Chapter 2: Donatello

April gasps as the images from the Kraang data storage device fill the screen. "They're after me?"

Should I comfort her? Put a hand on her shoulder? I'm at an awkward angle in this chair, should I stand up first? Donnie is still debating when, somewhat to his chagrin, Splinter places his hand on April's shoulder instead. "I trust you know, April, that we will never allow them to take you. Donatello, this is a surprise. Have you been able to recover any further information from this... machine?"

"No, Sensei. But..." he's really talking to April now "... I promise I will keep looking."

April's mouth still hangs open, and Donnie finds himself staring at her face. Shock and exhaustion don't make her any less beautiful... focus, Donnie, focus! How am I going to talk to Leo and April alone? Hmm... Mikey and Sensei probably won't stick around for a technical discussion.

He raises one hand to his mouth. A deep yawn comes naturally. "I think I'm too tired to do much more tonight, guys. Uh, before you go, April, do you mind taking a quick look at some of these data structures with me? I'd like to hear your ideas."

Raph smirks, "Oooh. Data structures." How does he make that sound dirty? Donnie throws a half-hearted punch at his arm, then gets a smack in return that makes him yelp.

"It is past time for me to retire for the night," says Splinter. "My sons, be sure to rest. I sense there will be many difficult battles ahead."

Leo beckons Mikey and Raph. "Come on, guys. Let's give the nerds some space to do their nerd thing."

"Doin' the nerd thing, oh yeah," Mikey sings along to a soundtrack that only he can hear. Then, a little too casually, "Oh, Donnie, can I use your laptop?"

At least this should keep him out of our shells. Donnie snaps, "Remember, no pizza. Or other food. Or drink. Or drooling," and reluctantly hands the computer over. Then, as his brothers follow Splinter toward the laboratory door, he adds, "Hey, Leo. I'd actually like you to take a quick look at this data too."

Leo gives Donnie a quizzical look and shakes his head. "I really don't think I'll be much help with the tech stuff. I'd was thinking I'd, ah, work on developing my leadership skills."

"By which he means, watch that stupid show," Raph scoffs .

"Leo," Donnie repeated, spacing out the words and carefully emphasizing each. "I would really like you to stay here and take a quick look at this."

Raph gives Donnie a sharp look. Mikey, gripping Donnie's laptop tightly, seems blissfully oblivious to the exchange as he continues out the door. Donnie almost thinks he sees little hearts drifting above his brother's head. I must be even more tired than I realized. After a moment, Raph shrugs and follows Mikey.

"All right, Donnie," Leo says when they go. "This had better not be about data structures."

"Keep your voice down," Donnie hisses. "We need to talk about Mikey and Jasmine."

"Mikey's Internet girlfriend?" April asks. "I thought she stood Mikey up and broke his heart." She had missed the events in question, but Donnie had told her everything afterward. "Though he does seem to be doing better."

Leo leans into Donnie's face, frowning, eyes narrowed. "Donnie, we just lost an ally and had a mission fall apart completely, all on my watch. I've got my mind on more important things than Mikey's current relationship status."

"This is actually really important." Whoops, that came out as a shout. He sucks in a breath, willing himself to keep calm. "I think the Kraang are after her."

"The Kraang are what?" Leo and April ask together. Great, maybe someone in Queens didn't hear that.

"Keep it down!" Donnie repeats. Also too loud.

"Why would the Kraang be after Mikey's girlfriend? And how would you know if they were?" Leo asks, sounding incredulous but quieter.

"So... after we originally found out that Mikey was using the laptop to chat with her..." Donnie begins tentatively. "I wrote a script to monitor what he was doing on it."

Leo winces, and April bites her lower lip, staring down. Donnie follows her gaze to the bulge of her custom-built T-phone. Oh no no no. "April, I didn't put any software on your phone. Well, I mean, there's software on it, and I put it there, cause I built the phone. But not monitoring software! Your phone can't spy on you! I mean, I guess if I found a way to trace the signal it could be used to spy on you, but it would never even occur to me to do that! OK, it just occurred to me, but I still wouldn't do it! I didn't do it !" He sputters to a halt, belatedly aware that he should have stopped a while ago. April is looking at her hip as if a snake might leap out of her pocket at any minute .

"So you decided to spy on Mikey because...?" Leo asks sardonically.

Because the analysis of the Kraang device was taking forever and I was afraid I wouldn't find anything. Because I was curious. Because I can't understand how Mikey can get a girl he's never met to call herself his girlfriend, when I can't get there with April.

"We're waiting," Leo adds, with a little smirk. I think he's actually enjoying this .

"You were the one who said that chatting with Mikey might put Jasmine in danger," Donnie says defensively. "I just wanted to make sure he wasn't saying anything to put her... or us... in danger."

April offers him an awkward smile at that, and Donnie relaxes a bit.

"So where do the Kraang come in?" Leo prompts.

Donnie taps at his keyboard, and the file he transferred from the laptop appears on the monitor. "So Mikey and Jasmine were talking, he told her he forgives her, he mentions going off to fight alien robots..."

Leo stiffens. "Mikey, Mikey. I'll have to talk to him about the concept of 'secrets.' Just as soon as I figure out how to explain that you've been reading all his private conversations."

"I'm really just skimming! Looking for key words..." Donnie gulps air and gets back on track. "Anyway, they were also talking about some guy who keeps messaging Jasmine. His name is Kraig – though Mikey's spelling isn't very consistent – and he writes really odd messages with a lot of unnecessary words. Sound familiar?"

"You're getting Kraang from, 'His name starts with a K and ends with a G and he talks funny?' Donnie, I think you're jumping at shadows," Leo says.

"I wasn't sure at that point," Donnie admits, "and I could only read Mikey's side of the conversation. So... I hacked into Jasmine's account so I could read her messages from Kraig."

If Leo and April's eyes could fire lasers, Donnie thinks, I'd be a pile of dust right now . He holds both hands up, 6 fingers spread wide. "I couldn't risk Mikey's girlfriend being in danger, could I? What else would you have suggested? If I mentioned any of this to Mikey, he'd go tearing across town to 'rescue' her and then we'd have a real mess on our hands."

"So what did you find?" Leo asks , with a resigned-sounding sigh.

"Here's one of his messages." Donnie reads, "The one known as Kraig is being interested by the profile of the one known as Jasmine. Kraig is also enjoying the activity of walking in the light of what you call the moon."

Leo's tone is flat and resigned. "Yup, that's the Kraang."

"Why would they be interested in Mikey's girlfriend?" April asks. She's looking over Donnie's shoulder now, scanning the messages on the monitor, her curiosity appearing to have fully overcome her indignation . I sure hope so . I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't thought Jasmine was in danger. A little voice corrected, you started doing it before you had a reason to think she was in danger.

"Maybe they know she's Mikey's girlfriend? They probably hacked into the dating site too." Leo suggests.

"Their security is startlingly bad," Donnie notes disapprovingly.

"So what do we do now?" Leo asks. Leo doesn't have a plan? This night really has been hard on him. "If we tell Mikey, he'll go berserk. If we try to message her directly, she has no reason to trust or believe us. And we don't know where she lives, or even if Jasmine is her real name."

"Actually..." Donnie clears his throat. Oh good, the laser eyes are making a return appearance. "I, ah, was able to trace her logins to .COM and I'm pretty sure I have her address." He taps a few more keys to bring it up on the screen.

"That's not too far from my aunt's place," April says. "I can stop by in the morning on my way to school."

"Would you?" Donnie asks gratefully. "Ahhh... if you warn her about alien robots, she probably won't believe you..."

April's eyes look as bright as stars to Donnie. "At least, I can try to find out if she lives there."

Leo adopts the Captain Ryan Voice (as April and Donnie call it, though not to his face). "Then tonight, the four of us stake the place out, and if the Kraang show up, we stop them."

"We're bringing Mikey?" Donnie asks.

"Do you think trying to ditch him is a better idea? We tell him that we're looking out for the Kraang because we got a tip they were going to hit this building. We don't tell him that it's where his girlfriend lives. That's the last thing we need."

#

A loud fanfare of trumpets blasts Donnie awake after too few hours of sleep. What? What's going on? It takes him a moment to realize that the sound is coming from his T-phone. He fumbles for the phone; by the time he has it in his hand, all three of his brothers are in the doorway, looking both sleepy and cranky. Raph is growling in a way that reminds Donnie of a bottle about to explode from built-up pressure.

He gives an apologetic shrug. "Text message from April," he offers by way of explanation.

"What a great reason to wake us all up!" Raph snarls.

"Could you maybe find a more subtle alert sound?" Leo asks.

"I dreamed there was a flock of dancing pigs, and they were so cute, and suddenly this horrible noise drove them all away," Mikey mourns.

Donnie tunes them all out – he has plenty of practice, though the flock of pigs is hard to let go – and reads the text. "found building but couldn't get into apartment. name on mailbox was s. walker. ill try again after school." He tries to give a subtle shrug in Leo's direction, then realizes that "subtle shrug" is a little too nuanced for the early hour.

Leo grabs Mikey's hand. "Come on, Mikey, why don't you make us some breakfast?" He heads down the hallway with Mikey in tow. Reminiscences about dancing pigs fade in the distance.

Raph hangs back in the doorway. "So, Donnie. Are you going to tell me what's going on, or do I need to beat it out of you?" He cracks his knuckles to emphasize the words.

"We think the Kraang are after Mikey's girlfriend." Donnie gives an abbreviated version of his explanation from the previous night.

"And you aren't telling Mikey because you're afraid he might run off and do something stupid? Er. Stupider than usual?"

"Yup." He and Raph disagree about a lot of things, but their estimation of Mikey's capabilities isn't one of them.

"All right, I'll keep my mouth shut," Raph says.

I hope you will, Donnie thinks, remembering the old saying about three turtles keeping a secret.

But throughout that day's training session, not a word is said about Jasmine or the Kraang. Donnie struggles to keep his mind on the sparring, blocks, strikes, and jumps. Is it time for April to check in yet? Why is my heart hammering? Am I worried that she'll get into trouble? Or am I so far gone that just the thought of a text or call from her has me this...

"DONATELLO! Where is your focus?" Sensei's stick cracks down on Donnie's head. He sits down hard, and for a moment all thought comes to a stop. He struggles to his feet and dodges out of the way of the next blow.

Training has just wrapped up when Donnie's phone starts playing the cheerful little chiptune he swapped in for the trumpets. He snatches the phone up and has it at his ear in one fluid motion. "April?" he asks.

Leo and Raph both look up, clearly attentive to the conversation. Mikey makes smooching noises in the background.

"Hey, Donnie." April sounds out of breath.

"Is everything OK?" Stop getting shrill, voice .

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got to do a little jogging I hadn't planned on, is all."

"What happened?" Donnie's voice is stubbornly insubordinate.

"I was heading into the apartment building and this woman came charging in behind me. I saw her glance at the 'S. Walker' mailbox, so I asked if she knew Jasmine. Next thing I knew, she was taking a swing at me, so I got out of there."

"Are you hurt? I can be right there." Donnie starts moving toward the kitchen, mentally inventorying all their medical supplies.

"I told you, I'm fine. She was big, but I was faster."

"Do you think she might be..." Donnie looks up at Mikey "... uh, the... person... we're looking for?"

April makes a yeccch noise. "I hope not. She was old, Donnie – maybe in her mid-twenties ? Way too old for Mikey, for sure. Taller than you and built like a brick wall, so be careful if you tangle with her."

I'm glad she cares about my well-being, but does she really think I'll have trouble with someone who can't land a punch on her? "I'm pretty sure we can take her if we have too."

"That is what you said about the lab monkey," April notes.

Oooh, that still hurt. Donnie tries not to let it show in his voice. "Are you headed over to the lair?"

"I don't think so, Donnie. I've got a paper to write and a French test to study for. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow."

They say their goodbyes, and Donnie hangs up the phone to find Mikey has taken up position by his elbow. "So, Donnie, how is your girlfriend?"

"How's yours?" Donnie snaps. Whoops.

"Um... what? She stood me up, remember? Haven't talked to her since." Mikey is staring down at his feet as he shifts his weight from one foot to another.

He could star in a How To Lie Badly instructional video, Donnie thinks. "Right. Yes. Sorry to bring up the painful subject, Mikey ." He winces at the words coming out of his mouth. I could probably co-star.

"You'll have to make it up to me, dude. Can I borrow your laptop ?" Mikey's eyes are like a puppy's.

OK, I would have to get second billing. He really thinks this won't make me suspicious? Donnie hands over the laptop and heads for the lab. Let's see what more I can coax out of the Kraang data storage device before we head out for the night.

The answer proves to be "nothing," and Donnie is happy to head for the turnstiles when Leo says it's time to go. The four brothers trudge toward the surface in uncharacteristic silence. I hope this goes better than last night. Even if it does – protecting Mikey's girlfriend isn't going to close that portal, or bring Leatherhead back. He suspects that Leo and Raph are having similar thoughts. As for Mikey, Donnie gave up on speculating about what Mikey is thinking long ago.

As the turtles scramble up to the rooftops, Mikey breaks the silence by singing the theme song from "Space Heroes," loudly and off-key. Leo and Raph shush him; when the singing starts up again, Leo snaps, "Shut it, Mikey." Mikey's face droops into a pout. Usually the turtles enjoy running and jumping from roof to roof, but today no one seems to feel like showing off, and the fresh air seems a bit stale.

As the turtles approach Jasmine's apartment building – I hope it really is Jasmine's apartment building – Leo scrambles up onto a piece of ductwork for a better view. He motions the brothers to stop and drops back down to the rooftop, frowning. "Bad news. The Kraang are already here."

"Doesn't sound like bad news to me," Raph snarls, making a fist against his cupped hand.

Leo glares at Raph, and for a second Donnie really expects fists to fly, but then Leo looks away, toward the apartment building. "There are two Kraang standing guard by the door, and a white van which probably has more Kraang in it. We have to assume they're inside as well. Mikey, Raph, you take the ones by the door. Donnie, you're with me – we go straight in and take down any Kraang in the lobby. Got it?"

His brothers nod. Donnie has to admit that he's impressed by how quickly Leo can put together a plan. Even if "there are some Kraang and we need to get rid of them" is not the most complex situation ever encountered.

"Mikey, you've got it?" Leo asks again.

"Yes, Leo, I can handle 'get the Kraang by the door,'" Mikey says, still sounding sullen.

"And keep it quiet, guys. We don't want an audience for this," Leo adds. "On three... one, two, three!"

The four turtles rush forward and spring down from the roof into the street. As Mikey and Raph dart to engage the two Kraang on guard, Donnie follows Leo up the stairs and through a dingy door into a dimly-lit lobby. Two more Kraang droids, dressed in the usual coat and tie, start to turn towards them, the one on the right pulling its finger away from a buzzer. Leo heads for the one on the left. That means the one on the right is mine.

Don't think, act. His body falls into familiar rhythms. Twirling his staff, he sends the Kraang's gun flying away. The robot reaches for Donnie's bo, but he pulls it back and sweeps the droid's legs out from under it. It crashes to the floor, and Donnie reverses his staff and jabs the metal end through its head. Circuitry sparks, then the robot twitches and lies still. The Kraang controlling it bursts from its torso and scuttles for the door, emitting the usual angry, chattering whine. Donnie twirls the staff again and bashes it across the head, and it slumps to the floor .

He has been distantly aware of Leo driving the other droid back and cleaving it into sparking hunks of metal and fake flesh. I wonder what that stuff is. I should really take a look at it under the microscope sometime. Probably not right after eating. He turns to Leo. "This one had its finger on the buzzer, and the inner door looks intact. I don't think they've made it any further into the building."

Leo nods in agreement. "Why don't we-"

A cry of "Booyakasha!" sounds outside; at the same time, Donnie and Leo hear the sound of heavy footsteps from further inside the building. Leo scowls. "So much for 'keep it quiet.' I'll see what's going on outside, you see who's coming." He gestures Donnie into the shadows – they are plentiful in the lobby – and runs back out into the street.

Donnie slips into a dark corner as a figure bursts through the inner door. Peering in the dim light, he sees a black woman, taller than himself, muscular, holding a baseball bat in one hand and glaring about her. This must be the one who threw a punch at April. The one she thought was too dangerous for me to tangle with.

The thought impels him out of the shadows. He steps forward, his staff at the ready, his eyes on the bat and her face. She sees him, and her eyes widen with shock. No need for a fight here. "We don't mean you any-" he begins.

Just too late to dodge, he sees the canister she's bringing up in her left hand. Burning pain bursts across his face, though his nictitating membranes snap closed in time to spare his eyes. He gasps for breath, and the fire follows the air into his mouth and lungs. Donnie bursts into agonized coughing, slumping forward. It's almost a relief when he feels the blow to his head, and then nothing at all.