(CWC is cowering in a concrete bunker, typing furiously.)
CWC: Okay, stealing one of Ratchet's wrenches, bad idea. Getting the song that gets on everybody's nerves stuck in Jazz's head, even worse idea. Turning Prowl evil, WORST IDEA IN HISTORY! *types a little longer* Aha! Done!
(turns computer back into wand and points randomly out a small slit in the bunker. Prowl wanders in, optics blue again and looking dazed.)
Prowl: What just happened?
CWC: I removed your Autobot programming so you could take revenge on Michael Bay for killing Jazz, but you went on a destructive spree. I had to fix you back.
Prowl: Ah. Have you gotten another chapter of that story typed?
CWC: *scowling* Why yes, yes I have!
Prowl: Good. Get back to work. *walks out of bunker* WHAT IN THE NAME OF PRIMUS HAPPENED OUT HERE?!
CWC: You did. FYI, I'm going to be updating around the first of the month from now on, just thought I'd give you a heads up. I'm actually late this time because of a 12 hour car trip to Ohio in an 8 passenger car with 7 other people. If I didn't love you people... but I do. Remember, Reviews are Love! ^_^
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Satomi's POV
I watch as the turtle with a red mask and Bethany come out of the kitchen, laughing at something that Red mask has just said. I'm shocked that Bethany hasn't ripped him limb from limb.
Hannah immediately stalks over to the pair and is about to drag Bethany away by one fuzzy ear when the turtle, I think his name is Raph, intervenes. He talks with Hannah for a minute, and Leader calms down. After a short talk she claps one paw on Bethany's shoulder and walks off. Everyone has gone back to doing their own thing. I frown. The nice turtle, Donatello, is gone. He's not in the main room or the dojo, which I can see into from here.
I'm about to go look for him when something occurs to me. A cat can see in the dark, and smell very well, but a cat is also known for its hearing. Instead of looking for the purple-wearing terrapin, why don't I just listen for him?
Retreating to an unused corner of the room, I sit cross-legged on the cold stone floor and, closing my eyes, focus on my ears. Almost immediately I'm assaulted by the sounds coming from Ruby and Mikey's video game. Wincing slightly, I ignore them the best I can and focus on the quieter noises. The next sound is soft grunts and gasps as Raph and Bethany spar in the dojo. Arianna and Hannah talking too quietly for me to hear individual words, but I know where they are and manage to block them out.
The only sound remaining is the quiet hum of machinery and a soft tapping sound. My ears twitch in that direction as I try to identify the sound. What is that?
Keeping my eyes closed, I stand up slowly, not wanting to lose the small noise among the chaos. I move cautiously towards the tapping, keeping my eyes open just enough that I don't trip over anything. The sound leads me across the main cavern to the room where Bethany had been treated. The medical bed was still there, with several folded blankets and two pillows resting on it. Now that I wasn't dead tired and frantic with worry over the condition of one of my teammates, I take the opportunity to look around a bit more.
The hospital bed is actually off to the left, the rest of the room being taken over completely by tables, computers, and other machines. It was trashy and cluttered and messy and more than a little strange; it was a tech geek's paradise. In the midst of it all sits Donatello, tapping away at a computer keyboard with one hand while he fiddles around with some broken piece of machinery with the other. He jumps when I clear my throat, hitting several keys and dropping the hunk of technology.
Donny turns in his swivel chair to face me as I wipe the amused smile off my face and replace it with my normal shy one. "This is a really impressive set up," I begin, gesturing around the room. The turtle beams with pride.
"Yeah, this is my laboratory," he says, pronouncing the word lab-or-a-tory. My smile grows a bit.
"I was wondering if I could borrow your computer for a little bit," I ask hesitantly. Donny looks unsure. "I can just come back later if you're busy," I offer, gesturing to the door behind me. He shakes his head.
"No, its okay," he says, pushing the swivel chair away from the table with one hand and reclaiming the broken device. Trying something else new, I wrap my tail around the base of another chair and tug experimentally. It comes whipping towards me at high speeds and whacks the backs of my knees. I sit down heavily in it as it spins uncontrollably, coming to a rest directly in front of the computer with me facing it.
"I totally meant to do that," I say after the shock has worn off. Donny chuckles and I ignore him in favor of the desktop in front of me. "How do you even have internet down here," I ask as I pull up a search engine. Donatello gestures toward the tunnel wall.
"Everything runs through the underground," he explains. "Telephone wires, television cables, internet cables, electricity; they all come through the sewers. It's pretty simple to tap into some of the lines. As long as we're careful and don't pull too much at one time, it's pretty undetectable."
"Cool," I say distractedly as I click around the page I've just pulled up.
"What are you looking for anyway," Don asks, wheeling his chair to sit just behind my right shoulder. I scoot a little to the left so that he can see better.
"I'm looking for a place for us to live," I answer, pointing to the screen. It displays several abandoned buildings, everything from old firehouses to an empty museum. "We can't stay here forever, after all, and with winter coming we'll need something once we leave," I explain, clicking on the link to an apartment building. Donny goes quiet, before shrugging.
"There are plenty of empty chambers in the sewers," he offers. "There's room for more than just us."
"Yeah, but you guys are turtles," I respond. "You've lived down here your entire lives. We are, or at least we were, human. Now we are cats. We weren't built for tunnels or sewers; we were built for the surface and sunlight. Turtles are made to be able to go down, into burrows, into the ground, down into the earth, but cats are made to climb, jump, and get higher than any creature besides birds." I realize that I've turned poetic and stop abruptly, shaking my head.
"Basically, the underground of this city is already claimed, and even if it wasn't, it just isn't the right place for us. I'll find us something on the surface," I sum up quietly, going back to my search.
Donny is quiet for a minute, silently observing me as I click around, moving from website to website. Eventually he shrugs and rolls over to another table, continuing his work. We both work, not making a sound, for a long time before I break the silence. I click on a link and, as I read the page, feel my eyes getting bigger and bigger. A grin grows on my face and I can hardly contain my excitement until…
"YES!" Donatello jumps and falls out of his chair as I leap up and pump my fists in the air. I toss a quick, "Sorry, Don," over my shoulder as I race out of the room, dropping to all fours to go faster. I practically skid to a stop in front of the TV, which everyone has gathered around. I ignore the shocked looks on their faces and look at Hannah.
"I found something. It's perfect," I tell her. Dashing forward, I grab her wrist and tug her off the couch and toward the lab. She comes willingly, Ruby and Arianna supporting Bethany close behind. I hop into the computer chair again, sending it spinning until I grab the edge of the desk to stop it. Turning to face the confused crowd behind me, I spread my arms wide and say, "Ta-da!"
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Hannah's POV
I look skeptically at the computer screen that Satomi has just presented excitedly. It shows a tall building, at least six stories high, among others on a street, presumably somewhere in New York. The windows are all boarded up, as well as the doors, but it looks relatively intact. The most prominent feature is the remains of a giant neon sign on the front of the building reading THE WOLF HOTEL.
"I've checked it all out," Satomi says eagerly. "It was shut down by the health department for a bed bug infestation. That got cleared up, but then the owners were arrested and died in prison leaving no heirs. The property then was sold to a bank, which, ironically enough, went bankrupt just a little while ago. The property is now in limbo, with no one really holding the deed. Not only that, but there are rumors that the place is haunted. Add in the condition that the building's in, and nobody is going to want to buy it. However, it's perfect for us because it's sitting right on top of the junction of several electrical lines, water lines, and even an internet and cable wires. If you want, I can do some creative hacking and have the deed in our name in no time."
She looks expectantly at me. All the others are, too. I bit my lower lip and say, "We should check it out before we do anything. Do you have an address?"
"Sure do," Satomi nods. "Good. You and I will go check it out once night falls. Ruby, you stay here and make sure Bethany doesn't tear open her stitches. Again," I add, seeing a line of red barely visible against the black stomach of my SIC. Satomi immediately has Beth on the medical table and is re-doing the stitches. I turn around and face the turtles.
"Would any of you like to come with us," I offer politely. Leonardo and Donatello shake their heads, but Raph grunts a yes while Mikey nods eagerly.
"Dude, I'd love to come check out your soon-to-be pad. It's gonna be awesome," he says, giving us a bright grin. I give him my own half-smile in return and look at Arianna, who has remained a silent shadow this whole time.
"Arianna, would you rather stay here of come with Satomi and me," I ask. My TIC considers for a minute before saying, "I will remain here with Ruby and Bethany." She smiles slightly. "Someone has to keep them in check."
I grin at her as the two mentioned protest. It seems like Arianna's gaining a sense of humor. I nod and we all head back out to the main area to wait for night to fall. After a couple of hours of wandering the tunnels, playing video games with Mikey, and trying to find something to read other than comics and books on ancient Japan, Leonardo finally decrees that it is dark enough to leave the lair.
I'm already at the exit and waiting with Satomi beside me. She anxiously folds and re-folds the paper in her hands with the address of the hotel. Mikey is so eager he's almost bouncing as we wait for Raphael. Raph doesn't waste time either, and leads our motley crew up and out of the sewers. He pokes his head out of a man hole and looks around before he lets the rest of us out. It feels good to get out in the open air again.
I manage to hold it in until we reach the rooftops, but an almost giddy laugh bubbles out of my chest as I smile widely, my expression mirrored by Satomi. I ignore the strange looks I'm receiving from the turtle's and raise an eyebrow at my friend. She smiles even wider and nods. Crouching down to all fours in a sprinter's position, I growl, "One."
"Two," she replies, kneeling herself.
"Three," we say simultaneously, and then we're gone, racing across the roofs of the city as if they are our own personal track. The turtle's struggle to keep up as we both drop to all fours, tails working overtime to keep us both balanced as we leap and somersault over the gaps between buildings and keep going.
I glance over my left shoulder and see Satomi trying furiously to keep up. I slow down slightly and allow her to take the lead, switching to two legs. Satomi goes back to just her feet as well and pulls the map paper from a place in her belt. She glances at it for a moment before gesturing slightly to the right. We alter course slightly and, after a few more minutes of running, stop abruptly on the building across the street from the hotel. The turtles arrive as we are looking the building over. They both look winded from the run. I look at them and fight back a smile.
"Are you boys all right," I ask, raising one eyebrow appraisingly. Raphael bends, putting his hands on his knees to try and control his breathing, while Mikey simply flops down on to the roof and puts one hand on his chest.
"Geez, you guys can run," Raph says tiredly a minute later, straightening up. 'Thank you, Captain Obvious,' I think, turning back to the hotel. It looks just like its picture online, old and run down.
"Satomi," I ask, looking down to her. She has pulled a small pair of binoculars from her belt, probably borrowed from the turtles, and is scanning the surrounding areas.
"The area's clean," she says decisively, putting the magnifying device away. "The only people close to us are asleep and a block or two away."
I nod and, at my signal, we move in. We land silently on the roof next to the door leading inside. It's locked. I approach it and, unsheathing my claws, slice it open with one clean swipe. I stand there for a minute, frozen, as it falls to the ground, and then start swearing under my breath and shaking my hand violently.
"Sonuvagun, that hurt," I whisper. The turtles and Satomi are staring at me with wide eyes.
"What," I growl, crossing my arms and frowning in mock-anger. "That hurt." Satomi giggles a little bit, Raph chuckles, and Mikey full out laughs.
Rolling my eyes, I push open the door and go inside. The door leads to a set of stairs, which go down for a bit before coming out onto a hallway. We pass by the hallway and keep going down, down, down, until we reach the lobby.
"Whoa," Satomi says, eyes wide as she looks around. I nod silently in agreement. The lobby has remained mostly intact, with wall to wall carpeting, only coming up in a couple of places, a hard wood front desk, and two huge staircases leading up to the floors we've just passed over. A huge chandelier, missing a few pieces, hangs from the center of the hall. It was obviously shut down in its prime a long time ago, when ballroom dances were the norm, ladies were elegant, and gentlemen were easy to find.
"And you say that this place could be ours," I ask Satomi calmly, not letting my awe show on my face.
"Yes," she answers just as quietly. Something about this place just seems to require respect.
"Wahoo!" Or maybe it's just me. Mikey is the one who breaks the quiet with his loud shout as he runs over to one of the huge staircases and, balancing on the banister, starts sliding down it like a highly skilled little kid. He jumps off when he reaches the bottom, flips, and pulls off a landing that a gymnast would be envious of. As he whoops with glee, I'm strongly reminded that, however these turtles act, they are highly trained fighters and should be treated with caution.
"Satomi," I call. My team mate has drifted to stand at the edge of the balcony and peer over the railing at the large lobby below. She glances back at me.
"I think this is the place," I state as Raphael jumps straight down from the balcony to the floor and starts arguing with Mikey. The yellow-masked cat grins and pulls me into a quick hug before leaping down to join the turtles. I'm about to simply jump off the balcony, but the stair rail catches my eye. I bite my lip.
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Satomi's POV
"Whoop!"
We all turn around and are shocked to see Leader sliding down the long, spiraling rail on the pads of all four paws. Suddenly she pushes with her back legs and keeps sliding while doing a hand stand. I think Mikey's jaw just hit the floor. When Hannah reaches the last few straight feet she stops sliding and flips down the rest of the bar, performing a triple somersault before touching the dusty carpet and standing up straight. Her tail is twitching slightly with excitement and amusement as she takes in Raph and Mikey's expressions of shock.
"Satomi, I think we've seen all we need to," she prompts, allowing the turtles time to recover. I nod.
"You're right. We should probably get back before Ruby manages to blow up the sewers," I respond. Hannah nods, and her tail twitches again as she turns to Michelangelo.
"You should probably close your mouth before a bug flies in," she suggests before walking back to the stair rail and running back up it. Mikey follows her instructions and nudges Raph before following her back up through the hotel with me bringing up the rear.
The trip back to the sewers goes without incident, and we're a few feet from the entrance before we hear loud noises coming from inside. Frowning, Raphael opens the door to reveal a human woman standing in the center of the room.
Ruby is cowering away from her, Bethany is close to Ruby trying to look as menacing as she can with one Tambo in her left hand and her right pressed tightly to her side, and Arianna is between those two and the human, several shaken in her hands and her eyes narrowed as she prepares to hurl them at the threat. Donny and Leonardo are shouting at Arianna to back off. Raphael and Mikey's voices instantly join in and I can see the killing intent in my TIC's eyes as she ignores them and brings her arm back.
Taking a deep breath and dropping to all fours, I ROAR as loud as I can. Everyone freezes. I stalk silently to stand between Arianna and the human. Standing up straight, with my back to the woman, I growl, "WHAT the PIT is going on here?"
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