***
"Okay, no one here, let's go home."
Leonardo reached back and grabbed the top of Mike's shell as he turned to go. Mike halted abruptly, one leg stuck out to take another step.
Donatello scanned the room. "It looks like they moved out in a hurry."
Leo let go of Mike and stepped forward. "Then we need to find out where they went."
Mike looked around nervously. "Why, Leo? Shredder's dead and the Foot are leaving us alone. Why do we have to go looking for trouble?"
Raphael put his arm around his shoulder. "It's part of the job. Stop them before they decide to stop leaving us alone."
Leo continued to search, looking over the areas that were cleared of dust, leaving obvious outlines of things that had been there recently. "If Splinter has a premonition that something is going to happen, then I believe it."
"Of course you do," Raphael said.
Leo glared at his brother from the corner of the small room. "Well, it's obvious they're not here, but they have to be close."
"Yeah," Donnie added. "It's looks like they had a lot of stuff, and they couldn't have moved it all this fast in that short amount of time. Not with their low numbers."
"We'll just have to check the entire area."
Mike groaned and Raphael adopted his 'rebel' pose. "Come on, Leo, this is stupid."
Leo turned back. "What if they're up to something?"
"Then we'll find out soon enough, won't we?"
Mike and Don both took a step back, neither wanting to be pulled into the argument that was sure to erupt. None of them really wanted to be here, not even Leo. But he seemed to be the only one to understand why they were doing this.
Leo clenched his fist, trying to not let his brother's attitude upset him. "Look, Raph, I know you'd rather be hanging out with your girlfriend right now…"
"She's not my girlfriend!"
"…but this is important. I don't want to be caught off guard again." That still haunted him. He'd let his guard down at TGRI, and when the Foot attacked, they weren't prepared. They had managed to get out with their shells intact, but they had lost the ooze to the Foot. He never should have let that happen.
Leo looked over his brothers' faces. They'd been out here for hours and were beginning to show it. He sighed, "One more building, then we'll go home."
***
Indigo took a deep breath as she stepped onto the bus. She passed by the other passengers and took a seat next to the rear exit to make her escape easier. Across from her sat an old man who continuously leered at her. Beside her was a young student, maybe fifteen, with greasy hair who was staring at his hands, mumbling incoherently.
She sank low in her seat and wished she had scheduled this better with her friends. If Morgan hadn't lost her car privileges, excluding school, they all could have driven together. And Indigo wouldn't have to ignore the three year old having a temper tantrum at her sneakered feet.
She hurried off the bus at her stop happily and looked around for her friends. No one was around. No one.
"Miss Tarot."
Indigo spun and swung her bag in the same motion. The young man behind her caught it easily in both hands. Indigo looked up at a pair of gray-green eyes set in a strikingly handsome face.
"Jay?"
Raven's twin brother smiled and nodded. "I'm here to escort you inside. This is a rather unfriendly neighborhood."
"Tell me about it," Indigo said under her breath.
"Miss Darksyde and my sister are already there."
Indigo silently followed Jay through the alley and into the back entrance of a building. It was a different one from her last meeting but most of the furnishings stayed the same. It seemed to her like they had just up and moved their whole base of operations over the last few days. How could they do that? And why?
They stepped off the elevator and he led her to a room. Indigo breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her friends waiting for her. Morgan stood outside the room, next to an open window, smoking a cigarette. Indigo blinked as she realized her hair had lightened to a shocking pink.
Raven was pacing nervously, a strong contrast from her brother, who seemed perfectly comfortable in the surroundings.
Once her friends were accounted for, Indigo did a quick once-over of the room. It had a table placed in the center of the room. On the table was a covered body, whom she assumed was the man they'd be helping to heal. Around the table stood four tall censers. Another table sat in the corner, covered in the things they would be using for the ritual.
Standing beside the table was an older man. Indigo was sure he was older than he looked, and more powerful than he seemed. He watched her carefully, not leering like the man on the bus, but it disturbed her all the same. He walked over and pulled her towards the center table.
"With you here, we can begin," he said, his voice surprisingly strong. "You will stand here."
Indigo gulped as she was placed at the head of the table. Raven was placed to her left, halfway down the table, and Morgan stood across from her, to Indigo's right. The old mystic stood at the foot of the table, straight across from Indigo.
"I hope you all know what is required of you," he said slowly.
They all nodded, briefly going over their parts in their minds. As the old man busied himself with spreading herbs and lighting the censers, Indigo leaned her hands on the table on either side of the head. She was tempted to lift the sheet up to look at the man.
She looked and saw Raven staring straight down. Morgan was looking at Indigo, but quickly let the table capture her attention when the blonde looked over.
The man took his place at the foot of the table again. Jay and another guard stood by the door, both masked, and Indigo could sense several other people in the room.
The old man raised his arms and began chanting in Japanese. Bits and words floated through Indigo's mind, but she only understood a handful, despite her interest in the culture.
…spirit…
…death…
…soul…
…new…
…body…
Raven held her arms out to her sides. "We ask the Great Mother to hear us and grant our boon."
Morgan mimicked the movement. "For we are of her, we are her children, we do her will."
Indigo lifted her hands from the table. "We have her power."
Indigo felt the power surge through her, her entire body tingling. It started in her chest and spread out to her limbs. She heard the old man speak again and her chest tightened as another power overcame her. What was happening?
She tried to break the circle to get away from the discomfort but strong arms held her still.
"What are you doing?" she heard Morgan yell before the sound of two thuds and silence.
***
Leonardo hushed Raphael as they prepared to leave.
"What now?" Raphael growled.
Leo called for silence again and pointed to a building a block away. With their good eyesight they could see four Foot soldiers patrolling the roof. There were more down at the base of the building.
"There they are," Donatello whispered with a smile.
Raph narrowed his eyes. "They don't need that many guards to 'lie low'. Something's up."
"I told you so," Leo smirked.
They moved silently, signaling each other to form a plan of attack.
Mike jumped onto the roof first with an enthusiastic "Cowabunga!"
All four soldiers turned with surprise. The shock lasting only a half-second before the attack began.
***
"Hold her still!"
***
Don took out two soldiers with his bo, hitting them both from behind simultaneously. Raph kicked one off the roof, and it sounded like he landed ungracefully, and rather painfully, on a fire escape. Finally, Leo punched the third in the face and swept his legs out from under him.
Mike stood by the roof door. "Let's crash this party!"
***
"It's nearly complete."
Indigo felt like she was being pushed away, even though her body was being held forcibly in place.
"It's done."
Indigo didn't hear these last words, or the commotion that followed them.
The door burst in and two green blurs took out the guards before they could react. They all moved into the room, weapons drawn.
"You're too late!" the old man cackled before disappearing into a secret door.
The other soldiers turned to do battle, letting Indigo's motionless body fall to the floor.
***