3 months later

There was a loud crash emanating from the back alley of a small street on fifth, loud enough to wake up the neighbors, but not loud enough to be anyone's cause for concern. They'd usually just ignore the ruckus, and proceed to go back to their own business, wanting no part in whatever trouble took place outside their homes. Not a lot of people went there you see, and especially not during the day where it lay mostly barren, like a ghost town. Given the Purple dragon's retreat into their usual criminal ways these last few years, the underbelly of New York was, as a result, twisted into a silent turf war, heavily hunted down by cops around the clock. However, most would hear their sirens after dark, the rattling sounds of guns going off in the distance and the everlasting failure to stop the chaos before the sun went up. But even so, not everyone waited around for the criminals to cause mischief, and especially not as of late. More and more disturbances were reported around the neighborhood, most taking place during the day. But instead of the scumbags and muggers laying in wait for their next prey to harass, or the nearest rich guy to pick a bad time for a walk, on this day it was a sneezy little slugger by name of Jimmy Billy. You could hear his panicked scream echoing through the ally, when he realized he had reached a dead end. And though his pursuer was right behind him, you had to give it to the poor guy: at least he'd managed to get away with only a bruise. His pals on the other hand, would presumably have to limb around for the next few months, if they were not too exhausted to get away like he had luckily managed. Or maybe lucky wasn't the right word in this case.

Another crash bombarded the small passage, and Jimmy saw that it was from a tumbling trashcan being tossed in his direction, most likely not to harm but intimidate the already done for errand boy. And he was intimidated all right, no matter how smug he wanted to be he was no idiot. The fact of the matter even further stressed as a tight pling soared by his ear, and he could only just recognize it to be a throw star, when all of a sudden the boy in front of him came charging at him with two sharp ends in each hand. "Hey, now, fella! I-I don't want no trouble!"

Jimmy tried to put his hands up in surrender, but just as the boy stopped in his tracks , he did something really stupid instead. Or tried to. Actually, what he wanted to happen was for him to sling his pocketknife into the attacker's throat and scram right after, but what did happen wasn't at all in Jimmy's favor. Not two seconds away from the holster, was his hand knocked away in a hit so impactful that he was sure his hand was broken, but before he could react to the pain, the boy suddenly but decidedly grabbed Jimmy by the collar of his shirt and threw him against the wall so hard it was almost inhuman. "Okay, now, we can do this the easy way, or the fun way" He smiled. It wasn't difficult to see this guy was nuts, taking pleasure from seeing the weakling before him shrivel up in fear. He aimed his needle like blade towards his throat, holding him firmly as the errand boy began to shiver. "Look, pal I have no clue what ye talking about. I've never even-

"Now, now, you really wanna do it like this? Come on! The whole, I have no idea what ya talking about, after all the trouble ya little friends went through to shut ya up? Make this easier for yourself, pal. No one has to get hurt" the boy explained, before remembering the broken hand he just a few seconds ago pummeled into fractured bones. "Or well, any more hurt. So, do yourself a favor and just spit it already. Where… are they?"

Jimmy didn't know what to say. He really didn't. Poor guy… Normally, people would let it slide, given he weren't exactly known for being the subtle type. Unfortunately, that wouldn't save him this time. He could see it all over the guy's face. It was a few times in his dealings with the Purple Dragons he had seen that look on a guy. The rage in those green pupils was unmistakable. He was done for. "Okay, I see you wanna do this the fun way, huh? And here I thought I was having a bad day…"

Jimmy let out a hopeful whimper, "So, hehe…truce?"

Quickly followed by his body being thrown seventy miles an hour through the nearest window of an antique shop. The sound of the glass breaking still clinking slightly as Jimmy collapsed like a ragdoll from his injuries, the burglar alarm blaring inside. The boy sent Jimmy one last glance, before he let out a sigh, polishing his weapons and making his grand escape before the cops could arrive. "another day, another disappointment…" he mumbled, the reflection of his red bandanna in the sai meeting his already weary gaze.

Donnie woke to the sound of the subway making his small but tolerable living quarters shake like all hell was loose, knocking over several notebooks and loose pencils. He turned on the small light bulb and started rubbing his eyes tiresome and not at all ready to face the day, before checking the clock. The time was 7:00 am, and he was already regretting the all-nighter from last night, making his pathetic attempt at getting dressed all the more difficult when he could barely bother to open his eyes.

Three months since that day, and Donnie hadn't gotten anymore used to human clothing than he was to living on the surface. Of course, he'd seen countless of shows in which this very mundane task was simple, though he'd never had that need himself with a shell to protect him instead. Luckily, on most days all he really had to master was the ability to wear a janitor jumpsuit and resist the ever-present urge to wear his mask. It was getting sad how much dust it had already gathered, remaining on the shelf like a piece of forgotten equipment. But alas, his new body had many new challenges, and as master Splinter would say: "the truth of the ninja comes not from the body, but from the mind", and right now that was all Donnie really had to get him through this change. He gathered his keys, grabbed his bo (now reduced to a mop and a bucket) and headed out into the hallway.

The first few months had been the most difficult of course, waking up with an entirely reconstructed DNA to match the already painful realization that your family is gone was… not easy. Even if Donnie would pride himself on his ability to keep a cool head and focusing his energy on figuring out the technicalities of this new body of his, he still had the nagging urge to go back home. Back to the lair, back to where it all went wrong. And it wasn't as if he hadn't. Time he didn't spend meditating or testing his fighting abilities with new limbs and muscles was instead spend on searching for his brothers. He checked every subway, every tunnel, every shaft and every last roof top he figured they would most likely appear, but to no avail. The only thing left were scraps from mousers and sliced up foot bots too destroyed to provide him with any valuable data of what might've happened. But tracing DNA samples and T-phones was a little difficult when you had no idea how your brothers even looked like, or if they were still… No. Donnie slapped himself for even thinking that, but quickly regretted doing so as Dave from the chemical division understandably made an effort to find another way to the elevator. Donnie sighed. This was ridiculous! They'd faced the Shredder himself, deadly serpent venom, a psychotic ninja master and an army of mutants, world ending threats in fact and he was actually convinced this was how the Hamato clan would perish? Of course not! A simple ambush, are you kidding?! He knew they'd faced much worse foes in the past and this was not something they couldn't survive, why would it be?! I mean for shell's sake, this was his brothers he reminded himself. They knew how to defend themselves, of course they did. But… it was that exact fact that seemed to baffle Donnie even more beyond compare.

Because if all of this remained true, where had they gone after all this time if it wasn't? A genius like him, and yet the task of finding his family seemed the most challenging yet…

"Donnitell! Morning 'son!"

"It's Donatello actually, and morning Mr. Gilgamesh" Donnie went to the faculty office to grab his daily coffee and breakfast. He didn't know how long it had been for him to just accept the fact that his boss would most likely never get his name right, but Donnie still couldn't refrain from correcting him even if it seemed fruitless. After all, if it wasn't for him, he wouldn't have gotten a bed to sleep in. "I'm going to need you down in Ollie's division, another leaked piped as far as I can understand. Shouldn't take too long, so you should be getting' ya break before eleven."

"Right away, sir"

Despite its very unagreeable location, the Observation of Local Sciences was actually Donnie's lucky break. Sure, the scientists weren't exactly friendly, but they did however provide him with a free for all in terms of equipment, at least, when they didn't notice a vial or two missing every other lunchbreak. Oh, how he missed his old lab. Big open space, privacy, nice unshaking surfaces... And as tempting as it was for him to go back, even he wasn't stupid enough to let his homesickness cloud his judgement, Donnie new that wasn't in the cards. It would be much easier to just walk up to the foot's headquarters with a giant sign that said: free turtle on the menu. Donnie nearly knocked over his mug as his thoughts snapped him back to reality.

"Hey, Don, you doing okay boy? You look a little tired there. School, giving you a hard time?"

"Something like that…" he yearned, smearing marmalade on a slice of toast before readying his washing cart. As far as Mr. Gilgamesh was concerned, Donnie was living with a father who was never home and studying as a freshman in college while looking for a simple job that paid well, even if he had no use for the money. If only the truth was that simple, Donnie thought. But after that little lie, it wasn't long before he was given a place to sleep as well as a simple schedule. The only hard part was getting used to working in the day from now on and blending in with the normal people of NYC for once. He still couldn't stop getting this knot in his chest every time someone send him a look. Just any look for that matter. As if any moment they would start screaming or pointing fingers at him.

He made his way down to the laboratory on second, greeting the scientists who pointed him in the direction of the broken pipe. Donnie sighed heavily when he saw it. I've created battle mech, functioning vehicles from scrap, telepathic smoke bombs, artificial intelligence robots, all from alien technology YEARS ahead of the average sciences of basic human understanding, capable of battling forces beyond this world and … I'm fixing pipes…PIPES. The irony never ceased to amaze him. None of the scientists or other staff members even bothered to call him by name other than "gap tooth kid" or "the gangly one" or "boy" when they had no idea the things he'd done. He was a ninja, a scientist not a simple handyman to get pushed around. And though he knew master Splinter would bash him over the head if he was there for saying so, Donnie still couldn't help but feel like it was a little bit unfair.

Alas, it didn't take him more than approximately two minutes before he finished the simple task full grown adults apparently struggled for days to solve. When he was done with that, he had to go to the basement to clean the floors, sort the different divisions thesis papers in chronological order and dust the ventilation shafts. It wasn't until 3 pm he had time to spare, leaving his cart in basement of the building. He quickly scouted the laboratory for people, relieved to see only Gary from the filing division in the corner. This was always an excellent opportunity for Donnie to retrain his stealth skills, and this time was no different even if his body was not the one he'd grown most accustomed to. He faded into the shadows like a ghost, grabbing the most essential and easily unnoticeable components he could use, before making his way to the janitor's office.

He waited patiently, his legs crossed over the bed as he adjusted the small device in his lab, tongue sticking out in concentration. The little device beeped, and poked and sizzled, Donnie keeping his patience while he waited for the communicator to actually work. It took weeks before the foot made their move, and Donnie would be damned before he let them get away with it, alone or not. As a result, most of his 'school' work had turned into the longest lasting solo mission he'd ever found himself on. Night after night, tracking signals and mapping out the foot's location, but he still had no idea what they were trying to accomplish. When Leo's ingenious plan worked, the foot had quieted down longer than Donnie was comfortable with. In truth, it was only more worrisome given the lengths they had been willing to go, just to eliminate the turtles as a threat. No, they were up to something all right, and whatever it was it had something to do with the purple ooze… but even after countless of tests and analysis he still hadn't the slightest clue. And while the communicator he had managed to snatch from the lair's wreckage was certainly a big help, it was still only giving him inaudible words like, preparing or the ever-frequent search for first. All of which made no sense as far as Donnie could tell. "Come on… come on! Stupid thing! Why won't you just work?!" He nearly bit his tongue, the frustration of the usual bzzzz filling the room as another wire short circuited. Donnie would have been about ready to throw away the damned thing once and for all, if it wasn't for the words that followed, and a chill ran down his spine.

Search… orange one… located… capture… all cost…

Donnie wasn't sure he heard correctly, trying to one-up the frequency over and over again like it would somehow reveal the meaning to him but more concretely so that he could be absolutely sure. "I can't believe this…It, it can't be… " But even if he was wrong, fact remained Donnie had no time to waste. For the first time in three months, he finally had a good reason for an all-nighter, even if he was wrong which a part of him desperately wished he was but at the same time hoped would prove his hunch right just because it would give him a chance. But honestly, the thought didn't even occur, because all that truly mattered was that short phrase, orange located and all of a sudden it was like the young ninja reobtained his fighting spirit all over again.

The first thing Donnie did was reinstalling the shell-raiser's old tracker and plugging it into the communication device, tracking the coordinates before the sun went down and his shift ended.

"I really hope Mr. Gilgamesh doesn't fire me for this"

The first blow struck like a hammer, piercing the boy's lip into a bloody mess before he had a chance to get back up on his feet. Most of the students around him rallied the older students, while other's remained preoccupied with homework, ignoring the boy's failing attempt to stand his ground like it was none of their concern.

"Well, come on Landry! Show us what ya got, freak!" one of the boys yelled, before promptly kicking the younger boy in the gut. He let out a painful groan, clenching his stomach tightly as he desperately tried to make an escape. He was however only able to get three steps, before the third bully grabbed him by the backpack, kneeing him in the side until he gasped for air. He would've cried out for help if it wasn't for his sore throat, and the fact that this had been going on for most of his school years now, none of the teachers doing anything about it. It had become so apparent to him, that unless he stood his ground, the blows would keep coming and no one but himself would be able to stop it. That is until he was suddenly spared another kick to the neck, as the new kid suddenly jumped into the fray, arms spread wide as if that was enough to shield him.

"Ah, the maniac has returned" the bullies bellowed mockingly, as Mikey slowly tightened his, now ragged, orange mask over his eyes, though it was hard keeping his messy hair from tangling the knot in his curls.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size, punks!?"

"What are you doing, Mikey? Just go. I'll be fine" Landry yelled, knowing the ever so enthralled troublemaker would most likely just ignore his pleas as usual.

"a true ninja master never backs down from a fight…" the freckled boy bellowed, ready to charge the three bullies at least a good head taller than him. Thicker too… compared to them, in size alone Mikey looked like a pair of chopsticks. But underneath the wimpy exterior lived a manic pizza loving warrior ready to kick some ass to defend Simon Landry, the only student willing to put up with his crazy as of yet. And though he couldn't bring his nun-chucks to school anymore, that didn't stop him from readying his fists and forging his 'super not kidding around serious face' as he put it, though really it was just an overcompensating frown at this point. Being human didn't exactly make it easier to look intimidating, and especially not when you looked like a fourteen-year-old let loose in a candy shop twenty-four-seven. "Come and get me if you dare" he challenged, deepening his voice dramatically for effect.

And dare they did. Starting with the biggest one out of all of them, he went for the usual approach, the solid punch to the cheek. Mikey was already out of the way, in time for him to play a little with his aggressors before landing any real blows. He tiptoed around them like he was dancing, pretending that it was his older brother's training in the dojo and not three human bullies out to get his lunch money with nothing better to do. "This kid's insane!" the bully squealed, before being forced into the concrete by a solid sewonake. And while the thought did sadden him a bit, it also motivated him to try out the flying back-kick Raph had previously tried to teach them a while ago. At the time, Mikey was the first one to master it, as expected landing the first boy flat on his stomach by the time he was done. The others were quickly starting to sweat. They'd never in their wildest dreams imagined that the pizza obsessed, mask wearing, Italian pretending to be Japanese exchange student, would pose any real threat to them. A lesson they'd, after today, would sorely regret for the remainder of the school year. Even without his weapons, Mikey was already using his environment to its full potential, forcing the bullies into fences, or sandboxes, using the swings' momentum to kick them sky high, before Katy McLee from second unintentionally handed him a good pair of skipping ropes. Mikey felt his energy rise through him like electricity, wrapping the boys like Christmas presents, until all they could manage was to back away in fear. "And stay back!" he yelled, letting out an enthralled howl of victory, before congratulating himself on taking them out. That's before he noticed all the kids in the school yard starring him down from all angles in utter silence. Some impressed, others too shocked to reattach their jaws properly. Mikey wondered if this happened to be some sort of weird way of commending his sick ninja skills, as the rightfully should be doing, but decided to laugh it off as he backed away slowly toward his friend.

"Mr. Robertson"

He didn't get to help him back on his feet however, before he accidentally backed into principal Williams disappointed frown instead, Simon right behind him rubbing his injured arm with a genuine worry on his face. Or more the: now you're in trouble look he seemed to have mastered effortlessly in his short-lived relationship with Mikey.

"H-hello Mr. Williams… fancy meeting you here, huh? Hehe… Is that a new tie?"

Needless to say, Mikey spend the rest of the day waiting in the hall of detention, his head resting against his curled-up knees like it could hide his shame. He'd of course been forced to take off his mask, though rather insistently urged the principal not to actually take it from him this time, to which he'd somehow managed to let slide.

This wasn't his first time being yelled at in a very short amount of time, however he still couldn't shake the pit in his stomach that occurred from causing trouble once more. It wasn't like with Master Splinter, where he'd have his brothers to balance out the amount of a scolding whenever they did something wrong or tried to sneak out without permission. He tried not to think too much about it, reminding himself that whatever happened to him in the present was only temporary, as Leo had put it. He knew his brothers would find him, at least sooner or later. They'd had to, right? They always did in the end. Though he'd grown slightly impatient these last few months, fact remained that if he didn't think about it too much, he'd probably not notice how much time had passed anyway. Or how weary he'd grown from trying to keep a positive outlook every single day he walked past the sewers with no word from anyone of his family. And though he didn't understand all of the technical talk about the purple ooze, or remember all of the enemy foot clan stuff, if none of them had appeared for months, everything was probably fine, right? Nothing to worry about! Nothing at all… Mikey sank into his chair. When the office door finally opened again, he almost bolted to the ground anxious to be out of the building. What followed was a now patched up Simon with his backpack swung over his left shoulder and his hands digging deep into his pockets. "Your mom should be here soon" he said, checking the hallway for people, before going over and giving the young ninja a quick hug. "Do you ever stop looking for trouble?"

"Are you kidding? Trouble's my middle name, yo! At least… I think it's my middle name. Eh, I'll just change it to something cool like dragon warrior or mad Mikey if I feel like it"

Simon let out a soft laugh, readjusting his glasses before heading down the hallway. "By all means, mighty dragon warrior. Just… don't do that again. Not that I don't appreciate it, but I think we'd be better off not drawing too much attention to ourselves, don't you think? DIdn't you say that's how a ninja do?"

"I know, I know. It's just hard to keep all these awesome ninja skills in check, you know? I gotta use 'em every once in a while, or else my sensei would probably kick my butt for slacking off"

"You mean your dad?"

Mikey gulped before he realized what he said, his heart skipping a beat in his newly un-shelled chest. "Oh, yeah… My dad"

"Next time, let's maybe meet somewhere a little more private, eh? The skatepark should be free of assholes, I think. Is tomorrow good?" Simon echoed, reminding Mikey how much he enjoyed the fact that even after his third detention this week, his friend still found ways of keeping his spirits up, despite the fact he was caught up in the commotion. It wasn't exactly something he was very used to, and especially not as a human teenager. "Fine by me, bud"

"Nice" Simon smiled, his dark hair falling over his face. "Stay out of trouble, Mikey!"

Will try, Mikey mumbled as Simon disappeared behind the doors. He didn't get to sit down for long however, before the silhouette of a lady appeared walking toward him from the other end. "Hi, Misses Robertson…"

The lady was big, round. Her face warm and welcoming, though her eyes would right now give the indication that she was ready to kill if need be. Her hair had a sandy brown color that was tied neatly into a back bun that hang loosely over her shoulders. When she saw Mikey her tense expression somewhat calmed, without letting go of the slightly disappointed hint that tipped on her brow. "And here I thought we were finally past this. What happened, Michelangelo? And I mean, really happened. No kidding around. Got it?"

Mikey sighed. Arguing with Donnie about messing around in the lab was one thing, arguing with Misses Robertson was another entirely. And he'd have to learn the hard way that lying to her never ended well. He remembered from the first time he'd snuck out at night to go looking for his brother's, he'd instead find himself quickly caught dead in his tracks before he even managed to take the first leg out the window. Outsmarting even his unpredictable ways, she rendered Mikey pretty content on staying on her good side, which mostly consisted of being a good influence. Especially for the problem child who three months ago had wandered the streets naked and completely out of his mind. Truth be told, he had no idea where he would've gone if it weren't for her. Sure, it had been awkward as heck, and trying to explain to her and her husband about the circumstances of his new mutation was proven to be even more difficult as the weeks went by. Their son Tyler had made it a very important part of his day to ridicule him about it, but mostly Mikey felt like their family had learned to look past he oddities. He didn't know what he would've expected from them, but just figured that telling the truth was worth a try. After all, even if they thought he was strange, for obvious reasons, that hadn't stopped them from giving him an extra room. But more than anyone of the three, it was Misses Robertson who actively had tried to reach out to him. Got him into all that school stuff April had always complained to him and his brothers about and trying to help Mikey settle into this strange new lifestyle of his. Even if change had never really been such a big challenge for him. If anything, this was where Mikey shined the most. However, what was a challenge this time had been the thought that without his brother's, Mikey had absolutely no idea of what was going to happen. Expecting his brothers to find him before the week was over he mostly tried to have the most fun as a human, before inevitably being forced to turn back into a mutant turtle. But as of then, that didn't happen, and it continued to not happen for months on end, until the thought occurred that maybe… just maybe, he wouldn't have to go back to his old life after all.

"You're not mad, are you?"

Misses Robertson sighed as they walked across the parking lot towards the car.
"I don't know what I am, but mad is certainly a part of it. I thought we talked about this! You are better than this, Michelangelo. And I know, I know that it is a parent's job to support their children's interests, I do, but dang it Mikey there's got to be a line between enjoying a hobby and beating people up like a wild animal! No more excuses. Either you go back and apologize to those kids on Monday, or no more pizza-Fridays. And before you ask; yes, I could, and I will go there if I have to"

"But I didn't even have my nun chucks! Believe me Misses R, if I wanted to really hurt them, I could've probably-

Mikey stopped talking when her gaze struck him like they were made of fire. He cleared his throat hesitantly, "I mean… I'm very sorry for causing trouble and I won't do it again?"

She sighed, unlocking the car and opening the passenger door in a swift motion. "Get in. It's already late and I have a double shift tomorrow. You should rest too"

With nothing else to say, he obeyed. Fastening his seatbelt before letting his eyes dart over the school as rain started pouring over the window in heavy drops. The car rides, however short there were, always managed to stay one of the highlights of Mikey's day. Seeing the city clearly, no walls to block them, and the people they drove by without an immediate urge too go into stealth mode. Not that this was any different from their nightly patrols, however for the first time in his life, there were no enemies to fight. No deathly mutants to look out for, or any krangdroids laying in wait. Just the soaking traffic, and the many lights from the stoplights that would illuminate the windshield like magic. And Mikey enjoyed every minute of it, despite the rising tension of his guardian's disapproving finger tapping on the steering wheel.

"Look, I get it, okay? You've been through a lot. I can't even imagine. The things that you must've seen, it's not something anyone your age should have to go through. You're a brilliant kid, Mikey, but I just wish you'd try a little harder every once in a while…"

Mikey couldn't help but feel like someone had just punched him in the stomach. Which they consequentially had tried to but failed miserably. When was the last time he was praised unironically by messing up? He remembered sensei's words in his head, glaring out the window towards the rooftops where he imagined him and his brother's running excitedly over towards their next heroic adventure. "We choose what holds us back and what moves us forward."

Misses R couldn't help but smile a little. "There you go again proving me right. With that kind of wisdom, would you mind doing my job for me? You know, you're a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for"

Mikey sighed heavily, wishing he knew what to say, but had to alas admit not being able to come up with anything worthwhile. It was ironic how if the ever talkative Mikey wasn't so caught up in his own thoughts, he might've noticed the figure following closely from a distance across the street.

Officer Hopkins hadn't uttered a word since he arrived at the scene. Puzzled, was most likely an understatement to his current disposition, as he was likely more taken aback, than anything else. Having starred at the obscurity of the witness report in his hands for nearly an hour, before driving out to get a better look for himself and some kind of grasp on the situation. So far, he was nowhere near a starting point. While he generally thought well of the philosophy that 'seeing was believing' that still didn't leave him with anymore clarity of the events that had led him to the back ally near Greenwich, than when his supervisor told him about it. Five police officers scavenging for clues, as the residents gave eyewitness reports under comfort blankets in the dim street lights. None of them able to give a good explanation so far.

The first thing he noticed, was of course the four Purple Dragon goons tied up with a chain into a nice little bow, while hanging upside down from the fire escape. Second, where the two sets of clothes placed in a neat pile on the ground, placed in the correct order of item, almost as if someone had vanished in it. It wouldn't have been anymore strange, if it wasn't for the splatter of blood that covered both piles in a thick pool, but the lack of bodies made it lose all sense entirely.

Truly, Hopkins where out of his depth here. Even he'd have to admit it. Normally he'd taken on these cases with ease, thrilled by the thought of less paperwork and more action, but this time he needed a second to really process. He wandered over to the sets of clothes on the ground, searching the pockets of any personal items, but with no luck. That's also when he realized the heels of one the victims stacked in the other end of the ally, thinking that whoever owned them might've kicked them off in the ruckus.

"Officer Hopkins, I see your brain works the same as mine" Officer Layton's voice echoed calmly. An older gentlemen with the complexion of an even older geezer. His smile might've left someone wondering, but his grey hairs spoke plenty to how much the job had taken out of him these last twenty years. Lord knows Hopkins was well aware by now. The policeman came from behind, holding up two cellphones in a neat plastic bag. "Woman's name was Nancy Buffet, man's Jimmy Buffet. They were married, hadn't been seen for days until witnesses spotted them being transported in a white vehicle nearby. As expected, they called the police and left it to the authorities. That's when the screaming started"

"Tied up and tortured in an ally. How romantic… I do hope you've send a lookout for a couple of naked lovebirds running around, sir. Wouldn't wanna harm the children, now would we?" Hopkins added, hoping the humor would distract from his very obvious confusion.

"I sure hope not. That is to say, if our buddies over here are telling the truth" Layton glanced over at the suspects, right now being helped out of the chains and into handcuffs by remaining police officers.
"And?"

"Well, according to them, they haven't killed nobody. The kidnapping on the other hand, hasn't been confirmed or denied yet. Seems the only ones not suffering from a concussion can give a clear answer, but even they're having trouble keeping up"

It took Hopkins a good minute before he picked up on the many bruises and shattered teeth that covered the gang members in bloody masses. Surely not in-gang fighting, that's not how the purple dragons operated, even with their low IQ. Was it the couple's doing? But no, that didn't make any sense. How could two hostages overman four people, let alone tie them up like a piñata and then vanish…? No there had to be someone else. Another gang maybe? Someone who retaliated, possibly stole the hostages? But if that's the case… what for? Why these two of all people? Why would they shed their clothes? Hopkins wondered around in circles, his brain working off of two cups of coffee and a generous nightshift from yesterday. The more he analyzed the spots, the less indication he could find of any ripples. There clothes weren't forced off it was only bloody. If they truly did this themselves, where had they gone if they were even alive? No one, not even the purple dragon's where stupid enough to remove two bodies just to leave their clothes behind as evidence. This truly didn't make any sense…

"Miaw" Hopkins felt a purr from down below and were left to discover a cat pressing up against his leg. "I don't suppose you can give me anything useful?" he pondered jokingly, when all of a sudden, the cat wandered back toward the fire escape, revealing something shiny hidden beneath the stars. When Hopkins moved closer, he nearly swore to himself that he was hallucinating. But very clearly, imbedded in the wall in the perfect angle, where a throw star. Another piece of the puzzle, very clearly aimed for the purple dragon's heads. He forced it free, holding it into the light where he very clearly saw fingerprints edged on the surface.

"Find anything?"

"You know for once, I actually just might. This seem familiar to you?" Hopkins asked, handing Layton the star, which he very clearly recognized. They both did. As a matter of fact, one of these showed up on the news just a few years back in an alley just like this. Though the story behind it was very quickly abandoned after several wild theorists online started to spread into conspiracies. Hopkins on the other hand, remembered the case all too well, insignificant as it was. His old partner was a testament to that, wherever he found himself these days. The very same case that made him spend most of his days in his office, instead of in the field where he gained most of his success.

"That can't be right. I feel like I've seen that before, but… why here?"

"Beats me. Either way, this might give us a clue as to whoever messed these guy's up. Allow me to take it to analysis. Then, after we bring those goons in for questioning, have them be brought to the nearest hospital. Lord knows they'll need one" Hopkins concluded, placing the star in a bag whilst fishing up the car keys from his coat.
"Sure you can handle it? Last I hear, you've already got your hands full back at HQ. What was it again? The missing person's case?"

Hopkins let out a scoff as he opened the car door, Layton following him to the other side resting his arms on the roof. The reminder itself was enough to send him reeling for a nap. "The missing parent's case. And don't worry about me, Layton. Unlike someone I know, I can handle a little multitasking on the sideline. We can't all hunt criminal wannabe's as a fulltime job"

"Keep talking, Hopkins. Streets are changing. It's getting harder and harder for old geezers like us to keep up, even you've gotta admit"

Closing the door, Hopkins was reminded of a certain someone saying something similar a little while ago now. Difference was that he probably never let that stop him from chasing stories no matter how bizarre. Hell, he'd probably love getting his hands on this case, were he still on a payroll.

"Not all geezers"