We Are Survivors

Donnie

Donnie's in his element.

He's been tasked with hacking the IT system of this chemical laboratory, an easy task for a genius such as him. He hasn't lost any time and has already inserted an enhanced USB key into the central processing unit of the nearest computer. It's an old computer, without a flat screen, and it takes most of the space on the desk. It could very well have only accepted floppy disks. Whatever Eastlaird's University did with the millions April talked about, they didn't spend them on these computers.

It's not a problem for Donnie. He's learned to do with the spare parts he could find when he was a small kid, and his hacking programs are embedded in all kinds of supports.

It was before he realized he could use the Internet to order the last generation of everything. Money isn't a problem, not since he learned how to misappropriate it.

That's why their Arcade has the latest microprocessors inside its vintage machines. Donnie doesn't think his brothers ever noticed, and he doesn't boast about it–no matter how tempting. Raph would want to know where he found the money, and Raph is far too honest to appreciate Donnie's most delicate schemes.

The computer launches. While Donnie waits for the process to complete–it's so long on these old beasts–he keeps an eye on what the others do.

Raph is running from table to table, grabbing all the canisters he can find and putting them in the huge bag he's carrying. Leo's chosen another strategy; he's sitting on a desk, using one sword to create small portals and grab the canisters through them.

Mikey and April are working together. Mikey opens the laboratory notebooks and April takes pictures. Donnie made sure that these pictures would be instantly saved to his private cloud, just in case something happens to April's phone.

He doesn't see Casey. The teenager is standing guard outside, and also keeping an eye on the guard they had to knock out to make sure that he neither wakes up nor chokes.

Raph apologized profusely to the unconscious guard, but Donnie didn't waste his precious time in such useless social niceties. He did, however, made sure that no alarm was set off.

The computer is done booting. Thanks to the algorithms he wrote, and that the USB key delivered right into the processor's core, Donnie already has access to all folders. He starts copying them while he launches another algorithm, one that will look for local network access.

His program ends ten seconds later with an error. Donnie looks at the screen in incredulity. He's been denied the access; his hacking program hasn't been able to go past the protections in place.

This is infuriating. He's Donatello, the one who became a space ship thanks to the perfect harmony between his genius mind, superior body and astounding courage. This can't resist him. This won't.

Donnie starts typing furiously in the terminal. Line after line, the Access Denied haunt him.

He's not aware that Leo has moved closer until he hears his brother talk.

"Donnie, are you done?"

"In a minute," Donnie dismisses him.

He realizes that the others have also gathered around him. Are they already done? You would have thought that taking pictures of notebooks would take more time than that. But maybe there weren't that many notebooks to start with.

He keeps typing madly. This is no normal firewall. Maybe this is where a fair amount of money went: to engage excellent computer engineers.

But they can't be more excellent than Donnie himself.

Casey sticks his head round the door. "More guards are coming. Are you done here?"

"Yes," Raph, Leo, April and Mikey say.

Donnie inwardly curses them for the additional pressure.

"No." He's not leaving this place until he has found a way to get past that firewall. He's starting to understand how it works, and it is marvelous. The pure product of a deranged mind. It's even trying to attack Donnie's own spying program now.

There are a few seconds of blessed silence before Leo speaks again.

"Donnie, we have to go."

"I told you no." Donnie types another command.

"That's too bad," Leo says.

Donnie suddenly finds himself in midair. Is Raph carrying him?

"Let me go!"

"Sorry Donnie." Raph sounds just as sincere as he did with the unconscious guard before, which is absolutely infuriating.

Besides, Donnie's USB key is still plugged in the central processing unit. His brothers aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but surely they must see that it is a problem.

"You guys realize that the programs I've written here are sensitive data, do you?" He pauses. "No, they didn't. His family was, as always, clueless," he adds, using the third person to emphasize his resignation.

Of course the USB key has a self-destruct functionality, but Donnie doesn't want to lose the data he already has.

Raph exchanges a look with Leo before keeling down so Donnie can access the computer. Donnie starts typing commands again in order to destroy the wicked firewall that prevents him from accessing the local network and therefore, the data stored on every other computer of this laboratory.

"Donnie!" Raph grits out.

"Yes?" Donnie says.

"If you're not done in five seconds, I'm unplugging it myself."

Donnie doesn't bother answering. He's almost got this.

"Four."

He can do this.

"Three."

He absolutely can do this. But just in case, he launches the program that will clean his presence on the computer at the exception of a small spying software and remove the hardware.

"Two."

Who is the person who programmed this firewall anyways? Donnie has to know. This is infuriating. He isn't against some competition, as long as he wins in the end.

"One."

Donnie grabs his USB key. The computer starts switching off.

"Zero."

He didn't manage to go past the firewall. This is a hard blow, but Donnie won't let himself be beaten so easily. He lost a fight, not the war.

Raph and the others start running out of the lab. Raph's bag is hitting Donnie's legs. Donnie's glad he's the one who made it, out of impact resistant fabric. He doesn't want any canisters to break by accident and spill on him.

The perspective of experimenting with the powerful chemical substance inside lifts his mood a little. He also has the data contained in the computer's folders saved on his USB key. Whoever was in charge of security didn't think they needed to protect the physical computers. The guards are here for that.

They pass by the guard they knocked down. He's groaning and trying to sit up straight. His eyes are going to open soon, but they'll already be gone.

They'll be gone, and Donnie won't have managed to beat the firewall and its mysterious programmer.

Unacceptable.

They exit the building and jump on the rooftop.

"You can put me down now," Donnie tells Raph. He makes sure to sound resigned.

Raph does.

Casey

Casey forces his tense shoulders to relax. The mission is a success, and what's more, they didn't suffer any casualties.

This is something to celebrate, something to be proud of…

"Donnie, come back!" Master Raphael roars.

Casey turns around and blinks. Master Raphael is running after Master Donatello who's making a rush for the university building.

"What's the matter?" he asks.

"Donnie hates losing," Master Michelangelo says, trying to pick up the bag that Master Raphael let fall in his hurry. It's too heavy for him, and all he can do is drag it on the rooftop.

"Let me help you," Casey says.

Between the two of them, they manage to lift the bag. It's heavy indeed; but then, Master Raphael was always a force of nature.

Said force of nature is coming back right now, carrying Master Donatello on his shoulder once again.

"I'll make you regret this," Master Donatello says as he kicks and hits his brother's shell. "You shouldn't stand between me and my prey. I shall have my revenge upon you!"

Casey shudders. A crossed Master Donatello is a terrifying sight to behold.

But Master Leonardo is grinning, and Master Raphael remains unfazed.

"Sure, Donnie. Whatever you say."

Master Raphael picks up the bag of canisters from Casey and Master Michelangelo to carry it on his back, next to his brother, and Master Donatello's kicking slows down considerably. Casey smiles. It feels weird to see them like that, so... young.

They deserve the happiness. They've sacrificed so much… Or they would have, if Casey hadn't burst into the past to change their future.

He did what had to be done. He saved countless people, and he saved them…

Casey thinks about his childhood, about his training and the missions he has completed, both on his own and with them. His whole life has been about fighting for survival, his own and others'. He has never been as carefree as the turtles around him–he was never allowed to.

Casey jumps from rooftop to rooftop, following the others. He's lost in his thoughts, but he's still instantly on guard when his companions stop.

There is a shadow on the rooftop in front of them, someone dragging something big. It looks like a spare part of the Kraang spaceship. Casey doesn't recognize the person, though. Friend or foe?

The person suddenly realizes they're being watched. They drop their loot and jump towards Casey and the others.

And Casey freezes.

"April! Guys! What are you doing here?"

Casey can't say a word, can't make a move, can barely think. He knows the young woman in front of him. She's the person whose death broke his heart, when he was nine and unable to defend people from the Kraang.

She's his mother.

"Oh, Cassandra! What are you doing here?" April's smile is strained, not that Casey's able to care.

"I'm helping to clean the city," Cassandra says. "And you…" She turns around them, poking at Master Raphael and Master Leonardo's bags. "You've been busy!" She smirks. "Please tell me this is dangerous."

"Yes, it is," Master Leonardo says.

"Niiiiice." One of Cassandra's eyes twitches. "I want in."

"We're already done." Master Leonardo spares a concerned glance at Casey. "We're going home."

"Oh." Cassandra's shoulders sag.

"Next time for sure," April tells her soothingly.

Cassandra straightens up and put her hands on her hips. "You better don't forget Cassandra Jones." She watches them proudly, and her gaze stops on Casey.

Casey's body is made of stone, except for his knees. His knees are like jelly.

"Who's that?" Cassandra asks April. "He looks a bit… strange."

"Ooooh, him?" April's voice is high-pitched. "He's, uh. He's our new friend Casey! He helped us save the world."

"Casey?"

Cassandra comes close to him, so close he can breathe her scent. She pats his back, so hard he almost doubles over.

"I like your name!" she laughs. "So where are you from?"

He didn't get to say goodbye, he couldn't hug her one last time. He never saw the body, or what was left of it.

But here, in this new world that will never become like his own, she's alive. She's smiling. He has seen her on pictures on April's phone, but this is different.

This feels so much more real.

His vision is getting blurry, but he still sees her move away. Casey wants to tell her to stay with him. If only his tongue would obey him.

"I think I broke him," she whispers to April. "He's not very solid, is he?"

Casey's throat lets out a small, ridiculous noise. Master Michelangelo puts an arm around his shoulders.

"This situation is a lot for him," April answers. She's sending panicked glances left and right, as if she doesn't know what to do.

Cassandra frowns. "There is something you're not telling me. What is it?"

April lets out a strangled laugh. "Me? Something I'm not telling you? Of course not."

Now Cassandra's eyes are bulging. "I HATE being kept out of the loop," she roars. "Tell me what it is NOW. Or else."

April grins sheepishly, but it's Master Donatello who answers.

"But of course. Casey came from the future to warn us about the Kraang, and he helped us change our present. He's your son, which means that there might be two male Casey in this world at some point. It totally breaks the space-time continuum, but so far the world seems to be fine. I'm aiming at explaining this in my next PhD thesis."

Cassandra watches him before exploding in laughter.

"You're always so funny," she manages to say. "Alright. I have to go. See you later!"

She passes by Casey as she leaves, and before Casey can understand what's happening, he's on the ground and she's stepping on his stomach.

"If I ever have a son, I'll raise him better than that," she says. "The poor thing can't even fight. Maybe you should teach him, this world is dangerous."

"Cassandra!" April says, her tone reproachful.

"See you later, April," Cassandra says, and she jumps on the rooftop she came from.

Casey doesn't even think about picking himself up as he watches her take her loot and leave. Nobody says a word for what seems like an eternity, until Master Leonardo crouches next to him.

"Casey? Are you with us?"

He seems genuinely worried, and Casey remembers him standing over his makeshift bed, days after Casey's mother died and he was refusing to talk to anyone.

He's not a kid anymore, and she's not dead.

He forces his body to move and sit down. "I'm okay," he says. "I just… I guess I wasn't ready."

His vision is still blurry, though, so maybe he's not as okay as he wants them to believe.

"I'm sorry," April says. "We should have anticipated this."

"It's not your fault." Casey has tried to prepare himself for this, after he saw the pictures on April's phone. He's rehearsed dozens of different speeches. He should have been able to at least greet her.

Now she's left, thinking that Casey's a weakling unable to defend himself.

Maybe she won't want him in her life. Maybe she'll never believe his story.

Maybe both.

He wipes his eyes furiously. He can't give in to the pain. She's alive, and she'll stay so. This is what matters. This is what they all worked so hard to achieve.

"Let's go," Master Leonardo says softly, in the same tone he has used thousands of times before, and Casey follows him.