Good afternoon, everyone! I am back with a new update! I haven't been updating as much due to some other projects I've been working on as well as my inconsistent work schedule, but this story has been all but forgotten! Thank you to everyone who's been offering their kind words and reviews. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
Within the lair, Leo rose a hairless brow, glancing between April and Casey once they told him of their encounter. "This... seems a bit far fetched, don't you think?"
"I think 'Doctor Sleep' used some kind of hypnosis or something on them, because that's the stupidest thing I've heard in my life." Raph said, crossing his arms.
"Look, Raph, I'm not kidding. I heard that guy's voice INSIDE my head." Casey said, looking up at him.
"Maybe he slipped some drugs in your drink, then." Raph shrugged.
"Sometimes I hear voices in my head..." Mikey said, the group all turning to look at him silently. "They help me decide what kind of ice cream I want to have when I'm craving a snack." The group groaned lightly, some rolling their eyes.
Donnie thought for a moment. "Well, telepathy is often considered to be nothing more than pseudoscience, but it's possible that if our own thoughts can be a result of small electro-chemical signals between our sensory receptors and our brain, then it could be possible that a select few may have the ability to transfer electro-chemical signals to a receptor located outside of our physical selves- that is, to another individual, or even perhaps-"
"English, Donnie." Leo held up a hand, cutting his brother off.
Donnie sighed, rolling his eyes after glancing at Leo flatly. "Look, it's not that difficult to understand."
"Okay, Donnie? We don't have a PhD in Geekology like you do." Casey shrugged smugly, Donnie gritting his teeth as he shook his head.
"What I'm trying to say, is..." Donnie said through clenched teeth. "... that this 'Doctor Sleep' may have a point. For people like April and Casey, who suffered a traumatic experience at a young age, their brains are forced to then shift gears and undergo a different route of development. This alternate route may cause enhancements that someone who didn't experience something greatly traumatic may not acquire."
"So you're saying their brains mutated?! Dude, that means they're like us!" Mikey beamed.
"I'm not saying that, Mikey. Mutations are caused by a man-made chemical component or radiation, causing rapid cell reproduction and-"
"Donnie." Leo cut him off, signaling for him to not get off track.
"Anyhow." Donnie cleared his throat. "If this so-called doctor's claims are true, then it should be easy enough to either prove or disprove. He can give April or Casey some kind of test pertaining to the development of such enhancements, and I would be able to observe their brain activity while doing so. I'm no brain surgeon, but I can look at readings and understand them easily enough."
"Sounds like a good idea, Donnie." Raph smirked. "Then you'd be able to see what's inside April's head. You can see if she has the same fantasies you do."
"Raphael!" Donnie shouted, tightening his lips as he adjusted his glasses. "That is neither warranted, nor appropriate at this time!"
"That would be pretty funny though..." Mikey snickered. "Everyone can hear you mumbling in your sleep, Donnie." He chuckled.
Donnie had reached his limit at that point, exhaling sharply as he turned to head out of the area. Leo pinched the bridge of his nose. April glanced over as Casey couldn't help but snicker, and she was not amused. She got up, making her way across the room to follow where Donnie had gone.
"I'm glad you're both taking this seriously." Leo said, glancing at his two brothers as he headed over to Casey. "Can you just pick up where April left off, please?"
"Not really much else to say... he said he'd keep in touch after he..." His voice faded.
"After he what, Casey?" Leo asked.
Meanwhile, April stopped when she saw Donnie typing away furiously at his computer, his back to her. "Mikey, Raph, if you're fooling around back there and trying to bother me, I'm going to electrocute you."
"Hey, relax... it's just me." April said, Donnie halting his typing to glance at her for a moment before resuming what he was doing.
"I'm sorry, April. That wasn't meant for you." He said.
"Well, unless my name is suddenly Raphael or Mikey, I didn't think it was." She chuckled lightly, approaching his chair. "Listen. You don't have to feel embarrassed. I know they're just teasing."
Donnie sighed, still looking at his computer screen as his hands ceased typing. "April... what's the point?"
"The point of what?" April asked.
"For... trying so hard? So many people do it every day, and no matter what, they are told they are inadequate, either through words, or action. This creature... those people in Derry confronted it twice, and it still lived. Among other things... what's the point of trying when failure seems statistically inevitable?" Donnie asked.
"Donnie... you can't just give up. Look... we have nothing to lose by testing this theory. If anyone can help us figure out the answer, it's you." April took a step closer, standing at his side. "You know how they feel deep down. All jokes and teasing aside, they appreciate and respect your intelligence. Your knowledge. You've gotten all of us out of plenty of jams, and you're going to help us get out of this one."
"And what do you feel deep down, April?" Donnie asked, finally meeting her gaze with his own. "What do you feel, deep down... for me?"
April furrowed a brow, parting her lips slightly for a moment. "Donnie... what are you-"
"I saw you last night." He cut her off. "I saw you kiss him. Casey. And now, you both supposedly have some mysterious telepathy ability. Just another thing you two have in common... and another thing we don't." He looked down, exhaling sharply.
After a few moments, April realized what he was speaking of. "Donnie, look. What you saw- Casey kissed ME. We were-"
"You didn't stop him." He interrupted. "In fact, from what I saw... you seemed to be enjoying yourself. Don't get me wrong, April. I'm not going to hold it against you. You are free to give your heart to whomever you wish. I respect that. I respect you as a ma-" He stopped himself. "I respect you, as anyone... should respect a woman. But please, April... don't try to make me feel better for the sake of my feelings. As much as it hurts... in the end, your safety, well-being, and happiness... is my main priority." As he said this, April's heart sunk. She could tell he was trying to hold himself together. Next to Leo, he was arguably the most mature of the group despite being the second youngest. However, when she caught a glimpse of his downcast eyes, she could see he was breaking apart on the inside.
"Donnie..." April frowned. "I-... I didn't mean to-..." She sighed, hugging herself as she glanced to the side. "I don't know what I feel right now. Nothing is certain, everything is being piled on our shoulders... and I know these are all really just excuses, but... I'm not thinking with a clear head. The fact is, I don't have the answer. Not for us, not for Casey and I, this creature, this doctor whatever, this city..." April let her head fall back as she exhaled sharply. "... and I'm scared, Donnie. I'm trying to be brave, but I am-... more scared now than I ever have been in my life. We're going on guesses here. This thing... makes you feel powerless. It's like a chill I can't get warm from. And... I know this sounds so, so selfish, Donnie, but I don't want to lose any of you. So, before I can figure out what we have, or don't have, or what I may have with someone else, I need to make sure that by tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, I still have YOU. I need to make sure I have you, and Leo, and Raph, and Mikey, and Splinter, and Casey. Because you are all I have." Her voice began to tremble then. "If I lost you guys, I would have nothing. I would BE nothing. I-"
Donnie got out of his chair, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug. He could feel her lip trembling against his shoulder, one of his large hands petting her hair. "I'm not going anywhere, April. No matter what I have to do to stay around for you... I will do it. Even if you go somewhere I can't follow, I will wait. And if armageddon does come... regardless of how it does, I will be right by your side, fighting with you."
April smiled lightly, reaching up to wipe her face before returning the hug. "I know, Donnie. I know that you've always been there."
"You've always been there too, April. And trust me... you're not the only one who's scared of losing someone they care about. I may look big and scary, but looks can be deceiving." He managed a chuckle, April doing the same before they each took a step back.
"So... I guess I have some work cut out for me, huh?" She asked.
"It would seem so. But, this guy didn't leave you a number. How are you supposed to get in contact with him?" Donnie asked.
"I may have an idea..." April replied, her voice fading a bit.
Meanwhile, Leo nodded slowly. "I can see why what he said must have come as a shock. So do you think he's the real deal?"
"How else would he have known that, Leo? He's got to be some kind of mind reader. I didn't believe it at first, but when he said my father's words, exactly how he said them to me... I couldn't just wave him off as some loony anymore." Casey said.
April and Donnie returned then, the latter sighing lightly. "Okay. Here's what I think would be the best course of action. If we can figure out how April and Casey can activate this... 'Shine...' then I can hook up nodes to several lobe points and monitor their brain activity, as well as take heat and electro-chemical readings."
"Aw man! I don't want to read..." Mikey pouted. "Wait. Unless it's a comic book."
Donnie sighed. "Not that kind of reading, Mikey. Besides, I'll be interpreting the readings. If this doctor can understand numbers, perhaps we can determine if their brain activity generates enough of a 'Shine' to hold their own against the creature."
"Okay, well while Donnie talks like a textbook over here, when are we supposed to hear back from this guy, anyway?" Raph asked.
"Donnie?" April asked then, furrowing a brow. "Do you have a phone jack in your lab?"
"A phone jack? Uh, I suppose I could easily install one... why?" Donnie rose a brow.
"He's talking to me." April said barely above a whisper. "This is... so weird..." She glanced over at Casey.
"I hear him too. He's telling us to set up one of those old dial phones with a phone jack. It's the safest way." Casey replied.
Leo glanced between the two of them, a bit taken aback by the phenomenon that seemed to be happening with the pair. He glanced at Donnie, nodding to him before he went to get a phone set up in the lab. Once the pair entered, Donnie cleared his throat.
"Seems to be working fine. Don't worry, it's been properly sanitized-" Just then, the phone rang, making him jump. April walked over, cautiously picking it up.
"Hello?" She answered.
"Hello, April. I'm going to be giving you and Casey instructions in order to develop your shine. Unfortunately, time is not on our side, but I'm going to help you as much as I can. My life, as well as... several others, are on the line along with yours. If I'm not wrong, your turtle friends are going to be attempting to study your development. Though there is nothing wrong with that, trying to get them to comprehend exactly how shining functions is not ideal right now. You cannot allow Pennywise to discover your awakened power."
"Okay... so what do we do?" April asked.
"Please put me on speaker so Casey can hear me as well."
As the pair listened in, Splinter entered the area, Leo sighing lightly. "I'm nervous, dad." He said quietly to him.
"I know you are, my son. But you must remember what I told you; not all enemies can be defeated by the same weapon. Not all are the same. As warriors, you must know when it is the time to fight, and when it is the time to protect." Splinter replied.
"I understand." He said. "Now I need to get the others to understand. We can't be having them diving into something they don't know anything about. As arrogant he can be, I know Raph means well at heart. But I'm worried he's going to get himself killed one of these days." Leo glanced over at Raph, who shook his head and rolled his eyes as he listened to Doctor Sleep speaking over the phone. "He thinks with his muscles, not with his mind."
"You have encountered these obstacles before, Leonardo, and you have helped your brothers to overcome them. You can do that again. You must, if you wish to have any chance to succeed." Splinter said.
Later on that night, Casey grabbed his back pack, nodding to April. "Hey, Red. Think you want to give that a rest now?"
"I need to keep trying, Casey. Everyone is depending on us now." She replied.
"Whatever. Give me a buzz in the morning." He said before taking his leave.
As April continued to focus, the turtles sat in some chairs, eating pizza. "Been a while since we had some of this, huh? Like the good old times..." Mikey smiled contently.
"Mikey, we just had pizza about three days ago." Leo said to him.
"I know... so short, yet so far..." Mikey nodded his head slowly, Leo snickering as he shook his head.
"So what's up with the funny guy? We haven't heard nothing about it since we saw it in the park." Raph asked. "Maybe it decided to take its circus act somewhere else."
"Unlikely." Donnie spoke. "It may just be waiting for us to make a move."
"Or it's biding its time and waiting for us to let our guard down." Leo said. "That's the last thing we're going to do."
"Anything on the news, Leo?" Donnie asked, taking a bite of his pizza slice.
"Nothing out of the ordinary... aside from that Grayson Roberts guy campaigning." Leo said.
"Screw that guy. Now he's saying he's going to start giving mutants faction labels if he's elected." Raph hissed.
"Fractions?! We have to do math homework?!" Mikey exclaimed.
"No, Mikey. Faction labels. Essentially, it means that mutants will receive a coded card with an assigned power division based on their abilities. It's all a part of this new mutant classification system Roberts is proposing." Donnie said.
"It's sick. Next they'll staple a tag in our ear like we're rats." Raph snapped.
"Raph!" Leo hissed. "Sensei could be listening!"
"I hope he is. Because if he comes face to face with that asshole, that's all he'll see him as, just some oversized rodent. He won't see him for how smart and kind he is." Raph said before sighing, leaning back. The group was silent for a moment, their expressions downcast.
"Look. You have a right to be concerned about that. We'll figure out what do about that after we deal with the bigger problem first." Leo said.
"Right... your 'priorities.' Well, what if we end up in some kind of mutant prison before then, huh? Hey, who knows? Now that April and Casey are all 'voodoo mind readers' now, maybe they'll get tossed in the can too." Raph said.
Donnie interjected then. "Raphael, their newfound ability does not classify them as mutants. As I said, mutants are a result of a cellular enhancement due to a chemical reaction-"
"Donnie, your glasses are about to have a chemical reaction when my fist turns them into contacts." Raph snapped at him, shaking his head.
As the brothers bickered, April furrowed her brows as her mind began to wander. She shook her head when she heard someone giggle, sitting up to look around. She heard the sound coming from the tunnels, getting up to wander towards them. The giggling grew louder until she stopped, coming upon a child who was standing in the middle of the tunnel. "Hey... what are you doing down here?" The boy was quiet for a moment, simply staring at her.
"Don't follow the bad lights." He whispered, slowly backing away. April went to follow him when suddenly, fire erupted behind her.
"No- nonononono-" She began to run, trying to get back to the lair. When she turned the corner, she gasped when she found herself in her father's laboratory. "Donnie? Leo?" She called out before turning around to go back, only to see that a locked door now stood behind her. She was trapped, beginning to scream and cry out as she tried to unlock the door to no avail. She then heard someone call her name, slowly turning to see someone rising from the flames.
"April. Close your eyes." Her father said as his body charred. "You mustn't let it get to you."
"D- Dad?!" April choked, about to run over to him when part of the ceiling caved in, keeping them separated.
"Don't you see? The flames are all around you, but you are unharmed." He said, and as she looked around her, she realized he was right.
"Is- Is any of this real?" April asked.
"It was. Now, it's like a picture. You can see it, but it cannot hurt you." He said, and April nodded. "You have to just remember that, and then you can free yourself from what you see whenever you wish- like closing a book."
"Dad... are you really here?" Her voice became quiet.
"I never left you, sweetheart." He smiled lightly. "I always wanted to do good for the world, and I realized that I had already done that. You were my greatest gift. But you have to be careful, April. Something so precious is often sought out by nefarious individuals. I'm saying this not because I don't love you, or that I don't want to see you... but I don't think it would be wise to find me again. Something is after you, April. You have to protect yourself." As he spoke, April returned his smile, trying to extend a hand toward him as the fiery world around her dissolved. Soon, she was back in the lair, her breath hitching as she stumbled a bit. Everything was as it normally was, April slowly shuffling over to the couch to sit as she attempted to process what she had just experienced. As she did, she jolted when the telephone rang from Donnie's lab. She quickly got to her feet, shuffling over to answer it. "Hello?"
"You shined, April. I could sense it."
"Hi... wait, I did?" She replied.
"Yes. You saw your father inside his burning laboratory. You're doing very well, April. But you have to be careful. Shining to such capacity could attract others who can sense the shine. This is both an achievement and a risk for you."
"So what do I do?" She asked.
"Try starting off smaller. Try to see what's right in front of you, or behind you. Become accustomed to your shine. Just remember not to shine too brightly, not yet."
"Okay... okay, um... I'll try that." April said.
"I can tell that you're nervous. You have every right to be. I assure you, the shine will not harm you, and neither will the visions. You are reading a book with no words. That's all you have to do for now."
"Wait, doctor, um... how do I get in touch with you, being I don't have your number?" April asked.
"Don't worry about that. When you develop your shine more, we won't need this phone."
"Right... thank you, doctor." She said.
"I'm going to leave for now... someone's being a bit curious. I'll talk to you soon."
The call ended with a click, April placing the phone back on the hook. When she turned around, she smirked when she saw someone duck behind the couch. "Mikey, I saw you."
"Aw, man..." He stood up, walking over to her. "Was just seeing if you needed some company." He sat down next to her.
"I... I saw something, Mikey."
"You did? Was it a spider? Show me where it is, I can take care of that." He said.
"No, I mean... I saw my dad. With she shine. I need to tell the others..."
"Woah... so you really do have mind powers, huh? Wait, can you tell what I'm thinking?" He asked, shutting his eyes tightly as April couldn't help but chuckle.
"No, Mikey, not like that. At least, not that I know of..." She looked ahead. "Maybe Casey is right. I need to give my brain a rest. He's coming back tomorrow, so we can set everything up in Donnie's lab."
"Do you really think you can beat the scary clown dude?" He asked.
"I hope so. I don't know how this is all going to work, but... let's hope it does." She said, getting to her feet. "I'm going to head home."
"Want me to walk you back? After all, the nights are getting cooler. I may be cold-blooded, but I can warm up my girl if she needs it-"
"Mikey." Donnie approached, staring at him flatly. "I'll walk you home, April." He said.
"Actually, I'm walking her home. You have work to do for tomorrow, Donnie. Mikey, do not bother him while he's setting everything up. And Raph..." Leo turned as the red-scarfed turtle entered the area. "I'm leaving you in charge to make sure they do as I asked them. Come on, April." Leo said, April saying goodnight before they departed. Donnie sighed, going to his lab as Raph smirked lightly.
"So, I'm in charge, huh? Alright, Mikey. Ready to brawl?" He cracked his knuckles.
"You're going to regret going up against my epic battling skills, my main dude." Mikey snickered, the pair going over to the couch as Donnie rolled his eyes.
This was going to be a long evening.
Alright, there we have it! So, what did you guys think? The next couple chapters may be a bit slow, so bear with me as I try to build up the plot some more. I have a general idea of where I want this story to go, and I'm hoping you all enjoy it! So please leave a review with your thoughts- I have been reading them and I appreciate everyone's input! So thank you again for reading, and I'll see you next time!