When did the Enterprise get here?
She cautiously walks over to the counter to look at the paper, almost expecting the note to blow up like the ones in the old Inspector Gadget cartoons.
It sits there; that was all it did. It has one word written on it.
"Diana," she reads.
April sighs and picks up her phone to call the guys.
Why do I feel like I'm living through an episode of the Twilight Zone?
They're chowing down on pizza and filling Keno in on the events since Diana got there, and also telling Casey, who had arrived while Raph and Diana were picking the 'zas up, about what happened the night before, when the phone rings.
Mikey picks it up, "Hi, I'd like a large pizza with everything, except for anchovies, for pick up, please."
Leo sighs, "We shouldn't let him answer the phone anymore."
Mikey grins and sticks his tongue out at Leo. Everyone else laughs.
They quiet down when Mike gestures for them to turn the volume down.
"I'm sorry, April, what did you say? The hyenas over here wouldn't be quiet," he says into the phone.
Everyone watches as Mike listens to the phone and an odd expression creeps over his features.
"Oh-kay, she'll be right over," he listens for another moment, "OK, I'll tell them. Later, April." He pauses for a moment to hear April's good bye before hanging up.
Mike turns and looks into the curious faces of his friends and family.
"April has a note for you, Diana," he says.
Diana rises her eyebrows, "Oh?"
"Yeah, and judging from the way it got to her apartment, it's not you're average run of the mill note," he says.
"Heh, like anything of this little 'trip' has been 'average' OR 'run of the mill,'" Diana mutters.
"Got that," Raph answeres, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"She wants you to come and get it, too," Mike continues, grinning.
Diana tilts her head, wondering why April can't bring the note to them.
"Wull, why can't she bring it down here?" Raph asks, "We've got enough 'za to go around."
"'Cuz she can't get a hand near it without getting shocked," is Mike's answer.
Don's eyes widen, Splinter brings a hand to his chin, Leo tilts his head, Casey and Keno look at each other and Diana and Raph rise their eyebrows.
Within the hour, Splinter, in a hooded cloak, Raph, in his customary trench coat and hat, and Diana, in jeans and a sweatshirt are knocking on April's door.
April opens the door after the first knock.
She looks a little surprised to see Splinter with them, but she nonetheless hurries them inside.
After she stows Raph's coat and hat and Splinter's cloak, she takes them into the kitchen.
"It was weird, the note just kind of appeared on the counter. I saw that it had Diana's name on it, but when I tried to pick it up to bring to you, I got shocked. First time I tried, it was just a little static electricity type of thing, but the second time was much stronger, I'm surprised I didn't get burned! Since it had Diana's name on it, I though that she might be able to handle it," April explains.
Diana nods, "Yeah, that does make sense."
Raph turns Diana so that they face each other.
He looks into her eyes and caresses her face with one of his hands.
"Be careful, don't go getting hurt," he tells her softly.
She smiles and gives him a gentle kiss on his cheek, "If it doesn't shock me, I'll be sure not to get any paper cuts."
He grins and lets his hand drop.
She smiles at them all and takes a deep breath, "Well, here goes nothin'."
Diana slowly and cautiously reaches her hand out to the paper.
"Stop!"
Splinter says this so suddenly and with such command in his voice, everyone jumps at least a foot, Diana lurching away from the paper.
Splinter knows that everyone was surprised when he insisted on accompanying Diana and Raph to April's apartment. He only goes above ground when necessary, and he has the feeling that nobody know why he wanted to accompany his son and new friend to April's place, but no one asked him, out of respect.
He himself isn't quite sure why he wanted to go, he just had a feeling, a very STRONG feeling, that he has to be there.
Splinter learned long ago that he shouldn't ignore those feelings.
Right now, he's having another of those feelings, and that feeling is screaming that Diana has to be armed before touching that seemingly innocent piece of paper.
"Diana, have you your sword?" Splinter asks in a serious tone.
"Uh, yes, Sensei, Raph is carrying it for me," she answers, raising an eyebrow and then glancing at Raph.
"Raphael, give Diana her sword," Splinter orders.
"Yes, Sensei," Raph responds, hearing the deadly seriousness in his sensei's voice.
Raph goes to were he trench coat hangs in the closet and unhookes Diana's sword, which is sheathed and on a sword-belt, and brings it to her.
Diana accepts the sword from Raph and puts it on.
"I sense something is going to happen when you pick up that paper, Diana, and I'd prefer it if you were armed," Splinter explains.
Diana nods and again cautiously reaches out her hand, keeping her other hand on the hilt of her sword.
As soon as her fingers touch the paper, a cloud that appears to be made entirely of silver glitter explodes from the paper and envelopes Diana.
Raph tries to grab Diana, who has drawn her sword and now seems to be fading from view, but as soon as he touches the cloud, he's thrown back by a surge of static electricity and is knocked out.
Within a few minutes, Diana's gone, as is the glitter, but the note remains.
The world suddenly turns all glittery; Diana instinctively draws her sword.
After a few minutes of looking frantically for Raph or Splinter or April or ANYONE, she finds that the cloud of glitter has disappeared and she's standing in front of a tunnel with grey bricks and a dirt floor.
She looks at the dim interior and wonders where the tunnel leads.
This is so odd, all this weird location switching, I feel like I'm in a bad dream.
Then she notices that she feels like she should go into the tunnel.
Why the hell not? It's not like I have any were else to go.
She starts into the tunnel.
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Fourteen
Realities Index