Searching
It would be a couple hours before anyone would be up, so Michelangelo spent the time wondering whom he could con into helping him find Jeffery. Raphael was against it and though Leonardo had suggested it, it didn't mean he really wanted to. So that meant just one turtle was left.
"Donnie…" The young turtle muttered with a smirk plastered on his face. "There is no way he would say no to me. Not that I would let him anyway."
When it finally came time for everyone to get up, the orange clad turtle dashed out of his room and into kitchen. The clatter of cooking supplies rang throughout the lair. Wiping the sleep out of their eyes, the others enter the kitchen to find Mike in a frenzy of different jobs. He cracked eggs into a large mixing bowel, diced vegetables, chopped potatoes into thin strips, and cut oranges into slices.
"What's for breakfast, oh Iron Chef?" Donatello teased.
"Vegetables omelets, hash browns, and orange slices." Michelangelo replied politely while he mixed the vegetables in with the eggs. Then he dumped a large glob onto a greasy hot pan. "You like cheese with your omelet, right Don-san?"
"Don-san?" Donatello was caught off guard. "I don't think I've ever called that before, especially by you."
"Sure you have…I mean…at least I think I've called you that before." Michelangelo mused while he sprinkled shredded cheese over the large omelet. "Well it shouldn't really matter as long as you don't mind being called it." He looked over at Don for approval.
"Of…of course not." Donatello furrowed his eyebrows in order to study his younger brother. "It's just strange hearing it come from you." He added while taking a seat at the table. The other turtles did the same.
"Voila." Michelangelo said with a fake French accent when he placed a plate in front of Don. There was a large omelet smothered in cheese, a whole orange in slices, and a heaping helping of crispy hash browns on it.
Looking over at Don's plate, Leonardo wiped the slobber of drooling coming down from the corner of his mouth. "Wow Mikey, that looks great." He rubbed his hands together as he waited for his and Raph's breakfast.
On the plates Mike placed in front each of them was an omelet half the size of Don's with no cheese, a small portion of hash browns, and half an orange in slices. Leo looked down at his plate with disappointment.
"What's up with dis?" Raphael demanded.
Michelangelo sat down with a plate of his own with the same small portions his red and blue brother had. "What's the matter?" He asked.
"Donnie got more than we did." Leonardo complained.
"So." Michelangelo shrugged.
"Ok Mikey, out with it." Donatello said after swallowing a mouthful of omelet.
Michelangelo looked at his tech-loving brother with big, wide, innocent eyes. "Whatever do you mean Don-san?"
Donatello winced at the way his youngest brother looked at him. "When you want something, you become very generous."
"Well you don't have to worry." Michelangelo patted his brother on the shoulder. "I'm not looking for anything from you Don-san."
"Stop calling me that."
"But I thought you didn't mind."
"Well I changed my mind. You're starting to creep me out."
"No problem, I understand." Michelangelo replied then went on to eat his breakfast. Don ate his with great enjoyment while Leo and Raph ate theirs enviously.
When breakfast was done, Don got up from the table because it was his turn to do the dishes. But before he could get to a single dish, Michelangelo ushered the purple clad turtle out of the kitchen. "Don't worry, I got it." He told his brother. At first Don stood stunned in the doorway, but when Mike waved him away he shrugged shoulders and went to his lab.
That AfternoonMichelangelo hid behind one of the pillars that was in front of Donatello's lab and shyly peered around it to see how busy his tech-brother was, but hoped he wasn't. Quietly he tiptoed in to find Don hunched over his computer, focused on surfing the Internet for sound wavs.
"Whatcha doing?" Michelangelo whispered into his brother's ear.
"What the shell!" Donatello jumped straight out of his chair. "Haven't I told you never to sneak up on me when I'm doing something?" He snapped.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."
"So what do you want?"
Michelangelo put his hands behind his shell and rocked on the balls of his feet. "Nothing." He sang sweetly.
Donatello rolled his eyes. "Uh huh." He went back to work while Mike looked over his shoulder. Course the longer his younger brother stood behind him, the more annoyed Don got. "Are you sure you don't want something?" He asked irritably.
Michelangelo stop rocking. "Am I bothering you Don-san?"
"As a matter of fact…"
"So what are you doing?"
Donatello heaved a heavy sigh. "Making an alarm system to alert us when Casey comes."
"Fascinating."
"Really?"
"Uh…no."
"Will you go away?" Donatello asked sternly as he turned around and waved both hands at Mike in a 'shooing' motion.
"Yes sir Don-san." Michelangelo saluted before he hopped out of the lab.
"And stop calling me that!"
Ten minutes later…
"Donnie, are you busy?" Michelangelo's voice sang into the lab.
Donatello smacked his face with his hand, dragged his fingers down it to his chin, and drummed them there. What Mike's question really translated to was, 'Drop whatever you're doing and do something for me or I'm going to keep bugging you till you do.' With his temper in check, Don asks through grit teeth, "What do you want Mikey?"
"Well if that's the mood you're in, I guess I'll come back later." Michelangelo pouted. That translated to, 'I'll come back to bother you in another ten minutes.'
Donatello reached out and grabbed his orange clad sibling by the belt just as the young turtle was about to leave. "No!" He cried. "Look, I know you were bribing me to do something, so just come out and tell me." Mike turned around to face his brother with a paper rolled up in his hands like he griped a baseball bat and his face that had the guilt of a child who just broke a window with the ball. Don raised an eyebrow. "Is that…?"
"Uh-huh."
"I thought we got rid of that yesterday."
"Well I kept it, ok?" Michelangelo snapped
"Whoa, chill out." Donatello put his hands up to show he meant no harm. "What's this all about now?"
Michelangelo fidgeted with the paper in his hands. "I…uh…had a dream last night. But it's more than a dream, it was…like…memories."
Donatello put his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "Memories…" He gave Mike a look.
"Don't look at me like I'm crazy." Michelangelo barked. "I don't know how to explain it, but I know that what I dreamt really happen."
"Alright, so you dreamed up a bunch of memories." With he's hands still behind his head, Donatello shrugged his shoulders. "What is it you want me to do about it?"
"I want you to help me find our owner."
Donatello nearly fell out of his chair. "You want me to what!" He jumped out of his chair to look Mike in the face. "Are you nuts?"
Michelangelo pushed Don's face out of his. "If anyone could help me find Jeffery, it's you."
"So give me a good reason and maybe I'll think about helping you."
"We owe him our lives."
"Exsqueeze me!" Donatello wrung out his ears out with his small fingers. "I think I miss heard you, did you just say we owe him our lives?" Mike nodded. "What the shell gave you that idea?"
"My dream." Michelangelo said timidly.
Donatello rolled his eyes. "Your dream." He threw his hands up while he turned his back on his younger brother.
"Yes, my dream." Michelangelo retorted. "In my dream Jeffery saved us from being dumped in some land fill out there." He told Don. "He also took take care of me when I was small and sick. I almost died, but Jeffery worked hard to make sure that I would live to grow up and become strong." Mike grabbed Don's shoulder and turned him around. "Now I wanna to go out and see how he's doing. I wanna to thank him for what he's done for me, for us. I wanna meet him face to face." At this point the young turtle was practically yelling at his elder brother.
"Ok, ok." Donatello said soothingly when he saw the apprehensive look in Mike's eyes. He put his hands on his younger brother's shoulder. "I'll help you, but do you really think it's going to be easy to find one kid in a country of, like, billions?" Don pointed a finger towards the ground. "And that's if he's still in this country." He took his other hand off Mike's shoulder and shrugged. "For all we know, he could be somewhere on the other side of the world."
Michelangelo looked down as he pressed his middle fingers together to make an arch. "I suppose." He mumbled.
Donatello gave a deep sigh as he plops down into his chair and spins around to face his computer. "Let's see what I can do." He cracked every one of his knuckles and his neck before placing his fingers on the keyboard like a pianist ready to play a difficult piece of music.
Michelangelo leaned over Don's shoulder to watch. "Where are you going to start first?"
"Birth records." Donatello replied. "If we get his birth certificate, we can find out who his parents are and work our way from there." He did some calculations. "Let's see…he was eleven years old when he got us and that was about fifteen years ago, so that would make him born in the year…. O-k, here's one, Jeffery Johnson born to Steward and Mary Johnson." Don looked back at Mike. "Either of those names sounds familiar?"
"His parents' names weren't mentioned." Michelangelo answered. Then he snapped his fingers. "But his dad is an important business man."
"Ok…" Donatello tapped his chin with his finger. "So he would have to be in the news at one point or another. This just requires hacking into news archives and seeing what we get. Maybe we could get some pictures." He started typing again. "Starting with the year Jeffery was born and…here we go." Don clicked the mouse and a newspaper article appears on the monitor.
"Today is a big day at the Johnson home." The article read. "Elijah, one of the top Fortunate 500, and his wife Sarah welcome a new addition to the family. A healthy bouncing baby boy they have named Jeffery. He was born in…" It went on to talk about the specifics of the birth. Don scrolled down the article till they hit a picture.
"That's them." Michelangelo squealed as he pointed at the picture of a woman sitting in a hospital bed, holding small bundle in her arms. A man is to the right of her with his left arm behind her neck and his right resting on her shoulder. "That's the man and women I saw in my dream."
"Ok, ok." Donatello had to ring out his ear due to Mike's yelling in it. "If there is stuff on dad, there has to be stuff on Jeffery too. So now that we have a starting point, let's see where this paper trail takes us." He cracked his knuckles once more before typing away. "We'll just call up everything that has to do with Jeffery Johnson…son of Elijah Johnson…between the years of…to…" He hit the enter key and the screen flooded with newspaper articles.
One headline said. "Johnson Holds Giant Celebration Dinner." The article read, "Congratulations are in order for Elijah Johnson, one of New York's highest money making business men. Not only was his latest business adventuring a success, but he also welcomes home his new son. When asked about how he felt, Johnson replied, 'Only good things could come from this event.' It is unknown whether he was talking about his new son or his business."
Another title said, "Entrepreneur Johnson Show Concern For Family." The article read, "Yet another business had been added to the long chain of mergers that Elijah Johnson has acquired. Using the new addition to his family, Johnson managed to out do his competition. 'Family is the key to everything.' He was quoted saying. 'What is the best way to judge a man's integrity? Look at his family. A dysfunctional family will cause consumers and stockholders to question the trust they put into a business.' "
There was an editorial written when Jeffery was to be eleven years of age. "The Johnson house is always celebrating new businesses, new partners, and mergers with elaborate dinners. When attending dinners like these, one is sure to see the Johnson family having a small cherishing moment upon the hour, ever hour. When asked at one of these dinners, what his views are, son Jeffery (show in picture below with father and pet turtle) says, 'Family is everything to a business, cause it reflects how it's run. If the family is run poorly than it must mean that the business is too.' His father adds, 'That's my boy. Showing that he's the true heir to my business. I know that when I pass on, my people will be well taken care of.' Personally both quotes seem a bit rehearsed, a little too rehearsed."
The picture mentioned in the article showed Jeffery holding a small baby turtle in the palm of his hand. Behind him, with a hand on the boy's shoulder, stood Elijah. Both father and son had the look like they were forcing on a smile, but it could be told that they were actually hiding their discontent, probably for each other.
Don skipped a few more years to another editorial. "Elijah Johnson, one of the top Fortunate 500, has decided to stop preaching about how family life is the reflection of business. This probably due to the fact that he had to bail his seventeen-year-old son, Jeffery Johnson, out of jail for the fifth time this week. The young Johnson was arrested for setting fire to a trashcan in the boys' room at his private school. This had been one of many, many misdemeanors Jeffery Johnson has committed since he has hit teenage-hood. According to behavior specialist, Dr., 'The young lad is crying out for attention. It is not unheard of for adolescents of rich family to defy authorities, so long as the end result is getting such things as a father's notice.' "
At the bottom of the screen was a link to a news sound bite. "As of today, eighteen-year-old Jeffery Johnson has run away from home." A newscaster's voice said."Authorities have been called, but are unable to locate where he might be. No reward money has been posted as of yet and there doesn't look like there will be if father, Elijah Johnson, has anything to say about it. Wife and mother, Sarah, does plea for the help of any and every person to help find her son."
Donatello's mouth twitched nervously. "O-k now." He wasn't too eager to find his former owner before and nothing cries out for him jump up now. "Whelp, we found out how Jeffery's been doing. Not to well by the looks of things." Don turned around to look at Mike with the hope that all this might dampen the orange-bandanna wearing turtle's enthusiasm to continue the search.
"But nothing tells us anything about where he is now." Michelangelo complained. "All we got was his home life. What about where he is now?"
Donatello blew a breath of air out of the corner of his mouth in frustration. "For all we know, he could be locked up in the jail or something. You read the last article and heard that news broadcast, Jeffery was a regular trouble maker."
"So."
"Alright. Since he's committed a bunch of stuff, I'll just call up his rap sheet. Maybe that will convince you to drop this search." Donatello hacked into police records. His and Mike's eyes grew wide at the list of misdemeanors and crimes Jeffery had.
The sheet went as far back as to when Jeffery was thirteen. There were charges going from pick pocketing to armed robbery. There were charges for possession, handling, and dealing in illegal drugs of every kind known. Plus it was known that he was actually doing drugs, because he had been arrested a couple times in a hospital pending his stomach getting pumped.
"Please, please, please tell me that this changes your mind." Donatello pleaded. But Mike shook his head; he was still determined to find their former owner. So Don clicked on a link that showed mug shots with the hope that it would make a stronger point.
The shots were like a timeline of Jeffery through the years, it started at thirteen and ended at twenty-five. His hair length changes from being short, to being almost none, then to being long and bushy. Also with each picture, a new hole seemed to have appeared in his face. It started with an earring on the right ear, to another one, and another. Then a nose ring, a brow ring, four more on his left ear, one in his chin, and possibly one in his tongue.
But it was the mug shot of Jeffery when he was nineteen that got Don's attention the most. In it the young man had a stitched up gash on his right cheek that went from his chin, diagonally up to near the top of his right ear. Course that's not what he was worried about. What he was worried about was the purple dragon tattoo Jeffery had. The tattoo started below where the neck met the chest and went over the left shoulder.
"Ok, that's it." Donatello announced after he closed down the windows. "There is no way in the world you are going to go out and look for this guy?"
"Why not?" Michelangelo complained.
"Hello?" Donatello knocked on Mike's head. "You read the rap sheet, you saw the pictures, and yet you still want to go out to look for this guy."
"He had a bad home life, you can't blame him for that." Michelangelo protested.
"He's a Purple Dragon!" Donatello yelled. "And let us not forget the robbery or the drug taking and dealing."
"All the more reason that we should go out and find him." Michelangelo declared. "You know how easy it is to get caught up in something like that, especially when you don't have a home to go to. What about Angel? We stopped her from joining and set her straight."
"We stopped her from joining." Donatello reiterated. "Jeffery is already one of them. We can't just go marching up into the Purple Dragon's hideout and pull him out of there."
"Oh yeah? Well...Jeffery would be twenty-six this year, right? Well I didn't see anything about him being arrested this year for anything. So maybe he quit." Michelangelo tried to sound convincing.
"Or he has been arrested yet." Donatello pointed out.
A glare came over Michelangelo's face. "Well I'm not giving up on him. So now you can either go up top with me and help me find him, or you can just sit here on your shell and do nothing." He snarled before he stormed out.
Donatello jumped up from his chair. "Mikey!" He called from the entrance of his lab.
"I'll be leaving in half an hour." Michelangelo yelled as he headed for his room. "Come or don't come, I don't care at this point." With that, he entered his room and slammed the door shut.
Leonardo poked he head out of the dojo entrance he and Raphael were in. "What was that all about?" He called out to Don.
"Nothing." Donatello muttered. "Nothing."
A/N: Finally got the next chapter up (yay). Bet you didn't expect me to make Jeffery such a bad kid, did ya? Did ya?
Ok, so I said in the last chapter they would find Jeffery. Technically they did...(heh?)
Alright, alright. I wanted it to be this chapter, but if I did it would be longer than I wanted too be. So next chapter, promise.
Thanks for reading, until next time.
