Hi guys! Welcome back! So, just like with "Psychic in the Light," my reimagination for "Epidemic!" will be very different. Here we have the mystery of why people are disappearing and what caused it. We also get to see Donatello in, yet, another unexpected role! Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons" nor "TMNT." I only own Karena & Lilianna. I also do not own Rachael Lampa's "God Loves You."
September 27, 2039 – North Hampton, New York, USA
LILIANNA'S POV
I sat down at the dining room table. I drank my orange juice, patiently waiting for my mom to finish making breakfast. I had brought my homework with me to take advantage of the time, and I was able to finish the last of my pre-calc homework before my mom arrived with breakfast: pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon.
"Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome, sweetie," Mom replied with a smile. "Did you get all of your homework done?"
"Just now, yes. Wilbur's been a big help to me. While I'm at cheerleading practice, he's been staying after school to help me find the answers and bookmark the pages in the books. That way I'm not skimming through pages all night."
"Hey, that's a good idea!"
My dad suddenly walked in, putting his maskless head on the table.
"D, are you alright?" Mom asked with worry in her voice.
"Would you both be willing to help me tonight?" Dad asked, looking up at us.
"Sure," I answered. "What's wrong, Dad?"
"Wait a minute, you want the two of us to go along with Lily and her cousins on their patrol?" Mom asked.
"Yes, and it won't be any ordinary patrol," Dad explained. "Leo calls it a recon mission."
"What's the plan?" I asked.
Dad lifted his head up and let out a sigh, preparing to tell us a story.
"Do you know the story of how I was contracted with the parasitica virus?" he asked, and we both nodded. "The Kraang kept two of those wasps alive for observation. It turned out that the Kraang had imprisoned every mutant except for Fishface, Rahzar, and us. Metalhead had traveled to that interdimensional prison to save all of those mutants. One wasp escaped through the portal Metalhead opened. The other one was knocked out and had died. Knowing the danger that that wasp could create, I tracked her down in the woods of North Hampton and froze her with the same mutagen that I froze Timothy with."
"Well, now I know how that wasp ended up in the barn," I spoke up while rolling my eyes.
"Yes," Dad affirmed. "I noticed a few days ago while filming a class that the wasp went missing. I had been looking all around the woods for this wasp, and I cannot find a sign of her."
"So you think this wasp is in New York?" Mom asked.
"Possibly."
"I think the best way to search for this wasp is to patrol our separate ways," I proposed. "Including you and Mom."
"Going separate ways to cover more ground?" Mom replied, putting a hand on her chin. "That's not a bad idea. What do you think, D?"
"Yes, I agree. Lily, we will meet you in the lair later tonight to start searching."
"Meanwhile, Donnie, I made breakfast if you'd like some. Do you have a class today?"
"No, my live online classes are only on Mondays. I can tape my other classes later today. I would love to have some breakfast."
I continued eating my breakfast as my mom left the room to grab another plate for my dad.
Todayland, North Montana, USA
WILBUR'S POV
"Breaking news from the Land of Today. Todayland University sophomore Denise Taylor and Professor Kenneth Roberts have been reported missing. They were both last seen in room U-2034 at the university. The room is now off limits to students and faculty and will only be accessed by authorized personnel."
"Well that's just great," I grumbled, continuing to drive to school. "That's seven people now who've mysteriously disappeared. How much longer is it going to be until someone from my own school goes missing?"
I parked my car at the back of the school and made my way to the cafeteria. I smiled, happy to see Lily with her straight red hair. Today, she wore a flattering orange top with black pants and black ballet flats.
"Good morning, Wilbur," Lily greeted me.
"Good morning, Lily."
"Something's wrong."
"How do you mean?" I asked.
"You've got that something's wrong look on your face," Lily explained. "Your face gets tense when you hear bad news. Is it related to that missing persons case?"
"You mean missing people? Two more people went missing – a Todayland University student and a professor. That's seven now, Lily."
"Well, we can no longer say that the Jeanette Roland case was random," Lily replied, putting a perplexed look on her face. "What do you think, Wilbur? Do you think all of these missing person cases were planned?"
"What am I, a detective?" I replied, raising an eyebrow. "I don't know! But speaking of which, when I heard the news report, the reporter gave me a clue: both of these people disappeared from room U-2034 at Todayland University."
"Hmm… Jeanette is also a student there, is she not?"
"Yes, along with the other four students that went missing between Jeanette's disappearance and Denise's."
I let out a sigh, and I felt saddened.
"I hope Denise makes it out okay. She was one of the people who encouraged me to try out for color guard two years ago."
"I'm tempted to investigate that room," Lily replied.
"Lily, no," I replied sternly. "The only people allowed to investigate are the robot sentries that my dad placed at the university. My dad made that extremely clear to me a few nights ago."
"Wilbur, think for a moment. The only officer in Todayland who is human is Chief Giggle McDimples. She is the only one who has the gift of reason. The robots don't have that. They only follow commands and translate if needed. It's going to take more than an army of robot sentries to solve this mystery."
Lily paused, putting her hand on her chin.
"I wonder…"
"You wonder what?" I asked with a perplexed expression.
"My dad spoke about a parasitica wasp at the table this morning. He had found one in the woods and froze it with nitro-mutagen. He had kept it in the barn after all these years until recently. I'm leading a patrol in New York tonight to try to find this wasp."
"No offense, Lily, but a wasp is an insect," I replied icily. "How in the world are you going to find a tiny insect? And what does this have to do with all of these students going missing?"
Lily's expression turned from a perplexed one to one of awkwardness.
"Oops… didn't I mention this wasp is a mutated wasp? It's bigger than my father and uncles combined."
"Okay, now let me repeat one of my questions: how is this related to the missing person cases here?"
"I know it sounds like a long shot, but if we cannot find the wasp in the city, then I want to examine that room at Todayland University. Maybe I'll even bring my dad and Uncle Raph along with me. Uncle Raph is a detective, and to be honest, I trust him more than I trust Chief McDimples. He's always gotten the job done."
"I'm not sure how I feel about this, Lily," I replied with uncertainty.
"What is with you, Wilbur?" Lily asked with ice in her voice. "Where is the boy that was confident that he was not going to fail? Where is the boy that took risks to try to make the world better? Where is—"
"That boy is not willing to get in trouble again!" I snapped. "Did you know that I was originally grounded for life? But Karena convinced my dad to lighten my punishment. I want to do the right thing, Lily. And the right thing is to not get involved. It's not my business."
Lily glared at me.
"Wilbur, what if Karena had gone missing? Would you investigate then?"
My glare softened, and I pondered this question. I felt scared then, realizing that Karena fits the profile of the people who have gone missing.
"I… I don't know," I finally answered. "I would, but I really don't want to break the law of any kind."
"Oh, Wilbur."
Lily rolled her eyes, and then she took out her T-Phone and put on a song.
"Remember the phrase I told you before? Do or do not. There is no try. Be the man you are destined to be, Wilbur."
Lily then started to sing.
"Just about the time that you have the whole world figured out. That would be the time that you enter in a season of doubt. I'll tell you that every time those thoughts begin to enter your mind, your Father picks you up again, and that's how you find out that God loves you."
At first, I denied that I was having doubts and I had thought Lily was singing because she was talking about her own doubts. I looked at her, continuing to hear her voice. Right now, I could not decide who was the better singer: her or Karena.
"You know just how cold it feels when there's no hope left in sight. All alone and scared, you pray for strength to make it through the night. Remember, when every turn you make just leaves you cold in the dark, light breaks through and shows you He was there all along 'cause God loves you."
My look of denial turned into a look of shock. The feelings Lily sang about here reminded me of my own feelings two and a half years ago. I truly had felt hopeless when I revealed the truth about my time travels. I was scared after my mom had punished me for life, worried that no one would believe me. I was even more scared at the thought that I would not exist because my dad's past self had come to the future with me, and it wasn't by choice. Karena was my light, letting me know that I was not alone, nor would I ever be alone again.
"You never really wanted to believe it was true," Lily continued singing. "You never really thought that this could happen to you. But just as soon as you begin to throw up your hands, your Father whispers gently, and then you understand that God loves you."
All I could do was sit and listen to Lily sing as the eight o'clock bell rang.
"Lily, were you feeling all of these things that you sang about?" I asked.
"Believe it or not, yes, especially during the time I was kidnapped and when I escaped. Rachael Lampa's songs kept me going when I wanted to lose hope. Wilbur, I know your story is different from mine, but please, don't give up your dreams because you're scared of being caught by the law. Use who you are and the law to your advantage. You are honest and determined, Wilbur. Don't ever lose that. And if Karena ever goes missing, please look to God and then call me. I want to help."
I watched as Lily left the cafeteria with her things. After taking in everything she sang about and told me, I went up the stairs to the second floor to put my things away.
New York City, New York, USA
DONATELLO'S POV
"Leo, you, Karai, and Ryan will cover Manhattan and the Bronx. Raph, Mona, and Venus will go to Brooklyn. Mikey, Renet, and Athena will head to Staten Island. April, Lily, and I will go to the Queens. Does anyone have any questions?"
Mikey, still a child at heart, raised his hand.
"What if we find the wasp?"
"Then alert the others and do not lose sight of it," I answered sternly.
Lily raised her hand.
"What if one of us gets stung?" she asked.
"Call me immediately. I will come right to you. Anyone else?"
Raph raised his hand.
"What if we can't find the wasp?"
"I can answer that one," Lily chimed in before I could get a word in. "There have been several missing persons cases in Todayland: six students, and one professor. The last two people to disappear were last seen in a certain room at Todayland University. I want to investigate that room with you or Dad to see if the wasp is there."
"Now I have a question for you, Lilianna Mae Hamato," I replied angrily. "What proof would you have of a mutant wasp being in that room all the way in Todayland, over two thousand miles away from here?"
"I don't have any proof, Dad," Lily answered, giving me a glare. "It's a hunch. I do not believe these missing persons cases are random anymore."
"Are there any other questions?" Leo asked, calming the tension in the dojo, and everyone shook their heads. "Alright, then let's move."
I watched everyone starting to leave the dojo. I stood still and crossed my arms.
"Lily, may I speak to you, please?" I asked sternly.
My daughter froze in her place, turned around, and walked back to me.
"Dad, you are aware I'm the leader, right?" she asked.
"Why am I just now hearing about missing people from Todayland?"
"Because one, it didn't seem like such a big deal at the time, and two, I knew you would overreact."
"You seriously believe that I am overreacting just by asking a simple question?" I asked furiously.
"You are now," Lily snapped back. "Wilbur and I both thought the authorities would handle it. Now there's security at the university. Those robot sentries aren't going to do a damn thing about it!"
"Okay, first of all, knock it off," I sternly replied. "Second of all, we do not ever say that word around other people. Third-"
"Oh my gosh, Dad!" Lily yelled. "I'm not a little girl anymore."
"Do not interrupt me-"
"While you are talking, I know!"
"Lily-"
"Wilbur won't investigate that room, so I will!" Lily continued to yell over me. "I'll explore it with or without you."
I had enough. I took my bo staff and slammed one end on the ground to get my daughter to stop talking. Words could not describe how angry I was in that moment. I took some deep breaths to calm down.
"Uncle Leo is going to lead the recon mission tonight," I finally spoke, still with a stern voice. "You are staying here to cool off."
"You can't do that, Dad," Lily replied, her voice just as stern as mine.
"Oh, yes I can. Stay here. Calm down. Get some homework done. We'll be back later."
We looked into each other's eyes for a while. I noticed Lily trying to read my mind, but she grunted in frustration.
"What is happening to you, Dad?" she asked. "I can't read your mind."
"That's because I figured out how to close my mind," I answered.
"Donnie? Lily? Are you two coming?"
"I'll be right there, April!" I yelled back before turning back to my daughter. "We'll talk later."
I started to walk out of the lair.
"Dad, if I told you that there were missing persons cases in Todayland, you would never let me go back."
I froze in my place and turned around to face her.
"Lilianna, how long have you known about this?"
"Since school started. There was only one person missing at the time. Six more people have disappeared since then."
"Lily, how can I trust you if you can't trust me?" I asked angrily. "I am your father, Lilianna. I've taught you everything I know. I've raised you to be independent and honest and kind. This is not like you. Think about everything that happened here just now and reflect on it."
I let out a sigh.
"If you thought I overreacted, you thought incorrectly."
I turned around and left the dojo and the lair. I heard a loud grunt coming from the dojo as I walked out.
"Is Lily coming with us?" April asked as I approached her.
"No, she needs to calm down."
"I heard. Is she okay?"
"I don't know, April. I really don't know. Let's just... do what we need to do."
LILIANNA'S POV
All I could do at that point was head into my dad's old room and do my homework. I felt angry that I could not join my parents in the hunt for the mutant wasp. I decided to give Wilbur a call to see how he was doing, but it went to voicemail. I left him a message and went back to my homework. By the time my family came back from their patrol, I was finished. I heard knocking on the door.
"Lily, are you in there?" Mom asked.
"Yeah!"
"May we come in?"
I let out a weary sigh.
"Yeah."
The door opened to reveal both my parents.
"Hey, Lily," Mom greeted me with a warm smile.
"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad. How was the patrol?"
"We couldn't find the wasp in the city," Dad answered with a frown on his face before letting out a sigh. "Lily, we need to talk."
"Yes, we do."
"Lily, why didn't you say anything about people going missing in Todayland?" Mom asked.
"Like I told Dad, it didn't seem like a big deal at the time. A student at Todayland University went missing on her first day of school, and Wilbur and I both believed the authorities could handle it. But as the month went on, more students disappeared. When Wilbur revealed today that there was a total of seven people missing, I no longer believed these disappearances were random. I thought they were planned. I want to investigate, but Wilbur told me not to. No one except for certain authority can investigate."
"Has it crossed your mind that Wilbur said no because he cares about you?" Dad asked.
"No, it hasn't. I thought he was... chicken. He used to be this guy who loved adventure and was not afraid of failing at anything because, and I quote, Wilbur Robinson never fails, end quote."
"You didn't tell him he was chicken, did you?" Mom asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No! I just tried to boost his confidence, remind him of who he is. His girlfriend attends Todayland University. I'm worried that she's going to disappear, and knowing how much Wilbur loves her, he's going to worry himself to death."
My dad put a hand on my shoulder.
"That is noble of you to care about him, but Wilbur is right. It's best to leave this up to the authorities."
"Dad, what if the mutant wasp made it to Todayland and infected these people?" I asked. "These disappearances aren't coincidental."
"Uncle Raph and I will investigate Todayland University," Dad replied. "I'm sure Cornelius can get me clearance."
"What about me?"
"You are coming straight home after school for a week," Dad answered sternly, crossing his arms. "No cheer practice."
I dropped my jaw in shock.
"WHAT?"
"Lily, your father's right," Mom chimed in, shaking her head in disbelief. "All he did was ask you a simple question and you accused him of overreacting. And you interrupted him not once but three times when you tried to get the point of investigating across by yelling at him. Yes, he told me everything. You were very disrespectful to your father who loves you."
I let out an angry sigh.
"Alright, now that your mother has made her point clear, please allow me to get my point across," Dad said. "One, I did not appreciate the way you spoke to me. You trying to yell over me while I was talking to you was not cool. And speaking of which, do not ever interrupt me again. It is very rude to interrupt while I am talking. Before I get to the last point, I want to ask you a question: where did you hear the word 'damn?'"
"Uncle Raph was encouraging me to let my anger loose," I answered honestly. "I heard it from him."
Both my parents let out a sigh.
"I will talk to Uncle Raph about this," Dad replied, shaking his head. "But please know that I do not want to hear you say that again. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," I answered, hanging my head down.
My dad left the room, leaving me and my mom alone.
"Lily, look, we all love you," Mom said, sitting on the bed with me and rubbing my back. "We all teach you at least one life lesson to help you live and survive. And Uncle Raph is right. We do need to let our anger loose, but in healthy ways. Using your anger to yell at your dad is not the answer. Your dad has a temper too, but he keeps it in check."
I let out a sigh.
"Mom, what's going on with me and Dad?" I asked. "We always got along and now all we do is fight. I don't understand."
"Well, you are growing up and learning more about yourself, and that's normal. Having an argument with your parents during teenagerhood is normal. You are Daddy's little girl, and he's having trouble letting you go, and that's another reason you two fight. That is also normal. It's hard for both of us to admit that you're growing up, and it's harder because you're our only child."
I pondered this, again remembering that my dad truly loved me. Then a question entered my mind.
"What was it like for you and Dad? Growing up at my age, I mean."
"We both loved our fathers very much," Mom answered with a fond smile. "When I was your age, I went to school and came home to a loving father. We took a walk in the city every night. The most rebellious stuff I had done involved getting information for your dad and the Turtles and lying to my dad to get that information... when he was human, that is."
I nodded my head, remembering my mom's stories of Grandpa O'Neil being a mutant bat and a mutant Kraang at some point in his life. He had no recollection of his life as a mutant, but he has a huge fear of alien invasions as a result.
"As for your dad and uncles, they had never explored the human world until they were your age, and Splinter was reluctant to allow them that opportunity. On the other hand, if they hadn't gone up to the surface, we'd never met. But Splinter struggled with this every night, even on the nights the Turtles were grounded. But all six of us, Casey included, proved to our families that we could take care of ourselves. Grandpa O'Neil finally accepted this the day I married your dad. And your dad will accept you growing up one day, too. But don't go proving yourself by doing stupid things like exploring Todayland University by yourself. Don't do what I did, Lily. I sometimes went on missions by myself, and most the time, I ended up getting hurt. You must be patient."
"I understand, Mom. I'm sorry."
"Shh, don't be," Mom replied, putting a hand my shoulder. "Don't be sorry for growing up and learning lessons. I would suggest apologizing to your dad, though, for the way you spoke to him."
"Yes, ma'am."
The next day - Todayland, North Montana, USA
DONATELLO'S POV
I walked into Cornelius's office and found him on a phone call. I sat down on a chair, patiently waiting for him to finish with his client.
"Thank you for calling, but I have a colleague waiting to speak to me," the blond-spiky-haired scientist spoke into the phone. "Yeah. I'll talk to you soon. Goodbye."
Dr. Cornelius Robinson hung the phone and turned to me with a big smile on his face.
"Dr. Donatello Hamato, it is wonderful to see you!"
We both stood up and hugged each other.
"It's great to see you too," I replied eagerly as we took our seats again.
"What brings you to Todayland?"
"This is going to sound absolutely crazy, but my daughter has a suspicion that there is a mutant parasitic wasp in Todayland."
"Lily, too, huh?"
I put a puzzled expression on my face.
"What do you mean?"
"Wilbur and Karena both approached me last night with concerns about the missing persons cases in Todayland," Cornelius explained. "They both believe that the cases are not random and that these disappearances were planned. But I highly doubt that it is because of a genetically-enhanced wasp, which is ridiculous."
"I agree with that," I replied. "The parasitic wasp was one of the Kraang's mutagenic experiments on Earth, and they had mutated two more after my brothers and I were infected. One of them had escaped into North Hampton. It escaped at some point while I was teaching class in the barn. The entire family did a patrol in New York City, searching for this wasp, but we couldn't find it. I promised my daughter that I'd look in Todayland University, see if her hypothesis is proven correct, but I doubt it."
"If the wasp is genetically-enhanced, then it is possible for the wasp to travel all the way here," Cornelius proposed. "But why here of all places?"
"I have no idea. But to Lily, it's worth checking out. I was wondering if you can give me and my brother Raph clearance to investigate room U-2034 on campus. Raph's a detective with the New York Police Department."
Cornelius pondered for a moment.
"Alright. I will allow it under one condition: I will send my robot Carl with you. He can't get infected, and he can identify any substance you or Raphael find."
I grinned.
"Thank you so much! I promise to let you know of our findings."
We got up and we shook hands.
"I will phone Chief McDimples and let her know you, Raphael, and Carl are on your way to investigate. Good luck, Donatello."
"Thank you, sir."
I walked out of the office and sent Raph a text.
"Cornelius gave us the green light. Meet me at Todayland University with the portal in ten minutes."
I took the elevator all the way down to the bottom floor and out the door. Thankfully, there was a monorail waiting to take me to my next stop. I walked in and took a seat. There was a computer that popped out from the ceiling.
"Good morning, sir. Present identification, please."
"Dr. Donatello Hamato."
"Thank you, Dr. Hamato. Where is your destination?"
"Todayland University, please."
"Please present your payment now. Have a nice trip on the Todayland Monorail System."
I took out my credit card and paid for my ride. I laid back, glancing at the city as the monorail guided me away from Robinson Industries. It was a nice ten-minute ride from there to Todayland University. When I walked off, I found Carl and Raph waiting for me outside.
"I just finished talking with Chief McDimples, Donnie," Raph spoke. "She's a hard one to convince."
"Cornelius is one of the top scientists of the world, the CEO of Robinson Industries, and the President of Todayland University," I explained. "And he gave me his word we'd have clearance."
"Oh, he did. I made sure Giggle understood that loud and clear. She's a tough cookie to work with."
"It is lovely to see you again, Donatello," Carl greeted me, shaking my hand with his gold robotic one.
"It's wonderful to see you too, Carl," I replied, returning the smile. "Well, let's go."
Carl led us into the university and to room U-2034, which was closed off with police tape to the public. Raph and I took one sniff, and we both grunted with disgust.
"This smells disgusting!" Raph exclaimed.
"It definitely smells like the lair after Mikey fired the garbage cannon inside," I replied. "Let's look around, but we need to be careful."
The three of us walked over the tape and into the room, which was a laboratory. The lab was trashed with broken beakers and cylinders all over.
"Well, if these disappearances happened in here, someone gave their kidnapper a good fight," Raph spoke.
"Guys, look what I found!" Carl yelled.
Raph and I walked over to him. Carl was picking up some sort of slimy yellow substance.
"I have a bad feeling about this," I spoke up. "Can you make out what it is, Carl?"
"It's mucus. And according to my database, it is mucus from a type of the parasitica wasp."
I hung my head down, realizing my daughter had every right to be suspicious of the wasp.
"Okay, so if the wasp was in here, there must be an egg or a dead body," Raph said, bringing me back to reality. "Let's try to find them."
The three of us continued looking around for the next five minutes. I could not find anything that would help our investigation into the wasp.
"Raph, Carl, did you two find anything?" I asked.
"No, there's no trace of an egg, nor a trace of the missing students," Raph answered.
"Carl, who is the first student to go missing?" I asked.
"A senior named Jeanette Roland," Carl answered.
"Finding her is the key. If we find her, then we can find all of our victims. Let's go report our findings to Cornelius."
KARENA'S POV
My phone rang when I woke up and discovered Wilbur was calling me.
"Hey Wilbur, aren't you in school right now?"
"Yeah, but this is too important to ignore. Lily and I met up at school and we talked about the missing persons cases, especially since we discovered that someone from the high school went missing."
"Oh no!" I cried, hoping that the turn of events would not go down that path.
"Yeah. Lily believes that there is a mutant wasp in Todayland. I laughed at it because I thought it was absolutely ridiculous. But then she told me anything is possible in Todayland. Considering everything that's happened the past couple years, I figured I'd call you."
"What do you need me to do?"
"You have access to the internet regarding all things that happened in your world. Could you see if there is such a thing as a mutant wasp in the Turtles' world?"
"Okay. Let's see."
I sat down at the table and pulled up my laptop. I typed in a Google search for the wasp associated with the Turtles and discovered an episode called "Parasitica" that had aired shortly after I moved to Todayland.
"On July 20, 2013, the Turtles investigated a Kraang laboratory where they find a giant wasp," I explained over the phone. "The wasp attacked them, and thanks to poor planning on Mikey's part, Leo ended up being stung. Leo finds an egg and suggests they return to the lair to study it. Leo closely guards this egg while he is consumed by this virus the wasp spread to him, making him the protector of her egg. He infects both Raph and Donnie by biting them, and then Donnie infected Mikey, but not before he tells Mikey how to make the cure. Mikey ends up saving his brothers from being eaten by the three wasps that hatched from the egg and cures them."
"Well, at least there is some hope for these students," Wilbur replied. "Lily told me her dad is going to do an investigation at Todayland University. What should we do if this mutant wasp is responsible for these disappearances and not a kidnapper?"
"I don't know."
I paused, realizing what my teenage boyfriend just said.
"Wait, did you say Donnie was coming here?"
"Yes. He warned Lily not to intervene just like Dad warned me. I definitely think we need to get Carl involved though."
"I agree. We'll ask your dad together after school. I'm taking today off work so that I can have some me time after a busy night."
"I don't blame you. It was very nice of your boss to let you decide your own schedule. I love you, Karr."
"I love you too, Wilbur. See you soon."
After I hung up, I got changed into a green dress and attended all of my classes for the day. Afterwards, I drove to Robinson Industries and met Wilbur there. We went up the elevator to Cornelius's office and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Cornelius asked.
"It's me, Dad," Wilbur answered.
"Excuse me, gentlemen. That's my son."
We waited a couple more moments before Cornelius opened the door, greeting us with a smile.
"Hi, son. Is this important? I'm in the middle of a meeting."
"Yes, Dad, it is. Karena and I have a suggestion as to what can cause the disappearances of all of these students."
"He can join us!" I heard a familiar voice call out. "We're okay with sharing information."
"Donnie, is that you?" I asked, feeling excited about seeing my friend in the flesh.
"Yes, I'm here. Raph's here too."
Cornelius led us in, and we stood behind the two Turtles.
"Alright, Wilbur, what do you propose is behind these disappearances?" Cornelius asked.
"Lily approached me with her hypothesis that a mutant wasp her father kept frozen in his barn had traveled all the way to Todayland to nest her eggs there," Wilbur explained. "I thought it was ridiculous at first, so I called Karena and asked her to do research to back Lily's claim."
"Donnie, Raph, you both were infected with the parasitica virus in July of 2013 and Mikey saved your lives," I chimed in. "Further research shows that the Kraang mutated two more wasps and that one was able to escape imprisonment thanks to Metalhead."
"Which, ironically, brings us to our results in our investigation at Todayland University," Donnie continued for us. "With Carl's help, we can confirm that there was a parasitic wasp in room U-2034 at the university. However, there is no sign of said wasp nor of any eggs."
"And the irony continues," Wilbur chimed in. "This morning, Lily and I discovered that Penelope Cockerham, a freshman at Todayland High School, had been reported missing."
"What?!" Donnie reacted with alarm in his voice.
"According to Todayland News, Penelope was last seen Friday morning in Room 124 with, and get this, Jeanette Roland. According to the footage from the cameras, Jeanette bit Penelope in that room, and then Penelope took out the camera."
"Excuse me."
I watched Donnie walk out of the room with his T-Phone in his hand.
"This is very grave news," Cornelius said, shaking his head.
"We were wondering if we can have Carl investigate Room 124 at the high school?" I asked. "Maybe he can find more clues."
"Donnie and I came to the conclusion that if there was a wasp present, there would be an egg or dead body present," Raph finally spoke. "I'm open to more investigating. Maybe Carl and I can find something there, especially if Jeanette was there."
"But this doesn't make sense," I replied. "It doesn't take a month for a wasp to hatch, does it?"
"Karena, this is a mutant wasp we're talking about. And besides, if there are eight people missing in action, then there may be more than one egg. Jeanette may have formed some sort of hive and avoided being eaten by the original host."
"Whew!" Donnie exclaimed, walking back in the office. "I just called April. Lily's safe at home."
"Home?" Wilbur replied in confusion. "Isn't Lily a cheerleader?"
"She's grounded."
"Oh."
Wilbur hung his head down.
"Donnie, Karena and I were talking about the two of us investigating the high school. We've gotta find something there!"
"I agree, Raph. But Karena and Wilbur need to go home."
Donnie paused, turned to my boyfriend, and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Wilbur, I understand that you are headstrong. Lily finds this admirable about you. But it is dangerous for you and Karena to be involved, especially now that we know there's at least one mutant wasp roaming about in the city."
"I still want to help in some way," I chimed in. "I've gotten acquainted with a professor I met last year. Her name is Summer Rydinger. She's Violet Parr's granddaughter who is a professor of chemistry. Is that okay, Donnie?"
The purple-clad Turtle pondered for a moment.
"Yes, that is fine. Could you let me know if you find a way to bring us together to investigate? Two scientists are better than one."
"Sure!"
"For right now, we should head to the high school, Donnie," Raph suggested. "Carl can meet us there."
"I agree," Donnie replied. "Karena, Wilbur, we'll see you sooner than later."
They got up, and we all shook each other's hands before going away on our own paths.
DONATELLO'S POV
After Cornelius extended an invitation for me and Raph to join him for dinner, we ventured over to the high school to find clues regarding Penelope's disappearance.
"I am so thankful that we do not have to talk to Giggle McDimples to obtain access to the high school," Raph said grudgingly. "Which room did Wilbur say it was, Donnie?"
"One hundred twenty-four," I answered. "I am thankful that I kept my digital lockpick in handy after all these years."
I was able to unlock the classroom, and we walked in. It was much tidier than the laboratory at Todayland University, but the smell still lingered on.
"Hey, you guys made it!"
We jumped and turned around to see Carl walking in.
"I don't know who's worse, you or Mikey!" Raph yelled.
"Shh, quiet!" I hushed my hot-headed brother. "Thank you for coming, Carl. According to Wilbur, this was the room where Penelope disappeared with Jeanette."
"I'm sorry I'm late," Carl replied. "I wanted to get all the footage from Friday morning."
"Let's take a look," Raph suggested.
We gathered around at a desk while Carl somehow produced a high-definition player with a flash drive. We started to watch the footage. The video started at seven-thirty that Friday morning. Penelope had walked into the classroom looking for somebody, presumably her teacher. Jeanette suddenly emerged from a door to the left of the entrance. Penelope seemed surprised to see her, and Jeanette suddenly attacked her.
"Whoa, nice kick!" Raph said with enthusiasm as Penelope kicked her attacker.
We kept on watching the footage. We saw Penelope screaming as Jeanette bit her on the neck. Then, Jeanette dragged Penelope through the same door. Jeanette emerged again and then took out the camera.
"Raph, we need to check that side room!" I prompted my brother. "Carl, please go with him. I'll keep on examining this room."
Carl and Raph went through the door while I explored all angles of the classroom. I had learned that the teacher who taught here had been teaching biology, for there were all sorts of posters of animal and plant anatomy. I found some sort of substance on the ground, which was the same substance we found at Todayland University.
"DONNIE!"
I perked my head up in alarm at Raph's tone. I was prompted to run into the side room.
"What's going on, Raph?" I asked.
"We found the teacher."
There was a male teacher lying on the ground unconscious. First, I checked to see if he had a pulse. I placed one of my fingers on his neck and I let out a weary sigh. He was dead.
"Raph, call Chief McDimples and Cornelius. He's died of some sort of internal bleeding. Had he been discovered later that day, he would have been taken to a hospital and survived."
"Could you do an autopsy?" Raph asked.
"No, I'm not a licensed coroner."
"But you are a physician, and you've performed surgeries to save lives. In fact, you're not just a physician, Donnie. You're a surgeon. Who cares if you're licensed or not? We need to find out who knocked this teacher out so that we can investigate his murder."
I let out a sigh.
"Let me ask Cornelius first."
"Meanwhile, did you find anything in the classroom?" Carl asked.
"Yes, I found mucus from a parasitic wasp, the same substance that we found at the university. Jeanette bit Penelope, so this mucus may have come from her instead of the wasp."
"I'll collect a sample and analyze it," Carl replied. "Meanwhile, I'll call Cornelius over here."
North Hampton, New York, USA
APRIL'S POV
"Alright, Lily, take it easy going in the driveway," I cautioned her. "It's gravel, so you want to drive slowly."
I smiled, proud of Lily for doing well in her driving lesson at night. She followed directions and was able to park the Party Wagon safely. At just the nick of time, my T-Phone rang. I took it out of my pocket and smiled when I saw the image of a teenage Donatello surrounded by flowers. I had kept that picture as his picture ID all these years, because he would always be my Donny Boy.
"It's your dad," I told our daughter, and I answered the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey, April. How are you?"
"I'm doing great! Lily and her cousins had a successful patrol and I enjoyed training with everybody. What about you?"
"I wish I could say the same."
My smile disappeared. I put my hand over the phone and turned toward Lily.
"Lily, dear, why don't you go in the house and do your homework? I'll join you later."
Lily gave me a firm nod and went ahead into the house. I remained in the Party Wagon and was ready to talk to my husband again.
"What happened at Todayland University?"
"Lily was right. The wasp made it to Todayland and infected Jeanette Roland there a week before she was reported missing. That day was the first day of classes for all the college students. A professor discovered the mess and reported it to Cornelius, who had the laboratory closed. Six more people from the university had gone missing since."
I let out a sigh.
"Does that mean you'll be living in Todayland again?"
"No. But there's a good chance I'll be going there more often. I ran into Wilbur and Karena today too, and, along with Lily, discovered that a high school freshman went missing this past weekend. Raph and I investigated that room, where we discovered Jeanette had bitten Penelope. There was no sign of the wasp or any eggs at either location. Unfortunately, we found the body of the science teacher of that high school classroom. Cornelius has given me permission perform an autopsy."
I let out a gasp.
"Oh my gosh! Is it the wasp?"
"No, I'm thinking someone knocked him out. Raph's already ruled this a murder, hence why I'm doing the autopsy."
"Does that mean you won't be home tonight?"
"Unfortunately, that's correct. Granted, I'm not like most scientists, so I may not take much time at all. However, I must be thorough. I may not be home until the early hours of tomorrow morning."
I let out a sigh, and then I realized this teacher may have taught Lily.
"Hey, D, do you know the identity of this teacher? I wonder if he had taught Lily or not. If so, I'd like to break the news to her."
"His name was Mr. Russell Ashley. He taught general biology and advanced-placement biology."
"Thanks, D. Good luck in your autopsy."
"Thanks, A. I'm gonna need it. I love you."
"I love you too, Donnie. I'll see you soon."
"Good night, April."
We hung up, and I let out another sigh. I got out of the Party Wagon and walked into the house. I had prayed that Mr. Ashley was not one of Lily's teachers as I went up the stairs to her room. I knocked on her door, and after waiting a few seconds, I walked in.
"Hey, Mom, what's going on?" Lily asked, playing with her long red hair. "You were out there for a while."
"I wanted to talk to you about your dad's investigations," I explained, taking a seat on the bed next to her. "You were right. While Dad and Uncle Raph found evidence that the parasitic wasp made it to Todayland, they couldn't find the wasp nor the eggs she may have laid at the university. Then they were alerted to a disappearance at the high school and went there to investigate. They didn't find the wasp nor any eggs there either, but they found the body of one of the teachers."
"Oh my gosh," Lily whispered, putting both her hands over her mouth. "Which teacher was it?"
"Mr. Ashley."
"What? No!"
"He taught you?" I asked.
"Yes, he was my biology teacher last year," Lily answered solemnly. "I can't believe he's dead."
"Lily, I am so sorry. Dad's staying in Todayland doing an autopsy on him to determine the cause of death. Uncle Raph thinks it's murder."
"Is this murder related to the wasp or no?"
"I don't know. Dad didn't say. But I'm sure we'll know more soon. Are you okay?"
"I... I don't know," Lily replied, putting her hand on her head covered with red bangs. "There's so much to take in. Finding out there is a parasite in Todayland infecting people and then finding out your past teacher is dead."
"Will you be able to do your homework tonight?"
"Yeah, but I'm going to need help to stay on top of it."
"Here, let me help you," I replied. "What subject are you doing?"
"French."
I winced. I knew nothing about the French language. I did, however, take four years of Spanish when I was in high school. I silently prayed that French would be similar to Spanish and that I would be able to help my daughter out.
"Okay, well, just tell me how to help you and we'll go from there."
"You don't speak French, do you, Mom?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, I don't," I confirmed, smirking when I discovered she read my mind.
Lily moved closer to the wall and invited me to climb in bed with her. I got in the bed and we completed her French homework together.
Todayland, North Montana, USA
DONATELLO'S POV
Cornelius had led me to a spare room to perform Mr. Ashley's autopsy. I had returned home briefly to grab my surgeon's coat along with gloves, a facial mask, a face shield, and a cap to protect myself from infection. When I declared that I was ready after putting all of my personal protection equipment on, I first examined the body on the outside. There were bruises on the body parts he may have hit when he fell, but then I felt a bump on the back of his head.
"Hmm, so he was hit on the head with a blunt object," I hypothesized out loud. "Mr. Ashley may have died from head trauma."
I examined the body one more time to see if there were any teeth marks or sting marks. I found none. I put a grim expression on my fully-masked face.
"So Raph was right. This is murder. Well, Russell, let's get you talking."
I sanitized my surgical tools before operating on the body. As I examined his insides, I noticed a lot of infection.
"Hmm, he's got sepsis," I said out loud. "And his stomach has been emptied. I wonder..."
I took a break from my autopsy to call Cornelius.
"Dr. Robinson."
"Hi Cornelius, it's Donatello. Do you have an X-ray machine somewhere in Robinson Industries? I'd like to examine his skull, but I'd rather do an X-ray first before operating. Surgeries on the brain are very complicated."
"I will try to find one and bring it to you."
"Thank you."
While I waited for Cornelius to show up, I stitched the torso up again. I contemplated the thought of a head injury causing sepsis, and then it hit me. I called Wilbur.
"Wilbur here."
"Hey Wilbur, it's Don. Could you tell Carl to meet me in the spare room at Robinson Industries? I'd like to see that footage from Friday morning again."
"I'm on it!"
It took practically no time at all for Carl to arrive.
"Hiya, Donnie!" Carl greeted me. "Nice getup!"
"Thank you! Listen, I called you here because I want to see footage from Friday morning again. Do you happen to have footage from that lab the classroom is connected to?"
"Donatello, you have a keen mind," Carl complimented me. "I'll get it set up."
I let out a chuckle.
"You know, I've helped Raphael with his investigations before in New York," I explained myself. "If their lab chief wasn't available, Raph would call me in to do forensic analyses. Working in a crime lab is absolutely amazing. I'd also work as their hacker once in a while."
"You work with computers, too?" Carl asked with intrigue.
"Oh yeah. I love studying modern and futuristic technology. I hated dealing with the Kraang because they kept trying to kidnap April for their sick needs, but I loved studying their technology and hacking into it to help her and my brothers."
"Okay, we're ready!" Carl said.
I walked over to him to see the footage from Friday morning. Around the same time Penelope ventured into the classroom, I saw a hooded figure dragging Mr. Ashley by the wrist. He tried to reason with this figure, but this figure looked like he or she was trying to bite him. Then, another figure suddenly showed up with a pipe and hit Mr. Ashley over the head with it. The teacher collapsed onto the floor. I grunted in disgust, watching one figure leave through the window and another walking away and through the door leading to the classroom.
"They pretty much left him for dead!" I yelled furiously.
I continued to watch the cameras to figure out when the teacher had died. I watched the teacher vomit at some point in the day, and it looked like he was yelling for help. Later in the day, he had collapsed, and he stopped moving.
"Carl, could you go back five minutes?" I requested.
Carl rewind the video.
"Now, could you zoom in, please?" I asked.
Carl and I watched the moment of his death playing again, and Carl paused it right when he stopped moving. I grabbed the death certificate I had obtained from Cornelius prior to the autopsy and started to fill it out.
"Time of death... was on Friday September 23rd at 2:13 PM," I announced with a grim voice.
I pounded a fist onto the table.
"If someone had actually heard his cries for help, he would have survived," I said angrily.
"What have you found so far?" Carl asked. "That is, until I arrived."
"I had found a bump on the back of his head, and now we know that it came from a blunt pipe. And because of the trauma of his head injury, his bloodstream had become quite infected. And now we know that he vomited shortly before his passing, which means the infection spread to his stomach. But now, I'm waiting on Cornelius to arrive with an X-ray machine for me to examine his head injury."
"And Cornelius has arrived!"
We both turned toward the door to see Cornelius carrying a portable X-ray machine.
"You never cease to amaze me with your technology, Cornelius," I complimented the Father of the Future.
"I could say the same about you, Donatello," Cornelius replied. "Was this the missing piece of the puzzle?"
"Yes, possibly, to this autopsy. But there are still pieces missing in the murder investigation."
"Murder investigation?" Cornelius replied in alarm. "Oh, don't tell me-"
"Yes, this man was murdered. I found a bump on the back of his head, and the footage Carl showed me just now indicates that he was hit on the head and then left for dead. Now, let's see..."
I got the machine activated very quickly.
"Chief McDimples is not going to be happy about this," Cornelius said nervously.
"None of us are happy about it," I replied. "I'd like Raph to come to Todayland and investigate this murder. If he has to do it with Chief McDimples, then fine. The city is already at stake with eight people missing. Now you have a murder on top of that."
"Murder hasn't happened here in ages!" Carl exclaimed.
"There was an attempted murder on both Karena and Wilbur two years ago," Cornelius explained. "But Karena survived her injuries and Wilbur was able to track their assassin."
"I got it!" I exclaimed happily. "Now, let's see what Russell says about his head injury."
I hovered the X-ray machine over his head and took pictures of the entire head as well as the area around the injury. Cornelius set up another area for us to see the X-ray pictures.
"So, what have you found, Donatello?" Cornelius asked.
"Russell's skull was cracked upon impact," I explained, examining the photos. "And from the looks of it, parts of skull got embedded in his cerebellum, causing infection all along the spine and into his bloodstream. He had no chance of survival, even if someone had found him and taken him to a hospital. There's your cause of murder, gentlemen."
"A traumatic brain injury," Cornelius let out a small gasp and then shook his head. "Now the question is, is Mr. Ashley's killer infected by the parasitica virus?"
"I do not know. I'd like Raphael and Carl to investigate those two rooms again tomorrow. For one, we'll need the murder weapon, which looks like some sort of pipe from the security footage. Along with Russell's blood, there may be fingerprints or another blood type from the killer. Two, we need to find all of these infected people as soon as possible. Right now, they are all suspects. Jeanette is our number one suspect since she was seen shortly after Mr. Ashley was injured. I could not identify the two figures in the security footage in the lab though."
"I will allow it. Since this is a murder investigation, I will need to have Chief McDimples involved to supervise Raphael. Meanwhile, I will provide Raphael with the means for him to remain in Todayland until this murder is solved. Would you like me to do the same for you, Donatello?"
I glanced at him, grateful for the offer.
"I need to stay in the shadows this time," I replied. "If I'm needed, I'm sure Raphael will call me."
I paused, wondering if there was a morgue in Todayland.
"You don't have a morgue, do you?" I asked.
"There is a morgue in the funeral home. When a person dies, all the bodies are placed in the morgue until it is time for their funeral, and then they are carried off from their funeral to their final resting place."
"We need Mr. Ashley's body transported to the morgue, and then we need someone to inform his family of his death."
"I will do it," Cornelius replied. "I am unsure how they will react to a genetically-enhanced turtle giving them the news."
"Fair enough."
I held my hand out to shake Cornelius' hand, but I sheepishly chuckled, realizing I was still wearing personal protection equipment.
"So tell me, Donatello, did you dress exactly like this during the coronavirus pandemic?"
"Actually, yes," I answered sheepishly. "But only around my human patients. That was one of the few times we mutants were thankful for our mutations. The mutagen caused all of us to be immune to major diseases like COVID. April, my wife, is immune to all sickness. That is, except for the nine months she was pregnant with Lily."
We chuckled, preparing ourselves to transport the body to the funeral home. My sheepish smile turned into a frown, and I started crying quietly. This was a sad night, indeed.
