A DISASTER TOO MANY

Chapter 10

The lights were shining a little too brightly where April pulled off the manhole cover. They were still near the alleyway, but there were signs of life everywhere.

Sucking in one last determining breath, April decided that they were not going to go back down through the sewers. They were going to chance this and hope for the best on the streets of New York City. Normally April would be doing this. But she wasn't dealing with a normal situation. So many strange things happened here, even before the alien invasion and strange, dangerous mutants running the streets. What was one more to these people anyways? Besides, Mikey actually appeared semi-normal next to all the odd occurrences.

Now if she could convince herself to not follow Master Splinter's incessant warnings about his sons remaining in the shadows. For whatever reason, April could not let them go.

Scanning the perimeter, April noticed that the few early risers or perhaps they were late-nighters, walking along the street more so than towards the dark alley to the left. April decided to compromise the warnings this one time. She could apologize to Master Splinter for their recklessness when they were all back together again...if...

They would make a break for it as soon as this little section cleared.

"Guys," April whispered back down the ladder. She gained Mikey's and Casey's immediate attention. "We're going to run for the alley and wait there."

"You think he'll find us in the alley?" Casey questioned, more than skeptical. It made April's eyes narrow on the dark figure underneath her. She really didn't have the time to be arguing with Casey about her plans. They had unconsciously chosen her to lead them to safety and right now, she was earnestly trying. April wasn't the sort to take up the mantle as leader, that was Leo's or sometimes Raph's... or occasionally Donatello's job. All the missions that she had lead so far were solo missions and she usually ended up running back to the lair for help after those short excursions anyways. Casey could at least offer up something else as an alternative if he was going to rub her lack of success back in her face.

"Well, I don't know what to do," confessed April in a tense, tight-lip manner. "We could wait on the ladder here instead."

"Geez, I didn't mean to insult ya. I'm just wondering if there might be another way."

"You're wondering a little too loud."

An intense two seconds of silence followed.

"I've got an idea," Mikey piped in, almost sounding annoyed. "How about we worry more about fighting the bad guys instead of the good guys?"

Casey and April's eyes met. They had a silent agreement that Mikey was right. This was accomplishing nothing.

"Sorry," apologized April. She turned back to face the rungs on the ladder, staring at them intently. "I'm just really scared. And I don't know what else to do. I wish that my dad was here..."

The last sentence came out as a whisper.

" 'S ok, Red. This guys pretty serious news," Casey stated, removing one arm from the ladder and rubbing the back of his head.

Despite the pain Mikey gave both of his friends a smile. At least one situation had been averted. It was just Bishop that they had to contend with now. He and his men had taken Mikey's family as far as Mikey knew. That left Mikey as the last one standing.

A dread filled the pit of Mikey's stomach as he reflected on that.

He was completely alone... He hated being alone like this.

April seemed oblivious to Mikey's internal plight as she picked up the manhole again to peek out. "I don't know guys…There's really nothing there. The alley is only a few feet away and then we'll be safe...I hope."

She peered back down the ladder as if asking for their permission. Neither one spoke up this time. Neither one dared make a suggestion about going back down. They knew what awaited them there and they were not about to tromp around to be caught.

Inhaling deeply, April gathered herself, pushing her body towards the top rungs in a near crouching position before flipping the lid off completely.

Wasting no time, she darted up out of the sewers at a lightning's pace, skidding across the pavement into the blackness of the alley to her left.

Mikey was next. He followed suit in the same manner, until he had reached her side.

Lastly, Casey came barreling out, eyes wide as he searched for his two friend and clumsily made his way towards them.

"Jones," hissed April before Casey reached them. Her finger shot out from the darkness and into the street lights, pointing directly at the manhole covering.

Casey spun around where he stood. His face pinched with the question, 'really?'

Just as Casey was about to grab the cover and drag it over the entrance, a car came flying straight in their direction. Casey froze, the perfect deer in the headlights look came over his face as he stared wide eyed at the car jumping the curve.

Awake city dweller's gaped as well, finally taking notice to their surroundings instead of dawdling off into their own little worlds. They turn fearful eyes to the boy and then back to the car. But before there was any impact the vehicle came to a halt and one window rolled down.

"Get out of here, kid," came a fearful, yet stern voice from inside.

Casey remained stationary, brain not computing that he should be moving. It didn't take long for Mikey and April to realize this. Mikey dashed outside the comfort of the darkness and grabbed his friend's arm before tugging him backwards. It was more or less instinctual from working with his brothers and April all those times. But it did cause a bit of a stir from inside the parked vehicle.

"Michelangelo?" called a tentative voice from inside the car.

Mikey kept reeling back, eyes wearily on the dark interior that had called out to him. He didn't know who's voice that was or how the man knew his name. But unlike Mikey, who was having difficulty placing faces with voices in favor of making sure that Casey made it to safety, April recognized the car. More importantly, she recognized the voice.

She hesitated to say anything for a moment, not knowing if what she was doing was right or wrong. She had just wanted someone to tell her that she wasn't causing more hurt to an already terrible situation. If she had someone to confirm her decision, that understood Kurtzman was not who they thought he was, then she could determine if Kurtzman was sincere in aiding them. After all, he was here like he promised, wasn't he?

April bit her lip. Kurtzman was here, but it was the why that came with it in which April the most concerned with.

Suddenly, the door flew open and the old detective pulled himself up from inside. "Mikey? April? Was that you?"

April peeked over at Mikey and Casey before sighing. Here goes everything.

Stepping out, April answered for them. There were still a few onlookers that seemed curious as to the exchange. She couldn't wait any longer in case this turned into a full blown scene.

"It's us."

Kurtzman went from concerned to forming a soft smile across his wrinkled face. He looked completely relieved to see the three, eyes bouncing back and forth before alarm flooded his expression. "Where are the others?"

April shook her head, eyes peering downwards. Luckily, Mikey saved her from having to say any more. "I think they're still down in the tunnels. Leo and Donny are way too smart to get caught. They are just...behind a little..."

Nobody said anything otherwise, though Kurtzman gave April a questioning glance. She had caught the look, but then turned her eyes downwards once more. Kurtzman visibly stiffened. "...And what about Raphael?"

That made both Casey and Mikey shift. Neither were willing to say anything and Kurtzman must have read the signs. He quickly indicated to his car. "We need a spot to regroup until we can figure out where to find everyone. I've got a place out in the woods, outside of New York City."

Mikey looked hesitant, but moved forwards anyways. Casey followed suit, keeping tabs on the youngest Hamato as if the big brother position fell onto his shoulders.

April stopped the two as she asked, "Does Bishop know about this place?"

Her words were carefully chosen not to tip off Mikey or Casey that she knew what this man had done. If they did, then there was no doubt in her mind that one or the other of them was not going to get into the car. They would refuse and that would lead to them here, right where Bishop could collect them. Though, she didn't want to not say anything and have Kurtzman drive them right up to Bishop's men to be hauled off.

What it came down to was her own intuition. She needed to be wise enough to understand who was the enemy and who wasn't. She needed to find, within herself the discernment she needed to decide if Kurtzman had been a good choice at all. She didn't want to doubt herself when so much was at stake. She didn't want to lead any of them into the wrong hands.

Kurtzman's eyes furrowed as if pained by the question. He shook his head.

"No," he stated softly, knowing that April was the one he would need to reassure. Judging by the reactions of the other two teens, they hadn't been alerted. "Bishop doesn't know anything about this place. He can't even trace it because it's not in my name nor have I been there in over ten years."

That was what it took for April to take a few tentative steps forwards. She let Mikey and Casey take their seats in the back, Casey eagerly patting the seat next to him. April sent the other a smile before shaking her head and hopping in the front. She wanted to be aware of Kurtzman's every move. Nothing was going to get past her if she could help it.

"Was anyone following you?" Kurtzman asked, eyes searching the area as he slammed on the gas. April shook her head watching the mirror as strangers in the street began to converse with one another.

"There was, but I think we lost them."

Kutzman sighed loudly. "That's a relief."

They were already zipping along through the streets of Manhattan as fast as the dense traffic would allow them. They weren't making much lead way but Bishop, if he could even recognize them, would be a fool to stop them in all of this. There were too many onlookers, too big of a crowd to create an issue. Bishop didn't seem like the sort to cause a fuss. It was one thing that Kurtzman had picked up immediately from the other. It was what led Bishop's and his initial trust to be forged. Then came all the half truths and secrets.

"How far out is the house?" Mikey interjected from the back seat. His mind was jogging over the likelihood of finding his brothers if he went too far.

"It's not close," Kurtzman stated as delicately as he could, watching as April sent him a glare before turning completely around in her seat to face Michelangelo. "Don't worry, Mikey. We'll come up with a something and be back. But right now, we have to bunker down and stay low."

Mikey turned away. He didn't like the thought of just leaving his brothers like this. He did have April and Casey, but it just isn't the same as having your siblings near you in a time of crisis. He knew that he was going to have to remain strong for a little while longer. He was going to have to keep damming his emotions as best he could so he didn't fall apart right here. He felt so close to it though. He felt so close to imploding, releasing a torrent of doubt, sadness, and pain. He hadn't ever in his life feel like this before. He was never down, even when he was down. There was always a bright side or a way to cheer up. Finding it in this though, that was a chore that even Mikey couldn't handle well. His usual jokes weren't about to patch this up for himself. Pizza or skateboarding weren't going to snap him out of this bind. When Mikey realized that, he just sat back in his seat and watched the other cars, unsure of how to act since all his defaults were out of the option.

Sending Mikey another apologetic glance, April found that the driver had cast one over towards her.

Kurtzman looked older at the moment, tired even. He kept driving as if his very life depended on it.

April wanted to question if perhaps it did, but she didn't want to alert Casey and Mikey about the situation she might or might not have put them in. She didn't want to say that their last hope was actually a gamble. So instead, as they began to cross the island's northern bridge she decided to ask about their destination.

"It's a ways," Kurtzman grunted, obviously answering her question as the stereotypical parent response to a child on a prolonged car ride. It didn't bother her as much as it normally might have.

April couldn't help but glance outside, away from Kurtzman. They were no longer in the center of New York City. They were well on their way North, far from Bishop's attack. "I was just curious about the actual house."

That had Kurtzman looking a bit relieved. His drawn face managed a small smile before replying, "It's tucked away. When you become an investigator and leave normal cop life behind, you sort of want somewhere that isn't charted. It's become a safe house of sorts. It's in Connecticut…about a half hour off the main highway."

Nudging the wheel with his knee, he began to tug on his pocket. A wallet came tumbling out onto the seat underneath him as he continued to drive on. Using one hand, Kurtzman was able to retrieve the wallet and hand it over to April. The move wasn't done without some trust. April couldn't help but notice that Kurtzman never once paused or held back his words like he was trying to invent a story. In fact, he offered her evidence that suggested validity to his story.

A feeling of relief washed over April as she took the wallet. Kurtzman was on their side after all. What he said in the car to her was the absolute truth. The man had unwittingly found himself in this situation just like they all did.

Casey leaned forward over the seat and peeked over April's shoulder to catch a glimpse. Sending Casey an annoyed glance, April bit back telling him to stop breathing down her neck and invading her personal space.

"So we're heading for Connecticut?" Casey questioned loudly.

April bit her lip and snapped, "Casey, seriously."

Both her and Casey turned towards Mikey, who was still window watching.

The turtle only shuffled a bit before spinning his head towards the two of them. After gaining an audience, Mikey could only shrug his shoulders. "That's a long ways away from here...isn't it."

"Not too far," commented Kurtzman as he looked in the rear view mirror.

Mikey glanced out the window once more.

Flipping the folded wallet open, April glanced at the humorless image that stared back at her. The image of a face that wasn't necessarily prepared for the camera to snap for his license. As her father would tease her about it, it was their 'mug shots.' April smiled eyes roving over the pictures on the flap next to the cards. They were gorgeous ones, promising a life somewhere else, outside of the city that Kurtzman was employed. The old woman that looked remarkably like him, must have been a sibling of some sort.

April flipped through, finding a few more images, before her eyes rested on an older, faded photograph. There sat a country house with a barn and a middle age woman standing in the front waving.

"Is this the house?" April questioned.

Kurtzman took a second to glance at the wallet before turning back to the road. "Yes. That's where we're heading off to. The girl in the image is my ex. She moved out West, but still left me the house key. We never truly broke up completely, just found separate lives and drifted."

A hand dipped over April's shoulder as Casey piled himself up against the seat even closer than the last time. His chin was practically resting on April's shoulder and his cheek just barely touching April's own. "I wanna see."

April rolled her eyes, muttering a "really Jones…" Then she handed him the picture in which Casey took to study in the back. April couldn't help but cringe as Casey made a spectacle of himself oohing and ahhing.

"Mikey, check out this. You can make out a horse there," Casey tried, poking Mikey on the shoulder. Michelangelo only sighed glancing at the photo and then turned to face the window once more. Casey's hand dropped slightly and he seemed at a loss. April was the same, sitting from the seat up ahead and watching as Mikey curled more in on himself.

"I guess that's cool," Mikey stated. He was still trying to figure out what was going on inside of him. It felt upsetting and terrifying.

April hadn't anticipated that leaving Manhattan without Mikey's brothers might become more of a problem than a solution. She never wanted Mikey to feel as though they were never coming back. The situation was a temporary one and if any one of the older brothers had decreed it, April knew that she had to keep Mikey safe. She had to be the force that stood up and watched out for the orange banded turtle. Glancing over at Casey's sullen, dejected face, she knew that he too was trying to be what he could for Michelangelo. It made her appreciate him a lot more. Casey might be reckless and rambunctious, a human replication of Raph half the time, but there was also a side of him that gave an honest attempt of being kind and caring. Raph had a little more practice at secretly being soft, not once slipping into anything too gushy, but Casey was picking up on this whole big brother thing the same way April was learning about being a big sister.

She almost felt as though she and Casey were cheated after having an experience with the turtles in their lives. April felt lonely without them to pal around with when she came home to her aunt. It made her realize why Casey might have skipped school most days to go be with their new friends under the sewers. That was as long Master Splinter didn't catch him and send him back above ground where he was forced into making painful excuses about why he was three or so hours late.

Up in front, Kurtzman must have picked up on how the conversation was fairing and inserted, "There are probably horses next door still. I know that my ex doesn't keep horses there any longer. She complains that she's too old to be worried about the mess. But there's sure to be someone on the other side of the woods that has a couple."

"That's awesome! I bet Mikey and I could saddle up one for riding. Besides I haven't seen anyone get along with animals like Mikey. Am I right?" tried Casey, giving the other an encouraging nudge.

"Maybe," breathed Michelangelo, baby blues still plastered on the changing scenery. Then Mikey dramatically dipped his head down. "Oh man, I forgot about Ice Cream Kitty! She's never going to talk to me after this again."

April sighed a little in relief as she watched Mikey. He hadn't been responding like his normal self, not that anyone could blame him, but the mentioning of animals did seem to do the trick. Though, regaining a bit of Michelangelo back reminded her of what they lost.

She was already missing teasing Raph about how much of a tough guy he wasn't, or practicing with Leonardo when he wasn't completely zoned out into his own little training world. She wanted to know that she could chat with Master Splinter late at night when she couldn't find peace in the comfort of her Aunt's home. She wanted to know if Don had enough rest after practically sacrificing himself for a solution to bring back her father.

It was just gone…and Mikey was the last part of all the happiness April had gained moving here.

"You guys…" trailed Casey.

It broke April from her thoughts and yanked Mikey away from the window.

Suddenly the three teens had turned to the rear window, staring out, eyes widening. It wasn't the lights that caught their attention as much as the sirens ringing out through the crisp early morning breeze.

April's eyes flew towards Casey and back to Kurtzman. Whereas Casey looked like a terrified and guilt-ridden, ducking in his seat while the red and blue attraction poured through the windows. No one questioned the reaction, nor would they have even if they weren't completely absorbed with the latest light show.

Kurtzman looked grim, puzzled. His hardened jaw reset itself a few times, as if in pain. He didn't stop though and they were getting closer. If it wasn't for the unusual movement of the jaw, April might not have thought Kurtzman had heard the wailing police sirens. As it turned out, he was trying to ignore them.

"More bad luck," Kurtzman breathed, his eyes flickering to the mirror. He glanced down at the speedometer once more before shaking his head and grumbling.

They were speeding. He deserved the ticket. But he didn't want to slow down enough to get one.

Old cop instincts kicked into play once again. He was going to have to pull over if he didn't want to star in a story on the news somewhere. Besides, they were far from Manhattan by this point. Bishop was one of four men, and he'd been careful about watching the cars following. All this still wasn't comforting to Kurtzman. He was trading the rock for the hard place and neither was going to sit cozy in his mind.

Casey flipped towards Mikey, the both of them mimicking each other's crouched position on the seats behind. "Can't we ditch them. I hate these guys," scoffed Casey. His eyes flipped from the driver's seat to the rear view window in disdain after Kurtzman cleared his throat in warning.

"Isn't that convenient," muttered April still fully turned in her seat. Kurtzman couldn't help but overhear that as well.

Kurtzman neither disagreed nor agreed. He was torn in indecision and debating which might be their best chances. Rationality finally took over his gut. He fully convinced himself that he was worked up over the entire situation and there was no way that Bishop would be this prepared for their departure. The guy might be crazy, but not crazy enough to have the entire situation planned.

"We're too far away from where Bishop was. I know this much about him, he's crafty and he's got a little muscle in the government, but not the kind that enables him to control the cops. Besides, the federal branches that might fall under that category, couldn't arrest me without a warrant, and I guarantee you, with my background in the NYPD, that will not be happening anytime soon."

"Do you know for sure?" April questioned, eyes tailored to the vehicle behind.

Kurtzman sighed before he shook his head. "I guess I don't know everything for sure, but to be on the safe side, Mikey, your going to have to hide. There's a good chance we'll be on our way in no time."

Biting the side of her cheek, April nervously wrung ends of her under shirt, watching the police man stepping out of the vehicle with a new found fear. She didn't like that this was happening and her distrust for the fellow officer was a little too much for her at the moment. She couldn't help but associate men in uniform with the bad guys after what had happened down in the lair.

"April," Mikey whispered before he disappeared. He sent her a desperate glance as he burrowed over the turned down backseat leading to the trunk. He had given his final warning of, "Something isn't right."

April felt her skin crawl as she turned to peek in Mikey's direction. "I know."

Then Mikey was well hidden from view.

April tried to swallow the lump in the back of her throat.

A ring sprang from Casey's cell in back of April's seat, making the redhead almost jump through the ceiling. "Casey," hissed April, half under her breath as the officer strolled up to the window.

Casey was fumbling with his oversize pocket, hand desperately searching for his cell wherever it might be. He just couldn't get ahold of it in time though. He hated that his cell was nowhere to be located in the vast space in the sleeve of his pants. Growling, his fingers roved over the side of his thigh, finding change, old tickets to a movie he saw last week and finally, the smooth slick surface of the cell. Unfortunately, it was too late by that time. The phone had grown quiet.

Kurtzman had grown particularly quiet eying the cop as he stepped up to the window.

"Crap," muttered Casey, pulling his hand free of his pocket. "It's probably my ma or pa calling me…It's suppose to be my pa's weekend for me to head over. I didn't even think about it."

April wasn't really listening to Casey's family situation, but just to seem friendly despite her frozen state, she sent Casey a nod. Her eyes were completely glued to the opened window where a cop was leaning in and looking at Kurtzman directly in the eye.

"Sir," began the man, elbow resting against the top of the vehicle as he leaned in. "Do you realize how fast you were going?"

Kurtzman shook his head, his fingers trailing over the wallet that April handed back to him, as he purposely flashed his detective badge for the police man to see. "No sir. I'm actually on a very important case right now. It's imperative that we get to our destination."

The badge seemed to appease the cop for the time being, his eyes traveling over the front seat to where April seemed glued. His eyes roved over her disheveled appearance before he questioned, "Miss, is everything alright?"

April felt a lumping her stomach as she forced her hands to remain calm. A smile instinctively formed on her face as she nodded. "Yes, sir."

"You're not hurt?" The police questioned glancing at April's ripped and bloodied shirt.

April only nodded again. "I'm totally fine," she squeaked trying to put on a convincing smile. Then the cell phone in her own pocket sprang to life and she found herself panicky, hand slipping into her own pocket and quickly shutting off her cell. A guilty smile formed on her face as she peered back into the beam of the flashlight.

The man didn't seem thoroughly convinced, but after dashing his flashlight to the back seat where Casey had propped himself up, looking as though he were lounging, the man's attention directed itself elsewhere. "You, kid in the back. You're going to have to sit properly in your seat."

Casey immediately obeyed with a shrug of his shoulders. He was trying to stay cool. There was no way the cops could recognize him without his hokey mask on, not after they almost caught him for spray painting his warnings to evil doers in the back alleys. But the cop didn't seem to care one way or another as long as Casey did as told.

"Stay right here, I just want to check up on one more thing." Then the cop lazily searched the car once more before moving away from the window. He disappeared after that, strolling back to his cop car slowly before hopping inside.

April sighed heavily, the back of her head colliding with the seat behind her. "I think I almost had a heart attack."

"You're telling me," muttered Mikey now popping up from where he had stashed himself. He stretched his legs out, climbed back on the seat, after flipping it up into place and rolled his shoulders. He found himself a little less silent than he had been acting before hand now that the adrenaline was coursing once more through his system.

Despite his claims that Bishop was far behind him, Kurtzman released his breath as well.

He turned the key so that the car was partially on and sent a small smile in April's direction. She was too nervous to actually manage a smile back, but the attempt was fairly close. Her mind was racing. She could barely make sense of it now that everything was over. Perhaps they were too far away for Bishop to catch up.

But then lights sprang back up in the window once more, not from the cop car behind them, but from a new source out in the distance. This time a new squad car came swinging around the front of the detective's car.

April glanced over at Kurtzman, who only seemed completely taken aback. He was fumbling with what to do, not knowing what was the best move to make. April on the other hand was already pulling out her tesson just in case the situation called for it. That was far too easy, April thought cursing their luck. Why had she almost believed otherwise?

"Guys," April called just before the door to the driver's seat door was flung open.

Mikey snapped into play, his uninjured hand grabbing at the now disappearing form of Kurtzman. Somewhere up in front April shouted something that he couldn't quite hear, but Mikey was reacting on autopilot all the same.

Apparently, Casey was too.

The vigilante had made a jump from his seat directly into the one up front, grappling with Kurtzman's coat and finding himself catching nothing but air.

"Casey," Mikey shouted as hands reached back to tug him out as well. Mikey found himself batting off the hands on Casey's shirt before the raven haired teen could slam the driver's door shut, fingers reaching for the keys. With a flick of the wrist, the car roared to life.

"Drive, Casey!" April shouted from near by.

That was all it took for the teen to jerk the lever in reverse and slam down hard on the pedal, swerving around the side of cop car behind them just barely. He squealed to a stop, causing the traffic they had almost crashed into to honk, and flipped the gear to drive. Then the three were speeding along down the highway before any of them could think twice about what happened.

They were down one more ally, but at least out of harm's way.

A/N: Hello readers...I've come to a crossroad with this story. On one road - everything is elongated (dialogue and bonding times), but delve further into detail and relationships and all the little scenes that I thought up of when I first imagined this story (Including that other scene that I thought up of when listening to the song I mentioned in the beginning, even though it no longer fits). The other road will shorten things (non-stop, action-packed style), speed up the pace of the story and we can skim the relationship bits and pieces. Either way, the ending will result in the same fashion.

I haven't decided which road to take, even though I've worked through a plan for them both. So bare with me or if you might be willing to, give me a little feedback as to what you want. I'll definitely be appreciative for direction pertaining to my reader's interests! :)