Castoff
part 17

Around mid-morning the next day the trucks were found. They'd been abandoned in a seedy part of the city and completely stripped.

Casey delivered the news after bringing over the van he'd purchased. While the brothers inspected the large white cargo van, Casey told them how a patrol car had spotted the trucks.

"Everything was gone," Casey said. "Parts were even removed from the engine. No prints were found, no biologicals of any kind, and no clue as to what was stolen from the lab."

"It doesn't matter," Don said, his voice muffled due to his head being under the hood. "We already know what they took."

"Were there any cameras in the area?" Leo asked.

Casey shook his head. "The city's tried to install cameras in that area, but they are either vandalized or stolen right away."

"Those trucks were left in a place that ain't that far from where all the food thefts have been happening," Raph said. "At least we know we got the right area pinned down."

Mikey was inside the back of the van and stuck his head out. "Now we just have to pin them down. Hey, there's actually a lot of room in here."

"It's got a six liter V8 small block engine," Don said, slamming the hood closed. "After a few modifications, this puppy will practically fly."

"Don't start pulling it apart just yet, Donnie," Leo admonished. "There are too many things at play right now. We might need the van on a moment's notice."

"It was part of a drug dealer's fleet," Casey said. "The van is in great working condition. It had to be. Can't have your van full of coke breaking down in the middle of the street."

"It's not going to be recognized by anyone, is it?" Leo asked with some concern.

"Nah. I pulled some strings and got the plates changed." Casey grinned mischievously. "I registered it under 'Tartaruga Brothers Enterprises'."

A loud beeping from inside the lair caught their attention and Don raced past his brothers and Casey. The group jumped to catch up to the long limbed turtle.

"What is it, Donnie?" Leo asked as his brother rolled up to his computer station.

Typing in a series of commands, Don pulled an image up on one of the monitors. It was the Foot symbol.

"I'm monitoring the Foot soldiers' cell phones," Don explained. "I get a notification whenever any of the four receive a message. All four of them just received this one."

"Is that all?" Raph asked. "Just that symbol?"

"It's probably all they need," Don said, turning in his chair. "It's a prearranged signal. I'll bet they're on the move tonight."

"Good," Raph said, cracking his knuckles. "I was getting tired of sitting around waiting."

"While you are waiting, perhaps one of you could change Shilo's diaper," Master Splinter said, approaching the group with the squirming baby turtle in his arms. "My days of performing this task are over. I have seen enough dirty diapers in my time."

Don started to get up but Leo moved first, taking Shilo from his father. "Stay on those men, Donnie. We need to know when they move and where they go."

Mikey went along with Leo to the changing table in their bedroom as Don returned to his computers. While his focus was on that, Raph signaled to Casey and the pair returned to the tunnel.

Neither said anything as they walked over to the truck that Casey had brought for them to refurbish. He ran his hands over the paint job and then leaned into the interior to look it over.

"You guys did a great job with this truck," Casey said. "I'll bet it sells pretty fast."

"That's all Donnie," Raph told him. "My bro' hardly sleeps."

"I'll wager he gets even less of it now that you have a kid," Casey said as he straightened up.

Raph shrugged. "We have to monitor him. It's not like there ain't five of us to watch over Shilo." He watched as Casey lifted the hood to look at the engine. "Have ya' talked to April?"

"About what?" Casey said with feigned indifference.

"Ya' know what I mean," Raph said, not at all fooled by his friend's behavior. "Ya' also know what she does for a living and who she is. Ya' ever seen her run away from danger?"

Casey crossed his arms. "No. I guess that's one of the things I find attractive about her. But I can worry, can't I?"

"Sure, go ahead," Raph said. "Just don't try to change her and don't stay mad at her for doing what comes natural. Ya' wouldn't want her acting like ya' can't take care of yourself, would ya'?"

"No I would not," Casey said. "I see your point. I'll give her a call later."

"April will want to know that the Foot might be making a move tonight. She'll want to be a part of whatever goes down," Raph warned.

"I guess I'd rather have her with me than wandering off on her own," Casey said with a laugh.

After reminding Raph to call him when and if the Foot started moving, Casey left. Heading back into the lair, Raph found that Don was in his lab, looking at something under a microscope. Moving a little closer, Raph saw that it was purple in color and figured it was some of the remaining mutagen.

"What're ya' working on?" Raph asked.

Without taking his eyes from the microscope, Don said, "I'm trying to see if I can replicate this mutagen. From April's description of the hypodermic used on Bebop and Rocksteady, it sounds as if they each received a one point oh milliliter dose. I've only got a little over half that for each of them. Since they started out as human, it should be enough to reverse the cell level changes that mutated them, but it would be better to be certain of that."

"If ya' don't have that nailed down by tonight, it ain't gonna matter," Raph said. "We'll have to shoot those two with whatever we do have and keep our fingers crossed."

"I suppose so," Don said as he scribbled calculations on a sheet of paper.

Raph watched his brother for a few minutes and then asked, "Donnie, did it ever occur to ya' to use that stuff on Shilo?"

His brother's head jerked to the side, his eyes wide behind the lenses of his glasses. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't know," Raph said. Taking a deep breath and releasing it, he went on. "Maybe 'cause he'd have more chances if he was human. He could live out in the open, go to school, be normal, get a wife and have his own kids someday."

Don frowned. "I imagine that if he'd been healthy to start with I might have thought of that," he said. "He wasn't. His birth defect might reappear if we changed him back again."

"Might," Raph said.

"I'm a scientist," Don said, pushing his glasses up higher. "I don't make a definitive statement that isn't backed by solid proof. Does it bother you that much to have a baby in our home?"

Raph lifted his hands defensively. "It doesn't bother me at all. Don't get me wrong, I love the little guy with everything I am. I just . . . I want to do what's best for him. I can't help thinking how we were when we were little. Ya' know, watching the outside world through a sewer grate and wondering why we couldn't be up there with everyone else."

"I remember," Don said. His expression grew thoughtful. "Am I being selfish by not entertaining the thought that I could change Shilo back again?"

"To be honest, I was hoping you'd say you couldn't," Raph said. "I felt like I had to put that question out there while we still had some of that purple stuff."

"You were right to bring it up," Don said. "I've learned a surprising thing about myself since Shilo came along. I don't think analytically when he's the subject of conversation."

Raph chuckled. "If that means you're relying on heart instead of logic, that ain't a bad thing, Donnie."

"There's probably some instinct in there too," Don said with a sly sideways glance at his brother.

The grin Raph was wearing broadened, enjoying the fact that his brother had caught on to the references he'd made to how they tended to categorize themselves. They were interrupted by the sound of Shilo crying.

"Raph!" Leo called from the other side of the lair.

"Sounds like our baby needs to be burped," Raph said as he left the lab.

It was only after he'd gone that Don realized Raph had referred to Shilo as 'our baby'. Don found that reference to be very apropos.

Donatello tried to get back to work figuring out the molecular structure of the purple mutagen, but the conversation he'd had with Raphael kept interfering with his thought processes. He had not once considered the possibility of returning Shilo to human form. Despite the teasing reference to instinct, that really was what had driven Don to directly transfuse the dying baby with his own blood.

The possibility that the infant would be transformed hadn't occurred to him. He simply knew that their blood held healing properties that might save the baby's life. Maybe the mutation was a side effect and Shilo really was completely healed. Maybe he could be returned to human form sans the birth defects that had nearly killed him.

To Don's mind that was a lot of maybes, too many of them to make experimenting with Shilo's life something he was willing to consider. Besides, wasn't it for the greater good of society to change Bebop and Rocksteady back into humans?

Or Don could just add another maybe to the list. Maybe he really was being selfish in wanting to keep his baby. Would there be anyone in the human world who would love Shilo as much as Don did? What would happen to him if the state insisted on returning Shilo to his biological father?

It was the thought of Shilo being raised by a gang kingpin that hardened Donatello's resolve. Being a mutant turtle might deprive Shilo of a lot of things, but not the love he deserved. Between Don and his brothers, they could provide Shilo with everything he'd need. Plus, Shilo would have something the brothers didn't have while growing up, human friends.

About an hour later, after determining that he didn't have the wherewithal to replicate the mutagen, Don left his lab to check on Shilo. He could hear Mikey and Leo's voices coming from the dojo, followed a moment later by Master Splinter's.

He found Raphael in the television corner, seated on the couch beneath a sunning lamp. Draped plastron down across one large forearm was Shilo, his head cupped in Raph's hand. The baby was sound asleep and fully unclothed, and Raph's eyes were closed, his cheek pressed against Shilo's.

Don remained motionless as he took in the scene. He knew his brother wasn't asleep, but from his position it was clear that Raph was relishing his quiet moment with the baby turtle.

Just as he'd started to slowly back away, Raph's eyes opened. He lifted his head so that he wouldn't wake Shilo and said, "Master Splinter said he should spend some time every day under the lamp. Without clothes is better."

"True. Do you remember that spot in the tunnels where Dad used to take us?" Don asked.

"Sure do," Raph said. "We'd get so warm and comfy we didn't want to leave. He'd end up sitting with us until the sun shifted to where it wasn't coming through the grate anymore."

"We should find a place like that to take Shilo," Don said. "He's going to need some natural sunlight."

"Don't have to," Raph said. "Casey's place is kind of a dive, but there's a subbasement in his building that we can get to from a maintenance tunnel. The back stairs are closed off, so no one will see us go up to his apartment. We can open curtains and give Shilo all the sunshine he'll need."

"You've thought about this," Don said, a little surprised.

"Sure I have," Raph said. "Ya' ain't the only one here who wants to do everything they can for Shilo."

The baby kicked against Raph's elbow, snuffling as he rubbed his face against Raph's hand. Raph kissed his head and Shilo settled again.

"If you've got this, I'm going to do a little work on the van," Don said.

"Take off," Raph whispered.

Recalling what Leo had said about not taking the van apart, Don stuck to the basics to ensure that the van was in premium working order. As usual when he was working, Don lost track of time and didn't realize he was hungry until Leo appeared next to him with a sandwich.

"Stop to eat?" Leo asked.

"Oh," Don replied. "Yeah." He grabbed a shop towel to clean his hands and reached for the sandwich. "I changed out the filters and oil, checked all the fluids, and made sure the hoses were connected and didn't have any cracks in them."

"Raph told me what you two talked about," Leo said, catching Don off guard. "You know, Shilo and the mutagen."

Don looked down, wondering what Leo would say next. He'd never disobeyed a direct order but this was different, this wasn't combat, it was family.

"Look Leo, I told Raph that I can't be certain . . . ." Don began.

Leo clapped him on the shoulder. "I don't think you should experiment on Shilo either, Donnie."

Surprised, Don gazed at his brother. "We aren't robbing him of a future?"

"His future is with us, as part of this family," Leo said. "I understood that the moment your blood changed him."

"But you didn't know then that I'd recovered some of the mutagen," Don said.

"You knew you had it though," Leo said. "Here's what I think. The mutation saved Shilo's life. His deformity was negated by having a shell fused to his back. That's how your blood saved him. If you give him the mutagen, the shell goes away. He might still live, but we have no way of knowing that, and even if he did, you can't get around his birth defect."

"No human would ever adopt him," Don said, his voice low. "Not even his father."

"Guerra would disavow Shilo without a second thought," Leo said. "Shilo would be in a state run facility for his entire life, probably hooked up to machines. No one would really care about him. No one would love him the way we do."

Don could feel his eyes misting behind his glasses. Setting the plate down, he removed his glasses on the pretext of cleaning them so that Leo wouldn't see how affected he was.

"Thanks, Leo," Don finally said. "I've been beating myself up about . . . about not using the remaining mutagen on Shilo."

Leo shook his head. "Save it for Bebop and Rocksteady. The last thing this city needs is for those two to remain in their present form for any longer than necessary. They need to go back behind bars as humans."

"There may not be enough mutagen to fully return them to their original forms," Don warned.

"I don't care if it only partially changes them," Leo said. "Anything that makes them less of a menace is fine by me. They certainly deserve whatever happens."

Don returned to working on the van with a lighter heart. Raph had made a good point and was right to bring up the subject of Shilo and the mutagen. It needed to be discussed and thought about. Leave it to Leonardo though to weigh the options and determine the correct course of action with such decisiveness. That was why he was their leader.

As Don was finishing up with the van, he saw Michelangelo walk past the work space carrying a large box. Stepping out into the tunnel, Don called out, "What's that, Mikey?"

"Playpen," Mikey said, stopping to turn around so his brother could see the box. "I set it aside when I was unloading the truck and almost forgot about it. Shilo's getting more active and needs this so he has room to roll around."

"Where are you going to put it?" Don asked.

"I'm gonna move the wing chair back so the playpen can go next to the couch," Mikey said. "That way Shilo will be close to the sun lamps."

"Good idea," Don said.

Mikey stared at him for a moment and then said, "Don't use that purple stuff on Shilo."

"Has everyone talked about this behind my back?" Don asked, frowning.

"Not to me," Mikey said. "I eavesdropped on Raph and Leo. It's the only way I ever find out anything. You guys think I'm not smart enough to understand what's going on."

"That's not true," Don said.

"All heart and no brains," Mikey said. "I remember what Leo said."

"He took it back," Don said. "We were arguing anyway and you know he didn't mean it."

"Yeah, I guess," Mikey replied. "I'm smart enough to know that if the purple stuff puts Shilo back the way he was, he'll be just as messed up as when you found him. I don't need science to tell me that."

"I've come to the same conclusion," Don said. "We're all in agreement, Mikey. The mutagen is for Bebop and Rocksteady."

"Would I have gotten a vote if it came down to that?" Mikey asked.

"Of course you would have," Don said.

Mikey smiled so widely he was practically beaming. "Good. 'Cause I would have voted no and stolen that purple stuff so you couldn't use it on Shilo. Gotta protect my nephew."

He walked away, humming a tune to himself. Donatello had to hand it to his younger brother, Mikey had a way of cutting straight through the clutter right to the core of a situation.

The brothers made putting the playpen together a joint effort and then Mikey went out to pick up dinner from Kevin, their favorite pizza delivery guy. They were eating when Casey arrived with April and Vern.

"I thought we'd hang out here while we waited for the Foot to move," Casey said.

"We brought pizza," Vern said, holding up the boxes he was carrying. "It looks like you already have some."

"You can never have enough pizza," Mikey said. Patting a chair, he added, "Sit next to me, April."

Vern put the boxes down, placed a couple of slices on a plate, and joined Leo and Don in the television corner. Taking the chair next to the playpen, he watched Shilo for a few minutes as the baby explored his own toes.

"He's a lively little guy for his age," Vern remarked.

"Turtles develop faster," Don said. "Even mutant ones."

"Dad said we were all like that at Shilo's age," Leo said.

"That must have been fun for Splinter," Vern said.

The aged rat joined them, hearing that part of the conversation. "There were many worries which I had to overcome in raising four sons," he said. "I had little time to enjoy my babies. Now that I am a grandfather, I can relish Shilo's infancy while my sons do all of the worrying."

The chirping of Donatello's machines alerted them that something was happening with the Foot. Gathering around the computers, the group waited as Don brought up the tracking device locations of the four Foot soldiers he'd tagged.

"Talk to me, Donnie," Leo said.

"They're on the move," Don said. "I've modified my wrist device to receive forwarded messages from these computers. We can follow them to wherever now."

"It's go time," Leo said. "Tonight we bag a warthog and a rhino."

"And a whole lot of other baddies," Raph said.

TBC…..