8976/City Fall: Remembering the Truth, Part 2

City Fall: Remembering the Truth, Part 2
Date of Scene:	07 August 2019
Location:	South Shore, Staten Island, followed by a downtown Manhattan apartment
Synopsis:	Nemean's memories are explored further as sites of greater importance are returned to. A breakthrough follows as Leonardo brings in further help. (backdated to 8/7/19)
Cast of Characters:	Leonardo, Alopex, Pippi, Nemean

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Leonardo has posed:
After a relatively successful first effort in helping Nemean sift through memories of what's real and what's not, Leonardo decided something more was in order for the most important location of all: the docks where the vial was found. That is where it seems the biggest shift occurred in what Kitsune made Cody believe after he'd been turned into the lion mutant he is now.

Following a conversation with Alopex and Pippi, he asked them to come along to provide support and backup. "Remember, we're trying to help him piece his own memories back together," he warned them, "so be careful about telling him too much up front. You can nudge him along if needed, but it's more important he gets there on his own so he can tell the truth from the lie."

Then they piled into the Shellraiser, one of the few times he went out driving it himself. The plan was to meet up with Nemean and drive them all over together. Along the way, it would allow the others the chance to talk about some things, but most of it waited until they parked in a dark alley a few blocks away from the location along Staten Island's South Shore.

"We're here," the head turtle said, leading to them piling out. The area is quiet, deserted. It won't be long before they're able to pinpoint where they were during the ambush. "Just let us know what's going through your head, Nemean."

Alopex has posed:
    As of late, Alopex had been keeping a close eye on the Winterfall Dojo. Since Cody knew it was a hide out of hers, and he took that information to the Foot when he turned, the fox had been keeping a very close eye on it to make sure both Sensei Winter, his teachers, and his students were all safe. She had returned to the lair to check up on everyone, catch up on her chores, only to learn that work was being done to help Nemean find himself once again. Something she was eager to assist with in anyway she could.

    Leonardo's advice about the situation makes sense. The haze had to be wiped away by Nemean himself. Nudges weren't bad, but if he was to find himself, he had to do it on his own, for the most part. "Right. I imagine a visit to the docks will be rather important, but I have to think that maybe taking him to his apartment may be necessary as well. It's where they kidnapped him. .. Only if we need to. If he remembers on his own, it may not be needed." No need to stir up bad memories more than once. Alopex was all to familiar with what her thoughts of the Fairbanks lab could sometimes lead to.

    Once they arrive, and at Leo's instruction, Alopex slips out of the van. A long look around is taken in, she checks her back for The Shard, and then she simply allows Leo to instruct Nemean further. She has nearly no intention of using her blade, it was a 'just in case' sort of thing. One she hopes Nemean won't hold against her.

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi had come along to back Leo up, and to help with Cody-- Nemean. She was trying, honest, to use the right name. She had greeted him with a smile, and an offered fist-bump (with her tail going a mile a minute in spite of her still-healing nose scar and side wound). About the only thing she was concerned about on the way was being IN the Shellraiser. Wary of being in the Shellraiser (aside from the fact that Donnie pushes noise ordinances when he uses the stereo in the thing!), Pippi eases herself out of the vehicle as they come to the docks, sniffing about, her nose. She gives a wince, hand going to her side to hold lightly as she walks, hanging back a little with Alopex, though her ears are up, on high alert.

Nemean has posed:
The ride is awkwardly quiet. Nemean is trying to do the breathing exercises that Splinter was teaching him while they're on the ride along.

When they stop, he gets out of the vehicle, taking a moment to stretch and then looking down the street at the docks, "Gambini." He says, as he looks over at Leo, "I remembered it while we were on the way here."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo trusts the vulpine and canine mutants to do what he's asking of them, and there is no doubt if things go off the rails they'll be able to help out. As they reach the dock area itself, all is quiet. There are no shipments moving around, but the layout is exactly the way Nemean would remember it even if some shipping containers are in different spots. There's the area the turtles first showed up, the places the Spider-person and Huntress worked out of, and more.

"That's right. The Gambinis. What were they doing? This is your show, so you lead us around at your own pace and tell us what you can remember. We're here to support you and help you along," Leo encourages, reaching to rest a hand against one of Nemean's shoulders for a moment before shifting it back to his side. As usual, the katanas and his normal range of weaponry is in his possession. Hopefully what the lion tells them lines up with reality, not fantasy. Leo and Nemean hashed some of that out themselves at the Bronx Zoo.

Alopex has posed:
    "Take your time, Cody. Just let it come to you, don't force it unless you really have to," Alopex suggests. She'll follow along, but she's going to be pretty quiet for most of the time. This was Nemean's show, with Leonardo acting as a guide. What she does do, however, is turn to Pippi, "How're you doing..?" considering the muzzle and side wounds, Alopex had probably been asking. ... A lot.

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi lags a little behind the group, nose scoping out. The smell of humans all around them, but no one familiar -- that's good. She hops over a couple of cracks in the pavement idly, listening to Leo, to Nemean, and to Alopex, and she shrugs as she looks to the fox, responding quietly:

    "I'm fiiiine Pex! A couple of scratches!" she lies, unconvincingly, her ears going slack and her tail drooping down.

Nemean has posed:
The lion bristles ever so faintly at the use of his real name. Punisher has often said that 'Frank Castle is dead' and Nemean is starting to feel like he should steal that line in regards to his old self, "They were doing crime, that's what they do. Crime families do crime."

He knows Leo probably wants a specific answer, "I think it was..Something with the Triad. I remember it involved the mutagen.."

He stops walking for a moment as a spike of pain hits him in the head, and he sees the mutants that surround him pouring mutagen into his mouth. No, that's not real. His hands clench for a moment and he takes a deep breath.

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo holds up a hand to Alopex and Pippi, noting Nemean struggling with something given the shift in his body language. "Right. Just take it slow. You remember who was there, don't you? What we were all doing?" The questions are designed to lead without giving clear answers. They're intended to make him think through the effects of what was done to him. Leo knows exactly what Kitsune made Nemean think the truth was, which is to his benefit in how he approaches this.

"The key was the mutagen. Focus on that," he suggests, giving space around Nemean, positioning himself relative to the others such that there's no impression of trying to surround him.

Alopex has posed:
    "You were stabbed by Shreder, I'm just being cautious," Alopex says, replying to the defensive Pippi near her. She'd say more, but Leo's hand catches her attention and redirects it to Nemean rather quickly. She mistakes the bristling for part of the difficulty the Lion is having. In the moment, she goes quiet, keeping an eye on his reactions, but mostly his hands. If Nemean was going to do something, it would start from there.

Pippi has posed:
    "/After/ I canned him in the head with tomato sauce!" the canine mutant states, trying to switch Alopex's attention from her injury to something else -- anything else -- and then Nemean tenses. She echoes the tensing, the fur on the back of her neck rising up nad her ears pricking forward, amber eyes set on the dark lion.

    Pippi hangs back a little more, giving Nemean and Leo plenty of room, though even the mention of the mutagen makes her shudder.

Nemean has posed:
A faint growl escapes the lion, before he takes another deep breath and tries to relax, "You and your brothers were there. You two." He looks at Pippi and Alopex, "And two human vigilantes." He can't remember their names right now, he hates to admit, "But you..No." He shakes his head, "You didn't use the mutagen on me. You couldn't have."

He tries to push the thoughts out of his head, "It serves no purpose for you to use it on me. I'd be more use to you with the FBI. Why?" He at least remembers he was in the FBI. That's good.

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo sticks to pressing the point, if gently. He knows the truth. Alopex and Pippi do as well. Their combined job is to help Nemean get back there. "You're on the right path," he confirms, moving so he's more next to the other two as they face Nemean. "So, here's the important part. Can you tell me what happened when we found the mutagen?" They don't need to focus on the people they fought. That's secondary to this, because the matter of the mutagen itself is the key to unlocking everything in Nemean's mind.

"Take your time if you need to," he reminds, again. He's trying to get Nemean to the right place, but he's also trying to avoid rushing him through it. These things can be delicate, especially when there isn't a lot of experience doing it.

Alopex has posed:
    "Which I'm glad you did! Did you see what Splinter did with his helmet?" The fox asides, giving a little smile to Pippi before her eyes lock onto Nemean again, her stance stiff, alert, ready to move if needed.

    When the lion seems to relax, Alopex's stiff stance loosens ever so slightly. A nod of agreement is given to Nemean's words as well as Leonardo's. The fox actually has a hopeful look across her face, wanting to see Nemean's mind restored. He seemed so close, she wanted to say -everything-, fully aware she shouldn't. She won't. "You can do it.." she muses, barely above a whisper.

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi's ears rise up again, her lips curling into a gentle smile as she glances around the area, and then just spluts down to the pavement. Patient, waiting, her eyes kept on Nemean as he works through the trauma. Her tail sweeps behind her, her hands folding lightly against her knees as she watches the Lion and the Turtle.

Nemean has posed:
"I.." Nemean considers the question, "I know it's not what I remember. I know you didn't transform me.." He says, turning back around to look at the trio, "And I know that Shredder didn't save me. I know that's not in his nature. He may preach family, but he sees everyone as a pawn. A chess piece for him to move around on his board. I think.." He closes his red eyes, trying to push the clouds away, "They had a shipping container we were looking at...Pippi was scared of it."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo knows that Alopex and Pippi are here more for the supportive and protective side, but it doesn't mean their presence isn't important. They're ones who Nemean is also familiar with, and by not acting the way Kitsune's brainwashing had Nemean once convinced of is just as vital to solving the problem as anything else.

He nods slowly, explaining, "We'd never force that on someone. Shredder is trying to make an army with mutants as part of it. He didn't make my brothers and I the way we are, but he's tied to our pasts. He made Alopex, and she saw the same lies from him when she broke away." A simple gesture to 'go on' follows.

Alopex has posed:
    The fox is here for support! She's actually smiling! She wants Nemean to succeed! YOU CAN DO EET. RIP THOSE STUPID CLOUDS TO TATTERS! .. ahem. Yes, Alopex is watching and waiting, hoping Nemean can put all the pieces together. "All his family talk is just as you say. I saw through it all when he burned my original home to the ground."

Pippi has posed:
"Yeah, the mutagen was in the shipping container. I could smell it. It reminded me of the lab where I was changed." Pippi shudders visibly. "I wouldn't want to put anyone through that." she replies with the utmost honesty, and she rubs the back of her head a moment as she takes a deep breath, looking between the trio of other mutants.

Nemean has posed:
"I remember it now. Sort of." He says, as he looks down at his hands for a moment, "We found it, you wanted to destroy it, I wanted to take it as evidence, and one of the vigilantes, the Spider one, she wanted to run tests on it.." He considers for a moment, "We should have gone with your plan, Leonardo. I'm sorry."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo looks back to Alopex and Pippi with a slow nod, but his focus is primarily on the lion mutant. The nod turns to a faster one as Nemean touches on the most vital parts of the dock encounter. "Yes, that's it. I was..well, I knew it was bad news. I wasn't confident about a stranger going off with it, whether it was the Spider person or..or you." His expression turns toward one of distaste, then. It's surely directed at himself. "I'm the one who let you take it with you. I told you at the zoo, if it's anyone who should have been apologizing, it was me. I knew what it could lead to." But he didn't expect it to be tracked. He's still not fully sure how Shredder found Cody so fast.

Alopex has posed:
    Hearing Leo say he's at fault simply sets Alopex mute. She didn't agree. She had dragged Cody into this from the start long before, and hadn't checked up on him soon enough after he had taken the mutagen home. She isn't going to argue, at least not now. This was too important of a moment for Nemean to work his way through, and she wouldn't complicate it with an argument. Instead, she just tries to keep that hopeful expression on her face.

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi quietly rubs the back of her head as she looks from Nemean, to Leo, to Alopex, and she gives a soft huff. She hops back to her feet, her dull nails tapping on the pavement as she switches her weight from foot to foot, looking to the three other mutants.

    She does reach out, and tap Alopex's shoulder though, very lightly.

Nemean has posed:
"I think it was a bad situation all around." Nemean says, as he rubs his muzzle a little bit, "Frankly I'm feeling..A bit better now." He says, as he looks at the trio, "A lot of stuff is coming back to me now, even stuff unrelated to this. Splinter told me to look at it like a thread, and to pull on it."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo glances toward the fox and the hound, noting their reactions to this part of the process. There may be time for more to be said later about blame and 'I'm sorry' and all that, but the main thing is moving forward. "Yes, but you have to be careful not to pull too hard on it. I don't know how deep the things they did to you go." He approaches to offer a hand at the shoulder, a friendly gesture if there ever was one, stopping short of anything more, then he asks the pair with them, "I don't think we need to stay here any longer. Do you have any suggestions?"

Alopex has posed:
    Good, good. If Nemean was feeling better, and was having less pain from the memories, they were that much closer to him being himself. As much as he could be anyway. Leo's right, but the fox is distracted by the tap, getting her to glance over at Pippi with a curious look. "Hmm?"

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi gives a slight smile to Alopex, full of hope. Her tail wags, and she gives a releived breath.

    "It'll be okay!" she states gladly, and quietly to the fox, clapping her lightly on the shoulder, and giving a grin to Nemean and Leonardo.

    Things were looking up.

Nemean has posed:
"I'm not sure." Nemean says, as he frowns again, "I'm trying not to pull too hard. But I hate knowing that my whole life is just...Not there. Or at least just out of reach." He says, as he growls and then clenches his fist. He's half tempted to punch a wall but he might break it if he does.

Leonardo has posed:
The frustration in the big cat mutant is evident, and it's something they can all sympathize with. "Shredder has impacted all of us in one way or another," he states with a frown, including Pippi. "Even you. I'm sure of it. I see we have two choices: work together to bring him down, or lose sooner or later." He doesn't bother telling them which one he leans toward.

"And I meant, is there anywhere else you think we should go in case it helps further? I was thinking of the zoo, but that was after..everything," he says to Alopex, including Pippi with his attention. "If we're all up for it, I think we still have time to visit another place tonight."

Alopex has posed:
    Blink. Heh. Pippi's such a good team member. Especially for morale, which Alopex just had boosted! "I think you're right, Pippi.. I think you're right. Thank you," the fox offers before turning back to the others. "Mm, the only thought I have is the one I gave you earlier, Leo.

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi tries to be good for the team, even if it's just cheering from the sidelines -- but the comment about Nemean's frustration -- and about how Shredder impacted all of them -- Pippi reaches down, and looks to her side with a slightly pensive expression. She lifts the back of her shirt to check her dressings, but at the idea of going elsewhere --

    "... the alleyway in the Bronx?" she considers, and then her lips purse a moment, her eyeridges rising up "... oh. Oh."

Nemean has posed:
"You mentioned an apartment." Nemean says, "Where is it? I don't think I remember anything about an apartment.." He frowns again, "Another aspect of my life totally wiped out."

Leonardo has posed:
"Yes..the apartment. I don't know where it is, and it sounds like we'll need Alopex and Pippi to get us there," Leonardo explains, hands shifting to adjust the mask at the back of his head. "If you don't even have any memory of the place, that has to be important. Let's go. We need to find out if seeing the place brings something back."

They'll pile back into the Shellraiser, but this time around there's more of an opportunity for them to speak about what's happened so far, and the ride back into the main part of New York City won't take too long as he follows the route given.

Alopex has posed:
    The fox frowns a little at this, "I had hoped you may remember it on your own, to be honest. If you still don't remember, well, it will probably be best to head over there. It hasn't been too long, so hopefully they haven't removed all your stuff or anything like that.." Alopex says, musing a little toward the end. If the memories that were fuzzy had caused him such headaches, she worried what a fully blocked memory would do.

    At Leo's instruction, Alopex would head back to the van, hop in, and give instructions as needed. She still remembered the place! She just .. hadn't had much desire to go back.

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi couldn't remember the way there, she'd gotten a bit lost on the outset, but remmbered the pharmacy.

    She sits in the back of the Shellraiser, feeling a little queasy from the ride as she rubs the bak of her head.

    "I know it's all kinda ripped up from our toussle.. but if you want your backpack back...." Pippi trails off, looking to Nemean with embarrassment.

Nemean has posed:
Nemean gets back into the Shellraser with the rest of them, finding his seat. At least Alopex remembers where the place is, because he sure as heck doesn't at the moment and really doesn't know if he should go for it. It may hurt more than he's ready for.

He snaps back to reality for a second when Pippi asks his question, "What? No...I gave it to you as a gift.." He says. At least he seems to remember that. Though one has to remember when he remembered that.

Leonardo has posed:
Downtown Manhattan is where Leonardo is sent. He's quiet for most of the ride, focusing on the driving part of the whole deal. There is time to sit, to think, to talk, to have a snack if someone is hungry. The interior of the place is pretty interesting, given Donatello's aptitude with inventions, but 'don't touch' has already been conveyed. No accidents needed.

By the time they're in the right neighborhood and the Shellraiser is once again parked under cover of relative darkness, he exits and keeps to the alley. "All right, you two. I've never been here before and you have, so you take it from here. Nemean, this might be difficult and I can't tell you what's true and what's not. We'll have to rely on Alopex and Pippi for that, but I want you to think about whatever you can remember when we get inside. Can you do that?"

Alopex has posed:
    The fox gives a nod before moving to slip out of the van first. She'd wait for the others before offering a suggestion. "It might be better to scale the fire escape, rather than go in the front door. It's over this way," she notes, giving everyone a moment to finish any other side conversations before she makes her way over. Once there, a simple hop catches the metal ladder, tugs it down, and she starts the hike up.

Pippi has posed:
    "Yeah, but it's a piece of your old life," Pippi begins as she hops out of the Shellraiser and stretches her limbs a moment, tail wagging, "I carried it with me just in case you needed it, 'cause it's useful, but I don't have a lot of stuff. Smells kinda like taco pizza and smoke pellets right now, though. I used the one that I had left, but one exploded in their when I fell off an air conditioning unit in Brooklyn." she explains, perfectly conversational, but her ears draw down -- clearly nervous. She clambers after Alopex, pausing to sniff a few times -- maybe trying to see if the Foot Soldiers from last time were still mucking about the area.

Nemean has posed:
The lion smiles at Pippi, an odd sight to be sure, but he's trying to be friendly, "I want you to keep it." He says, "You were part of my old life too." The harsh memory from the altered reality that Kitsune showed him is still clear as day in his mind, but he's actually grateful for it. She made a mistake by making the false memories so distinct.

As they step up towards the apartment, he frowns, "Guess we're not going in through the front door, are we?" He asks of Alopex.

Leonardo has posed:
"Safer to go this way, it sounds like," Leonardo states after Alopex has indicated the fire escape and brought the ladder down. "You two go first, then Nemean. I'll watch your backs just in case." With this place more of an unknown to him, a hand lingers closer to one of his katanas. Hopefully it will remain in its home the rest of the night.

Nemean is sure to find many pieces of his old life in short order. Whether that ends up good or bad, the turtle has no way to be sure.

Alopex has posed:
    The lion would see the fox shake her head before she starts up the fire escape, "I don't think the sight of four mutants.. mutates.." she pauses, head tilting, "Whatever the term is. Something about humans and some gene and it isn't us or whatever.." she shrugs it off and resumes the climb. "I don't think the sight of all four of us would go unnoticed and we'd need to deal with even more issues in short order so... up we go."

    It's a bit of a hike, seeing as Alopex is used to running rooftops instead of being at street level. Once she reaches a particular window, she comes to a halt, tests the window, then works it open since there's no lights on inside. She could see in there.. it was still a mess. "Hold on," she offers once everyone's on the same flight. Inside, she moves about finds a switch and throws it, illuminating the last thing Alopex knew of Cody's human life. A ransacked room that showed a surprisingly low amount of resistance. She waits inside for any questions, any memories he admits, but will keep a VERY close eye on Nemean as he goes through this. The only thing she thinks would be harder for him to remember at this point would be the mutation itself.

Pippi has posed:
    "I'm part of your new life, too. After all, someone's gotta show you how to use your nose an' your tail. even if you've got a whippy cat-tail and not a whippy dog tail." Pippi gives a smile, though her ears are low. She climbs easily after Alopex, and enters the room soon afterwards, giving an uneasy step to the side to let nemean in.

    If anything hurts, it'd be home, right?

Nemean has posed:
Once he steps into the apartment, Nemean looks around at everything. The place still seems relatively intact, "This can't be right." He says, "If they kidnapped me, no way would I have just..I mean there should be bullet holes and blood everywhere.." He frowns visibly, looking around, trying to get something to trigger a memory.

Leonardo has posed:
"What if you didn't get that far?" Leonardo posits, eyes getting used to the conditions before more light is provided. It seems the place has not really been touched, but he would not know between then and now. He takes up the rearmost position, closest to the window leading in from the fire escape.

He adds, "You went home with the case the mutagen was kept in. This is where you went, isn't it?" If there's amusement in the comparison of tails, it doesn't show in him right now. There's too much riding on this memory. The docks cracked the code. The apartment could be what fully reveals the truth.

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi looks over at Alopex, and she shifts her weight. "There is blood. It wasn't yours." the best nose in the group offers, but seems uncomfortable with the room itself, shifting her weight and staying by the window. She keeps on giving glances over to Alopex with a worried expression.

Alopex has posed:
    Since the Lion seems stumped, Alopex offers up what information she knows of how the Foot Clan works. "This is.. mostly my guess, but.." the fox wanders toward the door, turning the knob, showing the door jam has been hastily repaired in the days since the kidnapping. "They broke in the door," she closes it, turning back. "This is mutagen we are talking about. This is a very rare substance. It was stolen away from Shredder himself. I .. I wouldn't be surprised if he came himself. If he did.." she looks at the door, motions for people to move back a little and then just charges forward, moves for the sofa, and simply throws a fist out, "He would have came straight in, swift, and likely would not have given you any time to react."

    She pauses, remembering a few other details. "When I came here to check on you, I found a foot clan tonfa under that table there," a very broken in half end-table. "IF I remember right..." she moves for the table right in front of the couch, turns it over, remembering an untouched gun. There or not.. "A weapon here, even on instant reaction, may not have been close enough.."

Nemean has posed:
Nemean moves over and sits on the couch, looking at the turned off TV. He closes his eyes, taking a few deep breaths, and then he feels the thread again. He begins to tug at it, slowly, to reveal the picture.

The door was smashed open. He was on his feet in an instant, but couldn't get to the gun, he'd been cut off. He rises to his feet, eyes still closed and intercepts a non-existant ninja in his mind.

"Yes. He was here." He opens his eyes, "His men held me, and he came in. I tried to act tough...I was ready to die." He turns to look back at Alopex.

"But he threatened you. Said he'd make me watch as he tortured you and anyone I cared and then kill me. So I gave him what he wanted."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo hides a grimace behind a hand rubbing his temples and face. Eyes shift over toward Pippi, watching her a moment, then toward Alopex as she begins to recount what she knows of this. He almost stops her because it could be a case of telling Nemean too much, but as recognition dawns further over the lion's face he closes his mouth to let it play out. Except for one part.

"But that wasn't all he wanted."

Alopex has posed:
It's slight. It's very small, but the fox actually shivers a little when Nemean admits to what happened. She didn't want to think it, that somehow she was used against Cody, but now it's confirmed. ... It's something she would -have- to deal with. Later. The only other sign of her -very well masked- distress is a swallow in her throat before she manages to nod to him.

    "In.. that case.. you would have told him.. well, what he wanted. What, and where was it, Cody?" She can't bring herself to say the other name. Not right now. She wants to help him. Her problems -needed- to wait.

Nemean has posed:
"I told him where it was. In a safe in the back room." He says, "Then he made me take a knee. He made me." He frowns again, "He made me get down on a knee and swear fealty to him. I thought he was just going to have me work for him as an agent in the FBI, feed him intel...So I could plan an escape."

He sits down on the back of the couch, "No. He made his ninjas cuff me and take me with them...I was blindfolded so I don't know where. But there was a woman there, some doctor..She injected the mutagen, right here." He puts a finger against the side of his neck.

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo says nothing, no interruption of Alopex's words whatsoever, nor Nemean's as further details are revealed, things nobody else probably knew. He certainly didn't. The safe had been spotted, and now that part makes sense. It was right, at least, to put it in the safe. Anyone would have done that if they were being properly cautious.

With Shredder, it didn't matter. He had his ways of getting what he wanted, and he did.

"He had no right," Leonardo all but growls in the back of his throat.

Alopex has posed:
    And now, it seems, Nemean remembers everything. The kidnapping, the mutation, he was aware of Kitsune's mind tricks through and through. If there's another seat available, apart from the sofa, Alopex puts herself in it. "I'm glad you can remember, I just hope you can live with it, now.."

Nemean has posed:
"Can I?" He asks, as he looks at Alopex, "I don't know. What does somebody do in a situation like this? Swear vengence? I'd wind up like the Punisher." He says, as he puts his head in his hands, "I could off myself but that won't accomplish anything. And honestly considering how much damage I can take, I'm not sure if I'd even be able to." He heaves a heavy sigh, "A lot of stuff is still gone. But I remember enough."

Leonardo has posed:
"What you can do is continue to fight on our side against him and the Foot," Leonardo says, his tone even, no-nonsense. It's forced so he can keep the emotion out of it. He has to play the part, as it's what would be expected of him, but there may come a time more in private where sympathetic words are offered to show he's not just a hard-ass.

He adds, "Like it or not, I don't know if there's a way to change you back. This might be permanent. If it is, he's given you weapons you can use against him instead of for him. We'll be there to help you through whatever else happens." He remains unmoving.

Alopex has posed:
    Following Leonardo's stance, Alopex confirms. Hearing Nemean even CONSIDER some options is worrysome. "I was in the same place you were. When I turned on him in the Museum, I had no idea what to do when I fled. I holed up in a second story building I didn't even know was being used. I thought long and hard about what options I had. Thankfully, I found someone that I could help. A first step in the road away from the Foot that I've taken. After Pippi, I managed to find the brothers. I .. understand that I had to earn their trust, but I manged to do that."

    The fox rises, slips toward the sofa, and takes a seat alongside Nemean as long as he doesn't stop her. "You can follow the same road. It may not be exactly the same, but we are not about to leave you high and dry. You can lean on us. We will support you through this." She considers a moment, "I can find you a phone if you need it. This way you can get a hold of me, and anyone else that you have a number for."

Nemean has posed:
Nemean hangs his head for a few minutes, "Alright." He says, as he turns to look at Alopex as she sits next to him, "We'll...Worry about that later. I don't really have family I need to talk to...Though I'm sure I should let somebody at the FBI know I'm not dead, at least.." He pauses, "Well...Once we root out Shredder's corruption."

Leonardo has posed:
"No."

Leonardo's voice cuts through a moment of silence after talking about the corruption Shredder spreads.

"Cody, or Nemean..whatever you want us to call you, we will, but right now? You won't like the sound of this, but I think it's best everyone you knew thinks you're still dead. If you talk to the FBI and they know you're alive, they're going to want to find you and see you, and once they see you they might want to keep you to themselves. We won't be lab experiments, and neither will you. Maybe there will be a time for letting people know later, but for your freedom and safety, and anyone close to you? I'm sorry, but for now that part of your life has to stay in the past."

The blue-masked turtle paces the room they're in, looking around at the lion's belongings from when he was merely a man. "I think..you can take what you want from here, but you should let this place go and settle into a new one. We have a home away from the surface. Alopex and Pippi have been welcomed there. You could be, too. We just need to be sure it's safe to have you there."

It pains him to put it like this, and from what Alopex has seen of him she may be better able to tell it, Pippi too, but this is not an easy conversation right now or ever.

Alopex has posed:
    That long silence feels like forever. She winces a little at what Leo has to say, but he isn't wrong. Once Leonardo's finished, she adds to it, "One day at a time, Nemean. That's how it was for me when I fled, that's how it will be with you for a little while. This isn't going to be the easiest thing, but we will work your way through it. I'll see about that phone within the next day or two." She considers something, glances toward Leo sympathetically, over at Pip to check on her, and then continues.

    "I've been keeping a really close eye on Winterfall since I'm not sure if Shredder remembers its there. If you want, you could come out there with me. Get some fresh air, work the rooves, get your legs moving, grab some food. Maybe it'll help clear your head a bit more. The buzz of the city is a rather relaxing thing some nights... when there aren't a few drivers cussing each other out. And it's better then staying in one place with nothing but your thoughts."

Nemean has posed:
The tone Leonardo takes actually catches Nemean by surprise. He sits and listens, letting him talk, and say his peace. It makes sense, as much as Nemean would rather not admit it out loud, "You're right." He finally says, as he gets up, "I have a..Safehouse of my own. Where I've been storing some things. I can take some of my stuff there, just for safe keeping...Until you feel ready to show me your home. I understand."

"I mean, if I were you I'd think I was faking it to find out where you live and then I'd go all berserker again once I was inside. Which..I'm not, but better safe than sorry."

He looks at Alopex, and then nods, "That...Does sound good. Some time to get away from everything.."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo frowns. "Sorry. I didn't mean to come off that strongly, but we have to be very careful. Shredder's going to be looking for you. He may try to bring you back to repeat what he did before. If that fails, he will try to kill you. If you have anyone close to you, make sure they're somewhere safe. Get word to them through an intermediary. Tell them it's related to the Gambinis, the Triads, whatever it takes."

Eyeing Alopex and Pippi, he explains with a hand out, palm up, "It's different for us. We started out as foxes, dogs, turtles. We weren't human first. We had nobody to worry about us, nobody to lose. You have to be more careful." He stops to one side of Nemean, offering a hand to his shoulder again, a reassuring squeeze. "Use the safehouse. Use Winterfall. Give it two or three weeks. We'll visit and talk about things. All of this? You aren't faking it. I know what you believed when we fought. That's why I didn't do everything I could. I believed we could get through to you, and we have. Now it's time for the next steps. We just have to be sure you're fully in control first."

Alopex has posed:
    "Good, I'll make sure to get you along then. Just write down where the safehouse is, I'll pick up a phone, wander over, and we can patrol a bit. Just the three of us, or more of someone wants to tag along. If you -like- I can see if Sensei Winter will hear you out when you came. He's a very understanding man and has seen a lot in his life. I'm sure he'd listen if you want. No rush, just an offer," Alopex offers before looking to Leo and hearing what he has to say.

    "He's right, we knew you really well before, and we're just getting to know you again. It's not your fault, it's entirely on Shredder and the Foot clan. It's just.. a process, you know? It's why I want you out there with me for a little while. I'll have your back, you'll have ours, and we can be certain everything that was done to your mind is dealt with."

Nemean has posed:
"Sure." Nemean replies, as he moves to grab a pad of paper in a drawer that he knows is there, jotting down the address ahd folding it before handing it to Alopex, "I can talk to him...If he'd be willing to talk to me. I did sort of smash his door the last time we met.." He frowns, "I should appologize to him about that."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo gives the others the space to work on their plans, mentioning at a good spot, "When you're ready, send word to me and I'll come by. If the three of you have it covered for now, I should get the Shellraiser back to base and let Master Splinter know about how everything has gone."

He starts back toward the window to the fire escape, adding, "Don't forget, you have friends. You don't have to walk alone." A moment later, he disappears back into the night. Within a minute or so, the engine of their van revs and can be heard fading into the distance.

Alopex has posed:
"There's a hrm from Alopex as Leo makes his exit. The paper is already tucked away, "Well, in that case, I'm going to take the three of us over to a buritto place I found. Open late, close enough to Mutant Town that they don't mind the 'weird ones'. My treat."

Nemean has posed:
"I could go for a burrito. The slop they had at the Foot HQ is barely fit for human cosumption, let alone mutants.." He grins at Alopex, "But I suppose you'd already know that, huh?"

Alopex has posed:
    "Ugh. Don't remind me about the stuff they serve over there. It was terrible!