metalogs | I want to be blinded from this dull today

Entry tags:

I want to be blinded from this dull today

Who: Leonardo

faceguy, Donatello

purplexing, Accelerator

levelshift
What: Three children commit light B&E and felony theft.
When: Late May. Probably after that Fantastic announcement, what timing.
Where: An electronics recycling facility in Central.
Content Warnings: Kids committing crimes, body horror, psychological horror, blood, sensory overloading. These kids have trauma, thanks nightmare floor! Will update as necessary.

[With everything going on in Central City - the flooding, the lockdown, Fantastic taking over the Alliance - the smart thing to do would be to delay this whole mission. Or even better - call it off, because even though it should be a (mostly) harmless crime for the benefit of Donnie, stealing equipment meant to be recycled is still illegal. But no, they've made plans, scoped the place out, trained. Dropping things now would be putting all that time and effort to waste, and besides, it should be a simple stealthy in-and-out mission, right? It's a recycling facility, how bad can the security be?

Besides, it'll be fun to stick it to Fantastic. A heist (albeit, a small one) happening right after he becomes head of the Alliance? Now that's fantastic.

Accelerator isn't too sure what to expect. He's been in a recycling facility before, back in Academy City, and the security was incredibly lax. This is a different city - different universe, with different rules. He's a little cautious, since this was originally his idea, and he's the one with only thirty minutes of power to work with. Otherwise he's a weaker-than-normal high school student relying on two very capable ninjas.

It's fucking weird to be relying on other people. He kind of hates it, and he isn't totally sure why, though he can't exactly overthink it right now like he usually would. He's trying to stay focused on breaking into the facility and not fucking anything up for Donnie and Leo. He's even made something of an effort for tonight, with a duffle bag to store equipment (a smaller backpack is inside for stuff he'll grab for the Society's cut) and a black hoodie in case he needs to hide his hair (he isn't sure, white hair just doesn't seem very stealthy).

So far it's going smoothly. With Leo's planning and leadership and Donnie taking care of the security system they're able to sneak in and avoid the paths of the security guards. In fact, it's going so well that it sort of seems like they might be able to get in, grab what they need, and get out with no incidents whatsoever.

Of course, it's absurd to throw all caution out the window simply because things are working out right now. Especially when they run into their first obstacle.

After dodging a few more guards, the trio will come to a long hallway, the only path to their goal without having to pass directly several security stations. Spread through the length of the hall are little red lasers, arranged into one very elaborate grid meant to ward off would-be thieves such as themselves. It's like something out of a spy movie, and it's unclear whether these are the kinds of lasers that will cut a limb off or simply sound an alarm if tripped. Maybe it's both.

Accelerator leans heavily on his crutch, looking thoroughly irritated with this obstacle. His reflection might be actively detrimental here.]

This is fucking ridiculous.

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Hmm. [It's ridiculous. But then, from what he's seen, all of Leo's nicknames are ridiculous.

Accelerator is a tiny bit disappointed he doesn't get to see more teleporting, because it is a lot cooler looking than esper teleportation. Still, he isn't going to complain.]

Tche, who cares? The sooner we get back the better.

[He's sounding bored as usual, like having a whole race across the rooftops of the city at night and flying is really dull.]

[A race seems a reckless way to round things off when they're all pushing their limits, but if it gets them home with all their loot and in one piece, who's Donnie to argue? Besides, it serves to stoke a second wind, and for the while, he can mostly ignore the strain of what he's carrying.

It's not like it's that heavy compared to airlifting all of his brothers anyway.]

Don't feel too badly when I beat both of you.

[With that, he puts on the speed to push ahead.]

Oh, we’ll see about that!

[It would be easier if Leo were also flying, but he’s doing a decent job of keeping up with the two of them on foot, even with the bag. The only thing slowing him down is some of the bigger gaps he can’t as easily jump straight across, so he has to detour.

He’s determined to win, though, now that it is a race, so he puts on speed and tries to overtake them.]

[Accelerator gives a small sigh and starts weighing seeing how fast he can go (he's never actually checked) versus how much of a scene he wants to cause. The answer to the second question is, obviously, no scene at all, since they're technically running from a crime.

So nothing that's going to result in him blasting through billboards and stuff. And nothing that will cause any friction booms or roars (as cool as they are).

He does a few calculations, then blasts forward, straight past Leo and Donnie.]

[Donnie's not too surprised that Leo can keep up. They've been running rooftops for years!

Seeing Accelerator suddenly burst past them startles him. Impressed? Maybe. Not that he's going to say as much.

Besides, he's starting to lag behind and that is not allowed.]

[Oh, that's pretty cool. Leo is impressed - but he isn't going to let himself be outdone!

Their apartment is close, now - Leo can see their balcony when he jumps to the next building. At this rate, the others will definitely get there before him, and he's not going to let that happen.

As he nears the edge of the roof he's running toward, he throws his katana one more time, and with another flash he reappears above the balcony, dropping about four feet but landing upright with only a minor thud.]

Hah! Yes! I win! [He drops the bag, raising his fist in the air.] Le-o! Le-o! Le- oooooh wow, headrush.

[He stumbles and then sags against the balcony door, holding his temple with his free hand. His teleportation takes a lot more energy since he's come here, and maybe he didn't have enough left to fully fund that last jump.

(Still worth it, though.)]

[It's a really dumb idea to race a teleporter, even when it's a teleporter who isn't at full power. Accelerator is approaching the building with no idea which balcony is theirs but whatever, he's won this anyways so he'll just wait for them to catch u -

Aaaand then Leo is appearing on one of them in a flash. Fucking rude.

There's a frown on his face as he comes to a quick stop and lands, the little tornadoes attached to his back dissipating. As much as he doesn't want to, as soon as his feet touch the ground he's putting the bag of Donnie's stuff down and extending his crutch, then hitting the switch on his choker.

Uuuugh there's a whole wave of pain and exhaustion and he's feeling like Leo looks. His legs are wobbling and he's leaning hard on his crutch, grateful for the additional stability the four feet it has offers.]

It wasn't a race. [It was totally a race and Leo won.]

[If he felt like he could manage it, Donnie would conjure up some extra rocket boosters. But he has precious cargo and isn't sure how well he'd be able to maneuver at any higher speeds, tired as he is.

Still, it is with great annoyance- mixed feelings, really- after all, Leo's been able to use his portals multiple times tonight without much concern- that he watches that familiar blue light appear at their balcony.

Of course.

Donnie's not long in touching down after Accelerator. At least his own legs have been given a rest so he's not collapsing immediately, but he glances at the esper before giving Leo a flat look. He shakes out his arms and flexes his fingers once he's released the bags before stepping over to get the balcony door open.

If Leo falls inside that's his problem, but at least Donnie will drag him in the rest of the way.]

Sounds like something a looooser would say.

[Leo throws that at Accelerator, but then Donnie is opening the door and Leo does, in fact, fall inside, hitting the floor with a solid clunk on his shell.

Rude!

He just lays there a bit, blinking like he's not sure when and why his center of gravity shifted, and then he crosses his arms with a huff.]

Is that any way to treat your champion?

[He should definitely move but he's so tired. (It was still totally worth it though!)]

[Leo will be receiving a very sharp glare in return for that sass. He'd threaten him, but he's too tired to bother.

At least Donnie gets it. Admitting it was a race, especially when they both lost, is not part of the cool bad boy image.

He'll leave the bag there (it's probably fine) and step over to the doorway, waiting for the two of them to sort out Leo's whole situation. In the meantime, he's pulling his phone out and turning it back on.]

Tche.

[Not acknowledging defeat, perfectly mature.

Donnie drags Leo over by the couch, gives him a dry look, and then goes out to haul the bags in because he's not leaving those out there for someone to see. In and out a couple times. His arms want to fall off.

He comes back out onto the balcony and stares at Accelerator a moment before ushering him inside too.]

Just get in here already.

[Leo doesn't fight the dragging, just giving an amused smile in return for the dry look. He doesn't feel bad for not helping with the bags.

But after lying still for a minute he stops feeling lightheaded, and he thinks maybe he should drink something? Yeah, drinking something is probably a great idea right now.

He gets up slowly into a sitting position, and when that doesn't knock him out he levers himself the rest of the way to his feet.

To the kitchen!

He pulls a Gatorade out of the fridge for himself, followed by a flavorless juice that he tosses on the counter for Donnie. Then he leans back out so he can see Accelerator.]

Pick your poison, Accy, we got Gatorade and water. [He doesn't bother offering the juice because who other than Donnie drinks that?]

[Just brother things, he assumes.

He's totally loitering on the balcony until Donnie shuffles him inside, which he will do without complaint (albeit with a bit of an awkward look). However, once he's inside he isn't kicking off his shoes or anything - he's heading straight for the front door.]

I'm just gonna call an Uber and go. [He jabs a finger at his neck.] I have to charge this piece of shit before work in the morning.

[And spend a few hours curled up in a ball in bed. Normal things.]

[Donnie's snatching the phone out of Accelerator's grasp in passing.]

Yuck, you're still going to work in the morning? Call in sick or something- that's how it works, right? Anyway, it's not going to kill you to chill a while, is it? We've been practically going nonstop since we left that place.

[He reaches up to disengage his battle shell, letting it drop to the floor as he rolls his shoulders. All he wants to do is faceplant somewhere but he steers himself towards the kitchen to grab the drink Leo's fished out for him. Right. Good idea.

Donnie puts Accelerator's phone on the counter, practically folding over the counter himself as he leans there to guzzle down that delicious flavorless juice.]

[Disgusting flavorless juice, more like!

Leo nods in approval of Donnie’s phone theft, grabbing a water bottle and sliding it in Accelerator’s direction.]

Yeah, at least drink something before you head out. [He considers.] What does it need to charge, anyway? We may have something here that will work.

[There are definitely various chargers around, so…]

[There's a beat of silence as Accelerator processes his phone is suddenly no longer in his hand.

Ffffffucking.......

He clenches that hand into a fist, glaring at Donatello, though he pauses.

This is the first time he's actually seen Donnie's shell, which is kind of bewildering. There's a thought passing through his mind even as he feels the frustration build at his phone being stolen.

(It looks like a green pancake.

.......................................

...................... If Last Order was here she'd be saying that out loud. That brat has no filter.)

He grumbles under his breath and is forced to head to the kitchen to retrieve his phone.]

It's a proprietary battery. [Which meant a lot back home, he only had one charger he could use. Here, though, that means absolutely nothing with Donnie's skills.]

I'm not skipping work. That'll make me either look suspicious or weak to those bastards, and neither of those things will do me any good.

[Still, he's staring down at the bottle of water, glaring at it like it's offended him, before he decides to sit down and grab it. Fine, whatever, he can drink some water first.]

Edited 2023-05-31 21:32 (UTC)

Could probably figure something out.

[Slapping together a charger is decidedly low-level on his scale of difficulties, even if he looks about ready to fall asleep.

Donnie pushes himself up from the counter, draining the last of his juice before setting the bottle there so he can go rummage through a box of random salvage he's been amassing bit by bit.]

Does it have a specific connector piece or would it charge through electromagnetic induction?

[Leo doesn’t know shit about any of that, so he just pushes away from the counter with his Gatorade. He pauses as he walks out of the kitchen to ruffle Accelerator’s hair just because he can.

He goes to the living room and grabs the blanket off the couch and some of the pillows and spreads it out on the floor, moving the coffee table out of the way to better make a nest. Too bad they don’t have a big projector here, but they’ll make do.]

[Oh my god Leo why. Accelerator is opening the bottle up for a drink, pausing to growl and flails a hand at him. Fuck offfff!!

He's facepalming, before answering Donnie.]

The latter. [He's giving whatever the amperage is for what the Society gave him. Probably not standard but nothing wildly out there.

That isn't the big issue, anyways.]

.... It has a separate charging station.

[The device has to be shut off and the battery removed to be charged. That means no supercomputer filling in for his brain injury. Back home the only person whose presence he tolerated when it was charging was Last Order, and here he's always been on his own when he's needed to do it.

This is actually really nerve-wracking for him, whether he wants to risk this level of vulnerability, and even with all the annoyance on his expression he's also a little tense.]

[Ah, but they do have a projector, it probably just needs some repairs. Donnie's not sure of the exact operational status of their haul so it's not something they can just plug in at the moment.

He fishes out a few things from the box, shuffling back over to the counter.]

Won't be a problem to boost the output. The cradle should be big enough to hold it, I think this was meant for charging smart watches.

[Fiddling with things like this helps him decompress. He doesn't care if Accelerator wants to use it or not, it's an option he'll have anyway, and at least Donnie has enough information now to make a better version when he's feeling fancy. For now, he's just making do with what he's got, and maybe some handy electrical tape.

He stifles a yawn as he checks the output with his computer before sliding over the finished product, dropping his head over his arms on the counter.]

Should be enough, but you'll have to use both plugs or it won't. I can refine it later but for now it should suffice.

[Leo has disappeared into his room and emerged with more pillows and another blanket. He completes his work in the living room, then returns to the kitchen.]

Donnie got you fixed up?

[He eyes the charger, then looks at Accelerator. He seems tense, and Leo wonders if it’s because of the charger. If he had to take the collar off then it’s basically like turning his brain off or something. In Leo’s mind, anyway.]

You can just crash here. If you want. Huvrye won’t care.

[Unless he does, but Leo will deal with it in that case. He doubts it, though. Huvrye takes in strays like a dog takes on fleas.]

[The adrenaline must be fading, as the dominant feeling taking over is a familiar raw gnawing at his insides. He helped steal some equipment, and now he should leave instead of sticking around and letting Donnie build him a second goddamn charger out of nothing.

Then again, it could also be from having slammed into a wall. Hah.

He's looking down at his bottle of water, then the new charger when it's slid over to him. He's still looking down at it when Leo comes back in, and goddamnit he's making it sound like this is just some normal thing people do. Like he's their friend or something. Really, the right thing to do would dig his heels in and call that Uber.

Except he kind of wants to stick around for a little longer. Especially when he knows all that nightmare crap means he's going to have to explain the Sisters, and that's the biggest not-friendship-nuke ever. This feels stupid and desperate and he doesn't even know what he's doing as he sighs.]

... I'm too tired to argue, so I'll hang around for a few hours.

[However, his mouth twists when he thinks about Leo mentioning Huvrye. If he can't decide whether he's comfortable turning his choker off around the turtles, then he definitely isn't around a total stranger.]

I'll charge this thing when I get back to my place.

[He's sounding very brusque as he takes the charger and reaches for his cell phone.]

[Donnie glances over at Leo, wondering what all he's been up to. He starts to nod, and again to confirm that it probably wouldn't be a big deal if Accelerator stayed the night. He's not even sure what time it is but if it were him, he'd hate to have to go through the trouble of getting back to his place. And then there's the whole matter of being alone...]

If you say so.

[Groaning, he shoves himself away from the counter. He should probably ice his shoulder while he's thinking about it, so he heads over to the fridge to look for an ice pack or cubes to throw in a sandwich bag. Probably should better reacquaint himself with the contents of the kitchen some time.

Donnie throws together a makeshift icepack and goes wandering back into the main room. Ooh, pillow nest. At any other time he'd put up more of a front about such "childish" things but right now it looks like the most comfortable place in the world.]

[Why does he think Leo made it? Screw “childish,” he wants to be comfy.

Leo lingers after Donnie leaves, watching Accelerator. Maybe being comfortable here is too much to ask… It doesn’t mean Leo won’t try.]

We won’t mess with you if you want to take it off, you know. Won’t even draw on your face. [He crosses a hand over his plastron.] Cross my heart and hope to die.

[So saying, he turns and heads back for the living room to flop belly first down on some pillows.]

[Won't even - ... he supposes that's reassuring. A little. Given that drawing on his face does sound like something the two of them would do under less brain injury-y circumstances.

It's almost enough to make him reconsider, but in the end he decides it's safer sticking to his guns on this.]

Tche.

[After a few moments he gets up with his water and follows after Leo.

Huh. That certainly is a whole nest of blankets. Accelerator's face is completely impassive as he goes and sits down at the edge of it, kicking his shoes off before taking his crutch off his forearm and setting it and the charger to the side. Then he's going to fuss with his phone to set an alarm for some ungodly hour that has the gall to exist so he'll have time to get home before the battery runs out.]

Edited 2023-06-01 05:21 (UTC)

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