The Girl From Another World ( TMNT 2007 Universe )

Chapter 27 - Million Dollar Baby

Jazmin

We arrived at a small shack-looking sort of thing on the outskirts of L. A. just as the sun was starting to rise. Looking behind us, there were the bright lights and the city that looked so huge I couldn't see the end. Before us, was the shed and miles and miles of open road. If this wasn't it, we'd have to be driving for even more days. And none of us wanted to do that.

We stared at the small structure as a group, all our orbs trained on it. Disbelief made us mute. There was no way.

"Is this it?" Mikey voiced the question we all had.

"That's what the records say." April confirmed. "According to Zeke's criminal record. He was last recorded to be residing here."

"But how?" Donnie asked. "There isn't even an address or a mailbox! How would this be a location?"

"Yeah." Leo added. "Explain that."

April glared at both of the mutants. A fight was going to break out soon. "I didn't make a mistake!"

"I may have a solution." I stood up, untangling myself from Red and started for the front of the bus. Leaving his warmth was not ideal but somebody had to figure this out. "Wait here."

"What? No." Red got up right after me and followed me out of the bus.

I turned to him and rested a hand on his plastron. "It's okay. I'm just going to try something."

"Yeah. And I'm coming with you." His green eyes held so much intensity that I couldn't argue. So I turned back around.

"Alright."

The door to the shed was dilapidated and falling apart, the wood rotting itself out, the brown paint barely visible. And the roof LOOKE like it was going to fall through any second. With a sigh, I placed my hand over the wood and trailed across it as I searched for any sign that someone had been there. And I found it sooner than I'd thought.

"There." I pointed to the latches lining the door so Red could see. "Those are new. Newer than this door is." Red leaned over my shoulder and I could smell his pine scent. I forced myself to focus.

"So what does that mean?"

I ran my hand over the partially shiny steel of the bolt latches. "Someone has been here to replace them."

Red moved from my side and walked around to the back of the shed. "There's nothing else around the back!" He called.

I focused in on the door. There was only one way to get in and this was it. Surely, this place was too small to accommodate even one person. But this is where the records said Kellerinn was. So he had to be here and there had to be more than we were seeing.

Looking more closely at the rotting wood, I could make out a small silver dial in the center of the door. And when I looked even closer I could make out a few numbers. That was it. The entire door was locked by a combination.

"Go get Donnie." I said to the red masked turtle who had gone back to flanking my side. I pointed to the dial with a finger. "It's a combination lock. Tesh used these to keep his files on projects locked up."

"Why would he lock his shit up?" Red asked.

The familiar venom that entered my voice when I talked about him returned. "He never let anybody see what he was doing."

Red scoffed as he left and returned just as quickly with Dontello and the younger mutant squatted down to see what I was pointing at. Being more than a foot taller than me, Donnie had to adjust his height.