Work Text
“Okay, everyone know the plan?” He didn’t have to look up to feel the eye rolls.
“Yes Donnie, we’ve gone over it a million times!” Mikey groaned, throwing his arms up.
Leo crossed his arms, “No offense, but you seem too paranoid of the Purple Dragons. I think they’re more interested in petty crime than this huge ‘scheme’ you’re obsessed with.”
Donnie glared at him, “petty crime doesn’t make sense, they’ve stolen from 6 different antique shops in the past week, no one does that without a motive.”
“Maybe they like antiques?” Raph suggests.
“Every time I’ve met them, they’ve been into super elaborate, high-tech thefts. I highly doubt they ‘just like antiques’.” he mimics his brother's voice in a sarcastic deep voice.
“God forbid they have hobbies.” Leo mutters under his breath.
“Leo!” Donnie spits through his teeth, grabbing the plans he had set out on the table and shoving them away.
“What?! I’m just saying we have better things to be doing than being concerned about a high school tech club! Big Mama’s been awfully quiet, it’s suspicious, especially for her.”
Donnie slams his hands on the desk, leaning over, “look,” he breathes out and collects himself, “we’ve already decided the plan, we’re already here, let’s just get it over with. I’d rather us be wrong and cautious than letting my suspicions be right and not being able to stop them.”
“But-"
“We’re doing the plan!” He cuts him off, walking away to the other side of the classroom, ending the conversation.
“You and Raph keep watch around the school, we checked this room but who knows how many cameras they have around campus. Take them out, and if ANYTHING seems off, tell me. Mikey you’re with me.” He slips through the door before anyone can protest, blending into the shadows of the empty school. He hears Mikey softly shuffling behind him, and he leads them to the furthest room in the building.
There’s a poster outside the door labeled “PURPLE DRAGONS - keep out”, and he scoffs. The door is padlocked shut, with a 10-digit number code. Mikey glances over at him but he waves him off. No problem, he’d been observing them for weeks, he knew their security like the back of his hand. In a second he has the padlock off and he’s sneaking past the door. He gets a chill of eerie familiarity. He hasn’t been here since he left the group, months ago. Part of him wishes he could’ve stayed, I mean, this place was the perfect encapsulation of his brain. They had everything he’d ever dreamed of in terms of machines; anything they wanted right at their fingertips. He had to admit, living in the sewers and being forced to hide from the world had its cons - who would’ve guessed? -
and not having access to these sorts of materials was one of them. He learned to make do, to make his own machines, but something about seeing his references and inspirations he had spent hours learning to understand was
exhilarating
.
As he scanned over the room, he noticed that everything was pretty much the same. The only real difference was the new equipment and projects spread across the tables, and the code to get in was new. He knew they changed it once a week, they loved their security, but not enough to trick him.
“So, what do you think they’re doing here?” Mikey whispers, looking over in awe at their massive monitors, running his fingers lightly across the keyboard.
“No idea yet, let’s look around. They have to have something.” Donnie analyzes the huge piles of junk on the tables. It was full of vases, jewelry, old statues… ah, this is where the antiques went. They seemed to be separated into two piles, and in-between the piles was a device with a microscope. He scrunched his eyebrows together, it just looked like a basic biological compound microscope, what could they be looking for?
He sits down at the table, checking it for anything unusual he might have missed. Nothing. He takes an item from the pile, a fork with intricate designs, and places it on the stage, flipping on the light and looking through the lens. All he saw was dust, nothing special. What was the point of all this? His hands drift down, slowly adjusting the fine focus.
A whirring noise suddenly cut through the room, and the lens Donnie was looking through flooded with different assessments and information like a screen.
Mikey spun his head around, “Dude, what did you do?”
“I don’t know, I just-” he watches the spinning numbers and letters fall into place on the screen. Everything in his body froze when he read, “0% mystic energy detected”. His heart drops. He had really hoped it was nothing.
“Mikey, listen to me, I need you to get the others and leave,” he scrambles around the room, looking for something, anything, to get it to make sense.
“What did you find? What about you?” He anxiously paces behind Donnie, peering over this shoulder as he throws open file cabinets and filters through blueprints.
“I’ll meet you out front, I just need to find something first,” he responds as calmly as he can, his voice getting wearier by the second.
“Find what?” Mikey exasperates, clearly growing panicked.
‘Anything’ was too desperate of an answer for his shaken-up brother, so he settled: “Just go!” Mikey hesitates for a second, like a deer in headlights, before turning his back and running after the other two.
Okay, being alone with his thoughts felt even more loud than having Mikey bombarding him with questions. It was fine, everything was fine and under control and-
He halts his search when his eyes land on a folder sticking out of one of the desks. He picks it up, flipping through its contents, and his breath hitches. The front page was a job application poster to work with the Purple Dragons. He skimmed through the description, reading things about needing a new member after one left, dealing with highly sensitive information, and how to apply for the job interview.
He had no idea what they were up to, but if he could get them to trust him, even just give him the
slightest
bit of intel, he could use it against them. This was his ticket in. He takes the poster out of the folder, folding it up and slipping it into his pocket. The rest of the folder was countless résumés, all with notes attached to them for why they were rejected.
His curiosity gets the better of him, and he skims each one. They were all along the same lines, “not dedicated enough”, “not trustworthy”, “doesn’t have valuable information”, and “talks too much”. Damn, so they were strict. Figures, they wouldn’t just take anyone, but it’ll be difficult to gain their trust.
Ideas rush to him, none of them a perfect plan, but this is a good start. He closes the folder and stuffs it back in the drawer, he takes one last glance around to make sure nothing looks tampered with, then he makes his escape to meet with the others.
He throws the doors open to the front of the school, and the three turn to make a face at him, each with a different expression.
“What took you so long!” Raph is by his side, looking him up and down for injuries. Mikey is clung to Raph’s side, looking around paranoid.
“What the hell did you find?” Leo shoves a finger into his chest, demanding answers.
“I’m only 90% sure I’m right, but I believe the Purple Dragons are searching for a mystic item. I have no idea what, or why, but if they get their hands on that,” he pinches the bridge of his nose, “with their knowledge and abilities, it can’t be good.”
“What are we gonna do?” Mikey questions.
“I have an idea, but Leo, unfortunately I need your help.
“This plan is so stupid.” Donnie slaps a hand over his face, refusing to look at his brother.
Leo rolls his eyes, “C’mon, you’re the one who asked me for help, I don’t know what you were expecting.”
“I asked you for help because you’re the plan-y guy and I just executed it! I’m not good at planning but at least I’m not this bad.”
“You’re just scared because you can’t pull it off.” Leo grins smugly.
Donnie crosses his arms, “Leo, I am not infiltrating the Purple Dragons by flirting with them. In no world is that ever happening.”
“Y'know what, you’re right. Maybe I need to take over because you don’t exactly have the…” he looks him up and down, “charm.”
“Fine!” Donnie throws his arms up, “I will do your stupid, stupid plan, but I’m doing it on my terms, so
no
flirting.”
Leo shrugs, “I don’t care what you do, I’m just telling you what works. Nothing makes people stupider to trust than love.”
Donnie turns towards his room, ignoring his brother. He had an interview to prepare for.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Even through his layers of coat, scarf, and gloves, he still shivered from the chill air. Reaching out to the Purple Dragons was easy, they listed on the application the same chat site that they had used when he was briefly with them, so he was familiar with it. He did have to create a new account under yet
another
fake alias though, since last time they had spoken, he had kind of destroyed all their tech.
He sees a shadowed figure sitting alone on a bench up ahead. He’d recognize that wisp of purple anywhere; he had figured that this meeting had been set up by Kendra. She had asked to meet up at a local park, which he was thankful that she had chosen a public space, but he didn’t know how much good that did him if she had also requested that it be during the middle of the night. It wasn’t the best circumstance, but the darkness might play in his favor at covering his disguise better... As long as she didn’t pull any tricks, which is a very slim chance knowing her.
Donnie reaches the bench, and she stands, stretching out her hand to shake his.
“Kendra.” She introduces herself coldly.
He thinks of a name on the spot, “Iago.” He shakes her hand back. “Iago von William.”
Nailed it.
She grins, “come walk with me, and I’ll ask you some questions.” She turns to walk along the path, and he follows next to her.
“So where did you hear about us?” She asks.
“You’re a huge deal online, one of the best hackers out there. It’s impossible
not
to hear about you.” His first attempt: praise.
She frowns, “we also cover our tracks extremely thoroughly, you may have heard about our work, but where did you get the name?”
Okay, next plan: flaunt. “You’re skilled at hiding, but I’m skilled at breaching. All the more reason to have me on the team,” He knows she wants someone capable.
“And what good does that do us?” She raises an eyebrow.
“You’ll want someone who can get valuable data from others,” She rolls her eyes, he’s losing her, “plus it would be a shame if your data somehow got leaked.” His palms were starting to sweat, initiating plan: threaten.
That got her attention. She halts and spins around to face him, “Listen,” she hissed, “it sounds to me like you’re just some desperate fan. I couldn’t care less about your skills, or about you. I don’t find you intimidating. If you really want this job, we need someone who can give us something valuable.”
That was somehow worse. And he was out of plans. Shit.
She shoves a finger in his chest, “But that’s not you. I know bluffing when I see it.” she takes a step back, “Why do you really want this job, Iago?”
Kendra crosses her arms, staring intriguingly at him, awaiting his answer. He feels his mouth go dry; this may be his only shot at figuring out her motives. At this rate she was bound to reject him unless he came up with a fool proof plan. Something to get her attention, something shiny.
“You’re right, I am bluffing, because I think you can give me something valuable as well,” He bites his tongue, mentally scolding himself for listening to Leo, “Why don’t we forget the job? Can I take you out on a date instead?”
She bursts out laughing, “Hm, you’d have to really impress me, I don’t usually let yokai take me out.” Her tone was more amused than serious.
He rubs the back of his neck, chuckling nervously, “What? I’m not a yokai, what’s that?”
“It’s really obvious, plus your gloves only have three fingers.” She glances down at his hands.
He was really sweating now, “I lost the other two in an accident?”
She narrows her eyes, “Right… You’re also really bad at lying.”
“I swear I’m just a regular, normal human being.”
Shit.
She was right.
“Oh stop panicking, I don’t care. I used to know a yokai, he was a real piece of work.” She scoffs, kicking some rocks under her feet.
“Was he now?” Donnie grits through his teeth.
“Yup,” She looks back at him, “but at least he didn’t waste my time. You’re losing your chance.” She teases.
“Wait! I promise I can make it worth your time, can I still take you out?” He can’t lose this.
“Where did you have in mind?”
He thinks back to all the rom-coms Mikey made him watch with him, “I know a good restaurant around here.” Women like that, right?
She sneers, “I have better taste than that, I said to impress. Maybe even take me somewhere I’ve never seen before?”
Of course not this woman. He pauses for a moment, knowing exactly how to get her attention, but his brothers were going to kill him when he got home.
“I know someplace we can go.”
She smiles.
Donnie makes a quick turn into an alleyway, Kendra following closely behind. She silently watches him, observing his every move. He leads them to a skull mural, before moving his hand out towards it. The skull suddenly contorts, the mouth opening up into a doorway, a glowing light emitting from the bottom. He enters, stepping inside and holding the door open for her. Donnie glances at her, and she’s awestruck with the view in front of her; her eyes widened, taking in the unfamiliar city. His stomach fluttered; he had impressed her. The faint gleam of the city shining on her made her look different,
soft
, someone that he couldn’t hate. What is he talking about? She stole from him, lied to him, betrayed him. He had to hate her.
She notices him staring and quickly hardens her look again, stepping through the doorway.
“Welcome to the Hidden City,” Donnie raises his eyebrows, “Impressed?”
“We’ll see.” She smirks, “You lead the way, Mr. Mysterious.” She playfully taunts, nudging his shoulder.
Donnie guides them along the streets, walking aimlessly.
“I’ve heard of the Hidden City, but I had no idea it was like this. Where are we even?”
“It’s somewhere under New York, there’s entrances everywhere, only yokai can open them though.”
She nods, getting distracted by a fox yokai walking past them. “If everyone here’s a yokai, why don’t you take your disguise off? There’s no need for it now.”
He clams up, “I like keeping it on.” Donnie feels her gaze on him, before shifting away. They were both hiding things, and she knew that just as well as he did.
“How did you find out about yokai’s anyway?” He asked. Maybe this could get him some intel.
Kendra thinks for a moment, “I started researching them after that one encounter I told you about. He had some tech that I hadn’t ever seen before, powered by mystic energy. I’d like to get my hands on some of it.”
He wasn’t a fan of the Purple Dragons using mystic energy for their crimes, but he was honestly expecting a lot worse. Leo might be right, maybe he is being over dramatic about this whole ordeal.
A thick tension comes between them, and he looks around for something else to keep the conversation going. He stops, pointing towards a booth selling mystic items, “Hey, look, there’s a tech shop over there. Let’s check it out.”
She follows him over to the booth, picking up one of the items and examining it.
“I come here often, I use a lot of this stuff in my lab. It’s not much but it makes things a little more convenient.” Donnie remarks. He knew none of this stuff was actually dangerous; it was only a miniscule amount of mystic energy, enough to satisfy her, but not nearly enough to do the unspeakable things mystic energy was capable of. At least he hoped it was enough to entice her.
She hums, running her fingers along the delicate metal, a watch that monitors health. He had gotten one for each of his brothers after a particularly difficult mission, after they had lost communication. Convenient, but not extraordinary. Safe.
“Not bad, me and my sister used to make little things like this when we were kids. Without the mystic stuff of course. I’d come up with the concepts and designs, and she’d make them.” She smiles fondly.
“She doesn’t anymore?” He probes, taken aback by her opening up.
“No,” Kendra puts the watch back on the stand, with a sudden bitter disinterest, “I haven’t spoken to her in years now. That was a long time ago.”
“I bet she misses you.” He consoles, unsure of what else to say. She huffs quietly in disagreement, but doesn’t say anything else; as if she wasn’t sure if she believed it or not.
“I’ll tell you what,” She runs her hand along his arm, pulling him away from the booth, “why don’t I pick the next place?” He wanted to squirm under her touch, but he allowed himself to be guided by her.
“Oh yeah? And where’s that?” He inquired, his breath picking up. Why was he doing that?
Kendra only grins, tugging him along as she swiftly turns into a shop. He barely has enough time to read the sign above it.
Antler Antiques
His heart drops, of course this is where she picked. It’s clear she’s looking for something specific, she only agreed to the date to get something out of it. They both had a silent agreement that they were using each other for information, it was just a game of who could make it count the most. He could salvage this, this was just an opportunity to test what she’s really after, and then he’d stop her before she could get her hands on it.
His phone rings, almost making him jump out of his skin, it’s Leo. Kendra turns to eye his phone, and then him. “Uh, you go on ahead, I’ll catch up.” He attempts to keep a straight face. She shrugs and continues into the shop. He had to make this quick.
He picks up, hiding behind a shelf so she wouldn’t pick up on the conversation.
“DONNIE-” Leo immediately shouts, so much for being subtle.
“Shh!! I’m still undercover, what’s going on?” He murmurs, peaking over the shelf towards Kendra. She was busy flipping through old books.
“Still? Dude, it’s been hours. Did you get the job?” Leo pries.
He cringes, “Well, not exactly…”
Leo’s face is plastered with a shit eating grin, “You totally did my plan, didn’t you? I told you it would work.”
“No!” Donnie hisses, “Listen, I’m really close to figuring this whole thing out, just trust me.”
“That’s nice and all, but we’ve got bigger problems, Big Mama finally showed up. Her goons jumped us in an alley, and then they just disappeared. It was odd, even for her. We need you to come investigate with us.”
He sighed, “I’ll check it out when I get home, right now I’m really bus-”
Leo cuts him off, “What? Going on a date?” Big Mama is an actual threat, and we could really use your help. But instead, you’re ditching us to follow this wild goose chase, and you won’t even tell us what’s going on. Stop shutting us out, either let us in your mission, or let it go.”
Donnie presses his lips into a thin line, “I have to go, I’ll figure it out.”
He hangs up before Leo can protest, unsure of what he even wanted to figure out anymore. He just knew that if he didn’t hurry, Kendra would find exactly what she was looking for. He takes a moment to recollect himself, before emerging from the shelf to find Kendra. She wasn’t where he last saw her. He scans the room before seeing her signature purple hair in the very back of the store. He shoves his hands in his pockets and keeps his head low, determined to keep a low profile. Especially now that he might be indirectly helping her with a crime.
He halts when he sees her holding an eerie, glowing red crystal. She takes one of her own devices out of her pocket, some sort of small scanner, and uses it on the item. It dawns on him that it’s a smaller scale version of the microscope in her lab, and out of curiosity, he pulls down his own goggles from under his hat to look too. His goggles immediately start flashing, warning him of an incredibly high mystic energy quantity embedded within it. He let out a soft gasp, he knew he wasn’t crazy. She was always power-hungry, always wanting the next big thing. With that she could do practically anything.
he has to think of some excuse, some way to de-escalate her, “Kendra-”
Panic creeps through every step as he inches closer, he could do this,
he could do this
, he
just
had to get that stone.
She pockets the crystal, not turning to face him, “I have to thank you for bringing me here. Maybe you are useful to the team again,” she cocks her head, eyes piercing through him, “Othello.”
He tugs off his scarf, finally showing his face. “Kendra, I can’t let you take that.” His voice is desperate, hands wrapping around his own device in his pocket. He
had
to fix this.
“I don’t get it, don’t you want to be more? You of all people should be angry with the life you were given. Always having to hide, being forced to settle. I
know
you’re smart enough to have it all, I’m so jealous of that, but for some reason, you don’t take it. Why?” She spits, she didn’t just hate him, she resented him.
“Because what I would lose is greater than what I would gain, my brothers would never forgive me. I don’t care what I have to go through as long as I don’t lose them. I’m content with my life, Kendra, I’m happy.” His fingers hover over the button.
“Why do you care what they think? You’re so much greater, you could
be
so much greater.” She yells, out of breath. The few browsing yokai in the store scramble to leave.
Kendra takes a breath, giving him one last chance, “Othello, you can join us again, no more tricks, no more deception. You can live up to your full potential. All you have to do is say the word.”
Donnie clicks the button, his tech-bō expanding, “I won’t do it.”
She glares at him, “Have it your way.”
A flying robot emerges from her backpack, throwing metal discs at him. Kendra makes a break for the door. He knocks the discs away with his bō, dashing after her. Arms extend from the robot, pinning him down. His staff whirls, spinning and knocking the legs out from under it. He rolls, scrambling back to his feet. She was almost out of sight, he had to think of another plan. Physically stopping her wasn’t going to work, he had only brought his tech-bō, his shell was too bulky not to ruin his disguise, so he had left it. Without the others to slow her down, he was extremely limited as to what he could do.
He stops running, pretending to give up. The robot seems content with that, zooming past him and instead making its way back to Kendra. As it flies past him, he throws a tracker that sticks to its side. The tracker automatically camouflages, appearing invisible. She would notice it eventually, but it would buy him time.
He watches her disappear into the crowd; her face still ingrained into his brain. Leo was going to kill him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“What were you thinking?!” Leo shouts, throwing his hands up in the air.
“I was
thinking
that I should handle a threat.” Donnie glares.
“Donnie, you have to admit, we really could’ve used your help. Big Mama’s forces attacking us should be a priority, we know what they’re capable of.” Raph reasons, struggling to calm the situation.
“What we
should
fear is the unknown, I have no idea the extent that the Purple Dragons will go, it could be worse than Big Mama.”
“Exactly, you don’t know. Did you even get any information on if they’re dangerous or not? Wasn’t that the whole point of you ditching us?” Leo responds sharply.
“She got away.” Donnie shifts his gaze uncomfortably.
There’s a long pause before Leo explodes, “She got away? You did all that and she got away?”
“I let her, the point of me going was to figure out what she’s going to do next. It’s better to have it this way than to not even know where to start.” He exasperates.
Leo sighs, squeezing his eyes shut, “Donnie, trust me, I’ve been there, I believed I could handle every situation on my own because it was easier than doubting myself. But you can’t put it all on yourself. If you’re really worried about this, I trust you, and we’ll help you deal with this. But you have to tell us what’s going on, and you have to trust us too.”
Donnie shuffles in place, each of his brothers looking at him encouragingly.
“Okay,” He exhales, “Kendra’s been after a mystic device to power one of her inventions. I’m not sure what exactly the device does or what she’s going to use it for, but from what I can tell, it’s enough energy to do something drastic. She got her hands on this mystic item, a crystal, when we were together.”
“So, what now?” Mikey asks.
“I have a tracker on her. We can use that to stop her from initializing the next part of her plan.” Donnie pauses, “But first, I’ll help you with Big Mama.”
Leo smiles appreciatively, “Here’s what we know, as we were investigating Big Mama’s hotel, four of her workers came out of nowhere and began attacking us. We were outnumbered, so they had the upper hand, but all of a sudden, they all just stopped and disappeared.”
“That’s not like her to just stop, unless she already had what she wanted. Did she take anything?” Donnie asks, puzzled.
“That’s what we thought, but we checked everything and nothing was taken.” Raph chimes in.
“Odd. Perhaps she’s not after something tangible, what would I be after if I were in her shoes...?”
Information
.
His stomach drops, pulling Mikey towards him and inspecting him.
“What are you-” Mikey starts, but it doesn’t take long before Donnie finds the chip planted into his shell. He pulls it off, crushing it between his fingers. The other two quickly fumble around the same place until they find it too, destroying it.
“Was that…” Raph hesitates.
“A microphone.”
“So does that mean Big Mama heard all of that? About Kendra? About the crystal?” Leo looks at Donnie, alarm bells going off in his head.
Donnie takes a second to take it all in, “We might not have to pick a priority after all.”
Donnie stares at himself in the frosty reflection of the window, contemplating his choices. He knew Leo wouldn’t be happy with him, especially after he agreed to tell them things from now on, but it wasn’t his fault that Leo disapproved of everything he did. He knew Leo didn’t trust Kendra, hell he didn’t either, but
something
kept bringing him back, it was like playing with fire. Something so unpredictable, something none of his algorithms could solve, something he wanted to get addicted to studying. He didn’t know why he was like this; she felt like a puzzle he couldn’t figure out, and it was infuriating.
He shuddered in his thin jacket, finally giving in and propping open the window. He slipped in from the fire escape, carefully making his way into the apartment. He knew he was in the right place, purple LEDs dimly lit the room, and he appeared to be in a small-scale lab. He looked around at the decor, noticing a small picture frame featuring Kendra and another girl he didn’t recognize. It didn’t seem like anyone else lived there. He heard the faint buzzing of a computer running; if she weren’t his enemy, he would honestly find this space oddly comforting.
He scans over the computer, noticing an alarm system if someone were to touch it. He expected this, so he gently grazes his hand over the keyboard. He wasn’t interested in messing with anything, he just wanted to make his presence known. No flashing lights or warning signs popped up, and for a second he thought it didn’t register, but in the blink of an eye two arms shot out of the ground and wrapped around him. They pinned his arms behind his back, plopping him down into a chair and spinning him around. He didn’t fight it, his expression remaining calm.
A massive monitor flickered on, showing Kendra staring at him disapprovingly.
“Come to rethink my offer, Othello?” She questions, eyes made of daggers.
They pierce through him, making him sweat, “Actually, I’m here to propose an offer to you.”
“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” She says skeptical.
“That crystal you have, there’s a yokai named Big Mama who’s after it. She basically runs the Hidden City, and you’re at a huge safety risk being her target. I don’t like you having it, but her having it would be a million times worse. So, I’m proposing a temporary truce.”
“A… Truce?” She narrows her eyes at him.
He squirms, “We could team up, this is a problem for both of us, and we could use that device you’re making for something good.”
The monitor flickers for a moment, before powering off. All he can hear is his own heavy breathing and that familiar computer buzzing.
“You mean this device?” Suddenly Kendra appears from behind him, inches away, showing off her hand with a ring. The band is made from computer parts pieced together, embedded with that crystal from the antique shop. Mystic energy radiated off of it, he didn’t even need his goggles to sense it this close up.
“What does it do?” He asks hesitantly.
She smirks, “It reads minds,” he stares at her with a mix of terror and curiosity, “only if we touch though. It has its limits.”
She rests her hands on the top of the chair, dangerously close. If she were to move any closer god knows what she’d hear.
“Are you gonna use it on me?” His voice is shaky, he regrets coming here alone.
“Of course not, not if we’re calling a truce.” She smiles slyly.
He furrowed his eyebrows, “Wait, you’ll do it?” He found it hard to believe her.
“You know how to deal with Big Mama a lot better than I do. I’ll be outnumbered, but with you we can have the element of surprise.” She slips her hand into her pocket, “And I know exactly how we can surprise her.”
She pulls out an invitation, handing it to Donnie. He feels the robots pinning his arm let go, and she finally steps back out of his space. He picks up the invitation, reading it.
Big Mama’s Masquerade
Tomorrow Night
“I got that earlier today. If she were able to deliver that to me directly, then she clearly knows where I live. So if I were to not go she’d just take greater measures to get what she wanted. It’s clearly a ploy to steal my ring, but if I were to go with a plus one…” Kendra explains.
“We’d catch her off guard.” Donnie finishes.
“Exactly.”
It wasn’t a perfect plan, but this could be his opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. All he needed was trust.
Donnie makes his way back to the window, lifting it open, “So I’ll see you tomorrow night?”
“Make it a date.” She winks at him, and he looks back at her one last time before disappearing into the night.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Donnie smooths out the wrinkles in his outfit. He had decided to wear a formal black and white suit, with of course a signature purple tie. He knocks on the window of Kendra’s apartment, stepping back to lean against the railing.
His eyes shot up when he heard it creak open. She lifted it up, then crossed her arms and looked him up and down.
“What a gentleman, creeping through the window again.” She deadpanned.
“Of course, had to sell the act,” he winks, “at least I knocked this time.”
“Pff, get in here mister, we can leave through the front door. I may be a little crazy but at least I’m not a hooligan.” She cracks a smile, stepping back to let him through, and then continuing towards the door.
He grins, pulling himself through the window, “What’s that supposed to mean? You think I’m some sort of ruffian?”
She turns back at him, and he finally has a full view of her; he swears his heart stops. She was wearing a lavender floor-length dress, soft makeup, and even in the dim setting she seemed to glow.
“You said it, not me.” She teases.
Kendra makes her way through the rest of the house, while Donnie follows close behind. He couldn’t help but peek at some of the stuff lying around, like what looked to be a million papers scattered around the kitchen table. It was all scribbles of diagrams, equations, and research, along with a half drunk coffee mug. He didn’t even have a full view of it yet he could tell her ideas were
extraordinary
. They reminded him of his own sleepless nights, refusing to stop working so he could quiet his busy mind. They were oddly similar in their own little ways.
“You coming?” She asks, snapping him out of his trance. She’s slipping on her shoes, waiting for him by the front door.
“Yeah, I’m coming.” He rushes to her side, holding the door open for her. They make their way down the stairs and into the empty street.
This time Donnie takes the lead, “I know an entrance close to here. It should take us straight into Big Mama’s hotel.”
It’s not far before they reach a downtown shop, already closed for the night. There’s a small section of graffiti along the store glass, resembling a spider in her web.
He pauses for a moment, “Did you bring a mask?”
“It said it was a masquerade, I would never turn down an opportunity to dress up. Where’s the fun in that?” She pulls out a black masquerade mask that covers her eyes, the edges swirling into a deep wine color.
He pulls out his own mask, indigo with golden vines emerging from the bottom. He puts it on, covering his face. It reminded him of their last ‘date’, when he had to cover his identity there too. Except this time when she looks at him, he knows she’s looking through all the silly disguises, and she can see exactly what’s underneath.
And he didn’t mind that.
He lifts his hand up towards the glass, and it suddenly lights up and contorts. No longer a mirror, but a gateway. Through the portal they could see hundreds of other Yokai socializing and dancing, beckoning them forward. Donnie bows, reaching out his hand playfully, and she rolls her eyes, chuckling, before playing along and taking it. He guides them through the bustling crowd, until they find an open area.
“So what’s this elaborate plan of yours?” Kendra questions.
“We’re gonna crash this party,” He grins coyly, “well, not us specifically. My brothers will create a distraction, while we locate Big Mama. It took a lot of convincing, especially after my stunt of sneaking out last night.” He winces at the memory, recalling how frustrated the other three were with him, but he shoves it to the back of his mind. “You brought the ring?”
She reveals a hidden pocket within her dress, the ring safely secured. He takes notice that she wasn’t trying to wear it yet, not wanting to unintentionally read his mind. Even if they were enemies, he appreciated that she wasn’t trying to invade his boundaries.
She closes the pocket, going back to the plan, “How will we know when your brothers arrive?”
“Oh trust me, they’re awful at being… subtle. We’ll know, and that’ll be our queue to run.” He pulls her in, following the motion of everyone around them, “For now, let’s just play along. Blend in, if you must.”
She follows his lead, matching his steps. He feels stiff, hyper-aware of the way they move; too focused on the mesmerizing way she twists along with the tempo, lost in the music. He loved dancing, he was good at it too, but right now he felt like he had two left feet. He would get the hang of it again, only to stumble every time her skin brushed against his. She picked up his hands, encouraging him to spin her around, and he obliged. The ebb and flow of the crowd pushed him forward, laughing alongside her and he loosened up. He could almost forget about the mission; he wanted to get lost in the lingering glances, the blurry dizziness of it all.
He realizes that this is the first time he hasn’t pulled away from her touch. Before, there was always something lying underneath, some deceitful motive to string him along. This was different, he couldn’t tell if it was genuine, but it
was
intoxicating.
“My real name’s not actually Othello, I made that up. It’s Donnie.” He confesses.
She squints at him, “Really? I thought it’d be something more extravagant, for an eccentric man like yourself.”
“Well, my full name is Donatello.” He sees her roll her eyes, holding back a smile.
“Hm, I definitely spoke too soon.” She snickers.
Abruptly, something smashes through the wall, and two other figures dash out from behind him into the room. The crowd screams, panic causing chaos amongst everyone. Donnie immediately looks back at Kendra, who only nods, before dashing towards the elevators. He runs after her, a ways behind, only to get stopped by a blue figure who cuts in front of him.
“I still don’t trust her.” Leo warns.
She was far away now, not realizing he wasn’t behind her anymore. “Did you stop me just to tell me that?” His tone was bitter.
“No, I came to give you something,” Leo hands out a bracelet, “If she tries to pull something,
anything
, you call me with this, and I’ll portal you out of there.”
Donnie doesn’t take it, only crossing his arms, “It sounds like you trust me less than you do her.”
He shoves it into his chest anyway, making him stumble back, “I’d rather be wrong and cautious than let my suspicions be right and not be able to protect you.” Leo glares at him, “Like you said, right?”
Donnie bites his tongue, remembering his own words from the first mission, when they called him crazy for being cautious. He takes the bracelet from him, sliding it onto his wrist.
“I won’t use it.” He spits, choosing to be insolent rather than admitting his wrong.
“I hope you won’t have to.” Leo’s voice wavers, then he darts back to the others, leaving Donnie alone again.
He hesitates for a second, taking in his words, before running back to Kendra. She was waiting for him by the elevators, watching the number tick down to their floor. He grabs her hand and pulls her towards the stairs instead.
“Big Mama’s guards will be flocking the elevator, we have to take another way.” He explains quickly, pulling her through the entrance of the stairs right as the door to the elevator opens, revealing her guards rushing to see what happened.
They catch their breath for a moment, Kendra breaking the silence, “I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that’s your brothers?”
“Whatever would give that impression?” he says sarcastically, but still sour from the previous conversation.
“Hey, what was that about? With your brother?” She inquires, noticing he was upset.
He shuffles uncomfortably, beginning up the stairs, “That’s Leo, we haven’t been seeing eye to eye recently,” he cringes, regretting his harsh words, “but I know he still cares.”
She looks at him empathetically, “That’s how my sister and I were too. We used to be so close, and then it all just… stopped.”
“What happened?”
“I wouldn’t change for her. And it scared her.”
“Your own sister was scared of you?” Donnie scrunches up his nose, “That’s a little extreme.”
“No, no, I think she was afraid
for
me.” Kendra clarifies, hugging herself tightly, “I’ll never know now though, she gave up on me and moved away.”
“Kendra, I’m sorry-”
“Where do we go from here?” She interrupts, straightening herself again.
He hesitates, seeing past her unfazed look, and finding that same regret underneath the mask. He swallows his urge to pry, finding it best to drop it for now, and he gets back to the mission at hand. She was right, they had to stay on task. There was no point in opening up; after this they would just go right back to fighting. There was no room for forgiveness, and there was no room for connection.
“Now we search for Big Mama’s office. While my brothers are busy distracting her, she’ll be oblivious to our real attack when she lets her guard down.” He says coldly, peering around the corner of the hallway.
Big Mama’s guards yell at each other for backup, plaguing the halls in disarray. He crouches down, signaling Kendra by nodding his head to a wall not far from them. They silently sneak past the guards, and Donnie feels around the wall for something, before pressing in. The wall shifts, spinning them around to the other side. It sends them to a different room, this time free of guards.
Kendra looks at him in disbelief, “How did you know to do that?”
He only shrugs, “I told you, I’ve unfortunately been here enough times to know this place inside and out. She has those secret passages hidden everywhere.”
She hums in acknowledgement, “We need to figure out a way to take out the cameras, even if we lost the guards, she still has eyes everywhere.”
“We could break the screens, then they won’t know where we are?” Donnie suggests.
She shakes her head, “We don’t want them knowing we’re up here at all, they’ll know something is wrong the second they lose communication. Plus, they’ll be able to track us through the order the cameras go out.”
He racked his brain for something else, usually it was Leo who would figure this stuff out.
Kendra breaks his train of thought, “Instead of shutting it off, we could replace all of the live footage with pictures of a blank hallway, that way nothing seems out of the ordinary.”
He blinks, “Yeah, that could actually work… I already have a program installed that can tap into the security cameras, let me just…” He slides back his sleeve, accessing the mini computer on his wrist, and quickly typing into the hacker program.
“... Andddd done! Good thinking.” He compliments, smiling at her.
“You already had an app for that?” She asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course, I wasn’t lying when I said I was good at breaching.” He winks.
She nudges him jokingly, “Maybe you’re a little more useful than I thought.”
“Wow, that might be the nicest thing you’ve said to me.” He chuckles, pressing his hand to his chest, pretending to be touched.
She smirks, rolling her eyes, before continuing through the hallway.
“We should be close now, right?” She asks, looking around for any room that seems important.
He nods, motioning to the furthest one. There was nothing guarding it, even Gus was nowhere to be seen. Strange. They must all be positioned downstairs, which just made it easier for them. Once they reach the door, they see that it’s locked shut. Not just locked shut, but
padlocked
shut, with
titanium
. There was no cutting through it, and they couldn’t harm the door if they wanted to remain unknown. Shit.
“Look here, it’s inscribed with markings, what do they mean?” Kendra asks, pointing to symbols written above the dial. He squints his eyes at it, analyzing it.
“I’m pretty sure its symbols from the Yokai written language.” He concludes.
There’s a long pause.
“Well… Read it.” Kendra stares blankly at him.
“I don’t know what it says!” He yells, throwing his hands up.
“You’re Yokai aren’t you? Shouldn’t you know this?” She argues back.
“I grew up in New York just like you did! I didn’t even know the Hidden City was a thing until like, a year ago. I know three human languages and twenty-seven coding languages though.” He boasts, while Kendra palms her face.
“Okay, okay, let me think. I use a decoder to stay anonymous when I’m working. Maybe I could use it to translate the message.” She proposes.
Donnie thinks, “Algorithms like that typically need hundreds of examples fed to it to compare to. One message won’t be enough.”
“Actually, I’ve been documenting the Hidden City for a while now. I have plenty of folders filled with examples I could feed to the algorithm. Let me plug it into your computer.” Kendra reaches into one of her pockets, pulling out a flash drive.
He sticks out his arm, allowing her to pull herself close to him to work. He watches her intently type away, each tap of her fingers along his arm sending a shudder down his spine. He loved watching her get deep in focus, but he couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. Her ability to adapt was something he craved he could learn. It was effortless for her; something so natural, but foreign for him. He thrived in consistency, the principle deeply rooted in his every action, anything to make the intangible, tangible.
But as he watches her, comes to understand the inner workings of her mind, he believes he could learn to adapt to her. He wasn’t exactly sure what that would entail, but he did know it was something he selfishly wanted.
“I’ve got it!” She smiles at him excitedly, “The symbols mean ‘new’, it doesn't narrow down the possibilities much though.”
“It’s a starting point at least. My watch directly connects with all of my tech, so I could run one of the motors to instantly flip through the remaining possibilities using your code. It’s a hell of a lot quicker than manually guessing.” Donnie considers.
Kendra nods in agreement, clicking ‘run’ on her algorithm. One of the arms in his shell shoots out, transforming into three independent axles, hooking up to the combination lock. They automatically start to turn, flipping through every possible answer faster than he could even read. They sat in anticipation, the longer it took the sooner Big Mama would arrive, and he had no idea how long his brothers could stall.
After what feels like the most grueling minutes of his life, the motors suddenly stop, and the lock clicks open. They both shoot up, cheering as quietly as they could to not draw attention to themselves, but still celebrating the victory.
“I was starting to have my doubts, but that worked out better than I thought,” She squinted her eyes at the answer, “Let's see, those symbol combinations mean… ‘Nexus’, any idea what that means?”
He rests his chin in his hands, “Ugh, the Battle Nexus is where her prisoners fight to the death. But ‘New Nexus’...” He freezes up, staring at her wildly, “That’s probably her new idea for it if she gets her hand on that ring.”
“We won’t let that happen.” She responds firmly, cracking open the door to her office, “We just have to wait for her now.”
They creep inside, looking for any traps or things to stop them, but nothing is out of the ordinary. He lets his guard down, finally taking off his mask and throwing it aside. The door to the office creaks shut, another click following after. Donnie stares at it confused, making his way over to it and then testing the handle. It doesn’t budge. He tugs it again, still nothing. He inspects the doorknob, realizing it locks from the outside,
“There’s no way out.” He turns to her, running through all the hypotheticals in his head, “I don’t know if that was purposeful or coincidental, maybe she knows we’re here, maybe she doesn’t. If we try to sneak attack her, will it actually still work, or will she already know and we’ll immediately fail? If she doesn’t, we still have nowhere to go aft-” He rambles, stressing.
“Slow down,” She hesitates, biting her tongue, “I have an idea, but I need you to listen to me.”
He only stares at her, and she continues, “I can make the ring work on a larger scale. I can remove the restrictions so we can listen to Big Mama’s thoughts from
anywhere
, not just when I touch her. That would remove the unknown entirely, and we’d still have the upper hand regardless of if she knows we’re here or not.”
Donnie pinches the bridge of his nose, “Kendra,
no
. The solution isn’t making the device
stronger
, that’s too much power for one person, even us. We have to draw the line somewhere, it’s unethical, and what would you do with it afterwards?”
“I knew you would say that. I can’t make it anyway.” Her voice is barely above a whisper.
“What’s the point in suggesting it then?” He asks.
Her face remains emotionless through the mask, “Because I know someone who can.”
Donnie’s eyes widen, emotions flooding through him. “You never cared to stop Big Mama,” he spits,” I won’t do it.”
She was right, he knew exactly how to make it.
She pulls her mask off, letting it clatter to the floor, and he sees the pain in her face. She slowly reaches into her pocket, slipping the ring onto her finger.
“You won’t have to.” Kendra’s eyes are squeezed shut, like she was afraid to even face him.
He huffs, backing away from her until he bumps the desk, closing his fists around the edge as if it were the only thing keeping him together. Leo was right. She couldn’t be trusted. There’s no world where they could ever work together,
adapt
together. She had been two steps ahead of him
again
;
why
did he keep playing this silly game?
Why
did he keep giving her chances?
Why
couldn’t he hate her?
There was no room for forgiveness, and there was no room for connection. So
why
did he keep thinking that there was? Maybe it was because he felt her lingering eyes when she thought he wasn’t looking, now glossy like she was on the brink of tears. Maybe it was because she trusted him more than his brothers ever did, now being used like a weapon in shaky hands. Maybe it was because he admired her intelligence, always a step ahead of him in the best and worst of ways.
She edged closer, and he saw her true face. She wasn’t the monster she pretended to be. She had always been wearing a mask, always pretending to be stronger than she was, tougher than she was,
for what?
He saw right through it; she didn’t
want
to do this. What was she proving?
Maybe that’s why he couldn’t hate her; he had spent this entire mission studying her intentions, studying
her
. She was like him, they understood each other, and he thought that she was different. He wants to be angry that she used him, but he couldn’t. None of his emotions made sense.
She’s inches away now, and his head spins at the thought of her touching him. He wasn’t good with feelings, but god, he wanted her. He selfishly, stupidly, wanted her. She reaches a hand up, and it finally dawns on him that she’s going to hear all of this. She’ll know exactly how he feels about her, all of the disgusting, weird feelings that don’t make any sense, and it scares him more than anything else.
So he makes a stupid decision, because he doesn’t know what else to do, and because he’s never been good at planning. He leans forward, kissing her. His mind goes blank, all words losing meaning. He’s not thinking about anything anymore, only focused on sensations.
Kendra’s face immediately softens, pushing back against him and returning the kiss. His breathing picks up, heart beating out of his chest. She initiates the next one, tender and genuine. He lets out a soft noise, one hand reaching up to cup her cheek, and the other moves to rest on top of her hand. He deepens the kiss, while his hand works to subtly pry the ring off while she’s distracted. She pulls away slightly, gazing at him awestruck.
“Donnie,” She whispers in the softest, sweetest voice, and he realizes it’s the first time she’s ever said his real name.
Her high comes down, and she finally notices what he took. Her expression shifts to rage, shoving him away from her furiously.
“You
used
me!” She screams, her voice cracking.
Donnie feels frozen in place, quickly fumbling around for his bracelet, unable to look away from her. He swallows his pride, pressing the charm to call for Leo. Before he can even process what’s happening, a blue portal opens up, Leo practically dragging him through it. He’s stuck like a deer in headlights, watching the portal shrink while Kendra doesn’t bother with chasing him.
“I was stupid for believing you were different.” Kendra rasps with tears streaming down her face, in her final moments before the portal closes completely. Leo’s shaking him, saying something he’s not paying attention to. He was panged with immediate regret; he was no better than her. That was the most vulnerable he had ever seen her, the most vulnerable they had been
with
each other, and he had taken advantage of that, just as she had. Donnie stares at the ring in his palm, it didn’t feel worth it. He hadn’t saved anything today. He wasn’t a hero.
He slips the ring onto his own finger, it feels repulsive, but he keeps it on anyway. He glances around, taking in his surroundings. It was just him and Leo on what seemed to be the roof of the hotel.
“Where are Raph and Mikey?” Donnie questions, noticing their absence.
Leo sighs in relief, happy that he’s responsive again, “They’re back at the lair. They’re fine, but I can’t say the same for you, I’m gonna have to check you out for a concussion. Did she hurt you? You seem really out of it.”
“Wait, so where’s Big Mama?” Donnie interrogates.
“Once you called for me, we ditched the fight, and I came straight to you. Now c’mon let’s get you home.” Leo lifts his sword up to make a portal and Donnie shoves it away.
“No! No, no, no, Leo you have to send me back. Big Mama will be on her way and Kendra’s still trapped in there. You have to at least let me help her.” Donnie pleads.
Leo furrows his eyebrows in confusion, but listens to his franticness. He swings his sword, creating a portal leading to the hallway outside the room. Donnie steps through, knowing he was fighting for time. He hesitates outside the door, hearing a faint weeping inside. He takes a deep breath in, clenching his jaw, then unlocks the door from the outside. It clicks, and he props it open slightly, before returning to Leo through the portal.
“I told you so,” Leo breaks the silence.
Donnie sits down on the edge of the roof, shoving his face into his hands.
“I was so stupid.” He sobs.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Leo sits down next to him comfortingly, “you couldn’t have known she would betray you.”
“Not that!” Donnie throws his hands up exasperatedly, “I don’t know why I act the way I do, I don’t know why I don’t think things through, and I don’t know why I can’t just stop all of these confusing feelings I don’t understand. I thought I had it figured out, and then the next moment I feel completely different. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“What happened in there?” Leo asks softly.
“Nothing… I just… need some time.” Donnie sniffles.
“We’ll stop her, don’t worry about it, okay?”
He sighs, “I’m not worried. I don’t think she’s as bad as she makes herself to be.”
Leo sneers, “Donnie, I won’t lie, your judgement sucks, but we can talk about this some other time after you’ve had time to think.”
Leo places his hand on his shoulder, and even through all the harsh words, he feels a sudden flood of unconditional support. He looks down at the ring, which is now glowing faintly, and he realizes it’s coming from Leo.
‘I’m sorry’
“What?” Donnie asks.
Leo squints his eyes at him, “I didn’t say anything, are you sure you don’t have a concussion? Let’s just go home, you definitely need some sleep.”
He stands up, tugging Donnie along with him. He makes them a portal back home, and this time Donnie doesn’t fight it.