Leonardo and Michelangelo were alone on patrol as they ran over the city rooftops. It was a warm night in the Big Apple and a little humid. Mikey loved it. It was a whole lot better than being cold.
Raph had opted out of parole, deciding instead to tend to Snow. He had gotten in the habit of having her sleep in with him, refusing to let Don make her cry herself to sleep. It was a sour spot for the trio of parents. “Don’t expect me to fix it later,” Don would yell at Raph. “You are spoiling her.” Raph wouldn’t respond but simply go to his room and shut the door.
When Leo had gone to get Donny for patrol, Leatherhead had pleaded with them to led Donny sleep, something he hadn’t been doing a lot of over the past few days. His portal project had been consuming almost all of his free time. Add to that all of his other duties within the lair and he barely had any time for sleep or anything else for that matter. The exasperated sigh from Leatherhead told Mikey that the large crock was not all that happy about Don’s project.
So the two were on their own and Leo had decided to make a trip to visit Karai. Mikey was a little iffy about it, he didn’t fully trust their former enemy even though she was instrumental in saving Raph’s life. But, he could see how much Leo wanted an alliance with her. He believed she had changed.
“Why are we here?” Mikey asked when they reached the foot headquarters.
“You got me thinking the other night when you asked if Karai had any more mutagen.” Leo answered. “We are here to ask her if she does.”
“And if she does are we gonna mutate us some girlfriends?” Mikey asked, knowing quite well what the answer was going to be.
Leo simply glared at Mikey and then for good measure, smacked him on the back of the head.
“Ouch,” Mikey complained, rubbing his head. “A simple ‘no’ would have worked.”
They didn’t have to wait long before a Foot ninja approached them. Leo and Mikey bowed to the ninja and then followed him into the compound. Leo allowed himself a soft smile, showing that he was at ease in their environment.
The ninja led the pair to where Karai was waiting. When they entered a genuine smile brightened her face as she turned to great them. It was a vast contrast to the hard mask of indifference or anger that she used to wear whenever they were around. She was actually quite pretty when she smiled. Mikey chanced a glance at Leo and saw that his smile had widened as well, leaving Mikey to wonder if he had a mild crush on their former enemy.
“Hello, Leonardo. Michelangelo,” she bowed to them. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Have you reconsidered joining the Foot?”
Once again Mikey glanced at Leo, looking for a reaction. So they had been offered a spot in the Foot clan, not just an alliance. Leo’s smile dropped a little and Mikey could read regret in his older brother’s eyes.
Leo shook his head, stopping a respectable distance from Karai. “I am not quite ready to make such an extreme leap of faith. My trust in you grows Karai but it’s still not enough to join you just yet. Even if I wanted to join you now, my brothers are less trusting of you than I am. Instead, we are here because I am curious to know if you still have any mutagen in your possession.”
“Ah,” Karai nodded as the smile faded from her features. “I am still in possession of a few vials of it. Doctor Chaplin has been studying it in hopes of developing medicine.”
“That is all he is studying it for?” Leo asked, crossing his arms over his plastron.
“I assure you,” she insisted, “our intentions are pure. We have not forced mutations on anyone, though a few more have come forward with the desire to be mutated. After a few weeks with the clan psychiatrist to make sure it was what they really wanted, I granted the mutations.”
Mikey couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to be a mutant. It wasn’t easy having to stay hidden from the rest of the world. He figured that the Foot ninja had a slightly easier time with it do to the fact that they were part of a large organization that took care of them.
“Do any of them happen to be female and turtles?” Mikey asked, earning himself a piercing glare from Leo. “What? You might be okay with leading a celibate and loveless life but I have needs.”
“Get them under control,” Leo growled.
Karai chuckled, causing both Leo and Mikey to look up at her in surprise. It wasn’t her typical maniacal laugh. It was actually melodic and cheerful. Mikey didn’t think she was capable of such a feminine sound. “All of the ones who have been mutated chose a mammal of some sort. Sorry, no turtles.”
“Forgive my brother,” Leo bowed. “Sometimes he speaks without thinking it through.”
“I can only begin to imagine what it would be like to live your life,” Karai said, shaking her head. “Michelangelo’s question is understandable.” She thought for a moment before speaking. “My father…. Shredder had only used about a third of the mutagen we had collected from his counterpart. If, by chance, you manage to find someone to love who wishes to be mutated for you then I will gladly assist them with that. But it must be something that they do willingly.”
“Thank you,” Mikey mumbled, bowing his head. “I don’t think it will ever come to that but it is comforting to know that the option exists.”
“You never know,” Karai smiled. “Some of the recent requests were from the girlfriends and wives of the men who were mutated. We are actually expecting our first child from one of the couples.”
“Really?” Mikey felt his heart sink. He was actually considering siding with Leo in the argument of joining the Foot. Maybe he would meet a nice ninja woman who would be willing to mutate into a turtle for him. To have that deeper connection with someone, Mikey would give up every comic book he owned. He wanted it more than anything.
Leo smiled and said, as if he could read Mikey’s mind, “I think you might have just convinced Mikey to join the Foot for me. Now we just need to come up with ways to sway the other two and we’ll be moving in.”
“It’s tempting,” Mikey admitted with a huge grin. “Good luck convincing Don and Raph though.”
“I am still looking for some qualified ninja to replace the Elite,” Karai said.
Mikey chuckled, “Do we get to wear the cool hats?”
“Only if you really want to.”
“Sign me up,” Mikey replied, drawing a soft chuckle from his brother.
Taking on a serious tone, Karai looked at Leo again. “I will not do anything illegal with the mutagen. Chaplin is looking in to different applications for it. I want to atone for the crimes the Foot has committed in the past. Finding a cure to some horrific disease would only be a start. Do I have your trust in this, Leonardo?”
With a slight nod, Leo answered, “You do.”
“Thank you,” Karai bowed. When she straightened back out the smile was back. “Since you are here, how about a little training? I am having a hard time finding someone skilled enough to spar with me lately. It is tedious and boring to start a fight that I know I am going to win.”
“I would be honored,” Leo smiled in return.
“Would you two mind if I wandered around for a little bit while you two played?” Mikey asked, backing up to the door. “I’m not really in the mood for more training. Maybe I’ll hit the cafeteria and get myself some of that soft serve ice cream.”
Leo looked to Karai, who nodded her head. “I have no secrets from you. You are free to go where you like. I’m sure you remember your way to the cafeteria.”
“I can find my way with my eyes closed,” Mikey replied, making his way out the door. “Call me when you’re done,” he called back to Leo as he started to run down the hall.
Mikey ran through the halls on a direct route to the cafeteria. An ice cream station was not something one would expect to see in the lair of a villain. It left Mikey to wonder if Shredder had actually supplied it for the Foot or if it was something Karai had added when she took over. Either way, it was Mikey’s favorite part.
There were a few Foot soldiers in the cafeteria and they didn’t seem to mind when Mikey entered. A few of them waved at him and he waved back on his way to the ice cream. During the time that the Turtles had stayed at the Foot compound, they usually ate together and the Foot left them alone. So they never really made any friends.
Picking up the biggest bowl he could get his hands on, Mikey placed some pieces of gingerbread in the bottom before heading to the ice cream machine. He then topped it with vanilla soft serve, whipped cream and caramel.
Sitting at the nearest empty table, Mikey started into what he knew would only be his first bowl. He wasn’t able to take his first bite before one of the mutated ninja sat across from him. He was a large cat of some sort. Mikey had no clue which one though. They all looked the same to him. He could have been a house cat for all he knew. Mikey stopped with the spoon held up near his mouth and smiled. “Hi,” he said then took the bite.
“I have fought you many times but now I am to view you as an ally,” the ninja said.
“Tell me about it, cat dude,” Mikey sighed after swallowing. “Imagine what it’s like for us. We had to trust someone, who had tried multiple times in the past to kill us, to save our brother. That was a nerve racking time for all of us.”
“I’m a puma,” the ninja corrected.
“Do you like being a mutant now?” Mikey asked after taking another bite.
The ninja nodded, “I am faster, stronger and more agile than I was as a human. I do not regret my decision to volunteer.”
“Do you ever miss the life you had?” Mikey asked. “It can’t be easy finding a girlfriend like this.”
“I already had one before this,” the ninja shrugged. “She’s okay with it.”
“Lucky,” Mikey mumbled.
“I just wanted you to know that the transition into viewing you as an ally was not a hard one,” the ninja insisted. “Most of us who are still with the Foot see how evil Shredder actually was. We were honestly kept in the dark about a lot of things, and lied to about so much more. The ones who actually enjoyed doing bad things have left and joined the Purple Dragons.”
“It’s comforting to know that we don’t have to look out for the Foot anymore,” Mikey admitted. “It will take us a little while to fully trust you.”
“I understand,” the ninja nodded. “I’ll let you get back to your ice cream.”
The ninja moved to stand but then Mikey found himself saying, “Wait,” causing the ninja to stop. “We can talk a bit more, if you want. You never told me your name.”
“Steve,” the ninja answered, sitting back down.
They sat talking about nothing in particular while Mikey had his fill of ice cream. Others eventually joined them and Mikey ended up telling them about different adventures he had been on. They listened to his stories with rapt attention and it felt good to be able to tell someone about things he had experienced.
He was just finishing up how he had won the Nexus tournament when his shell-cell rang. “Aww,” Mikey moaned as he answered. “I think it’s time to go.”
“We’ll continue the stories next time,” Steve said.
“Yeah,” Mikey nodded, surprised at how much he didn’t want to leave. “We will definitely have to come back sometime. Bye guys.”
The Foot ninjas said their goodbyes and Mikey headed out to find Leo. They met in the hall then left the compound together. “Did you enjoy your ice cream?” Leo asked as soon as they got outside.
“I did,” Mikey answered, nodding his head. “Did you enjoy your bout with your girlfriend?”
Leo stopped, making Mikey have to stop as well. “Please don’t tease. You’re not the only one who desires a more meaningful relationship. I admire Karai but I’m not in love with her. Besides that… she has married Chaplin. She… She is expecting.”
“Sorry,” Mikey said in a small voice. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I know,” Leo sighed. “It’s okay. Let’s go home.”
Their run home was done in silence.
