Karai was still seething when she sent the message. April would proofread the speech and get back to her with comments and suggestions. Hopefully she'd also catch and deal with any of the fury that might have seeped through. Pissed off wasn't exactly what she was going for with their groups PR image. April was probably setting up the message boards and calendar, so she didn't expect a quick response.
She didn't want to be at odds with Zoe, but couldn't help being ticked at her sister's short-sightedness. Who was supposed to be the one that got why she needed to do the things she did. But she was too busy hunkering down, trying to be invisible to see.
Karai wasn't doing this for herself, though she resented being treated as less than for any reason. She knew that she and most of her family could easily live in hiding, they'd done it before and their traditions lent them to a life of secrecy. But there was another generation now. One that deserved better.
Surely, Zoe wanted something more for Anton. A life of freedom and options, where he could pursue whichever future he wanted for himself, enjoying the same rights as everyone else. Why was she sending him to school if she didn't want a better future for him? That's what and who Karai was doing this for, even if she'd never be contributing to the creation of that generation.
A familiar ache squeezed her heart and she thrust the thought away as quickly as it had snuck up on her. Probably for the best. What did she know about mothering anyway? She'd been denied her own mother and didn't get Phoenix until she was essentially an adult. A lot of good that did her.
Enough sulking, she had work to do. Zoe would either suck it up, or not. And she had a family meeting, probably featuring her inexcusable recklessness, to look forward to in the middle of the night.
Further ignoring the family admonition to blend in, she took to the rooftops, moving more efficiently through the city and burning off her frustration through exertion. If anyone saw her, they could think what they liked.
Finally arriving at the rooftop that overlooked Murakami's shop, she found the spot where the video must have been taken. The whole place was oddly clean of the usual litter and debris.
Her tongue elongated and forked as she flicked it out to pick up whatever scent markers had been left behind. Instead she recoiled from all the bleach surrounding her. The roof was covered in it, burning out any and all evidence she might have found on her stalkers. Further examination revealed that the fire escape had been included in the cleansing, straight down to the alley, where there were far too many trails to narrow down whichever individual might have been spying.
Whoever it was had covered their tracks in a chillingly professional manner. It was just supposed to be some motivated haters. This level of expertise was unexpected.
She couldn't help the surge if irritation at the hornet's nest she seemed to have kicked. It just figured that she'd stumble into an inexplicably competent hate group. She could already hear Leo's unspoken I told you so and see her father's expression of smug serenity as he lectured her on thinking her actions through. Dammit!
Her phone buzzed and she nearly spat venom at it when she saw the sender.
Reluctantly, she opened the video attachment, more voyeurism, no doubt.
Her heart stuttered. It was Denim, being dragged into an alley at knifepoint by some hooded thug while the rest of the foot traffic around her pointedly ignored the situation.
She recognized the place, not far from Denim's work. Swearing profusely, she took off at breakneck speed to the sight of the attack, knowing full well that there was no chance she could arrive in time to save her.
TSOTCTSOTC
Raph groped groggily around the nightstand, seeking out the offending noise so he could smash it. Between morning training and working all night, he needed to catch as much sleep as possible now. And Donnie thinking he was funny about the kitchen mess earlier sure hadn't put him in a great mood.
His hand landing on the ringing cell phone and despite his first impulse to chuck it across the room into the far wall, he examined the screen with bleary eyes.
Donnie? What now? If this was about the kitchen he was going to waterboard his brother in the sink.
"What?"
"We got a problem and I can't get a hold of mom. Can you get over to her and dad's place now?" Donnie's voice sounded a few shades shy of panicking.
Raph came fully awake in an instant. "Anton?" He could feel his throat constricting as he asked.
"No. Denim. She was attacked and she's not waking up. Arcos has the kids, but I need help."
Raph let out a shuddering breath as his immediate relief was swallowed by a fresh tide of worry.
"I'll be right there."
TSOTCTSOTC
Karai darted towards the alley that Denim had disappeared into, finding it completely empty to her dismay. A few flicks of her tongue told her that it had been cleaned, just like the rooftop earlier. What the fuck?
Punching the wall hard enough to make her hand go numb, she leaned forward, resting her trembling head against the cool brickwork. This was her fault. She'd done this. Denim was gone now and she was to blame.
Not for doing what needed to be done, but for not taking the necessary precautions to protect her family. She'd just assumed the target painted on her would be big and distracting enough. She hadn't taken these enemies seriously enough. And now there were consequences. Consequences she would have to live with.
But her enemies would not. She would hunt them down. No matter how long it took or what she needed to do. She would find them. And she would make them beg for death.
Revenge is not our way.
She hissed at her father's voice echoing through her head. This could not be allowed to go unanswered.
With unnatural swiftness, she climbed to the roof to collect herself. Crouching there in the eye of her emotional storm, she caught scent of something that pulled her back from the brink.
Donnie.
And Denim.
Their scent trail leading away from the alley. Donnie had her. She was alive.
You hope. Her inner voice added.
She had to know. No matter what, Donnie would probably take her to mother.
Straightening, she turned and ran for home.
TSOTCTSOTC
Mikey knocked on the door of his last stop, hot pizza in hand. Once he was done here he'd be free to go back and start his cooking shift. He wondered if Denim and Alli would be awake when he got home.
A balding, unshaven, middle aged man in an undershirt and sweat pants opened the door. Not that he seemed the sort inclined to smile, but his frown deepened upon seeing Mikey. "You're kidding, right? They know I planned to eat that, don't they?"
Mikey blinked in confusion. "Uh, yeah. Smells good. Hawaiian is always a fun choice."
The man scowled and Mikey's smile dropped a bit. "That's $11.99. I'm here ten minutes early, so..."
He trailed off as the man gingerly lifted up the pizza box as though he planned to disinfect it before eating his late lunch, early dinner or Mikey's favorite, the afternoon pizza snack, whichever it was to him.
The man threw a wad of bills at him before slamming the door in his face. Mikey caught the money as it bounced off his plastron. No tip it seemed. Looking down, he realized he only had a ten and a one. Good thing he was in the habit of picking up spare change whenever he found it. Today's haul should include enough to cover the difference. He was pretty sure the dude wasn't gonna answer if he knocked again to ask for the rest.
His phone rang and his mood brightened a little. It wasn't in his nature to stay down for long. Brooding was Raph's territory.
"Wassup, April?"
"Mikey, you need to get to your parent's place."
His brow furrowed. "Huh, why?"
She sighed. "I don't know. I've just got a feeling that something is wrong."
"Sure. Thanks, April."
He ended the call and rubbed his head. Why would something wrong at his parent's cause April to call him instead of Leo? It wasn't like he...Alli!
Pedestrians scattered in shouts of profanity as he plowed through to get back to the apartment building.
TSOTCTSOTC
Karai burst into the apartment, catching the end of Donnie leaving mother a frantic voicemail as he paced the leaving room.
At her entrance, Donnie nearly dropped his phone, juggling it in the air to keep from losing it. "Karai..."
"Where is she?" She looked around, seeing Arcos in the kitchen with Yuuta on his back, cleaning a stack of dishes. He acknowledged her with a grunt.
Donnie cocked his head to one side, eyeing her thoughtfully. "How did you..."
She spun to him and he staggered back under her glare, despite the fact that he should have been used to it by now. "Where?"
"Your room." He answered, gulping.
She rushed down the hall and threw the door open. Alli and Anton, looked up at her, each cradled against Raph's sides as he sat in one of the kitchen chairs, watching Denim with a worn expression. He didn't pay her noisy entry any mind.
She stepped cautiously up to the bed where her new sister laying, looking as though she were asleep. Karai couldn't see anything but superficial wounds, but Denim hadn't even stirred when the door banged open.
She could sense Donnie enter the room behind her. "Is she ok?" Her voice was unusually soft when she asked.
He let out a long breath. "I don't know. I can't find anything medically wrong, but she's not waking up and I can't get a hold of mom."
Hearing the tremor in Donnie's voice, she turned and pulled him out of the room, leading him to the kitchen.
When they entered, Arcos inclined his head towards the coffee maker, which held a fresh pot. Shoving Donnie into one of the kitchen chairs, she poured them both a cup, placing his down in front of him.
He reached out to grab it automatically. "I'm not a real doctor."
His words caught her off guard, but he didn't appear to be talking to her or anyone as he continued speaking.
"I mean I taught myself about health and medicine when were kids because someone had to, but Sensei was always there with his mystical stuff that never made any sense even if it worked. When mom came into the family, I thought I could be done with it. There's a reason real doctors aren't supposed to treat their close relatives. If she's not ok, it'll be because I couldn't save her and I can't..."
Suppressing a surge of guilt, Karai placed a hand on his shoulder. "It won't be your fault and everything is going to be fine." It had better be.
TSOTCTSOTC
"Sleepover at Leo and Karai's tonight?" Aries handed Zoe a large Cola from the food truck where they waited for their dinner. He fished in his pocket and took out his watch. "I got an hour," he told her.
Zoe accepted the drink, taking a sip and smiling as she shook the cup. "You got me extra ice."
Without waiting for him to respond she pointed to a picnic table at the end of the row. She loved the food truck district. They could eat outside, and both her company and the food were usually great.
She sat down on the least dirty part of the bench with a sigh. "I won't take your whole hour. I promise."
"I don't mind taking the whole hour," he said. He plopped down next to her, rattling the metal bench. "Raph, on the other, he might mind. Especially if he's camping out at Leo and Karai's tonight, too."
"Yeah, I'll bet this meeting has something to do with Karai and April's new campaign for mutant rights," Zoe said while nibbling on the end of her straw.
What she really wanted to say was, 'I don't give a damn about the meeting. I'm mad at my sister and I want to vent.'
Instead she took a long draw off her straw, noting that it was extra cold.
In truth she hated fighting with Karai. She didn't want to be mad at her. It felt like crap whenever they were at odds, and when Zoe felt like crap but couldn't talk to Raph or Karai, because it was one of the two of them making her feel like crap, she called Aries or Arcos.
Family meetings were par for the course. Aries and Arcos laughed in private when either Splinter or Leo announced there was going to be one, mocking the announcer in such a way that Medusa, if she were there, would laugh but fuss at them to stop. He'd done it in front of Raph once, and the ensuing fight made his realize it was not worth it . It didn't stop him from jovially mimicking either one of them, or Raph, behind their backs, however. But he knew this wasn't that.
Aries shook his head, taking a long sip from his own drink. "That's not what's bothering you," he said. "You camp out there all the time when Raph's working and Anton's been hard."
Zoe stared at the food truck, watching the flow of people, mutant and human alike. It was true, she practically lived at Leo and Karai's when Raph worked. The question now was, if Aries noticed did everyone else? "I do."
She squirmed a bit. She'd hoped he'd be hitting on a girl, not actually paying attention to what she was saying. What if he disagreed with her? What if he thought what April and Karai was doing was important? Not that it wasn't, but... If everyone in their family took different stances on this, what would happen to them?
She inhaled deep, telling her muscles to release on her exhale. Maybe she could change the subject, maybe she should. "What'd you order?"
He glanced down at his sister, "Not an order of change the subject," he said. "You get in a fight with Raph over something? That school thing?" He wasn't sure on the details of Anton's suspension, only that it included a torn shirt and a bloody nose that didn't belong to his nephew.
Zoe chewed on her bottom lip. "No, though he did almost burn down the apartment this morning trying to make Anton breakfast." She flashed Aries a melancholy smile. "That kind of put him in a bad mood."
The ram shook his head again, his ears swaying slightly has he did so. "I so don't understand you people." He wasn't entirely sure how they didn't all starve to death, now that Michelangelo was no longer there to feed them. "It's not that hard, the directions are usually on the box." Granted, he had to use many, many boxes, but then, he was good at finding someone more competent than him to cook for him. Especially for breakfast in the morning.
He sucked down some more of his drink and watched a particularly fit middle aged woman walk by. Yeah, she could probably cook nicely, more than just breakfast.
"Hey, I do just fine. Mikey taught me when I first moved into the lair." Zoe noticed Aries attention drifting which was just what she'd been waiting for and let her real troubles rip. "It's Karai. This whole mutant rights thing, the video, the speech. And you know she's already writing another. She's not going to stop. One of us could get killed and she'll just get pissed and fight harder."
Zoe slammed her cup in the table sending a bit sloshing over the side onto her fingers. She licked them off as though she'd dipped them in cream, a soft purr emanating from her chest even though she was quite pissy. If she had a tail it would certainly be flicking.
"I mean I have people hunting me and she knows that, Aries. And I have a son that if they knew existed they'd-" Her breath caught in her throat, the possibilities too dark to contemplate, memories of her own torture sufficing. Her purr came to a halt as the hairs rose on her arms. "They'd-" she tried again but couldn't speak such misery in the same context as her miracle son.
Aries head swiveled back to her as the woman walked out of sight. "Then why'd you send him to school? If you didn't want people knowing about him, keep him home. He doesn't have to go to school, being a mutant. It isn't required for him."
Why did she send him? Should she have? Had she made the wrong decision? "It's complicated, Aries. Donnie was too busy to tutor him anymore. I'm not smart enough to pick up where he left off." She shrugged. "It was more of an opportunity thing for him. And wait just a second, because I'm not out making viral video speeches trying draw the attention of every hater in New York. I'm just trying to send my kid to school. What does one thing have to do with the other?"
"You're angry with Karai because she's bringing attention to the people who don't know Anton exists. Yet, you put him in a building where he's one of, what, twenty mutants out of hundreds of kids? You don't think that is going to put a big ol' beacon on him, saying, 'Here I am!'" Aries waved his hand. "You can't use a tutoring excuse. My mother taught us four languages, do you know how hard it is to speak ancient Greek?" He made a face. "She could have tutored Anton. Splinter could have tutored Anton. All of us could have taken turns, once the kid knows how to read, he doesn't need to be tutored anymore." He continued before she could get a word in. "Karai does crazy shit all the time. She's always done crazy shit. Those of us who don't look like everyone else," he winked at her, "can handle haters. Tiny Yuuta can handle haters. Nah, this is all you, Z."
TSOTCTSOTC
K2 gulped down the rest of the orange juice he was drinking when he heard the knock on the door. Precisely on time, he groused. He opened the door the posh, three bedroom apartment that he, K8, and K76 now shared. It wasn't what he would have picked out, but he wasn't the one doing the picking. When K-Naught had informed him he would be getting a visit, he was glad that their living arrangements were already taken care of. He didn't want to meet in a hotel room.
However, he might have been safer in a hotel room. The mere fact that he was getting a visit at all meant that he had fucked up.
Royally.
Only, he wasn't sure how.
Surely they understood that this kind of operation took time?
An older man, standing erect in a business suit, with steel gray hair, stylishly coiffed stood in the doorway. At the end of the leash he held in his hand sat a Doberman Pincher, still as a statue. "Aren't you going to invite me in?" he asked, his deep voice smooth.
K2 stepped out of the way to allow him and the dog to enter, before closing the door behind him. "K8 and K76 are deployed," he said, trying to sound calmer than he felt, "just as you asked."
The older man glanced at him, pale brown eyes, almost topaz in color blinking slowly. "Did I ask? I don't recall speaking with you."
K2 shook his head. "No," he muttered, licking his lips. "I have the set up scheduled for tomorrow in the morning, as you requested. Seven mutants. In fact, they're waiting there now, to make sure the message gets to her." He gestured to the laptop. "One of them looks like he could seriously use some help, anyway."
The gentleman walked over to the computer, the dog's nails clicking on the wood floor as it followed him, Glancing at the various feeds displayed, he reached down and enlarged the one with a small gathering of mutants, all huddled, still, in a back alley. One of them, a lizard mutant, in a hoody, looked like he was on the loosing end of a car accident between a truck and his face. The man made a grunting noise.
"Is something the matter?" K2 asked.
"He may not live the night," he pointed to the screen. "That one. He had a nasty run in earlier today." He sighed. Turning to K2, he asked, "You still don't know how the location is conveyed to her?"
He shook his head. "We think there must be some sort of internal code, but we haven't been able to detect it." He heard his voice become more frantic, "if you give me more time, I can-"
"I will handle this part of the operation," said the gentleman.
"I don't mean to be rude, sir," K2 went on, "but I don't think she's really worth the trouble. We've been watching and of all them, she's-"
"It is no longer in your hands, soldier."