((Here it is folks. The last of the revised/reloaded chapters. Tomorrow begins anew.))
I watched the door quietly after Raphael had gone. I almost expected him to remember that I had insulted Splinter and come back to tear me into pieces. But minutes passed without so much as a knock on the door. I stood and walked over to the window. The curtains were drawn shut like every curtain or blind in the apartment. I was used to that. My dad kept the blinds closed in our old house too.
With a somewhat unsteady hand, I drew back the curtains and stared down on the streets of New York. The city was alive with activity. Buses, taxis and cars filled the streets taking the people to wherever it is that they were headed. I wondered if any of those people were members of the Foot Clan. Did those ninjas have everyday lives? Did they have families they went home to? A job outside of being killers? I sighed and let the curtain fall back into place. I was marked at the age of nine. I laughed slightly wondering if there was a reward out for me. "Wanted Dead or Alive. Nine year old half human/half turtle. Answers to the name of Ren or Miren." Whatever that meant.
I walked over to the bed and laid down feeling sorry for myself. My parents never gave into pouting, so pity parties were a rarity for me. It never accomplished anything. Not to say I wasn't prone to tantrums. They never accomplished much either as far as getting what I wanted but it helped to release some of the frustration. But right now, I couldn't think of anything better to do then lay on the bed and mope about my life and what it had become. I closed my eyes. Having to adjust to so much in such a short time, I felt somewhat justified.
The door slammed and I jumped a few feet into the air startled. I must have fallen asleep because I was so disoriented. I had no clue what was going on, but before I could even blink the sleep from my eyes, my father grabbed me and sat me up. "There's a bag in the closet. Grab some of the clothes April gave you. Quickly."
I shook my head in confusion. "What's going on?"
Dad opened the closet door. "Don't ask questions. Just do it." He tossed the bag to me and headed for the door.
I caught it midair and stared at it for a second before looking at him somewhat ashamed. "Did Splinter throw us out? Because of what I said?"
He turned with a surprised expression. "What?"
I fell silent. Obviously no one saw it necessary to tell my dad what had happened. Before I could think of an answer, he just shook his head. "We can talk about that later. But no one has thrown us out. We're relocating to the old lair."
My eyes went wide. "Why?"
"Hey Leo," Mike opened the door. "Raph said we're not waiting until night fall. We're all leaving now."
Dad turned. "Even Splinter? It's risky to take him out in broad daylight."
Mike shrugged. "Guess it's riskier to leave him here."
I hadn't even started packing yet. I just sat there and listened, trying to figure out what was going on.
My dad shook his head. "You guys really trust this source you have?"
"Mike. You were s'posed to get Leo and Ren and come right back to the living room. Not take fuckin' twenty minutes bullshitting." Raphael walked into the room and glared at my father. "And no Leo, I don'ttrust anyone. But he's always been right before." He turned to me. "And unless you wanna start running around nekkid, Kid, get some clothes in that bag and stop sittin' around."
I carried the bag to the dresser and started stuffing things inside while still listening.
"Raph," Dad began almost hesitantly. "If you take Splinter out now, and we get attacked..."
"We stay here, we do get attacked," Raphael interrupted.
My eyes followed their debate like a tennis match. My dad was actually arguing with Raphael. Well---not arguing exactly, but he was questioning Raph's decision. I wondered if that was allowed. For some reason I thought that the leader's decision should never be questioned.
"You just said that you don't trust this source. What if---?"
My father got no further than that. Raphael cut him off. "Shut the hell up Leo. It's my fuckin decision. I say we go. You don't like it, stay here and get your ass kicked."
Dad sighed and closed his eyes. His fists clenched but he didn't say anything else.
"Mike, go with Donnie and help get Splinter underground. Take the back way down. I'll wait and go with these two." Raph gestured slightly to me and my father.
Uncle Mike hesitated glancing from my father to Raphael silently. I watched my father's face turn a shade of red and he looked away. I stopped my packing. Mike hadn't said a word, but he, in some way, embarrassed my father. What was it? Did Mike give him a look I hadn't seen? I didn't think Uncle Mike would do something like that.
. "Don't worry about us Mikey. I can take care of it. You just get your ass movin' and take care of Splinter. We'll follow you in about ten minutes." Raphael looked away from my father, not even noticing his embarrassment.
Michaelangelo nodded. "Sorry, Leo," he muttered and walked away.
I swallowed hard and began packing again. Attacked. The Foot were coming. But it was daylight out. Would they really attack in the daylight where anyone could see them?
"You still not done?" Raphael demanded glaring at me. "You're just gonna have ta live with what you got. Zip it up and let's go."
I didn't even bother to argue. I had enough anyway. I zipped up the bag and stepped to my father's side. Raphael turned and we followed him down the hallway.
"The Foot Clan is coming, right?" I whispered to my father.
My dad took my hand. "We got a tip from someone inside the clan," he said quietly as we walked into the living room. It was empty. Uncle Mike and Don must have already left with Splinter. "There were plans to attack tonight."
"Because of me?" I asked.
Dad squeezed my hand but he didn't answer. He might as well have. Raphael wasn't shy about telling me how much the Foot wanted me dead. "But how did they find us?"
"Anyone ever tell you, you ask too many damn questions?" Raphael snapped. He looked out the window and then turned back with an angry scowl.
My father looked at him and sighed. "They've known for awhile, Ren. It was part of the bargain I made with them when I left with your mother. The only thing I wanted. The only---protection I could give my family."
Raphael growled. "You signed a truce with them. Something you had no goddamn right to do."
"I only did what I had to do, Raphael," Dad defended quietly. "The only thing I could do."
"Bullshit," Raphael said angrily.
"I don't want to argue about this right now, Raph." He sat down on the couch and pulled me down beside him.
Raphael glared at him for a full minute before sighing in frustration. "Fine." He looked out the window again and then back to us. "Let's go."
My father and Raphael dressed in their coats and pulled the hats down over their eyes. Sometimes, I was grateful for looking semi-normal. I just slipped on my jacket and a baseball hat.
Raphael paused at the door and turned to my father. "Just in case," he said. Raphael handed him one of those fork weapons and sighed. "Just don't fuckin lose it."
Dad smiled slightly as if that was some sort of inside joke and took the weapon. The walk to the elevator was uneventful even though Raphael's eyes kept darting from one corner of the hallway to the other. He looked like he was just waiting to be attacked. The elevator door closed behind us and we rode down in silence. I couldn't help but notice how Raphael shifted from one foot to the other. He drew the remaining weapon and clenched and unclenched his fist around it. The numbers dropped slowly as we got closer to the ground level.
The elevator bell chimed and the door had just started to open. Raphael jumped forward and grabbed my head pushing me down. "Geddown!" he yelled and spun to the side of the elevator car. I dropped to my knees as something went flying by my head. The elevator doors closed and we started upwards again.
My father pulled me to my feet and I looked behind me at the row of throwing stars imbedded in the wall. My eyes widened and I jumped involuntarily when the elevator chimed again. The doors opened and Raphael glanced out and then pulled me into the hallway. My father followed.
"What are we doing?" I whispered nervously. I wanted so badly to run back to the relative safety of the elevator.
Raphael's hand covered my mouth and he kept walking. He finally let me go and stopped near an apartment door. With some kind of tool from his belt, he knelt down next to the doorknob and popped the lock. He opened the door and we walked inside.
"Raphael," my father gasped quietly looking around the room. "Are you out of your mind? Someone lives here."
I backed into my father waiting to hear the sounds of someone coming.
Raphael walked the rest of the way into the apartment's living room. "No one lives here, Leo. It's a demo. And it's one of our escape routes." He went over to the window and looked out.
"Escape routes?" I asked looking at my father.
He nodded slowly studying Raphael. "You should always have more than one way to escape if possible."
"We've got six," Raphael muttered not looking at us. "The fire escape leads to the alley." He opened the window and climbed out. After a few seconds, he stuck his head back in. "Come on."
My father nudged me forward and I climbed out next to Raphael who didn't give me the chance to even steady myself on the shaking stairs. . "Keep moving," he ordered. I followed him slowly keeping a tight grip on the railing. I think we were a good ten floors up, but I didn't even want to risk looking down to check.
"Sonovabitch!" Raphael yelled suddenly. He grabbed me and before I could even blink, we were airborn. I wanted to scream. Lord knows I tried, but we hit the ground---or more accurately Raphael hit the ground and I landed on him. He stood up, just as my father landed beside him.
"Are you alright, Raph?" he asked worriedly.
Raphael clenched his teeth and stood back to back with my father. Once again, I was crouched on the ground in the center. I looked up and saw blood running down Raphael's leg and onto the pavement next to me. "I'll live," Raphael answered through gritted teeth. He circled keeping his back to me. I dared to look. But I knew even before I did. We were surrounded again.
Raphael glanced at my father. "Ready, Leo?"
Dad nodded. "Yes." I couldn't help but notice he didn't sound so sure of that.
Raphael leveled his weapon forward, his eyes narrowed. "Watch close, Miren. This is where the fun starts."
