Angel: Like with chapter 7, this is also really long. I recommend you read it because there are major spoilers here.
1:28 AM
Heart of Darkness Park, the site of the little lady Tori's abduction tonight...and the place where an important piece of evidence, the music box, was hidden.
When he arrives, April is still alive, thankfully, but she's looking over a leaf sadly. He wonders why his lady detective is looking so dejected? At least she isn't dead...but what did she find...?
Donnie moves to the leaflet nearby and then to the delivery box. Wait a minute. He looks to see Murakami using the swing. "Huh? What's he doing here?"
Murakami starts singing out loud and April doesn't even look up at it. Looking at the delivery box, it's not even hot. A little late, huh? It's already ice cold...
When he gets close enough, he moves to Murakami's hat and goes to the swing, but the globe climber is too far away. He does a trick that makes the swing go faster and he makes it to the globe climber. He does a trick to make it spin and he goes to the basketball and then to the seesaw. He moves it and goes to the baseball. He goes to the left side, then the tire, and then to the leaf that April's holding.
"Oh, there you are, Donnie..." She says in remorse.
"From your dejected expression, I gather...you didn't find what you were looking for," Donnie hugs her gently.
"Right. I can't find the music box anywhere," She murmurs at her failed search. "But I found something else instead, something horrible."
"Horrible?" Donnie asks in confusion. "What is it?"
April simply points to something behind her with the leaf. Behind her is a corpse, crushed underneath a giant rock. "There. In the grass. You'd better see for yourself."
He travels to the ghost world and sees the core for himself. "It looks like a dead body."
"I nearly died when I saw it," April points out. "And I suppose now that we've found it, we can't just leave it there, can we?"
"Nope, I suppose not. And hey..." Donnie lightly kisses her forehead. "We'll find the box, April. We'll prove that he didn't do it."
April smiles slightly at his support, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "Thanks Donnie. And we'll make sure you remember everything by tonight."
Donnie nods a little and moves to the dumpster that April's leaning against. He moves to the oil drum and then to the corpse.
"Stop the park from being turned into a housing site! Protect the park, the rock of the gods!" The mutant pigeon exclaims, already remembering who he was somehow. "You, there!" Donnie's mouth opens in surprise.
"You're talking to me, aren't you?"
"I have some leaflets for you!" The pigeon declares, "Leaflets I KNOW you'll be very interested in! I urge you to peruse it thoroughly! Examine it in detail!"
"Never mind that right now," Donnie turns serious. "Do you remember your name?"
"My name...my name..." He says nothing for a few seconds. "What does my name matter, when there are more important things to worry about?"
"Okaaay...so can I just call you by something?" Donnie asks slowly, a little weirded out.
"Pete! But they call me Pigeon Pete!" The pigeon coos. "Come now, and study these tracts with me, my mutant brother! Come and learn about the 'rock of the gods' with me! The night is no longer young! As a matter of fact, daybreak is approaching! But we are young!"
Donnie pauses for a few seconds as he has no idea what this pigeon is talking about. "...Look, I don't have time to get involved in your way of life. But I AM interested in your way of death. So let's go back, back to four minutes before your death!" Donnie smiles a little as no matter how odd or how against people might be about it, he's saving them. He rewinds time back to the four minutes.
8:25 PM Heart of Darkness Park. 4 minutes before death.
'Pigeon Pete' is waving the leaflets he mentioned to Karai, as this took place before she met up with April. She's not paying much attention as she glances around. "And so I made up my mind! I resolved to live here in this park and defend it!"
"Okaaay..." Karai replies slowly and awkwardly. "And what does that have to do with this 'rock of the gods' you mentioned?"
"You still don't appear to understand!" Pigeon Pete argues, going into his bag and pulling out a piece of paper. "It's written quite clearly in the fourth leaflet, in great detail!"
"Excuse me, but I have to use the restroom..." Karai pushes the paper away from her and walks into the bathroom to get away from him. Pigeon Pete continues waving the leaflets even after she left and then he suddenly hears a girl scream.
Tori is standing in front of a hedge as Fishface is standing a few feet away. Pigeon Pete runs up to the swing, jumping onto it. "I'm coming!" He jumps onto the globe climber and spins around. "Just hold on!" At the right time, he jumps onto the left side of the seesaw, causing the baseball to fly up into the air. "I'll be right there!" The baseball lands back at the seesaw and since Pigeon Pete can't move past the hedge, he can only look. He can see Tori's back to him as she gives a look of fright.
"I've located the target, wolfman. A girl of the right age, coming out of the right apartment, at the right time..." He looks away to continue talking, giving Tori enough time to hide the music box. Pigeon Pete sees it coming through and stares at it. He takes it, thinking it could be useful with the police.
"Yes, my friend. I'll ever-so-gently nab her and come right back," Fishface hangs up, Tori shaking a little. He calmly walks up to her, bowing politely so that he doesn't make her think he's dangerous. "Good evening, young lady. Won't you come with me?" He jumps closer to her and she stiffens.
"Eeeeeeek!" She screams and Pigeon Pete starts to panic. If he goes to the phone, the police will show up, allowing them to escape. If he doesn't call, she'll be kidnapped.
"O gods!" He whispers to himself, "What do I do?! What should I do?! I have to do something!"
Tori, with all her strength, pushes Fishface away and he accidently pulls a lever. A large football shaped rock that has a carving of hexagons starts to fall towards Tori...until the rock stops moving and is switched with a tiny leaf! The rock instead falls on Pigeon Pete, killing him.
"What in the world?!" Donnie asks in shock. "What just happened?!"
"Oh, that's Traag," Pigeon Pete chimes in.
"Traag...?" Donnie questions at the name.
"Traag the mascot, the symbol of Heart of Darkness Park," Pigeon Pete elaborates.
"Forget about the NAME of that big, creepy lump of concrete!" Donnie shouts as that was not the point. "I'm talking about the way it changed direction! Did you see that?!"
"Yes! Yes, I did! We witnessed it with our own eyes! The power of the rock of the gods!" Pigeon Pete exclaims and Donnie facepalms. "That was the power of the gods! The power of the gods saved that little girl!"
"...And then that same power very deliberately crushed you instead?" Donnie asks him.
"Yes! Yes, precisely!" Pigeon Pete sounds happy that he seems to understand. "That is called the mischief of the gods!"
Donnie's not buying it as the way that was performed was eerily familiar...Was it the mischief of the gods, or was it a ghost trick...? But, nah...it couldn't have been a ghost trick...No ghost trick could change the direction of something that heavy in mid-air... "But, wait a minute..." What if there was somebody with much greater powers than me...? Is this...the work of the manipulator that Bishop mentioned...?
He goes back to Pigeon Pete's death, and is in front of the hedge where the pigeon died. When he arrives in the Ghost World...
There's another blue flame just like his, right near Tori. "Look at that! There's another flame besides mine!" Donnie sweats a little.
"Oooooh!" Pigeon Pete says in interest. "So that is the flame of a god, isn't it? But wait...your spirit is a flame, too, isn't it...?"
"Yeah. So?" Donnie asks as he doesn't get it.
"Uh, pardon me, but...are you a god?" Pigeon Pete looks at Donnie in awe.
"I sincerely doubt it," Donnie rolls his eyes. At the last minute, that big lump of concrete made a huge swing to one side...that was probably that flame's doing. "Who could it be?"
"I definitely believe it's either a god or somebody god-related!" Pigeon Pete holds up a finger.
Hmm...Maybe I'd better try talking to this person...
Donnie goes to the trowel that's between the two flames. He goes to the soul and looks in shock. "Wh-What the...? This person with much greater powers than me...it's...it's...you...?"
"Heeey!" It's not the manipulator as this other person is Mikey, the Pomeranian! "DONNIE!" He shouts happily, jumping over and knocking Donnie off his feet. He starts licking his face, wagging his tail in excitement.
Donnie's still shocked. "Oh, my...it's..."
"...Mikey!" Mikey reminds him, jumping up happily.
"You look well..." ...For being dead.
"Did you see?!" Mikey asks hopefully. "Did you see what I did?! I did it! I tried really hard and I did it! I saved Miss Tori!"
"...Are you telling me I was done in by a puppy dog?" Pigeon Pete stares at Mikey in utter confusion.
"Mikey...what is going on? How did you get the powers of the dead?" Donnie rubs his head because that's how shocked he is.
"I'm glad you asked!" Mikey grins as he remembers what happened. "After Miss Tori went out and you left..." Mikey ran up to the door and hit his head against it. He got back up and ran back to the couch before he tried again, failing like last time. "I worked like crazy to make my own path, and I did it!" Mikey latched onto the door knob with his paws, pushing backwards and opening the door. He ran out into the great big world. "And then I followed Miss Tori out into the big, wide world!"
He managed to follow Tori all the way to Heart of Darkness Park. When he saw her not too far away, he started to bark. "And then, here at this park, I found her at last! Yep, you guessed it! I barked! You bet I did! And I went running after her, too!" Mikey barked again, but Tori did not hear him. He went running towards her, but Fishface came by on his bike and ran Mikey over without stopping. Mikey landed in a crater that had a sign over it.
"And then I guess I died. And then I was unconscious for a little while."
Fishface shook his head as Tori was crushed underneath Traag. "When I came to, it was all over...poor, poor Miss Tori! Crushed under that big, scary lump..."
"What have I done?!" Fishface looked guilty. "I'm so sorry, little lady! Please forgive me!"
"MISS TORI!"
"I had to rescue Miss Tori! It was up to me! I cried out from the depths of my heart. And then..."
Just like with Donnie, Mikey woke up in the Ghost World where something was emanating near Mikey's body. "I can't tell you how surprised I was. But I bet you understand, right?"
"Better than probably anybody else could," Donnie smiles in amusement. So Tori had died before she was kidnapped...and Mikey saved her...that's how she has a core now. And he must've done a time rewind like Donnie did, which is probably why Tori didn't remember, since they were already in a new present.
"And I remembered what you did for me, how you saved me," Mikey smiles gratefully at Donnie.
"So...you went back, right? Back to four minutes before the little lady's death?" Donnie smiles at him.
"You bet I did!" Mikey winks at him.
Mikey went back in time, four minutes before Tori died. She put the music box back in the hedge. "Yes, my friend. I'll ever-so-gently nab her and come right back." Fishface hung up and bowed to Tori. He jumped to her side and Tori pushed him away, causing him to pull the lever. Traag started to fall until Mikey was back into the Ghost World.
"Now's my chance, I thought! I saw the core!"
I dunno...It looks pretty far...
"I stretched out my paw toward the core. Ooh, how I felt at that moment, D! I'd love for you to be able to feel it, too! Go ahead, Donnie! Go ahead and try it for yourself!"
Donnie drags it and manages to get up to Traag over a far distance. "I-I can't believe it!" He mutters in disbelief. How could you connect over such a great distance?
"Well, they don't call me 'the brains of the outfit' for nothing!"
Donnie chuckles to himself. "Hmm. And so then you manipulated that 'Traag' thing, and threw it aside," Donnie rubs his chin.
"...Right on top of my head," Pigeon Pete frowns.
"Well, uh...no, actually," Mikey looks sheepish.
"Huh?"
"I can't manipulate things like you can, Donnie," Mikey explains.
"You can't?! Then how did you...?!" Donnie looks shocked.
"I didn't know what to do! Then I happened to see something out of the corner of my eye...and it had a core too." Donnie looks to see the leaf. "A single leaf hanging from the tree. I tried reaching out to the leaf!" Donnie reaches out to it and sees electricity connecting them together.
"Wh-What in the world?!" Donnie's never seen that before.
"I can't manipulate things..." Mikey starts off. "But, apparently, I can swap them! As long as the two things have the same shape, that is."
"Swap things with the same shape...?" Donnie asks slowly.
"Go ahead and try it! Touch the Swap Button!" Mikey encourages and there's a swap button where Donnie's trick button would be. He presses it and the two items swap places.
"Th-That's incredible! And so that's how you saved your mistress, is it?!"
"And that's how I became caught up in this, is it?!" Pigeon Pete adds.
"I'm very sorry!" Mikey says earnestly, whimpering. "My powers were too meager!"
"Meager?" Donnie wonders as he bends down and pats Mikey on the head to calm him down like Tori would.
"Because, you see, I saw one more," Mikey glances to something away from Traag that has the same shape. "I happened to notice one more core. There was something with the exact same shape stuck in the branches of a tree."
"Hey, you're right!" Donnie says in realization. "If 'Traag' could be swapped again with that..."
"Then disaster wouldn't have to rain down on my head!" Pigeon Pete replies with a chirp.
"But what is that thing? It's too big to be a leaf..." Donnie murmurs as he stares at it.
"Whatever it is, I'd much prefer it on my head than Traag!"
"We get it," Donnie tells him sharply. "So why didn't you swap them, Mikey?"
"I couldn't," Mikey replies sadly. "I can stretch out my paw a little further than you can, Donnie," When he tries to move to the object, it's not close enough. "But this was just too far for me. I couldn't reach."
And this leaves Pigeon Pete to be killed.
"I must admit, it's a fascinating spectacle of a death, if I do say so myself!" Pigeon Pete comments.
"I kept retrying over and over, seeing if there was anything I could do..." Mikey murmurs in guilt.
"I bet there's something you can do now," Donnie smiles at him.
"Huh?" Mikey asks in confusion.
"If we work together, you and me," Donnie suggests.
"Donnie!" Mikey exclaims in surprise. "You think so?!"
"I don't plan on letting anybody die in front of me tonight," Donnie gives a determined look. "Do you think you could help me?"
"Of course!" Mikey immediately agrees.
"Naturally!" Pigeon Pete chimes in.
"So, we're going to drop that 'Traag' thing in a different spot," Donnie lays down the plan. "Okay, let's try it. Let's go back again, to four minutes before!"
And so they go back in time to Tori's kidnapping and Pigeon Pete's death. "Alright, let's get started," Donnie smiles slightly as he can now see everything. "Four minutes from now, you'll swap 'Traag' with the leaf," Donnie glances at the big rock and the leaf. "And then you have to swap 'Traag' with something else," He looks back at the object across from the leaf. "Something with the same shape."
"Oh, I believe that's a rugby ball!" Pigeon Pete explains.
"Okay, 'rugby ball,' huh? But with the rugby ball where it is now, Mikey can't reach it. So that means I have to move it closer somehow," Donnie says in thought. "It looks like you and I will have to work together on that one, Mikey."
"Okay! I'm ready!" Mikey chirps happily. "Whenever you want to use my swap trick...just touch the me icon! That way, I'll be able to control myself for whatever you need. And then, if you touch the you icon..."
"Control will come back to me," Donnie murmurs in understanding.
"By the way, you can switch between us with select, too," Mikey adds in matter of factly.
"Select, huh? I'll remember that," Donnie grins down at the dog.
"Okay, let's try it! Together, we can stop Traag from hurting anybody!" Mikey declares and with that, they get started. First is Donnie as he moves to the dumpster door. He does a trick to open it and goes to the seesaw.
Mikey moves from his spot and goes to the baseball, connecting it with the tire next to the seesaw. He swaps them and Donnie tries to move the seesaw.
"It's too heavy! The seesaw won't budge!"
"Maybe because of that swap I made?" Mikey suggests.
I guess a little ball is about all the weight I can handle.
Pigeon Pete comes in and uses the swing. Mikey switches the balls back and Donnie moves the seesaw. The ball falls near the tire and since he can't reach anything at this moment, he has to wait until Pigeon Pete comes in. He does and Donnie reaches out to the basketball. He goes up to the center and makes the globe climber spin faster. This temporarily traps Pigeon Pete and gives Donnie a little bit of more time.
He goes to the boot in the globe climber and goes up a tree using some left-behind leaflets. He goes to a love letter that was taped to a balloon, but somehow got trapped in a branch. If he could read it, he would, but back to priorities. He does a trick on the letter to make it go up a branch. He goes to a leaflet and then up to an umbrella. He makes it close and it lands near the rugby ball. Donnie opens it up and Mikey steps in.
He switches the baseball and the basketball from the globe climber. He waits until Pigeon Pete jumps on the seesaw, causing the basketball to fall into the umbrella above. Pigeon Pete peeks through the hedge and he switches the basketball for the heavy tire. The weight of the tire causes the rugby ball to fall, landing past the open dumpster and into the oil drum right behind Pigeon Pete.
"There! We moved the ball! What do you think, Mikey?" Donnie gives a gaptoothed grin. Mikey sees the distance between Traag, the leaf, and the rugby ball.
"Hmm...with the ball there...I think I can do it!"
"In just a few seconds...you'll swap 'Traag' with the leaf. And then, from there, you can swap 'Traag' one more time. The final moment is near, Mikey! Are you ready?"
You bet!" Mikey exclaims, wagging his tail as he waits for his moment. He moves to the rugby ball.
Time till Death: 3
Pigeon Pete takes the music box that Tori pushed away, putting it in his bag. He peeks through the hedge again.
Time till Death: 2
Fishface jumps to Tori, who looks away.
Time till Death: 1
Pigeon Pete starts freaking out as Tori pushes Fishface away from her. He pulls the lever.
Time till Death: 0
Traag gets swapped with the leaf like Mikey did before. It's about to fall on Pigeon Pete until Mikey goes to the Ghost World. "Okay, watch me, Donnie!" He calls out to his master. "Here I go!"
"The finishing touches! You can do it, Mikey!" Donnie encourages the little doggie. "Swap 'Traag' with that ball!"
Mikey reaches out and connects Traag with the rugby ball. He swaps Traag with the rugby ball and that falls on Pigeon Pete's head instead. It hits him on the head and knocks him on the ground, but he's still alive.
"There! How's that?!" Mikey perks up.
"My head has been spared!" Pigeon Pete cheers. "Truly, that was a 'try' worthy of the gods!"
"And now 'Traag' is right where he belongs..." Donnie smiles slightly.
"We did it again, didn't we?!" Mikey beams up at Donnie. "Didn't we?!"
Donnie smiles and bends down, patting Mikey on the head. Mikey licks his cheek happily in celebration.
Fate Averted!
"Now nobody has to die!" Mikey jumps up in the air.
"Except for one brave little somebody..." Donnie ruffles Mikey on the head.
"Huh?" Mikey is confused.
"I'm talking about you, Mikey," Donnie points out.
"Oh! Me...? I guess you're right. I'm still dead, aren't I?" Mikey seems to have something on his mind.
"So now let's go back and save your life," Donnie smiles as he stands up.
"...Wait a minute," Mikey calls out before Donnie can do anything.
"What is it?" Donnie looks down at him.
"Now that I think about it...I think I want to stay dead a little longer."
"What?" Donnie is shocked by this revelation. Didn't he want to help out Tori and April?
"When I was alive, I couldn't even help Miss Tori when she was in trouble," Mikey frowns at the thought of Tori being tied up when he died the first time. "I want to be able to protect Miss Tori. And to do that...I need these powers I have now!"
"I see..." Donnie frowns at this as Tori would definitely miss him. By what he's seen, she loves Mikey. And Donnie...well, to him, Mikey was the friendliest person he met before April. He didn't deserve to die...but if it's what Mikey wants, then he won't save him.
"Perfectly understandable!" Pigeon Pete replies, "Even I wish I had powers like that!"
"Hey, we just saved you," Donnie points out. "Don't wish your life away already!"
"Oh...Of course. You're right," Pigeon Pete says sheepishly. If he was dead, he wouldn't be able to save the park and inform people of the rock of the gods!
"Okay, Mikey. Have it your way. By the way, Mr. Reckless Pigeon Youth. There's a certain detective who needs that music box you found," Donnie looks at Pigeon Pete. "When we get back to the present time, could you give it to her?"
"Certainly! You have my word!" Pigeon Pete promises.
"Let's go back, then!" Mikey looks up at Donnie. "To the present!"
When they return, April's still looking just as dejected. And so Tori ended up in the hands of the kidnappers. They weren't able to change that part. April listened to his story without saying anything.
"I'm sorry. I wish there was something else I could've done," Donnie frowns sadly.
"No, you did the best you could," April sighs a little. "I'm sure she's alright. After all-"
"After all, she has me!" Mikey chirps and she looks around in surprise, wondering if she had just heard a voice. She looks at the leaf, her eyes widening. Having talked to Donnie for hours, she can sense someone else...?
"Mikey...are you in there?" She asks in shock.
"Miss April! Leave Miss Tori to me!" Mikey tells her. "I know I don't look like much right now...but I'm sure I can help her!"
"Mikey..." April murmurs, touched at Mikey's dedication and loyalty. Suddenly the wind comes in and blows the leaf out of April's hand. She looks up and tries to grab it, but it's too far to reach.
"Miss April!" He shouts as he's unfortunately whisked away from them. April stares after him, clutching her hands to her heart.
"I'm going to leave it up to Mikey."
"It kind of looks like Mikey is being left up to the wind..." Donnie murmurs as they look up to the sky. Pigeon Pete suddenly wakes up and sees April.
"Oooooh!" He coos, causing her to back away a little as she wasn't expecting him to react like that. He walks up to her. "I have something to give you!" He pulls out a leaflet. "Stop the park from being turned into a housing site! Protect the park, the rock of the gods!"
"Aren't you forgetting your promise?" Donnie reminds him. Pigeon Pete has a look of realization.
"Oh, pardon me. Pardon me," he puts the leaflet away and exchanges it for the music box. "My apologies. This is for you!"
April looks shocked that he even had it. "Oh!" She takes it and puts it into her coat pocket. "You kept the music box safe, didn't you? Thank you," she smiles at him softly.
He holds his head at the praise. "Not at all. I was only doing what the rock of the gods..." his head starts spinning. "Would...have...wanted..." He finishes slowly and then there's nothing.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Donnie smirks in amusement.
"He's mesmerized by my beauty," April grins and Donnie blushes, looking away as he says nothing. Sure, April was...beautiful, but he'd never say that out loud. They're partners, nothing more...right? She's smart, determined, and loyal. And...he does like her...a lot...but if he told her that, he'd mess up their friendship and he doesn't want to ruin what they have. Not only that...he's still dead, and a mutant turtle at that. She'd never accept him...
Yet...whenever he's not with her, he can't help but think of her...all the time.
"Hey! The cat's not allowed to get YOUR tongue!" April interrupts playfully and he holds back a laugh. Pigeon Pete turns to her.
"Excuse me, but are you...? No! It couldn't be!"
"Have we met before?" April asks in confusion as she definitely would've remembered meeting someone like him.
"Aren't you...? Aren't you that little girl, from that time...? I'll never forget it! It was ten years ago, in this park."
"Ten years ago...?" April murmurs those words before her face turns into realization of what happened. "Are you talking about...?" She covers her mouth in shock, unable to finish her sentence. Donnie goes to Pigeon Pete's mind to ask him himself.
"Here in this park, the gods surely control fate," Pigeon Pete starts off. "Today, ten years from that day...we meet once again. If that isn't the power of the gods, then what else is it?!"
It could be just coincidence. "But, apparently, you know our lady detective here." April blushes at the nickname slightly, fanning her face. "Could you tell us about it? About what happened ten years ago?"
"Yes! Yes, of course!" Pigeon Pete answers eagerly as no one's asked for this information before. "I was actually about to do just that!"
"What's this 'rock of the gods' you keep mentioning?" Donnie asks curiously.
"Don't you know? It's right there in front of us!" Pigeon Pete takes April to the crater, where she sees Mikey's dead body. She goes down and examines it, patting his head while sniffling.
"Mikey..."
Pigeon Pete stands there as she mourns for her loss. She looks up at him. "Wait a minute...You say gods, but do you mean dogs?" She questions and he shakes his head.
"Of course not. Don't be silly. This is no time for ridiculous word games. You are standing just above the rock of the gods now. Take a good look at that monument!" He looks at the slab that's right next to the tiny crater.
"Monument...?" April asks slowly, turning to the monument. Her eyes widen as she reads the inscription: Rock of the Gods—Heart of Darkness Park. "The rock of the gods..." Right underneath her is a meteorite that's not far from Mikey's corpse, which is...the rock of the gods.
"The rock is buried in the ground right there," Pigeon Pete points to where April is kneeling. "It's been there these ten years. Ever since that day it flew down from the heavens and showed us a miracle!"
A miracle?
"So this 'rock' you've been talking about...is a meteorite?" April wonders in awe and it's obvious that she's never heard of this.
"Precisely! It dropped from the sky on that day ten years ago. Yes, of course! Surely you know all about it!" He stares at April, who sweats a little.
"M-Me...?"
"That day, I just happened to be passing through this park," Pigeon Pete looks up at the Ghost World in thought. "I had no idea that day would change my destiny. The sun was going down, and, through the gloom...I heard the scream of a little girl."
"Eeeeeeeeek!"
"Now, just calm down! And drop that weapon!"
"S-Stay back! If you come any closer...I'll shoot her!"
Raph, Amy, Leo, and Donnie were standing across from someone who was holding onto a young unconscious April.
"I peeked out fearfully from the bushes, and saw some shadowy figures. I didn't see the face of the criminal clearly. I knew I should do something to help, but I couldn't move. The tension was so thick, it was painful. Just when I couldn't stand it any longer...that's when it happened. The sky suddenly burned bluish-white!"
The meteorite fell from the sky, causing the loud sound of what was previously thought to be a gunshot. The rock fell into the ground, causing some of it to break.
"When it crashed into the ground...the meteorite gave off a shower of beautiful fragments. And then I saw it. One of those beautiful fragments...pierced into the criminal's back."
Raph held April into his arms as Leo, Amy, and Donnie looked over her.
"The judgement of the gods was brought down on the park that day. Ten years ago...the little girl that was you, was saved by the rock of the gods."
"Oh my...I can't believe it!" April covers her mouth. Never she would've thought that there was a different version of what happened...
"The rock of the gods was given the name 'Heart of Darkness.' And still today...it lies sleeping, deep in the park's earth."
"I...I never knew about this 'Heart of Darkness'..." April says quietly. "I always thought Raph, you, and the others were the ones who saved me..."
"You were very young then," Pigeon Pete places a hand on her shoulder in sympathy. "And you passed out from the shock of being taken hostage. Of course you wouldn't remember."
"But that's funny," Donnie rubs his chin. "A huge incident like that should have caused quite a stir. It's strange you never heard of it, April." Obviously, he wouldn't know, since he doesn't remember it.
"It is, isn't it? But now that I think about it...I remember I didn't want to think about what happened," She tells him, trying to remember...but she can't. "I avoided the news, and I never came back to this park again. That's why I didn't know anything about it." Back then, she just wanted to block it all out...so that she wouldn't have to remember...but now...there's all this new information about the situation...needless to say, that's an understatement, she's learning about this from a whole new perspective.
"The meteorite was named 'Heart of Darkness' after the name of this park that it fell in. And then the 'rock of the gods' was forgotten," Pigeon Pete speaks up. "Now, an awful thing is happening! They're talking about turning the park into a housing site! I'll never forget the miracle I witnessed that day. And so I've taken up residence in this park, and am trying to appeal to the people. Protect the park, the rock of the gods!"
"I see..." April murmurs in understanding. She picks up Mikey's corpse, holding onto it. "I'm taking you with me, Mikey."
So, ten years ago, the little girl that was April wasn't aware of the meteorite. I get that. But Raph, on the other hand...There's no way he didn't know about this 'Heart of Darkness' thing...or the others. And if he knew...
"And the man died. I took his life."
...What was that 'confession' of his all about...?
Given the fact that Raph claimed responsibility for this murder...why would he do that if he knows about the meteorite? Well...Donnie can't speak for him...and neither can Mona, Leo, Amy, or Splinter, for that matter...
The 'rock of the gods' that fell from the sky ten years ago...changed the destinies of many people's lives. Like the ripples on a pond when a pebble is dropped in...With every answer he gets, he learns about a new mystery.
Will he be able to break the chain of mysteries before dawn...?
Anyway, now that they have the evidence they need...they decided to meet up again at Bishop's office. Besides, there are a few things he wants to ask Raphael...
When they arrive back, they're not surprised to see Casey didn't come back. April pulls out the music box from her coat pocket, holding it out to Raph. He takes it as she smiles. "We found the 'music box,' Raph!"
"Good job, you two. I knew you would," Raph smiles at April, looking up as he doesn't know where exactly Donnie is right now. Donnie smiles back weakly. "...Once everything had been 'resolved,' I had wanted you to give this to him."
"Him? You mean Inspector Jones, right?" April grits her teeth at the mention of his name.
"I don't suppose he'll ever forgive me," Raph smirks a little sadly at the broken friendship.
"Raph..." April whispers at Casey's unfaithfulness and lack of support.
"Now then, let's get this thing open. There's a certain knack to doing it, you know," he grips the lid and grunts before he opens it. "Haaah!" He breathes at how much effort that was. "See?"
Donnie's eyes widen at Raph's strength. He calls that a 'knack'...? Looks more like brute strength to me...
Raph pulls out a small rifle, holding it carefully as he holds it out to Bishop. "Here ya are." Bishop holds it in his hands. "Ya should find scorch marks on the grip."
"Scorch marks...?" April asks as she didn't hear about that anywhere.
"When Tori built her contraption, she used a special kind of string," Raph starts off, "It's a kind magicians use. It burns up in an instant and disappears."
"Why would little Tori use something like that?" April asks, wondering how she even got it.
"I don't know," Raph shrugs, "Maybe because she's a detective's daughter," Raph smiles in amusement. "Not leaving any evidence behind and all that. Ha. Wouldn't put it past her with my whole family being detectives too."
"In the case report, there was mention of some scorch marks," Bishop murmurs to himself.
Mona, Leo, Amy, and Splinter all got shot, everything going back to normal.
"When it happened, Tori was watching from her hiding place. She saw the flame run to the gun, something she naturally didn't include in her design," Raph explains, closing his eyes at the memory of looking over his dead family five years ago... "I took the gun out of the frame and replaced it with a picture. If you remove the picture, you should find scorch marks behind it on the frame, too. And those marks should match up with the ones on the gun."
"In other words..." April starts off.
"It proves the contraption existed there in that room that day," Raph finishes, crossing his arms.
"And it didn't work the way your little girl intended, is that right?" Bishop asks, looking sympathetic as he has a little girl too.
"Exactly. Some cowardly culprit modified the design," Raph grunts as whoever did it is gonna get his shell kicked.
"But that angle was never brought up in court," Bishop looks at Raph in confusion before his decision is made. "And so, as justice minister...I must call off the execution at this point." The evidence is enough to clear Raph once and for all.
April looks down, relieved. "I knew I was right." She looks back up at Raph. "It wasn't Raph. Now we can finally prove that. Thank goodness..." She sniffles, trying not to cry out of happiness. Raph shakes his head slowly at what he's been through...what they did to keep him from being set free...all the friends and family he lost...
"Thank you, April," He whispers as she and Donnie were the only ones who believed him and had faith in him. He smiles as he looks up. "In those eyes of yours, I see the eyes of that little girl from ten years ago..."
"Raph, stop," She laughs slightly as she wipes her eyes.
Donnie moves from the phone to Raph's mind as there's still some questions. "Donnie..." Raph murmurs at the sight of his brother. "If ya hadn't come to my cell tonight...I would be gone by now, without ever having known any of this. 'This is what I deserve.' That's what I told myself these past five years. But things are different now," Raph grins at him. "Thanks to ya...my eyes have finally been opened."
"Tonight..." Donnie looks away. "I've come into contact with a lot of people's lives, and got involved in their fates. And the only reason I was doing it was to regain my own lost memory," Donnie smiles slightly at all the friends he made...and the family he's come to know. "But things are different now. I don't want to just get my memory back, I want to continue getting to know you and April... Everything is connected to us. I just know it. And that's why I need to ask you a few more questions...in order to find the truth about us."
"Fair enough," Raph nods slowly. "Ask away, Don."
"Donnie told me all about it, Raph," April speaks up. "About the manipulator."
"Yes...and it looks like this manipulator really did a number on ol' Bishop, too," Raph glances at Bishop, who shouts in agony.
"Please don't pick on Bishop. If he dies again, I'm the one who has to save him. I don't need another April," Donnie points at Raph.
"Hey!" April protests with a pout before she frowns. "Donnie, do you think...? Do you think that's what happened to me, too...?"
"Hmm?" Raph glances at Donnie and April. "What are you talking about, April? Don't tell me...you were manipulated, too?!" Raph shouts in anger. First this person has a vendetta against him, now April's involved? He's fine with being played with by unknown forces, but bringing April into this was too far. "That's it, when I find this 'manipulator,' I'll make sure he wasn't born!"
April stood in front of Donnie's body, still holding the gun right after she shot him. "There was always a part of me that just couldn't believe it...That image of the one who shot me...But now I see the possibility of a new explanation," Donnie speaks up, looking at April. "And that April couldn't have shot me...she's too loyal..."
April smiles gratefully. "But...who is it? And why did they do it...? That contraption was a birthday surprise for Mona, wasn't it?"
"That's right," Raph confirms, frowning deeply.
"Something's been bothering me about it..." April thinks to herself. "I feel like I know that device from somewhere..."
"No surprise there. You lost your life once tonight because of that machine," Donnie reminds her.
"Right? I knew it! See, Raph?!" April beams at her friend.
"No, I'm afraid I don't 'see'..." Raph raises an eyebrow and they tell him all about it. Told him about seeing the exact same contraption tonight in a completely different place: the monkey superintendent's basement. "Huh. Weird. A junkyard on the edge of town? I've never even heard of the place," Raph crosses his arms, looking up. "And what's more, I've never told a single soul about that contraption."
"You haven't?" April asks him.
Hmm. That old monkey mutant...Dr. Tyler Rockwell, was it? Who in the world is he...?
"Raph, you must've heard this name before..." Donnie starts off, "Heart of Darkness. The meteorite that fell in the park ten years ago. You were there."
Raph pauses at the name. "...So ya found out about that, did ya?" He looks away from them.
"I hear that meteorite saved little April's life," Donnie tells him.
"That's right. I couldn't do anything to help April that day...we couldn't."
"But in that case, I don't get it," Donnie rubs his chin. "If it's true, doesn't it mean you didn't 'steal' somebody's life away?"
"What are you talking about?" April asks as this is the first time she's hearing about this.
"Raph, you told me that, ten years ago..." Donnie glances at April. "...The person who killed the perpetrator in the park...was you."
"What?!" April whips to Raph in confusion. "But it was the meteorite...!"
"...I wasn't lying," Raph closes his eyes. "I stole that man's life away. No question about it. It was entirely my fault."
Raph was pointing the gun at the criminal, Amy, Leo, and Donnie standing behind him. "I was just about to shoot him, despite the protests from you and the others. I would've shot him in the next instant, if the meteorite hadn't come. At that point...I was already a murderer."
"That's not true!" April defends sharply. "You were all trying to save me!"
"April, I'm sorry, but...I don't think that's really it for me," Raph confesses, gulping slightly.
"Huh?"
"On that day ten years ago, a different incident happened in another place."
"Another place?" Donnie turns to him.
"Yeah, in the police headquarters interrogation room. The worst sort of incident...a suspect who was being questioned escaped..."
"Wow. I didn't know about that!" April's eyes widen.
"I-we happened to be there in the detective division," Raph glances at Donnie. "So we joined the chase. Fortunately...or I guess, unfortunately...we were able to track him down alone in the park."
A gunshot went off. "Hold it right there!" Raph threatened as his siblings followed after him.
"In order of the police, stop!" Amy cried out.
"I fired a warning shot. I wanted ta catch him, bad. That warning shot made him panic."
Raph held his gun in his hands, pointing it at the criminal. Unfortunately, he had a gun too.
"At the time...we were a young...and green gang of detectives, brandishing our 'sense of justice' like a sword. God, I sound like Leo," Raph drags a hand down his face as his voice cracks at the name. "I myself made him panic, and got you involved, April. It was all my fault."
"Raph..." April whispers that he's blaming himself.
"All I could see was my target. I couldn't even see you unlike my family. I'm so sorry, April..."
April looks down as she remembers what Pigeon Pete said about the criminal. "So the man who grabbed me died that day..."
"These last ten years...I've never forgotten his face. And then a few years after that...when our brother, sister, wife, and father died in such a mysterious way...I thought it was fate, my punishment for what I'd done."
Raph painted in his cell. "I painted pictures in my cell. Nothing but portraits of people's faces. All the faces of the many people I'd met in my life and didn't want ta forget...And tonight...I finished my last portrait while I was detained by Casey...the final face I wanted to remember."
Raph moved away the portrait, standing to admire it. "The final face...the face of the man in the park that day."
"W-Wait just a minute! So...you painted me...because you wanted to remember me...? I saw that painting!"
"Yeah," Raph heaves a sigh.
"And you remember the guy who did it?! Who is he? We need to know," Donnie presses.
"...Baxter Stockman."
Raph moved away from the painting, revealing an African American man with glasses.
"WHAT?!" April exclaims in shock. "Him?! Are you telling us he was the man in the park that time?!"
"Who?" Donnie asks in confusion as he's not familiar with the name. He would've thought it was Shredder.
"That's right. Ya met him while you were...undercover. That face of his is the face I saw ten years ago. We know him because he works for Shredder. The face of the man whose life I stole, of the man who was pronounced dead at the scene."
"B-But hold on, Raph!" April stammers. "That can't be true! I didn't see Stockman anywhere and Donnie still hasn't gotten his memories back! And Stockman died right in front of you in the park! So how can he be connected to all of this?!"
"...April, have ya considered that he killed Donnie himself?"
Their eyes widen at him. "What...? He killed me...?"
"From the first minute I laid eyes on my brother tonight...I didn't think that he was dead. I've been wondering...how is he alive? Or Stockman for that matter? He's the only one I know who'd go this far. Maybe the only reason Donnie doesn't remember...is because Stockman might be behind it. It's been hours...and still nothing. I know Donnie's in there somewhere...but Stockman made it so that Donnie wouldn't remember...and kill us all. He's the only one smart enough to pull all this off..."
"I...I..." Donnie stammers and no one says nothing. This 'Stockman'...could he really make it so that he'd kill Donnie and prevent him from losing his memory? Why? Was it Shredder's order, or...
Revenge?
The phone suddenly rings, shocking all of them. Bishop immediately picks up.
"Mr. Bishop..." Casey says into the phone.
"Inspector Jones! Where are you?!" Bishop demands as Casey needed to hear the news.
"Just be quiet and listen," Casey spits at him. Right now, he sounds like Rahzar. "This is our demand."
"Wh-What...?" Bishop mutters in utter shock. "Demand...?" Casey doesn't sound like himself...no, this is totally different...
"Our demand hasn't changed," Casey narrows his eyes. "The execution must be tonight. Once we've confirmed it's been carried out, we'll release the hostage."
"What are you talking about, Inspector Jones?!" Bishop slams his fist on the desk. "And you know it wasn't my daughter who was abducted!"
"Does it really matter who the hostage is? A life is a life..." Casey doesn't seem to care. "Even if it's the daughter of a death-row prisoner," he spits out those last words in hatred.
Bishop's eyes widen in horror. "Once the criminal gets the punishment he deserves, the hostage will go free. Carry out the execution immediately and wait for our call." It doesn't even sound like the real Casey as he doesn't add letters or use third person. With that threat still in the air, Casey hangs up the phone.
"What is it, Mr. Bishop?" April asks curiously. "You look paler than ever..."
"Wh-What in the world...?" Bishop tries to make sense of it, but that just happened. Casey...is working for the kidnappers? "What's going on?! Inspector Jones...!" He puts down the phone, trying not to have another heart attack.
The 'rock of the gods' that fell from the sky ten years ago...twisted the fates of many people, and started a chain of tragic events. And, even now, the chain continues to grow ever longer. Inspector Jones' call proved that to them.
And the greatest mystery of all has risen to the surface. Who is this 'manipulator' they've been chasing all night? Why did he kill Donnie? Why is he preventing Donnie from remembering?
Who is he?
They're even further from knowing than when he started.