The next day, I wake up before my brothers, and find Master Splinter waiting for me in the common room, "
What happened last night, my son?"
I tell the story of our adventures from last night, leaving nothing out of the retelling. He sits, closing his eyes as I inform him that the Purple Dragons are in league with the Foot. They don't open until I tell him how we reunited with our past allies, "
Good, Leonardo. Friends are always needed in a time like this. Now, how will you find your target?"
"
I think I can help with that, Master," Donatello says, taking a seat at the breakfast table next to me. "
Someone I met through hacking."
"
Good, my son! Good!" Splinter smiles.
"
You mentioned that last night," I nod leaning back in my seat. "
Who is he? And can he be trusted?"
"
I don't know his real name. He goes by Clu," he responds rubbing his chin. "
But I can set up a meeting. We've worked together on a few hacks. He seems to be interested in the same stuff we are."
"
Set it up," I stand, heading for Michelangelo and Raphael's rooms. "
I'm sending the other two to April to find out whatever she knows."
*******
Rain falls hard on the New York Streets as Donatello and I race towards our meeting with the man known as Clu. The rooftops are slick, but we slide over them like penguins on ice, using our feet to glide.
We reach the alley where Clu told us he'd be, and slide down a drainpipe into the shadows. Donatello looks at his wrist, "
We're a few minutes early."
I pace in the darkness, until a voice from the other side of the alley announces its presence, "
Hello?"
The man approaches us, "
Stay where you are. We need to know if we can trust you."
"
Yea, no problem, man," Clu replies. "
What's with all the secrecy though. I'm here in the light. You can see me. Why can't I see you?"
"
Well," Donnie speaks up, "
we're wanted."
"
So am I. Not by the police, but wanted none the less. Why do you think I haven't told you my real name?" he chuckles over the rain drops.
I look over to Donnie and whisper, "
You sure about this guy?"
"
Yea," he nods. "
He's the only chance we've got. I can't find the info we need by myself."
I put my arm around my brother and walk us into the dim moonlight. Once we're illuminated, even in the dim light I can see his face contort in surprise. Our appearance will always have that affect on those that are unprepared, yet it's something I still haven't gotten used to. "
I'm Leonardo, and this is my brother, Donatello."
"
You're...you're the turtle men," he stammers.
"
Yes. We are. And you don't have to be afraid. Most of the stuff that's been said about us is false. We didn't kill Sterns, and we aren't dangerous. Except for people who harm innocents," I assure Clu. "
I'm sure Donnie's told you all about it, but we need your help to find some information."
"
Yea...yea he told me," he nods. "
Why don't you dome with me to my place. We can talk somewhere dry."
"
I wouldn't mind knowing your real name first."
"
Yea...I get it," he nods. "
And since you trusted me with your secret, I guess I can trust you with mine. The name's Flynn. Kevin Flynn."
"
Get out," Donatello whispers. "
The Flynn!? You're like a god, man!"
"
Yea, I've gotten that before," he laughs. "
Follow me. We can talk."
*******
I sit down on Flynn's couch, something that even to this day is awkward for a giant turtle. I look up and get my first good look at our host. He doesn't strike me as the hacker type. More like an old beaten down country singer than a hacker. But his disposition. Man, he's like an older Mikey.
"
So Flynn," Donnie says, his eyes looking like he's looking at an idol, "
what happened to you? You've been missing for over twenty years."
"
Yea," he says, taking the first sip out of a beer bottle, "
I've been running basically the whole time. In the early eighties, while trying to retrieve my property from Encom, I helped destroy a rogue AI that Encom developed that threatened to take over all programs on the flourishing net. Well, we couldn't have that, could we? Well needless to say after that I become the CEO of the company. Imagine that! Someone like me, a CEO."
I chuckle. The guy has so much passion, and seems like the exact kind of person we can use as a teammate. An ally on the highest order. I look around the small apartment, and one of the walls catches my eye. A board with scraps of papers, maps, and pictures with the words "What is The Ring?" headlining the top.
Flynn takes another sip of beer, "
But after a while, the company started to move into areas that I wasn't comfortable with. Gone were video games and light software, and in came government contracts for defense. I tried to stop it from going that way, but the board overruled me all the time. So eventually I stepped down, and the company was bought out by some foreign corporation named Shadaloo. Well, I poked around their systems, and they were in some deep, heavy stuff. Illegal stuff."
He chugs the rest of the beer down, and reclines in the seat, "
Well, they found me out. And right around the time of the craziness with the heroes and villains and the Keene Act, they came after me. So I went underground, and have been running ever since."
"
I'm confused...I've never heard of Encom," I say puzzled. "
What happened to it?"
"
Oh, well you'd know the good company as Cyberdine Systems nowadays."
"
My god...that's terrible," Donnie says. "
What have you been doing all this time?"
"
Trying to unravel a mystery that goes deeper than I ever could have imagined..." he says trailing off, his eyes burning a hole in his lap. He shakes out of it and nods his head at the wall that I was looking at, "
I found mention of something called The Ring when I was digging into Shadaloo. From everything I've gathered, they're bad. Bad to the highest degree, guys. But every trail I pick up goes cold almost immediately. It's maddening."
I rub my chin and look over at him, "
Sounds serious. And something that we'd be interested in."
"Yea, you guys seem like the intrepid crime fighters we all need," he laughs. "
Donnie, I'll be in touch. We'll make our moves in two days."
We say our good-byes and Donatello and I head back into the rain, and make our way back home.
"
We've really got the makings of one hell of a team, Leo," Donnie remarks as we trudge through the sewers. "
Four mutants, a scarred scientist, an insane vigilante, and a hacker on the run. We're like the dysfunctional Justice League."
I laugh, "
Yea. And I expected a comment like that from Mikey, not you Don."
