It's the first time they've taken Casey Jr. out on a mission before. They made sure it was a simple one, quick recon, in and out. Just to see if any of the buildings in this part of what's-left-of-New-York (or WLONY, as it's become known) has anything salvageable. If they can find anything for medical aid, lit, if they can find any food not rotted or ...well, rotted is the best of bad options, but if they can find anything edible that's even better.
At Cass' request, they'd been showing him the ropes of basic combat with a bo staff before she handed him a hockey stick instead. Useful in different ways. A promise had been made that if he could go along this mission successfully, they'd consider adding blades to it. They'd trained him in basic ninjutsu like they had when they were younger so he could usually keep up in a controlled setting. But now...
They're just outside the edge of the rubble, Leonardo peeking out over a large piece of concrete that may have once been the siding of a staircase somewhere.]
[On edge is putting it lightly; Casey is undeniably equal parts eager and terrified. He'd taken to training well enough, with enthusiasm and a deep desire to please. After years of watching his loved ones go out to fight in this war over and over, come back injured or exhausted or worse, dead, or worst, not at all (either irretrievable or corrupted and lost to the Krang)... finally, he's ready to start giving back in a more direct way. He's watched how they move, and more importantly, how they behave. Quiet, careful, professional, knowing every step toes the line between life or death.
It's... a lot of pressure. But if some of the pressure on his shoulders means less of it on his family, he'll do his best. So when asked, he tightens his grip on the hockey stick and nods, his voice hushed.]
Yes, sensei. Stick close, watch my step. Don't make any more noise than I have to.
[He's not as light on his feet the way they are, he's trained but not a ninja. Taking him is a risk, and he's determined not to make them regret it.]
Don't forget to hit decisively. [Honestly Donnie's just here as a precautionary measure; Leo would've been enough, and it's not good for Don to stray too far from base since a decent number of his additional security systems operate best integrated with his mystic tech, but Casey is special.
First mission. Trained or not, he's going to be nervous, jittery. He's probably going to freeze before his first definitive kill, like everybody does. Statistically speaking, it would be weirder if he didn't. Leo's good at forging ahead, at seeing the entirety of the field and directing them appropriately. It took almost ten years for Donnie to truly accept being ordered around by his twin, but in his defense it took about that much time for Leo to get well and truly good at it (in his opinion), so all's well that ends well.
Regardless, he's here, and the ability to make big fucking guns and bombs out of nothing but his own imagination and determination will be helpful for sweeping any stragglers, which will be useful considering Leo has to watch Casey and Casey, he has to watch himself.
Besides, Michael's protecting the base. If there's one person among them better equipped to guard the doors than Donatello himself, it's the baby.]
[Leonardo nods at Donnie's addition. It's a good one to make; while something Leo internalized at a young age when all this started, he forgets newer recruits and fighters need to hear it out loud.
Really, he knows bringing Donnie with him is a detriment to the base they stepped away from because of the lack of Don's mystic tech, but he feels a little better. Having someone he trusts with his life watching his back while he watches Casey's will be good. It does wonders for his anxiety doing this. Other recruits, if it happens it happens. It sucks, and Leo will never quite get over that internal pang of watching someone he was leading die under his watch. But this is CJ, and it's a lot more personal than he'd ever like to let on (even when everyone can see it a mile away. Leo isn't exactly subtle when he thinks he is).]
Hopefully it won't come to that. We're just going in and seeing what's there. Grabbing a few immediate things if it's worth it, and getting back out. We can bring a crew ready to take stuff down later if it's a good spot.
[He's trying so hard to keep the nervousness out of his tone, though he's sure to trained experts like these, it's easy to tell. Even so, he's determined. His goal for the outing is to screw up as little as possible and try to do at least one thing right enough to do them proud. Or maybe at least do Sensei proud. Uncle Tello's a little harder to earn open praise from, but he's used to that, and used to reading between the lines, besides.
He shifts a little closer, ready to fall into step as soon as they move, and casts his gaze across the horizon and towards their goal. It's quiet right now, the area seemingly deserted, but he's heard plenty stories and witnessed enough footage from their rotating bases over the years, either for training or when no one knew he was a witness. He's seen how quickly the Krang monstrosities can move. The quiet could vanish in seconds.]
Ready to go. [Ready as he'll ever be, at least. With a push of his finger, his mother's old mask snaps over his face, to add an extra protective layer and make use of the sensory benefits his eyes could not have alone.]
[Donnie taps his earpiece to engage his holovisor and steps aside. Leo's going to take point, and he's going to take up the rear and use his drones to monitor their six.] After you, gentlemen.
[Maybe he'll get to test his new splitter missiles! That would be cool. ...maybe would also be cool to have a boring run so Casey doesn't get traum- whatever, the kid's already traumatized, Donnie wants to test his new tech ideas and make them harder to kill.]
[It is easy to tell. Leo's an expert at reading people, and even then Casey's always wearing his heart on his sleeve.
Leo will do him the kindness and not mention it.
But he nods to Donnie; he knows his brother has those new splitter missiles he's wanting to test. It could be a chance, should anything happen, but he'd really hope that doesn't happen. Leo would prefer not to destroy this city block before they're able to fully take stock of what's here. Who knows what resources there are to be found.
He pats Casey's shoulder once before nodding and carefully climbing over the debris they ducked behind and starts finding the best path for Casey to follow him down.]
[The pat on his shoulder is reassuring, but not as much as their presence. With Leonardo in front and Donatello at his back, the only way he could feel safer is if he was back at base camp. Safety is a luxury in the world they live in, though, and he's gotten to live in it long enough. Time to start giving back.
He hunkers down and moves to follow Leo, his eyes darting between his feet - watching where he steps - and their surroundings - watching where they're going. The most important lessons of his training are bouncing around in his mind, to move quietly, to step with care but be decisive, as Donnie said. He can't help but marvel at the way they both can move in comparison. He feels like a stomping elephant next to them.
-Don't get distracted, don't get distracted. He can only get better with practice. That's what they're here for.]
[Leo told him to also keep an eye on Casey for things to be improved upon, but it's not like Donnie has All Day to just criticize Casey's performance. Maybe twenty years ago he'd have been more than happy to do so, but he's mellowed a bit over the years (interpersonally, he's still a savage where it matters) and the idea here isn't to discourage the kid. It's to teach.
Which Leo is much better at. Or at least, far more willing.
Donnie makes a couple mental notes about Casey's gear needing alterations to help him move more quietly and follows along behind him. After a moment he summons a hardlight flier and sends it off to scout along behind them maybe a quarter mile, syncing the feed to his HUD. The action makes his ninpo pulse a bit, but not enough to alert the Krang and is probably only a flicker amongst his family's awareness.
They really should find maybe a few Krang dogs, at least. Some stragglers, maybe. Get Casey used to them before they start him on the bigger shit. Maybe he could get the flier to sheepdog some over this way.]
[Normally Leo is a lot faster at this. Normally he'd already be in and be halfway finished taking stock. But he's taking it slower, making his movements clear and telegraphed so Casey can do it. And so Donnie can pick out what needs adjustments. He knows between the two of them, Casey will not only come out okay, but be in better shape next time they bring him out.
(While he doesn't want to, he'd rather Casey not be in danger at all, but that's the very over-nurturing part of him talking. Not the practical side, not the commander side. No, they have to be realistic.)
He feels that ninpo pulse and trusts Donnie knows what he's doing back there, not in a place he can look back to check. Not when they're coming up what was the first in the line of busted up bodegas.
He stops behind an overhang about five feet away checking for anything first... Then motions with his hand, not looking back, for Casey to follow again, making his way in.
The ceiling is half caved in and open to the elements, the electricity flickering with the last gasps of whatever single line is still attached underground. Not a bad find depending on what's here and still good. Shelves toppled all over, items scattered in small mountains of plastic and thin cardboard packaging. There's a clear path where something decided to chew through whatever it could find and left the remains for anyone stupid enough to come looking.
He motions for Casey to come closer, keeps his voice barely above a whisper now.]
[Casey lifts a hand to his mask as he casts his gaze over the scattered items around the broken cabinetry, making a soft noise to acknowledge Leo's instruction, but not speaking directly just yet to keep his sound to a minimum. His tech isn't anywhere close to as advanced as Donatello's - they sort of have to make do with what's available, and he can't magic it into existence either - but it's still equipped with sensors good enough to highlight objects that might be useful for scavenging. A handful of useless open scrap, loose wood shrapnel and glass from the display, a few cans with potential if unopened, Krang goo-
-Krang goo. They've probably spotted it already, but he wants to make sure they know he sees it too, so with a quiet intake of breath he ducks down and points at the pink blob tucked away amidst the refuse. It looks dormant at the moment, unconnected to anything biological, but that could mean anything from "it's benign for now" to "this is a trap we shouldn't trigger". He's not experienced enough to tell which it is from this distance.]
[Donnie casts a look over his shoulder at Casey's noise, however quiet, but also partially because his team readout showed an uptick in Casey's heartrate. He can only see his head just above the shelves so he's not sure what he saw. Whenever a supply run goes out, he's on guard duty, unless they need to scavenge for things of a more technical nature.
The hard light flyer completes its circuit; no Krang patrols. Donnie sends it out further, half a mile. Advance notice of any approaching crews would be more helpful. Leo can handle whatever's going on in the store.]
[Whatever's going on in the store that happens to be Casey alerting him to some goop. Eugh.
Leo steps closer to where Casey is to get a look at what he's seeing. Nods in the acknowledgement. He moves his hand to gesture for Casey to step back and leave it alone. If it's benign and not reacting, then best to give it a wide berth and leave it be. No sense causing problems now.
He resumes scouring the shelves; they had made a point of showing any of the younger scouts and scavengers what items looked like in the old days, what expiration dates looked like and what they mean, which ones still matter now. He turns to make sure the recording Donnie's taking picks up everything he's seeing - some shelves of general first aid supplies like bandaids and gauze wrappings, small rolls of medical tape, some OTC painkillers. While some not usable now, they could possibly be reverse engineered and new ones made. Other than that, it's some frozen foods still in one or two of the working freezers, canned goods, and some nonessentials. He'll grab one box of bandages and check on Casey.]
[Casey's... doing his best. Most of what he finds seems to be garbage, which isn't helping his confidence any. If he can't be a great ninja (yet, hopefully) you'd think he could at least be a good scavenger. He was pretty good at scrounging cast-off supplies back at base, but that tended to be him trying to make treasures out of trash. Here, you couldn't really do that for most of what they were looking for. A tin can could be repurposed into target practice, a broken table leg carved into a toy for one of the little ones, but you couldn't turn either of those into the food or medicine they desperately needed.
He'd managed to get a couple of things, unspoiled canned food and a box of dusty bandages that could probably be cleaned and reused, but when he reaches for another set of cans, feeling hopeful, his fingers scoop underneath it and meet a squishy substance that makes his heart leap in his throat, realizing too late that it's more goo, and he's gone and touched it, the substance tacky and fresh like bubble gum. His first instinct is to yelp and yank his hand right out of the now-stuck glove as he retreats - not great - and his second instinct is to cover his mouth with his hand as if he could take the noise back - also not great, because he dropped his hockey stick in the process. Okay, cool, that's two for two in the "don't do that" category.
Thankfully his third instinct is to grab his stick and hop behind the nearest cover. No more noise. And if anything else moves, he will hit, decisively.]
[Right about when Casey's heart rate ratchets up again, the flyer detects Krang movement heading for their position. A pack of dogs thankfully, no lieutenants or other higher-cognitive soldiers, but they'll need to be dealt with quickly before the upper echelon learns of the disturbance.]
Incoming, [Donnie tells them over their short-wave communicators, another brief flicker of ninpo as he creates an additional flyer and sends it off to cover the other 180 degrees his first can't. They'll need as much head notice of officer approach as they can get, if it comes to that.] Dogs, seven or eight, from south-southwest. ETA two minutes.
[Leo doesn't have Donnie's scans for anything, but he felt the hockey stick drop, heard the aborted noise and Casey scuffling. He flits over quickly, taking stock of the situation to see a small bit of Krang goop moving like a skydancer on a windy desert day.
Great, is about all he has time to think when he hears his brother's voice over the comm.]
Shit.
[He looks over his shoulder at Casey, then takes a breath.]
You up for a little scuffle?
[Because calling it that can lessen how serious it is for Casey. Make it more approachable. They've got himself and Dee, so it should be... fine. At least until they can get out.]
[Seven or eight- that sounds insurmountable to him, when he's just starting out at basic level. But neither of them are calling for a retreat, and they'd know best what they can handle. If he chickens out at the first sign of a fight - especially when it was probably his fumbling that drew their attention - how will he ever grow? How could they depend on him?
His knees are shaky, but he wills himself to take a deep breath and tighten his grip on his stick, nodding. His mask snaps back over his face, and he looks back towards the direction Donatello had indicated.]
I'm with you, sensei. Can we... ambush them, maybe?
[He's not sure how much the dogs might know, but he figures they'd have a good plan in mind.]
[Casey's vitals are still ridiculously elevated; not just pre-battle adrenaline, but terror. Maybe it was too early. An uncharacteristic stab of sympathy makes Donnie hesitate just a moment, the offer of just sending out a rack of homing missiles to take the dogs out on the tip of his tongue.
Glances back at Leo as he readies his weapons, rotating his wrist and shoulder so they click. His arm shouldn't be clicking; note to self, schedule Leo for prosthesis maintenance when they get back.
That helps him make up his mind though, and with a snap of his fingers Donnie creates what looks like a harness out of light that materializes directly around Casey, fitting down over his custom Genius-made body armor snugly and clasping around his chest and waist. A small laser pops up from the shoulder of the harness and shoots a beam behind Casey, neutralizing the Krang tendril on the shelf with a hiss of blisteringly hot light and the stench of burning rot.
Nothing's going to get near Casey with that thing on, at least not without taking a hell of a hit. It splits Donnie's attention heavily to run the Pro-Vest and his fliers at the same time, so he also creates some blast door barriers for the entrances and exits to keep them from being outnumbered too quickly.
Overkill? Perhaps. Maybe he's just enjoying the chance to stretch after so long at home base.] We can try the roof.
[Leo has an answer on the tip of his tongue, ready to assuage any nervousness Casey has and build up the confidence in his protégé.
But then Donnie makes a move remotely, he watches the best latch around Casey and take out the small bit of Krang in front of them.][He listens to his brother's suggestion and looks up above them at the ceiling half-caved in but there's still enough solid structure.] Yeah. Yeah, I think we can. C'mon, Case.
[He doesn't pat him on the back like he usually would, not wanting to disturb the delicate tech right now. And something about his arm clicking when it shouldn't; best not to overwork that. He ducks down and starts making his way to the back of the bodega, looking for a back door.]
[The sudden manifestation around him is startling, and with him already jumpy the uptick of his breath and heartbeat probably doesn't earn any confidence from his elders. But the familiar warmth of ninpo keeps him from reacting more strongly than that, instead silently accepting it with sheepish and somewhat reluctant gratefulness. It's embarrassing to need it, and he does feel badly about Donatello having to divert some of his energy towards protecting Casey (when he damn well should be pulling his weight by now), and yet... he feels a lot better already. And getting ninpo shielding from Uncle Tello is as good as a hug. He doesn't do that for just anyone.
He follows Leonardo's movements closely, doing as instructed and keeping watch for their options. With his mask down his sensors are spinning in search of tactical positions, identifying anything that stands out as either dangerous or beneficial, and its tech merges seamlessly with the ninpo vest, laser at his shoulder tracking what he scans and ready to fire at a second's notice. Not for the first time he feels something deep in him burn with envy and wonder at such power - it's so much more efficient! - but he squashes it and refocuses. Sensei gets by just fine without it. Commander O'Neil does. His mother did. He can do this.
In the end it's not his scanner but his own two eyes that spots it, and silently he jerks a finger towards an overhanging balcony above the fire escape- the front is half-crumbled but would offer decent cover and a spot to jump off and attack from, while the escape itself wouldn't be half bad to... escape from. A little obvious, perhaps, but the lighting is dull enough that they could probably get up there unnoticed.]
[Yeah, Donnie is fully aware of the advantage he and Mikey have as active combatants in the field. If Leo still had his Ninpo (and if Raph wasn't...gone) they would've had more than a fighting chance against the Krang, absolutely.
But Leo doesn't have his Ninpo. And Raph is gone.
So Donnie will put a little laser vest on a kid sometimes if he feels its necessary, and they'll survive just fine with that.
Casey Jr. points up at a half-collapsed deck at the side of the storefront, which is more promising than any of their other current options. If it falls he and Casey have his mystic tech, and Leo has his "mad skillz" to survive.] Grab whatever's useful and get up there. Sixty seconds until arrival.
[Donnie's already making his way up, exercising that actual ninja skill that he so rarely gets to do. His pathway is probably much slower than Leonardo's just because of that, though eventually he gets into place and also solidifies Casey Jr.'s vest into a matte black instead of its typical glowing purple. Stealth and all.]
Will do. [He gets that to Donnie, following to where Casey indicated. It'll be precarious, but he knows Casey can get up there no problem. Kid's always been a climber since Leo started looking after him, he can do this. Between him and his twin, they'll make sure Casey gets back with only minor injuries if that much.
Not for the last time does Leo wish he could use his portals still. It would be easier. So, so much easier.
But he doesn't have that option. His ninpo is gone. Raph is gone.
He takes a deep breath, grabbing any boxes of bandages and antiseptic that can fit in his bag before following after Casey.]
[The perk of being small and wirey (and substantially smaller than the turtles he spends the most time with) is that he's great at scrabbling around and finding small spaces to occupy between them without getting in their way. He's also learned to find his own way to get things done, since growing up in the apocalypse means you either learn some self-sufficiency or you die fast. The balcony is a bit of a climb and the path up is halfway collapsed, but he manages to get most of the way up on his own power just fine. It's only when he reaches the fencing around the edge that a piece of the rusted old metal comes loose, very nearly sending him plummeting back down onto his ass.
Thank goodness his instincts have been honed enough in training that he's quick to fling his hand back out, releasing his grappling hook and latching on to a more stable part of the fencing. He swings there for a moment, eyes blown wide and quietly stunned that a) that worked and b) he did it right and c) he did it right while being supervised, before he shakes it off and allows the wire to draw him back up to where he'd been. A quick hop gets him over to the other side where he crouches in a decent observation spot, draws his hockey stick, and waits for their signal.]
Fifteen, south, [Donnie whispers, eyes on Casey long enough to be sure he's found a stable hold. The squeals and snarls of the dogs filter in through the broken glass windows, bouncing eerily off of the rubble of downtown Manhattan as they scrabble closer. Something's claws catches on metal, the resulting screech horrific, but by then the first cluster of dogs (four) are bursting into the store, snarling and snapping. They clamor for where the tendril was before its untimely demise at the vest laser, then spread out to search.
The dogs will find them soon enough; they might be out of immediate sight, but they haven't been able to cover their smell. The laser on Casey's vest switches to whatever dog is nearest at the time but doesn't fire as per Donnie's silent command, in order to protect their advantage.
Donnie glances over at Leo and gestures at the dogs. Go first. He'll cover. Casey can jump in when (if) he feels he's ready.]
[He's luckily gotten high enough that he can see the layout of what's left of the store... And also the hounds tearing through the destroyed merchandise, making sure whatever they touch is no longer viable. Good they grabbed the important things. He wants to get them out of here, at least get the supplies back to the base quickly so Casey can get this easy experience - but he can still feel that gaping maw where his ninpo is barely a trickle. He doesn't want to use it unless it's absolutely necessary.
If he has to, then it'll be Casey.
At the gesture, Leo looks from his brother back to the hounds. Then he smiles at Casey giving a 'wait here' motion of his hand before diving in with a flourish of his katana. He's just gonna go to town, boys.]
[O-oh, wait here? Casey had been about to join the fray, still anxious but eager to show his merit, but he's not about to disobey one of sensei's instructions. He shifts to a better position to clearly keep an eye on things, and looks towards Donatello next, unsure. How long should he wait? Or should he make a judgment call? If Leo runs into trouble, he's not sure he could hold back, if there was something he could do.
(He tries to bury the thought of what good he would be able to do, if Leo couldn't handle it. Everyone needs help sometimes, even his seemingly invincible sensei.)
For now he'll watch the chaos. Watching Leo work is a lesson in and of itself- he hasn't earned the title of greatest ninja master for nothing.]
[Leo...the whole point of this was to give Casey a taste of what's to come. It's just a bunch of dogs, and Donnie put that laser vest on him for a reason. Overprotective Sensei strikes again.
Donnie rolls his eyes but doesn't move otherwise, at least having learned not to challenge Leo on his decisions in the thick of a fight (finally). Though when it does seem like the rest of the dogs are gathering to surround Leo, he nudges Casey gently and jerks his head toward the scuffle. Go on kid, you have the advantage. Donnie's up here and he's not going to let anybody die or get turned, so go to town. It's fun!]
There's one hound he left untouched at the back of the pack, snarling and growling trying to get in on the action. (But can he really be blamed for being overprotective? He can't let Casey get hurt-) He does step aside, so Casey has an easier line of sight to the mongrel, only cutting down the one or two hounds immediately in front of him.]
[He'd been waiting with a hair trigger, so when permission is given Casey launches himself over the rail and slides down the hill of rubble, spinning his chainstick around to gear up for the strongest swing he can muster. It's not the stealthiest approach, but the Krang dogs were already on edge from the fight with Leo, so when the closest one twists around to snarl at him, he gets a face full of chainsaw.
It's... eugh. Somehow messier than expected, and he's grateful for the mask over his face because a stronger whiff of that would probably be getting him sick. Probably something to do with the unnatural infection coursing through its body. He shakes it off as best as he can and ducks under its swinging claws, knocking its back feet under it with a kick and rolling to get over to where Leo is, bracing against his back. These things sure are durable...]
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First mission
It's the first time they've taken Casey Jr. out on a mission before. They made sure it was a simple one, quick recon, in and out. Just to see if any of the buildings in this part of what's-left-of-New-York (or WLONY, as it's become known) has anything salvageable. If they can find anything for medical aid, lit, if they can find any food not rotted or ...well, rotted is the best of bad options, but if they can find anything edible that's even better.
At Cass' request, they'd been showing him the ropes of basic combat with a bo staff before she handed him a hockey stick instead. Useful in different ways. A promise had been made that if he could go along this mission successfully, they'd consider adding blades to it. They'd trained him in basic ninjutsu like they had when they were younger so he could usually keep up in a controlled setting. But now...
They're just outside the edge of the rubble, Leonardo peeking out over a large piece of concrete that may have once been the siding of a staircase somewhere.]
Okay. Got the basics?
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It's... a lot of pressure. But if some of the pressure on his shoulders means less of it on his family, he'll do his best. So when asked, he tightens his grip on the hockey stick and nods, his voice hushed.]
Yes, sensei. Stick close, watch my step. Don't make any more noise than I have to.
[He's not as light on his feet the way they are, he's trained but not a ninja. Taking him is a risk, and he's determined not to make them regret it.]
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First mission. Trained or not, he's going to be nervous, jittery. He's probably going to freeze before his first definitive kill, like everybody does. Statistically speaking, it would be weirder if he didn't. Leo's good at forging ahead, at seeing the entirety of the field and directing them appropriately. It took almost ten years for Donnie to truly accept being ordered around by his twin, but in his defense it took about that much time for Leo to get well and truly good at it (in his opinion), so all's well that ends well.
Regardless, he's here, and the ability to make big fucking guns and bombs out of nothing but his own imagination and determination will be helpful for sweeping any stragglers, which will be useful considering Leo has to watch Casey and Casey, he has to watch himself.
Besides, Michael's protecting the base. If there's one person among them better equipped to guard the doors than Donatello himself, it's the baby.]
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Really, he knows bringing Donnie with him is a detriment to the base they stepped away from because of the lack of Don's mystic tech, but he feels a little better. Having someone he trusts with his life watching his back while he watches Casey's will be good. It does wonders for his anxiety doing this. Other recruits, if it happens it happens. It sucks, and Leo will never quite get over that internal pang of watching someone he was leading die under his watch. But this is CJ, and it's a lot more personal than he'd ever like to let on (even when everyone can see it a mile away. Leo isn't exactly subtle when he thinks he is).]
Hopefully it won't come to that. We're just going in and seeing what's there. Grabbing a few immediate things if it's worth it, and getting back out. We can bring a crew ready to take stuff down later if it's a good spot.
You ready? [He looks to both Casey and Donnie.]
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[He's trying so hard to keep the nervousness out of his tone, though he's sure to trained experts like these, it's easy to tell. Even so, he's determined. His goal for the outing is to screw up as little as possible and try to do at least one thing right enough to do them proud. Or maybe at least do Sensei proud. Uncle Tello's a little harder to earn open praise from, but he's used to that, and used to reading between the lines, besides.
He shifts a little closer, ready to fall into step as soon as they move, and casts his gaze across the horizon and towards their goal. It's quiet right now, the area seemingly deserted, but he's heard plenty stories and witnessed enough footage from their rotating bases over the years, either for training or when no one knew he was a witness. He's seen how quickly the Krang monstrosities can move. The quiet could vanish in seconds.]
Ready to go. [Ready as he'll ever be, at least. With a push of his finger, his mother's old mask snaps over his face, to add an extra protective layer and make use of the sensory benefits his eyes could not have alone.]
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[Maybe he'll get to test his new splitter missiles! That would be cool. ...maybe would also be cool to have a boring run so Casey doesn't get traum- whatever, the kid's already traumatized, Donnie wants to test his new tech ideas and make them harder to kill.]
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Leo will do him the kindness and not mention it.
But he nods to Donnie; he knows his brother has those new splitter missiles he's wanting to test. It could be a chance, should anything happen, but he'd really hope that doesn't happen. Leo would prefer not to destroy this city block before they're able to fully take stock of what's here. Who knows what resources there are to be found.
He pats Casey's shoulder once before nodding and carefully climbing over the debris they ducked behind and starts finding the best path for Casey to follow him down.]
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He hunkers down and moves to follow Leo, his eyes darting between his feet - watching where he steps - and their surroundings - watching where they're going. The most important lessons of his training are bouncing around in his mind, to move quietly, to step with care but be decisive, as Donnie said. He can't help but marvel at the way they both can move in comparison. He feels like a stomping elephant next to them.
-Don't get distracted, don't get distracted. He can only get better with practice. That's what they're here for.]
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Which Leo is much better at. Or at least, far more willing.
Donnie makes a couple mental notes about Casey's gear needing alterations to help him move more quietly and follows along behind him. After a moment he summons a hardlight flier and sends it off to scout along behind them maybe a quarter mile, syncing the feed to his HUD. The action makes his ninpo pulse a bit, but not enough to alert the Krang and is probably only a flicker amongst his family's awareness.
They really should find maybe a few Krang dogs, at least. Some stragglers, maybe. Get Casey used to them before they start him on the bigger shit. Maybe he could get the flier to sheepdog some over this way.]
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(While he doesn't want to, he'd rather Casey not be in danger at all, but that's the very over-nurturing part of him talking. Not the practical side, not the commander side. No, they have to be realistic.)
He feels that ninpo pulse and trusts Donnie knows what he's doing back there, not in a place he can look back to check. Not when they're coming up what was the first in the line of busted up bodegas.
He stops behind an overhang about five feet away checking for anything first... Then motions with his hand, not looking back, for Casey to follow again, making his way in.
The ceiling is half caved in and open to the elements, the electricity flickering with the last gasps of whatever single line is still attached underground. Not a bad find depending on what's here and still good. Shelves toppled all over, items scattered in small mountains of plastic and thin cardboard packaging. There's a clear path where something decided to chew through whatever it could find and left the remains for anyone stupid enough to come looking.
He motions for Casey to come closer, keeps his voice barely above a whisper now.]
Remember. Check seals, focus on nonperishables.
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-Krang goo. They've probably spotted it already, but he wants to make sure they know he sees it too, so with a quiet intake of breath he ducks down and points at the pink blob tucked away amidst the refuse. It looks dormant at the moment, unconnected to anything biological, but that could mean anything from "it's benign for now" to "this is a trap we shouldn't trigger". He's not experienced enough to tell which it is from this distance.]
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The hard light flyer completes its circuit; no Krang patrols. Donnie sends it out further, half a mile. Advance notice of any approaching crews would be more helpful. Leo can handle whatever's going on in the store.]
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Leo steps closer to where Casey is to get a look at what he's seeing. Nods in the acknowledgement. He moves his hand to gesture for Casey to step back and leave it alone. If it's benign and not reacting, then best to give it a wide berth and leave it be. No sense causing problems now.
He resumes scouring the shelves; they had made a point of showing any of the younger scouts and scavengers what items looked like in the old days, what expiration dates looked like and what they mean, which ones still matter now. He turns to make sure the recording Donnie's taking picks up everything he's seeing - some shelves of general first aid supplies like bandaids and gauze wrappings, small rolls of medical tape, some OTC painkillers. While some not usable now, they could possibly be reverse engineered and new ones made. Other than that, it's some frozen foods still in one or two of the working freezers, canned goods, and some nonessentials. He'll grab one box of bandages and check on Casey.]
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He'd managed to get a couple of things, unspoiled canned food and a box of dusty bandages that could probably be cleaned and reused, but when he reaches for another set of cans, feeling hopeful, his fingers scoop underneath it and meet a squishy substance that makes his heart leap in his throat, realizing too late that it's more goo, and he's gone and touched it, the substance tacky and fresh like bubble gum. His first instinct is to yelp and yank his hand right out of the now-stuck glove as he retreats - not great - and his second instinct is to cover his mouth with his hand as if he could take the noise back - also not great, because he dropped his hockey stick in the process. Okay, cool, that's two for two in the "don't do that" category.
Thankfully his third instinct is to grab his stick and hop behind the nearest cover. No more noise. And if anything else moves, he will hit, decisively.]
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Incoming, [Donnie tells them over their short-wave communicators, another brief flicker of ninpo as he creates an additional flyer and sends it off to cover the other 180 degrees his first can't. They'll need as much head notice of officer approach as they can get, if it comes to that.] Dogs, seven or eight, from south-southwest. ETA two minutes.
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Great, is about all he has time to think when he hears his brother's voice over the comm.]
Shit.
[He looks over his shoulder at Casey, then takes a breath.]
You up for a little scuffle?
[Because calling it that can lessen how serious it is for Casey. Make it more approachable. They've got himself and Dee, so it should be... fine. At least until they can get out.]
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His knees are shaky, but he wills himself to take a deep breath and tighten his grip on his stick, nodding. His mask snaps back over his face, and he looks back towards the direction Donatello had indicated.]
I'm with you, sensei. Can we... ambush them, maybe?
[He's not sure how much the dogs might know, but he figures they'd have a good plan in mind.]
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Glances back at Leo as he readies his weapons, rotating his wrist and shoulder so they click. His arm shouldn't be clicking; note to self, schedule Leo for prosthesis maintenance when they get back.
That helps him make up his mind though, and with a snap of his fingers Donnie creates what looks like a harness out of light that materializes directly around Casey, fitting down over his custom Genius-made body armor snugly and clasping around his chest and waist. A small laser pops up from the shoulder of the harness and shoots a beam behind Casey, neutralizing the Krang tendril on the shelf with a hiss of blisteringly hot light and the stench of burning rot.
Nothing's going to get near Casey with that thing on, at least not without taking a hell of a hit. It splits Donnie's attention heavily to run the Pro-Vest and his fliers at the same time, so he also creates some blast door barriers for the entrances and exits to keep them from being outnumbered too quickly.
Overkill? Perhaps. Maybe he's just enjoying the chance to stretch after so long at home base.] We can try the roof.
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But then Donnie makes a move remotely, he watches the best latch around Casey and take out the small bit of Krang in front of them.][He listens to his brother's suggestion and looks up above them at the ceiling half-caved in but there's still enough solid structure.] Yeah. Yeah, I think we can. C'mon, Case.
[He doesn't pat him on the back like he usually would, not wanting to disturb the delicate tech right now. And something about his arm clicking when it shouldn't; best not to overwork that. He ducks down and starts making his way to the back of the bodega, looking for a back door.]
Keep your eyes peeled for any other way out.
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He follows Leonardo's movements closely, doing as instructed and keeping watch for their options. With his mask down his sensors are spinning in search of tactical positions, identifying anything that stands out as either dangerous or beneficial, and its tech merges seamlessly with the ninpo vest, laser at his shoulder tracking what he scans and ready to fire at a second's notice. Not for the first time he feels something deep in him burn with envy and wonder at such power - it's so much more efficient! - but he squashes it and refocuses. Sensei gets by just fine without it. Commander O'Neil does. His mother did. He can do this.
In the end it's not his scanner but his own two eyes that spots it, and silently he jerks a finger towards an overhanging balcony above the fire escape- the front is half-crumbled but would offer decent cover and a spot to jump off and attack from, while the escape itself wouldn't be half bad to... escape from. A little obvious, perhaps, but the lighting is dull enough that they could probably get up there unnoticed.]
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But Leo doesn't have his Ninpo. And Raph is gone.
So Donnie will put a little laser vest on a kid sometimes if he feels its necessary, and they'll survive just fine with that.
Casey Jr. points up at a half-collapsed deck at the side of the storefront, which is more promising than any of their other current options. If it falls he and Casey have his mystic tech, and Leo has his "mad skillz" to survive.] Grab whatever's useful and get up there. Sixty seconds until arrival.
[Donnie's already making his way up, exercising that actual ninja skill that he so rarely gets to do. His pathway is probably much slower than Leonardo's just because of that, though eventually he gets into place and also solidifies Casey Jr.'s vest into a matte black instead of its typical glowing purple. Stealth and all.]
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Not for the last time does Leo wish he could use his portals still. It would be easier. So, so much easier.
But he doesn't have that option. His ninpo is gone. Raph is gone.
He takes a deep breath, grabbing any boxes of bandages and antiseptic that can fit in his bag before following after Casey.]
Dee, time and direction?
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Thank goodness his instincts have been honed enough in training that he's quick to fling his hand back out, releasing his grappling hook and latching on to a more stable part of the fencing. He swings there for a moment, eyes blown wide and quietly stunned that a) that worked and b) he did it right and c) he did it right while being supervised, before he shakes it off and allows the wire to draw him back up to where he'd been. A quick hop gets him over to the other side where he crouches in a decent observation spot, draws his hockey stick, and waits for their signal.]
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The dogs will find them soon enough; they might be out of immediate sight, but they haven't been able to cover their smell. The laser on Casey's vest switches to whatever dog is nearest at the time but doesn't fire as per Donnie's silent command, in order to protect their advantage.
Donnie glances over at Leo and gestures at the dogs. Go first. He'll cover. Casey can jump in when (if) he feels he's ready.]
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If he has to, then it'll be Casey.
At the gesture, Leo looks from his brother back to the hounds. Then he smiles at Casey giving a 'wait here' motion of his hand before diving in with a flourish of his katana. He's just gonna go to town, boys.]
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(He tries to bury the thought of what good he would be able to do, if Leo couldn't handle it. Everyone needs help sometimes, even his seemingly invincible sensei.)
For now he'll watch the chaos. Watching Leo work is a lesson in and of itself- he hasn't earned the title of greatest ninja master for nothing.]
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Donnie rolls his eyes but doesn't move otherwise, at least having learned not to challenge Leo on his decisions in the thick of a fight (finally). Though when it does seem like the rest of the dogs are gathering to surround Leo, he nudges Casey gently and jerks his head toward the scuffle. Go on kid, you have the advantage. Donnie's up here and he's not going to let anybody die or get turned, so go to town. It's fun!]
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There's one hound he left untouched at the back of the pack, snarling and growling trying to get in on the action. (But can he really be blamed for being overprotective? He can't let Casey get hurt-) He does step aside, so Casey has an easier line of sight to the mongrel, only cutting down the one or two hounds immediately in front of him.]
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It's... eugh. Somehow messier than expected, and he's grateful for the mask over his face because a stronger whiff of that would probably be getting him sick. Probably something to do with the unnatural infection coursing through its body. He shakes it off as best as he can and ducks under its swinging claws, knocking its back feet under it with a kick and rolling to get over to where Leo is, bracing against his back. These things sure are durable...]