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Chapter Two

"Good Morning Owen…"

"Good Morning Donatello,…Raphael." Owen nodded to the sitting turtles at their names before taking a seat of his own. He had come out for a midnight snack only to find that he was not the first. Two of the four turtles were awake and chatting in the kitchen. The subject…he had found that just as interesting. He walked in, to see if he could give some real answers (in other words, to give Donatello A mini-lesson on what to expect) but was sidetracked by…something else. He eyed the pizza absently before making a comment of his own.

"Is it turtle custom to eat…takeout…so early in the morning?"

Raph would have laughed if he wasn't suddenly so damn nervous. However, Don did laugh, if you call an uneasy chuckle laughing.

Owen raised an eyebrow. He had meant it as a joke but at the response he had gotten from the turtles, he wasn't so sure if they took him seriously or not.

Well, it really didn't matter now, so he let it go.

Sighing, he stood, and with that went his attempted to be over-friendly. The turtles watched him as he made his way to the fridge and peered inside. Don's heart fell in dread. 'He's gonna drink blood…now?!'

However, the notion was thrown away at Owen next move. To both turtles' surprise, Owen picked up the white pizza box instead.

"Is there any left?" He asked the turtles while motioning to the box in his grasp. Both turtles just stared, their expressions uncharacteristically blank.

"Yo-You eat pizza??!!?!" Raph blinked.

"I could ask you guys the same thing." Was Owen's retort. Don and Raph threw him identical quizzical looks. He sighed, but pointed to the box anyway. "I'm starved. Do you mind?"

With wide gazes both turtles shook their heads.

"Knock yourself out."

"We don't mind."

The only sounds that followed were the beep beeping of the microwave and then the sounds of Owen falling back into his chair to wait on his slice of pizza. He took this time to explain his first statement after noticing that both of the turtles still watched him quizzically.

"As wild turtles, you would have usually only feasted on vegetation and such. But I guess whatever changed you all changed your appetites as well." He smiled a little, remembering the sausage, pepperoni, mushroom and green pepper pizza he just put in the microwave. The turtles watched him silently, nodding a little at his explanation, before falling silent all together. Somewhere in the background, the microwave beeped. Raph watched as Owen stood, this time to retrieve his pizza. As soon as he came back, he dug in, which seemed to spark Don's appetite for he soon continued his meal as well. Raph looked down at his own half-finished pizza. He really wasn't that hungry... As he watched the two before him, Raph's curiosity soon got the best of them.

"Why are you guys so hungry?" He asked. The question seemed weird, but it came out before he could even reconsider asking it. However, Owen didn't seem to mind as he absently turned to the turtle in red, chewing thoughtfully.

"It's the vampirian instinct. Usually, this would be our time to hunt, as our ancestors did. But like you, we've changed as well…" Donatello looked up. He wasn't expecting that kind of answer. It did explain more, but likewise, it put more questions in his mind as well. He pushed the food to the side of his mouth, which gave him just enough room to speak.

"What do you mean by…hunt?" He almost feared the answer. Meanwhile, Owen put down his food, sitting back. With both of the turtles' attention, he sighed.

'Well, looks like a 'Question and Answer' forum is inevitable now…'

On the outside, Owen turned to face his one and only student. This was what he had wanted, a way to answer Donatello's questions. The heritage of the 'Vampire' was a deep and thick heritage indeed. It was about that time in their studies that Donny should know about it, since it would lead right into their next group of lessons. However, he was glad that these lessons found themselves instead of him having to go and spark them up in conversation somehow, which was a paradox within itself.

He sucked at casual conversations, period. He couldn't imagine just starting one…

But it looked like this time he didn't have to start it, which was a blessing within itself.

Now all he had to do was finish it…

And that he could do.

Setting in for the long conversation he knew was coming, he finished his plate and placed the dish in the empty sink. He sat down, knowing he would be there for a while, as he watched the turtles thoughtfully. Both of their gazes were now on him, and for once, that's how he wanted it. It was then that he began. The hunt was…

"Well, Donatello. Usually, our ancestors would have hunted live prey…humans…"

Both Don and Raph blinked at this bit of information, the same thought popping into both of their heads. However, between the two of them, only Raph had the guts to ask.

"Did they kill the humans?"

There was a small silence before Owen responded. Slowly, hesitantly, Owen nodded. At that both Raph and Don frowned sharply. However, before either of them could say anything, Owen realized that he had found bad favor and quickly reassured them.

"But we don't do it now! We have methods of getting blood that is outside of the box of "killing" the humans. For example, the most used method is to hypnotize the human through telekinesis. That way, the vampire can make a scratch on the base of the human's neck or on the arm, or leg (Somewhere not too obvious.), drink a small amount from that human, and then let it go. Although it does cause for more time spent hunting, it works." Owen shrugged a little, lowering his head in thought.

Donny, however, was not satisfied.

"Why would it take more time?"

Owen looked up once again. He still wasn't use to their questions and inquiries. However, they seemed interested at least; Raph catching his every word as Don watched him expectantly. So, he could do this since they needed to know. "Well, since we only collect a small amount of blood from each human, it would take more humans to get one's fill or take less spread out feedings instead."

Don nodded solemnly, as did Raph. That was understandable. Owen sighed, remembering the other reason why humans were not killed.

"Besides, at AVTech we make it our policy not to kill humans. It's wrong no matter for what, and that my policy as well!" He swelled in pride at the mention of his life long beliefs. However, that seemed not to be what caught the turtles attention.

"AVTech?" Don repeated the strange sounding name as if tasting it. Owen nodded.

"Advanced Vampiric Technical, or AVTech for short. It's our headquarters."

He watched the turtles now for their reactions, and was not surprised by the blank and confused looks he received from both.

Raph shook his head, his brow furrowing in puzzlement.

"You guys have a headquarters?"

On the inside Owen sighed and rolled his eyes. 'Is there an echo in here?' But on the outside he made sure to keep his patience in check. It would not help anything if he became short tempered. Besides, he was supposed to be teaching them, wasn't he? And that meant being patient with them as well…

Owen nodded to the turtle in red, as he explained further. "It's the head of our organization. Kind of like the check point for all vampires. Actually, AVTech is one of a few dozen headquarters all over the world, but we are the largest and most powerful." He smiled a little at this, his pride coming back stronger than ever. Meanwhile, Raph soaked in the new information as quickly as it came. He leaned back in his chair while listening to Owen, thinking it over as it came. When Owen was finished, Raph eyed him with interest before asking the new questions that crossed his mind.

"So, there are a lot of you?" Raph smiled smugly at his new assumption. He already knew the answer. Of course where were a lot; but it was Owen's numbers that threw him off.

"If you mean Vampires, then yes. Over the entire globe, we reach numbers of about 120 million."

Raph barely hid is surprise as his eyes went wide.

That was a lot of vampires.

Well then, that meant…

"You guys are everywhere!" Don sat up at the numbers, his eyes also widening a little. However, his exclamation had mistakenly been a little bit too loud. He soon quieted as all three of them hushed, listening to see if they had awaken anyone.

They heard nothing except for the whistle of a few pipes in the distance.

Owen continued.

"Yes, you guys have probably run into our kind at one time or another. But like you, we tend to stay to the shadows…" He trailed off, not sure if he had hit a personal spot with the turtles, but with no outside reactions from either turtle, he sighed. A silence settled into the room as the turtle dwelled on the new info. Vampires were everywhere, and right under their noses too.

It was a lot to soak in.

Don thought back to all of the people of his past. All of the faces he had seen. When he was younger, he used to travel to the roof tops under the concealment of darkness just to watch those people as they walked below. He remembered how envious he had been of their carefree lives. They would walk obliviously, not knowing how blessed they were to even be able to. But now, to think that some of those lives were not as carefree as he had thought…it gave him a new perspective on life.

To think, they were not along. There were others, too, had to work under the concealment of darkness…

Meanwhile, Raph just thought about the sheer numbers of it. One hundred and twenty million people was a lot.

"And there all registered at the headquarters'?" Both Owen and Donny looked up from their own thoughts at Raph's question. Then Don, too, turned an inquisitive glace towards the still vampire.

That was a good question…

"Well…no." Owen stated dejectedly. This part of the story he really didn't want to get in to. There were bad vampires, just like there were bad people. And just like people, not all vampires agreed with the system.

Not all vampires believed that a human's lives were as valuable as their own.

And Trevor was a good example of those vampires. One example.

However, there were more….That's where the Vapanese Penitentiaries came into play.

It's against Vampirian law to kill a human on purpose. And for that, there are trials and sentences. Many of the convicts serve time at the penitentiaries, and since vampires hardly died, (being immortal as they were) the vast amount of incarceration was meant to break their spirits or teach them a lesson at the very least, rather than kill them.

However, sometimes, vampires escaped.

Unsafe and wanted, the escapees stalk the streets, preying upon the oblivious humans in their wake.

That's where Owen's job came in.

As an AVTech bounty hunter, he vowed to protect the innocent through the blood of their hunters. By then, blood was the only way. One that has escaped from the penitentiary can escape again, and that needed to be avoided at all costs.

At all costs.

Owen's hand found his empty waist, of which, would have usually held his sword. It was in the room now, but it still paid tribute to all those that lost their lives to it.

The pile of names were endless, but they were all necessary,

For the good of man kind.

But, how could he tell the turtles? They were just learning about vampires. How could he tell them that there were good as well as evil vampires? And that it just so happened that one of those "evils" knew about them as well?

How?

Well the answer was easy…

He wouldn't.

At the prolonged pause both turtles watched him expectedly before Raph rolled his eyes.

"Well…?!"

Owen kept his cool.

"Well, what?"

Raph sighed heavily before opening his mouth to speak, but just as he did, he was cut off by something else. Leo entered the room, his eyes tired. Going to the fridge, he retrieved a bottle of water before turning around.

It was then he spotted Owen.

"Oh, hello. We have practice in a half an hour. You can watch if yo-" He was cut of by Owen's hand as he stood.

"That's won't be necessary, Leonardo, I was just leaving anyway. I will be fine in my room." And with that, he turned and left. Raph and Don's eyes met as the sound of Owen's door shutting echoed the underground lair.

'What was that about?'

Meanwhile, Leo shrugged before turning away, taking a sip of his water. Before it reached his mouth, he concluded. "Well, Don and Raph, we have practice, so hurry up and finish…" Leo eyed the now cold, half eaten slice of pizza on Don's plate. "Why are you guys eating pizza so early in the mor-Wait! Never mind. I don't want to know. Just hurry up." Leo was already in the hallway and making his way to the dojo when he finished. Don looked at his clock in surprise just as Mike walked in as well, whistling and making his way to the fridge.

Leo was right; it was almost time for practice.

Where did the time go?

Meanwhile, Raph stood and stretched. Don watched him in small wonder. Raph had been truly intrigued with Owen's lessons.

Truly intrigued.

It was enough to throw Donatello into a loop and to give him a new prospective in the mysteries of the brother, Raphael.

His eccentric love for "fantasy" being one of many.

However, not all of his brothers were as mysterious as this one.

"Hey! Who ate my pizza?! I was saving that for breakfast!"

Before Mikey could turn back around, Don quickly stuffed the rest in his mouth before placing the plate in the sink, joining Owen's. When Mike did catch his gaze, Donny quickly shrugged before stepping off into the direction of the dojo.

"Come on, Mikey! We've got practice."

He said just enough not to seem suspicious, but hid the pizza crust induced muffle as well. Mike nodded before shutting the fridge.

"Well, If I ever find out who ate my pizza, there will be repercus-" Raph stepped before Mikey, also making his way to the dojo, but was stopped in his tracks by Mike's next exclamation.

Mike's gaze went wide at the sight of Raph's saucy fingers.

"Raph, how could you?!"

-

Well, no cliffy, but this chapter was chocked full of info! Thought it might help at this point ;), More coming soon!