Digital Mutation (Book Five)

Chapter 3: Replies

The scream of absolute glee that leaves Michelangelo's mouth seems to shake the lair. Destiny's tail spikes as she nearly falls off the swirling platform hanging above the living room, flapping her wings to save herself from the drop. Leonardo flinches, the pinball slipping between the levers and taking away any chance of setting a new personal high score, making him groan as he thumps his forehead against the machine.

The lab doors fly open as Donatello and Sarina emerge, Sarina's hands glowing, Donatello wielding a length of metal piping like a weapon.

"Okay, who ate the last slice of pizza?" Raphael shouts, storming into the living room from the dojo.

"Where is the danger?!" Sarina exclaims. "I will shoot on sight unless told otherwise!"

Donatello frowns, looking around as he slowly lowers the pipe. "That was Mikey's scream, right?" he asks.

"I thought he was in his room," Destiny says, frowning as she hops off the platform and alights in the middle of the living room pit.

"MIKEY!" Raphael roars. "YOU BETTER NOT BE DEAD OR I'M GONNA KILL YOU MYSELF!"

There's the faint sound of a door slamming, then rapid footsteps before Michelangelo skids into the main living area with a smile that's wide enough to eat a banana sideways. He hoists his phone into the air like a trophy.

"She replied!" he shrieks, hopping up and down as he giggles with glee.

Sarina lowers her hands as her palms stop glowing. "So the scream was of joy. I see."

Donatello frowns, forehead creasing. "She...as in—" he starts.

"Her! The apple of my eye! My muse! The donut cupcake to my pizza nunchucks!" Michelangelo rambles. He gazes down at his t-phone as if it's a precious treasure. "The most perfect girl in the world..."

Leonardo exhales and nods as he leans against the pinball machine. "Annalise. Definitely Annalise."

Destiny coughs. "Renet who?" She coughs again.

Michelangelo skips over to Raphael and shoves the phone in his face. "See? I called on senpai and senpai noticed me!"

Raphael wrinkles his nose, shoving the device away. "For the love of pizza, she's just a YouTuber."

"Is she not younger than you? That would make you, ahem...senpai," Sarina states. "So she is—"

"Lisey-chan?" Michelangelo's eyes sparkle and he gasps. "That's so cute!"

"If we weren't at least partially Japanese, I'd find this entire conversation disgusting," Raphael growls. He pauses. "Oh, wait, it's disgusting anyway."

He huffs and turns away, starting back to the dojo with heavy, deliberate footsteps. Michelangelo wiggles his non-existent eyebrows as he watches Raphael's retreating shell, bouncing on his feet.

"Aw Raph, don't be all broody just because you're still heartbroken over Taylor!" he calls.

A shuriken whistles through the air, and Michelangelo squeaks as he retracts into his shell. He clatters to the floor, spinning in lazy circles as the shuriken finds purchase in the punching dummy directly behind where his head had been. Raphael's eyes blaze, fists clenched and knuckles white as he grinds his teeth.

"Shut. Up," he snarls. "Don't talk about her."

He storms into the dojo, steam practically billowing from his nostrils, muscles bunched with rage. Michelangelo peeks his head out of his shell with a sheepish smile as the others give him long, slightly tense looks.