CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Splinter had been out for a stroll across the vast sewage network tunnels. He hummed a soothing tune to himself.
All of a sudden, he picked up something. His ears began to twitch. He tilted his head to the right as he heard the sound of grinding and a loud stomp echoed nearby. He tried picking up a scent with his nose.
Hearing the sounds get closer, he ducked behind a wall and scaled up it, hiding in the pipes above. The uncanny sounds were soon given actual form, as a large contingent of robotic contraptions turned right and marched through the tunnel. The creatures resembled the small robot April had discovered months earlier, the robot that had inspired Donatello to reach out and contact her, here they were now in their hundreds.
Splinter observed the robots as they teemed past him, his eyes trained on the center, eyeing up an opening, preparing to strike. Splinter, walking stick gripped in his teeth, clasped it with both hands, clinging on to the pipes by the tips of his long toes.
Then, with a sudden moment of precise calculation, Splinter descended and thrust his stick into the back of one of the robots, there was a shower of sparks that danced across Splinter, yet he remained unphased.
The creature's legs ceased to function, but it remained very much alive. It's head bopped up and down and twisted around in maverick directions, it was in a confused state
Splinter watched the remaining robots go, they completely ignored the event that had unfolded and continued to pour down the tunnels and eventually out of sight.
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In Michelangelo's room, he and April were sharing a pizza. Michelangelo spotted a small rubber ball on the floor and began to play catch with it, bouncing it off the wall and grabbing it when it came back to him
"Well THAT went well didn't it?" he said, breaking the silence that had haunted the last few minutes.
"Relax, I'm sure Leo has his heart in the right place" April said
"We all know what his heart was attached, and thirteen years ago that got attached to something else..."
"I don't follow" April replied
"Long story and I wasn't there for it" Michelangelo said
"I'd rather talk to you. Got a question to ask" April continued
"Fire away" Michelangelo said
"You guys ever get lonely down there?"
"Us lone rangers? You tonto?"
April laughed, and playfully hit Michelangelo on the shoulder.
"I'm serious, and before you say you have the kids, I'll be a little clearer...four guys, Male. Teenagers. You ever...think about the heavy stuff...y'know"
"You sure you don't want to trade Turtles on this ? Raph can tell you stories, but Leo is a crack at the deep stuff " Michelangelo said
"Yeah but I'm putting you on the spot here. C'mon. Surprise me. You've done a good job so far" April continued
"I have?" Michelangelo said
"I'm a good observer. You dance while everyone else sits still. You're wrapped up in wise cracks, you read the funny pages in newspapers, you're willing to risk yourself out in public to make children happy. You're very worldly Mike, I think you're the best qualified to talk a little about how you guys view yourselves going forward on this planet."
Michelangelo scratches his head, not sure how to take in this complimentary analysis of his characteristics. April smiled, and took another bite of Pizza
"So shoot. What is it you want out of life?"
"I guess….um…wow…I-well, the easy things ought to come first. Recognition obviously, this is a mug that belongs on a cereal box. It'd be great to have a fan club, I could give guided tours of the old homestead, stay in and watch a few movies, entertain the kids, and then…"
"..Then?" April urged him on.
"…Ah it's silly. Impossible" Michelangelo said in a defeatist tone.
"You guys are walking impossibilities. Give your dreams a chance" she said.
There was a pause. Michelangelo stared into the distance, smiled, and turned back to April.
"…I want to settle down, not just have an odd, fun little fling. I want a real relationship. A real window on the world y'know? Someone who doesn't judge you on color or appearance, who'll accept you for what you are. Like I said…impossible. Who'd have the nerve to stick their neck out for me forever?"
"We live in very taboo times Mike. We indulge in things that the eyes of regular society find questionable. Degrading. Blasphemous if you're religious. But the people they look down on…the people they reject…for better or for worse, don't care what anyone thinks, they stay true to themselves."
April placed a hand on Michelangelo's shoulder.
"Your desires? The fact you want to be loved? That's the most normal thing anyone can ever think, and if someone lucky enough to know you wants to give you what you deserve, they should take their cues from the misfits that exist on the fringes of this change-fearing world and go with their gut, because you've mor than earned their trust, respect, and more."
"That's deep. Really deep" Michelangelo commented.
"Never swim in the shallow end Mike" April said
She turned to her laptop nearby and clicked on an MP3 file, a track called "If There Was Man", as it began playing, she urged Michelangelo to join her in a dance session.
"C'mon, I haven't tried this with you yet…"
The two slowly began to waltz around the room
"April?" Michelangelo said
"Yeah?" April said
"..Is this real yet?"