They all watch the action film of Movie-Mike watching national interest rate on the news.
"…Can't believe you guys would make me do that to myself."
"That's not us Mike."
"I think it's a disgrace, taking the law into your own hands like that! Leave it to the police!"
"Why do they always have the voices of reason sounding like a stingy old hag that no one wants to listen to?"
"…I think you just answered that yourself Donnie."
"…Well darn, that conclusion is not comforting."
"Sure they had a bunch of guns, but they weren't like these guns!"
A teasing grin works its way onto Leo's face, "The animation on you is so cute Mikey!"
Mike's reaction is delayed by dumbfounded-ness, "…Take. That. Back!"
"Yeesh," Raphael thumbs Leo as he turns to Mikey, "He really does want kids."
"Get on with your life. Concentrate on your work."
Leo points to the big screen as he speaks to Mikey, "You say that the Movie-you are all flailing around, aren't adjusting and maturing? Well, Movie-Donnie is trying."
"But he's so stressed and – hey, what I meant was it-"
"Beats sittin' around doin' nothin' while dirtbags run free."
"-yeah I-! Uh, no, wait…" he deflates with a pout and mumbles, "Nothing ever comes out right for me."
"Of course he's gonna say complimentary things about his secret life," notes the purple one, "As if nothing we say could possibly be a sign there's something wrong in what he's doing behind their backs."
"-All you do is sleep all day."
"He could be depressed," Don tries to reason with his Movie-counterpart, "I know it's frustrating, but criticising the negatives is not helping! Be patient! Be compassionate!"
"Yeah, I do nothin'. You're right. You got me all figured out!"
Now there's something strange in watching your behaviour from afar rather than living it in the moment. Watching Movie-Raph deliberately keep information from them whilst acting as if it's their fault and using that to continue feeling sorry for himself makes Raphael wonder if he could get into the movie universe somehow so he can knee Movie-Raph in the crutch for it.
As if pain could magically make someone see the point.
The unrealistic ideal is quashed at Movie-Raph attempting the same thing with a mock-lunge at Movie-Donnie.
"Raphael," they all watch attentively in automatic respect as Movie-Splinter takes five slow seconds to walk into the scene before finishing his sentence, "…Enough."
"…He said my name," Raphael gleams like a dizzy fan girl.
"That… doesn't prove anything," but Movie-Raph saunters off full of himself anyway.
"Poor Movie-Donnie. I know how that feels… We all know how that feels," Leo feels for Movie-Donnie.
"Donatello, this home has become like an empty shell. Each of your brothers has strengths, and weaknesses."
"That second sentence feels tagged on, Sensei."
"You must learn to be strong when they are weak."
Splinter slightly frowns at where this is going…
"If you don't learn to recognise this, then all hope is lost for our family."
Raphael squirms in place at the sight of Movie-Splinter's deeply cutting parental grief, unable to quell the affect it has weighed on his heart. Leo, Don and Mike sympathetically hold him in their thoughts, perceptively hoping he who has caused that look in the past wouldn't take a movie scene too personally-
"WHAT! HOW DARE YOU PUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS ALL ON ONE SON! WHERE IS THE PROPER DELEGATION OF FAMILY DUTY?!" Splinter's ears are folded back, his aged ruffled fur making him appear fiercely feral at his own Movie-counterpart.
Stunned, everyone blinks between the contradicting Splinters.
Mikey hands his father a few lollies and Splinter calms himself to take them graciously. They all sit in silence as the movie carries on with a timely change of beat, reintroducing Movie-April… and that barmy waist design.
"Hey, careful! Those aren't souvenirs."
Raph refuses an offered lolly, "Wasn't that careful though?"
Leo tilts his head at Movie-April's concern, "Am I in there?"
They all quieten to hear anything to confirm this, but Movie-April merely checks the wooden crate and flips out a mobile, "Where are you, Casey?"
Instantly Raphael draws his legs back in, arms curling around his grumbling plastron at the name, "Hopefully somewhere far from here…"
"What happened with you and Mr Jones?" Splinter asks, concerned for his son's… persistent tummy troubles.
"Uhm… it involved a bet, our bikes… and really old food…"
"Again?" he tries to cover his amusement.
"Didn't think it'd-… didn't feel that-…" Raphael gives up, "Yeah, again."
"Casey can't come to the phone right now, 'cause… we're hardly workin'."
"That makes no sense!" Don overreacts, "IT MAKES NO SEEEEEEEEEENSE!"
"Donnie chill!" Mikey leans over Splinter to pat his leg, "Let's not freak out at the minor details… let's just enjoy a movie for what it is…"
He stiffens his shoulders, but then relaxes with an exhale, "…Fine. But I don't know how long I can keep it in me."
They absorb the moment of Movie-April pouting mightily at Movie-Casey's unreliability in relative silence.
"…We should've brought them along to-"
"Noooooo!" Raph cuts Leo off.
"No… I found him. He's not coming back…"
"She sounds genuinely heartbroken," Don notes.
"But… But didn't you tell him how weird things have gotten with the turtles?"
"He knows it's a trap…" Mikey insists, whispering mostly to himself, "Suck him dryyyyyyyy…"
The movie gives a grand low sweep of a large building.
"Mmm…" feeling lightly sleepy, Donatello leans towards his father's comfortingly familiar fur, "…Is that supposed to be... an elevator? I've never trusted external elevators, the exposure creeps me out."
As Mikey views their Movie-mates walking into the uniquely monument-like building he curiously asks, "Since when did they have these types of jobs?"
"…It's just a movie Mikey," Don yawns, now fully pressed against his father's side; Splinter adjusts his position to put an arm around his tired busy boy.
"Don't fall asleep again dude, you keep doing that when we watch movies and you always miss the best parts!"
"Can't help it. Brain turns off. It gets relaxing."
"You won't miss the good stuff near the ending, right? It's no fun when you're breathing loudly."
"Don't worry, I promise."
"This is so April and Casey," Leo fondly remarks as the whole building goes into lockdown.
"…Imagine if someone was standing underneath the doors at that one random point. Such a tragic squish."
"That is totally the 3000 year old immortal dude!" Mikey interrupts as the movie introduces 'Mr Winters'.
"…Is it just me, or does this 3000 year old Native American have a somewhat Western appearance?" despite himself Don latches on to something else to nit-pick, "The accent isn't surprising, as someone that old can easily master a language fluently in that time. But…"
"Are you sure those facial features are Western?" Leo tilts his head sideways at 'Mr Winter's' bold visage.
"…Well good," Mikey relaxes, "A bad dude that gets his own unique look without going overboard or looking 'perfect'. They're always the ones that are most badass 'cause they are, not 'cause they look the part."
Leo takes in Yaotl/Winters' demeanour, "He sounds weathered and nice. I bet he's going to be an anti-villain."
"You shouldn't give the benefit of the doubt to the baddies, Leo," Raph smirks, "Have you so soon forgotten how your first meeting with Shred-head went down?"
"Stop mentioning that. Seriously."
What was meant as a joke sizzles into a bad taste in his throat. Raphael opens his mouth to apologise but, unsure of how, ends up merely watching the film.
They all quieten for a moment…
"…Karai is in the room," Splinter says a full three seconds before she indeed does make an appearance.
They all give their father an impressed look, "…How-?"
"And there are six hidden Foot."
Sure enough, before they too appear, he's got it right.
"…Sensei. You shouldn't be able to do that!" Donatello almost freaks out so close to him.
Splinter just smiles to himself; if only they knew he developed this sixth sense from watching his soap operas!
"I knew it!" Mikey exclaims as Mr Winters converses with the Foot, "He is Yaotl!"
"Interesting," Don calms down and observes, "The movie has chosen to dispense with the mystery… wise call, I feel, for this story."
Raphael mockingly gapes at his brother, "Did you just say something positive about a film? Shock gasp horror!"
"Funny."
"Karai looks gorgeous like that!" Mikey dares and then slyly addresses his big brother, "Hope I'm not making you uncomfortable, Leeooooo."
"…We're not even the same species-"
"You two have quite the relationship. Quite a history."
"I befriended and respected her. In the end we just couldn't trust each other. How do you confuse that with love-"
"Quiet!" Raph growls, "A pigeon just got eaten off-screen! How can you ignore that so heartlessly?!"
A few seconds pass before Michelangelo mouths his response back in silence. Catching the movement with his practised eyes, Leonardo leans forward in his seat and mouths back a silent retort.
They continue wordlessly mouthing and gesturing until Raph puts a hand to Leo's forehead in checking his sanity temperature, all while Donnie's unblinkingly observant gaze from cuddled into Splinter's side finally catches Mikey's attention.
Master Splinter is the only one watching the film, "Is this what you get up to when handling people such as these? Are you that rough and proud with frustration at the ones committing crimes?"
"…Nnnoo," Raphael settles back into his seat, trying to resume his viewing of the movie as the picture of innocence – his brothers shyly do the same.
Raphael rapidly realises that this scene contains the Nightwatcher strutting his stuff before the sort of persistent yet hapless crook that offers you a visceral pleasure in overpowering.
He twitches and almost giggles out loud as the Nightwatcher hauls the crook up by the shirt with such commanding badass finesse.
"And we wonder why small children are growing up with the wrong messages from these 'cool' scenes," Don puts morality on it, then adds a tactical, "Why don't they make engaging stakes with causes and effects instead of detached coolness in action scenes anymore?"
And at that Raphael privately squirms with an easily ignorable confliction that still makes enjoying this unbearably uncomfortable now.
"-Wait a minute… aw, how'd you know it was me?"
"Wasn't that hard man – you know you look like a big, metal turtle?"
Movie-Raph sighs as he responsibly removes his helmet in full view of the crook, "It's that obvious, huh?"
"Buuuuut for some reason no one else has connected the dots?"
"Yeah that doesn't really make sense…" Raph admits.
"Or does it?" Leo sadly ponders at the distant and detached state of the Movie-family.
"But seriously – a once extremely close-knit family doesn't consider he's out all night doing what he loves disguised in a full-body suit that resembles an armoured turtle? Really? …Raph," Don turns to his brother with an epiphany, "This movie is up your shell."
"…Oh my gosh it IS. I LOVE THIS FILM!"
Leo looks at him with big sad eyes.
"…Well… I mean… it's just… with you, you're a stick in the mud… I love you bro'," bearing an awkward smile he turns his body away from the beseeching gaze.
Donatello blinks slowly at the scene revealing the upside down crook chained to a streetlight and surrounded by onlookers, "How is humiliating a human being after intimidating and assaulting them with physical violence for any sort or number of crimes they've committed going to make the world better? Answer: it does not. You only make it worse by appealing to the general public's darker side. Basic psychology."
With all of these little annoyances building up Raphael gives Donnie a sharp glare, "Shut. Up."
He gives a pause before boldly stating, "No. Sometimes it's a good thing when we're uneasily convicted – it reveals we're not a reliable compass for good and bad, that being comfortable or okay with something does not define truth for us; we have many feelings and reactions that need boundaries to uphold right and wrong outside of ourselves. The truth can hurt because it doesn't always agree with our own interests."
Leo purposefully applauds his kind brother for that hard-nosed but gentle toned evaluation in Raph's face.
"But… but… it's just one stupid crook!" Raph sensibly whines, kicking the back of the chair in front of him at all of these little misunderstandings, "Let me like self-righteously lording it over him with my fists!"
"Neveeeeeer," Don actually pulls off sounding extremely creepy in that soft voice of his.
Raphael immediately shuts up, eye twitching; after but a moment he sighs, "What'd I miss?"
"Well," Mikey prepares to surmise, "Movie-you is explaining to Movie-Casey that you're the Nightwatcher because you're not sitting around for Movie-Leo who is somehow the reason crime exists in the city of Shakespearean-non-quitters which you don't want Movie-Leo coming back to but only sort of since you almost understand leaving on a little vacation too but you won't anyway because the subway being your lullaby is from growing up in a house full of brothers."
Raphael stares at him for a moment.
"I think Movie-you was just dodging personal accountability for his own choices and behaviour by blaming the circumstances and everyone else. That's what the content of their discussion sounds like, at least," Donatello may be pushing it.
Raphael is grinding his teeth loudly.
As Movie-Casey goes to share his side of laments to a trusted friend it's soon revealed Movie-Raph has taken to snoozing… sitting upright on the edge of a roughly thirteen storey building.
Leo's fingers tighten around the arms of the seat, "Wear your baby harness! That's what you have it for!"
Raphael turns deep red with horrified mortification; a huge silent grin is mounting on Michelangelo's face as he gradually leans forward to see him whilst Donatello's grows ever increasingly blank at the thought.
Splinter is the only one to speak up, "I'm not sure which of you I need to have a talk with first."
END PART 2
