Together As Mutants (Book Six)

CXLXII. Finding Out

Leonardo wakes from sleep with a jolt, his heart pounding. Remnants of a dream play in his mind, a dream where his son was screaming for help. It was just a dream, and yet Leo can't shake the feeling that something is wrong.

"Destiny," he whispers, looking down at his wife and shaking her shoulder gently.

She yawns, hardly opening her eyes. "Yeah?"

"Something's wrong," he says.

Another long yawn breaks through her as she opens her eyes, blinking sluggishly. "How can you tell?"

"I had a dream. Dean...something happened to him."

Destiny sits up, running her eyes as she fluffs her curls. "Well, let's check on him. He's in Venus' room, isn't he?"

They both get up, heading to the nursery. However, when they get there, they find Venus alone. Dean's blanket lays on the floor in a pile, but the seven-year-old wolf-raven is nowhere to be seen.

"Dean?" Leo calls.

Destiny frowns, turning and heading to the kids' communal room; some of the expansions that they did around the time that the Hamatos were settling down. Once she gets there, she finds that they're all gone. Every bed is empty.

"Leo! Leo!" she shouts.

She turns and sprints as fast as she can back to the nursery, already feeling out of breath by the time she gets back. She subconsciously curses the baby weight and lack of exercise that's happened, seeing as the circumstances of Venus' birth really tired her out.

"The kids...they're all gone," she reports, seeing the fear in Leo's face increase tenfold at the words.

The turtle doesn't hesitate to go and wake up his brothers. He lets Splinter sleep, knowing that they can handle this. Destiny picks up Venus, holding the two-week-old turtle against her chest.

In the living room, Annalise hugs Michelangelo as her body shakes with fear. Taylor and Raphael keep their fists clenched at their sides, although they still look worried. Sarina and Donatello search the area for clues.

"Hey, look!" Sarina says, holding up a little piece of paper.

She moves closer to her family as she reads out the words.

Dad, Mom, Uncles and Aunts,
We went up. Copeland said it'd be fun...
Please don't hurt us when we get back.
~Asher

Donnie smacks his forehead. "Those stupid kids..."

"Except ours," Sarina says.

"They went up?!" Taylor exclaims.

Venus lets out a small cry at the sudden noise, earning Taylor a glare from the said baby's mother.

"Apparently so..." Donnie mumbles, answering the Brazilian-American's question.

"I'm going after them. Something's wrong," Leo says.

"Right behind you," Raph agrees. "I'll get the weapons."

Donnie and Mikey follow closely behind with nods of agreement.

"I'm coming too," Destiny insists, still holding Venus.

"No. Stay here," Leo commands, resting a hand on her shoulder and pushing her back onto the couch. "You're still needing to recover."

"Us four will go get them. You girls stay here in case they come back," Donnie says.

The four girls sigh, but agree. They wait as their husbands retrieve their weapons and dash out of the lair together.

------------

The men come back, their entire personas covered with a veil of concern.

"We can't find them," Raphael says.

"You looked everywhere?" Taylor asks, her voice strained.

"Everywhere. They're gone," Michelangelo says, resting his hands on his nunchucks as his face falls.

"Don't you have any leads?" Sarina demands, getting to her feet.

Donatello sighs heavily. "I found traces of blood in one of the roads...burn marks too." He swallows, his hands shaking. "I also could detect mutagen and Kraang..."

"Kraang? They took our children?" Sarina whimpers, her hands flying to her mouth. Her husband doesn't hesitate to step forwards and encase her in a gentle hug.

"We're going back out to look for them. If they have been kidnapped...we need to save them," Leonardo says calmly.

"And we are not staying behind," Taylor insists, grabbing a stray baseball bat nearby and shouldering it.

"Babe, I-" Raph starts. She growls, making him gulp. "I think you should come, I mean."

"If she's going, I'm going," Annalise says, her eyes blazing. "If my baby has been taken, they're going to wish they hadn't been born."

"I'm going too," Sarina adds.

"Same," Destiny agrees.

"No," Leo stops his wife once again, looking down at the daughter cradled in her arms. "You have to stay with Venus." Destiny frowns, to which her husband responds by leaning forwards and leaving a gentle kiss on her lips. "Please? Stay here with father."

Before she can object, everyone turns and races away. The wolf-raven holds Venus close to her chest, a determined look settling on her scarred face. She glances towards the dojo, knowing that Splinter is still asleep.

That means that he can't stop her.

"Fine. Venus and I will just search the sewers," she mumbles, heading out with the baby in her arms.