Title: Assumed Dead
Day: Febuwhump 2023, Day 25: Assumed Dead
Fandom: TMNT 2023
Word Count: 1082
Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl
Rating: T
Characters: April O'Neil
Warning: Talk of Death
Summary: April O'Neil refuses to believe that the guys are dead, despite what Karai told her. But after a month with no information, contact, or news, she can't help but wonder what if Karai was right, and what if April assumed the were dead?
Notes: Takes place between "Scion of the Shredder" and "Prodigal Son"
Assumed Dead
April sat in her shop, leaning over her counter, propped on her elbows. She looked over the photos and newspaper articles spread before her, looked at her own information, and decidedly didn't look at the damaged sign Karai had left with her.
She'd had no contact with any of the guys in weeks. In fact, it had been nearly a month at this point. She couldn't raise anyone on the shell cell. It had acted like it was fried, a safety feature April knew that Donatello had put in just in case the shell cells became a liability. She's cracked it open and repaired it, because while she wasn't a genius on Donatello's level, she could repair basic electronics easily enough. It hadn't been enough, though. There were no other shell cell signals, and no one ever answered her calls.
She'd thought about trying to go down to the lair, talked with Casey about it. They were both anxious to find out what had happened to the guys, but they also knew that poking their noses in too far was dangerous. They could more than protect themselves in most situations, but neither of them was foolish enough to think that they could take on trained ninjas.
Casey had hit the streets, investigating and trying to find any sightings of the guys. No one he had talked to had seen them. Angel hadn't heard anything either. April had hacked her way into Don's program that allowed him to catch any and all footage or conversation about them in the city or online. Nothing. The only chatter about them was wondering where they had gone.
And then there was what Karai had said.
April had been too stubborn and too suspicious to take Karai at her word. There was no way that she had actually managed to kill the guys. April had been sure of it. They'd faced worse odds before and come out of it alive.
Except… they had been at full strength then, not missing one of their own.
Except… they had almost died once before, only saved through an unseen intervention.
Except… there'd been no news of them or sightings or anything at all for a month.
April leaned down and put her head in her hands. What could she do? How could she confirm this? Karai had the Sewer Sweet Sewer sign that had hung in the lair for as long as April had been visiting. Don had told her once that it had come from their old lair, the one before the one she knew and had been with them for years. April recognized the dings and dents and scratches in it. She had no doubt that this had come from the lair. And if Karai had it, then that meant that she had been in the lair. And there was no way she could have been in the lair without it being a fight. And if it was a fight that Karai had come out of this comfortably…
April didn't want to follow that train of thought. She didn't want to think about what that meant. She didn't want to assume that the guys were dead. But the evidence was stacked against her. The evidence pushed what Karai had said.
April's breath caught in her throat as the idea settled over her. It was the first time she'd truly allowed herself to consider it. It made her sick at her stomach and she suddenly felt like she couldn't raise her head up as she stared sightlessly down at the pictures on her counter.
If she assumed they were dead, then that meant—
Mikey, with his brightness and enthusiasm for life was snuffed out. She's never get to encourage his superhero dreams again, never get to hear his excited storytelling, never get to see him juggle her most breakable items without causing harm to them.
Raph, with his passion and drive was gone. She'd never get to try to guide that passion in a direction with a sympathetic listening ear, never get to see the fire within him, never see that unfailing and unwavering love for his family that he extended to her.
Donnie, with his brilliant and creative mind was ended far too soon. She'd never get to talk over unorthodox and brilliant ideas with him again, never help him write and build schematics, never get to talk about the latest and most brilliant scientific discoveries again.
Master Splinter, with his wisdom and humor was silenced. She'd never sit companionably with him again, never get that fatherly touch and wisdom from him, never again get to just sit and share tea and life with him.
And Leo, poor Leo. He'd come back from Japan, find his home in shambles, his family missing. If Karai didn't get him then, he'd come to April, and she'd have to tell him that his family was dead. She'd have to tell him that she had no idea where the bodies were, if they had been buried or if they had been rotting where they died or even if they'd been taken for scientific study or as trophies.
April put a hand over her mouth, that thought alone enough to make her sick. If she assumed they were dead, then she had to assume all of that too and that was something that she literally couldn't stomach.
A sob worked its way out of her, and then another, and then one more. April took a breath in and held it. No. No she wasn't going to assume that. No, she wasn't going to assume that they were dead until she had proof. She couldn't. She wasn't going to stop looking for them, wasn't going to give up.
She would not assume that they were dead.
It just wasn't acceptable, and that's all there was do it.
April took another breath and straightened up, calming herself and taking all of the emotions she had just felt and channeling them into determination. She looked at the photos and newspaper clippings in front of her, and she reached over and picked up the Sewer Sweet Sewer sign. Karai may have had this, but all that proved was that she had been in the lair. It didn't prove that the guys were dead, and April wasn't going to base her entire thesis off of one piece of evidence. She was a better scientist than that. No, she'd keep researching, until she found what she was looking for.