Castoff
part 15

As it turned out, the transmission had to be pulled from the car they were attempting to repair, so all four of the brothers switched to working on that vehicle exclusively.

Having a brother as strong as Raphael was a great advantage. Once the removal of the shifter, drive shaft, starter motor and other preliminary steps had been taken, the car was lifted onto tall jack stands. That left room for Raph to slide into place so that he could manhandle the transmission and get it out from under the car.

Fortunately, Don had fully equipped the areas he liked to call 'work spaces'. The transmission overhaul was something he could accomplish himself, so he assigned Raph and Mikey the job of cleaning the engine and the car's interior.

Since one of them needed to give Master Splinter a break from grandpa duties, Leonardo left the work detail to get cleaned up. Don waited until his other two brothers were working and then followed Leo, catching him before he reached the stairs.

"Something wrong, Donnie?" Leo asked.

Don chewed his lip, suddenly feeling foolish. Had his worry over baby Shilo really reached the point where his dreams could make him paranoid?

"It's nothing, Leo," Don said. "Forget it."

"No," Leo said as Don started to turn away. "I know that look on your face. Whatever it is, just say it. Letting it fester won't do either of us any good."

There was no escaping Leo when he was that determined to get at something. "I had a stupid dream last night," Don blurted. "That's all, just a dream. Something in it . . . look, it's just worry, like you pointed out yesterday."

"I also said to share that worry," Leo said, his gaze softening but no less resolute. "Tell me the dream."

So Don did, including every detail that he could remember. When he was finished, he waiting anxiously for Leo's reaction.

Leo nodded and then chuckled. "I can see how a dream like that would raise all sorts of warning flags," he said. "You do know that's a subconscious memory from a couple of days ago when I was practicing while Shilo's bassinet was nearby, don't you?"

Surprised, Don blinked a few times as he processed that information. "You have to be right," he said. "Just for a second, I thought that Shilo was in the bassinet."

Clapping Don on the shoulder, Leo said, "I'll put your mind at ease. I would and never will do anything dangerous around Shilo. None of us will. When he is older and we are teaching him ninjitsu, we'll do so the way Master Splinter taught us, with safety as the first order of business."

Don looked down and then tilted his head as he lifted it again. "Do you think I'm being foolishly overprotective?"

"I do not," Leo said firmly. "Your instincts are good, Donnie. If there is one thing we've learned from experience, it's to follow those instincts. You should never feel hesitant about sharing any of your concerns with us; we won't bite your head off. Well, okay, Raph might, but you already know how to handle him."

Now it was Don's turn to laugh. "Thanks, Leo. Oh, when you give Shilo his bottle, could you add another ounce? He's getting hungry more often and I think that means he's not getting enough at each mealtime."

"With that kind of appetite, you'd think it was Mikey's blood that mutated him," Leo said as he jogged up the stairs.

There was no sign of April that day, but Casey did come by as it was getting dark outside. Sounds echoed from the garage and as Casey neared the stairs to investigate what progress had been made on the vehicles, he spotted Donatello seated in front of his monitors.

Bypassing the stairs, he walked over to the tall mutant. "Any Foot movement?"

Don glanced up. "No. They each have encrypted cell phones which I've managed to hack, but the only calls they've made is to have fast food delivered. They haven't received any calls at all, or I could run a back trace on where the calls originated."

"That is very scary, my friend," Casey said. While he stared at the monitors, he held up a USB drive. "This is so you don't have to do any hacking to keep up with the police surveillance on Guerra. Detective Young installed equipment in his apartment and in the Latin American bar he operates out of in East Harlem."

"Thanks," Don said, taking the drive from Casey's hand and inserting it into one of his computers.

While he was typing in the necessary commands to bring images up on his screens, Casey looked around. He didn't see Master Splinter, but he could hear the giant rat humming to himself and knew he was in his room. Across the lair, Casey saw Leo seated on the couch under the sun lamps.

Baby Shilo was in his arms, soundly sleeping with his little head resting against Leo's shoulder. Moving closer, Casey saw that the baby had a pacifier in his mouth and that Leo's katana, in their sheaths, sat on a nearby chair. Leo himself also appeared to be asleep.

Casey knew that April would kill him if he didn't get a picture of that scene. Taking great care to make no unnecessary noise, Casey took his phone from his pocket and tiptoed closer. Once he had a good shot, Casey took the picture.

The tiny click was enough to wake Leonardo, who turned only his eyes to find where the sound had come from. Casey grinned at him.

"You've got this whole daddy thing down pat, don't you?" Casey asked.

Leo's eyes flicked down to the sleeping baby as Casey took a seat on the unoccupied chair.

"I never realized how much work Don does around here until I told him I'd take care of Shilo today," Leo admitted. He added quickly, "Not that I mind spending time with the little guy. We're bonding."

Casey was amused at how Leo hadn't argued with being assigned the role of 'daddy'. He kept that to himself though.

"Guerra and his guys are still mum," Casey reported. "I gave Don a way to watch the surveillance cameras we put up in the man's home and office. He told me that the Foot are laying low."

"They are well trained and disciplined," Leo said. "More so it seems than when Shredder was running things. I get the impression that Karai is much more cautious than her mentor."

"She probably doesn't have the same dream of world domination that Shredder did," Casey said. "Still, I'd rather she wasn't around to hold the Foot clan together. She and Stockman both have a lot to answer for. And the streets will never be safe with Bebop and Rocksteady running around loose. Those two are lunatics."

"Just how is Chief Vincent going to handle jailing them?" Leo asked. "There can't be a public trial or everyone will learn about their mutation."

"I was thinking about that," Casey said. "You know that purple stuff that April stole and nearly got herself killed over? Any chance there's enough of it left to change that pair back into humans?"

Leo shook his head. "We destroyed the only vial."

"Actually, we didn't."

Both Casey and Leo looked up to see a somewhat sheepish Donatello standing nearby.

Frowning, Leo said, "What do you mean, Donnie? I saw it smashed against the wall."

"The vial was smashed, but the thicker ends of the vial survived," Don said. "I saw that when I went to clean up the mess after we defeated Krang. There was still mutagen in them, enough to turn Bebop and Rocksteady human again. At least, I think so."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Leo asked.

"Because that stuff had made us fight with each other," Don said. "I didn't want that temptation to separate us again. I only saved it because I realized that Shredder's experiments had to be returned to normal before they could be brought to justice."

"April saw the original transformation," Casey said. "She could tell you how much of the stuff Shredder used to mutate Bebop and Rocksteady."

"I'll ask her," Don said and then looked at Leo. "Should I ask her?"

"Yes, ask her," Leo told him. "It's okay, I'm not angry, Donnie. I understand your reasoning. I'd like for us all to be past feeling as though we have to keep things from each other."

"What the hell, is everybody slacking but Mikey and me?" Raph asked as he came into the lair and saw his brothers with Casey.

"We're working," Casey assured him.

Mikey popped up behind Raph. "It looks like Leo's napping with Shilo. How is that work?"

"You were the one intent on assigning roles," Don said. "Uncles labor and dads mind the kids."

A mischievous twinkle lit Mikey's blue eyes. "Donatello is on maternity leave."

"I'm what?" Don asked, spinning on his brother.

"I read that human moms take time off after they have a baby," Mikey said. "You know, to bond with the baby and work out to get rid of the extra weight they've gained during the pregnancy."

"I wasn't preg . . . never mind," Don said. "I'm not having this discussion."

"See how much more mature he is after having a baby?" Mikey asked.

"So Casey, ya' bringing us some news?" Raph asked.

Casey filled them in on the latest and then Leo took up where he left off, telling them about the mutagen that Don had recovered.

When he finished, the group watched Raph, half expecting an angry reaction. He knew it too.

"Hey, I made my peace with our decision," Raph said, waving a hand in the air. "If Don recovered some of that stuff, then to me that sounds like kismet. We're the only mutants that are supposed to be here, the other two have to go."

"If we can find them," Mikey said.

"Oh, we'll find them," Casey said. "It's just a matter of when. Police work is about patience and biding your time while you wait for the bad guys to slip up."

"Patience huh?" Raph said, smiling. "You actually got any of that, Jones?"

The next couple of days were a sore trial for all them. The Foot clan members that Don had tagged with tracking devices went nowhere and were in touch with no one. There had been a break-in at a market in the target area, but only small amounts of food were taken.

"Ya' sure those guys ain't wearing different sets of pants, Donnie?" Raph asked. "How many goon outfits do ya' think each of them have?"

"I haven't left that to chance," Don said. "Not only do I know the phones they carry, but I've got access to every camera near the places where they live. I've got better surveillance on them than the police have on Guerra."

"Speaking of Guerra, what'd he do last night after the police let him go?" Raph asked.

"He went back to his apartment, got cleaned up, and had dinner delivered," Don said. "He stayed put."

"Probably figured he had a tail," Raph said. "I feel like all these guys know we're watching them and ain't gonna make a move. It's ticking me off."

"Has anyone heard from April," Leo asked.

"No," Don said. "I talked to Casey after Guerra left the station last night. He said April's been around the neighborhood where Colón was killed and where her body was dumped, trying to find witnesses or even anyone else who knew her. She's getting nibbles here and there, but mostly people are scared to talk."

Leo frowned. "Does she know that Guerra's been released?"

"Casey said he wasn't going to pass along that information," Don said. He shrugged. "She's a reporter, she probably knew as soon as it happened. Before you ask, Casey does know I've activated the GPS tracking on his and April's phones, but I haven't had a chance to tell her that."

"So you've been monitoring her treks into East Harlem?" Raph asked.

"She's been going there during the day," Don said. "I think she's being cautious like we asked."

"Small miracles," Raph muttered.

The mutant family had just finished dinner later that day when Casey arrived toting a large flat box.

"Hey guys, this was waiting for me when I got to my apartment," Casey said. "It's addressed to the Tartaruga brothers."

Mikey rushed over and snatched the box from his hands. "These are the signs we ordered."

"What signs?" Casey asked, sitting down at the kitchen table with Raph.

"Don decided we needed ya' to find us a plain white cargo van so that we can drive around unnoticed," Raph said. "He ordered magnetic signs to go on the sides of the van."

"With different names on them," Mikey said, excitedly opening the box.

He pulled out a pair of signs with the words 'Green Heating and Air' on them.

"Very imaginative," Casey said.

The next set were emblazoned with 'Penyu Brothers'.

"Okay, I give up," Casey said. "Penyu?"

Don walked by carrying Shilo. "That's turtle in Malay."

"That one's mine," Mikey said. "They wouldn't let me name all of them."

"Can't imagine why," Raph said.

"It's better than 'Shell Tough Hardware'," Mikey said as he took the third and last set of signs from the box.

"Now that's a good play on words," Raph replied defensively.

"The car and truck are both ready to be sold," Leo said, interrupting before his brothers could begin bickering. "After you take out your cut, hopefully there will be enough money to purchase a van."

"There should be enough to get you guys a good used van and a couple of other cars to fix up," Casey assured him.

A sudden loud beeping from the direction of Don's computers caught their attention. Raph stood up and took Shilo from Don, who made a beeline for his machines.

"What is it, Donnie?" Leo asked.

"Are the Foot moving?" Casey asked.

Don shook his head, his eyes glued to one of his monitors. "It's April. I set her GPS tracking signal to notify me if she went near Guerra's home or the bar. According to this, she's at the bar. Guerra got there a couple of hours ago."

"Get it . . . get it up on the screen," Casey urged as he maneuvered between two large turtles so that he could be close to the monitor.

There were four hidden cameras inside the bar and Don swiftly accessed the feed from each one, assigning it to different displays. The pictures came up just as April O'Neil entered the seedy establishment. Behind her was Vern Fenwick, carrying his TV camera.

"Can we get sound on this thing?" Leo asked.

Don's fingers danced over the keyboard and the low murmur of voices came through the speakers. As he made adjustments, the watchers saw two men step in front of April, blocking her path.

The establishment was long and narrow, with a wooden bar that ran nearly the length of the building. There was a wooden beam beneath the front window that served as a table for patrons wanting a street view, and barstools along the bar itself.

At the back there were three stairs that led to bathrooms on the left side of the wall. In the center was a door over which a lit 'Exit' sign was mounted. To the right of the exit were two tables, side by side. Guerra sat at one of them.

By the time that Don got the sound turned up, April had already said something to one of the men blocking her way. He looked back over his shoulder at another man who was sitting at the bar. Since that man had been close enough to hear what April said, he got up and walked back to Guerra.

After whispering something in Guerra's ear, the man straightened and remained where he was. Guerra lifted a hand and waved two fingers in a clear 'come here' signal.

The two men barricading the way turned to the side so that April could slip between them. Before Vern could follow, the wall of bodies had closed again, denying him passage.

"O'Neil!" Vern called out to get her attention.

April turned partway and saw that Vern wasn't to be allowed any farther inside. "It's okay, Vern."

It was clear from the way Vern shifted from foot to foot that he was not comfortable with the situation, but he stayed where he was as April continued on to the back of the bar.

"Dammit," Casey said from between clenched teeth. "I need to get over there."

"We'll give ya' a lift," Raph said. "The garbage truck's a lot faster than it looks."

"Donnie, can you stay here and watch what happens?" Leo asked. "Keep us apprised of the situation."

"Sure," Don said, getting out of his chair so he could take Shilo from Raph. He rolled the bassinet near his workstation and put the baby into it as his brothers and Casey climbed into the truck.

Don's attention returned to the surveillance feeds just as April reached Guerra's table.

"You're that reporter who came flying down the street the other night and shoved a microphone in my face," Guerra said in a mild tone. He waved at the chair in front of him. "Please, sit down."

April accepted the seat, flashing one of her best smiles at Guerra. She had taken the time to put on a simple but figure flattering black dress and three inch heels. The neckline wasn't plunging, but it was low enough to hint at a better view when she leaned forward, which she was now doing.

"My name is April O'Neil," April said. "I'm a reporter with Channel 6 news. My boss asked me to do a series of reports on this neighborhood, based on the increase in crime, and focusing on the death of a woman named Lia Colón."

"So you said before," Guerra replied before taking a sip from the glass that sat near his right hand. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you," April said.

"Then I don't know why you are here," Guerra said. "I was conducting business when you asked me about this woman before or I would have told you I know nothing of this person. I am telling you that now."

"Word on the street is that Colón was your girlfriend," April said.

"My girlfriend?" Guerra chuckled and looked up at the man who was still standing nearby. "Do I have a girlfriend, Javier?"

"Several of them, Hector," Javier answered. "I don't remember one called Colón."

"That's interesting, because from what I heard, you had set her up in an apartment and were paying all of her bills," April said, her gaze unwavering.

"You have beautiful eyes, April," Guerra said. "Do you mind that I call you April? I feel like if you are going to try to know me through the girls I have slept with, that we should be on a first name basis."

"The footprint of a man can often be measured by looking at those with whom he associates," April said. "Lia Colón had a criminal record. She was a hooker and a drug abuser. My understanding is that you didn't want her doing either of those things. You managed to stop her from selling herself, but she couldn't shake her taste for heroin."

"That is not true," Guerra said vehemently. For the first time during the interview he looked perturbed.

"Then you did know her," April said smoothly. "I thought you might have, since the police took you into custody over her killing and held you for three days."

"Everything they have is circumstantial," Guerra said, his eyes narrowed and posture stiff. "Their so called evidence could implicate a dozen people."

"I've been given to understand that you're a pillar of the community," April said. "A leader. Surely you would know something that would help to track down her killer, especially since Lia was close enough to you to become pregnant with your child."

Donatello hissed. "Bad move, April. Don't bring up the baby," he muttered under his breath.

"You got that from the cop," Guerra said harshly. "What did he tell you? Did he tell you where my son is?"

April was not easily frightened, but Don could see from her body language that she'd realized she shouldn't have mentioned the pregnancy.

"I tried talking to the police officer," April said. "He wouldn't tell me anything. I've been piecing this story together from things I've heard and tips I've picked up at the precinct. The baby was a rumor, which it seems you've just verified."

Guerra stood up suddenly. "Bitch, we ain't playing word games about my son. If you know something about him, you'd best tell me right now."

From across the bar, Vern called out, "I'm filming this interview, Mr. Guerra."

When Guerra's attention shifted to the cameraman, April got out of her chair. "Thank you for taking a few moments to speak to me, Mr. Guerra. I don't have any more questions for you just now."

Vern was trying to keep his camera steady as the two men blocking his way began pushing him towards the door. One of them tried to yank the camera out of his hands, but Vern was seasoned enough to have the strap wound around his arm.

April retreated from the bar at a quick clip. She never looked behind her, keeping her head held high and giving the appearance of being completely unafraid.

The man called Javier put out a hand and caught Guerra's arm to stop him from following her. Guerra angrily shook it loose before downing the rest of his drink and then slowly leaving the table to make his way to the front window.

Once April and Vern were out of the bar, the two bodyguards went back inside. The van was parked a few cars away and when Vern reached it, he slid the side door open and deposited his camera inside.

"You do like to flirt with danger," Vern said, shaking the arm that the strap had been attached to. "My arm is numb."

"That man is . . . ." April began.

She didn't get a chance to finish the sentence. The turtles' garbage truck pulled to a stop in the middle of the street alongside the news van and Casey sprang out.

Rushing to her, Casey said, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," April said.

Casey kept talking, stepping on her words. "What were you thinking? Didn't I tell you that man isn't right in the head?"

"Thank you, Casey. I've just figured that out for myself," April said, trying to disguise the tremor in her voice.

Though his first instinct was to continue to chastise her, the fright in her voice finally got through to him. Vern caught his eye and shook his head.

"Look, I know you're good at your job," Casey said, stepping close to April and cupping her elbows in his hands. "Just next time, let us back you up, okay? I'm not bad at staying out of sight and I know four guys who are excellent at that. I promise we won't cramp your style. Think of us as an extra layer of protection."

"I'll take it if you won't," Vern said.

April laughed and put her hands on Casey's arms. Looking up at him, she said, "So you'll be what, my bubble wrap?"

Laughing as well, Casey said, "Yep. Just call me bubble wrap man."

"Yuck," Vern said as he slid the van door shut and crossed around the front to get into the driver's seat.

Casey and April stood for another few seconds, staring into each other's eyes, before she disentangled herself from him and got into the van.

Neither of them knew that Guerra had observed their entire interaction.

TBC….