Art credit to AngelRaiRay

When Annalise sets foot in the lair, the first thing she notices is a tall man in a cloak. He sits in the living room, tenderly holding a mug in both hands. Destiny sits next to him, chatting about something that requires her to wave her hands around, and gathering on the steps outside the laboratory are the rest of the turtles, Sarina, April, Casey, and Splinter.

Judging by the rather relaxed way that Destiny is talking, the newcomer has been here for a while. Annalise eyes the back of his head, unsure of what to do, and he goes even more still than he already was. He slowly turns around, taking in the girl, and she feels the back of her neck prickle.

"Oh, Annalise, you're here," Destiny says, waving at them. She gestures to Diaval, who's still staring at Annalise with the curiosity of a child. "Annalise, this is Diaval. Diaval, Mikey's...friend, Annalise."

"Mhm, nice t'meet you," Diaval mumbles.

He waves, but forgets about his mug in the process and lets out a tiny yelp as he tries to snatch it back before too much spills on him. He stares at the fresh stain on his red shirt, exhaling through his nostrils as he slowly closes his eyes. Truly, she thinks, a mood.

Annalise decides that she likes him.

Destiny's expression tells her that Diaval spilling things isn't abnormal. Destiny is already taking back the mug, smiling and saying something teasing in nature, and Diaval's blank expression is just a little softer as he looks at her.

"I'll clean this up," Destiny says, standing up. She motions to both the humans. "Everyone's waiting. Don and Sarina wanted to be theatrical, and...yeah, I'll catch up."

She trots off to the kitchen and Annalise looks over at the lab again, only then noticing that Michelangelo has already joined them. Instead of wandering away, she shuffles closer to Diaval as he tries to wring out the stain on his shirt. The process reveals his pale stomach, flat without much ab definition at all, and Annalise frowns at the sight of scars dotting it.

He looks up at her as she stops at the edge of the living room pit, dropping his shirt and letting out another grunt of greeting. He stops to scratch his ear, disturbing some silver earrings dangling in it before he draws himself to his full height, making Annalise feel like a dwarf. She's only 5'4", meaning he's got something like eight or nine inches on her.

He lingers at her side, blank, pink-eyed stare on her, and she dons a wobbly smile. His snaggletooth twitches, as if he tried to smile back and just couldn't, and he straightens up enough that his ponytail slips off his shoulder. He gestures for her to walk before going himself, feet dragging on the floor with every stride. She follows, taking two steps for every one of his.

Master Splinter looks to them as they join the group, bowing his head, and Diaval mumbles a gruff, scratchy "hello". Annalise smiles a little at Splinter, a surge of awkwardness rolling over her. Has she ever actually talked to Splinter? She tries to remember and nothing comes up.

Her entire face flushes red and she has to stop herself from crumpling into a ball. How rude, she scolds herself. She's been hanging out with his kids and yet she can't spend a little extra time saying hi or something?

"Annalise, you look ill," Splinter murmurs, sweeping closer to her and curving his head down closer to her level. She makes a noise of something akin to a "meep" and he arches his bushy eyebrows. "Are you alright?"

She nods a little too fast. "Uh, I...yeah! I mean, I..." She makes another defeated squeak.

Diaval eyes her, forehead creasing, and she feels the back of her neck prickle yet again. She reaches to scratch it, shoulders shuddering, and Diaval's lip quirks at the side as his narrowed gaze lands on Splinter.

"Feels bad. Didn't say hi," he states. He waves his hand at her. "Wants t'say sorry."

Splinter's eyes widen a little and Annalise gapes at Diaval. The tall boy stands resolute, unabashed at the declaration that is far too specific for him to have just read it off Annalise's face. She sputters a bit.

"How...how did you...?"

Diaval blinks. "Read the desire." When she keeps staring at him, he buries his face against the collar of his cloak. "Mhm...sorry..."

"Read...I'm sorry, I don't know what just happened," Annalise says, reaching one hand to her forehead, fingers dangling over her eyes.

Splinter lets out a chuckle, a deep "hehehe" that makes Leonardo look up for a second, peeking over Raphael's shoulder at them. Annalise looks at Splinter through her fingers.

"Diaval has...let's say, a gift," Splinter says, amusement still evident on his face. "In simple terms, he can see a person's greatest desire or, if he wants, just what they desire in a single moment." He looks to the man. "Is that accurate?"

Diaval nods. "Mhm..." His pupils swivel to the ceiling in thought, then roll back down. "Yup."

Although she's still a little confused, Annalise decides to give it a rest and ask Michelangelo about it later. Splinter's hands grip his staff a little tighter and he angles himself towards the lab doors.

"Do not feel too bad about our lack of conversation, Annalise," Splinter says, voice a little lower. "I have been occupied, as have you, and besides..." His russet eyes twinkle and for a split second, Annalise thinks of Donatello. Can a turtle and a rat have family resemblance? She isn't sure. "I am an old man," he finishes.

"You don't look old," Annalise says with a tiny smile.

He takes a long breath. "At times, I feel old."

"I feel old sometimes and I'm only fifteen, so...I sorta get it."

Another laugh and another confused look from Leonardo. Annalise wonders whether Splinter's laughter is so uncommon as to elicit attention or whether the blue-masked turtle is just wondering how Annalise could be so funny as to make him laugh.

"Well, I'm sure that in thirty-seven years, you will understand me even more," Splinter muses. "We will have to see when that time comes."

She does some quick mental math and comes to the conclusion that Splinter is over fifty, which she finds hard to believe. He seems so vibrant, although maybe he's just in stinking good health. After another moment and more math, Annalise's face scrunches. Splinter is fifteen years older than her mom, and Annalise is fifteen. There is an Annalise-sized age gap between Michelangelo's parent and her parent.

I need to stop, she thinks with a disgusted grimace. I'm doing math on the weekend.

"I'm back! The fun can start now," Destiny says as she slides into a spot beside Diaval, bumping her wing into Casey as she does. She flashes a thumbs up at Donatello and Sarina.

Seeing that, Donatello and Sarina move up to the doors so that they're standing a little higher than everyone else. That isn't a problem even without the steps, seeing as they're two of the tallest mutants in the room, on par with Casey, Splinter, and Diaval.

"Alright, the moment you've all been waiting for!" Donatello says, reaching for one door handle.

"The main event, a spectacle unseen by the regular masses," Sarina adds, taking hold of the second.

"A wonder unlike—"

"Just open the freakin' doors already, you drama queens," Raphael snaps.

They fling open the doors, allowing the group to file in and get an eyeful of their truly glorious work.

The teleporter is sleek from bottom to top, designed in the shape of an arch, and about the size of a hotel elevator. At the arch's base is a large platform with an elegant swirling pattern etched into the smooth surface and the edges glow with a soft light. There's a panel on the wider part of the arch's right side and long tubes run to a power generator tucked away at the back. Near the machine, part of the lab space is blocked off with a few curtains.

"How did you two get all of this done in a week or two?" Annalise wonders out loud, completely in awe.

"He's an inventing genius," Sarina says, pointing to Donatello.

"She's amazing with computers and coding," Donatello adds.

"And we basically ran on minus-no hours of sleep and coffee," they say together.

They look at each other, Sarina's eyes flash, and they snort with laughter and cry "jinx" at the same time. Laughing even harder, Donatello scoops her into his arms and steals a few kisses on her cheeks, forehead, and nose.

"Sickening," Raphael says, but the fond look on his face says he thinks otherwise. Annalise eyes him suspiciously.

Meanwhile, Destiny and Leonardo circle the teleporter as best they can, eyes wide and sparkling. Destiny reaches over to tug Leonardo's arm just as he blindly reaches over to get her attention, resulting in them smacking their hands together a few times.

"Leo, Leo...are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she whispers.

"Oh, I think I am," he replies.

They turn to each other, narrow their eyes as they bend their knees, and grin. "Three, two, one—" They jump up, aiming one finger at the sky. "Beam me up, Crankshaw!" They gasp. "YES! EXACTLY!"

They grip each other's hands and squeal at each other like overexcited pigs. Casey and April glance at each other, then at the equally stunned Michelangelo and Annalise. Both boys eye each other, nod, and press their fingers to their temples as they turn to their preferred female.

"April, hurry, we've gotta do something in sync," Casey says.

"Lisey, guess what I'm thinking!" Michelangelo begs.

April laughs. "Casey, I don't think we can plan that."

"Ditto," Annalise agrees.

"We've gotta," Casey says. "It's a matter of life or death in our relationship!"

"Are you saying you'll break up with me if we don't do this?" April asks, eyebrow lifting as she crosses her arms.

Casey stops, slowly lowering his hands from his head to point at her. "April...I may be not the brightest, but Casey Jones doesn't give up on his girl that easily." April's smile grows and Casey bounces in place. "Casey Jones also believes in us."

She rolls her eyes. "Okay, okay...on three?" He nods. "One, two, three—"

"Goongala!" they say together. Casey bursts out laughing while April's expression gets stuck somewhere between disbelief and happiness. They high-five and keep laughing.

"Aw, yeah, babe! That's my Red!"

"You're so predictable, Jones."

Michelangelo straightens up and grins at Annalise. "Now that joke is old, so we won't do it," he says.

Annalise fakes a breath of relief. "Thank goodness, that was a lot of pressure."

Sarina clears her throat from far off and when the others turn to her, they find that she's waiting by the curtained-off area with Donatello, Raphael, and the ever-so-patient Splinter and Diaval. With a few apologies from the others, they hurry over.

"Last, but certainly not least," Sarina says, reaching for the curtain. "We give you the Hughes-Hamato line of Cyberverse Virus-Extermination suits!"

"Generation one," Donatello adds with a wink.

They bring down the curtain together, revealing seven sleek robotic suits. Four of them are suited for a turtle's body, each one white and black with accents of blue, red, purple, and orange. There are two suits fitted for a more feminine figure, although one of is definitely for someone taller who happens to have giant wings. One is white with pink accents and the other is black with interlaced silver. The last of the seven is the only one that looks built for a human boy, all black and white. Visors and special weapons accompany each outfit, all colour-coded, too. Sarina and Donatello don't play around.

"I've died and gone to awesome heaven," Casey swoons.

"Suit up, everyone," Donatello says. As his brothers, Casey, and Destiny race past him, nearly knocking him off his feet in their rush, he approaches the far more hesitant Annalise. "Hey, Sarina and I didn't know what you wanted for a weapon. I hope you don't mind, but we chose for you."

She rubs her forearm. "Oh, I...I'm not good with weapons. I try to be a pacifist, actually, but so long as I can swing it I think I'll be fine." She tucks a stray hair behind her ear.

"Not having a preference definitely makes me feel better," he responds. "It's a small battle-axe, an onō, to be exact." He smiles and pats her shoulder. "Enjoy!"

Annalise eyes her suit and takes an extra long time on the axe hanging in its belt. Its blade is rosy pink while the handle is white and Annalise finds it to be the most aesthetically pleasing axe that she has ever seen.

"Woah," she whispers. She sucks in a breath and steals a furtive glance at the machine, unable to stop herself from imagining what could possibly wait for her inside the Internet. "This is really happening."

Donatello nods. "It is. Now..." He gives her a nudge. "Suit up, kid."

She dashes off to join the others.

----------

In record time, six of the seven warriors are ready to go. Destiny spins in little circles as she checks herself out, flapping her wings and wagging her tail as she goes. Leonardo steals a few glances at her.

"I wish all my clothes fit this nicely," she admits. She flashes a fanged smile at Sarina, Donatello, and Raphael. "Can you three be my tailors?"

"You wish," Raphael teases, making her stick her tongue out at him.

Annalise shuffles in last, shifting a little as her cheeks flush the same colour as her outfit. Michelangelo stops fooling around with his cyber-chucks long enough to notice her, his eyes going wide. She looks so much stronger and far more grown up in the suit. It's endearing and intimidating all at once, with the final vote being that Michelangelo thinks she looks bomb. Raphael has to punch his shoulder to get him to stop gawking.

Diaval spins around in a swivel chair while Master Splinter observes the final preparations, concern etched across his furry face. Sarina moves past him to fasten a headset over Diaval's head, careful to avoid snagging his earrings as she goes, and April adjusts hers.

"April, Diaval, and I will be able to contact you through the headsets installed into your visors," Sarina explains, adjusting the fit on Donatello's as she goes. "I cannot be sure of the connection, so try to keep call times to a minimum. Contact us if there is a dire emergency or a dire question that needs answering. We will do the same for you."

"My children, I do not expect you to promise me your safe return," Master Splinter starts, grave, "but...please, promise me that you will try your hardest to get home."

"Hai Sensei," Leonardo says without missing a beat.

"Hai," the others follow.

Sarina turns to her computer and starts typing away, eyes glowing with intensity. "Less than five minutes until teleportation. Everyone get situated," she reports.

Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Annalise head to the platform with little to no hesitation. Donatello, Casey, and Destiny are left looking at the four people that they're leaving behind. Destiny's fluffy ears tuck flat against her head and she hurries over to them, pursing her lips tightly.

"I'm gonna need goodbye hugs," she mumbles.

She goes to April first, the two of them embracing briefly before she moves on to Splinter. When she gets to Diaval, he stands and gives her his signature stiff-armed zombie hug, and she's just glad that he's willing to even try.

"Please come back," he mumbles as she steps away. He can't meet her eyes. "S'gonna suck if y'don't."

She smirks. "You'll be rid of me when I'm dead, Di."

His expression hardens. "Then...don't die."

Destiny nods and turns away, taking the few steps over to Sarina. Sarina looks up at her friend as she lingers by the computer, lips quirked, and Destiny sighs. The cyborg wordlessly pulls her into a hug, chin resting on her shoulder.

"If that Circa...thing...tries anything with you," Destiny whispers, "rest assured that both Donnie and I will be there to kick her ass."

Sarina murmurs out a humming laugh. "I am glad that you have my back."

Destiny hurries over to the teleporter platform, allowing Donatello to take her place. Sarina gazes up at him and he reaches out, cupping her face in his hands before pulling her into a gentle kiss. She returns it, stepping closer to him.

"Be safe," she murmurs when he breaks away. "I love you."

"Love you too," he returns.

Casey and April share a final hug, his lips pressed to her forehead as she closes her eyes. She holds him just a little too tight for it to be relaxed, betraying just how scared she is for him and the others.

"Hey, Red, I'm gonna kick butt in there," he whispers to her. "No worries."

"With you, there's always something to worry about," she retorts, pulling away. "Idiot."

He winks. "You love me."

She clicks her tongue, wagging a finger at him. "You got me there."

He steals a kiss before joining the others on the teleporter platform. With everyone bunched together, reality starts to set in. Annalise gasps and she raises her hand, making a few noises until Sarina looks up.

"I almost forgot," Annalise says. "I've got this Minecraft server game planned for my YouTube channel tomorrow! The winners of my contest will be logging in and...oh geez, this is totally messed up."

Sarina's eyes flash. "Not to worry. If you are not out in time, I have a backup. Do not fret."

Annalise chews her lip. Michelangelo scoots closer to her and taps her hip. When she looks down, she sees his open palm, and his fingers wiggle. She takes his hand and squeezes.

April dims the lights in the lab while Sarina moves to the power switch, her eyes the only thing as bright as the machine itself. She keeps her gaze on her family, her poker face faltering as she rests her hand on the button.

"Good luck," she says.

She presses down. The very top of the arch lights up and a loud whirring sound fills the laboratory. A holographic blue sphere bursts from the arch's peak and falls over the group, encasing them in transparent blue walls. One by one, their bodies break apart into strips of coding, fading into nothing until everyone has disappeared into the depths of the cyberverse.

Sarina shuts off the machine. April turns the lights back on. Diaval, Sarina, and April stare at the teleporter until Splinter rests a gentle hand on each of the girls' shoulders.

"They will be fine. If there is one thing I know about my children, it is that they won't let anything stop them," Splinter says.

Diaval gets to his feet. "Think tea could be...nice," he says.

Sarina nods. "I agree. We should all have some tea while we work. April?"

"Diaval and I will get it," she says with a smile. "Splinter, you'll want matcha. Sarina...chamomile." Two thumbs up from either mutant. She continues, "Diaval, anything so long as there's chilli in it, and I..." April thinks for a second before she smirks. "I will have peppermint."

Diaval does a tiny round of applause all by himself. "Good job."

The two of them head off to the kitchen while Splinter takes a seat. Sarina settles in front of her computer and wrings out her fingers, ready to get some work done.