Michelangelo didn't see Luke or Caleb when he went outside with Donatello. The orange-masked turtle's natural inclination was to hang out on the porch where he hoped the border collies wouldn't notice him during their romp, but Donny was already ruining that plan. His brother descended the steps and called out to the animals, leaving Mike hesitating close to the front door. The rustle of feet treading upon leaves suddenly caught his attention around the side of the house, and Mike silently crossed the porch to investigate.
"I was willing to consider what might be done, Luke, but they don't want me here."
That must be that Caleb dude, Mike realized, edging closer to the corner of the wrap-around porch.
"They're just nervous, Caleb, the same as you are," Luke tried to explain. "Will you try to see this from their perspective? Their entire lives consist of hiding from bad guys who'd like to kill them, and the scientists who'd want to dissect them."
"That's the unfair thing about making generalizations, Luke. I am not one of those people. I'm sure there are doctors in my field who'd go berserk at the chance to study them, to figure out how their cells were transformed. Does that make me guilty by association? Is that how this works?"
Luke sighed anxiously. "I can see how it might feel that way, but it's really not how it is. I'd like to try introductions again."
"That red one-"
"Raphael."
"He doesn't like me. I don't see the point of my being here when it's only going to stress them out further. Don't you think everyone would be happier if I left?"
"Raph's a grumpy-shell, you have to give him a chance," Mike cut in suddenly, and hopped the railing on the porch. "Sorry for listening, guys, but I think I can speak pretty well for my bros. Nobody wants to accuse you of being a bad guy, Dr. Wells. We know Luke better than that. If he's friends with you, we can pretty much figure that you're okay too.
"But we still have defensive instincts to deal with, y'know? Especially when it comes to Olivia. We've never had a kid of our own before. This is new territory for all of us, and Leo and Don didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Leo is 'Mr. Cool-head', and Donny wouldn't hurt somebody like that. They're just fighting with their urge to protect Liv from anyone, and anything. It isn't personal."
The older man peered at him openly. "You would be Michelangelo, right?"
The orange-masked turtle nodded. "Mike is fine."
"I'd like a chance to talk to you, if I may," Caleb continued.
Mike automatically looked around. "Sure, dude. Uh...maybe we could walk a little."
"Mike..." Luke sounded like he was going to protest.
"Doc, I'm not an invalid yet. If we don't go far and we take our time, I'll be fine. We just need some space for a while. Is that okay?"
Before Luke responded, Donatello's voice carried around the side of the house.
"Mike? Where ar-Oh. Luke...Caleb, I'm sorry. Leo and I overreacted; we didn't mean to offend you."
Caleb held up a hand for him to stop. "You don't have to explain. I understand that I make you extremely nervous, particularly as far as your young one is concerned. I'm going to take some time to talk with your brother right now, and then we'll let everyone know where we're at."
Luke's eyes lingered on Mike the entire time Caleb was talking. "Don't go far, all right, Mike?" He turned his head to include Caleb. "You know your way around of course," he told the man.
"I won't let him push it too hard, Luke." There was a faint note of amusement in Caleb's tone this time. "I can moonlight as an overprotective physician for a few minutes."
"Where are you going?" Don wanted to know.
"For a walk. We'll be back," Mike insisted.
His purple-masked brother's brow furrowed, but he didn't object. "Okay," he said softly, taking a step backward toward the house.
Michelangelo headed around front again before Luke or Donatello would have a chance to change their minds, but stopped in his tracks when the dogs ran right directly into his path. Caleb must have noticed his flash of nerves, because the man hurried in front of him.
"It's okay," he told Mike. "They're overzealous, but the dogs are friendly, I promise." Caleb got one hand on each of the border collie's collars, and lightly tugged them into a sitting position on the ground.
The dogs whined with excess excitement, their tails thumping the ground in near unison as they panted heavily. Donatello dropped to one knee beside Caleb, reaching to pet one of the animals. Mike grinned when the dog twisted the collar out of the man's hand, and offered a paw to his brother.
Caleb shook his head at Don. "I told you Molly likes you."
"She must have a thing for brainiacs." Mike chuckled. "I guess the dogs can't be all bad."
The older man offered him a smile. "You're always going to find a few dangerous ones in the mix, but that doesn't make all dogs evil. The same is true of humans," he said with a pointed look in Donatello's direction.
His brother nodded meekly, but didn't say anything.
"Don, let's get them in the house," Luke suggested, motioning to the dogs. He reached for Noah's collar, and allowed Donatello to nudge Molly toward the porch.
Caleb gave Mike an expectant look.
"You're gonna have to lead the way, dude," Mike informed him. "I don't know where I'm going. This is my first prison break since I got here."
"Fair enough. Why don't we go straight from here, just stay in the flat land? The field extends a pretty good ways, and we wouldn't be doing much work."
Mike eyed the woods longingly, but he knew Caleb's way was the one to go. The turtle didn't make a sound as he trudged through the grass, and Caleb's feet only made the smallest of whispers through the green blades.
"This is the best time of year to be here, in my opinion," Caleb said after a couple minutes of silence. "When all the leaves change, it's one of the most beautiful things you'll ever see."
"Did you like living here?" Mike asked.
"I did enjoy it, Mike, but I took a lot of the beauty for granted. Susan, my wife, she was always trying to get me outside more often, especially in the Fall. I didn't listen to her enough."
Mike nodded grimly. "I'm sorry you lost her." The turtle thought carefully before he continued. "I haven't even known Becky as long as you and your wife were married, but it still kills me to imagine what losing her would feel like."
"Becky?"
"Rebecca. She's my wife, sorry."
"Wait...that's right, the girl from the Congo?"
"Well, I met her in the rainforest, but she didn't come from there. Her parents were missionaries, so she grew up in Africa, but she was born in the US."
A smile was creeping onto Caleb's face. "I made my way through a good chunk of your brother's journal today. It makes me feel like I already know you a little bit...or that we've been introduced at least. Incredible stuff in there."
Mike grinned. "That's a day in the life of a vigilante ninja turtle. It's always fun, adventure, and excitement, except for the other three-quarters of the time when we're doing nothing but staying out of sight."
"It sounds stressful."
"It can be. Living in the dark can be downright depressing. You wouldn't understand it, not unless you went for weeks without seeing the sunlight. We could have gone crazy a bunch of times...but we found ways to keep each other sane."
"Like how?"
"Oh, the usual guy stuff. Training, video games, messing with each other. I added cooking and writing to the mix later on."
"Donatello says you have a lot of talent."
"Says the genius," Mike scoffed.
"That would mean he knows something is good when he sees it, doesn't he?"
The turtle relented with a smile. "I guess."
"I got the impression from your brothers that you've been a very positive influence over the years."
Mike shrugged. "I've done my best to be thankful. Sometimes I was faking it, but I can find something good about most rotten circumstances. I'm sort of the official goofball of the group; always trying to make someone relax or get a rise out of them."
"In other words, a typical younger brother?"
"As typical as four giant talking turtles living under the streets of New York can be." Mike snickered. "It's nice to have the variety of three brothers to choose from, because no one reacts to me the same. Leo's the strong, even-keeled leader type, who's always having to drag me back down to Earth. Raph's the macho tough guy, who likes to act grumpier than he really is, and Donny... in spite of all of his brains, he's the one I identify with the most. We've clicked from the time we were kids, even though I could be awful irritating. I can still be annoying when the mood strikes me," he added impishly.
"You're obviously an extremely close family. What about the women? Are all of you married?"
Mike nodded. "Maybe not in the legal sense of your world, but in our minds, we're committed for life. I love Becky just as much as Luke loves Kat, and Marcus loves April. The differences between us don't mean we can't experience the same kind of connection."
"Of course," the man said quickly. "Talking to you, I'd think anyone could see that you're a rational living thing. That being said, you're absolutely capable of forming relationships, and falling in love."
Mike smiled as he pictured the curly-haired woman in his mind. "I was the last one to meet somebody. There was a while there when I didn't think it would happen for me. I'm really glad it did, even if..." He didn't finish the statement, looking down at the ground rather than at Caleb. "I just wish Becky didn't have to get hurt. She's been through enough in the last few years with losing her own family."
Caleb was quiet for a couple of seconds. "How far are you willing to go, Mike?"
The turtle looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that I've experienced a moderate amount of success in some of the trials I've completed with my new equipment in conjunction with the existing research, but it isn't technically ready to go forward. If we choose to continue regardless, it's going to be risky. It will mean doing procedures on you that haven't been thoroughly tested, and sometimes taking a shot in the dark. That's not something I can offer anyone from an ethical standpoint, but this isn't a normal situation."
"And you're not operating under the law," Mike filled in. "Caleb, I don't care what it takes. I'm game for anything. I don't care if it involves cutting, needles, whatever. I want to live. But more importantly, I need you to promise me something else. If there comes some point when you know I'm gonna die, you can't stop working with me. You've got to learn as much about this condition from me as possible, to give my brothers a fighting chance. If I have to go, I want to do something worthwhile at the same time."
Caleb exhaled deeply. "This is a dangerous road to take, and I can't guarantee anything. But if you're brave enough to go through with it, then I'm game to try."
Mike fixed him with a steady gaze. "This is a lot to ask of someone. You don't have to decide this fast."
"I've already heard this speech from Luke," he replied. "If I wasn't considering making a commitment, I never would have come and wasted everyone's time. Do you think your family is going to be able to trust me?"
"They'll come around, even Raph. He's not as mean as you'd think he is...at least, not to regular people. Cross him as a bad guy, and he's more dangerous than you can imagine."
Mike paused in his stride, staring at the rising purple mountain peak in the distance. He wanted to keep going to see the mountain closer up, but he was already battling with taking a deep breath. "I think...we'd better head back."
Caleb nodded. "If you want my help, Mike, I'll do the best I can. I can't make you any promises for how it will all turn out, but I'll put forth all of my effort and research."
"I'll try to be a good patient and do whatever you say. I really do wanna make it, Caleb. I've got a lot to live for."
"You have a great family."
"That's still growing," Mike admitted. "We found out Becky's pregnant. I'm supposed to be a dad."
Caleb stopped to look at him. "Congratulations. I'll do everything I can to make sure you get the chance."
"As much as I don't want to press my luck, I have to ask, Caleb. Why are you doing this?"
"Because I know Luke, and I know that he's a good man. He wouldn't have devoted his life to you if it wasn't a worthy cause. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't fascinated by the prospect of learning more about you...in the strictly non-dissection sense. There's also the fact that you don't have any other alternatives. That's hard to turn a blind eye to."
"You're sure about this?"
"If you're sure about going where no man has gone before, then I'm prepared to take the risk with you."
"Where no turtle has been, you mean."
"However you want to put it is fine with me. Do you think you can get the rest of your people on board?"
Mike smiled. "Oh sure, Caleb. I've got a special way with people. They'll get on track if I have anything to say about it."