More Than Just One

Chapter 12

"We're back!"

Don looked up from his tech-bō. He was showing Donnie what it did and how it worked.

April and O'Neil strolled in, shopping bags hung on their arms. They plopped on the couch, all smiles.

Don looked back to his weapon, "Greetings. So, this button— Donnie?"

Donnie was gone. Don looked up and saw him fawning around April. He offered to take her bags and put them in the kitchen. His eyes were practically hearts.

O'Neil sat beside Don, "He has a crush... on April?"

Don scrunched up his snout, "Oh."

"You workin' on your tech-bō?" O'Neil asked, switching the conversation topic.

Don shrugged, "I was trying to show Donnie how it worked." It collapsed in his hand and he set it on the couch.

"You're not wearing your battle shell," O'Neil noticed.

Don hummed, "Raph said I should take it off. The others haven't noticed. Donnie did, but he didn't say anything."

Apes nodded and went on her phone.

Donnie came trotting back a few minutes later. He sat and sighed dejectedly.

"She's never going to like me, is she?" Donnie asked after a few minutes.

O'Neil shrugged, "When she was talking to me, she seemed... hesitant to touch on your relationship."

Don rolled his eyes. He tuned out the conversation and tapped on his wrist communicator. Would the connection work interdimensionally? There was valid reasoning on either side.

He summoned S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. and waited. He hoped it worked. It would be a breakthrough for his technology. He and Donnie would be able to communicate. They could work on a portal or a teleporter to visit on command—not sporadically.

"Yo-oh!!"

Don's head popped up. A smile broke his face and he jumped up.

"S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.!!"

"Hey-hey!"

Don hugged the robot close, grinning. He didn't know he missed him this much.

"What's that?" Donnie asked from behind Don.

"S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., meet another version of myself," Don explained, backing away. "Donnie, meet S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N."

Donnie examined the robot. He walked around the drone, humming slightly. When he came back to the front, he smiled.

"He's very high-tech."

Don nodded, "He's made by me, so obviously. How did you get here?"

"I dunno!" S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. exclaimed. "You called so I woke up an' left the lair. I traced the signal, then I ended up here!"

Donnie looked up at Don, "This means the signals are interdimensional?"

Don gave a curt nod, "It would seem so."

"So, if we exchanged information, we could reach each other?" Donnie asked, standing up fully.

Don clacked on his communicator, humming a yes. He gave a final swipe before his battle shell, that was leaning against the couch, dislodged six small, rectangle boxes.

O'Neil understood what to do and collected four of the cartridges. She ran deeper into the lair.

"If this works, we'll find a way to access your world," Don said, picking up the purple cartridge. He set his battle shell in place and slid his tech-bō along with it. He pulled out his phone and handed it to Donnie.

After the turtle put in his number and handed it back to Don, O'Neil came back into the living room.

"Everyone's ready."

Don nodded, "See you eventually." He clicked the button on the box before Donnie could answer and a coffin-like pod emerged. It surrounded him and closed.

Back at the lair, the escape pods dumped the six into the living room—their living room. As soon as Leon stumbled out, he clung to Raph.

Maybe Don should find a way to escape that didn't give Leon that extra dose of PTSD.