Midori: Chapter two
***
The night air chilled her to the bone. Midori wished she didn't have to go out tonight, but her food had run out, and she really had no choice. She spent as little time as possible out of her warehouse. She'd learned from experience how dangerous the outside world could be.
She slipped in through the back and was shocked to find intruders in her home. This was the second time in as many nights. Her shock melted away to be replaced by anger. She stashed her pack and went to get a closer look.
They were the same men from last night, all dressed in black. They all seemed to be standing around but their heads moved, like they were searching for something. This confused Midori, as no one had ever come back before, not after she chased them off.
Suddenly one of the men shouted an order, pointing in her direction, and the others rushed towards her. Midori's anger turned into cold fear and panic. She scrambled away and climbed a stack of crates. The black-clad men followed but any that came close enough got a foot in the face and fell.
One managed to grab her cloak but she flipped him over her shell and grabbed the short staff he had been carrying. She made it to the top and swung the staff at any of the humans who tried to get up there with her. The man who had ordered the attack was still down on the ground, watching the whole scene play out.
Finally the man ordered his men to back away. They went, pulling their unconscious teammates with them. The man called to her but she held her ground. One of the soldiers tried to argue with him, but a sharp look silenced him. The leader held out his hand towards her.
Midori knelt down. It looked like he had something in his hand. After a few seconds she could smell the bread. It smelled delicious, but she was still cautious. It was hard to resist, as she hadn't eaten in at least a day, and at last her stomach led her slowly down the stack of crates.
The man talked softly to her, telling her it was all right, that he wasn't going to hurt her, as if she were some stray pet. It was almost offensive.
She finally reached out and snatched the bread from his hand and quickly retreated into one of the crates at the bottom of the stack.
"Impressive," she heard him say. She had a vague idea of what the word meant, but she was concentrating more on the bread in her hands. It smelled good, and was still warm; she never got warm food. She began eating once she was satisfied that it was actually food, and not some trick.
She was surprised when the man appeared at the opening of the crate; she hadn't seen him move. He had removed his mask and she immediately noticed the thin, pale scar running across the side of his face. He held his hand out again, but he didn't have any food this time, so she went back to her bread.
The man waited until she was finished. "Would you like more?" he asked gently.
Midori looked at him. "More?"
The man smiled. "Speech, that is very good. Yes," he told her. "I have much more for you, if you come with me."
Midori shook her head and moved back. "This is my home. I do not want to leave."
The man's smile broadened. So, it was at least somewhat intelligent. That would make this easier. "We have a new home for you." He looked around. "It's nicer than this, warmer, with good food. You will like it."
Midori stared at him through narrowed eyes for a few moments, at his face, then at his hand, which was still outstretched towards her. She placed her hand in his and let him help her out of the crate.
"Welcome to your new family."
***
Taro sensed that the Turtle was very uncomfortable in its new environment. It kept glancing around, keeping as far away from the others as possible. It was scared, probably not used to being around so many people.
He led it into a room where Tatsu was waiting for them. Tatsu narrowed his eyes at the creature in instant distrust. The Turtle did the same. Taro leaned against his desk and took the time to really look over his prize. It was very obvious that this was not one of the four that had troubled his father.
While the other four had pads, masks, and weapons, this one had only a tattered and stained piece of fabric draped over its shoulders, tied in front. It was thin, but not unhealthy, just built smaller than the others. That, and the way its plastron bulged out a bit at the top and narrowed at the waist, gave Taro the suspicion that it was female. If he was right, this would turn out better than he ever could have hoped. Ideas already began to come together in his mind. But first things first.
"Do you have a name?"
The Turtle simply tilted her head to the side for a moment, looking at him, as if trying to remember something. "Midori," she finally said.
Taro smiled. "Midori. I am Taro. And this is my advisor, Tatsu."
Tatsu nodded quickly.
Taro took Midori's hand and sat her down in the chair in front of his desk. He then sat behind his desk, leaning forward to address her. "Midori, do you know where the other mutants are?"
Midori's brown eyes took on a look of confusion so Taro rephrased the question. "Do you know the others like you?"
Midori blinked. "There are no others like me."
Taro turned in his chair and used a remote control to turn on one of the monitors. He half expected her to freak out at the sight of a television, but then he remembered that even though she'd been alone her entire life, she'd still been in New York, and was probably at least familiar with most modern things.
The screen showed four human sized Turtles standing in the middle of a construction lot. Other Foot soldiers could be seen along the edges. Midori's jaw dropped as she watched the picture. "They… they are…"
"Like you," Taro finished. "Mutants, that is what you are. We need your help to find them."
"Why?" The idea that there were others like her had never crossed Midori's mind. She guessed that she would like to find them, but she wondered why these men would want them.
Taro turned back to her, letting his face show some sadness, however false it was. "These four killed my father, and they have hurt many people." He ran his fingers down his scar, "Including me. We must stop them."
Midori was confused. Yes, she knew what a father was, but as she'd never had one, she didn't know why Taro was so upset. Humans were killed ever day, and she never concerned herself with it before. It just wasn't her problem.
When she didn't answer Taro walked over to her chair and put a hand on her shoulder, kneeling down until he was at her eye level. "Midori, these are very dangerous creatures. Will you help us?"
Midori didn't know how to answer so she just looked down into her lap. Taro patted her shoulder. "You can think about it. Tatsu, show Midori to her room."
***