Seeing Double (TMNT)

Chapter 2

Inside the lair, everything is calm- well as calm as it could be in the circumstances. With two sets of turtles and two extra humans, everyone is a little uptight. Leonardo has been peacekeeping over the last day or two, at his own expense of course; a Leo is gonna Leo after all. In the living room resides both Raphs and Mikeys, while Leonardo and both Donnies are in the medbay alongside Leo, keeping a close eye on the slider. Donnie has already given the brief on their medical history, including their recent injuries against the Kraang and the shredder. He is reluctant to give any information about how the injuries came about, simply saying that he wants to wait until his Leo wakes up, but Leonardo has the slightest inkling that there's more to it than that.

The humans, now identified as the alternates of their April and Casey, are just as secretive as their turtle companions. The lingering thought that something is off about the Casey-Alternate plagues Leonardo, the humans actions resonate with him all too well and are a dead giveaway that he is mourning someone. But who? All the turtles and April are here, and all relatively ok (other that Leo of course), so who is Casey missing so deeply that it affects him so badly? He is a husk, a shell of someone who appears to typically be very outgoing and energetic, moping about the lair and only conversing with his friends if the conversation is started by one of his peers. Since the time that these mysterious alternates appeared in his dojo, Leonardos' concern and unease has only grown. It festers inside him and causes him to be wary of the visitors. He feels bad for being suspicious about them, but last time a set of alternates appeared in this city, there was an impending Kraang invasion, and Leonardo feels way too old to deal with another one of those; and he thinks his alternates would agree.

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After hours of convincing from both sets of brothers, Donnie finally decides to get some rest. "30 consecutive hours awake can really hit you like a brick wall sometimes" he chuckles to himself. His anxiety has grown greatly over the days, and his brain sends him constant reminders any time he tries to rest about how his twin brother is currently unconscious in the bed nearby. After negotiating the conditions of his rest with seven other turtles, he gradually convinced them to let him sleep in the medbay beside his brother. Whenever he leaves the medbay, he makes it as quick as mutant-turtley possible; whether its for food, or cleanliness concerns, nothing beats the anxiety of knowing his brother could wake up and panic at any moment. Donnie makes his way back to the medbay, arms full with bedding for him to sleep on. He is trailed by Leonardo and Donatello, Leonardo carries food both for Donnie and Leo, while Donatello carries various medical supplies to stock up the seriously depleted medbay. The sudden commotion is a quick change from the serenity of the empty medbay, which obviously is a shock to the previously unconscious Leo, who immediately sits upright. Leo then clutches at his head and hisses, obviously pretty knocked up.

"LEO!" Donnie whisper-yells at his brother, he remains quiet as he realises that his twin has a splitting headache. Looks like he won't be resting any time soon. "Lay back down I'm begging you. You're the medic, you should surely realise something is wrong! And don't lay on your shell, that's a story we are yet to figure out."

Leonardo and Donatello stand off to the side, yet to be noticed by the blue masked slider. They stare at the situation currently in front of them, then turn to each other in shock. Donatello leans over to his brother, "is it just me, or is their dynamic a little wack?" he whispers sarcastically. Leonardo only grimaces in return, while Leo is still trying to get out of bed despite his brothers whispered lecture.

Leos' eyes dart around the room, frantically searching for his large, spikey big brother, and his tiny, colourful baby bro. He gets up, ignoring the searing pain that threatens to tear him down. Leonardo mentally commends him for his strength, but quickly shifts to block the doorway from his alternate.