Chapter 2: April
They'd been caught! Donnie had never heard of reporter April O'Neil, and after watching a few of her "reports" he knew why. But she was the first human any of them had come in contact with in years and she'd managed to take their picture. Her fainting had been less-than flattering, though it had simplified the photo issue. But now Donnie worried her curiosity, despite their warnings, was going to get them all in trouble.
What a night! thought Donnie, taking off his glasses to rub his tired eyes.
Their first human contact in ten years and it would be just their luck she turned out to be a reporter.
Donnie sighed, squinting at the monitor currently displaying real-time feed from April O'Neil's personal laptop. She'd been online for—he glanced at the time—almost four hours, Googling things like "mutant turtles" and "ninja turtles" and "talking turtles," of all things. And Donnie couldn't help but wonder what she expected to find. Other sightings? A family blog with a grinning photo of four mutant turtles and their origin story?
He smirked.
What this April O'Neil didn't know was her search terminology had alerted the United Nations and would likely instigate an investigation. Standard procedure. After all, "Project Renaissance" had been highly classified. Even the families of the scientists that had died had been given little more than a compensation check and a body.
And they had all died.
The terrorist attack on "The Lab" had been a massacre and the United Nations had judiciously elected to sweep the whole debacle under the carpet. Fewer political repercussions that way, he supposed.
But an investigation with an actual eyewitness was potentially problematic.
Donnie sighed again, leaning back in his chair as he contemplated the best way to apprise Master Splinter and his brothers of this latest development… without inciting a mutant revolution.
Donnie hummed, pushing his glasses up as he shook his head. "You don't want to do that."
Mona frowned down at the chess board.
Leo smiled indulgently, leaning back in his seat.
Grudgingly, Mona replaced the king and moved the knight.
Donnie snorted. "And you can't do that."
"Why not?"
Leo chuckled.
"Because the knight can only move like this," Donnie explained, pointing at the board.
"That's dumb! Why would a horse parallel park?"
Leo laughed out loud and Donnie chuckled.
Mona pouted.
With a final snort, Donnie readjusted his glasses again before shooting a sly look at his older brother and moving a rook. "Check mate."
Leo's amusement evaporated and he sat up.
Mona blinked at the board, a slow grin stretching across her face. "I win?"
Donnie bit his lip as Leo raised a disgruntled eyebrow in his direction.
"Yes, you win," said Donnie, making a valiant effort not to smirk.
With a wicked chortle, Mona leapt to her feet. "In yo face!" she said, in a decidedly Raph-like manner, before scurrying away.
"Really?" said Leo when she was gone.
Donnie offered an apologetic smile and a shrug. "Sorry."
"She's not going to learn that way," Leo told him, obviously struggling to contain his own competitive nature.
Donnie laughed, he couldn't help himself. "You're just upset she's not as easy to beat as Raph and Mikey."
"RAPH, GUESS WHAT? I TOTALLY KICKED LEO'S BUTT IN CHESS!"
Leo frowned and Donnie hid his grin behind a hand.
Donnie started awake and sat up, blinking at the glow of monitors before him; it had been years since he'd dreamt of Mona Lisa! His heart ached in his chest and he frowned as he thought about the floating candle Raph had placed in the Hudson nearly three months ago.
Raph had taken Mona's loss the hardest. He'd refused to participate in her annual memorial ceremony. And he had never fully recovered.
Donnie suspected he felt responsible for her death, which was ridiculous. But then, there was a lot about Raph he didn't understand… or try to.
But that night on the Hudson—it was like Raph had cast a piece of himself off with that tiny candle.
With a long sigh, Donnie found his glasses and put them on, casting a wistful glance at the knight chess piece stuck to the top of one of his monitors, before heading to bed.
Donnie felt guilty as he watched April O'Neil gather the last of her belongings, eyes bloodshot and tear-stained. It had been a relatively simple matter of hacking into the channel 6 building's surveillance system to keep an eye on her. And while he admired her tenacity, he was equally grateful for the skeptical nature of human beings—particularly her editor's.
Six foot talking turtles.
Donnie grimaced.
"Donnie!" Mikey draped a friendly arm over his older brother's shoulders. "Bro, I need a fave."
Pushing him away, Donnie looked at his little brother and narrowed his eyes.
He looked guilty.
Mikey smiled, showing way too many teeth.
"MIKEY!"
Donnie jumped; Raph was so loud he would swear his computer monitors shuddered. "What'd you do?"
"Okay, so Raph may need you to whip up a little something that'll loosen up some ill-placed super glue," Mikey quickly explained with a wince.
Donnie raised an eyebrow. "How ill-placed?"
There was a loud crash followed by an even louder expletive.
Mikey grinned guiltily. "Well—" He stopped when he noticed April on the monitor and shoved Donnie out of the way. "Dude, what'd you do to her?"
Donnie frowned. "Nothing! I—" He stuttered to a halt when Raph stepped directly behind Mikey, looking formidable with both hands awkwardly gripping a long, metal bar.
"I dunno, dude," Mikey was saying, leaning close to the screen. "Maybe we should check up on her. Y'know, make sure she's okay." He stepped back again and his shell bumped into Raph's plastron. With an undignified squeak, he whirled around.
Looking at the bar, Donnie blinked, realizing it was the weight bench bar, sans the weights. That would explain the crash, he thought.
"Dude, Raph!" said Mikey, feigning innocence and playfully slapping his older brothers bulging bicep. "What's up, man?"
Raph moved forward, despite Donnie's objections, and pinned Mikey against the panel of monitors, pressing the metal bar against Mikey's throat. "Get. It. Off."
"Donnie?" Mikey choked, glancing at Donnie with a hopeful smile.
Rolling his eyes, Donnie nodded, accepting the inevitable hour or more in the less-than-cordial company of his older brother.
"Do you think the U.N. will take her seriously?" Leo asked when Donnie had finished articulating his concerns of an impending U.N. investigation.
Donnie shook his head, readjusting his glasses. "I don't know." He looked at Master Splinter, who looked thoughtful.
"Hang on," Raph barked impatiently, shaking his head. "You're sayin' this chick is still a threat?"
"She's already tried to convince her editor—" Donnie started, to which Raph snorted derisively. "Who fired her."
Leo winced.
"So what, we're just gonna let'er keep yackin'?" Raph growled.
"The fact that she's a reporter—" Leo started.
"And determined," Donnie added.
"And hot," said Mikey. "Ow!"
"—is definitely a concern," Leo concluded, eyeing Mikey who was rubbing the back of his head and glaring at Raph.
"We must be cautious," said Master Splinter at last, "and remain vigilant."
Donnie nodded and Leo bowed.
"I'll take first watch," Mikey offered, waggling his eyebrows. "Ow!"
Adjusting his glasses, Donnie debated whether or not to call it a night. He glanced at the bank of monitors; April O'Neil had been scrolling through the search results for "New York vigilantes" for over an hour.
At least she's not searching "talking turtles" anymore, he thought wearily.
Then something caught his eye.
Frowning, he leaned closer to the screen, typing in a few commands to verify his suspicions.
He swore.
Ten minutes later, Donnie had dragged everyone, sleepy-eyed and crabby, out of bed.
"Th'hell, Don?" Raph grumbled.
Mikey yawned. "Where's th'fire?"
But Master Splinter and Leo could tell something was wrong.
"What is it, Donatello?"
Donnie pointed at a screen.
Mikey raised an eyebrow when he didn't elaborate and leaned closer to the monitor. "It's a Google account," he observed aloud. "User AOneil." Grinning, he looked up at his brother. "Donnie, you dog!"
With an impatient huff, Raph shoved him back. "What the hell are we lookin' at, Donnie?"
Donnie swallowed hard, eyes wider than usual behind his glasses. "I-I was monitoring her, making sure she didn't say anything," he started.
Leo nodded. "Like we'd discussed earlier."
"Right." At a loss for words, he jabbed a finger at another screen currently filled with scrolling ones and zeros.
"The Matrix?" Mikey guessed, confused.
"It's another hack," choked Donnie. "Not the U.N. but someone definitely interested in her current search criteria."
"Well we are pretty irresistible," quipped Mikey.
"Shuddup," Raph growled.
"Who?" asked Leo.
Looking helpless, Donnie shrugged. "I don't know, but whoever they are, they're good. And they're close enough to be a threat."
"They are in New York," said Master Splinter.
Swallowing again, Donnie nodded. "Manhattan."
"You think this April O'Neil," said Leo, nodding at the screen, "is in danger."
It wasn't a question, but Donnie nodded all the same. "I do."
"How do you know it ain't just some spyware or somethin'?"
Donnie blinked at Raph.
Raph just scowled back at him, waiting.
"W-well," stuttered Donnie, caught off guard that Raph had made the comment, "because it's attached to the U.N. coding."
Blank stares all around.
Donnie sighed. "It only appeared after she started Googling mutant turtles."
"Dudes," cried Mikey, grinning, "my girl is looking for me!"
Ignoring his little brother, Leo turned to Master Splinter. "What should we do? Set up some kind of surveillance; keep an eye on her?"
"We're already doing that," Donnie interjected. "I have access to her phone, her computer. Whoever she talks to, wherever she goes, I know." Looking at Master Splinter he continued, "Terrorists eliminated everything at The Lab ten years ago. Even with the limited information she has, she could be in danger from the same people."
"Wait, now you want us to save her?" growled Raph.
"We can't just leave her unprotected, Raph," Leo argued.
"Like hell, we can't," Raph snapped back. "Master Splinter, this chick's trouble!"
All eyes were on Master Splinter.
"Bring her here," he said slowly after a moment, before eyeing Raphael. "With care."
Raph grunted noncommittally.
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