Chapter Three: Criminal Pursuit

After practically dragging Gennosuke out of the kitchen, where he had been raiding the refrigerator, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello returned to the living room where they found Leonardo and Master Splinter settled on the couch while Usagi sat across from them on one of the smaller chairs. Splinter had prepared some tea and was currently pouring the rabbit a cup.

"So, Usagi, may I ask what has brought you here to the sewers? This is not exactly a tourist attraction."

"I know Master Splinter, and I apologize for the intrusion. I was not aware that you and your sons had made this your home. But I had no choice but to come down here."

Usagi stopped for a moment as Master Splinter handed him a cup of tea. The rabbit bowed his head and accepted the drink.

"Thank you."

Splinter nodded his head and allowed Usagi to continue his story.

"The reason I came down here is because I was in pursuit of a criminal."

Reaching within his blue kimono, Usagi pulled out a tattered piece of paper and handed it to Master Splinter. The rat carefully took the paper and read what was on it. Leonardo looked over his father's shoulder to look over the page's content as well. It was a wanted poster and the area where the reward amount was supposed to be visible had been torn off. But what concerned Leo about the paper was the picture of the criminal in question.

"That's him. That's the guy who attacked me last night."

Hearing Leonardo's confirmation of his assailant, Splinter turned to his eldest son with concern in his eyes.

"Are you sure, my son?"

"Yes, Sensei. There's no mistaking those eyes."

Usagi's grip on his teacup suddenly tightened and his eyes darkened.

"Let me give you some advice, Leonardo-san."

Leo looked to the rabbit, who was staring down at the floor with a scowl.

"If you happen to encounter that man again, do not look directly into his eyes. You may not like the things you see within them."

"Yeah, well…too late for that."

Usagi's eyes darted from the floor to Leonardo. The turtle was slowly shaking his head.

"It's not like I wanted to, I just…looked up and there they were. A..And I just couldn't look away. You know how they say, "eyes are the windows to the soul?" Well, that guy's soul was…dark. REALLY dark."

Leonardo shivered as he recalled what happened last night. Splinter saw how upset his son looked and placed his hand on the turtle's arm to try and comfort him.

"It is alright, my son."

"No…no, it's not alright."

Leo suddenly stood from his seat on the couch with anger in his eyes.

"What if he had come after you guys? I wouldn't have been able to stop him! He had me in the palm of his hand and…!"

"And you survived."

Sitting up from his chair, Usagi gave Leonardo a stern, but gentle look.

"Leonardo-san, you are here. You are alive and so is your family. That is all that matters."

The eldest turtle opened his mouth to say something, but he quickly closed it. Usagi was right. The most important thing right now was that Leo and his family had survived the encounter with their nightly visitor. But the teen needed to ask the one question that was on everyone's mind. Leonardo sat back down on the couch and clasped his hands together.

"Who is he, Usagi?"

As Leo asked that question, Master Splinter passed the wanted poster back to the rabbit, who looked upon it with much disdain.

"…His name is Jei."

Usagi grabbed the paper and folded it in half. He just could not stand looking at the face on it anymore.

"He calls himself "The Blade of the Gods," a warrior sent from the heavens to rid the world of evil. He is not worthy of that title after all the atrocities he has committed to innocent people."

Faces flashed through the rabbit's mind, faces contorted in pain and agony, and they caused Usagi's grip on Jei's wanted poster to tightened. The force threatened to tear the worn paper apart.

"He has destroyed village after village, killing anyone who had the misfortune to stand in his way. Men, women…even children have fallen by his blade. While Gen is the bounty hunter here-"

Usagi and Gennosuke, who was standing in a corner with an open bag of chips in his hand, shared a glance before the rabbit continued.

"-I was the one who insisted that we take the responsibility of bringing Jei to justice. There is a reward for whoever captures him, yes, but…at this point, I do not even care about the money anymore. The satisfaction of knowing that murderer will pay for his crimes is all I want."

Now Usagi was the one standing from his seat.

"That is how Gennosuke and I came to be here. Using dark magic, Jei transported us and himself to your world and now he is…"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a sec."

Interrupting Usagi, Donatello stood next to Leonardo and adjusted his glasses.

"Are saying that you and Gennosuke came from a different world than ours? A different dimension?"

"Well…yes. Why do you ask, Donatello-san?"

"Wow. It's just…well, we've only encountered one other being from another dimension, but he wasn't exactly "friendly." I have so many questions! From what you have seen so far, does our world and your world share any similarities? What about differences? You said you were transported here by dark magic? As a man of science, I ask that you explain this "magic" to me because…"

Donnie was cut off when a hand covered his mouth and dragged him back. The hand belonged to Raph.

"Sorry bro, but now is NOT the time for you to geek out on us."

Raphael then allowed his younger brother to remove his hand and Donatello was able to speak again.

"A simple "shut up, Donnie" would have sufficed."

"Now that would have been rude."

"And what you just did wasn't!?"

Raph just shrugged.

"That's so cool though!"

Coming between Raphael and Donatello, Michelangelo wrapped his arms around them and looked at Usagi in awe.

"You're from a different world. Like Superman or…or Martian Manhunter!"

"They're from different PLANETS, Mikey. When I say "worlds" in this context, I mean dimensions."

"What's the difference, Don?"

While Donnie pulled Mikey away to explain what exactly a dimension is, Leonardo looked to Usagi and sighed.

"Excuse my brothers. They mean well, I promise you."

Usagi chuckled.

"There is nothing more important than family."

As the words slipped from his mouth, the rabbit's expression changed to one of sadness. Leo noticed and started to say something, but Usagi beat him to it.

"Let us get back to the matter at hand. I did stop Jei last night when he attacked you, Leonardo-san, but he escaped. And I think I know where to. Follow me."

Usagi walked past Master Splinter and his sons and Gennosuke came to his side. The two warriors led the way down another sewer tunnel, the one the turtles had been instructed not to go into by their father. Leo could see the hesitation in Splinter's eyes as he stepped into the tunnel. The brothers always wondered why their master never wanted them to go in this area, but maybe they will soon find their answer. As they walked, Leonardo felt someone grab his arm and slowly pull him to the back of the group. It was Donatello, and he placed his eldest brother between him and Michelangelo while Raphael stayed behind them. The third oldest turtle turned his head to whisper to Leo.

"It's good to know that we aren't crazy. About the eye thing, I mean."

"What "eye thing"? What are you talking about, Don?"

"That Jei dude, bro."

Leonardo then turned to Michelangelo.

"I think we did see him last night too. But…"

When Mikey trailed off, Raph poked his head between his younger brother and Leo to speak.

"What Mikey wants to say is that our memories from last night are…a little fuzzy."

Leonardo frowned.

"Fuzzy?"

"Dude, I don't need an echo, okay? You heard me. We think we saw Jei last night too."

"You did?"

"Yeah. We thought it was a dream at first, but when we talked about it while you were out, we realized that it couldn't have been. We all remember a pair of lifeless eyes, and then…nothing. Like we blacked-out or something."

Raphael placed his hand on his forehead.

"My head hurts just thinking about it."

"So that explains it."

"Huh?"

Raph, Donnie, and Mikey gave Leo questioning looks as the eldest turtle put his hand under his chin in thought.

"I wondered why you guys didn't show up while I was fighting Jei. With all that noise we made there was no way you guys wouldn't have come down to investigate. Usagi said the guy uses magic, so maybe he used some on you to knock you out and tried to do the same with me."

"That…is not exactly comforting, Leo."

"You're telling me. I don't like that someone was able to get inside my head like that. But wait, what about…?"

The turtles all turned to their father, who sighed when he felt his sons' gazes on him from behind. Splinter had heard their conversation even though the boys had been whispering the whole time. Enhanced hearing was one of the benefits of being a mutated rat.

"I too was influenced by Jei's magic. The things he made me see, well…I am grateful Usagi came when he did."

And Master Splinter said nothing more about the subject. Leonardo saw the rat's grip tighten around his cane, but he did not say anything. He could tell his father was troubled and it had something to do with whatever Jei had forced Splinter to see. The next time Leo sees that criminal, he was going to make him regret ever stepping foot into the sewers.

"We are here."

After what seemed like forever, Usagi announced to the group that they have arrived at their destination, which seemed like nothing more than a dead end. A huge brick wall stood before them and the rabbit's hand hovered over it as though he was looking for something. Donatello scratched the tip of his head.

"Uh… I don't mean to be rude Usagi, but…did that Jei guy mess with your head too?"

Usagi chuckled.

"Donatello-san, you must learn to see with more than your eyes."

Donnie frowned, as did Raph and Mikey. But Leo seemed to understand Usagi's words. The eldest turtle stood next to Usagi and put his own hand on the wall with his eyes closed. The rabbit turned to Leonardo.

"Do you see it, Leonardo-san?"

"Yes. I…I FEEL it."

He was not sure exactly what it was he was feeling, but Leo sensed this foreign energy beyond the wall. At least it did not feel evil like Jei's. Usagi looked back to the brick wall.

"I followed Jei down this tunnel, but when I arrived at this spot he had disappeared. But I am sure his sudden disappearance has something to do with this energy. Gen."

Gennosuke nodded when his friend called his name and stepped forward. He then pulled out a piece of chalk and started to draw something on the wall. As the rhino drew, Usagi continued.

"Unlike Jei, we cannot travel freely between worlds. But there are ways we can move from dimension to dimension. They are just…difficult to find."

Usagi looked to Gennosuke again just as the rhino put down his chalk. The two warriors locked eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Usagi? I can't guarantee that this is safe."

"If Jei passed through here, then so can we. I am willing to take that risk, but I will not force you to come with me."

Gen scoffed then smiled.

"And let you have all the fun? Miyamoto Usagi, do you know me at all?"

Gennosuke turned back to the wall and clasped his hands together. The turtles and their master took the moment to see what the rhino had drew. But none of them knew what the picture was. It just seemed to be random shapes and lines. Their attention was pulled away from the drawing to Gen who was muttering something under his breath with his eyes closed. It sounded like some sort of chant. Leonardo was the one who decided to ask Usagi about it.

"Care to explain what Gen's doing, Usagi?"

"To put it frankly, Gen is opening a gateway to another world just as Jei did."

"A gateway? Was this always here? In the sewers?"

"I thought there was something strange about this place."

Leonardo watched his father walk to his side and Splinter ran a hand through his beard.

"This is why I forbid you and your brothers from coming down here. I felt this alien aura resonating from the tunnel and I was afraid that it may be…hostile."

"There is no need to worry, Master Splinter."

Usagi gave Splinter a reassuring smile before he looked back at Gennosuke.

"This magic is only used as a means of transportation. Observe."

As Gennosuke finished his chant, a bright light emitted from the wall, blinding the group with its intensity. Gen's eyes were still closed, but the others needed to raise their hands to shield them from the light. When the light dimmed down, the turtles, Master Splinter, and Usagi lowered their hands and gasped as their eyes landed on the portal had appeared within the brick wall. Usagi stood beside Gennosuke and held his hand out to the door-shaped portal.

"This is one of the gateways I was talking about. I am sure Jei used this portal to escape, but we do not know where it leads."

Usagi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, his relaxed expression turned to a deep scowl.

"However, I cannot allow Jei to get away. So I suppose this is farewell…"

"Wait."

Everyone turned to Leo and the turtle stepped in front of Usagi.

"What if we come with you?"

The rest of the turtles were surprised to hear their oldest brother's offer, especially Raphael.

"Um, Leo, a word?"

Leo was pulled away from the group by Raph and the second eldest brother motioned for Donnie and Mikey to follow them. He stopped when he was sure they were a good distance away from the others. Raphael made sure to keep his voice at a whisper.

"Okay Mr. Fearless Leader, what the shell are you thinking?"

"What? Shouldn't we help them?"

"We don't even know who they are! For all we know, they could be working with this Jei dude and playing us for suckers."

"And maybe they're just trying to stop some psycho murderer from hurting anyone else. I think we can trust them."

"Even if we wanted to help, you're definitely in no condition to be fighting anyone."

"I keep telling you that I'm fine."

But even as he said that Leonardo could not help but grab his chest, the burning pain searing through him again. He tried his best to hide his discomfort from his brothers, but he could not fool Raphael.

"You know, you can be a real hothead sometimes, Leo."

"It takes one to know one I guess."

"Leo…"

Leo turned to his right where Donnie was standing. The genius looked at his eldest brother with concern.

"If you're sure that we should do this, then we're with you a hundred percent."

Donatello saw Raphael open his mouth to argue, but he quickly spoke up to stop the older turtle.

"HOWEVER…you are clearly injured and it would be best if you let yourself rest and recover."

"Come on Don, I'm good. Really. It's not like I haven't been through worst."

"I know bro, and that's what worries me. Look, I'm just-"

Donnie stopped himself and looked between Mikey and Raph.

"-WE'RE just looking out for you. We all have our limits Leo, and it's okay to say that you want to sit this one out. Don't overexert yourself."

Seeing the worried looks on Donatello and Raphael's faces, Leo was torn between his duties as a ninja and his need to comfort his brothers. When he looked down at Michelangelo, who was giving his eldest brother the puppy eyes that only he had perfected, Leonardo just sighed defeated.

"Okay, okay."

Leo rubbed Mikey's head playfully and laughed as his youngest brother shoved his hand away. Michelangelo smiled from ear to ear, happy to see his brother finally come to his senses.

"I hear you guys, alright? We'll just…"

Leonardo was interrupted when the area began to shake. The force threw everyone off balance. Master Splinter's grip tightened around his cane as he tried to steady himself and Leo looked to the rat.

"Dad, what is that!? An earthquake!?"

"No, my son! This is different!"

"Different how!?"

Before Splinter could answer, huge piles of bricks began to fall from the ceiling, and everyone scrambled to get out of the way before they were crushed.

"Mikey, get back!"

Raphael grabbed the back of Michelangelo's shell and shoved him back just before more bricks dropped down where the young turtle was standing.

"Thanks, Raphie!"

"No prob, lil' bro!"

The group was forced back to the wall where the portal was still open, but something had changed. Instead of its glowing white light, there was a tinge of red within its glow and small bolts of electricity were now coming from the portal. One of them hit Donatello on his arm and he yelped in pain.

"I thought you said this magic wasn't supposed to harm you!"

Usagi knew Donnie was talking to him and he turned to the turtle.

"It is not! Something is wrong! Jei must have corrupted it with his dark power!"

Raph growled as he stepped back further to get away from the still crumbling ceiling. The rubble had completely blocked off their way back to the lair and the only other exit was…

"Whatever's going on, we need to get out of here!"

Leonardo looked at Donatello.

"Don, how long before this place collapses!?"

"I say we have approximately twenty-three seconds before we're buried under rubble! Twenty-two, twenty-one…"

While Donnie was busy counting down the seconds to their doom, Leo turned to Usagi and pointed to the portal.

"Go! Through the portal! We'll be right behind you!"

Usagi hesitated for a moment, but seeing as their time was running short, he nodded and did as Leonardo commanded. The rabbit grabbed Gennosuke and they jumped through the portal. A little of the electricity had hit them as well, but they ignored it. Leo then turned to his family.

"Guys! We gotta go! We need to get to the portal!"

"What!?"

Raph looked at his older brother in disbelief.

"Are you insane!? We could die!"

"We'll die if we stay here! Come on!"

Leo nodded to Donnie and Mikey and with a bit of hesitation, the two younger brothers proceeded through the portal. As the eldest turtle was about to force Raphael into the portal as well, Splinter grabbed both of their shoulders and looked his second oldest son in his eyes.

"Raphael, your brother is right! We need to go before this place caves in on us! We do not have much time!"

Just as he said that, the ceiling finally gave was and was slowly falling down over the two turtles and rat. Raph growled, but he ran through the portal with Leo and Master Splinter right behind him. The portal closed soon after and what was left behind was nothing but ruins.