Angel: Yes, I know this chapter was a long time coming, forgive meeee! I just got so busy with school and everything that I had to put this on hold...but I'm gonna try to type for this more while working on other stories. I don't really have a posting schedule for this, I guess once a week. In the spring, I have classes on only two days, so luckily that'll give me more time to write for stories...this semester ends in about a month, anyway...
Mikey is warming up as he and Donnie prepare to spar. Amy sits near them, since she was just observing. Cracks from Mikey is heard as he stretches.
"Gross," Amy murmurs.
"What? I was just preparing!" Mikey huffs, crossing his arms.
Donnie gets ready to attack and tries to kick Mikey, who jumps out of the way. Donnie grabs Mikey's arm, but he flips. Still holding his arm, Donnie rolls Mikey on his shell and he back-flips, laughing.
Donnie facepalms, "Dude, what are you doing? You don't defend against Seoi Nage with back-flips!"
"Just because you don't doesn't mean you can't," Amy smirks and Donnie huffs, pouting.
"It's not that common, LIA," he gives her a look.
"Why not?" Mikey asks. "Back-flips are where it's at!"
Amy rolls her eyes.
"I thought it was hot nunchuck-fury," Lily says in confusion.
"That too," Mikey nods.
"The best defense is to roll along my back and take me to the ground and put me in an arm lock. Unless, of course, I counter with a-"
"Hey man, you can't take the fire out of..." He yells, doing another back-flip. "Dr. Flipenstein..."
"That's...a little creepy," Ann murmurs.
"Is not!" Mikey defends.
"Is too," Ann argues.
"Is not! It's awesome!" Mikey back-flips and Leo facepalms.
"I don't even know what that means!" Donnie says.
"I wouldn't question it," Amy murmurs, seeing Splinter approach from his room.
"Do you REALLY have to know what it means?" Amy asks.
"Well...no," Donnie admits.
Donnie walks up to Splinter. "Master Splinter, what would you do if someone tried to throw you with Seoi Nage?"
"I don't know," he answers calmly.
"Come on, you must have planned a response for every attack," Donnie presses.
"Splinter can't predict everything, Donnie," Leo gives a smug look.
"I know that...but you know, he's a ninja master," Donnie rubs his neck.
"Thank you, my son," Splinter smiles.
"If you think too much about what is coming, you lose sight of what is. You must be fully in the moment so you can fight without thinking," Splinter tells him.
"Just go with the flow, Donnie. That's what I would do," Amy shrugs.
"And when has that worked out for ya?" Raph smirks.
"Since...well...I...shut up," Amy mutters and Raph bursts into laughter.
"But why would I want to fight without thinking?" Donnie asks.
"Allow Amelia to demonstrate. Prepare to defend against Seoi Nage!" Splinter replies, winking at Amy. She nods and kicks Donnie under his legs, making him fall.
"Ow! That wasn't Seoi Nage!"
Everyone laughs and Donnie looks away in embarrassment. "...Lia, how could you embarrass me like this?"
"I'm sorry, but Splinter did ask me to," Amy murmurs, feeling a little guilty.
"No, but you thought it would be," Amy points out, holding out her hand to him. He grabs it and she pulls him up.
"Now, would you like to prepare to defend a spinning back-kick?" Splinter asks.
"No, I'm good," Donnie holds his arm in pain.
Mikey laughs, "You know what would've worked back there? BACK-FLIP!"
Donnie sighs.
"You are dismissed, Amelia. That is all for now," Splinter chuckles, walking away.
"Already I'm getting tired of hearing that," Leo closes his eyes, pinching his nose.
"They work like a charm, bro!" Mikey brags.
"Uh huh," Donnie gives a deadpan look.
In Donnie's lab, Donnie is working on a poster with so many lines, only he could understand them. "What are you up to, Donnie?" A voice behind him asks, making him shout in surprise. It was Leo, Raph and Mikey next to him. Amy sits on the desk.
"Just putting the finishing touches to my master plan," he answers.
"Master plan? For what?" Amy raises an eyebrow.
"Oh no," Donnie covers his eyes.
"What?" April asks, turning him in confusion.
"Skip it, skip it, skip it!" Donnie shouts.
"Sorry, but I can only pause," Angel reveals from her podium.
"Nooo," Donnie groans.
"What is it about this master plan you don't want us to know, huh?" Ann crosses her arms. The turtles and Amy smirk at each other.
"I don't wanna be here when you find out," Donnie simply stands up and leaves, to the others' confusion.
"Yeah, to get April to hang out with me." They laugh and Amy slaps her forehead.
April drops her food in shock. "Did...did I hear that right?"
"Oh man," Casey starts laughing. "He made a chart?" April gives him a pointed look and he stops laughing.
"How come you never told us?" Jamie asks.
"To save him the embarrassment," Raph shrugs. "Not like it did him any favors, though..."
Amy slaps him on the arm.
"Aww, that's sweet...and a little sad..." Nadia murmurs.
"...I'm gonna go talk to him," April stands up, leaving.
"Try this: April, do you want to hang out with me?" Leo suggests. Donnie glares at him and leans in his ear.
"Why don't you try it with Amy?"
Leo's eyes go wide and he turns red, waving his hands. "T-That's different," he hisses. Amy raises an eyebrow, curious, but doesn't question it further.
"So that's what he said...aww," Amy turns to Leo with a grin. "You could've just asked," she rests her head on his shoulder and he blushes.
"W-Well, I didn't know if you would say yes or not...or how you'd take it," he rubs his neck.
"You could've just asked me for advice. I am a girl, you know," Amy points out.
"She's not wrong," Karai says as April and Donnie walk back into the room.
"I didn't consider it at the time," he pouts. "And plus, I wanted to stick to the chart."
"Yeah, it's not that simple." Amy gives a blank look, red lines appearing from her forehead. "I have to prepare for every possible response to maximize my chances of success!"
"Prepare for what to whaaaa?" Angle asks in confusion.
"There is NO way you can figure out every possible solution. Do you know how many there are?" Amy replies, turning to Donnie.
"You know how many months I spent on that chart?" Donnie deadpans.
"Aw, that's so romantic!" Mikey comments.
"It is!" Amy squeals, Donnie and April blushing faintly.
"Well...she's right, it was," April admits.
"Yes!" Donnie pumps his fist.
"I'm already dating you, remember?" April giggles.
"All it takes is asking a simple question...Leo, if you wanted to hang out with someone, wouldn't you just ask?" Amy turns to Leo, who turns red.
"Y-Yeah, but she might not want to."
"Wait, so you wanted to hang out with me, but you didn't want to ask me because you thought I didn't want to hang out with you?" Amy tilts her head.
"Well...yeah," Leo smiles sheepishly.
"Aww," Amy hugs him. "That's sweet...but I would've said yes."
Leo stays silent in surprise before smiling. He hugs her back, kissing the top of her head.
Donnie pushes the chart in their view, clearing his throat. "Yeah, for example, if April says she can't because she has homework, then I will suggest an informal study session and serve healthy, brain stimulating snacks," he points to his diagram.
"What if she's sick?" Amy wonders.
"Oh, that's right here. I'll make soup and take care of her."
"Well, what if she says she can't because you're a total nerd?" Raph asks sarcastically.
"Hey!" Donnie exclaims.
"He's not a total nerd," April comments.
"April, I'm wounded," Donnie clutches his chest comically and she laughs.
Amy punches him in the arm. "OW! What was that for?" Raph asks, rubbing his arm.
"You were being a jerk," Ann tells him.
"I was not!" Raph defends.
"Ah, that's this thread here. I will list my non-nerdy qualities and suggest activities that will highlight my coolness, such as skateboarding or shark-wrestling."
"Shark-wrestling?" Nadia asks, startled.
"Don't worry, I'll be doing the wrestling!" Donnie assures.
"But where would you even get the sharks?" Leo questions and Donnie grumbles.
"Wow, you did think of everything," Mark's eyes widen.
April comes in. "Guys!" She yells.
Donnie panics, twirling his chart around so it shows the movie poster for Space Heroes. "H-H-Hey Ap-April."
"Wow, I never even noticed that," April blinks, Donnie rubbing his neck.
"I wasn't even that subtle..."
Leo gasps sharply, holding onto Amy. "The poster...for a Space Heroes movie...you're buying me the DVD when it comes out."
"Okay," she chuckles.
Amy tries not to laugh and no one notices it. "You guys gotta check this out," April sets her laptop on the desk and types in a video. As they listen, Donnie smiles at April and Leo glances at Mikey, who's picking his ear.
"Ew, Mikey," Lily gives a look of disgust and Mikey gives a slightly horrified look.
"I'm sorry!" He wails, the others giving raised eyebrows.
"Renowned neurochemist Dr. Tyler Rockwell has been reported missing. I spoke with Dr. Rockwell's colleague, Dr. Victor Falco." The camera changes to the video, showing a middle-aged man with dark hair going gray at the temples, a long lab coat, and tan trousers.
"I haven't heard from him in days, so I stopped by his lab. The place was a mess and he was gone. I fear the worst."
Amy raises an eyebrow.
"Who's Victor Falco?" Casey asks in confusion and they give each other looks, knowing how much he didn't like rats.
"Uhh...he's the Rat King...or before he turned into him," Raph tells him and his eyes widen.
"...Casey?" Angle waves a hand in front of him and he faints.
"Welp, someone had to break it to him," Raph shrugs.
"Police saythey have-" April closes her laptop, stopping the video.
"So?" Raph asks.
"So, if the Kraang have been kidnapping scientists from all over the city, including my dad and Amy's mom! Maybe that's what happened to this Rockwell guy," April explains.
"I didn't know your mom was a scientist," Ann tilts her head, most of the crowd murmuring that too.
"If she wasn't, I probably wouldn't have even MET you," Amy deadpans, Leo's eyes widening. He hugs Amy close to his chest to her confusion.
"Thank you, universe," she hears him whisper gratefully.
"Or they may not be connected at all," Leo tells her.
"Yeah, this could be just a crazy coincidence," Amy replies.
"And it ended up not be..." Mikey whispers. "...Creeeepy..."
"No, saying like that is creepy," Amy shudders.
"There's only one way to find out. We should go to that lab and look around," April says.
"April's right, we should go check it out! What's that, you guys are busy? Guess it's just the two of us, April," Donnie replies, leading her out of the lab, but not before winking at the others.
"Dude, that was SO painfully obvious," Casey shakes his head, Donnie narrowing his eyes.
"It was...and yet I didn't pay attention to it," April frowns a little.
"It's okay, April. I have you now," Donnie grins, kissing her cheek and she grins.
"Huh. I bet that wasn't on his flow-chart," Leo turns the poster around to show the chart. "Woah! It is." His finger zooms in on the exact same scenario they just went through. "That...is spooky."
"It is not! ...Is it?" Donnie blinks.
Amy's eyes widen. "Maybe he did have every possibility on this chart..."
"HA! You admit it!" Donnie points and Amy fumes a little.
"I didn't admit to anything! I said maybe!"
Going inside a building window, April and Donnie are looking inside from the door. There's a clicking sound before the light turns green from the inside. The door opens, April giving an impressed look.
"There isn't an electrical lock out there that my digital lock pick can't crack!" Donnie says, holding it up.
"Smooth!" April comments and Donnie laughs goofily.
"Oh my god," Donnie covers his face as everyone tries not to laugh.
"Oh relax, Donnie. It's cute," April grins and Donnie looks up, grinning back with a faint blush.
They enter, April holding up a flashlight. The place is full of old trashed chemical bottles. There was a desk with papers everywhere.
"Wow, this place is a wreck!" Donnie whispers.
April holds up the flashlight to a certain part of the lab, where there's a cage with a broken door.
Amy shivers, holding onto Leo. "This is scary..." He hugs her close, stroking her hair.
"You weren't even there," Raph gives a blank look.
"But she's right, bruh...this is mega scary," Mikey replies, holding onto Lily. "Hug me!"
She does so, blushing a little.
"Ugh," April groans. "He must have been experimenting on animals!" Then they see a creepy-looking dentist chair.
"Either someone was up to some secret research or they were renting for one freaky dentist!" Donnie whispers.
"Huh. I ended up being right about the first part," Donnie murmurs.
"Dude...dentist?" Mikey panics.
"Pfft, I ain't afraid of any dentist," Casey waves it off.
They go to the desk. Donnie looks at a paper, then tries the drawers. The first one only has chemicals. The other, slightly bigger, has files in it. But there's a blue glow coming from the bottom...Donnie narrows his eyes and lifts the compartment. "Whoa..."
April takes it to reveal mutagen. "Mutagen!"
"Dun dun duuun!" Mikey exclaims.
"Wait...what? Why did he have mutagen, yo?" Casey turns to the others, who look at each other.
"Well, you'll find out later on," Amy explains.
"So we're not going to spoil it," Leo finishes.
Someone approaches Donnie from behind with a golf club. April sees him. "Donnie, look out!"
A man swings the golf club at him, but Donnie blocks it with his staff. He turns and pins him down. April switches on the lights to reveal Dr. Falco as the attacker. "Dr. Falco!"
Falco screams. "What are you?"
"Relax, I'm not gonna hurt ya," Donnie assures.
"You already hurt me!"
"Did you really? All ya did was pin him to the ground," Raph raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms.
"No, I didn't hurt him," Donnie shakes his head.
Donnie stands up. "I mean, anymore." April joins him.
"We're here to help." Donnie offers his hand.
Shortly, Donnie and April stand across from Falco. "I'm sorry, I wish I knew something about your father or your friend's mother," Falco tells her. "But I don't."
"So, what can you tell us about this?" Donnie asks, holding up the mutagen.
"Besides keeping it in a drawer suspiciously," Nadia narrows her eyes.
"Some shady, corporate goon paid Rockwell a lot of money to experiment with it," Falco answers.
"This the guy?" April holds up a picture of a Kraang from her phone.
"That's him," Falco confirms.
"The Kraang!" Donnie exclaims.
"If the Kraang wanted Rockwell to experiment with mutagen, how did they get the money to pay him?" Amy wonders.
"Probably stole it," Raph snorts.
"Well, I wanted no part of that stuff!" Falco says. "Who knows what kind of...monstrosities could result?" He looks at Donnie. "No offense."
"Some taken."
"How rude," Ann crosses her arms.
"Is that what was in that cage over there?" April looks at the empty cage. "One of his...monstrosities?"
"Can we ease up on the M word, please?" Donnie questions.
"Sorry, Don," April giggles.
"It's okay," he smiles.
"That's where he kept the monkey he was experimenting on," Falco says.
"Whoa! It sure didn't like being locked up in there," Donnie notes.
"Who would?" Kirby asks.
"Rockwell didn't treat it very well," Falco explains.
"He's a renowned neurochemist, if he hated animals so much, wouldn't there be any evidence to confirm that?" Nadia asks.
"Uhh, refrain from any questions about Rockwell until all is revealed, guys," Amy calls out.
"Why can't you just tell ussss?" Angle whines.
"Patience is a virtue," Leo reminds her and she pouts.
"Maybe the Kraang didn't take Rockwell," April thinks. "Maybe the monkey went berserk, busted out of the cage, and dragged him off! Or worse..."
Outside, Donnie and April are walking back to the lair. "So, how do you suppose we're going to find Rockwell without any leads?" April asks.
"Well, maybe we'll know more once we have a look at his flash drive." A shadow jumps onto the fire escape behind them.
"What flash drive?" The monkey growls.
"Whoaaa, is that the monkey?" Casey asks, pointing.
"Yes," Donnie confirms, frowning at what was gonna happen next.
"The one I swiped off his desk," Donnie holds it up.
"When'd you do that?" Amy tilts her head.
"I'm a ninja, Lia. I have my ways," Donnie places his hands on his hips proudly.
"Nice!" April comments as the shadow runs past her.
April groans, "He was right there and I didn't see him..."
"But you weren't training to be a kunoichi at the time," Leo points out.
"True."
"Yeah," Donnie puts his hands behind his head. "Well, keeping cool under pressure is the hole-mark of a..."
He doesn't get to finish, because the monkey jumps down in front of them.
"What were you gonna say?" Mikey asks curiously.
"You know, I don't think I remember," Donnie thinks. "That was years ago."
The monkey roars and Donnie immediately steps in front of April, his staff ready.
"My hero," April smiles and Donnie blushes.
"He he, I guess I am..."
"Careful, Donnie! That's a dangerous mutant!" April warns.
"That makes two of us!" He twirls his staff and tries to attack, but the monkey kicks him away. He picks up the staff, sniffs it, and throws it away.
"Epic fail," Raph snorts.
"I-It was not," Donnie crosses his arms.
"It kinda was," Leo admits.
"I think it was brave," April shrugs and Donnie smiles.
"...Where'd your staff go?" Amy wonders.
"I found it in the dumpster before I took Donnie back," April answers.
"Donnie, are you okay?" April calls out as Donnie stands up, rubbing his head.
"I'm good!" He tries to attack again, but the monkey dodges easily from his punches and kicks. Donnie throws his shurikens, making the monkey mad. April looks in horror as he attacks Donnie with hits that were too painful to watch.
"Ooo," everyone winces.
"That...was embarrassing," Donnie rubs his arm.
"Ow, okay! Whoo!"
"Donnie!" April yells in worry.
"I was just figuring out his timing," Donnie gets up. "He is gonna regret-" The monkey punches him. "And that." Another punch. "That too." More punches. "And that. Got a lot of regrets, monkey!" The monkey grabs him by the head and throws him down. He leaps on him, Donnie gasping. The monkey punches him a lot of times.
"This is..." Karai starts.
"Humiliating?" Donnie asks.
"Well, I was gonna say brutal, but that works too."
Donnie tries to block his attacks, with little success. He gets thrown to April's side, covered in bruises. The monkey approaches April and her eyes widen, turning around. She backs away, the monkey getting closer. He grabs April by the shoulders.
"April!" Kirby yells in worry.
"Dad, nothing happened," April explains.
"But he-"
"Just watch," she tells him.
The monkey roars at April. She looks at him and he calms down. April places her hands on his reassuringly. "It's okay," she says soothingly. "Everything's going to be alright." The monkey calms down, giving her a thoughtful look as he lets her go.
"Why did he let her go?" Amy asks. "I don't think that was explained."
"I have no idea either," April shrugs as Kirby sighs in relief.
"What is it?" April asks.
The monkey recovers, roars at her, and climbs up the fire escapes, leaving. April goes back to Donnie. "Donnie! Are you hurt?"
"Just my pride...and my internal organs," he says weakly, fainting.
"I can't believe I got beat up in front of you," Donnie crosses his arms. "This is unfair."
"Donnie, you did the best you could," April tells him and he calms down a little.
Donnie and April arrive in the lair. "Come on," she urges as he groans. Amy hears them and approaches with the others.
"Whoa, what happened?" She asks.
"Donnie got beat up by a lab monkey," April answers, Amy raises an eyebrow as the other turtles look at each other.
"Don't say it like thaaat," Donnie pouts as Casey laughs.
"Sorry," April smiles sheepishly, glaring at Casey.
Leo and Amy put his arms around them. "April, can you get an ice pack?" Leo asks. April leaves for the kitchen and the two set Donnie down on the couch. Donnie groans weakly and lies down.
"Donnie, you gonna be okay?" Leo questions.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Donnie answers.
"In that case..." They all burst out laughing. Donnie blushes, his eyes tiny.
"Jerks," Donnie growls, crossing his arms.
"We thought it sounded hilarious, but watching that? Not really funny anymore," Amy answers, trying not to laugh. Everyone else tries not to laugh for Donnie's sake.
He sighs, "Go ahead."
Everyone starts laughing except April and Donnie covers his face.
"Don't worry, Donnie, it was in the past," April kisses his cheek and he grins goofily.
"You got beat up by a monkey?" Raph asks, still laughing. "In front of your girlfriend?"
"She's not my girlfriend! And that monkey was a vicious mutant!" Donnie argues.
"He's got a point," Amy comments.
"Okay, but come on, it was still funny, Ames. You were laughing too," Leo says.
"That's because we never SAW him get attacked!" She gestures to the screen.
"Yeah, I'm sure he went bananas!" Leo says and they all laugh hard. "Oh, no, no, no! He went ape!" They laugh harder as Amy and Mikey fall to the floor, still laughing. April comes back with the ice pack and Amy sees her.
"Alright, no more monkey puns," she whispers and they all give a serious look, humming. April puts the ice on Donnie's head, Donnie laughing at them.
The four roll their eyes. "You guys are really pushing it," April deadpans.
"Are you laughing at him because he's hurt?" She accuses.
"Shell, she heard us," Raph mutters.
"You didn't make it that hard to hide," April glares.
"No, we were laughing at him because he was hurt by a monkey!" Mikey exclaims before more laughter is heard.
Donnie growls in annoyance and Amy gives Leo a look.
"What? It was funny!" He defends.
"He'd had enough," she tells him and he wilts.
Donnie kneels by the pool miserably. "I just don't get it. I mean, I'm a highly trained martial artist, how could I lose to something so...mindless?" He hits the water in frustration. Splinter appears behind him.
"You are very intelligent. But in a fight, you cannot be up here," he indicates his head, meaning the brain.
Donnie huffs, crossing his arms. "I didn't understand the lesson at the time, sue me."
Donnie stands up. "But I just don't understand how you can fight without thinking!"
Mikey walks towards them, listening to some music.
"Observe." Splinter tries punching Mikey three times, but Mikey dodges the first two and blocks the last one. Donnie is speechless.
"I still don't understand how he did that," Donnie murmurs.
"Ninja sense, bruh..." Mikey says.
"You see?" Mikey takes off one headphone. "Mikey does not think."
"I think that's the first and only time he's called any of you by your nickname," Nadia points out.
"Thank you," Mikey says.
"You're welcome," Splinter replies calmly. Mikey doesn't notice Splinter using his tail to trip him. He ends up upside down on a beanbag.
"That hurt," Mikey whines, rubbing his leg.
"You must find the space between your thoughts and learn to live there. That's what Michelangelo does," Splinter explains.
"True, but Mikey's got a lot more space between his thoughts than I do!" Donnie says as Mikey finds a stale piece of pepperoni.
"Mm, pepperoni!"
"Eww," all the girls comment.
"That's gross, dude," Raph gags.
"Mikey..." Leo murmurs in disbelief.
"HEY, any pepperoni is still good!" Mikey defends.
"Yes, well, Michelangelo has his challenges too," Splinter says.
Amy is training with Leo. Leo stares at her, motioning to her with his hand. "Show me what you've learned, Amy." He pulls out his katanas.
"Was this training?" Raph smirks.
"It's none of your business," Leo looks away.
Amy pulls out her katana, smirking. There's a tense silence before Amy charges at him. Leo blocks her sword with his weapons. Amy grins before sweeping his legs, making him fall to the floor. She jumps, katana in hand before Leo gets up and pushes her to the floor, disarming her. Amy has her eyes closed.
"I guess you win," she opens her eyes, gasping. Leo's face turns red as he realizes the situation.
"Ooo," Mikey sings, pointing to them.
"Mikey, shut up," Amy mutters. "But why didn't you get off me immediately?"
"...You have pretty eyes," Leo confesses, blushing. Amy blushes as red as Raph's mask, resting her head on his shoulder.
Neither of them say anything and Leo quickly gets up. "I-I'm sorry, Amy," his face is still red. Amy gets up, brushing dust off her skirt.
"I-It's okay, Leo. You were just defending yourself," she says nervously, her cheeks turning red. "I think that's enough training for today." She leaves the room, Leo following her.
"You just got friend-zoned," Lily laughs.
"I did not friend-zone him...I...I just felt that we had to stop before things got too awkward," Amy rubs her arm.
April is looking at the flash drive from the lab on her laptop. "Guys, I think I found something!" They all sit besides her.
"These notes are hard to follow, but it looks like Rockwell was able to modify the mutagen," she explains.
"Well, he is a neurochemist," Donnie murmurs.
"Why would he do that?" Leo wonders.
"He thought he could use it to create a neural chemical that would temporarily give someone psychic abilities," she answers.
"You mean that monkey was psychic?" Raph asks.
"It's more like he was reading our emotions!" April says. "After all, he was only hostile when Donnie was hostile!"
"A monkey? Psychic? Now I've heard everything," Amy replies in a sarcastic tone.
"I don't think Rockwell would be happy if he hears that," Donnie smirks.
"To be fair, this was before he joined the Mighty Mutanimals," Amy points out.
"Yeah well, next time I'll be sure to think friendly thoughts while I'm beatin' a little sunshine into him," Donnie punches his fists.
"Yeah, but something doesn't make sense...Did Rockwell even have a monkey in his lab?" Amy asks Donnie.
"Good point. I'll look into it later," Donnie answers.
"How'd you figure out to ask that?" Raph asks in confusion.
"Something about the monkey just didn't sit right," Amy shrugs.
"Okay, we need to track him down before he attacks someone else. Let's go up to the surface, spread out, and search," Leo orders.
"How are we gonna stay in contact?" Raph asks.
"I have a little something that might help!" Donnie stands up. "Gentlemen...and ladies, I give you...the T-Phone!" He holds up a cell phone shaped like a turtle shell.
"Aww yeah, the birth...of the T-Phone..." Mikey whispers.
"Dude, I'm in charge of naming stuff!" Mikey argues. "I would have called it...the T-Phone." Amy rolls her eyes.
"I did call it the T-Phone," Donnie replies.
"Yeah, but I would have called it the T-Phone," Mikey says miserably. Raph hits him on the head with his comic. Amy pats his shoulder.
"You'll get the next one, Mikey," she tells him and he smiles at her.
"Thanks, dudette!" Mikey hugs Amy from behind and she chuckles.
Donnie holds his T-Phone out to April. "And April, if you give me your cell-phone number, I can patch you into our network," Donnie says.
"Sweet," she puts in her number.
"Ha!" Donnie whispers to Raph. "See that? I got her number."
"Her number's on the fridge, ya dork."
"For someone who designed a plan to hang out with April, you don't notice the easy stuff," Lily comments and Donnie pouts.
On the surface, April calls the turtles and Amy. "Guys, someone spotted the monkey on Bleeker!"
"How'd you know that?" Casey asks.
"I just asked someone," April shrugs.
"I think I'm on his trail!" Raph answers. He signs off and he didn't have to go far before he sees the monkey running across the road.
"I've got eyes on him. He's headed south on Delancy!"
"Mikey, the monkey is headed your way!"
"We're on Houston! Amy and I will cut him off!" Donnie says before Amy jumps onto the street. Donnie runs behind her on the rooftop before the monkey suddenly disappears.
"For a monkey, he knows how to hide," Raph mutters.
"Dang it! Where did he go?" Amy exclaims.
"He changed direction," Leo says.
"That means he knows we're after him!" Amy says.
Mikey is playing a video game on his T-Phone. "Mikey, the monkey is headed your way!" Leo warns.
"Really Mikey?" Leo sighs.
"I was playing with the new T-Phone! Sue me, bruh!" Mikey exclaims.
"I'm on it!" Mikey declares, grabbing his skateboard. He throws it onto the street and jumps on, chasing after the monkey. He tries to throw his nunchuck at it, but the monkey changes direction again. The chain wraps itself around a lamp post, causing Mikey to crash into it.
Everyone winces at this. "My beautiful face..." Mikey whimpers.
"That had to hurt," Amy murmurs.
"It did!"
Raph manages to catch up with the monkey before he's joined by Mikey. They all end up on the same road, with no trace of the monkey.
"Anyone see where he went?" Leo asks.
"I thought he went off in that direction!" Donnie points west.
"I thought it was that way!" Raph points in the opposite direction.
"Even when we're trying to find a monkey, men are still bad at directions," April murmurs, the girls laughing. The turtles grunt, crossing their arms.
The four start discussing where it went. "Here, monkey, monkey, monkey!" Mikey starts calling.
"If he didn't want to be found, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't answer," Amy giggles.
"Worth a shot," Mikey shrugs.
Amy sees April walking towards a dumpster. Curious, Amy follows her. April stops in front of the dumpster and Amy helps her open the door. The monkey is inside and he turns around to them. Amy smiles and they hold out their hands to the monkey. He hesitates before taking their hands. The two girls pull the monkey out of the dumpster, seeming calm.
"Hey...how'd you know that the monkey was inside?" Mikey asks curiously. Amy and April look to each other before turning back to him.
"I guess that's when our psychic powers kicked in for the first time," April shrugs.
Suddenly, Mikey's nunchuck is thrown, trapping the monkey. The monkey roars. "Ha! Got ya that time," Mikey says triumphantly.
"Great, we got the monkey. But we're not any closer to finding Dr. Rockwell," Raph says as April seems to notice something.
"Actually, we're a lot closer than you think!"
"What? How?" Donnie asks.
"I think this is Dr. Rockwell!"
Nadia gasps, covering her mouth. "What?!"
"Ohhh, so this is how you met Dr. Rockwell. Huh," Casey comments.
"Yeah...we didn't see him again until about a year later," Leo rubs his neck.
In Falco's lab, Dr. Rockwell is strapped to the dentist chair. He's howling until Amy walks up to him. "Calm down, it's okay. Dr. Falco is going to give you something to make you feel better," she assures. The monkey looks at her and he calms down. Amy sighs in relief.
"Seems like he likes you," Casey teases.
"Casey, you are disgusting," Amy deadpans. "He probably thought I had a calm aura or something like that."
"Would you give this to him? He seems to like you the most," Dr. Falco gives Amy a needle that has some strange liquid in it. Amy nods and takes the needle. She turns to Rockwell, who gets angry again. Amy shushes him.
"It's just medicine," she answers, injecting the needle in the monkey's arm. She gives it to Falco, giving him a wary look.
"That should calm him down a little. Poor Rockwell," Falco says.
"Why were you so suspicious of him at that time?" Leo asks Amy, turning to her.
"Something just didn't feel right," she admits. "And I had the urge to attack him, but I didn't."
"I didn't look into much back then, but I am now," Donnie narrows his eyes.
"Is there any way to get him back to normal?" April asks.
"I wouldn't even know where to begin," Falco admits. "But I'll see if there's a way to give him some semblance of a normal life," he turns to Rockwell. The others turn to each other as Amy narrows her eyes.
"Bull," Raph mutters.
"Raph," Leo warns.
In the kitchen of the lair, the others are waiting for Raph to come with their pizza. Mikey is playing a video game on his T-Phone. Amy scrolls through her T-Phone's music as she sits next to Leo. "Man, this asteroid field is tough!" Mikey comments. "I just can't beat it!"
"Pizza's here!" Raph arrives with the pizza. He sets it down and opens the box.
Everyone takes a slice and Mikey can smell it. "Must eat pizza, but can't stop playing! But must eat pizza! But can't stop playing! But must eat pizza!" He yells out and grabs a slice with his mouth, continuing to play his game.
"Oh lord," Amy rolls her eyes.
"I should do that more often," Mikey grins.
Leo hands Amy a slice. "Thank you," she smiles before taking a bite. Leo looks at her from the corner of his eye as some cheese gets on her mouth. Amy sees this and turns to him. "What?"
He blushes, moving his hand towards her mouth. "Here, let me get that cheese off," he scrubs it away and Amy's cheeks turn red.
"You could've just gotten a napkin," Donnie smirks.
"Yeah, but...well...I...shut up," Leo mutters.
"T-Thank you," Amy murmurs and takes another bite. She feels a chill and shivers. Amy looks around in confusion before poking her pizza. She looks in surprise to see it's stone cold. "What...?"
"That pizza was hot a minute ago," Nadia furrows her eyebrows in confusion.
"Uhh, I wouldn't worry about that. That was a sign of my ice powers," Amy says.
"Sorry we didn't get any closer to finding your parents, girls," Leo replies. Amy swallows her bites of pizza.
"It's okay. Everything we learn about the Kraang is another piece of the puzzle," April tells him.
"Yeah. You have to know the enemy before you defeat the enemy," Amy agrees.
"Very wise, child," Splinter smiles and Amy gives a proud smile.
"Yeah, but...psychic research? This is one weird puzzle!" Leo comments as Splinter walks up to them, holding a plate with pizza on it.
"I am curious, April. How did you know the monkey was really a human?" He asks April.
"I don't know," she says, "Sometimes I just...get a feeling about things."
"Hmm...also, how come Amelia was not able to tell?" Splinter wonders and Amy shrugs.
"I don't know, I didn't feel anything when I saw the monkey."
"Don't you have psychic powers too?" Casey turns to Amy.
"Yes, but this was in the past, I didn't get them until we went out into space!"
"I did feel cold about a minute ago..." Amy admits.
"Cold? It's not cold in here," Leo says in confusion.
"Leo totally didn't figure it out," April shakes his head.
"Okay, how was I supposed to know she'd get ice powers?" Leo deadpans. "This is when crazy stuff started happening."
"Hmm...interesting," Splinter says thoughtfully, leaving. Leo eats his pizza, him and Amy noticing that Donnie is working on his computer.
"Hey Donnie, how come you're not eating?" Leo asks.
"What? I-I'm not hungry. Something Amy said is bothering me," he explains, Amy raising an eyebrow. "Falco said that Rockwell was experimenting on a monkey."
"And?" Leo questions, interested.
"Well, according to his notes, he never had a monkey in his lab. He was just using samples of monkey DNA."
"The plot thickens," Lily whispers and Amy shivers.
"Lily, that was creepy."
"So how does that explain Rockwell?" Amy wonders.
"Yeah, we're still not following you," Leo says.
"If he never had a monkey, what broke out of that cage?"
"It must've been Rockwell!" Raph deduces.
"Which means Falco put him there and he's been lying this whole time!" Donnie finishes. Raph scowls and Leo gives a determined look.
"We were duped!" Mikey gasps.
"Waaait a minute," Mark calls out. "If you suspected Falco, why didn't you tell the others?"
"Because I didn't think they'd believe me," Amy murmurs. "Plus, they would've just brushed it off."
"...She's not wrong," Donnie rubs his neck.
Thunder strikes as Falco walks up to Rockwell, syringe in hand. He holds it up, thunder striking again as Rockwell is sleeping. He injects the syringe into Rockwell and he starts to panic. "Oh, stop struggling, Rock. You were always so...dramatic."
Falco holds up what he took from Rockwell and injects it into his neck. He laughs evilly, gaining psychic powers.
A door is heard opening. "Alright, Falco, we've had enough of your-"
"Do not say monkeying around," Raph interrupts Leo.
"I wasn't going to," Leo whines and Amy giggles.
"I really wasn't gonna say that!" Leo protests.
"Uh huh," Raph crosses his arms with a smirk.
"Yes, you were," Falco confirms.
"Dang it," Leo mutters.
"It's over, Falco! We know it was you who mutated Rockwell!" Donnie accuses.
"Why would you mutate your own colleague?" Amy asks.
"I used him as a guinea pig."
"So if Falco was lying about Rockwell, does that mean he's the one who used the mutagen instead of Rockwell?" Angle wonders.
"I...guess so," Leo blinks.
"Well, it didn't work. You turned him into a monkey!" Mikey says, Donnie and Leo giving blank looks.
"Mikey? Shut up," Ann deadpans.
"I didn't even say anything!" Mikey protests, Ann facepalming.
"The psychic neuro-chemical I extracted from his mutant brain is changing me! Your minds are opening up to me!" He exclaims.
"So this was your plan all along!" Donnie deduces.
"Of course! No man can defeat you when you know his every thought!"
"Oh really? Then you must know I'm gonna sm-"
"Smack the white off my lab coat?" Falco laughs, "How humorous."
"It sounds cooler when I say it," Raph huffs.
"Lucky guess!" Raph charges at him and tries to attack. He aims a kick at him, but Falco dodges easily. "What?"
"Freakin' cheater," Raph grumbles.
"Those were temporary, Raph," Donnie reminds him.
"I still don't like it."
Falco motions Raph to come closer. He tries to deliver a few punches, but Falco laughs, tsking as he waves a finger. Raph tries to kick, but Falco grabs his sai and uses its handle to knock him towards Donnie, Amy, and Mikey.
"Noo, Raph!" Ann cries out in worry. Raph stares at her and she looks away, whistling.
Swords unsheathing is heard and Falco turns to see Leo attacking. Falco dodges his attempts. Amy helps the other two get up.
"Whoa! It's like he's psychic!" Mikey exclaims.
"He is psychic, shell-brain! That's what he just said!" Donnie points out.
"Excuse me for having a short attention span!" Mikey defends, huffing. Donnie rolls his eyes.
"Oh, right. I kinda tuned out when he did his whole 'I'm evil, blah, blah, blah' thing," Mikey chuckles sheepishly.
Falco continues to dodge Leo's swords and uses Raph's sai to block them. He throws the katanas at the three and they duck out of the way. Leo looks up, only to be knocked down.
"Noo, Leo!" Amy wails and Leo gives a slightly worried look, hugging her.
"I was only knocked out, Ames. I'm okay."
"I know..." She murmurs and he kisses the top of her head.
"Leo!" Amy shouts, running towards Falco and pulling out her katana. She yells as she jumps towards him. He kicks her in the stomach, making her bump into a wall. She yelps as her right shoulder impacts the wall.
"Amy!" Donnie and Mikey yell as she falls onto the ground.
"He'll pay for that," Leo growls.
"Leo...you know we can't do that now," Amy giggles.
"I know, but still...thanks for defending me, by the way," he kisses her cheek.
"How are we gonna defeat him if he can read our minds?" Donnie asks.
"No prob, I'm good at this. I just have to fight without thinking. Wait," Mikey's eyes turn small and white. "How do I fight without thinking? Oh no! Now I'm thinking about not thinking!" His eyes turn white again before revealing that Falco has knocked him out with his sai.
"How...did he do that without Donnie not seeing him?" April blinks.
"I...wasn't paying attention," Donnie rubs his neck.
"Bruh...not cool," Mikey comments.
"A man who can read minds is unstoppable!" He advances towards Donnie. "Once I dispose of you, no one will be able to stand in my way!"
"We'll see about that!" Donnie takes out his staff. He tries to attack, but Falco dodges. He throws Raph's sai at him. Donnie whacks it away and thrusts his weapon at Falco, but he uses it to throw him across the room. Donnie falls to the ground near Amy.
"Donnie," April murmurs in worry.
"April, I only fell," Donnie chuckles.
"I really must admire that complex mind of yours!" Falco compliments. "You come up with so many ideas! Too bad I can see them all! By the way, do you really think you have a chance with April?"
"Hey, what do you know?!" April exclaims, crossing her arms and Donnie beams.
Donnie gets up and understood what he had to do. "I can do this. I just have to fight without thinking. No thinking." Falco tries to read his mind, but finds that he can't. "Don't think. Just do...go with the flow."
"Aw," Amy smiles. "You took my advice."
"Well, it did help," Donnie smiles sheepishly.
Donnie looks up in determination. He charges at Falco with a smirk and kicks him twice. Falco tries to attack, but Donnie trips him up. Falco tries again, but Donnie back-flips off the wall and delivers a combo of punches at Falco. He knocks him into the monkey cage and Falco loses his psychic powers, groaning.
Everyone cheers, pumping their fists. "Go Donnie! Go Donnie!" Donnie gives a bashful look.
The others wake up from their unconscious, but Amy does not. "Amy, wake up! Wake up!" Leo says in worry. Amy groans, opening her eyes to see the others looking down at her. Leo smiles as her vision gets clearer. "You're okay!" He hugs her.
"Aww," all the girls comment, Amy kissing Leo's cheek.
"You're so sweet, "she tells him and he laughs giddily.
"Of course I'm okay," Leo lets go of her, helping her up.
"Whoa, Donnie! Nice work!" Raph tells him.
"Did...did he just compliment me?" Donnie asks in surprise.
Raph huffs. "Ya kicked butt. I'd praise anyone for that."
"Ha!" Mikey walks up with the mutagen in his hands. "What'd I tell you about those back-flips? Pretty cool." Donnie rolls his eyes.
"You didn't deny it!" Mikey points and Donnie sighs.
"Yes, because I fought without thinking."
"Now that we have the ooze, let's see what Falco knows about the Kraang!" They turn to the cage, shocked. Falco is no longer there.
"How he escaped without any of us sensing anything, I have no idea," Amy comments.
"Aren't you guys supposed to be ninjas?" Mark laughs, the five giving unamused looks.
They run up to the cage. "Falco's gone!" Donnie exclaims. Mikey turns to the monkey.
"Was he watching us the whole time?" Raph raises an eyebrow.
"What do we do about him?" He asks. Donnie and Amy set him free. Rockwell goes to the window. Before he leaves, he turns to the others.
"I'm no psychic, but I think he's trying to thank us," Donnie deduces. The monkey leaves, but Raph thinks of something.
"Uh, if he reacts to angry thoughts, is New York City REALLY the best place for him?"
"You react to angry thoughts, yet we don't wonder the same thing," Leo smirks and Raph growls.
"Shut it!"
They hear some cars crashing and someone yelling. Amy cringes at this. "I'm sure he'll be okay," Leo says.
"You sure about that?" Amy asks.
"...No," Leo admits.
"I'm pretty sure he sent some people to the hospital," Mark murmurs.
"Oh no," Nadia mutters.
April sits across Splinter and Amy. "April, it seems you have a rare gift, a sensitivity I have trained my entire life to develop."
"Don't worry, you'll get it," April assures and Amy giggles softly.
"I did! It just took me a long time!" He confirms.
The others try not to laugh and Splinter gives them looks.
Amy giggles a little bit louder and Splinter glares at her. She shrinks and he groans. "What he's trying to say is that he wants to train you to be a kunoichi, a female ninja like me," Amy explains for him.
"Precisely," Splinter answers.
"Wow! That's quite an honor! If I do this, does that mean I can kick everybody's butt?" April clenches her fists.
Donnie chuckles at her. "What? I can't be like you guys?" She places her hands on her hips proudly.
"We kick no butt unless it deserves to be kicked," Amy holds up a finger.
Amy cringes at this. "We don't believe in using our abilities that way," Splinter explains.
"Oh, oh yeah! Me neither...but I could, right?"
Amy and Splinter chuckle. "Yes, but I warn you. It will be the hardest thing you've ever done. It will drain you mentally, physically, and spiritually."
Amy snorts at that.
"I was training for only a few weeks and I wasn't that affected," Amy shrugs.
"Well, can't be worse than high school. If Amy can do it, so can I. I'll be catching up to her in no time!" April declares. Amy and Splinter glance at each other. "What?"
Amy scratches her neck sheepishly. "Uh...well..."
"Amelia has made a great amount of progress. She is already caught up with my sons," Splinter answers.
"You didn't tell us that," Leo gives Amy a look and she shrugs helplessly.
"Well...hey, since when was that any of your business, anyway?!" She gives him a look.
"What?! You've only been training for a couple of weeks!" April points out.
"I'm a fast learner. As soon as I observe an exercise, I can do it immediately."
"Show off," Raph grumbles and Amy elbows him in the arm.
"Although I must question Amelia and her state of being cold earlier. I believe Donatello may have an answer. I will ask him about your predicament." Amy nods and she leaves with April as Splinter starts to meditate.
Raph is petting Spike while feeding him a leaf.
"Aww," Mikey coos.
"Shut it," Raph growls.
Donnie comes out of his lab, leaning on his door. "Hey April, you, uh, wanna hang out tonight?"
Amy gasps softly, but April misses this. "Uh, that sounds great, Donnie, but I can't. I'm training with Splinter to be a kunoichi like Amy."
"Oh," Donnie turns back inside, checking his chart. He comes back out. "Ah," he clears his throat. "Well, maybe we can train together sometime."
"Sounds great!" She leaves.
"I can't believe I missed that," April smiles sheepishly.
Amy stares, wide-eyed.
"Wow, he really did have everything," Mark's eyes widen.
Donnie does a victory dance. "You see!" He says to Raph. "Ha ha! My flow-chart is AWESOME! Ow!"
Amy and Raph roll their eyes before it reverts to comic-book style.
"You don't need that chart to hang out with me," April giggles.
"I know that now," Donnie smiles.
"MORE!" Mikey shouts.
"Mikey," Leo gives an annoyed look.
