Chapter 4

Attempted Recovery…and Discovery

I disclaim, okay? Lots of disclaiming. Oodles of disclaimement.

Thank-you

It took rather longer to reach the outskirts then Leo liked. They got most of the way through the sewer network but had to go above ground when flooded tunnels cut off their route.

"That's not good," said Leo worriedly as they turned to retrace their steps. "We're going to have people down here trying to fix this and then going through the tunnels to find other possible flood-areas."

"It'll be fine- we're far enough away," replied Raph impatiently. "You know the sewer workers- most of them think the tunnels are haunted or somethin' anyway- they won't be exploring." Leo accepted the point and they moved on in silence.

"So…what did you think of what Sensei said?" asked Don. It was clear from his tone that this had been bothering him. Leo shrugged. In truth, it had bothered him also, but he had far less trouble believing in an ancient malevolent entity then practical Donatello.

"He seems certain and how else do you explain what happened to April?" he asked. Don fell silent. No matter how he tried, he couldn't dismiss Aprils'…possession. It had unsettled him more then he liked to admit. Actually, if he were honest with himself, it had been terrifying to hear that voice, those harsh, evil tones emitting from his friend. And that…something else in her eyes. But an ancient evil spirit that could possess people and do…magic? Even the sort that his Sensei had described. Great battles? Nightmare and Science; anthropomorphic personifications of human concepts, his mind informed him crisply. Concepts, not, not beings! But he held his silence as he struggled to come to terms with these unscientific ideas and the rest of the journey passed without incident.

Mikey was getting impatient up on the roof and Mai, for all she was trying to behave and not annoy 'Mister' as she called him almost as much as she called him by name, was getting bored and hungry. He was wondering exactly what time it was and how long he dared leave it until he made a move. Logic and training demanded he wait until nightfall but some deeper instincts were urgently prodding him to get the shell out of here now! And certainly not to wait for dark! Dark was his domain.

"Okay, Mai. I know it's not dark yet but I think we should make a move. I don't think we should be here after dark after all," he reluctantly admitted. She nodded with relief and then glanced at the side of the roof with trepidation.

"How are going to get down?" she asked. He grinned.

"Ready for some roof hopping?" She swallowed but nodded gamely. Mikey held out a hand.

"It's okay, really Mai," he assured her. "I've hopped roofs at night many many times in this city, several times carrying people a lot heavier then you!" He pointed to a lower roof- about six stories to the twelve of their current perch. "That's where we're aiming for- I've got the route planned out. From there we can get down to the ground and into the sewers. Don't worry, they're not dirty or smelly," he added. They'd chatted a bit over the last hour or two before Mikey's screaming instincts made him too edgy to talk. Mai knew about his home and his brothers and April. Mikey'd found out that Mai was half-Chinese, her father was English, which explained her mastery of the language. Her dream was to come to New York when she was older with her sister. Her sister wanted to be a dancer while she wanted to be a 'television writer'. The words reminded Mikey again of April's unknown fate. He hoped she was in the Lair and not a captive somewhere else or worse.

Mai held onto his shell again and he used one arm to make sure she wouldn't slip- he was not going to lose her mid-leap! Then he made the first jump from the twelve-story building roof across an alleyway onto the next derelict apartment block. Mai gripped his shell until her knuckles whitened but didn't make a sound. After one or two leaps she seemed to be rather enjoying herself. She seemed almost disappointed when they reached their destination. From there Mikey took a cheat-route; down the fire-escape at the rear of the building. Wasn't the way he'd have chosen if he were alone, but he wanted to take as few chances as possible with the little girl in his care. Once on the ground he put Mai down and went to the manhole cover.

"Here we are! Sewer, sweet sewer," he grinned. Mai looked slightly askance at the dark hole so Mikey went in first and kept talking cheerfully as she climbed down the ladder. Once down in the sewer it wasn't so bad, it was gloomy, but not pitch-black but Mai kept tight hold of Mikey's hand. She didn't mind being down here with someone, but she wouldn't want to get lost on her own!

From here, it was a relatively easy walk although, unbeknownst to Mikey, he passed within a few tunnels of his brothers as they moved quickly and silently towards the condemned apartments to find him!

April was first to see him- the last person she'd expected to see stroll in the door- much less with a six-year old child! Her mouth dropped open.

"Mikey!" she managed, hand flying to her mouth before she launched herself at him. He hugged her back and grinned with relief.

"I thought…I knew you hadn't been captured so well, I hoped you were here. Were you injured?" he asked guiltily. She glared at him.

"Don't go all guilt-stricken on me. I've enough of that with Leo! No, I wasn't injured but you soon will be if you don't tell me where on earth you've been. And…where are the others?" Suddenly realising that the rescuers were keeping awfully quiet.

"I don't know. I haven't seen them…" he trailed off.

"They went to rescue you!"

"They went to the apartments?"

"Yes!"

"Shell-cell! Where is it! I lost mine last night," he asked, new fear filling his voice. Mai, beside him, caught the anxiety but not the full reason for it and tightened her grip. Mikey looked down at her, having forgotten for a moment that the little girl had been there.

"Mai, I need to leave for a minute. This is April- I told you about her. She's very nice and she'll look after you for a few minutes, okay?" Mai looked uncertain but reluctantly relinquished her death-grip on his fingers. April looked at the little girl and crouched down.

"Hello Mai," she smiled kindly. Mikey left the room at a run to find Splinter. He nearly steam-rolled him at the doorway.

"Michelangelo!" The elderly rat seemed momentarily speechless. "Your brothers succeeded then? Where are they?" Mikey wondered for an irritated second why no-one seemed to think he could get himself out of trouble.

"I got myself out but I never saw them. Sensei, they could be walking into a trap. I need your shell-cell. If Nightmare returns…he is too powerful!" Splinter was already getting the ingenious piece of technology out of his robe and flicking it open. It took him marginally longer then it would any of his sons and Mikey was nearly hopping up and down with impatience. He couldn't have said exactly why it was so important that they contact the others immediately and get them out of there but…

"Leonardo? Leonardo! Can you hear me?" The cell was having trouble though. Leo's picture flickered and his voice was interrupted by hissing and crackling.

"Not…line…poor…eption. Found….and the guards but…know anything…not here."

"My son, you must come back immediately. Michelangelo has returned."

"Can't …you…peat, please?"

"Return to the Lair, Leonardo, all of you. Your brother is here."

"…turn? …about Mikey? But he's not here anyway. …on our way…" The line broke up completely and Splinter sighed mildly at the fuzzing screen.

"I am glad you are safe, my son," he told his youngest. "We were worried about you- Nightmare is a dangerous foe." His eyes focussed on the dried blood tracks on the side of Mikey's face where he'd not managed to rub it off yet.

"My son, are you injured?" he asked sharply. Mikey shook his head.

"When I woke up…he spoke to me in my head. It…it hurt," he finished. "But Sensei, when I got out, there was another prisoner…" He was to get no further for the sharp gasp came form the living room where previously only the murmur of speech had come. Both father and son hurried to investigate. April was staring at the little girl, who was staring back, wide-eyed and cautious.

"Mai Zhen Song…" Her eyes took in the too big clothes before focussing in sharply on the child's features. She looked up in frank disbelief at Mikey and Splinter where they stood in the door.

"Guys… you won't believe this…but this is Finn!"

"Channel 6 is employing six-year olds?" asked Mikey stupidly. She glared at him.

"I don't understand it either… but you should- you've been a child at least twice! Remember the Shredder- you and Leo? I know Mai, I recognise her, I've seen pictures of her when she was small and I've met her niece- she looks exactly like her! Look at her clothes!" Mikey accepted the rebuke with a shrug, looking at Mai who seemed scared. He concentrated on her clothes, wondering how on earth he'd missed it before. There, half-hidden in a fold of the adult-sized clothes was the channel Six tag, with 'Finn Song' in small printed letters beneath.

"My name is Mai!" the subject of the scrutiny insisted, backing away from April and looking at Mikey.

"It's okay, sweetie," soothed April, crouching down to talk to the child who backed away further, moving towards the big green turtle who had helped her. He was the only one she trusted. Her eyes widened further as she took in the figure standing beside her protector. Mikey winced as he realised he'd never warned the little girl about the human-sized rat. She gripped his hand tightly and stood as close to him as possible, close to tears and thoroughly unnerved. Mikey looked at April helplessly before crouching down himself to look at Mai.

"Mai, this is Master Splinter, my father and teacher. He won't hurt you. I would never allow any harm to come to you, do you understand me? No-one here will harm you, any more then I would. Finn…you… were kidnapped by Nightmare…and well, I found you there. April…Mai, I know this is hard for you." He blinked as an idea came to him.

"Mai…" he said carefully. "What date is it?" She looked confused at the question.

"Twenty-fourth of February," she replied.

"What year?" asked April, understanding Mikey's questioning.

"Nineteen- seventy-four," she answered with no hesitation. Mikey looked back up at April.

"Mai…" April bit her lip, unsure as to whether to continue.

"Mai, it's nineteen eighty-six. You've lost twelve years of your life."

The girl looked at him, trying to see if he was telling her the truth. But the serious expression and the tone of 'Mister's voice told her that he was. When she saw this she seemed to take in the fact with that peculiar acceptance of young children before they learn what's 'impossible'. Then her eyes filled with tears.

"So I can't get back to my family by going to Shang'hai then?" she asked, jumping to this inescapable fact quickly. Mikey paused, then shook his head, looking to Master Splinter for help. Master Splinter had raised four children from babies now and while Mikey looked rather alarmed at the tears of the previously stoic child, Splinter knew what to do.

"Mai, you are welcome to stay here until we can restore you to your proper age," he said kindly and she looked desperately at Mikey. He nodded at her and she broke down into tears of exhaustion and relief and clung to him. When she'd recovered, she was half-asleep, worn out. Mikey lifted her up and place her on the couch to sleep while April found some blankets. Once they'd settled the child they moved into the kitchen to talk it over. They'd barely sat down when the three would-be rescuers burst back in. Raph was first to spot Mikey in the hall and his jaw dropped.

"What the…how the shell did you get here!" he demanded. Mikey, fighting a sudden (but unwise) urge to laugh, nevertheless hushed Raph, mindful of the exhausted little girl asleep on the couch.

"Don't hush me! Here we went, charging off because you'd been kidnapped and you're…! You'd better have a good explanation for worrying Master Splinter if you weren't kidnapped because otherwise I'm gonna be the one you'll hafta watch out for!"

"Cool it, Raph!" replied Mikey calmly. "I was kidnapped and I escaped. And quit shouting, you'll wake up the little dudette."

With this extraordinary pronouncement he retreated into the living room to make sure the 'little dudette' hadn't been disturbed by the shouting before coming back out into the hall/tunnel again.

"Thanks for the rescue by the way guys. It's the thought that counts." he added wickedly, leaving Raph spluttering and Don's mouth twitching at his temperamental brother's expression.

"Alright, you two," said Leo wearily, breaking up the spat before Raph murdered the little brother he'd been worried about ten minutes before.

"So you got yourself out, Mike, fair enough. Now stop needling Raph and tell us who the 'little dudette' is and why she's asleep on the couch. And who is Nightmare, why did he want you? And did you find any information on Finn?"

Mikey opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Think you'd better just join the family conference inside. Ape's here. Come on, I'll explain when we get in." While thinking, there's no way they're gonna believe this…

"What happened to you!" demanded sharp-eyed Raph spotting the neglected blood-trails on the sides of Mikey's face. Don pushed past him, the family medic but Mikey irritably pulled back. "It's not serious- something Nightmare…look, I'll explain when we're inside. I'm not hurt!" He ducked into the bathroom to scrub off the offending marks before anyone else commented on them, leaving his family to settle in confused silence in the kitchen, wondering just what the shell was going on.

Lucy! I'm baaak! Okay, so that's not quite the quote but anywhoo.

See, no cliffie this time. So how long before Nightmare strikes again? And why is Finn now a six-year old? And how's Mikey going to cope if he's the only one she'll trust?