Author Note: My apologies for the lateness of this chapter. I've had a lot of work on, not to mention that I was immersed in doing several diplomas for the Stealthy Stories site. And I got bit by the one-shot bunny too! But hopefully back on track now. Still don't have Word, so although I've gone over the chapter and tried to eliminate any mistakes, I can't guarantee I got them all. In other words, I might need forgiveness. Leave a review on ya way out, let me know what you think!
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Leonardo left his meeting with Master Saki and headed to Donnie's room, figuring he was most likely to be hanging around there. But there was no sign of his brother. The room was empty, the computer still turned on, showing the meteor shower screensaver. With a sigh, he went to Raph's room and found no one there either, although he did notice the punch bag was leaking stuffing. Again. Mikey's room was similarly empty and Leo nearly had an unfortunate accident involving a carelessly discarded skateboard. He made a quick search of all the other places where they might be hanging out and found nothing. There was no sign of any of them.
Frowning, Leo considered where his brothers might go. Master Saki hadn't metioned them leaving but they didn't always get his permission when they went for a midnight training run, knowing he wouldn't disapprove. And there was one place they nearly always stopped for a break, a rooftop sporting a giant billboard. If he went there, maybe he would get lucky and find them. He wasn't sure why it had suddenly become such a priority to repair their relationship, but Karai leaving had alerted him to just how far apart they had become. It was time they did something about it.
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On the rooftop beneath the billboard, Mikey sat with his shell against the low wall. Donnie was stood, a thoughtful look on his face. And Raph was pacing, spinning a dagger around his finger.
"He's shittin us," said Raph for the fourth time.
"I dunno Raph," replied Mikey. "He seemed pretty sincere."
"He wants us to bust him out! Of course he's gonna wanna sound sincere."
"But he knew who we were - you knew his name!"
"It just sounded familiar is all, it doesn't mean he's tellin us the truth."
"He's a mutant, like us. You saw his hand."
"Maybe he's just real hairy."
"Guys!" Donnie raised a hand to stop the bickering. "Why don't we try thinking this through logically?"
Raph gave him a look of disbelief. "You're not buying that story are you?"
"I don't know! But some of the things he said make sense. And another thing, why would he want us to get Leo involved? That'd be a bad move if he wants us to help him and if he found out about us from of the Foot he'd know it. He just seemed sad that we didn't tell him."
"Speaking of Leo," said Mikey hesitantly. "What are we gonna tell him?"
"Nothin," replied Raph, his voice firm. "I don't need another one of Fearless Leader's lectures and if he finds out we were talkin to someone in high security we wouldn't hear the end of it."
"But Splinter said. . . "
"Splinter said! Splinter said! Who cares what Splinter said? We can't know for sure if the guy's on the level or not. I think he's making the whole thing up."
Donnie rubbed his forehead wearily. "Did you ever ask Hun what happened to his face?"
"Huh? What's that got to do with anything?"
"I asked Master Saki once, when I was a kid. He said Hun was attacked by a rat."
Silence reigned on the rooftop for a moment. Then Raph sighed and sat down beside Mikey. "OK. So if this Splinter really is telling the truth, what are we going to do about it?"
"I'm gonna do some digging on the computer, see if I can find anything out about him," said Donnie.
"Don, be careful when you do that!" Mikey looked alarmed. "Splinter was telling the truth about one thing for sure - Master Saki is a bad man. If he finds out we've been looking for answers. . .
"He won't," said Donnie reassuringly. "I've done enough sneaking around these last few weeks to have become an expert!"
His brothers gave him curious looks. "What are you talking about?" asked Mikey.
"I'll tell you about it later," said Donnie. "We should think about getting back. Leo's probably back at headquarters by now and if we don't want him to know, we ought not to make him suspicious."
"Yeah, wouldn't want to get busted by Saki Junior," muttered Raph, standing up. "Race ya back?"
"You're on!" Mikey leapt to his feet and got a headstart, his brothers following closely behind. Soon they were far away from the building that was their unofficial hangout.
None of them had seen the figure lurking atop the billboard.
Leonardo's plan had been to sneak up on them, then jump into their midst and hopefully give them a fright. But he had paused for a moment when he saw how agitated they all were and blended into the shadows when he heard his name spoken, although he needn't have bothered because none of them looked up.
"Speaking of Leo, what are we gonna tell him?"
He listened to the rest of the conversation, every word weighing on his heart like stones. His brothers didn't trust him. They were facing something major by the sound of things and rather than turn to him, they had cut him out. They were keeping secrets from him, hiding their problems. They had grown further away from him than he had realised.
The lack of trust hurt. Sure, he argued with Raph and he could get exasperated with Mikey and half the time he had no idea what was going on in Donnie's head, but he'd never given them a reason to distrust him. Did they honestly think he would side with Master Saki against them?
He made his way back to headquarters slowly, mulling over what they had said. It took an effort to bury his hurt feelings and try to piece together what they were so worried about. Some guy called Splinter. This Splinter was apparently in high security and had told them something bad about Master Saki. Then there was Donnie's puzzling comment about Hun and a rat. It seemed totally out of context.
Maybe if he were to solve his brothers' problems, he could win back their trust. They would have faith in him again and maybe he could get rid of the sorrowful feeling that had overtaken him when he realised they were in trouble and didn't think they could turn to him for help.
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The Foot ninja who was supposed to be watching the cameras was actually dozing in his chair. Leo wanted to make sure he stayed that way. He stepped forward silently, a dart gripped between his fingers and gave the ninja the faintest scratch on the back of the neck. A fast acting, short term sleeping serum that should keep the guy out for an hour or so and not arouse any suspicion that it was anything more than a long nap. He didn't have much time.
It was 3:20 am. There was no one else around. He hurried down into solitary, avoiding where the kunoichi were still awake and mourning the loss of Yuriko, finding solitary and entering. The cameras there were motion sensitive and he knew he couldn't avoid them, but he was pretty sure no one would realise he had been there. It was a chance he would have to take.
Solitary led off into high security and sticking to the shadows as much as possible, easier in the dimly lit corridor, he checked out the cells in the area. Most of them were deserted, but he could see one at the far end of the corridor that was closed. He checked it out. Locked.
Quietly, he opened the hatch and tried to peer into the dark room. It was no use. The darkness was almost total and he couldn't even see the outline of a person. . .
A pair of eyes appeared at the hatch.
Startled, Leo took a couple of hurried steps backward before regaining his composure and folded his arms in what he hoped was a stern and intimidating fashion.
"I want to ask you some questions."
There was a rusty chuckle from behind the door. "Ah, Leonardo. Always straight to the point. But it is good to see you again. Did your brothers tell you about me?"
"How I found out about you isn't important - Splinter, isn't it? I just came for answers."
"Your brothers haven't spoken to you?" The eyes bein the hatch bore into Leo. "It saddens me to see the four of you estranged. You are family. You should always be able to rely on each other."
Leo was unnerved that the prisoner was articulating his own thoughts so closely but tried not to show it. "I just want to know what you said to them. I don't want your advice."
"Still looking out for the family. You were always protective of them."
"How do you know anything about me? Wait, I don't care how you know. Just tell me what you said to them."
Splinter sighed. "Very well. But if you are to help your brothers, it is not me you need to be speaking to, but them."
"I don't want your advice. Just tell me."
With a frown that was almost imperceptable in the gloom, Splinter began his tale.
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The sparring session was not going well. None of the turtles had gotten much sleep the night before and they were making foolish mistakes, going slower than usual. Knowing their Sensei would be angry, they overcompensated by hitting each other harder, using flashier moves. It wasn't helping. All four were very glad that there was no weapons practice that day.
Master Saki clapped sharply and the four lined up in front of him. The look on his face was dark.
"That was pathetic. I have never been more ashamed of my students. Abysmal."
Leo bowed. He had never paid much thought to the way their Sensei spoke to them before, he rarely messed up his training and when things went well, they recieved praise. But on the rare occasions when things went badly, he would berate them mercilessly, making them feel small and worthless. He had always put it down to motivation before speaking to the prisoner, but what Splinter had said was making him question his Sensei.
He hated the feeling, hated the distrust that he had. He tried to tell himself that Splinter was lying, but the story was so damn plausible. . . no wonder his brothers were suspicious. He was beginning to wonder if Master Saki had told them the whole truth - or if he really was the manipulative, evil figure that Splinter made him out to be.
"We're sorry Sensei. We'll do better."
"Hmph." Saki regarded them all coldly. "I had planned on asking you all to go on a priority mission but after seeing this farce I wonder if my faith in your ablilities is misplaced."
The silence drew out as the four turtles wondered what the mission could be. It would be the first time they went out alone on a mission, assuming that Master Saki didn't decide to change his mind about sending them.
"I shall send you," decided Saki eventually. "But fail me and you will regret it."
"We won't fail you Sensei," replied Leo, knowing that until he discovered the truth he had to continue being the dutiful son. He knew that Raph would tease him mercilessly for his 'sucking up' just as soon as they left the dojo, but at that point he didn't care. He hadn't had much of a chance to talk to his brothers after what he had overheard the previous night and he wanted to see how they behaved toward him. Would they be resentful? Hostile? Or had they been that way all along and he just hadn't noticed?
Master Saki folded his arms. "There is a museum exhibit, a sword. The Sword of Tengu. It was in my. . . family for many generations but was stolen. It belongs to me. I want it back. Tonight, you are to go to the museum and retrieve it. I shall instruct you further before you leave. I hardly need to tell you that this is of the utmost importance. Now go."
The turtles bowed and filed out of the dojo. Leo braced himself for the taunts that Raph would surely unleash as soon as they were out of Master Saki's earshot, Donnie and Mikey rolling their eyes in the background.
"I'm gonna head to my room, beat the crap out of the punchbag for a while," said Raph, leaving the others behind with a slight wave.
"I think I'll get an early start at Stocktronics," Donnie informed them, heading in the opposite direction.
Mikey looked at the floor for a moment, then glanced up and gave Leo a smile filled with false cheer. "See ya later!" He wandered off in the direction of the kunoichi's area.
Leo felt a sudden, uncharacteristic urge to punch a wall. They didn't even want to be around him! Had things really gotten that bad? They didn't talk to him, didn't trust him, didn't even want to spend a few minutes alone with him. . . what had he done wrong?
Deciding that Raph had the right idea, he decided to spend some quality time training in the dojo where the other Foot ninja trained rather than their Sensei's sanctuary. Punching and kicking helped him to work off some of the anger he felt for his brothers at that moment but it wasn't focusing his tired mind the way it usually did.
The immediate problem was Splinter's story. How much of it did he believe? He was willing to believe that he was a mutant rat and that he had been a pet of Hamato Yoshi - but that Master Saki had tortured and killed the man? He wasn't sure. He wasn't a fool, he knew his Sensei was capable of such a thing, but he really didn't want to believe it. All his life he had been content with Master Saki's explaination of their origins, having no reason to doubt or question. But now - now he just didn't know.
There was another explaination though, Leo realised as he gave the punchbag a particularly vicious kick. The rat might have been in the lab with them, another of the experiments that Master Saki said the turtles were a part of. If the rat was delusional or dangerous, then it made sense that Sensei would lock him away, where he couldn't cause trouble, but would still be available should there be any question - or if Sensei decided to use his DNA for research. And why would he tell the turtles about the prisoner? All it would achieve would be to upset them. The way his brothers were upset.
The idea made Leo feel better for about ten seconds before he realised the problem with the theory. He had spoken to the rat, listened to him. There was something about him that convinced Leo he was neither insane nor lying, a gut instinct. But then, Leo knew he had trouble picking up on lies. He was too trusting Master Saki said. So if this Splinter had been lying or delusional, he might not realise it.
Maybe he should confront his brothers with what he knew, force them to confide in him. But that wouldn't work. They would probably accuse him of spying on them, drive the wedge between them further. Or perhaps he could tell them he had discovered Splinter's existence by chance, not mention that he was aware they knew of it already. That would make him seem trustworthy, shame them into giving their side of the story. . .but that would seem too convenient, his discovery so soon after their own.
He wished he could talk to Karai about this.
Worn out, he left the dojo and headed to the sanctuary of his own room, determined to grab a few hours sleep. He would need it to be on top form for that evenings work. His brothers' safety depended upon him being focused, alert. He was the leader after all. Although how much of a leader he was when the others refused to trust him was debatable.
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The city was in darkness as far as the four turtles could see. A convenient power cut allowed them to make their way to the museum undetected, climb to the rooftop and make their way in through the skylight. The lack of power rendered the security measures obsolete, much to Donnie's unspoken disappointment, allowing them easy access into the building. The Sword of Tengu was in a glass case, the plaque beside it displaying some scarce details about Feudal Japan. Leo took the glass cutter they had brought along and made a hole in the case large enough for the sword to be removed through, putting on the glove that Master Saki informed them was a necessity when dealing with the metal it was made from, an alloy that caused anyone attempting to weild it without protection to get a powerful shock. Ideally, Leo would prefer not to end up on his shell.
"Got it."
"So let's book already," hissed Raph with uncharacteristic impatience.
Nodding, Leo sheathed the sword with his own, stowed the glove and followed his brothers back up to the skylight. The mission had been easy. Why had Master Saki made it sound nigh on impossible? To bolster their confidence perhaps, or maybe to ensure they knew how important the Sword of Tengu was to him. Important or not, the whole thing had gone without a hitch. They hadn't seen a sign of any security guards, had been totally undisturbed throughout.
The museum was far enough from the next building that they had descend to street level to leave the area. Mikey went down first, followed by Donnie, Leo and Raph. For a moment they stayed in the shadows, assessing the streets, making sure the streets were as deserted as they had been when they checked from the roof. . .
"Doin' a little late night shopping?"
The four whirled around to the source of the voice. The guy was leant in a doorway, the lack of light the only thing masking his presence - he sure as hell didn't have the light-footedness they associated with ninja. If they'd looked into the doorway a little closer they might have seen him, or maybe not. There was no light whatsoever. They could barely make him out now, even knowing that he was there.
He stood up straight, advancing forward. Out of the shadows and in the dim moonlight, they could see he was much taller than them, heavily muscled, a hockey mask obscuring his features.
Raph recognised him, not by sight but by the descriptions he had been given. "It's him - the vigilante that's been taking down the Dragons."
The vigilante grabbed a baseball bat from the golf bag on his back and spun it menacingly. "If you're with the Dragons, that means you're going down!"
"We can't afford to screw upthis mission," said Leo, sounding more determined than he felt. This was hardly the situation to be in when he doubted his ability to lead, was unsure that his brothers would follow his orders. "Take him down!"
As one, the turtles attacked.