When Mona Lisa Smiles

It Began With a Dream

New York City-one of the most densely populated metropolises in the northern hemisphere: a bustling, thriving, concrete jungle-but not tonight. Tonight...it was quiet. Something was brewing, and April O'Neil definitely didn't like it.

On any normal night she would've already been asleep by now. But tonight-she was completely restless. The red-head constantly found herself changing positions in an attempt to overcome her insomnia. Unfortunately, this had been going on for so long that she now had established a pattern: first she would lay on her left side, then her back, then her right side, and then her stomach. And then repeat. Left, back, right, front, left, back, right, front, left, back, right, front. Ugh-I can't take this anymore! She thought as she kicked off the covers and sat, frustrated, on the side of the bed. Great, now what? April cast a sideways glance at the T-phone on her nightstand, and smirked. Oh yeah, that'll work. She grabbed the phone and quickly typed in Donatello's number.

Meanwhile In the Turtle Lair....

Donatello was enjoying a peaceful night at the lair, well as peaceful as it could be with his brothers around. Namely Raphael and Michelangelo, who were currently having a rather loud discussion, aka an argument, over which was cooler: Scifi comics or Modern Ninja Magazine. Donnie, as usual, excused himself from his brothers' average everyday activities, and holed up in his lab where he was tinkering with his inventions. When suddenly, April's ringtone echoed out through the lab like a manna from heaven. He gasped and his pulse began beating erratically. Me-she called me!

A voice from the other end of the line snapped him back to attention. "Donatello. You realize you said that out loud right?"

The turtle's cheeks reddened with embarrassment. "Oh...sorry." The only answer he got was silence. "So...why are you calling? It's kinda late for you isn't it?"

"Yeah, well that's the thing-see," April knew that if she wanted to get Donnie going she'd have to make an excuse. She carefully weighed her options before going on. "I just found out that I'm going to have a huge-a huge-um-physics exam tomorrow and I've been up, you know, last minute studying."

"Wait, you're in physics? That's not on your class schedule." There was a short pause and Donnie face-palmed.

"HOW do you know my class schedule?! You know what, never mind, I don't even wanna know. Just help me with this okay?" April decided to interpret the silence on the other end of the line as consent. "Alright, explain the basic principles of quantum physics."

Donatello had not gotten more than five sentences into his explanation when he began hearing quiet snoring in the background. "April? April, you there?" More snoring. Well, good luck on your test tomorrow April. He knew for a fact that she wasn't in physics: he'd made a copy of her schedule some months ago, for emergency use only, of course.

Meanwhile Back in April's Room...

April had finally managed to fall asleep, but it was anything but restful. She tossed and turned as images filled her head. She was walking down a New York City street, for some unknown reason she felt like she'd been there before. She came to the steps of a building, some kind of old abandoned science laboratory, only it wasn't abandoned anymore. It was filled with Krang! Lots and lots of Krang! Suddenly, the blurred images focused on two of them.

"Krang, how goes the plan for the invasion known as the invasion of Earth?"

"So far, the invasion has been progressing that which is known as 'well.'"

A third Krang approached the other two. "The invasion which is known as the invasion of Earth will soon begin. Kraang Prime has instructed that the inter-dimensional gateway from here to the dimension of Krang be kept under what is known as 'high security.' Kraang Prime will not allow the ones who are turtles to ruin the invasion known as the invasion of Earth by inhibiting Krang's ability to send that which is known as the invasion force to Earth."

April awoke with a yell, her eyes wide, a cold sweat dripping down her forehead. She her head to check the clock: two o'clock in the morning. Great I can sneak out without anybody seeing me. She quickly pulled on her pizza boy disguise and slipped quietly out the window of her room. April pulled up the hoods on her jackets as she crept around the roof to the side of the building. She then used her awesome kunoichi skills to slide down the drainage pipe and land on her feet...or not.

The red-headed teenager stood up slowly, brushing the dirt off her pained behind. She looked both ways to make sure that no one had been there to witness her embarrassing attempt at ninja awesomeness before diving for the nearest manhole. Once April was almost all the way in she pulled the manhole cover over her head and back into place, her light blue eyes glowing in the darkness. Time to call the cavalry.