It's been almost a day since Sarina left.

Diaval and Donatello linger by Sarina's side, watching and waiting for any sign of success. They switch off to get food, water, and bathroom breaks, always leaving one of the two monitoring her.

Hours after Sarina plugged herself in and went under, Diaval noticed the lack of Circa's echoing thoughts in her head. In fact, he heard very little of anything in her head. The eerie silence freaked Diaval out more than he'd like to admit.

"Used t'hearing desires," he had said. "Even when sleeping."

Everyone keeps waiting, staying as hopeful as they can. They remind each other that the time difference was to be expected, seeing as their cyberverse journey had the same effect. What may be happening at a regular pace for Sarina is much slower for the rest of them.

Leonardo and Raphael walk into the lab, pursing their lips in synchronization at the sight of Donatello and Diaval seated so diligently at Sarina's side. Michelangelo sits against the wall near them, arms hanging loosely around his bent knees.

"Still nothing?" Leonardo asks.

Donatello doesn't say a word; he just shakes his head and exhales, resting his forehead against Sarina's arm. Leonardo looks at Diaval, eye-ridges raised and a hopeful glint in his eyes, but Diaval shakes his head too. Leonardo sighs and leaves the lab.

Raphael moves to Michelangelo and sits down next to him. They sit together for a few seconds before Raphael takes a deep breath.

"Hey...Mikey, about what I said a while ago—"

"It's fine, dude," Michelangelo interrupts softly. "Don't need to bring it up."

"It's not fine," Raphael insists. "I was angry and I bottled up all that...negative...crud," he says, struggling to find the right words for his feelings as he makes punching, smushing motions. "I said a lot of mean stuff, so...I'm sorry. You're worthy of love and all that junk, okay?"

Michelangelo almost laughs. "Thanks, Raph." He bumps his arm to his. "Y'know, you can talk to us about stuff, or at least you can talk to me. I like talking to you."

He bites his lip, bringing his knees to his plastron. "Yeah, I know. It's just hard to go and do it sometimes."

"I'm all ears right now, dude."

Raphael eyes his brother, who, despite everything that's going on in his life and with his feelings, is making an effort of smiling at him. It reminds Raphael that even with all the annoyances, Michelangelo is one of the best brothers he could ask for.

"I...don't know what to do about Taylor," he admits. "I haven't said anything to her since our last meet up."

Michelangelo frowns. "Why not?"

"I don't know what to say, I guess. I mean..." He shakes his head. "I showed up at her window and kinda laid my heart out for her. Does that mean I've got her back? We weren't dating before..."

"Do you want to date her?"

Raphael purses his lips, thinking, and he feels the back of his neck tingle. He goes to scratch it, then aims a glare at Diaval as the tall boy's lip twitches at the corner of his mouth. Diaval arches an eyebrow and, blank as his expression is, it challenges Raphael to see if he can get a lie past him.

"Yeah, I do," he admits and Diaval, satisfied, focuses back on Sarina. Raphael looks up at the ceiling. "But...what we had was kind of crazy and fast-paced and I don't even know if we could make a real relationship work, and..." He hates to think it, much less say it. "I'm not sure I can trust her completely."

"So you make it work," Michelangelo says with a tiny smile. "And both of you can work on the trust thing, especially if you're serious about her. Then it's just getting past Leo and Don and..." He shrugs. "Yup."

"You think they can?"

"We did it for Diaval, didn't we?"

Raphael nods. "True."

"I think it'd be really cool to have her around. We can do karaoke nights and she can show me how to play guitar and speak Spanish!" Michelangelo says, a sparkle alighting in his eyes. "Ooh, I wonder if she knows how to cook! I'd love to learn how to make authentic tacos!"

Raphael has to admit, the image in his head of Taylor cooking and singing and just being in the lair with them is nice. The idyllic daydream fades and Raphael asks, "Then what about you and Annalise?"

The happiness flickers out and Michelangelo slumps. He swallows hard, hugs himself a little tighter, and moistens his lips.

"I'll...do what I have to, I guess," he whispers. "Whatever she needs to go back to normal." He shuts his eyes, another deep breath lifting his frame for a second. When he speaks next, his voice is incredibly forlorn. "Even if it means that I'm not there."

Surprise masks Raphael's face. Of all the things he expected, that wasn't one of them. He expected exuberance. He expected Michelangelo to be clingy and worried about Annalise 24/7. Basically, he expected everything except a serious, calculated response, and it reminds him that his little brother is maturing just like the rest of them.

"Guys, I'm back," Destiny's voice trickles into the laboratory. The doors slide open further and she enters, carrying a bag of takeout from Murakami's. "We've got company."

Casey and April follow behind her, Leonardo lingering in the doorway. Destiny passes out the boxes of food, offering only small mutters of greeting as she goes. Casey and April look around before wandering over to Donatello and Diaval.

"How's Flash?" Casey asks.

Donatello gestures at her comatose form. "She's breathing. What else is there to say?" he mumbles.

"I don't know, man," Casey groans, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm just asking."

April rests her hand on his arm, bringing herself closer to them. "Hey, we're all worried," she says. "She said she would do everything she could to get back. I'm sure that—"

Diaval makes a small noise in his throat and stands up. "Guys..." he warns. The hair on April's arms stand up and she too turns around to face the machine, eyes wide.

The teleporter explodes to life, sending a blinding burst of light through the lab. The teenagers that aren't standing up get to their feet and everyone shields their eyes and ears against the whirring, buzzing, flashing machine. It starts to whir and sputter, beeping ricocheting off the walls and bouncing around inside their heads like an alarm clock in the morning.

Then, as quickly as it started, a shower of sparks erupts from the control panel and the machine dies. A cloud of smoke rises from the platform and there's a thump, followed by a groan. Michelangelo brings his arm away from his eyes, staring ahead, and he mouths something unintelligible.

The smoke clears as Annalise stands up. Her eyes are teary and bloodshot, her hair is unwashed and greasy and her hands won't stop shaking. She takes a few steps forward, blue-grey eyes darting around the room as her breaths come out hollow and frantic.

"Annalise?" Raphael asks, dumbfounded.

She lets out a choked noise and her knees give out, dropping her to the floor, and she tangles her fingers in her hair. She starts to tremble, teeth gritted as she screws her eyes shut. Her knuckles go white and she starts whimpering.

"I don't know...no...let me go...p-please..."

"Lisey!" Michelangelo cries.

Leonardo is the first to reach her side. He kneels down and grabs her arm, intending to get her back on her feet, but the contact snaps something in her. She shrieks and shoves away from him, trying to wrench her arm from his grip, tears running down her face. She pounds her fists against his plastron and, startled, the blue-masked turtle releases her.

Raphael catches Annalise around her middle before she can lose her footing again and Destiny rushes to Leonardo's side, tail lashing. Leonardo, unhurt, stares at Annalise in shock.

"Annalise, what are you doing?!" Raphael demands, still holding her in place.

"Leave me alone!" she screams as her sobs scratch her throat raw. "Please, Circa, just go away! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Circa?" Raphael repeats.

"Raph, let her go," Donatello states. He tears himself away from Sarina, holding one hand out at them. "She's panicking. Give her space to breathe."

"Donnie—"

"Rainbow..." Annalise gasps, reaching for her throat as she struggles to breathe. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm—"

"Let her go, Raph," Donatello utters. "Now."

Raphael releases her and she stumbles away, falling forward onto her hands. She keeps gasping, arms shaking as she sobs and desperately searches for her ability to breathe. Donatello starts toward her, but Diaval moves first. He gets to Annalise, kneels down, and touches his fingers to the back of her head.

Her arms give out and Diaval catches her before laying her down on the floor. She doesn't cry. She doesn't shake. Michelangelo hurries over, nearly tripping over himself as he kneels down next to them.

"What did you do?" he squeaks, wide eyes on Diaval.

Diaval bows his head, eyes closed, and he takes a deep breath. "Magic," he says. "Melanie's...been helping with it. Helps to calm down."

As Donatello goes to join them, Michelangelo lifts Annalise into his arms. He brings her into a gentle hug, tears brimming as he squeezes his eyes shut. She's back, but is she intact? Will he have someone to return to her mom? When he hears his brother's footsteps stop, he looks up at him with pained eyes.

"Donnie...what happened to her?"