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Chapter 12

Leonardo:

When Panaceia finally allowed us back in Splinter's room, it was obvious she'd been hard at work.  He looked much better.  He was still resting, but now he appeared to be resting more comfortably.  We all took our places around his bed, none of us speaking.  My back was starting to hurt, but I still assumed Lotus position and began to meditate.  I would offer him whatever strength I had.

Athena:

I left the room with Panaceia, who looked less than pleased.  Not wanting to alert anyone else, I reached my mind out to my sister's to form a connection.  Once I had it, spoken words were unnecessary.

What did you find?

He has something like pneumonia.

What do you mean "something like"?

Well, it's attacking his body the way that pneumonia would, but after analysis, I know that's not what it is.

You don't know what it is…?

No, and that bothers me immensely.

Is it anything contagious?

No, that much I'm sure of.

Panaceia, we're psithing, and you of all people should know that lies are obvious here.  What aren't you telling me?

You know me, I hate getting anyone's hackles up without just cause.

What is it?

It's him.  The whole time I was examining him, I couldn't get over it.  I had such a strong feeling, that I ran his DNA through the scanner.  It's just about perfect, Athena.  It's a lot like ours; not exactly, but it's close.

That's not possible, is it?

I don't know; I think we should let Iris know though so that she can ask Rhea what we should do, if anything.

You're sure about this, it's not some fluke?  I mean, I know he's their sensei and wise and all, but he's a rat!

It doesn't matter, Athena.

What about them?

I thought about that too.  I've done some work with their DNA, but only enough to replicate their skin.  I didn't have a reason, so I didn't run it through the scanner.  I had other things to think about at the time.

Do it now, then.

I can't.  I don't have any samples here.

Don't worry about that, then.  I'll get the samples.

If they're like his though…

Then everything just changed.

"So, how is he?"

April's question interrupted our thoughts and I broke the connection, allowing Panaceia to respond.

"Well, it looks like pneumonia, it's hard to say at this point…"

"You can treat him though, right?"

"I'll do my best."

I watched the exchange between April and Panaceia, but suddenly noticed a man standing further down the hallway.  This must be the boyfriend of whom Psyche had spoken.

He saw that I noticed him and approached us.

Casey:

So these were the babes that rescued the guys.  I thought they said there were five; the rest must be in the other room.  Donatello mentioned they were named after Greek goddesses.  Yeah, I could definitely see that.  Goddess would have been one of the first words to come to mind.

"Hello, ladies."

April obviously didn't know I was there and turned around to give me a dirty look before introducing me.

"This is Casey Jones."

The dark-haired one narrowed her eyes and looked me over.  Not the overly friendly type, apparently.  The other one introduced them.

"Hello, I'm Panaceia and this is my sister, Athena.  The boys have told us about you."

"Yeah, I bet they did."  I hoped it was all good stuff, but knowing them, probably not.

"So, where are the dome-heads?"

"Casey…"  April gave me her classic shut-yer-friggin'-mouth look. 

Just then Raphael came out through the door to Splinter's room.

"I thought I heard yer yap blabberin' away out here."

April:

As soon as Raph came through the doorway, I braced for Casey's reaction.

"Hey, man…"  Here it comes, I thought.

There was a pause when no one even seemed to breathe, then,

"What the hell happened to you?"

Chalk another point up for Casey's tact.  I sighed.

To his credit, Raphael didn't seem phased in the least.  "Well, somebody tried to make us their lab rats, but these ladies hauled our asses outta there before they could finish what they started."

"Wow."

"Yeah, trust me, it's way weirder for me than you."

"Yeah, I bet."

The two of them were starting into their usual banter when Michaelangelo poked his head out into the hallway.

"Come quick!  He's waking up!"

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Panaceia:

For someone so ill, he was doing a great job of acting well.  He was alert and talkative, chatting with his sons as they brought him up to speed on everything that had happened. 

"Well, it sounds as though we are greatly indebted to you and your sisters.  I thank you for saving my sons, and for helping me as well."

"You're very welcome."

"I hope they've been no trouble for you."

"None at all.  We've enjoyed having them as our guests.  Our sister, Psyche, was upset to see them go so soon and jealous that she didn't get to tag along for this trip."  I thought back to the fit she threw as we were leaving.  It was totally inappropriate, and yet totally the kind of thing I had come to expect from her.  She could be so juvenile.

"Ah, yes.  Well, my sons can be very charming, but only when they want to be, I assure you."  The four of them squirmed, embarrassed by his last comment.  "They also know how to be great pains in the neck, but I hope you won't have to see that first hand."

I looked over to see Athena crack a huge smile at that.

Splinter:

I knew that I was making my sons uncomfortable, but it wasn't often that I was in this position, so I was taking advantage of it.

Our two visitors were unique even beyond their origins, as my sons had explained.  I could sense it, an energy unlike any other that I had ever felt.  It electrified the air around them and seemed to draw other energy to them.  They were powerful; there was no question about that.

"So the five of you live by yourselves?"

"Yes, but our mother checks in on us on a regular basis."  Athena finally joined the conversation.  It had started to make me uneasy the way she was just sitting back and observing, even though I knew it shouldn't.

"You seem young to be living on your own."

As I had predicted, she did not miss the question behind the statement.  She looked at me thoughtfully, a slight smile playing at one corner of her mouth.  "We are old enough."

At her obvious avoidance of the question, I couldn't help a small laugh, which led to a bit of a coughing fit.  Panaceia reached over and touched my arm, warmth radiating from her hand up through my arm and into my chest.  The coughing subsided.  I looked into her eyes, and she knew that I knew.  I said nothing.

They were unique, indeed.  I was suddenly very glad that my sons had ended up in their care.  It was probably the best place in the world for them in their current state.

I suddenly felt tired, and Panaceia seemed to sense it immediately.

"Why don't we all leave and give you a chance to rest.  You need your sleep."

I nodded in agreement.

Donatello:

We all stood and bowed before leaving the room.  I was feeling better now that he had woken up and we'd gotten the chance to speak.  Despite my uplifted spirits, I had the distinct feeling that something else was going on.

As soon as Master Splinter had started speaking with Panaceia, I felt as though we were completely out of the loop.  I couldn't really explain why, but something more was going on than what was being said.  I really wanted to know what it was, but I somehow knew I'd have to wait for my answer.