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“Eighty three, eighty four, eighty five…” he counted quietly, his heavy but steady breath echoing through the empty training room. Leo was just at the start of his every day warm up. Almost one hundred push ups already done, just another four hundreds to go.
It wasn’t his idea to do this every day, but he wasn’t complaining. He always liked training, it gave him a chance to meditate, to think of ways to improve his fighting style or to come up with solutions to the problem he and his brothers were facing at the moment. Years may have passed and he trained under a new sensei now, but habits die hard, and he got lucky that his new Master wanted him in top shape all the time. So Leo could continue his solo training time he cherished so much.
There was no problem to solve and he wasn’t in a mood to improve himself, so he just meditated, tried to clear his mind of worries and stress that never seemed to leave his side and always lurked just around the corner, constantly reminding him of his predicament. It was no different this time either, but he still tried.
He surpassed the one hundred push ups, the muscles in his arms hot under the skin as they worked his body up and down in a steady rhythm without any hiccups. Leo’s mind was empty, focused solely on his body and its training, falling deeper into the state of meditation.
It bursted like a bubble when a faint sound of the door being slided reached his ears. He didn’t stop his training, but he stopped his counting. His session was over already and he knew it, there was no need to keep tracks of the push ups anymore.
The quiet footsteps approached Leo, stopping right next to him. Leo didn’t pause to look at the newcomer, enjoying the last of his training instead.
“Master Saki orders you to join him in his office,” the soldier announced. “You have fifteen minutes.”
With that, the soldier left and Leo was alone once again. If dread for a company could be called ‘alone’. Being summoned to the Master’s office always left him with anticipation, and not a good kind. He could never tell what was the purpose, if he was there just to keep his Master’s company, or get lectured. No matter the reason, he had to go, and fifteen minutes to get ready wasn’t much, so Leo didn’t waste any more seconds and stood up, training forgotten for the day. At least for now. Hopefully.
He got back to his room and took a quick shower, since his body was already a little sweaty from his session. Washed and smelling of soap, he put on a fresh set of clothes and took a look in the mirror to make sure nothing was out of place.
He still wasn’t used to the reflection he was seeing. Even after five years, the sight of a human looking back at him instead of a green, anthropomorphic turtle, was still a bit of a shock. Master already took so much from him, but he had to take Leo’s identity from him too.
After smoothing out a few crinkles in front of a mirror, Leo finally headed towards the Master's office, five minutes still left. Because of that, he tried not to hurry to not be too early. Master hated that.
Leo rode in the elevator to the top floor where the office was. Guards stood in front of the double door, guarding the room behind it. The guards were completely unnecessary, Master was perfectly capable of defending himself, but Leo figured out they were there to stop anyone who would try to interrupt Master, not hurt him. And for intimidation.
Stopping in front of the door, Leo waited with his head down, the remaining seconds flying by fast and before he knew it, it was time to enter. The two guards opened the door for him and he walked into the office. There, at the end of it, on the ground behind the table, sat his Master, watching Leo walk towards him, like a deadly viper observing a mouse getting closer.
Leo stopped just a few steps before him and not saying a word, he bowed, showing his respect.
“Make us tea, Leonardo,” Master said, his voice cold, holding power and authority like always.
Not letting the shivers rattle his body, Leo, once again without a word, moved to the right where everything necessary for the tea was. Learning to make it just right took time and it was one of the first things the Master ordered him to know when Leo became his student. He already made hundreds of these, could make the tea in his sleep and even follow every step of sadō.
All the tools were older than the USA itself, much older, and Master would skin him alive if Leo ever broke a cup or made even a smallest scratch on it. He hoped he would never know how severe the punishment would be if he ever did that.
“Did I interrupt your training, Leonardo?” Master asked. Leo could feel his eyes on himself while he prepared the tea.
“It was no interruption if it was your order, Master,” Leo replied to him, filling the cups with hot water.
The tea was ready after a few moments. Leo took both cups for himself and his Master and brought them to the table, setting the one for his Master first. Only then he got to his spot on the tatami on the opposite side of the table.
Master took the first sip and Leo held his breath. He knew he made the tea right but he couldn’t help but be nervous that something was wrong and Master would notice. Thankfully, nothing was amiss and even though Master said no word about the tea, Leo could tell he was pleased, and that filled him with relief and pride.
He could drink his own tea now, which he did, carefully lifting the cup to his lips and just as carefully, setting it back on the table.
It was quiet for a while as they enjoyed their drinks. The tea was excellent, warm and with a calming aroma that reminded Leo of similar times with his family. He always loved those moments, they were relaxing and left him with a cozy feeling for the night.
Tea with his Master was never like that. Not for Leo, who was constantly on edge in case he needed to answer his Master or fulfill his order.
“You need a proper training session,” Master pointed out suddenly. Leo used to jump startled whenever he spoke up, breaking the silence. He was used to it now and didn't even budge, just kept listening. “It’s been too long since you had any sparring.”
“I have plenty of practice on missions,” Leo replied carefully.
“Beating up a few thugs is no practice. You haven't had a proper fight in a while, ever since the turtles stopped messing up my plans.”
Leo reached for his tea, swallowing it heavily to hide the lump in his throat and clear it.
“Yes, Master.”
Master hummed, pleased. “I'll spar with you myself. I want to see if you have made any progress since last time.”
“I'll be honored.”
He never won those fights, never would and he was most likely going to end up with dozens of bruises, but he always learned something new from his sensei.
“Speaking of missions…” Master took a pause to finish his tea. “We never discussed how your last one went.”
It was true, but the mission was just yesterday and Leo returned late during the night. He wouldn’t dare to wake up his Master from his rest, so he left the memory stick in the laboratory and went to bed himself. He expected to be called in for a report sometime today and it seemed that was the moment.
“Easy in, easy out,” Leo reported, quickly finishing his tea as well. It would be rude to keep drinking when his Master's cup was already empty.
“Any problems?” Master asked curiously.
“No,” he answered truthfully. “No one from the security knew I was there.”
“Excellent. Good job, Leonardo.”
The warm proud feeling spread again through Leo’s chest at the words. “Thank you, Master.”
He grabbed both of their cups and stood up, going to clean them and set everything in their places. He worked quietly and attentively listened to his Master speaking.
“I must say I’m surprised whenever you report no troubles,” Master admitted, a smile in his voice. “Back when you were still running amuck with your brothers, you were always where my soldiers were. Now your brothers are nowhere to be seen. You must’ve been their charm, Leonardo. And now you’re mine.”
“Yes, Master,” Leo said simply, not knowing what else he should say but to agree with the man.
Master watched him, Leo could feel his gaze on his back. It sent shivers down his spine.
“Stockman decrypted the files you stole,” Master spoke again. “Unfortunately, they were incomplete.”
“I’m sorry, Master. This is how I got them,” Leo explained, wiping the tea cups dry.
“You’ll have a chance to fix that and retrieve the missing files.”
“Of course, Master.”
Leo was almost done cleaning and setting everything up back in their places when all the hair on his body rose up and Master's imposing presence suddenly felt closer than before. He didn't dare to look behind and confirm his suspicions. There was no need, because a moment later, he could already feel the warmth of his Master's body as he stood right behind Leo.
“When was the last time you’ve seen your brothers?” he asked quietly, almost in a whisper, but somehow, it still echoed in Leo's head like thunder.
Leo froze, standing still like a statue with his hand hovering over a cup he just put in its proper place. His mind was racing, struggling to find the right answer in a short window of time where it would still sound natural. But he was coming up with nothing, he wasn’t prepared for a question like that and there was no right answer to it. Not one that wouldn't leave him in serious trouble.
“It’s not so easy to lie when you can’t use your loophole anymore, isn’t it?” Master asked again, his breath tickling Leo’s ear.
There was no tea to cover his nervousness now, and the gulping sound he made as he swallowed the lump that was making him speechless, was awfully loud in the quiet office. The only thing louder right now was Leo’s pounding heart as panic began to set in in every fiber of his body.
“I don’t understand, Master.”
“Yes you do, don’t try to make an idiot out of yourself,” Master warned, his palm covering Leo’s shoulder and squeezing it, painfully. “Or are you trying to make an idiot out of me?”
“No, never, Master,” Leo assured hurriedly, trying not to wince from the pain.
“I want to show you something.” Master’s other hand appeared in Leo’s line of sight, sliding a couple of photos on the table so they were right in front of Leo. “These were taken last night. What do they show?”
He was followed. Of course he was followed. And whoever it was, a regular soldier or just a bot, they took a picture of three humanoid turtles leaving the building Leo broke into last night for his mission.
“My brothers,” he answered breathlessly.
“Either you never met inside that building and there were truly no troubles, or you’re lying to me,” Master summed up. “Which is it, Leonardo?”
He knew. Master knew he was lying all this time. How could Leo ever think he could deceive him? Still, he made one last attempt to hopefully get out of this unscattered.
“It was just like I said…”
Master’s hand sliding from his shoulder to his neck made Leo stop mid sentence.
“Withholding important information is still lying, Leonardo,” Master said, his fingers moving across Leo’s skin, feeling his racing pulse just above the edge of the collar he wore. A constant reminder that Leo's life wasn't his own anymore. “And I don’t appreciate being lied to. I’ll ask again. Which is it, Leonardo?”
Leo shut his eyes, bracing himself before revealing the whole truth. In a way, he was relieved he didn’t have to keep lying anymore. But mostly, he was just terrified of what would come next.
“They were there. We’ve met. They came to stop me.”
“And they did, didn’t they?”
“Yes, Master,” Leo confirmed. “I’m sorry I failed. The turtles have the missing data. I wasn’t careful enough and let old sentiments cloud my judgment.”
He was so stupid, so naive. How could he let them convince him lying to his Master was a good idea? That it could work out?
“Was that so hard to be truthful?” Master asked mockingly.
“No, Master.”
The fingers on his neck curled around it like vines, squeezing Leo’s windpipes with a crushing force. He choked as he was spun around and shoved against a wall like a doll, Master’s furious eyes now looking right into his.
“What was your goal with this, Leonardo?” he asked while Leo helplessly dangled in his hold, kicking his feet in the air, hands grabbing Master's wrist. He didn't try to pry it off. “You really think I wouldn't find out I’ve been lied to, for how long? A month, was it?” He paused, and realizing Master waited for an answer, Leo nodded frantically as much as the hand holding him by the neck allowed him to. “You think that I'm that stupid?”
“No, Master,” Leo hoarsed, lungs burning from the lack of oxygen. Master allowed just enough of it for him to stay conscious.
“You thought that maybe if I won't find out about this, then you can hide something else from me. Like a plan to rejoin your worthless family?”
Leo stared at him with eyes wide open.
“No! I would never!” Leo assured him desperately. He would never dream of leaving his Master! He didn’t know if that was his brothers’ plan the entire time when he first let them convince him to lie. Perhaps they wanted to slowly lure him back by making him betray Master, but it certainly wasn’t Leo’s goal! “I'm yours and my purpose is to serve you! Nothing ties me to them anymore.”
Master loosened his grip just when Leo started to see black spots in his vision. He lowered Leo onto the ground but didn’t let go of his neck, the threat still there.
“Last night proves otherwise.”
“That was a mistake, it won't happen again,” Leo promised with a pleading voice. “I'll do anything for you, Master. You say ‘jump’ I say ‘how high’. You tell me to run into a fire and I'll do it in a heartbeat. Please believe me, Master, I'll prove it.”
He did wrong lying to his Master but he was going to fix it no matter what. He needed his Master to know he was still loyal and nothing else but him mattered to Leo. Not now, not ever.
Leo felt a little spark of hope when Master smiled at him, finally releasing his neck.
“I know you will. And I have a perfect opportunity for it.” Leo listened eagerly. “You'll get the missing data from the turtles, and with it, you'll bring me rat’s head on a silver platter.”
“T-the rat’s head?”
Father.
“Is that a hesitation in your voice, Leonardo?” Master asked and gripped Leo’s chin to force him to look at him, searching his eyes for even the smallest hint of doubt.
“No,” Leo assured quickly, surprised by his own confidence. “I’ll do it. Should I go now?”
“No.” Master moved, walking away from him, and even though the hand from his neck was long gone, only now Leo felt like he could properly breath. “We need to talk about your punishment for lying to me first. A week in the Dark Room seems like a fitting punishment, don’t you think?”
Leo’s heart dropped to his stomach. Even beating would be better than the Dark Room, but he didn’t dare to beg his way out of it.
“Whatever you think is best, Master,” he replied. “You know what I need the most.”
Master accepted his answer with satisfaction.
“Follow me.”
Leo obeyed like a good follower, falling into his Master’s footsteps easily, almost automatically. He felt like a dead man walking although compared to the Dark Room, death would be a blessing.
It was fine, it was just a week. He stayed there longer in the past and was fine, he could do it. At least once he walks out of there, his Master won’t be angry at him anymore.
The walk to the Dark Room wasn’t long, but it certainly felt like it for Leo. When they finally stood before the concrete cube with a heavy, metal door, the familiar panic began to start in Leo’s guts.
“Inside,” Master ordered.
Leo stepped to the door, looking at the electronic lock next to it. With a thundering heart, he placed his palm on it, letting the electronics scan it. The door slid open, revealing the empty, cold room.
Shaking, Leo stepped in. Desperate and despite his previous decision, he turned around and begged.
“I’m sorry, Master, I really am,” he pleaded, but his Master only stared at him with a smile.
“I know you are,” he said as the door began to slowly close again, almost tauntingly. “See you in a week, Leonardo.”
Leo’s breathing became labored, the panic kicking in fully, memories of previous times in the Dark Room flashing before his eyes.
“Master, plea-..” He didn’t get to finish, the door closed and the lock came into place with a loud thud. “Please,” he whispered, but his Master couldn’t hear him anymore.
Leo was surrounded by darkness and the cold stone, with only his mind, voice and sounds of his body for company. No other sound could get in, there was no light, no food, only cold water to keep him alive long enough to survive his punishment.
Already sobbing, Leo walked to one of the corners and curled up in it, trying to calm his breathing.
It's going to be a long week of loneliness. But after it, Master will look at him with pride, and everything will be fine again.
Even if he had to kill his father for it.