Chapter 15

Leo had decided to head to the lair to see what kind of damage had been done. And to pick up his spare pair of swords. He couldn't find his katana at April's place. So that meant either the others had them, which he didn't think they did. Or that he had lost them, which he didn't like that idea either. A sigh escaped him. He'd worry about that later.

He dropped down into the sewers and strode down the familiar pathways to the lair, keeping his pace slow to conserve energy. He was still breathing harder than he should. Leo turned around a corner and came to a halt. His eyes grew wide and a gasp escaped his mouth, seeming to echo in the sewer tunnels. He knew the lair had been found and a fight had ensued, but he didn't think the damage would be this bad. Things all turned topsy turvy. Like a tornado had blow right threw the place, sparing no expense. Destroying everything.

Leo entered slowly, taking everything in. He just couldn't believe it. He swallowed and continued walking. The Foot had smashed anything and everything. Nothing was spared. Not even a small garbage can in the kitchen. Leo turned to his room and entered. It too was a mess. He knelt down next to his bed and reached under, hoping his katana were still there. Sure enough, he felt the cold steel of the blades, then then the hard round handles. He gripped them tightly and pulled them out, looking them over and feeling a little more complete. He slid them into their sheaths and stood.

Now. How to find the others?

There had to be a way to find them. He didn't think it'd be a good idea to just call his brothers. They would never tell him where they were. They wanted him to rest and stay out of this. But he just couldn't. He had the feeling that his family was at stake and would die if he didn't do something. Leo walked from his room, stopping after walking only a few feet. There on the floor was a note. And it was signed the Foot. He growled and picked it up, reading it quickly.

Many questions quickly ran through Leo's mind. Who did the Foot have? Who found the note? And the deadline. When did that pass? He strode to the lab and found a working clock underneath a bunch of broken objects. 4:07 am. He rechecked the note. 'They are still alive. If you can call it that. Meet me at Central Park. Two hours. Maybe you'll see them again. –Keith 1:42 am.'

The deadline was way past now!

Leo quickly left the lair hoping to catch whoever had gone there before it was too late. But he had to know who found the note? He thought hard as he walked through the sewers at a safe but quick pace. He had read Raph's note when he woke up. So Raph wasn't in Shredder's clutches. And when he had called, Rai had answered. So the two were together because he remembered hearing them whispering. And he guessed April was with them, since the Foot's note had been written well before he had even gotten to April's apartment. So that would make three of them together. But what about Mikey, Don, and sensei? Where they the ones being held by Shredder? Or just one or two?

He climbed up to the surface near the park and had a look around. The park seemed peaceful. Nothing out of place. He didn't like it. Leo continued to look around, scanning every part of park he walked through. Voices carried in the wind just to his left. He followed the voices, then jumped up into a tree. Two lone Foot ninjas stood just a few feet away, talking and laughing.

"Man the park ambush was easy," the first one laughed.

"Yeah if only it could always be that way," the second agreed. "Easy is pretty fun. Keith did a great job."

"Oh yeah. Too bad the blue turtle's dead. I would've liked to be in on that action."

Leo's eyes widened. They thought he was dead... A smile grew across his face. He could use that to his advantage.

"Yeah well at least there's only the three turtles, the tiger, and their two human friends," the second said wryly. "We can always have fun with them."

"Well not the turtles or tiger. I think the master's finishing them off tonight," the first chuckled.

"Oh yeah. Hope we're back in time. I want to watch them squirm."

The first ninja laughed. "Me too. Let's go. Just a little more ground to cover."

The second ninja nodded as they started to walk away.

Leo was practically seething. And that was Raph's department. He jumped down, landing in front of the two laughing ninjas. "You two know something I want to know."

The ninjas' eyes widened, then quickly hardened.

Leo unsheathed a katana.

"We don't know nothing," one growled with a smirk.

"Yeah. We're on patrol," the other replied. "And we just spotted us a freaky lookin' turtle due for a poundin'." He pulled out his sword and leaped at Leo.

"I don't believe you." Leo darted to the left around the ninja, then jump kicked him, connecting his foot with the Foot ninja's head.

The ninja flew, hitting his head against a tree with a thunk. He groaned and leapt up with a growl.

The other snuck up behind Leo, sword slowly starting to rise.

Leo spun around, smirked, and swiped his blade in a curved arc.

The ninja barely had time to raise his own sword before the clang of metal echoed. The scrapping of the blades reverberated through the air.

Leo pushed against the sword using his weight until the ninja was forced to the ground. He looked up hearing a noise behind him. He jumped and flipped backwards, landing a few feet back from where he had been standing.

The other ninja suddenly landed on the first ninja, a confused gaze in his eyes. He should have jumped into Leo, but was frustrated to jump onto his partner.

Leo pulled out his other katana and pointed it at both of them, inching them close to their necks. "Where can I find my family?"

They glared at him. The second ninja, rolling off the first to make his glare on Leo look more menacing.

"Where?" Leo asked again, repositioning his second katana and pushing the blades close enough to touch the skin of their necks.

"A warehouse," the first croaked.

"Which warehouse?"

Silence.

Leo pushed a little harder, drawing a trickle of blood.

"On the docks," the second said quickly, loosing his glare, eyes getting wider by the second. "The old one just off of 57th street."

Leo nodded. He quickly pulled his katana back, flipped them, and brought the butt of the handle down on their heads. As soon as they fell limp on the ground, he resheathed his kanana and started walking out of the park. He walked slow, exerted from fighting with the two ninjas. At least they couldn't warn the rest of the Foot about his presence. They thought he was dead. In his condition, he'd rather it stay that way. He would need all the strength and surprise he could get if he hoped to help his family.