Chapter 9: Topside

Leo wasn't very fond of going topside, not during the daytime at least. Fewer shadows to hide in and many more chances of being seen. Not that he planned on letting his ninjitsu skills slip. But it was a challenge in such a crowded city.

He'd spied Ura sneaking out of the sewers, with her sword and some other things.

He didn't know what that meant: whether she had just gone looking for fresh air or whether she was running to report everything she'd heard to Bishop. He had his doubts, but he wasn't as suspicious as Raph was. And that look in her eyes…seemed to say trustworthy.

That and so much more. Those moments they'd shared locked in each other's eyes…were so incredibly deep…one warrior to another.

He was sure she wasn't deceptive; she wouldn't betray them.

Leo froze when Ura happened to look up and see him, spying on her from the rooftop. As if to further prove his point she gave him a grin, came out of her former gloominess, ran into the alley, leapt onto the fire escape, and made her way up.

"Man, you're good; I hardly heard you—and that's saying something coming from me. But I did catch your scent." She said all in one breath as she stepped out onto the roof as well.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Sightseeing. I was particularly hoping for an unguided tour through a certain 'abandoned warehouse' I visited earlier this week."

Leo raised an eye ridge, "You should know better than to go alone. You're not even in a condition to fight."

She looked down guiltily, reminiscent of a younger Mikey caught stealing the last pizza pie, "I don't have to fight if I'm not seen. And I won't be seen."

"Well, I'm coming with you."

She grinned again, "Good! We'll make a great stealth team!"

Leo decided she was right. She wasn't a ninja, but she had some skills; and at this point, Leo felt more like a shapeless and noiseless shadow than he would if he were with a certain brother, not giving any names.

The security rested heavily on the second floor, with a couple guards lounging around below. Looked like the enemy was smart enough to know better than to have a whole army out there—that would look suspicious. The ground was really guarded by cameras.

Ura had done several stealth missions to Dan hideouts before. She had suspected that everything was underground; the building was just a fancy entranceway. That's how the Rocket Dan operated.

Suddenly Leo couldn't help but wonder how long she had been doing this sort of thing…and if the Gang did all of that 'bioengineering' stuff…What if she had been captured once before and turned into what she was? She hadn't gotten to explain it, but he doubted she was born like that.

Leo narrowed his eyes. Whatever the case, he couldn't ask her now, and he shouldn't be thinking of that now. He had to stay focused: on his mission, on his surroundings…

He voted entering from above, where they least expected it. He thought this might pose a problem for Ura, but it turned out she was just as ready as he was to scale walls and cut through glass. She even pointed out the single sniper on the roof and eliminated him before the whole thing began.

Once they were in, they stopped communicating verbally.

They didn't short-circuit the cameras—they just avoided the gaze of their patterned turns. Ura reasoned that they didn't want to jeopardize any further dealings by getting the Gang suspicious now.

They had first intended to make it quick and sweet, just browse the area and make some mental maps, but Ura got another idea as she observed a pair of dan'in walking down the hall. Motioning to Leo, the two of them grabbed the hapless minions as they passed, clamping their mouths shut and knocking them out, dragging them into the darkness.

Ura merely grinned humorlessly at the unbelievable convenience. It was as if some psychic decided to give them a hand. The outfits would fit the two of them nicely.