Chapter 2: Some news
Summary:
Leon faces a harsh reality, and meets the strangeness of the city for the first time.
Notes:
Like always it will have mistakes in some words probably i will find them and correct then before a 3rd chapter so don't think on them
The next few days had been one medical test after another his wound had healed within 2 days and for the tenth time Leon cursed that situation of course advanced regeneration was advantageous...but being an undocumented guinea pig meant he couldn't refuse anything that didn't violate a right of ...the UN? or something like that...he didn't know anyone in town either so his free time had consisted of waiting in his almost empty apartment for his next medical appointment...eventually the doctors took enough samples to investigate without the need for his constant presence so his only medical appointment really pending was his neurologist...treating his memory problem...or rather the total absence of it was the only thing Leon really cared about of all the procedures that were done on him.
He turned his head to see his doctor discussing some matter with a colleague, it looked like it would take a while, the truth was that Leon was getting very bored...these things they had put in his head to scan for brain activity were very itchy, finally the doctors stopped their conversation and the one Leon recognized as his assigned doctor approached him.
"Leon you can take the sensors off now there is no more we can get out of them."
He let out a sigh of relief to quickly remove them.
"Now come with me to my office for a moment."
Once inside he approached a screen showing an x-ray of a skull that ...well it could only be his , doctor took zoomed in on a part of the 3d image and turned it around
"...there is no subtle way to tell you this...Leon we don't think there are any memories you are going to retrieve..."
Every sound leaves my ears in that room...can't speak ...I came here hoping for some estimate...some medicine or therapy...
"Excuse me?" I asked irritated the doctor looked at me with something akin to pity...and..god how I hate that look.
"You see this part I highlighted...this is the part of the brain that stores memories...I won't bore you with complex details but the more defined images showed recent severe trauma...from hypoxia...most of your brain was without oxygen for longer than should be possible...your brain shut down...which is the same as saying you were clinically dead...this whole part lost its bioelectricides and most of your memories...they won't come back..."
I clenched my fists tightly on the armrests of the chair and quietly felt the metal give way, felt the doctor's wary gaze
"I know it's not what you wanted to hear...less what I wanted to tell you...understand this please it's a miracle you are alive your brain started to regenerate with an impossible speed you came back from where it has never been seen...Leon I don't know how that happened probably even with the samples taken from you my colleagues will never know the scientific community will spend years studying your case...boy I'm no one to comfort you now...but maybe you are alive for a reason."
I looked at him in despair...
"What would that reason be?...having no memory is the same as being dead..."
His gaze was covered with softness
"That will be up to you to find out."
I gritted my teeth..this was a bullshit joke... I stood up before turning toward the exit without bothering to close the door...I felt the stares of some of the many doctors who had seen me the last few days without bothering to return their gaze.
After a few hours of aimless walking I ended up on a deserted beach...alone on the sand watching a sunset recording every detail I could in my head... I didn't know how long I sat there...just waiting when a voice I did know caught my attention
"It's a nice view isn't it?" I turned around to see Marcus behind me with his arm up showing me his phone.
"You didn't answer my calls so I asked for you...I'm so sorry kid."
I clenched my fists in the sand before returning my gaze to the horizon which was darkening with the sun disappearing into the background
"Never mind...i mean... how can you miss what you don't know...I'm sorry I didn't even return your calls..."
With a sigh I heard him take a few steps to sit next to me in the sand
"It's not first hand but I know what memories mean to our identity...my grandfather suffered from alzheimer's...before he was bedridden I would see him cry because he couldn't remember where he left things...what year it was...who we were...and then who he was himself...Leon I know memories shape who we think we are...but unlike others you have a chance..." I looked at him curiously
" I've known you for a few days and you've done nothing but remind me how absolutely thrilling it can be to learn something new to see you amazed by things I took for granted has made me reevaluate so many of those things...those silly sci-fi shows...the connected we are to our curiosity... We may not know who you were before but what does that matter if you can choose who you will be in the future with an ease that no one else has"
I opened my eyes before I felt a small burning in my sides and felt wetness on my cheek...
"...Thank you so much Marcus..for helping me..."
He smiled at me as we watched the sun fade into the horizon.
"It was my pleasure kid" he stood up before offering me a bottle.
"Now I think I should go home, here I thought you might be thirsty...be back at your apartment before 10" I smiled at him taking the bottle to watch him leave
Half an hour passed before I finally decided to stand up I looked behind me in the direction of where my apartment would be about 5 miles away... and then to the right where the beach continued as far as my eye could see in the dark...
I took one step...and then another and another I felt that feeling...of helplessness mixing with adrenaline... when you feel that blind rage melt with your own reluctance to accept defeat...and I started to gain momentum I felt everything ,the sand under my feet the sound of my breath fluttering from my shortness of breath the shock that each step left in the sand
I am not ready yet to accept that I will never know who I am ... but if running at night on this beach can even make me forget this for a moment...to forget on purpose for once I might come to accept it one day.
looked at the katana between my hands once more...her blade of a crimson shade that had become ingrained in the metal as if it were a paint or the metal itself was that color...apparently it cannot be removed without filing the blade and that is a katana would mean thinning its thickness making it more susceptible to damage by wear...and as many things without knowing how I knew it was wrong
"How long have we known each other? My friend ...(sighed) I wish you could tell me" I put the katan aside to keep it in a holster that Marcus got me by order of his superior...if they were going to give it to me they would not leave it without a place to keep it, a leaf crossed my vision I turned my eyes and saw the open window ... the light of the city was still captivating me.
"A walk would do me good... I don't think I can sleep anyway..."
Leon crouched down and crossed the window frame to stand on the fire escape that most buildings he had seen had his apartment building and his window were inside the block surrounded by other buildings facing the street was sheltered , he climbed over the railing squatting down and with perfect balance...the sheath of his katana resting comfortably on his back a pleasant feeling he looked up about 4 meters from the fire escape of the building across the street
"Fuuu" I exhale calmly and...jump.
Quickly he was taken by surprise jumping much higher than expected he missed the flight of stairs he had visualized reaching and barely managed to grab the handrail about 3 meters above his original target, he shouted in ecstasy
"Shit!...hahaha that was great...me asked...how much can I give?" He looked at the staircase of his building where he had been just moments before he looked up to the top of it...about 7 meters...it was risky..but who doesn't risk doesn't win he bent his knees from the staircase where he was hanging and jumped this time more prepared and reached with ease and grabbing the railing with ease
"This is fabulous...we pushed harder".
With another jump he grabbed the ledge, did a somersault and finally reached the roof of the building before standing upright again, he looked at his hands in amazement...he looked ahead and saw more rooftops as far as he could see... could he cross from one roof to the other without stopping running?...why stay alone with the doubt without thinking more he started running.
Going faster and faster he approached the end of the rooftop he had to jump...or he would miss it...however something in him told him...to wait for the right moment and just as his foot touched the ledge... he jumped...floating felt wonderfully familiar but gravity rules and he finally landed on the other rooftop with a somersault...and kept running this time he focused his gaze on a billboard that was between this building and the next ... could he make it there? He laughed recognizing that all his instinct was screaming yes, he leaned forward stretching his arms back to maintain his center of gravity (if you don't think the logic of running like a ninja is aerodynamics, it's balance) and accelerated until he felt comfortable with the speed he had...and jumped to the sign post unsheathing his katana he buried it in the metal he swung and rested his feet on the post he climbed his katana and stood on it in a fraction of seconds, he bent his knees and jumped grabbing the ledge that offered the small platform from which some worker would change the sign, he put the handle of his katana between his feet and pulled it out of the post and with a last swing he climbed complete and having retrieved his weapon
He turned and decided to climb to the top of the sign to see from as high as possible, it didn't take him even two seconds to do it, the view was spectacular.
"So many lights so many people...so many stories... will there be anyone out there who knows me?...will any of those stories be linked to mine?..." he laughed shaking his head , when a noise caught his attention he looked down an alley a couple of buildings away...it sounded like the crashing of dumpster lids...
"It must be that homeless guy again..." he was about to turn around when a pink light illuminated the alley in the distance , he started running and caught up to hear the voice of the homeless man
"Please the old Jeff won't say anything no one has to..., don't wait I ahhh!!!"
An electric sound filled the place and there was silence , behind the cement railing of the rooftop Leon listened in shock.
"What the fuck is going on here?!" The silence was filled with metallic footsteps and soon 2 identical voices sounded.
"The one known as witness was shot down Kraang!"
"Kraang requests authorization to remove the evidence of the formerly known as witness."
"Kraang authorizes such operation"
"What the hell is going on here?" he looked out and saw 2 men in identical suits, one of them dragging the limp body of that homeless man to hide it behind the dumpster
"Operation complete...if Kraang could know what happened to the 3rd Kraang who should be with Kraang here?"
The other figure looked at him
"Apparently he was intercepted by the turtles known as turtles..we recovered his disguise and returned to base...come I'll show you" they headed to their van and a opened the back doors revealing a figure identical to them inert and with half of his face without skin revealing...
"Is that a robot? They are ...robots?"
Before he continued his musing a stone fell from the cement railing he was leaning against falling right next to the men who looked up...directly at Leon...
'Shit...'
They raised a pair of chrome-plated guns with pink lights and opened fire, barely reacting, jumping back and fleeing to hide behind a shed in the middle of the roof... heard the cement creaking and those metallic footsteps again.
"He's here?...Kraang?"
"That indicates my sensor... Kraang."
Leon breathed nervously from his hiding place pulled out his katana.
"What am I supposed to do against their weapons with you?... wait that one in the truck was missing half his face...it was a clean cut...maybe I can do that" he concentrated and heard that they separated...he crawled to the left and leaned with his back against the shed... wait...wait...as soon as he saw him lean out he raised his katana with both hands and performed a downward cut cutting his weapon in 2...the figure looked at him stunned before trying to hit him but Leon put his weapon between them both vertically and the robot's arm broke in 2 while it was sinking into the katana, Leon took advantage of his state of shock to sweep his feet and with a quick turn to point of the katana at his stomach and stab him until he felt the concrete of the floor against the edge of his weapon...but the middle...it felt...soft... like cutting flesh...his reflection was short lived as he ducked to evade the shots of the other robot man climbed to the roof of the shed evading shots from that strange weapon one grazed his shoulder
"Argh!!!" He put his hand to feel a lot of burning , but ignored it before continuing to evade...with the disadvantage ...expectedly he was on the shed roof 4 meters off the ground...he was exposed yes...but he had the high ground...deciding to take the offensive he leapt up behind his attacker landed stretching his leg gracefully and spun around sweeping his feet, stretched out his katana and slashed them with that satisfying sound of sparks before with another spin cutting off the arm holding the robot's weapon and pointing his weapon at the torso of his defeated opponent who crawled trying to put distance only to run into the shed and raise his last arm in surrender.
"Mercy! Kraang requests mercy to be known as a powerful enemy do not exterminate Kraang like his companion over there.
"Exterminate?" He sharpened his gaze to the other mangled robot a few feet away and saw that a green liquid...viscous...blood...was flowing from its stomach gash.
" that means that you..the real you is here " he said gently pressing the edge of his katana against what he assumed was the creature's location , despite showing no emotion the robot's head shook in affirmation
"Well with that cleared up you are going to tell me who or what you are or else I will leave you the same as your exterminated companion"
" Kraang will offer information in exchange for being known as a powerful enemy to spare his life."
"Fuck that powerful enemy thing I'm Leon."
"Understood being known as Leon...will you accept Kraang's offer?"
Leon nodded
"We known as Kraang come from what is called another dimension."
"What is the reason for so much trouble? Coming to this dimension is not done for the sake of it, what are you planning?"
Kraang looked at him thinking about what to do before resuming his talk.
"The superiors of the less powerful Kraang ordered the development of the mutagenic agent in tests with beings from this planet."
"Mutagen?"
"A substance that alters the so-called genetic makeup of so-called living beings...yet is most of the time unpredictable...that would be all the being called Leon would want from Kraang?"
With a sigh Leon nodded and that was when the robot's stomach opened revealing some sort of pink creature with tentacles and a brain shape came out and crawled away from him...lo felt a deep headache, he put both hands on his sides trying to figure out what was going on and his gaze went to the creature walking away a thought came to his head...
"If... I leave him ... they will know about me... no enemy should be aware of your own knowledge of him...you must eliminate him" with a blank stare he pulled out threw his katana into the air and as he spun he turned around raising his leg in a flying kick that connected with the bottom of his katana's handle horizontally thrusting it against the unsuspecting creature cloying against the cracked ground
He stared for about ten seconds before reacting...
"What was that...I murdered him?..." for a moment the guilt of having lied to him overwhelmed him... but the instinct reappeared
"...no ...I trust the word of a ninja and I pay for it" he shook his head before going to retrieve his katana...this day had already been intense enougho...passes in the alleyway
"Donnie I found it it's the Kraang you put a tracker on" an unfamiliar voice shouted from the back of the alleyway.
"Well the plan worked...but where are the other 2...they don't seem to be around".
It was then that a rock fell together with them
"Again? What's this sand roof made of?" Leon shouted in his head before making his escape against them.
"Mikey come on! Donnie look for the other Kraang!"
Running as fast as he could Leon never turned around if he did they could catch up to him.
"Hey you wait! What did you do with the Kraang " being ignored the voice shouting at him he pulled out some metal objects.
"Well if you're not going to talk take these shuriken!"
Whatever they threw at him was going fast cutting the air , but something told him to wait until the last second...now! He turned with his katana to deflect the projectiles in the air as he saw a pair of...giant turtles? And he dropped into the void to grab hold of the top of his window and throw himself inside, turning off the lights.
Raphael approached the edge of the chasm left in the alley between the two buildings and saw...nothing had vanished all the windows were closed and no light was in sight...next to him Mikey appeared
"He's gone...come on we should tell Splinter."