Who am I? - CH23
Just a dream?
Disclaimer: TMNT isn't mine and this is just a fanfiction writing. No money is being made on this story.
(TMNT CC are AU based on 2003 version and events, the turtles are in their late 20s.)
Warning: It has horror elements.
Rate: T
Drama, family comfort/hurt, and heartache...
Summary: He thought he was healing yet it appears not...
"The clock is ticking, what am I going to do!" the voice growled as the mysterious individual paced back and forth, lost in thought, not noticing the new arrival. It grumbled more and unfortunately, it was incomprehensible and they kept pacing with no clear evidence of stopping any time soon. Taking this was not a time to just observe yet interact, Leo did so.
"Time?" Leo started unanswered then continued "What's going on? Who are you?" Leo asked finally catching its attention, while in turn, Leo tried to get his bearings.
He was in a foreign room, old yet well kept with a Victorian inspired theme that he didn't recognize, not that he had the luxury of exploring historic buildings in the area.
Which then beg the question that itched in his brain, weren't the astral plains to be a creation of the imagination or paste together fragments of what is known to him?
He wasn't new to meditating and wandered the plains before, yet this was the first time he arrived at such a place. That just didn't look oddly real, but the atmosphere was off too. He couldn't put his finger on why or how but deep down he questioned if he was even meditating or he somehow was teleported?
Continuing his observation unable to shake the feelings swirling up inside he noticed the walls were like red velvet with decorative mirrors at everywhere he looked.
There was a door behind him and four large windows, two to each side covered up with thick long black draped curtains, blocking any light from coming in.
Before him, high up was a balcony made out of dark stained wood, on that veranda was an individual, one cloaked in darkness, or was it more that the individual was slightly transparent?
A ghostly figure to some may describe his host, who too was out of focus, making it hard for him to determine any features while the surroundings were distinct in every detail.
That said, one thing he did find familiar was the voice, it was the same in the woods, the same one that warned him before.
Was this its realm? Or was this another way for it to communicate with him? For the week after his father had returned, Leo was trying to meditate unable to achieve it resulting in falling into frustration, however, this time was different arriving here unexpectedly.
The individual he could tell was shocked by this visit and seemed upset, angry even by his intrusion.
"You shouldn't be here!" it warned angrily, "Or you will be trapped too…" the voice not broken or distant as the last encounter was clear and strong, yet the voice familiarity nagged at Leo. Not for hearing it before and now, but more so he should know who it belonged to.
"Trapped? Are you trapped here?" Leo asked, wanting to really question it over the warning he had received by it, yet was compelled to find out more about its situation.
"Sorry… sorry…" it shuddered realizing it said too much, "If I tell you… he will find out… he is close… he knows… I'm sorry b-" the voice started then at the end shattered, as Leo felt his head bursting in agony like a flame ignited in his skull.
The pain was unbearable, he knew it wasn't caused by the entity nor that place… no, it was his damn injury, giving him an unwelcome headache of all times, causing him to lose concentration. He couldn't hold his place; he couldn't keep his bearing there…
The individual and the room sparked and began fading out of existence, as the connection was slipping and fizzed before his eyes as he screamed with his hand reaching out towards the trapped being, "Who is he? Who threatens my family!" Leo yelled then thrust his hand on his head as he bent over in distress.
"Shell! Shell!" Leo gasped for air, filling his lungs with incense and candle smoke. His meditation room flickered into his sights and the vision vanished.
Cold tears ran down his cheeks, not due to his pain but this overwhelming sensation of sadness washing over him. Something about the 'sorry', hit him home, that he couldn't shake the feeling liked he failed… failed that individual… that stranger… Helplessness was consuming him, then the rolling thunder came.
"Crap…" he hissed burring the feelings to a dark pit in his heart, having the migraine take over, that was so powerful it curdled his stomach.
Why wasn't he getting better? He had no issues for such a long period of time that gave him the illusion he might finally be out of the woods, only to have that swipe away under his feet with these ungodly migraines plaguing him more often than not.
His head felt at times like it was splitting into two and of course, this comes on when he was getting somewhere…
He knew that encounter wasn't fantasized or a trick of his mind and it killed him that his own body betrayed him in such a manner. Who knows when he will or can ever have a chance like that one…
The nausea at the stage of setting off his gag reflexes, he placed his hand on his knee then onto the ground to help himself up. He will have to dwell on what occurred and see how he could go about making that connection again when he was well enough.
It wasn't easy going as he lost his balance stumbling like some drunk, slowly getting to his feet.
To top it off, the weakness settled in like a domino effect rippling through his body, forcing him to grab onto the wall for support. Inching his way towards the door and into the dojo, the greeting of cold air reaching his skin soothed his feeble body.
From there he made the slow pace towards the kitchen to grab a cold pack from the freezer to place on his head and eyes.
It helped before when drugs tend only numb it for short periods of time and besides he did like the natural approach at the end of the day, feeling at ease.
On his way to the kitchen, he kind of wished someone was around to help him out, yet as he recalled Master Splinter went to Angel's with Mikey and Adam. Which took a lot of convincing to get Adam to leave the lair.
Mikey was insistent that Adam accompanied them, pointing out he needed new human clothes and Angel's antique store did have some attire that would work.
Raph was still fast asleep and no one sane enough would poke the bear since the brother was up most of the night patrolling with Casey in rumours on the Foot. Rumours that did relate to what Leo witnessed the night he went to see Nobody.
It was just reconnaissance nothing more, though he heard wind that the two got into a few fights with the Purple Dragons as the night went on.
Leo was a bit pissed at them for drawing such attention and worried it would track Bishop or the Foot. Yet that never happened so far and truth Bishop has been dead silent on both public and covert activities Leo found out since they left for home on the sub.
No news of any searches back near the farm, and the events with police were covered up by some story about some drunk that killed the cops then was caught, well found dead in a car crash.
The exact same car crash they were in, the other driver that slammed them was framed for the murder and as expected their vehicle wasn't mentioned, probably due to Bishop's influence, knowing it belonged to them.
That much was gathered yet what Bishop's next move was uncertain, it appeared he dropped his attempts to recover Adam, yet over why that was still unrevealed.
Being home and trying to keep locked up in the lair wasn't going to last long. After feeling assured that the smoke settled slightly to what the norm would be for them, Leo finally allowed to give everyone some lenient, as long as everyone takes precautions on any venturing out of the safety of their home.
Hence why Master Splinter and Mikey were with Adam, regardless if Adam was willing to trust Angel and gone alone with the friend being the middle of the day and human, with no threat of others seeing him in the store, didn't mean it was safe. Being cautious it was safer having the two nearby even if they had to stay upstairs in the apartment.
Besides Mikey needed to stretch his legs and Master Splinter was the best way for Mikey not to get into too much trouble.
Reaching the fridge Leo sighed, opening it and taking out the cold pack. Thinking about lack of activity, his mind wandered to another particular individual that has been quiet of late, Nobody.
There have been no messages for a week, roughly when Master Splinter came back home.
Last he heard Nobody had a lead and said he might have to go silent for a couple of days and it has been more.
This worried him, what if Bishop being quiet had something to do with Nobody's investigation?
Was the friend in trouble?
If so, what was he to do?
It wasn't like he knew where Nobody's last whereabouts was since the crime-fighter called him from a payphone and he wouldn't have a clue how to track that down, not that he thought Nobody would make it that easy either way.
He could go to Nobody's office and see if the man left clues, but he doubted it, Nobody wasn't sloppy and would cover his trail, paper and all.
Taking the closest chair near him at the table Leo moaned sitting down feeling like he was in his eighties as his body now wanted to feel like he ran a marathon, then fought at least twenty Foot Soldiers with no rest then was put into a barrel and pushed down a hill with no padding for all the bumps.
Hissing slightly, he twitched slowly raising the ice pad to his head. It felt so good he let out a moan.
"I thought I told you to take it easy Leonardo," a dry warning hissed came from his side. It made the pain worsen as he squinted up towards the hard stone-cold face of his brother, Donatello.
It was Dr. Don the cruel turtle that if you complained about a paper cut, he would place you in a body cast string you up so that you can't move and tell you to rest for a week before you even are allowed to flinch a finger.
"I was only meditating, I swear…" Leo answered with a painful groan, his head was splitting into two again at this moment and the lights over the table were bothering him.
Donnie sighing went toward the light turning them off as Leo mumbled a thanks of relief.
"I'm starting to think I might have to do ahead scan," Donnie insisted, which wasn't the first time he did so weeks back but Leo stated it was unnecessary being that he felt better, which started to prove incorrect of late, being his head was getting worse in the past week.
"And how would we do that?" Leo questioned weakly, with one eye closed and the other looked at his brother that took a seat beside him.
"Leatherhead has a machine that is functioning at his place, I had him make it operational when I first tried to get you to take one," he told him gently, swiping his finger under Leo's open eye to pull the skin to see the eyeball, which made the turtle flinch.
"Is it still working, I thought you said Leatherhead left town again, do you even know how to work it?" Leo asked, reminding Donnie it was Leatherhead that put it together and he probably doesn't know how to work it correctly especially if LH might have modified it to make it functional.
"Because he left town so suddenly doesn't mean he didn't leave me instructions and besides this is me we are talking about, I know my machines Leo," Donnie assured him.
"Yeah…" Leo slowly nodded, getting a glare from Donnie for making such rash movements, "I wish he said bye this time around…"
"He couldn't you know how it goes with him," Donnie sounded sad, upset even, "He thought he had control then he snapped again, it took me everything to get him to calm down. When he did, he knew he wasn't ready to be around us especially with Adam, fearing he would hurt him."
"Donnie why can't we find a way to help him," Leo asked worried, it wasn't the first time Leatherhead had lost himself falling into his killer instincts and running away for a while, as Leatherhead would call it to find himself again before coming back.
They have tried to aid him, tried everything from meditation to drugs and so on.
It was like a switch in Leatherhead's head that flipped depending on the circumstances and once does it wasn't easy to switch off.
It was Bishop's doing, they all knew it and after the years it was a frequent occurrence, but it was still hard to see their friend having so much trouble and unable to lend a hand.
Master Splinter had told them all was that the only thing they could do was to be supportive and be there when the friend asked it, never make him feel belittled by his affliction, which none would.
"I don't know, I wanted to as well, but it's mental Leo. Some mental diseases can only be managed at most and the individual at times has to be the one that gets their condition to that stage. He understands his issues and yes he feels a shame at times, I know he understands it isn't his fault. Maybe one day he will get to that point where he can manage on his own, it will take time and we just have to make sure we are there for him," Donnie said slowly, sitting back on his seat and placing his hand on the table folding them together. "I think he found a place that helps, not sure where that is, but I get the feeling his vacations as he calls them is always the same location."
"I wonder where that is?"
Donnie shrugged, "He wouldn't say and I think it makes all that more effective to keep it a secret."
Slouching in his chair Leo breathed in holding that breath before releasing it, "Makes sense, if I was in his position, I would do the same…"
"So will you let me give you a head scan?" Donnie brought up the question yet again, in hopes this time Leo wouldn't be so stubborn in response.
"Yeah… sure…" Leo sighed in defeat, shade some light in ways to ease the pain or his poor brain, he thought. Besides they just talked about Leatherhead and seeing him suffer and unable to help, when he too is suffering and have a caring brother ready by his side. What does he gain to deny Donnie a chance to give him some aid? What did he have to lose?
TBC