PARADOX!

01. side b.

Donnatello was, to put it in lighter terms, absolutely pissed.

He never really looked forward to playing the hero's role the same naivete way his brothers did. No, rather, he felt the obligation to do what he did since he had the capabilities to do so. He had libraries of knowledge stored in his head. He could craft a sentient machine from scrap metal and broken wires. He could build castles out of sticks and stones, and make it impenetrable to boot.

And most importantly, he loved to show off. He liked feeling useful. So it made sense to him, doing what he did, making contributions to their little vigilante team.

That being said, just because he helped didn't mean he was benevolent, and it certainly didn't mean he asked to be burdened with the fate of the world against brain shaped aliens.

Now, the alien part, he did like. He was a sci-fi nerd at heart; how could he not enjoy the thought? A gold mine of untapped potential, new technologies to discover, what's not to love?

The part he really didn't like was the responsibilities that came with it. Particularly, the responsibility of dealing with other people. Other people who, when faced with a literal world-ending crisis, were bound to act more stupid than they already would typically.

Case in point, the plethora of humans they had rescued and brought back to their base (which now felt less like home and more like a camp). He's lost track of the number of people they'd had to calm down, how many of them that lashed out and went ballistic, only to go silent without even an apology for their behavior or even a 'thank you' after. Some tried to be cordial, but most of them preferred to use April, a fellow human, as the middle man, either out of discomfort or fear for him and his brothers.

Whatever. If it meant less talking on his part, he was all for it.

He stuck to his machinery, maintaining the base and making sure everything worked pristinely. It would be detrimental to the team if any of their equipment malfunctioned unexpectedly, after all. He keeps his medical appointments short, often leaving the room before the patient woke up, leaving their little 'orientation' for his brothers and April to handle.

He's sitting in his room, surveying nearby areas when April walks in quietly. It should have been his first red flag, since April was rarely ever quiet, usually tumbling into the room like a pinwheel.

"Donnie?" she says, carefully.

"What's wrong?" he replies. "Did someone get their foot stuck in the lavatory bowl again?"

"No, nothing like that." April laughs. "Just, I've been having this weird gut feeling lately. Remember Eastlaird?"

"Your learning institution; yes, I remember."

"This is gonna sound crazy, but I've been getting this weird feeling."

"Elaborate."

"It's hard to explain." April taps her chin, frowning. "It's like something is missing, and that we'll find that something at my college."

Donatello sat unblinking, carefully considering his sister's words. On one hand, he had never once believed in the notion of fate and instincts. On the other, he did have an irrefutable statistics chart with positive results when correlating April getting 'weird feelings' and something important actually happening. Somehow. He has yet to find the causation, but numbers never lied.

And, if he was being honest, he had felt that inexplicable sense of emptiness too. He's not quite sure why. For whatever reason, he thinks of Shakespeare quotes and hazmat suits.

So he turns to April decisively. 

"I'll check it out." He says, and immediately dispatches a drone to survey the building.