From The Shadows || TMNT 2012 FanFiction (BOOK 1)

Chapter 12. The Puzzle

     The turtles returned to their lair. They were surprised to see both Carrie and April still up, waiting for them to come back.

     Carrie stood up, folding her arms. "April told me what you guys are up to."

     All brothers turned to April, glaring at her. This was something they very much wanted to keep a secret from their new friend. For Carrie's safety, they all were hoping one of them could come up with a good cover.

     "She refused to let it go," April says, defending herself. "She said if I didn't tell her, she'd just go off and figure it out by herself."

     "Why would you-"

     "Well would you rather have run off?!" April raises her voice. "Besides, it might be best she knows everything anyway."

     "I'm not so sure this is the best," Donnie says.

     "I was going to figure it out eventually, whether you guys tell me or not."

     "We were going to tell you." Leo steps in. "Right now it's just better that you know as little as possible."

     "The situation I'm in...it sucks. I know it's not going to get any better either. The more I know, the better off we will be." Carrie's lips begin to tremble. Her eyes glisten with tears being held back. "My dad is gone. I'm stuck in the sewers with mutant turtles and a mutant rat. And there is something very, very wrong with me. Whatever you guys know about what's happening to me...I deserve to know too."

     All eyes turn to Leo. He knew how wrong it was to keep these kinds of secrets from someone. If she wasn't in immediate danger, the decision wouldn't be as difficult. Leonardo figured he didn't have a choice anyway, though. He didn't doubt that Carrie would do anything to figure it out herself. Perhaps if they told her everything they had gathered, she wouldn't be so eager to put herself in danger.

     "We don't know much yet," Leo says. "All we know is that, years ago, your father created something. We aren't exactly sure what it is or what it does but whatever it is, you have it."

     Carrie frowns. "Like a disease?"

     Donnie shakes his head. "No. Nothing like that. When we were listening in on Shredder, he kept referring to it as a formula."

     "Well did you find anything when you went snooping around his office?"

     "We only found these pictures. They have writing on the back of them. I'm hoping he left a clue or something." Donnie holds up the box. "If I can figure out what Shredder is after and how your father created it, we could use it against the Foot."

     "Then let's put the pictures together and figure out what he left," Carrie says, walking over to Donatello's lab.

     "You do that." Raph yawns. "I'm going to bed."

     Mikey smiles. "Ditto."

     "It's late, Carrie," April says. "We can start it tomorrow morning after breakfast."

     "If you guys want to go to bed, then go. I'll get started. Give me the box."

     "I think you should get some rest," Leo says. "We can start as soon-"

     "I thought you guys wanted to get ahead? I told you guys you can go to bed. I'm not tired. I'll start solving this."

     Donnie looks at Leo. The leader sighs. He takes the box from Donnie. "Okay. I'll help you get started. Donnie, April, you guys can head to bed if you wish. We'll get as much done as we can and in the morning we can start decoding."