So, this is the next word. All of these will follow a theme, but that doesn't mean the chapters are in chronological order. Also warning, this is a slight cross-over. There shouldn't be to many of these kinds of chapters.
The sharp clang that echoed from the kitchen was enough to make Leo pause on his way to his room. Four am in the morning was usually very quiet. Normally, it was the around the time the rest of them crashed. The time he would go into Don's lab and make go to his room; toss a blanket over Mikey if he was on the couch and bid Raph and Splinter good night if they were still up. It was their night, allowing the rest of the city to liven up and the work force to start up.
So who could be up and why the kitchen? It was too late for a snack and at the moment food was a little tight. And it would be for another week at best. Splinter would not be happy if someone was sneaking food. But for the life of him, Leo could not think of a reason for anyone to ever do such a thing. Not in this family. Not when it really mattered.
There was an almost silent curse, spoken from something that almost sounded electric in nature. Another voice started hissing at the first, speaking in beeps, whistles and trills as softly as it could. Ok, not his family. Unless Don could now speak what sounded like dial up.
Leo shifted closer, slipping up to the doorway to peek inside. To his eternal surprise the only thing he could see in the dim light were two toy action figures. He almost thought he had heard the whole thing, being more tired than he had thought. But the little red one was moving, arguing with the other in those beeps and trills that spewed forth. There was another sharp clang as the other, a gold colored one, hit the red toy; knocking it back and into a pot that was still drying.
He flipped the light on, barely managing to keep from openly gaping as he looked at them. The two toys froze, turning to the door slowly. Leo got a good look at them. They both had many similar features, four wheels; two near the shoulders and two on the back of their legs, a bumper, what could have been headlights, and car doors. That last one was on different places but he was sure they were car doors. But their heads were very different in shape. Vaguely, Leo recalled Mikey raving over a pair of action figures that changed from cars to robots that had been given to him from Tails as a gift.
"Slag, I think we broke it." The fact that a toy actually spoke, in English no less, finally reset his brain. Leo stood just a little straighter.
"I am not an it." The words nearly came out as a hiss, forcing Leo to cough after from the slight strain of keeping his tone even. Lack of sleep really did a number on his self control. He really shouldn't have been surprised. Being a giant mutated turtle often got that response. More than he rather liked.
"Really? I couldn't tell." The gold one spoke this time. It was shocking how a five or six inch toy could remind him so strongly of Raph.
"Who are you and why are you in my kitchen?" Leo went right for the direct approach. The sooner he got this over with and them out of his home, the sooner he could go to bed.
"I'm Sides and this here is Sunny..." The red started, pointing at himself and then the gold. Before he could even finish answering, goldbot (Sunny? Was that really his name?) moved, slamming his shoulder into the back of Sides. (What kind of names were these?) Sides was sent tumbling over the side of the counter, dropping the three feet quickly and bouncing off the floor a good four inches.
"Don't call me that! My name is Sunstreaker, pit-spawn." Leo kept from actually making any comment on that. Like Sunstreaker was any better.
"Fine fine, Sunstreaker." Sides didn't sound like he really cared that he had just been shoved into a three foot drop that was very much like a fall off a four story building for normal people. "Anyway, we are Autonomous Robotic Organisms from the planet Cybertron but you can call us Autobots. Or at least that's the explanation Ratchet would give."
Great, more aliens. At least these ones were smaller than him. He was a little tired of aliens that towered over him. Not that being smaller meant they were any less dangerous. Or any easier to deal with.
"How did you get in here?" The question sent the two into yet another fit of dial-upanees between themselves. Some of the sounds echoed way to much for the late hour. Leo winced, thinking quickly to get them to stop; if only so they didn't wake anyone.
"In English, please." Sunstreaker gave him a withering glare but it got them to stop trilling at each other.
"Ya, about that. We're not sure. We just kinda woke up." Sides grinned, looking up at Leo just a little shy of sheepish. Well that was a lot of help. And why did that look seem a little to perfect to the eldest turtle? It just screamed guilty of something at him. The perks of having three younger brothers. One of whom loved to play pranks.
"Well you can't stay here." The moment he said those words the world seemed to tilt a little. The murderous glare Sunstreaker was giving him reminded him way to much of the Shredder. Really, he just needed to get them out of the lair before they caused problems.
"It's not like I'm going to send you off with no where to go. I know someone who should be able to help." Ignoring the way Sunstreaker's glare darkened, Leo pulled out his shell cell. He punched in a number he wasn't use to calling. Tails had given over her number easily, but since the author was still playing around with ideas and had very little actually written there wasn't much of a reason for him to call her. At all. There were other authors he had to deal with; ones who loved tormenting his family.
"Grand Central Station of Fandoms. How may I direct your call?" The usual greeting was a little slurred with sleep. A stab of guilt hit the eldest turtle, remembering too late that the woman in question was three hours behind him. Hopefully she wouldn't try to get even.
"Ah, sorry Tails. Forgot for a moment you live on the west coast. About those toys you gave Mikey. I don't suppose they could stay at your place, could they?" Leo waited for her brain to wake up all the way and ignored the indignant yells from the two tiny bots.
"Leo, why would I take back a gift? I gave them to Mikey. Their his now. If he gets too annoying with them then you or Master Splinter can confiscate them."
"I would never ask you to take back a gift. It's just, well, the toys are alive." The was a moment of silence that worried Leo, leaving him wondering if he had just added fuel to the never ending fire of an author's mind.
"Did they say their names were Sunstreaker and Sideswipe?" Leo glanced at the two, watching them. Sideswipe was trying to Jerry-rig something together using a pan, some twine and several forks. He was still getting the death glare from Sunstreaker.
"Is it a bad thing if I say yes?" The silence between turtle and author echoed almost knowingly. Finally, she sighed and he could hear the blankets moving as she got out of bed.
"Give me a few and I'll..." Leo tuned the two bots out completely, focusing on the suddenly silent woman on the other end of the line. He thought there might have been a noise while she was talking.
"Tails?" She didn't answer. It wasn't silent on the other end, not really. There were small sounds, just barely out of his hearing range. Not enough for a struggle. Though if she didn't start talking soon, he was going to find a way to get to her. He wouldn't put it past Karai, or anyone else, to break the author's neutral zones.
"What... oh no. Wheel jack, get away from my coffee pot!" Leo jerked the shell cell away from his ear. A sharp glare at a laughing red bot nearly had Leo missing Tails' next words.
"Just put the two trouble makers in a cookie jar or something and duck tape the top. I'll come get them in a little bit." The line went dead before he could answer. He stood there, blinking at the phone. Tails had spoken to dragons, negotiated with Shredder, (of all people) and even on occasion roughhoused with turtle tots until someone could figure out how to send them back home. (The last happening more often than he thought possible.) She was never one to be overwhelmed. So what might have made her sound like she was?