Prologue: Part seven
Diana had returned later that night to find her friend being bandaged, and still very out cold. Her stomach still twisted at the thought of the pain the girl must have gone through when the wings had burst from her back, and the stunned look on Raph's face, his shocked silence, ate away at her. She'd helped dress her friend, and took to Leo's room to examine the thick files and books she brought from their apartment as Raphael sat by the bed and watched Mo.
The red-headed warrior felt a corner of her heart not sick with worry warmed at the thought of their new friends adopting them both so completely. She found herself hopeful at how Raphael cared for Mo.
She also found herself surprised at just how comfortable she was in Leo's bedroom. She herself owned copies of quite a few of his religious and philosophical texts lining his shelves, though hers weren't arranged quite as aesthetically as his where. He had arranged them by color and size, where she had hers by subject and alphabetical order.
His entire room was exceedingly neat, peaceful, if not a little on the anal side. Upon the walls, he'd hung his weaponry, breathtaking Japanese watercolors she'd never seen anywhere else, likely done by his own hand, a wooden fan, and a mirror. There was also a tank of fluttering goldfish sitting against a wall, and a bowl holding a purple and blue fanned beta sitting upon the shelf running along the wall by the bed currently occupied by Mo. On his dresser, there sat a mandala of river rocks, and in the corner a paper lantern adorned with kanji hung with companions in the form of origami cranes. All this with the plants needing little light, spoke volumes of this warrior she found herself growing closer and closer to.
It had eased her into a calm deep enough to lose herself in the tiny printed, dry texts which held information on her precious friend, yet brought a dull throbbing just behind her eyes. Her leather trench she'd removed long ago, bearing her toned, scarred arms to the cool air of the lair, and she'd set her hair free of its bindings to cascade over her shoulders and back in long, fiery curls. She wasn't sure how long she'd been reading, but with an internal start, she felt a change in the room, and turned to see not Raphael sitting by Mo's temporary bedside, but a very tired looking Leonardo.
When she glanced over her shoulder to offer him a weary smile, he met her eyes and greeted her, "Hey.... burning the midnight oil?"
Diana stretched her back to ease the ache which arose between her shoulder blades, "Hai...trying to see if there's anything in her past that can help her now..." She turned to face him more easily in the chair, and pursed her lips.
Leo found himself nodding, stifling a tired yawn and excusing himself. Five hours' sleep on the uncomfortable mattress of the fold-out couch was far from enough rest. He made his way over to her and forced his eyes to focus on the mass of words spread on the pages before Di. It seemed it was getting harder to see such small print, and he hated to admit he'd need glasses in the future.
The young woman nodded again, and ran her hands over her face. "...the lab people kept her drugged most of the time...she couldn't feel her own body, so there was no pain from the previous changes..."
It was then his eyes caught the medical dictionary she'd brought with her. It seemed this wasn't exactly her idea of pleasure reading. He said nothing about that, opting instead for, "Don's fairly knowledgeable about medical things. Perhaps he'd like to take a look at this." Donnie had glasses, anyway.
She rubbed her aching neck, "That would be a good idea...there's more than enough here to keep him busy for a long time..."
Leo's deep, dark eyes settled on her then, and the heal of his hand rested on the back of the chair as he leaned a little towards her. "..Diana? ....perhaps you should try to get some sleep."
Her piercing eyes rose to his as she leaned back with a sigh, "Perhaps in a little bit...I don't think I can, at the moment..." Those eyes wandered to her fitfully sleeping friend, and she lightly chewed her lower lip. Right then, it simply wasn't an option.
Leo glanced to the figure under his blanket, then back to Diana. "I understand," He'd wanted to take the burden upon his shoulders himself. He'd wanted her to rest, but he knew how it felt to feel responsibility over someone you loved all too well.
Just then, there was a soft gasp from Mo, and her impossibly dark eyes flashed open to catch sight of the foreign ceiling above her. She only remembered the pain, and instinctively tried shoving herself up on her elbows. Dimly, she heard Leo cry her name in what sounded like surprise.
Both Leonardo and Diana were suddenly on either side of her wearing identical expressions of worry, as they both gently eased her back to the comfort of the mattress. It was Leonardo who found the words, "..Don't.. Don't try to sit up just yet.. Your body's been through a lot.. It's best if you don't try to get up just yet.. please.."
Mo gasped softly as she painfully lay back. When she spoke, her voice was horse, her throat dry, "...what happened?"
With a frown, Leo glanced back to Diana before replying, "..We're.. not exactly sure. But it seems you've grown a large pair of.. wings."
Mo cringed as Di nodded and stroked her hair gently. "...oh..." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Other changes didn't hurt nearly this much...s...sorry...for any trouble..."
He smiled a little, reached down to gently take her hand in his, "It's alright. ..We're your friends.. It isn't any trouble."
At that, the young woman opened her eyes again, saw the smile and returned it tremulously. Her eyes sank closed again. "...thank you..."
Again, he glanced at the red head before speaking again, "Do you want me to get you something to eat or drink, perhaps?"
She shook her head a little on the pillow, feeling weakness start to carry her away again, "...don't think my stomach could...handle it.."
He smoothed a hand over his head as he watched her, "Alright.. ...let me know if you need anything to eat, alright? ...Just try to rest...you lost a lot of blood, Mo."
She nodded slightly, feeling her muscles relaxing. "I will..." A soft sigh lifted from her throat, and sleep took over.
Diana still found herself worried, though relieved that her friend did awaken. It was going to be alright. She tucked the blanket a little more securely around the sleeping girl's body, and spoke softly, "At least she woke up for a bit..."
"Yeah... Do you think we should change rooms so we don't wake her?"
"Hai...a good idea. She should be safe enough now."
With that, Leo grabbed the books from the desk and turned off the lights, knowing Di was following him from the room just as silently as he behind him. Perhaps they'd finally get some real sleep, now.
When they reached the living room, he deposited the books on the coffee table at the foot of the fold out couch, then leaned back on the aforementioned bed with a wince. It creaked under his weight, and he sighed with a swallow. The sound of Don's typing floated out to them from his lab. "I can't believe he's still up..." A yawn interrupted him. "...he's crazy."
Diana found herself settling lightly on the edge of the couch bed by him. "Devoted...or a night owl." She stretched her arms over her head, her right shoulder popping as she did so.
He smirked to himself as he stretched his body out on the bed with a creak of his carapace. "...A night owl.. Always has been. But he tends to get lost in what he's doing.. It's one of his greatest strengths and his weakness. ....You alright?"
Quietly, she slid back over the bed, and lay back with a nod. It felt good to stretch out. "I've known many...but your brother seems like a sweet guy." A smirk then spread over her lips. "Hai...simply an old injury that never healed properly."
"...Don's one of the best guys I know. Of course, it's not like I know many guys." He found himself grinning a little again, before it faded. "Tell me about it. I'm a walking chronology of battle scars and injuries. What happened?"
The smirk turned into a true, peaceful smile. "You all have very good points...you're some of the best people I've had the honor to run across." She shrugged slightly and turned on her side, a fiery curl falling into her eyes. "Mm...we share that in common...the scars and injuries. That particular shoulder was crushed by the front fender of an old pickup truck and a wall. The drivers were attempting to run me down, and I was just a bit too slow."
He smiled a bit, and felt his beak warming at the comment, but he brushed it aside, as he did with that curl in the woman's eyes before him. "Jesus.. ...bloody Yew York drivers.."
His comment, the soft gesture turned those gem bright eyes warm, "...they do need work...but this was not New York....nor really this world, I believe..."
Now he rolled to his side, facing her fully. His dark eyes drank in the details of her eyes, her face, and the way the curls cascaded over her shoulder. "..excuse me?"
"Most of my lasting wounds and scars happened when I was trying to find my way home...so many of them I don't really remember well...I wouldn't mind forgetting that truck and most of what I do remember, though..."
His eyes searched the brightness of hers. Something deep within their bright depths brought painful memories to the surface. Flesh gave way beneath his blade entirely too easily, lives fleeing broken bodies. The blood rained down upon his skin with the rainwater as it spurted into the air from the suddenly headless body, the sound of a helmet hitting the rooftops echoed through the cool night air. The rain, the blood washed away the past. It washed away heavy responsibilities. In that moment, freedom had never been so terrifying. He'd always thought freedom would provide the bitter taste of the blade for them each, a life for a life. And the slate of dishonor would be wiped clean for both their families.
"...what happened?"
Her voice brought him back, the soft touch of her scarred hand upon his cheek grounded him, as he again focused on her and the world of the now. "I.. I- Just...remembering.. heh." He opened his eyes to watch hers again. There he was, bared. Exhaustion and worry exposed the true Leonardo, the one only his brothers ever saw. "There've been a lot of battles."
Something in her soul resonated with the haunted quality she found within his eyes. Silently, she knew he shared the experience of horrifying battle with her, and the after-effects. Something deep within, long dormant until now, began awakening, but she only nodded slightly. It wasn't right yet to let such things show. "If you've ever need of release...I am here, Leo..." She stroked his cheek one more time with a gentle thumb before she let her hand drop. "No one needs to carry the weight of the world alone."
Words were lost to him for the moment as the crack in his thick mental shell deepened at her voice. For as long as he could remember, he'd trained himself in restraint, and as a result release was a concept he rarely gave any mind to. He did cry a few times in the past. It couldn't be helped. His brother, Donatello, had been there for him; his rock. Don was soothing and quiet, and while Diana shared those particular traits, it was different with her in vast ways he couldn't yet name. His gaze found hers, and he sank into the emerald of her eyes, searching for her next move, for her strategy. This was no battle, though. She was simply reclined on her side, chin propped on her hand, her upper body supported on the elbow belonging to that hand, watching him as intently as he did her. He had to swallow quietly, before he could summon the words. "....arigato... Diana-chan."
She caught herself being mesmerized by his eyes, but for tonight, she simply nodded. "Of course...Nan demo nae, Leonardo-kun.." Her smile was weary, much as her mind and body were. A part of her wanted so much more, to follow avenues best left un-traveled this particular night, but the rest won out. "Perhaps rest is in order..."
"...rest.." Rest. Right. He was staring over the edge to a wonderfully terrifying fall, and doing his best to pull himself back from falling over. Oh, but he wanted so badly to take that plunge. How on earth could he even think about rest? "Hai. ...of course.."
With that, she folded her arm to lie flat on her side. That simple movement looked so much easier than it really was. "Thank you again...for your help..." A small smile found its way to her lips, "..and for your company."
His eyes were drawn to the tattoo adorning her uppermost arm. It was small, of a thorned vine laced with green leaves twining around a very old, slightly warped scar nearly hidden by newer scars. He noticed the little droplets the artist had etched onto the leaves, giving it a surprisingly realistic, sparkling effect. The dark gaze trailed up her arm, over the smooth curve of her neck and along the soft sea of red her hair made over the pillow. Only with all his strength was he able to pull himself from her magnetic effect. "You're more than welcome. ....Why don't you sleep here.. I got five hours of sleep. I should be alright. .....I'm.. I'm gonna go check on Raph, alright?"
Her gentle smile turned into a small frown. She didn't like the idea of his discomfort, or of forcing him from what she thought was the only other free sleeping surface in the lair. "You really don't need to go, Leo...if anything, my apartment really isn't that far away..."
Leo shook his head, "..I.. I really should."
Silently, she watched him for a few moments, before she nodded, "As you wish...should you grow weary enough, you can simply lie down, or I could move...I only bite when provoked." She offered a small grin.
Blood rushed to his face at that, ".. oh." To his credit, he did manage a small smile.
The smile she returned was quiet. His blush was...cute. Not a word she'd often use to describe the warrior before her. "...I will see you shortly..." She closed her eyes before her thoughts could be betrayed by them.
Slowly, he rose from the bed, rubbing at the back of his neck and torn in every direction. It felt so hollow, so incomplete. What would have happened if he'd tried to complete it? It had to have been wrong. He pushed the door open to Don's lab, slipped in, then leant back against the closed door and slid to the floor.
Donatello paused in his typing to look back at his eldest brother from his place curled before his computer, "Leo?"
The beleaguered turtle ran a hand over his face, "I'm alright.. I just need...a cold shower.. and a nap.."
Don furrowed his brows as he watched his brother over his glasses, "What happened?"
Leo only shook his head. He knew his younger brother was smart, and he'd put the pieces together. Of course, he did, and the elder made his way over to Donnie's cot hanging from the pipes at the silent invitation. It was always a marvel how calm the younger brother was when it come to the subject of women. "...thanks." Heavy sigh in his throat, he lay back on the cot, the empty feel bringing the urge to cry entirely too close to the surface. "Just what am I supposed to say, Donnie? ...I don't want to offend her.."
The turtle behind the glasses only smirked to himself. He caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the gleam of his monitor before turning to watch his brother as he rocked himself, a leg at an awkward angle to gently swing the cot back and forth on its ropes. His ever active mind was suddenly split between his brother's problem and ideas for a cot-rocking machine. "You gotta tell her the truth, eventually."
Finally, Leo's blood began to cool, and his mind began to clear. He could breath more easily now. Dark eyes sank closed as a deep breath filled the powerful lungs beneath shell and flesh. What a relief. "I figured you'd say something like that. ......First I gotta figure out just what the truth -is-..exactly."
The other turtle simply nodded and took a calm sip of coffee. Under his breath, more for himself than his reclining brother, he murmured, "...hope it never happens to me."
Leo smirked at that, and slowly began to drift off. As his mind sought sleep, he found himself hoping in amused spite that it would.
Eventually, the gentle creak of rope on metal eased into silence, and the elder turtle was silent in slumber. Donatello could finally return to his search.
He was as disturbed as the others at the night's events, and worried for their freshly vulnerable friend, but the scientific part of his mind was fully engaged with interest. That combined with the concern spurred him into this search for the cause of her mutation. None of them knew much about her past, outside of the twin facts she was created and raised in a lab, but he was determined to find clues. At the moment, the only thing he'd turned up was a small, poorly documented case of spontaneous gene mutation. It did hold merit, but he just didn't know enough yet...
He took a sip of coffee, and was startled to find the old thermos-cup empty. The void begged to be filled, and he stood after grabbing it to head towards the kitchen. His steps paused as he glanced back at his peacefully sleeping brother shrouded in the perpetual darkness of that side of his room. The lair seemed almost too silent when he finally ventured out into it. As he passed, his gaze passed over the sleeping woman on the fold-out bed on his way to the kitchen. Once he again had the preciously bitter elixir of life securely in hand, he began his way back to his lab. However, the books and files on the end-table caught his eye, and he knelt there.
His stained, calloused fingers flipped their way through the pages, as his eyes curiously took in the words. It recorded all the way back to Mo's conception, complete with pictures of her internal and external development, and charts of hormonal balances, timelines of mutations, chemical exposures, a full list of the drugs they tested on her, and all sorts of other fun goodies. "......Oh. My....Gawd." He found the wide grin on his face replaced with incredulity, as he looked up to the groggy Diana, who in turn watched him with exhaustion written all over her features. "...How come you didn't tell me you had this!? You know I've been online all night trying to find documentation of mutations that- ....cracking into government intranets and private genetics companies!? ...And you HAD this!?"
She winced with embarrassment at not having thought of it before, and rubbed her eyes. "Because I didn't know you were doing it, and I was slightly distracted helping take care of Mo....feel free to peruse all you want, Don...if you've any questions...feel free to ask."
Jet eyes narrowed as he thought briefly, "Just -one- ...What company sponsored Mo's creation?"
With a sigh, she lent back again. "Psy Labs, out of DC....independent company with government ties...very secret."
The smirk returned as he cracked his knuckles, "You just saved me a week's worth of work."
She found a small smile adorning her face at seeing his smirk, "I will save you some more...they have shut down since Mo's escape...I do not know what information there is still out there, but feel free..."
At that, he gathered the paperwork under one arm, and the coffee in the other, before he stood. "Heh, believe me, Diana.. if the information was emailed, saved in a database or typed on any form of keyboard, it still exists, even if the company's website doesn't. You just have to know where to look." The grin he shot her was just shy of devilish as he took himself and his new acquisitions back to his lab with him.
Di blinked at the grin, and a small chuckle bubbled up from her throat. She absently noted he left the dictionary behind. "You're a useful guy, Don...I'll take your word for it.."
The last she heard from him was his feint voice as he disappeared into his lab, "Ooohh-yeaahhh."
With a soft snigger, she shifted to gaze at the shadowed figure of Mo still asleep in Leo's room, before she sank back down to press the heals of her hands to her eyes. She may as well get a little sleep. There was an odd feel to the air, as if this were just the beginning of far bigger things.