LEO - POST MOVIE

[semilethal]

[ nobody asks where april found the van. some mild criminal activity feels irrelevant in light of the day they just had anyway, and they couldn't exactly walk all the way back to the lair.

not with leo like...this. not just leo either; raphael couldn't hardly hold his head up, hunched and clearly wearing his 'i'm the eldest and i won't complain' face as he cradles leo so carefully on their way to the van. mikey's hands and arms won't stop trembling, even when he twists them together and presses them to his plastron. donatello is sore all over and his skin and shell feel raw, like someone rubbed him down with sandpaper.

and leo's quiet. leo's too quiet.

so there they are in the cargo van, raph tucked toward the front with a leg stretched out for mikey to use as a pillow to doze upon. april and casey sit up front, throwing concerned glances over their shoulders as often as is safe while april slowly weaves the vehicle through the half-destroyed streets toward the nearest access point. splinter sits near the doors as their only other capable fighter, though he keeps his tail curled around leo's uninjured ankle.

and donatello, he's stripping off his gloves because he's going to have to touch his brother to get a better idea of his injuries, and his skin doesn't feel like his own and that'll interfere with his judgement. the fewer layers between he and his brother, the more accurate he can be. ]

Alrighty Leon. Look alive, let's...let's diagnose.

Comments

[semilethal]

[Donnie, at least, doesn't seem to pick up on any strange vibes. He types away excitedly at his computer, running the portal simulation over and over.] I know, I don't usually reveal my work until it's complete, but to be honest I'd been looking into dimension tears before all of this. So many of our enemies and frenemies and so forth have access to so much knowledge regarding other dimensions that I couldn't stand for us to be so far behind.

As far as this particular application, I just couldn't keep it to myself. [Donatello straightens and claps his hands, nearly bouncing on his toes with restless energy.] Of course there's still practical application, and the methodology of making sure we actually get the bomb -or bombs, if we'd like to be thorough- in the vicinity of Krang Prime, but I may be able to finagle that with my own mystic powers, though I don't know how reliable that would be after we close the portal. Still, the biggest hurdle was the theoretical research and with that out of the way, I'm back in my wheelhouse. I don't doubt this is completely doable.

[neonleon]

[It takes to "couldn't stand for us to be so far behind" for Leonardo to realize how far exactly Don's gotten on this.

It's difficult. It's really, really difficult. Because a very large part of him does want the Krang to suffer for what they did - to other worlds, to their city, to him and his family. But is that really... really worth it? Isn't being alone in the Prison Dimension with no escape enough?

Maybe. Maybe not.

But Donnie's excite about even this unfinished... project? No, it's more than that. But what even does he call this.]

If it works, then what?

[semilethal]

[Donnie derails.]

...what do you mean? [Gestures to his simulation. The 8-bit bomb travels through the portal and detonates with a cartoonish KAPOW overlay.] Then it's over. He's dead.

[neonleon]

And then what?

[He's still wrapping his head around this. There's still the other two Krang in their world as well.]

What about the other two Krang?

[semilethal]

Well...I haven't gotten that far yet. The smaller Krang, the brother, he's likely dead but I would like confirmation on that. The sister Krang is in detainment with some sort of government agency, if online rumors are to be believed.

[neonleon]

So.

[He can't really put his finger on why this doesn't sit right to him. Something about it's off, but he's been too tired mentally and physically to really string thoughts together properly. Something either with his brother's motivation or the act itself.]

Okay. So... we send it in. Kill him. Then what?

[semilethal]

I already said. Then he's dead. And then I get to work on locating and neutralizing the other two. [What is going on?? Donnie didn't expect Leo to jump for joy at this plan, but he did expect some relief. Not...whatever this is.]

[neonleon]

[Leo isn't... sure why he doesn't feel relief at this. It's a good start of a plan, it's something they all want. The entire universe is better off without these things and they can not worry so much about it if it works (it should work).

He rubs at the back of his head, feeling that bump that's just on the "almost" side of healed up. Moving his arm this way still hurts, honestly, but he doesn't know what else to do with his hands right now, not while he tries to sort his brain out.]

Okay, but I mean... After all that. After they're gone. What's the plan then?

[semilethal]

We return to our lives. Threats neutralized. [Isn't that the goal here? Get back to standard procedure?]

[neonleon]

[That is... Objectively the best outcome. And what he hopes they can all do as New York rebuilds itself, so can they. And the universe is likely better off without these things around.

He just... doesn't know. It's a call he didn't think he'd have to make - killing the only three of an alien race that they know of. For all they know, this could make them extinct. Is that something Leo wants to have on his shoulders? In the back of his mind? Knowing his go ahead did that?

Y̶̜̅ó̵̱ù̴̼ ̴͍́r̸̟̐ű̸̱i̵͙̐n̶͕͆e̴̡͠d̵̅͜ ̵̖̾é̸͍v̷̼̚ē̶̝r̶͎̋ỹ̷̲t̷̬́ĥ̷̢i̸̻͊n̵̬̒g̸̣̚

He looks at the simulation on the scree again.]

Do we still have any of that chemical stuff April got from her school? That seemed to do plenty of damage.

[semilethal]

We don't, but it's not necessary.

[Whew. For a second there, Donnie was concerned that Leo would tell him they can't do this. Like, how weird would that be, right?] The Krang are made of organic material. There's plenty of their nasty goop around that I've already stuck onto cryo for testing. I'm sure powerful acids would do the trick regardless, but I can try different methods on the growth samples while we're looking for where the sister is being kept.

[neonleon]

[He still doesn't like it. He doesn't like any of this or that this decision is his to make.]

Before we go ripping a hole through the universe again, let's track down the sister.

[semilethal]

[FROWNY FACE......but he worked so hard on this little diagram....but ok that makes sense kind of] All right. Might as well confirm the brother's dead, too. Maybe she can tell us before we kill her.

[neonleon]

[And we're all very proud of the little diagram.

STILL WITH STRAIGHT TO KILLING THOUGH. If he didn't know better he'd almost think Donnie's mad.]

Then. Yeah, let's work on that. [Y'know, after he finishes healing up, who knows how long that could take right]

[semilethal]

[the murder is the most important part my guy] Rrgh, fine. I'll dig into some forums and see if any conspiracy theorists struck gold.

[neonleon]

Cool. Shouldn't b e too hard to track down considering how big an event all that was. I think.

How much cover up do you think they did?

[semilethal]

If they're smart? As little as possible. Otherwise they could Streisand-effect the Krang right into stardom. [Opens up a browser that looks very unsupported and starts typing. Brings up what appears to be a black chat window and runs a couple lines of code as well.] I'll start with conspiracy theory boards and black market hits for spaceship debris. Someone has evidence somewhere.

[neonleon]

Cool. I'll keep an ear out at Hueso's. [As if any of them will let him go out any time soon. He's aware, he just wants to say something to sound like he's helping here. If it means he doesn't have to make that decision right the fuck now...]

We'll find something.

[semilethal]

Mmm. [Dismissive, maybe. Preoccupied.

Though when it seems like Leo is about to escape back to non-sciencey land, Donnie turns in his swivel chair abruptly.] Nardo. Uh. A moment, first.

[neonleon]

[He was just gonna go back to laying down or something but stops halfway to the door.]

Buh- Yeah? What's up?

[semilethal]

[Taps fingers rapidly on armrests. Neurotic. Looks away from Leo's face, fixes on something...somewhere. Across the room. The bomb model, maybe.]

It was, mm. Brought to my attention that my handling of this whole...situation was perhaps not the most graceful. [Understatement. Michael "Dr. Feelings" Hamato specifically called his behavior a "dumpster fire with a PhD," which was a little flattering but also enlightening. "You did that thing where you turn off all emotions except anger, Donnie," Mikey had sighed in exasperation, hitting him on the head with his clipboard.

Donnie barrels onward without pausing to let Leo react, or even speak. Gotta get it out with the momentum, gotta complete the thought(s).] That I didn't accurately portray how I'd felt, or even understood how I'd felt. I wanted to clarify what I'd said to you, about you...giving up. I know that wasn't it. But the idea that we- I could have lost my brother so quickly, so easily, wasn't one with which I could come to terms, so I. Detonated, as it were. My anger at my helplessness was transposed onto you.

So I'm sorry. You didn't deserve the accusation.

[neonleon]

[Leo has learned one thing during this whole invasion and aftermath: how to listen. Listening is occasionally, sometimes, maybe even marginally important. So rather than brush it off or do that thing where he looks like he's listening but he's actually thinking about eight other things because he has nothing to do with his hands here to keep himself physically occupied through what sounds like it's going to be a very difficult conversation, he forces himself to stand there and focus.

'Giving up'? He... doesn't remember, not completely. He sort of vaguely remembers Donnie being mad and exploding a bit, but it was so wrapped up in delirium and pain that Leo couldn't remember the details of it. Was it that?]

...It's fine, Dee. Water under the bridge. [Still. It's good to hear at least. Like a balm on a burn he hadn't quite realized was there until it suddenly wasn't.]

[semilethal]

[Taps fingers again, restless. He was kind of hoping for a sudden release of his anxiety at the confession, but it's still kind of there. Maybe the relief is more gradual? Hm.]

Well. That's all I had to say.

[neonleon]

[Leo was also hoping for the release of his own anxiety at being fixed, we can't always get what we want he supposes. Not in this house anyway.]

...All right. Cool. Um. [Should he... say anything back?] Thanks. For- for fixing me up. [Leo you don't just say 'thanks' to your brother performing invasive surgery on your spine.]

[semilethal]

You're welcome. It was extremely difficult. [Oh, extremely.]