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April squinted against the sudden blast of light that hit her face when the door opened. Two dark shapes reached toward her, wrestling her out of the back of the moving van. She’d been in her way to meet the turtles at Median Park for the afternoon’s free Music on the Green concert, one of the featured events for the weekend’s City Arts and Music Festival, when she was yanked into a wide alley behind a bakery by Bebop and Rocksteady. The two punks demanded she surrender her Turtlecom before shoving her unceremoniously into their stolen van — after first binding her hands behind her and gagging her with a knotted rag, of course. Now they each gripped one of her arms tightly as the marched her through the broken front door of the old City Place Hotel and across the lobby to where Shredder waited impatiently near the concierge desk.
“Took you long enough,” Shredder muttered.
“Hey, it ain’t easy findin’ one person in this whole big city,” Rocksteady replied, dropping April’s Turtlecom into Shredder’s outstretched hand.
“And yet, you do it so well.”
April snorted derisively but didn’t say anything. There was no point, really, since the gag would have made it incomprehensible anyway. Shredder flipped the lid of the communicator open with his thumb and April heard Leonardo’s voice through the speaker a moment later.
“Hey, April. Are you almost —“ He spluttered to a stop on seeing she wasn’t the one who had contacted him.
“Let’s not waste time and just get to the point, shall we?” Shredder said amiably. “You turtles have something I want while I,” he reached out and gently stroked April’s cheek. "Have something that’s precious to you.” She jerked her head away and scowled at him. “I’ll offer you a trade: the petrakineismic converter for Miss O’Neil.”
"Not until we know she’s all right first.”
“Oh she’s fine. Glaring at me right now. As per usual.”
“I want to hear it from her.”
“What, are you saying you don’t trust me?” Leonardo let his silence serve as his answer. “Fine.” Shredder gestured for Rocksteady to remove her gag and held the Turtlecom up in front of her face.
“April, are you okay?” Leonardo asked anxiously as soon as he saw her on the screen.
“Oh yeah, I’m doing great,” April said, flicking a furious glance up at Shredder. “I’d tell you where we are right now but have a feeling we won’t be here much longer.” Based on the flash of approval in Shredder’s eyes, she guessed she was right.
At another gesture from Shredder, Bebop forced the gag back into April’s mouth and the two mutants dragged her back out of the hotel while he continued working out the details of her ransom with Leonardo. She had no idea what this converter thing was that Shredder wanted, or how the turtles had come to have it in their possession, but she was certain she’d find out one way or another before the day was over.
Bebop and Rocksteady conducted April not to the moving van they’d arrived in as she’d expected, but to another one she hadn’t noticed earlier, parked farther down the circular drive, and threw her in among a handful of dark plastic tubs already loaded into the vehicle. The rear door was shut and latched, but it was several minutes before she felt the engine rumble to life and the van pull out. She tried to keep track of their route and guess where they might be headed, but in the dark with no points of reference, it quickly proved impossible.
The van came to a stop a little while later and the door rolled open once again. April caught a brief glimpse of the river and a series of flat-roofed buildings before she was pulled out of the vehicle. Bebop carried her across the parking lot slung over his shoulder while Rocksteady stayed behind rummaging about in the bins. She could tell when they entered one of the buildings she’d seen before by the way the light abruptly changed and twisted around as much as she could to peer curiously about their new surroundings. A spacious warehouse, few dozen crates covered in a thick layer of dust, cement floor, film over the many small windows diffusing the sunlight. April slumped with an annoyed grunt; it was just as she’d suspected.
She heard a door open and noticed a subtle change to the sound of Bebop’s footsteps an instant before she was flipped upright and planted on a wooden chair. April blinked several times while the world realigned itself enough for her to get her bearings. They were in a cramped room that might have been an administrative office when the warehouse was in use, or maybe an oversized storage closet. Aside from the rickety chair she was seated in, the only other furniture was the worn old table beside her. There wasn’t enough space for much else. Shredder swept into the room and Bebop rushed off to help Rocksteady prepare whatever ambush they had planned for the turtles — because April had no doubt this wouldn’t play out as simple prisoner for item exchange. Shredder nudged the door shut as soon as he’d gone and removed April’s gag.
“So, you’ve kidnapped me, again,” she said testily. “And are holding me hostage in an abandoned warehouse, again. Waiting for the turtles to show up. Again.” She stood up and took a step away from the chair, partly because she could but more so she would be in a better position to stare Shredder down. “You really need to come up with a new playbook, Shredder.”
“Oh?” He slid over and snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her in close. April squirmed, but with her wrists still bound behind her she had no leverage to try and twist out of his grip. “But then how would we ever get to spend time together?”
“You could try being a normal person for once and ask me out on a date,” she suggested, smiling sweetly.
“I did, as I recall. Adopted a whole persona as an ordinary citizen. Yet you still weren’t satisfied with that.”
“Uh, that wasn’t a date and also it was under false pretenses. All part of a ploy to get your paralyzing lightbulbs installed in the City through the mayor’s lighting initiative.”
“So sue me for taking advantage of an opportunity that presented itself.”
April frowned thoughtfully. “Also, pretty sure you kidnapped me before that was all over, too.”
“Ah, well,” Shredder said, lifting the gag back into her mouth with his free hand. “Why mess with something that’s been working well for you?” April could only glower at him.
They both looked toward the door when they heard heavy footsteps approaching the office/supply room. Shredder maneuvered April over to the chair and pressed her down into it. A beat later the two henchmutants burst in and announced they had finished setting up their trap on the warehouse floor. All that was left to do was wait for the turtles to arrive. Fortunately for April, they didn’t have to wait long; unfortunately for the bad guys, the turtles had predicted their ploy just as April had and used it to their advantage, tipping the tables in their favor without much effort. In the end, Shredder and his mutants were forced to retreat empty handed, just as they had countless times before. With the villains vanquished, April and the turtles continued on to Median Park and even managed to catch some of the concert.
A few days later, April was sitting up in bed reading when she heard her phone buzzing on the bedside table. She reached over to pick it up and was surprised when a message from Shredder popped up on the screen. It had been many weeks since they’d last chatted via text message.
Been thinking about what you said the other day. If I were to ask you out on a date, would you agree?
April frowned and read the text several times. He couldn’t really be asking her out, could he? Setting her book down, she opened up the messenger app and sent a reply. Is this a trick?
No. I’m serious.
So, what? You, me, dinner in the City?
Yes, exactly.
April burst out laughing. When she’d challenged him to ask her out on a real date, she never expected he would actually take her up on it! She should say no. The whole idea was absurd, and there were so many, many reasons to decline. But she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t curious. Before she could talk herself out if it, she sent her reply. All right, fine.
Excellent. I’ll pick you up Saturday at seven.
April froze. That was something she hadn’t considered. When they went on their Not A Date, really an interview Burne Thompson wanted her to do with the donor for the mayor’s lighting project whom Shredder was posing as, they’d met up at the restaurant. There’d been no reason to believe they wouldn’t just do the same again. She couldn’t let him into the building, that would be . . . too close. April still felt uneasy whenever she thought about that one time he had been in her apartment, carrying her back to her bedroom after she’d fallen asleep on the roof. And if Irma were to look out her door at the wrong time and see them leave together, it would prompt a whole line of questioning April was not ready to answer.
There was still time to back out. She could say she already had plans for this weekend, suggest they try some other time. He’d never have to know she was lying. Something about that plan that didn’t sit right with her, though. April wasn’t one to shy away from risky situations. Quite the opposite, she had a pretty bad habit of walking boldly into danger. No, she’d agreed to this, she needed to see it through.
Decision made, she sent Shredder another text. Wait on the sidewalk outside my apartment building. I’ll come down to you.
There was a long pause before he responded. Very well.
April put her phone down on the bedside table and picked her book back up, only to close it and set it aside again a moment later. Nothing could hold her attention quite like imagining what a real date with the Shredder would be like.
***
At seven o’clock on the dot Saturday evening, April opened the door to her apartment building and stepped outside. Shredder stood on the sidewalk waiting for her as agreed, hands stuffed in the pockets of the finely tailored charcoal suit she’d last seen hem wear during his time working in the mayor’s office. April took a moment to appreciate once again how well it fit him while he swept his gaze over her, taking in her navy cocktail dress and heels.
“You came,” he said, the barest hint of surprise in his voice.
“I said I would,” she said simply. “You really did keep one of those suits.”
“I said I would,” he echoed her. “I trust your turtle friends are aware of your plans for this evening?”
“Oh heck no. There is no way they’d be okay with this. And if I did tell them about tonight, then I’d have to explain everything else and . . .” She looked down at the ground, fingers tightening nervously on her clutch. “I still can’t do that.” Lifting her gaze back to his she said, “You didn’t tell Krang what we’re doing, did you?”
“Pretty sure we can both agree I have even better reason not to tell him about my whereabouts tonight.” He pulled his hands out of his pockets and gestured down the block. “Shall we?”
“So where are we going?” she asked, falling in beside him as he started strolling along the sidewalk.
“I found an abandoned warehouse not too far from here.” April stopped walking and glared at him. “I’m kidding.”
“It’s not funny,” she said. “Where are we really going?”
“Don’t want to spoil the surprise.” She crossed her arms and planted her feet, refusing to move until he gave her a straight answer. “Fine,” he said in exasperation. “I made a reservation for us at Oishii.”
April blinked. “How did you manage to get a reservation there?! The waitlist is months long!”
“You think Donatello’s the only one with hacking skills?”
She shook her head and started walking again. “Please tell me you didn’t fake your way into one of the City’s most expensive restaurants to try and impress me.”
“Maybe I just wanted some really good sushi,” he said mildly.
“Done it before, huh?”
He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Once or twice.”
“What name did you use? Can’t imagine you gave your real one, and guessing the one you used while working for the mayor is . . . uh, unavailable.”
“Erik Tanaka may be burned but I have a few other aliases I use for different purposes.”
April had to wonder about that. What did Shredder do when he wasn’t menacing the City? She’d always assumed he just sequestered himself in the Technodrome to concoct a new plot for world domination. Obviously that was a big part of what he did when he disappeared for weeks on end, but did he also have hobbies? Some degree of a social life? She tried to imagine what kind of leisure activities he might engage in. Woodworking? Painting? Ballroom dance? None of those really seemed to fit. Maybe it would come up in conversation later this evening. They’d have to find something to talk about, after all, and there were few things in this world that Shredder loved more than talking about himself.
“Oishii is on the other side of town. Are you planning to walk all the way there?” For the sake of her feet, she hoped not.
“I thought we’d take a cab, but,” he glanced over at the flow of vehicles on the street beside them. “There doesn’t seem to be any around at the moment.” April stopped short again. “Now what?” he said irritably. “Have something against taxis?”
“No,” she said tersely and jerked her chin at the end of the block. Irma stood among the knot of people on the corner waiting for the light to change before crossing the street. “Irma. We can’t let her see us.”
“What are you worried about? Not like she’ll recognize me.”
“She might, actually,” she said seriously. “She saw you at the mayor’s press conference.”
“Then I still fail to see what your concern is. You said she already knows about us.”
April winced inwardly at his use of the word Us. “My concern is that she’d let it slip to Donatello at some point that she saw me out with a handsome Japanese man. That is guaranteed to raise the turtles’ suspicions, and like I said, I’m not . . .” She trailed off and blinked in confusion when she saw the corners of his mouth lift in a smug smile. “What?”
“You just called me handsome.”
She opened her mouth to deny it but snapped it shut again when she realized she had actually said that. “Irma describes every guy she sees as handsome,” she said lamely. The mischievous glint in his eyes told her he wasn’t buying her lie.
April hastily looked away and scanned the street. Shredder was right, there weren’t any cabs around. If they kept going as they had been, though, they’d catch up to Irma before long. They could always stay right where they were in the hopes a taxi eventually came by, but there was no telling how long that could take and they’d look rather suspicious just standing around. She was considering whether they should just keep walking and do their best not to attract Irma’s notice, maybe wait a little bit to let her get a few more blocks ahead of them first, when she spotted the perfect solution on the opposite street corner.
“We can take the subway,” April said, pointing to the low wall of polished stone surrounding the stairs leading down into the sidewalk. “It won’t get us all the way, but close enough.”
They waited for a break in the traffic then hurried across to the subway entrance – April casting anxious glances over her shoulder at Irma, willing her not to notice them – and descended into the station. April went immediately to one of the kiosks to buy a ticket. While waiting for her payment to be processed, she glanced down the row of machines but didn’t see Shredder at any of the other terminals. Turning to look back over her shoulder, she saw him lingering at the bottom of the stairs.
“What are you doing?” April said.
Instead of answering, Shredder smirked and slid sideways, somehow disappearing into the wave of people now spilling into the station. April searched for him among the stream of people flowing past her, finally finding him, once the crowd dissipated, on the other side of the fare gate. He gave her another smug smile and wave, then turned and strode down the platform. Cursing under her breath, April stuck her ticket into the gate and hurried after him. Shredder was studying the large transit map on the wall intently when she caught up with him.
“You know how to get where we’re going?” she asked casually.
“You say that like you expect I’ve never ridden a train before,” he said, shooting her an annoyed look. “Japan has an extensive railway system. One that’s much more efficient and,” he glanced around at the station’s grimy walls and the filthy, cracked floor tiles in distaste. “Cleaner than this.”
April shrugged. “It functions. Which is more than can be said for public transit in some other cities here.”
The speaker above them crackled to life, announcing the arrival of the next train.
“That’s the one we want,” Shredder said confidently. April knew that, but she let them both pretend he was doing her a favor by pointing it out.
A gust of wind preceded the train that came rattling into the station. April and Shredder stepped on as soon as the doors slid open, claiming two seats at the very end of the car. April kept her hands in her lap and her feet tucked under the seat, but there was no avoiding her arm brushing against Shredder’s jacket sleeve. The train had been moderately crowded when they got on, but enough people got off at the next several stops that they soon had half the car all to themselves.
“So, about me being handsome,” Shredder said after the doors closed and they rumbled onward yet again.
“Oh, for crying out loud,” April muttered under her breath. “Never struck me as one for vanity, Shredder.”
“It’s not something I’ve heard you say all that often.”
“You usually have your face covered,” she said pointedly. “Of course it’s not like you ever say I’m pretty, so we’re even.”
“That is not true,” he scoffed.
“Okay fine, let me rephrase. You only say I’m pretty when you’re trying to insult me.” April turned sideways so she was facing him fully. “So, come on,” she said, grinning wickedly. “Tell me I’m pretty. And mean it.”
He swallowed and looked at her nervously. April felt immense satisfaction seeing the uncertainty flickering over his features. It wasn’t often she had him at her mercy. She kept her gaze fixed on him as the train slowed, preparing to enter the next station stop. The PA system chimed, then a robotic voice announced the station name.
“I believe this is our stop,” Shredder said and stood up.
“Hm. Saved by the conductor.”
***
“I’m sorry sir, I still don’t see your name anywhere.”
“Look again,” Shredder growled.
The host winced and looked back down at his tablet screen. This was the third time he’d gone through the reservation list and April doubted it would make much difference. Beside her, Shredder was doing an admirable job of keeping his notoriously short temper in check in light of this hitch in their evening’s plans, but there was a noticeable tension in the restaurant’s waiting area. The patrons sitting on the benches waiting to be seated shifted about nervously, and April caught some of the waitstaff flicking anxious glances their way as they scurried about the dining room. For her part, April was doing her best to appear impassive, but inwardly was dreading what might happen if Shredder reached the end of his limited patience.
“No, sorry,” the host said when he finished reading the list again. “I still don’t see it.”
“That can’t be,” Shredder said heatedly. “I know I made the reservation for the 11th.”
April snorted a laugh, nerves finally getting the better of her. Shredder looked at her sharply.
“Today’s the 12th,” she said. “You made the reservation for yesterday.”
Shredder closed his eyes and groaned. “Is there any way you can find us a table tonight?”
The host shook his head apologetically. “We’re fully booked.”
“Come on,” April tugged on Shredder’s arm gently. “Let’s go somewhere else.”
After a brief hesitation, he let her steer him to the door. The host flashed April a relieved smile when she glanced back at him over her shoulder.
“We are not getting pizza,” Shredder said as soon as they were outside.
“Wasn’t even going to suggest it,” April said distractedly while she slipped her phone out of her clutch and searched for other restaurants in the area. “There’s a Thai place not far from here with good reviews. Not sushi but still Asian cuisine.” Shredder made a sound that she chose to interpret as one of agreement and put her name on the restaurant’s virtual waiting list. “‘Kay. Thirty-minute wait, but that should be more than enough time for us to walk there.”
He gestured for her to lead the way. April used the map in her GPS app to orient herself, then put her phone away and started walking. Unfortunately, she hadn’t considered the City’s road reconstruction project when she planned out their route. After only a couple blocks, the street they were following became closed to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Like any lifelong City resident, April prided herself on her sense of direction and did her best to navigate around the construction, but when the storefronts gradually gave way to more residential buildings, it became clear they had gone off track somewhere.
“Did you get us lost?” Shredder asked, eyeing the row of brownstones they were passing.
“Hey, I don’t come over here all that often,” April said defensively.
“So, yes. We’re lost.”
April grit her teeth. She should just check the map again but when she’d used her phone earlier, she’d discovered it hadn’t fully charged despite being plugged in most of the afternoon. Running the GPS app would drain the battery even faster and she didn’t want to waste what little power she had left.
“Let’s just . . . head down this next street,” she said, waving at the sign on the corner up ahead. “Maybe we can cut over.”
They turned onto the road she indicated, but instead of being a cross street as April had hoped, it instead proved to be a long alley with no outlet.
“Lovely, a dead end,” Shredder sneered, glowering at the ornate brick wall blocking their way. "This was certainly a brilliant idea.”
“You are a ray of sunshine, you know that?” April muttered. “Well, guess we go back out and circle around the way we came.”
“You folks look lost.” April and Shredder turned around to find a scrawny man wearing a denim jacket over a dark green hoodie standing a few feet behind them. With his hood drawn up, it was difficult to see his face clearly in the meager light coming from the few lamps mounted high on the buildings to either side of them. “I’m happy to help you out.” He flicked his wrist and the switchblade snapped into place with a soft click. “After you give me your wallet and purse, that is.”
“Oh good, now we’re being held up by some two-bit thug,” Shredder sighed. “I’m starting to believe you are just bad luck, Miss O’Neil.”
“Me?” She looked up at him indignantly. “I’m the one that’s bad luck?!”
“Well you are a trouble magnet. By your own admission.”
“Yeah, and you’re the trouble I usually attract.”
“True,” he said, flashing her a devilish grin. “You have done that.”
April rolled her eyes. “Maybe it’s all your bad karma rubbing off on me.”
“That’s not how karma works.”
“Uhm, hey!” The mugger said, waving his knife insistently. “I’m not playin’ around here! Your purse and wallet. Now!”
“I have a better idea,” Shredder drawled, crossing his arms. “Why don’t you give me your money.”
The mugger pivoted and pointed the knife directly at April. “How ‘bout I just cut your lady friend here?”
“Try it and I’ll break your wrist.”
“I’m serious, man!” The mugger’s voice wavered, clearly not prepared for one of his would-be targets to threaten him back. “I’ll do it!”
“So am I.”
The man looked between April and Shredder, the knife trembling in his hand. Shredder continued to regard him with cold indifference. April said nothing, not wanting to give either of them any encouragement. The mugger licked his lips, shifting his weight nervously from foot to foot. For a brief moment it looked like he was going to do the smart thing and run away, but then he took a step towards April. Faster than she could follow, Shredder seized the man’s wrist and gave it a vicious twist. April thought she heard a pop right before the man uttered a horrible scream that sent a chill down her spine and made stomach clench. The knife slipped from the man’s fingers and clattered to the pavement. Shredder let him go with a hard shove. He stumbled backwards, clutching his injured hand tightly to his chest.
“Here,” he sobbed, reaching into his pocket with his other hand and tossing a handful of crumpled bills on the ground before turning and running out of the alley. Shredder calmly scooped up the switchblade, closing it deftly with one hand and making it vanish into his sleeve, then crouched to gather up the fallen money.
“Oh relax, I didn’t break it,” he said when he caught April staring at him in disbelief. “Sprained at worst.” He finished smoothing out each of the bills in his hands and quickly counted them all up. “Though now we have cash to pay for dinner.”
“You mean you weren’t actually planning on paying for our meal?” April blurted, shocked that, after what she’d just witnessed, that was the question she ended up asking.
Shredder cast her an enigmatic look and stood back up, tucking the now neatly folded money into his pocket. “All right, now what?”
April sacrificed a chunk of her phone’s battery life to launch the GPS app and let it guide them to their destination. Within a few minutes, they were walking along a bustling thoroughfare lined with brightly lit storefronts and bars spilling lively music onto the street through their open doors. April felt a sense of relief when the Thai restaurant finally came into view. That relief slowly faded when she saw another couple ahead of them approaching the building pause in front of the door, then turn and walk away. When they got a little closer, she saw someone, possibly an employee, standing in front of the entrance. April’s gaze flicked to the wide windows in the restaurant’s facade. The dining room appeared to be empty, though many of the polished wood tables had yet to be cleared of dirty plates and half-finished drinks. She and Shredder slowed to a stop when another party approached the building and was blocked from entering by the woman in front of the door. They were close enough now that they could hear everything she said.
“I’m so sorry, we just had a pipe burst in our kitchen. The place is flooded. Waiting on Public Works to. . . ”
“Well, looks like we’re not eating here either,” April said.
“Wonderful,” Shredder said despondently.
April looked up at him, intending to ask if they should just call it a night, but hesitated when she saw the pained expression on his face, the distant look in his eyes. She had a sense that, lost in his thoughts as he was, he didn’t even remember she was there. After years of defeat at the turtles’ hands, Shredder was no stranger to having his carefully crafted plans derailed. But this was different. At that moment, he wasn’t an evil ninja intent on world domination, mortal enemies with her best friends. He was simply a man disappointed that the special evening he’d been looking forward to spending with the woman he liked was crumbling apart at his feet.
“Hey,” she said softly, taking his hand. “Come on, I have an idea.”
***
“All things considered, this is probably what we should have done to begin with,” April said.
“Um-hum,” Shredder agreed around a mouthful of tuna salad.
April took a bite of her own turkey club and washed it down with a sip of soda. They were sitting on the roof of her apartment building, eating the sandwiches they’d picked up at the corner deli. April had flagged down one of the many cabs on the other side of town to take them home, using the money Shredder took from the mugger to pay the fare, and dug an old quilt out of her closet for them to use as a picnic blanket. Shredder had tossed his jacket aside and undone his tie before settling himself across from her. April understood the sentiment; she’d exchanged her heels for a pair of flip-flops during her pass through her apartment, much to the relief of her aching feet.
“I have to admit,” April said after taking another bite of her sandwich and wiping a bit of mayonnaise off her face with a napkin. “I was really surprised when you asked me out. Never expected you would actually do it.”
“Well, I’d hate to be predictable,” Shredder said blithely, popping the last of his pickle spear into his mouth.
“You are predictable. That’s why I said what I did.”
“You didn’t have to agree,” he countered. “Why’d you say yes?”
April picked up her cup again and took a long drink to give herself time to think of an answer. “I guess . . . I wanted to see if you could do it. Be a regular person.”
He raised an eyebrow. “How’d I do?”
“Mm I’m not telling,” she said with a sly grin and set her cup back down. “Also, it goes without saying that we are never doing this again.”
Shredder’s eyes glinted merrily as he tipped the open bag of potato chips toward to her. “Oh, but I remember you promising we’d do this at least one more time.”
“After you conquer the world,” she reminded him, taking a chip. The corner of her mouth quirked up in a small smile. “I wish you the best of luck with that.”