Chapter 20: Adventures in Animal Jam

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The inner workings of cyberspace flow around them, lines and lines of blue circuits and flashing lights zooming along endless walls as the turtles, Casey, Destiny, and Annalise soar through. Awe marks every face. They move as if carried by an invisible river, bouncing and swimming through the air.

"THIS IS SO COOL!" Casey whoops, flinging his arms out in a t-pose.

Michelangelo laughs and mimics him. "TOTALLY!"

Annalise looks around at everything. "So, we're inside, but...what now?" she asks.

Leonardo flips himself onto his side and does a head-count as he thinks. "We need someplace to land," he says. "A website or an app or something."

"And how do we do that?" Raphael shouts.

Destiny grits her teeth and tucks her wings tighter against her back. "Maybe we can change our direction and..." She tries to wriggle herself, flapping her wings, but she merely wobbles in place and rolls over. She huffs and rights herself. "Okay, never mind, this is nothing like flying."

"Good to see that you're all online," Sarina's voice crackles into their headsets, making them perk up. "Give me a few moments while I find a website for you. You will have to be patient, as I haven't yet found Circa's whereabouts."

"What website are you thinking of?" Donatello asks.

There's no answer. A few seconds pass with nothing but silence and the steady thrum of electricity passing alongside them. Then, there's a jolt and they shoot upwards, earning a few screams. The lights around them get brighter and brighter until, just as swiftly as they changed direction, everything goes dark. There's a brief moment of weightlessness before they land with a hard thump.

Destiny is the first to open her eyes, her world hazy, and nearby she can hear the groans of her teammates. As she stands and looks around, she finds herself in a rather grassy area, dotted with trees and large rocks. However, the strangest thing about it is the giant wooden sign hanging from the sky, and as the others get up, some rubbing their butts, others groaning, others relatively unfazed, Destiny calls them over.

"Look at this," she says, moving closer to the giant sign.

The sign has a golden nameplate at the top that reads "Choose Your Animal" and beneath it is a selection of eight different animals. Each one is rather adorable, albeit childish.

"Sarina?" Donatello asks, tapping the side of his visor

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"Sarina?" Donatello asks, tapping the side of his visor. "What is this?"

"I could explain..." she says. "But the game can do it itself."

Right on cue, an overly-cheery female voice booms around them. "Welcome to Animal Jam!" she chirps. "Check out all of these amazing animals and choose which one you would like to be! Then, click next."

Raphael frowns at the sky. "What kind of sugary sweet crap is this?" he demands.

"I guess we have to choose an animal," Destiny says. She reaches up to the top left corner and selects the wolf icon, making the back turn black. "No sweat there."

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