"This is most troubling indeed," Master Splinter states, stroking his thin beard as I finish speaking, telling them everything that Hun said. "If this pendant indeed can control the Kyūkyoku no purotekutā, you could be in serious danger, my son." I bite my lip as Sensei glances at me, his wise brown eyes swirling with concern. "We must tread carefully. Now that these…Fist Ninjas," I smile as Sensei uses my new term for the ex-Foot ninjas. "Know about you and your connection with the Ultimate Protector, they will be more aggressive toward you, my sons. For there is no telling just what your enemies have in mind for the ancient protector."
"This would explain why you can hear music from the pendant and we can't," Donnie states as he leans over the small pendant that now rests on the kitchen table. "With you being the Kyūkyoku no buki and all." Donnie pokes the green part of the pendant, lifting his chestnut brown eyes at me. "YOU don't feel compelled to do whatever the wielder of the pendant says, do you?"
I lift an eye ridge as Raph scoops up the pendant, points it at me.
"Go clean meh room."
Crossing my arms, I glare at my red-banded brother.
"No." A slow smirk forms on my face. "Unless you really want me in your room, Raphie."
Raph quickly shoves the pendant into Donnie's hands, a flash of panic on his face at the mere thought of me messing around in his room. Raph growls at me, pointing a thick green finger in my face.
"Ya step foot inta my room and I'll end ya, Mikey."
I laugh as Raph towers over me when Leo clears his throat.
"Will the two of you please focus? This is serious." Leo's chocolate brown eyes narrow as I sober up, the mood instantly souring. "Karai already warned us that many of those who left the Foot Clan were some of her best ninjas and shouldn't be taken lightly. They're deadly and now they're going to be going out of their way to find Mikey."
My shoulders hunch up as everyone turns toward me. Kicking at the floor, I glance off to the side as Klunk jumps up onto the counter to watch us.
"It's not like I MEANT for them to find out," I murmur, rubbing my arms. "It was the U.P.'s fault. He came in screaming about 'Leaving his Kyūkyoku no buki alone!' Rahzar and Fishface just aren't as completely stupid as we think that they are."
Which, I mean, is still pretty stupid but hey, not everyone can be a genius like me.
Leo's face pinches in displeasure.
"And that's another avenue that we need to discuss. The Kyūkyoku no purotekutā is obviously still looking for you as well, Mikey. Both mentally and physically. How did it even know that you were on that rooftop? We were miles away from its hideout. Is it just running around the city looking for you? Or was it a coincidence?" Leo picks up the pendant, his eye ridges furrowing as he glares down at it. "And are we even certain that what Hun said about this pendant is true? For all we know, he could have been lying or somebody lied to him. We can't risk it."
My eye ridges knit together as I fiddle with my fingers.
"Then what do we do, Leo? I really don't want test out if that thing works. I've had my fill on being turtlenapped, thanks. I don't wanna find out the hard way if that thing DOESN'T control the U.P., ya know?" I chuckle weakly. "'Cause, dude, that'd really suck."
Leo stares at me and I swear that a pin could drop and we'd hear it. The silence stretches on when I slowly realize just what Leo ISN'T saying. My suspicions are confirmed when Donnie refuses to meet my eye and Raph also stares at Leo. My mouth falls open as ice pours down my back.
"No. NO! You can't keep me locked in the lair! That's not fair! I'm a part of this team, too, ya know!"
Leo sighs, leaning heavily against the table, appearing older than he actually is. I almost feel bad for him. ALMOST being the keyword here since he's crazy enough to think locking me away all Rapunzel-style with him and my bros playing Mother Gothel on me.
"Mikey, this is for your own good. It's not any of us that Hun and the Ultimate Protector are after. It's YOU," Leo states, jabbing a finger at me. "We were barely able to take on the Kyūkyoku no purotekutā the last time it kidnapped you. And while it's telling you that it wants to keep you safe, we don't know that for sure. But at least we know that it's only looking for YOU, not all of us." Leo crosses his arms. "Which brings us back to the…Fist Ninja and Hun. We're a little more equipped in handling them than we are an ancient set of armor. But they're willing to go after ALL of us, not just you." A bitter smile crosses my big brother's face. A deep scowl forms on my own.
"No! I'm not agreeing to this," I state, planting my hands on my hips, uncaring that I probably look like a child. "There's a reason that we're a team! To have each other's backs. How am I supposed to have your guys' backs when I'm not THERE to help you?"
My heart pounds in my chest. They CAN'T do this to me. They CAN'T leave me here to just guess and wonder if they're going to come home or if they need my help. What if they DO need my help and I don't know it? What if I sense something but arrive too late to help? There's just so much that can go wrong that I won't know about until it's too late and that thought KILLS me. Don't they know that I shouldn't be left alone in my own thoughts? Have they learned nothing all these years of dealing with my nightmares? That my imagination can and will provide me with the worst-case scenarios until I'm a blubbering mess of anxiety.
A warm hand lands on my shoulder and I glance up at Master Splinter. His own dark brown eyes shining in concern but silent resolve.
"Michelangelo, what your brother is trying to say is that there are far more risks involved with you leaving the lair than there are with you remaining until things have calmed down."
"But, Sensei, Hun may be a himbo, but Tiger Claw isn't. What are we supposed to do if they manage to capture someone to lure me out, huh?" I ask, waving my arms around. "Because we ALL know that's exactly what's gonna happen when they catch wind that I'm not going on patrol with everyone." I glance over at Leo, daring him to prove me wrong. "And it'll work. Because I WILL go after one of you if they manage to capture you, with or without any of you to help me. Because you're my FAMILY and like shell I'm gonna just sit here and let everyone else do the work!" Crossing my arms, I turn my head away. "I'm sorry, but I still don't agree with any of this."
"Well, too bad, knucklehead because WE do," Raph snaps, crossing his arms and amber orbs narrow as I glare at him. "And we all know how dis works. Majority rules. Yer stayin' in da lair until all of dis blows over."
My mouth falls open as I turn toward Don. His eyes have returned back to normal since we arrived home but he still won't meet my gaze. My hands flex at my side.
"Donnie," I plead after a second of silence. "Donnie, you don't agree with them do you?"
My immediate older brother flinches, and he finally glances at me, chestnut eyes flickering from me to the rest of our family then back to me. I bite my lip as Donnie sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry, Mikey, but this is for the best." My mouth falls open as Donnie reaches out and grasps my clenched hands. "You're still healing, both mentally and physically. Heck, we don't even know the range of everything that you can do." Donnie squeezes my wrists, concern etched all over his face as he furrows his eye ridges. "You literally TELEPORTED on the rooftop. You can create a force field. We don't even know how doing all of that stuff is affecting you." Donnie studies my face as he squares his shoulders. "So, it really would be for the best for you to follow Leo's order and stay here until we have more information and data to work with." Donnie purses his lips and dips his head. "So please, Mikey. Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be."
They're not gonna budge on this, I think, hurt and irritation blooming in my chest as I pull my wrists from Donnie's grasp. My eye ridges pinch together.
"You guys really aren't gonna move on this, are you?"
Leo crosses his arms, face stony.
"No, Michelangelo, we aren't. You are staying in the sewers until further notice and that's final."
I glance at Master Splinter one last time as Raph mirrors Leo's stance. My father merely stares back, his eyes watching me silently.
Fine. If this is what they want, then who am I to argue?
Throwing my arms in the air, I groan.
"You know what? Fine. I'll stay here. But none of you can say that I didn't warn you when Hun uses one of you to lure me out of the lair." Turning on my heels, I storm out of the kitchen and head for the sewers.
"Michelangelo, where do you think you're going?" Leo demands as he swiftly follows after me.
Scooping up my skateboard, I daftly miss his grab for my arm.
"I'm going for a skate in the sewers since that's all I CAN do. And I need to clear my head."
"Mikey—" Leo starts, hand still outstretched. Raph catches his wrist as I stiffen, my red-banded brother cutting our eldest brother off as I open our hidden door.
"Let 'im go, Leo. Let da kid have a moment ta himself."
My shoulders hunch up, part of me thankful to Raph in understanding my need to get away, but not enough to forgive him for agreeing to this stupid plan. Grumbling, I toss my board down and start skating.
I just can't believe them! We're a team! We're supposed to work together no matter what. We stuck by Donnie's side when he got mutated into that near mindless monster. We stuck out Leo's horrible mood after his loss to the Shredder and he started to act like a really intense Raph. We stuck by Raph after the Shredder brainwashed him and forced him to attack us. We didn't force Leo to stay in the lair when HE got kidnapped by Winter's freaky friends. Why didn't we force HIM to stay in the lair? Oh yeah, because we all worked TOGETHER to help Leo and kick some shell.
Master Splinter is always telling us that all we have in this world is each other. That if one brother goes down, the rest will follow. We practically fell apart when Leo was gone for nearly 2 years and our dynamic just doesn't feel right when one of us is missing.
"Besides, who's gonna be the distraction when the guys go on patrol?" I grumble, lowering myself closer to my board to gather speed before jumping a large pile of rubble. "Raph and Donnie aren't as fast as me and I know Raph'll get pissed if Leo even SUGGESTS for him to be a distraction."
Scuffing, I take the right tunnel as a split forms in the sewers, not really caring where I'm going. I know these sewers well enough that almost no matter where I skate to, I will be able to find my way home. If not, I'll just go topside quickly and find the garage.
Because that wouldn't piss Leo off, I think dryly, dodging around garbage and rubble as I pick up speed. I purse my lips. But why can't they just trust me? I managed to hold my own against all those Fist Ninjas and even got away from the U.P., so why can't they just trust that I won't get caught on our patrols? We need to make sure that April's shop won't be targeted again by Hun and those weirdos. And we still need to get the BattleShell back.
My nose scrunches. I really hope that it's not too damaged from those missiles. Donnie hasn't had time to go scavenging for parts lately. I glare at a large pile of rubble with a plank of wood resting on it, aiming to use it as a ramp.
And guess who can't go with him to have his back because he's been GROUNDED TO THE LA-
A shriek escapes me as two large masses suddenly emerge from a tunnel to my right. They jump back and my skateboard wheel hits a crack, sending me flying. My arms block my face as I sail through the air.
Not the face. Not the face. Donnie's gonna kill me.
My eyes squeeze shut as I brace for impact. A warm arm wraps around my waist, halting my descent, my body jarring with the sudden halt.
Huh?
"Whoa dere, Mikester," a deep, gravelly voice says, surprise and concern interlacing the words. "You good?"
Blinking, I lower my arms from my face and stare down at the bricks that I almost just ate. Cautiously, I lift my head and, with wide eyes, stare up at my savior. A familiar large, dark teal green turtle with mutagen green eyes gazes back, his black mask swaying as he leans back with me in his arm.
"Oh, uh, hey Slash," I say, lifting a hand weakly as my ribs merely remind me that they are there. Maybe I should have iced before heading out.
Movement behind Slash catches my attention and I tilt my head. A large crocodile steps around Slash and a wide smile forms on my lips as Leatherhead comes into view. His yellow and dark olive eyes land on me, his mouth forming a concerned frown.
"Michelangelo, are you alright?"
Chuckling, I pat Slash's arm to signal that he can put me down. Once my feet hit the bricks, I dust myself off and turn toward Leatherhead.
"Yeah, I'm good, dude. Just needed to get out of the lair for a little bit." I shrug, rubbing my palms on my thighs, trying not to scowl.
A large warm hand lands on my shoulder and I glance up at Slash. His eyes flicker over my face.
"Ya sure? You don't normally biff jumps like that."
Frowning, I cross my arms across my plastron, scuffing my feet against the worn bricks and kicking a little pebble down the way. I sigh.
"No, I guess I'm not. I've just been confined to the lair for who knows how long." I scrub at my face. "And it's not even my fault this time! Okay, it's slightly my fault," I add when both Leatherhead and Slash share a disbelieving look. "But, like, 90 percent of it isn't my fault! I didn't know touching a shiny orb would do all of this and now my brothers and sensei are blowing it all out of proportion."
My chest heaves as all of that rushes out of my mouth. The two larger reptiles exchange concerned looks before Leatherhead levels me with a stare.
"It would seem that you have quite the tale to tell us, my friend."
Slash nods.
"Mind walkin' with us and tellin' us about it? I'm sure ya brothers aren't just confining you to the lair without a good reason."
Nodding, I allow my arms to fall to my sides as Slash keeps a steady hand on my shoulder. Leatherhead hands me my board and we begin walking. I tuck my board under my arm and sigh as I glance around.
"You guys are pretty far from your home base," I comment as we round another corner. "What were you doing all the way over here?"
"We were doin' rounds," Slash explains, his hand engulfing my head as he rubs it. "Leatherhead and I normally walk da sewers around this time, just to make sure that nothin' fishy has been going on."
My eyes widen as concern hits me.
"But why? Have you dudes seen something?"
Leatherhead shakes his head.
"No. It is merely a precaution that we've decided to start taking after hearing about Leonardo getting kidnapped by those ancient statues. While it happened above ground, Donatello told me he ran into one of them down here in the sewers."
Donnie did tell us about that when we finally all sat down to tell our tales to one another as a bonding project per Sensei's request. That will never NOT be freaky knowing that one of those scary stone-dudes was to our home.
"Rockwell and I have been in touch with Donatello on expanding the security down here," Leatherhead continues, folding his hands behind his back as he stares ahead. "Something that will share footage between our two locations so that we can be in the know if either of our homes are attacked."
Oh. Well, that's actually quite smart and nice to know. Now that I think about it, Donnie has been leaving the lair quite frequently lately and not coming back for hours. Leo never got his tail in a twist like he would with me leaving so I never really worried about it more than being jealous that Donnie could roam free and I was put on an invisible leash.
"That's pretty cool!" I say, beaming up at the two larger males. "I knew Donnie-boy was working on something but he never said what. So, like, you guys would receive any security alerts that we would get and vice versa?"
Leatherhead nods.
"That is the plan. It is not up and running just yet, but with the three of us working on it, we should have this new, more advanced security system by the end of next week."
"But enough about why we're out here," Slash states, bumping me with his arm nearly causing me to stumble. "Is dere a reason yer tryin' to avoid it?"
My shoulders slump and I fiddle with the wrappings on my hands.
"Michelangelo?"
"Nah, it's fine, big guy," I say, waving Leatherhead's concern away. "It's just all fresh, ya know? And still really irritating. Because, like, all I was trying to do was pick up food with Casey. While we were on our way to get pizza, Casey and I hear a noise down an alleyway. And you know how Casey can't just sit back and not help someone." Leatherhead and Slash both nod.
"And neither can you, knucklehead," Slash teases and I roll my eyes but a small smile tugs on my lips.
"Yeah, well, when Leo is threatening to take away my privilege of going topside by myself, even I know to follow his orders to an almost 't'. Leo wanted us to only grab food and nothin' else."
"And Casey chose to ignore that, correct?"
I nod at Leatherhead's statement.
"Got it in one, dude. And what do we run into? Foot Soldiers." I wince. "Or, well, who we THOUGHT were Foot. But they were actually this rogue faction that Karai just told us about." I shudder. "And boy, were they NOT happy to see us. But for the most part, they didn't wanna deal with us. Which, okay, is a little rude and totally not like them, but who am I to look a gifted turtle in the mouth? I tried to get Casey to leave when this HUGE walking statue just drops from the rooftops."
Alarm flashes across the taller reptiles' faces. I quickly wave a dismissive hand.
"Don't worry, this guy has nothing to do with that 'Winters' World Saving' situation. He's all new. And super scary! With glowing gold eyes. And I can tell you that you don't wanna get hit by one of his hands." I cringe, placing a hand over my tender ribs. "It's not fun. But, well, it was this dude that the rogue Foot, or as I've been callin' them the Fist, were after."
We round another corner and I can faintly see the hidden doorway that Donnie and Leatherhead created to hide the old abandoned railway station that the Mutanimals now use as a home.
"Why were these…Fist Ninjas after that strange walkin' statue?" Slash questions as Leatherhead pushes in a series of bricks to unlock the door. Wetting my lips, I reach up and tug on my mask tails.
"Well, at the time Casey and I didn't really understand, ya know? All we knew was that this new walking piece of art just randomly appeared and started attacking. But he was holding this glowing orb and THAT seemed to be what the Fist Ninjas were after. And they almost got it too." I glance around the now roomy space, a small space set up similarly to our TV pit off to my left and a makeshift workout area off to my right. Further back is the makeshift lab that Rockwell and Leatherhead use that Donnie helped furnish for them from Rockwell's old lab and any extras that Donnie had saved from our old lairs.
"Why didn't they get that orb?"
I tear my eyes away as Slash leads me over to their TV pit where large sofas and chairs now rest. Plopping onto one of the huge couches, I swing my feet back and forth, slightly amused by not being able to touch the floor.
"Because the ninja that managed to grab it got thrown at me." I chuckle and shake my head. "And since he hit my shell, that ninja got knocked out and lost his grip on the orb. And it was really cool looking. Something straight out of one of my RPG video games, ya know? All shiny and glowing and it started to do this weird pulsing, calling out to me."
I bounce as Slash sits next to me, his arm resting on the back of the sofa while Leatherhead sits in one of the armchairs, ignoring the one armchair covered in a tarp even though it's the closest to our current seat. Slash eyes me, his lips pursing as Leatherhead's tail shifts uneasily on the floor.
"And let me guess, ya just HAD ta touch it?"
A flash of sheepishness courses through me as I finger at my kneepads.
"I mean, it's not like I MEANT to touch it. It was just like I had no control. It was CALLING out to ME. So, I just went for it. I didn't know I was gonna absorb it!"
"You did WHAT?!" Slash cries out as Leatherhead leaps to his feet, eyes wide with fear.
"Is it still inside of you?" Leatherhead asks, hands hovering as if to grab me and drag me toward his lab.
I blink. That's actually a good question. Glancing down at my plastron, I poke at the center of it before shaking my head, shrugging.
"Uh, actually I don't know? I don't think it is? I don't feel that weird pulsing that I did when I first absorbed it. That sorta stopped after that statue guy, or the Ultimate Protector as Karai told us last night, decided to just pop into the Foot Tower and kidnap me and then take me back to his freaky lab area and destroy all the barriers holding my chi in." I flinch at that memory. "Which I can tell you dudes is EXTREMELY unpleasant."
Harsh breathing reaches my ears and I glance up at my friends. Slash is breathing heavily, as if trying to calm himself down, pressing a hand to his plastron. Leatherhead's hands are still hovering in the air, but his eyes are mere slits. His second eyelid isn't there but I know that he's seconds away from it happening. Leaping to my feet, I grasp one of Leatherhead's hands and one of Slash's hands, my gut twisting at my friends' obvious distress.
"Whoa, whoa. Are the two of you okay? It's okay. As you can see my bros, April, and Casey managed to get me back, so there's no need to panic, 'kay?" I squeeze their much larger hands, offering them each a smile. "So, just take slow, deep breaths."
Slash stares at me as if I've grown a second head.
"No need to panic?! Mikey! You just told us you were kidnapped last night by a strange set of walking armor, something that just happened to your brother, and that he managed to hurt you! And you want us ta calm down?!"
Wincing at the volume, I chew on my bottom lip as I glance from Slash to Leatherhead.
"I mean, unlike Leo, I wasn't gonna be used to destroy the world. The U.P. just wanted to release my chi, I guess. Sure, it hurt, but he wasn't trying to kill me."
Leatherhead squeezes my hand again, regaining my attention.
"And what did this Ultimate Protector, or U.P., want with you, my friend?"
Unsure about the soft tone that Leatherhead is using on me, I shift from foot to foot.
"Well, uh, according to the U.P. he was just trying to keep me safe."
Leatherhead and Slash stare down at me, disbelief evident in their eyes as their mouths fall open as if to say something. Leatherhead's mouth snaps shut, a troubled, yet thoughtful expression crossing his face. Slash pinches the bridge of his snout.
"Ya don't actually believe that, do ya? 'Cause, that's a bag of shit if I've heard one."
Biting the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing out loud, I shrug. Seems that Raphie has been a bad influence on Slash. Such a potty mouth.
"I mean, I've been receiving mixed signals. He really does seem to have my wellbeing in mind, at least recently. He helped me out in a tight spot tonight when Rahzar and Fishface were chasing me down with those Fist Ninjas. But he's backhanded me hard enough that my ribs and back are still feeling it days later." My snout scrunches. "And not to mention him destroying all of my chi walls, which hurts worse than when I broke both my legs." I drop my gaze. "And, well, he attacked my brothers. He threw a monitor at Raph. How could someone who wants to protect me be willing to hurt me in one of the worst ways possible? Willingly hurting my brothers right in front of me."
A large warm hand lands on the top of my head causing me to glance up at Slash. His nearly glowing green eyes soften as our gaze meets.
"Mike, I'm—"
UUURRNN. UUURRNN. UUURRNN.
Red lights start flashing above us as a siren wails, echoing off the walls. My hands cover my ears as I frantically glance around, Leatherhead and Slash following my lead as they try to save their hearing.
"What the shell is that?" I shout, hoping to be heard over the high pitch.
Leatherhead rushes to the lab with Slash and me right on his heels. He swiftly starts typing on a large computer, bringing up a map of the sewer system.
"This is our new security system," Leatherhead shouts back, his claws flying over the buttons. "Rockwell and I have not configured the siren to a more tolerable level because we are not done with it yet."
My eye ridges furrow as I saddle up on Leatherhead's right side.
"If it's not done yet, why is it going off?"
Leatherhead shakes his head.
"I do not know. It should not be active yet. Only Dr. Rockwell and myself have access to it through our communication devices."
"And where's Rockwell and Muckman?"
"They were patrolling the other part of the sewers," Slash shouts, shooting a glare at the ceiling. "Leatherhead, can't ya turn this off? I can't hear myself think!"
I bite my tongue, a playful smirk tugging at my lips before swiftly being replaced with an innocent smile when Slash glares at me.
"I'm trying," Leatherhead gruffs, fingers and claws a blur as he continues to type. "But it will not stop till I find the…Ah-ha!"
The map zooms in on a flashing light and I stand on my tippy toes to get a better look. Slash growls.
"That's where Rockwell and M.M. should be."
Leatherhead nods, a heavy frown on his face.
"Yes, and I am concerned. Rockwell would only push this button if they were in serious danger."
Leatherhead presses another button and the lights go out. A few seconds later, the wailing stops and I lower my hands to my hips, hands rest on my nunchakus.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go help them!"
Slash nods, a deep growl in his chest.
"Yes and stop whoever thought it'd be a good idea to attack members of MY team."
A strange but warm sense of pride swirls in my chest as I watch Slash turn on his heels and stalk out of the lab. Raphie, he has your protectiveness. Shooting one last look at Leatherhead, I shoot him a grin and a thumbs up.
"Let's go save our friends."
"Agreed."
"C'mon, ya slowpokes! We got friends ta help!"
I laugh as Slash shouts at us and I rush after Leatherhead out of the lab.
At least I'm not leaving the sewers.
0o.o0
0o.o0
0o.o0
Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait. I went from working 2 days a week to now working 5 days a week, 31 hours. It's been a while since I've done that, so my groove has been a little off. And then I play D&D on my days off, so I just need to work on my time management. But hopefully, this chapter made up for it.
And don't be afraid to comment. I do read them all! I just know that for guests I don't really have a way of commenting back, but I do read them and they make my day. All of you are so nice and I'm just glad people are enjoying this story. I wasn't sure how people were gonna react to it or if anyone was even gonna look at it.
But until next chapter!
