Title: Destinations – Sequel to 'Moth and Flame'

Author: Jayde

Summary: This picks up a couple of months after 'Moth and Flame'.

Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever, owned the turtles. No harm intended.

Credits: Elaborate and Technicolor thanks to Reluctant Dragon for slaving over the beta reading for this story.

Chapter 8:

Two weeks ago, on Maora 2 …

Trapped.

My dear daughter, did you really think I would just let you leave?

Sitting on her bed, Sen blinked back tears. She had done enough crying. Her mother had arranged for her release – a limited release – pending charges. She couldn't leave Maora 2. The charges were a lie, but no one believed her professions of innocence. No one …

You have one choice left, Sen. It is my way, or prison

Taka's way might as well have involved chains and a cell. It was just another kind of prison – a prison without bars, and the only thing she lost was her soul – her self. Sen reached out and picked up the blue dagger that rested on the bed in front of her.

The messages, both of them, were written. The first was innocuous enough to pass her mother's inspection, and the second was safely hidden. Please, she thought. Please find it, Leonardo. She ran the tips of her fingers over the side of the blade, and remembered when she had first seen it. It was not long after her return to her home planet. She had been walking past a small store that sold curiosities from other worlds. The dagger had been resting in the window, and the light caught it as she passed, throwing off a blue gleam. It was like his eyes – the color of a clear and brilliant Earth sky. And behind those eyes she had sensed a great deal that did not break through the calm surface except, perhaps, when he allowed it.

At the time, she had bought it as a gift. An interesting item from a distant world with it's hidden compartment – she had never had the nerve to send it.

Finding her resolve, Sen swiftly wrapped the weapon in a simple cloth. She slid it, and the note, into a message tube. A servant would come, later, and she would humbly ask that it be delivered. Her mother would check it, but if luck served, Taka would notice nothing amiss.

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Raphael sighed and shifted position … again. Leo glanced over at him, and then returned his gaze to the middle distance of the room – to nothing, really – and renewed his meditation. It was the best way he could think of to pass the time. The waiting was hardest on Raphael. He had never been patient.

Of course, their hours in this waiting room would have tried the patience of their beloved master.

They had started the morning believing they were embarking on a simple task – go to the Utroms, and see what aid they could find. They had arrived at the Transmat station, found an Utrom, and made their request. That Utrom couldn't help them, so he led them to a receptionist who made a call. They were then directed to an office where their credentials were minutely inspected. They followed yet another flunky down a long hall to this waiting room, and here they sat.

Waiting.

Adjusting his posture for the hundredth time, Raph growled softly. Just a faint rumble from low in is throat, but a passerby gave him a wide berth. "How long are we gonna hafta sit here?" Raphael groused.

Blocking out his brother's grumbling, Leo focused on his breathing, letting the peaceful state return.

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Leaning over, Sam snagged the phone from the bedside table and answered it on the second ring.

"Hello."

"Sam, how are you?"

Sam let out a breath. Don. "Fine. How's London?"

"Rainy," he said, and Sam laughed. It was so good to hear his voice. She snuggled down under the comforter and relaxed. "But really incredible."

"How did the interview go?" Sam asked expectantly.

"It was … It's a fantastic place, Sam," Don began. She could hear his hesitation. "I would have free reign with my research, my own staff, my own lab …" Sam listened as Don fed her the details of the job. It was the opportunity of a lifetime – she could hear it in his voice.

"You want to take it," she said. There was a period of silence on the other end. "It's okay, Don. I understand." She did, too. The perfect job comes along rarely, and she wouldn't deny him what he obviously wanted so badly.

"I know it would be hard on you," Don said, treading cautiously. "You would have to give up so much."

"It would be starting over," Sam noted softly. She curled on her side with the phone pressed to her ear. "But if this is what you want, then I'll go." She could hear him sigh with relief. "I couldn't leave you,"she whispered. "Not now. Don, I …" Sam paused.

"What?" Don queried.

She couldn't tell him over the phone. It seemed wrong somehow.

"Come home," she said instead. "I love you and I miss you."

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Leo snapped back to the here and now as he saw an Utrom, gliding along on a floating platform, approach.

"Leonardo and Raphael? I'm terribly sorry for the delay. Please come with me," the Utrom stated evenly. His hovering platform turned, and the turtles rose to their feet to follow. Following the Utrom, Leo noted that they were passing into a more secure section. Guards stood at intervals along the hall, their weapons within easy reach.

The Utrom made a sharp right turn, and they entered a room with gleaming metal walls. An oblong black table bisected the space, and behind it waited three Utroms seated on elaborate chairs. Their guide spun and retreated, his mission accomplished.

"Greetings, friends," the Utroms intoned simultaneously. "Please, be seated." Two chairs rose up from the floor, facing the table. Leo moved around the seats and sat down, Raphael joining him a moment later. Neither was comfortable with the door at their backs. "What brings the Earth terrapins to Maora 2?"

"We're visiting a friend," Leo replied. "A friend who is in need of some help."

"We see," the three said, their tones gentle. "We know of the situation." Leo felt some of the tension leave his body. "It is regrettable, indeed," the Utroms went on. "And you have our sympathy."

"I was hoping that there might be something you could do," Leo began cautiously. While he and his brothers had been an enormous help to the Utroms in the past, he didn't like to ask for favors.

The three Utroms exchanged glances. "Unfortunately, we can do nothing. To interfere in planetary laws would be improper."

Raphael frowned, wishing he hadn't come up with this idea. It had been a huge waste of time. He could feel Leo's frustration and disappointment.

"We are very sorry," the Utroms went on. "Perhaps we could provide you with better accommodations for the remainder of your stay? Or a personal driver?" Leo shook his head, standing up. His hopes of an easy solution had been dashed – he had no idea what to do now.

"Thank you, but …" Leo paused, noting a shift in the room. He turned around to find the door open and two orange skinned creatures entering. They were dressed in black suits – they looked like nothing so much as obscure businessmen.

"This is highly unusual," one of the Utroms noted anxiously. Raphael took three steps away from his chair, keeping both the Utroms and the new arrivals in sight. "What is the reason for this intrusion?" the center Utrom demanded.

"We are here to escort the terrapins," one of the orange aliens replied in a nearly unintelligible squeak.

"Yes, well," another of the Utroms said, clearly rattled. The three hesitated a moment to gather themselves, and then spoke together once more. "It was our great pleasure to meet you both."

Leo nodded briefly, and then turned back to their escort. Following the pair out of the room, Leo met his brother's narrowed and suspicious eyes. They were being rushed out. The brothers followed down one hallway, and then two rapid turns to the right. Leo's steps slowed, realizing they weren't returning the same way they had entered.

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"I'm sorry, but you cannot go out."

Taking a cautious step back, Sen eyed her mother's personal bodyguards where they stood in front of the door. Rarely had they ever been inside their home, but now … She had left her room to return to the hotel and Leonardo, and found these two guarding the front door.

"Please go back to your room," the shortest of the pair said, his tone polite.

"You cannot keep me here," Sen protested. Was she a prisoner now? She could try to plead with them, but she did not even know their names. There had never been any reason to learn them – they had never interfered with her before.

"You must wait for Lady Taka," the taller one noted evenly. Sen backed up another pace, her heart pounding. She could not get back to Leonardo, and he did not know where she lived. Frightened, Sen turned on her heel and hurried to her room. She shut the door and rushed over to the communications panel on her small desk. When she brought up the screen, it displayed the symbol that indicated the in-home system was locked.

She could not leave, and she could not call out for help.

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"Mind tellin' us where we're goin'?" Raph asked. A door opened immediately ahead, and a human woman stepped out into their path. She had on a simple black skirt suit, a match in uniform for her orange colleagues.

"If you want help, I suggest you continue to follow," the woman answered briefly.

"Knew you couldn't resist me," Raph offered. Haven rolled her eyes, and moved to one side to let them all through the door.

"Someone you know?" Leo queried softly. Raph smiled enigmatically, and shrugged. Now in a small room filled with screens that showed camera footage or displays of moving text, the brothers trailed Haven to a small conference table in the center of the controlled chaos.

"Please, have a seat," Haven offered. The orange aliens wandered off to look at a screen, leaving the three of them relative privacy.

"What is this about?" Leo questioned, growing irritated.

"Please, Leonardo, sit. I will explain everything," Haven reassured, waving a hand to the chairs near where she stood. Raphael pulled out a chair, and Leo shortly followed. Her guests now seated, Haven began to explain. "My employers, the Utroms, are very sorry that they cannot offer official aid to your cause. It would be bad form to interfere in local politics." One of the orange aliens stepped over and dropped a black file folder on the table in front of her. Haven smiled her thanks, and then returned her attention to the turtles.

"So, you're 'unofficial' help?" Leo clarified, beginning to catch on.

"Yes," Haven said, nodding. She moved to sit down, hesitated, and then with a sour expression she tugged up one side of her knee length skirt. A holster hugged her right thigh, and Haven removed a small shining laser gun. She laid it on the table, and was now able to sit down comfortably. "Much better," she murmured. Raphael's eye ridges had risen considerably during this display, and he eyed the weapon where it rested on the smooth tabletop.

"What do you do here, exactly?" Raphael asked, wondering whom they were getting involved with.

"I … am in charge of archive retrieval and maintenance," Haven said rapidly, looking down at the smooth cover of the folder. She seemed a little embarrassed.

"What's that supposed ta mean?" Raph grumbled, glancing over at Leo for backup.

"Records?" Leo asked, surprised. "You're in charge of records?"

"We get clerical staff for help?" Raph said, disgusted. When he had seen the gun, he had thought maybe they were dealing with a pro. But she did the damn filing! A lot of good she was going to do them.

Haven cleared her throat and met the brothers' dubious looks with honesty. "I'm all you've got." She opened the folder, and retrieved a photograph from the inside cover. "This is Lady Taka," Haven explained, sliding the photo over to Leo. He turned it around and looked at it. "Sen's mother. She's a tyrant." Leo glanced up at Haven's blunt statement. "She's a brilliant strategist, politically speaking. She's very much a power behind the throne, with her wealth and family connections."

At Leo's puzzled look, Haven tilted her head. "You knew about Lady Sen's background, didn't you? I mean, you had to know …" At the blank expressions on both of their faces, Haven went on. "She's from one of the richest families on this planet," Haven explained gently. "I would imagine her mother had grand plans for Sen." Haven glanced down at the dossier, and flipped a couple of pages. "Private boarding schools, nannies, tutors … Although, we haven't really been watching Sen. She wasn't even a blip on our radar until she unexpectedly went to Earth."

"The attempted murder thing – can you do anything about that?" Raph asked, looking over at Leo. His brother looked to be pretty surprised by everything he'd just heard. Shocked into silence, actually.

"No. The authorities don't really believe Sen had anything to do with it. You can chalk this up to dear old mom," Haven answered. Leo pushed the picture away from him. Looking at the narrow, cold-eyed face made him furious. This was Sen's own mother. How any parent could hold their child captive was beyond him.

"My recommendation?" Haven said, leaning forward. "Get her out of here as quickly as you can."

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