001 ≅ [TEXT] / [ACTION]

[boselfdestruct]

[TEXT]

[Donatello decides to stick with text, because he doesn't entirely trust himself not to give away his barely restrained panic right now if he tries anything else.]

So forgive me if this is a stupid question, but is there anywhere I can find a map or something?

...Or even a help center for the unfortunately half-drowned? Travel agency? A Guide to the City, perhaps? The welcoming committee was helpful, but not that helpful.

Thank you.

[He's pretty sure if there is a place to collect information - and they sure made it sound like this happened often, so he'd surprised if there wasn't - he could slip in and steal their pamphlets or...whatever it was they had, without too much trouble. Still. If there's an easier method, he'd prefer it. He didn't want to go venturing out into the open half-cocked and alone.]

[Speaking of...he'd given up audio, so he'd also given up the chance of one of his brothers recognizing his voice. He'd have to think of something-]

[Ah.]

And if there's a place that sells pizza, I could really go for that right now.

[Not perfect, but it would have to do.]

---

[ACTION]

[No matter what happens during the day, once it hits the darkest hours of the next morning Donatello is going to brave heading up to the roof of his building {ME-2A} in the Metal Sector and start poking around the area. He'll be sticking very close to home and keeping it quiet, but if your character might have the skills and inclination to notice an extremely nervous ninja turtle, then by all means!]

[He'll be distracted by the different constellations in the sky and occasionally be stooping to investigate the material the buildings are made of. He'll keep reaching up to check that his staff is still there. Don't get too close or he will probably try to smack you with it.]

Comments

[seriouslytwisted]

-freakin' pain in my shell! Where've you even been?!

[AUDIO]

[boselfdestruct]

[That is probably the sound of the palm of Don's hand colliding hard with his face.]

[THANK YOU RAPH IT WASN'T AS THOUGH HE WAS TRYING TO AVOID THIS]

I have been here, trying to gather information so I could, I don't know, track you guys down without making a scene.

I didn't think I'd just have to ask for "giant mutant turtles" because apparently you're showing your face all over the network!

PERMAVID BITCH

[seriouslytwisted]

SHUT UP, I didn't actually care where you've been! GOD!

I know what I'm doing Donnie! Turn your camera on!

AUDIO

[boselfdestruct]

Why.

[that is seriously all you're getting in reply right now]

[seriouslytwisted]

Because. I. Said. So.

[Audio] [1/2]

[boselfdestruct]

Oh for-

Give me fifteen minutes.

[and don promptly disconnects from the network]

[video] [2/2] ENCRPYTED ~76%

[boselfdestruct]

[exactly fifteen minutes later, and that was as good as he was going to get for now]

[Don is glaring, and behind him the very gray, intimidatingly monochrome layout of the interior makes it obvious what district he's in.]

There, happy? This is such a bad idea, what were you thinking?

[video] ENCRPYTED ~76%

[seriouslytwisted]

[Same facial structure, same skin tone. Same spots. Same doofy gap in his front teeth.

That's his Donnie all right. And he's okay.]

...it's fine. Everybody's a freak here.

[video] ENCRPYTED ~76%

[boselfdestruct]

What, you mean like the kedan? Raph, we barely know them. Just because we're not talking about humans here doesn't mean they still won't try to kill us because-

How would you know, anyway? We haven't even been here for that long.

[video] ENCRPYTED ~76%

[seriouslytwisted]

What're you talking about? We've been here a week.

[video] ENCRPYTED ~76%

[boselfdestruct]

Uh...no?

[don't mess with him right now, raph, he is not in the mood]

It hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet, if I'm not wrong. And I'm not. I fell asleep after fighting Justin - last night - and then I was being pulled out of the ocean.

Now [he holds up his hands and makes a sound that might pass as a laugh in the most miserable universe ever] things might be weird here, I'll admit that, but that was not a week ago!

W/E YOU GET THE IDEA

[seriouslytwisted]

Whoa whoa, who the heck is Justin?

[He's getting that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. If this isn't his brother either he's going to freaking CUT someone.]

FOREVER

[boselfdestruct]

I don't know, Mikey named him, I just-

[wait]

Come on, you can't seriously tell me you forgot about Justin. Weird Frankenstein mix that, whatever her name was, Karai triggered the project start release on? Worldwide Genome Project? April nearly getting killed by a Kraang droid that looked like an old lady?

Any of this ringing a bell?

[seriouslytwisted]

[WHAT]

How do you know about-

[Karai, that Foot Clan chick Leo was hanging out with.] I don't know what you're talking about, braniac. Last thing I remember, Leo and I were fighting Snakeweed after-

[...ugh]

After I left to go find him.

[Wow please remember that Don, Raph cannot take not having one of his real brothers again.]

[boselfdestruct]

What, really? When you and Leo had that big fight?

[Don sat back in his chair, setting his chin in his hand and gaze going distant]

That was awhile ago. Longer than a week. I know you didn't get hit hard enough by Justin to leave you this kind of brain damage, so...

[...oh, that is not a happy thought, and Don definitely looks a little disturbed for a second.]

[okay, yeah, time to think about something else.]

[he glares at the screen, coming back to himself with a little shake.]


How do I know about Karai? Of course I know about Karai. She tried to kill us with a mutant monster! And ran off with a Kraang droid! While leaving us to fight the mutant monster!

[seriouslytwisted]

Donnie, for the last time, I. Do not know. What you are talking about.

[Donnie knows about their fight, but what the HELL is he talking about? First dimension hopping, now freaking TIME TRAVEL?

Raph is so done with this bullshit.]

[boselfdestruct]

Ugh, all right, fine, if I have to explain it-

I'm thinking, maybe, we had a run in with one of the Kraang's dimensional portals. Most likely, the portals are geared for the Kraang's physiology alone, or whoever they bring along with them. Maybe they have equipment or- or a special key they can use to make it safe for another species to travel [or they don't care] I don't know. That's not really important.

Now, it's possible one of the side-effects of inter-dimensional travel is some disorientation. Things like nausea or trouble sleeping or amnesia. Maybe one of the reasons we - I'm assuming - arrived at separate times is because we were a little off in our trajectory. Maybe we went through the portal a few seconds apart, and that was enough for a week's difference.

From that perspective, it's lucky we wound up in the same place at all, really. I won't be able to tell unless I remember what brought us here in the first place.

[seriouslytwisted]

Oh my God Donnie, Cliffnotes version.

[boselfdestruct]

The Kraang's dimensional portal messed with our brains, we probably have some sort of amnesia, and the way the portals probably work means that a difference of a few seconds between either of us entering the portal meant that we ended up a week apart.

Maybe. I've only been here a few hours, so that's only one hypothesis. It would explain why you're so far behind, at least.

[seriouslytwisted]

Wait, so I was back home with you while all this new crap was going on?

[boselfdestruct]

Obviously, otherwise I probably would have mentioned it.

[he's so snippy right now, sorry raph.]

[seriouslytwisted]

[See he DOESN'T REMEMBER THAT SHIT. DON. THAT'S THE PART THAT'S FREAKING HIM OUT.

More than that though...]

...what about Mikey?

[boselfdestruct]

[WELCOME TO THE CLUB]

[or it's...Raph welcoming Don to the club, one or the other]

What about Mike-?

[Oh.]

You, uh, never made it back to the Lair, did you.

[seriouslytwisted]

[Don. You didn't immediately tell him that Mikey's okay, but he's hoping he can infer from your tone that Mikey's okay. He's going to assume Mikey is okay for the sake of his emotional stability (hahahaha).]

Or, according to you, I don't remember it. So no, I didn't make it back.

[boselfdestruct]

Yeah, right.

[Don rubbed the back of his head.]

Mikey's fine. He spent a little while healing, but he's right back to, well...being Mikey. No lasting problems or anything. Leo brought him around with pizza.