Chapter Text
Tonight could not have gone more smoothly if Donnie had orchestrated every second of it himself.
He'd woken up with an unnaturally chipper attitude and carried it with him as he dwelled in his achievement from the evening before. It made his entire to-do list feel exponentially lighter. Not to mentioned his score of the cans of coffee that he’d snagged from Casey’s at an inhumane hour because it was the only way to keep Leo off his shell about his intake.
Leo tracked the ones in the kitchen. What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him.
Then he’d caught Splinter in the kitchen staring at the teapot like he was waiting for it to crumble before his eyes. That was, admittedly, the lesser part of his evening. He’d made light conversation, trying to see what kind of night it was going to be. And then Splinter asked him about the brainworm.
Which, okay, again, not his favorite moment. But he was getting closer to cracking it. Kind of.
So that’s what he told him.
His father had smiled, turned off the stove, and told him that he was proud of how hard he worked.
Donnie had stammered over an explanation, because really, there wasn’t anything to be proud of- yet!- but he was close, he was, it was only going to take some time, not too much time, maybe, hopefully, but some-
Master Splinter waited for him to trail off and then told him that he was going out for a short while.
Donnie watched him leave the kitchen. Looking at the abandoned teapot, he skipped breakfast and went to the lab.
Two hours later, he repeated the message to a puzzled Leo.
Leo’s face fell, and Donnie’s determination increased tenfold.
There was an unspoken rule that whenever Splinter wasn't leading training, then Leo was supposed to take over. Their eldest was pretty married to that rule, but Donnie knew how to arrange for a temporary divorce.
As much as their leader believed in constant ninjitsu practice and loved a steady routine that was followed to a T; he had a tried-and-true weakness that always tore down his resolve.
And that was Space Heroes.
Being the generous and manipulative brother that he was, Donnie had told Leo that he simply didn't have time to work on the Space Heroes pinball machine in the main room, musing that perhaps he could skip a meal or stay up later to try and accomplish the task. Leo fell for his ruse: hook, line, and sinker.
He eagerly suggested that he pass up training "just this once" to clear up time to repair it.
Donnie felt he deserved an Oscar for the surprise and admiration he wore as he congratulated Leo on his brilliant idea.
He could tell that Raph saw through it instantly and couldn't help the smug grin as the hothead stomped after Leo into the dojo. An obviously impressed Mikey winked at him before following their older brothers. Donnie knew that they were not going to let Leo have a second of peace for this, but that wasn’t his problem.
Donnie repaired the pinball machine as agreed. The task took less then fifteen minutes, definitely not near as long as he'd made Leo believe it would take, and then he buried himself in his work in the lab.
Now, his actions that evening may have been devious, but, really, they were for a good cause.
He'd been trying to clear up time to work on the brain worm antidote for Karai for nights now and had gotten nowhere. There was always a new project or scouting mission or snake search or broken television or an angry or excited brother barging into his lab. He loved his brothers to death, but they were the most unhelpful people on the planet.
So here he was several hours of blessedly uninterrupted work later with a beaker in one hand and vial in the other.
His goggles serve as protective gear as he oh-so-carefully mixes the latest batch of chemicals that would theoretically be the last step to finishing the the antidote. His heart soars when they blended together without a hitch and then pounds with hope as he jumps to his feet, ready to go get his family to show them what he accomplished.
Then he pauses, takes a deep breath, and turns back to the beaker.
The last thing he wants is to raise their hopes when his experiments usually ended up blowing up in their faces- this phrase far more literal then he'd prefer. He sits back in his chair and pushes off from the edge of his desk, rolling over to the notebook he had open and the brain-worm that laid trapped and wriggling on his tray.
"Please work, please work, please, please, please..."
He tips the beaker and allows a small portion to drip onto the worm. It wriggles harder as if irritated but calms down after several seconds, all of Donnie's enthusiasm fading in sync.
"Oh, come on..."
He shoves the tray further up the desk and sets the beaker off to the side, lifting his goggles with one hand as the other reaches for the notebook. He drops his chin on his palm as he slowly writes down his latest failure under all of his excited scribblings of observations and diagrams.
Donnie tosses the pencil and leans back in his chair, burying his face in his hands. He'd been so certain that he was on the verge of discovering the cure for her corruption. It had all seemed so clear.
Where did he keep going wrong?
If only he had some way to truly understand what Stockman had done to create the brainworm.
He’d bet that he'd know how to reverse the affects then. He can’t let Leo and Splinter down, but the dread that keeps piling in the pit of his stomach is telling him that finding the solution will take more time then they have to spare.
Karai already tried poisoning all of them. Who knows what else she has planned while under the influence of the brainworm?
There’s no point in grasping for straws that he can’t reach.
It’s not like Stockman is going to hand over the brainworm formula if they ask. That’s about as likely as Shredder inviting them over for tea. The only other option is for them to take it but that idea is....
....Actually not a bad one.
Donnie lifts the goggles from his head, sharp gaze narrowed in deep thought.
Leo and Mikey had managed to sneak into Stockman's lab to steal him this brain worm, hadn't they?
So didn't that make it hypothetically possible that another breaking and entering escapade was entertainable?
The goggles clatter onto his desk as he moves. He paces back and forth in front of it as his mind races, putting together the pieces that’s collected unintentionally. It’s the best way. If he had some kind of formula, blueprint, composition, or basic understanding of what on earth that flyman had done- he could do this. He could!
He’s not insane, of course. He can’t go alone.
If he’s caught, he’d be dead for sure. Even Leo had brought Mikey during their stealthy escape from the lair. Why he brought Mikey and not him is still a mystery to the genius, considering all the variables that clearly mark him as the better candidate to invite to a silent invasion of a lab- but that’s a question to puzzle out another day.
He quickly realizes he’s swerving off topic.
Going alone is not an option. The others will come if Leo gives the orders, even if it’s begrudgingly.
Then again, getting Leo to agree to go on a team field trip to the Shredder's lair to visit Stockman's lab after the whole… Mikey incident is not going to be an easy feat.
Space Heroes is not going to cut it this time. So what else?
Could he make Leo believe that he’d be willing to sneak out on his own if they didn't come?
He’d done it before when he was saving April’s dad. So it might register as a presumable alternative to their refusal.
Plus, Leo's past experience might convince him that Donnie would copy his mistake. And he hates leading them to bad choices. There’s also the Karai factor. She should be enough to push him over the edge.
Satisfied with this plan, he hopes that his current luck holds true and begins making way from the lab, consoling his somewhat guilty conscience with the reminder of why he was doing this.
He’s going to give his father his daughter back. And he’s using ninja skills of deception to do it!
Not skills his family normally upholds, but still. Go ninja power?
He grasps the handle, collects his wits, and then pulls the door open to the familiar Space Heroes theme song.
Straightening importantly, he strides out of his lab, an encouraging grin planted on his face as his brothers glance in his direction. Varying expressions of irritation and boredom do not sway him.
He claps his hands together, "So! Who's up for a trip to Stockman's lab?"