The Thing

~

   April was tired when she woke. All those disturbances in the night caused it. She never could get back to sleep once she had been woken up, more than once anyway. She was still slightly scared and nervous about sleeping within close enough range to that thing Frakly called M'regre? M'reagra? Something like that. She was grateful that the turtles didn't wake up as early as they usually did. They all needed a few extra Zs.

   April was woken by the smell of cooking, and her stomach won the battle over her sleepiness. She was starving!

   She got up and stretched, Mikey's bed covers fell off her onto the floor. She picked them back up and stood, stretching again. She looked at the top bunk to see if Raph was awake. Nope. Still asleep. Whoa, he must really be drained. He was still exactly as she saw him last night. In the same position. He hadn't moved. April wasn't sure whether to worry or not.

   She made her way to the kitchen; the smell of something good grew stronger. She passed Frakly, who was up and about near the couch, stretching as she had done; and M'reagro, who looked as though he had never gone to bed and didn't need to. He looked at her as she entered the main area, and followed her with his creepy glowing eyes as she made her way to the kitchen. April tried not to look at him.

   "Morning April!" Mikey said cheerfully as he looked up and saw her enter the kitchen area.

   "Hey, Mikey." April sat down on one of the old stools she had given to them ages ago. The kitchen was part of the main area so she could still see and hear what went on from the couch. Frakly was talking to his pet.

   "Hope you like Stir Fry for breakfast!" Mikey said, bringing her attention back to him.

   "Stir Fry? For breakfast? Mikey you get worse every time!" April laughed.

   Mikey giggled and dished out the good smelling food. He had five plates out. He passed one to April, and a fork; moved one to the side for himself, and picked up the other two.

   "Be right back. Just give Leo and Donnie their breakfasts." He hurried out of the kitchen. He had a little difficulty in opening the door with his hands full, but he managed it and came back out a few seconds later.

   April was already tucking into her food, and Mikey came back into the kitchen, picked up the last plate and walked out into the main area to give it to Frakly, who smiled and thanked him. Mikey smiled sweetly, please as Frakly praised him for such a good smelling breakfast, and commented on how he looks after his brothers and guests before himself.

   Mikey walked back into the kitchen grinning. When he finally tucked into his food, April had nearly finished. She'd never eaten so fast. Damn, that's gonna cause indigestion later! She groaned in her head.

   "This is great, Mikey. You're a real cook. Thanks." April said, taking her last bite.

   "Awh, thanks April," Mikey said, obviously pleased with himself.

   "Are Leo and Donnie up?"

   "Yeah. Leo was, then I accidentally woke Don. I told them both to stay put and eat their food. Heh, Leo sounds like Raph when he complains."

   April laughed and moved over to the sink to wash her plate.

   "Was Raph awake?" Mikey asked as he finished his food and she took the plate from him and washed it.

   "No. Still asleep. He hasn't moved at all. Is he alright?"

   Mikey frowned. "I dunno. I hope so. All Frakly guy said was that he would be very tired for a while. I'm sure he IS fine."

   Frakly came over and passed his empty plate to April, who had her hand out for it.

   "Thanks, Miss O'Neil," he said. Then he leaned on the counter. "I hope I didn't wake you last night."

   April put the plate to the side to drain and turned around, frowning at him, drying her hands on the towel.

   "But you didn't wake me. I was awake when you came in, remember?"

   "Yes, but I had to visit again. Raphael needs to be tended to at certain hours and I had to come in at three to see to him again."

   Mikey, who had been listening and frowning suspiciously at them both, suddenly raised his eye ridges and nodded to himself at those words.

   "Am I missing something?" A tired sounding voice said behind them all.

   They all turned around to see Leo walking towards them, rubbing his eyes and blinking tiredly, limping slightly. He held his breakfast plate in his other hand.

   "Nah, just doc talk," Mike said. "Hey I told you to stay in bed!"

   Leo shrugged and sat on one of the stools, next to April.

   "Hey April."

   "Morning Leo."

   "I'd better go see to your brother, Donatello." Frakly got up and headed towards the car.

   "Hey doc, just one question before it slips my mind . . ." Mikey called out.

   Frakly stopped and turned around to look at Mikey, waiting.

   ". . . How did you know all our names?"

   Frakly chuckled and said, "M'reagro told me," The professor turned and disappeared into Donnie and Leo's room.

   Mikey eyed the monster that was uncurling from the couch to stretch.

   "How does M'reagro know?" He muttered quietly.

   "He's not even a doctor, Mikey." Leo pointed out.

   Mikey shrugged. "He is really. He acts like one, anyway."

   They were all silent for a while. Something was nagging at April.

   "I have to go back to my apartment. Splinter's still there," she said.

   Leo's eyes widened. "He must be worried sick about us all. We have to fetch him down here."

   "I can fetch him. You can stay here, and Mikey can come with me."

   Leo sighed. "Fine. I think we ought to tell Frakly, then he can hold M'reagro back when Splinter comes down . . . Do you think it's safe to bring Master Splinter down?"

   "If we tell Frakly so he can hold back that thing then yeah," Mikey said.

   A few minutes later, the professor walked back out the room and Mikey explained to him what they wanted to do. Frakly nodded and agreed to keep M'reagro away from Splinter, though he told them that his pet wouldn't harm their Master. The beast kind of respected Splinter for some reason.

   "Okay then. We'll be back in about an hour," Mikey said, grabbing his coat and hat. "April wants to get a few things and come back with us."

   Leo, who was watching them get ready to go out, stepped forward and frowned.

   "Why?" He asked April.

   April smiled at him. "You guys need me. And, I don't want to leave you." She grabbed Mikey's hat and plunked it on his head, then she turned back to Leo. "Besides, I haven't spoken to Raph since two days ago when we thought he was dead. I'm not leaving until he wakes." Then they were both gone.

   Leo sighed and turned his back to the door. He faced Donnie.

   "What are you doing up?" Leo asked, surprised Donnie was able to walk.

   "Ah, you know me. I don't like to stay in bed and be a bother to everyone. I feel useless stuffed in there." Donnie yawned. He looked much better than yesterday. His color was back to normal, almost, and his bruises and wounds looked cleaner. There was still the sore puncture where the drip had penetrated his arm, but that was the only open wound Leo could see.

   "You're a bother if you don't go to bed," Leo said. "At least lay down on the couch?"

   His brother gave in and Leo helped him onto the couch. Donnie was limping pretty badly.

   Frakly had quickly smoothened out all the sheets he was using as bedding material as he saw the sore turtle heading for the couch. Leo had laid Donnie down on the couch, and his brother was noticeably embarrassed about not being able to even walk straight to a couch.

   M'reagro growled softly as the turtle was laid down in front of him. The beast was still curled around the couch and Donnie was beginning to think bed was sounding better. At least it wasn't surrounded by a monster that looked at him eerily with those glowing orange eyes, and that grinning mouth. Donnie shuddered. He should be grateful to it for saving his and Leo's lives, and he was. Just that face gave him the creeps.

   "Want a drink, Don?"

   Donnie looked up at Leo, who was staring down at him.

   "Yeah, sure, thanks." He just realised how thirsty he was.

   Leo asked Frakly, who also said yes, and Leo went into the kitchen to make three drinks. He, too, was quite thirsty.

   Leo brought them back into the main area and handed his brother and the professor one. Then he sat on the edge of the couch at Donnie's feet while he drank. The silence was uncomfortable so Leo decided to speak.

   "How's Raph doing?" He asked Frakly.

   "Your brothers doing pretty well. I gave him his medicine last night and . . ." The professor looked at his watch. " . . . He should need some about now." Frakly smiled politely to Leo, took his glass into the kitchen, grabbed something out his suitcase, which was not forgotten in the fight the other day, and went into Mikey and Raph's room.

   Leo sighed and looked back at Donnie. He smiled when he saw his brother had fallen asleep. Leo stood up, grabbed Donnie's glass and took it back to the kitchen.

//\\

   "Clear! Come on." April waved over to Mikey, who was covered by the safety shadows of the alleyway. Even though he had his coat on, he was always careful.

   They both darted across the street, which was empty anyway, and came to the fire exit stairs that lead to the roof.

   "Okay, see ya in a few," Mikey said and started to climb.

   April watched him for a second then rushed around to the front of the building, to the main entrance. She stopped running and walked; aware of the people who walked past her looked at her when she darted round the side. She smiled sweetly, grabbed her spare keys from her pocket and opened the door. She made her way up to her apartment and unlocked it, not too fast in case she startled Splinter.

   "Splinter?" She looked around the apartment. Nothing had moved. "Splinter? It's me, April."

   She moved further in and looked past her spiraling staircase and saw the wise rat sat, cross-legged on the higher floorboard, which was more like a long step, just for show really. When she came within his vision, he opened his eyes and looked at her.

   "You are alive and well, my child," Splinter smiled. "I feel my sons are, also."

   April smiled and walked up to him, giving him a hug. She had missed him, and didn't know how happy she felt knowing she was able to see Splinter again after leaving here thinking she was going to be eaten.

   "The guys are just fine." April was happy to see him alright himself, even if she knew he would be safe in her apartment.

   "I am happy you are okay. I feared for you all when you left me a note." Splinter smiled.

   "Sorry. I just – I was really worried about them. I was stupid, but I wanted to help."

   Splinter smiled and shook his head slightly.

   "It was not stupid, my child. It was a very brave thing to do."

   April smiled.

   "Master Splinter!"

   They both looked up as Mikey jumped through the window, and rushed towards Splinter. The turtle wrapped his Sensei in a hug.

   "Michelangelo." Splinter was very happy to see his son.

   "Raph's okay, Master. We found out that there was this dude who had this pet – that beast thing – and he accidentally –"

   "Michelangelo."

   "- Let his pet – huh?"

   "I think it would be better to slow down, and hear it from you all."

   Mikey closed his mouth, smiled and nodded.

   April stood up. "We can fill you in when we take you down there. Then the bits that we don't know you can hear from the rest of them."

   They agreed on that, and helped April pack things to take down with her. She insisted on bringing them food, and had Mikey packing that while she packed a few clothes in a small rucksack.

   Soon they were off, Splinter disguised with a large dark coat, lent to him by April. Mikey with the rucksack slung over his shell and April with one over her shoulder. They started to explain to Splinter what happened when Mikey, Donnie and Leo went down into the sewers, and then when April decided to join.

//\\

   Leo walked into Raph and Mikey's room. The professor was stood with his back to the door, facing Leo's brother on the bed.

   "How's he doing?" Leo asked, leaning on the edge of the door. He still felt a little uneasy on his feet.

   Frakly didn't jump at his sudden voice, but just turned around, sticking a cap onto the end of a needle in his hand.

   "Doing well. Much better than . . . if he were awake." He looked at the sleeping Raph. "There is too much energy spent while moving around if he were conscious, and it would take longer for me to deplete the venom from his system."

   Something struck Leo and he frowned at the professor.

   "You're keeping him asleep?" It wasn't really a question, but a tone of surprise and realization.

   Frakly nodded. "Yes . . . I am. It is much easier, and quicker."

   Leo crossed his arms. "I don't think my brother will like that." His eye ridges furrowed down.

   Frakly shrugged. "Your brother didn't like me giving him the medicine, but I still have to."

   Leo sighed. Frakly WAS right. But Leo wanted his brother to be awake. He wanted them to be an alright-four again. He had Heard April say to Mikey that Raph hadn't moved all night. No wonder, poor guy's being kept under that stuff Frakly's giving him.

   "How long were you planning on keeping him like this?" Leo asked, staring at his brother, who looked as though he was dead.

   "Only up to a certain level. When he has recovered enough I will wake him."

   "How long?"

   ". . . About two more days . . ."

   Leo raised his eye ridges. Two days? April's gonna be angry.  Damn, I don't want her to spend so much time down here. People will get suspicious if she's gone from her apartment too long. Plus I'm still worried about her and that thing. It still looks at her funny. Two days! Geeze, when he wakes Frakly'll be the one to need medication!

    "Just what sort of venom are we dealing with here?" Leo asked slowly. "I've never heard of one that takes more that two days to get rid of." He stared Frakly in the eye. "Explain . . ." he demanded softly.

   Frakly studied him for a second before speaking. " A lot longer than that even. The venom will not be completely be flushed from his body for about a month, but after the dangerous amounts of the first week it leaves only traces that take a while, the body itself can fight that." He spoke so matter-of-factly.

   "The venom is part snake, but because M'reagro is NO common reptile, it is much stronger, more effective and fast working. It is so strong if fact that your brother is still at a critical level to the venom. The serum I am giving him has a side effect, and that is serious stomach cramps and possible chance of throwing up. I thought it would be best to keep your brother asleep so he would not have to go through these, and plus I also realized it works faster while the body is dormant." He ran his fingers through his hair. "It's a little difficult to explain, but if I was to wake your brother now, his reaction to the new serum would cause his body to fall weak again, and the venom would still continue to grow in his system . . . the reason I have now started giving him another, new, medication, is because I need to change them to the stage he is at through the healing . . ."

   Leo was just about to say something, but a noise from the main area announced Mikey and April's return, with Splinter. Leo turned out of Raph and Mikey's room and saw all three putting coats and hats back on the rack.

   "Splinter!" Leo said, he rushed up to his Master and hugged him. Splinter smiled back.

   A low growl sounded behind them and Leo immediately stood, protectively, in front of his Sensei. But what he saw surprised him, and by the look of Frakly, the professor too: M'reagro was half laying, his backend in the air, head to the floor, as though the four-legged beast was bowing. The glowing orange eyes were on Splinter.

   They all stood there, staring. Frakly blinked himself back and smiled at them.

   "Told you he respects him."

//\\

   Later on, when everything had been explained and Frakly introduced to Splinter, Donnie waking and hugging his Master, all April's food unpacked into the turtles' cupboards and Mikey supplying them all with drinks, April popped the question Leo didn't want to hear.

   "When's Raph waking then?" She asked, cupping her mug in her hands and leaning forwards on her knees in the chair.

   Leo and Frakly had told Splinter and the others that Raph was going to be asleep for a while. Of course, April didn't think (and hoped) that it wasn't going to be too long.

   Leo looked at the professor. "Erm, hopefully not long . . ."

   "He must REALLY be tired. I've never seen him sleep so long." April sat back in the couch, next to Mikey.

   Leo nodded and looked at the floor, then back at Frakly.

   "Yeah, real tired."

   Mikey looked between the both. Something was up with the two. They weren't spilling it all. His gaze broke when Splinter spoke.

   "I would like to know how the Foot knew where you were," the old rat said.

  Leo shook his head. "I don't know. I don't see how they could have found us either."

   Donnie, who had been quiet the whole time, and looking as if he had been drifting to sleep, sat up and frowned. Everyone looked at him.

   "I think I know," he said. He looked up at Leo. "Remember those worker men?"

   Leo nodded and waited for his brother to continue.

   "Well, they saw M'reagro, didn't they? They ran up top, screaming. Somebody obviously heard them screaming about a monster in the sewers, and the Foot happen to hear and think they meant us. They probably asked the men where, and were directed to us."

   "Smart, Don ma man," Mikey grinned.

   "Well done, my son," Splinter said. "That may well be the case."

   "Let's hope they don't come back. Hope they realized there is something else besides us down here." Leo said, looking at the door.

   M'reagro growled at Frakly's feet and his Master looked down at him and nodded. The beast got up and lumbered out the door.

   "Where's he going?" Mikey asked.

   "He's hungry. Off to look for something among that trash in the last room we were in. There was a lot of stuff in there." The professor told them.

   The rest of the day passed quite normally, well, as normal as it could when living with an eight-foot beast. Frakly kept disappearing into Raph's room to see to him quite a few times, and Leo found himself feeling really bad for his brother.

   Before they all knew it, it was night time (what the clocks told them, anyway), and Donnie hit the hay early. He was too tired to stay up anymore.

   Mikey made sure his brother went to bed with one of his own drinks and a little something to eat. Donnie hadn't eaten much all day, but Mikey knew his brother was too nice to refuse his drinks and a little snack. Donnie took it, smiling at his brother and ate the food to show Mikey that he appreciated it, and liked it.

   April had taken up Mikey's bed again. He had insisted.

    Leo had gone back to his bed, closing the door to his and Donnie's car, Splinter went back to his own room (very glad he was back and everything was nearly back to normal. He was a little disappointed Raph wasn't awake, but at least he was well), and Frakly took up the couch again. M'reagro, who had return hours ago from scavenging, curled around the old couch again.

   Only Mikey was up now. He finished a drink he made for himself, dropped the glass in the sink and made his way to Donnie's lab, shutting the door quietly behind him, as Frakly was asleep.

//\\

   In another part of the sewers, dark figures moved as quiet as mice through the tunnels. Each figure held a weapon, and one of them held a very large object, which shined when it passed under a sewer gate, and the moonlight hit the barrel of the gun.. And these figures were the Foot. They had come back; their numbers was now up to a hundred at least. The odds weren't looking good for the enemy . . .