Chapter Seven: Monkey Brains
A/N HardyGal: Sorry for your name not appearing on my last A/N, erica phoenix. I'm not sure what these document's dealio is. Yeah, Alien Agenda was one of my most favorite episodes to write… ;) You're just gonna have to wait until it comes around. Thank, Sleepy Rainbow, for the compliment on my mini evaluation of Andi's relationship with her brothers. The thing about Andi is that I tried to make her as little like most OCs as possible. Most sister OCs are the youngest. I decided to make Andi the oldest, which makes her more patronizing, but also more protective. Andi is the only older sister OC I know, except for Leofan221's Hamato Asami. I also went out of my way to make her imperfect. I did pretty well, I think.
Watching her brothers spar was entertaining, especially when those brothers were Leo and Raph. But any fight with Mikey in it; it was bound to be entertaining, both pre, during, and post fight.
Mikey stretched confidently, and Andi couldn't help shuddering as his bones popped. With a "Hah!" Donnie struck an offensive stance, ready to come at his brother. As soon as Mikey was finished with his stretching, Donnie approached.
'Bets on…' Andi frowned for a moment. 'Donatello…? Maybe…'
Donnie swung his leg, and Mikey backflipped, dodging it with a whoop. The latter struck, and Donnie grabbed his arm, and tried to flip him onto his back, failing. With a grunt, that sounded like one of frustration, Donnie threw his younger brother over his shoulder. With a few neat flips, Mikey landed in a crouch, laughing.
Donnie scowled at Mikey. "Dude, what are you doing?"
Andi rolled her eyes, and slapped her palm. "Beautiful, Michelangelo."
"Beautiful?" Donnie repeated, staring at her. "You don't defend against soei nagé with backflips!"
"Why not?" said Mikey, grinning. "Backflips are where it's at!"
Donnie approached him, having on his complicated lecture face. "The best defense is to roll along my back, then take me to the ground and put me in an arm lock," he explained. "Unless, of course, I counter with-"
Andi gave a short laugh. "That's kind of the point, Donatello," she said. "If our opponents already know every offense, counter-offense, defense or whatever, how are we gonna to take 'em down if we don't act a bit crazy?"
"Yeah, man," said Mikey. "What Andi said. You can't take the fire out of…" With a whoop, he did a backflip. "…Doctor Flipenstein!"
"I don't even know what that means," Donnie said irritatedly.
Andi suddenly stood up from her position of leaning on the dojo wall, and nodded respectfully as their Sensei passed.
Donnie went after him. "Master Splinter," he said. "What would you do if someone tried to throw you with soei nagé?"
"I don't know," Splinter said simply, without turning.
"C'mon, you must've planned a response for every attack!" Donnie persisted.
"If you think too much about what is coming," Splinter said, halting. "You lose sight of what is. You must be fully in the moment so you can fight without thinking."
"Why would I wanna fight without thinking?" Donnie asked confusedly.
"Allow me to demonstrate," Splinter said, and Andi knew he had something planned. "Prepare to defend against soei nagé!" At the last word, he attacked.
In a few seconds, Donnie was on the ground, Splinter's foot on his shell, his arm locked.
"Ow!" Donnie looked up. "That wasn't soei nagé!" he protested.
Andi couldn't help grinning slightly as their Sensei chuckled. "No," agreed Splinter. "But you thought it would be." He let go of Donnie's arm, allowing his prodigy son to sit up. "Now, would you like to defend against a spinning back kick?"
"No," Donnie said painfully, rubbing his head. "I'm good."
Splinter left the dojo, and Mikey and Andi surrounded their brother. Andi shook her head, still grinning as she helped Donnie to his feet.
"Don't take it too hard, Donatello," she said. "Splinter kicks all our shells."
Mikey laughed. "But you know what would've worked there?" he told Donnie.
"Backflip!" Andi and Mikey said at the same time, and they fist bumped.
Donnie sighed, still rubbing his head.
Andi and her brothers watched as Donnie's marker squeaked on his diagram of… whatever the heck he was doing. They had entered his lab only a couple minutes ago, and he hadn't even looked up. Andi doubted as to whether he knew they were there or not.
"What you up to, Donnie?" Leo said finally, and Donnie jumped slightly.
"Just putting the finishing touches on my master plan," Donnie said, sticking out his tongue in his typical concentrating manner, adding a few more obscure lines.
"Master plan?" Raph said skeptically.
"Yeah, to get April to hang out with me," Donnie explained.
Andi spluttered, and the rest of her brothers laughed openly. "Try this," Leo said, grinning. " 'April… Do you want to hang out with me?' "
"Eh, it's not that simple," said Donnie, still adding to his diagram. "I have to plan for every possible response to maximize my chances of success."
"Aw," said Mikey. "That's so romantic."
"Donnie, you're probably the only guy on earth who does this," said Andi, indicating to the diagram. "And hey, if a guy went into this much trouble to simply ask a girl to hang out, I really cannot see her turning you down."
"You can't?" said Raph.
Andi narrowed her eyes at him. "No. I can't."
Donnie covered his flow chart protectively. "I can't just show this to her!" he exclaimed. "It… wouldn't be appropriate."
"I thought you had a plan for every possible response," Leo said wryly.
"I do." Donnie picked up his chart, and put it on his white board. Rolling the thing in front of his siblings, he pointed out the different parts of his maze. "Yeah, for instance, if April says she can't because she has homework…" He pointed out some obscure thread. "…then I will suggest an informal study session and offer healthy, brain stimulating snacks."
"They have those?" said Andi.
"Well, what if she says you can't because you're a total nerd?" Raph said, crossing his arms.
"Ah, that's this thread here," said Donnie. "I will list down my many non-nerdy qualities, then suggest activities that will highlight my coolness, such as skateboarding or shark wrestling."
" 'Hey, April,' " said Andi. " 'There's a shark in our sewers, wanna go wrestle this man-eating thing?' Not exactly a love date, Donatello."
Her other three brothers laughed.
"Then skateboarding," said Donnie, crossing his arms.
"Guys!" April came running in, holding her computer.
Donnie yelped, quickly flipping the whiteboard around to the Space Heroes III: The Search for Mindstrong movie poster. "H-hey, Ap- Hey, April," he said, smiling awkwardly.
April didn't seem to take any notice (which was either a good thing or a bad thing), and ran to the desk where the other four turtles still stood. "You guys gotta check this out," she said, opening her computer. She opened up a video, as Donnie walked over. Andi leaned on his shoulder, grinning at him suggestively.
"Renowned neurochemist, Doctor Tyler Rockwell has been reported missing," said the news guy onscreen. "I spoke with Doctor Rockwell's colleague, Victor Falco."
"I hadn't heard from him in days, so I stopped by his lab," said a grey headed man in a lab coat. "The place was a mess, and… he was gone. I… fear the worst."
"Police say that they have-" April shut the computer as the news reporter came back onscreen.
"So?" said Raph.
"So, the Kraang have been kidnapping scientists from all over the city!" April explained. "Including my dad… Maybe that's what happened to this Rockwell guy!"
"Or, they may not be connected at all," said Leo.
"Only one way to find out," April said firmly. "We have to check out that lab tonight."
"April's right!" Donnie said automatically. "We should go check it out! What's that? You guys are busy?" He put a hand on April's shoulder, leading her away. "Guess it's just the two of us, April."
Donnie turned back a moment, giving a wink and thumbs up, which Andi returned. 'You go, Donnie!'
Leo gave a short laugh. "I bet that wasn't on his flow chart," he said, flipping the board back over. "Woah… It is!" Andi leaned in to see some cute drawings of Donnie and April investigating, and his siblings looking steamed. "That… is spooky," Leo said slowly.
It had seemed reasonably normal; Raph was doing who-knows-what, Mikey and Leo were watching Space Heroes, and Andi was listening to Elvis on her MP3, keeping one eye on the entrance/exit of the lair. She automatically pulled her earbuds out when she saw April coming in, supporting Donnie, who looked like he'd been through hell.
Running over, she helped April support the purple clad ninja.
"Woah, what happened?" asked Raph, he, Leo and Mikey running over as well.
"Donnie got beat up by a lab monkey," April explained.
Something like that would've encouraged laughs, but judging by the look of Donnie, and the look on April's face, this wasn't a joke.
"Geez, Donatello," Andi said, over him concernedly. "You can't leave us for half an hour?"
"It was an hour and a half," Donnie said in a painfully strained voice.
Leo replaced April in supporting Donnie. "April," he said. "Get an ice pack."
"I'll help you find one," said Andi, gently removing Donnie's arm.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…" Donnie winced as Leo help him into the pit.
Andi wasn't Miss Expert when it came to the kitchen, and also the freezer was stuffed full of junk she really didn't want to know about. But finally, with the help of April, Andi pulled out an ice pack, and handed it to April. Together the two girls walked out of the kitchen.
Both girls had been vaguely aware of laughter coming from the main room, and they could see Leo, Raph and Mikey laughing really hard. But as soon as they saw April, the laughing cut off abruptly.
"No more monkey puns," Raph muttered to Leo, both completely poker faced as April walked over, narrowing her eyes at them.
Andi frowned at her other brothers, who were uncharacteristically silent, kneeling beside the pit next to where Donnie lay on the pit step. April sat down next to Donnie, placing his head on her lap, and holding the ice pack to his head. Donnie laughed slightly.
"Are you laughing at him because he's hurt?" April asked incredulously. Andi face palmed.
"No," said Mikey. "We were laughing at him because he was hurt by a… monkey!"
The laughing came bursting out helplessly.
The pinball machine seriously caused injuries. Not the machine itself, but the high score set to it. Leo's high score, of course. But Andi was pretty much alone at the moment, so there wasn't a Leo or Raph to set her adrenaline running.
Pretty much meaning, the main room was empty except for her, and Donnie, who knelt in front of their sewer entrance, looking dejected. As the pinball fell into the pit of doom, Andi took no notice, walking over to her brother.
"Hey, Don," she said. "You alright."
Donnie sighed. "I just don't get it," he said. "I mean, I'm a highly trained martial artist. How could I lose to something so… mindless?" He splashed the water frustratedly. Andi could only assume he was talking about the monkey.
"You're a smart guy, Donnie," said Andi. "And hey, we can't win fights all the time. Raph kicks your shell at almost every fight, yeah?"
Donnie looked up at her, a bit of resentment reflected in his auburn eyes.
"Oh, geez," said Andi, backing up. "That didn't come out right. My point is… you're über smart, and hey, I'm no slacker, and neither is Leo. And yet since when have we seen Leo beat all of us in every fight?"
"But like you said, I'm smart," said Donnie, looking back into the water. "And the monkey was… a monkey."
Andi felt rather than saw their Sensei approach them. "You are very intelligent," Splinter said as Donnie looked up at him. "But in a fight, you cannot be up here." He tapped his own head.
"But I just don't understand how you can fight without thinking," Donnie said, sounding a little exasperated as he stood up.
They all turned when Mikey came walking up, doing a dancing walk as he listened to his music, eyes closed, humming to a beat.
"Observe…" Splinter waited until Mikey was right up to him. Then, he swung a punch, which Mikey dodged under, still humming to his music beat. Mikey dodged another punch, and even stopped another, not even looking at Splinter, or opening his eyes.
Andi and Donnie watched with wide eyes. "Holy hound," Andi muttered, crossing her arms.
"You see," said Splinter, gesturing to Mikey, who removed a part of his headphones to listen. "Mikey does not think."
"Thank you," said Mikey, before resuming listening to his music.
"You're welcome," said Splinter, before sweeping his tail, causing Mikey to fly into a beanbag. "You must find the space between your thoughts and learn to live there," Splinter said, turning back to Donnie. "That's what Michelangelo does."
Andi looked at their orange clad brother, who was sniffing the air.
"True," Donnie agreed. "But Mikey's got a lot more space between his thoughts than I do."
Mikey brought something out from underneath the beanbag. "Mm, pepperoni!" Andi flinched slightly as he put it into his mouth.
"Yes," Splinter agreed slowly. "Well, Michelangelo has his challenges too."
"Guys!" said April, looking up from her computer. "I think I found something."
Andi had been reading Raph's comic over his shoulder, and now she turned instead to April, who was reading some really obscure science stuff from a thumb drive Donnie had 'borrowed' from Rockwell's lab.
"These notes are hard to follow," said April. "But it looks like Rockwell was able to modify the mutagen."
Raph turned back to his comic, and Andi swiped it and tossed it away. Raph glared at her, cracking his knuckles, and Andi just rolled her eyes, turning back to April's computer.
"Why would he do that?" asked Leo.
"He thought he could use it to create a neuro chemical that would temporarily give someone psychic abilities," April explained.
"You mean that monkey was psychic?" Raph asked.
"More like he was reading our emotions," said April. "After all, he was only hostile when Donnie was hostile."
"Yeah, well next time I'll be sure to think friendly thoughts while I'm beatin' a little sunshine into him," said Donnie, smacking his fist into his palm.
"Ok, we need to track him down before he attacks someone else," said Leo. "Let's go up to the surface, spread out, and search."
"How're we gonna stay in contact?" asked Raph.
"I have a little something that might help," Donnie said proudly, standing up, and walking into his lab momentarily.
Andi winced slightly. "Please tell me I'm not the only one who's sort of wary," she muttered.
"Nope," Raph said simply.
Donnie came out, holding something behind his shell. "Gentlemen!" he announced. "And ladies… I give you… the T-Phone!" He presented an shell shaped phone, which rang with a retro sounding ringtone.
Andi's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but Mikey was scowling. "Dude," he said, standing up. "I'm in charge of namin' stuff. I woulda called it… the T-Phone."
His older siblings shot him a look. "I just called it the T-Phone," Donnie said slowly.
"Yeah, but I woulda called the T-Phone," Mikey said in a disappointed voice. He was whacked heavily across the back of the head with Raph's comic.
Raph turned to Andi, who held her hands up defensively. "Hey, younger brother, all's good, right?" He smacked her arm. "Ow!" She scowled.
"And April," said Donnie, holding out the T-Phone to their human friend. "If you give me your cell number I can patch it into our network." Raph rolled his eyes.
"Sweet!" April typed in her phone number, and Donnie gave a little fist pump.
"See that?" he whispered. "I got her phone number!"
"That doesn't make you sound like a stalker," Andi muttered.
"Her number's on the fridge, you dork," Raph added.
Donnie scowled.
"Guys!" April called. "Somebody just spotted the monkey on Bleaker!"
"I think I'm on his trail," said Raph. "I got eyes on him."
"So do I." Andi waved at her brother, who was on the opposite rooftop.
"He's headed south on Delancy," Raph said into his T-Phone, after a short nod at his sister.
"I'm on Houston!" Donnie called. "I'll cut him off!"
Only a couple blocks away, Andi could see her prodigy brother jump from rooftop to rooftop, presumably after the monkey. Andi followed, seeing Raph still on the opposite rooftop out of the corner of her eye.
"Still see him, Donnie?" Andi called, seeing the small figure that was Donatello stop uncertainly.
"No," said Donnie. "Where'd he go?"
"He changed direction," said Leo. "Mikey! The monkey's headed your way!"
"I'm on it!" Mikey's voice said confidently.
Remembering Michelangelo's position, Andi jumped onto the road, and sped that way. She didn't get very far before the monkey hooted, passing almost right in front of her.
"Woah!" She spoke into her T-Phone. "Alright, guys, I see him!"
"Me too!" Raph landed right next to her, and they pursued the monkey a couple blocks, Leo joining them at some point.
But all they saw towards the end were April, Donnie and Mikey.
"Anyone see where he went?" asked Leo.
"I think he went off in that direction," said Donnie, pointing obscurely.
"I thought it was that way," Raph said, pointing in the opposite direction.
Andi rolled her eyes as an argument started, but looked up when she saw April walking into an alley. "Hey, where are you scramming off to?" Andi asked, catching up to her.
"Shh…" April whispered. She opened a dumpster.
Andi could hear a couple small, frightened monkey hoots, and she peeked in. The monkey was lying curled up in the empty dumpster. He looked… well, terrified. Andi couldn't really feel anymore emotion than that coming from the mutant. April gently offered her hand.
"Careful," Andi said quietly, trying not to feel overly cautious in case that might cause any damage to herself and April via monkey.
"It's fine," April said, and Andi wasn't sure if she was talking to her or the monkey.
The monkey hooted uncertainly, before taking her hand, and climbing out of the dumpster. April and Andi stepped back, and the monkey stared at them. He didn't look too threatening. Until a kusarigama chain nearly brained the two girls, and wrapped around the monkey, pinning his arms to his sides.
The monkey struggled and roared, showing a lot of sharp teeth. "Ah ha!" Mikey exclaimed. "Got you that time!"
"Great," said Raph. "We got the monkey. But we aren't any closer to finding Doctor Rockwell."
"April, be carful!" Andi said sharply, as the monkey roared directly into April's face.
April stepped back slightly, but stepped forward again, leaning into the monkeys face. "Actually," she said, turning to the guys. "We're a lot closer than you think."
"What?" Donnie said. "How?"
April gestured to the monkey. "I think this is Doctor Rockwell."
As soon as Andi had seen the inside of Doctor Rockwell's lab, she'd felt like running in the opposite direction. Mainly because of the freaky dentist looking chair, which Doctor Falco had told them to strap the monkey AKA Rockwell into.
This didn't do anything to calm the monkey down, and he thrashed, hooting with both fear and anger. Andi flinched when Falco put an enormous needle into Rockwell's arm. The hooting slowed, and Rockwell fell limp.
"There," said Falco. "That should calm him down a little… Poor Rockwell."
Andi was most certainly feeling sorry for the monkey. Used to be a scientist, changed into a monkey, chased down by other mutants… Wow, quite the week. Or however long he had been like this.
"Is there anyway to get him back to normal?" asked April.
"I wouldn't even know where to begin," said Falco. "But I'll see if I can give him a semblance of a normal life," he added, stroking the monkey's head.
Andi sighed. A semblance? The guy was a monkey. It seemed as though whatever was human about him was now gone. Her and her brothers… really, as mutants, they had it lucky.
"Ain't nothing but a hound dog…!"
Andi closed her eyes, nodding in time to the music. They were back home in the lair, gathered in the kitchen, waiting for dinner, and Andi was blocking out the rest of the world with her music.
"Pizza's here!"
Only Raph's words and the aroma of cheese and pepperoni caused her to open her eyes. She instantly grabbed two slices. Mikey, for some odd reason, hadn't reacted immediately. She watched, eating her pizza, with Elvis as her background music, as Mikey seemed to be going through some sort of internal struggle between his T-Phone game and the pizza, before letting out a distressed cry that reached through Andi's earbuds, and then face planting into the pizza, grabbing a slice of pizza in his teeth, and continuing his game.
Leo and April were having a conversation that Andi simply ignored, still nodding in time to her music.
Andi automatically removed her earbuds when Master Splinter walked in, carrying his own plate of pizza. "I am curious, April," he was saying. "How did you know the monkey was really a human?"
"I don't know," said April. "Sometimes I just get a feeling about things."
"A feeling?" Splinter said interestedly. "Hm… Interesting." He exited the kitchen.
Andi ate her second slice of pizza, leaning over the counter to try and see what Donnie was doing on his computer. "Whatcha doing?" Donnie pushed her face away.
"Don't get tomato sauce on the keyboard," he said.
"Fine."
"Hey, Donnie," said Leo. "How come you're not eating?"
"Huh…" Donnie said absently. "Oh, I'm not hungry… Something's been bothering me."
"Don, something has been bothering you since the whole monkey incident started," Andi muttered, referring to Donnie's self-esteem trouble.
Donnie shot her an irritated look. "I mean since we found out who the monkey really was," he said slowly. He turned back to his computer. "Falco said Rockwell was experimenting on a monkey…"
"And…" Leo said, waiting for Donnie to get to the point.
"Well, according to these notes," said Donnie. "He never had a monkey in his lab. He was just using samples of monkey DNA."
"Mm-hm…" Andi nodded philosophically as she chewed on the last of her crust. She exchanged a look with Leo, and rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Donnie…"
"We're still not following you," said Leo.
"If he never had a monkey," Donnie explained. "What broke out of that cage?"
Andi froze, then shuddered.
"It must've been Rockwell," said Raph.
"Which means Falco put him there," Donnie exclaimed, getting to his feet. "And he's been lying this whole time!"
Andi clenched her fist. "Well, now I really feel like a jerk for chasing him down," she muttered.
"Let's go!" said Leo, jumping over the counter.
"But I haven't even finished this level!" Mikey protested.
Raph grabbed the back of his shell, and pulled him away.
It was the stereotypical time to take down a mad scientist. Rain, lighting, thunder, nighttime. When the five turtles got into the lab, Falco had just finished injecting himself with something, and was looking at the ceiling like a classic mad Dr. Frankenstein.
"Alright, Falco!" Leo said, and Falco turned to them in surprise. "We've had enough of your-"
"Do not say monkeying around," Raph cut in.
"I wasn't going to!" Leo protested, sounding offended.
"Yes," said Falco, approaching them. "You were."
Andi face palmed.
"It's over, Falco!" Donnie declared. "We know it was you who mutated Rockwell!"
Falco smirked evilly. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was truly the classic show of a mad scientist. "I used him as a guinea pig," he admitted, glancing at Rockwell, who lay limp in the dentist chair.
"Well, it didn't work!" said Mikey. "You turned him into a monkey."
His older siblings glanced at him. "Michelangelo dear," Andi said slowly. "Could you please just be quiet?"
"The psychic neuro chemical I extracted from his mutant brain is changing me," said Falco. "Your minds are opening up to me!"
"You stuck the frigging needle into his brain?" Andi said incredulously. Falco's smirk got wider. "Oh, holy hound, that's wrong!"
"So that was your plan all along," Donnie said slowly.
"Of course," said Falco. "No man can defeat you when you know his every thought."
"Oh, really?" said Raph, glaring. "Then you must know that I'm gonna-"
"-Smack the white off my lab coat?" Falco laughed. "How humorous."
"Lucky guess!" Raph shouted, before charging with an angry yell. He did a high kick at the guy's face, but Falco actually managed to dodge. "What?" Raph stared at him.
"We're screwed," Andi said in a low voice.
Falco smirked, and made a 'come and get it' gesture with his finger. Raph accepted. He aimed a few more kicks and punches, all of which Falco dodged easily, both hands clasped behind his back.
Falco laughed slightly when Raph stopped, breathing heavily. "Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Falco shook a reproving finger.
Raph attacked again, and almost faster than anyone could see, Falco dodged, seizing one of Raph's sai, and smacking the young ninja in the face with the hilt of his own weapon. Raph groaned slightly, barely having time to recover before Falco kicked him in the plastron, sending him crashing into Donnie and Mikey.
"Raphael!" Andi crouched down to check on her younger brother, before glaring furiously at Falco.
Falco just barely dodged Leo's katanas as the blue clad ninja attacked the mad scientist from behind. Leo's attacks were swift, coordinated, and skilled. Andi had once called him elegant, the same way she once called him Lee, but both had earned her a fight with Leo, both of which she failed at miserably. But there really wasn't any other way to put it. And yet, as skilled and 'elegant' as Leonardo was, Falco was dodging everything. Andi almost had a grudging respect for the man.
Donnie and Mikey struggled to their feet.
"Woah," said Mikey, watching the 'fight' between Leo and Falco. "It's like he's psychic!"
"He is psychic, shellbrain!" Donnie said exasperatedly. "That's what he just said!"
"Oh… Yeah. I kinda tuned out when he did his whole 'I'm evil, bla bla bla' thing."
"Scram!" Andi grabbed Mikey, and dove aside as Falco used Raph's sai to disarm Leo, sending both katanas flying in their direction.
Andi looked up from her crouched position just as Falco floored Leo with a blow to the head.
"Ok, that's it!" Andi jumped to her feet, unsheathing her kama, glaring at him with fury. "No bad guy is allowed-!"
"Your concern for your brothers is touching," said Falco, examining the hilt of Raph's sai. "If predictable."
"That's not saying much coming from a guy who can read minds!" Andi charged, aiming low. She sliced her kama at him furiously, and he dodged. Turning on him, she jumped up, somersaulting over the guy, ready to hook her kama around his shoulders and take him to the ground. But her kama only hit air as he moved forwards easily, and she flailed slightly, before landing on her head, doing a quick roll, and jumping to her feet.
"What the-?" She stared at Falco, who laughed amusedly. She swept out her leg, and Falco stepped back. She brought down both kama, trying to disarm him. As soon as her right kama hooked around the hilt of the sai, Falco thrust it to the left, allowing the left kama to hook around too. With quick precision, Falco slammed Andi to the ground. Her kama clattered out of her hands.
"Ow!" Andi looked up, and saw the hilt of the sai coming down on her, and rolled out of the way, going up into a crouching position. No sooner had she done so, then the sai hilt slammed hard into her jaw, and a foot kicked her back. She flew right into the open cage, and lay there, groaning.
'I said we were screwed.'
It was at least a minute or two before she could crawl out, and even then she simply fell to the ground. Looking up, she saw Mikey had collapsed to the ground, and Donnie was lying a little farther away, groaning.
"I really must admire that complex brain of yours," Falco was saying to Donnie, who struggled to his feet, his bō staff laying on the ground. "You come up with so many ideas. Too bad I can see them all coming. By the way…" Falco sounded sly. "Do you really think you have a chance with April?"
'That's a don't go there zone, man! You will regret that!' But as Donnie closed his eyes, Andi's confidence started to waver.
Falco laughed. Suddenly, Donnie looked up, and charged. Falco gasped, and to Andi's surprise, Donnie's high kick actually landed. Falco flew back, almost tripping over Andi. The man growled, and charged Donnie, who tripped him, delivered a stiff uppercut, then kicked him into a desk. Falco turned, and charged again, aiming a fist. This time, Donnie did a clean backflip over the guy.
'That's my bro!'
Kicking himself off the wall, Donnie flew at Falco, delivering several stiff punches, before a final one caused the guy to fly into the open cage.
Andi struggled to her feet, and put her hands on her hips. "Let's see how you like being in the cage now, hm?" she muttered. Falco groaned, and passed out.
The kunoichi turned to her brother, who sheathed his bō staff. "Woah, Donnie!" Raph exclaimed. "Nice work!"
"Ha ha!" Mikey said gleefully, holding a jar of mutagen (which Donnie said had been there when he and April had first come here). "What'd I tell you about those backflips, huh? Pretty cool!"
"Yeah, that's our Donnie!" Andi exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Donnie's shoulder in a hug. "The coolest non-nerd ever!"
"Gee, thanks," said Donnie, sounding as though he didn't know how to take that. "So, now that we have the ooze…" He gestured to the mutagen. "…let's see what Falco knows about the Kraang."
They all looked to the cage. Falco was gone.
"Falco's gone!" Donnie exclaimed, as the five of them ran over to the empty cage.
"Wonderful observation, Donatello Holmes… Crud, I knew I should've slammed that door on him!" Andi said.
A clattering, hooting sound turned their attention to the monkey, Rockwell. They had all almost forgotten about him.
"What about him?" Mikey asked.
Donnie walked over, and removed the restraints. Rockwell immediately moved to the window, opening it. Before he climbed out, however, he turned to them. Andi didn't see or sense any hostility in him.
"I'm no psychic," said Donnie. "But I think he's trying to thank us."
Rockwell gave a little hoot, before disappearing out the window.
"Um, if he reacts to angry thoughts," Raph said slowly. "Is New York City really the best place for him?"
"Well, it can't be any worse than hanging around you," said Andi, nudging him.
Raph pushed her away, just when the honking began. "Hey! Monkey!" shouted some obscure late night New Yorker. "Get off my- Ah!" Screaming, crashing, angry hooting, more crashing, more screaming.
"I'm sure he'll be ok," Leo said slowly.
Andi looked up from her T-Phone game when April exited the dojo. She had been having an exclusive talk with Splinter. Andi had listened to the Splinter and Leo talks, but for some reason prying in on a Splinter and April talk didn't seem right.
Donnie leaned casually on his lab door. "Hey, April," he said, grinning. "You, uh… wanna hang out tonight?"
Andi watched closely. "That sounds great, Donnie," April said enthusiastically. "But I can't. I'm training with Splinter to be a kunoichi!"
"Whoo!" Andi said, holding up her hand. "Girl power!" April accepted the high five/three.
'Finally, another kunoichi among my dear idiot ninjas!'
"Oh," said Donnie. He quickly retreated into his lab, but came back out two seconds later. "Well, then," he said brightly. "Maybe we could train together sometime."
Andi's jaw dropped slightly. 'He had a thread for that?'
"Sounds great!" said April, before walking away.
Donnie pointed at Raph, who sat next to Andi, reading his unfinished comic. "You see!" said Donnie. He laughed. "My flow chart is awesome! Whoo!" He did a little victory dance.
Raph rolled his eyes, and Andi grinned, turning back to her game.
A/N HardyGal: I remember suddenly screaming when I first heard Falco's voice, first watching this ep. "OMIGOSH, ITS RATCHET!" (Transformers Prime) Well, I scared my sister.
I've realized how much Andi has changed. She's not very patronizing. Maybe this is because these past two episodes have been of Donnie. Hopefully (sort of hopefully) I'll be able to get Andi back into the full swing of things in the next ep, which focuses on Leo, who has his own issues to address.
