001; Audio - The one where Mike tries to make sense of this.

[michaeljangelo]

[Mike knows the rules, and he knows them by heart: When you're in a new place, and you aren't sure of your surroundings, you stay hidden to stay safe. Someone will come and find you. So when the kedan deliver him to his suite, Michaelangelo stays there.

It's only after he's lowered all the shades, explored the suite from top to bottom, and booby-trapped the front door with common household items, that Mike turns his attention to the communication console. Mike's access and familiarity with all things computer has been limited at best, with the bulk of his exposure coming in the form of play-testing what ever new video game Donatello had been coding. So it comes as more than a little bit of a shock to him that the console is as easy for him to work as the skim-milk blue guy with a similar number of fingers on his hands said it would be.

It doesn't matter that he's not home, or that the people who found him aren't quite human, or even that anyone who saw him on this vidscreen thing could easily just assume he was some sort of special effect added in post production.]

Um...hello? I.
I'm just looking for my brothers. There was a light from some sort of machine. They started to disappear without me. I just. I just want to find them.

Leo? Donnie? Raph? Please tell me you're out there. Please?

Comments

don you are a poor conversationial partner cease this at once

[boselfdestruct]

Sci-fi isn't exactly helpful, Mikey, but Don doesn't say anything about it.

"And the TCRI building," he agrees instead. "We can check with the - uh - other Leo if they had anything similar in their universe. I'm not sure what we can do with that information yet, but if we have a common point somewhere it should give us a better idea about how to work backwards, so to speak."

[michaeljangelo]

Mike thinks about this, because it's a logical stance to take, and he's just about to comment on it when the proverbial needle gets pulled across the record.

"Wait...other Leo?"

[boselfdestruct]

"Oh, Raph didn't tell you either?" Yes, he's probably being the slightest bit sharp about that, and, no, Raph will never live it down. "I just found out a few hours ago, myself. There's another Leo and another Raph around here, somewhere. The meeting went...well, I wasn't there, but it went about as well as you could expect Raph to take to another version of himself, apparently."

Because Raph is the vaguest and most unhelpful source of information ever.

Don pauses, and softens his voice. "If they looked like you, Raph probably would have mentioned it."

[michaeljangelo]

See Mike.
See Mike hope.
Hope Mike, Hope.

See Mike.
See Mike smile at Don's frustration with Raph.
See Mike's smile fade as the realization of TWO Raphs finds purchase.

See Mike.
See Mike's smile completely crumble at softened exposition.

"...oh. Yeah. Yeah of course. Probably, I mean...we do look pretty different, don't we."
It's not so much a question, as a grudging statement of fact.

Mike grasps onto the closest thing to a change of topic as he can find.

"Honestly? Any encounter with an angry Raph that doesn't end with him using the other guy to texture coat an alleyway, is a good one."
It's meant as a joke, really.

/JUMPS IN

[seriouslytwisted]

"Stop talking about me," Raphael grouses as he pulls himself back up to the roof, one-handed. He's so talented. He also managed to spill only a third of the water, Don, be grateful and here it is.

Please ignore that new nick on his plastron, he just managed to catch one of Mikey's better-hidden traps on it. No big, no blood; don't mention it either, he'll be humiliated.

[boselfdestruct]

"Uh - hmm," Ouch, Mikey, your attempts at hiding your disappointment are painfully obvious and it hurts. Mostly because Don felt the exact same thing not that long ago.

Thankfully, before he has to attempt anything comforting, his brother appears. "Thanks, Raph," he says quickly. "Hold still, Mikey. I'm just going to- start, now."

Excellent timing, Raph. Truly excellent. Has he mentioned your his favorite brother yet? And while he does notice the new addition to Raph's plethora of shell scars, he doesn't actually register it, more preoccupied with grabbing the bowl and one of his spare cloths for exactly this purpose from his bag and ducking into work before he has to venture into the awkward area of disappointed Mikey - this has always been more his field, anyway. He'll make sure the area around Mike's wound is clean before wiping down his own hands, and then he'll start trying to fix the damage - pulling out the salvageable stitches and stringing new ones with decidedly lopsided-but-serviceable makeshift needles.

If you twitch, Mike, he will jab you with them. See if he won't.

[michaeljangelo]

"Sorry, Raph. Couldn't stop if I tried. You are the focal point around which my entire life revolves."

Nick? What nick? Mike sees no nick!
Or...well he does, but he also knows better than to bring something like that up in mixed company.

That's the sort of thing that's brought up during one-on-one sparring sessions.

"So now'd be a bad time to start juggling, is what you're telling me."

Mike's actually pretty good about the pain, or...well, he's pretty good about not moving that one arm. The rest of him, however, reacts in place of it.

[seriouslytwisted]

"Mikey, shut up for two minutes." And let Don stitch you up again, Jesus Christ. Raph stands over Don, arms folded as he stares down at his not-brother's arm being mended. Even if this is bizarro-world Mikey, he's still Mikey and Raph still gets the littlest brother vibe off of him.

"What's it look like?" he asks Donnie. Torn stitches are a super bad thing, Raph knows; tears up the edges of the wound, makes it harder to stitch it back together and expect it to hold. Don's definitely given them (him) hell about tearing his stitches before (multiple times).

[boselfdestruct]

"It would be better if I was allowed to concentrate," Don says, but it sounds more like habit that genuine irritation. "It was a clean cut to start with. Thankfully, whatever you did to open it again, Michaelangelo, it didn't do too much damage. It would still go better if you let me work." He smoothly twists one leg out from under his body and drops it across whatever part of Mikey he's allowed to reach, and pushes down.

Stop. Moving.

Don's tongue is even poking out of the corner of his mouth, broadcasting to the stars the level of concentration he's devoting to this task. He wasn't lying when he said it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it was still tricky in places to work around the new, minor injuries. Especially with their fingers.

It does require his concentration. Unfortunately, there's still something bothering him. After a few seconds Don will sigh, though he won't stop working.

"...Raph, did any of the others - did they look like Mikey?"

[michaeljangelo]

Mike grunts in frustration at not only being shushed, but being immobilized as well.

His head lolls back and he sighs dramatically.

this sucks.

[seriouslytwisted]

Sure okay, big little brother. Two minutes, let Donnie run through his creepy overbearing doctor phase or you'll never hear the end of it.

"Nope." Sure didn't. Raph mentioned them to Mikey inside, but only in the vaguest of ways and he definitely remembers Leo wearing blue and the other Raphael not being weirded out by it. Apparently since this Mike is from a place where all the turtles wear red, those two must not be his. "So there's three versions of all of us. Fantastic."

It's not fantastic.

[boselfdestruct]

Don sighs between his teeth and ignores Mikey's theatrics with the skill of long practice.

"Then it's even more important I find of one of them," he says, and then goes quiet, returning to his work while part of his brain spins off in categorizing all he's heard today. He won't ask anything else or respond to anything Raph or Mikey might do or say (excepting unnecessary movement) until he's done - sadly, Raph, your estimations were slightly off and it was closer to five minutes - then he'll pat Mikey on the arm and back off to stretch and put away his tools.

It'll belatedly dawn on him that he probably shouldn't be too familiar with a brother that isn't really his brother, but it won't be until afterward.

[michaeljangelo]

Mike waits a good five count post-pat before moving, just in case. Then he gives his newly stitched up arm a tentative turn, bend, and flex before nodding his approval.

"Feels much better, thanks."

Don't let the brave face fool you, it still hurts like a mother, but at least it feels like it'll hold.

With one hand, Mike slides his bandanna off his head, unties the knot, and then wraps it around his right forearm.

"Guess that makes us like the City then, huh?" he says double checking his new arm wrap. "So nice the universe created us thrice."

[seriouslytwisted]

Sure, of course. Jacked-up limbs always feel better after being prodded with a needle for five minutes.

...did Mike just use the word thrice?

Raph was about to clap Mikey on the back of the shell, but now he just turns and heads over to the edge of the roof to hop up and crouch as he stares over the rest of the Water Sector. Gotta be careful on these roofs; not as secure as the Metal Sector's. "It's not good, you idiot." Not a lot of heat in that insult though.

[boselfdestruct]

Don's preoccupied with wiping the blood of his fingers and tossing a rag Mikey's way for the same purpose that he only hums in reply to the assurance of Mikey's continued well-being. His Mikey might have complained, but he's used to to tough-talkers enough to know that letting them suffer sometimes worked just as well. It isn't as though he really has any painkillers to offer, anyway.

But then Mikey says something almost poetic - using the word thrice of all things - and he looks up, fingers stilling. "What?"

[michaeljangelo]

"Why not?" He says looking up from as he applies pressure to his arm. "I mean, aside from the brain breakage of it all, and the fact that it's like...straight out of something on TV, you've got to admit it's at least kind of cool.

...

If you squint."

Don's what is met with a raised brow ridge or two.

you guys can skip raph for a couple comments o/ he's just gonna brood and eavesdrop

[seriouslytwisted]

Raph snorts, but doesn't get up and face Mike. Of course Mikey would think it's cool.

[boselfdestruct]

"Probably because we don't know how it happened," Don says, going back to re-packing his bag with slightly more force than previously, blatantly ignoring the raised brow ridge. Right. Not his Mikey. Not his Mikey. "And if we don't know that, then we can't get home. Sure, knowing that there are more of us out there, that the concept of alternate dimensions isn't just regulated to science fiction and certain strings of theoretical physics, is amazing, but it's one thing to understand something theoretically and it's another to get thrown under the metaphorical bus with no forewarning or planning. The sheer power of whatever brought us here, for example - what it does, the energy output, its criteria for selecting us all at seeming random - would be far more interesting if I at least had a set idea what it looked like."

He pauses, thinking something over, but he still doesn't look at Mikey.

"Otherwise, yes, if it weren't for the immediate problem of having no real way to fix it, this would be so much cooler."

[michaeljangelo]

As per usual, Mike zones out about half way through Donnie's pontificating, and instead directs his attention to Raph and the other turtle's brother's looming.

He wasn't really aware of it before, but it's kind of hard to miss now: The wall going up between them and...well, and him. They're not even looking at him.

They're going to leave soon, and he knows it. They're going to leave him all alone in this place. It shouldn't hurt as much as it does, this realization, but it does. They're not his family...and he knows it, but he can't help but feel as though they're betraying him somehow.

"Good point," he says absently as he goes to collect his gear.

PFFFT OW MY HEART

[boselfdestruct]

The flap goes over Don's bag and he frowns before straightening and throwing it over his shoulder, glancing uncertainly in Raph's direction. If this weren't his first time meeting an alternate version of his absent baby brother, maybe- but it is, and how do you deal with that?

Poorly, it seems. Though at least no one tried to tear anyone else's throat out this time. Sort of.

"I want to check up on that injury sometime. We don't really have any medication around here and an infection would be...bad. More than usual." Don fiddles with his bag's strap. "I'm in the Metal Sector - ME-2A? - there's a window on the second floor around front that you shouldn't have any problems getting through, if you need to. Just a trip-wire. Nothing like what you have. Do- do you know where that is? I have some maps, if you want them. They're not mine - I mean, I didn't draw them, but I haven't had time to explore yet, so they'll have to do. The shell really isn't that big though, considering, and the Sectors are more-or-less clearly delineated. Sort of circular, really. It's hard to get lost permanently.

"Raph's right around here, though. In 2B. Right, Raph?"

[seriouslytwisted]

Wow Don, where's the fire?

Raph slowly stands up, brushing off his legs and hands. "Yeah. Let's get going, Mike."

[michaeljangelo]

"...get going?"

[boselfdestruct]

Fire is probably technically inaccurate, Raph. The energy expulsion from whatever brought them here would likely generate quite a bit of heat, but unless someone was stupid enough to keep flammable items nearby, there was unlikely to be any actual fire.

"Maps, I told you. You can't just run around the city without knowing where you're going, and you need to know where our places are, at least. Raph's usually with me, anyway, but if we're not there then we're at Raph's."

[seriouslytwisted]

Raph gives Don a Look. Are you not getting this, man? Is Raph not being obvious enough? "This joker's staying with me until some his own show up." Apparently Michelangelo doesn't get a say in it.

[michaeljangelo]

Wait.
What?

"I am?"