Raph stared at the words article by: April O'Neil in smudged black ink, blurred by the bright yellow highlight. Something wasn't right. Neither of the office doors were broken. It's like someone… had a key. And how did April write a story about a breakout that happened last night when she'd spent most of it crying on my shoulder?
He knew how he'd get the answers. Raphael's jaw shifted as he reached in his pant pocket, tugging his phone free. He'd almost forgotten he'd broken it, if the crack hadn't been there to remind him. It surprised him when the screen actually lit up. So, I didn't break it after all. Well, sorta didn't. At least I can wait a while before telling Donnie.
"Call April," he commanded the device. I'll just ask her what's going on. There must be some kind of explanation. Yet the tightening of his stomach told him it wasn't going to be as simple as he hoped.
The phone rang twice before she answered, "You're not supposed to be calling me, Raphael. You're supposed to call Leo."
He straightened in his chair, realized his mouth was hanging open, shut it and knew from the tone of her voice, she was about to piss him off. "Huh? What do ya mean I'm supposed to call Leo? If I wanted to call Leo, I woulda called Leo. No, April, I meant to call you."
The silence on the other end of the line did little to set him at ease. His heart picked up pace, the twinge in his stomach forming into a small knot. "You still there?" It came out a little nastier than he'd intended, and when she didn't respond his temper flared. "April, I asked you a question. You still there?"
He could hear her gulp on the other end of the line. Her voice came out low and he'd swear she sounded scared. "Raph, look, I can't talk about this, not yet. I want to, I do. It's just, it's complicated. And— I think someone is following me."
The tightness in his stomach reached up into his chest, wrapping around him like a belt cinched to the last notch. "Where are you? I'll come to you."
April's shaky sigh was barely audible. "It's all tied together, all of it. Ever, the breakouts, the compound, Shredder, it's all related. I shouldn't tell you that much. She made me promise. She said she could handle it. But I didn't believe her, she's running out of time and it's getting out of hand. Please Raphael call—oh, no—"
The metallic clinks and bounces of a phone dropping hit his ears but he felt it in his chest. April never screamed. He waited for it, expected it, from the struggling sounds hitting his ears. But she didn't make a sound.
"April!" he yelled, but knew she wouldn't answer. With a racing heart, Raphael stood helplessly in his office, vanilla walls closing in on him.
His teeth set on edge, his hand crushing the phone in his palm. He launched what was left of it into the wall so hard it lodged there, hanging half out like a three-dimensional night light. Great, now how am I going to call my brothers?
"Thirty-eight years and you still can't keep your temper under control," he grumbled shoving his rolling chair out of his way, bumping his shell on the family photo that hung on the wall in the process. His eyes flew to the red-haired woman in the photo, who he'd come to love like a sister, his brainiac brothers arms wrapped around her. If anything happens to her… "What have you gotten yourself into April?"
Raph closed his eyes, tried to clear his swimming head. What do I do first? What did she say? Call Leo. But I need to tell Donnie. Where was she? I've got to get to a phone. Why didn't I let Donnie put in a hard-line here? Mikey's close. I'll use the phone at his place… or… Raphael's heart wrenched. I'll take a cab to the cemetery.
If Leo thought no one knew his routine he couldn't be more wrong. Everyone knew. Only Raph had been determined not to wallow in constant mourning of his father's death, at least not as publicly as Leo had. It wasn't that he didn't miss Splinter. He resented the tears he'd soaked his pillow with, but they'd been shed in private and he was determined that not another living soul ever know about them.
He bolted from the office, into the street and hailed a cab. "Calvary Cemetery! Step on it!"
The cabbie stared at him, open mouthed, eyes wide. "You're the warrior dude!"
Raphael rolled his eyes. "Cemetery now!" He wanted to grab the guy and throw him out of the cab, even thought about it for a half-second, decided not to, then thought about it again as he sized the guy up.
The cabbie flinched. "Look man, whoever's at the cemetery ain't goin' nowheres. Last I checked dead people don't get around much."
Raphael leaned toward the man, his teeth bared. "You ain't gonna get around much if you don't move."
The cabbie inched back slowly, turned around and pulled out into traffic. "They say you're the asshole of the bunch."
Raph scoffed. "Yeah. That's me, the Asshole." At least names didn't bother him anymore.
They crept along, moving in spurts as traffic stopped, and went, then stopped again. Raph fidgeted in the back seat, his hands clenching into fists, then opening and balling up again. His muscles gathered, trembled with need of release. What happened to her? What'd she get into and why didn't she come to any of us?
He tried to replay the prior night in his head. Did I miss something? But she'd only vented her frustrations about Donnie. Some crap about Casey, a party, a tabloid, the usual stuff. Raphael's mind came to a screeching halt as the cab pulled up to the cemetery. She had been texting, playing with his phone and hers all night, in between her sniffles and ice cream. And who was the 'she' that made her promise, and what did she promise? Was it Renet? Ever? What the hell is going on?
Raph threw a wad of cash at the cab driver and ran up the hill, the cool fall breeze doing little to soothe him. Leaves scraped the ground, rushing around his sneakers crunching beneath them as he slowed to a walk.
He came upon his father's plot, marked with the Hamato crest, incense burning, sending a trail of smoke up in the air wafting toward him beckoning him closer. The scent of sandalwood hit him like a knife to the gut, summoning memories of his beloved father. Raph's gaze travelled the stone, the incense, the crest, stopping on his father's name. For a second he felt those warm furry arms around him, his father not saying anything, just loving him, despite his mistakes, his temper, and whatever mishap had befallen him.
Raph didn't know how Leo did it every week, coming there. It was like feeling his death all over again, and he couldn't keep doing it. Even as he stood there he wanted to run. His toes bunched in his shoes, ready to launch him.
He stared at his brother, the prodigal son. The perfect one. The exemplary student. The leader of their clan. The first born. The self-righteous, perfectionist, and used-to-be arrogant ass that, even now, he sometimes could still be. And where Raph used to resent him, at that very moment, with the crushed expression on his eldest brothers face, Raph wanted to hold him up, promise to carry him for a while. After all he'd carried them, even when Splinter was alive, he'd looked after them. And while Raph hated that, being told what to do, that control that Leo sought over him, somewhere deep inside he was glad he was there, knew his brother had his back and loved him fiercely for it.
Leo's head turned, his eyes widening at sight of him. "What? Is something wrong?" Then Leo shook his head, held up a hand to clarify. "I mean something is wrong, I have to tell you about it, but, what… why are you here?"
As quick as that the fire rose in Raph's belly. "What? I can't visit Sensei? Do I need permission from you? Sorry, I'd call first but," Raph thrust a finger toward the headstone. "He ain't exactly gonna answer."
Leo closed his eyes, pinching the space between them, and Raph wanted to punch him. He hated it when he did that. It was like he was a parent dealing with a kid. "Raph, that's not what I meant. It's just—"
"It doesn't matter. Forget it. My phone's broke and I knew you'd be here…" Raph looked away, not wanting to see the disapproval in his brother's eyes. "I— something's going on with April. She's in some kind of trouble."
His brother closed the space between them in seconds. "What's wrong, tell me everything. Shredder's back. Does he have her? Where is she?"
Raphael stumbled back, stammered out his question at the same time Leo asked him one. "What? Wait, what? What do you mean Shredder is back?"
"What do you mean April's in trouble?" His brother's question sounded more like an accusation to Raph, but before he could confront him Leo's phone rang. He pulled the device from his pocket, frowning at it. "Did you tell Donnie, about April?"
April's voice rang through Raphael's head. Ever, the breakouts, the compound, Shredder, it's all related. "Wait, Leo, she mentioned Shredder too."
Leo sighed. "Raph, did you tell Donnie about April?"
Raph gave a curt shake of his head. "No. Phone's broke. Came to you first."
"Tell me everything on the way."
"To where?"
"Donnie's lab."
