EPILOUGE
Troy Hart watched as the turtle slumped to the ground, pressing a hand against his stab wound. Blood seeped through the green fingers and Raph's eyes closed, he was out cold.
At that very moment, Troy heard sirens in the air-police sirens, undoubtedly heading for the HQ.
" Ninja, vanish!" he barked to his Foot Soldiers and they did as they were told. The only two remaining in the courtyard was the injured turtle and Troy Hart.
Or so he had thought, a shadow fell over him and he whirled around to come face to face with another mutant turtle.
" What have you done to my brother?" the turtle hissed, his fists clenching before kneeling down to aid Raphael.
The sirens were closer, Troy knew he must disappear or face being arrested for hurting a mutant-which was against the law.
But what about Dinah? Was she okay or had she been confronted by the other two? If she had, her Foot Soldiers were not around to protect their leader, nor was he was going to stick around either.
Some loyal right-hand man I turned out to be, Troy thought as he ran from the courtyard.
Steve, no matter what happens, I am sorry for what I did to you and I hope you have escaped, Troy thought.
Don untied the bonds that held Leo to the chair and helped him to stand, " Are you okay Leo?" he asked, noticing the blood was running down his legs and staining the white carpet crimson.
Leo gave him a shaky smile, " I'll be all right, let us get out of here before she wakes up," he nodded to Dinah who was still unconscious on the floor-with her hands tied together.
Don looked troubled, " I hope I didn't actually kill her." He said. Despite being a forme ninja, he has always hated to hurt other human beings, which was why he had chosen the Bo staff as his weapon.
" Nah, you just gave her a bump on the head," Leo assured his brother, " I just hope the other two are okay."
" I'll get you some medical attention, then I'll go find them." Don paused, " I wonder who called the police?"
Leo shrugged as Don aided Leo down the stairs. The front door burst open and a team of police officers streamed in-Leo recognised some of Raph's colleagues.
" The ambulance is waiting outside," one of the police officers told Leo, " Those cuts looks nasty. Who did this to you?"
" Dinah Forester, she's upstairs." Don answered for his brother, " You'll find her in a room with her name engraved on the door. And the Foot Soldiers are outside with my other brothers."
" Everyone spread out, search the area," the officer in command told the others. Don and Leo walked outside to the ambulance and Don let the paramedics look after his injured brother.
" Uncle Don!" Tim ran towards him, " Is Dad okay?" he glanced into the ambulance to find his father cut up and bruised.
" What did she do to him?" he whispered, his face pale.
" Just a few cuts," Don said, " He'll be all right, he's tough. Who called for help?"
" I did, I used the cell phone I found in the Jeep," Tim replied, " Steve's already been taken to hospital."
" Okay, great." Don said, " I better go find your other uncles," he said before hurrying back into the building.
What he found in the courtyard shocked him.
Mike was sitting on the ground, cradling Raphael, who was bleeding from a stab wound in his ribs.
" Mikey, what happened?" Don asked him.
" Can't you see what happened?" Mikey snapped at him, " He's been stabbed by Hart-I saw the whole thing. I should have stopped him, its all my fault."
" Its not your fault Mikey. Troy Hart is nothing but a cold-blooded monster just like Dinah Forester. He hurt his own son to save his hide." Don looked around, " Where did he and the ninja go?"
" They vanished," Mike, said, " Where are the medics?" as if on cue, two medics with a stretcher entered the courtyard and began treating Raph's wound before loading him onto the stretcher.
" Where's Leo?" Mike asked Don as they followed the medics to the front of the building.
" Being treated. Dinah tortured him pretty badly," Don informed him.
" And the kids?"
" Tim is fine, Steve's been taken to hospital. They were the ones who called for help."
* * *
It was a couple of days later, Leo and Raph were recovering well from their injuries. They shared the same hospital room and were allowed visitors from their families.
" Hey Tim!" Raph greeted their latest visitor. Tim had come on his own.
" Um, hi." Tim stood in the doorway, suddenly feeling shy. He did not know why.
" Come in, don't just stand there." Leo invited. He was sitting up in bed flicking through a martial arts magazine.
Tim entered the room and looked around. There were several bouquets of flowers on the windowsill, some of those helium balloons tied to the beds.
His uncle looked well. He had to have an operation to stop the bleeding and stiches. Tim had been told that if the paramedics had not showed up, it would have been a tragedy.
" Mom says hi," he told his father, " And Zach sends you this," he gave Leo a get well card, " it's signed by everyone at your gym,"
" That's cool," Leo said after he read it, " I can't wait to get back there. This hospital is driving me crazy. They wake you up in the middle of the night to give you pain killers and after that I can't get to sleep."
" Don't listen to him Tim," Raph said, " He's loving the attention." He smirked at Leo and Tim smiled. His Uncle was definitely on the mend.
" Oh, I got a letter today," Tim said and handed Leo the letter, " It's from Chicago State University
" Chicago State University?" Leo looked puzzled, " Why would they be writing to you?"
Tim blushed, " I got accepted into university dad, I'll start next year…on a scholarship."
Leo stared at his youngest son in disbelief. He had not known Tim had applied for college, he had thought Tim did not even care! With the all trouble Tim had gotten into in the past year or so, Leo had just assumed college was out of the question.
" Congratulations buddy! Chicago! That's a long way from home," Raph remarked.
" Yes, son, well done! Why didn't you tell me you've applied?"
Tim shrugged, " Because I knew you didn't think I could get into college because of my…past. I applied early last year just in case."
" But why Chicago? Why not New York?"
" I applied for the others, but they did not accept me. So I'm taking this scholarship."
" Well, that's great. What are you going to major in?"
" I don't have to think of that in my first year." Tim told his father.
Leo grinned at his son; Tim was going to be all right-his future looked promising.
Troy Hart watched as the turtle slumped to the ground, pressing a hand against his stab wound. Blood seeped through the green fingers and Raph's eyes closed, he was out cold.
At that very moment, Troy heard sirens in the air-police sirens, undoubtedly heading for the HQ.
" Ninja, vanish!" he barked to his Foot Soldiers and they did as they were told. The only two remaining in the courtyard was the injured turtle and Troy Hart.
Or so he had thought, a shadow fell over him and he whirled around to come face to face with another mutant turtle.
" What have you done to my brother?" the turtle hissed, his fists clenching before kneeling down to aid Raphael.
The sirens were closer, Troy knew he must disappear or face being arrested for hurting a mutant-which was against the law.
But what about Dinah? Was she okay or had she been confronted by the other two? If she had, her Foot Soldiers were not around to protect their leader, nor was he was going to stick around either.
Some loyal right-hand man I turned out to be, Troy thought as he ran from the courtyard.
Steve, no matter what happens, I am sorry for what I did to you and I hope you have escaped, Troy thought.
Don untied the bonds that held Leo to the chair and helped him to stand, " Are you okay Leo?" he asked, noticing the blood was running down his legs and staining the white carpet crimson.
Leo gave him a shaky smile, " I'll be all right, let us get out of here before she wakes up," he nodded to Dinah who was still unconscious on the floor-with her hands tied together.
Don looked troubled, " I hope I didn't actually kill her." He said. Despite being a forme ninja, he has always hated to hurt other human beings, which was why he had chosen the Bo staff as his weapon.
" Nah, you just gave her a bump on the head," Leo assured his brother, " I just hope the other two are okay."
" I'll get you some medical attention, then I'll go find them." Don paused, " I wonder who called the police?"
Leo shrugged as Don aided Leo down the stairs. The front door burst open and a team of police officers streamed in-Leo recognised some of Raph's colleagues.
" The ambulance is waiting outside," one of the police officers told Leo, " Those cuts looks nasty. Who did this to you?"
" Dinah Forester, she's upstairs." Don answered for his brother, " You'll find her in a room with her name engraved on the door. And the Foot Soldiers are outside with my other brothers."
" Everyone spread out, search the area," the officer in command told the others. Don and Leo walked outside to the ambulance and Don let the paramedics look after his injured brother.
" Uncle Don!" Tim ran towards him, " Is Dad okay?" he glanced into the ambulance to find his father cut up and bruised.
" What did she do to him?" he whispered, his face pale.
" Just a few cuts," Don said, " He'll be all right, he's tough. Who called for help?"
" I did, I used the cell phone I found in the Jeep," Tim replied, " Steve's already been taken to hospital."
" Okay, great." Don said, " I better go find your other uncles," he said before hurrying back into the building.
What he found in the courtyard shocked him.
Mike was sitting on the ground, cradling Raphael, who was bleeding from a stab wound in his ribs.
" Mikey, what happened?" Don asked him.
" Can't you see what happened?" Mikey snapped at him, " He's been stabbed by Hart-I saw the whole thing. I should have stopped him, its all my fault."
" Its not your fault Mikey. Troy Hart is nothing but a cold-blooded monster just like Dinah Forester. He hurt his own son to save his hide." Don looked around, " Where did he and the ninja go?"
" They vanished," Mike, said, " Where are the medics?" as if on cue, two medics with a stretcher entered the courtyard and began treating Raph's wound before loading him onto the stretcher.
" Where's Leo?" Mike asked Don as they followed the medics to the front of the building.
" Being treated. Dinah tortured him pretty badly," Don informed him.
" And the kids?"
" Tim is fine, Steve's been taken to hospital. They were the ones who called for help."
* * *
It was a couple of days later, Leo and Raph were recovering well from their injuries. They shared the same hospital room and were allowed visitors from their families.
" Hey Tim!" Raph greeted their latest visitor. Tim had come on his own.
" Um, hi." Tim stood in the doorway, suddenly feeling shy. He did not know why.
" Come in, don't just stand there." Leo invited. He was sitting up in bed flicking through a martial arts magazine.
Tim entered the room and looked around. There were several bouquets of flowers on the windowsill, some of those helium balloons tied to the beds.
His uncle looked well. He had to have an operation to stop the bleeding and stiches. Tim had been told that if the paramedics had not showed up, it would have been a tragedy.
" Mom says hi," he told his father, " And Zach sends you this," he gave Leo a get well card, " it's signed by everyone at your gym,"
" That's cool," Leo said after he read it, " I can't wait to get back there. This hospital is driving me crazy. They wake you up in the middle of the night to give you pain killers and after that I can't get to sleep."
" Don't listen to him Tim," Raph said, " He's loving the attention." He smirked at Leo and Tim smiled. His Uncle was definitely on the mend.
" Oh, I got a letter today," Tim said and handed Leo the letter, " It's from Chicago State University
" Chicago State University?" Leo looked puzzled, " Why would they be writing to you?"
Tim blushed, " I got accepted into university dad, I'll start next year…on a scholarship."
Leo stared at his youngest son in disbelief. He had not known Tim had applied for college, he had thought Tim did not even care! With the all trouble Tim had gotten into in the past year or so, Leo had just assumed college was out of the question.
" Congratulations buddy! Chicago! That's a long way from home," Raph remarked.
" Yes, son, well done! Why didn't you tell me you've applied?"
Tim shrugged, " Because I knew you didn't think I could get into college because of my…past. I applied early last year just in case."
" But why Chicago? Why not New York?"
" I applied for the others, but they did not accept me. So I'm taking this scholarship."
" Well, that's great. What are you going to major in?"
" I don't have to think of that in my first year." Tim told his father.
Leo grinned at his son; Tim was going to be all right-his future looked promising.