Chapter 7 - Home Away from Home
Draxum moved as fast as his hooved feet would take him. Jumping out of one of the tunnels, he turns and heads along another one. He aims to lead the Kraang as far away from the layer, mainly the garage, as possible. Closing in behind him, Draxum can hear the female Kraang shouting.
"This way, I smell him not far ahead. He must know where the turtles are."
"That's right, you obstreperous squid. Follow me." The Sheepman quipped under his breath.
Now that Draxum successfully led the Kraang far from the layer, he isn't quite sure how he will lose the mutant aliens. They are catching up, and it isn't clear how much further he can run. So, considering the few options, he conjures a couple of activator cells and throws them on the ground.
The second the Female Kraang and her minions got close; the cells exploded into purple vines. This distracts them long enough for Draxum to turn a corner and rushes down another corridor.
Of course, his relief didn't last long. The Kraang was able to tear apart the vines and quickly found the tunnel Draxum took and proceeded to catch up.
The yokai finds his luck ending when he suddenly comes to a complete halt. He finds himself at a dead end, but before Draxum can turn and backtrack, the Kraang finally has him trapped.
"Where are they?" The alien demands.
"I don't know whom you are talking about." Draxum lied.
"The turtles. I know they came by here," Kraang Two growls.
"I haven't seen them. You must have the wrong sewer." Draxum again fibs.
"Tell us where they are hiding, and we will make your death quick!" The morbid creature promises.
"Bite me," Draxum retorted bitterly.
He prepares more activator cells as he mentally admits this will be his last stand.
However, his luck changes when blue lasers are suddenly fired at the Kraang. Some are shredded at contact with the lasers, while others instantly lose a few limbs. Kraang Two shifts from right to left to avoid being hit.
"Retreat," She finally admits her defeat and runs away with fewer mutant minions straggling behind.
This turn of events has Draxum baffled. He looks at Special Agent Bishop as he exits a side tunnel. Behind the man are a few other Agents, some of whom are wounded during the escape from their base.
Bishop poises his weapon in case the yokai becomes another threat. Draxum holds out his activator cells and prepares to use them if the Agents attack.
For a while, all they can do is stare at each other, wondering if they should be allies or enemies.
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After a five-and-a-half-hour trip, the turtles, Casey and April, finally find the old farmhouse. Except for Leonardo, since he is still unconscious, they all stare at the old rundown building surrounded by a blanket of snow. A subconscious chill runs down their backs on how cold the place looks.
"This is it?" Donatello asks with uncertainty.
"Well, what did you expect? My family hasn't been here in years. But this should be safe for us to hide for a while." April shoots back.
"April is right," Splinter agrees. "We should be grateful that we have this place to go to now."
"We may need to fix it up a bit before we move Leo inside," April recommends.
"If we must do that, we better get cracking. There isn't that much daylight left." Donnie points out.
"Indeed, April, you and Michelangelo do what you can to clean up some of the rooms—preferably the kitchen, bathroom, and living room to start. Donatello, you and Casey check on the water pipes and electricity. We want to ensure they are working. Raphael, you will be responsible for getting some firewood and having the fireplace going as soon as possible. I'll stay here with Leonardo and make sure he stays warm." Splinter orders.
"Hai Sensei," the teens speak in sync.
Immediately, they get up and head for one of the boxes Mickey packed. Mickey pulls out warm jackets, boots for him and his brothers, and extra jackets for Casey and April.
"Excellent job in packing our winter gear, Mickey." Raph praises.
"Thanks," is all the youngest turtle says.
Donatello picks up his tools and turns back to look at Leonardo. The others also glance at their injured brother one last time before getting to work outside.
"Hang in there, sensei," Casey mutters.
Even though the boy rarely calls him that anymore, he still sees him as his older mentor from the future. Last year, while Leonardo was recovering from his wounds, they did talk. Since Leo is still young in this timeline, he admits he needs to learn much more before becoming a sensei.
When Casey asked how he should address Leo, the turtle recommended that they acknowledge each other as brothers. Casey respects this decision and finds it more interesting that he is learning more with Leonardo as a student rather than a post-apocalypse leader.
Witnessing Leo in this condition now breaks his heart. Casey feels helpless, much like when the future Leo lost his arm during one of the battles with the Kraang.
Slowly, Casey follows Donatello toward the house. He stops when Raphael puts his big hand on the boy's shoulder. Raph understands what Casey is going through and wishes to show him he's being supported. The two shares a glance before nodding and heading out.
Now that he is alone with his son, Splinter struggles to stand. He still feels the effects of giving some of his blood to save Leonardo. Slowly he moves to one of the boxes and pulls out two blankets before making his way to his son's side.
"Everything is going to be okay, my son. We are safe here, and you can heal. Soon you will be back on your feet, and we can find a way to beat the Kraang." He says with an attempt to remain positive.
The rat frowned when Leonardo didn't respond. But, then again, what did he expect?
Last year Splinter thought that when Leonardo sacrificed himself to ensure the Kraang remained in the Prison Dimension, he'd never see him again. The moment he heard all four of his sons calling to be picked up from Staten Island brought hope and relief to his old heart.
Splinter spreads one of the blankets over his son, making it three layers of blankets in total. He wraps the other blanket over himself before kneeling beside the gurney.
With heavy eyes, Splinter gradually leans against the soft layers of blankets and starts dozing off.
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"Dad?" Raphael calmly says with a gentle hand on the rat's back.
Slowly Splinter opens his eyes, and it takes him a moment to remember where he is. Then, quickly, he shoots up and, in a panic, looks over at Leonardo, who is still sleeping.
"Don't worry, dad, Leo's still with us," Donnie informs, showing the hologram screen on his mystic gauntlet.
With a frown, Donnie glances at the screen and watches as it demonstrates Leo's slow but stable heartbeat. Of course, he would prefer if Leo's heartbeat were more robust than it is, but he hopes his brother will improve soon.
"Well, more or less," he mumbles.
Without another word, Donnie moves to the driver's seat of the Turtle Tank.
"What's happening?" Splinter asks.
"We are moving the Tank closer to the house so we can carry Leo inside without stepping over a lot of snow," Raph explains.
Splinter only nods in response to what his eldest son says. He looks through the window and sees that it is getting darker outside. However, he is relieved that the electricity appears to be working inside the house upon seeing a few lights on.
It only takes a moment for Donatello to drive the Tank a few feet from the balcony steps. As soon as the Tank comes to a complete stop, Raph opens the back ramp so Mickey and Casey can rush in to help get the packed supplies in the house. At the same time, Raph and Donnie unattached the gurney from its secured station and started wheeling it down the ramp.
April meets the boys at the door the moment they bring Leo inside.
"Guys, bring Leo over here. I have a spot set up by the fireplace." She instructs them.
Raph and Donnie follow April and park the gurney near the fireplace beside the window. This is the best spot in the house beside the roaring fire. It will keep Leonardo warm, at least.
Once the two brothers have the gurney secured in its new spot, Raph and Donnie start helping Mickey and Casey with the rest of the supplies. April heads back into the kitchen and boils a few water pots while waiting for the hot water pipes to be fixed. At least Donnie and Casey got some pipes working before it started darkening. It would have been a struggle if they had to tread through a mile of snow and grab buckets of water from the nearby creek.
April fills a new tea kettle from one of the boxes with water. She places it on one of the burners and turns up the heat. April can't help remembering the Old Skully teapot before it was reunited with the Shredder armour. Thank goodness they could defeat the possessed demon, but sadly Splinter's teapot also had to be destroyed.
As a gift, April got the old rat this new pot, which Splinter appreciated greatly.
Michelangelo enters the kitchen with a box and pulls out a few soup cans. He places the cans on the counter beside the stove along with the can opener before pulling out bowls and spoons.
The youngest turtle momentarily leaves them sitting on the counter while he unpacks the rest of the boxes.
Splinter enters the kitchen and pulls out an extra bowl and a washcloth from one of the boxes. He drags one of the chairs towards the stove and hops up. He scoops hot water into the bowl and places the cloth inside to soak. Splinter then takes it into the living room and prepares to finish cleaning the dried blood off his wounded son.
While everyone else finishes bringing in more boxes, Donatello starts setting up his laptop and programming a few drones for surveillance. He even starts connecting to some of New York's street cameras so they can keep an eye on potential acts the Kraang may do.
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Almost two hours later, they all sit in the living room, finishing their soup and tea. Their minds were not on food, but they at least forced themselves to eat most of the soup in their bowls. The room remained quiet, barely saying two words to each other. They are more concerned with Leo's condition and playing out the experience of the morning fight in their minds.
Later, Mickey wraps a blanket around him and sits by Leo's bedside. He is holding one of his brother's hands. Mickey gives it a little squeeze occasionally in hopes it coaxes Leo awake. Beside him, Raph sits on the floor. Because of his size, Raph can reach over and rests his hand on his brother's head.
Sitting across the room, Donnie turns away from his computer and gets up. He walks past an old armchair to check on his father. The old rat is curled up on it and is now resting. Next, Donatello checks on April and Casey, who share the couch. April is already sleeping at one end. Casey, lying at the other end, watches Leo. He blinks heavily, showing signs of exhaustion. It is only a matter of time before he starts falling asleep.
When Donnie reaches the other side of the gurney, he pulls up the spare chair and blanket. He swings the warm fleece over his soft shell and sits down. Copying Mickey, Don takes Leo's other hand into his and squeezes it.
An overwhelming sense of emotion hits him suddenly.
He remembers the time when Leonardo was trapped in the Prison Dimension. Leo might have been permanently lost to them without Michelangelo's optimistic need to save their brother and his ability to tap into his mystic powers.
Even though Leo was tremendously hurt with a few cracks on his shell and broken ribs, not to mention a severe concussion, and much more, at least he remained conscious the whole time as they got him home. The four brothers even joked about their beat-up appearance.
Donatello can't get over his brother's condition, which hasn't changed much since they barely escaped the Kraang from the agents' base. Sure, thanks to Draxum, the bleeding has stopped. His plastron is on the way to being fully healed. However, because of the trauma of his injury and the amount of blood lost, Leo's breathing is shallow, and his heartbeat is slow but rhythmic.
All signs address the fact that Leonardo is in a coma with no prediction of when he will awaken.
Donatello struggles to keep it together, but eventually, a little sob leaks out.
Mickey and Raph look at each other and relate to how Donnie feels. The youngest brother can't hold back his tears either as he lowers his head down by Leo's hand.
Still riddled with guilt, Raphael leaves his hand resting on his brother's head as he looks away in shame. He still feels he should have been able to protect his family from the Kraang. Because of him, the Kraang knows where they live and why they had to flee the city.
Looking around the room, Raphael can see everyone else mulling over their guilt. Even though some of them are asleep, their faces show great stress.
No one knows what they should be doing now except waiting for Leonardo to wake up.
… If he wakes up.