3 months earlier...
April thought she was pretty good at handling shock. Yes admittedly some things, certain things could push her over the edge but usually she was quite a tough cookie. After all, her best friends, her family were four 6 foot plus crime fighting turtles and she was dating a cop. Never did she think she would ever date a cop. In her job as a reporter she often found cops to be disagreeable and awkward - they would also look down on her a lot of the time. How things had changed. Now she was living with one and the relationship that NYPD had with the turtles, her boys, had changed the force for the better. Yes there were a few assholes which Raphael would often want to whip into shape but she could cope with that.
The shock at finding her father had another laboratory had shaken her to her core. The lawyer had contacted her out of the blue. Apparently some of the assets belonging to TCRI were being sold off. TCRI was the father company of his former employer Eric Sachs. The same Eric Sachs who had tried to kill her and who had admitted to killing her father. He was now languishing in jail and would be there for a very long time. As a result TCRI had faced a few issues but she hadn't even paid it a second thought; it had just been a column in a newspaper and that was that.
Until the brunette received the letter she hadn't thought about TCRI and her father. She knew MacMillan and Carter were a legal firm but she never expected them to contact her and inform her that there were assets at a laboratory which had belonged to her father and therefore would now belong to her. It seemed ridiculous. Her father had died so many years ago, the fire had spread so quickly that she had only just got out in time. It seemed that a feud amongst him and Sachs had led to the blaze and led to the latter pulling out a gun to ensure he could tell nobody what he had seen. That particular laboratory had been mostly destroyed and April had been given a box of the only items remaining. She had assumed that it was the end of it. She had grieved - a lot - and she had been sent to live with an aunt she didn't want to live with. Those years had been tough but instead of crumbling as some girls may have done, she stayed strong and she fought to get where she was. Casey did say her stubborn streak and sheer determination were two of her most attractive assets. He always smirked when he said it.
April had of course shared the letter with Casey - he'd mulled over it and made a few inquiries. It was legit. He then suggested talking to Donnie. Out of the four turtles Donatello had the brains and he was not afraid to use them. Donatello was also a scientist and a darn good one. Had he been a human April felt sure he would be a professor by now. The turtle in purple did not seem to care about qualifications and shunned all the online courses, he preferred to just use his talents to help his brothers and the City.
"If it's science I seriously won't understand it" She was standing in front of the leanest brother as he gripped the letter in his three fingered hand. Lowering the paper he pushed his glasses up onto his face.
"So you want me to accompany you?" asked Donatello, his expression unreadable.
"Ooo, you need a turtle sweet-cheeks then you're looking at him" Unbeknown to the two of them, the youngest turtle had snuck into the lab and had been eavesdropping their conversation. Using stealth mode he was suddenly standing right next to them pointing at himself and grinning.
"Mikey!" scolded Donatello "You sneak around like that"
"Why shouldn't I? I'm a Ninja, it's what we do" he whined "And...I find out all the best things that way" He folded his arms across his chest "So, when we goin'?...and where we goin'..?"
"You are going nowhere" began Donatello as he pointed a finger at him "April has asked me not you, besides it's science and you don't like science remember?"
"A turtle can change his mind, maybe I do like science now, after all you never asked me did you huh, did you?"
Donatello rolled his eyes, his face clearly showing frustration: "Yesterday I asked you to help me and you said that you were too busy gaming and didn't want to - and I quote - 'do any boring science stuff'"
"Yeees, but that was yesterday. That's not today"
April raised her eyebrows and a smile came to her lips as she looked up at Donnie "Look.. I don't mind him tagging along" she began "I mean, Casey is coming so.."
Michelangelo did his best puppy dog eyes and Donatello eventually gave in "Okay" he sighed "On the condition you behave Mikey. No meddling and touching - this is important to April, these are her dad's things"
The youngest made a cross sign over his heart and gave April a one armed squeeze: "Yey-hey, road trip!" Donatello glared at him "With respect" he added hastily "And no touching of stuff I promise".
They left the lair that evening. April had already been given clearance and she had the key. The lab in question was on the ground floor so entrance with two giant turtles would be easier than she imagined. They told the others - Leonardo was happy to let them get on with it and Raphael was going to do his weights so all four were in a good place. True to his word Michelangelo did not touch a thing. He wanted to but Donatello had warned him that if he laid one green digit on anything then he would never be allowed out with him again - least nothing as important - so it served to keep him in line.
As Casey remained on the door to keep watch, the three of them went inside. April didn't know what to feel. It was a lab. It smelled of damp and chemicals. It was cold and clinical and there was in-fact nothing that linked to her father at all, she got no sense of him from this space and felt numb. Donatello on the other hand was exuding pure joy. He was so impressed with all the different pieces of equipment he went from one side to the other his face beaming and going on about what a great scientist her father was. She was vaguely aware of Donatello talking when she stood in front of the picture. It was a strange picture and not one she would want to hang in her home. Ever. On one side there was the drawing of a phantom like shape: all darkness and anger and a horrific type face; and in that same picture the image began to change before morphing into a winged creature with the face of a girl. That part of the image was hauntingly beautiful; so ethereal and delicate. Underneath the picture there were words inscribed italics: nothing is as it seems. She frowned and stepped closer spotting a small mark on the glass she reached up with a finger to dust it away and in that second the picture in it's frame dislodged off the wall and crashed to the floor.
"It wasn't me!" screeched Michelangelo, holding up his hands and standing completely still. Donatello jumped and upon turning saw the picture lying face down.
"We know Mikey" Donatello patted him on the shell "Chill little brother". He strode over to April and surveyed the glass on the floor "You okay?" but she wasn't looking at him, or the mess on the floor, she was still looking at the wall "I'm sure I can fix it..." added Donatello as he moved the frame to an upright position.
"What is that?" It was Michelangelo's voice that caused him to stand up to his full height. Straight in-front of the group more at April's eye-level was what looked like a safe, a safe which had been mounted into the structure of the wall "Was that hiding?" The youngest went to touch it.
"No!" snapped Donatello "Leave it"
"Okay, okay...Wasn't gonna touch it anyway..." He took a couple of steps back as April moved closer.
"It's a secure unit" she began
"A secure unit is where we need to put Mikey when he's had too much sugar" quipped Donatello whilst smiling at his brother who in turn gave him a look of annoyance.
"A safe then, why would dad have money here?" April stepped closer and blew on the dust which covered the metal front of the safe.
"Who says its got money inside?" muttered Michelangelo under his breath.
"Mike's right" added Donatello "It's just a place to keep things safe, hence the name". Michelangelo jigged about in a little dance across the lab whilst singing 'I'm right yes I'm so right'. Donatello shook his head. He could envisage his baby brother still behaving like this in 10 years time - if they were all still around he could also envisage building a secure unit and putting the youngest inside for many a "time out" session.
April touched the dial and then jiggled the handle. It didn't budge. "It's probably empty" she whispered. No sooner were the words from her mouth when she knew that it wasn't empty. There was something in there that her father wanted her to have. Something that she needed to see. "We have to get it open". Her eyes bore into Donnie's.
"Well lucky for you I am a pretty good safe cracker". And he was. Two minutes was all it took for Donatello to get the safe unlocked. He swung the door open with a flourish. Michelangelo clapped and whistled.
"Sometimes bro you are scarily clever" announced the youngest turtle as he looked at his brother in awe.
April reached inside. The safe contained nothing more than notebooks. Four of them to be precise. A5 in size. Piled one on top of the other. April looked at the cover and the words "Project Renaissance" she whispered "That was your project" her eyes held Donatello's again "You four and Splinter".
"I'd love to read them" began Donatello nervously.
April paused, looking down at the words, thinking about her dad.
"Sure" She put them into Donatello's care.
"Really?" He looked like all his Christmases had come at once as held the books tightly.
"Yes, I'm sure.. But I will need you to tell me what they are about.. In plain English, obviously" she smiled.
"Of course. It will be my pleasure".
April knew he meant it and she could also understand why he would be so hesitant. She had come looking for something relating to her father and had found only notebooks that she knew she wouldn't be able to understand. Donatello was the best man - turtle - for the job.
He'd started early next morning and not long into reading he discovered that the five of them were not all there was in Project Renaissance.