My name is Raphael.
It has been months since our first successful assault on the Purple Dragons. My brothers and I still stalk the city in the night, looking out for it's people as guardian angels from above. There in a flash and gone in an instant. The crisp taste of the open air is enough to warrant our adventures even when there's no one to fight. I can't help but feel exposed out here on the rooftops. My skin is dark and near-black. I blend into my surroundings without intention, without effort. I live in the darkness as it lives in me. Mikey and Donnie are just as dark and hidden, following in my shadow like little brothers tend to do. Leonardo, in all his neon glory, cakes himself in mud and grime; otherwise, he would be a spotlight to all looking out over the city's landscape.
I can feel my brothers all around me even when I can't see them. I can feel the very vibration of life within them. Sometimes they go radio silent, but not this time. No. This time, I can sense the fiber of their being. I can feel the familiar tingle of Michelangelo's giddy excitement and the telltale shiver of Donatello's apprehension. I can feel the heartbeat of Leonardo pounding in time with mine. Our minds and the thoughts within them practically meld into one. This unison, this shared mindspace, guides us all in the same direction.
The area of our search is blocked off by patrolling police and their yellow tape. The worst of the chaos had died down hours ago as news crews went home with many of the investigators doing the same; the security guards are nothing more than an extra protection measure to stop the potential straggler from crossing the line. We slip past with no trouble. Finding our way inside is just is easy.
"Night vision on." Donatello flicked his goggles down over his eyes.
"See anything, Don?" Raphael asked in a hushed whisper.
"Just what you'd expect; evidence markers, some damage evident in the walls and floor. Damage indicates some sort of blade or throwing star being used."
"We knew that already, Don." Raphael rolled his eyes as memory of the news story ran through his mind.
"Ninja's in New York?" The news reporter had said, "we think so! I'm just outside the scene of the crime where a daycare worker and several young children were attacked by what they described as 'Ninjas'."
"Well excuse me for being thorough." Donatello huffed, starting to stalk around the room, "you know, as thorough as investigators are, they always seem to leave something behind..."
Donatello pulled a rag out from one his many shell pockets and used it to lift a fragment of metal, which he promptly placed into a plastic baggie and stored in his shell armor.
"Great find Donnie—"
"Nuh Ah Ah!" Donnie interrupted, standing up and going over to another overturned table and using the delicate engineering of his metal spider arms to pry specks of silver from the wood; then to another place, and another.
"There." Donatello said at last, "think I got enough to fit together a good physical analysis. Now we just need to get a first-hand account of the attack to fill in the gaps."
"Right!" Raphael put his hands on his hips, "Good work team—"
"Dude, donnie did all the work." Leo said.
"—now lets go find April!" Raphael spoke over him.
April's apartment isn't far from here. The buildings high, but nothing we can't handle, and the window to her bedroom is unlocked always. All it takes is to scale the stone and knock. She is waiting for us.
"There y'all are!" The pale, freckled face peeked through the curtains, ginger curls bouncing with her every movement a hand of invitation to the four, "was thinking you'd never show."
"Sunita still down at the precinct?" Leonardo asked.
The brothers all piled into the apartment.
"Precinct?" April scrutinized with a scoff.
"What? It's a thing!" Leonardo turned on his brothers, "it's a thing, right?"
Michelangelo and Donatello shrugged and muttered their agreements.
April shook her head. "Whatever— anyway, she's on her way home, so we gotta talk fast. Whatcha got?"
"Donnie found some stuff the police left behind." Leo said.
Donnie pulled out the baggies and offered them to April.
"Cool. Eh. What exactly am I looking at?"
"Mostly fragmented metal." Donatello shrugged. "I'll know a lot more once I'm able to piece together a story from forensics back at the lab."
Raphael tugged at Donatello's armor, reaching into a pocket and pulling out a tangle of wires and microphones. "And once you got on this wire so we spy on your roommate."
"What."
Donatello yanked the wires back to his chest. "Dude don't touch my stuff."
Leonardo leaned against the wall. "We just need you to wear this wire thing and ask your little girlfriend a few questions, kay?"
April laughed through her flustered confusion and shook her head. "Okay, first of all, she's not my girlfriend. She's my roomate."
Michelangelo gasped. "oh my gosh they were rOlmsted."
Leonardo and Michelangelo showed no shame in laughing, and even Donatello gave a slight snicker. April rolled her eyes.
"Secondly, why on earth would I do that?"
"I'll need her story to draw conclusions and add plausibility to my theories." Donatello explained.
"Can't I just ask her and then tell you guys? No wires necessary?"
"No can do, Greenie." Raphael said.
"Things get lost in translation when passed between several persons, and every detail counts." Donatello said.
Leonardo wrapped his arm around his twin's neck and leaned against him. "Yeah, haven't you ever played telephone? Things get all garbled."
Donatello shoved Leonardo off of him and the blue brother tumbled into Michelangelo, both falling together in a loud crash, followed by the laughter of both.
"Will you two take this seriously?!" Raphael snarled, flashing chipped and yellowed fangs.
Michelangelo withdrew slightly into his shell, but Leonardo didn't falter.
"Relax, Raph. We're just messing around."
"Well quit it. We're on a mission here!"
In the tension of the short conversation between his older brothers, Michelangelo slipped away to April.
"If you're feeling uncomfortable, maybe we don't have to do the wire?" Michelangelo asked softly.
"I suppose... we could just call you and have you turn on your speaker phone so we can hear it that way?" Donatello offered. "it wouldn't be ideal, but less invasive." Donatello held out his arm and Michelangelo was quick to snuggle up to his brothers side; Donatello wrapped his arm around the box turtle and gave him a gentle squeeze.
"Would that be better, April?" Raphael asked.
April breathed a sigh of relief. "Much."
There came the familiar sound of hinges being pushed open and a voice from the other end of the apartment saying, "April! I'm home!"
"Y'all need to go now!" April shoved the brothers toward the window.
"Wait, we're not done—"
"We'll finish this later—"
"— we haven't gone over the questions—"
"Bye!"
April slammed the window closed and locked it.
I do my best to keep this team in order. Keep everyone in their place— keep them safe. Donnie has his machines, Leo has his mad skills, and Mikey has heart. I got my strength, my size, my power. That's how it's always been. We have a system, but that system can't work if one component refuses to play their part.
From the shelter of the rooftop, Donatello accepted April's call and all four brothers gathered around to hear the conversation that transpired on the other end.
"Sunita! Thank goodness you're okay!"
"Yeah." Sunita sounded out of breath and relived at the same time. "Me too. Thought I'd never be allowed to leave!"
"Well are you okay? We're you hurt?"
"No im fine— kids are fine too."
"That's good. Hey, what happened exactly? I mean, I know the basics but..."
"Um..."
"Oh, I'm sorry! Too soon?"
"No! It just Uh. Happened so fast."
"You sure?"
"Yeah it's just... ya know, I'm tired. I done told that story a thousand times to the police."
"You mind telling it one more?" April suggested once more. "to me?"
Donatello started recording.
Sunita sighed. "There's not much to tell; I was just playing some games in the kids when these guys dressed in all black bust through the window!"
"What did they look like?"
"Watchu mean? They looked like ninjas! Black suits, belts, mask, the works!"
"And they had weapons?"
"All's I saw was swords and throwing stars, mostly because those were the ones flying at my head. I called the police, the guys ran, that's all there is to it."
"Are you sure?" April pressed, "did they say anything?"
"Why are you so interested in this? It's over, and I for one never wanna think about it again."
"I understand, I understand!" April's voice was quick, a tinge of panic creeping in, "but... if you had to?"
"Listen, just drop it, okay?"
There were several loud, thudding footsteps followed by the slamming of a door and a stunned silence. The brothers all looked at each other, and Raphael nodded at Donatello. Donatello unmuted the call and spoke in a hushed whisper.
"April?"
"I don't think I'm gonna get much more outta her." April sighed.
"That's fine, April."
"Can I hang up now?"
"Yeah."
The phone clicked off.