Leonardo sipped tea slowly as he watched the Headline News. The story of the debacle from the night before had made the loop, meaning it was being replayed every half hour or so.
Careless. We cut it way too close with the Akiudo. If those cops had been any faster to respond, we might have had trouble on two fronts. He'd been watching for about two hours, and was still hoping to hear whether any members of the gang had been picked up. That's too much to hope for I suppose. Even though they were stuck on foot, they're still good at disappearing, this we know.
Finding out whether the police had found any of the gang members could have been as easy as calling Kelley, but Leonardo wasn't looking forward to talking to the man. I can't avoid him forever, but I don't need to poke that hornets' nest yet. I think it's better to let things settle down before I go looking for trouble, he thought ruefully. But I can't keep watching the News either. It's too darn depressing.
The blue-masked turtle sighed as he reached for the remote and turned the TV off. The Media doesn't get these stories right 80% of the time anyway. They're definitely not the best source for this type of information.
He took another drink of his tea, and considered checking whether Donatello was awake again. Leonardo was trying to pace himself, even though he was dying to talk to his younger brother. But I'm sure everyone wants a conversation with him. We need to remember to give him some room to breathe.
Leo smiled suddenly at the thought of Donny's first exclamation the night before. It had seemed to shock his purple-masked brother as much as it had surprised him and Raphael. We're lucky we still have him, he thought soberly. Don could have been a goner. Even with everything that's gone wrong in the last few weeks, things still aren't as bad as they could be.
He folded his arms across his plastron as the slight chill in the air reminded him of the cold bed in which he'd slept alone the night before. I hope everything is all right with the girls. But why wouldn't they be okay? They're smart, they're resourceful. They can take care of themselves and the kids.
Leonardo turned his head as he heard footsteps, and noticed his youngest brother slowly descending the stairs to the ground floor. He studied Michelangelo as the orange-masked turtle entered the living area and sank into a chair without uttering a single word.
"Hey, Mike," Leo greeted. "Good morning."
"Morning," he said half-heartedly.
"Are you feeling okay?" Leonardo asked carefully. Not even a year had passed since the ailment that had threatened his youngest brother's life, and he often found himself still paying attention to Mike's energy level.
"I'm fine, Leo," he insisted. "It's just too quiet."
Leonardo was tempted to roll his eyes at himself. Of course, dummy. He misses his girl and his baby. He's never been separated from Nate before. Shell, Raph hasn't been cut off from Liv since she was born either.
"Have you talked to Becky?" Leo asked.
Mike nodded. "I called her when I woke up. It's weird to sleep that long without hearing the baby. Beck told me to take advantage of the extra rest, but that's the last thing I feel like doing."
Leonardo nodded sympathetically. "I know. It feels empty around here without them, but this is temporary, Mikey. We'll catch up with them soon."
His brother cocked his head curiously. "We'll catch up with them?"
"Yeah," he replied. "Wouldn't you like to go back to Lotus Salvus?"
"Can we leave right now?" Mike gave him a wry smile.
"It'd be nice, wouldn't it? The Blue Ridge Mountains will still be waiting for us after we've finished the Akiudo."
"Kinda makes me want to find them more," Mike emphasized.
Leonardo opened his mouth to respond just as his phone rang. His eyes landed on the device that was sitting on the coffee table, and he reached to retrieve it. "Hello?"
"Leo, we have a problem," Greg said tightly.
"That's just what I love to hear first thing. Is Bran—"
"This isn't about Brandon or our new guest," Greg interrupted. "It's about my Jeep. I got a call from Kelley a couple of minutes ago, and he was able to give me some information. The investigators already processed my car due to the priority of the case."
"They're not going to connect you to that firefight, are they?"
"No – Kelley covered for me, remember? I wish that was the only problem."
"What's going on, Heff? What did they find?"
"My car didn't just die, Leo. It was tampered with. Someone installed a 'kill switch' that would knock out the engine on the appropriate signal."
It took Leonardo a moment to process the information. "The Akiudo screwed with your Jeep?"
"That's not all they did," he replied grimly. "Leo, they bugged me. They planted a tracking device on the undercarriage of my car. I was all worried about them tracking me through some GPS chip in that stupid phone, and I missed the bigger problem right under my nose!"
Leonardo's head felt like it was spinning. "When did they have the chance to do something like that? They didn't know where to look for you to begin with!"
"I think it's pretty obvious, Leo. They must have been lying in wait for me the day I showed up at the Field office to pick up that package. If Kelley hadn't decided to follow me outside, who knows what could have happened?"
His heart sank further inside his chest. "You're all in danger. The Akiudo might try investigating anywhere you drove. You need to get off the surface."
"I agree, but we still have the other loose end to worry about. What are we supposed to do about Jazz? I take full responsibility for her, Leo; I know this is my fault. She didn't want to be alone last night, and I'm still not sure how she feels now. I could take her home, but I'm feeling paranoid too. I'm not sure if the Akiudo could track her, but they've already proven how far they're willing to go. I personally don't want to leave her alone."
"You have to find out where she's at, Heff. There are too many uncertainties regarding the Akiudo. I'd rather that all of you abandon the surface. If that means bringing Jazz with you, well…that's what you need to do."
"Bran is ready to get back underground, in any case. He was traumatized really badly last night, and of course he feels bad about cracking the glass in the balcony door."
Leonardo winced. "I hope it doesn't set him back."
"Things are pretty awkward between the two of them," Greg confessed.
"We can make anything work, Heff. Talk to her. Make sure she understands that it's her choice to come down here, but she needs to be aware of the danger too."
"She knows all about the danger, Leo. Jazz was there last night."
The blue-masked turtle sighed. "The ball is in her court. I don't think I'd want anything more to do with us if I was her."
"But she's obviously scared, Leo, or she would have bolted at the first opportunity."
"I can't believe she stayed after Bran flipped out." Leo shook his head. "I think that took some guts."
"She's something else, Leo," Greg agreed. "We've got a lot to learn about her."
Takashi had neither slept nor addressed Yukiko since the team had returned to the building the night before. The man was angry enough that he'd forced himself to hold off from speaking with his second until he was certain that he could control his temper. This morning he hadn't bothered to seek the woman out either, but had sent someone else to summon her.
Takashi focused on the calm from his chair, and gazed at the expansive windows that displayed the cityscape outside. The Shitenno are nothing like I imagined they would be from my Grandfather's stories. The Guardian spirits of the Earth are supposed to be concerned with our people, not this meddling country.
But then, it's possible that their "hosts" have influenced their location. The spirits claimed that the Turtles don't have them on a leash, yet the Shitenno choose to stay. They are a mystery far beyond me, I'm afraid. I would prefer to maintain contact with them, but if the spirits are not cooperative, I will have to let them go.
What I cannot do is allow the Turtles to retain them any longer, even if that means losing the only remaining link I have to the Shitenno. It is better to bid them farewell than to allow our enemies to keep them.
Takashi sensed Yukiko lingering in the doorway behind him, but chose to ignore her for a few more seconds. Taking Heffernan should have been a simple task; I didn't even hesitate to entrust her with it. But it is clear Yukiko has forgotten what it means to operate quietly.
He cleared his throat. "Come in, Yukiko-san."
Takashi barely heard the soft swish of fabric as the woman entered the room. Yukiko wisely remained silent, waiting for him to speak. He turned around in his chair to see her, and found the woman kneeling in a seiza position.
"I trust you slept as well as I," he said sarcastically.
Yukiko kept her mouth shut, no doubt realizing he didn't mean for her to speak yet.
"Last night…I don't know where to begin, Yukiko-san. What possessed you to allow the men to discharge rifles in that fashion?"
"I didn't give orders for that assault, Takashi-sama," she said evenly.
"Then how did it happen, Yukiko-san?" he asked sharply. "They are your men to command and control. They should not be able to sneeze without your permission. Do I honestly need to instruct you on how to handle your ranks?"
"No, Takashi-sama," she said quietly.
"Then explain! How did such a display take place in public where the Authorities would be drawn to investigate?"
"Heffernan had a gun, and we had to force him to surrender," she said a little defensively.
"That's not the part I have a problem with, Yukiko-san. Why did they use the weapons?"
"The Shitenno and their human counterparts arrived quite suddenly. The gunmen reacted without any command from me. Everything happened quickly, and it was all I could do to prevent them from firing at the demons. I know you want to take them alive—"
"And they could have easily been injured in that gun battle!" Takashi interrupted angrily. "Don't you see all the complications that could have arisen from your ill-fated encounter?"
"I do," she answered. "I acknowledge that I should have controlled the men."
Takashi glared at her. "We walk a dangerous line, Yukiko-san. Our ability to remain invisible is the greatest advantage we have. It is clear that the use of firearms over this last year and a half has weakened some of your better skills."
Annoyance flashed in her dark eyes. "I am not weakened, Takashi-sama. Last night was a mistake that will not be repeated."
"You are correct, because those assault rifles are going to be temporarily retired."
"Takashi-sama, they are only a tool. I prefer to use my hands as opposed to a weapon of that nature, but do you need to hear how the fight ended again? The Shitenno had large guns of their own!"
"When have they ever chosen to use artillery against us, Yukiko-san? I have heard from their own mouths that they prefer to fight with honor. On this particular point, I happen to agree. The guns are a necessary evil for our objective against the United States, but I will not have the Shitenno killed under a hailstorm of bullets."
"Is there to be no retaliation for their actions last night?" She fumed.
"Patience, Yukiko-san. Your view of retaliation is far too small. You cannot forget why we are here. The Shitenno are only half of the equation. For decades the United States has invaded where they don't belong, and it is finally time to respond. Everything is still coming into position, but the technicians are confident they will be able to harness the facility for their use."
Yukiko nodded. "I will collect the rifles, Takashi-sama. It will not happen again."
"It had better not. There is far too much riding upon the next few days." Takashi waved his hand at her. "You are dismissed. For now."