Chapter Text
Leonardo gasped for air. His hands felt sore, his fingertips numb by this point. But this is what he got, isn’t it, constantly pushing himself harder and harder. As if he had another choice. If he couldn’t accomplish his goal then—
“Pepino.”
Leonardo jumped from the sudden voice. The dish he’d be furiously scrubbing to remove the dried cheese from slipped out of his hands. He screamed and barely snatched it before it crashed into the bottom of the metal sink.
He turned his head to look at Hueso who stood in the back of the kitchen with him, arms crossed.
Leonardo forced a grin. “Don’t worry, almost done!”
The skeleton sighed and rolled his eyes before gesturing to the massive pile of clean dishes. “You’re overdoing it again.”
He glanced at it, then at the dish in his hand. Without the constant scrubbing the feeling began to return to his fingers. He finally put it at the bottom, letting it fill with a layer of water before leaving it there. “Come on, tío, I need the extra money. It’s movie night.”
“If you need money, you can ask. How stiff do you think I am?”
Leonardo scoffed and leaned his shell against the sink. “What, do you want a list? One time I asked you for a fifty and I had to scrub the floors for a week.”
“You agreed.”
“Well how am I supposed to know when you’re up for haggling or not?” He snapped. “And do you know how much movie’s charge for a single large popcorn? I need the funds.”
The skeleton shook his head and stepped closer. “You know, you’re old enough now you could just work here, if you wanted. I doubt your father would have any objections.”
No, probably not. Leo’s father and Hueso had apparently been friends for years. To the point that the slider saw the skeleton on a regular basis growing up. It’s how he came around to calling him tío.
Still, “I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ll have time for that kind of thing.”
“And what else do you plan to do with your free time?”
Leonardo pressed his lips together and looked to the side.
“Pepino.”
“Don’t you have a restaurant to run?”
“Yes, I do.” The skeleton glanced at his watch. “And don’t you have a movie to catch?”
Leonardo straightened up in an instant and looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. “Oh no! April’s going to kill me if I’m late this time.”
“Then get going.” Hueso waved him toward the door and held out a stack of bills. “And stay safe.”
Leonardo snatched it without glancing at the numbers. “Yeah, yeah, thanks tío. See you later!”
He waved at a few of the waitstaff as he shot through the restaurant and out onto the streets of New York. His eyes adjusted to the lower light. He glanced up to see the amount of clouds in the sky reflecting the thousands of lights from the city.
“Hope it doesn’t rain.” He twirled his hand around the tails of his pale blue bandanna before he darted toward the building in front of him. He jumped up to cling to the fire escape and climbed the rest of the way to the roof. If he was quick enough he could make it to the theatre before it got too late.
Okay, maybe Leonardo got there a few minutes late.
But it didn’t really matter, that’s what previews were for after all. Leonardo passed April the cash he got from Hueso, shocked to see just how much there was. His uncle was way softer than he’d ever admit.
She went in to get snacks while Leonardo snuck in through his usual route. She texted him the theatre number and from there he was able to slip in under the cover of darkness. They always sat in the back corner to avoid drawing attention, and April always loaned him a hoodie so he could cover up if need be. Sometimes it was just to avoid the air conditioning of the building.
When the film finished, Leonardo would sneak out the same way, and the pair of them would start heading home the long way so Leo was less likely to get spotted.
The pair of them had been doing this for years, not long after they became friends in fact. April happened to spot him on one of his trips to the surface. She initially asked if he was one of the actual aliens that Jupiter Jim fought, and just mentioning Leo’s favorite hero was enough for him to cling to her and never let go.
Befriending her had proven to be a blessing in more ways than one, because once April managed to introduce Leo to her mom, he was allowed to hang out in her apartment.
A lot more comfortable than hiding in the sewer sometimes.
A necessity, he knew. He didn’t blame his father for building their home down there. But the winters got way too cold for him to handle. And Splinter stated outright how glad he was that Leo had another safe place to retreat to.
Regardless, the pair filled the night air with chatter as they walked.
“I don’t know about that one.” April waved a hand. “Like, Mission Impossible is a classic and this one did live up to the hype, but we’re six movies into this series now. It’s getting a bit tired, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, maybe.” Leonardo kept his arms behind his head as they walked. “But doesn’t it still jazz you up? Like, I feel like I want to go break into a building right now.”
April snorted and gave him a light shove. “Come on, Leo, you already broke into the theatre.”
“Nah, we need something more challenging. Like…” He took a look at a few skyscrapers. “The Nexus Hotel, perhaps?”
April shook her head. “And have your dad flip out on us again? No thanks.”
Again made it sound like a frequent occurrence when it’d only been once two years ago. Leonardo and April got really into the conspiracy theories behind Lou Jitsu’s disappearance. And let it be known that when April O’Neil catches wind of an unsolved story, she digs into it as far as her two hands will let her. She found articles, photos, unshared interviews, and eventually drew a connection down to one woman. A lady that Lou Jitsu was involved with before he went missing. Her face was strikingly similar to the owner of the Nexus Hotel.
So they planned to sneak in and get information, but Splinter found out. And in his desperation to keep them from doing anything stupid he decided to spill the beans about what happened to Lou Jitsu.
Namely, that he was Lou Jitsu.
It’d been a shocking revelation, to say the least, but it sunk in easier when his dad gave them the full story.
Maybe Leonardo should have guessed that his mask had come from his father’s old costume. It explained how the colors matched up so well, from the light blue to the bits of cream and orange that were stitched to the ends of the tails. Thinking about it now had him running his fingers over them.
“Fine, maybe not the hotel.” He tapped his chin. “Man, if only I could pry a lead out of my dad about where my brother went. I bet that would make for a heist.”
April frowned, clutching the strap of her shoulder bag. “Didn’t he go missing when you were one?”
Leonardo shrugged. “So?”
“So, we probably aren’t going to have a lot of trails to follow. Even if you get your dad to share some details.”
Well, it was about time he did. Like Leonardo had ever quit asking about it since Hueso let the information slip. He had a brother, named Michelangelo, who went missing when they were both about one year old. That’s all Leonardo learned. And if he asked Splinter about it, well, his father just insisted there was no point in dredging up the past at this point.
As if his brother was dead or something.
Maybe he was and his dad just didn’t want to admit that.
He zoned out in his thoughts. To the point he didn’t notice April stopped walking until she hissed his name. He glanced back, seeing her staring into the lot of a construction site.
Leonardo took a few steps back to follow her gaze through the gap in the fence. Some kind of critter sat in the middle of the ground, far from the skeleton of iron and a few bits of brick work that stood in the lot. Was it a cat? A dog? It didn’t really look like either considering those fangs jutting out from its lower jaw. Plus the bright yellows, blues, and reds in its fur.
“What is that?” He asked.
“I dunno.” April pulled out her phone to take a few pictures. “He looks pretty spooked though, doesn’t he?”
“Just deciding it’s a boy, huh?” Leonardo tilted his head as he studied it. The thing was definitely shaking, turning its head back and forth. Its ears were back, but the fur on its shoulders was raised.
“Whatever it is, let’s get a closer look.” April climbed onto the chain links of the temporary fence to keep people out.
Leonardo didn’t even bother to stop her. He just followed, although he easily cleared the fence with a single leap and a flip.
“Show off.” April scoffed as she cleared the top and hopped down.
“What, all that training I do with Dad has to count for something, right?” He smirked, even resting a hand on the twin swords on his hip. His father gave them to him a few years ago, continuing to insist on all the combat training for reasons Leo still couldn’t figure out. Splinter said it was to keep him safe, but keep him safe from what? Even if he had to hide from humans, or most humans, the worst fight he ever got in was when he accidentally spilled a salad bowl on a customer at Hueso’s restaurant last year. And that ended very quickly when the skeleton cut in.
The pair approached the critter who kept glancing about. When it saw them coming it stood, arching its back and growling.
They both stopped.
April crouched down before she kept scooting forward. “Hey little guy. You get lost or something?”
It continued to hiss, but April didn’t back down. She held out her hand. The critter eventually sniffed at it before deciding to approach. It sniffed around her legs, her jacket, and then wandered over to Leonardo’s feet.
It stared up at him, fluffy tail flicking back and forth as it squinted at his face.
“What?” He frowned. “Never seen a mutant turtle before?”
It made a clicking and chittering around with its mouth, almost resembling a squirrel more than anything.
“I mean, maybe he hasn’t.” April picked it up without warning. It seemed stunned, but didn’t claw her face off. “Have you seen a yōkai like this?”
“I mean, I’ve seen a few dogs before but all of them knew how to talk.” Leonardo crossed his arms and leaned toward him. “Do you know how to talk?”
Another few chitters before he wiggled in April’s grip. She opened her hands and let him settle into her arms instead.
Leonardo raised a brow at the thing around the creature’s neck. Some kind of small glass vial.
“And what’s this?” He put a finger under it to get a closer look.
April glanced at it. “Ooh, green glowing goop. You know what that means.”
He smirked. “Do I?”
“Well, either we’re going to get sick spider powers, turn into the hulk, or maybe just become the joker.”
He laughed. “Oh come on, can you only get comic book vibes out of that? What if it’s like that weird gunk from Flubber?”
April tilted her head back as she groaned. “No, Leo, we promised not to talk about that movie.”
“It was funny.”
“Robin Williams has done so much better.”
“Sure, but that doesn’t mean—”
The creature suddenly growled, fur going up again. Leonardo paused and stared at him, wondering if it was something he did to stir its anger, but no, the critter looked past him.
He turned to see the metal gate they climbed over had been completely split in two and shoved open. Two tall and burly men stood there with tiny dogs strapped to their chests.
Leonardo’s eyes went wide at the sight of another human. He ducked behind April, cursing at the fact he hadn’t brought his hoodie out with him today.
“Uh,” April pulled the creature closer. “Are you guys with the construction team? Sorry for trespassing, we—”
The men approached and the bald one spoke. “Give us the agent.”
“The what now?”
Were they talking about the creature? Leonardo narrowed his eyes and stepped out of his hiding place. He raised a hand to rest it on the hilt of his sword. “Hey, you don’t get to go making demands without explaining who you are.”
The mustached one scoffed. “We do not have time for this. Hand him over, or else.”
“Or else what?” April put one hand on her hip. “If you think I’m not up for kicking your butts and your stupid little dogs then—”
Purple light suddenly surrounded the men’s bodies. Leonardo’s eyes went wide and he stumbled back with April as it got brighter and brighter.
Their bodies turned black underneath it and changed shape. Crackling sounds filled the air as it did. Not just them, either, the tiny animals that were on their chests fell to the ground as they got bigger and bigger.
Then the light burst. Now the strangers in front of them sat atop giant hounds, covered in armor and wielding giant weapons.
Leonardo cleared his throat. “Okay, well, can’t say I saw that one coming.”
The one with a spear—or whatever that staffed weapon was—pointed it at him. “Surrender.”
He blinked and then smirked. “What, you wish to surrender to me? Very well, I accept.”
The brute growled and his dog barked before both of them charged.
Leonardo scrambled to dart out of the way. He honestly wasn’t sure if he could take these guys or not—of course he would try—but he needed to be distracting enough so April could get away.
Well, if she even ran.
He thought she was for a moment, darting over to a palette of bricks that rested right next to all the steel bars of the building. Then she simply grabbed one and spun around, hurling it directly at the head of the other stranger.
The one with a sword hissed when the stone collided with his helmet and he charged after her.
“April?” Leonardo darted to help, only for his opponent to cut him off. Sharp teeth filled his vision and he slid back to avoid the dog’s bite.
He let out a breath and tried to concentrate. He needed to take this guy out before he could help his friend. He drew his swords, trying to scramble through every single lesson his father gave him over the years. Focus, make every strike count, don’t rush into—
“Oh hell no,” April screamed over the barking of the other hound. “Leo!”
He narrowed his eyes and darted forward. He allowed the dog to try and bite at his throat before he weaved to the side, preparing to slice both swords through its leg.
The dog moved faster. Its jaws snapped toward him and around both of his blades. The metal cracked before it simply broke free. Leonardo’s heart stopped and he didn’t even get the chance to run before the end of the massive spear slammed into his plastron.
He gasped as he was tossed to the side. He rolled on the ground a few times before he stopped himself and sprung to his feet. He glanced at the hilts of his blades to assess the damage, but the swords practically weren’t there anymore.
Great. Cool. Now he was not only weaponless but when his father found out he busted the swords he was in a world of trouble.
Whatever. He could still hear April’s panicked shouting. Time to improvise.
The dog barked and sprinted toward him. Leonardo didn’t hesitate to hurl one of the hilts directly at its nose. It landed, causing the beast to skid to a stop.
Leonardo rushed forward. The spear came down, toward his head, but he ducked and skidded across the dirt. The weapon missed, and Leonardo slipped right underneath the dog’s legs.
He emerged on the other side just in time to see April about to get pounced on by the other hound.
He opened his mouth to scream, but suddenly she vanished in a weird twist of light. Then she reappeared near the fence.
Leonardo blinked. What just happened?
He wasn’t the only one confused. April shouted and looked down at the creature in her hands who blinked at her.
“What the heck little guy? Did you just do that?”
Huh, a teleporting beastie? That could be pretty useful if they could—
Something snatched the tails of his mask. Leonardo yelped and tried to pull free, but whether it was the dog or armored goon, they used the leverage to hurl him straight into the pallet of bricks.
“Lee!” April shouted out of concern rather than panic this time.
Leonardo groaned, already feeling the bruises blooming along his arms and shoulders. His shell even ached.
“What? No! Dog thingy!”
April’s screaming forced him to open his eyes. He could see the creature wrapped in a bubble of some kind, failing to teleport out of it. The sword wielding goon grabbed hold of it and tried to pull it out of April’s grip. Of course she refused to let go, trying to pull it back against her chest.
Then there was a flashed followed by the sound of an explosion. April went flying back, skidding along the dirt.
Leonardo moved to dash to her side, but he just collapsed out of the pile of bricks. Pain sparked between all of his joints.
“We have the agent.” The sword one spoke and stepped toward the small brick wall built under the structure of the building. “Let’s get back.” They drew something on the brick work, and suddenly the stone twisted into a giant mouth, a glowing light swirling inside of it.
Leonardo would admire it if he wasn’t so pissed off and mildly frightened right now.
Suddenly a faint bell rang through the air. He managed to push himself up enough to turn his head and watch a guy riding a bike with a container for take out ride through the construction site.
He wasn’t sure if he should say anything. The guy almost seemed oblivious to his surroundings until he finally opened his eyes just to see the strange doorway right in front of him.
“Wait,” he tried to skid to a stop. “This isn’t a short cut!”
He screamed when he fell into whatever that was, the sound getting more and more distant.
One of the goons sighed and they both simply headed through the same door.
“Hold it.” April got back on her feet and sprinted after them. “Get back here.”
Leonardo’s eyes widened and he forced himself up. “April? April wait.” He took off after her and reached out a hand to try and grab hers. She dove through the door just as the stone began to twist back into nothing but bricks.
No. No no no. Leonardo tried to go faster but he was half a second too short. His face slammed into the wall and he fell back onto the ground.
“April?” He shouted at the air. He darted around to the other side of the wall, just in case anything appeared on the other side, but it didn’t. “April? Come on. Where did… Where…”
Where did she go?
For a moment he felt sick and even dizzy. He clutched his head and forced himself to calm down. This was just like those weird wormholes in Jupiter Jim Time Wars. Oh no, were there going to be two April’s running around now? Did she slip into a doorway to the future?
Leonardo squeezed his head between his hands. Calm down. Think. Those guys were yōkai right? The portal must be to the Hidden City? But just how did he go after them? He couldn’t ask Hueso to take him because as soon as the skeleton found out why, he’d forbid it. The guy worried just as much as Splinter did.
He stared at the symbol that continued to glow on the bricks. Some kind of M, if he wanted to simplify it. But something about it seemed familiar.
Then it clicked and his eyes widened.
“Don’t worry, April, I’ll be down there soon.” He turned on his heel and sprinted for home.
He needed to have a good look at his Dad’s treasure shelf.
“Don’t stop me now.” Music blasted out of the nearby speaker. “I’m having such a good time. I’m having a ball.”
“Don’t stop me now.” Donatello sang along and tapped his fingers over the array of trash that’d recently fallen into the city. “If you wanna have a good time, just give me a call!”
He grinned as he picked up another CD case from the pile. Then he frowned when he popped it open and found it empty.
With a huff he tossed it over his shoulder, surprised when he heard it smack into something, followed by a familiar “ow.”
Donatello waved a hand to dissipate the speaker he summoned. The music cut off and he tapped on the screen on his gauntlet to pause it as well. Then he glanced back to see Huginn and Muninn hovering there, the former rubbing his head.
“Apologies, dear Huginn, I didn’t know you two were there.” Donatello returned to the trash pile. “Did father toss you out of the lab as well?”
“Nah, not exactly.” Muninn answered.
Well, “toss out” was an exaggeration. Donatello’s father, Baron Draxum, had just been in a mood since the very important empyrean he needed for their big experiment got stolen by an agent of the council. He’d sent people after it, of course, but they still hadn’t seen any results in two days.
He pouted as he kept digging. At least he found another one of those weird human phones. He’d offered to go after the empyrean himself but no, of course Father wouldn’t let him. All this combat training and for what? He couldn’t wait for this experiment to get off the ground and they could finally begin a siege on the surface.
“Finding anything good?” Huginn perched on his left shoulder.
“Alas, unless some of these phone devices have some music in them, no new tunes today.”
“Sucks.” Muninn landed on his other shoulder. “I still want an update to that vacation playlist.”
“Oh yeah.” Huginn pointed at him. “Beach tunes, or maybe a pool party.”
“We need more strings. Maybe some flutes.”
“Yes, flutes!”
“Gentlemen, please.” Donatello waved a hand. “Why exactly did you two come out here?”
“Oh yeah.” Huginn settled further on his shoulder. “Garm and Freki came back with the agent and the empyrean.”
“What?” The softshell almost dropped the phones out of his hand. “Why didn’t you say that in the first place?”
“Got distracted by the exciting tunes.” Muninn bobbed his head. “What were you even listening to this time?”
“If you must know, it was some more incredible music by this human band called Queen.” He turned on his heel and used his mystics to summon some temporary rockets on his back. “I do enjoy their music. I hope to blast one of their songs when I inevitably save the world one day.”
Huginn chuckled. “Man, you really grew into your dad’s ego, huh?”
Donatello didn’t reply to that. He let the rockets launch him into the air, thankful that his shoulder guards kept him from feeling the gargoyles claws digging into his scales. Once he was high enough he activated the runes drawn on the underside of his shell cover. A huge pair of black wings sprouted out of the leather material and caught him in the air. He used the height to glide back to his father’s castle.
“Look how good he’s gotten at flying, Huginn.” Muninn actually made a sniffling noise. “The little turtle is truly all grown up.”
“Okay, quit the sappy talk.” Donatello interrupted. “You know I can stand the touchy-feely stuff.”
“Seriously like his dad.” Huginn snickered again.
Donatello just rolled his eyes.
They flew in silence to the back entrance. Donatello opened the doors and the gargoyles finally flew off his shoulders and went on ahead inside. The turtle took a moment to swing by his lab downstairs, tossing his newfound tech in there, before heading up to the main lab.
Everything looked on and alive, with the central tower glowing and the hoard of mosquitos buzzing around near the top. He scanned the room, seeing Draxum near the main entrance, speaking to Garm and Freki. Must be discussing payments.
Donatello didn’t bother to interrupt. Instead he made his way over to one of the containment chambers, seeing the agent inside. The softshell smirked and tapped on the magic barrier.
The agent hissed at him.
“Oh, so scary.” He hummed. “Especially without your little teleportation tricks, hm?”
The agent huffed and then chittered. “[Thought that other turtle looked familiar.]”
Donatello’s smile dropped. “What other turtle?”
“[Wouldn’t you like to know, goggle boy.]” The agent spat at him. “[Release me at once. The council will be hearing about this.]”
“That won’t be happening.” Draxum’s voice boomed through the lab like it always did, his hooves lightly clicking on the floor. Huginn and Muninn were already perched back on his shoulders, posing. “If you wished to remain free, perhaps you shouldn’t have stolen from me.”
Donatello stood and moved closer to his father’s side. “Father, he said he saw another turtle.”
“There are a lot of other turtle yōkai, you know this.”
“Yes, but what if it was one of—”
“Even if it was, that’s not a priority concern right now.” Draxum sighed. “We can pull that information from him after we test the mutation. It’s vital that we make certain this formula works.”
True. It had taken him how many years to recreate all of this? After Lou Jitsu exploded his lab and ran off with the other three turtles. Donatello heard the story, more than once even, but if he inquired as to where the other turtles might have gone, his father never answered him. Either he didn’t know, or he simply didn’t want to say. It was definitely a sore subject.
Draxum gently placed a hand on his head. “Care to help me set it up?”
Donatello’s mood immediately brightened. “Yes!”
Leonardo tried to slip through his home without being noticed.
Not exactly all that difficult. Through the years he learned to sneak around his father’s very sensitive hearing. The man knew every creak and groan that could happen in the old sewers they lived in.
Well, more like a cistern, Leonardo thought. Considering the massive center of it led up to a sky light. But most of that remained empty and untouched. His father and him only occupied one large room—a living room and kitchen combination—two side tunnels that they turned into bedrooms, and a bathroom upstairs.
Thank god Hueso knew some people to help them with home improvement. He did not want to imagine what living here would be like without a functioning bathroom.
But even with Hueso’s help the place was still very bare bones. Leonardo hadn’t even considered how bare until he went to stay with April the first time. No convenience of a microwave, a lot of cooking tools in fact. Just an oven and a handful of pots and pans for them to use. Their fridge was rather small, their TV practically ancient, and they still didn’t have a heating unit.
At least they’d gotten plenty of blankets by now.
Regardless, Leonardo made his way down the ladder and through the huge center room without a sound. He found Splinter in his usual spot, watching TV on their lone sofa.
The treasure shelf was off to the side, right next to the DVD shelf. A handful of trophies, medals, and a few framed pictures sat on it, but the thing Leonardo was after was a strange deep blue disk with that same M symbol on it.
It was only about the size of a coin, though it had a few features like a clock. Leonardo never made any sense of it and his father rarely let him touch anything on the shelf. But that had to be his ticket through the same portal.
He kept a careful eye on his father, more specifically his ears as he made his way around the room. One twitch in his direction meant the jig was up and he had to play it cool until another window opened up.
But thankfully the gameshow on the CRT got loud from all the laughter. Splinter’s focus remained on it while Leonardo crept up to the shelf, swiped the coin, and then headed back.
The noise quieted down as he reached the doorway, but he let out a sigh of relief as he pocketed the coin. Flawless.
“Leonardo?”
The slider froze in place, one foot past the arch and the other still under it. He glanced back to see Splinter off the sofa, staring at him.
“Hey Dad.” He put on a chill smile. “Sorry, didn’t want to interrupt what you were watching.”
His father angled one of his ears to the side. “Where are you going? Shouldn’t movie night be over by now?”
“Oh, yeah, the movie is done. April and I just want to do some after movie hang out, you know?” He put his hands behind his head. “I just swung by to grab a few things.
His father didn’t look all that convinced by the lie. Expression flat apart from his one raised eyebrow.
He gestured Leonardo to come closer and kneel down. The slider’s heart skipped and he made sure his swallow wasn’t visible. Did he get caught in a lie that easily?
Still he did as his father asked, bracing himself for a lecture or a punishment.
But instead, Splinter gently grabbed his face and planted a kiss on his forehead.
“Please be safe.” His father emphasized the words, like he always did when he allowed Leonardo to run around the surface on his own.
He used to complain about it frequently to Hueso, about his worrywart father, but after learning about what happened to his brother the context of it made a lot more sense.
So he gave him a smile. “I will, Dad. I promise.” He stood.
“And no staying out too late.” There came the lecture. Splinter pointed at him as he kept speaking. “Mrs. O’Neil mentioned that last time you two were out for way too long. You have two hours. No more.”
“Okay, okay.” Leonardo grinned and headed for the exit again. “We won’t be out late. I promise.”
Well, that was probably a lie. He’d try to save April as fast as he could, but who knew what he’d find when he got down there.
Leonardo had never traveled through a portal before.
He’d tried to a few times, namely the portal in Hueso’s restaurant that led to the Maze of Death that he’d been determined to challenge, but the skeleton always stopped him.
So he wasn’t prepared for the long tumble down a tunnel. Like some kind of horrible water slide. It didn’t even spit him out on the ground. He fell through the air, screaming and panicking until he remembered how to land a jump.
He sort of managed it, catching himself and then standing on one leg, but he lost his balance halfway through the pose and hit the ground.
Smooth.
He tossed his bandana tails out of his face and stood. The sight in front of him made him gasp.
When he heard about the Hidden City he hadn’t expected it to be this big. It truly was an entire city right underneath his. A cavern towering so high he couldn’t quite wrap his head around it, he couldn’t even see the ceiling as it got drowned out in colorful fog. The place was crowded too, various yōkai walking and flying around. Buildings covered the massive pillars of stone. Lights came from almost every window. A few spotlights even waved around in front of a massive stadium in the distance.
His awe was unfortunately damped by the realization he had to find April in this place. Where was he even supposed to start looking? Those guys could have taken her—
“Lee!”
For a half second he thought he was just hearing things, but then he saw the familiar green of April’s jacket before he realized she was running toward him.
“April!” He shouted back and sprinted to close the gap even faster. The pair collided together, him almost knocking her on the ground, but he caught her in his arms and hugged her close.
“Oh thank goodness.” He gasped. “I thought I might never see you again.”
She laughed. “Aw, come on, I’m tougher than that.”
“Tough isn’t entirely the problem. I mean look at this place.” He gestured with one arm. “I could have been searching for days.”
“Don’t worry,” she rolled her eyes. “I knew you’d probably find a way to come after me. I took the liberty of tracking those guys and then coming back here to the drop off point.”
“Clever girl.” He nudged her cheek before he let go. “So, where are they keeping the little guy?”
April led him to a huge building not that far from where they came in. The whole thing sat isolated on top of a pillar over a pool of lava.
“Wow, lava, really?” Leonardo stared down at it. It was far down enough that he couldn’t feel the heat from it, but a slip off the edge would certainly be the end of you.
“Isn’t it technically magma?” April asked. “I mean we are underground.”
“Either way, how typically super villain.” Leonardo scoffed. “The guy might as well shoot some lightning from the top of the building.”
As if he summoned it, a massive spark of purple lighting bounced around the huge globe roof before settling back down.
“Oh my god,” he threw out his arms. “Twenty bucks we get in there and hear evil laughter.”
April snorted. “I have kind of gone in already.”
“You did?”
“Just for a quick peek, I didn’t go far. Come on, I’ll show you where I broke in.”
Leonardo followed her around the building, scoffing at some of the architecture in the process. Wow, spikes and vines, so original.
They eventually reached a small window near to the ground. April nudged it open and stuck her head in, glancing around before giving a thumbs up. Then she slipped inside.
Leonardo followed, though he struggled a bit to squeeze his shell through the gap, and ended up collapsing onto the floor that was farther down than he expected.
April shushed him, still keeping a look out.
Leonardo sat up. The room definitely had evil laboratory vibes. Between the huge pieces of machinery, coils, and even a few glowing containers of some kind of goop, this might as well be from a sixties sci-fi movie.
Still, not a lot to look at. With the lights off it was hard to make out a lot of details, and some things were covered with sheets.
His gaze immediately landed on something familiar, however. “Is that…”
“Yeah, you noticed that too huh?”
Leonardo walked up to the giant poster on the wall. Jupiter Jim, one of the cinema posters in fact. That movie came out what, ten years ago? What was it doing in here?
“As much as I’d love to steal it, it’s in a whole frame,” April said. “Come on, we need to keep moving.”
Leonardo followed her, though a bit reluctant to leave that mystery behind. “By the way, April, as much as I’d love to run in there guns blazing uh… we don’t even have guns. Or a stick. You didn’t happen to spot some decorative weapons on the wall or something did you?”
She turned to him with a smirk. “Oh I found something way better. Come here.”
He followed her up the stairs and into a hallway. He kept looking around, expecting there to be a guard of some description but nothing showed up.
“Poor security in this place.” He muttered.
“Just our luck.” April came to a stop and gestured him closer. “Okay, get ready.”
“Get ready for wh—”
April reached out for a nearby torch and tugged on it. Suddenly the floor vanished from underneath them. Leonardo couldn’t help but scream a bit as they dropped and once again he felt like he was on a terrible water slide.
Eventually it spat them out onto the floor. He groaned as he rolled over and pushed himself up.
An entire armory? His eyes went wide at the site of all the weapons in the room, hanging on various shelves. Axes, swords, spears, things he didn’t even know the name of.
“Isn’t this cool?” April helped him up. “I found this just before heading out.”
“How?” He smiled at her. “Were you just pulling on random wall fixtures?”
“How could I not? Look at this place.” She gestured. “Like some kind of ancient castle and an evil lab at once? It had to have some secret doors.”
“Clever girl.” He repeated the phrase and started to look around. He picked up almost everything he saw, feeling the weight of it in his hands. He’d never been trained with anything but his dual swords, though Hueso taught him some fencing tricks in case he found himself down a weapon. Well, now he was down both.
He might as well replace his swords, right? He pulled a pair out of a barrel and gave them a test swing.
“Hey, Lee, what about these?”
He glanced over to see her standing next to a display of weapons. All of them had an odd glow surrounding them.
His eyes went wide and then fixed on the massive sword at the top. He didn’t hesitate to sprint up to and snatch it off the wall. “Whoa, look at this. Are they mystic?”
“I dunno, maybe.” April grabbed one as well. A massive metal bat lined with spikes. “Wow, this is lighter than I thought it’d be.”
“Really?” Leonardo held out a hand. She gave it to him, and the weight shocked him to the point he almost fell to the ground with it. “Light? You call that light?”
“Huh?” She took it from him again, lifting it with ease. “Yeah?”
“Maybe that’s just its magic property.” He swung his sword around a couple of times, keeping both hands on the hilt. He at least remembered that much from Hueso’s lessons. “Wonder what this one does.”
“Well, we better test it in the field.” She pointed to what looked like an elevator. “We need to get that little guy out of here, the sooner the better.”
“You got it.” He rested the sword on his shoulder. “Lead the way.”
Once more he followed her through the strange building. The elevator took them up, far higher than he was expecting. When they got out, she guided him down another hallway that finally ended in a massive room, though the walkway they were on was far closer to the ceiling.
Leonardo stared at the massive contraption in the center. The most evil-lab thing in here so far, which was saying a lot. Between all the giant glowing bulbs, the weird swarm toward the center, and all the tubes running through it. Just a matter of time before—
A cackling emerged from below, loud, obnoxious, as if they were trying to sound like a kids cartoon villain.
Leonardo glanced at April. “That’s twenty bucks.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Donatello, calm down.” A much deeper voice rang out.
“Sorry, I’m just so excited to see this in action.”
“Uh, this isn’t going to hurt, right?” A new voice, one that sounded a bit familiar, followed the conversation.
Leonardo crept to the edge of the platform and looked down. He saw the delivery guy from before, pinned at the base of the massive column. He also saw the critter in another nearby cage.
“And there’s our villains.” He mumbled as he set his eyes on the pair standing in front of the human.
The first, very tall and powerful looking, responded to the question. “It will… if I’m doing it right.” His helmet sported golden horns, and he had hooves. Some kind of sheep? Or goat? Regardless, everything about him screamed evil.
Not that the guy next to him was much better. Some kind of reptile at the very least, but what was with that get up? It’s like he couldn’t pick if he wanted to be glamorous or armed. Even if he sported armor around his shoulders, lower arms and shins—and possibly on his back as well—the rest of his outfit was a loose hanging top, a slitted skirt, and an unbelievable amount of golden jewelry. The ones hanging off the ear pieces of his goggles even resembled the goat guys horns.
And his face. Leonardo had to squint not only from the distance but also the horrible color of the guy’s mask. Some kind of pinkish purple. But regardless, did he have eye makeup on?
His attempts to figure it all out got interrupted when the human from earlier started screaming. Leonardo’s heart stopped and his stomach twisted when he saw the guy’s body glowing and distorting, fingers growing longer, head growing bigger.
“Yikes.” April squeaked. “That is messed up.”
“You’re telling me. One more point on the evil scientist bingo card and I’m going to rake in the big prize.”
“Be serious, Leo.”
“I am,” he insisted.
The human kept screaming when he fully transformed into some type of fish. His arms flailed about and he went racing out of the lab.
The pair watched him. Suddenly one of the goat’s shoulder pads started talking.
“Uh, should we go after him, boss?”
“Allow me to catch him.” The reptile pulled a weapon off his back, some kind of staff? “I could use the—”
“There’s no need.” The sheep interrupted. “The mutation works, this means we can replicate the experiment on something far more worthy of our time.”
Mutation? Leonardo let the word roll through his brain. It kept scratching at a memory that wouldn’t surface.
The reptile sighed, dramatically hunching over. “Father please, I desire to put my combat skills to good use.”
“It wouldn’t even be much of a fight.” The goat waved a hand. “Let’s turn our focus to the task at hand.”
“Leo.” April nudged him. “We gotta do something.”
“Do what?” He glanced at her. “We can’t just dive down there without a plan. Can we?”
“Great idea.”
“Wait no—”
April leapt, straight down toward the critter’s cage. She screeched her name out in the process, gaining the attention of everyone down below.
“Oh my god.” Leonardo stood, putting his hands on his head. “She just dove down there.”
Thankfully no one really moved. April landed on the cage and attempted to rip it open, but the vines must be a lot tougher than they looked. When her hands couldn’t manage to pull them apart she used her teeth instead.
The creature on the sheep’s shoulders suddenly flew off. Some kind of tiny gargoyles? Either way they grabbed April and managed to tug her off the cage and pull her into the air. She swung her weapon, managing to hit one of them in the side of the face. They almost lost their grip on her but held fast.
“What is a human doing here?” The reptile screeched and then looked at Leo. “And who is that?”
Right, cover was blown. No point in not being dramatic. He relaxed his stance, feigning confidence. “Who am I? Who are you guys? I’m half expecting one of you to say ‘Dr. Evil’ with your over the top lab.”
“Answer the question before I blast you off that platform.”
Leonardo scoffed. “With what?”
The reptile glared at him before he rested his staff on his shoulder and held the end of it with both hands. The whole thing lit up purple, and squares of light shifted into the shape of a massive gun.
Leonardo’s eyes went wide.
“Donatello.” The goat interrupted, putting a hand on the weapon and shoving it down the ground. “We do not need to be firing any explosives around the lab.”
“We can’t just leave him up there.” Donatello dissipated his weapon regardless.
The sheep turned back to Leonardo, his expression serious as ever. “You, turtle, what is your purpose coming here? Did you finally track down your place of origin?”
That memory in his brain suddenly snapped to the surface. Because, oh right, he was a mutated turtle. His father told him as much, that they both got mutated at the same time. That he fled the lab where it happened with him and his brother.
“This is the lab where Dad and I got mutated?” He screeched. Apparently so loud that April and the gargoyles froze in the middle of their tussle.
“What?” Donatello shrieked as well. “Wait, agent, is this the turtle you saw earlier?”
The creature in the cage turned his head away.
“Hah, I knew it.” His grin was lined with sharp teeth. “I knew it had to be one of my three siblings.”
Leonardo blinked once, twice. “Three?”
Donatello tilted his head. “Of course. You didn’t even know that much?”
No, he didn’t. His father only mentioned one sibling. For a beat he wondered if this was his missing brother, but they didn’t have the same name.
“No matter.” Donatello waved a hand. “Now that you’re here, we can work on fixing all of that.”
Leonardo frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Simple! You can come home. I can explain everything as we prepare to begin a siege on the surface and wipe out humankind.”
The slider just kept on staring at him, hoping that his lack of amusement was showing on his face. “Uh, is that a joke? You’re pretty bad at telling them.”
Donatello flinched. “What? No, of course it isn’t.”
“Oh, okay, well let me respond to your very serious offer.” Leonardo took a deep breath and grinned. “Maybe I would take up on it if I looked as stupid as you.”
The other turtle—was he also a turtle even—bared his teeth again. “Excuse me?”
“I’m not wiping out any humans. In fact, I think I’ll stop you from doing that all together.”
The goat man—actually maybe he was some kind of bull—stepped forward. “If you are not with us, you’re against us.”
Leonardo mimicked the phrase with both his mouth and his hand.
Donatello glared even harder. “Father, permission to capture him?”
“Very well, but no explosives.”
Donatello’s expression shifted into a wicked grin.
Just as Leonardo blinked, the guy shot off the floor from what looked like rockets on his back. He aimed the center of the staff right for Leo’s neck.
He swiftly ducked back, watching his enemy fly over his head. He straightened up and spun on his heel to try and counter, but Donatello moved faster. The end of his staff slammed into Leo’s stomach, sending him off the edge of the platform.
“Lee!” April screamed.
His gaze darted about for a swift solution. He saw Donatello dive after him, but managed to twist away from another strike and grab onto the guy’s ankle.
“Hey,” Donatello hissed. The pair of them jerked to a stop when a pair of black wings suddenly sprouted from the guy’s back. “Let go.”
Leonardo smirked. “What’s with that get up? Are you trying to be Batman or something?”
“They’re gargoyle wings.” The guy kicked him in the face.
Leonardo flinched hard enough that he let go. His shell slammed into the floor. But he couldn’t take the time to recover. Donatello dove toward him again, the pointed end of his staff aimed for him. He rolled to the side to avoid the hit and finally landed one of his own by slamming his foot into Donatello’s jaw.
Then he rolled backwards before jumping back up. “What kind of turtle are you anyway? Definitely missing my gorgeous face paint so you had to make your own huh?”
“Oh shut-up already.” Donatello snapped. “And for the record, I’m a softshell.” He sprinted toward Leo, aiming another strike.
Only to get knocked to the ground when April landed on his back. Apparently now free of the gargoyles. She lifted her weapon, preparing to slam it on his head, but then Donatello reached up and pressed his hand against her chest.
That purple light returned, wrapping around her with a pair of rockets on her back. April screamed as she was suddenly launched forward. Leonardo didn’t get the chance to dodge and she crashed right into him, sending them both to the floor.
Donatello did that evil cackle again. “I admit you’re both better than expected, but still fight so sloppy.”
Leonardo got up and helped April to her feet. They probably should be taking this more seriously. They might be fighting for their lives here.
“Still, if this fight is going to last. I say we spice it up a bit.”
The sheep guy groaned. “Donatello.”
“Relax, Father, I’ve got this.” He waved a hand, and his magic swirled into a pair of giant speakers just behind him. With a tap to his gauntlet, strange horns blared out of the speaker. Clearly the dramatic opening to a song. The sound repeated again before a beat started and techno chimes followed.
April straightened up. “Is this Splatoon music?”
Leonardo was about to answer—after all he’d played the game too and it sounded familiar—but just then a purple net crashed right into her.
He turned his attention back to his opponent who shot right for him. Leonardo blocked the hit with his sword, reminding himself that he had this weapon.
Donatello swung around again and again, all of it to the rhythm of the song in the background. Rather elegant, but in some ways it made him very predictable.
Leonardo waited for the beat and ducked under the next hit before he twirled around, planning to bring the sword down right on Donatello’s shoulder. He saw a flash of blue in the corner of his eye.
The sword finished his path, but he didn’t feel it hit anything. More importantly he didn’t hear Donatello screaming, though the guy certainly flinched.
They both stood perfectly still for a moment, neither of them breathing.
Then Donatello barked out a laugh. “What? Was that supposed to be an attack? Pathe—”
The ground opened up below them in a flash of blue.
Leonardo couldn’t keep himself from falling straight through, and wherever the exit opened up it was apparently right above the portal he opened, resulting in the pair of them getting trapped in a loop.
Donatello screamed. “What did you do, you idiot?”
“You think I know? I just got this weapon like, ten minutes ago.”
“No, you stole it from our armory. One of the conduit weapons no less.” Donatello tried to grab it. “Give it back.”
“Like hell, evil doer.”
“Excuse me?”
“Enough!” The goat man’s voice boomed and something wrapped around Leo’s waist, tossing him out of the portal. He got up in time to see the pink vines emerging from the floor. The pair of portals vanished and the music cut off.
“This farce has gone on long enough.” The man approached Leonardo. “You’re clearly untrained, not even close to your full potential. We could change all of that.”
Leonardo rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, at least get a better bad guy speech if you’re going to try and sway me to the dark side.”
“We are not the ‘dark side’ or whatever you keep calling it. We are going to build a better world for yōkai and mutants alike.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What, by destroying someone else’s world? Sorry, but I’ve heard that one before too, and the people who say those things never turn out to be good guys.” He held his sword out in front of himself. “So I’ll say it again, no.” He spared a glance behind him to see April had managed to free herself from the net. What did they do at this point, just run? This might not be a fight they could win.
But that critter was still stuck in that cage.
The man scoffed. “Lou Jitsu has poisoned your mind with sentimentality.”
Leonardo curled his lip. “Keep my dad’s name out of your mouth.”
“Or what?”
He heard April snap her fingers behind him and he immediately ducked.
“Or this!” She shrieked and hurled her weapon through the air.
At such short range, the evil scientist had no time to dodge. The huge metal bat slammed into his head before it spun into the air. Leonardo expected it to fall, but instead it arched around before returning to her hand.
“Whoa, nice.” He grinned at her.
“Yeah, I don’t know how I did that.” She laughed, but then her eyes went wide. “Look out!”
He dove to the ground with her as two more purple nets soared over their heads.
“I am getting so fed up with this.” Donatello shrieked. “You are not winning this fight, just surrender.”
“Oh, we don’t have to win.” Leonardo looked at his supposed brother before glancing up at the tower. “You just have to lose.” He glanced at April and winked at her to indicate he had a plan.
She gave him a nod and they both sprung into action.
“You know, you have all these fancy weapons you can summon, and you still can’t hit me.” Leonardo stuck out his tongue as he and April ran in opposite directions.
Donatello growled, firing a few more nets, but Leonardo easily weaved around them and even cut through one of them. Kind of a lucky shot, but he pretended it was on purpose.
The softshell growled. “Hold still!”
“Nah, I don’t think I will. Why don’t you just aim better?”
Another growl as he summoned more net blasters, but even the increased numbers didn’t intimidate the slider in the least bit. While ducking under one he checked on April seeing her finally managing to snap a few of the vines on the cage.
Come on, just a bit more taunting. The guy’s lid was clearly about to blow.
“Man, your aim is even worse than a storm troopers.” Leonardo tried.
“What does that even mean?”
“Uncultured nerd doesn’t know what a storm trooper is.” He barked out an exaggerated laugh. “Man, have you been living under a rock? No, I guess you have if you live down here in this dump.”
Donatello’s fists were visibly shaking. “Will you just—”
“Maybe the lack of vitamin D is why you’re so slow witted.”
“Shut-up!” The softshell screeched. All the guns merged into one, the end of it glowing a bright purple before a rocket flew out of it.
Leonardo grinned, glad his planned worked. Now he had to make sure he didn’t screw up or well, he might as well be dead.
As the missile approached, Leonardo gripped the hilt of his sword tighter and slashed it through the air.
The portal appeared in front of him, and the missile vanished into it.
Leonardo planned to have the other one open right next to the tower, but that’s not really what happened. Instead it opened on the floor nearby. The explosive flew out toward the ceiling and everyone stared at it before it made impact a few feet from the top of the tower.
The blast took out part of it, though not nearly enough to destroy it.
“Donatello!” The scientist shouted, finally back on his feet, though with a visible dent in his helmet. “What did I say about explosives?”
“Sorry! I just—”
“You’re lucky that didn’t hit the tower or we’d be—”
Just as he said that the building shook. Spark spat out of the top of the tower and the electricity began to run through it. The glass container near the top cracked before it shattered entirely. A swarm of insects flew out of it and rocketed to the exit. Donatello cried out in horror.
“Got you.” April on the other hand cheered. She held the critter in her arms.
“You.” The scientist turned toward her and stretched out a hand. Vines snapped out of the floor and tried to grab her, but the creature warped them both away. The pair appeared next to Leonardo, and before he could say anything April grabbed hold of him and they all vanished from the lab.
They reappeared outside of it, where they first entered the city.
“Well, that was a lot.” Leonardo let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Think they’re going to be—”
The roof of the lab exploded, a cloud of red and orange pluming into the air as the ground shook. Somehow the entire building didn’t collapse.
He pressed his lips together. “Think they’re going to be okay?” He finished the question, because part of him really hoped his brother was. Even if they were enemies, or stayed enemies, he didn’t want it to end like this. Just meeting the guy once and then…
April put a hand on his shoulder. “They’ve got magic. I’m sure they’ll be okay. I mean, it was just the roof, right?” She shrugged.
He nodded. Might as well try to be optimistic. They definitely couldn’t risk going back in there.
Instead he opened up a portal with the coin. “Okay, let’s get back up there and—”
A buzzing noise interrupted him. Leonardo looked back to see the swarm of insects from earlier. He screamed and ducked as they flew overhead, straight through the portal.
“Oh no.” He muttered and ran in after them. The trip to the surface was just as nauseating as the trip down, and he and April stumbled back into the construction site. They arrived just in time to see the glowing bugs scattered into the skies of New York City.
“That cannot be good.” He mumbled.
April nodded in agreement. “Still nothing we can do about it now. At least we got this little guy back after all that mayhem.” She held him up, smiling. “Hey, that’s a good name actually. You wanna be called Mayhem?”
Mayhem smiled back at her and chittered a few times before licking her arm.
Leonardo let out a sigh of relief. At least this hadn’t all been for naught. “You know, despite all the dangerous explosions, that was kind of fun. Maybe we should make a habit out of this.”
She snorted and hugged Mayhem to her chest. “Are you serious?”
“What? We both have magic weapons now, and a magic mascot. I bet we could do our fair share of fighting crime if we put our minds to it.” He swung his sword for effect before securing it on his back. “We’ll need hero names though. Or maybe a team name.
“Uh, let’s think about that later.” April pointed to the sky line where the bright oranges and yellows of the sun were emerging. “We better get home.”
Leonardo cringed when he remembered his promise. “Eugh boy, let’s hope your mom isn’t awake yet.”
Leonardo helped April sneak into her apartment before he slipped home as well. He hoped he got lucky too and that his father wasn’t up and he could pretend he’d been sleeping all night.
But it was sadly not to be. The minute he entered the center room he spotted his father standing there, arms crossed and a glare on his face.
Leonardo straightened his back. “Hey pops, what’s up? I just decided to go for an early morning jog and—”
“Do not lie to me.” Splinter held out his phone. “Carol just texted me that April just got home with some kind of magical creature. And do you think I cannot see that new sword on your back?”
Leonardo glanced back at the hilt. “Uh—”
“Where have you two been? Have you been out all night?” Splinter approached him, his eyes going wide. “Are those bruises on your face?”
“We were just—”
“Do not lie to me.” His father repeated, his eyes so focused on Leonardo’s face that if he even smiled funny it’d probably be noticed.
Leonardo was good at lying, very good in fact, but if his father put the effort into it the man could never be fooled. He knew every one of Leo’s tells.
He let out a breath and pulled the coin from his pocket. “We went to the Hidden City.”
Splinter’s eyes almost popped out of his head. “You what?”
“Look, I can explain—”
“Leonardo, do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”
“I have a rough idea, if I could just—”
“You and April may have never made it home. Just what were you thinking?”
He dared to raise his voice. “Just let me explain!”
His father snapped his mouth shut. He still looked angry, but he didn’t speak.
Leonardo let out a growl and began to pace. “Look, here’s what happened.”
He started from the top, about finding Mayhem in the construction site, April disappearing in the portal, and him desperate to after her. What they found on the other side, the laboratory, and then discovering it was the place he got mutated.
Once again, Splinter stared at him in shock. “You met Baron Draxum?”
“Is that his name? He didn’t exactly introduce himself.”
“Leonardo!”
“Quit shouting.” He snapped. “Yeah I did, and I’m glad I did. Why didn’t you tell me that I apparently had three siblings?”
His father flinched, his glare finally fading as he glanced at the floor. “I…”
“If I’m being honest then you should be too. What happened to my brothers?”
Splinter let out a long sigh, tucking his arms behind his back. “When I first attempted to run away, the scuffle resulted in the laboratory going up in flames. In my attempt to escape, one of your brothers slipped out of my hands. By the time I realized this, I had no time to go back for him.”
Leonardo lowered his shoulders. “The softshell?”
Splinter raised a brow. “Yes, I assume that’s who you encountered with Draxum.” Another sigh, but this time a relieved one. “It is good to know he survived, at least.”
Leonardo decided not to mention that the lab blew up again and that may no longer be the case.
“Then in my attempts to flee the city, Big Mama’s men attempted to get hold of me once sightings of me were reported. And during all of that, one of them got hold of another one of you. A snapping turtle.”
Leonardo swallowed. “What was his name?”
“I hadn’t even had time to name him, or the softshell. What was he called?”
“Donatello, if you’d believe it.”
Splinter barked out a laugh. “Really? That’s a funny coincidence, isn’t it.”
Leonardo waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah, but what about Mikey? He was on the surface with us, right?”
The amusement left his face. “Yes. But after only a year some more of my enemies tracked me down. They are called the Foot Clan.”
“The Foot Clan? What’s their beef with you?”
“It has to do with my family’s history.” He pointed to the clip on Leonardo’s belt, or rather the symbol etched into it. “The Hamato Clan and the Foot Clan have been enemies for centuries.”
“But why take Mikey?”
“A bargaining chip. They wanted me to give them an artifact, but the fact of the matter is, I don’t have it.” His father’s shoulders dropped and he stared at the floor. “I could not give them what they wanted. I don’t know if they believed me or not, but they simply stopped contacting me. I did what I could to find Michelangelo, but the trails were gone. I… have always feared the worst.”
Leonardo’s stomach twisted, not wanting to think of what might have happened to his brother who was only a year old at the time. Just what kind of people kidnapped a child, especially one that young?
“Still… why did you never look for any of them?”
“As I said, I did what I could.” His father stepped closer to him and held out a hand. Leonardo took it. “But without obvious leads, I couldn’t very well just leave you here in my attempts to search. If something happened to me in those pursuits, what would become of you?”
Leonardo glanced to the side. “I mean, Hueso could have—”
Splinter shook his head and let go. “No. Even if he could have, you are my son and my responsibility. I may have failed your brothers, but I refused to fail you as well. I did not want to leave you alone.”
Something clenched around his heart.
“Regardless, you and April are grounded for a month!”
He flinched at the sudden change in tone. “Huh?”
“Running off to the Hidden City? Without telling either of us? You cannot be that reckless.”
“Dad, come on, we’re fine!”
“No buts! And during that time I am putting you back on your training routine if you’re going to go out there and be so stupid.”
Leonardo glared and stomped off to his room. “I’m going to bed!”
“Fine, I will be making sure you stay there.”
He shoved the curtain to his tiny room shut, wishing he could slam it like a door. He still tossed his sword against the wall with a satisfying clatter before collapsing onto his bed. The mattress squeaked in all the worst ways.
He rolled over onto his back and pulled out his phone, seeing the texts from April. Evidently she was in a world of trouble too.
>Mom said I’m grounded for a month!! Ugh!!!
That text was followed by a line of barfing and angry emojis.
>She just didn’t see how cool we were
>I get to keep Mayhem tho so that’s something
>How bad did you get it?
He typed up his reply.
>Also in the pits for a month, plus extra training.
>Honestly can I do some training with u?? I wanna fight better now that I have this cool bat thing
>I’ll ask dad
>I did ask him about my siblings he finally told me everything
>Weird to think I apparently have three of them
>Well now we gotta get out there and find the rest of them we know where one is for sure at least
>Also I was thinking about team names
>What about Space Skippers? Since we can both teleport sort of we should go for a space theme it’d be cool
Leonardo smiled.
>Yeah let’s do it! Space Skippers ahoy!