This is a TMNT one-shot based on the Wastelands episodes with some DonApril from the 2k12 series. This is M for Mature viewers, it contains sexual content, profanity, and graphic scenes. I do not own any TMNT in any way and this is all fan made. How Donnie became Metalhead one-shot. Enjoy!
Donetello was in his lab hunched over his computer working on a program, as Metalhead lay on a table hooked up to all manner of wires connecting to a console. He was working on something huge, something that would make it possible for MetalHead to receive a signal through his latest neural transmitter. Thanks to studying Kranng and Utrom tech for the past decade he had developed a neural transmitter capable of broadcasting the consciousness of a living organism to an AI housing software. In Mikey terms, Donnie could become Metalhead saving them from the usual problems like poor signal, or a faulty button. The programming was almost complete and would sync with an AI that could hold all of his consciousness. It would not be long now as Donny imagined it, controlling Metal head through his own mind instead of through a controller, camera, and headset. He would be able to see through the eyes of a machine while still being himself, he thought gleefully. He continued to think that if his calculations are correct he wouldn't even need a body anymore if the link was made.
I could live forever as an impervious, powerful robot constantly learning, seeing the world change through the eons.
Donnie shook himself out of such a fantasy almost as soon as he dreamt it. Sure, it was very possible from the look of his data that he could live forever as a robot but he would miss certain things. Eating for one, how depressing would it be to watch his brothers gorge themselves on pizza and he wouldn't even feel hungry, no matter how hard he might try. Next was touch, as he thought of the last time April kissed him. A month ago she had stopped by the lair on her way to the airport, leaving to cover the latest injustice on the other side of the country, which consisted of a long list of mutant and human rights violations. Before she left, she kissed him goodbye in the doorway of his lab like it was the most natural acurrance. He had been seeing her nearly every day since the year began.
Casey always seemed to find a way to make April lose her peace of mind but she could always find it again in the dojo training or in meditation. She could find it on the couch watching a movie with everyone, drinking a cup of calming tea Master Splinter taught her how to make. Especially during her most recent visits, she found it in Donnie's arms as they slept away the exhaustion of love making. They had tried to be intimate with each other as teens years ago but Donnie's nerves and hesitation proved to be too much for him. So he came to the conclusion that April would be much happier with Casey Jones. Casey could give her everything Donnie could not and with swaggering confidence.
Now thinking back, it was the beginning of this year on New Year's Day, April fuming, pacing in the lair, and confirming that they were definitely not together anymore. That she had no idea what she ever saw in that meatheaded, sloppy, asshat, her words, and Donny felt a familiar rush of excitement. He didn't want to lead this feeling along though as April appeared emotionally vulnerable. He was determined to be what he always was, her best friend. But in the weeks that followed their hugs goodbye grew longer, skin would brush up against skin more than ever, and glances were met with blushing but pleased faces.
The tension came to a precipice one night as she came in to the lab with cold drinks and wearing booty shorts and a cropped hoodie, her red hair loose around her gorgeous face. Donny realized at the sight of her, that if he wanted to be with her he could not hesitate or be nervous any longer, he had to be ninja, calm and confident, after all he wasn't sixteen anymore. Gentle at first to see if her feelings were mutual, he held her after putting their drinks down on his desk. This was the first time ever April felt so completely at peace, in Donnies strong but gentle embrace. She was quite amused though that a few minutes into the hug she could feel his hands roaming up her cropped hoodie. She peeled away, but was surprised to see fire in his brown eyes, and a hunger that left her feeling subdued already. To Donnie's delight her blue eyes were filled with the perfect ratio of excitement and fear that made thrill, as he moved her face up, bringing their lips together. Her lips were soft and trembling but she held his hand to her face as she put her own hand on his cheek. Donnie's other hand hooked her waist making April flinch with need as she responded by throwing her arms around Donnie, pressing her mouth against his desperately. In a single motion he picked her up by her thighs and set her down on the nearest clear surface. That night Donnie would not ask if she wanted to stop, if he was doing it right, or if he should slow down. He was going to take what he wanted from her, making April realize something about her previous relationship.
Casey would take what he wanted too and she loved getting lost in his passion and desire. However Casey did and would not give her nearly as much as he took. In Donnie's arms she could feel him taking from her, but also giving her so much as he always had. Since the day he saved her life for the first time, and told her his name, he had given her so much. Donnie did take from every inch of April's body that night. His large finger was inside her making beckening motions within as he licked and kissed her breasts. He listened earnestly to her gasping his name as it made him shiver. He stared into her beautiful ocean blue eyes, watching her writhe, the need burning brighter. Ecstasy surged through April's body, overwhelming her senses. Donnie's newfound intensity and confidence excited her that she wouldn't dare ask him to stop. Instead she begged for it without needing to speak, how elevated her moans and whimpers became, and by stripping away her drenched booty shorts.
They both looked deep into each other's eyes, searching for even the slightest trace of doubt as they panted. When none could be found, April eagerly reached for Donnie's erect member making him flinch at first. She stoked him gently as his body relaxed to the first touch of a woman, making sure to savor the moment. April watched him twitch and flinch in her hands and enjoyed it as he made his own cute noises and moans. April could not resist lining him up against her, rubbing his flowering tip on her wet flesh. Despite Donnie's rather large lotus tipped anatomy they became one that night, stifling each other's moans with deep kisses and hands as they brought one another to climax upon what was Donnie's lab bench. From that day till the morning she left they were enthralled, tapping into an innocent love that they thought they had to abandon in their youth, only to find that time and adversity had matured it.
Donnie brought his mind back from sweet reminiscing to what he thought would be a fate worse than death. As MetalHead he would have to watch everyone he knows and loves die while he remains on earth alone as an ageless hunk of metal and wires. Life took on a new definition with the death of Master Splinter, that life was fragile, time was precious, and being here in the flesh was priceless. With all that in mind he finished up on the last complex command sequence for the program, and tested the synchronization. Just because he wouldn't want to be Metalhead forever did not mean he'll never want to be Metalhead, even just for a day. While the neural transmitter's AI and Metalhead's interface synced, Donnie checked the time on his T-Phone, 9:34 pm. According to April's flight itinerary she should be over Lake Michigan right now, scheduled to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport at 6:30 am tomorrow. Donnie sprawled out in his chair listless, feeling every minute on the clock tick by awaiting her arrival. A few moments later his computer chirped, signaling the sync was complete and the simulated trials concluded it's compatibility was at 100%. The only thing left to do was test it. Donnie was just getting up to take a well deserved break when he felt something in the air, like a low buzzing. The ground started to tremble ever so lightly and his heart was almost beating out his chest.
Something terrible is happening, but what and from where?
Donnie headed to the living room to see Raph huffing from the garage, looking around frantically as the tremors began to grow steadily.
"Do you know what the hell is goin' on?"
"No, I have know idea what this is," Donnie replied as the shaking became so violent it almost brought them both to their hands and knees.
Raph yelled out,"We gotta get out before the street falls in on us!"
Raphael and Donetello made a break for the turnstiles as the ceiling of their living room began to crack and shift. The rumbling was so loud now and was combined with the sudden crunch of falling debris. Donnetello was just about to clear the entrance of the lair when the world went dark in an instant. It happened so quickly, like the time it takes to blink. He didn't realize that he had lost consciousness until he awoke to the sound of muffled yelling. It was dark, dusty, and Donnie could not feel most of his left side or legs, but through the ring in his ears he could hear someone calling to him. The yelling grew louder and suddenly a light broke through the darkness.
"DONNIE!
Raph was pulling the last of the rubble off of Donnie, his eyes and voice shaking.
"We gotta get outta here ok, I'm gonna carry you out of here, let's go, come on!"
"R-Raph, no," Donnie could barely speak let alone shake his head in protest.
"Donnie we have to find you a doctor, we got to get to Leo and Mikey, so we can find someone to fix you up," said Raph trembling as he tied off sections of Donnie's body
"R-Raph I w-won't m-make it"
"Yes you will damn it! Now don't talk right now, please just don't talk." Raph swiped away hot tears from his face as he began to gather Donnie up in his arms
"Raph its r-really bad i-isn't it?"
Raph's breath hitched in his throat and he lowered his head, he couldn't hide the severity from his brainiac younger brother. But he didn't reply, instead he held back a sob as he lifted Donnie up from the rubble. Donnie could see from up in Raphs arms the inside of the lab as the wall that separated it from the living room was now on the floor.
"W-wait Raph the l-lab! There is s-somthing, in the lab, it m-might w-work."
"In the lab? Ok we're goin, just hang on.'" Raph did not want to argue with whatever Donnie had in mind, if there was even a chance to save his brother, even if it cost him his own life, Raph would take it. The lab stood mostly intact but more importantly Metalhead, the neural transmitter, and Donnie's computer seemed to have survived the sudden cave in as well as his backup generator. Everything they needed was here.
"T-the chair n-next to Metalh-head."
Raph placed Donnie in the chair and Donnie could at last see what state he was in. Both his legs twisting in broken positions from his knees all the way to his feet, and strips of flesh and muscle hung loosely. His left arm was also mangled and torn but he could not feel any pain. He still had his right arm and it looked healthy enough but he couldn't move it.
It must be my shell and my spine and I feel really cold but warm inside so internal bleeding too.
They would have to work quickly while Donnie was still conscious.
"R-Raph the helmet w-with the w-wires in it, put it on m-me."
Raph did as he was told. Donnie, as weak as he was, guided Raph through his AI program to connect it with the neural transmitter. The AI successfully picked up on Donnie's brain activity and followed up with a detailed scan of his brain. This would ensure that all of Donnie's consciousness and memories would be transferred to the AI, much like copying data and pasteing it elsewhere. The brain scan was complete within a minute and the program was ready to commence broadcasting, all that remained was inputting the final command code. Raphael hesitated over the keys.
"R-Raph do it."
"Donnie, are you sure about this?"
"W-why? You w-want me to die?" Donnie wheezed out sarcastically.
"No how can you- look it's just that- is this what you really want?"
"No, but i-its m-my only c-chance. Do it."
Raph looked into his brother's dying brown eyes, wishing there was another way but knowing in his heart that there was none. They were both out of time. He inputted the command code and pressed "Enter". He turned to his brother Donnie, seeing him smile wearily, closing his eyes and drifting off. Just as it had earlier, the world around Donnie went dark, but this time gentler. He felt cold for just a moment longer than he felt nothing at all. He knew somehow that he was still conscious so he opened his eyes, but they did not open so much as switch on like that of a monitor. He was on his back looking at the ceiling of the lab and turned to see Raph quietly sobbing holding a green body in his arms across from him.
"Raph!"
Raph looked up bewildered, mid sob.
"D-Donnie?!"
"Raph it's me."
He let go of what Donnie now realized was his own lifeless body. Raph staggered over to him crying but smiling.
"I can't believe it worked, it's you. Donnie you did it, you're alive!"
Donnie brought a metal hand up to his face and saw that he had done it, the broadcasting of his consciousness into Metalhead was successful. Raph hugged him in relief but Donnie could not feel his embrace. He looked at his broken body sitting in the examination chair across from him, his olive green skin already beginning to turn pale and his brown eyes closed forever. There was no going back now. Donnie patted Raph on the shoulders to unwrap himself, Raph took a step back and looked back over at Donnie's remains.
"What happens now?" Raph asked
"Now we go find everyone, and make sure they're ok." Donnie replied.
"But what about your body Donnie? We can't just leave it here."
"Raph I couldn't go back now even if I wanted to, it's too late."
"I can see that Donnie, but we can not just leave you here like this."
"We won't, I promise we will take care of me, but please, not until we know that everyone is alive and safe."
Raph closed his eyes as if in pain, resting his hands on his hips. He sighed, shaking his head at the ground. He then looked up in compliance.
"Alright, let's make our way out of here and find Leo and Mikey."
"Ok just give me about ten minutes, I have to get used to the motor functions, go grab anything you can that wasn't destroyed in the meantime."
"Fine, Just hurry up."
Donnie nodded and sat his new body up on the table pulling the cords from his new head carefully out one by one. He saw through the optics a series of options had digitally appeared. There was 'diagnostics', 'calibration', and 'synchronization'. With what seemed like just a thought from Donnie, 'diagnostics' was selected.
Wow. Nice response times, the AI and Metalhead are doing great together.
The optics presented a diagram and requested that several motions be performed. Donnie followed along to the instructions, listening to the sound of his mechanical body clanging and whirling. With the last step the diagnostics were complete, Donnie found his med kit and ran to meet Raph who was carrying a full knapsack. Donnie wanted to try to contact his brothers on their T-Phones before leaving. Just like earlier, the very thought of this caused a list of contacts to appear in Donnie's sights.
"Before we leave I'm going to try to call Leo and Mikey," Donnie announced.
"You want to borrow my phone?"
"No it's ok, I have access to our network from here."
Raph's eyes widened as Donnie mind selected both Leonardo and Michalangelo's names from the list of contacts right above April's
April. She better be ok up in the air.
Both phones rang but there was no answer, so together Donnie and Raph resolved to go to the surface and find their brothers. They discovered that the tunnel through the garage was still in one piece, as well as the Shellraiser. They hopped in and made their way through the tunnel to their entryway leading to the city streets. Along the way a wall of rubble blocked their path so the brothers exited their vehicle and got to work clearing the blockage. Donnie was impressed with his new found strength and stamina. His muscles didn't tear or feel sore after clearing away the chunks of concrete because now they were just hydraulics and steel rods. He was even able to pick up a rather large piece with one metal hand and throw it away from them. Raph paused in awe at his brother's new ability and scoffed at how easily he just lobbed away a huge piece of the sewer.
"Wow Donnie, you been workin' out? "
Raph was happy to see Donnie could still take a joke, even as a robot.
Donnie chuckled and sighed out, "Nope, it's a new upgrade, just in time for the end of the world."
"Pfft 'upgrade' good one. What kind of upgrade makes you go from being the tallest to the shortest instantly?"
It just dawned on Donnie as he looked at Raph's smirking face. It was true, Donnie as Metalhead only lined up with Raph's chest now, and even Mikey was as tall as Raph. He doubled over at the sweet irony and Raphael joined in.
"Oh wow, that was solid. You got me good."
Yup, he's still Donnie
The way was clear enough to continue so they returned to the Shellraiser. As they crossed the threshold they could see the devastation for what it was on the surface. New York, the city of skyscrapers and dreams, had been reduced to a dusty charred wasteland, the towering buildings were mounds of their former selves. Nothing tall stood here anymore. Everything else appeared to have been blown away by a massive force. Donnie was accessing the Shellraiser's network, and the combined data indicated that there was a radius to the destruction, and that New York was not the only victim. Emergency notices from several hours ago had been sent from every major city in the world, all within a few minutes of each other. They described some kind of explosion and for citizens to seek shelter, but Donnie looked further to find that there were no updates after these initial reports, no follow up, no status reports, nothing.
"Donnie, what do you think did all this?" Raph asked looking all around as he drove through the devastated streets
"Whatever it was, it didn't just hit New York, there are reports from all over the world of numerous massive explosions."
Suddenly Raph hit the brakes hard, yelling out as he did.
"Raph what is it?! what happened!?" asked Donnie after almost falling out of his seat.
But he didn't answer, Raph was staring through the windshield at what looked like a survivor. But on closer inspection Donnie could see it was not. There in the middle of the street, frozen in anguish, were two charred skeletons, the larger of the two seemed to be still trying desperately to shield the other much smaller one from oblivion. Donnie did not speak as he turned to the door to go out and assess them. As he exited the Shellraiser he saw others like them, forever stilled in their last moments laying on the ground, crawling for their lives, or protecting someone dear to them. As Donnie walked toward them, his optics started to show data his sensors were interpreting from the air and his surroundings. A chemical reading from the resulting scan showed high levels of mutagen residue on the charred remains before him, as well as lower levels in the air.
That must have been the cause of the explosions. Sure mutagen is extremely volatile but if someone was able to weaponize it why didn't these people just mutate. And who would do this to the whole earth and how. How would the blast have affected us as mutants or would we have ended up-
Donnie's computing thought process was interrupted by a crash from inside the Shellraiser. He rushed over, opened the door and saw smashed instruments and a seat that had been ripped apart.
"Raph?!"
He couldn't see him at first but then caught sight of him sitting in the back, on the floor with his head in his hands, shaking. Donnie closed the door behind him and walked over to his brother slowly. He sat down beside him putting his metal arm around Rapheal's shoulders.
"Donnie all these people- the whole world is- and Leo and Mikey they could be out there like that- and we weren't with them-"
"I know Raph but we will find them, no matter what state they're in, we will find them and help them however we can."
In that moment on the floor of the Shellraiser, Donnie went searching through his contacts again thinking about April. He wanted to know something, anything, no matter how much it hurt. The phone did not ring though, there was no dial tone, instead a readout appeared, 'error no signal', a usual response for any broken T-Phone. If Donnie took anything with him from his previous body it was his heart because he could feel it breaking. He could not feel the warmth from his brother as he held him, or the cold steel floor of the Shellraiser, but he did at that moment feel loss, uncertainty, and indescribable grief. There was a very real chance that the love of his life had died, perhaps in the same way these poor souls around them had, along with his brothers. He wanted to cry but he could not feel his eyes as he once had. Raphael, trembling next to him, now looked like he had when he was pulling Donnie from the rubble, scared that he had lost something precious to him without even getting a chance to fight back. Donnie still wanted to hold on to some hope, that there was a possibility. Otherwise he would never have decided to be Metalhead and would have just died in Raphael's arms, leaving him in this broken world to suffer alone. Even if they did find Leo and Mikey incinerated to bone we would still be able to do something for them. Even if he never saw April again, he could go on searching for a sign, even the slightest trace of her, and at least be able to say goodbye. Donnie did not want to go searching alone though.
"Raph, you and me together, we can find everyone, or at least we can find out what happened to them, we have to, we owe it to them."
Raph got up pushing robot Donnie away as he came to his feet.
"Donnie, they could just be dead like everybody else on earth right now, what's the point!"
"Raph at least then we'd know for sure." Donnie trying to meet his eyes.
"Well you don't know that they're alive!"
"Would you rather stay here with the dead Raph?"
"Ye-No!"
"Well then we should go out and look for them, even if they are dead, at least then they won't be alone!"
"Arrgh!" Raph punched the robot with his brother's voice and heart inside of it in the head, but he fell to his knees, holding his hand, groaning in pain.
"Raph? Are you ok? Are you hurt?"
"Just shut up Donnie! I'm such a fuckin' idiot." Raph slumped over sobbing.
Donnie sighed long and hard,
"No Raph you're not an idiot." He put his metal hands on Raph's shoulders.
"I really do think we can find them, we can still help them, but we need to do it together."
Raph looked up in defeat at his robot brother, feeling hope radiating from him despite the fact that he was now made of metal, compelling him to get to his feet. He stared at the floor in shame as he stood up, sniffling.
"I'm sorry Donnie."
"Oh Raph it's alright, I didn't even feel it"
This was meant to make him feel better, but Raph just looked once more at Donnie, more defeated as pity for his brother stung his heart and made his eyes water. Donnie saw the emotions in Raph's face, feeling his own heart drop from the weight of his words. What has been done could not be undone, Donnie knew this thinking back to his old body, lifeless in the dark. His fate was sealed. Donnie took his brother's hands in his metal ones.
"Raph I made my choice to go on like this because I did not want to leave you, or our family. I know what this means, I am willing to sacrifice it all, even if it means I just get this one chance. Now, will you take that chance with me?"
Raph clenched the metal hands holding his own, the resolve coming back to his face and heart.
Raph cleared his throat, "Ok Donnie, I will, and you're right, we owe it to them all."
Thus their search began with a three point turn away from the burnt victims and into the unknown night ahead of them. Their mission: Find their family or at the very least discover their fates, no matter how long it takes, and no matter the cost.
