The Godturtle: Part 2
"Hey boss what is that thing?" one of the men asked. "Some kind of lizard?"
It was at this moment that Michelangelo realized his hat had fallen off and now his face was clearly visible.
"Maybe it's an alien," the other man the chuckled.
"Actually I'm a turtle," Michelangelo retorted defensively. "And didn't I see you guys in The Godfather?"
The boss surveyed the situation for a moment, chewing thoughtfully on the toothpick dangling from the corner of his mouth.
One of the goons released the safety on his gun. "You want us we should get rid of him boss?"
Michelangelo made another step backwards and the two goons immediately raised their guns toward him. "Hey, can't we talk this over? How bout we all go out to a nice dinner at The Olive Garden," he suggested, trying to think Italian. He'd remembered the commercials from the TV where the Italian family all got together at the Olive Garden restaurant.
The boss held out a hand to hold his man back. "Naw Gino. I think we might be able to find a use for our little green pal here."
Michelangelo exhaled, not realizing he'd been holding his breath. He tried to think of what his brothers and sister might do in this situation. Raphael's sarcastic nature probably would have gotten him shot. Mike decided not to take that route. Donatello probably would have tried to rationalize with the men. They didn't seem like very rational people to Mike so that option was also out. Leo would try to be calm and reason with the men. Mike didn't want to attempt to reason. He was scared out of his mind. Then there was Alexandra. She would probably bat her eyes and try to charm her way out of the situation. That might have worked for his sister, but she had the added advantage of being a girl. "Thanks for the offer…but um…I have to be going."
"Don't you move toitle!" Gino barked.
"Get his weapons Rocco," the boss ordered; gesturing toward the chucks stuck in Mike's belt.
Rocco came forward and grabbed the weapons, keeping his gun pointed at Michelangelo's head.
"We'll take you up on that dinner offer," the boss rasped. "We've got some business to discuss."
Michelangelo bent down slowly to pick up his hat. He placed it on his head and buttoned the collar up around his neck. With Rocco, Gino and the boss following close behind he left the factory, trying desperately to find a way to make his escape.
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"Hasn't Mike been gone for a long time?" Alex mused, a worry line protruding from her forehead.
Leonardo gently sat down on the couch so he didn't jostle her ankle. "He was really steamed about something. He's probably just blowing off some steam."
"I have a bad feeling about this," Alex replied. "This isn't like Mikey. I mean you expect Raph to take off for hours or days at a time…"
Raphael shot his sister a warning look that told her she'd better shut it unless she wanted another broken ankle.
"I want to know what we did to piss him off," Donatello spoke up, running his finger around the edge of his mug. "Can you guys think of anything that might have upset him recently."
Leonardo shrugged. "I borrowed some of his CDs to listen to while I was practicing."
"It seems pretty unlikely he'd be angry about that," Donnie replied. "It's got to be something we've overlooked."
"Maybe he was feeling claustrophobic down here," Raph snickered. "I mean it's hard to get a moments peace with 4 siblings."
Donnie, Leo and Alex were silent. They all knew what it was like to have to wait in line for the bathroom. To have one of the others root through your things and borrow stuff with out asking. And how it felt to have to share the TV and give up watching something they really wanted because no one could agree.
"Are you trying to say that we unintentionally forced Mike to run away?" Alex shot back.
Raph cocked his head. "Maybe that's what I am trying to say. I mean Mike hardly ever complains. He's always the goof ball and you all expect him to be that way all the time. Even he has his limits. Besides…Mike is like a cat. He'll come home when he's hungry."
"You had to go and screw up a halfway intelligent thought with something dumb," Leo joked, heaving a pillow at his brother.
In a lightning quick move, Raphael had a sai out. He stabbed the pillow and some of the stuffing leaked out.
"Hey!" Alex cried. "That was mine!"
Raph heaved the pillow at Alex. "You can have it back now."
Donatello rolled his eyes. "If Mike isn't back by later tonight…I'm going out to look for him."
"Me too," Leo nodded in agreement. He got up off the couch and walked into the kitchen, hoping to find something edible in the fridge.
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The Olive Garden was a crowded place and it made Michelangelo feel very uncomfortable. While his captors sat across from him, stuffing their faces with linguini, he huddled into the corner of the booth.
"Here's the deal toitle," the boss spoke up between bites. "Me and the boys here gots a job in a few days. But we's short handed. See...one of our men had to be…well how do ya say it..disposed of"
Mike gulped. He didn't like the sound of that. "What do you want me to do?"
The boss paused to take a bite of his dinner. "You've watched a lot of ganstah movies I take it. So we figure you can help us out."
"I'm not much of a thief," Mike shook his head and held up his hands, "hell I'm not any kind of thief," he thought to himself.
"That's ok," the boss grinned, poking Michelangelo with a fork. "You're job ain't gonna be that hard."
"What if I decide this isn't for me?" Mike questioned.
The boss snapped his fingers and Rocco's gun reappeared. "How do you feel about the rest of your family as turtle kabobs."
Mike gulped again. This was the mob…and they could find any one. He had no choice but to go along with it. "Ok…I'll do it."
"I thought you'd see things my way," the boss grinned.
"The only thing I'm seeing is the barrel of a .22 caliber handgun," Mike said to himself. And he didn't want his family to have to see that.
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It was now 7:30 at night, and Mike had been gone just about the entire day.
"We're going out to find him," Donatello said, tightening his eye mask.
Alex leaned over the back of the couch and nodded. She felt bad that she couldn't help them look. But she also felt glad. Her ankle was really bothering her. "Bring him back in one piece," she sighed.
Leo smiled, leaned over and gave his sister a quick peck on the forehead. "We'll find him. And you sit tight and take it easy."
"I will," Alex assured her brother. She watched as they all put on overcoats and hats and climbed up the ladder, disappearing from view. Alex turned back on her side to face the TV. "Another night on the couch watching re-runs," she sighed.
Splinter emerged from his room and joined his daughter in the living room. "Alexandra I thought you'd be in bed by now."
"Well the others went out to look for-" Alex stopped. Splinter hadn't been told of Michelangelo's missing status.
"Continue Alexandra," Splinter prodded.
"Mike's been missing since this morning," Alex confessed.
Splinter sat down slowly in his chair. "Why wasn't I told?"
"We didn't want to worry you sensei," Alex blurted quickly. "We figured he would be gone for a few hours but he didn't come back."
"I suppose there is nothing to do now but wait," Splinter said calmly. "And hope he returns safely."
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Alexandra flipped through the channels quickly, more or less for something to do and not for finding something to watch. It was almost midnight and her brother's still hadn't returned. She hoped they'd just gotten caught up in looking for Mike and that nothing had happened.
"Come on and let me go!" Leo's voice rang out.
Alex was off the couch in record time and hobbling as fast as she could to the entrance.
"Quit complaining Leo," Raph grumbled.
"You guys have been gone forever!" she scowled. "Where's Mike? Where've you been?"
"Let's take care of Leo first," Donnie's voice came down through the tunnel.
"What happened?" she questioned.
Raphael stepped cautiously to the floor with Leo slung over his shoulder. "Had a bit of an accident."
"It's nothing," Leonardo insisted. "I just twisted it a little jumping across the rooftops." He turned and started to walk towards the living room. The minute he put weight down on his foot his face went a paler shade of green. Raphael grabbed his arm.
"It looks like you did more than just twist it," Alex replied, concerned. She held out her crutches and balanced on her own good foot. "Maybe you need these more than I do."
Leonardo brushed the offer aside. "I'm not using any stupid crutches."
Alex shrugged and tucked them back under her arms.
"Raph can you carry him to the couch?" Donatello asked.
"I carried him 4 blocks didn't I?" Raphael joked. "I think I can carry him a few more feet."
Alex laughed. Leo scowled as he was hefted off his feet again and carried across the room like a sack of potatoes. Raphael set him gently on the couch and Donatello took his foot in his lap, like he had done with Alex.
"Does this hurt?" he questioned, twisting his brother's foot in all different directions slowly.
"No," Leo said through gritted teeth.
"Liar," Donatello chided. "Can you wiggle your toes?"
Leonardo moved his toes stiffly.
"It's a bad sprain," he reported. "And it's already starting to swell."
"Great," Leonardo grumbled. "Just great."
"You're going to take it easy, rest, and keep ice on it," Donatello ordered. "You'll be spending some time on the couch."
"Think of it as spending quality time with your little sister," Alex grinned.
Donatello got up and placed a pillow under Leo's foot. He walked off to the kitchen to get some ice.
"I take it you didn't find any traces of Mike?" Alex said quietly.
"No," Raph replied. "Not a one. It's like he's just…disappeared."
Leonardo shifted uncomfortably. "I think we should go back out and look some more."
"You gonna walk around like that?" Raphael gestured to his brother's ankle.
Donatello returned with an ice pack, ace wrap and Alex's old air cast. "It's been a long night. You and Alex both need to rest, and Raph and I could do with some sleep too." He got to work on wrapping Leo's ankle. "And in the morning the two of us will go out and look for Mike again."
"So what am I supposed to do? Sit here on my butt and do nothing?" Leo grumbled.
Donatello Velcroed the air cast. "Exactly."
"Welcome to the club," Alex snickered. "By the end of your membership you'll grow to hate it."
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Michelangelo shifted uncomfortably in his sleep. He'd been forced to sleep on a few ratty blankets on the floor while Gino and Rocco played cards in the room next door. This could have been his chance to escape. But he wasn't going to do anything to risk his family getting hurt. Regardless of how angry he was at them when he left. Nothing like being held captive by mob dudes to make you realize how important family is. Shifting again, Mike tugged a blanket around his neck in a feeble attempt to get warm. A single tear trickled down his cheek and he brushed it away. He missed his warm bed, he missed his brothers and sister, and he missed Splinter. He felt ashamed of how he had acted earlier. Eventually he fell into some form of a sleep state, dreaming of being home. Home.
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Leonardo was surprised at waking up early in the morning feeling like his leg was going to fall off. He'd had sprains and cuts before but this definitely was at the top of his most painful injury list. Slowly he got up out of bed and stood on his good foot. With no other alternative of getting around he started to hop towards the living room. He almost hollered when he banged his ankle into a table. He had to put his fist in his mouth so he wouldn't scream and wake up Alex. She was asleep on the couch.
"Leo?" Alex mumbled.
Leo slid into a chair and put his ankle up on the ottoman. "Sorry Alex. I didn't mean to wake you up." He heard her yawn.
"It's ok. I haven't slept well since I got hurt," she said drowsily. "I take it you couldn't sleep either."
"Thinkin about Mike," Leo replied. Which wasn't altogether a lie. He had been thinking about his brother. Praying that he was alive and well.
Alex took a deep inhalation of breath; a sound Leo was quite familiar with. Alex had never been a sound sleeper.
"There's codeine in the medicine cabinet," she whispered. "Try some of that and it'll knock you out."
"I'm ok," Leo replied. "Go back to sleep."
He sat in the dark for a long while trying to sort things out. Alex's breathing slowed and he knew she'd drifted off. Stifling a yawn, Leo rested his head against the edge of the chair and closed his eyes. In a short time he was asleep too.
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The next morning Michelangelo found himself at the horse races with Rocco and Gino. Pulling his collar up and his hat down, he waited while they placed their bets. He prayed no one saw him.
"Come on," Rocco's gruff voice spoke, starling Mike out of though.
He nodded and followed the two men to the stands. It was only a few minutes until the race started and his "friends" became engrossed in the proceedings. Another prime opportunity for Mike to try and make a break for it. But he didn't. He sat and watched, totally oblivious of the fact that the race was being televised.
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"Do you guys want breakfast?" Donatello asked later that morning. It was quite a sight to see Leo and Alex both stretched out on the couch, ankle's propped up on pillows and wrapped in ice.
"I could go for French toast," Leo replied, straining his neck so he could see Donnie. He flashed him a grin.
Alex was flipping through the channels. "Just some cereal."
Donatello nodded and walked off to the kitchen.
"Anything particular you want to watch?" Alex questioned, tired of channel surfing.
Leo took the remote and turned the channels at a much slower pace than Alex and Mike did. Both turtles looked up when a "Good Morning grunt" from Raphael sounded.
"Donnie's making breakfast," Alex told him.
Raph yawned and wiped some sleep out of his eyes. He turned and headed toward the kitchen.
Leo turned back to the TV and happened to flip it to the channel that was showing the horse races. He was about to hit the button again, but something caught his eye. Or rather someone caught his eye. "Do you see what I see?" he said aghast, pulling himself off the couch and moving closer to the TV for a better look.
"What?" Alex responded, following suit and sitting next to her brother on the coffee table.
Leo pointed to some one in the stands. Some one green. It was Michelangelo! And he was on TV!
"Raph! Don! Come quick!" Alex hollered.
Raphael and Donatello tore through the kitchen and into the living room.
"What is it?" Donnie asked, his voice filled with panic thinking Alex or Leo had hurt themselves.
Leo pointed to the TV.
"What is-" Raph started. "It's Mike!"
"What's Mike doing on TV?" Donnie screeched. "At the horse races none the less!"
Alex shook her head. "Beats me but you two better get over there and see." She pointed to the address of the track in the corner of the screen.
Don and Raph had already pulled on coats and hats and were out the tunnel.
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Michelangelo was ready to leave. Unfortunately Gino and Rocco weren't.
"You stay put toitle," Gino ordered.
Mike sighed and turned back to the track. A horse named Lightening was in the lead. Out of the corner of his eye, the tip of some one's hat caught his attention. He could vaguely see a green face peeking out from underneath it.
"Umm," Mike stammered. "I have to go to the bathroom."
"You sit back down!" Rocco commanded.
"But I really need to go," Mike protested. "Please don't make me pee all over the place." He proceeded to bounce around like a small child.
Reluctantly Gino replied, " You be back in 5 minutes or else."
Mike nodded and hurried down the stands.
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"Psst!" he hissed, hoping to catch his brother's attention with out being seen by any one else.
"Donatello turned around. "Mike!" he hollered,
Michelangelo put his finger to his lips. "Shut up and come with me." He led his brothers off to a fairly desolate area.
"What the hell are you doing?" Raphael demanded to know.
"Look I left because I needed some time to myself," Mike started. "And I kind of accidentally walked in on some mob guys planning a heist. They told me if I didn't help them they'd hunt you guys down."
"Hunt us down?" Donnie scoffed. "We live underground."
Mike rolled his eyes. "This is the mob Donnie. They can find any one. I couldn't risk anything happening to you guys so I told them I'd help them."
"You did WHAT?" Raph growled.
"I have to Raph," Mike hissed. "It's the only way. If I run they'll hunt us all down and kill us."
"This is absolutely insane," Raph shook his head. "I-n-s-a-n-e."
"You guys better get out of here," Mike told them. "If I'm not back in 5 minutes I'm in trouble. Don't come looking for me…I don't want you guys getting hurt. Tell the others that I'm ok and I'll be home soon." Michelangelo hurried and ran back to the stands.
Raph opened his mouth to call him back.
"Let's go," Donatello told him, putting a hand on Raph's shoulder.
"I can't believe we're leaving him," Raph said in wonderment.
Donatello sighed. "Yeah. But he's adamant. If we break this up it could be the end of all of us. I think we need to go talk to Splinter about this."
Angrily Raphael followed Donatello back to the liar.
Chapter 3 coming soon!