Castoff
part 18

"Donnie, grab that purple mutagen," Leo ordered. "Whatever happens tonight, if you get a clear shot at Bebop and Rocksteady, you take it. No matter what else is going on."

"Got it, Leo," Don said, jumping up from his chair to retrieve the mutagen, which he'd already divided into two hypodermics.

"Should we call Chief Vincent?" April asked.

Casey shook his head. "Not yet. If she sends out the task force now, someone's liable to jump the gun and alert the Foot that they're being followed. Or worse yet, grab them off the street before they can lead us back to Bebop and Rocksteady. These cops have been psyched about the assignment for so long that some of them are wound up a little too tight. We want those two thugs."

"And Karai," Raph said, balling up a fist and punching his open palm.

"We're taking the van," Leo said, leading the way to the garage.

"How about we follow in the truck?" Casey suggested. "Someone might recognize my car, but they don't know the truck, and it has tinted windows. If the Foot split up, we can separate to stay on them."

Vern remained near Don's workstation. "Sounds like both vehicles will be crowded. How about I stay here and babysit?" he asked hopefully.

Raph was on the verge of making a rude comment when Master Splinter cut him off. "That is an excellent idea, Mister Fenwick. I know my sons have been concerned about leaving the baby without enough guardians while his biological father is still looking for him."

"Oh right, his father the gang leader," Vern said, a slightly anxious look on his face as he realized he wasn't quite escaping all possible dangers.

"Here," Casey said, tossing his car keys to Vern. "In case you need to get out of here fast."

"Ain't nothing better happen to Shilo," Raph said, his tone threatening.

Vern drew himself up and puffed out his chest. "I'll protect him with my life," he responded with as much bravado as he could muster.

Don stopped at the stairs leading down to the garage. "He'll need a bottle in a half hour and then monitor his diaper. After he's clean, you'll need to entertain him for a while until he looks tired. Don't overstimulate him or Shilo will never go to sleep."

"Yes, mom," Vern said with a grin.

"Talk to Shilo about your favorite subject," April said. "Yourself. That should put him right to sleep."

"Very funny, O'Neil," Vern said, waving her away.

The two small groups split in the tunnel; the turtles going to the nondescript white van and the humans to the newly renovated truck. Leo stopped at the van's passenger door and asked, "Do you two have your earwigs?"

"Brought them with us," Casey said as both he and April inserted the devices into their ears.

"Lines of communication remain open at all times," Leo said. "See something, say something. If we track the remaining Foot clan down tonight, let's not give them any opportunity to escape."

"The Chief has the entire task force on standby," Casey said. "One phone call and they immediately mobilize. We just have to tell them where to go."

Leo gave him a thumbs up and climbed into the van. Don started the engine and pulled out of the work space. Once the van was in the tunnel, Casey drove out to follow him.

The two vehicles proceeded through the tunnel, both exiting when Don activated the external wall hatch. Don had forwarded the feed from his home computers to his wrist device, which he synched up to a display screen he'd mounted to the van's console. On it they could see the four blips which represented the Foot soldiers.

"April," Don said into his shoulder comm, "I've tied the tracking signal into your watch. Can you see the map?"

"I'm looking at it now, Donnie," April said. "All four dots are moving in the same general direction."

"They seem to be making straight for the area where most of the food thefts have occurred," Leo said.

"Hell's Kitchen," Raph said, peering between the front bucket seats so he could see the screen.

"Isn't it too early?" April asked. "It's just barely nine. The restaurants and shops are still open."

"Maybe they're going to a meeting," Casey said.

"The police presence in that area will be focused on the liveliest neighborhoods," Leo said. "It could be that they mean to hit a spot that is closed at this time of night."

"A place that carries a quantity of food," Don said.

"Warehouse?" Raph asked. "Hell's Kitchen is going high end, the property values are getting up there. Anyone that owned a warehouse would have sold it off."

"Not along the docks. The shipping companies own the majority of those," Don said. He glanced over at Leo and then back at the road. "The police run their patrols where there are crowds. As long as the restaurants are open, the police will be watching them."

"Which means no one other than private security will be keeping an eye on the docks," Leo said, following Don's train of thought.

"Maybe that's where they've been hiding all along," Mikey said.

"I doubt it." Leo shook his head. "During the day there is too much activity in that area. There would be too big a risk of being seen."

"So somewhere close by then," Raph said. "Someplace that ain't been taken over by upscale eateries and such."

"There are older business establishments between 495 and West 54th," April said. "Some residential buildings too, but also quite a few empty buildings. The popular real estate is closer to the water."

"Still a big area," Casey said.

"We're going to narrow that down tonight," Leo said, the resolve in his tone clear.

Raph looked at his older brother, a corner of his mouth lifting in anticipation. "Tonight we're kicking butt and scooping up the whole bunch of them."

Leo reached back to bump his fist against Raph's. The group grew quiet after that as Don trailed the four fast moving blips. As they bypassed the garment district, the Foot ninja split off from one another, a pair of them continuing on towards Hell's Kitchen and the second pair making a straight line for the river.

"They must be on motorcycles," Don said. "Casey, take the pair who are staying on 9th Avenue. We'll keep on the two headed for the Hudson."

"Will do," Casey replied.

"What's the plan, Leo?" Mikey asked. "If they're gonna steal something, do we stop them?"

"No, not unless it looks as though they are going to hurt someone," Leo said. "Whatever they steal will have to be taken to wherever Bebop and Rocksteady are holed up."

"Once we have eyes on those two, we grab them," Raph said.

"We notify Chief Vincent so that the police can scoop them up," Leo said, eyeing his brother.

"Sure, sure," Raph said, though his words lacked conviction.

"Raph, I mean it," Leo said. "We can't afford to have the Foot scatter again. The four of us can't surround the lot of them by ourselves."

"Then we should focus on the ones we want," Raph said. "Forget the small fry."

"Those 'small fry' as you call them can delay us long enough for our primary targets to escape," Leo said. "That's what the Foot soldiers are supposed to do."

"Good little soldiers following orders," Raph said, a slight sneer in his tone. "Bet that gets your juices flowing."

"Hey bro's, can we not do this?" Don interrupted. "There's a little baby at home who would like for us to all return in one piece."

Raph's mouth tightened into a thin line. It was clear he still disagreed with Leo, but that he was also taking the time to remember that they had a new obligation.

"How about a compromise?" Leo suggested. "We get the task force on site and then we go after Bebop and Rocksteady ourselves. Casey told me the officers on the task force are all ones who already know about us."

"I can live with that," Raph finally said, relaxing again. "Like ya' said, the cops will have their hands full with the minions. Don't want to give the top dogs and those two mutant nut balls time to slip away."

"See? Compromise is a beautiful thing," Mikey said, smiling at his brothers.

"Ya' know what? I don't care what the plan is as long as it means we take down the Foot clan once and for all," Raph said.

"We will," Leo said. "We'll do it tonight. Before they manage to figure out a way to bring the Shredder back from wherever he went."

"Guys," April said, her voice low, "the two we're following have stopped. They're parked in an alley just off West 45th, between 9th and 10th Avenues. Casey walked down there to take a look and saw that they're still on their bikes, facing out towards the street."

"They must be keeping watch," Leo said. "Where are you, April?"

"Casey found curb parking near the corner," April answered. "We have good line of sight on that alley from here."

"They can't see you?" Leo asked.

"We blend in with the other vehicles," Casey said. "I made sure not to follow closely enough for them to notice us."

"Stay put and let us know if they move," Leo said. "I have a feeling we'll be headed your direction soon enough."

"Casey, what's on that block?" Don cut in to ask.

"There's a dry cleaners, a print shop, a boxing gym, and a florist's on one side," Casey said. "The other side has a realtor's office, a kitchen supply, and a tailor's. Not many businesses and none of them likely to attract tourists."

"And none of them open at night," Don said, glancing at Leo.

"One of those places has to be the new Foot headquarters," Leo said. "It puts them right in the center of the target zone."

"So the two sitting in the alley are making sure no one's around to see a big truck dropping off a delivery," Raph said. "All we gotta do is wait to see which of those businesses takes that delivery and we've got them."

Don quickly pulled the van to the side of the road and stopped. His brothers stared at him curiously, but he didn't notice as he was busy punching commands into his wrist computer. When he was done, a holographic image of the building schematics came up for all of them to see.

"We're looking at building plans for that block, Casey," Don said. "That entire block was once owned by a manufacturing firm. There is an entrance to underground parking off of one of the three alleys between buildings. The parking area includes a loading dock."

"Want to bet the entrance is in the alley where our friends are waiting?" Casey asked.

Raph tapped the back of Leo's seat. "Want to bet at least one of those businesses is owned by the Shredder?"

"There's a problem," Don said, still studying the schematics. "The buildings are all joined by a series of underground tunnels. In order to secure the Foot, the task force will have to surround the entire block. There's still the chance that the Foot might have punched through a dividing wall into one of the buildings behind them."

"Meaning they could escape on 44th or 46th," Casey said.

"Depending on how much foresight was used in preparing this hiding spot, the tunnels could go even farther," Leo said.

"Guess that means we have to pin down the top dogs before the cops show up," Raph said, looking a little too pleased.

"You're gonna get your wish, Raph," Mikey said.

Leo signaled to Don, who put the van into drive and pulled out onto the road again.

A half an hour later they were parked near the entrance to Pier 78. A few minutes earlier they had found the two Foot soldiers they were following and had eased back in order to avoid being spotted.

When the Foot soldiers slowed near a warehouse just off the pier, Don had stopped within view of the building. The turtles watched as the two men took up positions where they could watch the main roads nearest the pier.

"Guess the four ya' tagged are Foot lookouts, Donnie" Raph said.

"It appears that way," Don replied absent mindedly. He was on his computer again.

"What are ya' doing now?" Raph asked.

"I had a thought that if the Foot have moved into one of the businesses on 45th, then the electric usage has to have spiked," Don said. "I'm searching the power company records."

There was a deep rumble from somewhere behind them and the turtles slunk down from the van's front windows. Two dump trucks drove past them, heading for the warehouse where the pair of Foot soldiers were waiting.

"Got it," Don said, his eyes still glued to his computer readout. "There's been a huge jump in electric usage at the boxing gym and the print shop. They're side by side."

"Figures," Raph said, watching as the dump trucks backed up to the warehouse doors. "The gym's a good cover for a bunch of guys going in and out at all hours."

"It's a good place to train," Leo said. "They've probably had to sign up new recruits since so many of them were jailed after Krang's attempt to invade."

"Too bad they didn't get Shredder's second in command," Mikey said. "I don't know that woman, but I hate that woman."

They grew silent as they observed several Foot soldiers leap from the beds of the trucks. Using a small explosive charge, they blew out the lock on the warehouse doors and pulled them open so that the trucks could drive inside.

Raph's growl was low, but quite audible inside the van. "Do ya' know how aggravating it is to just sit here and watch them do that?"

"Everything they steal tonight will be returned," Leo said, trying to reassure him.

"I'm recording all of it," Don said. "There won't be any question that the Foot are responsible for tonight's theft."

The turtles waited in silence for another quarter of an hour without seeing any activity outside of the warehouse.

"How long does it take to steal food?" Mikey asked.

Casey's voice came through the speaker. "Anything going on with you guys? We seem to be on standby here."

"Same," Leo said. "The Foot have broken into a warehouse and we're . . . ." A low rumbling sound interrupted him. "Hold on."

As they watched, the dump trucks pulled out of the warehouse, one after the other. A tarp was now stretched across the beds of both vehicles, hiding whatever was inside.

Don and Leo crouched down so as not to be seen as the trucks drove past them, followed by the Foot soldiers who were mounted on motorcycles. Mikey watched the caravan through the back window.

"The Foot are all crammed into the front of the trucks now," Mikey informed his brothers. "I guess the back ends are full."

"Let's go," Raph said, slapping the back of Donatello's seat.

Waiting until the last truck was nearly out of sight, Don made a U-turn and followed after it without turning on the van's lights. Once he'd determined that the Foot soldiers he'd tagged with tracking devices were remaining with the trucks, he dropped back enough to be able to use his headlights.

"Don't want to be stopped by a patrol car," Don mumbled.

"That'd be just our luck," Raph said. "They'd ignore a couple of dump trucks tooling around late at night in favor of pulling over the van full of mutant turtles."

"You think being a cop is so easy, you try doing the job," Casey said.

Mikey chuckled. "He can't, there aren't any uniforms big enough to fit him."

"It looks like we're headed your direction, Casey," Leo said, watching the monitor. "We have to hang back so they don't realize they're being followed. Let us know what happens when the trucks get there."

The drive from Pier 78 to where Casey and April waited didn't take long. The Foot avoided the roads around popular eating establishments, but even with the circuitous route, they arrived at their destination within a quarter of an hour.

"Guys, the trucks are here," April said. "They're pulling into the same alley that we saw the Foot go into."

Don found a spot to park the van and quickly looked at the building schematics. "Which businesses are on either side of that alley, April?"

"The print shop and florist's," April replied.

"The print shop has one of the basement loading docks," Don said. "That's where the trucks are going."

"Where's Casey?" Leo asked, suspicious that it was April reporting to them.

"I'm on the roof of realtor's office," Casey said, answering for her. "There's no one around here and no cameras in the parking lot next to the building. Makes up for the fact that there are plenty of them on the buildings across the street."

"Rooftop access?" Leo asked.

"On top of the gym," Casey told him. "There are a few Foot goons up there too, and on top of the print shop."

"We'll go in that way," Leo said. "As soon as we're inside, you call Chief Vincent and get the task force moving. We'll recon and try to avoid being seen until the police have a chance to get into position."

"The 50th Street subway line isn't far from here," Don said.

"I'll tell the Chief to send a couple of regular units over there in case any of the Foot make a run for it in that direction," Casey said.

The turtles left the van and took to the rooftops. By monitoring the frequencies used in operating wireless security cameras, Donatello was able to locate each of the devices, making it easy to avoid them.

Squatting in the shadows, the turtles watched the Foot ninja who had been assigned to rooftop patrol. When they had spotted all of them, the brothers huddled around Leo.

"We've got three on top of the gym and two on the print shop roof," Leo said. "We can't have them sounding an early alarm, so it's stealth time. This will be tricky since we have to get past the first three to get to the others."

"Distraction?" Don asked.

"Only if it's something that won't alarm them," Leo said.

"How about I drive slowly past the buildings?" April asked. "That should make them curious enough to at least watch me."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Raph said, looking at his older brother.

"Don't stop for anything," Leo said. "Maintain an even speed. Do you have a way to hide your face?"

"I'll pull up the hood on my jacket," April said.

"Find a place to stop a few blocks away so you're outside of the area the task force will be cordoning off," Leo told her.

"I'm not sitting this one out," Casey said.

"No you're not," Leo responded. "We need for you and April to get the police into position and feed them information."

"We gonna talk all night?" Raph demanded.

"Go now, April," Leo said into his mic.

Through their communication devices they could hear April start the truck.

"Watch the Foot," Leo ordered, glancing at each of his brothers. "When they move, we move. Raph and I will take the first three. Don, you and Mikey keep going to the print shop and deal with the other two."

Muscles coiled in readiness to pounce, the brothers waited, their eyes focused on the five Foot soldiers across the way. In a couple of minutes one of the men called out and all five of them dashed over to look down at the street.

As soon as the Foot moved, so did the turtles. On silent feet they sprang across the gap between buildings, crouching low and sticking to the shadows. Don and Mikey kept going when the other two split off, running fast since they had no idea how long April could hold the Foot's attention.

Raph and Leo reached their targets at the same time. One of the Foot ninja started to turn as Leo crept up on him, perhaps sensing the danger. He had no time to make a sound as Leo's fist struck him with a hard uppercut, knocking him back towards the edge of the roof. Leo snatched at his shirtfront and yanked the unconscious man to safety before he could fall.

It wasn't until Leo's blow struck that the other two straightened up, but they didn't even get the chance to turn around before Raph was on them. His large hands slapped onto the sides of each man's head, bashing them together. The collision of skulls was the loudest noise anyone had made.

There was less time for Mikey and Don to strike since their targets were farther away. The two Foot soldiers, alerted by movement on the adjacent rooftop, spun around just as the pair of turtles were bearing down on them.

Having distance weapons came in handy right at that moment. Don drew his bō all the way in a straight line behind him, and then thrust the tip of his weapon directly into the first Foot soldier's stomach. His target doubled over in pain, air whooshing from his lungs, and Don finished him with a snapping strike to his temple.

Mikey attacked at the exact same moment, his spinning nunchaku drawing his target's eyes. The split second of distraction was enough time for Mikey to swing his weapon against the side of the Foot soldier's head. Following all of the way through with the blow jerked the man's head to the side and he crumpled at Mikey's feet.

Quickly stripping the upper halves of the Foot soldiers' bodies bare, the brothers used the clothing to bind and gag their enemies. When the pair rejoined Raph and Leo on top of the gym, they saw the other three men had been trussed up as well.

Raph easily pried open the roof access hatch, lifting it slowly to keep the hinges from squeaking too loudly.

"Let me check," Don whispered. Attaching a cord to the mini-camera he kept in his tool belt, he lowered the device into the opening.

Spinning the camera slowly, he turned it in a complete circle. Through his goggles, he saw that most of the gym was on the ground level and that it had high ceilings. Only a small section contained a second floor, and the roof access led down to it.

As he surveyed the space, Don kept up a running description, his voice low. There were a pair of fighters in the boxing ring, both wearing Foot ninja gear. A few others stood around the ring, one of them calling out instructions.

Don's sudden gasp startled his brothers. "What is it?" Leo asked.

"Karai," Don hissed. "She just entered from a side door. Considering the square footage of the gym, she had to have come from the print shop."

"Any sign of Bebop and Rocksteady?" Raph asked.

"I don't see them, but they could be next door too," Don said. "There's no one on the second level just below us."

"Drop in, stay silent," Leo instructed.

When Don pulled his camera up, Leo jumped down to the floor below. He moved quickly to the side as first Raph, then Mikey leaped through the opening. Don was the last to enter, after letting Casey and April know that they were inside.

As the brothers crept towards the balcony that overlooked the gym, they heard a female voice cutting through the shouts and grunts of the fighters. Remaining low to the ground, the turtles peered through the decorative wire that ran between the thick balcony rails.

Karai stood off to one side, a computer tablet in her hands. Next to her was a Foot soldier, standing at attention with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Is this all that was seen?" Karai asked, looking up at her subordinate.

"Yes, Mistress Karai," the man said. "The truck did not stop at all."

"I do not like this," Karai said, handing the tablet to the man. "It is time to break down the equipment and move to the secondary location." With a nod of her head she indicated an area somewhere below the second floor and added, "Tell those two that dinner will be delayed."

"Yes, mistress," the man said, bowing as Karai left him and strode back through the connecting door.

"Depending on how fast they move, the task force might not get here on time," Don whispered.

"Okay, so how do we keep these goons from scattering like cockroaches before the cavalry arrives?" Raph asked.

"Simple," Leo said, rising to his full height. "Give them what they want most. Us."

TBC….