For being Leo's daughter, Lavi sure was acting stupid. Didn't we just tell them not to go off alone like this? And she did it anyway! And she was quick! She couldn't have had more than a few minutes head start on me and I was already having a hard time tracking her.
Shaking my head in annoyance I ran on, following the clues so small a normal person would have missed them. I kept trailing her for a few minutes, hoping she would at least stay in the tunnels, until finally I spotted her shadow slipping around a corner ahead of me and I put on a burst of speed. Still she managed to evade me yet again, this time by going up I figured out quickly as I heard the soft thump of a manhole cover being slipped back into place above me. "Shit." I muttered under my breath as I scrambled up the ladder after her. This child was asking for trouble tonight.
Still I kept my head in the game well enough to follow her out and catch the direction she went, and once again I was promptly in pursuit. The difference was now I could track her movements easier. She was good, but I had more experience in following things that didn't want to be followed.
I caught up to her just as I thought I figured out where she was heading, Purple Dragon territory of all places. What on earth was she trying to do? I asked her that after I landed behind her.
After a startled squeak and spinning around, and almost decking me, she looked at me for a moment before she answered. "Nothing."
Now, I know I'm not the smartest turtle in the bunch, but even I knew that was a flat out lie. "Lavi, seriously?" I asked her in a flat tone. "You risk your father's wrath, come out here in Purple Dragon territory knowing that they are looking for us, and you try to tell me that you're not up to anything?" I knew she wasn't telling me something, mainly because she wouldn't meet my gaze. "What on earth is going on in your head?"
Finally she looked up at me, and I could see a number of emotions in her eyes. Anger, confusion, frustration and fear being the main ones. "I don't know!" She finally snapped out at me, then flinched when she realized the tone she took. I guess she was expecting a whack or something. I didn't of course, Leo and Raph were the big ones on respect and discipline, but I did tilt my head a little as I took in her mixed emotion expression. There was something going on behind those unusual eyes, I just didn't know what. "I just...I don't know." She finally said in a defeated tone as she turned her head away again.
"Ok, why don't you tell me what you are doing out here instead then?"
She looked over the sleeping city for awhile before she spoke. "I was hoping to do something." She still wasn't telling me everything.
"What kind of something?" Again she really didn't answer, but her expression told me everything I needed to know. And if you took her earlier outburst into consideration, it really wasn't to hard to figure out. I narrowed my eyes as she kept trying to avoid mine. "You were trying to go after Hun, weren't you?"
"Yes I was!" She snapped at me for the second time. "I don't understand why we have to hide from him! He almost kills you and Uncle Donnie, and takes Uncle Raph and Father and now Father can't even walk!"
"Easy, Lavi." I tried to calm her. If she got much louder we probably would attract some unwanted attention.
"NO!" She actually yelled this time. "I'm tired of hiding from these humans just because they don't understand us, or even want too. Maybe it's time we stood up and said we won't take this shit anymore!"
I didn't know what to tell her. I really didn't. I could sympathize with her though. There were numerous times when I wished I could just walk among the streets openly. Just walk out and go get a pizza without having everyone freak out and run away, or try to catch us and dissect us. But yet, we are always the ones behind the scenes fighting for them against types like Bishop, Stockman, Shredder and countless others. Risking our necks to save theirs. Lavi wasn't going through anything we haven't already thought about. Her sheltered world was now completely shot to shit, and she didn't know how to handle it.
Before I could even begin to calm her down, the rooftop suddenly filled with men. At least I thought they were men, dressed all in back and wrapped up like...ninjas? Who in the hell were these Halloween rejects? I didn't have time to ponder that as Dragons had finally made their appearance from the other side. Well wasn't this just great...
I had no idea what was going on but I wasn't about to find out. I grabbed Lavi's arm and started to drag her along behind me as I hightailed it out of there, not even to bother looking back behind me at what was going on. Didn't really need to as I heard footsteps taking up the chase.
"Lavi, this is why we told you all to stay home!" I grumbled as she now ran alongside me. She knew just as well as I did that flight was our only option at this point. I risked a quick glance over my shoulder, and was more than a little surprised to only see dragons chasing us. You would expect that they would send the ninjas after the ninjas. Still, I kept a wary eye around me as we ran. Ninjas I knew, those sneaky bastards like to pop out of nowhere, I should know, I've done it to Vicky and Cris numerous times.
"This way!" I grabbed her arm again and quickly changed our direction. We needed to somehow get some distance between us and the goons behind us. and the only way to do that right now was with a good ol' fashioned rooftop hop, over a gap that was way too large for them to follow. The one I was trying to reach was more than enough to do just that. Once we were on the other side I could then focus on those damn ninjas.
Once again side by side we ran, the gap quickly coming up in front of us. "Go Lavi!" I told her as we took our final steps, then we launched ourselves off of the roof. Easy jump for us, except I had forgotten one major detail, and I was quickly reminded of that as we were hit with something that felt like a lightning bolt as we were halfway over the gap. We missed our mark, not able to coordinate our own movements anymore, I remembered that Hun wasn't working alone anymore. As I landed in the middle of some garbage cans, with Lavi hitting right beside me, I saw the metal gleam of streetlights reflecting off of robot bodies, before I was hit again. I couldn't even begin to defend myself, or my niece. But I did sympathize with Leo a lot more. I remember thinking that those things fucking hurt before I blacked out.
.
.
The sound of the bedroom door opening woke me. Even as soft as the sound was, it was more than enough. I opened my eyes to see who was quietly walking into the room.
"What is it, Ari?" I asked my niece softly even as she reached out a hand to wake me, scareing her obviously since she let out a soft squeak and jumped. Vicky shifted in my arms at the sound, but buried her head into my shoulder and quickly settled back down.
"Uncle Leo, I...um...well..." She stammered, causing me to frown a bit. The girl was usually more composed than that.
"What?" I asked her again.
She stepped back from the bed a little and took a deep breath, looking like she was about to bolt back out the open door. "Lavi snuck out and Dad went after her, and neither one made it home yet." I stared at her for a moment. I know I didn't hear what I thought I just heard. "They've been gone a couple hours now." She finished quietly, backing up even more.
"WHAT!?" I roared sitting up, almost flinging my mate out of the bed in the process. I quickly reached out to grab Vicky and pull her back in before she did tumble out. She looked around a little confused for a moment before she glared at me, I ignored her. My gaze was firmly fixed on the teenager in front of me. "Why are you telling me this now?!" I almost screamed at her. Damn that child of mine! What on earth was she doing?!
"Leo, what's wrong?" Vicky finally woke up enough to ask, then caught sight of Ari. "What's going on?"
"Dad told me not to!" Ari answered my question, with tears of fright in her eyes. I felt bad when I realized I was more than likely the one causing those tears. The girl was just following her own fathers orders, and I was taking what my daughter did out on her.
I took a deep breath to calm myself, even Vicky knew enough to give me a moment. "It's ok, Ari." I told her, once again calm. "Go get Donnie up." The blonde girl just nodded quickly, then ran as fast as she could out of the room.
"Leo?"
I turned my attention now to Vicky, who was still waiting for an answer. "Lavi snuck out and Mikey went after her. And apparently he thought I didn't need to know that." I told her as I began to struggle out of bed. That snapped her into motion. I watched frustrated as she was able to get up and starting to get dressed as I was still trying to stand. With a rush of anger I forced myself on my feet, ignoring the wobbly feelings in my legs. Anger still fueling me it didn't take me to long to get ready after that. Then I proceeded to stomp my way out of the room, this time Vicky was the one trying to keep up as I made my way to the lab, just as Donnie came crutching out of his room with Marina not far behind. "Is she serious?" He asked me as he got closer.
"Yes." I snapped off walking into the lab. "Use your damn fancy gadgets and find my daughter." Vicky was standing next to me now as we came to a stop next to Donnie's desk, her eyes filled with her own anger, and worry. Ari was already there, sitting in a corner as far away from me as she could get, her own eyes wide as she watched us. I took in her frightened look, and took pity on the child. Yes, it was my daughter that snuck out but it was her father who went after her. and now they were both missing. "Ari, come here."
More than a little hesitant she walked over to stand in front of me and nervously looked up into my eyes. I pulled her into my arms and held her for a moment. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have went off on you like that." I let most of my anger flow out of me as I held her close. Scareing the shit out of her wasn't going to help anything right now.
"What in the hell is going on?" A sleepy eyed Raph snapped as he walked into the lab. "You guys are making more racket than a cat thrown into a dog pen full of rottweilers."
I quickly filled him in as Donnie was running different search patterns on his gizmos. "Got a lock on Mikey's phone."
"And his tracker?" Vicky asked, her voice strained.
Donnie just shook his head. "Either he doesn't have it on, or it's been disabled. And I'm not getting anything from Lavi."
Still holding Ari, I looked at Raph. "Get them up. Everyone."
"You sure?"
"Raph, I meant what I said earlier. We all go out as one."
"We?" Vicky cut in, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me.
"Yes, we. That's my daughter out there, and I'm going to bring her back." And I dared anyone to try and stop me as I glared around the room.