. He didn't know how long he could continue pretending he didn't feel for her. Not that he was doing a great job of that already. Frustrated he threw a sai across the room. The hum it made when it stuck into the adjacent wall slowly faded back into silence and darkness.
Mikey laughed as he hopped around on the roof top in front of Don, going on about some impossible move in kung fu movie Mike had recently watched on T.V..
Don rolled his eyes at his easily exited brother. "That isn't even possible. Like not even on the moon."
"I'm not trying to do it on the moon I'm trying to do it here, duh." Mike informed Don.
"If you can't make a jump like that on the moon you can't do it here, Mikey."
Michelangelo hesitated for a moment before making an impressive flipping wall kick off of a sign on the top of the building they were walking across. "Why not?"
"Because of gravity." Don said gravity slower to emphasize the importance of it. "There is less on the moon than on earth. So if you can't make a jump on the moon you definitely can't make that jump on Earth."
Mikey considered that for a moment. "Why does it make a difference?"
"Because the Earth is bigger."
Mikey thought about this, too, for a second. "We've had this conversation before haven't we?"
Don sighed. "Yes a couple of times."
Honestly Mike knew damn well what Donnie was talking about. But he was enjoying giving Don's lack of imagination grief. The poor turtle looked exhausted too which made Mikey's goal that much easier.
Riana and Leo walked a few paces behind Mikey and Don. Riana had remained quiet through the majority of the walk back toward her place. Too much on her mind between all the mutants that were now a norm in her life. "Leo, is Raph usually this difficult?"
"Yes." Leo replied simply. He could have embellished on how his brother was difficult because he questioned orders regularly, was stubborn, short tempered … and loyal, brave, and stubborn. Leo sighed he knew he shouldn't encourage Riana's infatuation with his brother but…, "I don't know what his issue is but it is just usually best to give him space when he gets in a mood. He'll come around."
Riana nodded. She thought about the night trying to pinpoint what had set Raph off, cause really he had been rather pleasant even laughing and teasing Riana. Suddenly she remembered why they had run from the sewers in the first place. "Oh Leo, I almost forgot. We ran into those dog things again."
"In the garage?" Mikey asked. Don and he had stopped to wait for Leo and Riana on the roof of her apartment building.
"We went into the sewers for a bit." Riana explained. "When we were there we ran into the mutant dogs. And there were also these… things.." Riana made a football shape with her hands as she tried to remember what Raph had called them. "umm, mousers I think Raph said."
"Mousers?" Leo asked, thinking he couldn't have heard her right. But Riana's nod confirmed that he had heard just fine.
"Baxter Stockman." Don smiled. "The man is a mad genius but he is also too full of himself to cover his tracks well. We'll be able to find him without too much trouble."
"Perhaps I can reacquaint you?" A man with a thick Irish accent stepped out of the shadows followed by two mutant canines. It was amazing how easy it was to find someone once you had a positive ID on them the images from the mousers had provided Eric with all he needed to acquire one of Riana McMurphy. He knew she would be home eventually and then with the right persuasion she would be forced to lead him to the turtles. But it was apparently going to be a lot easier than that.
Riana and the three Turtles blinked at the man.
"Who the heck it he?" Mikey asked.
"I don't know him, but I recognize his pets." Riana said as she took a step back. She didn't have her axe to defend herself this time.
Leo drew his swords, his brother's dutifully followed suit.
"Two dogs and one guy? Should I just order a pizza and watch from the side lines?" Mikey joked.
"It won't exactly be a challenge." Leo admitted. He turned his attention to the Irish man. "Where's Stockman… and Bigley?" Leo wasn't really sure how those two fit together just yet but they apparently did.
Eric didn't bother with an answer. The turtle would be finding out the answer in person soon enough.
"Sick 'em." He said as he loosed the canines.
The dogs lunged forward snarling and barking as they did.
Leo took point. Two quick steps, stand firm. Leo watches the canine lunges. One, two, he times his strike. His left foot slides to the side as he starts to pivot. Leo's kattana slip back by his right shoulder. "Three." He breaths, as the canine leaps at him he shifts hi weight bringing just a breath out of the canine's path, his swords building tension against the animal's flesh as they are pulled through the creature. The katana sang their victory in a low hum for him, Leo's favorite sound in the world.
The Dog yelped as it the ground and lid to Riana's feet. She turned and ran to roof access door throwing it open with a purpose. She had no way so defend herself, so she would find one.
Knowing the dog was dead Leo ran for the Irish man standing on the edge of the building.
Eric's eyes widened when the large mutant turtle came barreling at him. He pulled his gun and managed to fire off two shots. Both expertly deflected by Leo's katana. Eric, who was not without other means of self-defense, prepared himself for the fight.
The second canine met Don's boa. Don's first strike landed true across the canine's head and neck stopping it short. The animal growled and snapped at Donnie's boa, yanking harder than Don had anticipated, pulling the boa from Don's hands.
"Hey." Don exclaimed before using a sweeping kick to knock the animal over, then grabbed his boa and commencing in a tug of war.
Mikey laughed at the scene, until the canine dropped Donnie's boa and lunged forward, sinking its teeth into his shoulder.
"Donnie!" Mike yelped as he hurried to his brother's aid. His nunchuku spinning in their flashy fury, he struck the mutant dog on the head with nunchuku then brought his foot up to meet the dog's side, sending it rolling across the roof.
Eric ducked as Leo swung his fists. Good old fashioned Irish boxing had taught the young man that much, He countered Leo's attack swinging in a couple of hay makers. It was evident that even though Leo had killed the mutant dog he wasn't so readily willing to kill a human. Eric felt this gave him an advantage and advanced on Leo bringing in a punch toward the gut then one toward his face.
Leo blocked both then brought a foot up into the Irish man's chest knocking him back a few feet. Then Leo advanced again.
"Release it." Eric shouted to a man beside a semi-truck on the mostly empty street below. Seeing Leo coming for him, Eric scrambled to his feet and brought up his fists to defend from the oncoming attack.
"Donnie, Donnie you alright?" Mike fussed over his brother attempting to pull him to his feet.
Don hissed against the sting in his shoulder, as his brother pulled at him. He swayed on his feet for a second trying to use his boa to right himself, the way the world was spinning, however, made that impossible.
"Mikey, don't get bit." Don managed before the canine's venom took a more drastic hold on the turtle turning his world dark.
"Don!" Mike caught his brother as he fell easing him to the floor of the roof top.
The canine had righted itself and mad a wild break for Mikey, saliva and venom trailing from its mouth as it came.
Mike whipped his fist out the nunchuku swinging out, slamming into the canine's nose with fleshy crunch.
The canine yelped then snapped at Mikey's arm, Its attack being cut short by a well-placed strike of a firemen's axe.
Riana raised the Axe over her head and brought it down again on the creature's neck.
It squirmed in a flailing attempt to escape.
She swung one more time severing its scull from its spine. Riana breathed heavily as she looked over at Mike.
"Nice timin' sis." Mikey grinned. The grin was quickly replaced by a worried expression as Mikey looked back to tremoring body of Donatello.
Riana dropped to her knees and started to assess the turtle's state. "Oh, God." She prayed as she looked over Donatello. Her paramedic training telling her that the bite had been venomous and without anti-venom there was nothing she could do.
Leo had Eric by the scruff of his collared shirt. "You're going to tell me where I can find Stockman and Bigley, and you're going to tell me now."
Eric grinned as a couple of stockman's newest creations rose up behind Leo.
Leo followed Erics gaze, his breath catching in his throat at the sight of two fearsome creatures.
Long jagged teeth, in long furry snouts, brown and green scaly skin covering looong lean, muscled bodies, their mains flowing out around their heads like haloes, one's massive main emphasized by the scaly web of skin.
The creature moved with such speed Leo barely had time to flinch. it caught him by the edge of his shell and wrapped him in its body and claws, leaving his katana clattering on the ground.
"Hold" Eric commanded the creature.
"Run." Leo gasped out the order to the wide eyed Michelangelo, as the second "dragon" half stalked and half slithered across the roof top.
Seeing how fast it was moving Mikey new he could not out maneuver it with Donnie in tow. "Shit." Not sure what else to do. He did as his brother had ordered. Grabbing Riana by the arm He bolted for the roof top entrance door slamming it closed behind him then used his body to try and block it.
Riana slid into the wall, and then turned on Mikey. "We can't just leave them!" She immediately felt guilty for berating the poor turtle. The expression on his face confused and terrified.
"I can't stop those things alone." he admitted a panicked tone in his voice.
Riana stepped into firefighter mode her expression becoming even and focused. "Then let's go get it." She gave Mikey a hard tug and leading him down the stairs and through the building's basement through and old coal shoot to an ally and into the sewers beneath the city.
Back on the roof Eric walked over to the turtle that lay barely breathing on the roof.
Leo watched from the grasp of the "dragon" as he struggled to free himself, his shell threatening to crack under the creature's constriction. "Leave him alone." Leo pleaded breathlessly.
Eric looked over the purple clad turtle pulled a vile of anti-venom from his pocket and administered it in a shot. Two more men climbed onto the roof to stand next to Eric as they watched the turtle's breathing slowly return to normal. "wrap 'em up. Cael is tired of waiting."
Don't think for a second that Mikey abandoned his brothers. as we know abandoning one another is not what the turtles do. however when Leo gives the order to retreat, Mikey or Donnie are the most likely to do so. Mikey will be back with reinforcements, promise. ;)