23. Night of the Kappa
"It spoke," Raph said.
"The Taka nyūdō?" Don asked.
Raph scowled at him. "Well, I wasn't talking about my di . . . ." He stopped himself, remembering that April was in the kitchen too. "Yeah, the creature. It talked. Mostly saying stuff to make me lose my temper and look up, but I wasn't expecting it to say anything."
April carried her coffee cup to the table and sat down with Raph and Donatello. Dawn had brought with it overcast skies and a chance of rain, but it was warm outside. Casey had left the house earlier to spend a few hours at work, and Master Splinter was sitting with Mr. Hidesato.
It had been a long night. The turtles had arrived at HQ around two a.m. after the yokai hunt, but Leo had been feeling too nauseous to sleep. He sat in the office while his brothers tended to him, though he kept urging them to go to bed.
After he had consumed about a half-gallon of water, Leo had finally gotten drowsy but he still refused to go upstairs. It was clear to his brothers that he was trying to stay awake, though he denied it when asked.
Mikey was the one who came up with a solution. He'd said he would read to Leo and had borrowed Don's tablet in order to find a book that had nothing to do with mysteries, horror, creatures, or anything else that might hold Leo's interest.
That had done the trick. After Mikey had droned on in a monotone for fifteen minutes, Leo's eyes had slowly closed. While Mikey continued reading, Raph had carefully lifted Leo's legs onto the couch, and Don had tucked a blanket around him.
When Mikey signaled that those two should leave, they went up to bed. It was a little shy of mid-morning when they rose and checked on their brothers, finding that Leo was still sleeping. Mikey too had succumbed to sleep, his face down on the desk as he lightly drooled on Don's tablet.
"Is it abnormal for the yokai to talk?" April asked.
"I wouldn't say abnormal, but a larger percentage of them don't," Don said. "If they do, the journal entry that references the creature usually makes mention of it."
"Leo read every bit of the entry on this one and it said nothing about the thing talking," Raph said.
"Maybe it gained that ability because of the energy in the ley lines," Don said. "The yokai are changing and adapting, this could be another example of that."
"Makes me think that pretty soon those journals are gonna be useless," Raph grumbled.
"I wouldn't say useless, but possibly more of a template than anything else," Don said. "So far they've been spot on when it comes to how each creature can be caught."
"Okay, so I want to ask something, but I don't want to sound like an alarmist," April said.
"Go ahead and ask," Raph said. "We're better off looking at this from every possible angle rather than getting blindsided by something we never thought of."
April set her cup down on the table and folded her fingers together. "Is it possible that the creatures could grow so strong or change so much that their designated coin won't work?"
Raph and Don exchanged glances. "I hadn't thought of that," Don said slowly. "I suppose if our powers are growing too, that we could find a way to fortify the coin's magic."
"Sure, we'll just zap 'em the way we do the amulets," Raph said. "Might manage to do ten of them before the Warder High Council comes bursting through the front door."
"You are in a mood this morning," Don said.
"Yeah I am," Raph acknowledged. "Much as I prefer to charge into situations swinging, this don't seem like the kind where that strategy works. Ya' saw Leo last night. He couldn't disconnect from the homeless guy and not only did that make him useless, it meant that one of us had to look after him. I might not have fearless leader's strategic abilities, but even I know that losing half our forces right off the bat ain't a formula for winning."
"But you guys did win," April said.
"Pure dumb luck," Raph said. "If we had been wrong and it wasn't the Taka nyūdō but the Mikoshi nyūdō, I'd probably be turtle chow. It's one thing to die for a cause, but I wanna die a hero's death. I don't wanna bite it over a stupid mistake."
"None of us is going to die," Don said emphatically.
Raph started to respond to that, but the look on Donatello's face stopped him. His brother didn't like for any of them to talk about death or dying, even though that possibility was a constant for them. They all knew why too; it was because of the horrible alternate world that Don had been sent to by the Ultimate Drako.
April sensed that they had gotten too close to a sensitive topic, so she shifted gears. "There has to be a way to train Leo's gifts. I mean, his swords are heavy, I'm sure he couldn't just expertly brandish them the first time he tried. He had to practice, to grow more confident. His muscles had to develop. He wouldn't have been perfectly adept right away."
"That's true," Don said. He screwed up his lips before opening them to say, "Meditating together once every couple of days isn't going to advance us quickly enough. We need to do it every day, and we need to focus on strengthening our individual gifts. We have to help each other do that."
"Training sessions for our powers," Raph said. "Hell, why not? We did that with the Tribunal, don't see why we can't do it again here."
"Mikey will be so thrilled," Don said facetiously. "We know how much he loves to meditate."
"At this point, I'm sure he'd be willing to do anything to help Leo learn to control that gift of his," April said.
"Before it controls him," Raph said darkly. "More than it already has."
They were silent then, lingering over their breakfast, none of them wanting to move. It wasn't until Leo and Mikey appeared that the three at the table snapped out of their fugue state and said their good-mornings.
"Your tablet's on the desk in the office, Donny," Mikey said, dropping a pastry into the toaster.
"Did you dry it off?" Don asked.
Mikey made a face at him. "You try sleeping in that position. You'd drool too. Oh wait, you have and you do. All the time."
A hint of red showed on Don's cheeks as he glanced at April. "He's exaggerating."
His brothers began laughing. "Not by much," Raph said.
April turned in her seat, ending Don's discomfort by addressing his older brother. "There's hot tea on the stove and fresh rice in the rice cooker, Leo. I took some down to Master Splinter just a little while ago."
"Thank you, April," Leo said.
Taking a bowl from the cupboard, he spooned rice into it and then went to the refrigerator to get an egg. After breaking it over the rice, he poured out a cup of tea and brought his breakfast to the table.
"I will never get used to seeing you guys eat raw eggs," April said, watching Leo briskly whisk the concoction together with his chopsticks.
"Mr. H buys the eggs from a farmer just outside of the city," Don explained. "They are washed and sterilized because his customers usually do eat them raw. At home, we clean our own."
"How ya' feeling this morning, bro'?" Raph asked after Leo had swallowed his first bite of food.
"I feel good," Leo answered, sipping his tea. "Nothing like I did last night."
"Sleeping probably completely broke your connection to the homeless man," Don said, looking significantly at his brother.
Leo glanced up. "I didn't dream about anything, guys. No nightmares, no prophetic dreams, no yokai. Nothing."
"Personally, I'm glad to hear that," Raph said. "'Bout time ya' got a break."
"Since we made our first capture, I've only had a couple of nights where I didn't have a prophetic dream," Leo said, frowning.
Don swallowed coffee and set his cup down. "That's really not unusual," Don assured him. "Last night you were the equivalent of drunk, even though you didn't actually take a drink yourself. In that type of altered mental state, you aren't going to dream the way you normally would."
"Maybe we should get him drunk more often," Mikey teased. "Then at least he'd have a good night's sleep sometimes."
"If I don't dream, how are we supposed to track down the escaped yokai?" Leo asked. "Those times when I didn't dream, I had to meditate in order to find clues to the yokai we were meant to hunt."
"We'll lean more on those other ways of finding creatures. Like that radio show, or the paper, or word on the street," Raph said. "We'll listen in on the emergency bands. Don't start thinking this is all on your shoulders, Leo. Plenty of warders have managed to hunt down yokai without the help of prophetic dreams."
"The fact is, we don't know how much of your dreams are controlled by your powers, and how much of them are influenced by outside sources," Don said. "This is what we talked about. We all have to get stronger and we have to find a way to hide that fact from Enma or any other yokai that could be spying on us."
"Or anyone spying for the High Council," Mikey said.
"Speaking of the Council, I think our plan for today should be to see if Mr. H is strong enough to coach April through a meeting with them. Mikey can draw the symbol on her arm, and Mr. H can give her whatever credentials she'll need to access his office." Don inhaled deeply before continuing. "We should spend our time searching our alternate sources for clues to yokai locations and in working to strengthen our individual powers." When Don finished speaking, he drained his coffee cup.
Leo tipped his head to the side as he studied Don. "Sounds like someone woke up with a plan. Are you taking charge today, Donny?"
Raph responded for the genius turtle. "Hey, ya' should remember that the Doc in a military operation has the power to say that anyone is unfit for duty, including the leader. That means the second-in-command takes charge."
"And just who exactly is my second-in-command?" Leo asked, eyes twinkling.
"We'll draw straws," Raph said, a corner of his mouth lifting in amusement.
"I see. One night of drunken revelry and I'm no longer fit for duty," Leo said, smiling.
April laughed at their antics and then joined in. "Young men, let this be a lesson on the dangers of drinking."
"He'll never do it again, Auntie April," Mikey announced, hand over his heart. "We promise for him."
"I need to look in on Mr. H," Don said as he stood up. April slid his cup in front of her when he reached for it and he nodded his thanks. "I'll sit with him so that Master Splinter can have a break."
Before he could leave the kitchen, Leo stopped him. "If Mr. H is up to it, have him phone the grounds crew and the housecleaning staff and temporarily suspend their services."
"Will do, boss," Don replied and then made his exit.
Raph winked at Leo. "Guess you're back in charge again."
"That was a short break," Leo said. A clap of thunder had everyone's eyes turning towards the window. Rain had just begun to fall. "No basking today."
"If you guys don't need me for anything, I asked Angel to meet me for brunch," April said. "I want to give her the protective amulet you made."
"Remember, she still knows nothing about the real reason we're staying here," Leo told her.
"I think we should read Angel in on this," Mikey said.
"Mikey, we all agreed that would place her in danger," Leo said.
"She's already in danger," Mikey said. "Just having contact with us raised the threat level enough so that we had to make an amulet to protect her. She deserves to know why she has to wear that amulet. If she doesn't, she might take it off."
"I gotta go with Mikey on this one," Raph said. "We know she can handle herself in dangerous situations and she's already too curious about what we're doing for her own good."
"Angel would be a good pipeline into what's going on in the city," April said.
All three were staring at Leo. "All right, I agree, but on the condition that she promises not to attempt anything on her own. If she learns about something that needs investigating, she tells us and we investigate, not her."
"I'll make sure and stress that to her," April said. "I'll let her know that Casey and I are helping but only in that capacity as well."
After washing the coffee cups she and Don had used, April left. Mikey, Leo, and Raph remained at the kitchen table, finishing their breakfast.
Mr. Hidesato hadn't awakened during Master Splinter's watch. Don and his father exchanged a few words, and then Master Splinter went upstairs.
Despite the care Don took not to disturb the man while checking his vital signs, Mr. Hidesato stirred partway through the exam. His eyes snapped open and he would have risen if Don hadn't caught his shoulders.
"Take it easy, Mr. H," Don told him. "I need to change your bandages."
Don began removing the dressings from his wound after the man settled back down. Mr. Hidesato watched him in silence for a moment before asking, "The large rat who saved us all from the Onryō, was that your father?"
The man's voice was raspy, so Don paused in his ministrations in order to pour water into a cup and insert a straw. He lifted the man's head enough so that he could sip water and then set the cup aside when Mr. Hidesato indicated that he'd had enough.
"It was," Don answered. "He was mutated at the same time as the four of us were."
"Did he begin life as a rat or as a human?" Mr. Hidesato asked.
"As a rat," Don said. "Before you ask, his owner was one of the greatest ninjutsu masters of all time. Master Splinter mimicked his every move whenever Master Yoshi trained. Even as a rat, our future Sensei was extraordinary."
"You care deeply for him," Mr. Hidesato said, wincing slightly as Don gently cleansed the area around his sutures. "Why did he not choose to move in here with the four of you?"
"Master Splinter is extremely cautious," Don said. "He's had to be. For the most part, humans are a danger to us. When we were quite young our Father taught us to remain underground, hidden from the world above. His training was meant to keep us safe, to make us into 'shadow warriors', able to defend ourselves and the innocent, without being seen of course."
"I, for one, am happy that fate allowed our paths to cross," Mr. Hidesato said. "My wound, how does it look?"
"There's no sign of infection and it seems to be healing well," Don said. "How do you feel?"
"Tired and foolish," Mr. Hidesato said.
"Would you like something for pain?" Don asked. "Is there anything that you're allergic to?"
"The pain is not unbearable. I would prefer to keep a clear head," Mr. Hidesato said. With a sigh, he added, "Were I younger, your brother would not have been able to get behind me to inflict a wound."
"You did a great job of fending off all four of us," Don assured him. He hesitated for a moment and then asked, "You've mentioned someone called 'Emiko' a couple of times with regards to the Onryō. Was Emiko important to you?"
It seemed that Mr. Hidesato was unsure as to whether to answer the question, so to save them both embarrassment, Don set about putting fresh bandages on his wound. After a bit, the man sighed and drew Don's attention.
"When I was a young man, in my twenties, I moved to the island of Kyushu at the request of my father," Mr. Hidesato said. "He was beholden to a clan of warders who lived upon that island. They needed help in capturing the water based yokai who were infesting the Pacific Ocean to their east and the East China Sea to their west. Could I have water please?"
Don held the cup for him again and this time Mr. Hidesato nearly drained its contents. "I'm going to keep you on a liquid diet for a time," Don told him. "I'll remove the IV fluids once I'm sure your stomach won't reject things going in the normal way."
"I infer from your reference to a liquid diet that I should not place exertions upon the damaged muscle," Mr. Hidesato said with a touch of a smile.
"You infer correctly," Don replied. "Though it does appear that you heal rather quickly."
"That is one of the benefits of the magic within the warder brand," Mr. Hidesato said. "We have not had an opportunity to discuss that aspect of being branded."
"I have to say that I'm relieved to hear it," Don said. There were other questions he wanted to ask on that subject, but he tabled them. "Please, if you're up to it, I'd like to hear more about Emiko."
Mr. Hidesato stared up at the ceiling as he spoke. "The head of the clan had five children, one of whom was Emiko. All were well-trained warders, as was I. The difference was that while both of their parents embraced their heritage as warders, my mother did not. I am certain this is partly why I was sent away. My father wished to remove me from her influence."
"That sounds like a difficult situation for your family," Don said.
"Most difficult for my mother, I believe," Mr. Hidesato said. "She wished to honor my father, but he had married outside of a warder clan and she did not understand the necessity of placing her child in harm's way. When I left them, I carried with me doubts that no warder should ever be burdened with."
He stopped speaking and there was a far-away look in his eyes. Don had seen that look in his brother's eyes when they were reliving a past event that had not ended well.
"Something bad happened, didn't it?" Don asked.
Mr. Hidesato exhaled slowly. "We hunted yokai in teams, much the way you and your brothers do. Emiko and I worked so well together that the two of us were almost always one of those teams. One day we found that the yokai we believed we were hunting was not the one we actually encountered. I made an error which cost Emiko her life."
After several minutes of silence it was clear that Mr. Hidesato was not going to elaborate further. Don saw no reason to push him, choosing only to say, "I'm so sorry."
Blinking back to the present, Mr. Hidesato looked at him. "It was very long ago." He took a deep breath. "Your last hunt, how did it go?"
Don told him about the Taka nyūdō and how Leo had connected to the homeless man. He also filled Mr. Hidesato in on the capture of the Suiko and how a Kappa had made a surprise appearance.
"Raph wanted to go right back out to capture it, but his plan was impractical," Don said. "We need a clue of some sort as to where it might be hiding, because searching the entire river is not an option."
"Leonardo's dreams may take you to it," Mr. Hidesato said, now speaking slower than before. "Do not . . . count entirely . . . upon them."
Each word seemed to take an effort and Don set a hand on his arm. "Time for you to rest. I'll return a little later with some broth. If you're up to it, it would be a good idea to phone the help and suspend their services. We should also talk about the High Council."
Mr. Hidesato nodded as his eyes closed. He was soon asleep.
Donatello did a quick calculation in his head to figure out which years Mr. Hidesato might have spent on Kyushu. Using his tablet, which he'd retrieved from the office, he began exploring news reports from that time period for that region.
He was searching through Japanese government archives when Leo arrived and walked over to his side. "How is he doing?"
Don stood up. "Let's go next door."
Together they moved into the room Don had dubbed as his 'workspace'. They both got comfortable in chairs near the desk before Don answered.
"He's doing well. He woke while I was changing the dressings on his injury and we talked a little. He told me that the magic in the warder brand helps speed up healing."
Leo looked surprised. "That's new. He never mentioned that before."
"I know Raph would say that Mr. H keeps things to himself on purpose, but he shared something with me that makes me believe that some of those oversights are for a different reason," Don said. He then filled Leo in on what Mr. Hidesato had said about his father and mother, and about Emiko.
When he finished, Leo glanced at the tablet. "Were you researching something about that story?"
"I'm was looking for a reference to Emiko in the Japanese newspaper obituaries for the Fukuoka prefecture, Kyushu region," Don said. "I found it too, but the obits in Japanese newspapers aren't like the ones here. They provide only the barest of information. Her clan name was Koga. The only other references to that name that I could find in print had to do with charities supported by their shipping company."
"So her family is wealthy?" Leo asked.
"It seems so," Don said. "They are pretty low-key as well. My guess is warder clans do not care for publicity."
"Mr. Hidesato has indicated as much," Leo said. "Too much publicity invites scrutiny, which could uncover what the warder clans do. One of their big goals is to ensure that people do not begin to believe in yokai so as not to provide the creatures with additional strength."
"It's possible that those who sit on the High Council are people of wealth and power," Don said. "They have gotten used to controlling what is reported or discovered about them. In this country they wouldn't have that kind of control."
"Another reason to keep them from sending us any help," Leo said. "They may not realize that over here they have no influence over the media. What information was in the obituary?"
"Just her name, date of death, date of birth, and residence at time of death," Don said. "I'm in the Japanese government family registries now. That should give us a little more information."
Leo gave his brother a shrewd look. "This means something to you, doesn't it?"
"I want to understand the man," Don replied. "There is something . . . tragic in the way he speaks when he talks about anything to do with his past. Raph is so sure that he's got some nefarious reason for keeping secrets, but I think that Mr. H doesn't talk much because it's too painful."
"He seems to be opening up to you," Leo said with a slight smile.
"I don't really know why, but I'm glad for any extra information he's comfortable in sharing," Don said.
"Donny." Leo set a hand atop one of Don's. "You are warm and genuinely caring. He's talking to you for the same reason all of us do. You are compassionate and full of empathy. Just by listening you ease a person's confusion or pain."
Cheeks coloring, Don said, "That's honestly nice to hear, especially after the Onryō fight."
"I'm afraid that one is going to linger for a while," Leo said.
Don took a deep breath and released it. "We should probably keep this information about Emiko to ourselves for a bit. Mr. H wasn't really in a state where he could give me permission to share what he told me. Except with you. He knows I'm going to talk to you about things. I told him before that I won't hide anything important from you."
"I hope that we'll reach a point where he doesn't feel the need to keep things from any of us," Leo said.
"So do I. Oh, when I told him about the Kappa sighting, he said that your dreams may take us to it, but that we shouldn't count on them. That sort of follows along with something Raph and I were talking about earlier. We need to spend more time on strengthening our warder abilities," Don said.
Leo frowned. "Don't count on them? Do you suppose that meant something might be interfering with my dreams, or even directing them? Or that the dreams aren't always reliable for some reason?" He didn't give voice to the third alternative, that the power of prophetic dreams could eventually drive him mad.
"I took it to mean that we shouldn't sit around waiting for you to dream up our next hunt," Don said. "He was probably trying to say we shouldn't count on just one method for . . . ."
He was interrupted by the beeping of his tablet. Don picked it up and scanned the screen.
Such an odd look came over Don's face that Leo sat forward to ask, "What is it?"
Don's eyes slowly lifted from the tablet and he stared at his brother. "Emiko was Mr. Hidesato's wife."
Leo blinked in surprise. "His . . . wife? He never . . . why wouldn't he tell us he'd been married?"
"The koseki, the registry, doesn't list a lot of details," Don said. "It gives the date of their marriage as February seventh, nineteen seventy-five and the date of Emiko's death as October fourth of the same year."
"Nine months. They were only married for nine months." Leo shook his head slowly, as though trying to wrap his mind around the news.
"No wonder he never had a family," Don said. "I can't imagine . . . ." He stopped himself, his eyes misting ever so slightly.
Leo got up from his chair to wrap his arms around his brother. "Don't go there," he whispered against Don's head. "I won't let anything happen to any of us."
"Promise?" Don asked, even though he knew there was no way that Leo could actually promise anything of the sort.
"I promise."
Leo put so much feeling into those two words that Don immediately felt better. "I wish I could hypnotize myself so that I could forget . . . that other world," he muttered against Leo's chest. "It haunts me."
"There are things from our past that haunt me too," Leo admitted. "Our best defense against them is to hold tightly to one another."
Don tipped his head back so he could look up at his brother. "I can do that."
They shared a slow, lingering kiss before Leo stepped away and cleared his throat. "As important as sleeping is for his healing process, we do need for Mr. Hidesato to be awake so he can talk to April when she returns. It's important that we find a way to appease the High Council so that they don't send additional warders."
Before Don could respond to that, they heard Mikey call out, "Guys? Where are you?"
Leo walked to the doorway and beckoned to Mikey to draw his attention. Mikey stepped partway into the room and said, "Casey's back. He thinks he found a clue that'll help us locate another yokai."
"Bring him down here," Leo said. "Mr. Hidesato is doing better, but I'm not ready to leave him alone just yet."
When Mikey left, Don said, "Maybe we should move this to the other side of the dojo. Casey can get loud and I don't want to alarm Mr. H."
They had just reached the area where the exercise equipment sat when Casey, Raph, and Mikey came down the stairs. Casey was carrying an armload of newspapers, which he set on top of the treadmill's control panel.
Right away Donatello saw that the newspapers contained what most referred to as tabloid journalism. The things reported in them were not considered real news, but sensational and outlandish stories meant to entertain but not to actually be taken seriously.
"What's all this?" Raph asked as Casey began flipping pages on the topmost newspaper.
"April said I should pick these up. She said get all the different papers I could find," Casey explained. "I grabbed these this morning before I got to the auto repair shop. Had some free time while I was waiting for a parts delivery, so I flipped through these rags. Here it is, the article I wanted to show ya'."
The headline read "Green Men Here to Breed".
"What the fuck?" Raph exclaimed, shoving Casey aside so he could read the article aloud.
"Long touted in RoadSnacks listings as one of the worst neighborhoods in New York City, the Hunts Point area now has a new claim to fame. Our paper has learned that women in the area have reported being assaulted by little green men. As one woman told us, 'They came up out of the water, a group of them, all with shells and some kind of hole in the top of their heads. They grabbed me up and dragged me over near the river and you know, did stuff to me.' Though police have investigated, they have found nothing. The cases remain open, but they are not being investigated."
He continued to read, but the article only went on to speculate that aliens were indeed residing deep under the East River and that their dwindling numbers were forcing them to seek human mates for breeding purposes.
"A group of green men? How many does that mean?" Mikey asked.
"That has to be Kappa, if it's even true," Don said. "The publication is suspect."
"It did mention that the police have gotten involved," Leo said, looking at Don. "That would mean some sort of report has been filed."
"Let me grab my tablet." Don walked briskly back to his workspace and reappeared a second later with his tablet in hand. He was already typing on it as he approached the group. "I'm using my backdoor into the police database. Give me a minute."
Mikey looked around at his brothers and Casey as Don worked. "I just had a thought. What if Bishop sees this article? He'll think it's us."
"Crap," Raph said with feeling. "That's just peachy. He's exactly the sort to read these kinds of newspapers. Hell, he's probably got a whole staff who looks for reports like this."
"He already thinks the worst of you guys," Casey said.
Leo tapped the newspaper with his finger. "This just decided for us which yokai we need to hunt down next. The report, if its accurate, narrows down the area we should search."
"It also says it's a group of green men," Raph said. "I thought the coins released a single yokai each. What gives?"
"Remember when Don was telling us about the Suiko?" Mikey asked. "The journal said the Suiko is usually in charge of forty-eight Kappa. Maybe the Kappa multiply. You get more of them the longer they're out of the coin."
"That's as good a guess as any," Casey said.
"Got it," Don said, drawing their attention to him. "There have been three official reports of assault, all in the area of Barretto Point in Hunts Point, The Bronx. According to the notes the officers turned in, all of the victims are vagrants who hang out in the area. The victims claim that even more women have been assaulted, but the police are writing it off as a hallucination shared by people who habitually do acid, which is becoming popular again."
"Barretto Point," Raph mused, "runs from the Tiffany Street Pier, past Barretto Point Park, around the cove up to Halleck Street. It's a good-sized area, but at least it ain't the whole East River."
"What you guys need is a boat," Casey said.
"We've got the shell sleds," Leo said. "We can run near the coastline in that area until we spot something. We'll just have to make sure we aren't also spotted by the authorities."
"Or Bishop," Don said. "If he sees us we'll be the hunted, not the hunters."
"If he finds the Kappa before we do, that would be worse," Leo said.
"What if they don't come out tonight?" Mikey asked. "What if they moved? What if Bishop is already there when we show up? What if . . . ?"
"Stop already," Raph snapped, interrupting him. He looked at Leo. "We've got powers. We should use them."
"Did you have something in mind?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, actually I do." Raph glanced at Don and then back at his oldest brother. "Don and me talked earlier about training sessions for our powers. How we oughta meditate together to strengthen our gifts. I think one of those sessions should happen right now. We use those powers to help ya' have a vision, ya' know? A look into the future to see where the Kappa are and if Bishop's lying in wait."
"Our powers supporting Leo's," Don said and then nodded. "Yes. We have to become the controllers of our gifts, not the other way around. Not, for example, to allow Leo's ability to connect with a person to incapacitate him."
"Whatever the woman from the news article meant by 'group', it certainly means more than one," Leo said. "The night we defeated the Suiko, there was only one Kappa spying on us. If they are multiplying, then the longer we wait, the worse the threat will become. We have to go tonight, whether Bishop is there or not. I need to force my precognition somehow, in order for us to stay a step ahead of him. If Casey can stay with Mr. Hidesato . . . ." He glanced at Casey.
"I can stay."
"Then we should have that meditation session now," Leo concluded.
Don looked over at Mikey. "After we're done, could you prepare some chicken broth for Mr. H? April should have returned by then and we can figure out our strategy for dealing with the Council while he eats."
"Will do," Mikey said.
Casey gathered up his newspapers and took them with him into the infirmary. The turtles went directly up to the sitting room on the first floor.
While Leo was lighting candles, Raph asked, "Should we ask Master Splinter to join us?"
Leo shook his head as he took his place on the floor, completing the circle. "We have to learn to do this by ourselves. He can't join us on our missions, so we can't become dependent on his guidance to tap into our powers."
Once they were all comfortable, Raph said, "Maybe we should have some sort of game plan here, as opposed to, ya' know, all just doing our own thing."
"Focus on your warder brands, on the magic within them," Leo said. "Feel it flow through your system and connect to your chi. As you become whole, extend your energy outwards. Push it towards me so that I can use your strength to amplify mine. You should be able to feel when it is time to pull me back from wherever my psyche has gone."
"I'll yank your ass back if I have to," Raph declared firmly.
Giving his brothers a last glance, Leo closed his eyes. "Try to avoid physically reaching for each other. We have to be able to accomplish this without actually touching."
"We can do this, guys," Raph said encouragingly. "The stronger we are, the safer we are. We gotta keep Bishop out of our business."
The end of Raph's sentence sounded far away as Leo's focus turned inwards towards the brand on his arm. He could feel the energy in the symbols as it pulsed just beneath his skin, waiting there like a spillway needing to be opened.
Very slowly, Leo began to open it, releasing the power in trickles so that he could attempt to maintain control. The pure force of the magic was incredible and in that moment Leo was certain that he and his brothers had barely tapped the surface.
With that energy buzzing through his system, Leo pushed his mind outward in search of a familiar landmark in the Hunts Point area. He was very fond of fish and knew that there were several fish markets located along Food Center Drive. Holding to an image of one particular fish market, Leo sent his inner self to that location.
Leo inhaled sharply, his head swimming dizzyingly for just a second or two, and then he found himself floating above the fish market. It was nighttime, but though he had nothing with which to tell time, he knew it had to be before two a.m. because the market was still closed.
The only times Leo had ever flown through the air on his own, he'd had a tech pack or glider strapped to his shell. As he willed himself to glide over the area, he realized how different it felt to be free of mechanical encumbrances. He felt lighter and more agile, able to maneuver in ways that probably only the birds ever experienced.
For a moment he was lost in that feeling of freedom and forgot himself. As he began to float away from the river, something jabbed him.
Startled, he suddenly remembered his purpose and looked around to orient himself once more. He noticed then that there were three glowing orbs surrounding him, hovering close by as though keeping watch over his activities.
"My brothers~". The knowledge that they had managed to direct their gifts enough to join in his mind filled Leo with pride.
It also gave him additional strength. He could feel it growing in him and as he began to search the ground and river below, he noticed that though most things were clouded in darkness, there were tiny areas of luminous color.
"We're doing it," Leo thought to himself even as he was drawn closer to the colors.
The first of the colors to gain his attention was a spark of neon green. It was inside Hunts Point Landing, a small park with a pier that went out over the water. Leo concentrated on that flicker of color and suddenly found himself inside a large, paneled truck.
All of the truck's interior walls were lined with computers and screens, with men sitting in front of them. The wind stirred behind Leo and a figure passed right through him. It was Agent John Bishop.
The man was in the middle of giving directions to someone when he stopped talking and spun around to stare with narrowed eyes at the space Leo's psyche occupied. Leo barely had time to register that the man somehow sensed him when he was forcibly jerked out of the truck.
He found himself high above the river again, feeling very like he'd been launched from a slingshot. Quite close to him, almost merging with his spirit, was the orb he knew was Raphael's because of its sheer intensity.
Once more, Leo searched below him. He soon discovered that the tiny sparks of yellow he was seeing belonged to humans. It was most noticeable when they were grouped together, as some were around a large mass of dumpsters in the parking lot behind the fish market.
Beyond that parking lot was the river. Most of the embankment was covered with stones, but there was a tree lined section where grass, bushes, and trees grew right up to the water.
The stones in that area were large and moss covered, with brushy grass poking up between them. Where there were no stones, a large expanse of flat ground sloped down into the river.
It was that location that pulled at Leo and he could see why. Splotches of red luminescence bounced and capered from rock to rock, others bobbed in the water. Moving closer, he saw figures no larger than a human child, but with green, scaly bodies and webbed hands and feet.
As soon as he recognized them, Leo willed himself to remain stationary, for fear they would sense his essence. He watched them cavort in the water and feed on fish that were too large to have been caught near where they played. Leo thought they probably raided the market while it was closed.
When he saw that one of them was chewing on something too thin to be a fish, he forgot himself and drifted nearer. To his shocked surprise, he realized that the yokai was gorging itself on a human arm.
Suddenly every one of the Kappa lifted their heads at the same time to look directly at him. Their red eyes began to gleam ever brighter and the Kappa all hissed in unison.
Leo felt himself being pulled towards them against his will. Try as he might, he couldn't summon the energy to shake free of their magic and he began to grow weaker.
The three glowing orbs that had been dancing around his psyche abruptly merged and shot straight at him.
It seemed like a physical blow had punched him in the chest, rocking Leo backwards and snapping his eyes open.
He found himself back in the sitting room, looking at his brothers. The glow from their warder brands was starting to fade, and all three were staring at him.
Raph recovered his voice first. "Holy fucking shit, I think we did it."
"We did something," Mikey acknowledged. "My brain feels woozy. Walking in Leo's head is hard."
"What happened to you, Leo?" Don asked. "Why did you keep moving towards the Kappa even after they sensed your presence?"
"It wasn't by choice, they were pulling me down," Leo explained. "It was that sound they were making. I don't know what might have happened if you guys hadn't been there to snap me back into myself."
"If nothing else, that little trip sure proved that there's more than one Kappa now," Raph said.
"And that Bishop is on the scene," Leo said. "He has his operation set-up at the park. That's just under a mile from where the Kappa have settled. If he turns his search in their direction, it won't take him long to locate them."
Mikey grimaced. "Please tell me I was imagining things when I thought I saw one of those Kappa eating an arm."
"I wish I could, Mikey," Don said. "I really wish I could."
"The fish market opens at two a.m.," Leo said. "There's a big parking lot between it and the river, but the section of that lot where the dumpsters and empty semi-trailers are located seems to be home to some vagrants. The land on the side of the parking lot closest to Bishop's location juts out far enough to interfere with his line-of-sight to the cove where the Kappa are. On the other side of the lot is the Bain Prison Center. Those buildings protrude over the water and I'm going to guess are equipped with security cameras."
He glanced at Don, who nodded. "Security cameras with a live feed monitored twenty-four seven. I can find out just how much of the river can be seen by those cameras."
"Do that," Leo instructed. "We're going to have to approach the Kappa via the river. The shell sleds are small craft and if we move slow enough under cover of darkness, we can probably avoid being seen by the prison or Bishop. We'll have to be careful and aware of exactly where we are at all times."
Raph turned to Don. "When ya' were looking for the info about the Suiko, ya' found that journal with the Kappa entry in it. What do we need to know about these bad boys and how do we catch them?"
Fortunately, Don had an extraordinary memory and was able to recall the pages he'd read. "They're aquatic, obviously, and stronger in the water than on land where they're clumsy. Though they're small, they are physically stronger than a grown man. Their bodies are built for swimming and according to the journal, we do not want to get in the water with them. It also said that they tend to rape swimming women and kill people by drowning them or biting them to death under water. They will devour humans alive."
"Peachy," Raph muttered.
"What's with the dish looking thing on top of their heads?" Mikey asked.
"The depression on top of their skulls is the source of their power. It has to be kept filled with water at all times. If they can be made to spill that water so that the dish dries up, the Kappa won't be able to move. The journal entry said that if you can get one on land then it's possible to outwit them. Apparently, the Kappa have a sense of honor in that they feel obliged to return a bow. If you can trick it into bowing so low that the water spills out, then it can be overcome," Don explained.
"I'm going to guess that the trap coin has to go into the dry dish," Leo said.
"Exactly," Don replied. "Once the Kappa is immobilized, drop the coin into the dish."
"I don't suppose that journal said if it matters which Kappa ya' drop that coin on?" Raph asked. "'Cause we've only got the one coin."
Don shook his head. "There's the rub. The journal said that adult Kappa live solitary lives, but younger ones are usually found in family groups. Whoever made the entry only talked about capturing a lone Kappa."
"It's possible the Kappa who escaped our coin is the adult, and that the clones are technically children," Leo said. "Perhaps by capturing the adult, the clones will be drawn back into their maker."
"A clone, by definition, is genetically identical to the unit from which it was derived," Don said. "The Kappa we saw in your vision all looked the same. How do we find the adult?"
"That is a very good question," Leo said. "Perhaps it's time to wake Mr. Hidesato and see if he can shed some light on our dilemma."
Mikey jumped to his feet. "Let me get the broth started. I know my brain always works better on a full stomach."
"Then you must be half-starved all the time," Raph quipped.
"You're hilarious. You should take that show on the road far away from here," Mikey countered, sticking his tongue out at his brother.
"Nah, ya' know you'd miss me too much," Raph said.
"Keep telling yourself that," Mikey said as he skipped out of the room.
A boom of thunder followed his departure, reminding the turtles that the weather had turned bad. Raph got up and went to the window, pulling back the curtains so he could look outside.
"It's raining pretty hard," Raph announced. "What's the plan if it's still coming down like this tonight?"
"It will certainly decrease visibility, making it harder to spot the Kappa," Leo said. "On the other hand, it will also make it more difficult for Bishop to see us."
Don rose. "I'm going to see what I can find out about the security systems at the prison."
When he was gone, Raph looked over at Leo, who was still seated on the rug. "Are ya' staying there or what?"
"I thought I'd do some breathing exercises while we're waiting," Leo answered. "You?"
Raph walked over and sank down next to him. "If you're staying, then I'm staying. Last thing we need is for ya' to drift off into the land of creatures while you're all by yourself."
Leo shot an amused look at him. "Did you guys decide I needed round-the-clock babysitting or something?"
"No, but I'm thinking that wouldn't be a bad idea, considering," Raph said. He held up his hand when Leo started to protest. "Not the round-the-clock kind of watching, but when you're sleeping or meditating. Anytime ya' open yourself up to outside influences. There's no way you're gonna tell me that don't make sense."
After mulling that over for a few seconds, Leo finally nodded. "I see your point."
With a satisfied smirk, Raph said, "I think of this like weight lifting. You're always better off with a spotter when you're lifting heavy, right? Ain't no different."
"Have I told you how much I appreciate that way you look after us?" Leo asked.
Raph waved that away. "Don't go getting mushy on me. I couldn't handle it."
For a while they sat together in quiet contemplation, concentrating on the chi gong technique of breath awareness. It was the slamming of the front door and exclamations of displeasure that brought them to their feet and out to the foyer.
April stood just inside the front door, water dripping from her hair, clothes, and the grocery bags she was carrying.
"I forgot my umbrella," she said as Raph and Leo took the groceries from her.
"Got upstairs and get dried off," Leo said. "Casey's with Mr. Hidesato."
"It's really coming down out there." April paused on the stairs and looked back at the pair of turtles. "The forecast said it's supposed to continue raining through the night."
After delivering that information, she dashed up the staircase. Leo and Raph took the groceries to the kitchen, where they found Mikey stirring the contents of not one, but three pots on the stove.
"Rainy day chicken soup," Mikey called out brightly as his brothers set the bags on the kitchen table.
Leo crossed over to the refrigerator and proceeded to catch and put away the groceries that Raph tossed to him. They were using that process to stow the dry goods when Don walked in.
A box of noodles soared through the air and Don ducked just in time to avoid getting smacked in the face. "Nice reflexes, Donny," Raph said.
Don pulled out a chair and sat down. "We're lucky. The Bain Center jail doesn't house violent criminals. It's basically a huge barge which was pulled into position by tugboats and opened as an overflow jail in ninety-two. The city is trying to shut it down, so the population, made up of drug addicts mostly, has dwindled."
"That's great to hear," Raph said with a hint of sarcasm. "Why do we care?"
"Because the walls along the back and sides of the facility are almost completely solid," Don answered. "There are small portholes for the inmates to see out of, but no one is breaking in or out through those. It means that the only outside cameras are at the front of the building and aimed toward the top floor caged recreational area. That's on the side farthest from where the Kappa are staying."
"Good, we don't have to worry about being spotted from the prison," Leo said, pouring himself a cup of tea.
"Now we've only gotta worry about the weather and Bishop," Raph said. "Being struck by lighting sounds better than dealing with that lunatic."
"He's smart," Don said. "He'll start to see patterns in any reports of strange happenings in the city. I have a bad feeling this isn't going to be the last time we run into him during a mission."
"If the council really wanted to be helpful, they'd put the kibosh on Bishop," Mikey said as he spooned broth into a bowl. "Could we suggest that to them?"
"No we cannot," Leo told him firmly. "Our aim is for zero council interference."
"Remember the story about the King, the Mice, and the Cheese," Don said. "Each solution to the problem only made the situation worse."
Mikey darted to the refrigerator. "Mm, now I want cheese with our soup."
While he was scrounging around, Don got up and placed the bowl of broth on a serving platter along with a spoon. "I'm taking this down to Mr. H."
Leo quickly refilled his cup. "I'll join you. Do you want a cup of coffee?"
"Sure." Don waited for Leo to fill another cup with coffee and then they went downstairs.
They found Casey sitting in a chair, leaning back on two of its legs, his feet up on a table as he read a newspaper. He lowered the front legs of the chair and took his feet down when he saw Don and Leo.
"Glad you guys got here when ya' did," Casey said, eying the soup bowl. "I'm starving. I can feel my stomach pressing against my spine."
"Mikey made soup," Don said.
Casey stood up and tossed the newspaper on the table. "Soup? I don't want soup; I want real food."
"Clearly you've never had Mikey's famous 'everything but the kitchen sink' soup," Leo said.
"Hell, I'll try anything once," Casey announced, saluting them as he left the room.
Casey hadn't tried to keep his voice down and Mr. Hidesato began to stir. Leo assisted the man in sitting up, carefully propping pillows behind him to ensure that he was comfortable.
"Ready to try some broth?" Don asked.
"Yes, most definitely," Mr. Hidesato responded, his color looking better than it had in a while.
Don maneuvered a tray table into position and set the soup bowl and spoon on it. While Mr. Hidesato sipped on his nourishment, Leo began to fill him in on all that had occurred that morning.
He had only just begun when Michelangelo and April arrived. Both hopped up on the exam table to sit side-by-side while Leo continued. When he'd finished explaining their plans to capture the Kappa, Mr. Hidesato nodded.
"The strategy is wise and I must agree that it would be best if this Agent Bishop were not to become drawn in to our affairs," Mr. Hidesato said. "Even were I to think it a good idea to involve the High Council, it does not sound as though Agent Bishop is the sort to be easily cautioned off of something."
"He's not," Don said. "We've come to learn that Bishop follows his own agenda. If he doesn't agree with something our government tells him to do, he will find a way to change their minds in his favor."
"Getting back to the Kappa," Raph said, startling the group. He was leaning against the doorframe and showed no intention of coming farther into the room. "How do we catch all of them? We've only got the one coin."
"As you have surmised, the one who escaped its coin is duplicating itself," Mr. Hidesato said. "It is the one you saw during the capture of the Suiko. Capturing the one adult will erase its clones, however, once the Kappa juveniles are a month old, they will strike out on their own. When this happens, they are no longer tethered to the one who made them."
"It's getting close to a month since the escape," Don said.
"All of the Kappa looked the same," Mikey said. "How can we find the one we need to catch?"
"The clue will be in their skin color," Mr. Hidesato answered. "Some will be all green, some will have splashes of bright red on their bodies, but the original Kappa will have hints of blue. That is the one you must locate and capture."
"So we gotta find one kinda blue Kappa in a river full of Kappa, at night, in the rain," Raph said. "Piece of cake."
Leo shot him a look but didn't comment. Instead he changed the subject. "Don said you would call to suspend the outside services while you're healing. Is it possible to do that now?"
"Certainly." Mr. Hidesato placed his spoon in the bowl, indicating that he'd had enough broth. "If someone could locate my phone . . . ?"
"It's here," Don said, retrieving the man's cell phone from the table.
He handed it to Mr. Hidesato, who made two quick phone calls to both the groundskeeping and housecleaning services.
When he'd completed those calls, Leo addressed the other thing on their minds. "With regards to the High Council, we have a consideration other than Bishop. We've had to use our powers in the last few days, including combining them to make another pair of amulets."
Mr. Hidesato frowned. "That is concerning. All official communication must be conducted either in person, or through a live video feed to ensure authenticity. I cannot appear before the council in this condition."
"We've been talking about that," April said. "The guys think that I could appear in your stead, if you could walk me through the process."
Leo explained their plan, including having Michelangelo draw the warder symbols on April's arm in order to fool the council. Mr. Hidesato listened intently, his gaze remaining on the young turtle throughout Leo's presentation.
When Leo finished speaking, Mr. Hidesato rolled his head to the side so that he could look at April. "Your Japanese, is it passable?"
He asked the question in his native language. April was quiet for a second, her brow furrowed, and then she finally replied, "Hai."
Switching to English, Mr. Hidesato said, "I want you to repeat this sentence back to me in Japanese so that I may gauge your accent. 'The Hidesato clan is present and prepared to report.' These words must be spoken with confidence."
April straightened her back, took a moment to pull the words together in her mind, and then repeated the sentence. She stumbled a bit over a couple of the words, but managed to say the entire thing.
"We will have to work on that," Mr. Hidesato said. He turned his attention back to Leo. "I could certainly guide her through a High Council meeting, but the device in her ear must not be visible. I think it would be prudent for us to practice certain phrases tonight. There are set times for the clans to meet with the Council and tomorrow afternoon is one of those times."
"Then in the morning Mikey can paint the warder symbols on April's arm," Leo said. "Where does she need to go?"
"My company maintains a warehouse in Brooklyn near the Red Hook Container Terminal," Mr. Hidesato answered. "My office is in that building. That is where I video conference with the council. It is a secure feed. I will have to make a phone call to my personal assistant to ensure that Ms. O'Neil is cleared to enter."
"I've been working on creating a tiny wireless earbud for Casey and April to use on our missions," Don said. "It would be capable of two-way communications. I designed it based on the micro devices the Secret Service use. Mr. H, you can use your cell phone to communicate with her and also to hear everything she hears. I just need a couple of hours to finish and test one of the earbuds."
"You take the afternoon to work on that," Leo told his brother. "Before you get started, do you think you could teach Casey how to scan the journals? He volunteered to take on that job."
Don eyed him. "I can teach him, but are we sure he won't break anything?"
"I'll supervise just until I know he's got the hang of it," April said. She looked around the room. "Since we can't allow the housecleaning staff inside for a while, the occupants of this house are going to have to pick up the slack. I'll be happy to clean the kitchen."
"Dust, sweep, mop, vacuum," Raph said, raising his hand. "That's on me."
"I'll take laundry detail," Leo said, speaking quickly.
Mikey glared at them. "Oh great, that leaves me cleaning the bathrooms. There's only a million of them in this house."
There was laughter all around, including from Mr. Hidesato, though his was subdued due to his injury. When the laughter died down, his next words surprised the group. "I wish to relocate to my room upstairs."
"Moving might not be a great idea just yet, Mr. H," Don said, looking concerned.
"This room is too confining," Mr. Hidesato stated firmly. "My bed upstairs is comfortable, light shines through the windows to brighten the space, and the atmosphere is serene. I will heal faster there."
"If you need medical assistance . . . ." Don began.
Raph interrupted him. "The man knows himself better than you do, Donny. Leave him alone. If he thinks being upstairs is the key to healing, then we'll get him upstairs."
Don looked none too pleased with the idea, but he knew when to argue a point and when to leave it alone. "Fine, but you aren't walking. We'll do a coordinated carry. April, could you run upstairs and prepare Mr. Hidesato's bed?"
April got down from the exam table and left the room. Don disconnected the IV and checked Mr. Hidesato's bandaging before removing his blanket. He then loosened the fitted sheet that was under the man and took away his pillows so that Mr. Hidesato was lying flat.
When Don glanced over at Raph, the largest turtle entered the room and moved around to the head of the bed. Jerking a thumb towards Mr. Hidesato's feet, he told Don, "I've got the heavy end, ya' go down there."
Getting a good grip on a handful of sheet under each of Mr. Hidesato's shoulders, Raph waited as Don did likewise on the opposite end of the bed. "On the count of three, lift. Keep the sheet taut, I don't want him bending in the middle," Don said. "Ready? One, two, three."
Together they lifted Mr. Hidesato off the bed in one smooth motion. After maneuvering through the doorway, Raph walked backwards up the stairs, going slowly and coordinating his steps with Don's.
They repeated the process on the second set of stairs and were soon entering the master bedroom. April had pulled back the blankets on the bed and when the brothers set Mr. Hidesato gently onto the mattress, she pulled the blankets up to his chest.
Though he had paled a little during the journey, Mr. Hidesato did not otherwise appear in pain. "You doing okay?" April asked.
"Yes, quite," Mr. Hidesato replied. "Did someone bring my phone up?"
"Here it is," Mikey sang out, handing it to him.
"You should probably rest now," Don urged.
Mr. Hidesato nodded. "I will do so once I have given my assistant instructions with regards to Ms. O'Neil. You do not need to stay with me now. One of the reasons I wanted to move in here is that there is an intercom next to the bed. I can call into any room from here."
Don examined the device. "I'm going to modify this so that the audio transmitter remains open. One of us will keep a receiving device with them at all times. If you start feeling bad, just call out. If you need to get out of bed to use the facilities, please call so that someone can assist you, at least until you're more fully healed."
"I accede to your wishes, doctor," Mr. Hidesato said with a small smile.
Making a shooing motion, Don chased everyone out of the room. Before he left, he let Mr. Hidesato know he'd be returning with his tool kit. The man only raised a hand as acknowledgement because he was already placing his call.
When Don reached the first floor, he found that Mikey had rounded up Casey and was taking him into the office. "I'm gonna teach him how to scan so you can play with that intercom thingy and April can clean in peace."
"Thanks, Mikey," Don said, glad that chore was off his list. Though he knew Mikey was probably volunteering in order to procrastinate on his cleaning duties, Don was not going to complain. He considered Casey to be family, but the guy had a gift for trying his patience.
Before going upstairs again, Don stopped in the kitchen to grab some bottled water. April was already in cleaning mode. Leo and Raph were at the table enjoying the soup Mikey had made. Don promised himself he'd stop for a bowlful too, as soon as he'd finished his task.
Upon returning to Mr. Hidesato's room with his tools, Don saw that the man had dozed off. Working very quietly, Don modified the intercom and the hand held device he was going to use as a receiver. To test it, Don stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. When he turned on the receiver, he heard the breathy sounds Mr. Hidesato made as he slept.
Leaving the bottled water within easy reach of the man, Don went back downstairs and got himself some lunch. Afterwards he returned to his workspace in the basement and set to work on the micro device that April would wear in her ear for her Council meeting.
Both Leo and Raph peeked in on him at various times as they went about doing their chores, but neither interrupted his concentration. When Mikey came down to clean the basement bathroom, he brought Don a fresh cup of coffee but otherwise left him alone.
Once Leo had the laundry going, he pitched in to help Raph. By the time dinner rolled around, all of the chores were done, including Don's. Coming up from the basement, Don caught the sound of his family talking in the kitchen, but he went to the office first.
Only after assuring himself that the equipment Casey had been using was still in one piece did Don join everyone else in the kitchen.
"Look at my fingers, just look at them," Mikey was saying in a dramatic manner as Don walked in. Upon spotting the genius, Mikey waved the offending fingers in his direction. "Do you see my skin? I'm a prune!"
"Let me guess," Don said as he pulled out a chair and sat down with his brothers. "All the tub scrubbing you had to do?"
"Exactly," Mikey said, nodding emphatically. He glared at Leo and Raph. "See, Donny gets it."
"April cooked dinner," Raph said, ignoring Mikey completely. "Dining table's set. We're just waiting for the pot roast to rest before taking it to the table."
"Casey and April?" Don asked.
"Went back to their apartment for a shower and change of clothes after April spent an hour practicing with Mr. Hidesato," Leo said. "They should be back any minute. I took some soup up to Mr. Hidesato. Mostly broth with a few noodles. He's doing fine. After he ate I helped him walk over to the bathroom and then waited while he did his business. And yes, before you ask, I checked the bandage after he was lying down again and there was no fresh blood."
"I'm glad his was able to urinate," Don said. "One less thing to worry about. I need to make sure to give him a stool softener later. The next bathroom hurdle will be . . . ."
Raph held up his hand to interrupt. "Stop! It's almost time to eat and I don't need any of those mental pictures in my head."
A thought struck Don and he took out his shell cell to begin sending a text message. Mikey leaned over to try and see the screen. "What're you doing?"
"Asking April to fill up a couple of gas cans on her way back," Don said. He glanced up. "For the shell sleds. I hope I caught them in time."
His cell phone beeped and when Don sighed in relief, Leo said, "I guess you did."
The couple returned to the house a short time later. April entered the dining room and saw that the pot roast was on the table. Mikey walked in carrying a large bowl filled with salad and Leo was behind him with a pitcher of ice water.
"Casey?" Leo asked.
"I sent him down to the basement with a couple of ten-gallon gas cans," April said. She looked at Don as he came in. "I didn't want them stinking up the house."
Don nodded his acknowledgement. "Thanks, April."
Once Casey and Master Splinter had joined them they sat down to eat. The group talked about the plans for the next day and the pair of humans got into a small argument when April said that she would drive herself to the meeting because Casey was needed at the shop to help her assistant.
The argument did not last long. April told her boyfriend in no uncertain terms that she was quite capable of handling herself and Casey did the only sensible thing he could – he stopped talking. The turtles all exchanged amused glances and dinner progressed in a more lighthearted manner.
There was a considerable amount of downtime between dinner and when the turtles planned to leave on their Kappa hunt. Don spent that time reviewing what Casey had scanned in and making sure the man had properly kept track of the journals. He then picked up where Casey had left off.
His brothers joined Master Splinter in the dojo for a practice session and afterwards Raph filled the tanks on the shell sleds with the gasoline Casey had hauled downstairs.
Casey and April watched a movie in the media room, taking the opportunity to have a 'date night'. It had been days since they'd had the chance to enjoy a relaxing evening and they needed the time together.
When it was time for the turtles to leave on their mission, Casey and April walked down to the basement with them. Don had given the receiver to April so that she could monitor Mr. Hidesato while they were gone.
"If you guys need anything, get Master Splinter," Leo told them. "There isn't much he hasn't had to deal with in his life."
"Will do," April said. "Be careful, guys. The Kappa are dangerous enough without Bishop lurking in the background."
"Ya' get into trouble, ya' call me. I mean it," Casey said.
Raph snapped a quick salute in his direction. "You're on speed dial, buddy."
Exiting the house through the secret passageway, the turtles climbed aboard their shell sleds and rode into the sewer system. They followed a route that would take them out of the tunnels and in a short while were on the open water of the East River.
Keeping their eyes peeled for other boats and ships, the brothers sped towards their destination, slowing only after they rounded the point on Rikers Island. The heavy rain had stopped falling, but there was still a light mist in the air.
From Leo's vision they knew which section of the shore to head towards. Leo's plan was simple; the Kappa would be feeding together in a group on the embankment making it possible for the turtles to drift in close to their location. They would then leave the shell sleds and proceed on foot, sneaking up on the yokai in order to pick out the one with the blue markings.
When they had zeroed in on their target, they would surround it. While Mikey used his gift to keep the other Kappa at bay, his brothers would bow, forcing the primary Kappa to do so as well. Leo would then drop the coin into the depression on its head and the capture would be completed.
It was a good, solid scheme. Unfortunately, the old proverb 'the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry' applied to turtles as well.
At about a hundred yards from the shore the turtles slowed their shell sleds so as to leave no tell-tale wake. Though all four had exceptional vision, the combination of darkness and mist made it difficult to pick out objects on the shoreline. Leo pointed to a wide spot off to one side of the alcove the Kappa were in and led his brothers in that direction.
Riding alongside Raph, Don noticed that he'd begun scratching the back of the hand that had been injured during the fight with the Suiko.
"You okay, Raph?" Don asked, nodding at his brother's hand.
"Itches," Raph said. "Means it's healing. It picked a hell of a time to start itching."
"Try not to scratch," Don enjoined, somewhat unnecessarily. Raph just rolled his eyes.
Everything was going smoothly until they were within fifty yards of their destination. Then something hit Raph's sled hard enough to almost knock him off of it.
"What the . . . . ?" Raph gripped the handlebars tightly as his sled was hit again, this time lifting the front end high enough so that it slammed down and partially submerged. The engine stalled as the sled bobbed up again.
"Raph!" Leo exclaimed, turning his sled so he could go back to his brother. He was partway through the turn when his shell sled was hit.
"Our bro's are in trouble!" Mikey called out, waving to Don to get his attention.
As the pair swung around, their head lamps flashed across the water near Raph and Leo. That area of water was churning wildly, splashing against the shell sleds and rocking them from side to side.
Seeing a green head pop up behind Leo's shell sled, Don shouted, "It's the Kappa!"
Leo unsheathed a sword as one of the Kappa flung its upper body onto the rear end of his shell sled. He swung around to slash at it, but the sword passed over the yokai's head as it slid back into the water.
Don was trying to get close to Raph because he could see his brother struggling to restart his engine. Before he could get far, his shell sled was lifted completely up off the water and then unceremoniously dropped.
The concussion almost threw him off the sled.
"Hang on, Donny!" Raph yelled.
A webbed hand reached up to grab hold of Mikey's ankle, nearly pulling him off his moving sled. Mikey began kicking and then lifted his leg to yank the yokai above the water line so he could take a swing at it with his fist. The Kappa released his ankle to flip backwards and out of reach.
"They're trying to get us into the water!" Leo clung to his sled as it listed to one side and then righted itself.
"Holy crap!" Raph was standing on his foot rests, one hand wrapped around a handlebar as he stabbed at the Kappa who were leaping out of the water around him. "It ain't a few Kappa! There's dozens of the bastards!"
"How'd they find us?" Mikey asked. He raced his sled towards Raph's, successfully driving them away from his brother. As he slowed to turn back, three Kappa jumped onto the back of his sled.
"This way!" Don called to him, pulling his bō staff as he lined his sled up evenly with the back of his brother's.
One of the yokai crawled towards Mikey, but he managed to sweep it off the sled with his nunchuck. Before either of the others could make a grab for him, Don hit them with his bō and knocked them into the water.
Several Kappa had jumped onto the front of Leo's sled. When he slashed at the ones on the left, they leaped off, only to come back as he cleared the ones on the right. Two of them caught hold off a front rudder and broke it off, making maneuvering nearly impossible.
A cracking sound indicated that the Kappa had destroyed something on Raph's sled. A second later the headlamp on Don's shell sled went out just before the runner was snapped in two.
"They're going to tear the shell sleds out from under us!" Leo yelled.
"We're sitting ducks," Don said, sweeping all around him with his staff while his sled drifted uselessly in the water.
As if reacting to some secret signal, the Kappa began to rush the hapless turtles, agitating the water like sharks during a feeding frenzy. The foursome were soon surrounded on all sides by the hissing yokai.
One of the creatures bounded from the water directly at Leo. He reacted quickly, slashing it across the chest with his sword. It fell into the water but as he was bringing his arm back around, another Kappa leaped up to sink its teeth into his forearm.
"Ahh!"
Raph's head whipped around at his brother's cry. "Leo! I'm coming!" he yelled, preparing to jump from his shell sled.
"No! Raph, no!" Leo shouted at him. He let go of the handlebar in order to pull his other sword, stabbing the Kappa and forcing it to release his arm.
The ingrained instinct to follow Leo's command prevented Raph from jumping into the water, so instead he leaned down, stabbing at Kappa with one sai while using his free hand to paddle closer to his brother.
His hand in the water seemed to excite the Kappa even more. A mass of them left off chasing their other prey to focus on Raph.
The water around Raph's sled seemed to boil as Kappa swam over one another in an effort to reach the turtle. Raph yanked his hand from the water just as a pair of yokai snapped at it. When he pulled back, a creature on his opposite side flung itself at his leg and clamped its teeth onto Raph's calf.
"Shit!" Shouting curse words, Raph's stabbed the yokai in the top of its head. When it fell back, a rain of blood from Raph's leg went with it.
Kappa clambered onto the back of Raph's shell sled, one of them latching onto his carapace. Raph was punching and stabbing as fast as he could, trying to keep them off of him. From nearby he heard his brother's shouts as they were set upon by the creatures.
Head turned, Raph didn't see a Kappa crawling across the hood of the sled. With a triumphant hiss, the creature leaped for Raph's throat.
The impact of a laser blast suddenly hit the Kappa, sending the creature flying far out into the water. Another shot dislodged the creature from Raph's shell, while a third exploded the head of the Kappa who was fighting Don for his staff.
His brothers looked up to see Mikey standing on the seat of his shell sled, his balance perfect as he used his power with expert precision. Thin beams of energy took out individual Kappa, while wider bursts pushed groups of them away from his brothers.
Leo whipped off his mask and wrapped it around the wound on his arm, watching as the Kappa hastily swam off. He kept a wary eye on them, noting that they moved to just out of range of Mikey's energy blasts and then simply floated there.
"Grab hold, Raph," Don said, extending his bō out to his brother. Raph caught hold of the end and both began pulling until their shell sleds were right next to each other's.
"Mikey, push Leo's sled closer to us!" Raph called.
His younger brother dropped onto his seat, steering his sled so that the front end pushed against Leo's sled. He kept watch on the Kappa, shooting energy beams at them each time they tried to swim nearer.
Then something caught his attention and Mikey cut his engine, his gaze focused on a certain point in the water. A second later he saw it again; a series of blue stripes running across the shoulders of one particular Kappa.
Leo's sled began to drift away and would have gone right past his other two brothers if Don hadn't reached out with his staff. Leo caught hold of it and dragged himself close to Don.
"What the hell are ya' doing, Mikey?" Raph demanded.
"I see it! I see the blue Kappa!" Mikey announced excitedly, standing up again.
"Mikey, wait!"
"Stop!"
"Not by yourself!"
His brothers' pleas went unheeded as Mikey dove into the water. When he bobbed to the surface, he found himself staring into the eyes of the blue Kappa. The creature blinked, almost in surprise, and then began to chatter rapidly.
Thousands of bubbles started rolling up from around the Kappa, rising to the surface of the river before popping. Each released a noxious odor that had the turtles covering their noses with their hands.
The blue Kappa suddenly lunged at Mikey. Rather than trying to dodge, Mikey zapped it in the face.
Stunned, the Kappa began to swim backwards and Mikey grinned. For the first time that night it seemed their plan might work.
"Mikey, the coin!" Leo shouted.
It was only then that Mikey remembered that Leo was carrying the trap coin and that Don had the wax tool.
Afraid that he would lose the Kappa, Mikey spun in the water and yelled, "Throw them to me!"
Don tossed the wax tool high into the air and Mikey caught it easily. But just as Leo flipped the coin to his brother, the Kappa all moved towards them, as if on signal.
Lifting his arm, Mikey send bands of his power shooting through the water, forcing the creatures back again. At the same time, he made a grab for the coin.
It danced off the tips of his fingers and splashed into the river.
"Crap!"
Unable to see, Mikey made a wild grab in the spot where the coin had gone under. He could have cried with relief when his hand closed around the silver coin.
Looking up, Mikey could see that the blue Kappa had started swimming in the direction of more open water. Springing upwards, Mikey blasted the water in front of the creature, forcing it to turn towards the shoreline.
He started to give chase but a loud hissing sound made him glance back at his brothers. The Kappa had begun stalking them again.
"Go, Mikey! Get the Kappa!" Leo ordered, seeing his brother hesitate.
"I have to drive them off of you!" Mikey yelled.
Don jumped onto the seat of his sled and stretched out his arms. A huge, protective shield flowed over him, enveloping all three shell sleds and extending into the water.
"Go! I've got this!" Don implored, nodding to his younger brother.
The last thing Mikey saw before he began swimming were yokai bouncing off of Don's force shield.
Turning his full attention to the blue Kappa, Mikey glided through the water as fast as he could, periodically blasting the yokai to keep it going in the desired direction. None of the other Kappa attempted to follow him, which Mikey found a bit surprising.
There was no time to think about that as they were approaching the shore. Another shot of energy rippled across the top of the water, stinging the Kappa when it seemed to hesitate, no doubt sensing Michelangelo's plan.
When the Kappa began to reluctantly move onto dry land, Mikey put on a burst of speed, swimming as fast as he could for the creature. It had climbed onto the top of some boulders by the time Mikey stepped onto sand.
The mist had finally stopped. Mikey took several deep breaths to slow his heartbeat as he returned the Kappa's stare. The creature made no move to leave and Mikey remembered what Don had said about the Kappa having a certain sense of honor. Perhaps on land the yokai would not turn its back to someone.
Very slowly, his eyes fixed on the Kappa, Mikey began to bow. The Kappa made a chirping sound deep in its throat and then bowed in return.
When Mikey reached the position where one usually stopped during a traditional bow, he kept going. He was forced to look down as he bent over double, hoping that the Kappa would feel obliged to follow suit.
An odd gurgle reached Mikey's ears, and then the sound of a splash. Straightening up, he saw the blue Kappa was still bent over, it's head down and the depression on top of its head completely devoid of water.
Mikey fished the coin out of his belt and held it between his fingers as he watched the Kappa. It seemed unable to move, so Mikey cautiously approached the creature. Once he was within arm's reach, he placed the coin into its dish-like depression and stepped back.
The Kappa began to immediately jerk and flail, falling off of the boulders to roll around on the ground. Little pinpricks of red light shot from the river and into the blue Kappa, piercing its body in a multitude of locations.
As he observed the phenomenon, Mikey could only guess that the clones were being violently jerked back to their origin. The red lights soon diminished to nothing and then the blue Kappa burst into a puff of smoke before being sucked into the coin.
Mikey swiftly plucked the coin off the ground and placed it between the prongs on the wax tool.
He had just finished counting to three when he heard the sound of an engine behind him. Turning, he saw Leo astride the orange shell sled.
"Did you get it?"
Holding up the sealed coin, Mikey replied, "I sure did." He waded out to Leo and climbed onto the shell sled behind his brother. "You guys all still in one piece?"
"More or less," Leo said, heading the sled back towards his waiting brothers. "Don is already lamenting the repair work he's going to have to do. We'll have to pull the other sleds back using yours. It's the only one that's running."
Mikey wrapped his arms around his older brother and pressed up against his carapace. "I'm just happy we caught those little buggers. They were giving us a bad name."
Leo patted his arm. "Yes they were, Mikey. They certainly were."
End Kappa