Michelangelo kicked his feet through the dust on the side of the wide path, careful to avoid the lights that lined the exhibits. The orange-masked turtle knew that the Zoo wasn't completely abandoned, despite the late hour. He'd been meandering around the edge of the outdoor habitats for about an hour, looking for animals which had mostly been no-shows.
They've got enough sense to be eating or sleeping somewhere else, not hanging around their outdoor enclosure in case some nut comes by to see them at night.
The only real signs of life he'd witnessed so far were the rustling of greenery and bushes inside the snow monkeys' habitat. Although he was fairly sure that he was hearing them, the turtle couldn't catch a glimpse of the animals in the darkness.
Mike had worked his way around the temperate zone to the arctic area, and the outdoor pool where the polar bears swam. At least they do during the day. Coming here was a waste of time tonight. I guess the closest I'm ever getting to "wildlife" is Animal Planet.
The turtle picked out a cement curb several feet away from the lights and settled down. He gazed sadly at the enclosure across from him and shook his head. It figures I wouldn't see anything. Like everything else, it doesn't work out. I don't know why I'm even surprised.
Mike rested his chin in his hand and his surroundings became fuzzy while his mind wandered. I wonder if these animals could know any better. Is it possible for them to enjoy living in a place like this, or do they understand that they don't belong in captivity? I'm probably giving the animals too much credit, but I gotta wonder.
If they could think and make their own choice, I don't know what they'd pick. The animals are taken care of here. They get food and medicine…and nothing's trying to eat them. But they're not free. They can't go wherever they want, do what they want.
Most of 'em were probably born in a place like this, so it's normal for them. Normal to be caged up, normal to do the same thing every day for their entire lives. It's interesting to weigh the options against each other. On the one hand, you have complete safety and security, but on the other…I know I'd rather be free. I'd rather get to live.
Michelangelo sighed quietly. Part of me wishes we didn't know any better. It's not a bad life underground, but that's mostly because we've always had each other. He shifted on the curb, snapping up his cell phone. He stared at the device for a long silent moment before deciding to make the call.
"Hello? Mike?" His purple-masked brother picked up rapidly on the second ring.
"Hi," he said sheepishly. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing right now. What about you? I've been kinda worried."
Mike snorted. "Tell the truth, Donny. You've been keeping tabs on me."
"The implants make it easy to do that, but it doesn't mean I know what you've been up to."
"I'm on a safari for polar bears."
"In Central Park? You realize that isn't their natural habitat."
"You wanna come meet me at the Zoo? Can you get away for a little while?"
"Yeah," his brother said eagerly. "Should I be looking for polar bears too?"
"Good luck finding one. I'll stay put anyway."
"All right. I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."
Michelangelo hung up the phone with a wince. I was a jerk to him, and he still can't wait to find me. That's Donny for ya. He never likes being mad at anyone. He's a great brother, even when he's dealing with a bunch of things at once.
He heaved another giant sigh as he put his phone away, and started waiting for Donatello to show up.
The orange-masked turtle's senses were keenly aware of every sound around him, so he was disappointed with himself when something brushing his shell made him jump a mile. He narrowed his eyes at Donatello's shadowed grin. "You did that on purpose!"
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. I'd think you would be paying more attention, hanging out in the open like this."
"I was paying attention."
"Meanwhile, I almost got caught by a couple of guards when I came over the wall. I had extra incentive to be careful."
Mike snickered. "You nearly got busted by a couple of rent-a-cops?"
"Yeah, and I about sent your shell into orbit a minute ago, so I'd say we're even."
"It sounds like we could both use some more training exercises. Maybe sneaking into the Zoo should become a regular thing – at least until I can see some dang animals."
Don's smile became sympathetic. "So what are you really doing here?"
Mike shrugged and then crossed his arms. "It was something to do."
"Anything was better than coming home?"
"I didn't say that, Donny, and I don't feel that way either. It's just…"
"It's what, Mikey? Do you want to tell me about what happened?"
"I'm sorry I was mean to you and Leo. I wasn't mad at you guys."
"I'm glad to hear it. Would you like to tell me what happened?" he repeated.
"No," Mike said faintly. "It doesn't matter."
"If something upsets you that much, it matters, Bro."
He was quiet for a few seconds. "Yeah, it matters, but talking about it won't help."
"How do you know if you don't try?"
"Because I do," he insisted. "Words are great and all, but they don't solve everything. They can't fix this."
"I know this has to do with Splinter," Don said bluntly. "You're not the only one who's afraid. Why do you think you have to hide it?"
"I don't care if anyone knows I'm scared," Mike said flatly.
"Then tell me. Why don't you want to talk about this? Why did you run away from me? You never do that."
Mike grimaced. "No, and I'm sorry. It's not your fault, or the docs fault that you guys don't know everything."
"Please tell me what you're referring to."
The orange-masked turtle swallowed as he felt his throat constricting. "He thinks he's dying."
"You're talking about Sensei? He said that to you?"
"He didn't have to say it. It's like Master Splinter has already accepted it, Donny. Why would he give up this way?"
His brother seemed to be searching for words. "I didn't…I mean…Mike, none of us have mentioned the possibility that he's dying, not to each other or him. What makes you think he's given up?"
Michelangelo looked away, even though he couldn't see his brother's face well. "I get feelings about people sometimes, Donny. It's not like I try to – it just happens, like it did today. I'm telling you, he thinks he's dying. Why does he believe that?"
"Mike, I don't know. Maybe Sensei is discouraged or tired. Maybe he's overwhelmed because of everything going on. But no matter how he feels, or you feel, it doesn't mean there's no hope left, okay?"
"You haven't asked yourself if he could be dying?"
Donatello didn't answer him, and Mike shook his head.
"See? This is why I didn't wanna talk about it. There's nothing anyone can say to make this better."
"Should we all give up then?" Don asked quietly. "Should we stop trying to help Sensei because he may have lost some hope?"
"That's not what I'm saying and you know it!"
"You're right – I was only clarifying my point. When a member of this family is feeling weak, they should be able to rely on the rest of us to help hold them up. I know you'd do anything to help Master Splinter."
"But I can't help him."
"You help him and other people a lot more than you think. Your spirit alone can move mountains, and make someone smile when it should have been impossible. I'm not suggesting that you fake emotion you're not feeling, or that you aren't allowed to get discouraged too. But we're a family, and whatever happens, we're in this together. So if you're upset, mad, depressed, you don't have to hide it."
"How can I help Sensei when I feel like this? I could barely look him in the eye this morning. I'm not ready for this, Donny. I'm not ready to lose him! It's too soon." Michelangelo's voice cracked helplessly.
Donatello extended an arm around his back, and he leaned hard against his shoulder, trying to muffle his tears.
"I'm not any more ready than you are," his brother said finally.
"You're so calm about all of this."
"Acting calm doesn't mean I feel calm."
"What's gonna happen next, Donny?"
"The docs and I will keep giving Sensei respiratory support, and we're going to begin delving deeper too."
"Like how?"
"We're going to take tissue samples from Sensei's lungs to study. There may be physical clues that can help us determine what's wrong with him."
"And if you find something?"
"Then we'll work toward solving the problem. None of us are even close to calling off the effort, Mike."
"Is it going to hurt him?"
"A biopsy? No. He might not even need to be asleep, depending on which method we decide to go with."
Mike sat up straighter on the curb. "Can you promise me that you won't try to protect the rest of us, Donny? We're all big kids. We deserve the truth."
"We haven't kept anything from you so far, Mikey, and we're not going to start. The only one I've left in the dark mostly is Jen…and that's just because we're separated this way. She needs this time with her parents."
"I think she'd appreciate hearing the truth about Splinter, Bro."
"I don't even know the full truth yet. Maybe when the results come back…" Donatello suddenly gasped. "Mikey, look!"
Michelangelo followed his brother's gaze to the enclosure across from them, where a white mass was lumbering through the darkness across the habitat. He jerked to his feet and got closer to the bars while the polar bear loped around the edge of the pool.
"He's huge." Mike whistled. "Wouldn't want to meet one in real life, not even if I had a Coke."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everybody knows about the Coca-Cola Polar bears. They look so cuddly."
The purple-masked turtle rolled his eyes. "It's a good thing the bear is on that side of the bars. It's not a pet, Mikey."
Mike grinned at him. "It'd be cool to have one though, wouldn't it?"
"A polar bear?"
"A pet. Why couldn't we?"
Donatello shrugged. "You'd probably be taking care of it on your own. I've got enough on my plate, Leo might think it was a waste of resources, and Raph doesn't mesh with animals."
"I bet Raphy could learn to like something."
Don shook his head. "That'll be the day, Mike."