Chapter Twenty Two: - Dee-

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I watched a fish being tossed into the air, before it landed in the frying pan again with utmost skill.

The smell of oil mixed with the scent of spice and herbs whiffed past my nostrils, and it made me grow hungrier.

"Now, we let it cook for a minute longer, and for the spices to take away the fishy smell before we serve, got that?" father smiled gently, as he demonstrated his culinary skills. He flipped the fish one more time, poked it with a long wooden fork, then stabbed the fish to check it if had been cooked well enough, before he placed it in a waiting plate next to the white rice.

I'm not really fond of meat in general, but for some reason I'm willing to make an exception for seafood. There is just this tenderness in the flesh that's irresistibly delicious; it's something we don't get to indulge ourselves in very often at the swamps, because most of the time the right size and amount of fish is very hard to come by.

In a way, it is just as rare it is to get enough apples to make a pie big enough for the three of us.

"What are these red things?" Zog grumped and poked a diced piece of tomato placed with his salad, and then sniffed at the plate of diced tomatoes that was nearby, and wrinkled his snout in puzzlement. "In all my travels I had never seen anything so red, or smell so salty." He mumbled.

I chuckled and adjusted my hold on my plate with my fine hand. "Those are called tomatoes, they are vegetables here on earth and are considered a basic ingredient for many types of food," I told him with a mellow smile, and at his arched brow ridge I continued, "They taste great with a pinch of salt and pepper, and white rice adds to it; it's very delicious." I assured.

He stared at me for a moment, so still doubtful he glanced at father who was too busy grilling the last fish in the pan, before the Triceraton eyed his plate again in mild disgruntled annoyance, then poked the fish with his fork. I was tempted to tell him to stop messing with his food, but then felt it wasn't really my place to reprimand him, since he hadn't tried such meals before.

Since we were cooking on an open campfire, the plates we had were delivered to us earlier by some of the workers in the facility, the people who live indoors at the structure by the outskirts of the green house. Also, the vegetables and ingredients we have were delivered to us earlier by the same team as well, because the soil here hadn't been prepared for farming yet.

The human with the white suite and odd lips came over yesterday, and told us we were being kept outside of their facility because we were- carrying something, and they didn't want it to spread around. They thought we were contaminated, I think was the word, and if we weren't comfortable outdoors, they could always get us a secluded area indoors, but we declined.

The three of us preferred to stay outside and free, than inside and pickled in separate rooms.

Respecting and probably expecting our choice, the guy introduced himself as John Bishop the leader in an alien alliance of sorts, and since we were non-humans we were put under his protection.

Pappy wasn't too happy being face to face with this guy, somehow I got the impression it was grating on his nerves, and he really wanted to chew this guy through, but kept himself in control because he didn't want to lose his temper.

Also, he griped to this John fellow about being inspected and experimented on in the labs, he told me mere tidbits about it a while after we got back together, and then asked why he was suddenly tossed outside.

I knew father didn't have it easy while he was here, and his griping gave me a better perspective to what he had possibly endured, but yet it was not enough to let me know just how much he had gone through before we were brought back together.

Bishop explained that after this Saki fellow had gator-napped my father, dad was drugged and badly injured badly during the scuffle, and the reason he was restrained was because they figured he wouldn't trust them to help him. They kept him sedated so they'd be able to take care of the more serious injuries, and then released him in the green house so he would heal the rest of his minor injuries at his own pace.

Pa was deprived in the labs, and his body was reacting badly to their machine thingies, so they sent him here the green house so he would recover in an environment that was similar to his old one. In other worlds, they put the same characteristics of the swamps when it comes to natural vegetation, creatures of habitat and climate, so pappy would feel more at home and recover faster.

They were planning to go back to the swamps for me and Red to unite us, just as soon as they realized we existed, but when they finally found our torn down cabin, they realized we had already moved out.

They knew Saki would come looking for us, though I don't know why, and when I asked John didn't answer, but I knew they had to find us before he did, because it wouldn't have been pretty if we would have been captured by him, too.

After all, I apparently had a first hand example of what this Shredder could do, and I sure don't want to repeat the experience.

Bishop said they were currently keeping tabs on Mr. Hanson's appearances to they would be able to find Red and bring him here, but so far it appears they are no longer in New York and had gotten help from somewhere, and it was hard to track them down cause they were doing a dang good job hiding and covering their tracks.

I half smiled at that, and had a hunch it was Mike and Casey, but I dare not say anything since I'm not too sure I can trust this guy, and I don't want to give out any information that might be my friends downfall.

After a while, this pretty Asian woman with black hair and bright green eyes arrived.

I recognized her voice and general appearance, and after she introduced herself as Karai I flashed a wide smile of gratitude. I was thankful for her rescuing me from Saki's place, though I barely remember much of it aside the physical abuse, and in turn she merely mirrored a small, humble smile and a replied with a slight nod of reorganization.

She turned her attention to John and reported that Red and Hanson are at a neighboring country, and now they're trying to locate them and approach them without causing trouble. She explained that Casey, Mike's human friend if I remember his name right, had called backup and they all fled out of the city. Saki's people are still hunting for my brother, but for now they're hiding somewhere, safe from preying eyes.

A part of me was nervous they knew of Casey and his mom, but I was part anxious to get to see Red again.

I was later pulled out of my thoughts, as Bishop explained that I hadn't gone through enough tests to make sure this Saki guy didn't put any bugs on me, mostly because they didn't want to aggravate my injuries with too much work.

I'm sure I didn't see any insects on me, so just because my hide is thick for being a turtle and all, doesn't mean it is not sensitive enough to know when there is a bug crawling over me. So just to make sure I wasn't injected with anything, and to clear out or spot any possible bugs, I was taken inside the facility towards this stasis chamber, as Karai called it, to get cleansed from any possible foreign substances Saki could have drugged me with.

Karai explained that sometimes people are drugged with stuff, but their body doesn't react to them, so they think everything is fine, while in truth the drug they had been injected with would function under a certain condition, which could cause instant death.

That was a few days ago, of course; at the time Pappy and Zog followed because they weren't comfortable letting me go alone, even if these guys claimed to be here to help us, and because they wanted to keep an eye on me, too. After all, I still had a broken arm and a fractured rib, but my body is healing nicely even if it had only been two weeks since I've come here.

It had been roughly one week in the healing chamber and one week with pappy. But in general, Red and I have been apart for a good three weeks, because Karai told me I was in Saki's stronghold for approximately ten days, before she was able to infiltrate and help me out.

Somehow, I wonder if Red even realizes I'm not there anymore, since the original plan was to ask Mike and Leo to help us sneak in, get pappy while assuming he was there and then slip out without getting caught. I do hope he doesn't plan on jumping into the fry thinking I'm still there, or if I was with pappy there, which is the reason Bishop is making haste to find my brother before he attempts to break into Saki's place.

Inside the facility, we were greeted by that redheaded woman again, she introduced herself as April, and I can tell and the African-American man busy reading in a pad of sorts besides her, was much too occupied with his work to notice us, so April introduced him as Baxter Stockman, a guy who believes the sky is the limit with his head in the clouds.

He looked like a nice guy; indeed looks like he's got his head in the clouds, but still a nice guy.

Before heading into the- wherever it was we were going, that was when we were offered a place to stay indoors and stay secluded till they have us cleaned, before we can go out again and mingle with the other non humans in the facility, but we all politely declined and preferred to stay outside with the plants and wildlife-like home they've set for us.

So with all of that happening about three or four days ago, Pappy, Zog and I have already been cleaned from whatever it was John didn't want inside the facility, and we can go in and out whenever we want, we just chose not to.

Right now at the present time, I'm sitting on a flat boulder outside with a plate of white rice and curry, and a stomach squirming and grumbling and demanding food. I finally snapped out of my daydreaming, and turned my full attention to my plate and picked up the spoon and took a mouthful, chewing eagerly and letting my tongue taste every bit of salty spice it provided.

I suppressed a moan of pleasure because I can't remember the last time I've had rice; while I was in the examination room they kept poking needles and taking blood samples, and all I ever got were liquids. April even said I lost some weight and I need to build up my strength, so my healing wouldn't slow down too much and I'd recover a little faster.

With the hopes of seeing my brother again, and Leo and Mike while we're at it, with the spoon I scooped a few bits of diced tomato and mixed it with my white rice, added salt and pepper from the available shakers and then began to feast, not yet touching the fish on the plate before me.

Father chuckled and poured a glass of water and set it on the table, "Don't eat too fast, son, you might choke." He cautioned, before he picked up his plate and began to eat as well, by first scrapping half the rice and curry into his mouth and then tossing a whole fish into his mouth, before chewing for a good few minutes, swallow and then scrap in the rest of his rice.

Since he's a crocodile, his mouth is a lot bigger and he could finish his meals in one gulp, while Zog could use a little more time because he's being picky with his food, and lastly I need a good half hour before I even come close to finishing half my plate. I can't help it if I have a small appetite, and sometimes being forced to eat or finish my meal just makes the food- tasteless.

Zog eyed us as we ate for a while longer, still a little unsure and reluctant about the stuff piled on his plate, but then braved on and picked up his spoon and tried a bit of rice and curry, experimenting with the taste. A short moment passed as he chewed before he finally perked, then tried the bland rice and tomatoes, next he added the salt and pepper to the tomatoes, before he began to really dig into the meal, pleased with the delightful meal.

I remember him saying that most of the food in his dimension is either hard or squishy, or still twitching and alive, and very few of their versions of vegetables appear as soft or as red as tomatoes. So after that, pappy picked up one of the fish he had grilled and offered it to the Triceraton, who blinked at it for a minute, before father explained to him how it is eaten here on earth by normal humans, but Zog did like pappy did earlier and swallowed it in one gulp.

I was a little surprised, because I know pappy could handle digesting the fish bones, but I didn't know Triceraton could do it, too.

Apparently Triceraton could swallow a fish whole if they chose, regardless of all the bones that could prick their stomach, because they have a strong digestive system and had survived on dry and hard food during their military training, he said. He even said a well trained Triceraton could go without food for a week, seven days and seven nights.

Triceraton space-time, of course; he wasn't too sure how much that calculates in earth time. I remember he mentioned something about no exact solar system or clocks, and that a day was over forty five to sixty hours. I mean, they didn't even have seasons in his world, and I think that must've been so boring.

But anyway, Zog also said some of their fruits have thorns with hard shells coating them, so while some people tend to crack the shell and scoop out the inside, like ice cream from a cup, he is one of the people who prefer to chew the whole thing, and then spit out the hard shell. So to him, eating a fish to him is like eating a fruit back home, except that instead of soft, sweet and squishy on the inside, it's chewier and a bit salty, and he doesn't have to bother spitting out the bones, just as long as they don't lodge into his gum.

After we were done with lunch, we stacked the dishes in a basket of sorts some of the workers here had delivered earlier, and they will be taken into the facility later for cleaning.

Stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey, I slid off the flat rock to the ground and leaned back against it, resting for the moment to digest my meal. I don't need a nap right now though it is very tempting, I remembered Karai said she and her team were closing in on where Red was at, and I wanna be awake when they decide to go fetch him, because I want to go along.

But if she, or father, if not both, say no to the idea, I'll just sneak aboard.

Lazy and with a full stomach, I glanced at father while he neatly stacked the dishes in the basket, and Zog carried it towards as he marched his way through the dirt path leading to the facility to have it delivered. I overheard him say something about wanting to talk to John, whatever he said after that wasn't clear because I was busy stifling a yawn, the meal was very satisfying it was making me sleepy.

After Zog had left pappy settled besides me, and I smiled when he put a hand on my head.

Most of my injuries had healed, only the fractured rib sting a bit when I move around too roughly, they've pretty much healed so no worries there, it's the broken arm everyone is mostly concerned about. Most of the bandages had been taken off so only the cast remains, and from what Ms. O'Neil said that would come off in another month, because they don't want to take it off too early.

"Dee, son; if you're sleepy, perhaps you should move to the hammocks, it is more comfortable there." Father suggested, tenderly caressing my head and unknowingly lulling me to sleep.

I rubbed an eye sleepily and then smiled up at him, "I'm fine, pa. I guess I'm just feeling lazy." I smiled sheepishly.

I was a turtle with a full stomach, and the pleasant weather surrounding us wasn't helping me stay awake. The sun was high in the sky and beamed warm and crisp rays on earth, and thanks to the glass dulling the heat the ground was damp or cool especially at the shadows, like a normal day in summer despite the fact that outside the glass walls, it is almost winter and rain should start any day now.

He nodded once, but something wasn't right, so I pushed sitting up to look at him, "Pa, is something the matter?"

He forced a sad smile, "I'm worried about your brother, is all. I do hope Bishop finds him before Saki does, I don't want Red to suffer." He sighed again and touched his left hand for some reason, and then shook his head, "If only there was a way for us to know if he's okay." he said sadly, worried like the protective father he is.

"I'm sure he's fine, pa." I tried to smile in spite of myself, "Mike and Casey are with him, I'm sure he's fine." I assured.

He eyed me for a moment, doubtful, but smiled a little wider and nodded nonetheless.

I have already told my father about going off to meet Mr. Hanson and then traveling across the country to find him, meeting Lorelei and then our encounter with Leo and Mike, how the ceiling collapsed, and then how we met Splinter and how he said we were mutated from the same ooze, though indirectly, then the part where Mike snuck us out to go meet his human friend Casey, who happened to be Lorelei's son, before Leo was mysteriously attacked and Red got injured, before I got beaten up when Karai came to the rescue, and then ending up here where he and Zog were at.

Half way through the tale, I really thought my tail was going to get it, but thankfully he kept his temper in check, and had calmed down by the time I finished, so I didn't receive any punishment because he was just too relived to have me back with him, safe.

Although, Pappy was more intrigued by the ooze part and saying that if the four of us, Red and me along with Mike and Leo, since we were of the same age, then it was very much possible we four really are siblings united by the ooze, regardless of our blood ties. He explained that he had thought we were born from a real mother and father who were like us, but he didn't think we were mutated as well.

It looks like Pappy was a mutant too, because he said he was mutated from the same type of ooze as well. He explained that when he was little he was raised by the people he called Utroms, they were the same creatures he was talking about in his journal, which had probably been forgotten at Lorelei's place; he was taught in their technology, but years in the swamps made him rusty, so he doesn't really remember most of it.

When I asked him about the Shredder and what he did to him, or what he wanted in the first place, father brushed off the topic and explained that it didn't matter what the Shredder had in plan, because the Shredder was unable to get him to his headquarters anyway, because Karai came to his rescue half way though the journey.

This Shredder dude is the same Saki dude, pappy said he calls himself the Shredder when he puts on an armor or something. So that's supposed to be a secret identity, then? Like all of them other superheroes we see on TV?

With that settled, as we retired for the night at the end of that day, I know that as much as I want to worry and fret about Red, he's more than capable to take care of himself.

Heck! Most of the time when I'm in trouble, scared or need protection ever since we were kids, I'd always go to Red to keep me safe, because we were almost impossible to separate. We did everything together, and shared almost everything since childhood, our beds and the books pappy would manage to find for us, and some times we'd even share the same drink.

Although I confess I did fret and panic the first week after I was united with pappy again, especially after remembering Red was injured before I was turtle-napped, I feel like all the fretting isn't doing anything but make things worse for both me and pappy, because it's making him anxious and it's making my healing slow, and right now I cant afford making father worry any more than he already is.

Besides, Red has the guys with him, and as far as I've understood from Leo, they've been against the Shredder and his Feet people for a long time, so they'll be able to keep Red safe until we can find them, and the three of us get together again. I just wonder how long it would be before we'd get together again, I'm finding it a little harder to stay in a positive mood.

Either way, I'm willing to wait it out, cause somehow, I have this odd feeling my brother isn't as bad off as I think.

He's with friends who I know would help him and make sure he's safe, so no need to worry.

And knowing him, the only thing I need to worry about is him in himself, because he can be a magnet for trouble.

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A/N: Sorry for the late update, people. I sort of- lacked motivation to keep this story going, due to things in real life… but don't worry, I've picked it up again and the end should be up soon, only a few more chapters to go.