「ABSENCE」 TMNT 2012

17; Rescue Two

April hurriedly supplied herself with weapons, stuffing them into the hidden pockets on her jumpsuit. Her heart raced and her hands shook as she pinned her fiery red hair up in a sleek ponytail. There was no time to waste looking in the mirror, so she instinctively ran a hand over the top of her head, willing the baby hairs to stay flat. But she already knew they wouldn't obey.

    Her room was dark except for the dim lamp on the end table beside her bed. But it was very dim, only illuminating a few inches out. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark at this point. She quickly stored the last of her essentials and headed out the window.

The Shellraiser waited for her on the street below. She shimmied down the fire escape and dashed to the vehicle, hopping inside just as the side door opened. The turtles greeted her, and they were off.

Everyone was silent during the ride that seemed to last for hours, when in reality it was rather short. They were all lost in their own thoughts. There was nothing to be said. Nothing to go over. Mental preparation was an unspoken priority, for they didn't know what they might find.

After they pulled up, they filed inside. It was routine. They did it at least once a month. Leo didn't need to tell them what to do; every step was already memorized. They knew the basic layout of the building, and few rooms were unknown to them.

    But on this night, tension was heavy, and the air was thick. No one knew what to expect. They might find something wonderful, or something tragically disappointing. The way they reacted would depend on their mindset. Either they could be prepared to accept whatever they found, or take it hard and live with those thoughts for the rest of their lives. They were all working on making the right decision.

Once inside, Donnie took the lead, frequently glancing at his phone for direction. Casey was close. He could practically feel the hockey player vibes. But then again, maybe it was just his imagination. He couldn't know for sure if it was reality, or simply his hopes rising to consume him.

"Spread out," Leo ordered when Donnie finally announced they were at the right place. While his brothers and April fell back, disappearing into the shadows, Leo gently pushed the door open. When he looked inside, he realized it was Shredder's personal dojo. One could tell by the traditional, yet elaborate designs of the tatami mats and room dividers.

He slipped through, eyes darting every which way. One by one, his team members followed, placing themselves in different areas of the dojo. They wouldn't want to all be be cornered in one place should an attack arise.

    As far as they could tell, no one was around. Perhaps Donnie's tracker had led them to the wrong room. All was silent, as it should be when a room was unused. Which reminded Mikey . . .

    "I think it's time," he whispered. His brothers' heads snapped up to where he was hiding, annoyed. "It's quiet. Too quiet."

    There. He'd said it. Finally, after all those years waiting for the perfect moment, he'd gotten his chance, and he took it. Leo wasn't the only one who could pull it off, he'd reminded himself time and time again.

    "So glad you could come." Karai emerged from the darkness, arms at her sides. Leo's team, though hidden, could feel her eyes on them. She knew where each of them crouched.

"Cut the crap, Karai," Raph snarled, stepping out on the opposite end of the room from Leo.

"No need to get impatient."

"Yes need to get impatient." He squared his shoulders. "After all these years you still haven't figured out that we don't like standing around throwing dialogue back and forth."