Mutants in the City

Chapter 2: The Kidnapping of the O'Neils

*5K words
*Estimated Reading Time: 19 minutes

{9:32 PM}
{New York City}
The silence of night fell over New York in a thin blanket, given the fact that the city is known for never sleeping, so there's not a moment of complete and uninterrupted quiet. Using the darkness to their advantage the four turtle brothers swiftly traveled the town undetected, parkouring over the apartment buildings, businesses, and shops. They flipped, tumbled, and launched off and over countless obstacles, trying to one-up each other, cheering all the while. It's a bit surprising how they would make so much noise and no one noticed them. Then again, this is New York. It's only been a bit over 2 hours since they left the lair, and yet they were having the time of their lives exploring the surface and discovering human cultures. The boys slid to a stop at the edge of a building and stood side by side in silence, taking in the beautiful city before them. Their mask tails fluttered in the breeze, as if they were heroes ready to save the day.

"Alright, guys, it's getting late. We should probably head back home." Leo nodded, only for his brothers to groan in protest. New York was so big and full of possibilities. None of them wanted to go back underground, knowing good and well that this may be the last time that they'd see the city in person. Well, that is until they're adults when their Sensei technically can't tell them what to do anymore. But no one wanted to wait 3 to 6 more years until that day. Then again, staying out late and making their poor father worry is not the best choice in this situation. The brothers sadly turned to head back, but Donnie caught something out of the corner of his eye and gasped. "Guys! Look at that." Donnie practically whispered, pointing to the sidewalk across the street.

There they saw three figures; a grown man and a young girl talking to each other and a frighteningly tall, hooded figure with their arm slung over the girl's shoulders. But Donnie was pointing to one person in particular: the girl in the middle. To him, she was stunning, with her shiny orange hair swaying with each step, her crystal blue eyes, and her fair skin with freckles. Not to mention her smile that made his heart hammer and his knees weak. She was perfect. "She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," Donnie awed, stuck in his slow-motion fantasy world. "Isn't she the only girl you've ever seen?" Raph asked with a scowl, knocking Donnie out of his trance. "My point still stands," Donnie said. "I don't know, Don. It looks like she has a boyfriend. And that dude is huge!" Mikey exclaimed with a grin. "Wait, what?!" Donnie yelled as he took another look.

Low and behold, the hooded figure was still there with their arm on the girl's shoulders as they talked to her. She seemed pretty excited with whatever they were talking about because she absentmindedly jumped closer. Oh, how Donnie wished to be them. "Oh, haha. I did not see him before." Donnie gulped, as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. "How? He looks like he eats twigs like you for breakfast." Raph deadpanned, making Donnie even more nervous. Suddenly, they heard tires screeching and looked back to see the three civilians freezing on the spot because a white van pulled up in front of them. A skinny yet toned man wearing a white tank top and blue jeans stepped out and smirked, followed by four identical men in suits jumping out of the back. They started to walk towards the group, and the hooded figure pushed the two behind them, dropping their gym bag and brandishing a crowbar with malicious intent.

"Look, I've already had to deal with punks like you before. And by now, they're probably only just peeling themselves off the pavement. So back away now, and we can forget this ever happened. But if you don't..." The androgynous voice yelled out. If words could kill, the men would have been flattened out by the pure venom that dripped from each syllable. But the strange men continued to march forward without hesitation as the girl hugged her father in fear as they inched backward. "We gotta save 'em!" Donnie gasped, but Leo put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from jumping down. "Splinter's instructions were very clear. We're supposed to stay away from people. And bathrooms." Leo reminded, mocking the last part. "I thought you wanted to be a hero. Since when do heroes ask for permission?" Raph spat. "They don't. But-" "Well, I'm going!" Donnie interrupted. The purple clad turtle jumped down into the street, immediately followed by Mikey and Raph. Leo sighed and followed his brothers into battle.