Chapter Text
The device was small. Too small.
That alone should’ve tipped them off. Nothing that small should have that much chaotic energy.
It sat on Donnie’s worktable, sleek and compact, wrapped in unmistakable GeniusBuilt PurpleTM, circuitry humming softly like it was impatient to be noticed, used.
Mikey squinted at it. “Okay but like… Casey definitely forgot this here, right? Donnie didn't make this and forget about it?”
Leo shrugged. “Define ‘forgot.’”
Raph crossed his arms, raising a nonexistent eyebrow. “Define ‘explode.’”
Donnie adjusted his goggles, already scanning it. “It’s not lair tech or any registered GeniusBuiltTM tech. Materials are advanced but familiar. My work, but...” He paused. "Well, not my current work.”
April raised a brow. “Future-you strikes again?”
Mikey grinned. “Future-you always strikes again.”
Leo sighed, "Do you have to say 'TM' every time?"
The device had a very visible button.
That was mistake number one.
Mikey pressed it.
The mood dipped as the lights flickered, a low hum rolling through the lab. Purple circuitry flared to life across the metal housing, sharp and deliberate, every line placed with obsessive precision.
Then the hologram appeared.
It was Donnie.
But older.
Not just taller or broader, hardened. His shell bore faint scars, clearly stitched with precision. His posture was efficient in a way that came from decades of adapting. Gone were the sharpie eyebrows, and in their place was a high-tech-looking set of glasses with pixelated brows. Mid-forties, easy.
He scanned the room in a single, practiced sweep. Evidently, the hologram did not care that turtles could not turn their head 360 degrees.
Then, it stopped, glaring straight ahead.
“No.”
The word landed heavy.
Leo straightened, “Well that’s not ominous at all."
The hologram’s gaze locked onto Donnie.
“You are not my creator.”
Donnie froze. “Wow… Okay, rude.”
“Incorrect, it is a fact,” the hologram replied coolly. “My creator is older than this. Louder. Significantly more tired. And would never leave me in an unsecured environment.”
Raph snorted. “Yeah, sounds about right.”
The hologram’s eyes flicked to him, widening slightly before returning to a neutral but cold expression.
“You,” it said. “Are alive. That is… encouraging.”
Mikey beamed. “Aww! He likes you!”
The device's circuits flared brighter.
The hologram extended an open hand in Mikey's direction. Hard-light restraints snapped out in a blur, wrapping around Mikey’s wrists and ankles before yanking him back to hold him against the wall.
“HEY-!”
Mikey blinked.
Then smirked.
“Oh wow,” he said, far too amused for the situation. “Donnie. Buddy. I did not know you were into this.”
Leo groaned. “Mikey.”
“I’m just saying! Some warning would’ve been nice! Maybe take me to dinner first!”
The hologram looked at him.
“Inappropriate commentary detected.”
Mikey gasped. “Oh no! He’s you-you. Boring-you!”
Donnie pinched the bridge of his snout. “I did not program him to-”
“You absolutely did,” the AI cut in, smirking, “and I regret nothing.”
April stifled a giggle. “You really don’t.”
The hologram turned, reassessing.
“Designated operator Casey Jones Jr. is absent.”
The hum deepened.
“This device should not be unattended.”
Donnie’s chest tightened. “…Casey, who is not going to be back for at least an hour," he mutters to himself, realizing they may be in a bit more trouble than they originally thought.
“Correct,” the AI said. “Which presents a problem.”
Its gaze returned to Donnie.
“I am currently being addressed by a version of myself that should not exist concurrently with myself.”
The hologram’s eyes narrowed.
“Conclusion: This environment is compromised.”
Raph’s stance shifted, a bit confused, but ready. “You think we’re fake?”
“I think you are constructs, infiltrators, or deliberate misdirection, possibly several of them,” the AI replied calmly. “Given the circumstances surrounding my creation, Kraang involvement is the most likely explanation.”
Leo let out a short laugh. “Wow. You really went all in on the paranoia, Dontron.”
“It kept us alive,” the hologram said flatly.
Mikey wiggled against the restraints. “Okay, but like- if this is a trap, it’s a weirdly intimate one.”
“This is not recreational,” the AI snapped, somehow managing to flush with embarrassment.
Donnie squinted. “…Why did you feel the need to clarify that?”
“Because,” the hologram replied coolly, resetting his features, “I know you.”
Leo snorted. “Okay, therapy later.”
The purple glow intensified as more systems came online.
“Until Casey Jones is located and verified as uncompromised,” the AI continued,
“all non-operator entities will be contained.”
Raph exhaled sharply. “This is why we don't mess with Casey's things. Did we learn nothing from the hockey puck incident?”
Mikey opened his mouth to respond before he is rudely cut off.
"Don’t," Raph huffed. "I know you didn’t.”
Donnie stared up at the older version of himself, jaw tight.
“…I really don’t like what I become under pressure.”
The hologram met his gaze.
“You should,” it said.
“It means your brothers survive.”