Crash and Burn
***
Chapter Nine: Awakening
***
Kali woke up in an empty bed, not sure how long she'd been asleep. It was six a.m. now, according to Raphael's clock, but she didn't know what time she got in, or if the clock was even right. She slipped out from under the covers and left the room. The lair was eerily quiet, enough to worry even her. She wondered if it was always this quite down here, because they were so far from the noise of the city, or if it was because of recent events.
She passed by the infirmary and checked inside. Mike was sitting in a chair near the bed, tilting back against the wall. He looked tired, like he'd been up all night. He probably had, she realized.
Mike looked up as Kali entered the room. "When'd you get back?"
"Just last night." Kali pulled up a chair next to Mike. "I came in, you didn't see me?"
Mike shook his head.
Kali nodded towards Leo's bed. "How's he doing?"
"Better." Mike shifted. "But he hasn't woken up."
Kali patted Mike's hand. "I wish I could have done something to prevent this."
"Me, too." He thought for a second. "You can't heal him?" He figured with all her powers, maybe she could do something.
"Not my area," Kali said sadly.
They sat in silence for several more minutes. Mike passed her a box from the table. "Doughnut?"
Kali took a chocolate frosted one. "Thanks. Where's everyone else?"
"Raph and Don are out looking for Shredder. Splinter's resting, he was up all night, until Leo was in the clear." Mike looked over at Kali, who was leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees. "You got any idea what's going on?"
His tone wasn't harsh, like he thought she was keeping secrets, but worried, desperate for anything that could help.
Kali licked her lips. "I know he doesn't have his powers anymore."
"Oh, that's comforting," Mike replied, with just the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Kali clasped her hands together. "Daddy said he was already dead..."
"Yeah, we knew that." Mike watched her for a few seconds. She seemed to be deep in thought, like she was piecing things together. "I'm starting to think he's some kind of zombie, coming back from the dead like he does."
Kali shot to her feet. "Mike, that's it!"
"Huh?"
Kali's eyes went wide. "He's undead Mike! He is a zombie, that's exactly what he is!"
Mike opened his mouth to argue that zombies only existed in books and stories, but remembered that he was talking to a demon and shut his mouth. "Is that why he's eating people?"
Now Kali looked confused. "What?"
Mike rubbed the back of his neck. "When they found Shredder last night..."
"I saw that Mike. That's why I came back."
Mike ran his tongue over his teeth. "Yeah. Well, Don looked in the news and on the Internet, and it turns out that three other bodies have been found. They all looked like they had been eaten. Well, the news didn't say that, but the police reports did, as did some witnesses."
Kali closed her eyes. "And Raph and Don are out there trying to find him."
Mike stood up and put his hands up on her shoulders. "To keep him from hurting or killing anyone else."
Kali looked into his eyes. "Thanks for reminding me, Mike. I just wish..."
"I know, I'm worried too."
"Is there any way to..."
"Hey, he's waking up!"
Kali turned around as Mike pushed past her. They both stood over the bed as Leo worked on opening his eyes.
"Go get Splinter!" Mike told her.
Kali nodded and ran from the room.
Leo's eyes felt like lead weights. They just didn't want to open. He'd heard Mike's voice awhile ago, and felt pulled towards him. He wanted to see his brother again. He finally managed to crack his eyes open and looked up at Mike. He was smiling, but had tears in his eyes. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but it hurt too much when he tried to talk.
He felt Mike's hand on his chest. "Shh, don't try to talk, bro. Everything's going to be okay."
Splinter appeared on the other side of the bed. Leo tried to sit up for him, but Splinter gently held him down. "No, do not exert yourself, my son. You've been through a great deal."
***
"No sign of him," Raph grumbled as Don opened the door to the lair an hour later.
I know, I was out there searching too. That's what Don wanted to say, but he didn't want to upset Raph anymore than he already was or he'd end up kissing concrete. Instead, he replied, "He won't stay hidden for long." They walked down the tunnel to the lair's main room. "He'll come after us, he always does in one way or another."
"Yeah, well, when he does, he's gonna wish he'd stayed dead this time!"
Don quietly nodded in agreement as they entered the living room.
"Hey guys, any luck?" Kali walked out from the kitchen carrying a tea tray.
Raph thought she looked a little better than last night, but still a little tired. He'd ask how she was feeling later. "Nah, any change here?"
Kali smiled. "Yeah, Leo woke up. I was just heading back there."
Don went ahead of them, and got to the room first. "Hey Leo, how're you feeling?"
Leo was sitting up in bed, propped up with several pillows. He gave Don an "OK" sign and shrugged. Don looked over to Splinter who was sitting by the bed.
"He's having trouble speaking," Splinter told him.
Don frowned. "I didn't think the damage was that bad."
Kali set the tray on the counter and poured out a cup of tea. "Can he have something to drink?"
Don thought for a second. "I don't want to risk it. Maybe later."
Kali poured a cup for Splinter, then one for herself. "Anyone else?" The others shook their heads and Kali looked around. "Where's Mike?"
"I sent him to bed," Splinter said. "He's been up all night, he needed to rest."
Raph stood at the foot of Leo's bed. "Can't talk, eh?"
Leo glared at him.
"It takes someone chewing on your throat to get you to shut up. That says something."
"Raphael!" Splinter snapped.
Raph crossed his arms and turned back to Leo. "We're gonna get him for you."
Leo smiled and tilted his head back to let Splinter check his bandages. He saw Raph and Kali leave out of the corner of his eye.
***
Kali watched Raph pace around his room for almost ten minutes before saying something. "Is something bothering you?"
"Gee, whatever gave you that idea?" he shot back, not stopping his pacing.
Kali rolled over onto her back, stretching out on the bed. "We'll get Shredder."
"I know." He sighed. "I never thought I'd miss Leo's nagging. It's different when we're so angry we aren't talking to each other." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "It should have been me. God knows I deserve it for all the crap that's come out of my mouth."
Kali sat up and put her arms around his shoulders. "Don't talk like that. What's done is done, and there's nothing you can do to change what happened."
"Kali, there's a couple things I've been wanting to ask you."
"You know you can ask me anything."
Raph reached up and grabbed her arms. "How close were you to being gone forever?"
"Raph..."
"I need to know. Did I almost kill you?"
Kali turned him around so that they were facing each other. "Raph, that wasn't your fault." She smiled. "Besides, I wasn't anywhere close to dying. I'm just a little tired." It was just a small lie, for a good cause.
Raph seemed to relax a little. "Still, ya know, the last week has been a real eye opener for me. I always knew our lives were dangerous, and it never bothered me before, not until you got hurt."
"Raph, I don't care how dangerous it is, I'm not leaving."
Raph smiled. "That's good to know, but that wasn't what I was going to say. I was going to say, that with the lives we live, we're not quite sure what the next day's gonna bring." He shook his head. "You can't move slowly in our world, and you can't take today for granted because there may be no tomorrow." He grabbed her hands. "I kinda wish I had Mike's gift for words right now."
"You're doing fine," Kali told him.
"I've got this written down somewhere."
Kali chuckled. Raphael reached up and cupped her face with his hands. She closed her eyes as he leaned in to kiss her.
"Kali!"
They both pulled away. Raphael gave the door a frustrated look as Kali got off the bed to go see who was calling her. It sounded like Don, from the kitchen.
She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Red digging through the kitchen cabinets. "Red! Bad dragon, stop that!"
Red pulled his head from the cabinet and looked at her with sad eyes.
"Don't give me that, you know better!"
He lowered his head and whimpered. Kali pointed into the living room and the dragon crawled past her and sat down by the couch. Kali looked over at Don. "I am really sorry, I'll help clean up the mess."
Don shook his head. "No, it's not that bad. I think he was just looking for food."
Kali frowned. "He's hungry. Damn, I didn't think about that."
Raph walked up behind her. "You know, I think you should send him home. I don't think the local store carries dragon chow."
Kali ran her fingers through her hair. "Young dragons aren't allowed to travel alone. They have trouble controlling where they end up unless someone's guiding them. And I don't want to go back home, or my father'll have a fit."
Raph and Don exchanged looks. "I know he can't stay here," Kali continued. "Maybe I can take him to my aunt's, then she can take him home."
"Why can't she pick him up?"
"My aunt can't travel to Earth physically."
"Why not?" Don asked. "You and your father seem to do it easily enough."
"I'm part human, that automatically means I can travel between our worlds. My father has been summoned, by my mother, who never banished him, hence he can still move between our world and Earth."
"Ah," Don said, not quite understanding, but willing to let it slide.
"I'll be back soon." She looked over to Raph. "I promise."
***
Mike rubbed his eyes as he walked into the living room on his way to the kitchen. His eyes widened when he saw Leo sitting on the couch.
"Leo, you're up!" He hugged Leo from behind, around his shoulders. Leo hugged him back, then shrugged his arms away.
Mike leapt over the back of the couch and landed next to him. "I can't believe Splinter let you out so soon. Whatcha got there?"
Leo tapped a piece of chalk against a small chalkboard. Chalkboard, he wrote.
Mike rolled his eyes. "Well, duh, I can see that. Oh, wait, that's how you're gonna talk, huh?"
Yes.
"Ah. I'm gonna make myself breakfast, want anything?"
It's after noon, Leo wrote.
"So? I just woke up!" Mike got up and went into the kitchen. Leo followed after him and took a seat at the table. "Okay, what do you want?"
Mike looked over his shoulder to see Just water, doctor's orders written on Leo's board. Mike poured him a glass of water then started getting out the ingredients out for pancakes.
***
Kali opened the door to her apartment. The place was a complete mess. "They could have at least cleaned up after themselves."
She glanced at the clock, even though she knew it was late, it was almost dark outside. She looked back down at the mess. All that traveling had wiped her out. Getting to her aunt's was no problem, getting back was. She'd had to stay a few hours to get back the strength to make it at all. She'd fallen short of the lair, but within walking distance of her apartment, which she hadn't seen in awhile.
"I can't deal with this now, I need a nap."
***
A shadowy figure sat crouched at the corner of a tall building. He looked out over the city, alive and full of energy. The sun was setting off in the distance, and he would soon be able to move more freely.
He could feel his body weakening, but he knew how to recharge his strength. He hadn't known at first, when he awoke after the battle with the Turtles...horrid Turtles, they had tricked him again...he felt weak, and nothing was helping. He'd struck out at one of his soldiers in anger, then was overcome with the urge to eat him. That's when he realized what he was, and what he would have to do to survive.
He'd been preying on others for most of his life, stealing from them, killing them; it wasn't such a drastic change. They were always prey, but now they were food. It was what he had to do to survive, he couldn't fight that. It was either this, or die. Never again, he swore.
As the last rays of the sun dipped below the horizon he left his place, and moved into the shadows of the alley. He passed several homeless and drugged up weaklings. He hated the taste of them, and they didn't have much energy anyway. No, it was the lively victims that gave him the most, and he usually targeted women because they had more energy and were easy for him to overpower.
There. A girl, no more than eighteen, was exiting a club, wobbling on her high-heeled shoes. She took a few steps, then collapsed against a wall. Drunk, he could smell it from here. Easy catch.
***