Author Note:

Oof. I apologize once again for the extremely slow update schedule. So, basically, what happened was that I moved to a new house last fall. Thus, at first I had a legitimate excuse, due to remodeling two homes, one to sell and one to move into, as well as the general WorldWide craziness making work a lot busier than usual.

But, now that the move is done and things have settled down, I'm afraid my excuse has turned much more stupid. You see, in our new home, I have something I have never had before. My own office. With a three sided desk to nestle into with a new PC with a four monitor setup, an area for crafting things if I want, a small tank for my betta fish, and a catbed underneath for the cats to snuggle in. Basically paradise. And I was so excited, thinking about how this was now the perfect, quiet space to get ALL my writing done! No more sitting at the couch with my laptop, I was going to do things in style now!

Chapter 20: Testing the Playing Field

Donnie exhaled, looked down at his phone and running his thumb absently along the edge of the shell-shaped case, pondering over the conversation he had just had with their sister, updating her on the latest development.

"So Karai isn't happy." he finally observed, tucking the phone back into his belt as he walked.

"Yeah, well, neither are we." Raph's lip twisted up in a sneer as he walked alongside his brothers through the garage. "So it seems like we're all on the same page about this."

"Yeah. It sucks." Mikey agreed, hopping into the elevator ahead of them and holding the door open. Raph and Donnie stepped in after him, and the door slid shut and the elevator started moving down. "Actually, 'sucks' doesn't even begin to cover it." He lifted up a hand, counting off his fingers as he recapped everything so far. "The NeoFoot are now stalking April and Casey, obviously fishing for a way to get to Leo. And if they find him, they'll kill him. Horribly. We're talking about a public execution type of deal. And we're the only thing standing between our exhausted, clueless, and completely blind big brother and a horrible tortured-to-death fate, but there's no way we can beat them on our own. We got our shells handed to us badly last time we tried."

Raph's face darkened even more as the elevator made its way down back towards the lair, his hand drifting down to finger the leatherbound handle of his sai.

"Right." Donnie frowned, crossing his arms and leaning back against the elevator's wall. "So Karai is cutting her meetings short. It's unfortunate, but she agrees that Leo's protection comes first. She's gathering up her forces and preparing them to move, and they should be here within twenty four hours."

"So it's war." Raph observed coldly, his green eyes narrowing to slits under his red mask.

"Maybe." Donnie frowned. "Although I really, really hope it doesn't come to that. It just all depends on what the NeoFoot and their master do."

The elevator slowed down as it reached the bottom of the shaft, and Donnie waved a hand as he straightened up, preparing to exit. "For now, though, Casey and April are going to the safehouses that Karai set up, and with the defenses and staff already there, they should both be safe there for the moment. The best course of action we can take right now is to just bunker down and take advantage of our own highly defensive position. We've prepared for this. The lair is the safest place right now. Until Karai gets here, nobody goes out. No patrols, no scouting, no supply runs. It's too dangerous right now. All four of us are going to stay inside the lair until we get some back up."

"So right now, we just need to keep Leo happy, and keep Leo inside. Got it." Raph nodded with determination.

"Oh, you're back!" Leo perked up from where he had been sitting patiently on the couch, tapping the back cushion to the beat of the music on the radio he was listening to as he waited for his brothers to come back down. He turned around on the cushions, giving a lopsided grin in the direction of the three colorful auras stepping off the elevator. "Guess what? The weather report was just on, and it sounds like there isn't going to be rain for a while. The weather's going to be beautiful! What say we go topside, all four of us, and stretch our legs out of the lair for a change?"

All three of his brothers froze midstep.

"Uhhh… What?" he heard Raph stammer, obviously taken completely by surprise. "Topside? Like… Out of the lair? Outside? In the city?"

Leo rolled his non-seeing eyes. His brothers were acting like Leo had just asked them to storm the whole NeoFoot stronghold or something. "Yes, Raph. Topside. Out of the lair. Outside. In the city." He twisted around to kneel on the couch, draping his arms across the back and throwing a hopeful smile in the direction of his brothers' auras. "As great as it's been exploring and getting to know our new home, it's been a few days and I'm starting to get tired of being stuck inside all the time. I need to get out and stretch a little. And, at the same time, I'd also love to get a tour of our new neighborhood from you guys." He tried to sweeten the deal, hoping to convince his brothers. "We could even have a picnic or something. We could get pizza! I've been dying for some good New York pizza!"

"Oh. Uh…. That sounds great, Leo, but… um…." His red brother searched for words, obviously taken by surprise by the offer. "If you really want pizza, we could… I dunno, make some together? Down here? Without going out? Mikey makes some pretty rad pizza now, and that could be fun, right? All four of us. Inside and down here in the lair."

Leo sat back and narrowed his eyes.

Ah. So this was how this was going to play out.

After his talk with Raph yesterday, Leo now got it. He understood. Their reactions were completely fair. Leo had years now to get used to the fact that he had lost his sight. His brothers had had the shock of their lives and were still adjusting. They were terrified of losing him again. So, for now, he knew he needed to soothe and reassure them with a calm and patient hand, while also proving to them that he was still a capable warrior. He needed to show them that even though he was blind, he was still Leonardo, and that everything was going to be okay.

He just needed to somehow find a balance that was sensitive to his brothers' trauma, but, at the same time, also allowed him to keep his sanity somewhat intact. And, right now, his sanity was demanding that he go outside. Oh gods, did he need some fresh air! Or, at least, as fresh as it got in New York City anyways.

He had been stuck underground in the stone fortress of his family's lair for a couple of days now, and after months upon months of the open road, he wasn't used to being trapped indoors anymore. He felt restless and just a little claustrophobic, surrounded by thick solid walls with no way out. While he was certain that eventually he'd adjust back into this lifestyle again, right now, he needed to get out! And get some good pizza. A good slice of pizza sounded heavenly right now.

He pondered how to respond to this diplomatically.

"It doesn't have to be a training run or anything like that." Leo offered his brothers a middle ground. "We could just go up to hang out together. Nothing dangerous or difficult. Just hanging out topside, where we can take things as low-key and slow as you guys want."

His brothers' auras shifted about, each of them obviously not on board with the idea, but not sure how to turn the offer down and hoping the others had an idea on how to dissuade their blind older brother.

Finally, Donnie cleared his throat and Leo heard him step forward, a "Well… We'll definitely do that soon, Leo, but I have a lot of work to do and some more tests I'd like to run. I think we were all thinking of staying inside tonight."

Leo frowned. 'More tests to run', his foot. This was just more excuses. He decided to pull out his 'Leader' card, and took on a more authoritative tone. "Donnie, at this point, I'm fairly certain that more tests would just be redundant. We can't hide down here forever, time is slipping away. If the NeoFoot didn't dissolve themselves out of pure frustration where I left them back in Mexico, they're eventually going to figure out their way out of the jungle and start causing us problems again. We need to get our act together and learn to fight as a team once more before they come back. You guys told me that the streets are fairly low key right now, and we need to take advantage of that while we can."

"Uh… Right, right." He heard Raph clear his throat nervously, shuffling his feet on the floor slightly. "Of course there's nothing for you to worry about out there, Leo. But, uh, Donnie really had a point about some of the really important stuff he needs to do. And after that, maybe… maybe we could, I dunno, meditate together or something for a while. Start with all that reconnecting stuff spiritually and all that before we take the big step of going topside."

"Uh huh…" Leo raised an eyeridge at brother suspiciously. There was something more his brother wasn't saying. Why were they so determined to keep him inside?

But before he could question them further, an orange aura pounced on him eagerly.

"C'mon, Leo, forget going topside. I got something a billion times better to do tonight!" Mikey's hand grabbed Leo's, tugging at him to follow. "I've been scheming up the ultimate perfect fun thing to do, and this is the perfect time to try it out! I think you're going to really, really like it! Like, you're going to say, 'Geez, Mikey! This is a brilliant idea! Thank you for thinking it up!' And then you'll give me a hug, because I'm just that awesome and deserve it for thinking up such an ultimate perfect fun thing!"

Reluctantly, Leo let Mikey pull him up and followed him across the lair hesitantly, fully aware of the fact that there was, on the wall at this very moment, a list in existence regarding Mikey's potential for pranking him. "Oh? What… what is it?"

Mikey didn't seem to notice Leo's hesitance or, if he did, he tactically ignored it, dragging Leo across the Lair towards the recreational area. "So, this genius idea popped into my brilliant mind last night while I was laying there, watching you sleep and trying to wrack my brain for some fun things we could do together…"

"Wait. You were watching me sleep?" Leo asked as he was dragged along, a little unsettled by this revelation.

"Hush, Leo. That's not important now." Mikey reached back and patted Leo's snout patronizingly as they moved, not slowing down in the slightest. "What is important is that I realized the amazing potential of THIS!"

They stopped next to a large, boxy piece of furniture set against the wall, seemingly fairly hollow and made of what seemed to be metal, wood panels, and plexiglass. A faint hum of electricity humming through it, and the flicker of lights buzzing on and off confused Leo for a moment, until he ran his fingers questioningly along the edge, and his face lit up as he suddenly realized what it was.

"Wait, is this… the old Space Heroes pinball machine?" he breathed out in disbelief, feeling the familiar nicks and dings in the body of the old machine that had been such a big part of his life for so long.

It had survived the destruction of their old Lair? His father had discovered it in an old, abandoned building, and Master Splinter and Leo's brothers had worked so hard to bring it back and restore it in secret. They all knew that he was obsessed with Space Heroes, and he still remembered the shock and overwhelming disbelief he felt when they surprised him on Christmas when they were eight years old. They had been so proud and excited, and he had almost cried, he was so happy.

The plexiglass on top was obviously new, smooth, flawless, and missing many of the chips and scratches from those years of teenaged abuse. And his fingertips running along the sides found the slightest traces of careful and methodically made repairs. Obviously it hadn't come from the attack on their old lair unscathed. But from what he could sense, his brothers had put just as much care and love into putting it back together as when they had first restored it.

… And now he couldn't see it. He couldn't see the Space Hero decor printed on the panels, or the flashing lights and colorful props of the tracks. He could only feel the smooth surface and outside, and imagine what it must look like under his fingers.

"Now I know what you're thinking, Leo." Mikey must have anticipated the conflicting disappointment Leo would feel, and was already moving to intercept, snuggling up to him. "But I can guarantee that you're going to love this idea! It's kind of like the teamwork training you always made us do. Only it'll be fun!"

"My teamwork training exercises were always fun, Mikey." Leo protested indignantly. He had always put a lot of time and effort trying to make those exercises creative and interesting, darnit!

"Yeah, yeah, of course they were, Leo." Mikey waved it off, and continued.''So here's my thoughts on the matter. I know you're blind, Leo, but you're amazing and awesome and I know you can do anything you put your mind to, because you've always been, like, super ultra bang-your-head-against-the-wall-frustratingly stubborn about those kind of things."

"Ah… thanks?" Leo was both touched and a little insulted.

"And, as your bros, it's our job to help support you!" Mikey explained "We need to learn to be your eyes for you. And, to do that, we're going to have to be at the pinnacle of our 'Oneness'. We need to be so in tune with each other's brainwaves that it's like we're reading each other's thoughts, bro." Mikey's hands were on Leo's shell, maneuvering him about until he was standing in front of the pinball machine. "Which is where the training comes in!" As he spoke, he took Leo's hands and guided them down to the triggers of the pinball machine.

Well… so far he was on board with this plan. Leo absently pressed the buttons under his fingertips. He couldn't see the flipper bats inside the pinball machine respond to his touch, but he could hear them and feel the vibrations as they moved in time to his touch. He was trying to figure out where Mikey was going with this. "So… We're... going to get a telepathic bond by playing pinball?"

Mikey laughed and Leo felt him lean against the pinball machine. "Oh man! That'd be so awesome, dude! Hopefully? Buuuuuut, until then, we do this."

Before Leo could respond, Mikey pulled back the ball shooter, letting it snap forward and sending a heavy metal ball flying upwards through the track. The pinball machine fairly hummed to life with energy, playing sound effects as the ball bounced around against various barriers. Leo kept his hands on the sides of the machine, fascinated by the rumble and vibrations of the pinball he could feel under his touch as it bounced around.

Mikey, who's mass had been leaning against the machine and apparently watching intently, suddenly cried out, "Leo! Left bumper! Now!"

Taken by surprise, Leo automatically started mashing the left button, and was a little startled when apparently the flailing left flipper managed to hit the ball and send it back up to bounce and roll around in the playfield once more.

Electronic voices cheered out cheesy Space Hero sound bites when a particular lane was crossed or prop bumped into. Although he couldn't see them anymore, the familiar sounds conjured forth old memories, and it was if he could see the playing field in front of him. Catching onto Mikey's game, Leo readied himself.

"Right!" Mikey exclaimed and, ready this time, Leo instantly flipped the right bumper, noting the way the parts and ball sent vibrations as they moved. Mikey had good timing, and, if Leo concentrated, he could track the movement of the ball upwards towards the cluster of round bumpers that would potentially rake in a bunch of points. Although the timing was slightly off and it didn't hit them in the most ideal spot, the ball did bounce around quite a bit, racking up quite a few points before flying back towards the flippers once more.

And so the game went. Mikey continued to lean over Leo's shoulder, calling out instructions excitedly, and cheering when Leo got it. They managed to keep the ball bouncing around the pinball machine for a couple more minutes, before a rather tricky shot had the ball slipping past the flipper down the center, falling away before Leo could respond to Mikey's panicked command.

Leo laughed, releasing the controls of the pinball and reaching over to poke at Mikey's arm playfully. "Training, huh?"

Mikey seemed enthusiastic under his touch. "Yeah! Isn't it genius?! This way, we practice being your eyes and figure out how to best time the cues you need during a fast and chaotic situation, and at the same time, you train your brain so you instinctively respond to those cues quickly. It's perfect!"

Leo was impressed. "I have to admit, it's a good idea, Mikey." He reached up to pat his little brother on the head approvingly. "'Geez, Mikey! This is a brilliant idea! Thank you for thinking it up!'"

"Hee!" He could almost see Mikey beam with pride under his touch. "And now the hug? The hug part is important!"

Leo laughed and gave Mikey a warm hug.

Mikey hugged him tightly back, squeezing tightly for a long moment, and then let go and eagerly grabbed the side of the pinball machine, leaning over. "Again! Let's do another round!"

"It does seem to be a good exercise that promotes muscle memory and encourages quick responses to verbal cues." Donnie's aura had moved nearby to watch their game with interest. "I think we should all take turns, if Leo's up for it. After all, we all need to learn together."

Pft. Leo remembered how Donnie used to spend hours trying to plot the best combos for racking in points with the maximum efficiency. He just wanted to take a few turns himself and show up their brothers! Their genius brother could be just as competitive as Raph and Leo themselves. Sometimes even moreso!

"Of course!" Leo was very much down for any activity with his brothers right now.

"Yeah, okay. I'm game." Raph's aura was leaning against a support pillar, and Leo heard him straighten up and move over towards them. "Sounds like fun." He seemed almost relieved, as if thankful for the distraction.

And so, for the next few hours, Leo found himself playing game after game of pinball together with his brothers. It quickly devolved into wonderful, familiar chaos, just like all their childhood games always did. They would each bark out button-pressing orders, telling him to push the left or right buttons, timing it just right to try and keep the ball bouncing around, and Leo did his best to obey them. Of course, since it was his brothers, arguments and debates over timing and maximum pinball co-op strategies broke out, both verbal and physical. Smack talk was had, competitive jabs were exchanged, victories were cheered, and popcorn was made.

And Leo was loving every moment of it.

This! This is what he had missed so much! Lost in the moment, right now, it seemed like all the stress and worries that they were all feeling melted away. Once again, it was just the four of them, Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey, four brothers laughing and joking and playing pinball together. Just like the old days, back when they were kids and didn't have the weight of the world on their shells. It didn't matter that he couldn't see the flashing lights in front of him anymore. He had his other senses and, more importantly, he had his brothers. There was nothing that he couldn't do with them by his side!

Now, if only he could convince his brothers of that fact.

"Left! Leo! Left!" Raph panicked.

Leo had already sensed the vibrations of the metal ball hurtling down the center of the playing field at top speed, and was already anticipating the command, smashing the left button.

Unfortunately, there was no rescuing this run. The angle was wrong, the flipper bats couldn't reach it, and the ball clunked against the gutter and disappeared down the hole.

"Ha!" Donnie sounded vindicated as his aura turned towards Raph, the game flashing its 'Game Over' music, signalling the end of another run. "I TOLD you that going for the Delta Blue Five cluster in the corner was going to sink us! It made the ball run too far towards the left and out of reach, of course it was going to slip away!"

"Eh, that wasn't a bad run, though." Raph commented, already over the loss and unbothered by the accusation. "We broke over 8k. That's the best score we've done yet tonight."

"Yeah, that wasn't bad. Definitely not what we used to do, though. We can do better." Leo tapped the machine curiously. He, of course, was unable to see the red digital numbers he knew were lit up on the backboard. "What's the current high score?"

"40,856." Mikey informed him with a full mouth, walking back into the area with a newly refilled bowl that smelled like popcorn.

Leo blinked. That sounded familiar. "Wait. Isn't that…?"

Mikey hopped up to sit on a nearby side table. "Your old high score? Yup! It's still up on there, bro. You're still the undefeated King of the Space Heroes Game!"

Leo was surprised. True, he had been proud when he finally broke 40k for the first time, but that was almost three years ago! It shouldn't have been an unbeatable score by any means, especially for a clan of ninjas.

"Nobody ever beat it?"

"Casey almost did once when he was staying over for a few days." Mikey mused as he munched on another handful of popcorn. "But Raph realized it in time and full body tackled him across the room before he could."

"I didn't…! It wasn't because of…! There was a spider!" Raph sputtered. "I was saving Casey from a giant spider! It could've been poisonous!"

Leo blinked, and then rolled his eyes, giving a shake of his head, both amused and touched.

He heard Raph snort and then there were strong hands grabbing his own, putting them back on the controls of the pinball machine.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Let's go, Leo, let's show Donnie why the Delta Blue Five cluster is the best strategy." Raph groused.

Leo laughed, but held up his hand to stop Raph. The seeds of a plan that had begun to formulate in his mind. He turned to his brothers. "Before we start, I'd like to propose a deal."

"Oh? A deal, huh?" Donnie asked, next to Mikey and apparently stealing a handful of popcorn, if Mikey's defensive growl, hiss, and protective grip on the bowl indicated anything. His next words were spoken through a mouthful of food. "Okay, let's hear it."

Leo turned to face their auras, leaning against the pinball machine and folding his arms. "So… I may be blind, but that doesn't mean I can't see what's going on around me. I know what's going on here, you know."

All three of his brothers' auras froze at once, their energies quickly turning tense and nervous.

Donnie swallowed and asked carefully, his tone now guarded, "What… what do you mean, Leo?"

Leo frowned, a little surprised at just how strongly his brothers were reacting to his words. "It's about you guys and your reluctance to let me out of the lair. You're all being overprotective because I'm blind now." He started to feel a little suspicious as they all seemed to relax just a little. "Why? Is there something else going on that I should know about?"

"Nope! No!" Raph hurriedly yelped out, not at all suspiciously. "You don't have to worry about anything!"

"We're just… You know we're just worried about you, right?" Mikey tagged in to save Raph's fumble, setting aside the popcorn and moving over to hug Leo. "You're our big brother, and we missed you. A lot. Like, a LOT a lot."

Pft. Yeah. Something was definitely going on, and Leo was bound and determined to get to the bottom of this.

"I know." Leo reached up to pat his little brother's head. "And I get it. I really do. I missed you guys a lot too." He nodded, hoping he looked understanding. "And, listen. I don't blame you guys. I'll be the first to admit that this whole situation has been rather... traumatic, to say the least. First you guys watched me fall out of a plane, and then, after all this time, I show back up out of nowhere, alive and blind. I've had years to get used to it, while you guys have had just a few days to process all this. It's completely understandable that you're all feeling overprotective and stressed out."

He had to show them that he understood their fears. He had to remind them that they were all on the same side.

"Oh. Well, um, thank you, Leo." Donnie shuffled a bit awkwardly beside him. "And… and I'm sorry if we're being overbearing. It's just that.. That we…" He trailed off, obviously searching for the right words.

"We just need to know that you're safe." Raph muttered, finishing the thought for his brother. He sighed, and Leo thought he sensed him rubbing the back of his head. "And I know we're being stupid and overdoing it sometimes. You're right. We… we definitely need to get better about that."

Leo nodded. "I know. And I understand completely. I want to prove to you guys that I'm okay. To reassure you that I can still handle myself, just as well as before I lost my sight, and, in some cases, even better. So here's my offer."

He raised a finger. "How about this? I'm willing to stay down here in the lair, safe and sound with you guys, until the time when I finally beat my old high score at pinball." He reached down to pat the glass top of the arcade machine. "I put that high score up there when I could see, and you guys trusted me to lead you back then. Therefore, it stands to reason that if I surpass and beat my old record, then you'll know that I'm strong enough to do so once again. And the day that I do, we'll go celebrate that victory by finally going topside together that day, and having a pizza party on a rooftop somewhere."

He waited as his brothers paused, considering his words and glancing at one another uncertainly. He tried to reach out and gauge the way their auras were responding, trying to figure out what emotions they were feeling.

Well, there seemed to be a guilty undertone rippling in all three auras, though whether that was because they realized just how much they were babying him and felt bad about it, or because they were hiding something from him, he couldn't tell. There was also a strong desire to protect, which was understandable, and more than a little eagerness and relief at his plan.

"It's not that we don't trust you, Leo. We completely do!" Donnie started hesitantly, obviously trying not to sound too eager to take up the offer. "But we appreciate your patience with us. You're... sure you're okay with staying down here until then?"

Leo nodded. "I wouldn't have proposed the deal if I wasn't."

"Then it's a deal." Raph sounded audibly relieved. "We'll work with ya, Leo, helping you every step of the way. We'll get you trained up again, and I promise, the day you finally beat your old high score, I'll get you your favorite pizza personally."

"Perfect." Leo grinned. Then he turned around and, before his brothers could question what he was doing, he pulled the launcher on the pinball machine, setting the metal ball flying up the curved track to start a new play.

His brothers watched in silence as he began pressing the buttons, the flipper bats no longer flailing, but striking the ball with unerring precision and sending it up towards strategic locations. Leo absently made sure to include the Delta Blue Five cluster of bumpers up in the corner. He kept his posture relaxed and easy, relying on the rumble of the vibrations the ball made, and his finely tuned sixth sense, to keep the ball in play.

He remembered every square inch of this map, knew all the secrets and tricks leaned over an entire childhood of playing, and now worked on manipulating the rolling ball to run over the right runners and eventually hit the right combination of bonus spinners in sequence. His secret weapon. He felt the ball pass through the final spinner, sending the small, decorated rectangular piece of metal spinning on it's hinges, triggering a surge of electricity as unseen lights flared up, and the electronic voice cried out a dramatic warning of an alien zortheon rush! He had managed to trigger the multiball event. The pinball machine fairly thrummed with vibrations as several more metal balls tumbled across the playfield, flying off bumpers, rolling down tracks, and generally bouncing around one another in a scene of mass chaos.

Through it all, Leo remained calm, his breathing even, his unseeing eyes staring sightlessly ahead, relying completely on his extremely highly refined and trained senses while pressing the buttons quickly but strategically, the flippers snapping about to send the balls constantly bouncing around the playing field.

He wasn't sure this was exactly what the Ancient One envisioned all those months of training would be used for, but, knowing his old, mysterious friend, Leo was fairly certain that he would most definitely and wholeheartedly approve.

And finally, he heard the victory sounds he was hoping for.

"Congratulations Recruit! New High Score Achieved!" Followed, of course, by the iconic, cheesy but, yet still (in Leo's opinion) epic Space Heroes victory song.

He let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth as he let the last few metal balls slip away down the chute, their purpose done, and turned around to face his now very quiet brothers. "So, is there a Papa Antonio's in this neighborhood, or did you want to show me one of your new favorite 'za places when we head out tonight? Veggie pizza is preferred, of course, but I'm not picky."

His brothers were still standing in place, stunned and obviously not sure what they had just witnessed or how, exactly, to respond.

Leo chuckled and turned away from the pinball machine that was still playing victory music. While his brothers were watching, he easily leapt up off a nearby pillar to the second floor, like he had sensed them do many times, and went into the bedroom they were in the process of setting up for him. A moment later, he came out carrying his swords that he had found put away on a high shelf in a closet and reclaimed for himself a few days ago, strapping them on his shell once more. He leapt back down and gestured towards the elevator in high spirits. "Come on, you guys. We did make a deal, after all, and the night is well underway! Let's go!"

Behind him, his brothers were still obviously trying to process what had just happened.

"Fuck!" Raph finally exploded quietly to himself.

Leo grinned.

Author Note:

I dunno guys. When I used to play pinball, the scores were often six to nine digits long. But when I looked up the screenshots of the pinball machine they often used in the 2k12 series, it was only a max of five digits, and the high score (as far as I could tell, was only 40,856. Thus, the number in the chapter. I like the think, then, that most of the point earning items in the game are worth only single or double digits each, with the really big, difficult ones worth maybe one hundred or two hundred points.

Trust me, Leo's high score was super impressive, even if it doesn't sound like it.