"Do you really think someone's hiding in here?" Raph asked, critically eyeing the entrance to the mine.
Leo stood from his crouch as Donnie joined them again, just having ended his second check-in call with Mikey.
"There are poorly covered footprints leading inside."
"Rabbit footprints?"
"Could be. I see turtle prints, but there are some I've never seen before in this dimension."
Bogen crossed his arms, tilting his head. "We can go in about half a mile before the tunnel becomes too unstable."
"We shouldn't take any risks." Donnie said with a one-shouldered shrug. "Let's just tell Voron and go home. I kinda don't want the tunnel crash when we fight in there."
"I can't believe he was actually telling the truth..." Raphael shook his head. "But I agree. As much as I'd love to get some action, I'd rather get back to Mikey and the kids."
Some years ago, Leo would've thought it was impossible for his hotheaded brother to willingly step back from a fight. To see how much he's actually matured since becoming a parent... it was just heart-warming.
"Alright. I'm gonna give Voron a call and then we go home."
"I don't think so." The new voice had them all spin around. How weren't they able to pick up on being surrounded? They've become really rusty...
The three ninjas immediately fell into a defensive fighting stance, making out about seven presences around them.
"Who are you?" Leo asked calmly. In the darkness it was harder seeing the hidden shadowy figures, but they recognized a few turtle shapes and about four rabbits.
They carried several weapons, like knives and Leo was pretty sure one rabbit was carrying a katana. Someone by the side was holding a bow.
"That's none of your business. All you need to know is that you won't get to call that maniac."
While the stances were mostly sloppy, sharp midnight blue eyes could tell immediately that the rabbits were more experienced.
They wouldn't have a problem holding their own, but the bow was making Leo nervous. It was easy picking out Bogen as their weakest link, and protecting him would give them a disadvantage.
"Get inside. Now."
The risk was high that they'd be buried alive if they complied. On the other hand, if they'd wanted to kill them they would've tried already. Additionally they could finally get behind all of this.
"Alright." Leo spoke up. Best not to raise any suspicions. "We'll cooperate."
The inexperience of their attackers was even more obvious with how they didn't even tell them to leave their weapons after they stepped out of the shadows.
A white rabbit with the katana seemed to be their leader.
Bogen was frowning at the immediate giving-up, but didn't speak. He thought his friends maybe had a plan, and he wouldn't destroy it if that was the case.
It took all of Raph's willpower to not punch a smaller turtle as he was poked with butt of a knife towards the mine.
He didn't understand why turtles would work together with rabbits.
"Are there any more spies?" The white rabbit spoke up as they marched the group into the tunnel.
"We're not spies."
"You work for Voron, so forgive me for not trusting you on that one."
Well, Leo had mentioned calling the mayor.
"I assume telling you we're not exactly fond of him either won't change anything?"
"Damn right. Now talk. Are there more of you?"
"No." The blue-banded turtle said as the walked through dimly lit tunnels, seeming way more sturdy than it had first appeared from the outside.
"You better be telling the truth."
Leonardo didn't bother answering as he kept memorizing the turns they took so they would find their way back later...
xxxxx
"Oh nononono!" Mikey panicked as he wrapped both of his arms around his belly, shock displayed on his face. "This isn't happening!"
Asinda rushed over to him, careful not to slip on the puddle on the floor.
"Shh, it's okay, it's okay." She tried to soothe, guiding Mikey over to Kion.
The other pregnant turtle had reacted quickly, throwing blankets and pillows on the ground to create a nest. He knelt down and assisted Asinda and Reno to lower Mikey down.
Telon took a deep breath to quell his own panic as he went into doctor mode, crouching by the improvised nest.
Seeing how absolutely terrified Reno appeared, the medic sent him to keep an eye on the children in the playroom. They've grown quiet, probably already asleep, but still. He didn't need another panicking turtle around.
"It's not okay!" Mikey wailed, clutching at his belly with one arm. "It's way too early!"
"Try to breathe, I'm gonna go get my equipment." Telon said after quickly checking Mikey over.
"Asinda, put the heat lamps around him. And I need more hot bottles, I don't know how much warmth they need." He directed, already on his way out of the house to get his emergency stuff from his own home.
"I don't want to! I can't!" Mikey practically crushed Kion's hands as he struggled to get the right breathing technique. "It's too early!"
"Mikey, your water broke, you have to." Kion insisted as Asinda kept coming and going, bringing everything Telon had demanded. "Come on, breathe with me."
"The guys..."
"Asinda will call them, just concentrate on yourself and the babies now."
Getting the hint, the female grabbed Mike's shellcell from the coffee table and pressed the purple button.
"Why aren't they answering?!" Mikey yelled after the third try of silence.
"I'm sure they're just out of reach of Don's reception points. I will continue trying." Asinda promised.
She grabbed a wet rag she brought and wiped the sweat from Mikey's face, since Kion couldn't use his hands with him cutting the circulation off.
Telon came back, pulling a cart with his equipment. Asinda squeezed the phone between her shoulder and earslit as she helped the doctor set up the portable incubator.
"Telon, they're too early!" Michelangelo wailed again, terrified for the lives of his babies.
"Yes, they are, but only three weeks. It's fine, Mikey."
The contractions were too far apart to attempt passing the eggs yet.
"Look, I'm going to check up on you, just keep breathing."
Mikey breathed along with Kion, trying to relax as Telon used oil to lube him up more and insert a speculum.
The doctor bit his lip as he examined the mouth of the uterus. The opening was widening, but not as much it should be at this point.
Noticing Telon's expression, Kion swallowed.
"What if-"
"Mikey, look at me." Kion ordered. "They're going to be fine. Pull yourself together now, they need you to."
They should be fully developed by now, they should be fine, Telon told himself. He just hoped the opening would widen enough to let the eggs through without complications...
xxxxx
Donatello shifted subtly as they reached a rather large hall, lit with several lanterns. The side of his belt vibrated non-stop. Did they already pass the next twenty-minute mark? Damn, Mikey must be really worried if he kept calling that insistently.
There were more rabbits and turtles, and by the looks of it they've been here for quite some time. There were padded areas with pillows and blankets, a cooking place and so on.
At the sight of children among the crowd, Leo quickly let go of the idea of being buried alive. They wouldn't be so cruel with their families here. Anyways, their sheer numbers were a reason for concern.
"How did you find our hideout?" The white rabbit asked after scanning them all thoroughly with his black eyes.
"Logical thinking." Raph answered, rolling his eyes.
"Why would Voron send someone now of all times?" A gruff looking alpha turtle spoke up.
Leo's eyes narrowed as he observed the leader. "Probably because you decided to kidnap his wife?" Judging the rabbit's reaction Leo shook his head.
"Though I guess he wasn't being honest on that part." He added carefully.
"We would never hurt innocents. Not even to get back at that bastard." The rabbit held Leo's stare.
"So you're not planning an ambush?" The katana pointed at Leonardo's throat, and Donnie and Raph got ready to attack if needed. But their leader held up his hand to stop them.
"If we did, you wouldn't be able to warn your precious mayor."
"Why would you plan an ambush if you don't want to hurt innocents?"
"If they stand in between us and Voron they're not innocent."
"Are you planning on killing him?"
The rabbits stance faltered, the misery visible in all the surrounding faces.
"We just want him to pay for what he did... for what he's still doing, what he's forcing his own people to do." The gruff turtle spoke up finally.
Leo relaxed his own stance, already piecing together the puzzle pieces.
"Believe me, we agree whole-heartedly. But killing him isn't going to solve the problem. It would only fuel the populations distrust, anger and fear towards you."
"Why should we trust you? You're on his side."
xxxxx
Telon took calming breaths himself as he checked Mikey over again. The opening was still not wide enough, but with the contractions coming every two minutes now they didn't have much choice.
Maybe, if he added plenty of lube, they could get them out without complications. Putting the oil to be warmed under the heat lamp, Telon patted Michelangelo's shell soothingly.
"Okay Mikey, you're doing great. I'm gonna add some more lube to make it easier for you and the eggs, and then you're going to try and pass them."
"I'm so gonna kill them!" Mike yelled, grateful that he didn't have to worry about his kids hearing him. "If they aren't dead I'm going to kill them!"
Asinda kept calling Donatello nonstop, using her free hand to continuously wipe the sweat from Mike's face.
xxxxx
"We're not. Actually, we have our own plan to take him down."
"Yeah, exactly what I would say to save my sorry ass." The gruff alpha crossed his arms. "Usagi, I don't trust them. They're wearing the bands from The Heights."
The complete distrust could become a problem, Leo decided. He didn't quite want to mention what the dear mayor did to Mikey and Kion. If this ended badly, he didn't want them to become possible targets.
Before he could say anything, a starved looking turtle appeared next to the rabbit, putting a hand on the furred arm. Don and Leo's eyes widened as they recognized him.
"I believe them. The one with the red mask helped me escape from the guards."
Leo and Donnie were already surprised to see Nilo standing there, but to hear that Raph of all people helped him escape... At their wide-eyed stares Raphael shrugged uncomfortably.
Usagi's weapon sank completely. "This is the turtle that helped you?" At Nilo's nod he shook his head, sheathing the katana.
"If it wasn't for him, the guards would've caught me."
"You're Nilo, right?" Donnie spoke up, shifting at the vibrating against his hip. "We found your file when we broke into Voron's mansion. I'm so sorry about what you had to endure..."
Nilo shrugged, averting his gaze for a moment. "The being imprisoned part wasn't that bad... it was the experiments. I don't know why he picked me of all turtles, but I was his favorite subject."
Usagi pulled him closer for comfort.
"And after his latest drug seemed to be a success, he started starving me."
Donnie didn't want to think about what other experiments Nilo's had to endure in fifteen years.
"Don't get me wrong," Bogen spoke up. "But why escape now, and not way earlier?" He was still trying to wrap his head around what just happened. And what the heck were his friends planning to take Voron down?
"I've been held in a solitary cell for most of the time, hidden in some basement." Nilo shuddered.
Usagi rubbed the space between his eyes as if he had a headache.
"A few months ago, probably after the final experiment, he got transferred to the normal prison. It took some time to locate him and even longer to smuggle one of us into the high-security section so we could pass him a lockpick and a map."
"And then I had to wait for the right time to flee..." Nilo finished with a sigh. "Did you mean it? That you want to take Voron down?"
Leo nodded. "He... He used the drug he tested on you on our mate, and his mate," He gestured towards Bogen at the last part, "without our consent."
"... What did it do...?" The haggard turtle asked quietly. He knew what effects it had on him, but just because it made someone horny they wouldn't take the mayor down.
"They got pregnant." It was Donnie who answered. "It caused a temporal heat, they got pregnant and it's not a good pregnancy. They have horrible side effects, and we're actually quite scared that something could go terribly wrong."
"And all of this, all this forced pregnancy shit, is because he's scared of you attacking. He's completely losing his mind." Raph continued.
"So I've been learning the past months, and I plan on competing against him in the coming election in May." Leonardo finished.
There were surprised murmurs going through the crowd. Even Bogen's eye-ridges were in danger of hitting the ceiling of the cave.
"They've voted for him the past three times, why would they choose you over him?"
"We plan on making his horrible schemes public. What he's doing needs to stop." Leo looked at Nilo. "And if you would confirm the torture, I'm pretty sure we can't lose."
The dark haunted eyes were already leaking tears again, but his gaze was strong as he nodded.
"How do we know you're not just going to become a second Voron?"
"You don't." Leo immediately answered. "But I plan on making this a better and safer place for everyone. I want to get the export and import going again, creating more jobs. I want the races to interact normally again without fear. And most importantly I want to get rid of the forced pregnancies." He counted off a few of his ideas.
They could already tell the rebels were reacting favorably to the plan, at least the majority.
Sure that the danger was over, Donnie walked a few steps off and took out his vibrating shellcell.
"Geeze Mikey, we're fine. No need to-" Don was interrupted by a female's voice.
"Donatello! Grab your mates and get your freaking shells home this instant! Mikey's water broke!"
The phone slipped from Don's hand and hit the dirty floor. He blinked a few times, processing the information with a rapidly beating heart.
He stumbled over his own feet on his way back to his mates, interrupting the conversation Leo held with the leader of the rebels.
"Guys! We have to get home! The twins are coming!"
"What?! They're too early!"
"Asinda said his water broke!"
"Wait, Asinda?!"
Panic seeped through the three ninjas as they thought about their poor mate going into labor all alone.
Ignoring everything, they started to run towards the exit.
"Wait." Usagi's voice stopped them. "You live in The Heights, right? We have a shortcut."
xxxxx
"We can't wait any longer!" Telon shouted over Mikey's grunts of pain.
He was still trying to hold them in. It just hurt so much, and to worry about his mates' lives wasn't helping at all.
Asinda's voice yelling into the phone suddenly made him chuckle bitterly as he sobbed.
"They're so dead! I'm gonna- Argh!" The next contraction practically forced him to push. Tears of pain were running down his cheeks, which Asinda was quickly wiping away again, assuring him that the guys were on their way.
The added oil actually did help, still it felt as if he was tearing ever little muscle inside.
Telon winced, helping best he could, which wasn't much.
"Ugh, I swear I'm never having a kid again!"
"Concentrate, Mikey."
"Here, bite on the rag." Asinda encouraged, rolling up the cloth and holding it for Mikey to bite.
His scream was muffled by it, his whole body tensing as he pushed past any pain, feeling the first egg move.
Telon bit his lip as it appeared, slight smears of blood on it. It wasn't a worrisome amount, still, something to keep an eye on.
He caught it with a warm wet towel, quickly cleaning it and placing it in the incubator.
Asinda and Kion soothed Mikey as Telon checked him over, hurrying to insert the speculum again, hoping to find the source of the blood quickly.
As he's expected, the opening had torn a little with the stretch of the egg.
It wasn't a deep tear, it would heal fine on its own... as long as it wouldn't get worse with the second egg.
"Alright Mikey, you're okay. Take a few deep breaths, and when the next contraction starts we'll get your second egg out."
"What about the first? Is it-"
"Michelangelo, I won't move an inch away from you until you're done." Telon said sternly.
He couldn't even begin to express how grateful and proud he was that Kion was able to keep a level head instead of panicking himself. And Asinda managed to reach the guys, which meant they were okay.
Mikey wanted to protest, but the next wave of pain had him screaming again in agony. He bit down on the rag again, wanting to get it over with quickly.
With his passage already widened from the first egg, the second slipped out easier. There was barely any blood on it, which relieved Telon greatly.
He ignored the door bursting open as he quickly cleaned the egg and put it to the first, checking them both over.
Raph, Leo and Donnie hurried to Mikey, almost slipping on the puddle that was still on the floor from earlier.
Kion moved away, Bogen helping him up and settled down on the couch again, while Asinda leaned back against the couch, still sitting on the floor.
Mikey didn't react to the pampering of his mates from his collapsed position, his muscles straining from exhaustion as he forced himself to twist and look at his eggs with tear-filled eyes.
Only when they heard both heartbeats did Mikey relax, huffing a breathless laugh as he sank into his mates' embrace.
Raph had already started cleaning him up, swallowing hard as he stopped in his tracks. "Is... is that blood?"
Telon motioned for them to hold Mikey up so he could examine the tear again.
"The uterus did open, but not wide enough. It tore a little when the first egg came through." He explained as he worked. "... But it's really just a minor tear. It's going to heal fine on its own, as long as he takes it easy. And I'm talking at least three weeks of strict bedrest."
The relief was great, most of the tension disappearing.
Kion sighed.
"Oh boy, he's gonna be so happy about that." The dark turtle chuckled and rubbed a hand over his own belly, kinda already dreading his own birthing date.
Leo snorted, hugging sleeping Mikey close in a cradle as he pulled him fully on his lap.
"I don't care, he won't set a foot on the ground for three months."
Don was smiling as he scooted over to the incubator, putting a hand on one of the eggs and feeling the shifting under his palm. "Yeah, we don't want him exhausting himself like last time."
Raph sighed as he hugged Donnie from behind, gently touching the second egg. He rested his chin on Don's shoulder.
"I can't believe we missed it..."
"You just should've answered the phone." Asinda said, shaking her head. "Where were you, anyways?"
Looks were exchanged as they debated whether to tell her or not.
"That's a long story..." Donatello started.
"We've been looking for ya." Raph simply said, green eyes not leaving the eggs as he frowned. There's no way he would lie for Voron's benefit anymore. Especially not after he made them miss the birthing process.
"He thought some rabbits kidnapped you."
"What? Why would he say that...?"
Footsteps made them look up at Reno, who carefully entered the living room.
"Uhm. The kids slept through everything." He said, waving. "Hey guys."
Don gave a smile, too relieved to be mad at Voron, and waved back with one hand, the other gripping Raph's when he felt him shaking with rage as he thought about the mayor.
"I don't get it." Asinda started again, shaking her head in confusion. "We had dinner before, and then Voron went to his office, so Reno and I went to see you. Why would he say that rabbits kidnapped me?"
To everyone's surprise it was Reno who snorted.
"Oh please, sis. You know how crazy he's always been about the rabbits. It's an unhealthy obsession."
"I think he needed an excuse so we would help him find their hideout." Leo said, adjusting a blanket around his younger mate's worn body. "Though I'm really starting to think he's only imagining things."
"He's batshit crazy." Reno stated, crossing his arms and shaking his head as Asinda blinked.
"Seriously, for years he's been talking about the rabbits attacking. I've been telling you, he's losing his mind."
"But why would he ask them to find a hideout? And why now of all times?" The female didn't comment on Voron's apparent state of mind, knowing herself that her mate was kind of losing it.
Since the other turtles only shrugged, quite unwilling to talk about what they found out, Reno answered.
"Who knows. But he did. And his stupid paranoia is the reason the guys missed the birth of their twins."
Despite being furious at Voron, Raphael felt a great deal of satisfaction that Reno didn't think so highly of the mayor either.
Asinda sighed, appearing devastated. "I can't believe he would go that far... I mean, it's not like you wouldn't have helped him if he'd just asked..."
Leo didn't answer to that. Instead he hugged Mikey a little closer. No, they wouldn't have helped Voron. Though in a way he was glad that they found the rebels. They'd be great allies in the upcoming election.
"If he hadn't lied about you being kidnapped, Mikey wouldn't have been so stressed and worried. And the shock of seeing you alright set him off." Telon explained, getting comfortable next to his own mates.
"We were lucky there weren't any severe complications..."
"I am so sorry..." Tears were gathering in the female's eyes. "He's gonna be in so much trouble when I get home..."
"It's alright, Asinda." Leo spoke up quietly. They all knew it wasn't her fault that her mate was a douchebag.
"Just... could you make sure he won't bother us for a while? After today we'd rather not see him around..."
"Of course! I'm sure he'll want to apologize, but I swear I will keep him away from you until you're ready!" Asinda promised, eager to help out in any way she could.
Reno nodded in agreement. "We better get going now, sis. Before he really thinks you've been kidnapped."
The female stood as she nodded, still looking extremely guilty.
Raph sighed and entangled himself from Donnie.
"You're welcome to stop by for a visit tomorrow, for the triplets' birthday." He said, also standing. "Just you two, though." A weak smile tugged on the corners of his mouth at the way Asinda's whole face lit up.
Her brother gave an appreciating nod, relieved that Raph wasn't angry at them.
"I'll make sure that his sister keeps him busy for a while, we'd love to come by! Thank you!"
"No, thank you. For helping out." Don smiled, as he and Raph brought the siblings to the front door.
When they came back, they brought the incubator with the eggs to the blanket nest, settling down with their mates.
"They're gonna be okay, right?" Raph asked, gesturing to the incubator and resting the other hand on Mikey's covered plastron.
"Their heartbeats sound normal, they're moving the way they're supposed to. They should be developed enough to hatch, though that could take a while..."
"More than twelve hours?" Leo asked, remembering the triplets' birth.
"Usually when they come earlier, the infants take a few days to hatch." Telon said with a shrug.
"Mh, so we better keep watch so we won't miss them hatching." Donnie mused, resting his head on Leo's shoulder as he looked at the eggs.
"Did you find something? Why didn't you answer the calls?" Kion asked, a frown on his face as he rubbed his belly.
"We found rebels. Rabbits and turtles, that hate Voron and want things to change for the better." Bogen answered, leaning back on the couch.
"They're going to help us win the election." Leo added. He'd leave the details for later, right now he just wanted to cuddle up with his mates.
"But it really is a long story. A story that can wait until tomorrow morning." He yawned. "Are you sleeping here?"
"If that's okay. I'd rather not wake Elia to bundle her up for the walk home." Telon shrugged, already getting comfortable on the couch with Kion and Bogen.
"Just make sure the eggs stay warm and maybe check their heartbeats every hour or so. And if there's a problem, just wake me."