Song: Face to the Floor - Chevelle

Gaming with Edmund and the others is very entertaining. It's probably the most fun I've had in a while. That is until Leonardo decides to show up.  He steps in front of the television screen, blocking my view. I lean to the side to look around him, but he leans the same way. I try the other side, but he repeats the process.

"Move your shell, Leo!" I growl as I continue pressing buttons on the controller.

Leonardo lets out a sigh and flips the television off.  "It's time for patrol."

   Michelangelo instantly brightens. Putting the game controller to the side, he stands up and stretches. A nice night out on the city is just what we all need.

Leonardo goes on. "Raph, Donnie, and Mikey, you're all going. Edmund, I think it's best if you stay behind." He sounds sympathetic. "I don't want you getting more hurt than you already are."

I know that statement perfectly well. It's the one Leonardo uses on my brothers and I when he thinks we will hold the patrol back. It's a nice way of letting us off easy. I always hate it when he says that stuff to me.

   Edmund either doesn't detect that, or he just doesn't care. "That's fine," he agrees with a shrug. Of course, he isn't aware how much fun patrols are, so no wonder he doesn't mind.

   "Ow," Michelangelo groans loudly, holding his arm and bringing everyone's attention to him. "My arm hurts really bad all of sudden! I don't think I can go up there tonight."

   I shoot him a knowing look. "You're just gonna stay so you can play video games, aren't you?" I question accusatively. 

   Michelangelo's eyes widen and sweat drips down his face. "Pfft, no... Of course not..."

   I grit my teeth and lean closer to him threateningly.

   The orange-clad turtle throws his hands up in surrender. "Ok, ok! You got me," he confesses. "Don't hurt me!" he adds in a high-pitched voice, shielding his face.

   "He has a point, Raph," Leonardo interjects before I can move. "We should let him rest. He needs to heal before he goes out again."

   I glare at Michelangelo, whom sticks his little pink tongue out at me.

   "Which means no skateboarding in the sewer pipes," Leonardo says firmly, pointing a finger at Michelangelo.

   "What?!" Michelangelo instantly put on his puppy-dog eyes. "That's not fair, dude! A turtle's gotta exercise!"

   "Then work on strengthening that arm," the blue-clad turtle orders. "We need you back in shape as soon as possible."

   "Ugh!" Michelangelo complains, crossing his arms and displaying a pouting face. I stick my tongue out at him in revenge, to which he glares.

   Elizabetta appears beside Leonardo. She looks at my leader hopefully. "Can I go on patrol with you?" she asks hesitantly.

   Leonardo flashes me a look like he wants my opinion. I don't know why, though. He's going to take her along anyway. He always does.

   "If she's going, so is Casey Jones." The hockey player stands up immediately. He seems to be in a reckless mood as he claps my shell.  I can already taste the sweetness of taking down an enemy with him- a perfect way of knocking down stress.

   Leonardo senses this, too, because he suddenly second-guesses himself. "I don't want the patrol to be too obvious," he finally says with a pointed glance at me.  "And attacking any suspicious figure we pass will draw too much attention to us."

   I snort with mock amusement. "Let 'em come along, Leo!" I insist with a hint of a sneer. "April, you're going, too," I add with a glance at the red-head.

   "Me?" She blinks, looking uncertain.

   "Yeah, her?" Donatello jumps in protectively. "Can't she stay behind? I don't want her getting hurt."

   "Actually, I think I will tag along," April speaks again, shooting Donatello an indignant look. The purple-clad turtle scratches the back of his head, realizing his foot-in-mouth.

   "Great!" Elizabetta exclaims happily. "Let's go!" She says a quick good-bye to Michelangelo and Edmund, before racing out the exit.

   April follows her, a bit of a sass to her step. She must be really annoyed at Donatello.

   I just shook my head and walk out of the lair, embarrassed for my idiot brothers.

~*~*~*~

   The freezing night air may be a bit more than I bargained for. I didn't expect the wind to feel like a knife slicing through my shell. It isn't even winter yet.

   On the roof of a pizzeria, it's even colder. I am half tempted to shrink into my shell to hide from the frozen atmosphere. I shiver.

   "What's the plan, fearless leader?" I ask Leonardo. "I need to start moving before I turn into a turtle-cicle."

   Leonardo surveys the perimeter for a moment, then turns back to the five of us. "I think we should go confront Bebop and Rocksteady again," he announces.

   I feel a surge of excitement. I can finally get revenge on those creeps for hurting Michelangelo. I eagerly crack my knuckles at the thought.

   "No way!"  Casey's protest startles us all.

   April looks at him in bewilderment. "I'm sorry, did you just say no?"

   "Yeah," I butt in, just as perplexed as I gaze up at him. "Since when does Casey Jones not want to knock a few heads in?"

   "Since it became pointless," Casey answers stiffly, slightly offended by our responses. When all of us just continue to gap at him, he goes on. "You saw what they did to Mikey! Do you want that to happen to you guys, too?"

   "If it stops injustice, then getting injured is worth it," Leonardo points out.

   "You don't even know what they're doing there," Casey insists stubbornly.

   "True. But I can guarantee it will affect us, if not all of New York City," Donatello states matter-of-factly.

   "You ok, Casey?" I question. Something about his posture is a bit off, and he isn't acting like himself.

   "I'm fine," Casey brushes me off, which is another strange thing added to his list.  "I just think it's a waste of time."

   Donatello, for once, agrees with the hockey player. "If we go snooping around there again, we will definitely get into a skirmish. And we can't do that, because Lizzy hasn't trained enough to go up against them without obtaining a few injuries."

   I glance at Elizabetta. She hasn't said anything since we climbed onto the roof. And when I look at her, I understand why. Her face is a sickly green color. Her legs are shaking and she looks ready to faint. I suddenly remember that she's afraid of heights.

   Before anyone can make a move towards her, Leonardo protectively places a hand on one of her arms. "Hey, deep breaths," he coos soothingly. "It's ok."

   "I'm alright," Elizabetta mumbles, but she doesn't sound confident. She starts wobbling; if Leonardo wasn't holding onto her arm, she would undoubtedly fall over.

   "No, you're not," Leonardo replies. He forces her to take a seat beside him.

   I narrow my eyes at my leader. He is awfully concerned for her. He didn't look nearly as worried when Michelangelo was bleeding out on the pavement the other night. Some brother he is.

   "No, really, I'm alright." Elizabetta stands back up, shrugging off Leonardo's protective comments. She still looks out of sorts, but she has taken control. "Where are we going?" she inquires, breaking the awkward silence that has fallen over us.

   "Not to visit Bebop and Rocksteady, I suppose," Leonardo decides, getting back on his feet. "But we should check out the TCRI site at least."

   "What? Why?!" I complain immediately. "We blew that place to smithereens months ago! It's just a big pile of junk! Why would we go back there?"

   "That's exactly my point, Raph." Leonardo lifts his head like he does when he wants to remind me that he's in charge. "We haven't been back there since then. If the Shredder has a plan, I bet the Kraang are involved. And if they are, they may have clues over there," he explains.

   "Did you not just hear me?! It's a big pile of nothing!" I retort. Why is he being so pushy? "If anything is there, it'll be old news."

   "Raph is right, Leo," Donatello speaks up, and I feel a surge of triumph. "If there are any clues over there, they'll be outdated. We'd be better off investigating at the Foot's base."

   "And what do you think will happen if we walk right into Shredder's hands?" Leonardo glares impatiently at us. He continues when neither of us respond. "Exactly. We're going to the TCRI site. Now, Lizzy, can you jump to the next rooftop?" He looks at the teenage girl expectantly.

   Elizabetta looks surprised. "I, uh... I can try," she mumbles quietly. She walks to the roof's edge and tenses her legs. She starts to leap, then she hesitates for a long time.

   Finally, she backs away from the edge, shaking her head. "I can't do it, I'm sorry," she says guiltily.

   "Of course you can!" Donatello encourages, but Leonardo interferes.

   "No, we shouldn't make her do something she isn't ready for," the blue-clad turtle says swiftly. "I'll take her back down and we'll meet you all at the destination."

   "You're just going to leave the team?!" What has gotten into Leonardo? I swear he is losing his mind.

   "She can't go alone," Leonardo argues calmly.

   I facepalm. "Then I'll take her! You lead everyone else." I'm not about to let him make a fool of himself in front of everyone. And I most certainly won't let them raise questions about his leadership. He needs to stay with the main group.  He also needs to get over the weird overprotective streak he's having.

   "No way!" Leonardo responds much too quickly.

   I curl my lip at him. "Why not? You don't trust me all of a sudden?"

   Leonardo's eyes glint with anger. He and I stare at each other for a long time, our muscles tense and fists clenched.

   April steps between us. She seems determined to prevent a fight. "Stop it, both of you!" she snaps. "She's not the last slice of pizza!"

   "We didn't say she was!" I retort, while Leonardo takes a step away from the furious red-head.

   "You're acting like it." April takes a deep breath and glances at Elizabetta. "I'll go with you. Come on, we'll use the stairs to get down."

   Elizabetta was still shaky, but she is confident enough to glare at Leonardo and I as she passes. April leads her down the stairs, and they're gone.

   Peeved at Leonardo, I turn on him to give him a lecture. To my astonishment, he looks utterly confounded at Elizabetta's behavior. His cheeks are red with embarrassment as well.

   Shaking my head, I look at Donatello, hoping he will be able to explain what just happened. The purple-clad turtle apparently has April on his mind, however.

   My brothers are more than idiots.  They're morons.