Chapter 4: Cracks in the Plan
'You are our brother, Leo...'
Three sets of human eyes looked hopefully towards the dark water under the dock.
One set of turtle eyes just barely breaching the water's surface stared unblinkingly back.
Donnie finally cleared his throat. "It's... a lot to take in, I'll admit. But we've been wanting to meet you for a long time." He looked around the indoor garden, rubbing the back of his head shyly. "Uh... I knew you'd be half turtle, so I had the clan's meditation garden modified so it would be more comfortable for you. I.. I hope you like it, Leo." He glanced at me hopefully.
I continued to stare blankly at them, the only movement was my nostrils occasionally flaring as I breathed.
"Hm." Donnie frowned, standing up and looking concerned.
Raph frowned. "Do you think he understands us?" he wondered.
Donnie sighed. "I did warn you guys that this might be a possibility." He studied me, continuing to frown. "Leo started life as a turtle. From little I've learned, it's quite possible that his turtle traits remained dominant. And even if he did inherit the ability to understand speech, there is a very limited time to cultivate the ability." He swallowed hard. "If... If he remained isolated during his first years, then he may have lost the ability for language completely."
"So he might not even know what we're saying?" Mikey asked him, disappointed. He looked at me, then frowned, obviously pondering this.
I didn't move or respond in any way, continuing to watch them suspiciously from my mostly submerged position.
Mikey bent down with his hands on his knees as he peered over to watch me closely over the water's surface. "Leo? Blink if you understand us, bro."
The three humans all held their breath, staring at my eyes and snout barely visible above the water's surface.
Finally, after a minute or two, Raph leaned over to ask, "So... Uh, is he blinking because he understands us, or is he just blinking because he needed to blink?"
Donnie and Mikey shrugged, obviously at a loss.
Then suddenly I tensed up and slid back further under the dock.
"So how goes it, young masters?" a new voice spoke out, sounding respectful on the surface but carrying an undertone of sarcasm.
The three brothers turned to see the secure double doors slid closed once more as two new humans walk in.
The one who had spoken was an older man, a black man with greying hair and a sullen, almost resentful aura about him, like he carried a grudge against the entire world. I had the feeling that he had many sandcastles kicked in as a child. He was wearing a white lab coat and several scientific tools could be seen poking out of his pockets, and I sunk deeper into the water, narrowing my eyes. A scientist? What was he doing here?
The other man was taller, broad in the shoulders and narrow at the waist, walking with an arrogant swagger and all the grace of a trained martial artist. He sported a thick, neatly trimmed brown beard, and was dressed in blue jeans and a red shirt that was only buttoned halfway off, showing off his muscled sculpted chest proudly.
"Doctor Stockman, Sensei Bradford." Donnie's composure changed, turning stiffer and more formal as he stood up to greet the two new humans. He narrowed his eyes, watching them. "What are you doing here? I thought I said that we weren't to be disturbed while we were meeting Leo."
"Yes, I can see that we're interrupting quite the touching family reunion." smirked the bearded man who I assumed wasn't the doctor and thus probably named Bradford. He turned and glanced straight at the dock that I was currently hiding underneath with more then a casual curiosity.
...
I didn't like him.
"Forgive us, Master Donatello." The lab-coat man, who probably was the Doctor Stockman, didn't sound very sincere as he came up to stand at the water's edge, threading his arms behind his back as he also studied what little he could see of me thoughtfully. "But the Council sent us to fetch you, insisting that they speak with you at once. You've spent the last three days ignoring all of your classes and duties in favor of your new little 'project' here, and I'm afraid that some of your responsibilities just can't be put off any further."
"He's not a 'project'." Mikey protested, arms crossed and blue eyes narrowed. "He's our brother!"
"Mikey is correct." Donnie said tartly. "Leonardo is a Hamato, the same as us, and will be treated with the proper respect. Do you understand?"
"Of course." Stockman tilted his head in smooth deference to the ponytailed teenager.
Bradford raised a thick brown eyebrow that was as manicured as his beard. "Oh? In that case, should I arrange for a seat for your new 'brother' at the clan council table as well, then?" He glanced back at where I was hiding, obviously amused. "Or perhaps he would prefer a swimming pool, complete with a low umbrella to peek out suspiciously at everybody from underneath?"
"That's enough, Bradford!" Raph bristled, stepping forward with a snarl.
"Raph..." Donnie put a hand on his brother's broad chest, halting him.
"Just because we have to listen to him in the dojo doesn't mean he can mock our family!" Raph growled, hands twitching.
"I meant no disrespect, of course." Bradford bowed slightly.
The brothers didn't look convinced in the slightest.
Donnie narrowed his eyes, the so-far warm reddish brown turning hard and cold. "In the future, you will text me if you wish to speak with us, and we will come out to the foyer meet with you. I don't want anybody entering this room except for me and my brothers."
Dr Stockman frowned. "With all due respect, Master Donatello, my staff and I need access to your 'brother' to make sure..."
"If Leo has any health issues, I will handle them myself." Donatello cut him off, dismissing him with a wave of a hand. "I am more qualified then any other doctor in the city to care for him."
"But, it is necessary for me to..." Stockman's face darkened as he started to argue.
"I am the Chuunin of the Hamato Clan, and I am telling you in no uncertain terms that Leonardo and his sanctuary are off limits!" Donnie snapped angrily, cutting him off. "Are you questioning me?!"
Both Stockman and Bradford looked startled. Apparently, such outburst must have been rare from the purple-wearing teenager.
Michelangelo and Raphael both came up to stand behind their older brother, arms crossed. All three of them stood between these two men and where I was hiding, blocking me from their view almost protectively.
"Leonardo is not a new experiment for you to obsess over, Dr Stockman. He is under our protection, and will not to be touched or bothered unless there is a medical emergency, in which case I will personally handle it. Do I make myself clear?" Donnie glared down his nose at them.
"Understood. My apologies." Stockman quickly composed himself, smoothing down his lab coat. "Of course, I and my staff are still fully at your disposal if you ever feel like you have need us in the future."
"Thank you, Doctor Stockman." Donnie said icily. "Now please wait for us outside."
"But the Council wanted..." Bradford started.
"We will be along shortly." Donnie cut him off. "You will wait for us outside."
"Now shoo." Raph lifted a lip in a sneer.
The two adults paused, looked at one another, and then bowed respectfully. "Of course."
As they turned to head towards the door, Dr Stockman threw one last look my way, and, for just a second, there was a cold, predatory look in his eyes. And then they were gone, the doors sliding closed and locking behind them.
"Oh gods." His icy demeanor immediately dissipated, and Donnie gave a shudder as his shoulders slumped.
"You did good, Donnie." Raph reassured him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I HATE being Chuunin." the wiry, purple clad human ran his hands over his face. "I'm not cut out for this! I just want to build things!"
"You're doing great, Dee. You're an awesome Chuunin." Mikey murmured, hugging him tightly. "Dad's going to be so proud of you."
Donnie gave a small, grateful smile, then suddenly seemed to remember that I was still there and turned, rubbing the back of his neck apologetically. "Ah. Um... sorry you had to see all that, Leo. Unfortunately, being the head family of an entire ninja clan means that there are some politics that we have to deal with sometimes." He shook his head. "Don't worry, though. We'll make sure nobody will come in and bother you."
"I know that the Council wants all of us to meet with them, but can I stay here with Leo instead?" Mikey asked, looking back towards me. "I can talk with him and make him feel more comfortable."
Donnie sighed and reached up with both hands to massage the muscles at the back of his neck, obviously trying to rub out some of the tension. "Mikey, Leo's... understandably stressed out at the moment. A lot has happened to him. It might be best to give him some space right now and let him settle in on his own terms." He sighed and let his hands drop. "Let's give him some time to calm down for now and get used to his new home."
"Oh." Mikey sounded disappointed, glancing over to where I was hiding. "I... I guess?"
Raph sighed, and looked up at me, his green eyes searching my own, before finally shrugging. "We have to go take care of a few things, Leo, but we won't be far away, so if you need us, we'll come help you. Don't worry, nobody will bother you down here."
Donnie nodded. "Everything here is yours, Leo. Make yourself at comfortable and at home. We'll come back in the morning."
The three humans lingered for a moment, watching me, then finally they turned and headed for the door, obviously reluctant to leave.
Mikey was the last one to walk out the door, and he paused halfway through, looking back towards the pond.
"Leo...?" Mikey gave me a warm, fond smile as he looked back at me. "Welcome home, brother."
And then he stepped out through door after his brothers. The doors closed and clicked into place, locking, and I was left alone once again.
Only the sounds of the waterfall pouring into the pond echoed through the large room, with not even wind existing to ruffle leaves on the trees. If I concentrated hard, I could faintly hear the clicks and hums of fans in the wall and ventilation systems, and they must have imported insects to pollinate the plants, as I could see the occasional butterfly and bee flitting around.
Surrounded by large trees and lush plants, for a long time I remained submerged in the pond up to my eyes, inwardly processing all the startling information dumped in my lap at once.
I had been captured by the Hamato brothers, son of Hamato Yoshi. My former owners from my brief tenure as a pet.
To tell the truth, the confirmation that I carried Hamato Yoshi's blood in my veins was hardly surprising. Master Splinter had theorized that for years, often wistfully saying that I had his old master's blue eyes. What surprised me, though, was that these three humans called me their... brother?
Did they really, honestly consider me their brother?
Why? Why would three humans want a turtle mutant as family? What did they get out of it?
Was it just a ploy to try and get cooperation and loyalty out of me?
Then there was the troubling news that the EPF was still out there, looking for me. That was what truly unnerved me. Did they know I was alive? Could they track me here?!
...
No.
I was Leonardo, a powerful ninja and a proud warrior. I was clever, skilled, and strong. I wouldn't be anybody's pet. I wouldn't live out the rest of my life trapped in a turtle bowl, even one as pretty as this.
I needed to escape. I needed to get far enough away that the EPF would never find me. And now apparently there were these Hamatos for me to deal with as well. Just how far would they go to keep what they considered to belong to them? Would I spend the rest of my life hunted by them as well?
Finally, deciding that I needed to move eventually, I peeked out from under the wooden planks of the dock and allowed myself to surface out of the water a bit more, looking around warily.
After a few minutes of searching, I finally spotted a half hidden camera up in a tree pointed down towards the pond.
Figured. I was not going to be left alone.
I swam up to shore, and purposefully kept my movements simple and animal-like as I crept under a tree and crouched. Knowing that somebody was probably watching me, I figured this was a good of an opportunity as ever to reinforce the misconception that I was a simple, dumb turtle, completely incapable of complex problem solving.
Complex problem solving like planning escape routes. A room this large had to have weak points, I just needed to find them.
I took this moment to first examine my injured shell as best as I could. Shell maintenance was always difficult, and I didn't have a mirror to help me. From what I could tell, there was definitely a large gouge, leaving an ugly scar by my shoulder, but it wasn't too deep, and it looked like it had been treated with some sort of resin-like seal. It wasn't pretty, but, as far as shell damage went, it wasn't life altering. I could move without worrying about making it worse.
I then crept out and spent the next few hours slinking around the enclosed garden like a nervous animal, feeling the walls, exploring potential hiding places, and secretly scouting out as many cameras as I could, trying to figure out the blind spots.
It reminded me of a zoo enclosure. There were several additions added to 'entertain' me, a tire swing, a large flat rock with several basking lamps set up, and even an exercise area, with bars and balance beams and other structures to promote agility and strength.
I also found a small tiki hut off to the side, really little more then a small round shed with open sides, made up of bamboo and reeds with a circular grass roof. Peeking inside, I could see there were pillows covering the floor, and a comfortable looking cloth hammock strung up for use as a bed if I so desired.
Outside the hut was a stone patio, where I found, to my surprise, a chabudai, a low traditional japanese dining table, with comfortable cushions placed around it. There was a large watermelon with the words 'Welcome home, Leonardo!' carved in the green rind set on it, surrounded by other various fresh fruits, some of which I had never seen before. There was also a metal counter near that, upon closer inspection, acted like a small personal salad bar, keeping open trays of veggies and lettuce cool and fresh.
Well, at least they weren't expecting me to eat out of a bowl set on the ground.
I continued my poking and prodding, and quickly came to the conclusion that we must have been underground. Turtles have extremely good tremorsense, though it operated best underwater, and that, combined with my years of living in the sewers, allowed my to guess that three of the walls of my pen were surrounded by solid earth. The fourth wall, the one with the door in it, felt more hollow. This garden was set against the side of three stories of an underground building.
I pondered this. Being underground meant a more complex ventilation system, right?
I could use that.
As the day wore on and I continued cautiously exploring, occasionally hiding, and trying to internally map out all the cameras I could find, I began to realize that the lights were slowly beginning to dim. After a while, it grew dark, with small white LED lights flickering on across the darkened ceiling like a sky of stars.
Night. They were imitating nighttime. Did that mean it was night outside as well? I had no way of telling.
But the darkness was just what I needed. Even if, as I suspected, the cameras had some form of nightvision, I had found an area against the wall by a large support beam that I was certain was located in a blindspot.
This was my chance. Time for ninja mode.
It wasn't that hard for me to scale the support beam up the wall, climbing up until I was near the ceiling. And from my earlier observations, I had noticed several large vents that looked promising. I quickly made my way towards the closest one.
It was too securely sealed. I would need a welding torch to break that free.
I carefully explored for a while longer, knowing that the longer I was out of sight of the cameras, the more likely that somebody might be sent in to look for me.
Finally, success. The cover of a medium side vent embedded in the wall felt slightly loose, and I was able to carefully break it off without making a lot of noise.
I peered into the disappearing round venting tunnels beyond.
It was time to leave..