Digital Mutation (Book Five)

Chapter 23: Split

"Everyone up! UP!"

The noise manages to wake only some of the group. Leonardo is the first to roll out of bed and crawl to his visor, slipping it on.

"What?" he asks.

"We caught Circa's trail again," April reports. "If you check your visors, you should be able to see it. She's moving fast."

Leonardo blinks sleepily and stifles a yawn. "Okay, we'll..." He yawns. "...get on it."

"Stay safe, Leo!"

The visor turns off and Leonardo yanks it off his head with another yawn. When he turns around, he finds that Donatello and Raphael are both sitting up, the former rubbing his eyes while the latter scratches his shell. Destiny rolls over, off the edge of the bed, and lands hard on her face. She lies there for a second, contemplating where she went wrong in life.

Only three of them stay asleep. Michelangelo and Annalise are cuddled up in a tangle of limbs, her head tucked beneath his chin. Casey snores loudly, one arm draped over his eyes and the other dangling off the edge of the bed. One leg is propped up, bent at the knee, and the other stays straight. Half the blanket hangs off the bed while half manages to cling to Casey.

Raphael moves to Casey's bed and kicks one of the legs as hard as he can. The bed jolts and Casey gets thrown from it with a yelp.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Raphael teases before going to get his gear.

Casey mutters something under his breath and rubs his head, tousling his already messy bedhead. Donatello goes to Michelangelo and Annalise and reaches over, shaking Michelangelo's shoulder. The freckled turtle wakes first, humming a little as he exhales. He sits up, blinking a few times to clear his vision, and Annalise rolls onto her back with a groan, slowly opening her eyes.

"Time to go," Donatello greets. "We've got Circa to hunt, remember?"

"What's for breakfast? Does Minecraft have pizza? I'd like pizza," Michelangelo says.

Annalise tries to finger-comb her hair into place. "No, Minecraft doesn't have pizza."

"Dang it..."

She giggles softly.

The team suits up and heads out of the house as fast as possible. Leonardo taps at his visor, frowning a little at the digital trail snaking its way across the screen. The others await his words, except Michelangelo, who tries to play with the multicoloured sheep.

"She's heading for Facebook," Leonardo says after a few seconds. He shuts off the map so he can see his family clearly. "In Minecraft, she caught us off guard, but now we have the chance to catch her off guard."

"Go in, surprise attack, pound her until she's nothing but ones and zeros," Raphael says with a grin, grinding his fist into his palm.

"Then we're home free!" Casey agrees, aiming his fist at Raphael. They bump knuckles. "Goongala..."

Donatello crosses his arms over his chest. "Don't celebrate too early. Circa isn't going to go down easily." He strokes his chin, thoughtful. "Also...I wouldn't mind figuring out what exactly is motivating her to destroy the world."

"Right, and she'll just tell us in a big, villainous monologue," Destiny says, half-laughing at the thought.

Annalise forces a smile, although it looks more like someone punched her in the stomach, then told her to smile for a picture with the President. If Circa is still the same person she was way back then, Annalise wouldn't put it past her to do such a thing. The Circa she knew had a flair for the dramatic, was always ready to do whatever it takes to get what she wants, and perhaps what Annalise finds scariest about her is her patient ambition. She's willing to wait if it ensures her victory.