Good afternoon, readers! Though Halloween is over, I hope you are still in the mood for some spooks! I apologize for the delay in updating, my work schedule has been pretty crazy lately! In the meantime, I will continue to try to update my fanfictions as often as possible! So without further ado, please enjoy this update!
The following day, the turtles had cleaned up their lair together, everything pretty much in order before they gathered to plan for that night.
"This is how we're going to do this." Leo began. "None of us leave each other's sight. This thing can shape shift and match our identities. The last thing we need is to be ambushed. But as long as we stay together and keep vigilant, there will be no guesswork necessary." He then rolled out a map of Central Park. "Now, we have to work the tradeoff."
"Or lack of one." Donnie said, adjusting his glasses. "Leo, this creature may be ferocious, but it's also very smart. That's putting us at a disadvantage here. It's already played with our heads, and seems to know what our next move is, as if it can read us."
"No one is smarter than you, Donnie." Leo said, glancing at him. "This is why you're going to be a critical part of this. We have to make it trust that we're serious about this first. I'm going to give Raph my weapons, and then I'm going to tell it to let Caleb go. Donnie, I'm going to need you to make sure that it's really him. No funny business. Once you do that, you get out of there, you understand? And Raph... you go with him."
Raph grimaced. "Wait, hang on a second, I'm not going to leave you and Mikey-"
"No one separates from the group alone." Leo emphasized. "We need to have at least two of us together at one time to prevent that thing from impersonating one of us. If that thing decides to go after Donnie and Caleb, I need my strongest team player to defend him. At least if Mikey is with me, we can try to hold him off while you both make off with Caleb."
Raph hissed a sigh, not liking this idea. "Fine."
Leo nodded. "Mikey, anything you want to add?"
Mikey cleared his throat. "Uh... is there any possible way I can just stay home and-"
"NO." His three brothers said in unison.
Meanwhile, April had just finished her shift as she strode briskly down the street, glancing at the time before pocketing her phone. She entered the building where Grayson's office was, requesting to see him. She then headed down the hall, knocking on the door.
"Mr. Roberts? It's April O'Neil... would you be able to speak with me about something? It's a bit urgent." She asked through the door.
"Ah, yes, April! Just give me a couple minutes." Grayson responded, April taking a step back to wait. She took this time to briefly glance through her paperwork before tucking the folder under her arm. She glanced around the corridor, passing the time by looking at the various decorative pieces. As she was looking at a painting, she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eyes. She did a double take, glancing down the other end of the corridor. What she saw made her freeze.
A red balloon.
It seemed to have stopped, hovering for a moment before continuing to wander out of sight. April called out to see if anyone was down there, frowning uneasily before moving to follow the object. She slowed her pace when she saw the balloon make its way into a storage closet, the door having been opened a crack before it quietly shut on its own. April exhaled shakily, swallowing thickly as she took cautious steps closer to the door. She caught the scent of something unpleasant, not able to put a finger on what it could be. Her hand shakily extended, now just inches from the door. She was about to open it, when a sudden hand on her shoulder made her jump. She whirled around, holding a hand on her heart when she saw it was Grayson.
"April, is everything alright? I went to call you in but you wandered off." He said.
"I am so sorry... I was- I was um... looking for a tissue." She quickly made up, clearing her throat.
"Ah, yes... the air is changing a bit. I have tissues in my office, come." He smiled, motioning down the corridor. As April made her way back from where she came, looking over her shoulder, she thought she could see a balloon floating from within the closet, able to see it through the slats in the door. She turned her attention in front of her, trying to shake the chills trickling through her spine. Once they were inside his office, he shut the door behind them, motioning for April to sit. "April, it's good to see you again." He said as she glanced over at the roses sitting on his desk, a blaring reminder of what she had discovered the night before- a discovery she would be making him aware of now. When she was able to think rationally for a moment, she noticed how odd it was that they were on such good terms now, having been something akin to bitter enemies only a couple short weeks ago.
"Thank you for seeing me again, um-..." April said as she fumbled with her paperwork a bit, swearing under her breath when she dropped her folder. She went to pick it up, but Grayson got to it first, placing it back into her hands before taking one of them into his.
"April. There's no need to fear." He smiled calmly. "We're just here to talk today, that's all." He said, swallowing a bit.
She nodded, clearing her throat as he released her hand. "Sorry... it was a bit of a rough night for me. But... there's something I really need to speak to you about. I have reason to believe you're in danger."
Grayson rose a brow as he made his way back to his chair, sitting down. "Is that so?"
April blinked. "You... don't seem very concerned about the idea."
"April... being what I am, I'm constantly in danger. It doesn't really phase me anymore." Grayson said.
"Mr. Roberts, this is different." April opened the folder, going through some papers.
"Please... call me Grayson. We can be on a first name basis now, I think." He said as she took a few sheets out to place in front of him.
"I was able to capture security footage last night... this was the night the Smiths were murdered- see, this is their street. Look." April pointed to him, to which he tilted his head.
"There must be something askew with the time stamp. Is that not Amelia Smith?" He asked.
"It is, and it isn't." April said, to which Grayson rose a quizzical brow. "This creature that has been attacking us, that was responsible for Amelia's death, can change its appearance. It can take the form of other people, including its past victims, in order to trick and deceive new ones." She showed him more stills from the footage. "Look. These roses were taken from the Smith's house... and left at this building. The ones in your office here." April looked up. "It's coming after you now, Grayson. This isn't about politics or winning polls. This is about life and death." As Grayson looked through the stills quietly, April took out some of Donnie's DNA analytics. "This creature is-... we don't know what it is, exactly. I told you last time about the fact that it appears as a clown, but I don't even think that is its real form. It's not even a mutant. It's all detailed here." April then sifted through more papers, taking out a flash drive. "This contains the audio from my interview with the Smiths, and my interview with William Denbrough." She placed everything in front of him, and he glanced up at her. "If we're going to have any chance of bringing this thing down, we both need to be as informed as possible."
Grayson nodded. "You're absolutely right, April." He said, taking the flash drive. "Whatever this creature is, it seems to be very cunning. I am very grateful that you shared this with me... the more information I have, the better I will be able to do what I need to do for this city." He glanced over at the roses. "I will have to watch my back... at least I know now that others are watching my back for me." He smiled lightly. "I promise, April. Things are going to change. Leave everything to me. We will keep in touch. I'm going to look over this material."
April nodded, her eyes unable to keep from glancing at the roses. Grayson seemed to notice this.
"It does give them a more macabre aura, does it not?" He said. "I am all too familiar with despair and destruction, April. I promise you, here and now... I will handle this."
Back in the lair, Casey rose a brow. "And... you guys think this is going to work?"
"I don't know for sure. But if something goes wrong, I need to ensure that April and my dad have all the protection they can get. I need you here. Also, during this little operation, I need you to make sure that no one enters, and no one leaves until we get back."
Casey shrugged. "I've got no problem doing that. But seriously, Leo... this idea you've got going... it has a lot of chances for something to go completely haywire."
"I already know that, Casey. I'm already getting heat from Raph over it. But it's the only one I've got." Leo said.
"Okay. So... say this works. Say you're able to get Caleb back. What's to stop this clown- 'Pennywise' or whatever the hell his name is- from just stealing more kids? Maybe he'll just steal Caleb again once your backs are turned." Casey said. "Look. I see what you're trying to do. I'm not downplaying that. But we need to start cracking the code on how to reel this thing in. I don't think it's going to be talked out of anything, so there's only one option. We have to figure out how to kill it."
"You're right about all of that. But for now, we have to save Caleb. And we also have to show this thing that we're not completely defenseless. If it sees that we can put up a good fight, maybe he'll back down." Leo replied.
"Or maybe it'll hit back even harder." Casey said, Leo exhaling slowly as this thought sunk in.
Just then, Donnie entered the area. "Leo, all the cameras are set up. We'll hopefully have an easier time detecting Pennywise's movements once night falls."
"Good. Go get Mikey and Raph and start making preparations." Leo then looked up. "Casey, can you try to find out where April is? I want her to be here before dusk. I'm not taking any risks." As Leo said this, Donnie hesitated for a moment, opening his mouth for a moment before closing it, simply resolving to do what was asked of him.
Casey nodded, getting on his cell phone. As April was heading back underground, she felt her own buzz, taking it out of her pocket. "Casey? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, the guys just want to know if you're on your way here." Casey said.
"I'm almost there... I gave everything to Grayson and went over what we've found with him." April replied.
"Are you really sure we can trust this guy, April? I mean, he trashed talked you, and he clearly doesn't like any of us." Casey grimaced.
"That was BEFORE there was a murderous clown terrorizing the city, Casey. Thankfully he has enough rationality to realize that we both need to take care of a bigger enemy here." April responded.
"Whatever... look, it's going to get dark out soon. The guys are all antsy about you getting down here." Casey rolled his eyes.
April snickered. "That's the new term for them, huh? 'The guys?'"
"Come on, Red... I thought you would like the idea of us all being chummy." Casey smirked.
"I'm fine as long as you're not all killing each other... okay. I'm heading underground now, I'll see you in a few." April said before ending the call, pocketing her phone.
When April arrived and settled in, Leo reviewed the plan once more with everyone. "Under no circumstances does April leave here. She has Sensei to make sure she's safe. Casey, you're going to be our emergency 'go to.' If we need you where the action is, we'll let you know. Otherwise, it's better if we have another reliable stand-in here to protect April and the lair." Casey nodded, Leo looking to his brothers. "We stay together until we meet at the rendezvous point. Then we break up into pairs when we have Caleb secured. We just need to remember one thing. No one can be alone." When the other three siblings nodded in understanding, Leo stood up straighter. "Alright then. We have a kid to save. Let's move out."
As they collected their things, Splinter remain composed; of course he was worried deep down, but he realized that if he did not have confidence in his sons, they could not have confidence in themselves. April bit her lip. She knew they were strong, especially united, but there was still a chance that they could come back in poor condition, if at all. She remembered what Donnie had told her- despite the subject manner and poor timing... she couldn't let Donnie walk out the door now without reminding him she at least cared.
"Donnie." April spoke his name, to which he stopped what he was doing to look at her. She approached him, wordlessly giving him a hug. His expression softened, hesitating a moment before hugging her back. The other turtles glanced over, Donnie rolling his eyes when Mikey joined in the hug.
"Don't worry, April." Leo nodded, gently patting her shoulder. "We'll be alright."
"Yeah, this fool is going to really get the message tonight." Raph smirked.
"Raph... remember that Caleb is our main priority. Come on, you guys." Leo said.
"April, if I don't make it, you can totally have my comic book collection." Mikey said. "And Casey, you can have-"
"Mikey." Leo snapped.
They began to make their way out, Donnie stopping to look over his shoulder. "A- April?"
"Yeah?" She replied.
"I- I, um... I..." He sighed in defeat. "I hope you stay safe."
April smiled lightly. "I hope you do, too."
Above ground, night had fallen, the team moving quickly, but quietly. Leo led the way, and despite their doubts of whether or not they could even consider trusting the deadly clown, they knew they had no other choice at this point. Either way, a confrontation with it was inevitable; at least this was one they had actually prepared for. They eventually reached Central Park, going a short way before stopping.
"Hey Donnie, any movement?" Leo asked, Donnie taking out a wireless device.
"Nothing's being detected yet..." Donnie replied.
"I really hope he doesn't want us to play hide and seek. I suck at that game." Mikey said, Raph shoving him aside in annoyance.
"Let's just go to where it said. Heart of the park. No sense wasting any time." Raph suggested.
"Raph, I know you like to jump the gun, but we have to do this carefully." Leo replied, to which Raph shook his head.
"Uh, you guys? I just picked up something." Donnie said then. Leo looked over his shoulder, Donnie holding up the GPS device.
"That's just across the way. Come on, let's go." Leo said, the four making their way to the spot indicated on the device.
They finally reached the area, Donnie furrowing his brows as he fiddled with his tracker. "Uh, are we supposed to be seeing something really epic here? Because... I just see more trees." Mikey said.
"Wait... trees... Raph, Leo, search the trees... maybe that's why he's showing up on here even though we can't see him!" Donnie exclaimed.
"Oh shit..." Raph had a thought then. "Leo, you don't think he's-"
"Please..." A small voice sounded then. "Please get me away from here..."
"Over there!" Leo shouted, running towards the voice when he was halted, Pennywise hopping down from the tree branch above. Leo clenched his teeth as the clown grinned, reaching inside a hollow space in one of the trees to pull the child out. Caleb was whimpering, his lip trembling as he cried.
"Hm... let's see who ends up being more savory. Fear seasons the meat, you know. Leo... funny name for a turtle, don't you think? And they say rats are smart, haha! Maybe he'll be extra tasty when he finds all your hallowed out shells!"
"We have a deal, Pennywise! Give Caleb back to us!" Leo shouted.
Pennywise's smile slowly faded. "Give me yours first." He said with a sneer. Leo swore under his breath, hesitating. "Not budging, mister slow and steady? Suit yourself. I'm hungry NOW." At this, Pennywise slowly turned to look at Caleb, who widened his eyes in fear. He stared at him for several intense moments before roaring loudly, Caleb screaming as sharp teeth began to extend out. Leo was about to rush in, when a flash of orange stopped him.
"Wait!" Mikey held his hands up, frowning deeply as he shook a bit. "I- I... I'm a big baby, okay? And... you said that fear m- makes us more tasty, right?"
"Mikey, get back!" Raph shouted.
"I- I... I'm the most scared here... y- you know that. You kind of have this like, mind reader thing, so... p- please, let him go. Let him go, because..." Mikey swallowed thickly.
"B- B- Buh- Because why, magic Mike?" Pennywise mocked him, wearing a fake frown before cackling.
"Because... w- we're the good guys. A- And... this means a lot t- to us, but... it means the most to Leo. H- He's always getting me out of trouble. G- Getting me to focus." As he spoke, Leo looked at him slowly, his expression softening. "I'm not always very smart... or very strong... I- I know I act like a k- kid a lot, but... I'm not." Mikey straightened up a bit then. "Not anymore. So... So take me. Let Caleb go, and take me instead. If you're gonna be a bully, then fight someone your own size!" Mikey exclaimed, his brothers reduced to silence.
Pennywise slowly smiled, his mouth glistening with saliva. He curled his lip as he reared his arm back, tossing Caleb into the air. Donnie hissed, dashing forward. "I've got him!"
"MIKEY!" Leo shouted as Pennywise lunged at his younger brother, mouth open wide as he was about to feast on his arm. Just as he was about to clamp down, Leo emitted a loud cry, stabbing the side of Pennywise's head with one of his katanas before yanking it out. Blood trickled, levitating into the air for a moment before it twisted its head to look at him.
"Donnie, Raph, go now!" Leo exclaimed as Pennywise screeched, tackling Leo to the ground. Donnie regretfully scooped up Caleb, doing what Leo instructed. Mikey hopped to his feet before jumping on Pennywise's back, grunting as he managed to grab hold of it and shoved it away form Leo.
"Leave my brother alone!" Mikey shouted.
Donnie stopped, glancing behind him when he saw Raph had not moved, looking between his brothers. "Raph, come on!"
"Go, Raphael!" Leo screamed, his voice cracking as he slashed at Pennywise. When the creature reared its head back around, it was now the face of Amelia, looking at him with a pitiful expression.
"Why couldn't you save me, Leo?" Her little voice spoke. "You let me die." When Leo hesitated, Mikey took up his nunchukus, charging in for an attack. Leo snapped out of it when Amelia's face whipped toward Mikey, now Pennywise's once again as he was tackled.
"Get off of him!" Leo shouted, charging at his side. He gasped when he was shoved back, quickly getting on his feet. Mikey whimpered, his hands just barely holding the psychotic clown's snapping jaws back from shredding him to bits.
"Donnie, take the kid home. Leo and Mikey are going to get themselves killed." Raph said, about to run back.
"Wait- Raph, this isn't part of the plan!" Donnie exclaimed.
"Fuck the plan, I'm not going to run like a coward while this shithead murders Leo and Mikey! Do you want them to make it out of this alive, or not?!" Raphael exclaimed.
Donnie furrowed his brows deeply, tightening his lips as he nodded. "Fine. I'll let you guys know when I've gotten Caleb to safety."
Raph nodded back before sprinting toward where his brothers were. He emitted a loud cry, flipping through the air as he unsheathed his daggers. He landed on Pennywise's shoulders, stabbing him repeatedly before he was shoved off. He jumped to his feet, Pennywise about to go for Mikey.
"Hey! Focus on me!" Raph shouted, charging to grab Pennywise and hurl it behind him, the clown smacking hard into a tree. Leo and Mikey went to stand on either side of him, Leo shooting Raph a look.
"I told you that none of us were supposed to be alone!" Leo exclaimed.
"And I told you that I'm not letting anything happen to you." Raph said, his whole body tense as Pennywise cracked his body back into place, swaying for a moment before standing upright.
"Well, well, well... who's big and tough now, hm? I was beginning to think that your hide was too thick for my taste, big boy." Pennywise said to Raph as he clenched his teeth, glaring angrily. "But it looks like someone's starting to get nice and soft."
"Hey! Raph is NOT soft! I would know, he's almost as scary as you when he gets mad!" Mikey shouted.
"Enough!" Leo exclaimed, unsheathing his swords before running towards the clown. Pennywise only grinned slowly, evading Leo as he jumped into the tree above him.
"Don't let him get away!" Raph shouted.
"Raph! RAPH!" Leo grabbed him, Raph tearing his shoulder away.
"That thing dies tonight." He growled.
"Listen to me for one second! You left Donnie to fend for himself and now Pennywise is on the move. If it reaches Donnie and Caleb and we aren't there to defend them, what do you think is going to happen?!" Leo exclaimed, Raph's face falling as realization came over him. "Mikey, get on your communicator and get Donnie's location. We're moving out." Leo said, striding quickly back from where they entered the park.
Well, that was pretty intense! So, will Donnie have a run in with Pennywise before he can bring Caleb to safety? What does the murderous clown have in store next? Find out this and more in the next update! In the meantime, thank you for reading, and see you next time!