SEEKING TREASURE

August 30, 1995

1 Day, 12 Hours

ANNA:

I sat on the edge of the hospital bed, brushing the little girl's hair back from her sleeping face. She had not yet woken up. I sighed, wishing that there were something more I could do for her. Leonardo's words haunted me. If he didn't get what he was after, he'll be back. I shuddered. Who would do such a thing? What would motivate a man to take so many innocent lives?

An insistant knocking on the door diverted my attention. I stood and walked to the door, where I was met with the bruised, scraped face of a two-year-old little girl. "Rachel," I greeted. "What are you doing wandering around on your own?"

She stepped into the room and held up a fragile, very old looking paper. "Teshure?"

I knelt down and brushed her blonde curls out of her eyes. "What've you got there?" I asked.

"Teshure."

"Can I see?"

She offered it to me and I unfolded it carefully. I stared at it for a moment in surprise. The "treasure map" I'd given to Kaylie. "Teshure," Rachel repeated.

"Honey, where did you get this?" I asked, studying her.

She looked down, digging her toes into the floor. "Teshure. Mat."

"Yes, treasure map," I repeated. "Who gave you the treasure map?"

"Ranna's."

"Raeanne gave you the treasure map?"

She nodded. "Rachel!" Miss Kristi hurried down the hallway. "There you are!"

She scooped the little girl into her arms as she stopped in front of me. I stood to my feet. "I'm sorry, Anna," 23-year-old Miss Kristi sighed.

"It's no problem," I smiled.

"She's been wandering around the floor knocking on everybody's doors and waking up the entire hospital."

I grinned. "One of the disadvantages to not having cribs."

"Yes," she laughed. Rachel rested her head on Miss Kristi's shoulder. "How are you, Anna? Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," I sighed. "I guess I inhaled some stuff I wasn't supposed to, from out on the street. But I'm alright."

She nodded slightly. "That's good."

"Miss Kristi!" a voice from down the hall cried.

I smiled. "You better get back to work," I sighed.

"Yes," she agreed.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do," I offered.

"Thank you," she smiled as she turned away.

I watched her go and closed the door, returning to the bed. I sat down on the edge of it and studied the paper. Who had carried it out of the building? I had figured that this had gone up in flames along with everything else. I traced over the faded, crudely drawn lines, wishing I could remember where I'd picked this up. Something caught my eye as I looked over the boxes scattered along the lines. It almost looked like a book. I traced over it with my fingernail. A library? Or a bookstore. I studied it carefully. Suddenly, it looked strangely familiar.

APRIL:

I knocked on the makeshift front door. "Guys? You here?"

I pushed it open cautiously. It wouldn't be the first time they'd come at me, weapons and teeth bared, because I'd surprised them. "Leo? Raph?"

"April!"

I breathed a sigh of relief and stepped into the room. Michaelangelo vaulted over the back of the couch. "Where have you been young lady?" he demanded, jokingly.

"What happened?" I asked. "I'm gone for two weeks and the whole city gets turned upside down!"

"How's that?" Raphael asked. I wasn't sure if that was sarcasm, but coming from Raph I guessed it was.

"You guys are all over the news!" I cried. "Haven't you realized that?"

They looked at each other. "Well, uh, we haven't had a lot of time lately to watch the news."

"And with you gone, what's the point?" Mike grinned.

I smiled back at him. "Flattering."

"I know. How was your vacation?"

I sighed. "Apparently a lot better than your past few days have been."

"Yeah, well, that ain't hard," Raph mumbled.

LEONARDO:

"We got our orders and we're gonna do it Shredder's way."

I breathed deep, and concentrated on the memory. I had to replay it. Every word. There was something we were missing. "But... maybe there's another way or somethin', ya know?"

"If you don't shut your mothafuckin' trap, I'm gonna kick your ass clear into next week."

"Yeah, you don't have to stay you fuckin' pussy. You can run away if you want."

Could they have set it up? Was it possible that it was all an act?

"We got our orders and we're gonna do it Shredder's way." The words echoed in my mind. The speaker was tall, his face covered like the rest of them. "...Shredder's way." It wasn't Shredder's way. But something in that line... "We got our orders..." Something in the inflection. It didn't ring true with Donny's theory.

"I just don't see why we gotta hit all those..."

All those... children? Innocent people? They were after something or someone specific, that much was certain. The 38 deaths were an unfortunate side effect. Think like they think, Leo...

"Shut yer fuckin' mouth before I stick my fist in it!"

Frantic? Nervous? Afraid he might get caught in a lie? Saying that Shredder ordered this bombing... that was a pretty big lie. But he wasn't afraid. The only fear came from the one who didn't want to be there. "Who the fuck are you?"

The memory got fuzzy. I fought. But they said more. They talked more. They said something that I didn't hear... "Well, whoever you are, you're 'bout to get your ass kicked."

No, behind them. Behind the fight. Two of them were talking as they walk out of the building. "Let's get outta here..."

No, that's wrong. That doesn't feel right. That wasn't what he said. He said more. "Let's just get the hell outta here..."

More... He said more! I know he did!

"Leonardo?"

My concentration was broken and I jolted back to reality. "What!" I snapped, frustrated by the interruption.

I spun and faced Michaelangelo. He backed away slightly, probably intimidated by the outburst. "Sorry, bro," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I didn't think you'd hear me if you were really..."

I sighed deeply. "What do you want, Mikey?" I asked, much calmer now.

"April's here," he informed me.

I sighed and hung my head. I was so close, I didn't want to stop right now. "Thanks," I mumbled.

I could feel his eyes on me. "You okay?" he asked.

I sighed deeply. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't look so hot."

"I'm... frustrated."

"You been meditating ever since you got back this morning," he observed. "Anything in particular bothering you?"

"I wanna know what Shredder wanted with that building," I answered.

He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "You don't believe Donny's theory?"

"No, I don't."

He sat down, cross-legged, a few feet in front of me. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

I shook my head. "I don't know it just... doesn't feel right." I glanced up at him. "It's just something in the pit of my stomach that doesn't believe it could be anybody but Shredder. I know it doesn't fit his MO, but there's a reason, Mikey, I can feel it."

"You think he was maybe trying to throw us off? Like no one would ever suspect him, because it isn't like him?" I studied him carefully. "I mean, he couldn't have expected you to run into those foot soldiers. And they're the only way you could possibly link this to him."

I thought about that for a minute. "I don't know," I admitted. "It's possible. But it still doesn't answer the question why. And I can't prove it. Donatello's set on his theory and frankly his makes more sense."

"Leo," he started hesitantly. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "Does it really matter? Is it really about who's right and wrong?"

Anger flooded through me as I considered his implication. "No, it's about who killed those children."

"And what if it was Shredder?" he asked, shaking his head slightly. "What're you gonna do about it, Leo? Or what if it wasn't? You gonna kill every one of his foot soldiers to find the one who gave the order to blow up that building?"

"Mikey, if we don't know who gave that order and why, how do they know they won't try it again?" He said nothing. "If it wasn't Shredder then chances are, it's over. He'll find out about it somehow and he'll kill the bastard who did it. But if it was Shredder, he's not gonna stop because he didn't succeed the first time. This might not be over yet; we can't just label it 'case closed' and assume it's over."

"I don't think that's what we're trying to do, Leo."

"If it wasn't Shredder, it's what we should do. But I think it was him. And I think those girls are still in danger."

We stared at each other for a long time, and he finally sighed. "If you're wrong, Leo, we're gonna be spinning our wheels for the next month, year, whatever it takes." He closed his eyes and bowed his head, considering that. "But I guess that's better than what might happen if Donny's wrong."

"Yeah," I agreed quietly, looking away.

He reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Hey." I looked back at him. "I'll back you up, Leo. But give me somethin' to go on, huh?"

I nodded. "I know they said something, Mikey," I whispered. "I just can't remember it."

"Well, remember it," he urged. "Because everything in me wants to believe that you're wrong about this. That Donny's right and that it's over. Because yeah, Shredder would kill someone who gave an order without his permission."

"I'm not wrong, Mikey."

He studied me carefully. "I believe you, Leo. But like I said, I don't want to."

ANNA:

The flashlight was dim. I hadn't noticed just how dim it was until I got down in the pitch blackness of the sewers. It was okay at first, because the light filtered through the grates. But as I got closer to the marked place, the grates disappeared. I considered going back, but I knew I couldn't do that. I wasn't sure I'd get up the nerve to come back down here.

Would anybody ever find me if I were to die down here?

That was an interesting thought. Of course, I was more likely to die of some kind of disease than to fall off a cliff down here. I'd seen rats down here, and needles, and various other things I didn't want to think about. What on earth was I doing? This was dangerous, and probably illegal, and I had no idea what I was going to find down here. I felt like I was looking for danger. And when one goes looking for trouble, nine times out of ten one found it.

I squinted through the darkness. I was close now, according to the map. Just a few more...

"Ow!"

Something sharp scraped my shin. I looked down, aiming the beam from the flashlight down at the blood trickling from a thin cut. "Dammit, now I'm gonna need to get a tetnus shot."

MICHAELANGELO:

"You hear that?"

April and I looked toward Raphael and fell silent. It was quiet for a few seconds. "I don't hear anything," April mumbled.

Raph pulled himself up until he was sitting straight instead of lounging. He looked over the back of the couch toward the door. "I heard someone," he informed.

"Maybe it was Donny," April suggested.

Raph shook his head. "Donny wouldn't make noise like that."

I heard talking, but I couldn't make out what was being said. I stood and took April's hand, pulling her behind me. We backed slowly into the kitchen, so we could see who it was without them seeing us. Raphael stood, weapons bared, and watched the door. But apparently he decided that my idea was better than a violent confrontation. He darted to his room and closed the door partway.

We watched the front door in silence, and waited.

ANNA:

There was a door. I pushed it open slowly and was met with a bright light. I cringed at the intensity of it and gave my eyes a chance to adjust before stepping inside. I looked around, not sure what to expect... and froze.

I looked over the furniture. Lights were on, a half-finished glass of water was on the coffee table. I swallowed hard. Somebody lived here. "Hello?"

"Anna?"

I spun toward the voice and saw Michaelangelo in one of the doorways. I jumped back in surpise. "Omigod!"

He stepped into the room. "Anna, what are you...?" he stammered, a wide-eyed look of surprise on his face. "How did you...?"

"You!" I cried. "You... you live here?"

Another door opened, and a second figure stepped into the light. He looked like Mike or Leo, but his bandana was red. He was holding weapons unlike any I had seen before. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

"This is Anna," Mike answered for me. "Leo and I both know her but... I'm not quite sure what she's doing here."

A woman stepped out of the kitchen, behind Mike. I recognized her immediately from Channel 6 News. "April O'Neil," I whispered. "You...?"

Suddenly, before I even realized he'd moved, the unfamiliar figure had me pinned to the wall. My head banged against the brick and I cried out in surprise and pain. "How did you find this place?"

"Jesus, Raph!" Mike cried, racing over to us. He grabbed Raph's shoulder and pulled him back. "Knock it off! She's okay!"

Raph let me go and I dropped back to the floor, rubbing my arms where he'd held me. I was probably going to have bruises. He eyed me suspiciously. "Miss Anna on the PA system," Mike explained. "At the orphanage. That's her. Leo and I've been talking to her since then. She's okay, Raph!"

He continued to study me, then jerked away from his brother. "How'd you find us?" he demanded again.

"Give her room."

Another voice I didn't recognize. I looked toward the speaker and gasped instinctively. It was a giant, walking, talking rat. I swallowed hard. Are you really that surprised? After you've spent the past week talking to mutant turtles?

Raph and Mike backed off. I stood staring at the rat. "My name is Anna Palmer," I finally started, my voice staggered with uncertainty. "I... I didn't mean to cause any trouble..."

He stared back at me, then his eyes shifted to the two turtles near me. "Raphael, go and get some disinfectant and bandages for her wound. Michaelangelo, please get me a glass of water."

They left instantly. The rat stepped forward. "How did you find this place?" he asked.

I bowed my head and swallowed hard. Then I reached into my pocket and pulled out the map. I handed it to him, but said nothing. He studied it for a moment. "Where did you find this?"

"It... was in a pair of pants from when I was younger," I answered. "But I don't remember how it got there. I guess I found it when I was younger, but I don't remember. I guess it wasn't exactly a life-changing event."

The last attempt at lightening the conversation was met with an intense stare as he studied me carefully. I shrank back. "Has anyone beside yourself seen this?" he asked, after looking over it briefly.

Mike walked back into the room. I glanced up at him. "Some of the children I care for saw it, but I'm sure they don't know what it is or how to read it."

Leonardo stepped into the room. "Anna?" he asked, shocked.

I forced a smile. "Uh, hi Leo."

Raphael appeared again. I could feel eyes on me from every direction. "My name is Splinter," the rat finally informed. "And you are most welcome here."