Ok, so that new episode was so freaking amazing and emotional and oh my gosh! I really wanted to find a way to put Slash in here, but it was impossible for this chapter. I have some ideas for later though. *evil grin* Enjoy!
It's two days later and Donnie is thankfully in his lab when he hears her voice coming from his t-phone. It makes him jump and fumble the tools he had been handling. He sighs in aggravation before it dawns on him what's really going on. His eyes shoot open and he practically dives for the t-phone.
"Donnie I swear these mutant powers are the best thing ever." She doesn't wait for acknowledgement. "I feel great. Well, mostly great. Great on the scale of how I should be feeling. You know what I mean?"
Donnie mashes the volume button until it's low and any of his passing family members won't chance hearing her. "What are you talking about?" Donnie holds his breath for her injuries being healed, half because he wants her to be well and half for selfish reasons of getting out of their mission.
Alopex laughs. "You can see when you get out here." She knows perfectly well what he is trying to do. "Otherwise," She stretches the word out and Donnie can hear the grin there. "you might never know how I'm doing."
Donnie sticks has tongue out without thinking. He feels like an idiot afterward, but at the same time has the sense that she knows what he's doing anyway. Her laughter tells him so. "So do you want me to come now?" He looks furtively around to make sure no one is around.
"Yeah," Alopex's voice is strangely serious. "I only have till tomorrow to do this. It's my last chance." Donnie imagines he can hear her swallow she is so worried. But that in itself is a contradiction. Even hurt, she was never worried. He wonders if it's a part of her personality her animal makes worry a little used emotion, impossible even.
"Alright," Donnie nods as if she is there. "I'll be right out." He turns on the tracker. Everyone shows up, one disconcertingly far from the lair, but he quickly dismisses it and finds her coordinates. It's the only other one so far away.
He tucks the t-phone away on his belt and leaps up from his seat. He scampers around the room and gathers up a few tools which he hooks on his belt that might help him if his brain alone isn't enough. It usually is though. He then slinks out of the room and across the lair, careful to avoid everyone's sight even if he had to pass just feet behind them.
Once Donnie is out of earshot he breaks into a run. He goes halfway to his destination beneath the surface. Then he climbs up a ladder and surfaces into a world scarcely brighter than his world in the sewers. The stars a blotted out by the brilliant lights of the city yet those lights are not enough to quail the darkness of the night. It wraps itself around Donnie and for any normal person would chill them to the bone from the fear of all the crime recently.
He, however, knows well those evils and also those not so evil. He is nearly there in the mass of light and darkness when he turns a corner and plows right into someone. He stumbles back and barely saves himself from falling over the obstacle was so stout.
"What the hell?" A familiar voice snarls. The sound is more frightening than anything Donnie has witnessed in a long time, but not because he is afraid of the person themselves. He's afraid of how he will explain himself. "Donnie?" They say as they turn to see him.
Donnie freezes. "Raph?" He gasps. His heart beats wildly against his chest and his throat constricts. His eyes widen and he has the alarming desire to turn and run like hell away from his brother and the whole situation.
Raph stares blankly for a moment. Then a deep frown creases his face and he narrows his eyes at Donnie. "What are you doin' out here?" He puts away his sais and crosses his arms.
Donnie looks frantically about himself, as if the answer is somewhere in the vast darkness. His palms become sweaty and his mind becomes frenzied. "I-" His eyes widen then narrow quickly. "Me? What about you?" He points. "You didn't even tell anyone you were leaving!"
Raph snorts. "And you did?" He notes the fading signs of his brother's would be panic attack. He knows Donnie too well to miss such obvious markers, especially since when they were children Splinter trained them to pick up on it in order to prevent it from escalating. Now, Donnie controls them much better.
Donnie ducks his head. "No." He's not like Raph. He can't lie unless he prepares himself to. "But I…I was just coming to look for parts." He's practiced this lie for Leo and Splinter. It was a lie to protect Alopex. "For a new project." He gives Raph a sharp look. "I beat you were out here beating people up."
Raph smirks. "You know me too well. But not tonight." He watches his brother's face crease with confusion and a question before continuing. "I'm just out for a run. Y'know, get some fresh air and all that." He waves his hand around.
Donnie looks at him as if he is stupid. It slowly changes to knowing disbelief. "You just want to annoy Leo, don't you?" They'd argued earlier and Raph had stormed off to his room while Leo went to Splinter. It was about only going out together and of course Raph would purposefully disobey.
"What? Nooo." Raph grins from ear to ear and his face is lit up like Donnie has only seen when he's spiting one of them. "Why would I do that? It's wrong."
"Exactly." Donnie shakes his head. "Well, I won't tell if you don't tell." He holds his hand up in a sort of shrug.
Raph contemplates him for a moment, much longer than he usually spends on anything. "Hmm…alright!" He shrugs. He shoots past Donnie, back into his run. "And remember!" He calls over his shoulder. "Act appropriately freaked out in the morning when I'm not there."
Donnie sighs, but he can't conceal the edge of amusement. "Yeah, yeah…" He says to himself. He smiles softly. After sparring him an interrogation, Donnie would do just about anything for Raph right now. This very nearly turned ugly.
Donnie takes a step forward when another body lands before him. He starts and stumbles backward, only this form is much easier to identify.
Alopex lands with most of the force on her hands and her one leg held straight, completely off the ground. "Hey there."
Donnie huffs and scowls at her as she rises into a standing position, one he notices is still only on a single foot. "What the heck was that for?"
Alopex props herself against the building and flashes him a wicked grin. "Fun. And also to see if I could jump down and land with only one good foot." She gives a thumbs up. "I totally can and it looked completely awesome. Am I right or am I right?"
Donnie rolls his eyes, smiling despite himself. "Mostly you just scared me to death."
Alopex snickers. "Like I said – fun." She shifts her gaze past him and the mirth fades from her face. "So you think he knew I was there?" Her brows furrow.
Donnie blinks twice. Oh. "You mean you were watching?" He gapes. Maybe it was because he was so absorbed in Raph and keeping the truth hidden, but he certainly didn't sense her presence.
"You know it." She puts a hand on her hip. A smug smile curls her lips. "But from that reaction I'm guessing you didn't." She pumps her fist in the air. "Yes. Stealth points plus ten."
Donnie chuckles. "So you're at zero again." He grins. "You still have a long ways to go. Besides, sneaking up on two people focused solely on one another doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. It only counts when there are alarms and guards. And with a landing like that you definitely have some work to do."
Alopex puffs out her lower lip. "Humph. No fair! I still have a sprained ankle." She swings her leg up almost vertical. "See?" She points.
Her emphasis is on the ankle, but all Donnie can focus on is her flexibility. His eyes practically pop out of his head as he stares. "How are you doing that?" He is pretty sure Leo can manage it and maybe Mikey if it came down to it, but he knows her can't.
Alopex laughs. "I guess it comes with the genes. Y'know, being a fox and all we're naturally more flexible than turtles."
"That just means I get extra points for doing the same things as you." He points out. "Actually," He taps his chin. "That means you get even less credit for your little stunt. Back to negatives."
"I don't even think so. No take backs!" She scowls playfully.
Donnie laughs softly. "Alright, so where are we going?" The humor in the situation dies hard as he reminds himself of the awful reason he came out here for. "Also, what are we stealing?" Do I even want to know?
Alopex nods, becoming somber. "It's just over there." She motions toward a tiny store. "I waited here so you'd track me pretty close to where we needed to be."
"Smart." The usual enthusiasm is absent in his praise. "But is this really it?" He makes a face. "It doesn't look any worse than a convenience store." It does look a little odd though. Something about it…is off. "Did you really get hurt breaking in there?"
"It's not what's in there – but underneath." She starts to make her way toward the building. "Come on. I'll show you what I mean."
Donnie follows her. As he walks by her side he finally notices her shoulder. "Hey," He peers around her to get a better look. Neither stop walking as he does. "You're shoulder's completely healed."
Alopex temporarily sheds her serious face. She jumps a little with happiness and turns sharply to better face him. "I know! It's amazing! When you said we have higher healing rates, I didn't think it was this good." She half laughs.
"Me either…" He says under his breath. He wonders if the mutagen around the city is stronger than the dose they were exposed to. He also wonders what it means for her ankle. Could she quite possibly be better by tomorrow?
"Stupid ankle though." She curses. "It's still a piece of crap and I've had to work around it to do anything." Anything like stealing. But that's a given. Saying it aloud will only upset Donnie.
Donnie wordlessly deactivates the alarm and unlocks the door. Every step of the way his conscience gnaws away at him endlessly. The little bell chimes as he pushes open the door and holds it for her.
Alopex frowns slightly. "You know I could have just picked the lock. The alarms in this place are easily avoidable." Mostly anyway. She passes through the door and stops just inside.
Donnie shrugs. A permanent frown and look of discontent marks his face. "I'm breaking every other law doing this. Might as well break them all while I'm at it." He glides along after her, letting the door shut behind him with another soft sound of the bell.
Alopex blows out a heavy breath. "Donnie," She whines. She slumps. "You're making this no fun." She moves around to the back of the register.
Donnie glares at her as he follows. "It's not supposed to be fun. And I don't know how you think it is. There's nothing fun about stealing from people – and you never told me who this was for either." He can't hide the shadow of horrid interest he has in the answer.
Alopex lights ever so slightly. She smiles as she sees his faint spark. "It's from some batty scientists who dug out a home beneath here and set this store up to cover the entrance." She points to the trap door entrance just ahead of them.
"I've got to see this." He says it without thinking, a little too eagerly too. But he doesn't stop to correct himself. He bends down to pull it open.
Alopex starts and scrambles forward. She slams her foot down hard on the door. "No!" She hisses. She forgot that she hadn't told him this bit.
Donnie jumps back. His brows knit together and his eyes widen as he snaps his gaze back to her face. "What-"
Alopex smiles almost bashfully. "Sorry. That's what got me last time. It looks harmless, right?" She tilts her head slightly. "But it's somehow hooked up to something and these horrible alarms go off and weirdo robots with teeth come out of nowhere." She chops her own teeth for emphasis.
"Wait." Donnie's eyes bulge. "Robots? You mean mousers?" His mouth goes agape. "Are you telling me we're stealing from Baxter Stockman?" He is too stunned to bother saying the fool's name wrong. Beneath the shock is the undeniable relief of it at least being a criminal he's stealing from. Baxter probably stole whatever it is in the first place.
Alopex's ears flick thoughtfully. She frowns slightly. "That sounds right…" She says half to herself. "I was only half listening after they told me the place and item." She snickers. "You know bad guys – blah, blah blah, blah blah." She moves her fingers like a mouth.
Donnie feels a panic welling in him. "So who is this for again?" He watches her carefully.
Alopex shrugs. "Dunno. The guy didn't meet me to give me the task. It was some lanky. Doesn't really matter anyway. As long as I get my money the devil himself could be giving me the job."
Donnie bites his lip. He breathes deeply in and out, telling himself that surely she is only working for a gang. Heck, maybe it's even just the Purple Dragons. A ghost of a smile crosses his lips. Then he could steal back what she gives easy.
"So," She decides she's the only one who can shift the focus. "Can you figure out how it works?"
Donnie blinks and looks up at her. "Oh, yeah." He bends down on the ground next to it and looks carefully over it. His mind is only half there though. He can't help but keep imagining all the faces of criminals as if thinking long enough will help him settle on the culprit. It takes him longer because of that, but he does find the answer.
Donnie stands. "It's more than likely pressure sensitive and the sensor can be turned off and on with a remote source."
"Ok…" Alopex says slowly. "So how are we getting past it?" She doesn't really care about how the stupid thing works. She just needs to get to the other side.
"Baxter probably has a handheld that he carries around, but there should be another one around here somewhere. There's no way a handheld has the power to set off mousers. So even if we can't turn the pressure alarm off, we can mute the sound and keep the robots sealed off – basically making the consequences of the alarm nonexistent."
"That's great Donnie." Alopex drops her head down on her knuckles. "But I really don't care. Can you please just do it?"
Donnie scowls, but there is hardly any seriousness in it. "You should care. If you really want to be a mercenary or whatever it is you are then you need to have these basic skills to get past such elementary traps." He searches for the source as he talks.
"Uh, no." She watches him as he traverses the room. "I just need to be able to kick ass, sneak around well enough to avoid unnecessary fights, be agile enough to maneuver traps, and run like hell as a last resort. Technological know-how is not in the job description."
Donnie rolls his eyes. "Yeah, well where would you be right now if I had that kind of outlook? Ah-ha!" He finds what he needs and starts tampering. "Because I'd love to see any of that stuff get you past this sensor."
Alopex imagines him giving her a cocky look even though he can't look at her right now and she narrows her eyes. "This was just stupid." She grumbles. "Even smart criminals don't rig a door in the floor. They rig the steps or something."
Donnie shakes his head. "If you say so."
"I do!" She sticks her tongue out. She turns around and shifts her gaze to the aisles before her. It looks average, really and truly. To her untrained eye there is no reason to believe that every inch of the wall converging with the floor holds a hidden door for mousers to sleep.
Donnie noticed what she still does not even when they were outside. But average people, even mutant people like Alopex, are easily fooled. "There." He eyes the mass of cords another moment, working through the likelihood of something being wrong all the while. Then he slowly steps away and returns to Alopex.
Alopex looks up. "Did it work?" There is an edge of uncertainty to her tone. She unconsciously rubs at her shoulder.
Donnie notices and smiles. "It's fine. The sensor can't communicate to the main building anymore so none of the mousers will be unleashed."
Alopex nods. She smiles back. "Alright." There is something in her eyes that Donnie associates with worry, the same worry he's sure was there earlier on the t-phone.
Donnie bends down and lifts the door. He tenses instinctively, but nothing happens. He knew it wouldn't. "Come on." He nods to the opening. There aren't stairs. It's just a sheer drop.
Alopex jumps first and Donnie follows her. "Whoa." They both breathe. They are in a massive bowl with at least twenty different paths branching off of it. The walls and floor are metallic and images of the mousers and himself stretch along a few of the paths.
Alopex snorts. "Vain, much." She walks forward toward the path directly in front of him.
"Alopex!" Donnie throws out a hand.
Alopex starts. "What?" She freezes.
"You shouldn't just go walking along like that. If Baxter rigged the door just to get into here, who knows what else he's set up." He gives a strained smile.
Alopex relaxes. "Oh, Donnie. That's where you're wrong." She moves back to him and flicks her tail toward him, running it around the curve of his face. "See, a guy like this, he's so sure of his one trap that he won't even bother setting any for the main area. Because really, who's going to get by that genius?" She says with heavy sarcasm and a wide grin. "Unless he actually catches us himself, we'll be fine from here on out."
Donnie frowns deeply. "I don't know…" Baxter is well known for his little toys. His gut says the fool will use every chance possible to try them out.
Alopex's face creases then. "Well, since it's fine from here…" She averts her gaze. "I guess you don't really have to follow me anymore. You can go home if you want." She shrugs. She manages a halfhearted smile as she looks at him again.
Donnie's eyes widen. "What?" He fully expected her to drag him all the way and maybe even be the one to take the item, to teach him a lesson about how fun it could be or whatever. But…she was letting him go?
"I know you hate this – stealing." She shrugs. "So go. You don't have to be a part of it more than you need to."
Donnie frowns deeply. He stares intently at his hands. When he looks up there is strong resolve in his brown eyes. "No. You don't really know if this is it. So," He gives a tiny smile. "I'm gonna go to the end."
Alopex's brightens. "Alright," She smirks. "But there won't be anything. You're brain is wasted here with this guy."
"Oh well." He shrugs. They move closer to the paths and fan out. Donnie scrutinizes his paths heavily and isn't even to the second one when Alopex proclaims judgment. "This one!" She points. "This has gotta be it."
Donnie peers over in her direction. He raises a brow. "Why is that?" He moves slowly over to where she stands.
"I don't know about your side, but over here it is the only way without a stupid picture on the walls. I'd bet it's the same even for your side. It means it's important." She nods to herself. "Yeah, we should take this one."
Donnie starts to protest with logic, but he lets his mouth fall shut. Maybe she's right about all this. Maybe Baxter is more in her vein of thought even though he is smarter than the average criminal. He's still a criminal and definitely a little batty. "Ok."
They move slowly down the hall, the perfect image of night and day. Donnie moves carefully, ever on the alert. Alopex looks lazily around as they go. She focuses more on the aesthetics of the building – mostly unchanging metallic nothingness. Completely bland. When they eventually reach the end neither change their stances.
Alopex, however, does turn to him with an impish grin on her face. "See? I told you. I told you there wouldn't be any other traps."
Donnie sighs. "Yeah, fine."
Alopex snickers. "Aw, come now Donnie. Don't be a sore loser." She pinches his cheek. It's almost as instinctive as her fear of people.
Donnie pulls away from her. "I'm not a sore loser." He pouts. "We weren't even playing to win…otherwise I would have never said anything." He mumbles the last part so she can't hear.
"What?" She leans forward teasingly. "I didn't catch that."
Donnie swats at her. "Just go get the thing." Whatever the thing is. He looks to the center of the room where some sort of device sets. Completely unguarded. He wonders if it's pressure sensitive too. But they're so close to done now they could outrun any traps. Probably anyway.
Alopex glides over to it and lugs it up off the table. "See? No alarm here either."
Donnie bites his lip and bows his head thoughtfully. Maybe this lack of security isn't him being cocky. Maybe he just doesn't have time to implement it. But why would that be? The last time they saw him he was with Bradford and Xever. Did that mean he was with the Foot again? Was this a secret place he went to hide from them when he could?
"Donnie," Alopex snaps her fingers in front of his face.
Donnie snaps his head up. "Huh? What?"
Alopex sighs. "I've been saying your name like ten times. It's time to go." She smiles despite herself. "You really need to think less and just live in the moment."
Donnie's eyes widen. "You…you don't say." Splinter says the same thing. To hear from someone else though, someone he barely knows, it's weird. "Well, alright. Let's get out of here."
They backtrack to the streets and it's as empty as ever. The darkness feels lighter, but that might just be because the worst of it is over for Donnie. He eyes Alopex, her soft white fur blowing gently in the wind. For her though, it's nowhere near over in any sense.
Alopex notices his tense stare and she frowns. "What? Look, I'm sorry I'm a thief." She waves her hand around flippantly. "I'd love to be able to eat leaves and junk like you. But that's not how it works. I need this."
Donnie shakes his head. "No, I mean, well, yeah, but that's not what I was thinking about this time. I…" He bites his lip. "I just don't want you to get involved with the wrong people. There are some really bad people in this city Alopex."
Alopex smiles softly. "I'll be fine Donnie." She rubs his head. "The other night…it was the exception." She shrugs.
Donnie grimaces. "If you say so." Maybe she'll just get better. He takes the idea and holds onto it for all it's worth.
Alopex nods. "I do." She leans in quickly and pecks him on the cheek. She shoots him a fleeting smirk and then she leaps away. She heads to the rooftops and makes her way to the meeting spot.
Donnie's expression is blanketed with shock. His mouth hangs open slightly as he stares vaguely at the now empty space before him. "Uh…" He touches his cheek lightly and drags his gaze around to the roofs, just catching a glimpse of her as she surges forward to the next roof.
Donnie can't tell – was she teasing? Or was there something more behind her playful action? He shakes away the shock and focuses back on the here and now. He has to get home. Leo will have enough to worry about when he realizes Raph is gone. He doesn't need to add to his brother's stress.
Alopex quickly reaches the meeting point. The deadline isn't until tomorrow night, but the messenger said someone would be here every night just in case. She looks lazily around. Her ears twitch slightly and she perks, swiveling to see another person.
"So, you pulled it off." Karai strides smoothly over to Alopex. She nods her approval and sets her hand on her hip. "Not bad."
Alopex bows her head slightly. "It was…harder than I anticipated. But yes, I got what you wanted." She narrows her eyes suddenly. "At least, I'm assuming you're the recipient. Some other guy gave me the mission, but whatever."
"That's right." Karai meets her eyes with equal intensity. "I don't have time to run around willy-nilly, so my soldiers do most the work. This, however, is very important. So I came myself." She holds her arms out for the device.
Alopex sets the item in Karai's arms. "Mind telling me exactly what this hunk of junk does?" Alopex raises a brow. "It looks useless."
Karai scoffs. "Yea, to the untrained eye I suppose it does." Alopex does miss the conceited edge in the girl's tone. "It is, however, highly valuable. It gives us the means to attain what we need without having to rely too heavily on our allies."
"Oh?" Alopex doesn't bother asking. She knows she won't get a real answer. "Well, use it however you want. I just want my payment."
"Yes," Karai says slowly. She looks away from Alopex. "But first…" She frowns and her brows knit together. "I thought I saw you with one of the turtles."
Alopex barely reacts. "Oh, you know them?" Her ear twitches faintly. Her tail swishes a little. Even so she also tenses. She's caught somewhere between wariness and hope.
A wicked smile curves Karai's lips. "You could say that."
Alopex's ears flatten. "What do you mean?"
Karai turns to meet Alopex's eyes again. There is a mischievous glint in her eyes to contrast Alopex's anger. "You have a thing for the purple one. I have a thing for the blue. Let's leave it at that." What her 'thing' is is up for debate even for herself. Sometimes it's a friendly would be a cute duo thing, other times, more recently, it's a thing of hatred and regret to hide the useless longing lingering just below the surface.
Alopex doesn't know what to make of that. And she's pretty sure that's the point. All that really matters is this girl and her affiliates know Donnie and his brothers too. And they'll probably always be watching her now. She'll have to be extra careful, extra alert.
Alopex gives a stiff smile. "Just give me my money." She holds out her hand.
"Of course." Karai purrs. She lays the money in Alopex's hand. She shifts the heavy machine into both hands. "And I look forward to working with you in the future." She leaps off the roof, out of sight.
Alopex clenches her hands into fists, wrinkling the money. She glares in the direction the girl disappeared. "Likewise." But next time she'll find out more about them. She has to know just what Donnie means to them.
What did you think? There weren't really any cool moves or anything, so sorry for that. I really liked writing this chapter though so I hope you liked it too. Please review!