On the second morning she found a paper bag. Inside were two paperback
books (one Stephen King and one Terry Pratchet) several chocolate candy
bars, a loaf of raisin bread, several cans of fruit with and opener, and a
six pack of Pepsi.
Cat opened the bag back in the room and began to lay breakfast out. Steve, Snickers, and Dingo still slept. Rabbit was curled up with the old teddy bear. She was really too old for such things, but Cat just smiled. Let the little girl have her comfort. They saw little of that; they needed to get it where they could.
Fifteen minutes later, all of Shadow was awake and enjoying breakfast.
Snickers immediately began to munch the bread. She said she loved the stuff, that her mom had made it for her as a kid. Cat glanced at her from beneath her wild mane of her hair, and simply chewed. It was understood in Shadow that you didn't ask about the past. If people wanted you to know, they'd tell.
Rabbit happily went to much her breakfast. Cat smiled "Whatcha gonna name him?"
Rabbit grinned "Angel. That's what you called whoever's doing this, right?"
Cat nodded "Yep."
Snickers pulled at one of her dreadlocks thoughtfully "its funny, though. I mean, who hangs out in a sewer. That's weird."
Steve smiled faintly and motioned to them all.
"Yeah, but we're punks!" Snickers laughed. "This guys got food and stuff to spare."
"Maybe a homeless guy that does ok." Said Cat.
"Yeah" Said Dingo "Check this out, right? All this stuff, is like, worn. Used. And in kinda lame shape. Even the foods either leftovers or in beat up old cans. I bet its some homeless guy who found himself a little place, and sharing the wealth. Like what we do."
Cat nodded "Makes sense....."
"Makes me nervous. We don't know nothing about this guy." Said Snickers.
"The foods not poisoned or we'd be dead" Said Steve with a chuckle,
"Plus, look, he sends food and blankets right?" Said Cat
"Or she" Said Dingo
"Okay, they. They send food and blankets. Stuff we need. but then there's the bear. And the books, and the candy. Nice things. Things that most people have everyday. We don't need them, but they're good to have. You know. This personas not just nice...they're cool." Cat said.
Snickers drained a Pepsi "all right. All right. Just weird is all I'm saying."
"Oh yeah. We're normal." Said Rabbit dryly and they all laughed.
*********
Peanut butter. More bread. A six pack of Sunny D. Some more candy bars, now stolen from Raph's stash rather than his own. Chips Ahoy. Several batman, Superman, and X-men comics. The first of the Planet Racers graphic novels (April was getting him the second one soon) a couple of lighters, and a few candles. All of this went into the bag, and he made it out of the lair unseen.
He was almost there when a hand came on his shoulder and murmured "Mikey."
He turned. Don was leaning against the wall studying him with a look he couldn't read.
"Oh man." He muttered "Busted."
"I get it. That's where my Terry Pratchet novel vanished to."
Mike fidgeted "You mad?"
"No." Don sighed "I guess I just know you. But Mike, you have to be careful. I know how you feel but..."
"They're just kids. Alone. like us."
Don shook his head "They aren't like us......"
"Because they're human."
"Mike. Worst thing that happens to them is DSS. Worst thing that happens to us is a science Lab and a Dissecting table."
"They won't. They won't even see me...."
"Look. I...I'm glad your helping them. It's like you; you always were the softy of us." He smiled a little "but think about this. We'd be worth a lot of money up there. And a lot of money would help make them not homeless."
"She wouldn't do that."
"She?" Don asked.
"Cat." Mike said
"You know their names?"
"I listen to them. I hide and I listen and I saw her. You'd know if you saw her, Don. It's in her face. She wouldn't do that. I know she wouldn't"
Don sighed "I'm coming with you. Make the drop, and we get out of there."
Mike nodded "Um.....Don't tell the others ok?"
Don grinned "Raph'd rip your spleen out, and Leo would make you do Kata for three days straight."
Mike smiled back.
******
She heard the noise. It was tiny. Hardly there. But it was what she had been waiting for. Softly cat was on her feet and moving to the door, silent amongst the sleeping teens.
Her eyes lined up with the crack in the door. There was the bag, and a shadow moving away. No two shadows. She peered harder, and then one single shaft of light from around the corner lit them for just a second.
Gray-green, and brighter green. Bald heads. Shells...they had shells. Her eyes widened as they vanished. They weren't human. Not even close. They were something...else. Something totally Alien.
Cat didn't know what she felt. Just numb at first and then....she went back and lay in the dark, her mind turning.
*****
When mike came the next night, a note was tacked to the door, and the box from the first night sat below it.
"Dear Angel, Weathers better, so we got to move on. Thanks for everything. Blankets, pillows, books, and all are in the box. Rabbit kept the bear; I hope that's ok. Made her real happy. We don't ever forget a debt.
The Children of Shadow"
And below that, a stick drawing of a cat.
Mike folded the note and tucked it in the box.
******
Winter turned to spring and then the roaring heat of summer. Mike never forgot the group, but they were pushed to the back of his mind as their lives went on.
On the streets of Manhattan, Cat never forgot for a single day. That single glimpse into something completely unknown. It lives in her, and grew in her. She found herself dreaming of it. And she made a discovery in late spring that really got her thinking.
There were crawlspaces in the sewers. Small ducts that ran behind the steam pipes and gave you access to every room, and every hall. Every six feet or so, was a great you could open to work on pipes, or just look down from. The sewer workers used them, but many were abandoned.
She could go anywhere. And watch unseen.
Spring to summer. She waited. She planned. Her mind turned things over again and again.
And one night in late June, she decided.
It was time.
Cat opened the bag back in the room and began to lay breakfast out. Steve, Snickers, and Dingo still slept. Rabbit was curled up with the old teddy bear. She was really too old for such things, but Cat just smiled. Let the little girl have her comfort. They saw little of that; they needed to get it where they could.
Fifteen minutes later, all of Shadow was awake and enjoying breakfast.
Snickers immediately began to munch the bread. She said she loved the stuff, that her mom had made it for her as a kid. Cat glanced at her from beneath her wild mane of her hair, and simply chewed. It was understood in Shadow that you didn't ask about the past. If people wanted you to know, they'd tell.
Rabbit happily went to much her breakfast. Cat smiled "Whatcha gonna name him?"
Rabbit grinned "Angel. That's what you called whoever's doing this, right?"
Cat nodded "Yep."
Snickers pulled at one of her dreadlocks thoughtfully "its funny, though. I mean, who hangs out in a sewer. That's weird."
Steve smiled faintly and motioned to them all.
"Yeah, but we're punks!" Snickers laughed. "This guys got food and stuff to spare."
"Maybe a homeless guy that does ok." Said Cat.
"Yeah" Said Dingo "Check this out, right? All this stuff, is like, worn. Used. And in kinda lame shape. Even the foods either leftovers or in beat up old cans. I bet its some homeless guy who found himself a little place, and sharing the wealth. Like what we do."
Cat nodded "Makes sense....."
"Makes me nervous. We don't know nothing about this guy." Said Snickers.
"The foods not poisoned or we'd be dead" Said Steve with a chuckle,
"Plus, look, he sends food and blankets right?" Said Cat
"Or she" Said Dingo
"Okay, they. They send food and blankets. Stuff we need. but then there's the bear. And the books, and the candy. Nice things. Things that most people have everyday. We don't need them, but they're good to have. You know. This personas not just nice...they're cool." Cat said.
Snickers drained a Pepsi "all right. All right. Just weird is all I'm saying."
"Oh yeah. We're normal." Said Rabbit dryly and they all laughed.
*********
Peanut butter. More bread. A six pack of Sunny D. Some more candy bars, now stolen from Raph's stash rather than his own. Chips Ahoy. Several batman, Superman, and X-men comics. The first of the Planet Racers graphic novels (April was getting him the second one soon) a couple of lighters, and a few candles. All of this went into the bag, and he made it out of the lair unseen.
He was almost there when a hand came on his shoulder and murmured "Mikey."
He turned. Don was leaning against the wall studying him with a look he couldn't read.
"Oh man." He muttered "Busted."
"I get it. That's where my Terry Pratchet novel vanished to."
Mike fidgeted "You mad?"
"No." Don sighed "I guess I just know you. But Mike, you have to be careful. I know how you feel but..."
"They're just kids. Alone. like us."
Don shook his head "They aren't like us......"
"Because they're human."
"Mike. Worst thing that happens to them is DSS. Worst thing that happens to us is a science Lab and a Dissecting table."
"They won't. They won't even see me...."
"Look. I...I'm glad your helping them. It's like you; you always were the softy of us." He smiled a little "but think about this. We'd be worth a lot of money up there. And a lot of money would help make them not homeless."
"She wouldn't do that."
"She?" Don asked.
"Cat." Mike said
"You know their names?"
"I listen to them. I hide and I listen and I saw her. You'd know if you saw her, Don. It's in her face. She wouldn't do that. I know she wouldn't"
Don sighed "I'm coming with you. Make the drop, and we get out of there."
Mike nodded "Um.....Don't tell the others ok?"
Don grinned "Raph'd rip your spleen out, and Leo would make you do Kata for three days straight."
Mike smiled back.
******
She heard the noise. It was tiny. Hardly there. But it was what she had been waiting for. Softly cat was on her feet and moving to the door, silent amongst the sleeping teens.
Her eyes lined up with the crack in the door. There was the bag, and a shadow moving away. No two shadows. She peered harder, and then one single shaft of light from around the corner lit them for just a second.
Gray-green, and brighter green. Bald heads. Shells...they had shells. Her eyes widened as they vanished. They weren't human. Not even close. They were something...else. Something totally Alien.
Cat didn't know what she felt. Just numb at first and then....she went back and lay in the dark, her mind turning.
*****
When mike came the next night, a note was tacked to the door, and the box from the first night sat below it.
"Dear Angel, Weathers better, so we got to move on. Thanks for everything. Blankets, pillows, books, and all are in the box. Rabbit kept the bear; I hope that's ok. Made her real happy. We don't ever forget a debt.
The Children of Shadow"
And below that, a stick drawing of a cat.
Mike folded the note and tucked it in the box.
******
Winter turned to spring and then the roaring heat of summer. Mike never forgot the group, but they were pushed to the back of his mind as their lives went on.
On the streets of Manhattan, Cat never forgot for a single day. That single glimpse into something completely unknown. It lives in her, and grew in her. She found herself dreaming of it. And she made a discovery in late spring that really got her thinking.
There were crawlspaces in the sewers. Small ducts that ran behind the steam pipes and gave you access to every room, and every hall. Every six feet or so, was a great you could open to work on pipes, or just look down from. The sewer workers used them, but many were abandoned.
She could go anywhere. And watch unseen.
Spring to summer. She waited. She planned. Her mind turned things over again and again.
And one night in late June, she decided.
It was time.
