Chapter Nine

Revelations

This chapter took a while to put up as I have been in hiding from Entropy's creative use of Sulfuric acid and LN's dragons who have been terrorising the neighbourhood for the past while. Call 'em off, wouldya please LN?

Uh oh

(roars and flames in the distance)

NOOO- they're back, I'm sorry, okay? Aaargh!

Becca T,- hehe I love doing that to people. Thatnks for the response!

Entropy & Lunar-Ninja- Ouch.

Jessiy Landroz- Nope, wasn't no preview. I'm sorry tiny little voice> heehee.

Digimon Girl- Thank you!

Pacphys- Wow, really collecting threats here, aren't I? Thanks!

Chapter Nine

Revelations or

Friday Night In the Lair

Aries Zodiac (slightly singed)

Takes place at the Lair on the Friday night and Saturday morning before and through the murders.

It was late Friday night in the Lair. It had been a good evening, even if there had been someone missing. They had talked and even played a board game which Donnie had won. Raph had been totally distracted and lost resoundingly with even Leo -who was not good at these sort of games- beating him easily.

"I'm going out again- I have to go meet some people- mutants- they said they had to talk to me…" Raph trailed off and pulled at his mask-tails awkwardly. "Anyway- I probably won't be back till sometime tomorrow, but I'll be back before tomorrow evening, anyway." He felt slightly awkward, feeling he ought to explain where he was going, but now used to coming and going on his own timetable- not answerable to anyone else.

Leo frowned at the table but didn't say anything. Come on Raph- first night, could he not stay in?

"They said it was important, Sensei- otherwise I would stay." he added, the sense of foreboding he had been feeling all evening heightening. He needed to get out of here- quickly.

"Be careful, my Son." replied Master Splinter. He wasn't altogether happy with Raphael going out there- not with tensions on the street as they were, but he knew Raph was involved, and had been taking care of himself until now.

"Yeah- good luck, Raph. Ya sure you don't want company- back-up?" asked Leo- halfway serious and jesting. Raph glanced at him.

"Nah…you'll scare the kids!" With that he'd ducked out of the Lair, leaving Donnie sniggering at the half-insulted, half-amused look on Leo's face.

"Charming…" he muttered, before surprising himself with a yawn.

"Oh…sorry…Guess I'm more tired then I thought." he excused himself. His old familiar bed suddenly seemed like a very tempting idea right now!

Donnie and Splinter talked a while longer before both followed Leonardo's example.

It was late that night when an urgent beeping sound filled the air, catching Leo by surprise. He woke up with his katana in his hands, looking for the threat before slumping back on the pillow, realising what it was. He climbed out of bed, grumbling as his heart-rate slowed down to normal again. Funny, he wasn't usually this jumpy. Maybe Raph was contagious.

Don leaned out his door, rubbing his eyes.

"It's there -Leo- answer the dratted object wouldya?" he yawned.

Leo hit the button and suddenly April's face was on the screen. He woke up entirely. She was upset, that much was obvious. He realised with shock that tough, tomboyish April O'Neill was crying!

"April! What's wrong?" Don came up behind him, now worried also as Splinter, with his sixth sense for trouble, entered.

"What's up with your phone? I…I tried to ring…so did they!"

"You know our phone April…it breaks down a lot… What's going on. Who were they? The police? Was it Raph? Had he gotten himself into trouble? No…the only people who had April's number to get in contact to them was…

"Turn on the T.V…Oh God…It's the training camp. There was an accident…they wouldn't tell me exact details but…

"…it has just been confirmed that there were shots fired at this restaurant…and casualties have also been confirmed. The men responsible were overpowered by recruits from the Army Training Base who were on a night out. The shots are believed to have been aimed at members of this Base, where the highly controversial 'mutant team' are training. We cannot confirm if they were the victims of this attack…"

"It is, Leo! It was aimed at them. Leo…It was Mikey's team…and…he said they're all…"

Leo barely heard the last word- his head was ringing and he felt numb.

"…dead?" he whispered.

Don sprang forward as Leo dropped the phone, his older brother trying to grab the phone as it slipped from numb fingers.

"April? April! What…? What happened? What did you say?" he cried, desperate for her to tell him that he'd misheard. But he knew that he hadn't.

"Donnie…they rang me…about ten minutes ago…they couldn't get through to the phone… they said…oh, God, they said that they want the next-of-kin for all the recruits…his entire team were…they're all dead!" Don found his hand shaking now and the picture on the screen shook- no it was the comm shaking and he forced himself to put it down ion the table as he tried to absorb the news. He looked at Splinter who turned abruptly towards his room. But before Donnie could do anything, his master was back with them.

"My sons. We must go. I must…" he trailed off this time. Leo was staring at the screen, his face still pale and sickly looking. Illuminated by the flickering light, he looked ghostly. The sound was muted. He made no move to turn it up. He didn't want to hear. The first noise he made was halfway between a gasp and a choked hiss as the screen showed a building- a small restaurant with armed police around it. And medics…carrying covered stretchers. Covered stretchers One, two, th…four. Five. Five dead. Mikey's team. Five. With a sudden shout of fury he swung his fist and left a dent in the wall. Donnie grabbed his arm before he could swing again and spoke urgently to him.

"Leo…stop it! It…won't help… and you won't help Master Splinter…If…if it is them…we need to get to the Base quickly. There's no time… And…and we need you. Please Leo…" His voice was shaking, cracking and it was this more then anything that cleared the red mist from the blue turtles eyes. He unclenched his fist and looked, almost surprised at the bruised knuckles and let his hand drop. Suddenly he was Leo again…almost. His eyes now held no emotion- they were hard and angry and his face might have been carved out of stone.

"Leo?" asked Don, stepping back, scared now.

"We need to contact Raph." said Leo coldly. "He needs to get here. Don, will you get the van warmed up- I'll pack." Donnie backed away, totally unnerved by the strangeness of his older brother and moved down the corridor, barely seeing where he was walking. No…this couldn't be true…

Leo moved mechanically. He had to pack…not much, but they would need a few things. Master Splinter was still sitting there. Leo was scared by how his Sensei was reacting. He seemed…well, stunned- they all were. And confused. He wasn't used to seeing his father, his leader like this and suddenly realised that for now, he would have to take the lead and look after his father and…two…brothers. Two…the tears nearly came as he realised that he would never be part of the family of four brothers again. They were three now. But he forced the tears -and emotions- down, deep inside himself and locked them into a box in the corner of his soul. There wasn't time now. He had to be the strong one. But…it was hard…

Donnie shouted with frustration as he tried to contact Raph on his shell-cell only to get no answer.

"Raph will You PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE!" he screeched at it as that annoyingly tinny noise came over the comm. He slammed it down, flinging it into the back of the truck. Then the van wouldn't start. He tried again and the engine stalled. Suddenly he found himself crying. Oh, no…please…this couldn't be true. How could the youngest- he wasn't even an adult yet- how could he be…

"He was coming home tomorrow…" he whispered, head leaning on his arm where he gripped the steering wheel. "Why? WHY? HE'S ONLY A KID! DO YOU NOT CARE!" he shouted again, not sure whether he was shouting at the van, the army, his brother who wouldn't react or the one who couldn't. Or maybe whoever it was, up there who was supposed to control such things.

He punched the steering wheel and, against all expectation or logic, the engine started. He shook his head as Leo came out, helping Master Splinter who was walking slowly, his limp more pronounced then usual.

"Raph?" asked Leo tersely and Donnie shook his head mutely, not trusting his voice. Leo paused and climbed out again.

"I'll leave him a note...to say to ring us. We…we can't wait. He'll come." Leo hurried off and Donnie glanced after the retreating shell in confusion. How could he say this in a note?

Leo fiddled about for paper, shuffling newspapers and…stuff…aside for a piece of paper. Pen…pen, where the hell did they keep pens? He found it and scribbled with it, trying to get some ink out of it. Finally he wrote;

Raph

Contact us as soon as you get this. There's been an accident at the training- camp. We have to go. It's serious. I'm sorry we can't wait- we tried to ring you. Please ring when you see this.

Leo.

The pen quivered over the paper as he tried to write the words. The final words that would have told his brother the truth that they were all trying to cope with. But he couldn't…he couldn't! Not until…who was he fooling- they knew. They could hardly have been mistaken. But…

In the car, Donnie moved impatiently as he tried not to think. He didn't want to think. He glanced at Master Splinter in the passenger seat. He was sitting entirely motionless leaning on his cane heavily. His eyes were open but not particularly focussed on anything. This flat calm was as unnatural as Leo's.

"Master Splinter?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly. Splinter turned to look at him and Don saw that he was wrong- he could see the pain in his Master's eyes. One of his sons was dead, and he'd never gotten to talk to him. Hadn't…

"S…sensei?" he felt like a child again, wanting his father to tell him it was alright. But it wasn't. It couldn't be…ever.

"My Son…" Splinter spoke quietly and Donnie's carefully constructed façade of calm broke. With a low howl, totally unbefitting an eighteen year old ninja, but completely suited to someone that had just lost their younger brother, he almost flung himself at his father who held him but couldn't say anything as they both let the tears fall.

Leo returned and they drove out onto the silent roads. They would have to drive all night.

Very early on Saturday morning, Raph hunted furiously for his shell-cell, then stopped as he remembered. Dammit- why the hell did his contacts have to be so damn paranoid! His group had told him it was imperative that he meet with this woman, but alone and without anything that could be construed as recording equipment or a transmitting device. If it wasn't for the fact that people he trusted had vouched for her he would have called it off as a trap- and a poorly laid one at that. But when he heard the story of the small female mutant, who spoke quietly and clearly, he had been filled with horror but knew that what she was saying was true. Even if he'd been anyway inclined to disbelieve it as a wild tale, he couldn't. Gemma was sitting in the room as well- that was the woman's only concession. Gemma was a truth-reader and could verify that every horrifying word that the exhausted woman uttered was truth. His skin crawled as she spoke of a plan to set neighbour against neighbour and cousin against cousin in a way that had not been seen in America since the fall of the Confederacy in the 1800's. When he learned of the planned catalyst for the new civil war, he froze to the spot for a second then leaped to his feet, demanding to know when it would happen.

"I don't know. Soon." she answered tiredly. "I came as soon as I could escape. I did all I could. But it's up to you now- if you don't do something, your brother and all his team will be murdered and that will be used as the catalyst for the human-mutant war."

He ran over the rooftops home, pushing himself to his limits as he leaped from roof to roof- dammit- how could he have left his cell at home? He hadn't a choice. He should have brought it anyway! And then she wouldn't have told you- you still wouldn't know. Oh, no…please…that he wasn't too late already! It was their last night- they were probably allowed out- what better time? NO! He couldn't think like that- they were the Mutant Ninja Turtles- they were survivors, a team. But you're not any more are you? You're all split up, went your own ways. Vulnerable He saw spots flashing before his eyes as his breath started coming in short gasps. Bu he could see the outflow pipe from here. He was nearly home, and in record time!

He didn't need to go all the way to the outflow pipe. He dropped into an alleyway and glanced around hurriedly to make sure no-one was around before opening the manhole and dropping down into the sewers. As he pulled back the manhole a pair of rheumy eyes watched from the corner, where the owner was half-buried in rubbish to keep out the cold.

"Well, how 'bout that!" muttered a cracked voice, and the eyes glanced blearily at the bottle in a paper bag. This stuff was stronger then it tasted!

"Leo! Master Splinter! Donnie!" called Raph urgently as he dived into the Lair. At…early o'clock in the morning, he wouldn't usually wake them but his was a certifiable emergency. Nothing.

"Master Splinter? Don! Leo?" he scrabbled for the lightswitch and gasped. It looked like a bomb had gone off in here. Things were thrown to one side or on the floor- relics of Leo's desperate search for a pen- and…he could see a light flickering in the next room. The TV? Why was that on…at this time? Where was everyone…no! NO! He wasn't going to think that. He moved silently towards the next room, eyes fixed on the flickering lights that made meaningless patterns of whitish light on the glass door. Finally, with a shout of anger, he swung the door open so hard that a pane of glass cracked and saw…nothing. Only fuzz on the screen. With a shaking hand he turned it off, feeling scared. Now what? The shell-cell! He flew upstairs, pausing to make a cursory check for people in the rooms as he passed. Nothing. There! He snatched up his discarded cell and called Leo, who answered in seconds.

"Leo! What's going on? Where are you?"

"You…you got my note?" asked Leo. Raph noticed with alarm how pale his brother looked…and how…upset? Before…no, he must have imagined it. His brother's face was impassive again.

"Note? What note? Listen Leo- Mikey's in danger- there's some sort of plot against him 'n' his team. Leo…"

"Raph." Raph paused at this one simple word as all the words drained away. He'd known all along. But he hadn't wanted to admit it.

"I'm too late…?" he whispered.

"We don't…I think…go to April's. She said… I…I…just…go to April's, Raph. There was an accident at the camp…" he could hear himself saying these stupid wooden words from a great distance, but didn't know how to stop.

"But…but, he's okay, isn't he?" asked Raph, also not fully in control of what he was saying.

"I think…I don't know- listen, just go to April's. She needs someone there and… and I don't think you should stay home on your own. She'll…tell you what we know."

Why couldn't he just say it! Raph, Mikey and his team were killed earlier. They want us to go up and confirm that it's him. Ah, yeah- that was why he couldn't say it. He shook his head as he tried to speak but his shaking hand found the disconnect button instead.

Raph didn't ring again.

This wasn't right. She'd watched as the elderly rat and the two turtles who looked so much like the young leader of 'Team X' ID'd the body. She felt like crying. She wasn't in the room of course, or even in the same state. She was 'linked' with her husband, a mutant with telepathic mind-powers, and together they watched the terrible outcome of their naivety unfold. She did cry then. Why had they joined these people? Why had she convinced her husband to help these people, by watching these five mutants. So different they were- the calm woman whose outer ice hid raging inner fire, the silent man, the laughing green leader, the bird- woman, the mischievous boy who could fling lightning. And yet, they had become more then the sum of their parts. She and her husband had share their triumphs and mourned their failures. And reported them. They were so young. It wasn't fair! IT WASN'T RIGHT!

She had to do something. Her head snapped up.

There was something. It was risky though- very risky.

But if it was possible?

She had to do it.

It was their fault.

I'm getting there...

Ya know the drill.

Ooh, yeah- haven't put up a jolly old disclaimer in a while, so here goes:

I, Aries Zodiac, being of reasonably sound mind, heraby conclude that the TMNT do not belong to me. The same is true for all X-Men canon. I do own Siren, Steel, Glacier and whatshisface, Electrode. And all the other dudes I made up. If ya don't recognise it, I preob own it. Mine, MINE! Mwahahaha!

Maybe not of sound mind then...

A