"We have no idea of Baxter's coordinates, but we have signals over radar pinpointing a 5-block radius," Vincent explained as she led them through the department. "Here's where we collect our data."
"Oh boy..." Donnie gasped immediately. "I see multiple things wrong with how you're going about this," he added. He approached the main computer. "May I?" he asked the person behind it.
"Yes, sir," they agreed. Donnie sat at the computer.
"First off, we fought the Foot the other night- we didn't want to worry you guys, so, sorry we didn't tell you," Donnie said to Dill and Delilah. "But anyway, they got onto a boat out of Red Hook Terminal in Brooklyn. These coordinates are telling you their headquarters are in Staten Island, but they're wrong..."
"What do you mean, Donnie?" Vincent asked him, looking over his shoulder.
"I was able to track the boat and it led to an abandoned island, just off the coast of the Bronx... North Brother Island."
"How could they be there? It was abandoned in the '60s?" Vincent asked.
"That's probably why they chose to go there. An island abandoned for decades? No one will think to look there," Dill stated.
"We should send a team, then?" Vincent asked.
"We'll go," Delilah said, acknowledging the others. "We just need cover to get there, probably closer, like the Bronx."
"Baretto point! It's right across the water in the Bronx," Dill suggested.
"Perfect," Vincent stated. "We'll send you in a van."
♦️♦️♦️
"Remember, we want Stockman alive," Vincent stated as their boat approached the island.
"We just need you guys to be prepared for him," Raph stated.
"We have back-up standing by," Vincent confirmed.
The boat approached the dock. The turtles and Delilah all got off of the boat and looked at the island, all analyzing the situation.
"They know we're here," Delilah stated. The turtles looked at her.
"No shit," Raph scoffed. "We rode a boat over here, they probably saw us."
"They have scouts. At least three."
"Where?" Mikey asked, looking around.
"Let's see..." she whispered.
"One's there-" Delilah pointed to the right of the dock on the shore Mikey went to get them. "There-" she pointed to the left of the dock- also on the shore. Donnie went to get that one. "And..." She took the hilt of one of Leo's katana and threw it just underneath the boat. A Foot soldier floated to the surface. "There." She retrieved the sword from the water. Raph laughed from behind her.
"You are insane."
"How so, Raphie?" Raph inhaled sharply and closed his eyes, but smiled. They started walking down the dock.
"I have no idea how Donnie didn't see them."
"Eh, I guess I'm just sensitive to presences," she shrugged.
Donnie and Mikey each brought a soldier to the shore, knocked out cold. Mikey looked at Delilah, smiling widely. Donnie looked impressed. She looked at Raph with a smirk before racing off the dock to the shore.
"Right where you pointed, Dee," Mikey stated.
"Same here," Donnie said.
"Good! I guess I've gotten good at reading presences," she suggested as she kept walking. Mikey started following her. Donnie huffed and looked at Raph.
"Don't think too hard, Don, we don't want you to hurt yourself," Delilah added. He just pouted and followed her. Raph laughed and joined them.
♦️♦️♦️
In the building, Mikey jumped at everything. Donnie kept his head on a swivel, his thermal and x-ray goggles over his normal glasses. Raph just looked around casually. Delilah held her breath. Donnie stopped them in their tracks.
"What is it?" Delilah whispered. He motioned for them to stay put and he moved a few feet ahead to a t-intersection of hallways. He took a rifle from the back of his shell and shot to the ceiling four times. Two Foot soldiers fell through the ceiling, each with a bullet through their heads.
"Two shots to break the material, one for each of their heads," he stated. "You guys can come now."
Raph chuckled as he walked over the bodies of the soldiers. Mikey looked petrified. Delilah looked at the rifle as she passed Donnie. She looked at him.
"You've had this on you?" she whispered.
"Since I escaped the Foot Clan base in Pennsylvania," he responded. She nodded silently. She looked at him and continued walking. Donnie shivered. He didn't know what that look said, but he did not like it.
They found a stairway and heard echoes. Delilah stopped them and motioned for Donnie to see if he could see anything. He mouthed that there were people on the second floor. Delilah motioned for them to continue. When they got to the next floor, Delilah peaked her head above the landing. She came down a moment later, seeming shaken slightly.
"They've kidnapped people... Torturing them..." Delilah whispered. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened them and looked at the turtles. "People are tied to the walls and they seem to be doing dreadful tests on them. Don, check me up on that."
"On it..." he whispered. He took a small telescope and looked over the landing. He looked away quickly. "Definitely dreadful testing, or torture."
"That must be how they're infecting people," Raph stated. "Say that they're testing but actually torturing them."
"That's awful..." Mikey whined.
"I know, Mike," Delilah stated.
"But you're probably right, Raph," Delilah continued. "As soon as we get those people, someone should bring them out to Vincent and tell her to put them into quarantine immediately."
"I will. You need Donnie's brain and Raph's stabby stabs," Mikey volunteered.
"Sai," Raph snarled.
"Close enough," Mikey shrugged.
"Are you sure, Mike?" Delilah asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure," he nodded. Delilah sighed.
"Okay, be careful not to touch them directly. If you have to, touch their clothes- I'm not sure how COVID-19 affects you guys, but I don't want to risk it," she explained.
"I'll be safe," Mikey confirmed.
"Good."
"What about the two of us?" Donnie asked. "What do we do?" Delilah thought.
"Don, you find the main computer and shut down all testing. Raph and I will find Stockman. When we do, Raph, you take him out to Vincent to put him behind bars. We'll knock out as many soldiers as we can along the way, then I'll get the rest when you get Stockman. Clear?" She asked.
"Clear," Mikey stated.
"Clear," Donnie agreed.
"Crystal," Raph chuckled. She rolled her eyes at Raph but accepted all of their responses.
"Go in three... two... One...!"
♦️♦️♦️
Donnie was quick to release the tortured patients, regular people kidnapped from the streets of the city.
Mikey quickly herded them, making sure to touch only the backs of their shirts as he escorted them down the stairs and out of the building.
Raph and Delilah were able to easily control the Foot soldiers. Raph was glad Delilah's armor was working- it was a difficult fight for him, and if he was having trouble, he knew she was as well. But good lord, she did not show it- she only fought harder.
"Raph, Stockman's at 11 o'clock!" she called out. "Go!" Raph looked and saw Baxter Stockman attempting to get out of the window.
"Not on my watch," he muttered. He knocked out Foot soldiers as he knocked himself and Stockman out of the nearby window.
"Unhand me! Dammit, turtle! No!" Stockman kept fighting against Raph as they got to the ground.
"Stop or I'll kill you myself," Raph growled. One arm was around Stockman's torso and arms and the other was holding one of his Sai against the man's neck.
Donnie finished shutting down the technology of the brutal area. He celebrated to himself and looked around. Ninety percent of the Foot soldiers were down, but Delilah was still fighting.
"I've got your back, Dee!" Donnie yelled. He took his Bo staff out from the back of his shell and helped her fight. She looked at him and scoffed out a laugh.
"You have a fucking gun! Use the damned gun!" Delilah screamed. Donnie dropped his staff and took out the rifle once again.
"Dee- count of three, drop, okay?"
"Okay!"
"One- two- three!" Delilah dropped to the ground and Donnie started shooting.
The gunshots stopped, and Donnie dropped the nose of the rifle. He breathed heavily and put it back, then picked up his Bo staff. He knelt down next to Delilah and put a hand on her back.
"It's all done," he said to her. Delilah sat up and looked around. The remaining Foot soldiers were all shot dead. She nodded.
"Thanks, Don," she said, smiling at him. They stood up and she continued looking around.
"This place used to be a place to quarantine people with very infectious diseases," she said.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. It was bought by New York in 1885, and this hospital- Riverside, I think- was built. It treated people with diseases like yellow fever and tuberculosis until a woman died there in 1938. She was there for over 20 years with typhus, which they also treated. It opened up again during World War II but closed officially in 1963." Donnie scoffed.
"Huh. I did not know that."
"Neither did I, but I read up on it on the way over." Donnie chuckled.
"Anyways, let's get out to the boat. They're probably waiting for us."
"Yeah," Donnie agreed.
They left the abandoned island with a proud win against the Foot Clan.
♦️♦️♦️
The turtles and Delilah were telling Dill, Vincent, and Casey about the fight when they got back to the police department. Casey and Vincent were impressed, but Dill only seemed proud.
"And Dee, good god, she would not give up. I saw her beating the living shit out of a dozen of 'em like some sort of machine!" Raph exclaimed. Delilah blushed violently.
"It wasn't that awesome," she stated.
"Come on, Dee, I saw it as well," Donnie laughed.
"Hey, you're the one with the rifle who got the last ones," she laughed, pointing to Donnie. He shrugged.
"It was my only contribution. You did the majority," he explained.
"Just take the credit, Dee," Raph stated, smiling. She rolled her eyes. Laughing, she bowed dramatically.
"Alright, thank you for the praise." She burst out laughing, and the others soon joined in.
"You truly did great, Dee," Raph stated when they had a moment alone. "I'm hard to impress, but you... You impress me." Delilah blushed again, even more than before.
"Stop," she smiled.
"Why? That was insane, what you did." Delilah rolled her eyes. "And thanks for pointing out Stockman, by the way. I wouldn't have seen him."
"You were just facing the other direction."
"Hey, look at me," Raph whispered. Delilah looked up at him, smiling slightly. "Stop deprecating yourself. You're an excellent fighter." Her smile widened.
"Thanks, Raph." She looked between his eyes. "Your eyes are really beautiful." It was his turn to blush and look away.
"Stop it..."
"What? It's true," Delilah defended.
He rolled his eyes and hugged her around her torso. She gladly hugged him around the neck in return. He nuzzled into her shoulder. She giggled and snaked away from him. He captured her again and lifted her off her feet by her waist. He pulled her to his front and hugged her again.
"No, not yet. Hug me, it's important," Raph mumbled to her. She smiled and turned around, putting her arms around his neck.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," he responded, nuzzling into her shoulder again. She just chuckled and held him.
♦️♦️♦️
"So, Delilah Lawson..." Donnie stated when they all got back to the lair.
"That's my name, don't wear it out," she stated, sitting on the couch. Donnie was the only one who didn't crack a smile.
"Anyways, Dee..." Donnie restarted. He sat next to her. "What'd you think of your trial fight?" Delilah paused.
"Oh yeah, well..."
She took a deep breath, thinking. There definitely was a lot to think about.
"I think... I really liked it. Loved it, even. It's exhilarating." The brothers all sighed in relief.
"I'm glad," Donnie said.
"Me too. It's cool watching you do the stuff," Mikey added.
"Same here. You're a total badass," Raph said. Mikey agreed.
"Badass as fuck." Delilah chuckled.
"I've gotten many compliments, but none felt as awesome as being called badass as fuck," she smiled. They all laughed.
♦️♦️♦️