Chapter 16: Needle in a Haystack
A/N: So here's the next chapter as promised. Now we'll see what Mikey's been up to and what he's going to deal with. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. It means a lot to me that you're enjoying this wild ride. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more.
Mikey watched as Don nearly fainted after hearing that Ivy was missing. He knew his brother had been talking to her online, but he never thought this would happen. Still, he wanted to tell his brother that he had been right about it not being safe to talk to Ivy. But after looking at his brother's stricken face, Mikey didn't have the heart to do it.
Don immediately forwarded the message to Ali. Not long after, his phone rang, and he put it on speaker so the others could hear.
"Donnie, it's Ali," the voice on the other end said. "Jack and I are coming over to discuss this with you."
"Good," Donnie said and hung up.
It didn't take too long for Ali and Jack to come down to the sewers. They were pretty fast, and Mikey had to wonder if any of their colleagues were getting suspicious about all of these calls they were taking.
"Did you hear about Ivy?" Donnie asked.
Ali nodded. "Yes, and we're pretty sure Robyn took her since they were both at Crestwood together."
"What have you gathered so far?" Leo asked her.
"All we know is that Ivy was in her room before she was kidnapped. The parents didn't hear any sounds of forced entry. That's why they think she ran away, but I don't believe it."
"They could have been drugged," Raph suggested.
"Yeah, but do you think Ivy drugged them?" Don countered.
Raph shrugged. "Who knows? She is a mental patient. Maybe Robyn coerced her to drug her parents so they wouldn't hear her leavin'."
"Or maybe Robyn drugged them herself," Leo said.
"But wouldn't they have seen her?" Mikey queried.
"Not if she snuck in and did it," Leo replied.
"That sounds like a good theory, Leo," Ali praised him. "Robyn and Ivy did know each other, so it could be that maybe Ivy invited Robyn to her house when they were out of the hospital. If that's the case, then Robyn probably knew a lot about the house and Ivy's parents. Her parents did say that after Ivy went to bed, they opened a bottle of wine."
"So Robyn could have drugged the bottle of wine," Leo said.
Ali nodded. "Yes, that's what we're thinking too. Jack and I are going over there to get the wine glasses to analyze them and the bottle itself. We were on our way there when Donnie forwarded that text, so that's why we came here as soon as we could."
"Sounds to me like this Robyn is a sneaky person," Jack said. "From what you four have described, it seems like she's been watching your every move.'
"That's definitely how it feels," said Mikey.
"Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this," Ali reassured him. "For now, you boys need to lie low and let us handle this."
The two detectives said goodbye and promised to stay in touch. Mikey was happy they were on the case, but he was afraid that something else would happen to them before the mystery was solved.
Deciding not to dwell on it any longer, Mikey grabbed his skateboard and decided to go for a run in the sewers.
"Where are you going, Mikey?" Leo asked him.
"I'm gonna go board in the sewers," Mikey answered.
"Okay. Just be careful."
Mikey rolled his eyes. Leo was always so overprotective and while it was a good thing at times, it was also grating at others. Mikey hated being treated like a little kid all of the time. He was just as capable as any of his brothers of taking care of himself.
He traveled thorough the sewers, happy to be away from the Lair and all of the stress. He was so sick of everything that was happening so far. Why couldn't Robyn just leave them alone? Why did she insist on torturing them so much? At least he had some refuge in the sewers here. Maybe doing some tricks would help to calm him down.
He found a spot filled with his homemade ramps. He'd found the spot a couple of years ago after April disappeared and had fashioned his own skate park out of it. He had felt impressed by his work and had shown his brothers his masterpiece thinking that they would be impressed. While Leo was the one who praised him for his talent, Raph just shrugged and said it was nothing to be thrilled about and Donnie hadn't really spoken to him at all. That had hurt more at the time than he cared to admit because he always took pride in having his brothers proud of him for something.
Shaking the thought from his head, he began navigating the obstacle course, doing flips and turns that would make any novice envious of him if they could see him. Just as he finished a particularly complicated trick that he'd made up himself, he heard some clapping coming nearby. Startled, he immediately stopped boarding and slunk into the shadows.
"Hey, you can come out," a voice said. "I won't bite."
"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea," he said. "I'm not supposed to be seen." He could tell the voice was female.
She laughed. "Why? Are you a secret agent or something?"
"Not quite," Mikey answered. "How long have you been there?"
"For a while," she answered. "I saw you come down and wanted to watch you. You're very good. You could go pro if you really wanted to. I bet they'd get a kick out of the turtle costume."
Mikey knew he had to get out of there, but something was keeping him there, and he didn't know what it was. "It's not a costume," he said.
"Really? It looks like one and a good one."
"It's not. I'm a mutant." Then he mentally scolded himself for his slip up. How could he have exposed himself like that to a complete stranger? Most of the time, they remained hidden from the world and the people they rescued either thought they were people in costumes or that they were so high they were imagining things. Usually the Turtles stuck to those facades because it was easier than people knowing there really were mutants in the city.
The girl laughed. "Well, I guess I can't be surprised," she said.
"You're not repulsed by me?" Mikey asked her.
"Nope. I think you're pretty cool. What's your name anyway?"
"Michelangelo, but everyone calls me Mikey. Well, except my dad that is."
"Ah, so you were named after one of the Renaissance artists. That's neat."
"What's your name?" Mikey asked her.
"Kala," she said. "I don't know why my parents named me that or if the named me after something cool. I've never asked them about it."
"So what are you doing down here?"
"I like to come down here to get away from the drama of the city," she answered. "It's so peaceful down here."
"Do you live with your parents?" Mikey asked her.
"Yeah, but I want to be on my own. I'm eighteen and most people say I should be on my own now anyway."
"So why don't you leave?"
"Mainly because I don't have any education. I dropped out of high school when I was sixteen and never looked back."
"Why did you do that?" Mikey seemed shocked that she would quit school. He had always dreamed of going to school ever since April told him about it.
"Because school just isn't my thing," she replied. "I got bored so I left. My parents were furious with me because they felt I needed to set an example for my younger brothers."
"You have brothers?"
"Yeah, two. Their names are Dask and Zak. Yeah, I know, Dask is a weird name, and I don't know how he got that name, but he thinks it's awesome."
"Are they in school too?"
"Yeah, but they want to drop out like I did."
"Do you have a job?"
"I work at some music shop, but I hate it. The guy who runs it is such a jerk. I wish I could find something better."
Mikey pitied her, and at that moment, he really wanted to do something for her. "Hey, I think I could hook you up with a better job."
She laughed. "How could you do that?" she asked him. "I wasn't aware that mutant turtles could get jobs."
"We can't, but I know someone who would hire you if you applied. You know the noodle shop run by Mr. Murakami?"
"I've heard of it," she answered.
"Well, maybe I can ask him to hook you up. He's a great guy, and I think you'd like working for him. What's your phone number?"
Kala giggled. "Are you flirting with me?" she teased.
"No, I need it so that Murakami can contact you," he answered.
She gave him her cell number. Then she stepped into the light so he could see her. She was dressed in a skirt and a red shirt. Her hair was red and was sticking up in a very weird hairdo.
"How'd you get your hair like that?" he asked her.
"Lots of hair gel," she replied.
"Well, it looks good," he said.
"Thanks. So, how did you become a mutant?"
Mikey was about to reply when he heard footsteps coming toward them. He pulled Kala into the shadows and waited.
"Mikey, what's going on?" she asked.
"Shh!" he ordered her. He peered around and saw two police officers with their flashlights searching the sewers. Were they looking for Ivy or for the Turtles? Had A tipped them off? This definitely wasn't good. He watched as the officers spoke together before going off in another direction.
"What was that about?" Kala asked.
"I don't know, but you better get home before they question you," he answered. "You know there's a girl who's missing. They're probably searching for her down here, and if they see you, they could assume you're up to no good."
"Will I see you again?" she asked him.
"I don't know," he answered. "I'll call you about Murakami's and if you can work there. Just get out of here."
"See you around, Mikey," she said. She kissed his cheek and hurried off.
Mikey watched her until she was out of sight and then put his hand to his cheek. Her lips had felt nice and he had that same feeling he'd had when Oyuki had kissed him like that. Before he could ponder further about Kala, his phone chimed, indicating he had a text message. He opened it up and gasped when he saw what it said.
Hey, Mikey, looks like the cops are onto you. You better hope they don't find your secret Lair.—A.
A/N: And that's the end of yet another chapter. I had a lot of fun with this one and I hope you liked it, too. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon too. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.