𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚜 𝙸 ♡ (ᵗᵐⁿᵗ '14) 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟷 ❪✓❫

09 || Cellular Level

April colored on a whiteboard, taped up photos, and mapped out what she could. She feels like she has everything planned out and ready to be presented to Bernadette. Speaking of, she just walked in. "O'Neil, what was so important, I had to get here?" Bernadette, April's boss walks in.

The young reporter begins with her story. "Okay, remember how I told you about the vigilante the other day?"

"Yeah." Her boss nods.

"And I had no photos or evidence, so I just sounded crazy, no proof at all."

"Yes!"

"Okay, I didn't just see him again, I saw them because there's four. There's not just one, there's four and I was standing as close to them as you are to me right now." She says with pure confidence.

"What do they look like?" Bernadette asked.

April walks up to her small, quick project on the whiteboard full of pictures, writing, and the Japanese symbol along with different areas of the city. "The four vigilantes look like this." She pointed to a regular red-eared slider turtle.

"What--" Her boss stopped, focusing on the photo of a turtle. "They look like turtles?"

"Well, they don't look like turtles because they are turtles. They are over six feet tall and speak English!"

"Oh my god..." Her boss rolled her eyes.

"Please, I was awake all night. Please look. I googled all of the thwarted crimes here that happened over the past three months and this symbol appears at every single one of them. It's an ancient Japanese symbol that means 'family'." April pointed out. "And I believe Rose is connected to them somehow! One of them said her name."

"April, they are a lot of 'Rositas' out there. She could not be connected to this...story of yours." It's clear that Bernadette does not believe a word April is telling her. Bernadette shook her head and thought this was the most stupid thing April has come up with for a story. April's boss wasn't sure if she should leave or listen to this very erratic story. "And I can't believe you brought me in here to do this." She laughed.

"Hold on, it's on my laptop." April searched the coffee table with papers and folders. She found her laptop on the table and stammers while opening her device up. The young woman speaks firmly, trying to explain to her strict boss again. "This is my father's lab. This is where I believe the turtles were born or, or created, or mutated. I don't know the terminology, but it makes sense! There was also another experiment in the lab that involves torture! Just look at the screen and listen to what I'm telling you, the vigilantes are these turtles. It's all connected."

The video played on the computer and Bernadette watched with a look of her not caring at all.

"Come on. It has cheese, tomato sauce, all your favorite stuff. Eat it. You need nutrition. Or not." Young April said in the video.

Bernadette closed the laptop and said, "I just want to be clear. You are now telling me that there are four six-foot talking turtles walking around New York City and no one has seen them but you?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you." April nodded to her.

"I don't mean to laugh," But she did laugh. "But is there anything else we should know about those turtles?"

April sighed deeply. "They're are ninjas."

Okay, now this is all kinds of stupid to Bernadette. "I'm sorry, what?"

"And they can do karate..."

"Okay, get out." Her boss finished.

Well, her job just went down the drain. April packed up her office in a box and walked outside of her EX-job with tears streaming down her face. She really thought this would help her job improve and also get some clues of Rose's kidnapping.