Donnie hunched over his desk in the lab, eyes locked onto a massive flowchart covered in equations, arrows, and an almost obsessive amount of sticky notes. The others watched him from behind, curiosity piqued.

Leo folded his arms. "What are you up to, Donnie?"

Donnie straightened, turning dramatically to present his work. "Just putting the finishing touches on my master plan."

Raph raised an eyebrow. "Master plan?"

Donnie nodded, grinning as if he had cracked the code of the universe. "Yeah—to get April to hang out with me."

That was all it took for the room to erupt into laughter.

Mari clutched her stomach. "Bro, it ain't that deep!"

Cat giggled, arms crossed. "Yeah, try this—'Hey, April, wanna hang out?'"

Donnie sighed, exasperated. "See, that's the mistake you amateurs would make. It's not that simple. I have to prepare for every possible response to maximize my chances of success."

Mikey gasped dramatically. "Aw, that's so romantic!"

Cat blinked at the board. "Or kinda terrifying. I can't tell which yet."

Undeterred, Donnie pulled out a conspiracy-style board, complete with red strings connecting different responses to potential outcomes.

"For instance," Donnie continued, tapping a sticky note, "if April says she can't because she has homework, then I will suggest an informal study session and serve healthy, brain-stimulating snacks."

Raph leaned against the wall, smirking. "Yeah? And what if she says she can't because you're a total nerd?"

Donnie didn't even flinch. "Ah, that's this thread here." He pointed to another note. "I will list my many non-nerdy qualities and suggest activities that will highlight my coolness, such as skateboarding or shark wrestling."

Mari snorted. "Yeah, because nothing screams 'date material' like wrestling a literal shark."

"Right?" Cat whispered to Mikey. "That actually sounds cool, though."

Before Donnie could defend himself further, April burst into the lair, clutching her laptop with a frantic expression.

"Guys!"

Donnie yelped, scrambling to switch the display. In an instant, the elaborate plan disappeared, replaced by a very poorly disguised Space Heroes poster.

"Hey, Ap—hey, April," he said, his voice cracking slightly.

Mari and Raph exchanged smirks.

April ignored the awkwardness and flipped open her laptop. "You guys gotta check this out."

A news broadcast played on the screen.

"Renowned neurochemist Dr. Tyler Rockwell has been reported missing. I spoke with Rockwell's colleague, Dr. Victor Falco."

The screen cut to a man with sharp features and an unsettling look in his eyes.

"I hadn't heard from him in days, so I stopped by his lab," Falco explained. "The place was a mess, and he was gone. I fear the worst."

"Police say they have—"

Before the report could finish, April slammed the laptop shut.

Leo raised an eyebrow. "So?"

April huffed, clearly frustrated. "So, the Kraang have been kidnapping scientists from all over the city—including my dad! Maybe that's what happened to this Rockwell guy."

Leo hesitated. "Or they may not be connected at all."

April shot him a look. "There's only one way to find out. We should go to that lab and look around."

Donnie nodded immediately. "April's right. We should go check it out. What's that? You guys are busy? Guess it's just the two of us, April."

Mari groaned. "Wow. Smooth, Donatello."

"Super smooth," Cat added.

As Donnie and April walked out, Leo shook his head and turned back to Donnie's flowchart, giving it another glance.

"Huh," he muttered. "I bet that wasn't on his flowchart."

Mari peered over his shoulder. "Uh... it is."

Leo stepped back, stunned.

"That's spooky." Cat whistles.

April led Donnie into the lair, his steps wobbly as he leaned against her for support. His bruised face and the way he winced with every movement made it obvious—he'd had his shell handed to him.

"Come on," April said, half-dragging him toward the couch.

The others immediately turned toward the commotion, their eyes widening in shock.

"Whoa, what happened to him?" Raph asked, his arms crossed as he looked Donnie up and down.

April huffed. "Donnie got beat up by a lab monkey."

There was a brief pause. Then—

"A monkey?" Mari echoed, raising an eyebrow.

Cat gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "That's so embarrassing," she whispered, but not quietly enough.

Leo stepped in, grabbing Donnie's arm and guiding him toward the couch. "April, can you get an ice pack?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

April nodded and walked off, leaving Leo to gently ease Donnie down onto the cushions. "Donnie, are you going to be okay?" Leo asked. When Donnie said that he would be, any sympathy from the rest of the team evaporated.

Raph was the first to crack, a slow, wicked grin spreading across his face. "Wait, wait, wait—" he snickered. "You got beaten up by a monkey? In front of your girlfriend?"

Donnie groaned, covering his face with his hand. "She's not my girlfriend! And that monkey was a vicious mutant! It had enhanced reflexes, super strength—"

But no one was listening.

Leo smirked, shaking his head. "Yeah, I'm sure he went bananas!" he teased before his smirk widened. "No, no, no—he went ape!"

Mikey, who had been barely containing himself, immediately burst out, "Monkey!" before collapsing into laughter.

Mari, sitting on the other side of the room with her arms crossed, smirked but didn't join in. "Wow. That's rough, Donnie."

"Yeah," Cat piped up, nodding solemnly. "That's, like... the opposite of cool."

Raph was still laughing as he slapped a hand on Donnie's shoulder, causing the injured turtle to groan again. "Man, this is gold."

Mikey, barely able to breathe through his giggles, turned to Raph. "Dude, should we check the news? Maybe they caught it on video."

Donnie shot him a glare.

Before things could get worse, April returned with the ice pack, her expression unimpressed as she took in the scene. The moment she stepped in, the boys quickly quieted down, though a few muffled chuckles still lingered.

She frowned at them. "Are you seriously laughing at him because he's hurt?"

Mikey, still holding back laughter, grinned. "No, we were laughing at him because he was hurt by a monkey!"

That was all it took for the others to lose it again.

As April scrolled through Rockwell's notes, the lair was unusually quiet—Mari leaned against the back of the couch, arms crossed, while Cat sat beside Mikey, playing with a loose thread on her mask.

"Guys, I think I've found something," April announced, her eyes narrowing as she studied the screen. "These notes are hard to follow, but it looks like Rockwell was able to modify the mutagen."

Leo stepped closer. "Why would he do that?"

April tapped on a diagram, bringing up an animation of blue mutagen interacting with brain waves. "He thought he could use it to create a neurochemical that would temporarily give someone psychic abilities."

Raph raised a brow. "You mean that monkey was psychic?"

April shook her head. "It's more like he was reading our emotions. After all, he was only hostile when Donnie was hostile."

Mari snorted. "Sounds like Donnie made an enemy for life."

"Great," Donnie muttered, rubbing his temple. "Now I have a telepathic primate holding a grudge against me."

"Yeah, well, next time," he continued, cracking his knuckles, "I'll be sure to think friendly thoughts while I'm beating a little sunshine into him."

Leo shot him a disapproving look. "Yeah, because that worked out so well the first time."

Before Donnie could retort, Leo refocused the group. "Okay, we need to track him down before he attacks someone else. Let's go up to the surface, spread out, and search."

"How are we gonna stay in contact?" Raph asked, rolling his shoulders.

Donnie smirked. "I have a little something that might help." He reached into his belt and pulled out a small device, holding it up dramatically. "Gentlemen and ladies, I give you... The T-Phone!"

Mikey gasped in excitement. "Dude, I'm in charge of naming stuff. I would've called it The T-Phone."

Donnie sighed. "I did call it the T-Phone."

Mikey nodded sadly. "Yeah, but I would've called it the T-Phone."

Raph smacked the back of Mikey's head.

Cat, who had been silent up until now, let out a loud gasp. "Wait, wait, wait—we get phones?!"

Donnie grinned. "Yep, fully customized. Call, text, and even a Turtle Tracker function."

Cat practically vibrated with excitement. "Ooooh, does it come in pink? No, wait! Rose gold! No, no—shimmery pink sparkle edition!"

Raph smacked Cat.

The chase across the rooftops was nothing short of chaos. The T-Phones were going off in everyone's hands as different updates came in, each call-out overlapping the other.

April's voice crackled through the speakers. "Guys, someone just spotted the monkey on Bleecker!"

Raph was already sprinting across the rooftops, his eyes locked on the blur of fur below. "I think I'm on his trail."

Leo's voice came sharp and clear. "Mari, the monkey is headed your way."

Raph grunted, pushing off a ledge to keep pace. "No, wait—he's changing direction! I've got eyes on him. He's headed south on Delancey!"

On the other side of the city, Donnie, Mari and Cat were maneuvering through fire escapes and narrow ledges. Donnie was fixated on his screen, tracking the signals. "I'm on Houston! I'll cut him off!"

Mari, alongside Leo and Raph, was scanning the streets below, hand resting on her tanto. "Where'd he go?"

Silence.

Raph growled in frustration, scanning the street. "I just had him!"

Leo tightened his grip on his katanas. "He changed direction—Mikey, the monkey is headed your way!"

Mikey, of course, was not paying attention.

Perched on a ledge, he was deeply engrossed in a game on his T-Phone, snickering to himself. "Ooooh, I just leveled up—huh?" He blinked up just in time to see a blur of brown fur dashing toward him. "Oh, monkey! Monkey, monkey, monkey—!"

Scrambling onto his skateboard, he tried to intercept the monkey, flinging out his nunchucks—only to immediately slam face-first into a lamp post.

Cat, watching from a distance, winced dramatically. "Ooooh, that looked painful."

Mari groaned, rubbing her temples. "We are so bad at this."

Raph, meanwhile, was already in hot pursuit again. The monkey had bolted past Mikey's sprawled-out form, sprinting down the sidewalk. Raph leaped down, landing hard on the pavement, his sais at the ready. "Not this time, you little—!"

The monkey swerved at the last second, narrowly avoiding Raph's grasp. Then came Leo, cutting in from the other direction, katanas flashing as he tried to corner the creature.

The monkey was fast—too fast.

Mikey peeled himself off the sidewalk, shaking his head. "Okay, that was embarrassing. Let's try that again—HEY, MONKEY, MONKEY, MONKEY!" He began whistling and clapping, as if trying to call over a dog.

Cat"...Does he actually think that'll work?"

Mari, unimpressed, sheathed her tanto. "Do you even need to ask?"

But while the turtles were clumsily chasing after it, April stood still, watching. Her brow furrowed as a strange sensation crept over her. Something was off.

Slowly, she turned and followed her gut.

She made her way to an alleyway, her pulse quickening. There—huddled behind a dumpster, shaking slightly—was the monkey.

April's breath caught. He wasn't running anymore.

He was cowering.

She took a careful step forward, kneeling down. "Hey..." she whispered, extending a hand. "It's okay."

The monkey flinched, eyes darting toward her, wild with fear. But he didn't run.

April swallowed. He's scared. But... why?

Hesitantly, the monkey reached for her hand, his small fingers trembling.

Before anything else could happen—THWAP!

A chain snapped around the monkey's torso.

Mikey fist-pumped. "Gotcha that time!"

The monkey let out a terrified, enraged roar, thrashing wildly in the bindings.

April's stomach twisted. Something wasn't right.

Raph dusted off his hands. "Great, we got the monkey. But we're not any closer to finding Dr. Rockwell."

April looked at the monkey's panicked, desperate face, her mind racing.

The fear in his eyes.

The intelligence behind them.

The way he reached out to her, as if trying to communicate.

And then it hit her.

Her breath caught in her throat.

"Actually..." she murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

Cat glanced at her. "April?"

April turned, her face pale, heart pounding.

"We're a lot closer than you think."

Everyone froze.

"What?" Leo asked, frowning.

April swallowed hard. "I think..." She looked back at the monkey, horror dawning on her face.

"I think this is Dr. Rockwell."

As the night deepened, the turtles carefully transported Rockwell back to the lab, where Dr. Falco was waiting with a syringe in hand. Mari and Cat stood slightly back, both observing with very different levels of concern—Mari with narrowed eyes, already suspicious, and Cat fidgeting nervously.

"There," Falco murmured as he injected Rockwell. The monkey-like mutant let out a weak chitter before visibly relaxing. "That should calm him down a little. Poor Rockwell."

April stepped forward. "Is there any way to get him back to normal?"

Falco let out a heavy sigh, his expression the perfect picture of sorrow. "I wouldn't even know where to begin. But I'll see if there's a way to give him some semblance of a normal life."

Mari didn't trust that for a second.

The turtles and April exchanged glances as Rockwell slumped against the examination table, exhausted from the night's chaos.

Mikey, however, seemed hopeful. "Y'know... I think he's in a better place now. Not like a place place, but—like—mentally? Emotionally? No, wait—"

"Just stop talking," Raph muttered.

Mari folded her arms, giving Falco a slow once-over. Something about this entire situation gnawed at her instincts. He was too willing to help. Too cooperative. But no one else seemed as skeptical, so she kept her thoughts to herself—for now.

As the team made their way back to the lair, the mood was a mix of tension and exhaustion.

Back at the lair, Mikey was locked in a battle of wills—against his own cravings.

"Man, this asteroid field is tough," he muttered, hunched over his game. "I just can't beat it."

Raph entered, carrying a fresh pizza. "Good thing I got dinner."

Mikey's head snapped up. "Must eat pizza. But can't stop playing. But must eat pizza. But can't stop playing. But—"

With a dramatic yell, he chomped into a slice without taking his eyes off the game.

Cat clapped in amazement. "Multitasking king."

Mari raised an eyebrow. "This is just sad."

Leo, sitting near April, sighed. "Sorry we didn't get any closer to finding your dad."

April smiled faintly. "It's okay. Everything we learn about the Kraang is another piece of the puzzle."

Leo frowned. "Yeah, but... psychic research? This is one weird puzzle."

From across the room, Splinter watched April with interest. "I am curious, April. How did you know the monkey was really a human?"

April hesitated, fingers curling around her knees. "...I don't know. Sometimes I just get a feeling about things."

Splinter nodded slowly. "A feeling? Hm. Interesting."

While the conversation continued, Mari stole a glance at Donnie. He was still standing off to the side, deep in thought, not even touching his food.

Leo noticed too. "Hey, Donnie, how come you're not eating?"

Donnie snapped out of it, shaking his head. "What? I'm not hungry. Something's been bothering me."

Mari's instincts prickled again. "Yeah? And what's that?"

Donnie pulled up some of the notes Falco had let them see earlier, scanning them one more time. "Falco said that Rockwell was experimenting on a monkey."

Leo frowned. "And?"

Donnie's eyes flicked back and forth across the text, his voice sharpening. "Well, according to these notes, he never had a monkey in his lab. He was just using samples of monkey DNA."

A beat of silence.

"...We're still not following you," Leo admitted.

Mari's eyes darkened. "You're saying—?"

Donnie turned to them, serious. "If he never had a monkey, what broke out of that cage?"

Realization dawned.

Raph sat up, eyes narrowing. "It must've been Rockwell!"

Donnie nodded. "Which means Falco put him there and he's been lying this whole time."

A tense silence fell over them as everyone processed the implication.

Mari clenched her fists. "I knew that guy was shady."

Leo's face hardened, his grip tightening on his katanas.

They had to get back to the lab.

At the lab, Rockwell was finally sleeping peacefully.

Then Falco entered.

Rockwell stirred slightly, his instincts on edge. But before he could react, Falco jabbed another needle into his arm.

Rockwell let out a choked screech of pain, his body convulsing.

Falco's expression didn't change. He merely adjusted his grip. "Oh, stop struggling, Tyler. You were always so dramatic."

He turned, drawing another syringe—but this time, he injected himself.

As the serum entered his bloodstream, his eyes fluttered shut, and a strange energy began to hum in the air.

Then—click.

in the doorway, weapons at the ready. Mari and Cat stood among them, both tensed, eyes locked onto the man standing in the center of the lab.

Leo stepped forward, drawing his swords. "Alright, Falco! We've had enough of your—"

Raph groaned. "Do not say 'monkeying around.'"

Leo scowled. "I wasn't going to!"

Falco smirked, his eerie calm unshaken. "Yes, you were."

Mari rolled her eyes. "Okay, enough of this. Can we please just kick his creepy psychic butt now?"

Donnie tightened his grip on his staff, pointing it toward Falco. "It's over, Falco! We know it was you who mutated Rockwell!"

Falco merely smiled, his expression amused. "I used him as a guinea pig."

Mikey blinked. "Well, it didn't work. You turned him into a monkey."

Falco ignored him, stepping forward with eerie confidence. "The psychic neurochemical I extracted from his mutant brain is changing me. Your minds are opening up to me."

Donnie's jaw clenched. "So this was your plan all along."

Falco gave a low chuckle. "Of course. No man can defeat you when you know his every thought."

Raph scoffed. "Oh, really? Then you must know I'm gonna smack—"

Falco cut him off, his voice smooth. "Smack the white off my lab coat? How humorous."

Raph's eye twitched. "Lucky guess—hi-yaaah!"

He lunged.

Falco effortlessly dodged, weaving past Raph's attacks like he knew exactly where they were coming from.

Mari's stomach dropped. "Oh, that's not normal."

Leo charged in next, but Falco easily swiped Raph's own sai and used it to disarm him.

Raph went flying backward, slamming into Leo and knocking them both down.

"Seriously?!" Mari gritted her teeth. "Come on, how is this guy so smug?!" She rushed forward, tanto slicing through the air, her movements fast and precise.

Falco smirked. "A warrior driven by anger. So predictable."

Mari swung, aiming for his side, but somehow, he moved just in time to avoid the hit. Her frustration flared—she tried to feint, but before she could even pivot, Falco sidestepped and struck first, sending her sprawling backward.

Mari hit the ground hard, letting out a sharp oof as she rolled back onto her feet. "I hate this guy."

Cat, who had been gripping her tessan tightly, gulped. "Okay, so I definitely don't want him knowing what I'm thinking right now."

"Don't worry," Falco said smoothly, "I already do."

Cat screeched, stumbling backward and practically flinging her fan at him. "Nope, nope, NOPE!" She didn't even attack—just flung the weapon in his general direction before bolting behind Mikey. "You deal with this!"

Mikey turned to her, incredulous. "You threw your weapon at him?!"

"I panicked!"

Leo barely had time to recover before Falco sent his swords flying across the room.

Donnie's mind raced. "How are we supposed to fight someone who can read our moves?!"

Mikey gasped dramatically. "No prob. I just have to fight without thinking! Wait—how do I not think? Oh no, now I'm thinking about not thinking—!"

Before he could finish, Falco knocked him out cold.

Cat, still half-hiding behind him, yelped and scrambled away. "Oh great, he's dropping us like flies!"

Now only Donnie was left standing.

Falco smirked, rolling his shoulders. "A man who can read minds is unstoppable. Once I dispose of you, no one will be able to stand in my way."

Donnie gritted his teeth. "We'll see about that."

Drawing his bo staff, he lunged.

Falco dodged easily, knocking Donnie across the room.

Pain seared through Donnie's limbs. His mind was too loud, too predictable.

Wait.

His thoughts were what Falco expected.

So what if he stopped thinking altogether?

No thinking. No planning. Just move.

Falco lunged.

Donnie reacted on pure instinct.

He moved unpredictably—swinging, dodging, kicking—without planning a single move.

Falco's face twisted in frustration. "What—?!"

Donnie slammed him into the wall, knocking him out.

The room fell silent.

The others groggily got back up, staring.

Raph grinned. "Whoa, Donnie. Nice work."

Mikey stumbled forward. "That was amazing. But also, ow."

Mari let out a low whistle, rubbing her shoulder. "Gotta say, Don, that was impressive."

Cat, who had regained enough courage to poke Falco's unconscious body with the toe of her boot, nodded. "Yeah! Good job! ...I totally helped."

Mari side-eyed her. "You threw your weapon and hid behind Mikey."

Cat huffed. "It was strategy!"

Leo ignored them, looking at Donnie. "Alright. Let's see what Falco knows about the Kraang."

But when they looked back—

Falco was gone.

Rockwell hesitated at the lab's exit, looking back at Donnie.

Donnie smiled. "I'm no psychic, but I think he's trying to thank us."

Raph sighed. "If he reacts to anger, is New York City really the best place for him?"

Outside, a distant crash and a driver's voice yelled, "HEY, MONKEY, GET OUTTA THE—!"

Tires screeched.

Leo winced. "...I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Hey, April, you, uh, wanna hang out tonight?" Donnie asked as a beaming April walked by

April turned to him with an apologetic smile. "That sounds great, Donnie, but I can't. I'm training with Splinter to be a Kunoichi."

Donnie hesitated, then brightened. "Oh! Well, uh, maybe we can train together sometime?"

April nodded. "Sounds great!" Then she waved and walked off.

Donnie watched her leave, his expression triumphant. He turned back toward the others, smugly tapping the side of his head. "You see? My flowchart is awesome!"

Raph groaned and rolled his eyes so hard it looked physically painful.

"Dork," Mari muttered, shaking her head. She still hated the idea of April and Donnie.

Cat, however, clapped. "Aww, Donnie, you're adorable."

Mikey grinned and threw an arm around Donnie's shoulders. "Our boy's making moves!"

Donnie puffed out his chest, beaming.