Two Minutes Ago
Having trailed the Purple Dragons all morning, Raphael was about to follow them into the Tang Shen Dojo in order to stop them from whatever they were about to do in there. As he prepared to descend from the rooftop he was on, the teenage turtle suddenly found a hand on his shoulder. "What are you doing here, Raphael?" Leonardo asked with Michelangelo and Donatello standing behind him. "Oh, geez, Leonardo, I figured I'd just do a little bird watching, maybe get some Starbucks and relax. What do you think I'm doin' here? The Purple Dragons are in the dojo, we gotta stop 'em!" "In the dojo?" Leonardo asked. "Is the kid in there?" "No, Jackie Chan's making an appearance and they just really wanted his autograph," Raphael said. "We're wastin' time here!" "You're right, Raphael." Leonardo said as Michelangelo gasped, taking a step back. "I've seen this happen in a movie before. We need some holy water, a young priest, and an old priest!" Michelangelo said. "Don't worry, bro, we'll get that demon out of you!" Donatello sighed as he slapped Michelangelo upside the head. * Inside the dojo, Hun was still holding Zack with a knife to his throat. Across the room stood April O'Neil, owner and head instructor of the Tang Shen Dojo.She was wielding a bo staff in her hand, not taking her eyes off of Hun. "Let him go," April said in a calm tone. "I don't want to fight you." "You? Fight me?" Hun laughed as the other Purple Dragons snuck in, wearing purple and black masks to hide their identities. Within seconds there were six of them surrounding her. "You'd probably end up breaking one of your pretty little nails. Now, what do you think a little girl like you could do again--" THWACK! POW! ACTION NOISE! April held her bo staff in one hand, and snapped her fingers with the other. One second later, all six Purple Dragons fell to the ground in unison. "Stay back!" Hun shouted as he pressed the knife closer to Zack's throat. "I'll kill him!" As Zack struggled to breath, several smoke pellets hit the ground, covering the room in a fog. As Hun stepped back, he found the exit had been blocked by something big. He slowly turned his head around to see a shadow in the smoke, with glowing white eyes. Hun pushed Zack to the ground as he started to run, as another shadowy figure landed right in front of him with what looked like an absurdly sharp sword. "Monsters!" Hun shouted as he started running for any exit he could find. When the smoke cleared, only the unconscious Purple Dragons remained while Zack was still on the floor, too afraid to move. * "Where'd he go?" Leonardo asked the Turtles headed for the roofhatch to make their escape. "I think we lost him, Leonardo," Donatello told him. "Probably cut through the back entrance. If he made it to the grassy field he can lose himself in the woods." "Dammit!" Raphael said as they got to the rooftop. "We can't lose him, he'll strike at the kid again once he thinks the coast is clear." "We'll report back to Father and come up with a new plan," Leonardo told them. "But first we need to get away, the cops are sure to come now." "They're actually on their way, but I won't mention... you," April said, now standing on the rooftop behind them. "Provided you tell me who you are and what just happened down there?" "Wha-- how did-- why is--?" Michelangelo stammered before whispering to Leonardo "Is she magic?" "You're April O'Neil, we've heard much about you," Leonardo said as he nodded to his brothers to let them know it was okay. He put his swords back into their holsters on his back as he bowed to April in a sign of respect. "We were only here to help your student. He's somehow become a target for the Purple Dragons." "That much is obvious," April told them. "Meet me back here tonight after the dojo closes. We can talk more then." The sound of police sirens was heard in the distance as April turned toward the distraction. When she turned back two seconds later, the Turtles were already gone. * "Tatsu's going to kill me," Hun said as he stopped to breathe in an alley. "Unless..." * "So, what, we're trusting humans now?" Raphael asked as the Turtles returned to their lair. "How do we know she won't have a S.W.A.T. team waiting for us? Or the army? Or some kind of mutant sharks? Supposedly those are a thing now." "I heard mutant sharks only come in tornado form." Michelangelo said. "We can trust her, we know her," Leonardo said as he continued walking. The other three brothers just stared at each other. "We do?" they said in unison. * Splinter meditated in his own personal room, which had been decorated in Japanese artwork and other items such as a small porcelain collection. "Father, we bring news, good and bad," Leonardo said softly as he stood at the entrance. "We stopped the Purple Dragons from getting that kid again, but... their leader got away. Plus... April O'Neil spotted us." Splinter slowly opened his eyes and turned his head toward his oldest son. "Come, Leonardo, sit down and we shall talk," Splinter told him in his aged voice. "Tea?" "Of course," Leonardo said as he sat down across from his father and took the tiny cup in his large hand. "I am sorry we failed in stopping Hun from escaping." "You saved the boy's life, you did not fail," Splinter told him. "But it is imperative that we know why they seek to murder this child. Does April know anything beyond what she witnessed today?" "She wasn't shocked at seeing us," Leonardo told him. "Do you think she knows the truth?" "April O'Neil has always been an intelligent young woman," Splinter said. "Even though you are the only one of your brothers that has memory of what happened those many years ago, perhaps April is one of the few people we must trust with our secret if we wish to help save this city from whatever the Purple Dragons are planning." * "Jeez, Michelangelo, are we really watching this crap again?" Raphael asked as he saw his younger brother on the couch, turning the channel to cartoons. "Oh, come on, Raphael, Rise of the Monchichis is a good show." Michelangelo told him. "The comedy is forced, the animation's crap compared to the last version of the Monchichis that ended last year, and they cram too much stuff into eleven minute segments," Raphael said. "It's like they narrowed their demographic to 5-year-olds instead of trying to make a show that everyone can watch." "I preferred the 80's cartoon," Donatello said as typed away on his computer. "And the 1990 movie with Corey Haim playing Wizzar." "What are you doing, Donatello?" Raphael asked. "Visiting the dark corners of the internet again?" "I told you, I needed a sample of a computer virus to build the ultimate anti-virus," Donatello reminded him. "Now I have anti-viral software that can stop even the worst computer virus out there. And what I'm doing is looking up history on this Zack kid to see if I can figure out what he-- Whoa." "What is it?" Raphael asked as he got up and looked at the screen. "Whoa." "Hey, I wanna 'whoa', too!" Michelangelo said as he got up and looked over Donatello's shoulder. "Whoa. Wait, why are we 'whoaing' again?" Leonardo coughed to get his brothers' attention as he stood at the entrance door. "Father has a solution." * Hun returned to the old warehouse that The Purple Dragons called home, cautiously making sure Tatsu wasn't there. Hun had been relieved to find out that Tatsu was out on personal business with his assistant. That bought him some time to get the Zack situation taken care of. "I can't take that brat out because everytime we get near him, those jokers show up to save his bacon," Hun said to himself as he strolled through the play area where the recruits were enjoying their downtime. "I need to get Zack isolated, but for that I need a little help..." After several minutes of looking over what the warehouse had to offer at this time of day, Hun finally found exactly who he'd been looking for. "You," Hun said as he pulled a young red-headed man aside. "You're one of the new kids, right?" "Yeah," the boy said with an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth. He'd been taking baby steps into smoking, not yet having the courage to actually light one up. He looked to be around Zack's age, give or take a year or two. But Hun didn't have time to screen candidates, he just needed someone young and stupid. "Just joined yesterday." "Well, Master Tatsu has already taken note of you," Hun lied as he led the boy to the side away from the others who were playing their games and having fun. "And he has personally chosen you for a very special mission." "Really? Me?" the boy asked. "Why?" "Because he thinks you've got the real makings of a Purple Dragon," Hun smirked. "And if you complete this mission before the end of the day, you could be training to be a full member within the week." "Awesome," the boy said. "What do I have to do?" "I need you to help take out a threat to the Purple Dragons." * "I don't like this," Raphael said. "We need to be kicking some Purple Dragon butt, getting to the source of the problem." "Yeah, except we don't know why they're targeting this kid," Leonardo told his brother as the Turtles shadowed Zack back to his home, where they were waiting in a large leafy tree across the street. "What's so special about him that the Dragons are actively trying to take him out?" "Well, it might have something to do with the news story I found online," Donatello told him as he pulled up the story on his wrist computer. "His brother was a Purple Dragon, or at least suspected of being one, no one could ever connect him to the gang. They might have wiped every trace of him being part of the gang off the map before anyone could connect his death to them." Leonardo looked at the story before looking up at Donatello. "It's him, this is the kid that--" "We know," Raphael said, looking away in shame. "Which is why it's important that we make sure the same thing doesn't happen to Zack." "Guys, I just thought of something." Michelangelo said. "This better not be about getting pizza," Raphael said. "Or I'll sock you one in yer beak." "No, well, yes, but that wasn't the main thing I was going to say," Michelangelo said. "If Walt was a Purple Dragon, what if he left proof behind with Zack that the Purple Dragons couldn't destroy? Like in all those espionage movies where the dead dude leaves incriminating evidence behind that the mob is willing to kill for to make sure it never gets revealed?" "I can't believe it, Michelangelo might be onto something." Leonardo realized. "First time for everything." Donatello said bluntly. "HEY!" "What if Walt did have something on the gang, and Zack knows where it is, but doesn't realize it?" Leonardo told his brothers. "Like a flashdrive or video footage?" "We have three hours before we meet up with April at the dojo," Donatello said as they saw Zack leaving the house. "How do you want to play this?" "Raphael, you keep an eye on Zack," Leonardo said. "Donatello, you sneak into the house and search for clues for whatever Walt evidence Walt might have left. Michelangelo... go to the dojo and make sure the Purple Dragons aren't scouting the place. I'll help Donatello. We'll all meet back up at the Dojo in three hours." * Zack had arrived at the park with a backpack slung over his shoulder, having decided to run away. He sat down on a bench, running a hand through his hair while trying to figure out his next move just as a red-headed boy skateboarded up next to him. "Hey, kid," the boy said. "You look like hell. You okay?" "No," Zack said as he stared down at the ground. "It just seems like I can't do anything without screwing up. My life's basically ruined and I don't know why, and I don't know what to do." "Know what helps me clear my head so I can think?" the boy asked. "Skateboarding. You ever ride?" "I used to skateboard with my big brother, but he's... not around anymore." Zack told him as the boy held out a hand. "Come on, it's like riding a bike, you never forgot how. The name's Danny." "Zack," Zack said as Danny helped him up. "I should warn you, hanging out with me might get you killed." "Hey, I like to live dangerously," Danny told him as they headed for the skateboard park. "I'll take my chances." Meanwhile, Raphael followed close behind, using stealth so he wouldn't be seen. * "I don't get it, I've gone through Zack's computer with a fine-tooth comb and I haven't found anything. No hidden files, no encrypted data, nothing. Well, maybe some, uh, websites that aren't intended for the eyes of children, but that's it," Donatello told him. "This kid's good at scrubbing his browser clean, but he really shouldn't bookmark the links." "Never mind that, I haven't found anything in his room that connects to the purple dragons, not even so much as a flash drive or news clipping," Leonardo told him. "Maybe our hunch was wrong." "Or maybe we're just looking for the wrong thing," Donatello told him as he looked around. "It Walt was hiding evidence, he wouldn't keep it in an obvious place. Maybe Zack doesn't even realize what he has. If you were going to send a message to one of your brothers, how would do it?" "A coded message," Leonardo told him. "Maybe given in an object that has great sentimental value. The problem is, we don't know Zack well enough to know what object he cherishes the most." "Maybe we don't, but maybe April would, she seems to know the kid pretty well," Donatello told him. "Think she could help us figure this out?" "First we need to find out what she knows about us," Leonardo told him. "Let's go meet up with Michelangelo." * After about 45 minutes of getting Zack back into skateboarding and forgetting about his troubles for a little while, Zack found himself sitting on the edge of a skateboard pit as Danny walked up and tossed him a soda before sitting next to him. "You were good," Danny told him. "You should board more often. It'd be nice to have a friend to hang out with here." "I'd like to, but--," Zack said as he looked at his backpack by the bench. "I don't know if I'll be hanging around too much longer." "Running away?" Danny asked. "Looks like we're in the same boat." "You ran away, too?" "My Dad's always on my case, trying to make me be something I'm not," Danny said as he took a drink of his soda. "When he started threatening military school, I just... bailed. Grabbed a few things and left and I haven't looked back." "People are trying to kill me," Zack told him. "I don't know what I did to piss them off, but the Purple Dragons want me dead. So... I have to leave town. Before they try to kill my mom and my friends at the dojo. I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me." "And you don't know why they're after you?" "No," Zack said, not realizing the black-pajama clad ninjas gathering behind him. "I guess it doesn't matter what I did, they already killed my brother." Zack noticed the sun was setting as he started to stand up. "Look, I gotta go, I'm catching the next bus out. It was good meeting y--" As Zack turned around, he saw a dozen ninjas facing him. Danny turned to see what was happening and was instantly confused as to why they were messing with his mission. "Guys, chill," Danny said with a smirk as he stepped forward. "Zack's cool, I can vouch for--" A loud smack echoed as the head ninja backhanded him. "You do not speak," the ninja told him. "The boy is to come with us." "I don't think so, pal." Raphael said as a blinding flash knocked him to the ground. Still wearing his trenchcoat and fedora, the mutant turtle pulled out his twin pair of sai and went into attack mode to take on the squad of ninja soldiers. "Are you-- are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Danny asked in disbelief as he rubbed his eyes. Getting ahold of himself, he grabbed Zack's arm. "Let's run while they're distracted!" "What's the point?" Zack asked as Danny took a deep breath. He grabbed Zack and lifted him around his shoulders as he started running while Hun watched from the shadows, silently following them now that Zack's protector had been distracted. Raphael grabbed two ninjas and slammed their heads together as they rushed at him from opposing sides. Another one attacked from behind as Raphael flung him over his shoulder, sending him rolling down the skateboard ramp. A spin-kick sent another one flying as the turtle clotheslined two more. After a few more well-timed hits, all twelve ninjas were out cold on the ground as Raphael looked around, seeing the two boys were gone. "Damn." * The other three Turtles united at the dojo as Michelangelo watched the building on the rooftop across the way. Leonardo and Donatello noticed the empty pizza boxes as they approached their brother. "Where did these pizzas come from?" Leonardo asked. "Hey, cut me some slack, surveillance makes me hungry." "Eating makes you hungry," Donatello told him. "Is everything clear?" "Nah, the binoculars are a little blurry, really should have brought paper towels to clean them with." Michelangelo said as Leonardo grabbed them from him. "I meant is the dojo clear?" Donatello asked as Leonardo wiped the lenses and looked through them. "It looks calm," Leonardo said. "We'll let Raphael stay on Zack. The rest of us will go in." * "I can't believe I lost the kid," Raphael said as he rushed through the park. "Leonardo's going to have my shell for this. I just hope those masked freaks haven't caught up to him." * Danny got as far as he could before he was too tired to carry Zack anymore, putting him down as he tried to catch his breath. The two had ended up at the top of a steep hill overlooking the park. "You should have just left me there," Zack told me. "They're not going to stop until I'm dead. Why'd you save me?" "Because I like you," Danny said between pants. "You're the first person I've met that actually seems to... get me. I couldn't stand by while you got hurt. Why don't you fight back?" "Because... I can't," Zack said. "I've been going to the Tang Shen Dojo for years and I can't even do a jump kick without falling on my butt." "That place?" Danny asked. "I wanted to go there but my Dad said that the last thing I needed to learn was violence." "It's not about violence, it's about finding self-confidence to not use violence," Zack told him. "I just kind of suck at it. Computers are more my thing." "Zack, you need to know something and you're probably going to hate me for it," Danny told him as he stood at the edge of the hill to see the sun setting. "I'm not the person you think I am. In fact, the whole reason I ran into you today was--" The ground under Danny's feet gave way as he started tumbling down the large hill, hitting his head on a rock along the way, knocking him out. He continued rolling towards the bottom as Zack watched helplessly. "Danny!" TO BE CONTINUED...
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Tobias ChristopherAuthor, pubescent ninjitsu master Archives
February 2019
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