Chapter Eight: Progress Report Version Five

"The British Library Special operations Unit, Medical Division. The Gentleman Renewal Plan. Progress Report Version Five by Agent Padma Higgins, codename Agent Paper the 20th.

"It was in the early 1930's that Mr. Gentleman, the father of Great Britain, and the most powerful man in all the world, first began to show signs of biological ageing. When the first changes to his hair and skin were observed, a task force was organized to discover a way to counter his ageing. This team looked to the Far East for answers, delving into mysticism, pharmaceutical, and traditional Chinese medicine. This caused much friction between the Western world and the Eastern world, eventually leading to an all-out underground war. These conflicts were highly secretive, often involving our super-powered agents.

"By the late 1980's Mr. Gentleman was unable to walk unassisted, and the task force had all but abandoned their initial plans to medically prolong his life and instead began to seek other ways of preserving him. The state of the United Kingdom, with its leader in no shape to guide it, was also beginning to suffer. Our future was looking grim…This was until the emergence of Special Ops Agent, virus engineer, genetics genius, and medical prodigy Agent William Nayar Bishop."

Paige stopped to clear her throat and pulled out a single sheet of brown paper from the folder. "Here's a brief biography I'd done on him for the report: Born in Kerala in 1967, Bishop is the only son of Welsh doctor Johann Bishop and Indian nurse Priya Nayar. He attended primary education in Kerala and secondary education in England. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh Medical School at only 15 years of age. In 1986, at the age of 19, Bishop was recruited by the British Library Special Operations Unit, eventually founding the Medical Division a year later. He was appointed head of the Division that same year.

"Now, back to the report: Bishop had developed a virus that not only halted Mr. Gentleman's ageing, but also restored him to a capable state of being. In just a short time, he will be able to lead the Empire once again. Bishop is now hailed as a national hero and with him at the helm, genetic research, bio-technological advances, and cloning technology are all but flourishing. Now all that is left is safeguarding our assets. That duty falls to the entirety of the British Library, who bear that responsibility with pride. It now safe to say that we can once again dream of Britain's glory reborn."

Paige closed the folder and set it down on the coffee table. "That's the end of the report, but that story is far from over. The pressure from the project made an impact on Doctor Bishop that was…less than desirable. Over the months, I had noticed that his mind was not…He was slipping. He skipped meals, he would lash out at his colleagues, he would refuse to leave his laboratory. Every department was involved in the race against Mr. Gentleman's ageing, but it was the Medical Division who took the brunt of that blow…and Doctor Bishop, being its head, just could not cope.

"Finally in the year 1992, in an event that's now known as 'The Incident', spies from one of our rival organizations had managed to infiltrate the British Library and made short work of us from the inside. They laid waste to everything…including poor Mr. Gentleman. The damage received was irreparable and many of our staff members were either killed, crippled, or went missing. Needless to say, that was the end of the British Library."

"But that article said that the Library shut down because of bankruptcy," Donatello commented. "They never told the public the truth?"

Paige shook her head. "British pride. And without a man at the helm, a ship can only ride the waves. When the Library fell, so did the British Empire. The UK hasn't been the same since then. Our reputation in the EU suffered and we were expelled from the UN. Those are some of the reasons why I decided to move here to the States."

"So," Leo began, "how did you manage to escape it?"

"It wasn't just me. Doctor Bishop and I were in a lesser branch of the Library at the time, so we were spared from the Incident. As soon as I'd hear of it, I decided to do the smart thing and left the organization, erasing every piece of information they had of me. I tried to urge Dr. Bishop to do the same, but he would have none of it…By then, he'd already become a man obsessed. Finally, one day, he…chased me out of his lab. The day I left was the last day I ever saw him. I'd only heard a year later that he died."

Karai narrowed her eyes. "But he's not dead, is he?"

"Judging from your happy expressions, I can assume he's not. I'm not surprised, though. For all his insanity, he was a very bright man still. Might I ask what Dr. Bishop has done to earn your contempt?"

"He's been working with our enemy, the Shredder," Raph answered. "Heard of him?"

"Yes, I have one in my office," she answered flatly. The room was quiet save for the strangled laughs from Casey and Karai. "No, Raphael. I'm not familiar with him."

"Well," Raph continued, "Just yesterday, he tried to kidnap two of us."

Paige's gaze drifted downward. "So he is here in this country."

Raph's eyes narrowed. "Wait. You know he's here? At the same time you're here?"

Paige shrugged. "Purely coincidental. Don't look so distrustful. If I still worked for Bishop I'd have captured you and sent you to him hours ago."

"What's he want with us?" Leo asked.

She was about to answer the question when she noticed the thoughtful look on Donatello's face. "I think one of you has already answered that."

"So," Donnie began. "Whatever Bishop wants with us has something to do with bringing back Mr. Gentleman?"

"Highly probable," Paige agreed. "The four of you posses a unique physiology…and most importantly, the mutagen in your blood. Yes, Casey and Karai told me about it while you were hiding in the trees back at the park. If I weren't retired, I'd be fascinated."

"But Shredder has a handful of mutated humans in his employ," Leo argued. "Why can't he just use their blood?"

Paige fingered a single lock of her golden hair in thought. "I don't know if any of you keep up with the news, but scientists have just recently discovered the effects of reptile blood on the human immune system. As we speak, it's being used in the research on gene therapy and viral diseases. Of which-"

Donnie finished for her, waving one green finger in the air. "Of which, Bishop is an expert!"

Where others might have been offended, Paige smiled in amusement. "Exactly. I can see why you're the smart one." Her last comment had the genius turtle blushing. "That's probably why Bishop needs your blood specifically."

Raphael, as usual, stayed skeptical. "But Shredder has his own resident scientist. Baxter Stockman. Why can't Bishop just work with him and come up with another solution?"

Paige shook her head. "If there was anything I'd learned from years of working with Doctor Bishop, it's that he doesn't work well with others."

"I still don't think you're telling us the whole story," Raph said.

"Every word I'd just told you was true. And I have no reason to lie. Do you know why that is?"

"Why?"

"Because all I want now is a normal life." She looked each one of them in the eye. "I'm sure all of you can understand that."

Leo gave one solemn nod. "Fair enough," he agreed.

Paige leaned back in her seat. "Now, Casey, I believe it's time for your explanation."

Despite the constant interruptions from his friends, Casey successfully managed to relay the events of his meeting with the Hamato family, leaving only a few things out. Mainly, his whole lone-hero-vigilante act; he knew Paige would lose her hair over that tidbit of information. What she doesn't know won't hurt him. "…and that's how we ended up here," he finished.

"…I see," Paige said after an uncomfortably long response-less silence. Her head bobbed up and down in slow nods as she tried to process what she'd just heard. "Ninja…mutant…turtle…teenagers?"

"Well," said Donnie, "when you put it like that, it sounds ridiculous."

"And aliens?" Paige continued. "Giant mutated animals…robots…ghosts." She stood up and headed for the kitchen in a brisk walk. "I think I'll be needing that tea now."

Karai decided to follow. "I'll help you."

"Me too," Casey added.

"Thank you, dears. The rest of you, just make yourselves at home."

Donatello wasted no time in returning to his book. Raphael leaned back in his seat and proceed to send a text to Michelangelo back at the lair. Leonardo wandered around the den for a minute, eventually discovering, to his glee, a room full of Indian weapons displayed on the walls. Paige instructed Casey and Karai to boil water and prepare a plate of tea biscuits while she searched for a tea set in the next room. The boy hadn't failed to notice the icy treatment he was getting from the kunoichi as he opened a bag of biscuits.

"Look, Karai," Casey began. "I know you're mad…and I guess I kinda deserve it, but I had to give Paige that second chance. And I'm glad I did. Now we're one step ahead o' Bishop. That's gotta count for something, doesn't it? You can't stay mad, can ya?"

Karai pursed her lips, still impassive. "It's fine, Casey."

Casey let out a nervous laugh. "Really? Wow, I figured you'd be mad."

She nodded. "Oh, I was, but I can let things go, can't I?"

"Great. So we're cool, right?"

Her response was a swift, unavoidable, firm but held-back knee to the batteries. The boy crumpled to the ground, his hands cradling the smarting area between his legs. "Now we're cool." She let out a contented sigh, smiling. "I'm happy now. You happy?"

"As a clam," he said, a few octaves higher than normal.

Paige walked into the kitchen, a tray with her favorite English tea set nestled in her hands. "Here, we are. What's wrong with Casey?"

Karai took the tea set from Paige and proceeded to prepare tea while the Englishwoman bent down to look over Casey. "He slipped," Karai answered casually. "Landed crotch-first onto the counter."

The three of them emerged from the kitchen after a while, Casey still walking a little less enthusiastically. Leonardo didn't fail to notice the little lack of spring in his human friend's step. "What happened to you?" he asked, but the boy was too choked up to answer. He decided to drop the matter. "So, Paige. I found that cool weapons room."

She set the tray down on the coffee table and proceeded to pour each of them a cup. "Oh, found the family treasure, did you? Those are all antique, handed down from generation to generation. Me family owned a Kalari school back in India."

Leonardo raised an eyebrow. "Kalari?"

"It's a martial arts school," she answered, handing him and each of his siblings a steaming cup of tea. "You see, I spent my childhood in Kerala. That's in the South of India. It's the birthplace of Kalaripayattu-the world's most ancient martial art."

"Is that what you used on us back at the park?" Raph asked, a contempt-full glint his eye.

"Yes, and if you feel like getting a bit more cheeky, you're welcome to pay for everyone's tea." She flashed him a broad and derisive smile.

"Sorry about him," Leo offered. "He has…issues." His red-banded brother shot him a heated look from behind his cup.

Casey sat himself beside Paige and cocked his head at her. "Not nearly as much as this one with her driving."

"Oh, give over, Jones," Paige said, rolling her eyes. "You were never late to anything, were you not?"

"Yeah, but you never had to rush during family road trips." He turned back to his friends to speak to them. "You know, I was thirteen when I realized that cows aren't blurry."

Karai cocked an eyebrow. "Don't throw stones, Casey. We've seen the way you drive."

So the time passed as the Hamatos got to know their hostess, reveling in her embarrassing stories of Casey's childhood. They even exchanged family stories. At some point, Paige reached into the drawer of the lamp desk beside her and produced a single photograph. "I found this picture of us," she said, handing it to Casey. It was a picture of Casey's first hockey victory; his family and Paige had gathered around him, proud smiles dominating their faces.

Casey was so lost in the nostalgia that he hadn't noticed his friends gathering around him. "Wow," said Leo, " you look nothing like your dad, Casey."

Paige sipped the last of her tea. "That's because he's half Greek. He gets his looks from his mum." A thoughtful look crossed her face. She opened the drawer again and rifled through the contents. "In fact…Here she is-Antonia-me partner in crime." She held out an old photo. In it were her and another woman in front of what looked to be New York University. The other woman was beautiful; elegant waves of black hair framed her white and spotless face, her wide brown eyes twinkled in the sunlight.

"She's beautiful," Karai commented. She then noticed the state of Paige's hands; they were nearly covered in thin and fine scars. Well, she supposed that one couldn't call themselves a Papermaster without a few papercuts.

Looking at the photo, Casey quietly realized something. His family must be even more broken with him out of the picture. He remembered how much his dad missed his mom even years after her death. What was he doing now? Were his own selfish reasons worth staying away from them any longer than he already has? Deciding to find out, Casey excused himself and went off to find a quiet spot.

Paige smiled warmly as she watched him scurry off to the library; Casey had his cell phone out. She knew what he was up to. With Leonardo's help, she cleared the dishes and returned them to the kitchen. He offered to soak them as Paige went off to the bathroom to retrieve something.

Casey steeled himself with one last thought of the photo. He thought about how happy they once were. One stupid fight shouldn't be enough to change that. He owed it to his mother, if not himself…

Finally, the other side picked up and a male voice spoke. "Hello?"

Casey drew a deep breath. "Hi, dad…"

Paige returned to the kitchen to see Leonardo had finished cleaning. She carried a brown bag in one hand and a bottle of iodine in another. "Here, Leonardo," she said, handing him the brown bag. "This is for your youngest brother. Karai told me earlier he's been a bit under the weather."

Leo was somewhat hesitant as he took the bag. "Thank you, Paige."

"Think nothing of it. There's enough left over in there for the next time any of you get sick…and besides, I'm grateful to you and your family."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Casey certainly has changed for the better. I noticed it the second a saw him…for the first time in six years. I can't help but think that you've all been a good influence on him. The medicine is the least I could offer you."

Leonardo felt a familiar warmth spread through him, one that he usually got whenever his father would express his pride in him. "Thank you, Paige. It's more than enough." Out of habit, he bowed lowly.

Paige responded with a kind smile, then she put her hands together with the fingers pointing up, and bowed to him.

"I'm comin' home tomorrow morning," Casey told his father, "…Yeah, Paige'll take me…Yeah, sure we can bring breakfast…Okay. Talk to you later, dad."

Paige walked into the library just as Casey hung up. "So? How's your dad and your sister?"

Casey offered a crooked smile. "They're okay."

"You patched things up?"

"Yeah…and, he says that the reason he made such a big deal about me going to college…was because he never got to go. He put his NHL career first."

Paige nodded. Then another thought crossed her mind. It was a good thing he had his friends to help him through all of this. She was very thankful. "You truly love these friends of yours, don't you?"

Casey just about choked on his own spit. "Love?!"

She reached over to pat him roughly on the back. "I'll win them over yet, Casey," she told him confidently before returning to the den.

Casey didn't know exactly what to feel. He realized Paige's observant nature hadn't changed. Neither had her habit of inserting herself into his life and the lives of everyone around him; he knew that she did it out of love but he would have a talk with her about how it wasn't always appreciated. Or appropriate. Still, it could wait. For now he was content. For now, he had a family again. As complete as it ever was.

He walked back into the den. Raphael and Leonardo were lounging lazily on the couch. Donatello was sitting on the opposite couch with Paige. She was applying iodine to his hand. "Your poor hand," Paige said to her reluctant patient.

"It's fine, Paige," said Donatello.

"No," she insisted. "I should have made that disk duller before I threw it. I truly am sorry, all of you."

The Hamato family insisted on their being no apologies necessary. Casey sat in the arm chair opposite Karai. "Hey," he greeted. The kunoichi gave the slightest nod. "So. Great news. My dad and I finally patched things up."

"That's great," she said. Leo quietly agreed while Raph still refused to look at him.

Paige had finally finished bandaging Donnie's hand. "There. Should I look over the rest of you? See if there are any lasting injuries?"

The children seemed to recoil into their seats in response-particularly the boys.

"Oh, there's no need to be embarrassed with me," she reassured. "I've worked in healthcare, I've seen it all. Especially from Casey."

The boy paled. "Paige," he began warningly.

She didn't seem to notice the message in his tone. "I've seen his bits."

"PAIGE!"

He was cut off by a loud jingle coming from Raph's T-phone. "Guys, father wants us home. Preferably now."

Leo stood up. "Tell him we're on our way. Thank you for your hospitality, Paige." He gave her another solemn bow; Karai and Donnie stood up and repeated the gesture.

"Yeah, thanks," said Donnie.

"Don't mention it," said Paige.

Leo looked at his hotheaded brother, expecting him to remember his manners. When there was no response, Leo gave him a swift elbow to the ribs. Raphael sighed and uncrossed his arms. "Sorry…for attacking you."

This time, she gave him an honest and appreciative smile. "It's alright, young man."

"We should get going," said Karai as she made her way to the door. "Casey?"

"I'm staying the night," the boy answered and Paige wondered when she made that offer.

"If we go by foot," Donnie began. "We probably won't get home till midnight."

Paige stood from her seat. "Oh, that won't be necessary. I can drive you four-"

"NO!" was the unanimous decision.

Author's Note:

I hope you all managed to notice the little 2014 movie reference. *wink*

In this chapter, I really wanted Paige to be someone who earned her way into the franchise and most importantly into the boys' lives. I hope you guys managed to pick up on that. I didn't want to be like "here's my OC, now love her."

So that there's no confusion in reference to dates, this story is set in 2012, the initial timeline of the series.

*The second paragraph from Paige's report was actual script from the 14th episode of Read Or Die, with some choice tweaking, to incorporate my story of course.

William Nayar Bishop - yes, in the 2003 series, he was known as John Bishop. In my AU, however he is named William Bishop. And he's British. You Bishop fangirls can go ahead and imagine his sexy-ass voice with a bonus English accent *wink*. Also here Bishop is, like Paige, an Anglo-Indian (half-British-half-Indian). His last name is supposedly a common surname in Southern India, as my research tells me.

Heads up, the next chapter will be a filler, of sorts.