Family is Forever

The Fast & the Furriest: Part 1

Aria's POV:

Tonight, Donnie's showing us his latest invention, which will supposedly make our lives 'oh so much better'. Leo, Raph, Mikey & I are sitting up against some cardboard boxes while Donnie stands before us in front of the entryway of a sewer tube blocked off by a curtain.

Donnie: "Brethren, and milady, before you is my masterpiece. The culmination of my merit skills united in one glorious enterprise. Lady & gentlemen, behold the-"

Leo: "Ooh, is it the drill? Is it that drill you made when we were fighting those silverfish?"

Donnie: "Uh, no, no, no, that's-that's still in beta."

Raph: "Lame!"

I nudge Raph's shoulder with a warning look before turning to Donnie with an encouraging smile. Donnie looks over his shoulder with a confident grin.

Donnie: "But this is better, much, much, better. I give you the-"

Mikey: "Is it an even cooler, even bigger drill?"

Donnie & I look at him in annoyance.

Donnie: "No, not a drill! This is the big surprise. Ta-stinkin'-da!"

Donnie pulls at a rope to make the curtain fly up to reveal...nothing? Wait, what? Mikey stands in excitement.

Mikey: "Yay! A sewer tube full of nothing! I'm so proud of you."

Donnie turns to look behind him in confusion.

Donnie: "Huh? What? Where did it go?"

He drops to his knees with a disappointed look, so I rush over and place a hand on his shoulder.

Donnie: "I built us an amazing vehicle out of the moon buggy! Who stole our turtle tank?"

{Time skip}

We scour the city for Donnie's turtle tank.

Raph: "Hey, this is a real problem, Donnie. Not only did they steal your tank thing-"

Mikey: "Now you can finish the drill."

I nudge Mikey as Raph continues.

Raph: "But they also must know where our lair is. It must be someone who's penetrated our inner circle."

Donnie looks off with a suspicious look.

Donnie: "Maybe even someone we've known, for years."

I look at Donnie in disbelief.

Me: "April? Come on, D. She'd never steal anything of importance to us. That sounds more like something-"

I pause in realization.

Mikey: "Sounds like something what?"

Well, it's worth a try.

Me: "Tell you what. You guys follow your dead end, and I'll follow mine."

Leo: "How do you know yours is a dead end?"

Me: "I'm hoping it is-"

I crack my knuckles with a smile.

Me: "For their sake."

The guys all stare at me wide-eyed, except Donnie, who chuckles.

Donnie: "That's my girl."

Raph: "Alright, team, you heard the lady. We'll split up to cover more ground. Ari, send Donnie your location once you've covered your end of the deal."

I nod before we all rush off to our separate destinations.

{Time skip}

A little while back, I stumbled on a secret entrance to a pizza place in the Hidden City. I visit there weekly to help the owner by working as a part-time waitress. We've gotten close enough to have a friendly bond with one another. I walk through the entrance and greet the owner with a polite smile. He does the same with an extended hand for me to shake, which I do.

Hueso: "Aria, querida amiga, good to see you! But, you're not scheduled for a shift tonight. How may I be of service to you?"

Me: "Something's been stolen from mi amor tonight. A large vehicle, possibly resembling a turtle's shell. Have you seen or heard of anyone who might have that in their possession? Or a rat mutant, about yea high, and wears a robe."

Hueso shakes his head.

Hueso: "Lo siento, I'm afraid not."

Me: "Well, it was worth a shot. Thanks for your help, Hueso. I'll be back tomorrow night for my shift."

Hueso nods before I walk out of the establishment and into an alleyway. I text Donnie my coordinates, and sure enough, the guys are all here within five minutes.

Donnie: "Anything?"

I shake my head.

Me: "Sorry, Handsome, dead end. How'd April work out?"

The guys all shudder. I smirk as I can imagine how she took their accusation.

Me: "Baseball bat?"

The guys groan with a nod as Raph turns to Donnie with a confused look.

Raph: "Donnie, why didn't you just put a tracking device in the Turtle Tank? You put a tracking device in salami paper."

Donnie: "Oh, I was getting to that."

Donnie lifts a hand to his chin with a smile.

Donnie: "But, then he realized he did install the shopping cart protocol!"

Donnie presses a button on his staff while the others turn to me in confusion.

Me: "It's programmed to stop if the driver goes beyond a set perimeter."

Donnie walks away with his gaze focused on the tech-bo's tracker. We all follow his lead to a rooftop just a few feet away.

Donnie: "Ok, we should find the tank if we just track the perimeter of the shopping cart protocol's limit."

Mikey dons an excited smile.

Mikey: "Whoa, are we gonna need a protractor?"

Donnie: "No."

Mikey: "An abacus?"

Donnie: "Literally never."

Mikey: "A bag full of sausages?"

Donnie: "Man, I don't understand how your mind works. Hey, look, there the tank is."

We all look to our right, smiling in amazement as we set our eyes on the tank. Wow, that is one fine mode of transportation!

TO BE CONTINUED