Robyn played it cool.
She diligently did as Bishop ordered: she called the rest of the recruits in. She reset traps and alarms with Hun. She didn't touch her cell phone once. She was the perfect, model agent.
Inwardly, she flirted with treason.
Augie was 'compromised', but Robyn knew why. Her daughter's poofy pigtails were recognizable anywhere. They were what had drawn her attention to the screens in that room, not her husband. She knew the shock had been evident, but Bishop had only addressed Augie's presence on the camera.
He never mentioned April, but had to have seen her. Which meant he was keeping secrets from her. He though Robyn hadn't noticed. He apparently intended to keep it that way.
How dare he.
Her daughter was somehow close to the fight that had ripped holes in their building! Her only child was right there in the thick of it! Thank god her husband had found out and managed to escape with her. Who did Bishop think he was to keep such information from her?
He. Had. No. Right.
But he seemed to know that she had doubts. Considering the extent of surveillance on those screens, she was certain that the moment she tried to contact Augie or April he would know about it. She didn't even dare check her messages to see if she had anything from them; the instant 'Read' popped up Bishop would know she had broken the rules.
And then she would never know what the hell was going on.
Yet Bishop wasn't the only one who knew there was something more at work here. There was one other angle she could try. April and Augie hadn't been alone in the cafeteria; they were surrounded by other strange creatures, including figures that looked suspiciously similar to the turtle she had taken out. Augie had clearly been helping one as his medical bag had been open. And April had been right next to them, focused on the task at hand. No fear. No coercion.
Bishop had never explained why she wasn't supposed to speak with the turtle.
But it would be difficult to make her move. After seeing that room, she was now acutely aware of just how many cameras and sensors were in the building. It felt creepy walking through the destroyed halls of HQ and white corridors of Cocytus knowing that Bishop had eyes and ears on them all. She also didn't trust her own cyber skills enough to attempt hacking any feeds or establishing any video loops.
Her best bet would be to make sure no one was watching the cameras, to draw him away somehow. She didn't think Bishop had the entire system hooked up to his watch or anything… it looked like a machine designed for far more complicated tasks than acting as a glorified security system. At most he might just have a few sensor alerts. But it wouldn't be for everywhere. There were blank spots, now, in the areas that had served as a battleground. Like the cafeteria.
Robyn checked her watch as she slowly walked through Cocytus after her 'lunch break'. Lunch had really been half a protein bar from her pack, but no one could prove otherwise with all the cameras in that room destroyed. Any second now one of the alarms by the kitchen breach should trip. It was just unintentionally set up wrong, right? Sorry, Boss, I didn't mean for the sensor to accidentally read off-the-chart levels of mystic energy.
If it worked. She fingered a remote for a second alarm should it not.
As she neared the room with the screens, the door flew open and Bishop barreled out, cursing. He shouted at her as he ran past, but of course, she couldn't catch all that he said. He had just been moving too quickly, see. He vanished around the corner and Robyn about-faced.
It wouldn't take long for Bishop to establish that there wasn't a threat present. She was glad his paranoia was working true to form and guiding him to confirm for himself that it was just a malfunction and not some invisible force that had evaded all other alarms except this one. The clock was ticking, and she broke out in a run for the room with the cells.
She pelted down the narrow catwalk and skidded to a halt in front of the door where they had put the turtle. Feeling her hands along the wall, she located the hidden panel and pressed it. The door unlocked and she pushed inside, keeping one foot on the threshold so it wouldn't fully shut behind her.
The turtle on the floor scrambled back at her entrance, albeit sluggishly. He regarded her warily with wide eyes. She caught her breath for a moment, heart pounding.
"We don't have much time and I need answers. Who are you and what are you doing here?"
"Pepino? Who is that?"
The turtle's eyes flicked to the wall from where the voice had emanated, then back to her. Even as unfamiliar as she was with his species, he looked tired. He seemed paler, too, from the last time they had 'met'. When he spoke, his voice sounded dry.
"Are you April's mom?"
Her heart skipped a beat. "Yes," she answered quickly. "And how exactly do you know April?"
He gave a small chuckle. "Well, Mrs. O'Neil, believe it or not, it is I, Donatello. Science project helper, fellow video gamer, and dorky pal for life." He struggled to his feet, swaying for a moment as he stood, and bowed theatrically.
Robyn caught him as he pitched forward.
"You're Donnie?" she said incredulously. She propped him against the wall.
"The most singular there is," he replied. He remained upright without swaying now, but kept one hand on the wall. "Though, admittedly, I had hoped that our introduction would have gone a lot differently. Stage lights, my theme song, a sweeping curtain reveal."
Robyn's mind raced. If this was Donatello, then were the other turtles the rest of the brothers? Was this why April never invited them over when they were home? Were they-
"Are you Yokai?" she demanded.
"No, actually." Donnie raised his hands, sensing her inner mother bear on the rise. "My family and I were mutated about thirteen years ago. It's a long story." He coughed once, then looked at her pleadingly. "Mrs. O'Neil, do you know what happened to my brothers? I was supposed to break them out before you ambushed me."
"They're with Augie and April," she said cautiously, not yet certain how much she should be telling this turtle. She narrowed her eyes. "If you're April's friends, then why did you attack us?"
"Because you attacked our favorite pizza place!"
"What?" She gripped the edge of the door. "What are you talking about?"
The turtle watched her closely, something flickering in his eyes. "You weren't there," he murmured. "Well, that's a relief." He straightened. "Bishop launched an attack on a Yokai restaurant and kidnapped everyone inside, including our friend Señor Hueso." He tapped the wall from which the other voice had spoken. "We were coming to rescue them."
Robyn shook her head. "But that… that doesn't make sense. Was the restaurant a front for something else? A stronghold? The Yokai are planning on taking over the surface world and extinguishing humanity. Wouldn't-"
"Yeah, yeah, is that what Bishop told you?" he scoffed. "Since when does every member of a population adhere to something that extreme?"
Robyn blinked. Considered.
Granted, she hadn't even heard of Yokai until Bishop brought them up, so she definitely didn't know the full scope of the threat. Bossman had implied that Donnie was a Yokai, but if the turtle was telling the truth then that was another lie. She had seen April on screen working closely with his brothers. Bishop never mentioned April.
Bishop never mentioned a lot of things.
"Look, just get me near some tech," Donnie implored in response to her silence. "A computer, a port, something connected with the system. I can show you what Bishop is really up to."
He sounded desperate. She supposed she couldn't blame him. Time was still ticking, though…
April had known him for years.
His voice did sound familiar.
"Okay," she relented, opening the door wider. "There's a room with a bunch of screens where Bishop likes to watch everything. It should have everything you need and we'll be able to see when he's on his way back. Would that work?"
"Sounds perfect." He swallowed and coughed again as Robyn led the way out. He seemed a little shaky as they moved briskly down the catwalk.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm… I'll be fine," he croaked. "But I wouldn't say no to some juice and crackers right now." He rubbed the inside of his elbow.
Robyn narrowed her eyes. "Have you not had anything to eat since yesterday?"
"Yesterday?" His eyes widened. "How long have I been here?"
Her belly did an uncomfortable flip. She glanced back at the many, many doors in the room as they exited. She tried to remember if she'd seen anyone come by with a meal cart.
"Here," Robyn dug through her gear and passed Donnie the rest of her protein bar. She unclipped a water bottle from her vest and grew more concerned at the rate at which he drained it. A little color returned to his cheeks, but she still didn't like his unsteadiness.
"Are you injured?"
Donnie passed the water bottle back to her and shook his head. "Not anymore. Apparently, we heal faster than what most would consider normal." He rubbed the inside of his elbow again. "I'm just a little orthostatic."
Being married to a medic meant Robyn was no stranger to medical terminology. She knew exactly what that meant. The bad feeling in her gut grew worse. How much blood did they take?
She wanted to ask. She was afraid of the answer.
Instead, she pushed open a door. "This should be it."
"GASP! Are those quantum computers?" He dashed by her, unsteadiness overcome by excitement. "Oh, Claude Shannon how I want to take one of these bad boys back to the lair!"
Robyn watched him dart around the screens excitedly, her suspicions gradually giving way to amusement. Didn't April say Donnie was fourteen? Right now he certainly acted like it. At one point he even straight-up giggled.
"Okay, let's focus here, Bishop could come back any minute."
"But of course." He cracked his knuckles. "Talk to me you sweet, sweet hive of cyber sleuths."
Screens flickered and changed as Donnie worked. As much as he liked to think he was a genius hacker (and he was, don't get him wrong) it quickly became apparent that the only reason he was able to accomplish anything right now was because Bishop had still been 'logged in' so to speak. The security protocols for the Cherubim, as the system was called, were immense. Whatever Robyn had done to distract him sure made him leave in a hurry, but it sounded like it wouldn't hold forever. One of the first things Donnie did was load some cameras from upstairs to keep an eye on when the agent would return.
He knew their time was limited, and that he needed to convince Mrs. O'Neil of the full truth, but still… he needed to know. He needed to know just how Bishop found them out, how he got around his scrub.
Oh.
He hadn't.
"What are you doing?" Robyn stepped closer. "Is that – are you hacking April's phone?"
"No!" he said quickly, raising his hands. "This is a search history. This is what Bishop did." He pointed. "I'm the reason he couldn't get further than this. I knew I shouldn't have removed the Donnie Blocker, but ya know, your daughter can be very convincing when she wants to be, were you the one who gave her that bat?"
"Donnie."
"Yes ma'am." Donnie quickly turned back to the screens. His eyes widened. "Uh-oh, it looks like Bishop's done with your distraction."
Sure enough, a hall camera showed the agent stalking back towards the elevator. His mind raced. Maybe there was a way to remote access the lift and get it stuck between floors. Maybe-
"Backup plan!" Robyn said, and whipped out her phone. "I had one more trap sabotaged, just in case." She pressed a button and bit her lip.
An alarm pinged from one of the computers, and on screen they watched Bishop check his watch, then spin around and run back down the hallway. They both breathed a sigh of relief.
"My utmost praise and compliments to your foresight, Mrs. O'Neil," Donnie said.
"Call me Robyn," she replied, stowing her phone and running a hand through her fro. "I wasn't sure that would work."
Right. Okay. Clock reset. Donnie refocused and started digging through the system. Maybe there was something more in the disturbing search history, or records from their fight, or something even more nefarious like…
… like whatever Project Jericho was.
Donnie sucked in his breath. "Oh no…" he moaned.
"What is it?" Robyn bent down next to him, but he just continued kicking himself.
Because of course there would be a greater goal; nobody develops an anti-mystic machine just to attack a pizza place. Of course there's a bigger picture! "Oh, why didn't I catch on sooner?" He smacked his forehead.
"Donnie," Robyn shook his shoulder. "Enlighten me. This is talking about releasing something in the Hidden City. What's that?"
"Right, of course." He shook his head briskly, then paused as the room spun for a moment. Got to watch that. "The Hidden City is where most of the Yokai live, right below our feet. It's entirely mystic, from the Yokai themselves to the tools they use." He pointed. "According to this, Bishop's long-term plan is to develop a powerful anti-mystic device, or AMD, and set it off in the city." He caught her eyes. "That would be like releasing an EMP over New York."
Robyn stepped back. Her mouth opened and closed a few times. "Why would he do such a thing?" she finally managed.
Donnie could make a few guesses, mostly involving sheep-men, but his heart dropped as he clicked on another project. His mouth went dry again. He couldn't find the right emotions to put in his voice as he spoke, so his tone came out flat and cold.
"What do you know of Project Achilles?"
"I've never heard of it." Robyn walked back towards him, but he shoved away from system. He felt sick. He stumbled towards the back wall and leaned against it, letting Robyn find out for herself. He heard her sharp intake of breath as she read the same notes he had, and his empty stomach rolled again.
Project Achilles. Finding the metaphorical Achilles' Heel in Yokai. Donnie had never really considered them to be immortal, but he had witnessed Draxum get crushed by a rock and survive, and many similar incidents. Maybe they couldn't be killed.
But Bishop had certainly tried.
Quite thoroughly.
He rubbed the inside of his elbow as his head swam again for a moment. How many others have been up on that table? He swallowed, throat sticking in thirst. Hueso, Frankie, they were all in danger. Immense danger. This was so much worse than any of them realized.
Why did it just keep getting worse?
"Maria…"
He managed to push himself away from the wall. Robyn was in another project, though her eyes shone with unshed tears. He squinted at the screen. Project Maria involved robots. The destroyed mech! The prototype for… for unleashing hell, of course.
The pieces clicked in a horrifying puzzle. It all made disgusting sense. Bishop was damn serious about stopping the Yokai, wasn't he? About doing whatever it took. There was Project Achilles to determine how to defeat the enemy, Project Jericho to take out their infrastructure, and then Project Maria to implement Achilles in the most brutal of fashions.
It was so disturbingly perfect. So maddeningly efficient. So painfully clear.
He couldn't help himself. Donnie let out a dark laugh.
"Projects of a more stationary nature…" Robyn was whispering. "Was this what he had in mind?" She jumped away from the Cherubim as if burned. "Was this what I was signing up for?"
Another innocent victim of Bishop's trickery. He knew the feeling. It made him laugh again. What an ember of solidarity amidst this raging trash fire! Two of us unknowingly aided his genocidal plans? What a bonding moment! What a story to share!
"We… we have to stop him."
"No, duh," he snorted. He looked at her, too light-headed to figure out why he couldn't get rid of this crazed grin stuck to his face. Why he chuckled as he spoke. "This is so bad."
Gosh, what an understatement! Weren't understatements just so hilarious?
Funny how the edge of madness blurred the lines between humor and despair. It made him giggle.
Strong hands suddenly gripped his shoulders. "Then we do something about it!" They shook him. "We know the truth and so now we can fix it!"
He gasped. April always did know how to pull him out of his own head and get his butt in gear. He nodded vigorously, then blinked as he remembered that this wasn't April. Though tears tracked down Robyn's face, her eyes blazed.
Fix it.
He could… he could do that.
He had to.
"Right." He moved around Robyn and sat back down at the system. Screens flickered as he pulled up blueprints for Cocytus. "We have to destroy that AMD and all its notes. All backups, too, if there are any."
"These are labs," Robyn pointed on screen. "Jericho could be housed in here. But what's this whole level below?"
"Power." Donnie's eyes widened. "So that's how they're producing it. Definitely outputting a lot if one can feel it in the walls."
Robyn pointed at the round room on the map. "We need to release all the Yokai in here, too. My permissions key into the cells, but do you know how to-"
The walls shuddered violently. They flinched as an alarm immediately blared. They looked at each other, startled, and then Donnie's fingers flew over the keyboard.
"Am I reading that right: there's a hole in the cell-room?"
"Brothers!" he cheered. His relief was abruptly cut off by dread. "Oh no, oh no, what are they thinking? This whole place is mystic-proof! They don't even have their weapons!"
"Donnie, we have to go!" Robyn tugged at him. "Bishop will be storming down here any second!"
Underscoring her words, Bishop's voice rang out in double from her phone and the Cherubim. "Hun, O'Neil, secure the breach immediately! Chaplin, we need those Maria-bots!"
That didn't sound good. His mad mirth threatened to bubble up again.
"On it," Robyn replied into her earpiece. "Donnie."
"Just a second!" He committed the blueprints of Cocytus to memory, then stepped away.
Wait.
One more second.
He pulled up the BAI's emails. Good luck trying to track us down ever again.
"Come on! If your brothers are breaking out the prisoners, then we need to take out that AMD!"
Done. He completed his work and barreled past her. Black spots obscured his vision at his sudden movement, but he forced himself through it. The urgent need to help his family nipped at his conscience.
"You find it and destroy it!" He squinted as he raced into the hallway's bright lighting. "I need to get to that power room and give my brothers a fighting chance!"
Robyn shouted after him, but he was already gone.