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“I-I think we got him!” The very disheveled man in a white lab coat sputtered through a broken, swollen lip as he leaned against a solid metal reinforced door alongside as many of his companions as could fit against it. “The target is secured!I repeat, the target is-”
WHAM!
He was interrupted as the door jolted hard, hit with incredible force from the other side. Everyone in the hallway jumped, their bloodied and bruised faces peering out from under their scuffed helmets all going white with terror.
Guns were immediately raised and ready. That door was eight inches thick with two inch bolts. What kind of monster could strike it with such force?! Was it possible that it was going to break even that vault door down? After everything they had just been through, they no longer were sure of anything!
But it seemed that the mutant had mortal limits after all. Despite several more heavy slams that battered the heavy door, it held firm, and it became apparent very quickly that they finally had the turtle creature trapped.
Exhausted and bloodied, the dozen or so doctors and guards slumped down with relief.
After a moment, with a shaky hand, the man in the white lab coat reached up to touch his headpiece again, clearing his throat and obviously trying to sound like he was absolutely in control and didn’t just almost get the living crap kicked out of him.
“Ahem. Like I said, the target… the target is secured in containment bay one. Have a specimen pod ready, and prepare for the next phase.”
He paused and glanced around at all the groaning men around him, holding injuries with pained faces. How had just ONE mutant done all this?! He swallowed hard, and tapped the earpiece again. “And do a complete head count. I want to know how many casualties we suffered from this.”
On the other side of the door, Leonardo exhaled and let his ki slowly dissipate as he stepped back. It was obvious that the door wasn’t going to budge, even using ki to enhance his strikes. He opened his eyes and sheathed his sword, before turning to pace around the small ten by ten room, agitation clear on his snarling features.
StupidstupidSTUPID! How could he be such an IDIOT?! He fell for their trap like a clueless, bumbling novice! He was Hamato Leonardo for heaven’s sake! Master ninja, seasoned tactician, and veteran of hundreds of battles. He was supposed to be better than this!
Exhaling unhappily, he slowed down his pacing and glanced around. Well, he could always beat himself up mentally for this later. Right now, he had to remain focused. This was a laboratory filled with scientists with dubious ethics and enough cunning to lure him in and trap him. If he didn’t somehow escape, he was as good as dead. Or worse. And that wasn’t even taking into account the army of hostile personnel outside, most of them armed and alert.
To say he was in a world of trouble was putting it mildly.
Just for a moment, he allowed himself a wistful wry chuckle. If only his brothers could see him now, he’d never hear the end of it.
The smirk faded away sadly. But… his brothers weren’t here.
They hadn’t been there for years now.
Not since… not since Master Splinter…
Leo slowed his pacing and stopped, exhaling.
It was Leo’s own fault that the clan, his family, had fallen apart after they lost their father. Leo was the leader. Everybody had trusted him to lead the team. Master Splinter had charged him with keeping the family together. He was supposed to be strong enough to carry them all. But... he hadn't been. And everything most dear to him in the world had crumbled apart with that failure.
Leo swallowed hard, trying not to dwell too much on it. Instead he turned his focus on closely inspecting the room, running his hand over the smooth metal walls, searching for the tiniest crack in its defenses. The ceiling was solid metal and unmoveable. The whole room was airtight, except small vents up near the ceiling, little more than tiny slits one couldn’t even fit a hand into.
That was an ominous sign.
Leo quickly noticed the slight glint of a tiny lens in an almost invisible tiny device in the corner, and with a frustrated snarl, he leapt up and deftly tore the device from its mount with little effort, turning to smash the small electronic box against the wall with a crunch of metal, plastic, and wires.
Outside of the room, he could faintly hear one of the humans swear as they lost visuals.
It was only briefly satisfying. While they could no longer see him, Leo was still very much trapped in this room. The door was far too strong for him to break down, and there didn’t seem to be any other exits.
A sudden hiss and movement of air had his head snapping upwards in alarm. Startled, he turned and noticed that some sort of air current was flowing out of the vents near the ceiling.
He stumbled back, shell pressing against the unyielding, solid metal wall, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening.
Gas!
They were trying to gas him!
He felt the surge of horror and panic start to twist his insides and crawl up his throat, but he quickly shoved those feelings down. He had to keep calm. The more he panicked, the faster he would succumb to the gas.
His jaw tightened and his eyes steeled over, glancing briefly at the closed, airtight door.
This had been planned from the start. They knew exactly what they were doing when they forced him in here! They couldn't defeat him when he could fight back, so they chose to corner him like a trapped animal and allow gas and chemicals to do what their guards could not.
The cowards.
A defiant glint in his eyes, he deliberately lowered himself down to the floor and calmly crossed his legs, closing his eyes and entering a meditative stance.
They wanted to gas him then? Well, he hoped they were patient. They were about to discover just how long a ninja turtle could hold his breath!
Letting the sound of the hissing gas fade away into the background, he instead concentrated on the darkness behind his closed eyes. He willed himself to fall deeper and deeper into it, relaxing his muscles and slowing his heart rate.
He remembered those many long hours of meditating with Master Splinter. How easily it came to him now. When he was young, it seemed like each second dragged on, every itch was magnified, and sitting still took all the concentration he had.
But now he slipped into the familiar spiritual plane almost as easily as sliding into the pool back in their old lair home.
Faintly, the sound of gas hissing into the room continued unabated, a slight white noise on the edge of his consciousness as he sat there, holding his breath calmly.
A stray thought flickered across his mind, wondering why he was even bothering to try. He was only delaying the inevitable. Whether the gas took him in minutes or in an hour, there was no way to avoid it. He hadn’t been in contact with his brothers for years now. Nobody even knew he was here, much less that he was in trouble. He knew that he couldn’t count on anybody coming to his rescue.
But he had this sinking feeling that once the darkness overtook him, he’d never awaken again.
The thought of his brothers flittered across his mind. His chest ached. He didn’t want to lose those memories. He didn’t want to let them fade into black forever.
Even after all these years, he missed them so much, and he desperately wished that he could see them at least one more time. Would they miss him? Ever wonder what happened to him? Master Splinter’s death hit everybody so hard. Would they also… When he…?
He swallowed hard, and straightened up his back, pushing back the unpleasant pit that had been growing in his stomach and hardening his resolve.
This was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. His brothers were talented, clever, and independent. No matter what happened to him, they were going to be just fine. They didn’t need him.
He ignored the sound of the hissing gas and the way his lungs were just starting to begin to ache. Instead, he focused all of his attention on the mental images he conjured in his mind.
Donnie, of course, had a brilliant future ahead of him. He was working with Professor Honeycutt, and had not only his own lab team now, but a whole laboratory compound. He was making such amazing discoveries and inventions, helping so many people, that even the most ardent of mutant haters had to admit that he was a genius who had done many great things for the world.
Leo wished that he could see his brother one last time. But he went for the next best thing, and a small, wistful smile to tugged at the corner of his mouth as he allowed the image to build up in his mind’s eye.
Donnie, with his purple mask still tied around those mahogany eyes, would be leaning over a desk, his brow furrowed as he concentrated on the project in front of him. Some sort of tools would be in his hands, poking at some sensitive electronics, and his tongue would worry against the gap in his teeth slightly as he zoomed in on a particularly difficult weld. A familiar little habit that he had never grown out of.
But, unlike when they were kids, living off of garbage they found in the sewer, he was now in a multi-million dollar lab. Everything would be clean, and new, and he would be surrounded by every tool and electronic device that his heart desired.
And as the sparks flew, lighting up his brother’s concentrating face, Donnie would smile, and then lift up the device, examining it with his reddish eyes sparkling bright and shining with excitement and intelligence. It was yet another amazing, brilliant invention made perfectly, because Leo’s purple brother was smart and clever and Leo was so very, very proud of him!
Leo clung to the warmth the vision left in his heart, and then allowed his thoughts to create a new scene.
This one of orange. Mikey’s freckled face, still boyish even after everything they’ve been through, and positively radiating sunshine when he was happy.
Mikey’s heart had always been too big to be locked underground forever. Whereas Leo thrived in the shadows, his orange brother longed for the light. And, in the end, he had broken out of their dark, underground caverns, bringing his own brand of sunshine beaming into the world. There, Mikey had found everything that he had been looking for. All the things that Leo couldn’t give him down in the dark sewer tunnels. He had become a celebrity chef, of all things. With his own show and a cult following, where he delved into the world of all sorts of unusual foods. Even many who hated or feared mutants admitted they enjoyed the antics on his shows. He was one of the leading forces for Mutant Rights, and he did it all just by being his goofy, lovable self.
The gas had to be filling the whole room now. Leo’s lungs were starting to ache for air, but he furrowed his brow and concentrated on creating the images in his mind.
Mikey laughing in the kitchen as he danced across the floor, balancing a stack of bowls and cans and bottles. The whole chaotic tower wobbled as if it were about to topple any moment, but somehow Mikey always moved just right to counterbalance, his movements as natural to him as breathing. His blue eyes always sparkled so brightly with life, his freckled cheeks uplifted with his mischievous grin. The ingredients would clatter onto the counter in an organized chaotic mess. Mikey would be singing some goofy song as he threw seemingly random items into a mixing bowl, a touch of flour dusting his smiling face. And Leo knew that the reason that Mikey was so excited in the moment was because he was making this particular meal for others, be it his brothers or friends, and he couldn’t wait to see their reactions when it was done!
…
… Leo missed Mikey’s cooking so much.
His diet had been so boring since he’d been on his own. He had to admit that sometimes he was entirely too practical for his own good, and he often would just default to rice and vegetables. Plus, he had a… complicated relationship with kitchen appliances, which limited his options. Mostly the few things he could heat up without burning, and whatever else he could scrounge up. He hadn’t realized how much he appreciated his brothers’ cooking until too late.
He jolted as he realized that his thoughts were starting to wander away, and snapped them back in focus instantly. He didn’t want to think about himself and his mistakes right now.
He wanted his last thoughts to be of his brothers.
A red mask against the night sky. Raph.
Oh, his brother Raphael. His opposite and twin, all at the same time. His brother was fierce and independent, a wild, free spirit through and through. Raph had been the first one to leave the lair. He had always felt trapped, and once Master Splinter… Once he was… no longer around to hold them together, Raph was gone.
Leo had tried so hard to hold onto him, but he had just made things worse.
But as much as Leo hated to admit it, he was a little jealous of his red brother. Raph had been lost for a while. They all had been. But, in the end, he had found his own path. He had found the strength to do what, in the end, Leo himself never could.
Move on. Create his own life for himself.
Raph had always been the strongest. Strong in body, strong in will, and, most definitely, strong in emotions. He was famous for his anger, of course, but Raph had always seemed to feel all emotions more intensely than everyone else. They often overwhelmed him and frustrated him, which is why he fought against them and tried to hide them.
But, out of all of Leo’s brothers, deep down, Raph was also the most vulnerable. What he wanted above all, deep down, was love and acceptance. To connect with somebody, protect them, and, oddly enough for his tough red brother, to be protected.
And he finally found that at last. Raph had started a new life. What started as an unplanned side project had turned into a life’s mission. Finding strays as lost as he had been, be they mutant or human, and taking them under his gruff but gentle wing.
Leo could see it clearly in his mind’s eye, and he let a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth. Raph was leaning over the open hood of a car, a few spots of grease dotting his scales on his face. He was wearing a ragged old pair of denim jeans, with a rag tucked into the back pocket and a toothpick resting between his teeth.
A scruffy preteen boy, with shaggy hair and absolutely no fear or hesitation in his brown eyes, hurries over to a dented but well cared for metal tool chest sitting against the wall of the old shop, digging out some sort of tool and eagerly handing it to Raph.
Raph straightens up, casually rolls the toothpick around his mouth thoughtfully as he glances over the tool, then hands it back to the kid, leaning back over the engine and pointing out the spot that needed attention. Watching patiently as the kid’s tongue sticks out in concentration as he leans over as well, trying his best to do it correctly.
And, when the kid did, and beamed up at Raph, Raph would get that proud papa bear look on his face.
Leo’s lungs were starting to burn, but he ignored the urge to breathe in the toxic air around him. Instead, he clung to the memories and images with every ounce of his will, desperate to hold on to them for as long as he could.
His brothers were all so amazing. They had such incredible futures in front of them, if if he wasn't there to see it. But... he could still imagine it. Leo allowed his thoughts to shift and envision where they would all be in the future.
They would find a way to reconcile. He had to believe that. Perhaps…perhaps it would be because of what happened to him.
If so, then his death would be of far more use to his brothers then his life had ever been.
He immediately regretted the thought, and shoved it angrily aside.
But, still, that was what he wished desperately for his brothers. A future where they were all together again.
When they were together, as a group, as brothers, there was nothing like it in the world. It was being part of something bigger than themselves. A sense of belonging and trust and teamwork and camaraderie and knowing without a shadow of a doubt that not only would somebody be there to catch you if you fell, but that you’d be there to catch them as well.
When they were a team, there was nothing they couldn’t do. They were invincible.
So Leo allowed his mind to create a scene of his brothers together. The most perfect future he could imagine for them.
Donnie. Mikey. Raph. His brothers, sitting together on the couch in the lair. They were laughing and relaxed. Perhaps watching a movie together.
Christmas. Oh, Christmas had always been some of their happiest memories! At least, it had been when his family was there. The whole lair would be decorated, covered in green garlands and colored ribbons and warm childhood memories. Every room would smell like whatever delicious meal Mikey was cooking, and freshly baked sugar cookies. There would be frosting on Mikey’s face. Perhaps some stray sprinkles as well.
There would be a Christmas tree, of course. Covered in glittery decorations and lights, and that tree topper that Donnie made when they were kids that projected starry images onto the ceiling.
Perhaps some of Raph’s students would be there, and Raph would be lifting one of them up to hang an ornament up near the top. He would be doing double duty, also guarding the pile of presents against MIkey’s mischief. Perhaps, at his young charges' eager instance, he would finally give in and start telling them all stories of some of their past adventures, pretending to be grumpy about it, but secretly enjoying himself immensely. Mikey would chime in with wild embellishments, with Donnie correcting him absently while distracted with some other project. The kids would be sitting around, looking up at his brothers in awe.
And Donnie would be dressed up like Santa Claus. Heh. The fake beard would be the same one he used when he dressed up as a wizard when they were kids, LARPing a Maze and Mutants game. He was the head of a highly advanced scientific research facility, creating technological and medical advances that were changing the lives of both humans and mutants the world over. But here, in his home, he’d be just their brother Donnie. Dressed up in a red and white suit and smiling gap toothed through a fake beard as he arranged the gifts under the tree and the stockings hung up on the wall.
Would they think of him at all during this? Grieve for him? Leo didn’t want to think of that. For the time that he had left, he wanted to think of them only being happy.
It was growing harder and harder to focus, but he willed himself to not let go of his brothers. He didn’t want to let those images fade. Trying to remember every forgotten childhood memory. Trying to imagine every happy possibility for them.
Eventually, though, he found the darkness creeping in, and it grew harder and harder to form cohesive thoughts. First the lair began to fade away, and then, eventually, his brothers themselves began to drift in and out of focus.
He refused to give in, struggling to hold on to them for as long as he possibly could.
Soon, all he could see were their faces, floating in the darkness.
Raph. Donnie. Mikey. Children once more, happy and innocent and swearing that nothing would ever come between them.
He didn’t know when he lost his battle with his lungs. When he started gasping in that toxic gas. He was too busy trying not to lose them.
And, when it became too difficult to concentrate on anything, when he began to lose all conscious thought and he was disappearing into the muddy darkness, he still clung to three nameless, formless colors.
He couldn’t even think of names anymore. It was too hard to form any conscious thoughts.
But he… he couldn’t lose them.
Red.
Purple.
Orange.
He clung onto them with every ounce of his being, for as long as he could.
Even when he couldn’t remember why they were so important.
Red.
Purple.
Orange.
He didn’t want to let go…
No…
…Please…
....Don't go...
Don’t leave him alone in the darkness…
“DAMN IT LEO! Don’t you Fucking DARE!!”
Raph’s emotionally charged roar in his ears and a heavy slam into his chest had him jolting back to the land of the living with a gasp.
He didn’t know when the darkness had completely taken over, but now he found himself abruptly ripped out of it.
And the first thing he realized was that he was suffocating. His lungs were burning desperately for air! He instinctively gasped, trying to gulp in air, but his throat seized up and he couldn’t get air in fast enough. He coughed and choked, struggling for the much needed oxygen which trickled in between each cough.
“He’s breathing! Oh, thank the gods! He’s breathing!” A familiar voice cried out, almost sobbing in relief, and Leo felt hands and arms holding him.
Through the haze, Leo struggled to gulp air into his desperate lungs between coughs. He was laying on his shell, his head cradled by a lap, and his leg weakly kicked out as he tried to move. He couldn’t move his arms, they were somehow restrained to his side, and there was something hard pressed over his snout, covering his mouth and nose. He couldn’t smell anything, just plastic and oxygen.
“It’s okay, Leo. Deep, calm breaths. You’re okay.” There were calming hands stroking his forehead. The voice seemed far away, as if echoing through a fog, but it was a familiar voice.
One of his brothers.
Slowly, the voice came into focus, sounding clearer as his breathing became less desperate. It was Donnie’s voice. “You’re safe now. Just breathe. Keep breathing…”
Leo found his way past the worst of the choking fits and managed to get in a decent lungful of air. He still couldn’t move his arms. He didn’t know what was going on.
“He’s... He’s going to be okay, isn’t he?” Raph’s voice was uncharacteristically shaky and unsure.
“Yeah… Yeah, I think so.” Donnie’s voice was in fully medical emergency mode. Calm, clipped, and logical. Minor things like emotions and panic could happen later, when things were back under control. “Mikey, hold the oxygen mask here, keep it on Leo. Raph, let’s try to get his restraints off.”
“Okay.” Leo felt the lap his head was resting on shift as a new hand pressed on the hard plastic shell covering his beak.
His eyes fluttered open, and it took a moment to focus. But the blurry image above him slowly solidified, and Leo found himself staring up into two warm, baby blue eyes.
“Oh! Hello there! Welcome back to the land of the living, Leo!” Mikey looked down at him, giving him a smile that was both impish and slightly trembling from relief. He was holding a clear oxygen mask over Leo's snout, which was feeding him that precious air that he was drinking in. His other hand moved to stroke Leo’s head, which was resting on his lap. “You really scared us there for a moment, bro. We thought we were too late!”
Leo tried to speak, but only ended up coughing weakly. His legs slid against the ground, but his arms still wouldn’t move, pressed tightly against his side.
“Easy, Leo.” Raph’s voice was unusually gentle and hoarse, and Leo felt a hand rest against his plastron, stilling him. “We’re working on getting you free. Just give us a moment.”
Leo’s eyes drifted down hazily, and the first thing he focused on was Donnie and Raph. His brothers… They were really here. They were okay and safe. The second thing he noticed was that there were metal restraints wrapped around him, trapping his arms. That’s why he couldn’t move.
Donnie’s tongue was sticking out slightly in concentration as he worked on the lock. Raph was assisting him, but for a moment, his green eyes flickered up to meet Leo’s gaze. His face was shadowed in unreadable emotions, but his hand, still resting on Leo’s plastron, gave him a comforting touch.
“We’re here, Leo.” Raph couldn’t completely hide the relief as his voice cracked slightly. It looked like he was trying to reassure himself just as much as Leo. “We’re here, and you’re safe now.”
Leo exhaled shakily, and let his head fall back to rest in Mikey’s lap, trusting his brothers and relaxing his tense muscles.
“You… came…” he managed to whisper hoarsely, his voice muffled by the mask, but a relieved smile tugging weakly at the corner of his mouth.
“Of course we did, big bro.” Mikey gave him a little squeeze that could be interpreted as a hug, despite the awkward angle. “We came as soon as we heard you were in trouble. Donnie even let us use one of his jets so we could get here faster! We’re probably the first turtles to break the sound barrier!”
“Mikey, we’ve broken the sound barrier many times before. That’s not a new accomplishment.” Donnie said absently, and suddenly there was a click, and Leo felt the metal constraints fall away, freeing his arms. Donnie shifted and moved back into Leo’s field of vision, his mahogany eyes examining him worriedly.
Leo didn't like seeing him so distressed, and felt a strong need to reassure his little brother. He weakly raised up an arm to shakily remove the oxygen mask from his face. “I’m… fine.” he managed to breathe out.
Donnie blinked at him, then cracked a wry smile. “I suppose I should’ve expected you to say that.” Donnie gave him a relieved look, then allowed a bit of emotion to crack through the logical mask. Shaking slightly, he leaned down to press his forehead against Leo’s, whispering. “I was so afraid we’d be too late. We… we can’t lose you too, Leo!”
Leo reached up to wrap his hand behind his brother’s head, happily returning the forehead press. “I’m… still here.”
Donnie sniffed, then pulled back and took back the oxygen mask, putting it back on Leo’s face. “I want you to keep this on just a little bit longer. I don’t like that you’re still short of breath.”
MIkey’s folded legs under his head tensed up just a little, and his orange brother’s hand moved back to hold the mask back on his face once more, pulling him into a hug. “Leo’s going to be okay, right?”
“He should be. He’s already making visible improvements after just a few minutes.” Donnie nodded, sitting back. “Still, I’d like to get him back to my lab with proper medical equipment, where I can pinpoint exactly what gas they were using on him.”
“Yeah. I think we outstayed our welcome anyways.” Raph grunted as he stood up beside them. Until that moment, he had just been sitting next to them, quietly watching. But now he was looking around them seriously. “We took out the guards here, but backup might be on the way. We need to get Leo somewhere safe.”
For the first time, Leo noticed the giant hole blown in the side of the building, and the rubble and broken equipment all around them.
He glanced up at Mikey and raised an eyeridge, taking the oxygen mask off for a moment to talk. “You guys… were subtle ninjas as always…, I see.”
“Hey, what can I say? We break in with style.” Mikey happily admitted.
“Fuckers tried to take you. They got what they deserved.” Raph snarled with such intense feeling that it surprised Leo. Raph noticed, and winced, before looking away, speaking more quietly, “You should’ve had somebody to watch your shell.” his voice cracked as he moved away the last of the manacles, a hint of self loathing in his tone. “You almost died because we weren’t there. I wasn’t there.”
Leo shook his head. He was the one who got himself in that mess. He would never blame his brothers for his own failings.”You… saved me.” he pointed out breathlessly.
Raph was silent for a moment, and then he scoffed, reached down, and pushed the oxygen mask back on Leo’s face. “For now, just concentrate on breathing, you idiot.”
Leo wasn’t going to complain. Drinking in that sweet oxygen the mask was providing was soothing his lungs more than he cared to admit. But then Leo felt Raph’s strong arms slide under him, lifting him up and startling him, and suddenly he found he had it in him to complain after all.
“Raph!” He squawked awkwardly, taking the mask off again to protest. “I… I can walk. You don’t have to… carry me!”
“It’s for the best, Leo.” Donnie said firmly as he walked by, reaching over to push the mask back on his face. “Like Raph said, just concentrate on breathing for now. I don’t want any strenuous exercise until I get a better look at you.”
Leo wanted to complain that walking wasn’t strenuous exercise, but he felt too exhausted to argue, and so he decided that he’d allow Raph to carry him this once.
Mikey stood up and brushed off his legs, then grabbed the oxygen canister the mask was attached to. “I can carry this. Don’t worry, Leo! We parked the jet close by! You should’ve seen their faces when Donnie landed it on their own runway!”
Leo raised an eyeridge again.
“Save your breath, Leo, we know.” Donnie said dryly before Leo could say anything. “Subtle ninjas, and all that. It was efficient and effective, and we didn't have time to plan for a stealthy approach.”
“And we rescued you in the end. That’s all that matters.” Raph said, walking through the hole in the wall while carrying Leo, Donnie and Mikey close beside them.
Leo couldn’t argue with that.
“And… uh, Leo?” Donnie grew a little more hesitant and careful with his words. “We… we were talking on our way here. And… uh… If you’re okay with it… maybe…”
“Maybe we can get the team back together.” Mikey finished for him. “I mean, I really missed you guys. Like, a lot a lot. And… I know we all got our own things going on now, but… maybe we can keep do our own things, but… y'know... while together again? As a team?” His voice trailed off hopefully.
Leo blinked, and looked up at Raph.
Raph swallowed hard, but didn’t say anything.
He didn’t need to. His face said everything.
Since when did Raph give puppy dog eyes?!
Leo swallowed, and nodded mutely, trying to pretend that he wasn’t about to cry from sheer relief.
He could immediately sense the ripple of joy that went through all of his brothers, and the excited spring that was back in their steps.
He understood completely.
He was back together with his brothers again.
Leaning into Raph’s strong chest and closing his eyes, Leo listened to his brothers talking around him.
They had come for him. His brothers had saved him.
They were together once more, he and his brothers.
Blue, Red, Purple, and Orange.
Leo smiled to himself as he was carried away by his family to safety and the promise of home.
He couldn’t possibly dream of a happier future.
Inside the TCRI building, it was late and after hours. Fluorescent lights, dimmed down and muted, flickered up in the ceiling, causing the giant metal pods lining the room to cast dark shadows on the walls.
A rather young looking human janitor was moving across the room, sweeping up the floor with a long handled floor mop. He was just finishing up, paused in front of one of the pods as he passed it, and glanced at the screens, confused.
“Hey, Phil.” He straightened up and called back to his partner. “There’s… a lot of activity going on on the screen here. Is that something we should report?”
“Hm?” An older, slightly graying janitor paused in cleaning the glass of some containers. “Give me a moment, I’ll take a look.” He set his squeegee down in the bucket and walked over, drying his hand off on a rag.
He stopped in front of the pod, and glanced at the screen. Like the kid said, one of the graphs monitoring brain waves was fairly active.
“Oh, yeah. This is the newest installation, isn’t it?” He stepped back and glanced over the pod. “I heard it was a bitch to capture. Took out a lot of guards.”
“Which is why I don’t want it to bust out.” the younger man frowned, glancing around nervously. “None of the other pods ever have this much brain activity going on on their screens. Is it awake in there?”
“Ah, right. This is the first time you’ve seen a freshly installed critter.” Phil patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. “Well, don’t worry, Alan. It’s nothing to worry about. From what the eggheads told me, the thing is basically just dreaming. The specimens apparently do that for a while when first put in the pods.”
Alan looked surprised, looking between the pod and his coworker. “It’s… dreaming? About what?”
“Who knows.” Phil shrugged, turning back to start gathering up his tools. “Don’t think too hard about it. It’ll fade away and stop after a while. They always do. Sometimes it only takes a few days, sometimes a month or two. But they all end up the same, like the others there.”
Alan swallowed hard, looking at the active lines fluctuating rhythmically, then at the screen of the creature in the next pod, which showed only the barest blips of activity. Cold and quiet and dreamless.
“Now come on. We need to help the others get the main entrance and Wards 2 and 4 cleaned up. There’s a ton of it, thanks to the mess that asshole created.” Phill gestured towards the tank of the dreaming specimen before hoisting up his bag. “Broken glass and furniture and concrete everywhere. It’s going to take us all night to get that mess together.”
“R-right. Be right behind you.” Alan nodded, clutching his mop handle.
Before he followed his coworker, though, he stepped up and peered into the glass window of the pod, studying the unconscious turtle mutant floating inside almost lifelessly in the greenish fluid, covered in tubes and wires.
Swallowing hard, his stomach twisting with a twinge of uncomfortable feelings, he stepped away, turned, grabbing his mop and own tools. He quickly followed Phil out of the room, turning off the lights as he went.
The room with the pods was dark now. The only lights were the red glow of the exit sign above the door, reflecting dully off the white tiled walls and floor, and the glow of the multiple screens hooked up to the row of metal pods.
All of the monitors were quiet and calm except for the one attached to the newest pod. The one still pulsing slightly with light as the lines moved across the screen in strong, desperate waves.
Showing that, for now, the floating turtle within continued to cling to his dreams.
Outside, the air was heavy with the signs of an impending summer thunderstorm. Leaves in trees rustled in the wind, and plastic bags and trash tumbled down the nearly empty streets.
A distant flash of lightning faintly lit up the sky for the briefest of seconds.
But that quick flash of electrical white light was enough to illuminate three figures crouched on a nearby rooftop.
And then they were lost to shadows again.
All that was left in darkness were three sets of deadly white eyes, glaring with purpose at the TCRI building.