29AN: Sorry for such a long delay, but this story takes a lot out of me due to how dark and emotional it's getting, and it has been slow going. The other delay is that I've been taking a bit of a pummeling lately from RL. Not to mention being engrossed in my newest hobby- action figure scenic photography! My pics of my Turtle toys are on Deviant Art, for those who are curious, and though I've just gotten started, you can be sure to expect more elaborate and fun toy pics as I go. Anyway, hope you guys like this one- it's got some ninja sword-fighting action!
Chapter Five: This Is What We Do
A half hour later, breakfast was on the table, and all four brothers sat down to eat in silence, as their sensei shuffled in for his morning tea with onigiri rice balls, red bean paste-filled anpan sweet rolls, and miso soup. Not caring much for such fare, the turtles themselves were content to wolf down the toast, sausages, and poached eggs Michelangelo had prepared. Raphael continued to shoot glares at both Leo and their father- the first for having kept secrets from his brothers, and the latter for…. Well, for too many reasons to name.
Afterward, they endured the usual grueling morning workout- made even more so by Splinter's residual anger over the previous night's failure- before the aging rat left them to their own devices while he went off to watch his favorite daytime drama shows. Raph was too angry to let the matter go so easily, but he knew Leo was right about not getting the others involved. He understood that Leo's pride and dignity would never survive the blow-up that would ensue, and their family would never be the same. He might disagree with his brother more often than not, but they were more alike than he liked to admit, particularly where honor was concerned. Bringing it out into the open would cause the others to lose confidence in their leader, and that was something they could not afford- especially now.
Not knowing what else to do, he remained in the dojo after the others had wandered out to their own activities, pummeling his battered old punching bag for the millionth time. Seemed he was always hitting something, but it was never enough. It never made the pain and shame of his pathetic existence go away. Even in the heat of battle last night, when he'd been savagely trading blows with Bebop and Slash, it had still been there, that ever-present reminder that his life was empty. His entire purpose revolved around blood and death. He was sick of it, to be brutally honest. But there was little he could do about it- and the one thing he COULD do, Leo had utterly forbidden as treasonous.
Leo, on the other hand, padded silently off to his room to meditate and plan. He knew they could not afford to leave anything to chance; there was too much at stake this time. Still… What if they failed again? What if…. No, he refused to let himself be distracted by fear or doubt. If they didn't succeed tonight, they would need a contingency plan. He went over every possible outcome in his mind, and eventually, he came to a decision. His brothers might not like it, but in the end, perhaps it would be for the best. Of course, they might not even go along with it, but he was certain that once they understood the reasons, they would see that it was the only way. They were family; they were loyal to each other. He was counting on that.
Mikey retreated to his own room, his personal sanctuary, where he could at least pretend that life was good, by immersing himself in his comics and hand-held video games. His brothers often derided him for his hobbies, but the truth was that it was his way of escaping the life they were forced into. He had always daydreamed of a different life- one where they were invisible heroes, rather than the vicious killers Splinter had made them. As much as he enjoyed playing his "games" with their targets, it was hollow pleasure at best, much like what he did with April. It meant nothing, in the end. He wanted to do something that was worthwhile, something that really mattered. Slaughtering helpless innocents felt empty; pointless bloodshed that always left him feeling disgusted afterward, no matter how fun it was at the moment.
Donatello, meanwhile, had waited until everyone else left the kitchen, before he put his own contingency in place. He had been up late, as usual, and while he'd been watching his videos, an idea had come to him. As often as they relied on his knowledge and skills with technology and machines, his brothers- and Splinter, even more so- tended to forget that he was skilled and knowledgeable in other areas, too. He was exercising that knowledge now. If nothing else, he would have the satisfaction of having the last laugh if they failed. It was the least he could do for his brothers.
The best part was that by the time it became apparent, it would be much too late to undo. It took so little time to implement, yet it would be so satisfying in its very simplicity that he almost wished he could be there to watch. When he had finished, he took a thermos of coffee- most likely the last he would ever enjoy- and went back into his workshop to continue working on the problem of the security at Ima-Gen. He spent the next few hours trying to crack the newest upgrades in their system, hoping to find the weakness that would give them the time they needed to do their job.
All too soon, it was time for their early evening practice, and once again, the old rat made them work harder than usual, his tail lashing in agitation every time one of them faltered, and forcing them to begin again. For once, there were no complaints, for all four were walking on eggshells around their sensei, understanding that he would tolerate no protests or arguments. Dinner was a simple meal of chicken gyoza dumplings, a nabe stew of udon noodles, sweet potato, daikon radishes, and bamboo shoots, and edemame- boiled soybeans with wasabi and soy sauce. As usual, Mikey had outdone himself in the kitchen, though he had saved back some of the left-over marinara sauce and meat from their spaghetti the night before, and combined it with sliced pepperoni and grated mozzarella to make what he called pizza gyoza. Splinter merely sniffed and turned up his nose at them, but the other turtles had eagerly wolfed them down, grateful for anything that took their minds off of the task ahead of them. Besides, they were pretty damned good, and since they could rarely ever get to eat actual pizza, the dumplings were the next best thing.
Soon, however, dinner was over and they knew it was time. They took their time preparing to leave, knowing that it might very well be the last mission they ever undertook; they were in no hurry to do so, for their sensei's ultimatum was very much on all of their minds. Yet they could only stall for so long. Eventually, the impatient thumping of their Master's tail- and his cold glare- sent the four brothers scurrying out into the night to make another attempt at stealing the data from the Ima-Gen computer network.
They had gone several blocks underground, before finally emerging out into a dark alley littered with garbage, and stinking of rotten food and the urine of passing transients. This was their world- the shadowy underbelly of the city, where a knife-blade or a drug needle were the two most common causes of death. They were at home in seedy neighborhoods where the wise locked their doors, barred their windows, and stayed inside after dark. Swiftly climbing up a fire-escape to the top of a tenement building that was home to more rats and cockroaches than humans, they began a fast trot across the rooftops, leaping the gaps between with ease, never missing a stride as they made their way toward their goal.
All four reveled in the relative freedom of these runs, sometimes playing a game of "ninja-tag" as they went, content for a few brief moments just to pretend they were no different than any other teens playing games and having fun. They tried to pretend they were simply out for a lark, enjoying the cool night breezes that whipped through the man-made canyons of New York's streets. It never lasted, though. The grim reality of their station in life always came crashing down on them.
Tonight was to be no different, it seemed. They had nearly reached their destination when Leonardo suddenly skidded to a halt. He'd seen a flash of movement out of the corner of his eyes, something that did not belong here, in their empty, quiet rooftop world. The others saw him pause, and all stopped instantly, realizing their leader had caught something amiss. Leo was good at that. He sometimes seemed to have a sixth sense for when trouble was headed their way, and he had been right often enough that they all heeded his warnings.
Donnie turned to glance his way, his expression asking a silent question. The eldest responded with a slight nod, flicking his gaze toward a water tower atop the next building. Without turning to look, Donnie nodded back, and moved in close, beckoning the other two to join them.
"Leo? What's up, dude?" Mikey asked softly, understanding without being told that something was wrong. As often as the others joked that he was the "dumb one", he knew well enough when there was danger afoot.
"Yeah, bro- what'd ya' stop for?" Raphael grumbled.
"We're being watched. From over there, I think. I saw something. It wasn't much, but- I think I saw one of the shadows beneath that tower move." The blue-clad turtle said softly.
"So what do we do about it?" Michelangelo asked, casting a sidelong glance in the direction his brother had mentioned.
"I say we go over 'dere and bust somebody's skull. No witnesses, remember?" Raph growled, cracking his knuckles. That had always been Splinter's rule- leave no trace of their presence, and no living soul as witness of their existence. Raph relished the last part, sometimes a bit more than he liked to admit.
"Calm down Raph. Why do you always have to turn every mission into a bloodbath? It lacks class." Donnie chided, rolling his eyes. He preferred doing things more discreetly, and the fewer bodies they left behind, the less suspicious the humans would be, in his book.
"Donnie's right. We've been getting careless lately, and doing too much unnecessary killing. It's sloppy and dangerous." Leo admonished the often bloodthirsty member of their family. He understood Raph's anger and frustration- of course he did- but he knew that simply killing anyone who crossed their path was not the best way to do their job.
"Yeah, whatever, Leo. Figures you'd side wit' 'da nerd." Raph grumbled with a glare at the eldest. "So what are we gonna' do?"
"We'll pretend to continue on to the Ima-Gen building, and when we drop to that lower building over there, I'll break off and circle around behind whoever is spying on us. I'll signal you when I'm in position to strike. Then you guys can double back and we'll take them down." He pointed to the next block down; the others nodded understanding of his plan, and they all broke and began to run again.
As soon as they had cleared the edge of the hotel next to the office building Leo had indicated, leaping down to continue their run, Leonardo grabbed the casement, and swung down to the window below, then made his way across the narrow ledge outside until he reached the corner. He quickly threw out a grapple- padded to silence any sound of metal- and swung around to the next block over, where he repeated the move until he was on the opposite side of the building with the water tower on top. He silently climbed up the fire escape, drawing one of his blades as he approached the roof. He peeked over the edge of the roof, but found it utterly empty. There was nothing.
Confused but cautious, he slipped over the edge and crouched low, scanning for any sign of whomever had been there. Surely he hadn't been wrong? He moved closer to the tower, his keen eyes searching the shadows for movement. Still nothing. He was just beginning to relax and signal his brothers on their cells that it was a false alarm, when he heard a tiny sound above him- from atop the tower itself. Belatedly, he remembered that threats could come from ANY direction, and looked up. He was too late. A flash of something dark above him caught his eye, but then he felt something sharp against the side of his neck. A blade.
"I would not move, if I were you," said a soft, lilting feminine voice. "You are very clever, Leonardo, but not clever enough. I anticipated your little trap as soon as I saw that you had disappeared." He knew that voice, though he'd only ever heard it once before.
"Hello, Lotus. What brings you here, if I might ask? This is a bit outside your usual territory, isn't it?" He felt the blade move slightly, and slowly turned to face the owner of the voice. He could smell the heady fragrance of her perfume- the flower whose name she bore, and a hint of rose. It was damned near intoxicating, much like the woman herself.
"I have come to speak with you, Leonardo. I wish to make you an offer. Will you listen?" She stepped back from him, still holding her tanto up, but moving just out of her blade's reach of his neck. She was allowing him the space to defend himself if it came to a fight, affording him a warrior's honor. He said nothing, but lowered his own blade for the moment, nodding his acquiescence. For now.
"I was hired once again by Krang, to aid in your destruction. But I would rather it not come to that. I admire your skill and discipline; it would be a shame to waste such talent needlessly. So I give you a choice- turn away from the path you and your brothers now follow, and you may live. It is not too late to redeem yourselves, Leo-san." She gave him an imploring look, hoping to draw on his sense of honor and pride.
Leonardo gazed at the young woman before him, and- not for the first time- found himself contemplating a different kind of life, one where he and his brothers were free to be something more than cold-hearted killers. But aside from that, he had always admired her beauty and skill with a blade. She was every bit as good as he was, a fact which had often led him to fantasize about pitting their respective talents against one another in a friendly competition. They had only met once, yet…. Something about her had sparked something in him, a desire to know more about her, and perhaps to become something other than enemies. Friends, perhaps? Or- he shook his head, dismissing the thought as preposterous.
"You are offering us a job? Lotus, you of all people should know that a ninja's path is not his own to choose. This is what we were born to do, it is why we were created." Even as he said it, the words sounded hollow in his own ears. They left a bitter taste that made him want to spit.
"It does not have to be this way. You can be more than this, if only you will turn back. You could do so much good, all of you. Why do you choose to stay with your master? He is cruel, and cares nothing for you." Lotus tried reminding him of what he and his brothers meant to the old rat, but it did little good. He simply sighed, and shook his head sadly.
"You don't understand. We owe him our lives- our loyalty. I'm sorry." Leo answered with a finality that told her he had already made his choice. She looked at him sadly, knowing it to be the wrong one.
"You are wrong, Leonardo. You owe him NOTHING. He keeps the four of you chained by this belief, doing what he wishes because he has filled you all with the poison of his lies and hate. But that poison will destroy you if you do not change!" Lotus pleaded once more, hoping in vain that she could convince them to walk away from the one who had turned them into monsters.
Leo turned away, well aware that he was turning his back on an enemy, but he didn't care at that moment. In a way, he almost hoped she would strike him down and end the battle for good. She was right, and he could feel it already. The rage and darkness had long ago seeped into the core of their being, snuffing out whatever light had been there once. They were- broken. Lost. And worst of all, he knew there was no way back.
"It's too late," he whispered softly, "Too little, too late. There IS no other path for us- he saw to that." And without warning, he whirled and raised his blade to cut her down, knowing that this was the only way they could ever meet- in battle.
Lotus grimaced as she brought her own blade up to parry; she had expected this, though it saddened her that it should come to violence at all. His gaze hardened as their swords met with a clash, and he stepped back and to the side, his blade spinning lazily in his hand before he swung in from the side. She twisted to meet it, and their weapons rang out again in the ancient song of war.
She changed her stance, becoming more aggressive, and thrust at his middle. He crouched low and to the right, deftly swiping his own blade at her leading knee even while avoiding her own attack. Leo leapt up over the upward slash of her next attack, then blocked another, deflecting her movement with his katana and knocking her blade off course. He pivoted in toward her, reaching up with his free hand to pull backward on her long black hair. Her own sword barely came up in time to stop his katana from slicing into her midsection, and she was forced to kick up with one foot at his head to make him let go. She spun on her other foot to face him again as he backed off, falling back into a more defensive position.
Leonardo tried to press the attack again, slowly pushing her back toward the edge of the roof. Lotus soon realized this, however, and dove suddenly to kick out at his legs, slicing across at his middle at the same time as a distraction. It didn't work. He slashed down at her while she was on the ground; she brought her tanto up to parry, the two blades screeching against each other again.
"You have improved, Leonardo," she panted, impressed. "Why must we fight? You could come with me and be a TRUE shinobi warrior, not merely a hired killer." She knew it was useless, but she couldn't resist trying.
"And abandon my brothers? You don't know me very well," he replied, growling darkly at her suggestion.
"Of course not," she huffed, slicing at his head. He tucked it into his shell for a moment to avoid the attack, smirking at her frustration over the move when it popped back up. It was a dick move, to be sure, one no human could make, and she hated that he was capable of removing the target from her reach so easily. "They may come, too, of course. But surely you must realize that your current path can only lead to destruction? Is that truly what you want for yourself? For THEM?" She must have hit a nerve with that last remark, for he growled and slashed angrily at her legs.
But then he hesitated. Perhaps she was getting to him, after all. His blade wavered, and he finally growled and turned around, taking off at a run- back toward where his brothers were fast approaching. "Stay out of this, Lotus. I don't want to have to kill you, but I will, if you persist. Forget about Krang, and us, and go back home. What happens to us is none of your concern." He called back over his shoulder as he leapt across the gap to the next rooftop. Lotus merely shook her head sadly, and sighed.
"No, Leonardo, you are wrong," she said softly to herself as she watched him race into the night. "I care for you too much to let it end like this. Like it or not, you ARE my concern…."