I do not own the TMNT or any related characters and themes.
Chapter Five; Touching Base
Turtle Titan raced over the rooftops of New York. He kept a definite area in mind to stick to as he desperately searched for the Nightwatcher. He had already come close once, spotting police cars pulling up to a couple punks duct taped to a street lamp in typical Nightwatcher fashion.
Every time he heard a motorcycle he would rush to try and catch sight of it, but usually it would just be some human too dumb to wear so much as a helmet.
It was well after two in the morning and Mikey was beginning to wonder if he should leave this matter to the police when he saw some kid trying to steal a motorcycle. Figuring that the Turtle Titan could at least encourage one kid to go straight before the night was through he swung down to street level and crept up behind the boy.
"Tsk, tsk. Isn't that bike a little big for you?" The kid spun around when he heard the voice and realizing that he had been caught he dropped the bike and ran. Turtle Titan darted forward and caught the bike before it hit the pavement. A machine this nice even Mikey knew it would be a shame to scratch it. He looked it over and figured out the kick stand thing before looking around to see if the owner was coming back yet.
The owner was back. Ever brave and courageous Turtle Titan jumped and a squeak escaped his mouth when he saw the Nightwatcher staring at him through the shiny visor on his helmet. "Whoa, this is like, so not what it looks like! I wasn't trying to steal it or anything!"
Nightwatcher held out a gloved hand and slid it to the side. Turtle Titan stepped away from the bike. Once Turtle Titan was a respectable distance from the motorcycle Nightwatcher went to his bike and slung a leg over the seat. Mikey was still noticing how short the guy was up close when the engine started up.
"No wait! The Electric Store!" The bike started forward, "The lady's kid got kidnapped!" Turtle Titan shouted as the bike hit the street, the Nightatcher hit the brakes and looked sharply at the Turtle Titan.
"What?!" The syllable was short, muffled and barked.
"The lady's kid, she ran and somebody chased her, they took her kid!"
Nightwatcher sat there for a minute, not reacting. Finally he jerked his thumb over this shoulder, indicating that Turtle Titan get on behind him. There wasn't much room, but it might be easier traveling. Turtle Titan hurried over and climbed on behind the guy. It would've been easier if Nightwatcher didn't have that big pack on his back. Once Turtle Titan had a good hold the Nightwatcher sped off. "Talk!" He called over his shoulder. Turtle Titan told him the entire story about following the police, Nora, and Peter.
"What does sordoy eymoodo mean anyway?" Turtle Titan finished. Nightwatcher shrugged. He turned another corner and came to a sudden stop, nearly throwing the Titan off. The Nightwatcher turned his helmet and seemed to be watching Turtle Titan for something. "So, uh, end of the line right?" A crisp nod. "Right."
Turtle Titan slid off of the back of the bike, the Nightwatcher revved up his bike. Just before the motorcycle got rolling an idea struck the Titan. "Wait!" The Nightwatcher stopped, annoyance flavoring his body language. "I'm going to go keep an eye on the place the lady's staying at, how do I contact you if I learn anything?"
For a minute it looked like Nightwatcher was about to speed off again. Instead he unzipped one of his many pockets and pulled out a small electronic doohickey. He tossed this to the Turtle Titan before zipping the pocket back up and speeding away.
Mikey watched the bike turn a corner and vanish. He felt a sinking feeling of depression until he looked back at the little device in his hands. It was a headset. That meant that he was still on with the Nightwatcher! Three cheers for wicked cool superhero team-ups!
…
Raphael heaved a sigh of relief as he turned out of his brother's sight. It would take a miracle for Mikey not to get the whole metal turtle thing the way Casey had. Heck, it would take divine intervention of the highest caliber for anyone to have trouble figuring out something that Casey had understood.
Then again, Leo hadn't figured it out until the helmet came off.
But there was business to attend to. Raph had told the woman to run, brilliant. She had obeyed and her kid got taken from her; that made it the Nightwatcher's responsibility to get the kid back to his mother…and to dish out a whole lot of punishment on the guys who had taken him. It was no wonder Mikey, pardon, Turtle Titan hadn't recognized what gang the vandals came from. Michelangelo hadn't been on the streets much in a long time. There was no way he would know about the Initiates.
Much as Raphael hated to admit it, the Nightwatcher hadn't done as good a job at keeping the city's crime under control as the four ninja brothers had. During Leo's absence the gangs had flourished. The Purple Dragons had even become so powerful that they had created a sort of sub gang for potential new members, the Initiates. Initiates were expected to do the Purple Dragon's dirty work; crimes that they would probably get caught doing. If they didn't, they got just a little closer to getting the coveted member's tattoo. That meant that tonight's job at the electronics store was probably on orders from higher up, but what the higher ups would need a kid for was beyond Raphael's guess.
There will be some action in the next chapter if I can get Raph to move his lazy shell.