Chapter 10- Tales of leo
30 seconds earlier...
"I have risen from the ashes" said the shredder as he sliced open the gas pipe. Inside the freezer door, mikey and raph were banging on the door with their weapons to get it open. "Trapped liked rats. Uh, no offense sensei.'' retorted mikey as he and the others were backing away from the blazing door.
Donnie walked over to splinter, helping Leonardo. "Leo's in really bad shape. We need to get him out of here!'' On the other side of the space, april was tending to an unconscious gwen. Evenly concerned, april stated "What about the girl? We can't leave her here." "Forget her, april! She beat the shell out of us, nearly killed leo, and now you want to save her?!" angrily said raph.
Splinter intervened the two's argument and said "Raphael! A true warrior does not leave another behind, no matter what the circumstances!"
At the back of the space, april started moving supplies around in order to get to an opening. "April, what are you doing?" questioned casey. "When we first moved in, there was a hole in the wall where a cooling unit was removed. There!'' Outside the door, the fire was getting worse as the gas pipe's leaking rapidly increased.
Raph immediately punctured the metal blocking the opening with his sai, breaking it loose. "That's it- everybody book!" said raph as everyone started getting out. Casey, followed by mikey and raph carrying out gwen, and Donnie and splinter carrying out leo. The group ran as fast and as far away as they could from the building. Finally, the gas leakage met the blazing fire, and the shop exploded, followed by the rest of the building as it all went up in fire and smoke.
Once they had all gotten to safety, April started crying into her hands, obviously crushed by the event. Casey wrapped his arms around her, finally raising his mask to show his face. "Forgive me, Miss O'Neil." Splinter spoke softly.
"But we must leave the past behind for now if we are to have a future. Leonardo and the young one are badly injured and need a safe place to heal." "What about the lair?" Mikey suggested. "Shredder has a whole ninja army down in the sewers, remember?" Donnie reminded him. "And we're in no shape to fight."
"Hey, we don't run from nobody." Raph said firmly, punching his palm. "And yet we must." Splinter said with equal firmness, lowering Raph's fist. "But….where?" April asked, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
"Fellas, I know just the place." Casey assured them. "Come on, my truck's down the road a ways and I got a trailer hooked on back for you guys." He held April in his supportive embrace as they all followed the vigilante down the alleyways. Casey stopped right in front of an old-fashioned car with a large grey horse trailer attached to the back. Casey tossed his things in the backseat and pulled out some thick blankets. "It'll be cold where we're going and we can't let you guys be seen. So hold onto these while you're in the trailer. Sorry, but I'm basically throwing you in a makeshift cooler." "Thank you, Mr. Jones." Splinter said with a small bow. "You're help is most appreciated; I'm sure my sons and I can endure a little cold." Casey only nodded and helped the turtles and Splinter into the trailer.
Hours passed as they travelled down the interstate and out of New York. Leo and gwen were in the same condition, injured and unconscious. Donnie, Mikey, and Raph shivered under their blankets. Leo remained still and quiet under his blanket, his head resting in Splinter's lap. The rat looked undeterred by the cold, only staring worriedly at his blue-masked son.
"Man," Mikey shivered. "It sucks being cold-blooded." Worried, Donnie stared at Leo. "Are they gonna make it, Sensei?" Only time will tell." Splinter said simply, not taking his eyes off Leo or gwen. Everyone looked up when the trailer suddenly slowed and then stopped, making them jerk a little.
Casey opened up the back doors with a smile. "Well, here we are! Grandma Jones' old farmhouse!" The turtles looked out and noticed the very large, very old house, with the peeling paints and the shutters falling from their hinges. "This is where we're staying?" complained mikey "Hey, we can fix it up easy." Casey assured. "Let's just get you guys inside and start a fire. How's Leo?" "Still unconscious." Splinter said, staring worriedly at the blue-masked turtle. Casey sighed. "Come on, let's get him inside." Donnie and Raph shed their blankets and gently picked up Leo, carrying him out of the trailer with Splinter close by his side, while Mikey and april brought gwen inside.
Donnie and Mikey picked up the blankets and followed everyone to the main room of the farmhouse. Casey turned on a lamp, casting the room in a soft glow that coupled with the light outside to give the room a more comfortable feeling. Mikey and Casey jogged around back for firewood while Donnie, Raph, and Splinter carefully laid Leo out on the couch. April laid gwen on the other couch by the fire and draped one of the blankets over her.
Still, neither leo nor gwen move, make a sound or give any indication that they were even alive. "All right, so it needs some fixing up." Casey admitted when he and Mikey returned. "The place got a little run-down since Grandma passed away." April twisted the vent to the chimney, releasing an avalanche of soot and dust that created a cloud in the room. "Mikey coughed. "When was that? In the late Jurassic?"
"Dude, you live in a sewer!" Casey countered. A groan caught everyone's attention, and the boys immediately dropped their wood to join everyone at Leo's side. "Leo?" Donnie asked hopefully. "Come on, bro; give us some indication that you can hear us!" Mikey pleaded. But Leo remained still and silent, forcing everyone to think the groan was imagined.
Night came, a fire was made, and everyone settled into their temporary new home. But Leo still hadn't stirred. Donnie and Splinter tried to at least get him to drink something, but nothing went down the unconscious turtle's throat. So they could only gather around him, watching with anticipation and worry. Splinter knelt beside Leo's head, staring at him and willing his son to wake up. Though not as injured as leo, april still kept an eye on gwen.
Raph punched the wall in frustration. "Why won't he wake up?" "Healing takes time." Splinter explained. He placed a comforting hand on Leo's head. "And Leonardo is recovering from more than just physical wounds. His spirit has also been grievously injured." Donnie stared at Leo. "You think he can hear us?" he asked Splinter.
"Perhaps." Splinter nodded, moving away and letting Donnie kneel beside Leo. "Hey Leo. It's me, Don." Donnie said tentatively. "Listen, you're gonna pull through this. I know you are. You have to. I mean, you know what kind of trouble we get into without you." "Like…" Donnie thought for a moment. "Remember the time I built that remote control car?"
"Check out the turning radius on this thing, Leo!" Donnie said with a smile as he controlled the toy car, making it do hairpin turns and sharp ninety degree turns all over the sewer pipe. Leo only watched with amazement, truly fascinated with his brother's high level of intelligence. However, the excitement was short-lived when the car swerved and suddenly fell into the river of sewer water the boys stood beside. Instantly the toy car was whisked away. "Awww." Donnie groaned.
"Remind me to never let you behind the wheel of a real car." Leo joked. "Hang on." Donnie said, handing the remote to Leo. "I'll get it!" "There was all kinds of debris clogging up the tunnel. And the sewers were overflowing with the heavy rains we just had. I wasn't paying attention to that. I just wanted my car back." Donnie didn't see the hulking bits of debris until it caught the stick he held and pulled him into the water. Donnie was swept away, just like his car.
"Donnie!" Leo called, running after his brother. Donnie struggled in the current until it suddenly pulled him right over a waterfall and into a large pool. He popped up two seconds later, but jerked a little when he felt something around his foot.
"Leo!" Donnie cried. "I'm stuck! I can't get my leg free!"
Leo hurried to the edge of the tunnel, his brother's cries echoing in the chamber. Meanwhile, the water rose higher and higher until it covered Donnie's head, forcing him to submerge beneath the waves. He futilely tried to pull his leg free, but it was firmly wedged between some wood and other wreckage under the water. Leo jumped down to a pipe sticking out of the cement and dived into the waves, right to his brother's foot. Donnie floated freely in the water, slipping into unconsciousness. Leo grabbed the beam keeping his brother under the water and pulled on it with all his strength, successfully dislodging the wood and freeing Donnie. He grabbed Donnie's plastron and pulled him up as he swam to the surface, breaking free with a gasp. He coughed as he swam to a nearby tunnel, pulling him and Donnie onto the solid ground. He collapsed, laying on the ground and sighing. The two brothers laid flat on their shells, staring up at the ceiling and panting. "What?" Donnie sighed. "Ya didn't get the car?"
"You really came through for me that day, Leo." Donnie finished. "You always do. And I know you will again." Raph scoffed. "Looks like you got him hanging on your every word, Don." Suddenly, Leo moaned, shifting a little in his fitful slumber. Everyone stared at him as Leo shook his head, as though having a bad dream. "Hey, I think he heard ya, Raphie!" Casey said. "Maybe talking to him does help." April added hopefully. "It is said that the voice of a loved one can guide a lost spirit back to its home." Splinter spoke wisely.
Mind if I take a crack at it?" Mikey asked. He knelt beside Leo, looking a little nervous. "Listen, bro. Just like….concentrate on my voice. Come on, Leo, you know how focused you get when you set your mind on something." "Like, remember that time you were trying to perfect your katas?"
Leo kept a hard and determined gaze as he worked through his katas, his mind playing back the moves Splinter showed him again and again. He cried out in effort a few times, imagining that he was putting his strikes right into an enemy ninja's chest. Mikey casually walked past him, bobbing his head to the music he listened to. He paused and looked back at Leo as the blue-clad turtle paused in an elegant crane stance, his gaze unwavering. The little turtle smirked.
"Hey! Leo!" Mikey called, lowering his headphones. "You seen my game guy anywhere?" But Leo refused to move, his determined glare staring at nothing in particular, even when Mikey got in his range of vision. Mikey waved his hand in front of Leo's face. "Hello? Anyone home?" "Nothing in the world was gonna break your concentration. But that wasn't gonna stop me from trying." Mikey pulled open his mouth and stuck out his tongue. Leo's gaze turned to a tired one, but he still held his stance.
"Huh. You know how I hate to be ignored." Mikey grabbed a balloon and blew it up, holding it right in front of Leo's face. He took a pin and slowly stuck it into the balloon until it popped, but Leo remained undaunted. Mikey frowned, but kept trying. He put funny glasses with a face nose and mustache on Leo and held up a mirror for the turtle to see. He juggled garlic and then tossed it into his mouth; he burped into Leo's face, but there was no effect. "So then I decided if I couldn't make you laugh, maybe I should just make you say 'Ow'."
Mikey took out his nunchakus and swung them around, smirking craftily. He swung one of the nunchakus towards his brother, who finally moved to grab the weapon, sweep Mikey's legs, jump onto the orange-clad turtle, and pin him to the ground with his own nunchaku. "Was I disturbing you?" Mikey asked with a smile.
"Leo, when you put your mind to something, you're unstoppable." Mikey sighed. "So, how about using that famous focus of yours to come back to us?" Raph scoffed. "You ask me, Leo's not coming back because he's afraid."
"No one asked you." Mikey snapped, jabbing a finger towards Raph. "You know, he got his butt whooped." Raph reminded him. "And now he's too chicken to come back and face it!" "That's enough, Raph!" Donnie ordered. Raph jerked away from Donnie. "Well I say who needs ya? It's not like we can't get on without you playing fearless leader." After he said that, tears formed in his eyes.
Raph angrily wiped his eyes dry. "Back in the day I always figured I would be the top turtle. I was the strongest, bravest."
"Remember the time I brought you to that closed-off section of the sewer? We were playing 'Follow the Leader'." Raph yanked the boards free from the tunnel entrance, tossing them aside. Leo tried to stop him. "Raph, we can't go in there!" "Hey, it's my turn!" Raph protested. "You're supposed to follow my lead!"
"But Splinter says—" "Splinter says, Splinter says." Raph mocked. "When are ya gonna think for yourself? That's what a real leader does. Now catch me if you can!" He climbed through the opening to the tunnel, forcing Leo to follow him. Raph jumped on a piece of wood and surfed it down the sewer stream, whooping and laughing. Leo followed suit, keeping his eyes on his reckless brother. Raph suddenly jumped off when the tunnel ended and spilled into a larger river.
"Huh." He shrugged. "Dead end. Must've taken a wrong turn." A strange sound caught his attention and he looked down, staring into the waters. "Uh…..Leo?" He suddenly jumped back with a shout when a large, albino crocodile burst from the water, snarling and roaring as it chased the tiny turtle back through the tunnel. Raph didn't dare look back, but he felt the large reptile's hot breath on his skin. A force suddenly collided with him and sent him tumbling to the ground. "Come on!" Leo urged. "Let's jet!" He leaped over the crocodile's tail and took off down the sewers. "No way!" Raph refused. "This walking handbag's intrudin' on our turf!" "You're the intruder, shell-for-brains!" Leo called. "Now let's get out of here!"
"Hey, I'm the leader this turn, remember?" Raph suddenly jumped up and grabbed the croc's snout, holding his jaw shut. The croc struggled and flailed for a moment before diving into deeper water, carrying Raph with it. He resurfaced again seconds later, swinging the small turtle around who could only hold on tight and shout in surprise.
"Can I offer a strategy tip?" Leo offered. "No!" Raph snapped. "I got him on the ropes! He's right where I want him!" But the croc suddenly slammed Raph into a wall, knocking him off its snout and causing him to slump to the ground. Raph rubbed his head, trying to shake the headache, and looked up to see a set of sharp, gleaming white teeth aimed right for him.
"Right." Leo sighed. "That's it!" He jumped into the air and landed right behind the croc's head. Raph watched in amazement as Leo pressed his fingers into the side of the croc's mouth and the great white beast slumped to the ground, unconscious. "What'd you do?" Raph asked. "What'd you do?" "Pressure points." Leo said as he slid off the croc and dusted off his hands. "Alligator pressure points?" "Little trick Master Splinter taught me. Come on, he won't sleep forever. How about another round of 'Follow the Leader'? As in, back home." Raph stared after his brother for a moment before following him as they darted through the sewer tunnels, leaving the somewhat terrifying experience behind them. "Lead the way!" Raph agreed with a smile.
"I don't even know why I told you that story." Raph huffed. "I guess ya just…..I mean…..what I'm trying to say is…." Raph didn't even finish; he held his head in his hand, his tears leaking from his eyes again. Splinter put a comforting paw on his son's shoulder. "Your brother hears you, Raphael. He understands." Raph didn't answer. He moved from Splinter to stand by the window, staring outside at the snow. He leaned against the window, pressing his forehead to the glass. Splinter, kneeling beside his son's head once more. "Leonardo, my son. You must gather all your strength and confront your fear. Just as you did many years ago." "Come on, Sensei." Raph scoffed. "Leo's never been afraid of nothing in his life." "Not true, my son." Splinter shook his head. "Do you recall, Leonardo, our early days?" "We were scavenging for food and supplies."
Splinter looked over the contents of his bag before glancing over at young Leonardo, shoving an old piece of computer hardware into his own bag.
"Come, my son." Splinter motioned for him to follow. "There are more useful items to be found on the upper levels." Leo nodded and followed his father up a metal ladder, closer to the surface. Leo stared uncertainly at the ladder, noting how high it would take him from the solid ground beneath his feet. But he pushed himself to climb after his rat father, keeping his eyes on the rungs of the ladder. "These tunnels stretch for miles in all directions." Splinter explained as Leo followed. "To avoid losing your way, you must observe your surroundings carefully." Leo obeyed, looking all around him and absorbing the look of the tunnel. But when he looked down, the vertigo made his woozy and dizzy.
"Come along, Leonardo." Splinter urged. "We are nearly at the top." Leo trembled as he held onto the metal ladder for dear life. "I can't!" "Leonardo, you must!" Splinter urged.
Leo struggled to pull himself up, but he slipped and his bag fell from his hands and into the darkness below. "No! No!" He panicked, but suddenly a clawed hand grabbed his shell and pulled him up. Splinter allowed Leo to take a hold of his neck and continued the climb, his heart hurting from feeling his son tremble in fear.
"It was then that I realized you had an irrational and paralyzing fear of heights. In the weeks that followed, I worked closely to help you overcome your fear."
Leo skillfully performed his katas for Splinter, all while jumping from one stump to another. The small pieces of bamboo stood no taller than six inches, and Leo looked confident as ever. Slowly, day by day, Splinter raised the height of the poles and started blindfolding Leo so he wouldn't look down. Each time, Leo performed magnificently. "Focusing on the way of balance. Gradually building your confidence." Leo eventually made it to the point where he performed the kata on poles at least ten feet in height, perhaps more. "Now, my son." Splinter instructed. "Remove your blindfold."
Leo obeyed, and his eyes widened when he saw how high he stood. He shouted in fear and wobbled a little before he plummeted straight to the ground and hit the safety net below. He looked up as Splinter approached him, but lowered his eyes when the rat shook his head.
"I was beginning to wonder if you would ever conquer the dark imagines of your mind. But I was unwilling to give up." Splinter wasn't as tall as a normal human, but he was still too tall to stand upright in the tunnel. So he crawled along his stomach, Leo mimicking his movements. They soon stopped when the tunnel dropped off into a swirling pool of water below them. Splinter jumped down to one of the many pipes that crisscrossed the large chamber and took a hold of a vertical pipe leading straight up to another tunnel far above his head. "We must continue on, Leonardo." Splinter ordered as he began climbing the pipe. "You go ahead, Master Splinter." Leo gulped. "I'll go around the long way."
"That could take hours, my son." Splinter reminded him. "That's okay." Leo assured hurriedly. "I could use the exercise." Splinter was about to snap at his son when a creaking sound met his ears. Before he could react, the pipe suddenly bent and creaked and started falling, taking Splinter with it. Leo's eyes widened. "Master Splinter!" The pipe suddenly jerked to a halt, throwing Splinter off the metal. The sharp point caught the hem of his robes and halted his descent, but the fabric immediately started tearing.
"Oh no." Leo groaned. "Master Splinter!" Without thinking, he suddenly gave a tremendous leap that sent him straight for the pipe, grabbing on and holding tight. He glanced down at the water and piping down below, involuntarily noting that if he and/or Splinter fell, they would either drown in the water or crack open their skulls on the metal. Either way, they were dead. Leo gulped and clutched the pipe. "Don't look down. Don't look down." He muttered to himself as he inched across the pipe and closer to his master. He finally got close enough and reached a hand out, calling, "Grab on!" Splinter turned just enough to reach for his son and grabbed his hand. Leo hurriedly pulled Splinter up onto the pipe and sighed. He still looked terrified, but not as much as before, and Splinter couldn't help but smile. However, when they began inching across the pipe, it began to creak and jerk again. "We'll never make it back in time!" Leo said, panicked.
"Then we must forge ahead, leonardo." Splinter said simply. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a length of rope attached to a small grappling hook. He spun the hook around and then threw it, catching the bars of a grate on the other side of the chamber. He tugged on the rope to make sure it was secure and pulled Leo onto his back. He swung off the pipe, feeling Leo's grip tighten, and landed softly in the tunnel down below before yanking his hook free.
Leo jumped down from his master's shoulders. "But…you could've saved yourself…at any time." "And you would still be consumed by your fear." Splinter reminded him, stowing the rope away. "By focusing on the task at hand, you were able to clear your mind of all distractions."
"Do so again." Splinter ordered gently. "Ignore the fear, my son. Let your spirit heal. Find your way home. Return to us." Leo did not move. He hardly breathed. Everyone stared at him worriedly, fearing the worst. "Is he….." Mikey gulped. "No….fear…." leo whispered. "We thought you were gone, bro." Raph said with a smirk.
"I was." Leo croaked. "But…you brought me back…..all of you." "You fought your way back, my son." Splinter said with a smile. "You have done well."
"Thank you…Sensei…" Leo smiled softly. "The danger has passed." Splinter sighed. "Now we must let him rest." After april finished tending to gwen, the group moved away into the other room, leaving Leo and gwen to finally rest peacefully.
9:17 p.m.-Foot headquarters
"This is your conclusive proof?!" questioned oruku saki, holding what seemed to one of the turtles masks. "That is merely a souvenir of your victory. Consider it-a gift. This is my conclusive proof." Baxter stockman continued, "Tell-tale signs of mutated DNA. Or in lamas terms-" "Turtle" interrupted saki.
Stockman continued "Someone's been doing their homework. No doubt one as intelligent as you would recognize that the sheer amount of DNA recovered can only lead to one conclusion." "The turtles perished in the blaze." Stated saki, then finished "And what of my 'agent', stockman?"
Stockman answered "I'm-afraid she did not survive. But at least your enemies have been vanquished." Though somewhat grieving, saki grinned at the fact his hated enemies were no more. Stockman saw this and noted "So that's what you look like when you're pleased. I've always wandered." He rolled over to the strange object in a glass case. "Now, about my reward?"
"I will have a team of foot technicians deliver it to your lab in the morning. Now, if you will excuse me, I have other pressing matters to attend to." Saki said leaving his chambers. Stockman looked back at the object, smiling evilly.
"Fool. You let your guard down the minute you believed your enemies have perished. Soon, the technological secrets locked within this artifact will give me power beyond reckoning! And that's when Baxter stockman stops taking punishment, and starts dishing it out!"
A/N- The turtles may be safe, but for how long? What will they do with gwen, and what is stockman planning against the shredder? Answers and secrets will be revealed soon enough!