Chapter Text
It was April who first noticed, glancing anxiously at the tracker on her t-phone, that the signal had moved. Shadow’s backpack was no longer in the lower levels of the tower. In fact, it was right next to the tracker Donnie had placed in her sneakers now. That could either be troubling or a good thing, depending on how one viewed it… the signal was higher up. So as they were creeping through an empty area above the throne room, she slipped up beside Leo, gently patting his shoulder with the backs of her fingers.
“Leo, her backpack. It moved.” She held out the phone so he could see, and he blinked a couple times, the white membrane retracting so puzzled blue eyes could focus better on the signal they’d been following. “It looks like it’s above us now.”
Raph frowned, snout scrunching up a bit. “Damn it, they must’ve just moved it while we were bustin’ in. Looks like the others are on the same level, though…”
April, though, was frowning tightly, and she pressed her fingertips briefly to her temple, gazing upward. “I have a really bad feeling about this. Guys, we need to get up there, and fast.”
They probably would have moved forward, but movement below caught their attention, and Leo’s hand shot out. Nearby, a young man was pacing, wearing Foot Clan garb with his hood pulled back. Well, they needed to know where they were going… and this guy was alone.
Putting up a hand, Leo moved forward before dropping silently behind the young man, one blade out. Whipping it around quickly, he put it to the Foot soldier’s throat, speaking lowly. “Tell me where they’re keeping the girl.”
To his surprise, the young man did not retaliate. He seemed startled, putting his hands up slightly. A new recruit? But he didn’t answer in English.
“S-sumimasen. Wakarimasen. Eigo-ga wakarimasen…”
Leo blinked, but did his best to regain his composure. Briefly, he was relieved they had learned Japanese as children, and he slid easily into his first language, speaking as low and calm as before. “[We’re looking for the little girl. Tell us where she is.]”
“[The girl the dog brought? Yes, she’s upstairs. She seems ill. I can take you to her. I don’t think it’s right to keep a small child captive like this.]”
That only served to confuse Leo further, and he scrunched up his snout as he stepped back, slowly withdrawing his blade. “[You’re very helpful for a Foot clan grunt.]”
Now the young man turned to face him. There was no way he was much older than the turtles themselves. “[Like I said: I don’t think it’s right to keep a small child captive. It’s needlessly cruel. I’ll take you to the girl.]”
He didn’t wait for any kind of response, and he only looked briefly surprised when April and Raph dropped nearby. He just started for a nearby door, his footsteps light and quick, and after a moment or two, it was Raph who spoke up. “[You certainly don’t seem like your average Foot soldier. Are you a spy or something?]”
“[Not a spy. My name is Shiro- Master Shredder has my family under his control. I serve so they’ll remain safe.]”
“[Lousy way to be, Shiro,]” Leo mumbled, moving as quick and quiet as he could. “[You seem like a good guy.]”
The young man shrugged, leading them to a staircase that looked to be fairly unused, judging by the dust gathered. He didn’t answer, however, and as they hurried up the stairs, April lifted her head. “Guys, what’s he saying?”
“He’s takin’ us to Shadow,” Raph replied lowly. “Or at least I hope he is. I don’t like to make it a practice of outright trusting Foot lackeys, but this is the quickest way we’ve got. And if he turns on us, well, more for punching.”
April frowned a bit, shifting her gaze onto the young man hurrying up the stairs ahead of him. Her eyes narrowed as she seemed to focus for a few moments, but at last, she shook her head, fists tightening.
“Well I can’t sense anything bad. I don’t think he’s going to betray us. But all we have to go on right now is hope…”
Facing off against Arnie Jones was not exactly at the top of the list of things Casey would have wanted to do on a given day. His father was a powerhouse, even half drunk, and now that he was sober under the Shredder’s control, he was even worse.
But he kept his hands clenched tightly on the hockey stick, eyes narrowed behind his mask, trying to breathe as steadily as he could. Treat him like someone else on the ice, he reminded himself. He’s not your dad. He’s not worth that honor. He’s someone to check into the boards and move on from. He’s an obstacle. Nothing more.
It was so hard to keep that in mind, however, as the big man cracked his neck, curling up his lip. “So you finally got the balls to come after me, boy? Or am I speakin’ too soon, seein’ as how you’ve got your pet freaks to back you up. Why don’t you stop bein’ a dumbass and listen to your old man for a change-”
“Just shut up!” Casey had to fight to shout through gritted teeth, years of pain and neglect boiling up at every word Arnie spat at him. “You don’t got a right to call yourself my old man. I don’t know what Mom ever saw in you, but I’m startin’ to think she didn’t know who you really were. You may’ve put on a game face for her, but I know what you’re like now. I’m not comin’ back. You’re not my dad. And you’re never gonna get anywhere near Shadow again, not now and not ever!”
Behind him, both Mikey and Donnie straightened, weapons at the ready. As Casey spoke, it was obvious Arnie was getting fed up, and the last would seemed to be the final straw. Arnie bull rushed the trio in that moment, roaring his fury at a battered son who refused to take any more of his abuse. He may not have had his father’s brute strength, but Casey was definitely quicker, kicking out the rollerblades hidden in his shoes to skate out of the way, swinging out the hockey stick to tangle the older man’s legs and send him crashing down.
His feint was only partially successful. While Arnie stumbled, he recovered fairly easily, taking a swing at the nearest turtle to him. Donnie reacted on instinct, slipping to the side and deflecting with his bo just as the fist was nearing his face.
“We’ve faced guys tougher than this!” Mikey was saying, moving easily from side to side as his eyes remained focused on their opponent. “He’s just a big bully! And you guys know what they say… the bigger they are, the harder they fall!”
Casey cursed, ducking under another of his father’s swings, casting a sour look over toward his younger friend. “Easy for you to say, Mike! C’mon, we gotta make this quick!”
It was as the massive man made a move to charge again that the door to the stairwell burst open, and Leo, Raph, and April - led by the young Japanese man - came bursting in. Shadow could be heard cheering as soon as they appeared, and Arnie scowled in their direction, curling his lip back. “Should’ve known you’d play dirty. Learn that from that freak that came to the place? Guess I gotta teach you damn kids some manners.”
Casey was closest, and before he even had a chance to react, the bigger man’s fist slammed hard into his chest, sending him doubling over as he skidded back into a nearby wall. Shadow’s shriek of dismay was louder than his pained cry, and April lept to help him, putting herself between Casey, the bars, and Arnie.
Much to the turtles’ surprise, Shiro quickly moved to their aid, slipping quickly under Arnie’s arm to grab the key he had been trying to get to in the first place. He wasted no time, and as the turtles moved to intercept the angry behemoth of a man, the human ninja hurried to April and Casey, reaching over to drop the key into April’s hand.
She stared at him for a moment, and he nodded frantically at the cell. April only stood still for a moment longer before nodding, and as she turned to unlock the door, the young man threw himself back into the fray.
“We can’t keep the fight up here,” Leo was saying, sliding neatly under one of Arnie’s powerful punches. “We need to get Shadow to safety and get out of here!”
Donnie snorted, moving to his brother’s side to deflect another punch with his bo. “Easy for you to say. This guy’s a tank!”
“And we gotta make it fast, too.” This from Mikey, who was nearest the door. “I hear footsteps, and they don’t sound friendly!”
For Arnie Jones, Sr., this was the moment he needed. As he heard the cell door swing open, he took the moment of distraction to instead charge in that direction, shoving April out of the way just as his free hand shot into the cell to grab Shadow by the arm, and before anyone could stop him, he’d shoved his way out the door, hauling the screaming girl along with him.
Casey grunted, gasping as he regained his wind and forced himself to stand straight, bolting after him. “Shadow! NO! Get back here-!”
There was no stopping him as he barrelled through the door, hot on his father’s heels. He was letting nothing slow him down, nearly slamming into a wall as he bolted past three more figures who were on their way up to check on the commotion.
Tiger Claw entered the room first, staring at the group as they had turned to follow Arnie and Casey down the stairs. For a moment, he stood in silence, before a snarl overtook his expression and he reached for his sword. “Turtles! Destroy them!”
Seeing the massive tiger, as well as Rahzar and Fishface, Leo groaned, dropping back into a ready stance. “Mikey, Donnie, go after Casey! We’ve got this!”
The pair hesitated, but only a moment or so longer, and then they slipped quickly past the new assailants and off down the stairs, following the angry shouts from further down. April huffed, taking a step or two back. “I hope they stay safe…”
It had been a long time since Casey’s anger had been directed at something he knew was the culprit. So often after he’d started sneaking out to do vigilante work, it was to blow off steam after another argument, or to let loose some of the aggression that had been let loose on him. He’d never been able to focus on his father. Focus on the man who’d left so many bruises, physical and emotional. But there he stood, ten paces away, one arm around Shadow’s shoulders, holding the squirming girl tightly.
“Shadow! You hang in there, okay? I’m gonna take care of this and then we’re goin’ home!”
For what it was worth, Shadow - despite the fear he could see written on her round little face - was pulling up all the courage she could muster. “I- I’m okay, Casey! I promise! Get him!”
When Arnie gave her a shake, Casey felt his blood boil.
“You shut up, Gabby. I’m gonna deal with this… once and for all!”
So this was it.
Standing here high above the mutagen vat, breathing heavily, his body aching and sore… Casey wasn’t about to give in. They had given back every bit as good as they’d gotten, but now… now it was down to the wire.
Arnie had straightened, wiping blood from his lip with the back of his free hand, a deep scowl creasing his brow. But he stayed focused on the dark eyed boy across the walkway. “This is your last chance, Junior,” he was saying, cracking his neck. He always cracked his neck before throwing a punch. Before every bruise and split lip Casey had ever endured. “You walk away from these freaks now, maybe I’ll go easy on you.”
“Like hell, old man. I’m done taking this crap from you.” The younger Jones spat blood. Everything felt raw and open, from his broken nose to fresh bruises and strains. But he had never backed down from a fight before. He hadn’t when they had come here tonight, and he wasn’t going to start now. “I’m taking Shadow, and I’m goin’ back with the family that actually cares about us. You can just go straight to hell!”
His words seemed to light a fire in Shadow, and before he could blink, she’d bitten down hard on Arnie’s arm. The massive man let out an enraged shout, all but flinging her back. Shadow shrieked when she was let go, rolling before she came to a stop on her back. She was starting to get up, shaking, but Casey…
Casey was through.
He lunged, ignoring Donnie and Mikey yelling for him to stop as they came barreling down the passageway behind him, despite his own body screaming that he was at his limit. Mikey had blown past him, leaping over Arnie to get to where Shadow had fallen. If he was taking care of her, then he could focus entirely on the monster in front of him.
All he could think about was his little sister, shaking and scared on the walkway as Mikey hurried to her side.
Shadow was eight, with thick dark brown hair down to her waist and bangs cropped straight across at her brow, making it all the more obvious when she narrowed those wide blue eyes to glare at someone. Freckles were spattered across round cheeks, and she had a little mouth that pursed up to one side just like his when she was mad. She had just lost the top two front baby teeth, and the new teeth were just coming in.
She liked kittens and frogs and mud puddles, rainbows and hockey and green hair ribbons. The stuffed puppy toy she kept on her pillow was named Jelly Bean. Her trapper keeper had a picture of the tortoise her second grade class kept as a pet the year before, right next to the tarantula her third grade class had now.
She wanted to donate her hair to Wigs for Kids.
Gabrielle Jones had a heart big enough for the whole world, and Arnold Casey Jones, Jr. would no longer let her endure the hell they had at home.
Arnie’s first swing missed, going wide as Casey ducked under it, and the momentum made him unable to dodge when Casey swung the bat he kept in the duffel across his back, catching him hard right in the gut. The big man immediately tried to move to the side, but he misjudged the distance he had left, and his foot just missed the lip of the platform on which they stood.
He fell first, but he managed to catch Casey’s pants leg as he went down. The senior Jones caught an outcrop several feet down, but Casey - through what grace he did not know - caught hold of the lip of the first platform, and he felt a searing pain in his shoulders as he struggled to pull himself back up.
Glancing down as Donnie hurried to help him up, he saw Arnie struggling to get a good grip. If he let go…
The only thing to break his fall would be the vat of mutagen far below.
Casey felt something clench in his gut, a sudden wave of fear. He had made a promise to his mother, as she lay dying in that hospice. He had told her he would protect his family, take care of his father and sister. He had tried so hard to keep that promise, enduring his father’s verbal tirades and physical outbursts. He had protected his little sister, took the brunt of their father’s rage to keep her from feeling the effects.
How had he failed her this badly?
A gasp tore from his throat when he felt hands on his arms hauling him up, and for a moment he struggled, instinct driving him to at least try to save the man that had sired him. That had given him a good home for so many years before his descent into the bottom of a bottle. But he could hear Donnie’s voice over his head. “Casey- Casey, hold still! We’re gonna pull you up! Let him go, Casey- Casey, Shadow needs you!”
His words seemed to snap the boy out of his brief panic, and he let himself go slack, letting the two younger turtles drag him onto the platform as below, they could hear Arnold Casey Jones, Sr. let out a howl of rage as he lost his grip, and the wet, strangely goopy splash of his body hitting the mutagen below.
“Dee… do you think he made it?” Mikey asked quietly, shifting slightly where he was helping Shadow up onto his shoulders, glancing past Casey to the sloshing green ooze in the tank. “Maybe he’ll end up like-”
His older brother immediately cut him off, his voice somewhat sharper than he’d probably intended at first. “We’ll check in a minute, Mike- call the others and let them know it’s done. Arnie Senior fell into the mutagen. We won’t know until he comes out the bottom what even happened to him.”
Casey cringed, setting his jaw as he turned to look over the ledge. He tried to look angry and hard, but at the moment… he just felt tired. Alone. His gaze shifted briefly to his little sister. She was watching him with those round blue eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks, as she held to Mikey’s arm like a vice. Anything to keep herself solid, grounded, and as brave as she could be under the sudden, awful circumstances they found themselves in now. “I dunno. Guess we’ll find out in a minute.” Frowning tightly, he gave himself a full body shake, mostly to see if anything was broken. “Mikey… take care of Shadow, okay? I’m gonna go have a look.”
He didn’t wait for any of them to object, pushing himself to his feet to trot down the nearby metal stairs, ignoring the little shocks of pain that shot through him with each step. He’d be feeling this fight for weeks.
The lower area of the facility was devoid of anything at the moment, though the glowing green goop in the clear vat above his head did appear to be churning. He stood transfixed, perfectly still even as Donnie and Mikey hurried down to join him. Already Donnie was on his way over to a console, brow furrowed deeply as he brought up a diagnostic screen.
“It looks like the last thing entered is… a domesticated male Bos taurus. Possibly a meat breed from the looks of it… and a big one, at that.”
Mikey scrunched up his nose a bit at that, tipping his head to one side. “A what now?”
“A bull. Probably one from a domesticated breed raised for meat production. So if bull DNA was added to this vat…”
Now Casey moved forward, bat clenched tightly in his hands. “Then Dad isn’t gonna be himself anymore when he gets out of there.”
It was as if his words triggered something. Something, the ooze being suctioned off it by hoses as it was dropped from the tank, had landed in some sort of cage nearby. It was massive, bigger than Arnie by more than half, with broad horns and shoulders. And when it whipped its head to look at them, while the face may not have been familiar, it stared at them with fury and recognition in its eyes.
“You… you brats… did this to me…!”
Mikey was gaping from his spot on the platform, moving Shadow behind him, his eyes wide. “Whoa-! Get a load of Groundchuck over there!”
Donnie was moving back as well at this point, though the lanky turtle kept close to Casey as he could, bo up and at the ready. “Now’s not the time, Mikey!”
The beast that was once Arnie had shaken himself off as he stood, groaning in anger and the pain that undoubtedly accompanied his transformation. Casey remained stock still in front of his friends, dark eyes wide as he tried to make sense of what was happening here. For all his anger and resentment at his father’s behavior over the last few years… this… he could never have prepared himself for this.
He would have stood perfectly still in the path of the raging bull, even as Arnie charged, but Donnie’s reflexes were much quicker, and he tackled Casey out of the way to avoid the newly mutated elder Jones’s wide, sharp horns. Already the genius’s brain was racing, dragging Casey back to his feet.
“We need to get in touch with the others and get out of here, before old Arnie Sr.-”
“Groundchuck!”
“Right, whatever-! Before he stomps us into the pavement!”
Casey gave himself a shake as he was pulled to his feet. Like it or not, Donnie was right. The thought seemed to shake him out of his stupor, and he rolled his shoulders as his eyes narrowed. “You guys call the others, and get Shadow out of here. The old man’s moving slower than he used to, so I’ll distract him.”
Donnie’s head whipped around immediately, brown eyes wide. “Are you out of your mind, Casey?!”
The teen just shot his friend a lopsided grin, shrugging. “Did a long time ago, Dee!”
He didn’t have much of a chance to charge forward, however. Before he could even move, there was a shout from above, and a blur of green landed squarely on the mutant bull’s shoulders, hands grabbing onto the horns as he held on when the enraged beast began to writhe and buck. It was Leo, hanging on for all he was worth, trying to wear the mutant out.
“Guys-! Whoa! Guys, a little help?!”
The tableau broken, the three other boys rushed forward, feinting and dodging to draw Groundchuck’s attention as his rage grew slower and slower. Donnie sucked in a deep breath, ducking low under a punch. “It’s working! If we can wear him down enough, we can get out of here!”
Casey’s face paled briefly, even as he skated back, eyes wide. “Where’s Raph and April?!”
“On their way down!” came Leo’s reply. He had doubled down on his stance, his arms wrapped around the bull’s horns to pull his head back hard. “Come on, let’s just focus on taking him out so we can get out of here!”
“Not with Shadow in here!” Casey’s eyes shot up to the platform again, fixing on Mikey as Leo continued to try to wear the bull out. “Call them and get Shadow out! Make sure she’s safe, okay?!”
Mikey snapped his head up and down once in a quick nod, scooping Shadow up onto his shell. “You got it, Casey! C’mon, Shads; we gotta move!”
Their efforts doubled down as he rushed up toward a window to escape, with Casey skating quickly just outside the bull’s reach as Donnie and Leo traded blows with him, in constant motion until finally, the mutant sagged to his knees panting. The remaining two turtles had gone to retreat, but Casey stood in silence for a moment longer, staring at the man he had once called father.
His chest hurt. Looking down at him, seeing him like this… he almost wanted to find some way to help. Three years of pain may have taken a firm hold, but he couldn’t exactly stop the good memories either.
“...Dad…”
“Should’ve known the day you were born you weren’t worth shit, you ungrateful brat,” the bull retorted, snorting. “Should’ve told her we didn’t need kids. Gabby was the only one worth anything…”
The teen’s shoulders tightened, and he swallowed hard against a pang of anger in his gut. His resolve was solidified, but as easy as it would be to end it… he could always do one more solid. For his mother. “Nah. I’m worth way more’n you ever will be. May be a screw-up, but I’m a screw-up with friends. And a better family than you ever were.”
Rearing back, he brought his hockey stick down hard on Groundchuck’s head, watching a moment longer as he sagged to the ground unconscious. Then, with a hard sniff, he turned to head after his friends.
It was such a relief when he skated outside to find Shadow standing anxiously between Raph, Mikey, and April, but the girl broke away from them immediately when she saw her older brother, and he sank to his knees to catch her in a hug when she threw herself at him. “Hey there, squirt. It’s okay. We’re okay now.”
As he was hugging his sister, Leo and Donnie moved forward toward the others, and April frowned, looking to the Jones siblings before back at the trio. “Well…? Mikey was telling us what… what happened. To Arnie.”
“He’s not gonna be bothering Casey and Shadow anymore.” When April’s eyes widened at his words, Leo quickly put up his hands. “Not like that. Mikey probably told you, but he fell into a vat of mutagen. Came out as this… creepy mutant bull. I don’t think he’s gonna be in any place to make demands of the child welfare department. And we wore him down enough that we’ll be able to get back without anyone following us.”
Raph scowled, folding his arms tightly across his chest. “Good riddance. After all he did to Casey and Shadow, that’s the least he deserves. But… what do we do now?”
“Well, the good thing is, Casey and Shadow were already out of the home when he went missing. If and when a missing persons report is filed, it really just looks like old Arnie picked up and left.” Though his words were firm, Donnie looked unsure, glancing at the pair as they spoke quietly to one another. “He won’t stop being a problem for all of us in general, though. Since he’s a mutant now, he’s definitely still under the Shredder’s control. Which means he’ll still be trying to rake us over at every opportunity. He’s just bigger and stronger than he was before.”
Leo nodded sharply. “Which means we’ll have to be on our toes. But at least for now… it’s done.”
As their conversation was wrapping up, Casey and Shadow had both stood, with Casey’s hand wrapped loosely around his little sister’s. He looked exhausted, but some of his usual cockiness was shining through, and while Shadow’s eyes were red and her cheeks damp, she looked as focused and determined as they’d ever seen the little girl.
“So… looks like we’ll be okay. Can’t say I’m happy about the outcome. I mean… I’m happy we won’t be dealing with the old man anymore, but…”
Shadow’s hand tightened on his, and she ducked her head slightly, brow furrowing as she gave a quiet little frown. “...Daddy’s really not coming back, is he? I saw him down there, but it wasn’t him. So he’s gonna stay like that forever, right?”
The looks shared throughout the group were uneasy. She was a smart girl, and at eight was definitely old enough to understand what was going on around her. But this whole summer had been so hard on her…
It was April who finally crouched in front of her, reaching out to quietly take her free hand. “Probably, sweetie. But you’ve got all of us now, and you’ve got Casey. We’re a family. And we’re gonna stick together. We’ll be okay. Okay?”
Slowly, Shadow nodded, her small fingers curling around April as she looked around at the turtles, then back at her older brother. “...is the boy that helped me okay?”
“The… boy that helped you?”
“Uh-huh. He spoke Japanese and he brought me my backpack so I could get my inhaler.”
Leo perked right up at that, holding up one finger. “Oh yeah! That Foot soldier that helped us out on our way up to the tower cells! He made tracks after helping us with Rahzar, Fishface, and Tiger Claw. Wherever he is, I hope he’s all right.”
“I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him.” Raph glanced up at the building as he spoke, scrunching up his snout. “Eh… no use dwelling on it right now. How ‘bout we get some pizza? Shadow’s gotta be half starved, and we could all use a little unwind time.”
He didn’t wait for Casey to answer, leaning down to scoop Shadow up onto her shoulders. The movement startled her, but she broke into giggles a moment later, putting her hands on top of his head. It seemed the girl was just as happy for the distraction as the others were. “Yes! Pizza time! Casey! Casey come on we’re gonna have pizza!”
As he started off toward the nearest manhole cover, the other turtles trailing in tow, April stood next to Casey, reaching out to put a hand on his arm. “...hey. Are you gonna be okay?”
He shrugged, folding his arms, though he didn’t pull away. “Dunno yet, Red. But… well, at least all this crap is over, so… I guess that’s a start.”
