Chapter Text
Cold night wind whistled in his ears, slightly shielding his senses. He was hiding in the dark, although he knew no one was around. He used the night to his own profit, as it was easier to hide and move without the daylight.
He jumped from one rooftop to another, his eyes closed. All of his moves were automatic, learned, his body recognized the city, even when his mind was still groping in the dark. He leaned against a water tower and crouched down so he could watch the streets below, frowning a little.
He didn’t know what exactly made him go to New York, but when he finally arrived, it felt… right. It was a long way from Nevada, yet he had made it, all because something in his very soul was calling him here.
But his senses had never failed him, not when he was in Nevada, nor when he was travelling. After all, New York was way better than the people hunting and chasing after him back there.
He took a deep breath, trying to chase away somber memories of tremendous pain and agonizing loneliness. Instead, the well-known feeling of oblivion came up.
He hated that feeling. He hated it from the first moment after waking up in the desert without any knowlege of what was he doing there or even who he is. He knew what he is, though – a mutated turtle. He knew he has to hide from people, he knew he can’t be seen.
He had learned that he knows how to fight when he run into people for the first time.
He took down nine armed men without even breaking a sweat. He was the only one who came unharmed from that fight, and since then, he put all of his trust in his senses and gut feelings, always listening to what was his subconscious trying to tell him.
That was why he had ended up here, roaming through New York. He was tired, exhausted even. He was awake for nearly three days. Even though he sneaked inside some truck to move faster, he couldn’t sleep. He felt restless and edgy, the unknown setting keeping him alert all the time. He didn’t know whether he was safe or not, he didn’t know what was awaiting him in New York, he didn’t even fullly know what was he capable of, for shell’s sake.
And that was another thing. The words, the vocabulary. He didn’t know why it was so different from humans’ in some manners, but it was and he didn’t even thought about using people’s words. He had tried, after hearing some people spit curses at him, but it just wasn’t right, so he stuck to the modified form.
But that wasn’t all, because apparently, whatever happened to his memory, it hadn’t affected his skills. The fighting wasn’t the only thing that came with ease, no. He was also excellent at stealth and planning and, apart from English, he knew Japanese.
Finding out all of that, he really wondered what was his life before the pain and constant confusion.
He sighed, shaking his head. The night was still young, the sun set down only two hours ago. He couldn’t sleep before sunrise because, although there was more people in daylight, they didn’t usually look around for strange mutants.
Night, however, hid many dangerous enemies who wanted to kill him. He was talking from experience.
Suddenly, he froze. His eyes roved around, searching in the dark for any threat. Something was different. Not wrong, per se, but something changed. He didn’t know what and it was making him nervous, the uneasiness he had felt even worse right now.
He let go of the water tower, cautiously walking closer to the edge of the roof before jumping down, landing on his tiptoes. Silently, without making any sound. He stood up, straightening only a little, assuming a defensive stance with his hands raised.
Waiting for a few seconds, he stood still. Nothing happened, no one came. The wind finally stopped, but that was probably because he was surrounded by buildings.
Although nothing looked extraordinary, he still moved. It wasn’t a good idea to stay in one place, definitely not when he had had the need to check out for threats. He should have stayed up as it was safer, but the streetlights were deployed in a distance that allowed him to stay in the shadows.
It was easy to cross the streets and avoid the few people he met. Mostly it was just groups of tipsy teenagers who weren’t paying attention to him anyway, so it was an easy task.
He ran a few blocks before stopping, diving into an alleyway right next to some antique shop. A shiver ran down his spine when he spotted the title, the big 2nd Time Around catching his attention.
He hid behind a dumpster, his breath slightly accelerated. The name sounded familiar and a memory of broken glass and screaming popped up in his mind, making his head hurt.
He had been here. Before. It was the only explanation he could find.
But the faint memory was far from pleasant, so he had to be wary. His mind fought with his body, though – he wasn’t tense, he was quite relaxed, actually.
That changed as soon as he heard the footsteps and hushed voices. He looked around, trying to figure out the fastest way up, but he was too slow. The shop’s side door facing the alleyway he was hiding in opened, a lightbulb above the door lit up. He pressed against a wall of the opposite building, trying to blend into the dark.
“– lling you, Casey, no one’s here.”
Two people came out, man and woman. She had red hair and was dressed in blue shorts and purple oversized t-shirt. She was tapping her foot impatiently, hands on her hips. The man’s chest was bare, he was wearing only sweatpants, but he was holding a baseball bat.
“And I’m tellin’ ya, Don’s sensors picked up somethin’, and his sensors are never wrong,” the man – Casey? – answered. He swung his bat, nearly hitting the woman, but she just dodged, obviously used to this.
He rolled his eyes. He had faced worse weapons than baseball bats. He had guns and tasers pointed at him, yet he was still alive and as much healthy as he could be. This wouldn’t be much of a fight.
He stayed still, just watching those two.
The man walked out of the shop, coming closer to him, but not close enough to see him. “Ya can never be too sure, April. Not with all the Foot ninjas, not after… what happened.”
After that, she didn’t say anything, just walked closer to the man and started looking around with the man.
He noticed the flaslight she was holding too late, namely when she pointed it exactly at him and turned it on.
She shreaked and the man immediately lifted the bat, but then they all froze, staring at each other. The woman dropped the flashlight, covering her mouth with her hands. “Leo?” she whispered breathlessly, stretching out her shaking hand. “Leo, is… is that you?”
He eyed the two of them, instinctively reaching back as if to grab something from his shell – something that wasn’t here. He had done it a couple of times already while facing his opponents.
Did these two know him? It was possible, as they hadn’t run away screaming when they first saw him. But if so, were they his enemies? After all, they were humans, and humans were bad. “Who the shell are you?” he hissed, ready to fight or flight.
“Leonardo!” The man swung his bat, jumping at him, and well, that was enough for him to decide his next actions.
He dodged, ignoring the woman’s scared “Casey, no!” and leaped on the fire escape above him. It took him mere three seconds before he was up on a roof again and running away without looking back.
His mind was racing just as much as his heart. Something in him wanted to turn around and come back, but the rational part of his brain won this little dispute.
The two people, however, stayed in his mind even after he eventually stopped and hid so he could finally rest.
Who were they? was the question going through his mind while he was falling asleep.
And who the shell was Leonardo?