…Because the Joker is the card that is tossed aside…

"And the question on everyone's mind is "What has happened to the Nightwatcher?"" The reporter puckered his suspiciously wrinkle-free brow and gave a smile that only comes from a ludicrously fat paycheck. "Has New York's most controversial crime fighter finally given up – or has he been beaten up?"

"WHAT?" Raph started choking on his slice of pizza. I banged him on the shell, but he turned round and growled a quick "Get off" before turning back to the smug newsreader.

"An eyewitness claims to have seen the Nightwatcher being beaten by an unknown green man." A pimply teenager appeared on the screen. "The guy was freakin' green, y'know? And then he knocked off the Nightwatcher's helmet and-

The sound cut out. Raph clutched at the remote with a wild look in his eyes as the boy on the screen made increasingly extravagant, but totally silent, hand gestures.

"Mikey, get out."

"Aw come on dude, I was watching that!"

"I SAID GET OUT!"

"Going, going." I hopped over the sofa, limping on my bandaged foot. Raph still hadn't realised that I knew who the Nightwatcher was – not that I was gonna say anything, of course. It was just too much fun watching him squirm. I noticed that Don hadn't come down for his share of pizza. He hadn't eaten anything this morning, either. I told Leo it was a bad idea to let him have a coffee machine is his room, but did he listen?

A faint whirring noise was coming from Don's room. I knocked on the door and waited. After about a minute, I knocked again. After a couple more knocks, and a yell of "Don! Lemme in!" I pushed the door open, and peered into the dingy mess of wires and circuitry.

"MIKEY!" I jumped as a very angry-looking turtle reared up from Don's worktable, armed with a USB and a face like thunder. "I was this close to hacking into Area 51! THIS CLOSE! That "Do Not Disturb" sign is there for a reason!"

I looked back at the empty doorway. "What, on the floor?" I said, pointing at where the notice had fallen.

Don's face went through a number of weird expressions in varying degrees of rage. "That's not the point! Do you have any idea how important this is? What they could be keeping there?"

I couldn't resist it.

"Elvis?"

"No… Mikey, I know this is hard for you to understand, but please concentrate." Don's expression took on a pained air. I sighed mentally. Being yelled at is one thing, being patronised is another. "This is really, really important, okay? I can't stop for anything – not you, not whatever amazing thing you've seen on TV, not-

"Food?" I brought my hands out from behind my shell, revealing a plate of re-heated pizza. "Come on bro, I know you haven't eaten all day."

"I've had coffee."

"Doesn't count." I waved the pizza under his nose. "It's your favourite…"

"I've got work to do."

"It'll only take a minute!" I leaned on a square metal thing. The square metal thing bleeped in protest, and started flashing little red lights at me. "Oops."

"My deregulator!" Don shoved me aside, and started working at the top of the square metal thing with a screwdriver.

"Er… sorry?"
"Just get out."

"Fine." I left the plate on Don's desk and crept out, stopping at the door to replace the "Do Not Disturb" sign. I looked back at Don. He was still working on his square metal thing, which was now spitting out sparks. "And bro… I really am sorry."

Don just grunted at me.

I looked at my feet. Big clumsy feet, that kept knocking everything. "Sorry I even exist."

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