Chapter Three: No Warning
"Slowly, Leonardo. Do not allow the body to overpower the mind."
Leo held his katana steady in his hand, pulled back sideways in a fighting stance. The blade coming within millimeters from his face. His body was tense, small beads of sweat started to form. Across the dojo, Donatello held his bo with one hand, his fingers flexing on the other hand. Their eyes were frozen on the other, watching and waiting for the attack. Splinter watched from the side, Raph and Mike seated below him.
"Ten bucks says Donnie gets Leo this time," Mike whipsered to Raph. He was answered by Splinters' walking stick to the back of the head.
"Silence Michalangelo!" Splinter turned back to Leo and Don. " Alright my sons, ATTACK!"
Don moved first, charging at Leo at lightening speed. Leo continued to stand still, his eyes never moving from his brother. As he approached, Don swung his staff around and prepared to hit Leo when suddenly, Leo pushed the base of his sword and knocked Don's bo out of his hands. Leo's left leg came out and caught Don's feet, knocking him to the ground with a single down sweep. As Leo turned back around, Don's bo fell back to earth. Leo caught it without looking up, and pointed at his brother, who was on his back.
"Two out of three, Donnie?" Leo smiled Don grinned back and grabbed his staff.
" Okay, I admit, I let you have that one."
Leo laughed as he outstretched his arm and helped Don to his feet. Don walked back to Splinter and sat down beside Mike.
"I'm going to be paying for that," Don rubbed the base of his shell. Mike giggled loudly.
"Are you next, Michalangelo? You have a lot of energy today." Splinter eyed Mike closely. Mike smiled awkwardly back at him.
"Nope." Raph stood up. " My turn." He walked over to Leo. "Ready to go, teacher's pet?"
Leo smiled wickedly. " If you think you can handle it, hothead."
Raph growled as he turned around and walked to the opposite end of the dojo. Leo took his place and they bowed.
"Remember, my sons, patience is a great virtue. Use it wisely." Splinter offered, mainly directing his words to Raphael.
"Patience, hmp!" Raph said to himself as he drew his sai. He twirled them around his fingers like drumsticks. Leo assumed his former position and waited on Raph. It was sad that he knew his brother so well. Raphael had no patience for anything.
"Alright. Ready,-"
Splinter's words faded as Raph ran at Leo, his rage fueling his body. Leo was ready, catching Raph's sais with his sword. He pushed Raph backwards, and then flipped over his brothers' head. Raphael returned to his feet, only to find himself back down on the ground. Leo had delivered a roundhouse kick into his shell. Raph slammed the ground with his fists and returned to his feet quickly.
"Haven't had enough, I see." Leo pulled his sword over his head, beckoning Raph to come forward with his open hand.
Raph screamed as he charged towards him, angered by Leos' smug comment. As he jumped in the air to deliver a kick, the ground shook with great force. He fell back down, inches from Leo, who was also on the ground.
"What the shell was that?!" Mike exclaimed as he grabbed Splinter to keep him from falling.
"It felt like an earthquake," Don replied. " But I seriously doubt that it was."
"Let's go see what it was!" Raph jumped back to his feet. Leo grabbed his ankle to keep him from running.
"No. We wait to see what Splinter says." Leo pulled himself back up. He turned to their master. " What should we do, sensi?"
Splinter let go of Mike and dusted off his kimono. He looked around the dojo for any signs of damage. Before he could answer, the ring of a cell phone was heard coming from the living room.
"Nice ring tone Mikey," Raph stuck out his tongue in disgust.
"Hey I like that song." He ran into the living room, followed by his brothers. Splinter walked slowly behind.
"Baby turn around and let me see that sexy body go bump, bump, bump" Mike sang as he picked up the phone.
Raph became irritated. "God! Just answer the damn thing before I break your voice box!"
"Okay, sheesh!" Mike hit the talk button. " Hello? Oh hey April! What's- huh? You're where? What? I can't hear!" Leo grabbed the phone out of Mike's hand. He held to his right ear and covered the other with his free hand.
"Okay, April. Calm down. What?! Yeah, we felt it. Where? 5th Street? Okay. We'll be there." Leo hung up the phone and turned around to find Splinter.
"Hey!" Raph shouted out. " What happened?"
"There was an explosion at the homeless shelter on 5th. Something like a suicide mission." Leo turned back to find Splinter standing in front of him.
"Master, may we-"
"Go my sons. And be careful."
The scene was something out of a nightmare. The homeless shelter was a great place; three stories high; plenty of room for a thousand people. It was built by the Madira, when the alien race discovered the horrors of street people. They believe the homeless should have every advantage as the rest of the city. The building had also housed a small learning center, so that most could try to get more of an education to pursue a job. There was even a day care, usually housing children that had been left behind. Now, that same building that had brought so much to the city, was now nothing more than a smoldering pile of bricks and mortar. April stood facing the rubble, listening to the sounds of crying that surrounded her. She tried with all her might to hold back her emotions. That lump in her throat refused to go away, no matter how hard she swallowed.
"April? We're going on in five. Are you sure you can do this?" The cameraman said from behind her, his eyes also glued forward.
April broke her gaze and instead looked at the ground. " I'll try, but I don't guarantee anything." The camera was then pointed at her face as she began to let the tears fall.
"This is April O'Neil, reporting live from what can only be described as a tragic disaster..."
The turtles stood at the base of the rubble pile. Humans and mutants walked through the mess, looking for any sign of life that might be trapped underneath. No words were said between them, they just stood in silence. Mike walked over to a small, brightly colored object that had caught his eye. He bent down and pushed back the piece of drywall. Lifting up the object, he realized it was a stuffed pink rabbit, complete with a purple bow on its ear. The rabbit's left leg was hanging by a thread and the right eye was missing. Mike felt the tears well up in his eyes and began to sob quietly. Leo walked behind his brother and offered Mike his shoulder. Mike held the rabbit to his chest and cried on Leo. Raphael had moved to the other side, near a parking garage that had suffered damage as well. He watched as group of mutants pull out a human from the rubble. The human was barely alive, coughing up blood as they carried him down. Other humans ran to them, not to help, but only to shout at the mutants and take the wounded human out of their hands. Raph shook his head in anger. Did humans blame mutants for this massacre? He watched as the mutants went back to work, looking for more signs of life. He shoved his hands back into the pockets of his dragon hoodie and traveled back to his brothers. He noticed that April had joined Don.
"Where's Leo and Mike?" Just then, they appeared, Leo holding Mike steady as the tears flowed down his face. Raph ran to him.
"Mikey? What is it?" Raph grabbed him by the shoulders. Mike was only able to stutter his words through his tears.
"The...k-k-kids...."
Raph grabbed Mike in a tight embraced, fighting back his own tears as Mike shudder in his arms. His fists clenched tightly, holding his pain and anger in. Leo looked around again, watching everyone scurry back and forth.
"How did this happen, April?" He asked, without looking away. April held hands with Don, patting his shell in comfort.
" Witnesses I interviewed said it was a mutant, who seem to be somewhat disoriented. He had a homemade bomb strapped to his stomach."
Raph growled. "Yeah, and did you just interviewed humans? What if it was a human?" He walked away with Mike. April looked confused.
"What did I say?" Don patted April hand.
"Raph still has a hard time with mutants living with humans. He can't trust humans."
April nodded in response. "Human or mutant, this didn't have to happen."
Leo turned towards them. " Has anything else like this happen? In any extreme?'
"Well," April thought for a second. " The HMFBW did have a rally last week that ended rather badly. A huge riot started. Four mutants and six humans were arrested and several others were rushed to the hospital."
"What was the rally for?" Don cocked his head. " I thought that group dissembled after the peace treaty was signed."
"So did everyone else. But for some reason, they keep popping up. Its also run by a new leader. Some guy called Jonas Reily, who used to head up the local group protesting to drive mutants away."
"Something is not right about that." Leo shook his head. " Why would someone protest mutants, then invite back in?" He walked pasted Don and April. "Let's get Mike and Raph and regroup."
Linda watched in horror as the scene flashed in front of her eyes. All of those people, human and mutant alike; men, women, and children, all gone, just like that Han was leaned forward in his chair, almost to the point of falling off.
"This is such a tragic event," Han wiped his eyes. Linda looked at her father and watched the tears roll down his cheeks.
"Oh, father, please don't cry." Linda got up from the couch and hugged Han tightly. "Everything will be alright."
Han patted Linda on the back. " I will be fine, my daughter." He wiped his eyes again and directed Linda back to the couch. He found some composer and walked into the kitchen. "Tea, Linda?"
"Uh, yes, please." She heard the sounds of the running water and the shuffling of her father's slippers. " Father?"
"Yes. Linda?"
"When is mother coming home?"
Han walked back into the living rom. " She said it would be around eight tonight. I suppose that means take out again." He laughed humbly as he walked back down the hall.
"Just please no more pizza!" Linda shouted to her father. A sudden knock on the door made her jump. " Now who can that be?" She hopped off of the couch and dashed for the door, sliding in her socks on the hardwood flooring. She hit the door with a thud and opened it.
"Leonardo?"
"Hi."
Linda sensed something was troubling him. " What is it? Is it about the bombing?"
Leo kicked the snow on the doorstep. "Yeah." He paused for a minute. "I'm not bothering you, am I?"
Linda grabbed his arm and pulled him in the house. " No! Get in here before you freeze!"
Leo dusted the new fallen snow off his black jacket. " I don't really want to stay. I just needed someone to talk to." He lifted his gaze to Linda's eyes.
" Where are your brothers?" She reached for her snow jacket.
"Back home," Leo looked at his snow boots. "Mikey is a crying mess, Raph's in a get-out-my-way-or-get-punched mood, and Donnie is just plain spaced out." He looked back at Linda. "So, can we?"
Linda smiled. "Of course. Just let me tell Father." Linda trotted into the kitchen. Leo looked above the doorway, noticing a plaque that stretched across the area.
"God Bless this World with Love and Understanding," Leo read out loud. "Yeah..."
"My mother was given that by a blind woman at the homeless shelter."Linda appeared quietly beside Leo. "She lives her life by that."
"The shelter?! She wasn't-was she?"
Linda smiled at his concern. " No, she's not there today. She's doing library work today, farther downtown."
Leo released his breath. "Okay. Are you ready?"
"Yes." Linda opened the door as a gust a wind blew snow into the house. Leo offered his arm to Linda, who smiled has she wrapped her hands around it, and they walked down the steps and into the busy city.
"Do you have the map?"
"What map?"
"Jesus Christ! Frank! Where's the fucking map?"
"Here."
Jonas Reily laid the large map on the table and taped down the sides. " Okay, listen up, you two. I don't want anymore screwing up! You got that, Bryant?" He shoved his bulky fingers in the mutant gorilla's face.
Bryant stepped back. " I-I-I tried, sir! But-I-I.."
"Oh can it, you ass!" Frank smacked Bryant's face. " Sir, I suggest we try someone else. This ape has no balls for this mission."
"And, who, may I ask, put you in charge, Franklin George?" Jonas glared at the officer, almost making holes right though him.
Frank cleared his throat. " No one, sir."
Jonas spit on the floor before going back to the map. "Now, listen this time! I put up markings in these locations. Six at each sight. This is the exact point I want those damn bombs posted. And when I mean exact, what do I mean? Bryant?!"
The ape gluped in fear. "Exact, s-s-sir."
"Good." Jonas untapped the map and flung it at the nervous mutant. " Now, I know that this is the last time we will see you alive, solider. Even if you have been a whimpy pain in my ass, I still hold respect for you volunteering for this mission." Jonas laughed suddenly. "It's not every day a bunch of lowlifes come around willing to kill themselves." Frank joined in on Jonas's evil laughter. Bryant rolled the map around nervously in his stumpy hands. Jonas then suddenly slammed the table with his fist, scaring both Frank and Bryant.
Jonas got right up to Bryant's face, the shadow of his ball cap covering most of his face. Bryant could see the red that danced in his eyes.
"Now you get your ass out there and send another message to those damn aliens."
He once again spat on the floor, barely missing Bryant's combat boot.
"Y-y-yes, sir."
Linda watched the sky as the snow fell around her. The winter was such a beautiful time to her. She loved watching the snow fall and the chill that was carried in the breeze.
"Incoming!"
Linda ducked down as a snowball flew past her head. Several yards away, Leo laughed at her, preparing another snowball in his gloved hands.
"Okay, I wasn't ready for that!" Linda threw the ball she had been holding, almost hitting Leonardo in the side.
Leo laughed again. " You throw like a girl."
Linda placed her hands on her hips. " Excuse me?" She reached down and grabbed a large amount of snow. "DODGE THIS!" She charged at Leo, getting within feet of him, then did a flip over his head. Leo turned around just in time to get face full of snow.
"Who's the girl now?" Linda smiled at him as she watched Leo brush the snow away.
"That was unexpected." Leo suddenly pointed above Linda's head. "Oh my god! What's that?"
"Where?" Linda turned around, searching the sky.
Leo then lunged at her, knocking her down to the ground, grabbing snow and dumping it on Linda. Linda laughed so hard, she began to choke on the snow. Leo pulled her back up to a sitting position.
"Oh, man, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to -"
He was cut short as Linda jumped on him and they rolled down the hillside. At the bottom, they smashed into a large snow embankment. Leo was laughing so hard he couldn't move.
"Linda?" he gasped for air between his laughs. " Linda?"
"Over here!" Linda dug her way through the snow. " That was SO much fun." She jumped to her feet and walked over to Leo. " Need some help, good sir?"
Leo stuck out his hand. " Why, yes I do, ma'am. Thank you."
As they stood, Leo brushed the snow off of his jacket while Linda attended to her own. Leo looked at Linda and then brushed the snow off her long black hair.
"Your hair is really soft," Leo thought out loud, then catching himself, blushing in embarrassment. Linda turned her head to the side, smiling at Leo.
"Thank you, and you know what?"
Leo looked at the ground. " What?"
Linda grabbed a hand full of snow. "So is yours!" She slammed the snow on Leo's head and ran off. Leo shook the snow off and ran after her. When he caught up with her, they tripped over a rock and fell back down onto the ground.
"Did you have a nice trip?" Leo joked as Linda lay under him. She joined him in laughter.
Suddenly, a huge explosion ripped through the sky, shaking the ground with great force. Linda held tightly to Leo, waiting for the shaking to cease. Masses of people in the park stopped in their tracks and stared in horror as large amounts of smoke and flames bellowed into the evening sky. After the movement ceased, Leo helped Linda to her feet. They walked forward and joined the onlookers.
"Where was that?" A man shouted.
"I don't know." Said another.
A cop with a scanner ran by, Leo only catching part of the emergency call.
"Something about a library,"
Linda's eyes grew large in fear. She grabbed Leo's coat. " What library? WHAT LIBRARY??!!" She shook Leo really hard.
Leo shook his head. " I don't know!" He grabbed her hands and pulled them down.
Linda pulled away from Leo and chased after the officer.
"Excuse me? Where did that happen at, sir? Please! I must know!" The tears began to start.
"It's over on the south side. 31st and Young. The Southern House library."
Linda froze in place."No, no, no," She walked away from the cop. "No! You're lying! YOU'RE LYING!!"
Leonardo finally caught up to Linda, only to find her on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "Linda? What is going on?"
Linda looked up into Leo's eyes. " My.....my mother...she....the library...." She buried her face into Leo's jacket and cried.
Leo then realized what had happened. Wendy was doing library work today. Downtown.
Leo shook his head, finally letting the tears he held back earlier fall down his face, holding Linda closer to him. In his sorrow, he thought about those words across the Okasanas' doorway:
God Bless this World with Love and Understanding