A/N
Hello! And a very happy Fourth of July to my fellow American readers! :)
As per the norm, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I have the fifth most reviewed Apritello story on fanfiction? WHA? and its only been up a month!
I Love you all!
So this chapter is a little different...sorta. It seemed short to me, but it really isn't. I think it just moves fast. Lots of talking, exposition, planning, blah blah blah, fluffiness galore!, and oh the emotions! So many emotions! (In case you couldn't tell, I REALLY like this one.)
It's super simple, not much happens, but I don't know... I just love it.
Judge for yourselves.
ENJOY!
The lair was in complete chaos.
In the hour since Karai's mysterious broadcast, the moods of everyone had spiked and then plummeted dramatically. April had watched everyone go through shock, confusion, then anger, then battle planning mode, and now they all just seemed to be at a loss for how to proceed.
Leonardo, Raphael, and Master Splinter were off in the kitchen having a heated argument about something. She couldn't make out the words, but Raph and Leo's raised voices could be heard from the main room. Whatever the disagreement was about, it had to be important if it meant the brothers raising their voices to their sensei. They had been in there yelling like that since right after the broadcast, right after Donnie announced he was going to try and trace the signal back to the broadcast location.
April looked towards the tech savvy turtle, not surprised to see him diligently typing away on his laptop. To the untrained eye he just seemed to be doing some work, like browsing the internet or typing a paper… but April knew better. By the way his tongue had escaped the corner of his mouth, and the small crease in his brow, it was obvious to her Donnie was concerned and very frustrated.
He wasn't getting the results he was hoping for. April didn't think they'd be getting anywhere with his trace efforts.
The fourth turtle was planted firmly in front of the television; the most focused April had ever seen him. Mikey was scanning all the channels and news stations for any news or developments about the broadcast. Seeing the lost look on his little brother's face, Donnie had given him the task right before he had begun his own.
April had to agree with the idea, it would be important to see how the surface world was dealing with Karai's revelations.
Because of this, Casey had almost immediately volunteered to go topside to scope out the damage and to do a little digging of his own. April hadn't offered to go with him. She couldn't imagine abandoning the turtles at a time like this.
Not that he had asked me to come anyway…
She was beginning to wish she had gone with Casey though. She felt pretty useless sitting on the couch amongst the sea of balloons and forgotten cake plates.
Glancing around at all her hard work and decorations, she couldn't help but feel a little sad about how the night had turned out. All she wanted was for the guys to have one night of fun. No crises, no battles, no saving the world. Just a normal night of hanging out with friends.
Like normal teenagers.
April shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the selfish thoughts. There were more important things to worry about right now.
The only problem was she had no idea how to help. She couldn't help Donnie because she had left her laptop at home.
Not that she had any idea how to help him anyway, even if she did have it.
And the others all seemed busy enough without her interference. So she just sat there, waiting and thinking about the broadcast and what it meant.
After Karai had cut out, and Donnie and April had agreed to this being "Operation Clean Slate," a whole lot of questions had followed. The biggest, of course, being: What was the end goal of this?
Master Splinter had theorized that the Shredder was attempting to turn the humans against them. Making the very people they were trying to protect every night their enemies.
To April, it seemed like one of the cruelest things someone could do to the Hamato family. They were all already self conscious enough about how humans would see them, and painting them as monsters to the general public was just downright heartless.
They had only been able to piece together little bits of the plan. This was obviously what the shipment of broadcasting equipment was for, and as for the shipments of guns…April assumed the "we will arm you" summed that up nicely.
The very thought of throwing guns into the hands of random New York City citizens made April shudder.
The streets were about to get a whole lot more dangerous.
The one thing that none of them seemed to be able to figure out, Donnie and Master Splinter included, was what the Kraang had to gain from any of this.
The Foot got man power, political power, and public support. Shredder would even get a chance for his revenge against Splinter. He was probably hoping that the citizens would hunt down and destroy the turtles for him.
But what did the Kraang get?
The only thing Donnie had come up with was possibly their defeat. The turtles had, after all, thwarted a lot of their plans, and April was sure they wanted some sort of revenge. But wasn't revealing the mutants counterproductive if their goal was to mutate the whole world?
All of this thinking was making April's head hurt…
None of this seemed to make any sense.
Frustrated, she got up from the couch and did the only thing she could think of, hoping it would distract her.
She began to clean up.
Dishes and cups piled high in her arms; she made her way towards the kitchen. A she approached, the voice of Raph became clearer.
"There is no way in hell I am leaving because of some stupid TV broadcast!" He yelled.
"Raphael, you will do what is best for this family." Splinter's voice was calm, but April could sense the worry hidden underneath.
"I don't know, Sensei." Leo said. "Maybe Raph is right. This is pretty hasty."
April began to wonder if she should go into the kitchen and interrupt them. Whatever they were discussing seemed to have Raphael riled up, so it must be important, especially if Leo was second guessing Splinter about it. She had never heard him blatantly disagree with his sensei before.
Curiosity getting the better of her, she paused outside the kitchen entrance, and listened for a few more seconds.
"Most people won't even believe Karai. It'll be played off as a dumb hoax and forgotten about in a week." Raph said.
"The Foot clan does not need "most people" to believe them. They only need a small number. Of that small number only a few will take action, but a few is far too many in a city of 8 million, my sons." Splinter's voice dropped a few decibels. "Our home is no longer safe."
April tried to stifle her gasp. Her mind racing, a strange sense of panic began to consume her. They were discussing abandoning the lair! They couldn't be. The turtles couldn't leave. Where would they go?
They can't leave me!
"It is impolite to eavesdrop, April." Master Splinter's voice rang out into the hallway.
Busted.
April moved into the kitchen entrance, keeping her gaze cast down to the floor. "I'm sorry, Sensei."
She quickly made her way over to the sink and dumped the plates and cups unceremoniously in, the clatter seeming to echo throughout the quiet space, making her wince.
April could feel three sets of eyes boring a hole in her back. They were obviously waiting for her to voice her opinion on the matter. She had no idea what to tell them though. It didn't seem like her place to beg them to stay, or tell them to leave. What was best for the safety of the family was a mystery to her.
All she knew was that she didn't want them to leave.
Spinning quickly to face the trio, April decided to be honest. "You can't abandon the lair because of something like this."
"At least someone around here is speaking my language." Raph muttered.
"The lair has been compromised. Karai has set the public on searching the sewers for mutants. Even if they never find us, our home is no longer the secret haven it used to be. People will come." Splinter said sadly.
"We don't know that, Sensei." Leo said half heartedly. He was obviously against the idea, but didn't know how to convince Splinter.
"Leo's right." April said. "People may not even take this seriously. Before you take drastic measures like leaving your home, you should at least wait until you know what's going on the surface. I think you're well hidden enough down here for at least a little while. Even if people do start searching, they won't find this place easily."
Splinter looked her in the eyes. "Can you guarantee that, April? Can you promise me people will not come down here looking to harm my family? That they will never find our sanctuary? That they won't shoot us on sight?"
She was taken by surprise by her Master's tone. He sounded tired, scared, and frustrated all at the same time. It was also extremely rare for him to be this blunt.
"No. I can't promise that." April answered honestly. There would always be people who would not only never accept the turtles, but would never even give them a chance. Human nature would make them see her best friends and adopted family as nothing but monsters, especially fueled by the Foot Clan's new propaganda.
Splinter nodded once, satisfied with her honestly.
Raph crossed his arms over his chest and huffed loudly. "You all do what you want. I'm not leaving. I am not going to let a bunch of humans chase me out of our home." With his declaration made, Raph stomped out of the kitchen.
A loud sigh escaped Splinter and he seemed to slump over the table. He was obviously nearing the end of his rope.
April reached out and captured the rat master's hand in her own, giving it a reassuring squeeze as she glanced at Leonardo. "I know you're both just worried about your family, and trust me I'm worried about you all so much it hurts… but no good ever came of such hasty decisions. Just wait it out a bit longer and see what happens. Maybe Donnie can figure something out and end their transmissions or something..."
Splinter squeezed her hand back once. "For someone so young you hold much wisdom." He looked over towards Leonardo. "Do you share Miss O'Neil's thoughts, Leonardo?"
The turtle looked startled to have suddenly been brought into the conversation. "Um…" He flicked his gaze over to April, and she gave him a slight nod of her head.
"Yes, Sensei." He said finally. "I believe you may be right about the lair being compromised, but I also think it's far too early for such drastic measures."
"Very, well. We shall stay… for now." Splinter got up and started out of the kitchen. "If there are any developments… I will be meditating."
Once they were alone in the kitchen, Leo and April exchanged a long look. They didn't speak, but both knew what the other was thinking.
They were both hoping that they had pushed Splinter to make the right decision, and not just a selfish one. Unfortunately only time would be able to give them an answer.
Like a force of nature, Donatello burst into the kitchen, interrupting the teens worry session.
"Guys!" He practically yelled. "You need to come see this!"
Leo and April jumped to their feet and followed the obviously frantic Donnie back to his lab, where he immediately brought a couple different screens up on the monitors.
The first April recognized instantly as her message board that she had set up to monitor weird activity around the city months ago. It had been pretty inactive lately, and to be perfectly honest, April had kind of forgotten about it with everything else that had been going on.
Donnie pointed to her message board and began to speak. "Since Karai's broadcast I've been monitoring the most popular message boards and general online news in order to get a feel for the surfaces reaction."
Leo and April nodded their understanding, so Donnie continued. "Well, it's only been about two hours, and the internet had practically exploded! Everyone is talking about the broadcast, the Foot clan, and mutants. To make matters worse, people who have witnessed mutant activity in the past are coming out of the woodwork. People keep posting videos and pictures, basically providing proof to Karai's claim. They are posting faster than I can delete them."
April didn't like the sound of any of this. "So what's the good news?" She said sarcastically.
"Well, as Mikey would say…we're famous."
Leo ran a hand over his face, frustrated. "I'm assuming that "proof" you spoke of involves us?"
"Oh yeah. Mostly us. We haven't been as stealthy as we thought we were being." Donnie clicked a few times and brought up a bunch of different windows, most of them pictures.
April gasped at what she saw. It was at least a dozen pictures of the turtles. Most seemed to have been captured with cell phone cameras, and were pretty fuzzy, but it was obviously them. There were shots of them standing in alleyways, on rooftops, a remarkable clear picture of Leo facing off with a foot bot, and the most worrisome, numerous pictures of them lifting a manhole cover and disappearing down into the sewer.
"Why are these just coming out now?"
"That's the weird part. At first I just assumed people would have just thought they were crazy, and were keeping them to themselves, but when I started to do more digging, most of these all came from the same IP address. My theory is that The Foot are actually the ones posting these, making the whole broadcast more credible." Donnie explained. "And that's not even the worst part."
He clicked open another window, this one a video, and hit play. A grainy video of what April knew was the turtles fighting a group of foot soldiers began to play. It was only about forty seconds long, but it was perfect in not only showing the turtles fighting skills and capabilities, but it also made them look like the aggressors. To the untrained eye, the foot soldiers looked like the innocent party.
Someone was definitely trying to turn the turtles into public enemy number one.
"Can you get rid of this stuff, Don?" Leo asked.
"I've been trying. But once I remove something, something else gets put up right away. And people are starting to notice the stuff being taken down, calling it a government conspiracy. I think taking it all down might make it worse…"
April braced her arm on the back of Donnie's chair and leaned over him, closer to the screen, trying to read the comments at the bottom. What she could see was not reassuring. There were one or two praising the foot clan and the "good work" they were doing for the city. There were some questioning the validity, and claiming it all to be an elaborate hoax. But most seemed to be people outraged that these "mutant freaks" were running around their city.
These were the worst.
As she read, April felt her blood pressure rising as she got angrier and angrier. Let's just say the words "freak," "abomination," and "monster" were used way too many times for her liking…
"Uh, April? Do you mind?" Donnie's voice snapped her out of her silent outrage.
"Huh?" She asked, confused.
Donnie looked down pointedly at his bicep, where April currently had a death grip on him. She didn't even remember moving her hand from the back of his chair.
Embarassed, she instantly released him, only to see the perfect indentations of her fingers left behind in his green skin.
"Oh my gosh! Donnie I'm sorry!" She started to rub the area gently, an embarrassed blush covering her freckled cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me to let go sooner?!"
"I-it's fine. And I did, you were just too focused on the screen." He chuckled and looked down to her hand, still lightly massaging his abused muscle. "See, you made it all better anyway."
He smiled brightly at her, and looking into his eyes, April didn't understand how anyone could see this sweet, brilliant, caring soul as anything but. Donnie was no monster, and neither were his brothers. The Shredder and the Kraang were the real monsters.
She would love to track down every last person who had posted on that message board, and show them how much of a monster she could be.
April subconsciously reached up with her free hand and grasped her new necklace, taking some comfort from its slight weight around her neck. Donnie's eyes followed her movement; his grin getting a fraction wider.
Her mind was instantly pulled back to their almost kiss; which she realized happened only a few feet away from where they were.
"Did you have any luck tracing the transmission signal?" Leo's voice cut through the tension like a knife.
April had completely forgotten Leo was there, even though he was only two feet away. Instantly, she removed her hand from Donnie and took a big step to the side, crossing her arms protectively over her chest.
This was neither the time, nor the situation to even be thinking about her messed up relationship status. They were trying to work their way through a crisis, and the thought foremost in her mind was almost kissing Donnie?
What is wrong with me?
The turtle in blue had a tiny smirk plastered on his face, leading April to believe he had witnessed everything and knew perfectly well that he had just interrupted a moment.
She really wanted to punch him.
Donnie gave her one last lingering look, which she really tried to ignore, before turning to his older brother. "Maybe. The signal was incredibly complex. Obviously enhanced with Kraang tech, so I really don't know what I'm up against. It was bounced off multiple locations, but I think I have a primary starting point. I can't guarantee it though. It's all the way across town. Even with the Shellraiser we wouldn't be able to get there and back before dawn."
"First thing tomorrow then. I think it's best if we stay below tonight anyway." Leo motioned to the monitors. "We wouldn't want to add anymore fuel to the fire. Good work, Donnie." He clasped his brother's shoulder in an affectionate way.
Donnie shrugged. "Eh, it's my thing."
April watched the exchange with amusement. Donnie obviously didn't realize how lost his brothers would be without him. He and his glorious brain was what made the team work like a well oiled machine.
"April, shouldn't you be getting home?" Donnie asked suddenly. "It's getting late…"
"Yeah, probably." She sighed. "My aunt will kill me if I come home too late."
Donnie was instantly on his feet, and strapping on his bo staff. "I'll walk you."
April's first instinct was to decline Donnie's offer. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck alone with him, especially after the awkward, complicated night they had just been through.
Luckily, Leo beat her to it. "I don't think leaving the lair is a good idea, Don."
"Relax. I won't go topside, just through the sewers and back. I'll be gone fifteen minutes tops."
Leo looked unconvinced, but wasn't willing to argue. "Fine, but keep your T-phone on you."
"Of course." Donnie said. "Ready, April?"
As ready as I'll ever be…
She plastered a smile on her face and nodded. "Yeah, let me just grab my stuff."
Luckily, April had a lot less stuff to bring back up with her than she had to bring down. Double luckily, she had Donnie to do most of the heavy lifting for her. When they finally left the lair, he was weighed down with two shopping bags filled with decorating supplies, a helium tank, and the case with all the paintball gear. She had nothing more than her backpack which held her paint covered clothes. Donnie wouldn't let her carry anything else, much to her annoyance.
It didn't look like Donnie was even struggling with his cargo, despite the fact it had taken her three trips to bring that much down to the lair.
Ninjas and their stupid strength.
As they walked through the sewers, Donnie leading the way, April a few paces behind, neither spoke. It was just as awkward as April feared it would wind up being. She had no idea what to say to the turtle, which was utterly ridiculous.
This was Donnie! Her best friend. She had never had a hard time talking to him in the past.
For some reason, though, things seemed different now. With her realization about her possibly, maybe having feelings for him, and their moment in the lab, it seemed like their relationship had shifted. Like this weird tension that had always been buried deep down inside was suddenly out in the open for them to have to wade through…for all to see. Making matters even worse was her complete confusion on the issue. She literally had no idea what she wanted or how she felt, or what Donnie's thoughts on the whole thing were…
Peeking up at the turtle in question, she was met with a view of his shell as he walked just a few feet in front of her.
April had always been fascinated by all the turtle's shells, the intricate swirls and designs, unique to each one. Unsurprisingly, she had always found Donnie's the most interesting, and most beautiful. She had spent many secret moments admiring it while he wasn't looking, memorizing the pattern.
This time, however, something else about it caught her attention, something she had never really noticed before. His shell was covered in scratches and chips, marring the design, but somehow perfecting it at the same time. April couldn't help but think about all the times that shell had saved his life, taking the brunt of a blow meant for softer more vulnerable flesh. For this one reason alone, it would always be her favorite feature of his.
Acting on its own accord, April's hand reached out and traced one of the nastier looking gouges, right over his left shoulder.
Donatello stopped walking instantly, sending April careening face first into his shell with a resounding thud.
Pain shot through her nose as she fought to maintain her balance. The last thing she wanted was to end up on her butt in the sewer. "Ow!" She stepped back and rubbed her injured nose. "A little warning would be nice next time, Donnie!"
"Sorry!" He spun on her, hands held up in surrender, red tinting his cheeks. "You just surprised me…I-I wasn't expecting t-that."
April dropped her hand, checking it for blood, sighing with relief when she realized her nose wasn't broken.
"What? You mean when I touched your shell? You could feel that?"
He scratched the back of his head, obviously embarrassed and uncomfortable. "W-w-well yeah."
"I didn't know turtles could feel their shells like that." She said fascinated, ignoring Donnie's discomfort.
He did almost break my nose. I think I'm entitled to a little curiosity.
"Most can't, at least not in the same way. Normal turtles feel it like a finger nail, just pressure, we get true feeling. My theory is when we mutated some of the spinal nervous system attached to the shell, so we get slightly dulled sensation, but thankfully not pain."
April let out a small sigh of relief. She couldn't imagine how much pain would have been involved with all the damage his shell had taken over the years. "That's good. With some of your battle scars back there, I wouldn't want to feel pain either."
"There are scars?" Donnie asked, sounding genuinely interested.
"You didn't know?"
He gave her a look. "I can't exactly see my own shell, April."
She laughed a little, embarrassed by her own stupidity. "Yeah I guess you have a point there…but yeah, you have some damage. Nothing major, just some scratches and one gouge."
She was just glad they were talking, and about something so innocent as well. This felt normal for them.
"Really?"
April laughed as Donnie stretched his neck trying to see his own back, ending up spinning in small circles, bags and all, before realizing it was a futile effort.
He's just too cute sometimes.
Giving out a loud huff of frustration, Donnie slumped his shoulders and looked at her. "Does it look bad?"
April's jaw fell open before a sudden giggle fit fell over her. Out of all the things she imagined him asking, that was not one of them. Donnie, a mutant turtle, was wondering if his shell scars looked bad?
Something about that was just incredibly funny.
"Come on it's not funny! I'm serious."
April tried to catch her breath. "I know… and that's why it's so funny!" She gasped out.
Not being able to take it anymore, she turned and began walking again, knowing he would follow. After taking a moment to compose herself, she glanced behind her at her escort. Only to realize he looked like a kicked puppy…all droopy eyes and pouty.
April couldn't leave him like that.
"You know, Donnie, girls love a guy with scars…" She said bravely, letting him take her statement anyway he wished.
His head shot up, and he took a few breaths to process it completely before one corner of his mouth lifted in a crooked smirk.
"Is that so?"
April turned away, looking straight ahead into the tunnels. "Yup, they make a guy seem cool, tough, and mysterious. Loads of girls think they're attractive."
After a few moments she could have swore she heard him mumble something under his breath. She could have sworn it sounded like "I only care what one girl thinks." A small thrill went through her stomach, and she felt herself blush, but she couldn't be sure that's what he said.
And even if it was, she chose to ignore it…the night was eventful enough without reopening that can of worms.
"So are you guys going to check out the broadcast site tomorrow night?" She tried to change the subject, feeling the awkwardness beginning to creep in again.
"Hopefully." Donnie answered quietly. "And hopefully we can shut it down before they can do another one and do anymore damage. Not that they haven't done enough as it is…"
April slowed her pace so she was walking at his side. "What do you think their end goal is, Donnie?"
"I don't know."
"Yeeeah…but I know you have theories." She teased.
The turtle sighed and cut his eyes over to her. "I'm thinking that they may be attempting to get the public to get rid of all the mutants for them." He answered simply.
"But why?" April asked, shocked. "The foot has a bunch of mutants working for them, and the Kraang's whole goal is to mutate everything…just…why?"
"Mostly I think it has to do with us." He said, switching over to his "explaining stuff" voice. "We have thwarted so many of their plans, messed up so much of their stuff, mutated things that shouldn't be mutated, turned their own mutants against them. I think they want to get rid of us and everything we've done, and start over… start with a clean slate."
Fear shot through April at the notion. Not only for the turtles, but for her father. He wasn't in his right mind, flying around out in the open. He was basically a sitting duck up there.
"Oh, Donnie," she said stopping suddenly, "What about my dad?"
She heard the sound of the bags Donnie carried being dropped to the ground before she felt his big hands on her shoulders, turning her gently to face him. "I promise, April, on my very life, that I will cure your father as soon as possible, no matter what it takes."
Searching his face, she saw nothing but sincerity, reminding her of a very similar promise he had once made to her on a rooftop. He had kept that promise, and she trusted him to keep this one as well.
But there was one problem.
She brought her hand up and cupped his cheek gently. "Not on your life. Never swear on your life… promise me that."
She practically whispered her plea, but by the way his eyes widened she knew he heard her. First he looked surprised, and then conflicted. He was used to grand declarations of self sacrifice, not promising to hold back.
"I promise." He finally said simply, giving her shoulders a little squeeze.
April dropped her hand to his forearm, and gave him a sad smile. "Good, because I want my dad back more than anything. But if it meant losing you…I don't know if…"
She was silenced suddenly by Donnie's hand over her mouth as he dragged her roughly against his body and moved swiftly and silently into the shadows. He moved so fast, she was afraid she had whiplash.
April, enraged by being interrupted when she was about to say something extremely emotional, resisted the petty urge to bite Donnie's hand, still firmly placed over her mouth. Some sense returning to her, she glanced up at him and noticed he was in full ninja stealth mode, his body was solid tense muscle against hers, poised for battle. He only got like this when he was extremely serious, and when danger was imminent.
Closing her eyes and extending her senses, April realized they weren't alone anymore. She could sense strange presences moving throughout the tunnels. Now that she was aware of it, she could hear the distant echoing of boots in the water and on the stone walkways close by.
Reaching up, she tapped Donnie's shoulder to let him know she understood the situation. Almost instantly he released her mouth, but kept his other arm wrapped firmly around her middle, holding her against him.
He gracefully unsheathed his staff, and waited.
And they waited.
And waited.
The entire time, the footsteps seemed to be getting closer. They would fade momentarily, then return even closer than before, and the cycle would repeat itself.
Donnie's patience was astounding. April was starting to get fidgety, and if it wasn't for the fact that she was almost too afraid to breathe, she may have complained…
After what seemed like an eternity, voices could be heard echoing down an adjacent tunnel. The one that April and Donnie themselves would have been walking through if they had continued. They were still too distant to make out words, but the voices were definitely male, and there seemed to be a lot of them.
The arm wrapped around her tightened to the point where she could barely breathe, as Donnie pulled them deeper into the pitch black drainage pipe.
April could hear the roaring of her own blood in her own head, it sounded deafening. She tried to take comfort in the proximity of him, knowing this was one of the safest places she could be, surrounded by the scent of oil, leather, and a hint of sweat. The unmistakable scent of Donnie. In an attempt to calm herself down, she placed her ear against his plastron and listened to the steady beating of his heart, counting the beats slowly, unable to do anything else but wait in her current position.
Within moments she could make out some conversation from the strangers.
"…Stupid idea…"
"…believe you talked us into this…"
"Mutant lizards…."
"…Gonna be millionaires…"
It seemed like there had to be at least six or seven of them, and they were extremely loud. Definitely not kraang, or the Foot. They sounded like plain ordinary humans.
Soon the voices sounded like they were mere feet away. Crushed up against Donnie as she was, April couldn't see them, but she knew Donnie was watching them like a hawk.
And she could certainly hear them.
"I think we've been down this tunnel already." He sounded young, maybe in his twenties.
"How can you tell? They all look the same."
"I don't know, it just feels like we've been here before."
"It feels like you're a dumbass, Scott."
"This whole thing is dumb. I just can't believe you convinced us to trudge around with you in the sewer, in the middle of the night, looking for monsters."
"Hey! I told you they were real! There are mutant lizard creatures down here. You heard the lady on the TV."
"I still think it was hoax."
"Well it wasn't. They're dangerous and I'm gonna be the first one to catch one."
Donnie tensed even more under, even thought she didn't think it possible, right before she heard the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being cocked.
"Imagine how much money they'd pay for the first body of a real mutant!"
April heard what sounded like a high five, and then they started to move away from them. She let out a deep breath, unaware she had been holding it the whole time.
It was a solid five minutes before Donnie began to relax and loosen his grip on her. The men seemed far off in the distance, but April didn't dare speak until Donnie did.
"You okay?" He finally asked.
"No." April said honestly. She was terrified. "Those guys were down here hunting you, Donnie!" She said frantically.
"I know." He said calmly.
"It's only been like three hours! How did this start so fast?"
"It's definitely faster than I would have thought…." Donnie seemed unconcerned, which only freaked her out more.
"How are you not freaking out over this!?"
He raised an eye ridge at her. "Seriously, April. We're ninjas. We can handle guys like that any day. We were ten feet from them and they had no idea. Not exactly a major threat."
"That shotgun was pretty threatening to me." She said quietly.
"Hey." He grabbed her hand and squeezed gently. "We'll be fine."
She reached up and gripped her necklace tight. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought she was developing a new nervous habit.
"If enough people come down here wandering around like that, eventually they're going to find the lair…" She said sadly.
"I know…" Donnie answered, his voice almost defeated.
She squeezed his hand back. "The lair isn't safe anymore…is it?"
It took him a long time to answer, when he finally did, his voice was barely a whisper. "I don't think so."
April felt tears sting her eyes, threatening to fall.
In one tiny part of one night, their entire world had been turned upside down.
A/N
I don't know if Donnie came across as too cool, calm, and collected here, but I think in this situation he would be.
Hope you guys enjoyed the cuteness, and the obvious transitional chapter to my next big thing!
I'm working A LOT next week because of the holiday this week, so because I think next week's will be a big chapter, and involved, it might be a little late. NOT A LOT, just a smidgen. (might not even be that late)
Please review, thanks!
See you next week! :)