[Open]

[i_speak_softly]

Characters: Donatello and OPEN
Date: April 27, and some number of following days, depending how this goes
Location: All over the city, but starting at ME-3B and hopefully ending at WA-3B
Situation: Leo ordered Don to get off the networks, so the brainy Turtle sets out to find his brother the old-fashioned way.
Warnings/Rating: Probably nothing exciting.

It takes Don the rest of the night to pick over the components of his console, put them back together again, and boot the machine in his best approximation of safe mode. This still doesn't solve any of the issues - unsurprising, since Mike Weston had told him the problem was in the network - and he checks his messages as carefully as possible.

Leo has left him a cryptic instruction. Not daring to reply, he memorizes it, then shuts down the machine and hits the street.

Where the water meets the steel. A shipyard? Don heads toward the edge of the city, where one is likely to be, but inquiries direct him westward towards the Water Sector.

As he walks, Don wonders if the sector border is what Leo meant. But the border is a long one - it took Don an hour to get across the city by car, and he can tell he hadn't crossed nearly all of it - and he doesn't know which side of the line his brother is on.

Or wait! What if Leo meant a weapons forge? Submerging a steel blade in water is a critical step in the sword-making process, and that's just the kind of thing Leo would think of when giving coded orders on short notice. But a place like that would most likely be in the Fire Sector, and that's really a long way… Maybe he can hitch a ride?

Comments

[i_speak_softly]

"The problem is not in the consoles," Don says, keeping half an eye on Mike while sharing his information with Leo. It won't take long for him to learn and adapt to his cousin's every habit. "It's in the network. I have contact with some other hackers and we're working on a debug port, but access is limited because the servers are using magic transfer protocols."

He raises a hopeful eyebrow in the direction of the sandwiches, then adds: "Tell me about these attacks." He's guessing Leo doesn't mean DDOS.

[duelkatana]

Leo's never felt so happy to understand so little of a sentence in his life. He understands the gist of the reply to be I'm working on it, so he leaves it at that. Don's sudden arrival to this world is timely in more ways than one.

He lifts the tea to take a sip, but Don's question gives him pause; slowly he sets the mug back down, leans forward, his brow line hardening as he steeples his hands.

"I wish I had more to tell you. About a week ago, the consoles went down, followed by a series of explosions that went off across Keeliai. Some caused major damage to structures, while others..." he grimaces and places a hand on his chest. "... released those spores Mike told you about. With all three of us down for the count, we haven't been able to keep tabs on the situation since."

So network or no network, they're scheduled for an intensive patrol of the city the moment it's physically plausible. Leonardo's fully planning to debrief Raph and Mike over what they've already seen out there as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Which leads him to: "You've been searching the city for us. What's it look like out there?"

[michaeljangelo]

The sandwich containing meat gets wrapped in wax paper and placed in the icebox, while the vegetarian one is put down in front of Donatello. Mission complete he returns the left over ingredients back to the various storage containers.

Mike takes what's left of his tea, and moves away from the table, towards the kitchen window. He pulls back the shade and looks out the window, keeping his eyes peeled for Raph.

[i_speak_softly]

"Like the Battle Nexus and D'Hoonib both tried to move into Jersey City," Don replies, with a sideways smile. Then he gets serious. "I must have arrived just after the explosions. It explains why there are so many burnt-out-looking buildings."

Without thinking much about it, he shifts his chair to be out of the line of sight of anyone passing outside the window. Then he continues: "People seem... uneasy. I could tell something had happened."

While searching his memory for any other useful observations, Don picks up the sandwich and takes a bite. Realizing he got the vegetarian one, he turns to Mike, a lettuce leaf hanging forlornly from his beak, a What did I do to deserve this? expression on his face.

[duelkatana]

Ouch. That bad. All the better that Don's now here to expedite their recovery. Leo's gaze slides away to Mike as he tries to pummel his brain into getting started on formulating some plan of action. It's not much use; the throbbing in his skull is starting to get a good hold on him again. It's only a matter of time before his body demands more rest, despite him not having been the one running around outside for the better part of four hours. What a pain.

He turns to Don with a question about the kedan populace, but stops when he sees the... frankly comical look on his brother's face. And the lettuce. Whatever Mike put in that sandwich, Don was clearly not expecting it.

"Problem?" he asks with a glint of humor, his eye ridge lifting.

[michaeljangelo]

Mike's attention may be diverted by looking out the window, but that doesn't mean he's not listening. Proof of this can be found in his cringe at the mention of "Jersey City." He has no idea what or where the other two places are, but he's been to Jersey City.

He prefers the sewers to Jersey City, which really says all that needs saying, in his honest opinion.

The room then goes quiet enough for Leo to ask if there's a problem, and that...well that gets enough of Mike's attention that he let's the shade close and turns back to look towards the table.

Donatello's face is...hysterical, and Mike can't help but smirk at the other turtle's expense.

"You got a thing. Right here," he says gesturing to his own chin where if he were Don there'd be lettuce.

[i_speak_softly]

Don slurps up the lettuce, and knows he totally deserves the others' laughter. He's more bothered by the cruel sleight-of-hand that left him with the meatless meal.

"What happened to the other sandwich?" he asks plaintively.

[duelkatana]

Leo allows himself a huff of quiet laughter, turning his face slightly away. Well, so much for that debriefing. It's all right; it's a pressing matter, but he has no shame in admitting that right now, he's just glad for the presence of his family. If only Mikey were here too, it'd be...

Ah, but he's not that selfish. Muting his smile, Leo simply takes up the mug and pulls at his tea, content to listen for Michaelangelo's explanation of his misdeed.

[michaeljangelo]

"I put it away for Raph," says Mike, not quite getting what the problem is.

Until, and you can see it plainly on his face when it does, realization dawns.

"I...I just thought that...crap, I'm so sorry."

Mike goes to the ice box and retrieves the other sandwich.

"I just, assumed you didn't eat meat either."

[i_speak_softly]

"Either?" Don says blankly, as Mike brings him the sandwich. Who around here doesn't eat meat? He looks to Leo for an explanation, then back to Mike, not finding either of them an especially plausible candidate.

[duelkatana]

Leo, on the other hand, is quite used to the madness of alternate-dimension turtles, and picks up the meaning of his cousin's words pretty quickly. He looks mildly surprised as he sets his tea back down.

"Your Don is a vegetarian?"

[michaeljangelo]

Mike half shrugs, giving Don a curious look before swapping one sandwich for the other.

"It's kind of a new thing, only since we moved in with April. Now that we get to be choosers, you know?"

As opposed to full-time beggars.

"It's not like it's something we ever talk about, I just noticed one day, and at meal times I made it easier, that's all."

Playfully picking the pepperoni off his brother's pizza, giving him extra portions of sides, rather than the meat main course. Most importantly though, distracting Leo and Raph from noticing any change was occurring.

[i_speak_softly]

The information gives Don a creepy feeling up his shell. He's thought about being vegetarian, sure - but he's never done it. His life doesn't allow for that kind of luxury. The idea that in some other universe, a different version of himself actually made that choice, makes reality seem to shift a little.

He suddenly finds that he doesn't really want the other sandwich.

"When did you move in with April?" he asks, partly to change the subject, and partly to find out in what ways his life could have been better, if something had been different.

[duelkatana]

Leo is silent as he taps a finger on his mug. It feels unwise to him, in a way, to live their lifestyle and develop food preferences that could cause problems if circumstances suddenly forced them to into another diet. It's not his place to make that kind of call for a set of brothers that aren't his, but he just hopes the other Don knows what he's doing.

At his brother's question, however, the tapping stops and his expression goes carefully still. Mike's world seemed more similar to his than the Little Ninja's, and if the events surrounding their reason for moving into April's place are more parallels... well, he just hopes they aren't.

[michaeljangelo]

He moves back towards the window, and once again peeks out from behind the shade for signs of an impending Raph attack.

It's only when he's purposely not looking at either Leo or Don that he answer the question.

"Not long after we met April. Almost a year ago, if you don't count all the time I've spent here. Stockman's Robots attacked Splinter in the Lair while we were with April on a mission. When we got back he was gone."

[i_speak_softly]

That... sounds like the elements of his own life, only mixed up and in the wrong order.

"Are you talking about the Mousers?" he asks slowly.

He doesn't miss Mike's purposeful avoidance either. What's up with that?

[duelkatana]

Leo sighs and pinches the bridge of his snout. There had always seemed to be something of an unspoken don't ask, don't tell agreement among the Turtles of the multiverse. Not from lack of interest, but out of respect for the timeline and everyone's sanity. The more he hears about Mike's world, the more concerned he gets.

It doesn't help that those events do sound very familiar, only in a very scrambled order. Leo chances a questioning look at Don, wondering if offering their cousin any assurances that he'll find his Sensei would be... misguided.

It also leaves a bad taste in his mouth at how far away some of those memories feel. If Michaelangelo is from a place where their lives are just barely getting started... he only hopes his own counterpart decided not to go for that solo training run while staying at April's. With any luck, Mike and his brothers didn't have to live through that nightmare.

[michaeljangelo]

Mike looks back towards Don and Leo, one brow-ridge raised.

"So you've heard of them, huh?" He turns towards them more fully, back resting against the wall next to the window. "We thought that when Donnie and April killed the computer that controlled them that we'd heard the last of them, but...I guess we didn't get there in time. Some of them attacked Master Splinter, and when we got home all we found were signs of a struggle, destroyed Mousers, and blood."

Again he diverts his gaze elsewhere.
He remembers feeling the bottom of his stomach drop, and Leo and Raph yelling at each other, but not being able to do anything about it. Not being able to stop Raph from running off. Leo's the only thing that held them together that day.

"We thought he was dead. For months we thought he was dead, but apparently aliens had him the whole time. Always the last place you look."

[i_speak_softly]

Sorry Leo, not asking is not in Donatello's nature. Especially when it comes to things that relate to his own existence.

"The Utroms?" he asks. "TCRI?"

[duelkatana]

That's quite all right; Leo relaxes slightly when he realizes that they did, in fact, find Splinter rather than suffer in a Sensei-free world for the rest of their lives. However, he keeps a discerning eye on his cousin as he attempts to shift into a more comfortable position - this sort of subdued body language is uncommon from Michaelangelo, and a little worrisome.

Then again, can Leonardo blame him? In his world, he was the one to catch Sensei when he fell from the top of that building. He was the one to leave him, injured and alone, to rejoin the fight - and the one to lead his brothers back to the empty place where he had been. Dredging up memories like those - no, he supposes it's not that strange. He's quiet as he continues sipping his tea, listening closely.

[michaeljangelo]

Mike's best laid plans of keeping himself aloof during this conversation are dashed to the rocks the moment Donatello mentions TCRI. His eyes widen, and he places a hand on his scarred forearm.

They'd lived their entire lives in that city and not once had they ever come across the TCRI building before that night. The night when they ran into Foot Soldiers on the rooftop. The night Mike's guard slipped and his arm was slashed.

"The talking brains with faces. We didn't really have much of a chance at introductions."

Their simple recon mission thrown out of control by their discovery of Master Splinter in some sort of stasis tube.

[i_speak_softly]

This is what Don has learned about Mike so far: Like his own Michelangelo, this Mike is very perceptive about other people, and greatly inclined towards taking care of their needs. But he goes about it much more subtly, deflecting attention rather than demanding it. He's full of bad jokes and he will tell stories until a Turtle's internal ears fall out, but somehow it all lacks the "anything to get people to look at me" timbre of the other Mikey's antics.

"Yes, them," Don says eagerly. "They -" He's about to tell Mike everything, but suddenly he stops himself and looks at Leo. "Are we going to catastrophically disrupt the space-time continuum if we talk about this?"

[duelkatana]

He can't help but look at Don a bit oddly, because usually that's the kind of question Leo would ask him. He considers it for a few moments, rubbing his hand across the table. Finally, with a wheezy sigh, he relents.

"I doubt it. As far as I can tell, these are alternate realities, not timelines." Leo glances back and forth between his cousin and brother once or twice, and then adds, gently, "Just remember - it's not all the same."

[michaeljangelo]

Mike snerks at Leo's reassurances.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that part out when the Little Guys said they'd only recently been allowed topside. Splinter brought us up there on missions way younger than they were. Don't get me wrong, they're good kids, but I can't see them challenging Shredder to a duel to the death."

Happy to have the topic of conversation shift, Mike looks at Don.

"They were adorable. Seriously, like...adorable. All like earnest and wholesome goodness adorable."

[i_speak_softly]

Don had almost forgotten about the medical kit, despite it still sitting open on the table, but now he reaches for it. "Who are we talking about?" he asks, as he concocts some sort of mixture out of the handful of available drugs. He hasn't entirely gotten a handle on the jargon of his new extended family yet.