Chapter Five: Enemies and Allies
Once it was clear that a truce had been called, we all put away our weapons. Leo stepped cautiously toward the gargoyles' big leader and gave him a guarded bow. He seemed surprised when the behemoth returned it with a perfect traditional bow, and even greeted him in Japanese.
"Konichiwa," Goliath said politely. " I am called Goliath, and these are my clan-mates. Your brother has told us you are warriors, like us. He called you ninja. I was unaware that such practices still existed. Please accept my apology for the unprovoked attack by my rookery brothers. They can be overzealous at times." He held out a hand, and Leo slowly reached out and shook it cautiously.
"You know Japanese?" He asked, surprised and a little impressed. I glanced over at Mikey, and he nodded back at me and grinned. One of the quickest ways to win Leo over was to appeal to his sense of honor and propriety.
"Some. My daughter Angela and I spent some time in Japan not long ago- we met another clan of our kind there, and learned of the Bushido code they live by. It was a most enlightening experience." The giant gargoyle said, nodding. "Still, I find it strange that we have never encountered any of you before." He looked around curiously from one turtle to another, his horned brows furrowed.
"My name is Leonardo," replied our leader politely. "You've already met Michelangelo; the others with me are Donatello and Raphael. We practice Bushido, as well. It's one of our Sensei's most important teachings. And I'm not surprised you've never run into us- we're VERY good at staying hidden. At least SOME of us are." Leo replied. He turned to glare directly at Mikey and me; I smiled back at him innocently, while Mikey just pretended he hadn't heard, and began whistling idly to himself. Leo grimaced, but said nothing.
"You guys are named after Renaissance artists? Cool!" The smallest of the winged strangers piped up. "Did you pick them yourself, or did someone else give them to you?"
"Our Sensei named us when we were little," Donnie supplied in a casual tone. "His former master was fond of Renaissance art, so our father named us after Master Yoshi's favorite artists."
"Neat!" The short gargoyle replied. "Oh, I'm Lexington. But you can call me Lex. That's Brooklyn, and the big guy there is Broadway." He pointed to the other two in turn. "So, you guys are mutants, huh? You're turtles, right? We've seen mutants before, but not like you guys!" The short one seemed excited; he reminded me a little bit of Mikey with his wide-eyed attitude. I stifled a laugh, hearing him chattering eagerly with our genius brother. I was beginning to understand what the one named Hudson had meant when he'd mentioned their own chatty clan-mate.
"Why'd ya' attack us? We ain't never done nothin' to ya'," Raph said, cutting in at last. He glared darkly at the red-skinned one, a hard glint in his deep golden eyes.
"You guys have been sneaking around on the rooftops in this neighborhood a LOT lately- what are you after?" shot back the red gargoyle. He met Raph's stare without blinking, his wings fluttering in anticipation of another fight. I glanced at Mikey, and he met my gaze with a disgusted look and rolled his eyes in annoyance at the way the two seemed to be trying to goad each other into a rematch.
"Hey, pal! WE was here FIRST!" Raph barked, pulling out his sais again and twirling one menacingly. "We was out lookin' for our little brother there when you jerks swooped in on us! What- you never heard of just ASKIN'?!" He took a step toward the gargoyle again; I quietly pulled out my kusari-gama, ready to intervene again if need be. His ego had been bruised, and now it looked like his infamous short temper was flaring up again. I sighed. This was getting us nowhere, fast.
"That is enough- BOTH of you!" Goliath snapped, as he swiftly stepped between the two antagonists. "Brooklyn, that is no way to treat a stranger. You are my second- you should not let your anger or suspicion get the better of you. This is NOT the behavior I expect of my second, OR of a true warrior." The one he had called Brooklyn hung his head guiltily, chastised by his leader's words.
"Forgive me, Goliath. We were just trying to protect our home. I guess we DID jump to conclusions. It won't happen again." He made a submissive bow to the taller gargoyle, then glanced over at Raph. "For what it's worth, we're sorry we attacked you. I guess we're just used to strangers always being out to kill us. We haven't found many people we can trust."
Raphael eased up a little, but didn't put the sais away. "Yeah, we know what THAT'S like. Fo'get about it. I guess we ain't exactly your average next-door neighbors."
"Ahem- excuse me," Detective Maza broke in, moving to the center of the rooftop as she waved for attention. All heads turned to look at her questioningly. "I'd like to suggest that we move this little pow-wow somewhere a little less exposed. We may not be visible from the street, but if anyone in one of the taller buildings around here sees us, things could get dicey in a hurry. Besides, I'm going to be late for my shift if we don't get back over to the station soon." She tossed Goliath an impatient look, and he nodded.
"Agreed. Let us retire to someplace safer. Our roost is more comfortable than this rooftop. Please, join us, and we can speak further." The powerful leader gave a brief nod to Leonardo, who considered for a moment as he waited for confirmation from the rest of us. Donatello strode casually over to stand just behind him to the right, his curiosity openly visible on his face. He kept eying each of the gargoyles with a critical gaze, as if trying to analyze them. Michelangelo and I joined them, followed by a reluctant Raphael.
"We'd be happy to accept your invitation," Leo answered at last, curiosity getting the best of him. He seemed to have decided that the gargoyles could be trusted- I knew that was not an easy feat for him, as his natural distrust of outsiders tended to make him slightly paranoid of possible traps and signs of betrayal. Then again, considering their history, I didn't really blame him for being suspicious.
The one named Hudson unfurled his wings. "We'd be happy to give ye' a lift across if ye'd like," he said helpfully. "Unless ye' have any objections," he added, eying Mikey with an amused half-smirk.
I was just about to accept, when Raph pushed past Leo and spoke up. "Thanks, but no thanks. Ain't nobody gonna' pick up THIS turtle. We got our own ways o' gettin' around. Besides, how do we know ya' wouldn't drop us?" He glared suspiciously at the one called Brooklyn, as he tucked away his sais and pulled out his grapple-line.
"Don't worry, the only way we'd drop you is if your fat head was too heavy to carry." The red gargoyle shot back, grinning wickedly. Raph made a warning growl and tensed to launch himself at the other, only to have Leo's hand yank him backward by the rim of his shell.
"Raph, cut it out! Would you stop trying to pick a fight?!" He stared down his brother, who had turned his head to glare back at him defiantly. Leonardo sighed and shook his head in annoyance. "Good grief, I can't take you anywhere." He raised his other hand and pinched the spot between his eyes as if he felt a headache coming on, before taking a deep breath and nodding to Hudson. "Actually, we appreciate the offer, and SOME of us would enjoy the ride. Thank you." He made a quick bow toward the old warrior, finally letting go of Raph's shell. The red-banded mutant jerked away angrily, and stalked over to the low barrier around the edge of the roof, where he flung out his line and tossed his siblings a withering glance before swinging across.
"Awesome! I'm up for it!" Mikey said excitedly, stepping up.
"I thought ye' said ye' weren't meant to fly?" Hudson asked, puzzled by the change of heart from the young mutant.
"Oh, that was before I discovered how fabulo-so flyin' is! That was the coolest ride E-VER!" He looked over at Donatello with what I could only call a flash of enthusiastic inspiration. "Hey, Donnie? Can you build us some jet packs or somethin'? Or maybe some kind of blimp or power-glider? PLEEEASE?!" Leo face-palmed, and I groaned softly, knowing that he would never let us hear the end of it until Don agreed to do the project. It was his most annoying habit- pestering Donnie for something until he caved, just to shut him up. Donatello's workshop was full of such half-finished projects started in response to one of Mikey's wild ideas, and most of them had ended in frustration and failure.
"We'll see," Don said, rolling his eyes, though I could already see the gears in his head turning at warp speed as he tried to gauge the possibilities. Great. This had all the makings of a future Donatello techno-disaster….
I watched with amusement as Leo stiffened when the large, bulky gargoyle hoisted him up with ease. "Huh, you're heavier than you look. I bet that shell adds a lot of weight!" The big gargoyle noted brightly. "But don't worry, I should still be able to lift us both. Maybe."
Leo did a double-take. I snickered, knowing he was terrified of heights. "What?!" He shrieked, for a moment sounding almost like Mikey.
The gargoyle chuckled. "Ha, ha! Just kidding."
The lean, red-skinned one stepped over to Donatello, eying him cautiously. "YOU'RE not too good to fly, are you?"
"Well, judging from the ratio of body mass to wing-span, the normal metabolism of a humanoid body, and the fact that your activity cycle appears to be nocturnal, I'd guess that you're only able to glide on air currents, rather than actually fly. But sure- I'll give it a shot!" Donatello replied, as usual turning a simple answer into a scientific discourse.
The white-maned gargoyle gave him an odd look, before twisting his horned head to regard the smallest one. "Hey, Lex! This guy talks like you do! Maybe you two should date!"
"Oh, VERY funny, Brooklyn. Maybe if he was a GIRL, and had wings!" The shortest one said, taking the ribbing in stride. Donnie just stood there staring at them with an irritated grimace.
"Um, actually…." Mikey began, only to receive a "thwack" on top of his head from the end of Don's bo, that stopped him cold. "OW! Hey!" He protested loudly, and turned to find Donnie shooting him a withering glare; Mikey's eyes went wide, and he clamped both hands over his mouth as he realized belatedly what he had almost revealed. "Oops. Uh- never mind," he said, embarrassed.
"Mikey, you're an idiot," Don muttered, rolling his eyes, as the red gargoyle took a few running steps at him, hopped into the air, and grabbed hold of him under his arms, lifting him up with a flap of his long wings. The big one followed suit with Leo in tow, and I couldn't help noticing that our "fearless" leader gasped worriedly as his "ride" cleared the edge of the building and soared out over the street far below.
Once again, I found myself picked up by the young female, while Mikey eagerly allowed Hudson to hoist him up under the arms as he made a down-beat of his wings and jumped up to take off. This time, however, my orange-clad companion gave an excited whoop as they caught an updraft and swooped toward the clock tower. As before, the big leader scooped up Detective Maza in what I was beginning to understand was a tender embrace before leaping out into the air with wings spread wide. I noticed she held onto him trustingly, and that the pair seemed quite comfortable with the close contact.
Thankfully, we arrived back across the street onto the casement of the police station's tower without incident, though Leonardo's legs quivered like jello as he landed. It was rare for him to ever show any sign of weakness, but being held aloft with his feet dangling down more than a hundred feet above the ground was enough to unhinge even our stoic leader a little. I filed the incident away for later, as something to rib him about back in the comfort and privacy of the lair. Like the others, I had learned to take his overdeveloped sense of honor and pride for what it was- a sometimes annoying quirk that nevertheless proved advantageous at times.
Raph was already pulling himself up over the edge of the casement, watching us land with a cocky smirk. "Okay, Leo- since when do we take rides from flyin' weirdos we don't know nuthin' about? Ya' wanna' explain that?" He raised one brow-ridge accusingly, as he pulled up his grapple-line and wound it back onto his belt.
"Raph! Just drop it! We're guests here, so stuff the attitude!" Leo barked in his "command" voice, shooting an annoyed look back at his hot-headed brother. He turned to follow Goliath and Detective Maza inside, firmly making his feelings known by turning his back on Raphael. It was his way of showing that the discussion was over; Raph growled softly at the implied dismissal.
"Yeah, Raph; would you chill out, dude? Why do you always got to be such an ass?" Mikey asked, hopping down as Hudson released him. "These dudes are cool- and you should see their dog! Or, uh, whatever he is." He said, glancing over at the one named Broadway, who was giving him a strange look.
"Butt out, Mikey. You're the one that got us into this! What the Hell were ya' thinkin', anyway?" Raphael shot back, glaring at the youngest. He stalked after Leonardo, fists balled at his sides.
"OH! Well, EXCU-USE me for takin' a little initiative to check out somethin' unusual! Like it's some kind of crime to do anything on my own- pot callin' the kettle black, much?!" He snapped back at the bigger turtle's back, before padding over to where Donnie had just landed with the one named Brooklyn. Raphael simply ignored him, rolling his eyes in frustrated anger.
Angela moved close to me, leaning in to speak quietly. "Are they always like that? I thought you said they were brothers?"
"They are- unfortunately, they don't always get along. And Raph is hard to live with most of the time. He's not exactly the most friendly of the bunch. More like the lone wolf. He's always butting heads with somebody. You get used to it, after a while. But he's not so bad, once he gets over being over-protective and suspicious around new people. He just has a hard time trusting others."
She didn't reply, but gave the red-clad sibling a wide berth as he passed. Michelangelo and Donatello traded glances and shook their heads at Raphael's display. "What's his problem, anyway?" Mikey asked the brainy one, letting out an annoyed huff.
"He's still kicking himself for what happened with those guys that tried to abduct the rich lady. We tied up the other three, but the one who had her started to drag her off and was using her as a shield- so Raph threw a sai. Pegged that creep right in the neck, and now he's upset that he missed the guy's hand. Raph was just aiming to incapacitate, but the lady tried to pull away, and tugged the guy's hand. That might not have happened if you two had been there." He turned a slightly accusing look on Mikey, as if to say that he was partly responsible for the bad mood his brother was in.
"Hey, it's not MY fault he got sloppy, okay?! Like I said, we wanted to investigate this place, and figured you three could handle a simple kidnapping attempt without us. I've had my eye on this tower for a while, and thought it would be a good time to see if I was right about the funny business with the statues, that's all." Mikey stared back at him, scowling. "Anyway, he'll mope around and go postal on his punching bag for a few days like he always does when this stuff happens, and then he'll get over it. It was an accident, Donnie. I know we're supposed to be careful about that sort of thing, but he keeps forgettin' that we're all carrying dangerous weapons. He treats those things like they're just big toothpicks, half the time!"
Donnie sighed, for once not having an answer. I stepped between the pair, gently draping an arm over both of their shells. "You know, it doesn't matter now, Don. We can't change what was done, and there was no way we could have known that would happen. And Raph DOES need to learn some restraint. He could have handled that better. How many times has he gone overboard during practice? Sometimes I think he doesn't know just how dangerous he is. But we can talk about this later. Let's just go inside and get to know the new kids in the neighborhood."
"Amen to that, babe." Mikey nodded, and we all followed the others into the tower.
Inside, we found Goliath and his clan-mates waiting for us. "Welcome to our home. I realize that we did not meet under the best of circumstances, so perhaps we should explain our presence here. We once lived in Scotland, over a thousand years ago. We had a pact with the humans who lived in the castle built upon our cliff-side home, to protect the castle and its inhabitants, and in return they guarded over us while we slept. But there was a traitor among them- and among our own clan, as well. We were betrayed and our clan was nearly destroyed, and a magus of the humans blamed us for the castle's fall. He wove a spell that put us into a stone sleep until the castle should rise above the clouds. And now, we have awakened in this time, to a world we barely recognize, and understand little of."
Donatello listened intently, and when the powerful gargoyle leader finished, he began to pace thoughtfully for a moment, and then whirled toward Goliath suddenly, looking excited. "You're talking about the castle at the top of Xanacorp Tower, right? I've heard the owner had it taken apart overseas and rebuilt there stone by stone! So, when it was moved, that must have broken the spell!"
The gargoyle nodded. "Yes, it seems he had heard the legend of the castle, and acquired the Magus' spell book. In its pages he learned of the spell, and figured out a way to break it. He wished to see if the story was true. But he used us for his own purpose, knowing that we knew nothing of this world and would be dependant on him to teach us the ways of this new time. He is our sworn enemy now, for all the crimes he has committed, and for betraying our trust."
Leonardo spoke up, nodding as he waved toward the four of us. "We have enemies, too. Our sensei's human master was murdered many years ago by a rival from his clan; that man is now OUR enemy, as well. He kidnapped our father and sensei three years ago, and tried to convince us to join him in his quest to take over the city, but we refused. He's allied with a genocidal alien warlord from another dimension, and he's also the head of a crime syndicate that runs half the gangs in the city, with ties to the Mob AND the biggest street gang in town."
The smallest gargoyle stepped closer, his eyes wide in amazement. "You mean the Purple Dragons? We've run into some of those guys, and they're BAD news! We've had some run-ins with Tony Draco's Mob, too!"
Leonardo nodded. "I don't know much about Draco's boys- we've never tangled with them. But the Dragons and Big Louie's faction are both working for the guy we're after, one way or another. His name is Oruku Saki, but he calls himself the Shredder."
"The Shredder? Sounds like a cheese grater." Broadway commented, earning a chuckle from the two smaller gargoyles.
"Yeah, that's what we thought, too," Raph said. "But he's one nasty customer- murder, stealin', forgery, fraud, assassination, money-launderin', weapon-smugglin'- ain't NOTHIN' that snake won't do. Same goes for his partner, an ugly little alien creep named Krang. We've seen the place he comes from, an' it AIN'T pretty. Mostly 'cause his army went through and either took over or wiped out everything in sight. And now he wants OUR planet next!"
"Geez, and I thought Xanatos was bad!" Broadway said.
"It would seem we have a common cause," said Goliath. "I agree- anyone who poses so great a threat must be stopped. Perhaps we can be of assistance. Your brother said this man had created mutants to aid in his conquest. What manner of creatures are they?"
Leonardo grimaced, the reminder of our enemy's minions a sore spot that had long given the team's leader headaches. "His two main allies are Rocksteady and Bebop. One's a rhino, and his partner is a warthog. They USED to be a couple of two-bit street-thugs, but they actually volunteered to have him turn them into mutants after we kicked them around a couple of times and they wanted some paybacks. They're idiots, but dangerous just the same. Saki also has another pair he calls Tokka and Rahzar- they're a wolf and snapping turtle. I'm pretty sure he meant the snapper as an insult to us. They're even dumber than the other two, but also bigger and meaner. But the worst one is Baxter Stockman. He was a scientist and inventor Shredder conned into working for him. Baxter was accidentally turned into a mutant fly when Shredder tried to get rid of him after one too many failures, and somehow he convinced Stockman that WE were responsible for his mutation. Now he hates us. But he's been stuck in Krang's home dimension for a while, now."
"Sounds like this Saki guy would get along great with Sevarius. He was using human test-subjects to create mutant variations of us, using DNA from big cats, bats, and electric eels. One of them happened to be Elisa's brother," commented Brooklyn. A dark look passed over the detective's face, as his two clan-mates nodded agreement. I sensed a deep hatred of the man from all of them, especially Maza. I could hardly blame her.
The detective sighed, clearly upset by the reminder of what had been done to her brother. I felt a stab of sympathy, having lost family to the machinations of evil men, too. I strolled casually over to her, and offered her my hand. "I'm sorry about your brother being used like that. I know what it's like to see someone you love taken from you by sick bastards who don't care whose lives they destroy."
She turned to me, eying me closely as she nodded and shook my hand hesitantly. "Thank you. Bt the way, I never did catch your name, miss," she said pointedly.
I stared back steadily, and replied with a small smirk. "I know. Call me Venus," I quipped, using the pet name Mikey had taken to calling me when out on patrol. It had started as a private joke between us, but it was as good an alias as any.
"Venus? I know that isn't your real name, so just who ARE you?" She replied bluntly. I shot a glance toward the gargoyle clan and my own small "family", pondering my next move. Should I tell her the truth? Then again, Mikey had suggested that someone who could keep the existence of these strange creatures secret was probably trustworthy enough to keep ours as well. I hoped he was right.
"That depends. What do you intend to do about them? You'll have to forgive me, but I'm rather protective of those four, after all I owe them. That goes double for Mikey- I've grown very fond of that goofball. I'd die to keep their secret. So you can understand my reluctance to give away my identity, especially to a cop. It would be too easy for someone to find them by using my connection to them against us." I answered candidly, leaning against a support beam and folding my arms as I waited for her reply.
"You really don't trust me, do you?" She asked, glancing from Goliath to the turtles. "Even after what you've seen tonight?"
"Loose lips sink ships," I reminded her, "and this would be a bigger disaster than the Titanic if the word got out about these guys."
She let out an exasperated sigh, and pulled her hair back away from her face in frustration. "Look, we're on the same side here. I have someone to protect, too. We have to trust each other to keep them all safe. Agreed?"
I nodded slowly. "True enough, but you were threatening to arrest me. I can't let you do that, for obvious reasons. Unless you REALLY want people to find out that the "task force" that's been keeping the lid on gang violence the past few weeks was actually four mutant turtles and one teenaged girl. I assume you're aware of the little gifts we've been leaving for the NYPD all over lower Manhattan?" I smiled back at her smugly.
"So it WAS you and your friends who were responsible! I suspected as much when you were asking if the Purple Dragons were attacking. Your friend Leonardo confirmed it when he mentioned tangling with them." Her answer came as no surprise; I'd already determined Maza was perceptive and intelligent.
"Like you said- we're on the same side," I said, casually smiling back. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to discern whether I was mocking her with her own words. I sighed, and shrugged, deciding that she already knew enough about us to cause trouble, but if Goliath and his clan trusted her, I could do no less. "If you really must know, My name is Orlene, and I work as a camera operator at Channel Six. I run the equipment for April O'Neil on the Happy Hour News. Maybe you're familiar with it?"
"O'Neil- I've seen some of her interviews with high-profile tech types. And that lab break-in at Stock-Tronics a while back- there was a hostage kidnapped by the thieves. They stole some sort of prototype mech-suit. I was called in on the case when they killed the engineer who designed the suit."
"Yeah, I know. I was there. I was the hostage that was kidnapped." She went silent for a long moment, frowning as understanding hit.
"That was you? How did you get away? I'm guessing it was this Saki person who was responsible." She asked.
"Yes, and yes- and Mikey managed to slip into the get-away vehicle. He freed me after Saki and his goons got back to their base. I'd be dead if it wasn't for him."
"Well then, it looks like we have more in common than I thought. Goliath has saved my life a few times, and I've tried to return the favor whenever I have the chance. But I appreciate your honesty. Look, we got off on the wrong foot, I'll admit that. If it helps, I'd have too much explaining to do myself if I arrested you now. Plausible deniability. So why don't we just agree to be allies and keep each other's secrets? Deal?" She held out her hand, and I finally nodded and shook it.
"Deal," I agreed, giving her a cautious smile. "So, you heard about our little street-cleaning program?" I joked, giving her a little smirk.
"Are you kidding? The entire force has been talking about it- behind closed doors, of course. The higher-ups have been going nuts trying to figure out who's behind all the gift-wrapped thugs and mobsters. At first I thought it was Goliath or one of the others, but they didn't know what was going on, either. But mutant ninjas? Now some of the things I've been hearing from the perps are starting to make sense. And the odd part is they aren't even the strangest thing I've seen lately. Not even close!"
"Mutant ninja TURTLES," I emphasized, grinning. "I guess that DOES sound kind of crazy. Heck, I thought I was either dreaming or in some weird parallel world when I first met them. But you're right about seeing stranger things than mutants or living gargoyles- I've even seen that alien creature they mentioned. Looks like a little pink brain with fangs and tentacles." Maza laughed, apparently finding the image of a talking brain amusing. That seemed to settle it; I decided that cop or not, we had a lot more in common than I had realized. Before long, we were trading "war stories" of our adventures with our respective friends.
The turtles and I spoke with the winged warriors for a while, and discovered that our two clans had much in common. Donnie warmed up to Lexington quickly, especially once he realized they shared a common interest in science, computers and complex machines. Before long, the two were chatting like old friends. Broadway mentioned a movie he had recently seen, and the next thing I knew, he and Mikey were laughing and trading jokes, and talking about movies and comics. Even Leo seemed to have found a kindred spirit in the gargoyles' leader. The two seemed to have formed an unspoken understanding based on mutual respect and values that somehow transcended all differences between the two leaders.
Raph and the red-skinned gargoyle named Brooklyn, on the other hand, seemed content to insult and one-up each other in every way imaginable. What had begun as an intense anger and rivalry seemed to have turned into some kind of competition to determine who was tougher. My money was on Raph. I've seen him go toe-to-toe with a half-dozen of the biggest and most well-armed Mob thugs you'd never want to meet, and come out on top of a pile of unconscious bodies. It was only later that I realized that the odd insult war was Raph's way of sizing up Brooklyn as a possible friend. Apparently, the horned gargoyle met with our resident hot-head's approval.
All too soon it was time to leave, but we promised to meet our new friends the next evening atop Radio City Music Hall, to work out the details of a partnership. It was decided- by Leo and Goliath, of course- that we should work together in teams when on patrol, with one of the gargoyles providing aerial reconnaissance, while the Hamato boys (and myself) worked the rooftops and alleys. In spite of the rocky beginning, it seemed that things were finally looking up. Little did we know...