NOT QUITE HUMAN

Part Three: A Trip to the Sewers

"Come on! Turn it up!" Kento complained, who was sitting on top of his bed

"Hold on a second, Kento!" Sage retorted as he stood up, approached the television, and pressed a button under the television screen to increase the volume.

"This is the first time I ever seen you excited about seeing the news, Kento!" Ryo remarked as Sage sat back down on the floor between him and Rowen.

"Well, you have to admit, Ryo, it's not every day that we are the news," Cye pointed out, who was sitting on his own bed.

"Yeah, you're right, Cye," Ryo admitted. "This is a first for us, especially in another country!"

"Quiet, everyone! It's starting!" Rowen whispered as a young woman appeared on the television screen. She had short red hair and green eyes, and was wearing a one-piece yellow jumpsuit and white boots.

"This is April O'Neil, Channel Six News, live in front of the Museum of Natural History," the young woman reported. "Just minutes ago, an attempted robbery was stopped by these five young heroes right behind me."

"All right!" Kento cheered as the television showed him and his four friends on the steps of the museum, surrounded by a group of citizens that were applauding them for their heroic efforts.

"These five young men, visitors vacationing here from Japan, risked their lives today to stop a gang of dangerous thieves from stealing the largest emerald in the world," April continued. "The curator of the museum has offered them an award for their heroic deed, but they graciously declined the offer. Instead, the curator insists on paying for all of their expenses while they're here in New York City. If these young men are watching, the city thanks you for your help. This is April O'Neil of Channel Six News."

"That April O'Neil is pretty nice," Cye admitted as Ryo got up and turned off the television.

"Well, I think she's pretty, period!" Sage pointed out.

"Of course you would think that, Casanova!" Kento retorted as he threw his pillow at Sage.

"Hey!" Sage shouted as the pillow hit him in the back of the head. He picked up the pillow and threw it back at Kento, hitting him in the face.

"Don't start with me, Sage!" Kento warned Sage as he got off of his bed. "No one's ever beaten me in a pillow fight!"

"Knock it off, you two!" Cye interrupted as he stepped in between Kento and Sage. "It's getting late. We should all go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Speaking of which, what do you have planned for us tomorrow, Cye?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Well, I figured after that unexpected adventure we had at the museum, we need to relax a bit, and Central Park will be the perfect place to do that," Cye explained. "Afterwards, we'll have dinner and then go see 'Rent' on Broadway."

"How did you get tickets for that, Cye?" Sage asked curiously. "I thought that show was sold out."

"It is, Sage. The museum curator got them for us as a reward for preventing that emerald from being stolen," Cye revealed. "I couldn't turn down a rare opportunity like that."

"We should be getting back to our room, guys," Ryo announced as he, Sage, and Rowen headed for the door. "Good night, Kento, Cye."

"Good night, Ryo," Cye and Kento replied simultaneously as their three friends left their hotel room...

Meanwhile, down in the Techno-Drome, Krang was also watching the Channel Six News broadcast, along with Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady.

"Shredder, you idiot!" Krang shouted angrily as he turned away from the monitor. "Not only did you and those mutant morons of yours lose the emerald that I need for my power generator, you were also defeated by a bunch of children!"

"But Krang, it wasn't just them boys. The Turtles were there, too!" Bebop pointed out.

"That's just great! Because of you bungling idiots, the security at the museum is going to be doubled, making it even harder to steal the emerald!" Krang shouted angrily.

Shredder wasn't paying attention to what Krang was saying. His eyes were focused on the large monitor in front of him, which was showing a close up of the five teenage boys he ran into back at the museum.

"Shredder, are you ignoring me?" Krang asked suspiciously.

"No, Krang. It's just that those boys' fighting style looked familiar to me," Shredder muttered thoughtfully. "It's not ninjitsu. Their fighting technique is much older than that." Shredder suddenly started to walk out of the room towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Krang demanded.

"To do some special research, Krang. If I'm right about those boys, we shall have powers undreamed of!" Shredder proclaimed as he left the main control room...

"Donatello, what's bothering you?" Leonardo asked Donatello, who was just staring absently into empty space.

"Yeah, you haven't even touched any of your jelly bean and mushroom pizza," Raphael remarked.

"Hmm...what?" Donatello murmured as he shook it off.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'm not hungry." Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo were surprised to hear Donatello say that and even more surprised to see him push away his plate of pizza.

"Are you okay, Donatello?" Leonardo asked with concern.

"I'm fine, Leonardo. Just a little tired. I'm going to bed," Donatello announced as he got up from the table.

"Well...since you're going to bed, Donatello, can I have your pizza?" Michelangelo asked curiously.

"Michelangelo!" Leonardo and Raphael shouted simultaneously.

"Go ahead, Michelangelo. Help yourself," Donatello replied as he left the kitchen.

"All right!" Michelangelo exclaimed as he reached across the table and grabbed Donatello's plate.

"This isn't like Donatello. Something must be bothering him," Leonardo muttered thoughtfully as Michelangelo practically inhaled the slices of pizza that Donatello left behind.

"You don't think it has to do with his pen pal, Rowen, do ya?" Raphael asked.

"I'll bet that's it, Raphael. Donatello's probably afraid that since Rowen found out about his secret, he won't want to see him again," Leonardo agreed.

Donatello let out a deep sigh as he plopped down on his bed. "What troubles you, Donatello?" Splinter asked as he entered the room.

"You know my pen pal, Rowen, Master Splinter?" Donatello asked.

"Yes. What about your friend?" Splinter asked curiously.

"Well, he found out that I'm a Turtle, by accident," Donatello reluctantly revealed to his sensei.

"Well, if he cannot accept who you are, my son, then he isn't your friend," Splinter replied.

"The thing is that Rowen didn't have any problem with this at all, Splinter. The problem is the way he found out about it. I wanted to tell him the truth myself, but now, Rowen probably thinks that I never intended to tell him the truth at all," Donatello revealed.

"Are you sure that is what Rowen believes, Donatello?" Splinter asked.

"I don't know, Master, but I'll bet that's what he's thinking," Donatello reluctantly admitted.

"Only time will tell. Good night, Donatello," Splinter announced as he left the room.

"Good night, Master Splinter," Donatello replied. He sat up in his bed, took out his bo, and laid it at the foot of his bed. Donatello reached for his Turtle Com, which he normally kept in his belt, but he felt nothing.

"Oh, no!" Donatello whispered worriedly as he looked down and frantically checked his belt. "My Turtle Com! I must have dropped it during the fight at the museum!" Donatello was about to get out of bed, but he soon stopped himself.

"I better not. The museum's already closed, and security's gonna be tight after what happened earlier today with Shredder and his goons," Donatello muttered thoughtfully to himself. "I'll go to the museum first thing tomorrow morning. Perhaps someone found it and turned it into the Lost and Found, probably mistaking it for a toy. Hopefully, Shred Head didn't get his grubby claws on it, otherwise he could possibly use it to hone into our frequency and locate our lair! Hopefully, that's not the case." With that idea in mind, Donatello laid back down on the bed and slowly closed his eyes...

"Hurry it up, Sage! We don't have all day!" Ryo shouted as he knocked loudly at the bathroom door.

"Hold on, Ryo! I'm almost done!" Sage shouted from inside the bathroom. A few moments later, Sage opened the bathroom door and came back into the hotel room.

"Come on, Rowen. Let's go," Ryo told Rowen, who was sitting on one of the beds, putting on his sneakers.

"I'll meet you guys down there, okay?" Rowen suggested as he tied his shoelaces. "I have to make a phone call, anyway."

"All right, Rowen. We'll see you later," Ryo replied as he and Sage left the hotel room.

As soon as Rowen finished tying his shoelaces, he carefully approached the door and opened it a crack. He could see Ryo and Sage boarding the elevator. Rowen closed the door, headed to a bed stand between the two beds, and pulled out the drawer. Lying inside of the drawer was the electronic device shaped like a turtle shell that Rowen found at the museum yesterday.

"This gadget must be a communication device of some sort," Rowen muttered thoughtfully to himself as he looked over the turtle shell in his hand. "The Turtles probably use this to keep in contact with each other. Perhaps if I can find the correct frequency, I can use this to contact Donatello." Rowen opened up the turtle shell and started pressing the buttons inside to adjust the radio frequency...

"Hi-ya!" Leonardo shouted as he swung his swords down at Raphael, who succeeded in blocking his brother's attack with his sais.

"You're gonna have to be quicker than that, Leonardo!" Raphael retorted as he pushed Leonardo away from him with a kick to the stomach. Michelangelo was leaning against the sewer wall, watching Leonardo and Raphael sparring with each other.

"About time you got up, Donatello!" Michelangelo remarked as Donatello entered the practice room. "Come on, let's practice!"

"I can't practice now, Michelangelo," Donatello muttered drowsily as he stretched his arms out and let out a long yawn. "I have to go to the museum."

"The museum? Now? What for, dude?" Michelangelo asked curiously.

"I lost my Turtle Com," Donatello reluctantly admitted.

"You lost your Turtle Com?" Leonardo repeated as he and Raphael stopped sparring. "That's not good, Donatello. What if someone finds it and uses it to track us down, like Shredder and Krang?"

"I know, Leonardo, I know. I'm going to retrace my steps and see if I can find it before someone else does," Donatello revealed as he went back into the bedroom to get his disguise. Suddenly, there was a beeping sound coming from Leonardo's Turtle Com.

"Maybe it's April. Shredder and his mutants must have struck again," Leonardo muttered thoughtfully as he took out his Turtle Com and turned it on. "This is Leonardo. What's up, April?"

To Leonardo's surprise, instead of the familiar face of April O'Neil appearing on the Turtle Com's mini- screen, a boy's face with blue hair and blue eyes appeared instead. "Huh? Who are you?" Leonardo asked out of shock.

"Hi, umm...this is Rowen Hashiba," the boy hesitantly replied.

"Hey, I remember you! You were one of those boys that was at the museum yesterday!" Leonardo recalled.

"Yeah, that was me and my friends," Rowen confessed.

"How did you tap into our frequency?" Leonardo asked curiously.

"I found this device shaped like a turtle shell at the museum," Rowen replied. "I figured that one of you Turtles must have dropped it."

"Yeah, the Turtle Com you're using belongs to Donatello," Leonardo revealed.

"Could I possibly speak with Donatello?" Rowen asked.

"Sure, Rowen. Hold on," Leonardo instructed Rowen as he walked into the bedroom. "Hey, Donatello!"

"Leonardo, have you seen my trench coat?" Donatello asked as he looked through a small closet filled with an assortment of clothes.

"There's no need for that, Donatello. Your Turtle Com has been found," Leonardo told him.

"That's a relief! Who found it, Leonardo? Was it April?" Donatello asked curiously as he turned around to face his brother.

"See for yourself," Leonardo announced as he handed his Turtle Com over to Donatello. Donatello looked at the Turtle Com and gasped when he saw Rowen's face on the mini-screen.

"Morning, Donatello. How are you doing?" Rowen asked.

"I'm fine. Listen, Rowen, about what happened yesterday...I just want to say I'm sorry," Donatello apologized.

"Sorry for what?" Rowen asked curiously.

"For not telling you the truth about me when I had the chance," Donatello revealed. "I didn't want you to find out the way you did."

"Does that mean you don't want to be friends anymore?" Rowen asked curiously.

"No, of course not!" Donatello replied. "Wait a minute! Are you saying that you still want to be friends with me after everything that has happened?"

"Of course I do, Donatello. As far as I see it, this secret of yours has no effect on our friendship," Rowen revealed.

"That's good. About my Turtle Com...is there any way I can meet you today so I can get it back?" Donatello asked curiously. "It's not that I don't trust you with it, Rowen. I just don't want it falling into the wrong hands."

"I understand, Donatello," Rowen replied. "My friends and I are going to Central Park later today. You can meet me there to pick up your Turtle Com."

"That works for me," Donatello admitted.

"Where should I meet you?" Rowen asked.

"Don't worry, Rowen. I'll find you. Donatello out," Donatello replied before turning off the Turtle Com.

"So, you're going to meet up with Rowen at Central Park?" Leonardo asked.

"Yeah, Leonardo. Now I really need my trench coat. Where is it?" Donatello muttered to himself as he continued digging through the closet.

"Looking for this, Donatello?" Raphael asked. Donatello turned around and saw that Raphael was holding his trench coat.

"Thanks, Raphael," Donatello admitted as he took the trench coat from Raphael...

"This park is huge!" Kento remarked as he looked around at the several trees scattered around Central Park.

"Yeah, it sure is. I bet White Blaze would love it here," Ryo admitted.

"Hate to burst your bubble, Ryo, but I think there's a law in this country stating that you can't have wild animals for pets," Rowen pointed out.

"So, what should we do, Cye?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Well, we can walk around the park a bit, or we can visit the Central Park Zoo," Cye suggested as they continued walking down the path. "There's also a bird sanctuary in here and maybe we can make a quick visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art before we leave."

"Sounds like a plan, Cye," Kento admitted.

"I'm gonna have to pass, guys," Sage reluctantly admitted. "I have to go down to the public library."

"What for, Sage?" Ryo asked curiously.

"The people at Ellis Island suggested that maybe I can find records of Hamato Yoshi's immigration there," Sage reminded his friends. "I had no idea that Ellis Island stopped receiving immigrants in 1943."

"Good luck with that, Sage," Rowen replied.

"I'll be back in about an hour or two. Where should I meet you?" Sage asked.

"We'll wait for you at the Central Park Zoo," Cye suggested. "See you later, Sage."

"Later, guys!" Sage shouted as he headed in the opposite direction.

As Ryo, Cye, Kento, and Rowen continued walking through the park, they walked past a large decorative fountain. Rowen looked up and recognized a short figure on the other side of the fountain wearing a trench coat and hat.

"Excuse me for a minute, guys. I need to use the restroom," Rowen muttered out loud as he started to walk away from his friends.

"Do you want us to wait for you, Rowen?" Ryo asked.

"There's no need for that. I'll catch up with you," Rowen told them.

"Okay, Rowen. We'll see you in a few minutes," Cye replied as he, Ryo, and Kento continued heading to the Central Park Zoo.

"They don't know, do they?" Donatello asked as he approached Rowen.

"No, they don't," Rowen admitted. "I figured the less they know, the better. Well, anyway, here's your Turtle Com, Donatello." Rowen took the Turtle Com out of his pocket and handed it to Donatello.

"Thanks a lot, Rowen," Donatello replied as he put the Turtle Com in his trench coat pocket.

The two friends stood there for a few moments of awkward silence. "You should get going, Rowen," Donatello reluctantly admitted. "Your friends are waiting for you."

"Yeah, I'd better," Rowen agreed as he started to walk away. He stopped himself and turned around to face Donatello. "Umm, Donatello, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" Donatello asked curiously.

"Do you think that I could possibly come to your lair?" Rowen asked.

"Umm...I don't know about that," Donatello replied. "I'd have to ask Splinter about it."

"Well, if it's okay with him, I'd like to check it out," Rowen admitted. "You mentioned in your letters to me that you're an inventor. I would like to check out some of your inventions, if you don't mind."

"Sure, definitely," Donatello agreed. "It'd be great to have another scientific mind look over my inventions. Matter of fact, the Turtle Com happens to be my very first invention."

"Very clever, I'll have to admit," Rowen admitted.

"Thanks, Rowen," Donatello replied. "Anyway, I'll go talk to Master Splinter and see if it's okay with him for you to come down to the lair. How long will you be staying in Central Park?"

"Until four o'clock, I'll wager," Rowen revealed.

"It'll just take me about an hour or so to get the answer. I'll be back soon, Rowen," Donatello announced as he headed to a sewer cover a few yards away from the fountain.

"See you later, Donatello," Rowen replied as he ran off to join his friends at the Central Park Zoo...

"Man, I'm starving! Is there any place where we can get something to eat?" Kento complained.

"Calm down, Kento. There's a hot dog stand right there," Cye announced, pointing at a hot dog stand ahead of them.

"All right!" Kento shouted as he, Cye, Ryo, Sage, and Rowen got in line.

"Any luck finding information on that friend of your father's, Sage?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Unfortunately, I didn't find much on Hamato Yoshi," Sage revealed. "I did find records for when he arrived in New York City, but there's no mention of any current home address for him."

"What kind of hot dogs do you guys want?" Kento asked, who was next in line.

"Just get us whatever you're getting, only in normal-sized proportions!" Cye joked sarcastically.

"Ha, ha! Very funny!" Kento retorted under his breath. While Kento was ordering the food, Ryo, Cye, Sage, and Rowen sat down on some nearby benches.

"So you have no idea where Hamato Yoshi lives now?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Not a clue. For all I know, he could be living in another state altogether!" Sage reluctantly revealed.

"Here you go, guys!" Kento announced as he joined his four friends, carrying two cardboard boxes.

"What did you order for us, Kento?" Rowen asked curiously.

"The same thing I got: chili dogs with cheese!" Kento replied as he handed Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Rowen each a long hot dog topped with chili and cheese.

"Kento, I said normal-sized proportions!" Cye remarked. "These hot dogs are huge!"

"They are normal-sized proportions, Cye! These are foot-long hot dogs!" Kento explained.

"Knowing Kento, he could probably finish one of these in one bite!" Sage retorted.

"Knock it off, Sage!" Kento muttered angrily under his breath, while Ryo, Cye, and Rowen laughed out loud. Rowen caught something in the corner of his eye and turned around. He gasped slightly when he saw Donatello standing next to the hot dog stand.

"Rowen, what's wrong?" Ryo asked.

"Umm...nothing," Rowen muttered out loud as he looked back at his friends.

"You look like you've seen a ghost!" Cye remarked before taking a bite out of his chili dog.

"Don't worry about it. It was nothing," Rowen reassured his friends.

"I still can't believe everything that happened to us yesterday," Ryo muttered out loud. "We end up fighting off a man with a metal mask, a couple of ugly mutants, and a bunch of ninja robots, and to top it all off, we meet up with this city's local vigilantes: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

"Well, opinions vary when it comes to the Turtles, Ryo," Cye revealed. "While some people see them as heroes, others say that they're no better than the criminals they fight."

"I think those people who see the Turtles as threats are just misjudging them because they happen to be mutants," Rowen muttered out loud before taking another bite of his chili dog.

"Perhaps you're right about that, Rowen," Cye agreed.

"You know, I recognized those uniforms that the robot ninjas wore," Sage announced. "It was the uniform of the Foot Clan."

"The Foot Clan? Isn't that the criminal gang that used to terrorize everyone back in Japan?" Kento asked.

"The Foot Clan wasn't always a criminal gang, Kento. It used to be an honorable clan that taught the ancient art of ninjitsu to its students. As a matter of fact, my father's friend, Hamato Yoshi, was the shidoshi, or teacher of the ancient arts, for the Foot school," Sage revealed. "That is, he was until he was framed for attempting to assassinate the school's sensei."

"How can you be so sure that Hamato Yoshi was framed for this?" Ryo asked curiously. "Maybe he did plan on killing the sensei, but he got caught before he had the chance."

"My father and Hamato Yoshi were the best of friends, Ryo. My father knows deep down that Hamato Yoshi would never do anything like this," Sage explained. "I remember meeting Hamato Yoshi myself when I was a young boy. He didn't seem like the type of person that would be capable of murder. Anyway, there's another reason why my father suspects that Yoshi was framed."

"And what's that?" Rowen asked.

"Hamato Yoshi told my father on several occasions about a man who was a threat to his leadership in the Foot Clan. His name was Oroku Saki, and ironically, when Yoshi was banished from the Foot Clan, Saki took over as the shidoshi. After that, the Foot Clan changed from a honorable clan of the ancient arts to an army of crime."

"Hold on a minute, Sage. Are you saying that the man in the metal mask we fought yesterday was Oroku Saki?" Ryo asked.

"It could have only been two men: Oroku Saki or Hamato Yoshi. There's no way it could have been Yoshi, so it had to be Saki," Sage explained. "Besides, that man calling himself the Shredder, his fighting style was that of the Foot Clan. I've seen Hamato Yoshi demonstrate the Foot technique before, so I'd recognize it when I see it."

"Guys, don't look now, but I think someone's spying on us," Cye whispered just loud enough for his friends to overhear.

"Where is he, Cye?" Ryo whispered.

"He's next to the hot dog stand, the one wearing the trench coat," Cye whispered.

Trench coat? Oh, no! They're talking about Donatello! Rowen thought to himself.

"What do you suppose that guy wants?" Sage asked aloud.

"Why don't we go ask him?" Kento asked as he stood up, followed by Ryo, Cye, Sage, and a hesitant Rowen. The five boys started to walk over to the figure in the trench coat. Realizing that he has been spotted, the figure quickly walked away from the hot dog stand and headed behind the bathroom.

"Hey, buddy! Where do you think you're going?" Kento shouted as he and his friends ran after the retreating figure.

"No, guys! Wait!" Rowen shouted as he ran after his friends.

"Look! There he goes!" Cye shouted when he and his friends spotted the figure lifting up a metal grate leading down into the sewers.

"I don't think so, pal!" Kento shouted as he jumped on top of the grate, preventing the figure from escaping into the sewers.

"Kento, stop!" Rowen protested. "He's not who you think he is!"

"Rowen, do you know this guy?" Ryo asked curiously. Rowen hesitated for a moment, not knowing if Donatello wanted his identity to be revealed.

"It's okay, Rowen," Donatello replied, catching Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Kento by surprise.

"You're Donatello, one of those Ninja Turtles!" Cye gasped loudly.

"Yeah, that's me," Donatello replied, lifting the brim of his hat so the others could see his face.

"What are you doing here?" Kento asked suspiciously.

"I told him to come here, Kento." Ryo, Kento, Cye, and Kento turned around and looked at Rowen in surprise.

"What's going on, Rowen?" Ryo asked curiously.

"Yesterday, at the museum, I found something that belonged to Donatello. I told him to meet me here today so I could give it back to him," Rowen explained.

"Rowen, why didn't you just tell us?" Sage asked curiously.

"Well, after the way you guys reacted when you first found out about Donatello's true identity, I figured that you would be against it," Rowen reluctantly revealed.

"Don't worry about it, Rowen. It's no big deal," Cye replied.

"Besides, this gives us a chance to thank the Ninja Turtles for their help yesterday...or at least one of them," Ryo pointed out.

"I'll pass that on to my brothers," Donatello replied.

"Donatello, do you think that maybe they can come with us?" Rowen asked curiously.

"Come with you where?" Kento asked suspiciously.

"To the Turtles' lair," Rowen explained. "That would give you the chance to thank the other Turtles face- to-face."

"I don't know if I can do that, Rowen," Donatello revealed. "I only got permission to bring you. I wasn't expecting your friends to come along with us."

"Why not ask on your Turtle-Com?" Rowen suggested.

"Besides, Rowen's not going anywhere with you without us!" Kento announced.

"Kento! You know better than to talk to one of my friends like that!" Rowen shouted a bit angrily.

"I'm sorry, Rowen," Kento apologized.

"Look, I'll see what I can do," Donatello announced as he took out his Turtle-Com and turned it on. "Master Splinter, come in."

"What is it, Donatello?" Splinter asked.

"Master, would it be all right with you if Rowen's four friends come with me as well?" Donatello asked a bit hesitantly.

"Of course, they may come with you, Donatello. Just as long as they promise not to reveal the location of our lair to anyone," Splinter replied.

"Thank you, Master Splinter. Where are the others?" Donatello asked.

"Leonardo and Raphael are in the city getting groceries, and Michelangelo is skateboarding in the sewers somewhere," Splinter revealed.

"All right, we're on our way, Master Splinter. Donatello out."

"Well, what did that guy Splinter say?" Kento asked a bit impatiently as Donatello put away his Turtle-Com.

"It's okay by him, but you all have to swear you'll never tell anyone where our lair is," Donatello told the five teenage boys.

"You have our word, Donatello. We won't tell a soul about your lair," Rowen promised as Ryo, Sage, Cye, and Kento nodded their heads in agreement.

"All right, guys. We should get going now before anyone sees us," Donatello whispered out loud as he once again lifted the metal grate leading down into the sewers below...TO BE CONTINUED