So Here I go again. Just tossing some more up, partly cause I've been working on this for so long, I neeeeeeeedto post it.(Hence, it's longer than usual.) I'm getting kinda ahead of myself here. And partly for Corey. How's Baraz?(Or however you spell his name. No offense to him.)
I gotta say I'm getting excited about this story. (That's good right?) I honestly like working on this, and hogging the computer for four hous so I can work on it. Dunno if anyone else is having as much fun with this as I am, but I do hope that y'all are enjoying it. (Hard to tell sometimes. Not many people review. Doesn't have to be long, or pretty, ya'know.)
Ah well. It's gotten to be a ton of fun for me. Hope Corey, that you're having a blast with this. Sorry things aren't going too well on your end. (It could be worse... How, I don't know, but it could be.) Kudos to anyone who's read this far. I appreciate it.
Rated T for:Violence, and language. That's part of realism. No worries, every thing's in it's place, with no extreme cuss-offs. Promise.
Inspiration: Brother, pain in the neck when their around, pain in the heart when their gone.
Thanks to:Pretender Fanatic and PainterofSorrows.Y'all make this fun for me to post. Thanks guys.
Maria's blood went cold. Her body tensed, slowly becoming numb. Her face was ashen, a pallid color. She tried to speak, but the words would not form on her tongue. Her lungs heaved, inhaling rapidly. Her knees locked.
"Ma'am?" The voice on the other end called. "Ma'am, are-are you alright?"
She felt her chest tighten in agony. She moved her leg.
"Hello?"
Her knees buckled out from under her, wobbling her foreword. The phone crashed to the floor, as Maria Connrad's body hit the floor. The color further left her face, as she let out a low wail of pain.
"Hello!?" The phone buzzed in her hands, though she barely heard it. Her green eyes closed, forming large salty tears.
"I think she fainted!" The phone shouted distantly.
'Fainted?' Maria thought, her breath coming in slow, ragged movements. 'No, I've never fainted in my life.'
She looked up at the ceiling in a daze of anguish, and confusion. What was happening? First Lee, now David... Who next? The thought chilled her, body and soul. Numbly, she fingered the rough carpet flooring, trying to clear the thick fog in her head.
Maria lay there, just willing herself to throw out any superstitious fears that she, or her older brother or sister, Aiden, (A year younger than David, and the youngest brother.) and Amy were next. Her entire world was beginning to fall to pieces all around her. She looked around her room stupidly, at all the pictures Aiden and Amy had taken for her before they had left. Pictures of their big, crazy family. Pictures that created a mosaic of the brothers, and sisters together in harmony. Now, it had been ripped away from her.
Maria felt something sharp prick her finger. It was an odd sensation, as she felt far off, and the prick barley affected her. Lifting her finger to look at it, she saw a small trickle of crimson liquid. Blood.
Her green eyes stared at it for a moment. Then the green irises widened. Color returned to her face. She let out a loud gasp.
Her body snapped up into a sitting position, as she brought much needed air into her lungs.
"Ma'am, are you there!? Do you need an ambulance!?" The phone screeched. Maria snatched it up again.
"No, no." She assured the man on the other end. "I'm sorry, I-I-" She paused, taking a deep, shaky breath. "I'm okay..."
"Alright..." The voice on the other end sounded relieved. "Can you pass on the message for me? Have his parents call the department. Do you need the number?"
Maria took the information, sitting on her bed to keep from crashing back onto the floor. It scared her. The thought that she had been so ripped apart by this whole mess...
Maria laid her head against the pillows, silently weeping in her heart. Her brothers... Missing. Could her favorite twin siblings be next?
She had four older brothers, and sister, Lee, David, and then her twin siblings, Amy, and Aiden. That left her, and Anne, the youngest two, here at home.
The twins had gone off to seek their own fortunes, instead of going to college like David, or going into the military.
Aiden was currently a Freelance photographer for a local news paper, and Amy was busy putting her skills to work for a small office. That was all she really knew about their lives at current. Even though Maria and Amy were close, Amy always seemed to push her aside from her day-to-day life, even when they spoke on the phone.
Maria had tried to convince herself that it was just her older sister's way of trying to say she was out on her own now. Now, however, she wasn't so sure. Nothing seemed to make sense to her anymore. Not even her sibling's actions added up. If she didn't know them, who did she know?
There was a knock on her door. Maria glanced up.
"Rei, Rei?" Anne's voice floated in from the other side. "Rei, Rei, who was that?"
Maria hefted a small sigh. She wasn't ready. Unready to tell what she knew about her second oldest brother's disappearance.
"Wrong Number." She lied. No. Now wasn't the time to mention it.
"Hm." Her younger sister grunted. "Whatever." Small footsteps, sound outside the hall, as the younger sister padded away.
There it was again. That strong, painful distention between sisters. When was it to end?
Maria turned over onto her stomach twirling the hair from her pigtails around her finger.
'What am I going to do?' She wondered helplessly. She put a hand to her eyes, wiping away the moisture that had began to form around her green eyes. 'It seems as if there's nothing I can do.'
She glanced up at the ceiling, turning back over onto her back. 'Worse yet, I don't even know what's going on, so if there was something for me to do, I wouldn't know about it.'
Maria silently wondered if there was some sort of hint she could find for the police, or herself.
'But no.' She thought dejectedly. 'I've been over this a million times. I've given every name, and habit of Lee's I could think of.'
She sat up abruptly. "Gragh!" She snarled. "What's a girl to do!?"
As if to answer her tormented question, the phone rang again. Maria decided not to pick it up. Anne would try to get it now.
"Rei, Rei!" Her sister shouted from somewhere down the hall. "I'm in the bathroom, can you get it!?"
Maria grumbled silently, and snatched up the phone again.
"Hello?" She asked gruffly. "Connrad residents."
"Is this Maria Connrad?"
Maria blinked. Not only did she not recognize the voice on the other end, but she couldn't think of one reason someone would be asking for her. Dateline and all other reporters had been told to that she was not going to comment. She didn't think she had anything in at the library. So who was on the phone, asking for her?
"Yes?" She asked quietly. "Can I help you?"
"I'm hoping we can help each other." The cool, lordly voice replied. "I have some information on your brother's whereabouts."
Maria's heart stopped. Her eyes widened.
"You do!?" She whispered.
"Yes." The voice chuckled. "But I want something from you in return..."
"Any movement?" Amy barked. Aiden winced. Sometimes his twin could be a dictator. She was adamant about him keeping a strict, careful watch. It was starting to get to him.
"For the thousandth time," He sighed, rubbing his sore temple. "No. I'll let you know as soon as something comes along."
Amy sniffed, and turned back to her computer. The two were taking their time, reading through a list of codes, waiting for their enemies make a transmission. Once they did, it was over.
Aiden found it hard to stare at the screen of data rolling by, and not fall asleep, or grow dizzy. It reminded him vaguely of the days when he, David and Lee would just hang out, and watch the Matrix. Ah, the good old days. Sadly they were long past, and too far behind them all. Even then Lee and David had been battling this threat. Even then they were both keeping all that they knew to themselves. It was simply the way it had to be. Aiden knew it.
His eyes caught a glimmer in the changing code. Snapping out of his reverie, he jumped. "Amy, Transmission, transmission!"
Amy leapt from her chair, and with cat-like speed, snatched up the headphones. Her brown eyes went over the screen.
"Good connection." She muttered, typing commands into the computer. "Good. Server... God."
Aiden looked at his twin. "What?"
"It's him." She snarled. With lightning speed, she typed in another set of commands. "Oh God save us all..."
"What Amy, what!?" Aiden exclaimed, waving his arms. "Spill it!"
Amy turned to face her brother, fear, and anger written plainly across her face. "He's contacted Rei, Rei."
Aiden's lips formed a tight line. "Already? It's too soon! She's just a kid!"
Amy shook her head. "I know. But so were we."
"But Lee and David were there! This weasel's-" He began to protest. He stopped short at Amy's glare.
"It's tradition. We can't interfere." She sighed. "The others stood by to watch, but they didn't interfere."
Aiden stared at his sister, eyes wide, and mouth agape. "Amy, you can't be serious." He whispered. "She's too young. She's not ready for this."
"Nor were we. She'll learn..." The girl lamented.
"No!" Aiden snarled. "There's no way! We can't bring Rei, Rei into this war!"
Amy looked up at him.
"When we agreed to fight these people, we swore to keep Maria and Anne out of this. We agreed to a pact that held us to protect those who have no chance against these people. Rei, Rei's one of them, and you know it. She still thinks the world is a nice place to live in."
Amy sighed. "Aiden let it go. She's got to do it on her own. We had to..."
"That's just what I'm saying!" He argued. "We had to, but she shouldn't have to!"
The female twin walked to the large window, staring out. "I hate fighting them." She admitted out loud. "I may pretend to enjoy the thrill of it, but I don't. None of us do. But..."
She turned an intent gaze onto her brother. "It's our family's curse to fight the Foot, and undo all the wrong our parents caused."
Aiden looked at the floor in guilt, as Amy continued. "We were the ones chosen to know, and fight. Even though we suffer for it, it's our duty."
Amy turned back to the window. "And if Maria's been chosen to help in the fight, then we can't try to keep it from her. Especially not now..."
Aiden growled, as he gritted his teeth. "Then what? We just let innocence die?"
"No..." Amy closed her eyes. "We let one innocent die, so countless others may live on in blissful ignorance."
Maria couldn't believe what she was doing. It was by far, the stupidest thing she could think of doing. Here she was, sneaking out late at night, in her darkest clothes, and taking her mother's van to meet some stranger who was claiming to have a clue to her brother's whereabouts. Not to mention, she only had a permit, instead of her license, and was driving to an abandoned fair ground.
'It's like a horror movie or something.' She thought, shivering, as she opened the door to the van. 'Because the main character isn't thinking, they fall into a trap... Ah well, Anne always told me I needed to do something stupid...'
Still, Maria felt chilled to the bone. She turned the heater on, only to find it didn't help. She pulled out of the driveway, and out onto the road.
Maria's thought's turned to the strange things that were spinning around her. Brothers missing, Weird people calling her out in the middle of the night. What was going on?
It was all she could do to keep her focus on the road, and where she was going. She was surprised when she reached her destination in what felt like minutes. Parking, on the gravel, and locking the vehicle tight, she made her way to the Ferris wheel where she was told to meet him.
Maria stood in plain sight, waiting. She filled her spare time in with wondering who she would see.
"Maria Connrad, I presume?" She glanced up to see the man who had summoned her here. He was a tall man, with authority in his stance. His voice was calm, cool. The undertone held power, and Maria could feel its effects work on her. She stood a little straighter, and held her head up a little more. He wore a kimono, something that was not lost on Maria's knowledge of the world. His cold blue eyes searched her for a moment. His dark hair fell just to his neck, contrasting his pale skin.
'Like a Vampire...' Maria thought distantly.
"Yes sir?" She replied. "You were the one who called me?"
He smiled. Maria noticed the way his lips twitched into a small expression of amusement. It was similar to a cat, tricking the mouse to come eat with him.
"It was I." He tilted his head slightly. "I know the whereabouts of Lee Connrad... However..." He trailed off artfully. "I need your assistance to help him."
Maria felt her heart stop. "What?" How could she help Lee? How? She knew that she owned very little skills of her own.
The man shook his head, trying to appear apologetic. "You're brother is a prisoner of a corrupt organization."
At her confused expression, he went on. "The CIA is holding your brother over a national security threat; they think is linked to him... I know he's innocent."
The man took a step forward. "You see, I know Lee well enough to know that he had nothing to do with it. However, he managed to hit one of the higher-ups's sore spot. That's why their delaying the investigation."
Maria placed her hands behind her back. "And you want me to help? I mean, how?"
He smiled. "We both know that occasionally if you want to do the right thing, with corrupt officials, you have to bend the rules to gain evidence."
He let his smile slip away, and grew solemn. "Please, allow me to train you in the art of the ninja. When you learn all I can teach you, you will be able to clear your brother's name."
Maria blinked. This just seemed so... far-fetched. "You want me, to fight the CIA? That's crazy!"
"I thought you might feel that way." He stated, pulling out a small card. He extended his arm out to her, and offered the card. She looked at the gesture hesitantly, then carefully took the plastic slip from his grip.
She examined it in the poor lighting for a moment. A small square held a picture of Lee, along with information on him, and other coding she didn't understand. She stared blankly at the bold letters proclaiming 'CIA' upon the card.
"That's his ID card." The man explained. "Now do you see?"
'Not really..." She thought to herself. 'But whatever.'
"I think so..." Maria murmured. "But I-" She laughed suddenly. "Well, I don't even know who I'm talking to!"
The tall dark haired man smiled. "Forgive me, I forgot my manners. I am Oroku Saki."
Maria thought it over momentarily. Could this be the answer she was seeking? Somewhere, deep in her innermost being, her gut told her something she had forgotten.
"Oroku...Saki?" She muttered. " Oroku and Saki, one man, two faces. Oroku The ruthless, and Saki, The Suave."
Oroku Saki's, calm, pleasant demeanor faltered. "Pardon?"
She looked him in the eyes. "I don't trust people like you!" She snarled, making a dash for her van. She was intercepted by a figure clad in black, as dark as the night itself. The only color was a large, red foot...
Maria cursed under her breath, as she threw a small box to the gut. Her opponent responded in kind with a much harder blow. The teen fell to her knees, gasping in pain.
"That," Saki stated, walking up to where the girl sat, crumpled. "Was a foolish move, my young friend."
Maria growled between her teeth. "Bastard."
The man didn't reply to this, he merely began a walk off. "Load her in the car. I have other things that need my attention." He began to walk off, then paused. "Keep her in good condition."
Once his boss was out of sight, the black ninja pulled the suffering Maria to her feet. "Come along now..." He hissed in her ear. "We've got a looong-"
He was cut off abruptly by a loud cracking sound. He fell to the ground, next to Maria, who sat there, shaking from the sickening crack which continued to echo in her ears.
"Get going, Rei, Rei!" Someone hissed instantly, pulling her to her feet. She turned to face her rescuer. Her brother.
"Aiden!" She exclaimed in a whisper. There stood her friendliest brother, Aiden Connrad. His brown eyes sparked with an intense glow. His face was pale, and beaded with sweat. She had no doubt, as his chest heaved in adrenaline laced panic, that he knew more about this than she.
"Get oughta here!" He snarled, shoving her towards the van. "Go, Rei, Rei! Go!"
"But-"
"No buts!" He argued. "Get going, and don't go home! He'll find you there!"
Maria glanced around, suddenly panicked. "What!? Where then?!"
"Anywhere!" He shouted back. "Just don't stop running! Don't ever stop Running!"
Now Maria understood why he was trying shove her away. The Fairgrounds came to life, with dark ninja crawling towards them like ants.
"Go!"
She needed no more urging. She flew to the van, unlocking it, and backing out in perfect time. Soon she was flying down the abandoned road at record speeds. She pressed through every back road just as quickly as she could, not stopping for anything, and never, not once, to look back.
Maria sat on the side of the road, thinking it all over. It made no sense at all.
'Here I go again!' She thought angrily. 'Thinking to myself about how it doesn't make sense! It's getting me nowhere!'
Wiping a stray strand of hair out of the way, she tried to muse things out in a different light. Her brother's stories were true.
She remembered how they told her about the terrible Oroku Saki, the two faced man, or the foot with many toes, or the cursed children of the royals, or the Paladins of the apple tree, or even the story of the girl trapped in time.
"Their real..." She laughed. "Oh God, their real!" Tears streamed down her face. She held a fistful of hair as she sobbed. " I don't believe this! What's happening!?" She shrieked for the green fields to hear. "What am I running from!?"
The echo came back to her, almost laughing at her, taunting her with the pitiful ignorance she possessed.
With a heavy heart she sat back down on the asphalt. She let her green eyes trace the creases in her dark blue jeans, as she tried to just clear herself of all of her thoughts. It wasn't working well at all.
Questions came in torrents of mind-numbing pain. What was she running from? Why was she running from it? What was her next move? How long could she run? Where should she run to? What should she shy away from? Where were Lee, and David really? What was Saki up to in all of this? Should she seek after the other stories? What was her next move? What about Amy? Or Aiden? Would he be alright? Had he been captured? Should she try to rescue him?
They buzzed, and whirled, and snarled, and snapped inside of her head, driving her mad. It was too much. She needed to vent her frustrations, and fears, and the rest of her emotions out somehow. She cried. Wet, salt tears stained her face, and dribbled down to the ground. She sobbed there for an hour, before she at last stopped crying. Yet then, here she was, alone.
Maria Connrad sat on the side of the road, looking dully out at the lush, rolling green fields, wondering what life had in store for her now.
Leonardo slipped into the records office skillfully, bringing no attention to himself as he did so. He slinked through the shadows, working his way to the master computer Donatello had specified. It looked no different than the others, yet it was special. This one held all the data they sought.
Hence, Leo was in such close courters to humans. He waited patiently for the distraction he was promised. The plan was a flawless piece of ingenuity.
There! A loud tapping sound on the window. The few humans hanging around glanced up from their work. A long pause, then three more loud tapping sounds. People were getting out of their chairs to take a look at that that sound was. Now! This was Leo's chance! He rushed to the master computer. Placing a small paperweight nest to the computer, he rushed of into the shadows. Success. The first major on in the last six months.
"So what did we get?" Leo asked his brother.
Don held up a hand to silence him, while he typed furiously on his home-made laptop. "Give me a sec." He requested. "This isn't my field of expertise you know. I work more in Cervo mechanics, than computerized data, and hacking."
"Yeah, well your the best qualified out of all of us here, ya Brainiac." Raph sighed. "So could you speed it up a hair?"
The purple clad turtle didn't reply, instead, he turned his focus solely to his noisy key clicking.
Thirty full minutes passed of this noise, as Leo meditated. Raph sat off to the the side, talking with a man, in mid-twenties. The man was fairly well-muscled, with long, messy black hair, laughing at some joke Raph was telling. Mikey sat in a corner, reading his comic books for the thousandth time. All waited in anticipation.
"Got it!" Don chirped suddenly. Heads shot up, and feet scuffled to see the reports.
"They've got a killer security system." Donny smiled. "But it's not the best I've seen. The Foot's computers are more complex than this one."
Leo cleared his throat.
"Right." Donny smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. The reports are pretty vague. Just says his Roommate kept calling him on his cell, and got a disconnected number message, and no word from any of his other friends, for about two days, so he called police. The investigation's only managed to compile nonsense. He didn't say anything about leaving, or staying to anybody, so it could be a suicide, kidnapping, or anything right about now. Another Foot Symbol was found, along with another crest, in note found crumpled under his bed. Says it was confiscated by the-" The turtle paused in surprise. "By the CIA!"
Silence settled in, as the brothers pondered this. This was bound to bring trouble. What were the brother's connection to the Foot? And why was the CIA involved?
"Meaning?" The human asked, breaking the thoughts of his companions.
"That means," Leo sighed, rubbing his temple in agitation. "Things have just gotten more complicated."
That's it. Please review! It doesn't have to be long or pretty, just tell me if you like it, or see where I could improve. I'd be grateful.