CHAPTER 12: The Id and her Odyssey

The next two days for April were extremely bipolar. One moment it was hot with sweet moments between her and her Donatello. Brief moments between them, or just chilling with one another in the lab working on different projects. The next moment was cold with the reminder that she was essentially back on house arrest. With Karai now sniffing near the area where they had been before, it was certainly concerning but April couldn't help but feel like this was an over exaggerated response. April was the only one who officially knew of the feelings Leonardo had for the kunoichi, although she suspected at least Raphael had an inkling himself. This certainly wasn't a great second impression for April of the girl.

April sighed, sitting on one of the bean bag chairs in the pit of the lair, looking back at her laptop. She sort of checked out of school, she turned in her assignments but she truly was too caught up in everything to really pay any kind of attention. Casey had been keeping her some level of company through texting since she had moved into the lair but with it being hockey training season, the hooligan turned night vigilante was quite busy as of late with training camps. Irma on the other hand had for the most part accepted that April was fully online for the foreseeable future due to a lie she and the turtles had told the school, something about her and her father going out of the country for his job.

She closed out the schoolwork tab she had been using, bringing back up her second window full of her findings from the encounter the other day. Everything she had been researching was somehow related to Hunora Medical,and any kind of affiliation with The Foot and Shredder, and the Kraang in relation. Keeping all her records together in the shared folder to the lair's main PC, something that she now considers second nature when researching something with Donatello.

All in all there wasn't too much on the surface about Hunora Medical that the average person would care about, other than the fact the company was rather new, having been started in the early 80s in Singapore. Primarily the company was related to a few medical supply distribution factories in Korea and Japan, their main export and item of importance was medical grade syringes and tools used in liquid extractions, injections and even a few tools in genetic studies. That was where things got more interesting in April's opinion. Going into the rabbit hole a bit more was where more affiliated companies began to appear, including a name which April had known for a fact was in New York City, one her father had actually mentioned to her along his own work. Geno-Car Incorporated, one of the new up and coming companies tied to gyno-history, DNA construction and tampering with genetics in order to reduce birth defects and transfers of diseases. This area of science and medical study was one that was rapidly growing in size, as well as rapidly gaining attention both positively and negatively.

April scrolled through her data and information, gently chewing on the inside of her cheek in thought. Sure looking at the facts, all they really had at the moment was that the Purple Dragons who are working under the Foot, who are working alongside the Kraang have medical supplies in large companies. Honestly the issue more so now was less why they had it, honestly April could think of five different reasons alone as to why they had it. No, the puzzling bit for her was why did they have so much of it? Not to mention why were the Kraang guarding it and why had her psychic abilities picked up on something as strongly as they did?

April grumbled to herself, in all honesty she was anxiously awaiting the brothers to return home from patrol with the green light for her to get back out into the world. She hated being told what to do, let alone having her freedom revoked because of someone else's actions. It made her feel as though she was in kindergarten and someone was caught running with scissors so now no one could use scissors. Finding herself standing at the front entrance of the lair, her hot headed and intrusive nature began to spark off inside her head.

What if we just left? I mean it's not like anyone can really stop you. Splinter is meditating anyway and the boys are probably not going to be back for a bit still. Go on, you can do it! Go!

With a click of her tongue, responding in disappointment at herself for such a thought. While she did want to run free in the concrete jungle, she just felt too guilty running out on her found-family like that. While she had never been raised needing to ask for permission to wander, the one rule was to check in and let her father know about her whereabouts and offer some kind of ETA as to when she would return, but this wasn't her father nor how she had been living before. Walking away from the turnstiles as if they were calling out to her to act upon her thoughts, snatching her laptop and hurrying away to the safety of the lab.

The lab without Donatello was a cold and odd place, regardless of that though she found comfort in that. Sitting in the second computer chair that Donatello had gotten from one of their many dump runs once April had come into their lives, setting up her laptop to try and distract herself. Opening her secret projects folder where she kept many of her private projects, opening a file filled with various blueprints for robotics and other machines she had been secretly tinkering with. This was the perfect project for her right now, something that would keep her busy for hours. And for hours it did keep the teenage girl busy, honestly she had partially forgotten what she was waiting for if it wasn't for the loud chatter from the livingroom to pull her out of her schematic for a training dummy she had thought up a few months back.

Running out to meet her family in the living room, her heart sank a bit, seeing her friends a bit scuffed up and in a rather heated discussion regarding the evening that they had just had. Keeping her head low for the moment and returning to her pre-training helpful self, going around the lair to collect the basic medical supplies people would need, making sure to keep an ear out for what exactly went down. Shooting Michelangelo a welcoming smile and getting to work cleaning him up a little and offering a basic once over.

Donatello: Honestly guys with the kind of supplies they're carting around, I can't tell what their next move is! It's so..confusing.

Leonardo: That's the issue, what if they're trying to confuse us. What on earth do the Kraang need with this many warehouses of different materials from different companies?

Raphael: Not to mention the fact lil Miss. "Knife-to-meet-you" is also hanging around these warehouses. It all just stinks of bad times!

Leonardo: Guys I've been trying to tell you, Karai was also investigating the warehouses! She wasn't attacking us this time! Well..not directly.

Donatello: No of course not, that's why we all got blasted with a giant laser cannon from outer space and she got to run off completely unscathed! Do you even HEAR yourself Leo?

Mikey: Guys! You all gotta chill out! I kept sayin' we should have had April there to use her wicked mind powers to find out the truth!

April paused, applying a bandage to Michelangelo's upper bicep, feeling their glares of the three other brothers on him and her in relation to her proximity. Peeking up and offering a sheepish smile to Donatello, who in return was the first to back down. Letting out a sigh and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. April took this moment and ran with it to her advantage.

April: I mean…it is something I can do. However I promised Leo that I would remain here for the two days we agreed upon. I wouldn't want to break that promise.

She attempted to hide the smirk that spread across her face, leaving Mikey's side to start checking over Raphael who begrudgingly accepted, standing in a somewhat still t-pose. She didn't always take advantage of Leonardo's good nature and virtues, but she was dying to get back to that building, it was practically calling for her.

Leo: Thank you April for believing in my leadership. But…um…we actually agreed that you could return in two days if there was no more activity from the Foot.

The smile vanished from her face, whipping her head to look at Leonardo in shock and a dash of betrayal at his words. The tension in the room grew as Mikey and Raph began to step away, Leo already cautiously word-dumping to attempt some level of coercion on April's part. Donatello looked powerless as she slowly closed the gap between them, her face still frozen in this shocked hurt.

Leo: Now April, remember the Foot are working with the Kraang! They want you for some reason and we need to protect you! To find a cure for your father, remember!

Donnie: Leo…

April: And you think the best way for me to handle all of that, is to sit down here and twiddle my thumbs while you all do all the heavy lifting? For me to sit here and wait around like some kind of…some kind of helpless little girl?!

April grit her teeth so hard her head began to hurt, she could feel the sting of the angry tears that wanted to escape her eyes. Her nails dug into her palms so hard she could feel the pinch of her skin starting to rip from it. It was a consistent reminder that she was not normal but also not strong enough to do anything in this battle she was both the unknown prize to and victim of. Leo looked at April taken aback by her outburst, blinking at her as she continued.

April: I have had my entire world taken from me Leo, I get that you and I have lived different lives, but that doesn't make the waiting any easier! I train, I work, I try so hard to move forward but I keep getting pulled back! I respect you and your leadership but you…do you respect my cooperation and partnership?

The room was silent. Leonardo looking at the floor in thought at her words, April unable to look at anyone, bringing up something hard to swallow at times. She hated being a point of conflict, but it was hard for her to just go from living her life as she had for 16 years and now to be expected to just walk to a different beat. She had been trying, trying ever so hard to live up to everyone's requests and expectations, from her mother's dying wish all the way up to Leo's request of her to bench it, but what about what she wanted or needed? Donatello was the first to move, slipping to her side and giving her an embrace. That was the final straw for her, wrapping her arms around his waist and refusing to move. Listening to the slow exhale from Leonardo as he walked off to the bathroom to clean up after patrol, his words only twisting the knife in her chest at that moment.

Leo: Let me think about it.