137Still hard at work on this. I've got two ways I want something to happen, and I can't decide which is better- but I hope to update again in another week. Thanks to those who have stuck with this little adventure to Leo-Ego land.
TMNT are the property of Viacom and everyone needs to go buy "Turtles Forever" on DVD even though it's been trimmed so they'll be encouraged to continue making Turtle shows!
Stalking the Green-Eyed Monster
Sun Tzu says:
2. When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory,
it is dispersive ground.
11. On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not...
Leonardo knew the underground in ways that no city worker could ever dream of. He and his brothers could travel these dark and forbidding passageways with all the ease and unconcern of the typical surface dweller winding their way through the vast canyons and pathways of the Big Apple. Indeed, it was in some ways safer to be underground than above, though there are those (like the tourist industry) who would dispute that opinion.
Leo was confident in his ability to easily escape these silly surface dwellers without having to fight them. His main concern was reaching home before Master Splinter.
As he trudged along, the sound of pursuit long faded from his keen hearing, his mind slowly twisted itself back to the kata.
He'd only had a chance to perform the next few moves twice, maybe three times before the unexpected interruption, but as he replayed the actions in his sharp little mind, he could just TELL that he'd pretty much done them with such grace and strength, that there was no way it would take him ten years to master it.
Too bad those people interrupted me. I was on my way to performing the kata in its entirety! Ah well, there will always be tomorrow. I've gotta get home and at least copy this paper before Mike and Splinter find out anything!
And he picked up speed because a cautious (Future) Leader must be Ever Vigilant, and therefore, though he knew those humans were miles away from him by now, he had to risk the roundabout way home, just to Be Sure.
"For the last time, shut UP!"
The crew, busy taking bets on who would throw the first punch, paid little attention to their "expert", who was the only one still examining the map as well as the "tunnel" where they'd seen the creature.
Joseph Anthony Moschella, crisp new uniform having taken on the usual look of an underground worker, tuned out the "drama" playing behind him. His flashlight went from the schematics in one hand to illuminating this new junction the tunnel had led them to, then back to the map. There were several other junctions and offshoots further ahead, but Joe was convinced that the thing, whatever it was, would probably take the closest one that branched off to the right of this one.
After all, if it had been HIM being chased, he would have taken the first turn he'd come to. Stands to reason that this whateveritwas wouldn't continue straight ahead. The next junction was just too far off for safety.
At least, it seemed so to Joe.
While the director and the "star" continued their near-fight, Joe ventured several yards into the side tunnel, tuning out the echoing shouts behind him, straining eyes and ears to catch something other than these noisy people.
Normal underground sounds began to be more noticeable- dripping, strange random clanks and rattlings- subway must be near by, he could somehow tell when a train was passing-
The further he ventured, the more the sounds seemed to intensify, including this strange, rhythmic thumping accompanied by a rapid, intermittent whistle.
Then he realized his heart was pounding, and his breathing was rather intense, and he forced himself to calm down.
Focusing on the floor in front of him and the walls around him, he thought he could tell that someone or something had been through here. It just looked... disturbed somehow.
And then something illuminated in the searching beam of his light caught his attention. Drawn to it like his wife to an open candy box, Joe followed the beam to a small, shiny key.
Lying on top of the usual sewer filth, the key stuck out like Tony Curtis's accent in "The Prince Who Was A Thief", a twinkling star amidst the sludge.
Joe picked it up. It looked like it came from one of those toys that you wind up, or a clock...
Yes, a clock! That was a clock alarm they'd heard, right? So this little green creature was carrying a wind-up clock, and while it was escaping, it accidentally dropped this key!
Ignoring the nagging question in his mind about why a green frog creature would even need an alarm clock, Joseph Anthony Moschella cheerfully turned back to fetch the others.
This would stop their fighting.
Hell, this might even make HIM the star of his OWN show!
Sun Tzu says:
3. When [the enemy] has penetrated into hostile territory,
but to no great distance, it is facile ground.
11. ... On facile ground, halt not...
As he went along, justifying in his mind the safety of the situation, he found that he'd started doing the first seven katas. He glanced at his clock. He had dropped it earlier, but a quick assessment at that moment showed him that it was still working.
Now that he wasn't in such a rush, he was pleased to see that despite the need to beat a hasty retreat and take this extra-long, extra-confusing way home, he had some time left!
Maybe I could do one quick run-through of what I practiced today? No, I really should get home. But it wouldn't take long... and at the same time, it would show me if I'm being followed. I could hear them coming a mile away in this stretch of tunnel!
Something tickled the back of his mind; some quote or saying or other struggled to break forth through the barrier that was known as the Best and Most Hardest Kata Ever in the Entire World for Leonardo to Master Before Michelangelo, but it struggled and fought a hopeless battle.
With a gland around, and a most careful one minute of holding his breath and straining his well-trained ninja ears to filter out the typical noises of the tunnels as they sought the telling sounds of approaching danger, Leo came to the conclusion that he had successfully thrown off pursuit!
Well of course he had! He WAS ninja after all!
He pulled the paper from his folder and glanced again at the moves. With a sudden surge of excitement, he saw that steps twenty-seven through thirty-four were the original ones Mike had so carelessly let slip so long ago in the dojo!
27. Kick, down up, step behind, seisan
28. Punch punch
29. Down
30. Up, double strike
31. Down and strike
32. Right seisan, block
33. Punch punch turn
34. Punch punch
"I know these! Oh, boy, do I know these!" and he eagerly got into position, determined to run through steps one through thirty-four right then and there!
There in the gloom of the safety lights, dimmed with grime and low power, Leonardo, (future) master ninja, began what surely must be the most beautiful, most skilled, and most impressive run-through of the kata ever to be performed by a ten-year-old student ever in the history of the entire world of katas!
"I wish I could see myself!" he breathlessly uttered to a couple of stray sewer rats who were peering at him from the safety of an old, broken pipe. "It looks good, doesn't it? Good enough to hold the attention of you two, anyway!"
And with the glow of confidence lighting his face, Leonardo once again launched into the first thirty-four steps of the kata.
Surrounded, Ninja Master Leonardo knew that there was only one way to escape the fate of becoming the Daimyo's prisoner. He would have to use the very same kata that the vain Daimyo had tried to keep for himself.
Barely shaking his head in bemusement at what was about to become of these foolish guards, Ninja Master Leonardo calmly got into position, eyeing each and every soldier who menaced him with drawn weapons and surly grimaces on their nervous faces. They perhaps sensed that their time was about to come, and not in a good way.
And then it began, on perfect cue!
"Get the ninja scum who stole our master's kata!" shouted the leader of the guards, standing safely at a distance.
"We will not fail!" they responded, moving in to meet Defeat at the hands of Master Ninja Leonardo.
The first ten guards fell as Ninja Master Leonardo perfectly executed the first dozen moves of the kata.
"For the honor of our Daimyo! Kill the ninja scum!"
"Quick, bring more weapons!"
"Hold that camera steady! Quick, someone shine the light on it!"
"Wait a minute, make-up needs to fix my hair!"
Hair?
Leo, jolted out of his daydream, momentarily froze as the sound of running feet, heavy breathing and random snatches of curses and shouts echoed down the tunnel, and the Daimyo's guards vanished in a heartbeat.
By the time they arrived at the spot, nothing was there for them to film.
The director looked around frantically.
"Where did it go? Where did it go? I SAW it! It can't have just vanished into thin air! It CAN'T have!"
"Well evidently it can," Dan said, brushing his hand across the top of his hair wiping away some dirt that was sifting lightly down from above. "I told you to not be so loud, we need to sneak up on this creature."
"Look," Joe interrupted, drawing their attention back to the map. "There are several ways it could have gone. Straight ahead, then left, or up and over" and he aimed the beam above them where they could see an opening in the wall above them."
"So what, you're saying this thing can fly?" Dan chuckled.
Joe, with an angry look on his face, pointed to the maintenance rungs embedded in the wall.
"Ah. Well, whose to say it didn't go straight forward and to the left?"
"Maybe because those cobwebs up ahead haven't been touched in a while", Joe patiently pointed out, "while we're bein' dusted with filth that's been knocked loose from above."
And to emphasize that statement, Joe ran a finger over Dan's jacket and showed him in the beam of light the newest layer of grime to coat them all. Even as he held the flashlight, they could see a few more stray particles gently float through the glow.
"Up and over it is then," Dan said, and as he started up the grimy, slimy metal rungs, he said over his shoulder, "Make sure you get me at a good angle in this shot. I want you to capture my best feature."
It was amazing how many of them, Joe included, thought variations on "But an ass-shot is more appropriate. It fits your personality."
Sun Tzu says:
4. Ground the possession of which imports great
advantage to either side, is contentious ground.
11. On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not.
On facile ground, halt not. On contentious ground,
attack not.
47. On contentious ground, I would hurry up my rear.
Leo hurried up his rear and got the hell out of there, not waiting to see what he already knew- that they would follow. All his thoughts at the moment were on moving even further and further away.
Above all, he must NOT lead them back to the lair!
Faintly the sounds of pursuit could be heard, even as he reached the end of this short pipe and descended down to the larger passage. Left was the way he'd normally go, but with these crazy humans behind him, he'd have to go right, taking them- and himself- further from home.
"Are you getting all of this?" the voice of the director wafted down from above.
"As much as I can considering the circumstances," came the surly reply of the put-upon cameraman. "You'd better hope I don't run out of 'memory'."
Leo kept to the shadows, moving as quietly and as quickly as only he could. Unfortunately, his options were few regarding directions. The next few branches were still far away. But even as he ran, he knew that the pipes above could offer him some protection. And he had his tanto if cornered.
And his kata.
First tunnel on the left... should he risk it? Or go further and only make them THINK he'd taken the left turn?
"Wait, can't we film that bit again, where I say how we're about to bust one of the greatest quests we've ever had in the underground?"
"No because it sucks sewer water," the director huffed and puffed. He wasn't used to such exertion, and he was regretting not bringing along an assistant director to do all this running for him, while he followed at a more leisurely pace.
A crash of something reverberated up and down the tunnels, followed by a lot of words that Raph would have found interesting to say the least.
"Jeeze, do you know how expensive those lights are?" someone shouted.
Leo decided to move forward. They'd be busy picking up whatever it was they'd dropped (he hoped) and the more straight distance he put between himself and them, the better.
Yet this couldn't go on forever. He had to Do Something! That's what (future) Leaders do- Something!
But what?
His mind raced with various options that he embraced even as he discarded them. Leaving a false trail was appealing, but then that might encourage them to actually return again and again. He could tell that they were Determined. They would find their way back to these tunnels at a later date, and probably bring even more humans with them.
They wouldn't be satisfied until they found "something"... anything...
Something. Some THING...
And then it hit him like a lightning bolt- he knew the "something" they could find!
He skidded to a stop and listened carefully, straining his ears back the way he'd come. Now that he had a plan, he needed the humans... but what if they'd taken the left turn instead of straight forward?
For a few minutes, all he heard were the usual sounds- dripping water, the occasional groan of a pipe- his own heartbeat- and then, the echoing sound of "pursuit".
"See, its been this way, I can tell!" came the faint sound of the city worker.
Leo grinned in the dark, looking towards the place he was heading, then back the way he'd come, waiting to see the first glimmer of flashlights.
As soon as the faintest sliver of light flashed in his direction, he started off, careful to not lose them, but also careful to not be exposed too much.
Sun Tzu says:
6. Ground which forms the key to three contiguous states,
so that he who occupies it first has most of the Empire
at his command, is a ground of intersecting highways.
12. On open ground, do not try to block the enemy's way.
On the ground of intersecting highways, join hands
with your allies.
48. On open ground, I would keep a vigilant eye
on my defenses. On ground of intersecting highways,
I would consolidate my alliances.
"I see it!"
"Damn, what th- stupid narrow-"
"Watch the equipment! Don't drop it!"
"Hey, something touched my hair!"
"The hell with your hair, don't LOSE it!"
"Stop waving those lights around, you're making it hard to film it!"
Ninja Master Leonardo, pursued by the Daimyo's guards, smiled to himself in the dark. He allowed light from one of the pursuer's lanterns to briefly illuminate him before skillfully vanishing into the dark. He knew they'd continue to follow him, heedless of their own safety-
"OUCH! Damn it, I'm gonna sue the city of New York! This place is unsafe!"
"Dan, for the love of God, SHUT UP!" The director shouted, causing the tunnels to ring with many echoes. Leo laughed to himself as he raced ahead to his ground of intersecting highways.
Splashing through the water, making just enough sound to be followed, Leo made for his destination.
Soon he reached the boarded off section of the sewer, where he and Raph had been once before. Master Splinter had said to never go in that direction, but Raphael as usual thought he knew better.
" 'Splinter sez, Splinter sez!' When are ya' gonna think for yerself? That's what a REAL leader does! Now, catch me if you can!"
Quickly he worked a few boards loose, then waited.
He would have to time this carefully.
Light from the other tunnel grew to the point that it overpowered the glow of the safety lights that normally lit these tunnels. The noise of human voices arguing, cursing, panting, soon filled the air, and Leo, poised at the opening of his new direction, mentally crossed his fingers.
"Damn, this one's got water in it! These boots better hold up-" Dan Wilder was complaining as he entered first, the camera's rolling on his back.
"Dan! We're gonna have to loop this entire episode if you don't get a grip!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever... THERE! There it IS! Quick! Quick! Give me the camera!"
Dan Wilder, gaping at the brief glimpse of some green "thing" vanishing into the next tunnel, briefly struggled with the cameraman, trying to wrestle the thing away from the cameraman who was vigorously holding onto his equipment, shouting something about "union rules".
Leonardo didn't stop to listen. Timing was of the essence, as well as time itself. The channel was flowing steadily, and Leonardo hoped that he wouldn't hit any obstructions as he "surfed" along on a flat board.
Up ahead was his destination. He stopped well before reaching the pool where his "ally" lived, and carefully approached the opening.
"I hope he's still in there," he allowed himself to say aloud, albeit softly. His plan depended upon this.
The sound of pursuit grew as the group came splashing noisily through the tunnel. Leo edged himself out of the tunnel and along the narrow ledge that circled the pool. Soon he came to a place where he could climb up into a smaller run off tunnel. Lying on his plastron, he got into position to watch the show about to start.
"Quiet, quiet, QUIET!" the director shouted, and Leo could tell that they'd paused just before the opening. "You, Mr. Moschella- where does this lead to?"
The rustle of the maps told Leo that they were being cautious. But he knew they'd come forward. They HAD to come forward.
"I'm not sure. This section was boarded off, but I've no idea why. There's a large collection area there, so we'll have to stick to the ledge around the sides unless ya want to swim across."
"Think that frog thing lives there?" Dan said, forehead creased with worry wrinkles. "It must, right? I mean, it's a frog- makes sense if it lives in this pool."
"Get the lights set up- YES, I know one is broken, get the remainder set up!" The director got down to business, dismissing their expert guide who was studying the plans and was now trying to voice a concern. "Dan, the camera will parallel you. Stick to the center of this stream, and don't blow this shot! Everyone- quiet is the word!"
"But I need something to say-"
"Say NOTHING! We'll dub it in later!"
Dan frowned.
"Dan Wilder speaks to the camera as he goes along," Dan said disdainfully. "I'll ad-lib something."
"Fine, fine, FINE, just do it QUIETLY! We don't wanna scare it off!"
Lights illuminated the tunnel, causing a glow to spread out from the opening that would give Leo an excellent view of what was about to happen.
"Carefully we approach the forbidding pool, searching for the mysterious frog creature that we've been relentlessly pursuing," the tones of the unseen host filled the chamber. Sloshing and splashing from the run-off agitated the pool, and Leo strained his eyes to see if he could detect any movement, any ripple, any wavelet that was not caused by the liquid pouring into the vast underground pond.
"We reach the end of the pipe, and gaze about," Dan said, now standing in the open mouth, camera man and sound guy as close as possible without falling in.
Dan gazed into the pool, head poised just so, expression just so.
"Is this the home of the mysterious being? Have we tracked it to its lair?" The words were whispered in that perfect, dramatic pitch he'd cultivated so carefully.
"Lean out a bit farther," the camera man suggested. "Better yet, kneel down a bit so I can get you in the close-up of the water."
Leo watched as the man did as suggested. Grinning in the dark, he picked up a few stray bits of junk, and waited.
Just as Dan Wilder, host of the famous show "Quest Busters of the Underworld," gazed up at the camera and said, "It seems quiet. Maybe even too quiet," Leo tossed a small bit of trash into the pool.
The albino crocodile was still in residence it seemed.
"JEEEEZUSSS FREAKING CHRIIII-!"
~tbc~