A/N: Soooo... it's been too long. For this reason, I won't keep you long. Just enjoy.
The rhythmic thumping of his rubber ball against the wall was hardly enough to keep Michelangelo from jumping out of bed in frustration. Ever since the news of his father's disappearance got out, he found himself fighting his already restless nature. It didn't help that just outside his door, raised voices drifted in from downstairs. He didn't need to open his door to know what was happening. Leonardo's insistence on keeping his informant confidential was one thing everyone knew Raphael would not take well. The fact that four days had passed since then with no progress stemming from it only made it worse.
Michelangelo frowned as he tried to divert his attention back to the buzz of conversation coming out of his headphones. The voice chat was supposed to help distract him, but even that wasn't working. That is until the front door slammed, signifying the end of the fight. He sighed, caught his ball and sat up. Finally it was just him and his online friends.
"…get back to work now that the festival is over." He caught the last of syfychick's sentence. "LARPing is fun and all, but I can't wait to get back to the animals I work with."
"LARPing?" Michelangelo addressed the group.
"Finally back, greenmachine?" One of his other friends asked.
"Yeah, sorry about that." He idly fixed his microphone as he glanced at the door. "It's been a little crazy lately."
"You've never heard of Live Action Role-Playing?" Syfychick asked. "It's only the best experience in the whole world! If we ever meet in the flesh, I just have to take you! You'll love it!"
"It sure sounds awesome already." Michelangelo grinned, relieved to find something to be excited about. Her love of her passion was infectious, even if he'd never get a chance to follow through.
The grin didn't last long when reality came knocking at his door. "I gotta go, dudes," he whispered, "big brother's a'knockin'." He didn't wait for replies before closing his laptop and ditching his headphones. "Come in!"
He was not surprised when it was Leonardo who opened his door. "How are you doing up here?"
Michelangelo shrugged. "Alright. Raph left?"
"Yeah." His eldest brother sat down on the edge of the bed with barely more than a glance in his direction. He still appeared to be running on little sleep, but at least his brother wasn't suffering from zombie-itis any longer. That version of his brother was not pleasant.
Michelangelo leaned casually back against the hard wall his bed was pressed up against. His gaze never left the back of Leonardo's head. He caught the telltale fist pressed against his brother's leg signifying something was on his mind. "He does know it's still daylight, right?" Michelangelo smirked. "He'd sure be a sight."
"He's staying underground. He assured me that much." Leonardo kept his own gaze forward. "I trust him. He's come a long way from his old habits."
"That's for sure. It's getting harder to set him off. I've tried everything! Not even the classic whoopee cushion trick or a pie to the face gets him to beast mode. Well…maybe the pie, but not as much as usual anyway."
Leonardo sent him a hard look, but the slight upturn of his lips betrayed him. "You're incorrigible."
"I like to think of it as reminders to live life to the fullest! Who says we have to stop having fun just because we're not teenagers anymore?" Michelangelo grinned, though his heart wasn't quite with him in it.
Leonardo must have noticed as he fully faced him. "We'll find him, Mikey. Sensei's strong. He'll hold out until we do. You know that."
"I know. He can still level us even if it's four against one and we've taken down some badass villains." Michelangelo mimed out a few punches. "I just wish we had more than just a theory. I want to be out there searching, doing something, anything! I keep feeling like we're still so far from learning Dad's whereabouts. Time's just slipping away and we can't even do anything."
"Don's working on it. He'll figure something out soon. He's certainly been threatening some all-nighters, but he'll find something. Then all that's stopping us is the sun." Leonardo turned towards the door. "In fact, why don't you come down with me and we ask how he's doing? I was thinking about taking something in for him to eat anyway. I know he forgot to eat lunch again. What do you think?"
"Of course! We can warm up the casserole he never got to try. I work so hard and he doesn't even bother to take a teensy break to enjoy the savory morsels of my creations! It's an outrage!"
"Sometimes I wish I didn't have to either," Leonardo snickered. "At least this time was edible."
"Shush you! It was delicious! You're just jealous because all your dishes are bland and boring. I say bring on the zest! Bring on the creativity! Bring on the bacon!" Michelangelo pumped both fists in the air in emphasis. He jumped out of bed and ran to the door. "Come on! We can't let Donny starve!"
He caught Leonardo's shake of his head before he followed. Mission: Feed Donatello was in action.
The wind barreling against his helmet was a rush Raphael couldn't get enough of. If only the helmet wasn't necessary. He would have preferred to take this trip with at least his visor up, but the sun kept him in check. At least the full biker outfit he wore kept the bitter chill at bay. Sun or not, the temperature was still somewhere in the early thirties. The roar of the shell cycle beneath him was enough for him now. He revved the engine, taking pride in the speed of the beastly machine. Donatello knew what he was doing when he built it and Raphael would never forget it. This was his prized possession, only second to his twin sai.
The one thing he both loved and hated about his city was the police force. He rode past a cop car heading the opposite way knowing it wouldn't turn around. He was going faster than any speed limit, but why would they care? They never cared enough about this city. Crime was always on the rise. Half the police force had to be bought out by the mob, the other half were cowards. Today, he appreciated it, but only because he couldn't be bothered to slow down. He had a claim over the road that a cocky bonehead named Casey Jones thought he could take from him.
He swerved through the ever-busy traffic with the ease of practiced control. Dodging cars was as easy for him as breathing. He barely had to think, which was good as his mind was currently elsewhere. He remembered the report on the news: gang wars. It was old news when he saw it. Just a reminder as part of a bigger story. If he had known then…
"Is there a finish line or what?" Casey's voice prattled on from inside Raphael's helmet. "'Cuz I'm ready ta take you ta town."
"Oh there will be," Raphael replied, "And it'll be me who crosses it first." He swerved onto a side street and lowered his head into the wind. He grinned at the telltale roar of Casey's two cylinder engine behind him, barely keeping pace with the shell cycle. "Unless you think your Suzuki has some hidden power."
"Do you? 'Cuz that's cheatin'." Casey's voice turned sour. "No Don extras. That's tha rule."
"Ain't my fault I gotta genius fer a brother and you don't. My bike came this way so it don't break your rules." Raphael swerved onto a grassy patch of land claiming to be park to rejoin the main road. "Still, I'll play nice. The city can't handle my boost anyway."
"Good."
Raphael snickered, almost allowing himself to forget why he set out during daylight hours. He carved out a path through the remaining neighborhoods separating him from his destination. "There's your finish line." He pointed with his whole arm towards the docks before them. "First one to park in that alley off the dock entrance wins." He heard Casey's engine rev behind him as he zoomed towards the finish line, but Raphael still held the lead. It would take more than what Casey's motorcycle could handle to even catch up. At least that was the belief.
The shell cycle slowed as he took the tight corner, Raphael's foot kicking out at the wall to keep it steady. The wheels skidded along the pavement as the brakes squealed in protest. By the time the shell cycle came to a stop, there was silence in the alley. He hopped off the bike and turned to see Casey grinning at him.
"I beat ya." He said, proudly.
Raphael frowned at his shell cycle. "Seems my brakes need more work. Took longer than expected ta stop."
"That's 'cuz you slam on 'em too much." Casey set his helmet on his bike, his voice going oddly soft. He lingered there with his back turned for longer than necessary.
"Yeah, I've heard that enough." Raphael walked over to the manhole cover he knew was there and knelt down beside it. "What's eatin' at you? You've been slightly off since I picked ya up."
"Nu'in'." Casey's voice grew as he moved closer. "Ya headin' down? Any reason?"
"Jus' gettin' ready fer a chat with some PD scum. Just a block over should be a base o' theirs." He carefully pulled the manhole cover up and out of the way. "Think you could handle playin' secretary?"
"As long as I get some hits in."
"I'm sure that could be arranged." Raphael hopped down to the sewer below before he finally removed his helmet. He replaced it with a hi-tech headset he had collapsed in his utility belt.
"Ain't that one of Donny's toys?" Casey asked as he joined him, surely noting the lens that clicked into place over one of Raphael's eyes.
"Yep." He clicked a button on the side of it until half his vision was obscured by a colored filter. He focused in on the building he knew would hold his target. "Not many inside, but there is a guard out back." He pointed out the location. "He'll be perfect."
"I'll be back in a minute, then." Casey headed back up, leaving Raphael alone.
As he waited, Raphael took out a single sai to spin around his fingers. What he really wanted was to get in that building and take out every Dragon inside. That's how he used to get things done. It was the good old days, but he knew better than to let nostalgia trip him up. With the sun up, he wouldn't get very far. He could wait.
His shell-cell buzzed just as a body tumbled through the manhole with a feminine grunt. The call was ignored as he stepped over to the scrawny form before him, sheathing his sai. Above him, the manhole cover was replaced with a dull clang. "A girl, huh?" He said, noting the Dragon's facial features in the half-light.
Casey hopped down beside her in full vigilante gear. "Surprised me, too. I didn't think they'd put greenies like her on guard duty. She's barely Angel's age when she was one of them." He nudged her with his foot. "What's so special about you, huh?"
"Maybe she's just expendable. It's not a big party anyway." Raphael had to smirk as the girl tried to pull herself away. In one swift move, he yanked her up by the arm and pinned her against the wall. "What do you think?"
"Fuck you, frog-face!" The girl spit at Raphael's face. "You ain't nu'in'! I gotten all-"
Raphael punched her in the gut, causing her to crumple in his hold. With the same hand, he swatted the spittle off his face. "Let me set the record straight. I can hit harder and I will if you don't cooperate. If you want to leave with more broken bones, please make my day. Otherwise start talking nice."
The girl looked up into his eyes with nothing but defiance.
"I just have a few questions. If I like your answers, I may even get my friend here to take you to the hospital – your leg looks to be in bad shape."
"Or we could drop her at the police station." Casey added. "I'm sure they have space for her in lockup."
"Or that." Raphael agreed. "What do you think, sweetheart?"
"Get yer fuckin' hands offa me!" The girl squirmed in his grasp.
"'Member that gang fight on the docks over a month back? Tha one on tha news? Tell me all you know."
"We defend are own! Ain't no outsida's gonna push in on our turf. 'Specially no Jersey fuckers! They be worser than youse frog-fucks!"
"That's a start. Tell me more about what you saw. You and that Jersey gang…"
Hacking into the police database was child's play to Donatello. He easily finished that step on the first day. It wasn't something to be proud of. To think the city had such lackluster security was shameful. He could certainly do better. For that reason, he expected to have found all he needed to know within two days. Only it wasn't that simple. By the end of the second day he knew Leonardo's information had merit. There was no denying it now for it was filling his screen with a huge federal fuck you. The digital road block was stamped over the files detailing the night in question.
At first it looked routine: gang wars were a common problem in New York City after Shredder's permanent vacation off planet. Once he dug deeper, however, he found the redacted file. That's when he knew something big had happened that night. The government wouldn't bother censoring incident reports for any typical gang war. Donatello's dread grew as he looked over the code obscuring the original reports. Hidden there was his first sign of the truth: the words 'Earth Protection Force'. It could only mean one thing. Somehow, Bishop was involved.
Donatello's fingers tapped furiously against the modified keyboard, his mind whirling with codes and programs he had taught himself that could break through the firewall preventing him from learning more. His father was counting on him to do what he did best. He needed an in, a place to start. He needed something that would give them a clue to Bishop's new base of operations. He could be anywhere. They needed more than a name.
He pursued over countless bytes of code for hours at a time. Days passed with fewer breaks in-between until he completely lost track. The outside world just went on without him. All that mattered was the backlit screen before him. For this reason, he barely took note of his door banging against its supporting wall. It would have stayed ignored if the perpetrator didn't throw consideration aside when he shoved forward, bearing a good portion of his weight on Donatello's shoulders. The expected heightened volume of his brother's voice came next.
"Find anything yet?" Michelangelo gave the monitor a closer look that Donatello knew would be furrowed in confusion over the lines of code filling the majority of it.
Donatello pushed back against his brother, one arm swatting in his general direction. "Who let you in?"
"I did." Leonardo's voice alerted Donatello he was even less alone then he thought. He rolled his chair around to fully acknowledge him. Leonardo stood only a few feet from the now dislodged Michelangelo. "Is something wrong?" Leonardo continued. "You looked far away when we walked in."
"No, well, not really. I was still processing the data with my decryption software." Donatello rolled back to his computer to minimize the window he was working on. "I did find something, thanks to your information." He quickly glanced back at Leonardo. "You're not going to like it…" His fingers breezed against the keys as he spoke. "Bishop's involved somehow. His name popped up in the files I was looking at. Or his organization did anyway, but we all know what that means."
"Bishop has Master Splinter." Leonardo's confirmation came with a heated undertone for the federal agent's benefit.
"That's what I'm thinking." A pop-up appeared on the monitor, obscuring the majority of his screen, alerting Donatello that the analysis had done its job. He pulled up the decrypted file and frowned as he scanned its contents. It was a death report, a teenage girl found dead at the scene. The report described a monstrous rat creature strewn over her corpse. Pictures filled the screen next, depicting what the first responders discovered, the last of which hosting a blurred image of his sensei attacking the cameraman. There was no more doubt now. Donatello glanced back at his brothers to confirm they had seen the same.
"I'll call Raph. It's time we move forward." Leonardo pulled away with his gaze switching to his genius brother. "Eat something first, but then I want you to pull up all you can on the whereabouts of Bishop's current base. I'm sure Leatherhead wouldn't mind helping there." He set down the dish Donatello only just noticed he was holding on the desk to his right.
Donatello nodded, though the odds of finding the base were stacked against them. All previous locations were found by capture. Those bases were since destroyed, never to be used again by Bishop's corrupt organization. It was the metaphoric needle in a haystack. Still, Donatello was determined to put all his resources into finding his sensei. Everyone leaves a trail and he already knew where to start. There was more to the decrypted file. Donatello hoped it meant a destination. The meal wasn't forgotten, but it was put aside until Leatherhead's arrival.
A/N: And they're off! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember to feed that review box on the way out. I'll try not to take too long for the next chapter. Promise!
