Race. [TMNT 2012]

041. Approached; Raphael

Song: I Am Machine - Three Days Grace

I let my sorrow drain from my body.  Numb with no emotions, I rise to my feet and back away from Charlotte's grave.  My daily grieving is over and it's time to move onto my next routine: hiding in my bedroom.

   As I turn around, I catch a glimpse of the annoying blonde who bothered me.  Lucy's back is to me, and her head was lift almost towards the sky as she gazes at the figure in front of her.  Her ridiculously long hair is only a foot above the ground, though that isn't surprising since she's so short.

   The more I look at her, the more her hair bothers me.  Why would anyone want so much of it?  Isn't it irritating to have it in her way all the time? Either way, I'm glad I don't have that problem.

   I make a mental note to shave my head if I ever mutate into a human.

   There is an uncomfortable lurch in my abdomen as I recognize who Lucy is talking to.  Even after several months of avoiding him, there is no mistaking his dark, mysterious eyes and the smirk he carries around like a trophy. He posture is flawless and his stance is mellow, as usual. Casey Jones hasn't changed a bit since I last saw him.

   The way Casey holds himself indicates that he's trying to properly converse with Lucy. I roll my eyes and drag my attention away from them, shaking my head. "Let him deal with her," I grumble.

   Deep down, I know I shouldn't be out in the park so much.  Lately, I've been careless about getting spotted.  What if Lucy had been some stranger?  I would have gotten the cops called on me faster than I could take a step backwards. I am a ninja, yet I completely disrespect that trait just for a grave.

   The whole point of being a ninja is to explore New York City while dodging the public eye. I trained my entire life to accomplish that, yet I can't bring myself to care about it anymore. Leonardo is going to be furious.

   However, as I descend into a manhole, I no longer care what my eldest brother thinks.  It was simply Lucy who spotted me, so what's the big deal?  She's keep our existence a secret without question.  I trust her, though I still do my best to stay as far away from her as possible.

   Besides, if Lucy did go and tell the city that she saw me, no one would believe her. We haven't been glimpsed properly since Shredder tried to get us arrested when he took over the city. Since then, the citizens believe that we're myths, that all the posters with our faces are just some intense photoshop.

   Not caring what Lucy does with her new information, I let my mind rest until I arrive at the lair. There, I see Michelangelo with his legs criss-crossed as he sits in from of the television. He rocks back and forth eagerly as he obsesses over the sci-fi action. A little over to the right, Leonardo and Donatello seem to be having a heavy discussion. By the panicked look in Donatello's russet eyes, something bad is about to happen. Curious, I stand off to the side and eavesdrop.

   "... That's what the readings indicated," Donatello is saying, practically gasping in his efforts to calm down. "The chemical compounds of the clouds are at three on the pH scale. Some factor has forcefully absorbed itself to the atmosphere and altered the make up of the clouds!"

   "How?" Leonardo looks just as concerned as Donatello, though frankly he looks more worried for the purple-clad turtle's sanity.

   "If you can decompose a chemical mixture, then you can replace key elements and recreate the substance," Donatello explains rapidly, his frown creasing his green face. "Somehow, an element found a weak point in the balance of the clouds. Now they're no longer clouds, but containers full of acid!"