Chapter 1: Early Days
Summary:
“No matter. There’s no challenge that the great Casey Jones can’t handle!”, the woman flashed a determined grit. She turned back to the baby. “And you shall be Casey Jones Junior. My partner in crime. I will raise you to be the most extraordinary, most bravest, most heroic warrior that the world has ever seen!”
Notes:
Yippee! Green Eyed Mask aka GEM is finally released! Enjoyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimers are in the end notes btw cuz yeh. May have some spoilers tho.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The first thing Casey remembered was being surrounded in metal. Grimy, dark, icky metal. Only a sliver of light shone through it.
The year was 2028. Casey didn’t know how long he was in there. But he remembered how large the metallic container was. Or maybe he was just really small. Some days, he would hear blasts and screaming. Shadows would pass by the small gap in the metal. A red light would scan around for any remaining victims. Other days, it was quiet. Deathly quiet and still. Only the wind would be his lullaby.
Casey also remembered being in pain during it all. His stomach hurt. It would rumble and growl louder than any beast he had heard before (which wasn’t much, given he was so young). And so, the baby would cry. Wail louder and louder to silence out the grumbling. His throat hurt from it. Scratchy and sore. His piercing screams had strained into roars.
One day, his cries were answered. A figure was seen moving about through the tiny metal gap. There was a wavering light, but it was not a threatening red. Until finally, the figure approached the dumpster. And opened it.
A green eyed mask fell upon the child. Shaped like a skull. The eyes glowing brightly in the sockets. The figure’s breathing was heavy and muffled through the mask. Suddenly, the mask lifted on its own to reveal a woman. Who looked just as scared as the baby. Her hair was short and buzzed but growing out slightly. Her eyes were fierce and shiny copper brown. Small scars stretched across her face, especially a big one across her left side of her lips. Her greek snub nose had a septum piercing, matching the piercings on her ears. The woman wore a black tank shirt and black pants with dark red bandages on her neck, arms, and muddy brown combat boots.
The woman stretched her arms out to the small child, cooing and cradling him in her embrace. The baby’s wailings quieted down a bit, taking recognition of the woman as she wrapped her dark red scarf around him. The woman smiled, bouncing the baby boy side to side.
“Hello, tiny human. What were you doing in the trash?”, the woman cooed. “Did someone leave you? No…that would be awful…maybe they were trying to hide you from the Kraang? Or maybe…” The woman frowned. “Maybe they couldn’t handle the responsibility of raising a child in the middle of the apocalypse.”
The woman glanced around, still bouncing the baby. There was someone calling to her in the distance. She sighed.
“No matter. There’s no challenge that the great Casey Jones can’t handle!”, the woman flashed a determined grit. She turned back to the baby. “And you shall be Casey Jones Junior. My partner in crime. I will raise you to be the most extraordinary, most bravest, most heroic warrior that the world has ever seen!”
The baby had absolutely no idea what she was saying. But then the woman tickled him, getting out Casey Jr’s first ever giggle. And just as quickly, the tummy ache came back. Casey began to cry again. The woman’s face dropped, hushing the child.
“Oh you poor thing! Don’t worry, hush now. Mama is here.”, his mother soothed. “Come on, you must be starving. We shall have a great feast for our new little warrior!”
Casey Sr cheered victoriously, marching off with her son in her arms. Soon, four more figures entered his vision. Three were varying shades of green and the other was a dark brown. They all cooed and gawked over the child.
The brightest green, who had a blue mask over his face, looked worried. He had red stripes on his face and wore a dark blue scarf, dark blue pants, and a bright blue belt. Two katanas poked out of his scabbard on the back of his shell, one had a red bandana tied on it. Both of his arms were wrapped in black bandages and his shoulders had yellow stripes on them.
The blue one argued with Casey Sr that they couldn’t take a child with them when their parents may be looking for him. His mother snapped back, displaying the child’s poor state as a reason that Casey Jr's parents were long gone at this point. The shouting was loud, starling the baby as he cried.
The smallest green, with an orange mask, hovered over him. He had a head full of dark coily brown hair tied into a messy bun with very few sage green streaks in his hair. He wore a big orange cloak with white bandages on his arms. His body was speckled with orange spots, mainly on his limbs. His plastron was covered in a bunch of stickers.
The orange one beamed a bright smile. He hushed Casey Jr, stroking the baby’s matted hair. The crying soothed as the orange one gave Junior a small piece of a sugarcane to use as a pacifier. It tasted pretty sweet.
The other green, decked in a purple mask, examined the child. His left eye was a red robotic eye with a black vertical rectangle for a pupil. A large robotic leg replaced his right leg, it was way too big and bulky to fit and green with spikes with the top metallic piece being red. He wore a black combat platform boot on his other leg to match the height of the prosthetic. He wore a black coat underneath his black battle shell with a vibrant purple holographic visor across his face that was connected to circular earphones. The visor even had holographic eyebrows on it. His body was striped in purple glitchy blocks, with three on his chin resembling some kind of goatee.
The purple one reported that the baby looked alright, minus the hunger and thirst. He precariously booped the baby’s nose and pinched his cheek. It tickled, causing Casey Jr to laugh behind the sugarcane. The turtle’s expression softened for a moment before quickly shaking it off and putting on a grumpier tone.
The other person with dark skin, squealed about how adorable the baby is. She had a large afro of loosely kinky brown hair being held back by strawberry red goggles. She wore a yellow jumpsuit, decked out from head to toe along with a yellow cape. Her eyes squinted slightly, inching closer to the child. It looked like her sight was off as she had to pull down the goggles to get a better look, which magnetized her eyes.
The lady ushered a hand to the group to get going so that Casey Jr could be fed right away. The team took off onto a large flashy red battle aircraft. Casey’s new life had been turned around.
Casey remembered other things from when he was a kid. Like how the turtles talked about a fourth brother who was apparently no longer with them. And how their father was gone as well. He also remembered a white rabbit yokai who disappeared one day.
But one thing Casey would never forget…was a promise. These people made him a promise. To build a better world. To see this war until the end so Casey could see the sun rise on a clear day.
But these were just the early days.
The year was 2033. Casey was five. There was an ambush.
The ruined city territory that the newly formed Resistance was scouting had been compromised, overrun by Kraang zombies and hounds. The walls were closing in, debris collapsing around the survivors. Everyone was running amidst the panic. Casey had to dodge in order not to get toppled over. He started crying, hoping someone would notice him.
Before he could scream again, Auntie April scooped him up in her arms. They began running. A wide blue portal welcomed the group of people swarming to safety. April and Casey made it through to the other side, a wide open cave deep underground that the Resistance called home. The people of humans and yokai alike all surrounded the portal, looking for their loved ones.
“Casey baby!”, his mom called for him.
“Mama!”, Casey called back.
Amongst the crowd, Casey Sr shoved her way through the swarm of civilians. Casey Jr squirmed his way out of Auntie’s hold and ran over to hug his mom. Casey Sr took a good look at her son for any injuries.
“Oh, Casey baby, I was so worried! This was all my fault, I shouldn’t have taken you scouting with us. We just didn’t have someone to look after you and we thought it’d be safe enough and…I’m just glad you’re alright!”, Senior exclaimed as she wiped the pearls of tears from Junior’s eyes.
Soon enough, the final stragglers hurried through the portal followed by Tío Leo. The coolest guy Casey Jr had ever met. The portal began to close quickly as the survivors slipped through.
“Is everyone here?! Did anybody get—”, Leo shouted as the portal closed.
Right through his arm.
Leo gasped, falling onto his knees. Everyone shared a hushed gasp of shock, panic murmuring in the crowd. Casey looked at Tío’s face. It was a look of absolute horror. He looked to be in too much pain to scream. Casey looked down at his arm, or lack thereof spare for half of his upper arm, and saw a rush of gushing blood.
“Don’t look, Casey baby.”, Senior hushed as she held the back of Casey Jr’s head and held him close to her chest. “Don’t look. It’s alright.” The kid shut his eyes, hearing the commotion behind him.
“Leo! Leo, talk to me! Stay with me, Nardo!”, Uncle Tello shouted.
“...don, i can’t…i can’t feel my arm—”, Leo wheezed.
“Yeah you don’t have one anymore, dumbass!”
“...i can’t…i can’t …”
“J-just…just stay awake, okay? We’re gonna get you patched up.”
Leo spent a whole week in the med-bay. He tried his best to stay awake, insisting he could still lead and work. Donnie threatened to strap him down with bolts if Leo dared to move. Casey would visit him a lot, especially when the others went out on missions. Casey would keep asking the same questions each time and Leo grew tired of answering them.
“Does it hurt?”
“No, not anymore. I’m okay, Case.”
“Can you feel your arm?”
“Kinda?? Dee says it’s just in my head.”
“When will it grow back?”
Leo chuckled. “I’m a turtle, not a lizard.”
“What’s a lizard?”
“A lizard…”, Leo paused. He stroked his chin with his remaining hand as he thought for a moment. “They’re like these little scaly creatures with bitty feet and a long tail. Beady eyes that blink horizontally—”
“Hor…zon?”, Casey asked, tilting his head.
“Hor-i-zon-ta-lly.”, Leo enunciated. “Like sideways. Left and right.” He motioned his hand, flat. Waving it horizontally. “We blink vertically. Up and down.” He turned his palm to the side. Moving it vertically.
Casey waved his hand around too. First horizontally, then vertically. Leo nodded and smiled.
“Lizards can grow their tails back if they lose them.”, he continued to explain.
“What if their tail grows a new lizard?”, Casey asked, furrowing his brows.
Leo laughed. “That’s not how it works, Junior. The tail can’t survive on its own—”
Casey let out a long gasp, ignoring Leo. His eyes lit up with curiosity and a twinge of fear. “What if your arm grows a new Leo???”, he asked, bewildered.
Leo snorted another laugh. “If that ever happened, it would drive Donnie crazy.”
The two continued talking and talking. Casey learned a lot of new words during that week. Towards the end of it, Uncle Tello walked in with a robotic arm. It looked like it didn’t fit, the arm was way too big and bulky. It was green with spikes and the elbow piece of the arm was red. “Now we match.”, Donnie had said with a warm smile.
It didn’t take Leo long to get the hang of it. Casey was amazed by Donnie’s handiwork. Even though the slider was left-handed, Donnie insisted Leo tried learning to write and draw with his right robotic arm to practice and understand the tech better. It looked sooooooo cool! Leo would let Casey climb on it and swing him around. Though Leo had a hard time adjusting to the disproportionate size, Donnie ensured that Leo would grow into it.
Ever since the first sugarcane, Casey was hitched.
He would often sneak into the greenhouse of the lair to snag a piece or two. And more often than not, he would get caught by Uncle Tello, the leading botanist of the garden.
“And just what do you think you’re doing, Jones?”, Donnie sneered as Casey’s hand hovered dangerously over the stock of sugarcane.
“Um…nothing…”, the small child sheepishly grinned as he hid the piece behind his back.
“ Sigh …Hand it over, Case. You know the rules.”, Donnie droned. Casey begrudgingly placed the sugarcane in the softshell’s palm. “As much as it's a privilege to have sugarcane in the middle of the apocalypse, you know just well by now that we have to ration it. And it’s hard to do that when a little gremlin is sneaking around, stealing the supply.”
“Aww pleeeeaasssseeeee??? Just this one time?”, Casey begged, clasping his hands together and putting on his best puppy dog eyes.
“Nope, absolutely not. Those puppy dog eyes will not work on me.”, Donnie snarked as he turned on his heel and crossed his arms.
Casey let out a whine, adding a lip quiver to his looks. Brutal. Donnie peeked over his shoulder and Casey could see the stone cold expression drop for a moment. Uncle Tello scoffed and turned back around, handing Casey the piece.
“Just this once, you little shi—...brat. It’s coming out of your next ration.”, Donnie grumbled behind a forced grin.
Casey beamed, teething on the sugarcane. “Thanks Uncle Tello!!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m the best. I know. Now scram.”, Donnie smirked.
And so Casey took off with his sugarcane piece in hand. Uncle Tello laughed to himself, shaking his head. Donnie grew the best sugarcane…that Casey knew off. He honestly hadn’t tasted anything else. But no matter. Casey’s charm would always win over anyone anytime.
A few months later, Hueso stuck a candle in a small mantecada (or at least that was what it was supposed to be). He handed it to Casey and a bunch of people surrounded him, singing Happy Birthday as Casey had just turned six years old.
“Make a wish!”, his mom whisper shouted. “Don’t say it out loud or else it won’t come true.”
Casey closed his eyes and thought really hard about what he wanted his wish to be. Then it came to him. I wish…I wish to see the sun one day. Someday soon.
Contented with his wish, Casey blew out the candle.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Portal-chopped arm, L.
Hooray! Found family! What could possibly go wrong?
Chapter 2: Casey Baby
Summary:
Then Casey would find her in the clearance of the crowd. No matter how injured, sick, or tired his mom looked, she would always…always…get down on a knee. Arms stretched out wide and a welcoming smile beaming on her face. Casey would always…always…run then jump into her embrace as his mother would hug him tightly. His mom, and only his mom, was allowed to call him “Casey baby”.
Notes:
Prepare your tissues.
Read end notes for disclaimers tho they may contain spoilers!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Casey baby!”, was the name his mother would call him.
“Mama!”, was the name Casey would call back.
Growing up, his mom and auntie would set out on missions with others. Since Casey was a kid, he'd have to stay behind at the base. And someone had to watch him. Uncle Angelo would be busy concentrating on meditation. Tío Leo would either be planning the next mission or sitting by his brother's shrine. So the six-year old would be placed inside the lab with Uncle Tello.
Whenever he heard the news that his mom had returned, he would run out with a large group of people who would horde the entrance to the cave and chatter amongst each other.
“Mama!”, Casey would shout repeatedly into the crowd. Pushing and shoving his way through the sea of tall legs.
“Casey baby!”, his mom would reply repeatedly in return.
Then Casey would find her in the clearance of the crowd. No matter how injured, sick, or tired his mom looked, she would always… always …get down on a knee. Arms stretched out wide and a welcoming smile beaming on her face. Casey would always… always …run then jump into her embrace as his mother would hug him tightly. His mom, and only his mom, was allowed to call him “Casey baby”.
The two were an inseparable pair. The perfect team. Casey and Casey. Senior and Junior. CJ 1 and CJ 2. The Jones duo. When his mom returned from a mission, she would always have a heroic story to tell him. About how she and her army beat up the Kraang hounds and Kraang zombies. She would teach him about how the plasma guns were the most effective against the aliens. She would tell him about each new Kraang labor camp that the team rescued families from. But she would withhold some news from him with concern. Then Casey would overhear about a new type of Kraang called Kraang droids. His mom, April, and the turtles would huddle in a room and discuss them. Casey would eavesdrop about these Kraang droids. “Taller than Lady Liberty”, he heard someone describe them.
Who is Lady Liberty?
“Casey baby!”, his mother called out.
“Mama!”, Casey called back.
Casey Jr wedged his way through the crowd to find Casey Sr being held up with her arm over April’s shoulder. His mama looked hurt with a gash on her head and limping leg. Regardless, Senior got down on a knee with a big beaming smile on her face and arms spread out wide.
“Careful, CJ!”, Auntie exclaimed. “You gotta be careful on that leg.”
“My leg can wait.”, his mother shrugged off as Casey Jr jumped into her arms. “How was your day, Casey baby? Learn anything new?”
“Yeah! Uncle Angelo taught me about sharks!”, Casey Jr exclaimed excitedly.
“Sharks?”
April chuckled, “Oh yeah, Michael hyperfixated on sharks when he was a teen.”
“Uncle said that sharks are apex predators!”, Junior babbled. “That means they’re on the top!”
“Alright, alright.”, Leo intervened, kneeling down in front of the Jones duo. “Let’s save the shark facts for later, kiddo. I gotta help out your mom now, mkay? Go get some dinner with April.”
Casey Jr nodded, hopping down from his mom’s lap as April took his hand. He looked over at his mom to see her smile and wave at him before turning back to Leo with a frown.
“Listen, there’s been an update on the droid horde.”, Senior hushed. “They’re growing more in numbers. We’re up to 13 of them now.”
“Let’s not talk about it here while others are watching.”, Tío mumbled. “We’ll discuss this more in the team meeting tonight, alright? Let’s get you patched up first.”
One day in particular, Donnie was working on a robot that sat on his desk. The robot was missing an eye, though its other eye matched Donnie’s prosthetic eye.
“Shelldon allowed me to borrow it.”, Donnie explained when Casey asked about the eyes. “I’m returning the favor by making him a new one. The colors won’t match though.” He turned to a small white sphere on his desk, heading back to work.
Casey was always bored when waiting for his mom to return from missions. He would insist on coming with but the others would say that he was not ready. That he hadn’t learned the ways of a ninja yet. So Casey would train. Mimicking their swift and sharp movements. Shouting “Hi-ya!” with each kick and punch as he aimlessly fought the air around the lab. Every now and then, Casey would knock something over. Occasionally, it would break. Then Donnie would get mad at him. “A good ninja is always aware of their surroundings.”, Donnie would scold the child.
“Hi-ya!”, Casey shouted as he kicked his leg high up in the air.
Then he stumbled, losing balance. But his instincts kicked in as he noticed a metal stand in the way. He spun around and practically cartwheeled to dodge it. The metal stand rocked as Casey’s body grazed it, then it settled back in place.
“Yes!”, Casey cheered, swinging down his fist.
Donnie’s communicator device on his wrist tech beeped. The softshell picked up the call, setting down the screwdriver and spinning his chair around.
“Captain Othello Von Ryan speaking.”, Donnie chimed with a smug smile.
“Donnie! Come quick! April’s hurt!”, Mikey panicked from the other side.
The softshell immediately dropped the act and stood up with a serious look, speed walking out of the lab. “What are her symptoms?”, he asked gravely.
“She’s knocked unconscious. There’s blood in her hair and on her stomach.”, the ornate box turtle replied, his voice carrying as Uncle Tello left the room.
Auntie’s back and she seemed to be hurt really bad. But there was a bright side to this as Casey’s eyes lit up. If April’s back then that means…
“Mama!”, Casey whispered as he scrambled to his feet and began running after Donnie.
Finally, his mom had come back home. The boring wait in Donnie’s lab was over for today. Casey couldn’t wait to see her. For his mom to hug him again and tell another story to him. Casey raced over to the large crowd of people, wedging his way through.
The crowd wasn’t chatty today. It was quieter as hushed murmurs filled the cave. In the distance Casey could see Leo’s head peeking out in a clearance circle in the center of the crowd. Casey hurried towards him.
“One…two…three…”, Leo mumbled, counting. “....four...five. No, that can’t be right. One…two…three…”
“I’m here!”, Donnie called out. “Oh my muffins, April! What happened out there?”
“April…Sunita…Todd…Bullhop…Hypno…”, Leo continued to mumble. He spoke up in mild frustration, “Ugh, I know we’re missing someone! My brain keeps blanking out. The name is on the tip of my tongue, I swear—”
“Mama!”, Casey shouted out as he finally made it to the clearance.
He looked around, seeing the injured team sitting on the ground and surrounding April who was lying flat on her back, completely unconscious. His mother was nowhere to be found. Leo, Mikey, and Donnie’s eyes all widened as they slowly looked over at the child.
“Mama?”, Casey called out again.
Everyone was now looking at him, the hushed whispers got louder. They gave each other side glances as they held a hand over their mouths. Casey didn’t understand what they were talking about. His eyes began to water.
“MAMA!!!”, Casey cried.
“Casey baby!”, no one called back.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Character Death.
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Casey got re-orphaned. Orphan^2. L + ratio + motherless.
Chapter 3: The Sky Used To Be Blue
Summary:
Casey slowly unraveled the cloth. He gasped in shock from what he saw. There in his hands was the green eyed mask. It looked like April took the time to clean off its stubborn stains of blood and dirt. A brand new mask. For a brand new Casey Jones.
Notes:
Imagine being motherless--
BTW! SIDE NOTE: This chapter briefly touches base on Japanese, Jewish, and Hawaiian cultures (and Mexican cultures but I am Mexican so--). While I did interview friends in those cultures to make sure I'm accurate, if ANYTHING bothers someone just let me know so I can do my best to fix it. <3
No disclaimers for this chapter. Just a lot of grief. =)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Casey cried for days.
Nothing could get him to stop. No amount of coaxing from the other adults could get through to the child. He refused any food or water that was offered to him, retaliating that he only wanted his mom. He would curl up into a ball on the bunk bed that he and his mom would share. Casey would continuously cry himself to sleep as he hoped that this was all just some sick joke. A dream. That when he woke up, his mom would be there waiting for him. Calling his name.
Casey got too familiar with the bedroom. He shared it with his mom, Auntie April, and ‘Anakē Sunita. April and Sunita shared a bunk bed on one end of the room while the Jones duo shared another bunk bed on the other end. Two night stands sat next to either bed, an overused candle burning away would be their only source of light. Casey slept on the top bunk most nights. Though whenever he woke up from a nightmare, he would climb down the ladder and join his mom on the bottom bunk. The bottom bunk was empty now. Replaced with a crying orphaned child.
Casey used to hate the stinky sweaty smell his mom had for she was a very active fighter. But now it was the only thing Casey could think about as he hugged on tight to her pillow. The buzzing of silence and whispers echoed throughout the lair. Casey was alone in the room most of the time until it was time for bed and Sunita would come in to go to sleep. She would insist on Casey getting some fresh air (or as fresh as it got) and visit April in the med-bay. But Casey would refuse.
The weight of grief was too heavy for him anyways.
About two days into grieving, there was a knock on the door.
“What’s the skinny, chico?”, Uncle Angelo smiled from the doorway. He kept his voice soft and low. “Is it alright if I come in?”
Casey nodded. Mikey made his way over to the bed and sat down by Casey’s side. For a moment, both of them were quiet. The sage green streaks in the box turtle’s coily dark brown hair glowed shyly in the dimly lit bedroom. They would often turn a bright green along with Mikey’s markings whenever the turtle used his mystic powers. And each time he overused his powers, a new streak of sage green would form.
“I know I can’t read your mind. But…I understand how you feel right now.”, Uncle Angelo started. “You’re sad, scared, angry, confused…those emotions are way too big for a child so little. I just want you to know…however you may feel, it’s okay to feel it. Don’t push those emotions away. Just let it happen and run its course. You don’t have to hide from us, Casey.”
Casey didn’t make much of a response. He just kept on watching the ornate box turtle as he talked.
“Loss is unique as it is very common. You’ll get used to hearing it but not used to feeling it. But just know that you are not alone in this. There are people out there who understand. I understand. Donnie, Leo, April, Sunita, and everyone else understands too. And we gotta be there for each other now. We want to help you because we care about you, Casey. I care about you.”, Mikey emphasized with a hand pressing against his heart. “I promise you that one day, this’ll all just be a bad memory. You’ll get through it.”
Casey’s eyes watered. He sprung up, wrapping his arms around his uncle. Mikey hugged him back tightly. No matter how much Casey cried, the pain in his heart didn’t seem to go away. The two sat there for what felt like several minutes. It was comforting how quiet and patient the box turtle was.
“It’s going to be alright, CJ. Your mama went to a better place.”, Mikey reassured.
“Where did she go?”, Casey mumbled through the now tear-stained cloak.
“I don’t know. The afterlife is different for everyone.”, Uncle Angelo explained. “But one thing I do know is that if you believe it, then it’s true. So if your mom believed in heaven, then that’s where she’ll be. If she believed in the land of the dead, then that’s where she’ll be. Even if you don’t have the same beliefs, you’ll see her in the afterlife when it’s your time too.”
Casey sat up, wiping his tears. His throat felt dry. He should probably drink some water at some point.
“I’ll believe it.”
The next day, there was another knock on the door.
“Casey? It’s Mikey again. Donnie wants to talk with you.”, Mikey asked through the door.
“Are you sure about this, Mikey? Emotions aren’t really my thing—”
“Yes, Donald, you’ll be fine. Now go talk with him. I’m sure Casey will really appreciate your help.”
“Okay fine. Casey, I’m coming in.”
The door opened into the now dark room with the candles blown out. The only light being from Uncle Tello’s holographic visor and the cracks of light behind the door. Donnie didn’t say a word as he sat down at Casey’s bedside. There was a pause of awkward silence for a moment.
“So…uh…how are you?”, Donnie asked ineptly.
Casey sneered. How am I? Day three of being an orphan and Casey was asked how he was feeling. Donnie’s lips pressed in a flat line.
“Right, dumb question.”, Donnie muttered as he averted his gaze.
Silence thickened the atmosphere again. Casey buried his face back into the pillow. It was the closest feeling he had to his mother hugging him again. Donnie then cleared his throat.
“Well, I have something here that I wanna show you. Is that okay?”
Casey didn’t really respond much besides turning his head to look at the softshell. Donnie took it as an answer. He held out his mystic wrist tech, pulling up a holographic screen in front of the both of them. He tapped on a video reel that Donnie put together himself. The video played a recording seen through Donnie’s POV on his visor.
“It’s been 30 minutes, where the hell is she?”
“Calm your tits, Nardo. My tracker says she’s on her way back.”
“Oh there she is—IS THAT A FUCKING BABY?!”
The visor turned to look at someone in the distance. Mama . Casey quickly sat up and scooted closer to the screen.
“Hey guys! Look what I got!” , Casey Sr called out as she hurried over to the group. There in her arms was a grimy-looking baby wrapped in a dark blood red scarf. “I’m naming them Casey Jones Junior.”
“Is that your kid???” , Leo asked, bewildered.
“Why yes, I performed osmosis and sprouted out a child.” , Senior snarked sarcastically. “I found the poor thing in a dumpster. Thank the spirits, I found them in time.”
Casey watched the video in awe. It was her. Bright, brilliant, and funny. Full of energy and life. What Casey wouldn’t give to see that smile again. The video cut and played a different clip.
“Alright, Casey baby, come to Mama!” , Senior smiled as she got down on one knee reaching her arms out.
A few feet away from her stood Casey Jr as a small toddler wrapped in yellow unicorn pajamas, being held up by Mikey who sat on the other side. Baby Junior had a wide grin with a few teeth growing in, bouncing on their knees. Then Uncle Angelo let go of his hold and everyone in the group watched as Casey took their first steps.
“Yes! Yes! That’s it! Come here my little warrior!” , his mom cooed.
The toddler stumbled and stepped slowly closer and closer. There was a group of people watching with bright smiles on their faces and excited murmurs filled the room. Some quiet sniffling was heard behind the visor. Finally, Junior made it to the other side and everyone cheered as Casey Sr wrapped her child tightly in her arms.
“Yes! You did it, Casey baby! I knew you could do it! Oh, I’m so proud of you!” , his mom exclaimed. She held up the toddler for everyone to see. “This little guy is going to kick all of your asses one day! Just watch! My child will be the best warrior that ever lived!”
The video changed again. Casey noticed how Donnie scooted closer and placed his arm on Casey’s shoulder. The screen then showed the visor looking down at the robot on the desk as Donnie was working on repairing its eye. Then there was some shuffling and a whimper from behind.
“Wha—Casey, where are you going?” , the turtle asked as he spun around to face the now six-year old Casey. Casey remembered this memory. The last memory of his mom.
“I forgot to say bye to Mama!” , the child exclaimed as he hurried out of the lab and rushed over towards the entrance of the lair.
Donnie ran after him, chasing down the child. Then they reached the entrance where not far in the distance, Casey Sr, April, Sunita, Todd, Bullhop, and Hypno were making their way on their mission.
“Mama!!!” , Casey called out.
Senior turned around in confusion. “What is it, Casey baby?” , she called back.
“I forgot to say goodbye! Bye-bye, Mama!”
“See you later, Casey baby! Be good to your family for me, alright?” , Casey Sr beamed waving her hand wildly in the air.
“I will! I love you!”
“I love you too!”
The video ended there. The holographic screen flickered out. In front of Casey’s face were Donnie’s eyes which were wide and worried.
“Casey! Are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”, the softshell blurted out.
Casey didn’t even notice the flow of tears in his eyes. But just as soon as he did, the weight tugged on his heart again, dragging Casey down to curl into himself. He missed that voice, that smile. He would remember those last words forever.
“Augh, stupid Donatello! Of course you made a kid cry, you dumb-dumb! Why did I think that showing videos of the orphan’s recently deceased mother was a good idea?!”, Donnie grumbled to himself as he bapped himself on the forehead.
Casey lurched towards him, hugging tightly as he sobbed. After a moment, the softshell gingerly hugged back. The two sat in the dark for a while. Casey could feel warm tears fall on his head. It was rare to see Donnie cry.
“Thank you, Uncle Tello.”, Casey mumbled.
Donnie smiled. “Anytime, kid.”
April woke up from her coma by the end of the week. The first and only thing she asked for was to talk with Casey. It took the turtle brothers and a few other survivors to persuade Casey to come out of his room. Eventually he did, holding on to ‘Anakē’s hand and keeping his head hung low.
They reached a wide open space in the underground cave. In this space, a hole cracked from the ceiling, letting in the smallest bit of light. In the center was a large willow tree, its roots stretching across the dirt. Sunita gave Casey a nudge forward with a patient smile before walking away.
April was kneeling on her legs towards the tree. Her afro hair was now buzzed short with a bald spot on the back of her head where a scar was stitched in. She wore a tight black tank crop top and baggy black jeans to match with dusty yellow military-grade boots. If it wasn’t for her skin complexion, Casey would’ve thought it was his mom. April looked over her shoulder at the child.
“Come sit, Casey baby.”, she smiled warmly. Only Mama gets to call me that.
Casey shyly stepped forwards and kneeled on his legs too beside April. From this angle, Casey saw that her stomach was also stitched up on the side. In her lap was something wrapped in a dark blood red scarf, Mama’s scarf, too bulky to tell the shape of the object. April smiled at Casey again and then faced towards the tree.
“I like it here. It’s nice. Peaceful. We put in a lot of effort to keep this tree standing.”, April spoke calmly. “We need trees, did you know? They filter out the air for us so we can breathe it and—” She stopped as she turned to look at Casey who had a pout on his face for he wasn’t in the mood to learn something today. “Right, right. Sorry, baby.”, April hushed apologetically.
Auntie took a deep breath, causing the willow leaves in front of her to sway as she exhaled. She frowned for a long moment. Then April placed a hand on Casey’s shoulder.
“Casey baby, I want to talk to you about what happened to your mom. Out of everyone, you deserve to know.”, April explained in a sharp yet not unkind voice. “Do you want to hear? Think you can handle it?”
Casey stared up at her for a moment. Then he slowly nodded, listening to her story.
Your mom and I were on our way back from the Kraang labor camp near Staten. You remember that place, right? Well, we were on a mission to send the families in that camp some supplies to last them a little while longer until we can rescue them. We had a team of six. A real quick and easy mission, in and out. A horde of Kraang hounds found us. We fought. Your mother fought. One of the hounds bit me on my side and then chucked me across the battlefield where I hit my head on the back with a rock. Your mom rushed over to me, she picked up my arm over her shoulder. We started running back home. Your mother was running back home to you, Casey.
“You’re a lifesaver, Casey Jones.”, I told her.
But my injured state was slowing us down. We were getting held behind. Two of our teammates came to get me while your mother insisted on holding the Kraang hounds off until we could make it to safety. I tried to stop her, Case, I tried. But it was too late.
April lurched forward, tears streaming down her face. She took a few shallow breaths before pulling herself together. Casey was crying too, unsure of how he was supposed to react. Was there something he needed to do? April looked back at the child.
“Your mother died a hero , Casey baby. A hero .”, April quivered sternly.
She paused for a long moment. Both of them stared at the large willow tree. The hanging vines were still, only illuminated by the crack in the ceiling. Casey wondered if climbing up the tree, cloaking himself in the curtain leaves would be a good hiding spot for the next game of Hide n Seek. Then April turned back to Casey, holding up the mystery item wrapped in the scarf.
“I want you to have this, Casey. And I know very well that your mother would’ve wanted you to have it too.”, April explained as she gave the item to Casey.
Casey slowly unraveled the cloth. He gasped in shock from what he saw. There in his hands was the green eyed mask. It looked like April took the time to clean off its stubborn stains of blood and dirt. A brand new mask. For a brand new Casey Jones.
Casey hugged the mask tightly, bawling out loud. April scooted closer and wrapped her arm around Casey’s side, pulling him close. They both cried together for a long long time, probably even hours. After they calmed down, Casey looked up at the willow tree.
“...what were you gonna say? About the tree?”, Casey muttered.
“What?”, April asked, confused.
“You said it filters air.”
“Oh.”, April sat up and looked at the tree as well as she wiped her tears. “Yeah, it does filter the air. It’s the only reason why we can still breathe here. Without plants, this world would be inhabitable.”
“In…hab…”
“In-hab-it-able. Not fit to live in.”, April started to smile again as she continued to explain. “The leaves would filter out the oxygen in the atmosphere, which means the sky. The oxygen was what made the sky blue.”
“The sky used to be blue?!”, Casey sat up and looked at April with awe.
April chuckled softly. “Yes, it did. It was a very bright blue. It wasn’t always a cloudy dark red that you see right now. So when I promise you the sun, we can only achieve it by ending this war. No more explosions, no more clouds. Just a sky full of stars.”
“What are stars?”
The next day, April and Sunita came into the bedroom to tell Casey that Leo asked to talk with him. So Casey got up and dressed in day clothes for the first time in a long while. He was wearing a black long sleeve robe, tied at the waist with dark green wrappings, with gray pants underneath and brown child-size combat boots. His slightly matted straight black hair was getting a little too long, now reaching beyond shoulder length. ‘Anakē helped pull it all back in a ponytail with a dark green ribbon.
Casey walked down to the memorial room in the lair. It was a large end of a tunnel in the cave, revamped with flat stone floors. The walls were covered in shelves, whether mounted or carved in the stone. Various knickknacks and keepsakes and photos from the deceased sat on the shelves with several candles everburning, their wax wedging and melting across the shelves. Casey hadn’t been in this room for a while since his mother passed.
To his left were two red wooden shelves, one on top of the other. A large spiky shell was mounted on the wall on top. Leonardo was sitting criss-cross in front of it. He turned to Casey and smiled softly, patting the space next to him. Casey made his way over and sat criss-cross as well. Without saying a word, Tío unfolded his hands to reveal a golden orange flower. An Aztec marigold, if Casey remembered Donnie’s words correctly. Casey had seen those flowers before in the greenhouse, though there weren’t many of them.
Casey peeked ahead of him to see the top shelf held a tattered photo in the center with a brown Hamato robe on the left and Mama’s blood red scarf on the right. A lonely spool of string sat on the bottom shelf. Leo placed the flower in front of the photo, before turning to Casey.
“How are you feeling?”, he asked in a quiet voice.
Casey shrugged, looking down at the ground.
Leo huffed a dry laugh through his snout. “That is certainly one way to feel.”
The slider grabbed the photo from the shelf. Casey recognized a few faces. Auntie April had a wide cheering smile on her face, holding a big blue book in her arms. A young Leo stood at her left, with his signature grin. Donnie was on her right with a smug look on his face. Were those eyebrows made of marker? What Casey thought was an old rat yokai was in the bottom left corner of the photo and a large turtle with a red bandana stood behind April with a young still bald Mikey wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Casey carefully took the photo and examined it closely.
Leo tapped on the rat. “This was my pops, Hamato Yoshi. Though for some reason, we called him Splinter. He used to be the super famous action star Lou Jitsu before he became our dad and our sensei. His skills were unmatched.”, he explained. Then he tapped on the red turtle. “That’s my oldest brother, Raphael. We called him Raph. This big old softie used to be the leader for a while until I had to step up. He was our guardian, our protector.”
Casey looked up from the photo at the shell on the wall and the brown robe to the left. Leo turned to look at them too. He frowned.
“The year was 2022. An August summer night, if I remember correctly. A robbery happened at a nearby museum. They stole the key that kept the Kraang banished in the prison dimension. I…messed up. Real bad. The foot clan took the key and got away.”, Leo paused for a moment. His hands clenched onto the fabric of his pants. “We went after them, a little too late. We didn’t know what the key was. It wasn’t like we had anyone there to warn us about the apocalypse approaching. The clan made their way to the tallest building in the city, Metro Tower. And behold, from their perch atop New York City, the Kraang ripped open the sky itself. What came out was terror, and what rained down upon us was worse than death.”
Man, the past is harsh.
Leo turned back to Casey, staring at the photo in his hands. “We fought the Kraang, trying to get the key. My dad…got crushed by debris. And shortly after…Raph was pierced through his shell. I lost both of them that day.”
The air went tense and quiet for a while. Casey looked back at the shell to notice the hole in the center of the shell, the cracked pieces were merged back together but the faint cracked lines were still there. Leo took a deep breath.
“You’re not alone in this, Casey Jones. Practically everyone here and anyone you’ll ever meet have lost someone dear to them. They understand the pain and sorrow. But it’s important that we keep going for the lives we lost. Live the life that they can’t, Casey.”, Leo smiled softly.
Those last words resonated in Casey’s mind. Live the life that they can’t . Casey leaned into Leo as the slider wrapped his arm around him, gently squeezing his shoulder twice. The urge to cry wasn’t as strong as before. Maybe Casey was too tired now.
Quiet footsteps entered the memorial room. Casey and Leo turned to see Uncle Angelo and Uncle Tello walk into the room. The softshell stood beside Casey, turning to the shelves. He placed a small stone next to the flower before beginning to mumble the Kaddish. Mikey washed his hands at a wash bin placed near the entrance before walking over beside the two. He clasped his hands down, bowing twice, then clapping twice, before bowing once more. He turned to Casey and smiled softly before looking at Leo.
“Donnie and I are going off on patrol.”, he explained in a hushed voice.
“Alright, be safe.”, Leo nodded at him. “...I love you.”
Mikey’s smile widened as his brows upturned. “I love you too, big bro.”, he said as he crouched down to wrap his arms around Leo from behind. “We’ll stay safe. Don’t worry.”
Mikey and Donnie left the memorial room quietly, waving goodbye. Casey waved back before looking over at Leo whose brows pinched and his beak set in a firm line.
It took Casey a moment to understand Leo’s anxiety. The slider was worried about losing someone else again. It made Casey worry too. It only took an instant for Casey to lose his mom. He didn’t want to lose anyone else either. What if this was the last time Casey ever saw his uncles? What if they get hurt? What if they never return? What if—
A large hand landed on Casey’s shoulder. It was gentle yet firm. Casey looked up to see Leo smile his signature grin at him.
“They’ll be back, Casey. Don’t worry.”, he reassured.
Casey leaned himself more into his tío’s embrace. How could the slider be so sure? It didn’t help ease the anxious feeling rising in Casey’s heart. They would all leave him behind someday. It was ine..ineb..evit… what was the word? …unable to be avoided. Casey quickly shook his head at that thought, looking around for a distraction. The child’s eyes wandered down to the lonely spool of string. He spoke up, pointing at it.
“Who did that belong to?”
“Oh, the yo-yo?”, Leo asked. So that was what it was called. “It belonged to…an old friend of mine. Yuichi Usagi. You were really young, I don’t think you remember him.”
“What happened to him?”
Leo stared off to the side for a moment. “I…don’t know. There was an attack a long time ago and we got separated. He’s still out there, I know it. I can feel it. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see him again someday.”
Casey nodded in acknowledgement. He thought to himself. The next words fumbling out of him.
“I hope to see my mom again someday.”
Notes:
SHOUTOUT TO MY IRL BESTIE FOR HELPING ME WITH JAPANESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE FOR THIS STORY. She studied abroad and has been a HUGE help! She helps out with some future chapters as well!
Usagi shows up later btw. You'll love him. Also fun fact: My ceramics teacher likes to go around and read out loud what's on people's computers and she passed by me WHILE I WAS WRITING APRIL'S BACKSTORY MOMENT AND I SLAMMED MY COMPUTER SHUT OML--
Next chapter is gonna be mostly fluff though lmfao. So rest easy until the next update, my dudes.
Chapter 4: The Adventures Of Cup
Summary:
April smiled and pointed at the bear. “Who’s your new friend?”, she asked.
Oh, I need to come up with a name. Casey glanced around in front of him. “Uhh…”, he drawled before his eyes landed on the… “Cup. Their name is Cup.”
Someone at their table chuckled, but not unkindly. “That’s not a real na—”
“It’s a great name.”, April interrupted with a grin. “Nice to meet you, Cup.”
Notes:
Yippee! New chapter! This one is mainly fluff and is a nice pause from the story to introduce you guys to the characters. =)
Side note: This story briefly touches base on Japanese, Jewish, and Hawaiian cultures (and Mexican cultures but I am Mexican so--). While I did interview friends in those cultures to make sure I'm accurate, if ANYTHING bothers someone just let me know so I can do my best to fix it. <3
Disclaimers are in the end notes as always though this one is pretty chill.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Hey.”
“Hey, Casey.”
“Wake up!”
Casey woke up the next morning, still curled up on the bottom bunk holding his mom’s pillow. Leo’s smug grin was hovering mere inches from his face. Casey slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
“What is it?”, he asked.
“Well…”, Leo started, oddly cheerful. “Me and the boys went on a quick supply run last night and we found something that I think you’ll like.” He pulled out a strange looking animal from behind his back. The animal was round and made of fabric. Casey had never seen anything like it before. “Tada!”, Leo exclaimed.
“What’s that?”, Casey asked, confused.
Leo smirked. “This is an ancient artifact known as “The Teddy Bear”! Legend says that it has super secret mystic powers! More powerful than Mikey.”
“What kind of powers?”
“That’s for you to find out.”, Leo pointed out as he handed the teddy bear to Casey. The slider stood up, wiping the dust off his knees. “Breakfast is starting soon. Meet you down there, alright?”
And with that, Tío left the room. Casey stared at the teddy bear for a moment. Its fabric was old and worn, but soft. It seemed like Leo took the time to clean it and stitch it up as best as he could. The old boring brown bear with beady black eyes and a tiny frown under its cute little embroidered nose. Casey wondered what mystic powers the bear had. He poked its belly. Nothing. Then held its hand, rubbing it. Nothing.
Suddenly, a strange urge swept over Casey. Gingerly and slowly, Casey pulled the teddy close to his chest. Soon enough, a weight had been lifted from his heart. His shoulders relaxed, holding the bear in closer. Relieved tears dwelled up in his eyes. It was an odd and strange feeling, but it was…nice. Therapeutic.
The bear has mystic healing powers! , Casey thought in awe. Tío was right! The bear really is magic!
For the first time in a long while, Casey felt happy. Excited even. He was thankful for the magic bear.
Breakfast time rolled around. Casey got dressed and ‘Anakē Sunita helped tie back his hair. He walked down to the canteen with his teddy in hand. Casey got nervous seeing everyone’s sympathetic pity looks, but squeezing onto his bear made him feel just a bit better.
He grabbed his food, which was a cup of water and a plate full of rat jerky and yokai scrambled eggs, and sat down at a table next to Auntie April and ‘Anakē Sunita.
“You seem happier, Case.”, Sunita grinned.
Sunita was the same age as April (and Casey’s mom). She was one of the many people in the Resistance who took on smaller roles, varying on assignments like patrol, maintenance, and clean up. Most of the time, she was in her human form, disguised by her cloaking broach which she kept tremendous care of from harm. Her straight black hair draped down her shoulders, being held back by a dark maroon headband. She was always wearing some sort of long sleeved dress, changing style by the day but Casey figured the pink one was her favorite. She wore black tights underneath with black steel-toed combat boots.
“I guess so.”, Casey responded with a shrug.
“Well…I’m just saying it’s nice to see you smile again.”, Sunita assured.
April smiled and pointed at the bear. “Who’s your new friend?”, she asked.
Oh, I need to come up with a name. Casey glanced around in front of him. “Uhh…”, he drawled before his eyes landed on the… “Cup. Their name is Cup.”
Someone at their table chuckled, but not unkindly. “That’s not a real na—”
“It’s a great name.”, April interrupted with a grin. “Nice to meet you, Cup.”
April went to shake Cup’s hand but Casey got scared, pulling the bear back close to his chest. He didn’t know why he felt so protective. But after knowing Cup for only a few minutes, Casey didn’t want to lose them.
Casey spoke hesitantly, “Umm…Cup doesn’t like it when other people hold them. It only trusts me.”
April nodded, seeming to understand. “Ahh, I see. I’ll respect your boundaries, Cup.” She turned back to eating her food.
Wait, that worked? Casey was surprised. Another new mystic power. Now Casey had to know what this bear could do. The possibilities seemed endless. Maybe Cup could even end the war! Casey was determined to find out.
Right after he finished breakfast first.
Casey decided to boast to Leo first. Though the slider seemed busy at the moment, bickering with someone.
He retorted, “As your leader, I demand you go out on patrol and do something about that parasite spread! If that reaches our base—”
“Oh please, we hardly get any activity out there.”
“BECAUSE I’M THE ONE PUTTING THE SYSTEM IN PLACE TO KEEP IT THAT WAY!”, Tío Leonardo snapped. “NOW GO DO YOUR DAMN JOB OR SO HELP ME I’LL UNZIP YOUR SPINE.”
The person didn’t say another word. They quickly left the headquarters, paying no attention to the child as they hurried past him. Casey carefully walked into the headquarters. It was mainly like an office but with a bunch of monitors that Uncle Tello set up. The monitors helped oversee the system on how things worked in the Resistance, as well as tap into other bases across the world using a global network. Leo was hunched over at the counter in front of the screens, pinching the bridge of his snout. He looked furious. And tired.
“...Tío?”, Casey chirped sheepishly.
It was like a switch went off in Leo’s head. He quickly turned to Casey and put on his signature smirk. “Heyyy, there’s my little monster! What’s up, Casey?”
The slider seemed to be happy, but Casey was still wary. “Um…I just wanted to say that I figured out Cup’s mystic powers.”
Leo gasped, amazed. He dropped to a knee. “Really? That’s great! What are they?”
Casey smiled. “Well, it can heal! And everyone listens to them!”
“Everyone? Wow…Wish I had that power.”, Leo mumbled.
“Mhm! I bet Cup can be a better leader than you!”
Leo scoffed. “Is that a threat, Cup? Are you starting a rebellion against me?”
Casey giggled, making the bear nod their head.
“Ohoho, I see how it is.”, Leo chuckled. “Aight bet. Cup, if you think you can be the leader, then let’s make a deal. I’m gonna send you on a mission to do crew check ins with everyone. Basically go explore the lair and say hi to everyone. Think you’re up to that?”
Casey paused with a hum, thinking. He held Cup close to his ear, as if Cup was whispering to him. Then Casey nodded, “They say it’s a deal.”
“Alright!”, Leo exclaimed as he tussled Casey’s hair, which loosened his ponytail. “Go on now. Come find me when you’re done.”
And so Casey and Cup scampered off on their adventure. As Casey turned the corner, he took a glance behind him to find Leo staring off to the side with that stern and tired look set back on his face. Being a leader couldn’t be that hard.
Right?
Casey and Cup dipped by the canteen first. It was a large section of the cave that was filled with circular tables. On one side was the long counter where the food would be set, behind that was the kitchen. Casey took the bear into the kitchen to find two skeleton yokai. The older, more slender one being Señor Hueso and the younger, more rounder-faced and plump fellow being his son, Hueso Jr. Hueso was an old family friend of the turtles, now reaching his 60s. His son was in early 20s by this point.
Hueso was almost always wearing an apron, even when he occasionally went out into battle. He wore the same red button up shirt underneath with black slacks, champagne leather boots, and an old moth-eaten brown fedora. Like any chef, his sleeves were clean while his apron was covered in food stains. His son wore the same outfit, with the exception of a pastel yellow button up shirt, a navy blue baseball cap, and a waist apron around his sides.
“¡Hola, señores!”, Casey called out as he entered the kitchen.
“Ayy, if it isn’t our little goloso. What are you doing back here? Better not be asking me for any more treats.”, Hueso smiled.
Casey shook his head, holding up Cup. “Tío sent me and Cup on a mission! We’re gonna explore the lair so we can be a leader like him!”
Hueso nodded. “Ahh, I see. Well you are just in time, goloso. I was about to prepare some rat jerky. Wanna see how I make them?”
Rat jerky sounded delicious. Casey nodded enthusiastically. Hueso smiled, waving a hand for the kid to follow him. Hueso Jr quickly ducked by them, continuing his work. The young skeleton was often pretty quiet and isolated in his own world. Hueso Sr pointed at a large tray full of rats. They were already skinned and smoked.
“Do you know why we cook with rats?”, Hueso asked.
Casey thought for a moment. “...Cuz they’re yummy?”
Hueso chuckled. “Sure, but actually, rats are a great resource for meat and protein. Especially in the apocalypse.” He continued to explain, “While many people are wary of eating them because of the stigma of diseases, it’s obvious you want to work with clean ones. Same goes for any animal we hunt and eat. Besides, rats do not take that many resources to raise and breed. Now lemme show you how we make the jerky.”
Hueso proceeded to show Casey how he seasoned the smoked rats with plain salt and pepper and then lined them up on a grate with a sheet tray underneath. He placed the tray in the big wood fired oven, whilst taking out another tray that had already been cooking in there for three hours. While that tray cooled, another tray was already cooled off to the side. Hueso then tore off the crispy jerky meat off the rats’ bodies into bite sized pieces, handing a piece to Casey. It was delicious.
“We take the skin, bones, and leather of the rats to the Nexus base.”, Hueso explained. “You remember the Nexus, right? Our partnership? Well, they help resource every part of the rats and other animals we hunt into things like armor, medicine, and clothes.”
“That’s so cool!”, Casey exclaimed.
“It is indeed.”, Hueso chuckled. “Alright, hurry on now, I’ve entertained you enough. I need to finish preparing lunch. Got lots of mouths to feed.”
Casey and Cup waved goodbye to the skeletons and left the canteen, checking it off their list.
Deeper down into the cave was warmer than an oven as Casey and Cup made their way towards the forge. The only light in the forge was the hot molten lava that surrounded the trenches. A bunch of dogs of various breeds sat and walked around the forge. Working at the anvil was a large capybara mutant with curly blonde hair.
“Hey, kiddo! Watch your step around here, okay? It can be dangerous.”, Todd called out.
Todd was the Resistance’s only blacksmith. And he brought his pack of dogs with him, training them to help with hunting, guarding, and other services that help assist people who need it. Casey glanced at one small pomeranian, sitting in the corner, who visited him shortly after his mom passed to cheer him up. But Casey wasn’t in the mood.
Todd rarely wore a shirt since he was always working in the heat, usually just a pair of denim overalls with brown boots and safety goggles. His curly blonde hair had a few gray strands in them too.
Casey walked over to the anvil, keeping his distance as Todd smacked a piece of steel with a sledgehammer into shape. The capybara paused his work, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. He turned to the child.
“So, what brings you here?”, Todd asked.
“Cup and I are on a mission!”, Casey beamed, holding his bear up to show Todd. “Cup has super secret powers! They’re super cool.”
Todd chuckled. “A superhero teddy bear, huh? Well, every superhero needs something flashy.” Todd walked over to a large metal box off to the side, digging through it to find something. “I made something a while back for a yokai scout but it was too small for them so I discarded it. But it’ll be the perfect size for your friend!” Todd returned, holding a shiny steel chainmail belt. The belt had a flashy buckle in front with the Resistance’s emblem engraved on it. It was a perfect size for Cup. “Here ya go, kiddo!”
Casey took the belt in awe, excitedly putting it on the bear. It looked even cooler now. Casey squealed, hugging the teddy bear tightly.
“Thanks, Mr. Todd!”, Casey cheered. “Cup and I have to go now. We’ll see you later!”
And with that, Casey took off again as Todd waved. Casey and Cup turned around the corner, checking the forge of the list.
Something smelled good. Like really good. But Casey couldn’t identify what it was. He followed the smell to Grandpa Barry’s mystic lab. The lab was huge and filled with all sorts of mystic items and creatures that Grandpa found during his supply runs to the Hidden City Ruins. Casey always liked the colorful style of the lab. As Casey and Cup entered the lab, they found the alchemist inspecting a strange yokai plant.
“Grandpa Barry!”, Casey beamed as he scampered into the room. He held up his teddy bear proudly. “Grandpa Barry, I got something to show you!”
The sheep yokai turned around to give the child a welcoming smile. The old yokai in question was very tall and muscle-built, his figure looming over Casey. His light blue and aqua green robe and bandaged leg wrappings were forever stained from the many experiments he worked on as the robe draped open and showed his chest, gargoyle skulls perched on his shoulders like shoulder pads while his large golden horn mask glistened in the chemical green light of the room. His long brown hair with many streaks of gray stretched down his back with his bangs tied up in a bun behind his head. His gauntlet and pants flaunted red scales as a dark green sash tied around his waist acted as a belt. His face was beginning to age with wise wrinkles around his eyes and mouth.
Grandpa Barry, or better known as Baron Draxum, was the leading alchemist of the Resistance. The most prestigious warring warrior scientist that had ever lived. He somewhat acted as a father to the turtles and a mystic mentor to Uncle Angelo. The alchemist chuckled a low rumbling laughter as he greeted Casey.
“Hello there, human child. It is good to see you smiling again.”, Barry smiled. “What is that you have in your arms?”
“This is Cup!”, Casey answered, showing the teddy bear. “They have mystic powers too! Tío told me!”
Draxum rolled his eyes. “I highly doubt that.”
Casey turned to the strange yokai plant on the counter. So that was what smelled good. It had a thick green stem and the plant’s head itself was large, yellow-ish white, and very fluffy. Casey licked his lips, reaching for the plant before Grandpa grabbed his wrist.
“Don’t eat the Zea Mays Everta!”, he scolded. “It’s poisonous!”
“The zeama…what?”
“Zea Mays Everta. Also known as the Popcorn plant. It lures beings in with a delicious aroma but the plant itself is very deadly.”
Casey huffed, retracting his hand and wrapping it back around his bear. His lips set in a firm line as his stomach grumbled for something to eat. Draxum crossed his arms, shaking his head.
“Now, now. I don’t take too kindly to pouting, child.”, Grandpa droned. “Here, I got something that you can actually eat.”
Draxum turned on his heel and walked over to a wooden box holding a flower bed of mystic yokai flowers. The flowers’ feather-shaped petals glistened a bright amber. The alchemist picked a small handful before walking back to Casey and giving it to him.
“These are Verethragnaus. They give your body the strength of thousands and kindle your fighting spirit with the will of millions. In ancient times of the yokai, warriors would often eat some before going out into battle.”, Draxum explained. “In other words, they’re like vitamins and are good for you. =)”
Casey greedily took the flowers and stuffed them into his face. The taste was super sweet, it caught Casey off guard. His eyes watered as his face scrunched up. But he adjusted to the taste quickly, giving one of the flowers to Cup. Cup didn’t seem hungry though.
Nonetheless, Casey thanked his Grandpa. He and Cup waved goodbye as they hurried off to finish their mission, checking Draxum’s lab off the list.
The flowers only wet Casey’s appetite. He was hungry for a snack. So he decided that the greenhouse would be the next stop on his list. Surely, he could get his puppy dog eyes to work. Or he could try to see if Cup’s powers would work too.
The greenhouse was basically a section of the cave that was walled with glass and sun-stimulated fluorescent lights that Donnie hooked up. It was set up all neatly with various crops, planters, and what have you. Donnie took great pains to get the system working, and even then there were some failures.
A group of people, along with Uncle Tello, were working in there at the moment, watering plants and writing supply counts. Casey walked up to one of the people, a scrawny man with a scratchy beard and plaid shirt.
“Excuse me,” Casey started politely, putting on his best puppy dog eyes show. “Can I please have a snack? I’m really hungry!”
The old man sneered. “Heyyy I know you…Yer that lil’ pest that’s always gettin’ his grubby hands on our crops! I ain’t givin’ ya nuttin’!”
Casey didn’t give in. He held up his teddy bear, adding in his lip quiver. “But-but…my teddy is hungry too! Can it get a snack? Pleaseeeeee?”
“Beat it, ya hear! Go on now an’ scram!”, the man shouted.
Casey pouted, turning his bear to face him. “Huh…I guess the magic doesn’t work on dumb people.”, he mumbled.
Casey turned and walked away, ignoring the appalled look on the man’s face. He went up to Donnie to try his question again before a troop soldier hurried inside the greenhouse, calling for Donnie.
“Mr. Hamato—”
“That’s Captain Hamato to you.”, Donnie corrected.
“Sorry, sir. Captain, you’re needed in the hangar.”
The softshell sighed, pulling himself away from his work. “What did you guys break this time?”, he asked rhetorically as he and the soldier left the greenhouse in a hurry.
Casey followed quickly behind. Following the two to the hangar, where the Resistance kept their battle aircrafts. Donnie had a new look to him. The headphones on his visor had decorative blades on them, simply because they looked cooler. His lab coat was now white, though forever covered in grime, and his arms were now covered with thick black rubber gloves that stretched up to his elbows.
Donnie was pretty much the jack of all trades. Not only was he the leading botanist and scientist/engineer, but he was also the captain of the Resistance’s top aircraft called the Red Angel, he was the communicator for other bases around the world in the HQ, he was one of the battle strategy teachers for troops in training, and he was also the head surgeon on the medic team. Uncle Tello was super smart like that. He manned the offenses and defenses. Security cams, battleships, war plans, weapons innovator, war negotiation, and more. Casey could hardly begin to imagine what it was like to be in his uncle’s shoes.
The hangar itself was massive . It had to be. A large open space full of battleships, in which most looked the same. Flat with four rotors, color-coded in purple and black. About a mile up ahead was a large ramp leading to the exit of the hangar and out of the cave, currently closed with reinforced titanium shutters. A bunch of soldiers were scattered about the area, a few stopping to salute the captain as he made his way through the crowd.
“At ease, everyone. This ain’t Operation 51.”, Donnie joked. “And I ain’t no John Bishop.”
The biggest battle aircraft of all sat in the center, the Red Angel. With a wingspan of 162 feet, a total length of 264 feet, and a total height of 102 feet. In the shape of a large, thin, three-dimensional four-point star, all painted in a flashy red with patterned yellow stripes. Equipped with two large napalm hoses on the bottom, four plasma turrets underneath each wing, four tri-bladed rotors, and a large rocket thruster on the back. The ship was so huge and impractical but Donnie did not care. At all.
Another soldier, a woman with blonde hair in a bob cut style, was standing in front of the ship with her arms crossed, pouty faced, and foot tapping impatiently. Casey could already sense the bad vibes coming off of her but Donnie beat him to it with a long drawl of breath. The woman was snippy.
“Are you the manager?”, she hissed, pointing a finger at Uncle Tello.
“...I’m the captain, yeah.”, Donnie answered dryly.
“Well, are you aware that your ships violate OSHA regulations?”, the woman snarked. “I mean this thing behind me has napalm in it. Napalm! ”
The captain took a long… very long…sigh. He gritted, clasping his hands, “Listen, Karen, the laws of war don’t apply in the apocalypse. Hence the napalm, hence the battleships modeled after the SR-71 Blackbird, and hence why I don’t give a flying fuck .”
The woman scoffed. “Well that’s not how things work in Operation 51—”
“Well, sweetheart , this ain’t Operation 51! This is the fucking Resistance! Now are you done wasting my time or do I have to relieve you of your duties?”, Donnie shouted.
“Oooooooooooo~!”, Casey droned teasingly at the woman.
Donnie whipped his head around in confusion, one holographic brow on his visor raised in question. “Junior? What are you doing here?”
“I was here this whole time.”, Casey answered. He held up his teddy bear, “I wanted to show you—”
“Well, you shouldn’t be in here. It’s dangerous.”, Donnie cut in, crouching down to scoop up the child in his arms. As he stood up, he faced back to the woman. “Thank you for your…enlightenment. That’ll be all.”
The woman scoffed dramatically as Uncle Tello turned to walk away with Casey. “I’m not done yet—”
“Well, I am. So fuck off.”, the softshell hissed.
“Yeah! Fuck off!”, Casey taunted back over his uncle’s shoulders. He stuck out his tongue, blowing a raspberry.
Donnie cackled, wiping away a tear from his still real eye. “Ohhh, I’m a great influence.”
Donnie carried Casey up to his lab where Shelldon, his robot assistant, was now repaired and running things on the monitor. The robot in question was decked out in a full body mech suit around 4’6, a foot taller than Casey. The mech suit was color-coded in Genius Built™ Purple, with stubby legs and arms. His right eye was red with a black rectangle pupil, matching Donnie’s left eye. His left eye was white with a dark purple circular pupil, matching Donnie’s right eye. Donnie made him a new one out of spare parts. It was like their eyes were matching with switched heterochromia.
Shelldon was more than just a robot assistant to Uncle Tello. He was like a son to the turtle. Which meant he was like a cousin to Casey. Shelldon was suuuuuper smart. And fun to hang out with too. He would help Donnie out with all of the workload that Donnie had with his many roles in the Resistance.
“Shelldon, do you mind watching Casey for me? I need to get back to work.”, Donnie asked as he set Casey down on the ground.
“But wait!”, Casey called out. “You gotta see—”
“And bring me a file on that Karen as well. You know the one.”, He added, turning to exit the lab.
“Uncle Tello—”
“Shelldon’s in charge now, Case. See ya later—”
“Donnie!”, Shelldon intervened. “Little dude’s got something to say.”
Donnie turned on his heel to face the two, raising a brow. Casey stepped forward, holding up Cup to show them to the softshell. Shelldon seemed to smile, standing beside Casey to gawk at the teddy bear.
“Oh.”, Donnie mumbled. He crouched down to be at face level with the bear. “Leo gave you the bear. Nice. Where did the belt come from though—”
“Its name is Cup! And they have mystic powers!”, Casey boasted.
Donnie barked out a laugh. “Ha! If that stuffed animal actually has mystic powers, Mikey might as well be the Messiah.”, he said satirically. Shelldon swatted the side of his arm. “Ow! Hey!”
“Well what kind of powers do they have?”, Shelldon asked, turning to Casey.
“So far, they can heal and they can get people to listen to it!”, Casey beamed. “But it turns out their magic doesn’t work on dumb people.”
Donnie did his best to suppress a snicker. He collected his composure, getting back up. “Well, it was nice to meet your friend. I gotta get back to work now, alright?”
Casey and Shelldon and Cup waved goodbye as Uncle Tello left the lab. Shelldon turned to Casey with a smile.
“So what do you wanna do, little dude?”, he asked, tilting his head.
“Me and Cup need to finish our mission!”, Casey exclaimed.
“What mission?”
“Tío gave us a mission to do crew check ins. We still have people to meet!”
“Well, what are we waiting for?”, Shelldon chimed as he held Casey’s hand, leading him out of the lab. “Let’s go!”
And so Shelldon joined the party, checking the greenhouse (and hangar) off their list.
Down a hall, away from the bustling distractions of the base, was a quiet, candle-lit room in the cave, covered by an orange-beaded curtain. The candles burned around the outskirts of the room. The walls in the caved room were filled with cracks and dents, as if a wild animal was let loose into the room many ages ago.
But in the center of the room was not an animal. Instead, sitting criss-cross while hovering in the air, was Uncle Angelo. Casey and Shelldon heard Mikey mutter to himself as they made their way to the room.
“...Shut up, Raph, I’m trying to concentrate…”, one sentence was clear.
Whatever conversation he was having was interrupted by the sound of hushing beads as Casey and Shelldon walked into the room. Mikey smiled at them, getting down from his hovering position to stand up.
“Hey guys, what’s going on?”, the box turtle greeted.
“Hi, Uncle Angelo!”, Casey beamed.
Shelldon squinted his eyes, looking around the practically empty room. “Who were you talking to?”, he asked.
Mikey stared, still smiling. “...No one.”, he said after a moment. “I was just meditating.”
Mikey was almost always meditating. Something about how it helps his mystic powers grow. He was the greatest mystic warrior afterall. But when Mikey was not fighting or honing his skills, he would act as a consultant for the Resistance and listen and give advice, or he would be the ambassador for the base and negotiate with other bases and groups. Grandpa Draxum often taught Uncle Angelo about his mystic powers, and the box turtle would practice everyday, getting stronger and stronger.
“Did you guys need anything?”, he asked, mainly looking at Casey with that sympathetic smile that greeted him everywhere he went.
Casey held up his teddy bear, smiling back brighter to show he was okay, “This is Cup! They have mystic powers too!”
“Oh right! Leo found that in an old store up in Harlem. He kept pricking his hand trying to sew it, haha!”, Mikey chuckled. He reached out for the bear before Casey pulled back.
“Umm, Cup doesn’t like to be touched. It only trusts me.”, Casey mumbled.
“Oh that’s okay! I wasn’t going to touch them.”, Mikey smiled. He extended his hand out again. “May I show you something?”
Casey hesitated for a moment. He knew that Uncle Angelo wasn’t going to do anything. So why was he so scared? He just didn’t want to lose his teddy bear. He didn’t want to lose…anyone—
“Okay.”, Casey nodded.
The mystic warrior extended both arms, concentrating. Then after a moment, his eyes lit up with a bright orange glow. His orange markings turned golden, the steaks of sage green in his hair now a neon green. Suddenly there was a draft in this underground room, sparks of light emitting around Mikey. Then the sparks danced around Cup, gently lifting them from Casey’s arms. Casey and Shelldon watched in awe as Mikey used his mystic powers to move the teddy bear on its own. The bear waved and twirled around, practically coming to life. Casey squealed with joy as Shelldon applauded. After a while, the show ended as the sparks faded away and Cup flopped on the floor. Another strand of sage green hair formed on Mikey’s head.
“THAT WAS SO COOOOL!!!!!!!!!!”, Casey cheered. He stepped forward to scoop up his teddy, subconsciously checking it for any tears.
“Dude, you like a full on wizard!”, Shelldon exclaimed.
Mikey rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, “Oh it was nothing. Just some telekinesis trick.” He then sat down criss crossed and made himself float again. “Anyways, I do have to get back to concentrating. It was nice to meet your friend, CJ.”
Shelldon took Casey’s hand again, “Come on! Let’s go finish our mission.”
And with that, the trio took off again, making the beaded curtain clack and hush as they ran off. Making their way down the hall, they checked the quiet room off their list.
The next room was just as quiet as the last one, but much much brighter. Lit up with bright fluorescent lights, the ground and walls smoothly paved and tiled. The room was large with several beds lined up in a row, curtains dividing them in between, and two large traffic doors leading into the room. Above the doors was a large red cross with the writing “MED-BAY” underneath.
Casey and Cup and Shelldon walked into the med-bay carefully and quietly. There were two people seated in beds, one was asleep while the other was having a cut on their arm being tended to by a woman. Grammy Carol.
“I’ll be with you in a minute.”, Carol spoke up.
Grammy Carol O’Neil was the best. She was April’s mom and when it came to the team raising Casey, she helped take charge. Carol was the head doctor on the medic team. Along with Donnie, Leo, Draxum, and a few others, the Resistance had a good handful of medics. Carol was not much taller than Mikey, her coily brown afro hair was pretty much the same as what April’s hair used to be though it was held back by a pink cloth headband. Her skin was dark yet just a bit lighter than April’s, her hair was tightly coily yet looser than April’s. Grammy wore a black tank top and camouflage cargo pants with dark brown leather boots, her ears wore large yellow drop earrings. Age had taken over her features as the woman was turning 54 in the upcoming month, with crowfeet in her eyes and soft laugh lines around her smile and streaks of gray coils blending in her hair.
Carol finished wrapping the patient’s arm before she turned to the group in front of her. “Casey, Shelldon…”, she smiled. “What seems to be the problem?”
“Don’t worry, Mrs. O’Neil. We’re all good.”, Shelldon wavered off. “We’re just on a mission.”
“A mission?”
“Yeah!”, Casey exclaimed. “Tío Leo sent me and Cup on a mission and Shelldon joined along!”
“Inside voices please!”, Grammy hushed, putting a finger to her lips. She side glanced to the other patient who was sleeping. “Remember, we need to be quiet in the med-bay.”
Casey whispered, still with the same energy, “We’re on a mission!”
Carol laughed, rolling her eyes. She crouched down in front of the group and noticed the bear in Casey’s arms. “Oh well that’s a lovely toy. Where’d you get it from?”
“This is Cup!”, Casey whisper shouted. “Leo gave them to me and they have mystic powers! It can heal just like you!”
The doctor chuckled, “Oh, I wouldn’t doubt it. So what kind of mission are you guys on?”
“We just have to go explore and say hi to everyone. There’s a lot of people though.”, Casey explained.
“Ah, a quest!”, Grammy smiled. “Well every good adventurer needs some gear. Here, I got something.”
Carol stood up and walked over to a counter and opened the drawer. She pulled out a small cardboard box. Upon returning, it was a box of flower-patterned band-aids. She handed the box to Casey.
“These should come in handy. Don’t lose them, alright?”, Carol said. Casey took the box and nodded. Shelldon gave him a thumbs up. Carol smiled, “Good. Well I need to get back to work now. How about you go say hi to April next? She’s in the dojo. Probably pulling her stitches to be honest.”
“Okay! Thanks Grammy!”, Casey beamed as he and Shelldon hurried out of the room.
“Inside voices!”, Grammy called back.
Casey and Cup and Shelldon turned the corner, heading for the dojo and checking the med-bay off their list.
The dojo was loud. Many soldiers were practicing inside. The room was a large rectangular space with the actual dojo on one side and a gym on the other. Shelldon and Casey walked in the room to find April beating up a punching bag. Shelldon took the lead, guiding Casey through the crowd of people. Auntie took another swift kick at the punching bag before she stopped to breathe, eyes landing on the group.
“Oh, hey guys!”, April spoke up, panting in between.
Auntie April was more formally known as Commander O’Neil. She was in charge of not only guiding troops into battle, but training them as well. When it came to war, she was a mastermind. Despite her shorter size, it was no sign of weakness. Skilled, resilient, unmatched. But on the other side of the coin, she was caring and compassionate. Like fire she can set ablaze, desecrating anything and everything in her path, or she can be a warm and welcoming hearth providing comfort during the most troubled times. Oh yeah, she was amazing. Especially with that mystic bat of hers.
“April!”, Shelldon started sternly, putting his hands on his hips. “You better not be pulling your stitches.”
April scoffed. “I’m fineeee, see?” She gestured to her stitches which, sure enough, were bleeding. “Oooooooo…whoops.”
Casey didn’t mind seeing blood at this point, especially after the incident with Leo’s arm. He’d seen the aftermath of war when soldiers returned home from missions, battered and bruised. Casey quickly remembered the band-aids that Grammy had given him. He grabbed the box from the pocket of his sweatpants and pointed at April.
“Sit!”, Casey demanded.
April chuckled, obliging as she sat down on her knees. Casey dropped down, setting Cup beside him as he sifted through the patterns on the plasters to find the prettiest ones. With Shelldon’s help, the two helped patch up the stitches on April’s stomach.
“Glad to have the medic apprentice in the house.”, April smiled. “You’re gonna run Grammy out of business.”
“Nah.”, Casey shook his head. “I’d rather be a warrior! Just like…”
Just like Mama… , Casey’s smile dropped, and so did April’s and Shelldon’s too. He chewed his lip, trying to hide his sadness. He remembered Uncle Angelo’s advice on not hiding his feelings but…Casey was getting so sick of everyone else around him giving him a pity sympathetic smile. He glanced down at his bear, remembering their mystic powers. He picked it up, holding Cup close to his chest. It made him feel just a bit better.
A chime rang out across the lair, a musical note from the system’s intercom. Uncle Tello’s voice spoke from the other side.
“Salutations, everyone! Just a quick reminder that karaoke night will be starting soon. Make your way to the canteen if you want to join.”
“Oooh! We gotta join in!”, Auntie exclaimed. “Come on, it’ll be fun! We haven’t had karaoke night since…well…we just gotta go!”
Karaoke night was always fun. Tío Leo always said that having fun events like these helped boost morale. As long as the Resistance remained on guard and followed their protocols and patrols, it was safe enough to do so.
Casey nodded, putting away the box before grabbing April’s hand. Casey, Cup, Shelldon, and April all followed the crowd exiting the dojo, checking the dojo off their list.
Hundreds of people filled the canteen. Off on the far side of the room, there was a stage platform. Uncle Tello hooked it up with speakers, microphones, and screen readers. He was on the stage, setting things up while Leo was writing down song requests. April tugged at Casey’s hand.
“You wanna request a song?”, she asked. Casey nodded excitedly. “Then come on!”
April helped guide Casey and Shelldon through the sea of people, which was still tough for her shorter height. Eventually, they reached the stage. Casey hopped up and tugged on Leo’s scarf. The slider turned and smiled brightly at the child.
“Hey kiddo! How was your day?”, he asked.
“We finished the mission, Tío! Me and Cup explored the whole lair!”, Casey cheered.
“You did?”, Leo exclaimed. He bent down to scoop up Casey and sat the kid on his shoulders. “Haha! Great job, Case! I knew you could do it!”
The turtle spun Casey around as the child laughed and squealed, wrapping his arms around his Tío’s neck and holding on tightly to his teddy bear. While spinning, Leo accidentally pulled a cable and unplugged a speaker.
“Eugh, boy…Sorry, Don Dee.”, Leo mumbled.
The softshell glared at him as he untangled the cable around Leo’s leg and plugged it back into place. Casey tapped on Leo’s forehead and leaned around the side.
“Tío, I got a song!”, Casey exclaimed.
Leo smiled. “Lemme hear it!”
Casey leaned in, whispering into the slider’s tympana. Leo’s smile dropped for a moment, before it turned into something soft and warm.
“It’s perfect.”, he said fondly.
The stage was set and the canteen was full. The crowd all chatted amongst each other before they were quickly hushed by the tapping and high-pitched feedback of a microphone. The leader stood before the community.
“I know it’s been a long while since we held a night like this. Things got tough and people went quiet.”, he said. The crowd’s eyes all glanced at Casey standing behind his Tío. “But let’s not dwell on the battles we’ve lost, but rather cheer for the many victories yet to come! So let’s start off this night with a tribute.” Leo looked over his shoulder at Donnie behind the disc jockey booth. “Hit it!”
The speakers danced to the all too familiar punk rock rhythm. The crowd’s faces lit up. If there was a song that described Casey Jones Senior, this was it. She had played it many times before. And so, as Casey, Leo, Donnie, Mikey, April, and Shelldon all shared the few mics on stage, so did the whole community joined in unanimous chorus.
“Can’t stay at home, can’t stay at school. Old folks say, “You poor little fool”. Down the streets, I’m the girl next door. I’m the fox you’ve been waiting for!”
Casey remembered the lyrics by heart at this point. There wasn’t a single karaoke night where this song didn’t play. His mother and he would scream their lungs out until their voices cracked. And for a moment, just for one moment, Casey swore that she was right next to him, singing along.
“Hello daddy! Hello mom! I’m your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch…Cherry Bomb! Hello world, I’m your wild girl! I’m your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch…Cherry Bomb!”
The night kicked off to a great start. One song after the other, the turtles, April, Shelldon, and Casey sang and danced as the people of the Resistance took turns singing their songs. It had been a long time since Casey smiled like this, since Casey laughed like this. And for that night, after everything that had happened, Casey started to feel that everything was going to be okay.
Casey couldn’t stay up for long though. Eventually, while sitting atop on Leo’s shoulders, he rested his chin on top of his Tío’s head. The blaring music did nothing to keep him awake. The motion of the slider’s dancing rocked the kid sleep, holding tightly to his teddy bear.
He had enough adventures for today.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Rat cuisine (idk, if anyone has a pet rat or smth or just squeamish), a bit of blood but blood and gore is just a given at this point lol.
Chapter 5: Across The Seven Galaxies
Summary:
A white rabbit yokai with his ears tied back like a ponytail with a blue ribbon. The ears were pierced, in a similar pattern to Casey Sr’s. His fur was rugged and unkempt, his build lanky if not muscular. The rabbit was quite tall but still around a few inches shorter than Leo. Wearing a dark blue robe that lost its color with time, black bandages around his arms and feet. A scar stretched across his right eye, the eye itself was glossed out and blind. And a black cloth mask tightly covering his nose and mouth.
The stranger’s eyes widened as his brows furrowed. He yanked his mask down and eyed the slider.
“...Leo?”
Notes:
Back to the plot!! Featuring a new character you guys are gonna LOVE!!! =)
As always disclaimers are in the end notes, things get a bit...well...zombie apocalypse wise...
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Psst! Casey baby!”
The year was 2038. Casey was now 10 years old. He now slept back on his top bunk, waking up in the middle of the night to his Auntie shaking him awake. April’s face was a mere inches away as she stood at one of the lower bars of the ladder. She looked…ecstatic.
“Wake up, wake up! You’re gonna miss it!”, she whisper shouted.
“Miss what?”, Casey mumbled as he yawned and rubbed his eyes.
“Well…”, she drawled. “Remember how the sky’s covered in clouds because of the war going on?”
“Yeah?”
“And remember how we haven’t had any activity lately?”
“...Yeah?”
“No more explosions, no more clouds. Just a sky full of—”
“Stars!”, Casey jumped up. “Are there actually stars?!”
“Yes but only for one night! We’re all going out topside! Come on!”, April exclaimed.
April got down the ladder for Casey to use which he ignored as he jumped down instead in his excitement. He left Cup propped up on his bed to stand guard while he was away. Casey had no idea what stars looked like. He only ever heard descriptions of them but to actually get to see them…oh man. Since they were going topside, Casey had to bundle up. While light still crept its way through the thick layer of dark dusty red clouds, not much warmth reached the earth. Days grew cold while nights were freezing. The Kraang preferred the cold climates anyway, it was heat they were weak to.
Casey threw on some thicker pants and sweater over his pajamas before putting on a black winter coat and dark green gloves. April helped tie back his hair before stuffing it all in a white beanie, pulling it down over his ears. Casey put on his brown combat boots, topping his outfit off with a lime green scarf. April was already decked out in her yellow jumpsuit, cape, and strawberry-colored goggles. Her hair had been growing back since it was buzzed but with her kinky tight coils, there wasn’t much to it.
Casey followed close behind April as they left the room, glancing back at the green eyed mask sitting on the now vacant lower bunk before closing the door behind him.
The entrance going out topside was packed with people. Everyone excitedly murmured amongst each other. A few exchanged fond smiles and glances at Casey as he and April passed by.
“This is going to be your first time! How exciting!”, someone told him.
“Yes! We haven’t had stars in 16 years.”, said another.
Casey and April made their way to the front where Sunita, Leo, Donnie, Mikey, Shelldon, and Draxum were waiting for them. The leader stood up on a wooden crate, waving his hand over the crowd as everyone quickly came to a hush.
“Now I know we are all very excited to see the stars but remember, the Kraang could be anywhere. When we go topside, we are silent. Not quiet, silent . And at the first sign of Kraang, we go back. No buts about it, alright?”, Leo spoke up in his clear speaking voice he had when addressing the Resistance.
Everyone else unanimously agreed, nodding their heads at their leader and at each other. Leo nodded back, and smiled.
“Good. Now let’s go stargazing.”, he smirked, waving his hand for the people to follow as he stepped off the crate.
Everyone followed the leader up the ramp and out of the cave topside. April took Casey’s hand and squeezed tightly, smiling brightly at him. Casey was super excited to finally see the stars. To see what the hype was all about. Was it really such a wonder? Did the starry sky hold as many secrets and wishes as he was told? Could there really be anything beyond this wasteland he called home? Casey just had to find out.
The mouth of the cave stretched out before the people, the barren desert welcoming all those who walked on it. Excited whispers echoed behind him as loved ones silenced each other. Casey looked out over the horizon to find…nothing. There were no stars in front of him, not that he knew what they looked like at all. April rolled her eyes, grabbing Casey’s chin to tilt his head up. And there they were.
Stars.
There weren’t as many seen as people have told him there were. Maybe the clouds blocked some from view. But there were still many stars in the black ink sky. Glistening and twinkling. They looked so small, like tiny needle holes poked through black paper. These were stars.
Casey made a huge gasp, holding his breath before he could instinctively squeal with excitement. He bounced on his knees before running forward along with the others. He stared up at the sky, the stars moving before him. Casey had to pause here and there to cover his mouth to stop himself from squealing and laughing with joy.
Staring up above him, Casey twirled himself around. Watching the stars spin and spin and spin and spin and— Casey tripped himself in his own dizziness and fell down on his back. Still watching the stars spin and spin and spin and spin.
Uncle Angelo laid himself down beside him, Uncle Tello laying on his other side. The softshell turned to him and smiled, holding his arms out in front of him.
“Pretty nice, right?”, the turtle signed in ASL. He had taught Casey sign language as well growing up.
“Yeah! I love it!”, Casey nodded, signing back excitedly.
Soon enough, April, Leo, and Shelldon laid down beside the group, their heads circling around each other. Mikey used a mystic stream of light to draw out pictures with the stars while Donnie signed to Casey, describing what constellations were and the stories held in them. Everyone else eventually lied on their backs too, silently watching the stars rotate around the earth.
No words were spoken, no hushes murmured. Just quiet smiles, holding hands. A whole diverse community of people coming together to universally enjoy the simplest of things. Their craves for a sliver for normality had been satisfied. For once, acting like there wasn’t a war. Back to the way things used to be, though Casey didn’t know how it used to be.
Suddenly, a droning sound rang out in the distance from far away. But through the quiet, it was just loud enough to make people sit up and for heads to turn. Casey sat up too and looked off in the distance, squinting his eyes. There in the distance, a couple miles away, was a handful of tiny red lights moving about in the dark. Kraang hounds.
Leo stood up, waving his arms to draw the people’s attention. With a heavy sigh, he pointed his thumb back at the cave’s entrance. Everyone frowned but no one made a peep as they got up and quickly walked back inside.
At least the stars looked nice.
“No! Don’t touch it!”, Casey screamed.
A few days had passed. Casey was clutching his hands in his hair as if to shield it. April was holding a pair of scissors. They were both seated on the floor in their bedroom where April was trying to give Casey a haircut. She sighed softly.
“Casey baby, it’s matted. It’s a full on nest. We just gotta cut it short, okay?”, Auntie explained.
“No! I don’t wanna! Don’t cut it!”
“Why??”
“Because I wanna remember Mama! Uncle Angelo says that hair holds memories!”
This was true. Sometime last year, Casey had asked about Michelangelo’s hair. The box turtle explained that he liked to keep it long because of a saying that hair holds memory. And so he kept it long in remembrance of his late brother and father. To remember the good times.
“That’s not the saying I heard.”, April said, raising a brow. “I was told that hair holds trauma. And that sometimes it’s better to cut it off in a way of letting things go. If you want to hold on to the memories, Casey baby, you’ll be holding on to the trauma as well.”
“Don’t care! I wanna keep it!”, Casey snapped, curling in on himself.
Auntie sighed again. “Alright, alright. We won’t cut it, okay? But let’s at least unmat it and tie it up or something so that it stays out of the way. Sound like a compromise?”
Casey sniffled, gingerly bringing his hands down. Auntie was right, his hair was really matted and tangled. The Resistance didn’t really have hair brushes except for the ones made of rat bones. And brushing with his fingers didn’t really help much growing up. The length stretched down his back, Leo once saying it looked like the “Grudge”, whoever that was. The child nodded. April smiled, scooting around behind him. Using the blunt end of the scissors, April got to work untangling his hair.
The two spent the next few hours fixing up Casey’s hair. Casey sat still, playing with Cup in his lap and listening to April’s humming and fond memories of old times. Who knew Tío Leo and Uncle Angelo used to hunt ghosts with Auntie April? And it turned out to be a kid in a robot suit! Casey laughed until his stomach hurt.
Once Casey’s hair was all fixed, April braided it all up and wrapped it around itself in a bun, tying it tightly with a hair tie. It was a good compromise. This way, Casey could keep his hair while not having to worry about it getting tangled or grabbed. Auntie was always great at doing hair.
“There, all done.”, April smiled. “How’s that?”
Casey smiled back and nodded. “I like it!”
A couple weeks later, Casey, Cup, and Uncle Angelo were sitting in the “classroom”, as it was called. The classroom in question was relatively new, just as old as Casey. It was for Casey. A room inside the cave with an old yellow plastic kids table in the center. Boxes filled with textbooks, college-grade as that was all the turtles could find. Mikey would drag Casey in the classroom to teach Casey a new topic each week. It wasn’t much, but it worked.
Today, they were drawing. After a supply run, Mikey found a big old plastic storage container full of used crayons and several stacks of paper. Out of all the lessons, this was Casey’s favorite. He could draw whatever he wanted! So he decided to draw his family. Cup didn’t seem like drawing, but it was fine with watching Casey and Mikey draw instead.
Uncle Angelo’s tight coily brown hair with sage green strands had gotten much longer too. Auntie and ‘Anakē had a lot of fun helping style the box turtle’s hair into big thick box braids that now draped over his shoulders.
As Casey was working on coloring in Leo with a lime green crayon (the drawing in question was a blocky stick figure with a triangle head), the disaster twins walked into the room.
“What’s going on here, guys?”, Leo smirked.
Mikey grinned, looking up from his drawing of a shark. “We’re drawing!”
“Drawing?”, Donnie raised a holographic brow. “That’s not very educational, Michael. How is this teaching Casey?”
“I’m teaching Casey about how to be creative!”, Mikey smirked. He added with a tease, “Something you wouldn’t understand.”
“Ouch. My feelings. I am incredibly hurt.”, Donnie snarked sarcastically.
Leo came around and crouched beside Casey, looking at the portrait of him. He snickered, before collecting his composure. “It looks great, Case! Glad you got my good side.”
“Thanks, Tío!”, Casey beamed.
“Hey, you should add a rainbow behind me. Rainbows are sick!”
“What’s a rainbow—”
“Ha gay.”, Donnie mocked.
Leo scoffed. “Shut up! You know what I meant!”
“What is gay?”, Casey asked.
Uncle Tello and Uncle Angelo bursted out in laughter as Tío’s bright green face turned red. Casey didn’t understand what was so funny. Soon enough, the B team’s laughter droned and Leo cleared his throat, turning to Casey with an awkward smile.
“Honestly, I can’t say I’m surprised that you don’t know. Back in our time, it was like a universally known thing.”, Leo let out a weak chuckle. “But to put it simply…you know how love works?”
Casey nodded.
“And how there’s different kinds of love and different people someone can love?”
Casey nodded again.
“Well, back in our day, that had a name. The LGBTQ+ community .”, Leo emphasized with a wave of his hands in dazzlement. “Basically it’s anyone who is different from what they are from birth and who loves others in different ways that aren't “normal” per se.”
“What do you mean normal?”, Casey asked, tilting his head.
Leo rolled his eyes. “Ugh! Normal was basically cishet people.”
“Cishet?”
“Ya know like their gender is the same assigned from birth and they like the opposite gender. That was the norm to them.”
“But why?”
“I don’t fucking know.”, Leo shrugged. “But anyways, the LGBTQ+ community has these labels that help identify themselves and learn about each other. For example, I am gay. That means I like guys just like me.”
“And I swing both ways.”, Donnie chimed in. “That’s called bi.”
Mikey grinned. “And I don’t do labels. Even the term unlabeled as a label is just not it. I just am who I am and I love who I love.”
Casey was a bit puzzled. He never really cared about labels of identity. He grew up with many people and yokai in all different shapes and sizes. To hear that they were once categorized sounded…well it sounded like Operation 51 from what he’d heard of that place.
“Don’t sweat it too much, kid.”, Leo smiled, placing his robotic arm on Casey’s shoulder. “Society has pretty much changed for the somewhat better now, even if it did take the end of the world. Besides, the labels aren’t meant to be rules , but rather guides to help you figure out what you are. You can’t choose who you are but you can choose how you identify yourself. So if ya wanna touch base on this again, we’d be happy to help.”
Casey still wasn’t quite sure what the slider meant but it did make him feel at ease. Soon, Shelldon ran into the room. It wasn’t hard to miss by his heavy metallic footsteps.
“Donnie! Leo! I got an update on the droids! Their numbers increased and are heading out west near Salt Lake!”, Shelldon called out.
Uncle Tello quickly rose to his feet and hurried out of the room with Shelldon. Tío Leo got up and patted his hand on Casey’s head.
“Guess we’ll let you two get back to drawing.”, the slider grinned. He pointed at Mikey as he made his way out. “Teach him what a rainbow is.”
Mikey chuckled and rolled his eyes as Leo left the room. Casey still turned to him with a raised brow in question.
“Seriously, what is a rainbow?”
“Casey! Are you hurt?!”
“No.”
“Are you sure?!”
“Yes.”
“Don’t scare me like that then!!”
“I literally tripped over a bottle.”
A month had passed. Leo and Casey were out on a supply run with Donnie and Mikey and April but the two got split up from the group during an ambush of Kraang hounds. Casey usually never went out on missions, given he was still a kid, but this time they had no one to watch over him.
So Tío got him decked out in a thick black sweater with beige cargo pants, black leather ankle steel-toed combat boots, a Genius Built™ patented titanium chestplate, arm pads, knee pads, and a sand colored cloak with a steel cloak chain. It seemed a bit much, the slider immediately became a mother hen. At this point, the 10 year old was expecting him to die of a heart attack if Casey so much as sneezed.
The slider and human found themselves in an abandoned building, where upon entering, Casey tripped on a glass bottle.
“Hey wait, I think I know this place.”, Leo mumbled. He glanced around in front of him before finding the emergency exit stairs of the old ruined building. “Come on. Stay—”
“Stay close, I got it.”, Casey rolled his eyes as he followed his Tío.
“Like glue .”
“Like glue.”
Casey and Leo ascended the staircase all the way up to level 5, using flashlights to light their way through the darkness. While they climbed, Leo was mumbling an old song to himself. Casey remembered it from their many karaoke nights.
“Is anybody out there? Anybody there? Does anybody wonder? Anybody care?”
As they exited the stairs, Leo cautiously shielded his prosthetic arm around Casey as he glanced around the hallway. He nodded, noting it was clear to move. As they stepped forward, the slider gasped, looking at one of the doors. It was labeled “50…6? 9?”, the last number dangled upside down.
“Oh man, could it actually be???”, Leo grinned. He peered open the door and gawked at the room in front of him. “Omigosh, yes! It’s all still here!”
“What is?”, Casey asked as he followed the red-eared slider inside.
The apartment room was dark. But surprisingly it was all so…futuristic. Like Donnie’s lab. There were a bunch of tech and knicknacks lying about. The place looked untouched by time but incredibly worn down as stains, food crumbs, wrappers, and old clothes littered the room. Someone was living here.
“Casey Jones, welcome aboard the S.S. Starbolt!”, Leo gestured to the room and bowed dramatically. “Home of the great Jupiter Jim.”
“Who is Jupiter Jim?”, Casey asked as he inspected the room with his light.
“Oh man, he is only like one the coolest people I’ve ever met in my life! Too bad he is a total lunatic who tried to kidnap me and my bros.”
“Wait what—”
“ GAAAAAAAAASP! No way!! Casey, come look!”, Leo called out, looking at a box full of…books? Flashy paper books with lots of drawings in them. “This is the entire Jupiter Jim comic book collection! What a jackpot!”
Casey walked over and looked over the slider’s shoulder at the books. He grabbed one of them and flipped through it. Casey had absolutely no idea what he was even looking at. It was nothing that he’d ever seen before. Leo caught on to his confusion.
“Don’t worry, once we get back to base, I’m gonna teach you how to read so you can check out these bad boys!”, Tío smirked.
“Didn’t Uncle Tello say you’re illiterate?”, Casey raised a brow.
Leo scoffed. “It’s dyslexic and trust me, I can read just fine—”
A crash was heard in the distance. It sounded nearby.
“What was that—”, Casey started.
“Shh!”, Leo silenced him.
A pause. Then another crash followed by an alien squeal. Leo’s brows furrowed. He got up, unsheathing his swords. The slider then used his body to shield Casey.
“Stay behind me.”, he mumbled. “Be my light.”
There was another door in the apartment. A metallic double doorway with a sign above it labeled “Hall of Victories”. There was something… or someone…banging and screeching behind the doors. Casey shined his flashlight into the hall as Leo opened the doors. The dark hallway had a bunch of windows on both sides, each window was decorated with a scene. Places that Casey had never been to. Places he’d probably never get to see.
Tío pushed forward. Casey lit the way. There, at the end of the hall, was the source of the noise. It was a man. Black man with an aging gray afro, wearing some sort of suit, like the man on the cover of those comics. He was piloting a giant reptilian robot suit. But the man wasn’t here anymore. Kraang lesions had taken over the suit and the man. A Kraang zombie.
“Oh no…”, the slider sighed. “It shouldn’t have been a surprise really.”
“But can’t we save him? Bring him to Uncle Angelo?”, Casey asked.
“No…Look at how much of him has been covered, he’s too far gone.”
Leo frowned, taking a breath. In an instant, he charged forward and took out the zombie with his katanas before it could strike a fighting chance. Sliced the head clean off, the limb crawled on its own as it screeched and shrilled. Leo wasted no time stomping on it, crushing it like a little bug. A gush of slime and blood spewed out as Leo lifted his foot to reveal the mushed brain. The lifeless body collapsed to the ground, the lesions dying and rotting away.
“Such a shame.”, Leo muttered. He began to walk out of the room as Casey followed. “Guess all stars burn out eventually.”
Without another word, the two grabbed the comics, stuffed them in their bags, and left the apartment.
They descended the staircase, stopping to check each floor as they made their way down to the ground floor. Not much was to be found aside from a few extra cans of Chef Boyardee’s and a used first aid kit. But before they could leave the only exit to this shithole of a building, Leo opened the exit door as a bucket of rocks crashed down in front of him. Both of them jumped back in a panic as the rocks tumbled down.
“Godammit, Moncrief, you paranoid bastard. It’s a trap!”, Leo grumbled. “Alright, come on, we’ll find another way—”
Just then, they heard barking in the distance. Kraang hound barking. A whole pack of them. They must’ve been drawn by the sound. Casey felt goosebumps go down his spine. A chill he felt through the thickness of his clothes. Tío grabbed his wrist tightly and started running away.
“Come on! We gotta move!”, the leader demanded.
And so they bolted. Kraang hounds were burrowing their way through the rubble. Leo grabbed a handgun from his pouch. A plasma handgun that Donnie invented. Bullets didn’t work on the Kraang, they’d just absorb it. So fire and plasma and goddamn napalm was next best. The slider turned around, pulling Casey behind him as he shot at the hounds with near precise accuracy. A few went down while others pursued.
They kept running. Kept ducking. Kept fighting. Eventually the gun ran out of fuel, Leo discarding it off to the side.
“This way!”, he shouted, ducking around a corner into a dead end hallway with no way out. Not unless the elevators in that hallway still worked. “Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!”
The slider pulled the child behind him. Casey whimpered, eyes glued onto the hounds coming after them. Leo tightened his grip on his swords, glancing over his shoulder at Casey. And he smiled.
“Just close your eyes, okay? I got this.”, he reassured. “Close your eyes.”
The hounds were coming. Faster and faster. Closer and closer. Leo readied his stance. And Casey shut his eyes.
Shnk!
Someone shouted. Someone unfamiliar. Casey opened his eyes to see this stranger fire flaming arrows at the hounds, taking them out one by one. They jumped in front of Leo and finished the hounds off with a sword of their own. A katana. The hounds went down and perished. The flames slowly burning away at the alien flesh. In the light, Casey took a closer look at the stranger as they turned around to face the two.
A white rabbit yokai with his ears tied back like a ponytail with a blue ribbon. The ears were pierced, in a similar pattern to Casey Sr’s. His fur was rugged and unkempt, his build lanky if not muscular. The rabbit was quite tall but still around a few inches shorter than Leo. Wearing a dark blue robe that lost its color with time, black bandages around his arms and feet. A scar stretched across his right eye, the eye itself was glossed out and blind. And a black cloth mask tightly covering his nose and mouth.
The stranger’s eyes widened as his brows furrowed. He yanked his mask down and eyed the slider.
“...Leo?”
“Usagi?!”, Leo exclaimed.
The stranger, or Usagi, bursted out a nervous laugh. “Please tell me I’m dreaming.”
Leo cackled, dropping his katanas and running over to the rabbit. He lifted Usagi up and spun him around in his arms. The both of them shared a roar of relieved laughter. Leo leaned in and kissed the rabbit several times on the cheek as Usagi giggled. They know each other.
“Holy fucking shit! I—I can’t believe it’s you! It’s really you!”, the rabbit exclaimed, tears watering up in his eyes as he cupped Leo’s face in his hands. “Look at you! Look at—What the fuck happened to your arm?!?! And are you—…have you gotten even more taller?? Ha …you idiot…”
“What do you mean look at me? Look at you! Look at your eye! What happened?!”, Leo grinned ecstatically as tears ran down his cheeks. “I—I thought I’d never see you again! I…I missed you…”
Usagi smiled. “I missed you too.”
The rabbit pulled the slider in for a tender long awaited kiss, both crying pearls of tears. Casey fidgeted with the end of his cloak, feeling awkward. After a moment, Leo set Usagi down. They wiped the tears from their eyes, sniffling. The rabbit turned to Casey.
“Uh…hey kid.”, he smiled.
“...hi.”, Casey replied sheepishly.
Leo chuckled. “Junior, this is Usagi, remember? Yuichi Usagi?”
Then it clicked. The yo-yo, the description, Tío’s stories. The rabbit from Casey’s memories. It was him.
“Wait, Junior?”, Usagi questioned. “As in Casey Jones Junior ? The kid??”
“That’s him alright.”, the slider smirked.
“Casey!”, Usagi exclaimed as he kneeled down to Casey’s eye level. “Hey! I don’t think you remember me, you were like…what…4? Wow, you’ve really grown up!”
Casey didn’t know what to feel. He remembered feeling sad that day when Usagi disappeared but nothing much else. But if Leo trusted him, then Casey would too. Casey held out his hand for a handshake. Usagi giggled, shaking his hand. Leo walked over to his katanas and picked them back up, sheathing them back behind his shell.
“Come on, we should get out of here.”, he said. “Before any more of those drippy Kraang monsters show up.”
“Right.”, Yuichi nodded. He got up, grabbing his sword too. He turned to Casey, “Come on, danshi.”
The three walked out of the building, pushing through the rubble at the exit. The cold wind outside rushed around them. The dark sky was gradually getting darker. Leo held up his robotic arm, talking into his communication device.
“Donnie, come in. Mikey? April? Anyone?”
“Leo! Where the fuck are you?!” , Donnie shouted through the other line.
“You remember Jupiter Jim’s apartment?”
“What?”
Leo enunciated, “Do. You. Remember. The. Building?”
“Yeah sure, why?”
“Meet us there.”
The call ended. Usagi chuckled.
“Man it’s good to hear that nerd again.”, he smiled.
“Just wait until you see everyone else. They’re gonna flip out!”, Tío grinned back.
After a while of sitting and waiting, Casey looked out into the barren wasteland to see three figures heading their way. Orange, purple, and yellow. Casey smiled, getting up and running over to them as they came into view.
“Uncle Angelo!”, Casey cheered as he jumped into the ornate box turtle’s arms.
“Hey Casey! Thank the spirits, you’re okay!”, Mikey smiled back.
“Tío found his friend! You guys gotta meet him!”
“His friend? Who?”
“Over there!”, Casey turned and pointed.
Mikey, Donnie, and April looked up at what Casey was pointing at. Leo and Yuichi came into view, jogging up to them. Uncle Tello’s eyes widened while Auntie gasped.
“No way…is that actually…”, Uncle Angelo muttered.
“Hey guys!”, Leo called out, waving his arm up wildly while holding hands with Yuichi with his other arm. “Look who’s back!”
“Holy truffle mac n cheese, it’s him.”, Donnie muttered as well.
April ran first, then Mikey and Donnie followed. They all embraced the rabbit tightly in a group hug. Laughter and cries rang out. They all knew each other.
“You got a haircut.”, Usagi pointed out, turning to April.
Auntie April scoffed. “Don’t get used to it.”
“And your hair’s gotten so much longer, love the braids. But…there’s more green strands. Have you been overusing your powers?”, Usagi pointed to Mikey.
“Oh please, someone had to pick up your weight.”, Uncle Angelo rolled his eyes.
“And you…”, Usagi turned to Donnie. He squinted his eyes. “...You’ve gotten dumber.”
Donnie sneered. “And you’ve gotten bitchier. Keep talking like that and I won’t fix you a new eye.”
The two of them glared at each other for a moment. Then they both bursted out laughing. Donnie landed a playful punch to the rabbit’s shoulder. Their laughter droned.
“Ohh, it’s good to have you back, rabbit.”, the softshell smirked. “I’m going to install a fuck ton trackers on you before you decide to take off from us again.”
Usagi chuckled, looking around the group. He smirked, but his brows furrowed in question.
“Where’s the other Casey? Back at base?”, he asked.
A sense of dread fell upon the group. All averted their eyes. It didn’t take long for the rabbit to read the room. His smile dropped.
“Oh. Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay.”, Casey Jr cut in. “...It’s…we’re okay.”
Casey met Yuichi’s gaze. There was a look of fear in his eyes. A deep seated, triggered fear. His gaze looked…distant. Tío noticed it too. He walked over, placing a hand on the rabbit’s shoulder which snapped him out of it.
“Hey.”, he whispered. “Bunny, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. Just…tired.”, Usagi muttered, nodding. He cleared his throat, collecting his composure.
Leo unsheathed one of his swords, making a large blue portal out in front of him. “Let’s go home then.”, he smiled warmly. “Hueso’s serving rat pozole tonight. Or…whatever is closest to it.”
“As disgusting as that sounds, I’ve really missed that guy’s cooking.”, Usagi chuckled.
And so the group returned back to base, with a lot more to bring back than expected.
Leo slammed his and Casey’s bags down on the loot table in the storage room. The bags hit the table with a heavy resounding thunk.
“Woah, Hamato hit the jackpot!”, someone exclaimed from behind the table.
“Hell yeah!”, Leo cheered as he opened up the bags to reveal the comic books. “Tada~!”
Donnie scoffed, setting his bags down on the table as well. “Really, Nardo? I come back with 12 gallons of gas while you spend your lovely ass time finding comics?”
“ The Jupiter Jim full collection, thank you very much.”, Leo snarked back. “Case and I actually ran into Mr. Moncrief himself. Too bad he was a zombie. Had to kill ‘im.”
“A zombie? How recent?”
“Like a good 3 or 4 months, give or take. Nothing much of him left.”
Donnie nodded in acknowledgement. “I’m surprised he even lasted that long. I figured he’d be one of the first, if not taken in by the Operation.”
“The Operation? Really?”, Leo smirked.
Donnie chuckled. “Haha, yeah. They’d probably shoot the old crackhead on sight.”
The disaster twins shared a roaring laughter as Casey was sitting on a long metal bench against the wall with Auntie, Uncle Angelo, and Usagi. April was getting fussy about the rabbit’s shaggy fur, carefully brushing it out.
“Good thing we ransacked that old pet store on 3rd, huh Mikey?”, she exasperated. “Finally, a few good brushes for once. Pet brushes or not.”
Usagi winced at a tight knot April was brushing on his arm. “Ugh, do we really have to do this now? It’s fine, let it be!”
“Nope! How else are you and Leo gonna cuddle comfortably—”
“Ohmygodshutup!”, Usagi blurted, burying his face in his hands.
Casey tapped on the rabbit’s shoulder. “Wait, so if you and Tío are dating, does that mean you’re my uncle too?”
Yuichi chuckled wryly. “When you were younger, I taught you to call me Oji Usagi.”
“Oji?”
“Yeah, it means uncle in Japanese.”
“Oji…Okay, Oji!”, Casey beamed. It made Oji smile brightly too.
Meanwhile, Mikey was sorting through a few of the comic books with Casey, figuring out which one to start with for their next reading lesson. He picked up one, glossing over it before showing it to Casey.
“How about this one? It’s one of the newer additions. Limited time sale.”, he grinned.
Casey tilted his head, as if that would help him read. “J-Jupiter…Jim…Across The…Seven…Gal—Galay—...Galansk—”
“Galaxies. Jupiter Jim: Across The Seven Galaxies.”
“What’s it about?”, Casey turned to Mikey.
“So basically JJ’s partner, Red Fox, gets separated from him and Jim travels across all the seven galaxies to find her. He faces many, many obstacles. But in the end, nothing will ever keep him from his partner in crime.”
“Nothing?”, Casey asked in awe.
“ Nothing .”
“Coooooool.”, Casey droned.
Usagi chuckled softly. When Casey turned to him, there was a fond yet sorta…sad smile on his face. Then the disaster twins walked over to them.
“Alright, everything’s been accounted for.”, Leo grinned. “Let’s go get some food.”
As everyone got up to leave, Yuichi turned to the slider. “Umm, Leo? C-Could I speak to you privately?”, he asked in a low voice, rubbing his arm.
“Uh, yeah, sure.”, Leo nodded, walking over to wrap his arm around Usagi’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go this way. We’ll meet up with you guys in the canteen.”
Casey watched as Tío and Oji walked away together. He frowned, looking at how scared the rabbit looked all of a sudden. April came over and grabbed his hand.
“Let’s go, Casey baby. They’ll be back soon.”, she said reassuringly. “Come on, if we hurry, Señor Hueso will give us the best first pick.”
And so Casey followed Auntie, Uncle Tello, and Uncle Angelo down to the canteen. As they made their way there, they passed by the memorial room. Casey eyed the lonely yo-yo on the shelf. He remembered how it belonged to Oji Usagi. The rabbit would probably want it back. CJ wiggled his way out of April’s hold and headed for the room.
“Baby, where are you going?”, April asked.
“Be right back!”, Casey called out, hurrying over to the room.
April eyed the room, smiling softly with a bittersweet expression. “Alright.”, she spoke up. “Just don’t take too long, okay? The good stuff’s almost out.”
“Okay!”
Casey crouched down in front of the shelf, glancing over at the keepsakes on them. He glanced around him before snatching the lonely yo-yo and stuffing it in his pocket. Getting up, Casey retraced his steps back into the hall. He heard people talking in the distance. No…they were shouting. Casey followed the noise.
“You don’t understand—”
“Then help me understand! What’s going on?”
“Leo, please! You don’t know—”
“Know what?!”
“YOU DON’T KNOW THE SHIT I’VE SEEN OUT THERE!”
Casey stopped at the door which led to the turtle brothers’ bedroom. The door was shut but the walls in the entire lair were thinner than you think. Casey could, and would , always hear everything. Every rumor, every gossip, everything the adults kept secret from him. He pressed himself against the wall, listening in.
“6 YEARS!”, Oji started. “6 YEARS I’VE SPENT OUT IN THAT SHITHOLE, FIGHTING EVERY DAY JUST TO GET BACK TO YOU!”
Leo exclaimed, “And you did! I’m so happy you’re back—”
“YOU DON’T GET IT! YOU DON’T GET IT!”
“Okay—Usagi, bunny, please. You’re not making any sense. Just take a breath with me, okay?”
A pause.
“That’s it. Just breathe. It’s okay.”, Leo softened his voice. “Just talk to me, babe. What happened?”
More pause, followed by sniffling.
“I…”, Usagi croaked. “...I fucked up. I’ve done things that I can’t let go of…”
“What kind of things?”
Usagi heaved, sniffling even more. “Things like…stealing from innocent people, like food…a car…and……and…………lives…”
“Lives?”
“...I…I had my first kill.”
First kill. It was a code, or at least treated like one. It was when someone killed another alive human being or yokai for the first time. It happened to everyone eventually. April and Donnie already had theirs a long time ago. Mikey and Leo and Casey all knew it was coming for them next. It was…unable to be avoided. Inevitable. It was just a matter of when.
“...Three guys…”, Oji Usagi continued. “Just some traveling group…and they…they wanted to…”
There was even more pause.
“And that kid out there…”
“What kid? Casey? What about Casey?”
“...He’s a spitting image.”
“A spitting image? Of who?”
Before Casey could hear anything else, Uncle Angelo called out to him. “Casey! Where’d you go? Dinner’s getting cold.”
Casey turned towards the voice down the hall. He got off the wall and looked back at the room. He took the lonely yo-yo from his pocket and placed it in front of the door. He slowly crept away from the bedroom, then walked, then sprinted until he was out of range.
“I’m here!”, he called back. “Let’s go eat! I’m starving.”
Uncle Angelo chuckled. “Me too, CJ.”
As they walked to the canteen, Casey pondered to himself. What happened to Usagi while he was gone? What upset him so much that he kept staring at Casey with that scared, distantly sad look? But Casey knew…
He’d find out eventually.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Blood and gore (alien gore ew), general angst (yk how it is), general topic of death (yk how it is).
Shoutout to my beta reader, @TigreCreativa (twt) for helping me beta read this fanfic! You are absolute baller!
Chapter 6: The Lore
Summary:
“APRIL, WHAT THE FUCK?!”, Uncle Tello screeched from outside.
“What? I’m just teaching him a valuable lesson of respect!”, Auntie snarked.
“YOU CAN’T KEEP BREAKING PEOPLE’S ARMS! WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THIS!”
Notes:
Ik we kinda left off on a bit of a cliffhanger last chapter, BUT it's training time! (We'll get back to Usagi's trauma next chapter)
This chapter is SPECIFICALLY designed for you guys to understand the lore of the story, so if anything is too confusing, just say the word. =)
No disclaimers for this chapter, just talk about post-apocalypse world building. =)
BTW, THIS IS THE END OF ARC 1. ARC 2 STARTS WITH CHAPTER 7. LET'S GO!!!!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The year was 2040. Casey was now 12. And today was his first day of training to be a soldier for the Resistance. To be the brave warrior his mother always told people that he would become. He joined the training regime, getting odd looks for being so young. He was the youngest in the Resistance afterall. But that didn’t mean he was the weakest.
“Good morning, maggots!”, April lectured sternly as she marched into the dojo where the regime was waiting. She made it halfway before bursting out in laughter. “Sorry, sorry! I’m just messing with you. This ain’t no Operation 51.”
Casey and the others chuckled wryly. April walked over to a whiteboard that had been set up. Everyone sat down on the floor as she started the lesson.
“The name’s Commander O’Neil. Some of you know me, some of you don’t. I’m here to teach you about fighting against the Kraang. But before we train our muscles, we must train our minds. Today, we’re gonna go over everything you need to know about the Kraang, other bases, and how we survive in this world. I know you may think you already know everything about this but I assure you, you don’t. So let’s get started, shall we?”
Auntie turned to the whiteboard which had pictures of various Kraang types taped to it. She pointed to the first one.
“These 3 are the Kraang. The 3 main aliens that invaded our homeworld. They’re the only aliens that survived the prison dimension but they are responsible for this entire apocalypse . Rare, but incredibly deadly.”, she explained.
She pointed to the next photo. “These are called Kraang Droids. Using their lesions, the Kraang possessed the dead bodies of their siblings and reanimated their droids, bringing them through the portal into our dimension. They’re just as deadly as the Kraang yet only 15 of them exist, their numbers are steadily increasing. The droids all travel in one herd across the globe, taking out the top bases of each country one by one. Currently they’re in Cambodia, so I doubt we’ll see them for a while.”
Then she pointed at the next photo. “Kraang Decoys. It’s the term we use for any inanimate objects possessed by the Kraang. Tanks, helicopters, trains, spoons , don’t get me started with the spoons.” Casey was not gonna let her get started with the spoons. “Decoys vary in lethality, just like how a tank is more deadly than a bowl. They’re the result of lingering parasites, which is why when we patrol, we don’t leave any stone unturned.”
April pointed at another photo. “I’m sure you know about Kraang Hounds. They’re fully possessed humans, yokai, and animals that have been taken over by the Kraang. They are twice as strong as their zombie counterparts. They often travel in packs. And they are too gone to be saved.” She pointed to another photo beneath the previous one. “There’s a subset called Kraang Minions . Just the same as the hounds except they stand tall and are originally possessed specifically by the Brother Kraang.”
Then another photo. “Kraang Zombies. The most common type. Partially possessed humans, yokai, and animals. The further along the infection, the stronger they become and the harder it is to save them. It takes 5 months before they turn into a hound.”
And then the last photo. “Lastly, we got Kraang Parasites. They’re bits of Kraang lesions that spread, infecting anyone and anything in our path. I don't know if anyone here heard of The Last of Us , but they work just like the fungi in that game. They travel across the terrain mainly in abandoned spaces, the more time a place has been abandoned, the more they spread. Which is why patrolling is important. Keep the activity up surrounding our base not only helps keep a watchful eye but it also keeps the parasites at bay and preventing them from possessing a fucking spoon. These things have eyes and mouths but unlike the other Kraang types, parasites cannot see or hear you, but they can sense vibrations which means when you encounter some, you must move slowly so that they can’t sense you.”
April folded her hands behind her. “All the Kraang work in a hive mind , but only to their types. Hounds to hounds, decoys to decoys, and so on. Only Kraang Prime can talk to all of them.”
The various types of Kraang alone was a lot to take in. There was so much to know about this world. But the lesson was just getting started. April flipped the whiteboard around, revealing a diagram of sorts with stick figures and arrows, pointing from one panel to the next.
“Surely, you know how the infection works. This is not your stereotypical zombie apocalypse where you get bit. The infection works on contact which means don’t let it touch your skin or you’re fucking dead . It sinks into your skin, possessing the veins and nerves. Which means amputation doesn’t always work, and it’s not safe to rip it out. Ripping it out could have serious repercussions. Which is why we all must cover our skin when going topside, not just because of the cold but because we gotta protect ourselves like vampires from the sun.”
Commander O’Neil started pacing around back and forth in front of the board.
“Like I said, the longer you wait, the harder it is to save them. And there’s only one way to save a zombie. A fuck ton, and I mean a fuck ton of mystic energy. Some of you are specific types of yokai who have an internal source of mystic energy and are able to help yourselves out. Most of us don’t, we need an external source. Someone who can lend their power to others. Which is why we stick in groups, pairs at least. If one of us goes down, the other can send for help from our special mystic warriors. Speaking of, those few of you here that have such ability should consider consulting with Master Michelangelo for mystic training. The more help we have, the better.”
April stopped pacing. She turned to the whiteboard, erasing the stick figures and began drawing out a new diagram, following along with what she explained next.
“The best way to counter-combat the Kraang is with firepower and sharp objects. Regular bullets and arrows won’t work. Not unless you can rig them to explode or catch fire. Molotovs, bombs, plasma guns , chainsaws, swords, weed whackers, flamethrowers, etc. are your best bet. I personally use a mystic flaming bat. It’s practically indestructible. So on top of patrols, covering up, and remaining silent when topside, once you find your weapon that suits you, you’ll be good to go.”
April turned on her heel back to the regime with a smile. “And that’s basically it. Simple, right? Any questions?”
One guy raised his hand. A young man with blond hair and blue eyes, smiling with a dumbass grin. “Uh yeah, why is a short little lady like you in charge of the troops? Shouldn’t someone a bit stronger be in charge? Like one of those turtle freaks, they got muscle that you don’t.”
April grimaced, chewing her lip. She glared at the man for a moment. “You, meet me outside. Everyone else, take 10.”, she demanded sternly. But after taking a step for the entrance, she eyed the man again. “...Actually, make that 5.”
The man chuckled mockingly, following the commander out of the room. Casey turned back to the board. There was a lot to process. Kraang, droids, decoys, hounds, minions, zombies, and parasites…who knew there were various versions of the Kraang. And on top of how bullets didn’t work, Casey thought how funny it must’ve been when the military attempted to fight back. He heard stories about how they royally failed on day 1, it made him giggle to himself a bit. Then he heard screaming from outside, from the man. He sounded like he was in pain.
“ APRIL, WHAT THE FUCK?! ”, Uncle Tello screeched from outside.
“What? I’m just teaching him a valuable lesson of respect!”, Auntie snarked.
“YOU CAN’T KEEP BREAKING PEOPLE’S ARMS! WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THIS!”
“Whatever, you’re late. So get in there and teach them how not to die. I’ll take Kyle to the med-bay.”
Donnie scoffed. “Oh, I’m sure your mother would love to hear about how you broke someone’s arm again.”, he said sarcastically.” He strided into the room, the chatter soon hushing down as he made his way to the board. “Morning everyone, please pardon my tardiness. Now who’s ready to talk about war tactics?”
The captain turned to the board, wiping off April’s work and used his holographic ninpo to project imagery and statistics onto the board like a projector.
“I’m sure you all are well aware by now that the Kraang is not our only enemy. There are other survival bases out there across the globe. Some are sworn rivals, others are neutral, and very few are partnerships. You’ll need to know who is on our side and who isn’t, otherwise there’ll be a war fallout.”
He tapped the screen, opening up a picture of a fortress pinpointed on a map and a photo of a man in a suit wearing sunglasses.
“The most notorious being Operation 51 . A US government facility led by John Bishop, a former EPF agent from New Jersey. The democracy we’ve once known has fallen and transformed into this sorta autocratic authoritarian form of government. The EPF conducted several Operations to be built across the nation, though after backlash and war, only Operation 51 remains. At the start of the apocalypse, they grabbed civilians from their homes and they dragged them into the Operation for the sole purpose of keeping them “safe” (the EPF wanted control). No one is allowed in or out, those who escape are killed for “safety measures” (scare tactic to control civilians). No mutants or yokai are welcomed and are shot on sight, treated just the same as the Kraang. And once admitted into the Operation, they tattoo serial numbers on the back of the civilian’s neck to identify them. That’s how they identify those who attempt to escape.” Donnie took a pause, turning back to the group. “Some of you here are refugees yourself, and have had to hide those tattoos. And I understand that you still fear for your lives, but I promise you that we will take them down and do everything we can to keep you safe.”
One person rolled their eyes. “It doesn’t seem like you are—”
“Trust me. We are .”, Uncle Tello pressed. He glanced at Casey for a moment before turning back to the board. “Now, moving on…”
He swiped the screen and tapped on another fortress pinpointed on a map and a picture of a large spider yokai.
“Our strongest partnership is with the Nexus. Led by Big Mama herself. Just like the Resistance, they welcome both humans and yokai though yokai are the most populated. We exchange trade offers between them for things such as food, medicine, clothes, and weapon supply. Currently, we’re discussing about merging our bases together.”
He tapped the screen again, showing multiple smaller bases.
“Not that they’re important but we got some smaller numbers that are still a pain in the ass. Like the Horns. They’re fully run by yokai and often kill humans on sight. They kill anyone actually and rob the bodies for supplies and clothes. The other bases on the list are a bunch of small traveling groups with no established name, mainly neutral folks.”
The screen changed, showing different bases from ones built by survivors. Kraang lesions and minions alike surrounded them.
“Moving on, the Kraang have their own bases too. There’s basically 3 main ones. Kraang Prime is stationed in the Technodrome and travels the ship around with the droids as he is in charge of the herd. Sister Kraang controls the decoys, there’s no actual base and they tend to travel around. Brother Kraang controls the minions and all of the labor camps across the globe. In these camps, human and yokai lives are spared as long as they work for the Kraang, otherwise they are killed or infected. Each camp is controlled by Kraang minions, the Brother Kraang is stationed at the Big Apple camp, the largest labor camp of them all. By taking out these labor camps and liberating the people, it helps weaken the Kraang’s strength while strengthening ours.”
Finally, Donnie turned off the screen and faced the regime.
“So, now that that’s over…who’s ready to pick a weapon?”, he grinned.
There was a pause. Donnie was staring out past the doors. He cleared his throat.
“Shelldon, that’s your cue—”
“Oh right!”, Shelldon called out around the corner. “Sorry!”
The robot waltzed into the room carrying a comically large box full of various weapons. Everyone stood up and surrounded the box, excited to get their hands on one and try it out. Even Casey. He already knew what he wanted, it was the same weapon his mother had. But as Shelldon set the box down and everyone inspected their weapons of choice, Casey couldn’t find it. Uncle Tello leaned over to him.
“So, Junior, what is your weapon of choice?”, he smirked. “Maybe we could start off simple like a sword?”
Casey shook his head. “No, the one I want isn’t here. You know the one Mama had, right?”
Donnie’s eyes widened. Then he smiled softly, nodding. “Yeah…I think I remember what it looked like.”
The softshell took out his bo staff, using his ninpo to highlight it and transform it into a hockey stick with chainsaw blades on the end. It was just as Casey remembered. His mother lost it when she…passed. Donnie handed it to Casey.
“Here, give this a try.”, he said. “Though the fighting style is a lot more complicated. And you haven’t had a lick of training so it’s okay if—”
Casey held the chainsaw in a battle stance, swinging around with clean precise movements. The same movements he saw in his mother. For a second, Casey thought his hands were hers, holding the stick. Her style, her power, it now flowed through him. It was him. It felt right. This was the weapon he was meant to wield.
Casey grinned back at his uncle. “I like it! It’s perfect!”
The softshell looked at him with a strange puzzled look, as if he couldn’t believe what he saw. Then he stared off into the distance behind Casey. Casey turned around to see what he was looking at but there was nothing there. But Donnie quickly shook it off, flashing Casey a smile. “Alright then, I’ll whip one up for you. Easy.”
Casey rushed over to his uncle, giving him a hug. “Thanks, Uncle Tello!”
Donnie didn’t reciprocate the hug. Instead, he placed his hands on Casey’s shoulders, taking a knee on his robotic leg. He gave the tween a serious look.
“Casey…”, he started. He shut his lips and looked down. “...Allow me to give you some advice; Never use familial titles on missions.”
Casey was puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“If an enemy finds out you have family, they’ll use it against you. You can still use them here at home where it’s safe. But out there, you call me Captain. You call Mikey and Leo, Master or Sensei. And you call April, Commander. Understand?”
Casey felt a twinge of fear rise inside of him, but he pushed it down, nodding. Donnie smiled softly.
“I don’t mean to scare you. I just want you to be safe. Now come on, let’s make you a chainsaw.”
Later in the week, Casey’s chainsaw staff was ready. Donnie and Shelldon helped him deck out in his new gear. An olive green baggy jumper with arm and leg bandages, thick black gloves, April’s old lime green combat boots, Mikey’s metallic knee pads, metal chestplate wrapped around his torso, earthy green side pouch, a Genius Built™ patented scarf cape with a shoulder pad, and his mother’s green eyed mask to top it all off on top of his braided tied up hair.
This was the Casey Jones he was born to be.
Notes:
END OF ARC 1.
Shoutout to my long-time and long-distance friend, @VoidEmpress#3714 on Discord for helping me (and Donnie) explain war tactics. Love you, bestie. <3
Shoutout to my beta reader, @TigreCreativa (twt), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You are absolute baller!
Chapter 7: Samurai Chornicles
Summary:
The men stood up. I stood up as well. I aimed the gun, right between that redneck’s eyes before they all jumped on me. Ross took the gun out of my hands and aimed it at me, Daniel grabbed my arms and held them behind me, and Arkansas held a knife to my neck.
“Listen, you don’t want to do this. I-I got people waiting for me. A family.”, I pleaded. “A bunch of friends, a lover, and a sweet little kid. Only 4 years old. Probably 5 by now. Wouldn’t want to miss his 6th birthday, am I right??”, I smiled weakly. “C-Come on, we can talk this out.”
Notes:
BEGINNING OF ARC 2.
BACK TO THE PLOT! This time, we learn about our buddy boy Usagi and his traumatic backstory. Yippee!
It's angst time baby! So...you might wanna check the disclaimers in the end notes if you need them. =)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
A couple months had passed, the turtles, Casey, Usagi, and April were out on a mission together to bring supplies to another camp they traded with. They were on their way back to base now.
“Zombie on your left!”, Casey called out.
“On it!”, Usagi called back.
Using his yo-yo (which apparently was a mystic weapon, gifted by Draxum), Usagi stretched out the string to wrap around the zombie’s head and sliced it clean off as the string acted as a blade that could cut through anything when activated. The rabbit itself now had a more cleaned up look, his fur was shorter and super soft, and his dark blue robe had been washed and decked out with black samurai armor on top of it. The yo-yo replaced his old katana. He decided to keep the blind eye instead of accepting the prosthetic that Donnie made for him, saying it looked cooler. Oji Usagi— Just Usagi ( that’s right, can’t use familial titles on missions ) adjusted the mask on his face.
“Nice call, kid. You’re getting sharp.”, the rabbit grinned with his eyes.
“It’s all thanks to this mask.”, Casey pointed out, his voice sounding like he was talking through a speaker behind his mother’s… his own mask. “It can detect everything. You on the other hand are really good at fighting! How do you do it?”
Yuichi chuckled wryly. “Perks of surviving alone in an apocalypse, I guess.”
“Really? What happened out there?”
“...It’s a long story.”
“Well, it’s a long walk.”, Casey smirked. “Come on, Sagi, pleaaaase?”
“Let it be, Case.”, Leo cut in, sounding a bit irritated. “Let’s not bother him too much, alright?”
“No no, it’s okay. I think it’s time I told the story anyway.”, Usagi said. He added, turning to the group. “To all of you.”
“Are you sure? You don’t have to.”, Leo asked softly.
“I want to.”, Yuichi assured.
“Yay! Storytime!”, Casey cheered.
Donnie chuckled from ahead. “Oh ho ho, this is gonna be good.”
“Spill the tea! Spill the tea!”, April chanted.
Usagi rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright. Settle down. Now…where to begin?”
The year was 2032. It was me, Leo, Mikey, Donnie, and April. We were running away from a compromised mission to invade the Technodrome. We were being pursued. A Kraang decoy helicopter snatched me up like a vulture and took me to the skies. I lost sight of the team within a matter of seconds. With each tick of the clock, I was being carried further and further away from home.
The decoy lesions spread to my face and seeped underneath my eye. I tried to grab my yo-yo but I must’ve dropped it when I was being kidnapped. So I reached for my sword and sliced myself free. Then I was falling. And falling fast. Who knows how far I was falling, I was certain that I was going to die. I used my gray cloak to reduce some drag, which helped a little, but when I hit the ground, I popped out my right shoulder.
It hurt. Oh man, did it hurt. I screamed out in agony but I couldn’t wait around for the lesions to spread. So I did what I had to, I ripped it straight out of my eye —
“Which was a bad idea.”, Donnie interrupted.
Usagi scoffed. “Well what else did you want me to do? I just fell out of the fucking sky!”
“I agree with Yui.”, Mikey pointed out, pulling his box braids back into a ponytail. “You did what you could and it helped you survive.”
“ Thank you .”, Yuichi enunciated. “Now, where was I?”
So yeah, I had to rip it out. That was the last thing that eye ever saw. Then I popped my shoulder back in, which hurt just as bad, and used my cloak as a sling to hold it still. Then I was back on my feet, several miles from home and no idea where I was.
So I walked. I walked for days. Nights. Every time I passed by a group, I would ask about the Resistance, I would ask for just a piece of food to keep me going. Some were kind enough to lend some help, others wanted me dead so I left them alone. I had to steal from people, of course. I didn’t like it but hey, it’s the fucking apocalypse. One base had a car which I hotwired and bolted out of there. It had plenty of gas.
I drove for a long while, using the compass on the dashboard of that old jeep wrangler as my only guide back home. My shoulder had healed in that time. Then I found these…these three guys. They were traveling together. And when they saw me, they waved me over. So I did…with a hand pistol in my lap at the ready, with explosive bullets might I add.
One man had black hair and dark tan skin, wearing a buttoned light blue shirt. Another had brown hair and white skin and a large bushy beard, wearing a giant cowboy hat and leather jacket. And the other was bald and pale and didn’t speak, wearing a white sweater.
“Howdy, pardner!”, the brown haired man said. “Nifty ride ya got der. Listen, me n my associates could use a ride back to camp. If ya help us out, we can discuss a trade.”
“A trade?”, I said, skeptical. “Elaborate.”
“Shooooot, we got ev’rythin’! Food, water, ammo, clothes, medicin’. Whatever yew want.”
“Do you really have to do the accent?”, April asked, unamused.
“But of course! I have an audience to tell this story to.”, the rabbit smirked. “Now shut up and let me continue.”
I was still very skeptical. But more importantly, very desperate. I had nothing but the clothes on my back, the car, some cans, and a hand pistol. So I agreed. They climbed into the jeep and pointed me in the direction of their base. When we got there, I kept my gun in my lap, clear in view as we sat down around the campfire.
“The name’s Arkansas.”, the cowboy said. “My buddy here in blue is Daniel, and quiet kid over there is Ross.”
“...Spot.”, I lied.
“What kind of name is that?”, Daniel asked, puzzled.
“Don’t judge me while Mr. ‘Murica here is named after a state.”
We chatted for a bit. We ate. The three of them all ate small proportional rations but kept… insisting that I eat more. They kept…
Usagi fell silent. His pace slowed. Tío— Sensei walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“You alright, bun?”, he hushed.
Yuichi nodded. “...Yeah.”
They kept… staring at me. It was creepy. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, being a yokai myself and all. But then there came the topic of trade.
“So what do you call a fair price, cowboy?”, I asked. “A case of food cans? Keys to a mansion?”
“Oh.”, Arkansas muttered. He turned to his boys. “Oh I don’ think we told ‘im ‘bout the fine print, did we gentl’men?”
I slowly reached for my gun.
“See, we ain’t gon’ trade anythin’. No. We brought back home a mighty huntin’ prize.”
And that’s when I knew. These men wanted to eat me.
“Yeap, plenty of rabbit t’ go ‘round. We could feed an entire town!”
The men stood up. I stood up as well. I aimed the gun, right between that redneck’s eyes before they all jumped on me. Ross took the gun out of my hands and aimed it at me, Daniel grabbed my arms and held them behind me, and Arkansas held a knife to my neck.
“Listen, you don’t want to do this. I-I got people waiting for me. A family.”, I pleaded. “A bunch of friends, a lover, and a sweet little kid. Only 4 years old. Probably 5 by now. Wouldn’t want to miss his 6th birthday, am I right??”, I smiled weakly. “C-Come on, we can talk this out.”
The cowboy clicked his tongue repeatedly. He frowned. “Sorry, rabbit…”, he muttered. “...I got me a family too.”
In an instant, I acted. I fucking kicked that bastard in the nuts. As predicted, Ross fired and I ducked, the bullet hitting Daniel’s skull and exploded his brain to pieces. I clocked the bald guy right in the jaw, taking the gun and fired at his heart. I turned to Arkansas who got ready to charge. I clicked my gun but I was out of bullets, so I chucked it at him as if that would help. Then I beat the shit out of him with my own hands. I mutilated his face, hitting him again and again and again . Until he went down.
I was shaking, panicking. But I had to move. Who knew how many hounds or zombies heard those shots. So I grabbed my bag and began to stuff anything I could before getting the hell out of there. Then I heard a voice.
“Dad?”
Behind where we were sitting was a rusty old RV trailer. And standing at the doorway was a little girl. Probably no older than 10. With long black straight hair that went down her back, wearing a beautiful flower-patterned sweater dress that was well loved. The second I heard that word, my blood ran cold.
“Dad?!”, the girl screamed. She ran over to Arkansas and collapsed to her knees beside him. “DAD! NO, PLEASE! PLEASE! GET UP! GET UP, DAD!”
I…I had orphaned a fucking kid…
She turned to me, pointing her dad’s knife at me. “STAY BACK! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME YOU MONSTER!”
I didn’t…know…what to do. …So I ran. I just ran off, abandoning that poor girl like a coward .
Usagi suddenly stopped walking. Everyone else quickly came to a stop as well. His head was tilting down but Casey could still see through his bangs, he was crying. Leo pulled his lover in for a side hug, rubbing his arm. Everyone just…watched. Casey’s mask lifted up on demand as he walked over to the rabbit. He looked up at the samurai to get a better look at his face. Usagi’s eyes stared at Casey’s, riddled with fear. Fear that Casey understood now.
Casey immediately hugged the rabbit around his waist. Yuichi choked out a cry, leaning down to hug back. It hurt to see the rabbit so sad. After a moment, Usagi collected his composure. Without words, the team collectively began to walk again. Leo kept his arm around Usagi’s shoulder while Casey held his hand on the other side. Casey didn’t know how much time had passed, but after a while, the rabbit broke the silence to continue his story.
I was on the road for a while. I didn’t stop for anyone, no matter what. Whether they were going to attack me or calling out for help, I just kept going. After a while, the car ran out of gas. The radiator overheated and I lost my cloak trying to fix it. So I began walking. Without the compass, I wasn’t really heading in a direction. I just. Kept. Walking. The only reason why I kept going was because I knew…I knew I was needed somewhere. I had people, a family. Even though I wasn’t looking ahead of me, I was looking for something. I spent the next few years like that. Walking. Searching. For something.
Until one day, I reached an abandoned city. New York City. Memories gradually came back. I scavenged buildings for supplies. Found myself some flaming arrows and a bow. As I found another building to search, I remembered a song. I sang it to myself.
“Oh, I just gotta know. If you’re really there. And you really care. Cause baby I’m not, f-f-f-foolin—”
Just then there was a scream. A man shouting orders, a child crying out. And several screeches and barks of that of the Kraang hounds. Usually, I’d look the other way but that kid, that kid …I couldn’t just leave like that. Not after all I’ve been through. I couldn’t just abandon another kid again. So I drawed my bow. And headed for the noise.
Usagi smiled, pulling down his mask to show his grin. “Two years later and now we’re here.”
“Well that’s a sad story.”, the tween grumbled. “I thought it was gonna be cooler.”
“Casey!”, Leo scolded.
But Yuichi just laughed. “Never meet your idols, I suppose.”
Donnie checked his wrist tech and stopped abruptly ahead of the group, holding his hand up to the others. Everyone else stopped behind him. There was a pause.
“Donnie?”, Master Leonardo called out. “Donnie, what’s up?”
The captain didn’t answer. He looked up ahead at something. The others looked ahead too. In the distance, there wasn’t just a pack. But a swarm. Hounds…zombies…and a few decoy tanks and cars by the look of it. Casey felt ice run down his back.
“Shit!”, the leader hissed. “Weapons ready, everyone! Casey, stay close to me!”
Weapons out, stances grounded. The engine in Casey’s chainsaw revved menacingly. His mask pulled down, detecting all the Kraang in the area. He was ready to fight. Sure it was a larger crowd but he had some training at this point, this was nothing he couldn’t handle.
The fight was on. Master Michelangelo’s eyes lit up in a bright orange glow as he levitated in the air. A draft swirled around him, chains firing out in all directions. Commander O’Neil wielding her mystic flaming bat as a hound jumped to pounce her. She clocked it with a mighty swing, letting out her battle cry. Captain Donatello launched missiles from his ninpo as it stretched into a beautiful purple hue. He turned and smacked the strays of his attack with his bo staff, moving quick and light on his feet. Master Usagi used his powerful rabbit legs to jump high up in the air to get the advantage as he fired his arrows. The magic spool of the yo-yo shot from his fingertip, the blade slicing anything that came its way. Sensei Leonardo unsheathed his katanas as the hounds approached. He jumped and spun in the air, teleporting through his blades and out from behind the horde to ambush them.
Casey Jones felt the fight of his mother’s spirit inside him as a few zombies approached. He fought valiantly, using the blunt end of his staff to push a zombie away while his chainsaw sliced through the other. Another whipped a Kraang vine at him, grabbing his arm. Casey tried to punch it off but it was no use as the zombie yanked him in.
“Ugh! Get off me, you slimy motherfucker!”, Casey snapped.
Leo jumped in, slicing the vine off. He used his swords to block the zombie’s attack as it charged at him. The damn beast broke Leo’s swords.
“Fuck!”, Leo hissed. He turned around, wrapping his arms around to Casey to shield him.
That was when Mikey grabbed the zombie with his chains, obliterating it. “Leo, there’s too many! We should go back.”
“On it.”, Leo nodded. “Donnie! Escape pods now!”
“Don’t have to tell me twice!”, Donnie snarked as he swiped the screen on his wrist tech.
The escape pod discs flew out of the softshell’s battle shell, flying over to their respective passengers. As Casey’s swirled around him, he saw Usagi pulling back against his escape pod. Instead, he was resisting it, reaching for something on the ground.
“Sagi! What are you doing?!”, Leo called out.
The rabbit resisted. “Hang on! I need to grab—”
“Just leave it!”, the slider snapped back as his escape pod enveloped around him. “USAGI, JUST LEAVE IT!”
Casey’s pod took off. Leo’s followed shortly after. The pods zipped back to base, disposing the team in the atrium as people began to surround them. Casey stumbled out, brushing the dust off his legs and lifting his mask. Someone jumped in to ask if he was okay to which Casey gave a thumbs up. Donnie, Mikey, and April launched out of their escape pods, picking up their bearings as Leo and Usagi’s pods flew in shortly after. Casey’s arm stung, making him wince. He looked down at it to see a cut dripping out some blood. Ouch.
“You alright, Case?”, April hurried over.
“All good, Auntie. Just a cut.”, he smiled.
As Leo and Usagi stepped out of their escape pods, the slider rushed over to the rabbit who held his hands close to his chest.
“Usagi! Bun, are you alright?”, he asked frantically, grabbing Usagi’s shoulders.
“Yes! I’m fine—”
“Are you hurt?!”
“I said I’m fine, bluebell!”
“¡Dios mío, mi amor!”, Leo exclaimed. “Don’t scare me like that! Why were you resisting the pod? Do you want to get lost again? I just—”
The leader was interrupted by the rabbit’s laughter.
“W-Why are you laughing? What’s so funny, bunny?”, Leo asked.
Usagi looked at him with a childish smile. He opened his hands up to reveal two shiny rocks. Like really shiny. And yellow.
“...is that gold?”, Leo muttered, pointing at the rocks.
“I’m not sure. Could be fool’s gold or something.”, Usagi shrugged.
Donnie rushed over to them, some numbers running by through his visor as he scanned the rocks. “No, no, you’re not wrong. An approximate 24k of pure genuine gold. Did you just find that on the ground?”
“Yep!”, Yuichi smirked.
“You idiot.”, the slider laughed. “You fucking dork, you risked you life for a stupid shiny ore.”
The rabbit and turtle both shared a roaring laughter. Pearls of tears dwelled up in their eyes. After a minute, their laughter droned, Usagi leaning in.
“You thinking what I’m thinking?”, he smiled.
It took a moment. A sense of light, of hope, sparking in Leo’s eyes.
“I do.”, he smiled back.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Murder, gore and blood, cannibalism? (i mean i guess it counts idk)
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Imagine trauma dumping to your bf's family and then proposing to him 2 seconds later--BTW! I'm going to be uploading chapters TWICE A WEEK from now on! On WEDNESDAYS and SATURDAYS! So see you on Wednesday then! =)
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Shoutout to my beta reader, @eli_tigrecreativa (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 8: Wedding Bells
Summary:
“Your hand is really sweaty.”, he whispered.
Tío snorted. He whispered back, “At least it’s less obvious than your nose twitching.”
The rabbit retorted, “Well at least I didn’t have a grape stuck in my nose for a whole year—Wait no, that’s not—Hang on—”
Leo giggled, stumbling a bit. “Oh god, I’m marrying an idiot.”
“That makes two of us.”, Yuichi laughed.
Notes:
YIPPEE! THE GAYS ARE GETTING HITCHED!
This chapter is like 99% fluff, there's just a /smidge/ of disclaimers that I put in the end notes but it's really all good.
NOW ENJOY THE WHOLESOMENESS!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“OW! Auntie, you’re pulling my hair!”
“Pain’s the price of beauty, baby.”
A couple months had passed. Since he was 12, Casey was now in his new bedroom situation with Leo, Usagi, Mikey, and Donnie. Donnie and Mikey shared a bunk bed with a metallic casing on top and a hammock set up underneath, meanwhile Usagi, Leo, and Casey shared a bunk bed where Leo’s and Usagi’s bed sat against the wall and a large bed was mounted on top along with a pile of teddy bears, preferably in the color red, that didn’t belong to Casey. When asked about it, Leo simply answered with “The room wasn’t complete without it.”.
Currently, Casey sat on a rug on the floor while his Auntie was brushing out the knots in his hair with a pet brush. Leo was getting dressed behind a folded out divider as Donnie tapped through his wrist tech, leaning against the wall. The black tuxedo suit Casey had on was much nicer than anything he had worn before. It seemed impractical for survival or everyday life. Casey didn’t get it.
“If pain’s the price of beauty, then I am fucking glamourous.”, Leo teased from behind the divider.
April laughed dryly and rolled her eyes. She was wearing a plain long sleeve yellow dress and her short loosely kinky hair had gotten much longer by now, complete with a yellow paper flower Mikey crafted.
Leo stepped out behind the divider, decked out in an all white mariachi charro suit, pants, and sombrero, laced in beige gold. His right sleeve was tied up around his residual stump as he wore custom made leather boots that fit his feet.
“It’s great and all that Big Mama made this and is one of our madrinas, but did she really have to go all out? We’re in an apocalypse, for pizza Pete’s sake.”
“Of course she did!”, April grinned. “It’s your big day! You deserve to have your moment without thinking about the war.”
Tío sighed with a smile, shaking his head in amusement. He held his mask in his hand, turning to Uncle Tello. “Hey, Don, a little help?”
“Sure thing.”, Donnie replied as he got off the wall.
He was also wearing a black tuxedo, matching Casey. The captain’s prosthetic leg was replaced with a smaller, more basic prosthetic with a bending piece of metal for a foot, on top of that, Donnie needed to use a walking cane to help him get around. The cane was sleek black with a steel handle.
He took Leo’s mask and helped tie it around his eyes. Leo took a breath, bouncing on his heels as he fumbled with his sombrero in his hand.
“Hold still, Nardo!”, the softshell snapped.
Leo groaned. “Sorry, sorry…I’m just…nervous.”
“Ha! You’ve been dating this man for 18 years and now you’re having second thoughts?”
“No! No, of course not!”, the slider blurted out as Donnie finished tying the mask. He turned around to face his older twin, putting his hat back on. “It’s just… sigh …what if something goes wrong? What if there’s an ambush and—”
“You’ll be fine. I got everything under control.”, the softshell reassured. “We’ve had heavy patrols and lookouts for the past couple months to keep Kraang activity way down and at bay, we got several troops on standby as we speak and, yes, Shelldon’s keeping an eye on them. So please, stop asking about it because it’s going to be fine.”
“But you’ll let me know if something comes up, right?”
“Yeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeahyeah…”, Donnie babbled. “You’ll be the first to know, I promise. Now shut up and memorize your vows or something.”
“Alright!”, April clapped her hands as she finished braiding Casey’s hair back which stretched down his back. “Casey’s all ready to go. Dee, can you come with me to check in on our other groom? Casey, you stick with Leo and make sure he doesn’t faint before he can even get to the aisle.”
“I’m not gonna faint!”, Leo rolled his eyes.
April grinned, walking over to pat Leo’s shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, yeah…Just relax, baby blue.” She pulled him in for a hug. “...I’m proud of you.”, she whispered.
As Auntie walked off, Uncle Tello followed as he checked his wrist tech. “Guests are seated in 20 minutes. Which means you’re on in 30. Don’t be late.”, he added as the two headed out the door.
The slider sighed, taking off his sombrero and wiping his forehead with his arm before putting the hat back on. Though, the sweat was still very visible on the turtle’s face. Casey had never seen his Tío so nervous. He had fought in a war, led the Resistance, and taken down many raging beasts. But a wedding, his wedding, was what was making him nervous?
Leo turned to Casey after a minute of bouncing on his heels. “I can’t stand in here for much longer. How about we go check in on what Mikey’s doing?”, he smiled awkwardly.
“Okay!”, Casey grinned.
“Got the rings?”
“Right here!”, Casey replied.
He went over to his bunk bed, climbing up the ladder on the foot of the bed to retrieve a nuptial pillow that had two golden rings tied to it with string. The rings were gorgeous, molded together by Todd. “No Take Backs” was elegantly engraved inside each ring. Casey carefully climbed down the ladder, smiling goodbye to Cup standing guard on the bed with the other teddy bears, nuptial pillow in hand.
The two left the room, heading their way over to the atrium where the wedding was held.
“Hey, Henry!”, Mikey called out to someone. “Why is there an extra chair sticking out in this row?”
“I dunno.”, Henry replied, shrugging.
“Mkay…Why is there a chair missing from that row?”
“...I dunno.”
“Well put 2 and 2 together and figure it out!”
Uncle Angelo was wearing a black tuxedo, matching Casey and Uncle Tello. All of his thick box braided coily brown and sage green hair was tied back in a bun with a white paper flower in it. The atrium itself had practically transformed from what it used to look like. Master Michelangelo had spent a lot of effort, with the help of a few others, to handcraft and decorate the place with white paper origami flowers. They gathered up all of the mismatched chairs and random benches around the lair and had them set up to fit the hundreds of people in the entire Resistance. With a carpeted walkway down the aisle met with the nuptial archway where a wooden podium stood. The place wasn’t only fancy and decorated, but it was clean too. No litter specs in sight.
“Ah, well if it ain’t the man of the hour!”, the box turtle grinned as he greeted Leo and Casey. “How are you feeling? You nervous?”
Sensei chuckled anxiously, “No—”
“Yeah!”, Casey chimed in. “He’s like super sweaty and stuff!”
“Nuh-uh!”
“Yeah-huh!”
Uncle Angelo laughed. “It’s good to see you let loose, Leo.”, he smiled. “And it’s good to actually be able to have a real shower for this event.”
This was true. Usually, Casey and the people of the Resistance would use a wet towel to bathe themselves, wash their hair, their hands, and even to clean their teeth. But Auntie April was persistent that they all got one good shower in the past week. The water was cold, it was freezing actually, but it was an interesting experience for Casey. It seemed like a real waste of water.
“Pepino!”, Hueso called out from across the room as he walked over to the group. “Ay, mi sobrino! ¡Qué guapo!”
“Hola, Tío.”, Leo smiled as the slider and the old skeleton hugged. “It’s good to have you here.”
“But of course! Who else would you ask to be your padrino? To do the catering? To play your entrance music? Now, I must go tune my guitar.”, Hueso grinned as he picked up an oddly shaped suitcase. “And speaking of, shouldn’t you be getting ready?”
“I am ready, I’m just…ya know…checking in on everything.”, Tío blurted out, rocking on his heels.
“Ay, Pepino…”, Señor Hueso sighed. “There’s no need to be so nervous, you got this! Look at you! Look at how much you’ve grown ever since I first met you. From a dumb clueless boy to a now dumb clueless leader, haha! I…”, the skeleton started to tear up. “I couldn’t be more proud…And I know your papá and your brother would be very proud of you too.”
“Don’t start crying now, Señor…”, Leo started to tear up too. “If you cry, I’m gonna start crying and… ha …goddammit…”
The slider reached his hand to pinch in between his eyes, sniffling. Hueso’s tears began streaming down his skull as he hugged Leo again, holding his nephew close. Casey glanced at Mikey who wiped a stray tear from his eye.
“Perhaps you should go say hi to Raph and Pops?”, Mikey suggested. “It might help you calm down.”
Leo nodded, wiping his tears. “Yeah…yeah, that sounds good.” He turned to Casey, “How about it, kiddo?”
“Okay.”, Casey shrugged.
The two waved goodbye to Uncle Angelo and Hueso, making their way to the memorial room. Casey checked the rings he was holding to make sure they were still there. He didn’t get why all of these practices were so important but it definitely meant a great deal to everyone. So he would go along with it.
Leo asked Casey to wait outside the memorial room for him so that he could have a moment alone. Which didn’t help much because Junior could still see and hear him from outside the room but he pretended not to. The slider took off his hat, holding it to his heart as he stood in front of his family’s shrine.
The air grew quiet, somber even. The faint scent of candle smoke wavered every now and then with each inhale of breath. The candlelight illuminated the room brightly, the candles glowing stronger together in harmony. After a moment of staring at the shrine, the red-eared slider drawled a long deep breath.
“Hey pops…Raph…Casey Sr. Today’s my big day, can you believe it? Haha …who could imagine, right? Me of all people.”, Tío mumbled. “...Still…I think you’d be really proud. And Raph, I bet your dress would’ve been absolutely gorgeous.” He chuckled, bringing his forearm up to wipe his tears. “I wish you guys were here. You deserve to be here.”
After a moment, he walked over to a different shrine further down in the room. Casey remembered that one, it had a family photo of two rabbit yokai and a kitten yokai. One of the rabbits was Usagi, a much younger Usagi. The other rabbit was an old woman with a wooden prosthetic ear and leg. The kitten was a little girl who had different colored eyes.
“Ms. Yuichi…I hope you don’t mind me marrying your nephew. I promise you that I’ll do everything in my power to take good care of him.”, Leo muttered to the shrine. “And Hana…I promise that I’ll be the best brother-in-law that you could ask for. Even if you aren’t here to see it.”
Yuichi had lost his auntie and little sister in the early days of the apocalypse along with the rest of his friends, Casey was told. That was all he knew about them. That was all he’d probably ever know.
As Leo made his way out of the room, Casey averted his gaze and acted oblivious. The slider put his sombrero back on and shot the tween a reassuring grin. He still looked incredibly nervous though. Before either of them could say a word, wedding bells chimed out in the distance.
“Guest call.”, Leo pointed out. “Let’s get going then.”
Once everyone was seated, Donnie, April, and Casey walked down the aisle and met up with Mikey who stood behind the podium. Casey smiled and waved at Grandpa Barry and Shelldon sitting in the front rows. The people of the Resistance did their best to look nice in whatever clothes they had. Señor Hueso began strumming his guitar in a calm ambient tone.
One of Todd’s many dogs, Lou, the sand-colored labradoodle, happily stampered down the aisle with a basket of paper origami flowers. She paused every now and then to shake out some flowers from the basket as she made her way to the front and sat patiently next to Casey, like the good girl she was. (this was a special request from the kids i’m babysitting ok--)
At the start of the aisle was a hallway that split two ways. Leo walked up to the start from one side, and Usagi from the other.
Yuichi was wearing a black kimono with white layers underneath. On either side of his chest was an embroidered white circle with three black circles in it. The piercings in his ears were polished and glistened in the light, the ears themselves were let loose and draped over his shoulders. It looked like April had brushed his fur neatly as it was shining and soft. He wore black eyeliner on his eyes with small winged tips on the bottom lids. He was stunning.
Leo gawked, muttering in awe. “Holy sh—”
“Leo!”, Usagi hissed behind a smile. “Watch your language in front of the spirits.”
“—ssshhhnnnggg…..”, the slider strained, rocking on his heels. “...Uhm…wow. You look…” His jaw hung open, struggling to find the words. “Fuck it, you look absolutely goddamn amazing, holy shit.”
The rabbit scoffed out a chuckle. “Well, you look very handsome as well. The hat makes you look taller.”
They both laughed, snickering to themselves as if the world wasn’t watching them. Lost with their own little secrets that no one could hear. After a moment they both collected their composure.
“Should we get going then? Everyone’s waiting for us.”, Usagi hushed, tilting his head towards the aisle.
“Right.”, Leo nodded.
The slider held up his left arm and the rabbit took it as they started walking down the aisle. The guests stood up from their seats, sending smiling faces their way. The guitar tune changed into something softer, slow and graceful. Oji not-so inconspicuously leaned in.
“Your hand is really sweaty.”, he whispered.
Tío snorted. He whispered back, “At least it’s less obvious than your nose twitching.”
The rabbit retorted, “Well at least I didn’t have a grape stuck in my nose for a whole year—Wait no, that’s not—Hang on—”
Leo giggled, stumbling a bit. “Oh god, I’m marrying an idiot.”
“That makes two of us.”, Yuichi laughed.
They made it to the altar, stepping aside to make room in between them. Uncle Angelo straightened his posture and cleared his throat. Everyone sat back down. The strumming came to a peaceful stop.
“Welcome, everyone. Thank you all for coming to the union of Hamato Leonardo and Yuichi Usagi.”, he announced, his voice reverberating around the atrium.
Mikey went on with his spiel which Casey did not pay attention to. It was…really boring. He rocked on his heels, unable to keep still. Eyeing the rings on the pillow, Casey wondered how long this was going to take.
The ceremony went smoothingly. From the invocation to the declaration of intent. From the sansankudo to the lazo. Then it was time for the vows. The slider and rabbit stared at each other for a moment before Usagi decided to go first.
“Hamato Leonardo, my love, I…have had a lot of doubts about myself. And I know there are others out there who have doubts about me. And what I provide to the Resistance…as well as to you. And…”, Usagi paused, chewing his lip. Then he shook his head, flashing a determined grit. “And you know what? I don’t give a shit !”
Leo cackled. “ HA , what?!”
“You heard me! I don’t give a shit !”, Yuichi giggled. “Because they don’t see the real me. They only see me as the love interest, the expendable side character but you don’t! You’re one of the only damn people in my life that actually got to know me. The real me. And with that, I got to see the real you.” He smiled. “I’m the one who proposed afterall. Because I know you, the way you know me.”
Tío giggled. “Were those actually your vows?”
“I improvised a bit at the end there.” Oji smirked. “Now your turn.”
“...Right. Uhh…”, Leo drawled, looking away. “Um…”
There was a long pause.
“You forgot them, didn’t you?”, the rabbit muttered.
“Yeah, I forgot…”, the slider blurted out. “Well…uhh…I…love you.”
Usagi waited. “...Is that it?”
“There’s more…”, Leo laughed nervously. “Just gimme a sec.”
After a minute, he cleared his throat.
“So…I love you. And I love your voice…your laugh…your smile…your charm. The way you light up a room just by being there. The way you never back down from a fight. The way you care about dumb-dumbs like me. And how you’re my voice of reason, making sure I don’t say or do anything stupid. You don’t just mean the world to me, you are my world.”, Leo grinned softly. “So yeah. I love you.”
“Impressive improv.”
“Oh shut up.”
Then it was time for the rings. Master Michelangelo cleared his throat as he read over the small script in front of him on the podium.
He turned to Leo. “Do you, Leonardo, take Usagi, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”
“I do.”, Leo smiled.
Then Mikey turned to Usagi. “Do you, Usagi, take Leonardo, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”
Yuichi nodded. “I do.”
“The rings.”, Mikey gestured to Casey.
There was his cue. Casey walked over and proudly presented the rings as Oji untied the string and took them. Stepping to the side, Casey watched as Yuichi put on Leo’s ring and Leo put on Yuichi’s ring. Uncle Angelo raised his arms up high in glee.
“By the power invested in me and the state of the apocalypse, I now announce to you “Lovers For Life”! You may now kiss.”
And with that, the newly wed couple shared a loving tender kiss as the crowd stood up and cheered and whistled and clapped for them. The guitar began cheering victoriously in an upbeat rhythm. Tío began shedding tears. Oji soon did the same. There was a loud bang that startled a few people before Casey quickly realized it was Shelldon who fired a confetti cannon from his arm as an array of colors flashed into the scene. As Usagi and Leonardo looked at each other with wide grins stretching from ear to ear, the rabbit laughed and took his new husband by the turtle’s waist as the two of them began running down the aisle. Yuichi took the lead as Leo held onto his sombrero so that it wouldn’t fall.
They were husbands now. Now and forever.
The party filled the canteen. Uncle Tello climbed onto the stage, sitting in a bar stool behind the disc booth to begin the music. As expected, the couple got the first dance. The song they chose was the one they would always sing together during karaoke nights. It was their song.
On the dance floor, with the canteen benches and tables moved out of the way to make room, Leo put his hand on Usagi’s hip as the rabbit clung his arms around Tío’s neck. The lights in the canteen were off, replaced with a disco ball that Donnie had set up. It spun reflective light around the room, shining and glistening. The smell of something delicious hid in the atmosphere but Casey couldn’t tell where it was coming from. The husbands started slow dancing as the song started, an 80s rock guitar strumming in.
“Lady luck never smiles. So lend your love to me awhile. Do with me what you will. Break the spell, take your fill.”
As the song played, Leo began to lip-sync to the music which made Yuichi laugh. The slider started lip-sync more dramatically, really getting in character, which made the rabbit laugh even more. Then Leo sang out loud.
“Is anybody out there? Is anybody there? Does anybody wonder? Anybody care?”
Usagi sang next. “Oh, I just gotta know. If you’re really there. And you really care! Because baby I’m not!”
Then they joined together. “F-f-f-foolin’! Ah, f-f-foolin’! F-f-f-foolin’! Ah, f-f-foolin’! Won’t you stay with me awhile?”
The two dorks sang loudly as they danced together without a care in the end of the world. It was nice for Casey to see his uncles, in fact everyone, so happy for once. They deserved this peace. They earned it.
The song came to an end, welcoming the dance floor to everyone else. Casey mainly danced with his Auntie April and ‘Anakē Sunita, but got his turn to dance with Oji and Tío. To end it, Leo and Yuichi got together for one last dance. Many others, with their loved ones, joined in the slow dance as well. Casey tried to slow dance with his friend, Shelldon, but the two of them couldn’t help from laughing as they stumbled on each other’s toes. Of course, it didn’t hurt the robot, but it definitely hurt Casey.
“I’m gonna spin you.”, Leo grinned.
“Don’t you dare spin me!”, Usagi snarked with a smile.
“Too bad, I’m gonna do it.”
“No! You’re gonna make me fall!”
Yuichi let out a surprised yelp as Leo took his hand and spun him around. The rabbit stumbled on his feet, wrapping his arms around the slider’s neck to stop himself from falling over. Tío caught Oji by the waist with his left arm, leaning down to dip Usagi. They both bursted out in laughter as Leo pulled Yuichi back up.
“I told you! I told you I was going to fall!”, Yuichi cackled.
Leo smirked his signature grin. “Yeah, but I caught you!”
“You just got lucky! Haha!”
The slider smiled warmly. He reached his hand up to scratch behind Usagi’s ears, the spot where he knew the rabbit liked best. Oji purred, leaning into his husband’s hand. Leo leaned in, giving his husband a kiss on the forehead. Usagi reached his hand up to rub behind Leo’s neck, the spot where he knew the slider liked best. Tío’s shoulders relaxed, pulling Yuichi in close for a hug. They held each other for a while, rocking and swaying to the music.
Once everyone had their fun and ate dinner made of whatever meat and plants they had in stock, Hueso Sr and Hueso Jr wheeled out a cart carrying a very large 5 tier wedding cake with polvorones decorated around each tier. There’s that delicious smell . The aroma was fresh and sweet. The frosting covering the cake was white with decorative icing ribbons of pastel blue and pale cyan. Two tiny paper swans sat on top of the cake as well.
“How the fuck did we get a cake in the apocalypse?”, April gawked in disbelief.
“Alchemy.”, Draxum answered. “And trust me, the process is much harder than it sounds. Especially considering I had to find mystic plants that are safe to eat for humans.”
Yuichi grinned. “It’s perfect.”
“It’s fucking huge!”, Leo exclaimed.
The married couple sliced the first piece of the cake together, sharing the delicious treat. Everyone else got their slices too. Casey loved it, the cake was super sweet and fluffy. Uncle Tello scraped the frosting off of his, saying the texture of cake frosting gave him a headache. He gave the extra frosting to Casey who happily accepted it. Auntie started to get fussy with how much cake smears Casey was getting on his face and clothes, licking her thumb to wipe the frosting off of his face and rubbing out the stains with a napkin.
The party continued into the late late night. Casey fell asleep at a table sometime into the early morning. It was nice to have a super fun party again.
It would be the last time anyone was truly happy.
Notes:
Disclaimer: Mention of dead child.
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The last sentence tho.....whoopsie.... =)New bad guy shows up in chapter 9. I'll give you a hint...he's from New Jersey. See you on Saturday!
oh and shoutout to Lou the labradoodle and her owners <3
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Shoutout to my beta reader, @eli_tigrecreativa (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 9: A Bishop's Fianchetto
Summary:
“Hey, bluebell.”, he spoke sweetly. “Care to explain to me why the fuck I was greeted by an angry mob?”
“What?!”, the slider exclaimed. “Shit, I’m so sorry, bun, I-I’ll go give them a stern talking to—”
“No, no.”, the rabbit cut in. “I’m not mad at them. I’m mad at you. What did you do?”
Notes:
New challenger approaches!
There's no disclaimers but things do get pretty tense. =/
ALSO --> I'm making Casey intersex because why the fuck not let's gooooo >=)
(I'm not gonna go too much into specifics cuz Casey is a minor throughout the story, all you need to know is that he's intersex but he identifies as a man.)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“So…what’s a diplomatic mission?”
A couple months had passed. Casey, Master Leonardo, and Master Michelangelo were out topside, walking towards another survivor base way out west in…what was this place called? Cali…florida? California! The Golden State , Casey thought to himself as he looked around at the desert valley to find…absolutely no gold. What a rip off.
“It means we aren’t gonna fight with our hands.”, Mikey explained. “We’re gonna fight with our words .”
The box turtle’s box braids had turned into braided locs that stretched down his shell. A few more sage green strands had formed. Casey quite liked how Mikey was always changing up his style.
“And the Sacramento base is neutral, so there’s like a 50/50 chance they’re going to kill us on sight.”, Leo teased.
Master Michelangelo rolled his eyes. “And this is exactly why I’m the ambassador here.”
They kept walking for a while. Sensei’s teleporting skills get harder to stay on point, the further away the destination. So their point was about a mile off target. Too bad he couldn’t make another portal right away. Sensei said he had some sort of cooldown time that lasted longer, the further away the teleportation was. Which was why the group was walking the rest of the way.
The slider had his swords back of course, thanks to Todd. It was always so cool to watch Leo turn a small garden spade into a fully fledged katana with mystic powers.
The copper red desert was wide and barren. There was nothing in sight except the arid horizon. Some mountains were seen in the distance but they were translucent due to how far away they were. Casey knew it didn’t make a difference, but the wastelands seemed colder than ruined cities. Thank the spirits, there was no wind otherwise Casey would definitely be shivering in the cold right now.
It was funny…Casey was told that deserts used to be hot , not cold. And the ground he was walking on used to be a lush river valley full of water . But growing up in the apocalypse didn’t help Casey understand the world the way it was supposed to be. Actually, the idea of there being hot deserts and lush rivers of water seemed…alien. Casey wondered if he’d ever get to see the ocean. Wherever it went.
Leo began sniffing the air, putting on a face of disgust. “Ugh, Casey, you reek of B.O.”, he muttered, pinching his snout.
“B.O.?”, Casey asked, puzzled. He couldn’t smell anything in the dusty air.
“Ya know, body odor. It’s a puberty thing.”
“What’s puberty?”
Mikey bursted out snickering. Leo cackled along too. Casey didn’t understand what was so funny. He gave the brothers a deadpan stare, waiting for them to collect their composure. Master Leonardo caught on to it, clearing his throat.
“Sorry, sorry. It just…caught me off guard.”, he giggled. “I mean, I don’t know why I’m surprised. We totally forgot to tell you about puberty.”
“Well, what is it?”, Casey asked.
Leo took a breath, trilling his lips. “Uhh…how do I put this?”, he thought for a moment. He spoke hesitantly, “It’s like…you’re reaching that age now where…your body is gonna start changing in ways you won’t expect. Like…body odor. Facial hair. Other…stuff.”
“Stuff like what?”
“Uhhh…”, Sensei grimaced. “Well, to be honest, it’s hard to say considering your genes...Let’s…just talk about that later, okay?”
“Um, okay.”, Casey shrugged.
They kept walking in silence for a bit, Junior taking the time to readjust his braided bun as it had loosened. Eventually, Casey saw the Sacramento base in the distance. Thick, beige, Spanish-laced stucco walls surrounded the fortress. It looked like a giant sandcastle. A large arched metal gate sat at the front. Master Michelangelo leaned in towards the group.
“Remember, I do the talking.”, he hushed. “You guys are just muscle.”
“No problemo, hermanito.”, Leo crooned with a thumbs up. Casey nodded as well.
As the fortress came closer into view, soldiers from atop of the outer walls emerged, drawing their weapons. Casey clenched his jaw, side-glancing to his sensei for an order but only getting a reassuring smile in return. Then the group stopped a few meters away from the gate.
“State your business!”, one soldier demanded, the wasteland did nothing to reverberate his voice. “No sudden movements or we will shoot!”
“We’re from the Resistance!”, Mikey called out. He held up the emblem on his cloak to flaunt it. “We’re here to talk to a…Gavin Newsom?”
“Didn’t you get the news? Newsom is dead!”, the soldier shouted back. “Sacramento is under new rule!”
“New rule?”
Just then, a man stepped forward next to the soldier. He wore a formal black business suit and formal silk white gloves, which made him stick out like a sore thumb in the fashion of the apocalypse. He was tall, slender, and white with short sleek black hair with gray strands and thin square sunglasses. Casey recognized the man from his training studies.
“Hello again.”, the man called out. “Funny seeing you here.” Does he know the turtles?
Sensei shifted forward, but Uncle— Michelangelo held up a hand to stop his brother. The man smirked.
“Let us talk face to face instead of shouting at each other over the walls.”, the man yelled.
The man and soldiers backed down from the ledge. A minute later, the metal drawbridge lowered with an alarm blaring out. Soldiers wrapped around the gate, weapons at the ready. The man and one soldier approached the group.
“Gentlemen.”, the man greeted.
“Bishop.”, Leo grumbled.
Bishop. As in… the John Bishop? The man in charge of the infamous Operation 51? Casey never thought that he would meet his enemy in the flesh. Sensei was wary. He shifted inconspicuously in front of the tween as if to shield him. Bishop took notice. He smiled at the kid. As kind as it looked, Casey hated every inch of it.
“And what’s your name, son?”, he asked. The sight of his grin sounded like nails on a chalkboard.
“...Haley.”, Casey lied. He learned his lesson from Usagi.
Bishop nodded. “Nice to meet you, Haley. I’m John Bishop.” He turned back to the turtles. “Let’s talk inside, shall we?”
Mikey opened his mouth to speak but Leo cut in. “We’d rather talk out here.” Mikey shot his brother a side glare.
“...Of course.”, Bishop grinned. He turned to the soldier. “Grab a few chairs for us, will ya?”
The soldier nodded, heading back inside. Mikey opened his mouth to speak again but Leo cut in again . “That won’t be necessary, we aren’t staying long.”
Mikey shot him another glare. He sighed, smiling back at John Bishop. “We’d be happy to chat, Mr. Bishop.”
Bishop laughed wryly. “So, what brings you fellas out here?”
Leo opened his mouth to speak but Mikey cut in. “Trade.”, he put simply. “We didn’t mean to step on your toes, Mr. Bishop. If we’d known you’d be here, we would’ve stayed out of your hair.”
“Ah.”, Bishop shrugged off. “The world’s getting smaller, just like our oceans. I mean I know California gets a lot of droughts but can you believe this ?” He gestured towards the horizon. “There’s absolutely nothing out here. And that’s nothing compared to the Hudson River which is now just the Hudson Valley.”
“Haha, yeah…”, Master Michelangelo laughed dryly. “Well, we’ll be on our way then. Sorry to bother you—”
“Are you alright, Haley?”, Bishop interrupted, immediately turning to Casey. Even though the sunglasses hid the man’s eyes, Casey could feel them staring into his soul. “I mean…being around… these kinds of folks doesn’t seem like the best scenario for a kid like you. These… men aren’t holding you captive, right?”
All eyes fell on Casey. Great, just fantastic . Casey straightened his shoulders, copying Mikey’s calm and civil tone, “I am fine.”
“You sure? Wouldn’t you rather be around your own people? Instead of some…uncivilized, ungoverned, catastrophic rebellion—”
“I manage just fine.”, Casey answered sharply. “This is none of your concern, Mr. Bishop.”
Bishop stared at him for a long moment. “...Right. Right, of course.”, he smiled eerily. He turned back to the turtles. “Well, I’ll let you be on your way then. Sorry for…how do you put it? …Taking the last slice without asking.”
Michelangelo grinned and nodded goodbye, turning around to walk away. Leo sent a glare at the man before turning around to follow his brother. Then Casey turned to walk, still watching Bishop smile and stare at them before he turned around and kept walking. Casey looked down at the dirt as he walked, hearing the footsteps walk beside him. Even if he wasn’t told about John Bishop, Casey had a feeling he would still be able to tell that Bishop was a very dangerous man. Bishops are a powerful chess piece if played properly —
“Hold on a minute.”, the man called out.
Every muscle in Casey’s body tensed as the group turned around to face Bishop who held up a hand, hurrying over to them. Without even facing the turtles, Bishop walked in front of Casey.
“Listen…Haley.”, he grinned that bullshit smile. “...If you ever…change your mind about them . The Operation is open to you.”
He held out his hand for a handshake. But Casey only stared at it before staring back at him.
“Sorry, I don’t do handshakes. Personal space.” A tip he learned from Master Donatello.
“Then at least take this card.”, Bishop insisted. He wasn’t even fazed by it.
The hand he held out flipped around like a magician to reveal a business card. Casey was skeptical yet he gingerly took the card, looking down at it. The front was a symbol of an eagle sitting on a triangle with a globe in it. The back had some GPS coordinates. Casey looked back at Bishop.
“...Thanks.”, he muttered.
Sensei wrapped his arm around Casey, turning Casey around and ushering the group to keep walking. Their paces had quickened. The three occasionally took glances behind them as they walked, watching Bishop fade out of view. Leo took the card from Casey’s hand.
“Lemme see that.”, he grumbled.
After a minute of staring at the card, he pulled out the plasma handgun from his pouch and blasted the card into oblivion. Casey flinched in surprise. Mikey frowned.
“That was a bit extreme.”, Master Michelangelo mumbled.
“Don’t care. Could be a tracker.”, Leo snarked back quickly.
“I think you’re being a bit paranoid.”
“And with good reason.”
Sensei unsheathed his sword, opening up a portal home. He kept glancing behind him as he motioned a hand for the group to hurry up. As the group walked through, Mikey continued his lecture.
“I’m just saying, I had it under control. You almost slipped us up.”, he explained.
The slide let out a frustrated huff, “Mikey, you don’t get it.” Leo rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he stood in front of the ornate box turtle.
“Get…what?”
Master Leonardo sighed. He glanced at his brother, jutting his head over at Casey without saying anything. It was like he was hiding a secret. Why do adults always hide secrets from me??
“Oh.”, Mikey’s eyes widened, understanding something.
“What? What is it?”, Casey asked. The brothers glanced at each other for a moment, neither saying a word. Casey implored, “Come on! Tell me!”
“Er...Bishop’s a pedophile.”, Leo blurted quickly. Master Michelangleo gave his brother this bizarre look of bewilderment. “...Yyyeeep.”, the red-eared slider drawled, popping the ‘p’.
The box turtle continued to stare at his brother with confusing, slowly mouthing the words “What the fuck?”. He shook his head, turning to Casey. “In other words, he’s a very dangerous man. More so than you can imagine. We just have to keep you safe.”
“He doesn’t look that dangerous.”, Casey mumbled.
“He is.”, Leo assured sternly. “And trust me when I say if that man lays a finger on you…I’ll kill him. That’s a promise.”
“...Okay.”, the kid muttered.
“Now…”, Leo smiled, finally uncrossing his arms and putting his hands on his hips. “...how far was that portal off-target?”
“Umm…”, Casey hummed, flipping his mask down to locate the Resistance base. “...About 2 miles.”
Sensei sighed, dropping his head down. “...Then let’s start walking.”
Upon arriving at the base, Leo and Mikey pushed through the crowd of people in a hurry. Leo gave an order to gather the council for an emergency team meeting. Casey would sometimes attend these meetings too. I wonder what this one is about —
“Jaunty Jones!”, a woman called out from behind Casey.
Casey yelped, turning around to find Big Mama standing right behind him. “Gees, Granny! Do you ever give a warning?!”
Granny Big Mama was the former leader of the former Nexus base. The Nexus had finally merged with the Resistance, which meant Granny was apart of the council team as well. She basically acted as a representative for the diverse variants of yokai and humans alike.
Big Mama was usually in her human form, unless she was out on the battlefield. She wore a sharp purple dress suit with a long green faux fur coat that draped on the floor with black platform heel boots. With black satin gloves and a crimson red 20s vintage wide brim sun hat, Big Mama was almost always holding a sleek black cigarette holder between her fingers. For as old as she claimed to be, her human figure was unaging. Yokai magic.
“What’s all the hullabaloo about? The turtleyboos look quite frizzy-frazzled.”, she asked, twiddling the cigarette holder in her fingers.
“I don’t know.”, Casey shrugged. “But Tío is ordering a team meeting right now. So we should go find out.”
“Then let’s get going post hissy haste!”, Granny clasped her hands together, her wide brim hat bouncing with her unusually cheerful energy. “Do be a dear and clear the way through the bumbuling crowd for Big Mama?”
“...Sure.”, Casey muttered.
Casey pushed his way through the crowd, making a path for Granny to follow. They made it up to the meeting room where Leo and Mikey were already inside, being followed by Donnie, Shelldon, April, and Draxum. Big Mama waltzed in through the doorway, but before Casey could step in, Leo blocked him.
“Sorry, Case. Adults only.”, he said.
“Aw, what?!”, Casey snapped. “Come on! I’ll behave! I won’t disrupt a thing, promise!”
“I’m sorry, CJ. This is a serious meeting.”, Leo persisted. “Why don’t you go read in the library? I think Simon’s down there too, maybe you can play chess.”
Casey groaned and rolled his eyes so far back it hurt. He turned on his heel, stomping out into the hall. But of course, once he was out of range, Casey took his time and tiptoed back to the room and pressed himself against the wall to listen in. It wasn’t like the team was bad at noticing Junior was there, Casey had just gotten really good at hiding. And so, as always, the tween listened in.
“Where the hell did that attitude come from?”, April asked. “I’ve never seen Case act like that before.”
“Teenagers. Well…almost.”, Uncle Tello replied. “Hard to believe we’re all adults now. Especially Leo.”
“Ha-ha. Very funny, Don.”, Leo droned sarcastically. Then he asked, “Where’s Sagi?”
Shelldon answered. “He’s on patrol. Should we wait for him?”
A pause.
“...No, no. Let’s just start without him.”, Leo ushered. “Listen, Mikey and I discovered something very important.”
“How important?”, Draxum chimed in.
“Life threatening.”, Tío Leo pressed. “We ran into Bishop at Sacramento. He’s taken over the base—”
“Wait, wait.”, April cut. “The mission you just got back from? With Casey?”
“Exactly.”
The room fell silent. Again, Casey knew that the adults were hiding something from him. He could feel the heat of the tension through the walls.
April jumped in. “Does Bishop know—”
“I don’t know.”, Leo answered quickly. “Anyways, the point is, he gave Casey a card.”
“What card?”, Shelldon asked. Why is Shelldon allowed in the room?! He’s permanently a teen!
“...Well I burned it.”, the slider squeaked in a higher-pitch voice, seeming to regret not having evidence. “But it looked something like this…”
More pause. Casey assumed he was drawing something on a piece of paper.
“Here.”, the leader pointed out. “What concerns me is that Bishop could’ve given these out to other people too.”
“What are you getting at?”, Mikey asked.
“I’m saying…just maybe …there could be traitors in our base.”
Draxum laughed. “Ha! Traitors? You really think we’d let them waltz around here like that? You’re just being paranoid again.”
“Well if I was right to be paranoid then about you chucking me off a roof and being the only one with a goddamn brain cell when we first met Big Mama…err, no offense.”, Leo snapped.
“Oh, pish posh. Those days are long behind us.”, Big Mama brushed off cooly.
“...Then I have a damn good reason to be paranoid now.”, he finished.
“So what? We just interrogate the entire Resistance? Get people to start spreading rumors about each other?”, Donnie piped in.
“No one can know.”, his younger twin explained. “If people find out we are searching for a traitor before we can find them, the traitor could hide and get away.”
“So what do you propose?”, Big Mama asked.
“...Well…”, Leo thought. “Room inspections are today, right?”
Room inspection was not as bad as it sounded. It was mainly a patrol team taking an extra look at people’s rooms to make sure that there was no Kraang parasite spread that would infect the base. Kind of like how one would check to make sure no spider webs form in the back of their closet and the spider laid eggs. The patrol team never pried into personal space or belongings that much, mainly poking at the walls, hoping something wasn’t alive underneath.
“You can’t be serious.”, April scoffed. “I know what you’re thinking and my answer is no. This is a serious invasion of privacy.”
“Well, do you have a better plan?”, the slider pressed.
Another pause. Leo sighed.
“Meeting adjourned.”
People were mad. Scared and curious at first. But now outright mad.
The room inspections were led by Sensei himself. Master Michelangelo was on standby, chains at the ready. Donnie had his wrist tech pulled up, writing notes.
Each room was left a mess. Sheets and blankets ripped off the beds, mattresses flipped upside-down, drawers broken off the hinges and upturned, pillow cases inside out. Even the room Casey shared with the turtles and Usagi was searched thoroughly, which Mikey and Donnie were not happy to hear about how much their blue clad brother did not trust anyone at all.
People yelled at the turtles, demanding answers. But the brothers all locked themselves up to avoid getting bombarded. Donnie, Mikey, and Shelldon went into the lab. Leo locked himself in the headquarters. Casey kept his head hung low to avoid the stares people were sending his way. Unfortunately, he ran into a flash mob that was surrounding the entrance.
“You need to get your husband in line!”, someone shouted.
“He’s gone insane! Even crazier than that Bishop autocrat!”, screeched another.
Usagi flashed a nervous smile. He held his hands up, trying to prove he wasn’t looking for trouble.
“Alright, if you guys could calm down, I’ll go talk to him right away, okay?”, he assured.
“Yeah, you better do something! Before I start taking matters into my own hands!”, another person yelled. They forcefully shoved Yuichi back, making the rabbit stumble.
That did it. Casey pushed his way through the crowd, straightening his arms out to put some space between the mob and the samurai.
“Alright, that’s enough!”, he barked. “Leave him alone!”
One of them scoffed. “Hiding behind a child? You got some nerve, rabbit!”
“I said back off!”, Casey ordered. He glared at the person, getting up right up close to their face. “Don’t make me have to apprehend you—”
“O-kay!”, Usagi jumped in nervously as he clasped his hands around the tween’s mouth. “We’ll be going on our way then to talk to the big guy. I promise everything will get sorted out.”
Oji dragged Casey away from the crowd, hurrying over towards the headquarters to talk to his husband. He asked Casey to wait outside, to which of course, Casey hid and eavesdropped from outside the doors. Usagi sighed as his footsteps reached Leo.
“Hey, bluebell.”, he spoke sweetly. “Care to explain to me why the fuck I was greeted by an angry mob?”
“What?!”, the slider exclaimed. “Shit, I’m so sorry, bun, I-I’ll go give them a stern talking to—”
“No, no.”, the rabbit cut in. “I’m not mad at them. I’m mad at you . What did you do?”
There was a pause.
“...Bishop met Casey.”
“Casey?!? Does that mean Bishop knows about—”
“I don’t know.”
There it was again. More secrets.
Tío continued, “I don’t know, but Bishop gave him this business card that shows him the location to the Operation. If Bishop is giving cards out like that—”
“—Then he may have given it to other people in the Resistance.”, Oji finished. “Okay…valid reason to freak out… But—...Did you even find anything?”
“Oh yeah.”, Leo scoffed. “15 motherfucking traitors. Mikey’s keeping them held up in the cells.”
“15?!”, Yuichi exclaimed. “...Okay. Even more valid reason to freak out but…what are you going to do about it? The people are demanding answers.”
“I don’t know…”, the slider mumbled. “But…I really really want them dead.”
“I don’t think that’s gonna work.”
“Yeah, I know…”, Leo sighed. “If I do that, it’d cause an uproar but…surely I can’t be the only one that wants to kill them right? Ugh, how do I make the right choice?.”
“Well, how about you let the people vote on it?”, Usagi suggested. “Let them decide the traitors’ fate.”
“Huh…that’s actually not a bad idea. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you’re an idiot.”, Yuichi joked. “You’re my idiot, who always acts on impulse.”
“Pfft, you’re an idiot too.”, Leo laughed. “You’re my idiot, who somehow gets a turn on the brain cell.”
“We share a bed, share food…why not share a brain? Haha!”
The couple laughed. Casey did his best not to give away his hiding spot and laugh too. The laughter soon droned.
Usagi ushered. “Now come on. The people are waiting for you.”
Everyone gathered in the atrium. The leader, the mystic warrior, and the captain all stood on a makeshift stage. 15 people were lined up shoulder to shoulder behind them, wrapped in mystic orange chains. Some were scared, others were mad. Casey stood in the crowd, hearing everyone murmur amongst each other about what was going on.
“Today, I have gathered some very important intel.”, Leo spoke up in his leader voice. “A sign that there are traitors in this base. Sneaking around to gather information for Operation 51.” The crowd gasped, murmurs got more frantic. “To use that information against us. So that they can take us all down.”
The slider gestured towards the traitors behind him. “15…”, he started. “15 people have been deemed a traitor.” He paced back and forth. “15…15 siblings, parents, cousins, friends, lovers…have stabbed you in the back.”, he pressed gravely.
The crowd was mad, the air grew tense. And Casey hated being in the center of it.
“But I am no cruel leader.”, Leo continued. “This ain’t Operation, and I ain’t no John Bishop.”, he joked dryly. “So it is your choice…about what happens to these people. You get to decide whether they should be spared, welcomed back into our Resistance with open arms. You get to decide whether they should be promptly kicked out of our doors with nothing but the clothes on their backs. You get to decide whether they should be held in captivity for the rest of their lives. Or…you get to decide…whether they should be executed.”
The crowd went silent. Casey swore he heard one of the traitors choke out a cry.
Master Leonardo walked up to the front of the stage and leaned in. “The choice is yours.”
Quiet for a moment. But only for a moment. One person began shouting. Then another. Then more. Then the entire community was shouting different choices at once.
“KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!”
“GET THEM OUT OF HERE, TELL THEM TO NEVER COME BACK!”
“LOCK EM UP GOOD AND TIGHT!”
Shouting. Screaming. Demanding. Pleading. And Casey remained silent in the middle of them all. He didn’t realize that his voice mattered in that moment too. But he didn’t know what to say. Obviously, he didn’t want them to be let go. No one did. If they banished the traitors, they could still come back with an army tenfold. If they imprison them, they could escape. Killing seemed like the best option then, but…Casey remembered Master Michelangelo’s lessons of morals. It wasn’t right. He didn’t know what to say. So he just watched. And observed.
He always did.
Votes were tallied with slips of paper. The people had decided. 50% of the votes said to imprison them, the others were outnumbered. And so they did. The traitors were locked up in prison cells with maximum security. No visitors, no escaping. Guards were set up to patrol the prison 24/7, deep deep underground in the cave, giving the prisoners mere scraps for rations.
As Casey wandered the halls, thankful it was over, people began spreading rumors.
“The leader’s gone too soft. He should’ve just killed them all when he got the chance.”
“It’s that rabbit. He’s always stopping Hamato from making the right choice.”
“Why did we even come to the Resistance anyways? They are always the center of the Kraang’s attention and that can stir up a lot of trouble.”
The kid grew irritated. He was sick of hearing them talk about his uncles like that. But things were too tense for him to start running his mouth. So Casey stormed off to his room, climbing up the ladder to sit with Cup. A while ago, Casey discovered a new secret power. Cup was a great listener. And impeccable at keeping secrets. Casey could tell them anything.
Cup held many tears in its fabric. Many muffled out screams. And sometimes laughter. But most importantly, deep within the sewing lied every little rumor Casey’s ears had been told.
Casey held the bear in his arms, holding Cup close to his chest. It made him feel just a bit better. Then Casey whispered to the teddy bear.
“The adults keep talking about me.”, he muttered. “I know they are. Every time I walk past them, they feel the need to shut up and stare. I hate it.”
Cup didn’t say anything. It wasn’t good at advice, just listening.
“Sometimes I wish that they would involve me in their chats. I’m old enough to handle it. Why are they so persistent in keeping everything away from me? I’m not fragile! I’m a warrior for fucks sake!”, his voice raised. “Why won’t they tell me anything?! If they let me in on what’s going on, I’d be able to do something about it! I just want to fight back!”
Casey clenched his fingers into the bear so tightly that his knuckles began to hurt. Realizing this, he quickly let go, afraid he had hurt Cup. Cup didn’t seem to mind. Casey’s rage began to boil over. He thrusted his head into Cup’s stomach and let out a deep seated scream. It felt cathartic. He took a deep breath and screamed again. Cup held it all deep inside them.
When Casey was done getting out his screams, he held Cup close as he descended down the ladder. He then took his bear with him down to the library.
“Come on, I could use a distraction.”, he told the bear.
Casey walked down to the library, a new extension of the base. It was a rather large room with tables and chairs and sparse bookshelves that hardly had much stocked in them. Casey didn’t mind, at least it was quiet and away from the drama. Before Junior could make a beeline for the comic books, he spotted Simon sitting at a table.
Simon was around his mid 30s by now, with milky pale skin, short crystal white hair, and colorless eyes that were reflecting in a purple-ish pink tone in the light of the room. Simon was sitting in front of a busy chess board, using a magnifying glass to help him read a book about chess strategies. Casey walked over to him.
“Is this seat taken?”, the tween asked, pointing at the chair on the other side of the chess table.
“Jones! Perfect timing, come join me.”, Simon smiled. He leaned in closely at his book. “I want to try this new strategy.”
Casey sat down, holding Cup close in his lap. The tween helped Simon reset the chess pieces on the board, with Casey playing the black pieces and Simon playing the white. Simon moved his first pawn, leaning in real close to the board to get a better view of the game as his eyes wobbled side to side with nystagmus.
“You seem troubled.”, he hummed. “Is it something to do with the traitors?”
Casey moved his first pawn. “It’s the only thing people are talking about.”, he sighed.
“Do you know any of them personally?”, Simon asked, moving another piece.
Casey moved another piece. “No.”
“Then why does it bother you?” Simon took his turn.
Casey thought for a moment, pushing his rook forward. As Simon picked up a knight, Casey answered.
“...When I met John Bishop—” The knight clattered on the board.
Simon cleared his throat, picking the knight back up and making his move. “So you met the man himself. What was he like?”
Casey shrugged as he took his turn. “He’s got that asshole vibe but it’s not him I’m mad at. It’s the team.”
Simon nodded. “Ah. You wanted the traitors dead too?” Too? The man moved another piece.
“What? No!”, Casey blurted out. “It’s just that the guys won’t tell me anything!” He quickly moved his knight, kicking down one of Simon’s pawns. “They’re all hiding something from me and not telling me what’s at stake—”
Simon dragged a bishop across the board, getting too close to Casey's king and queen for comfort. Junior eyed the bishop, feeling the same wariness he felt in Sacramento. He looked up to see Simon smile, the man’s wobbling eyes narrowed in.
“What do you think is at stake?”
Casey glanced at the bishop again, moving his queen to get away. “...I dunno. But…if Bishop is really as dangerous as everyone says he is…then why didn’t he do anything when we saw him? Wouldn’t he have tried to kill us on sight?”
“That is one way to do it.”, Simon answered, moving another piece.
The bishop piece did not make a move. Casey kept a close eye on it.
“What is his motive? What is he getting at? I don’t understand that guy.”, Junior grumbled, moving his king away.
“No one understands him.”, Simon shrugged. He made another move. The bishop piece stayed still.
Casey eyed the bishop. He huffed in frustration, “He wasn’t doing anything ! He just stood there and watched us as we walked off. He is up to something, I know it.”
Simon moved again. The bishop did not.
Casey knocked down one of Simon’s rooks with his knight. “If Bishop really wanted to kill us then why didn’t he?”
More pieces were shuffled. The sole bishop was frozen in place. No matter how much Casey kept a close eye on the piece, he still couldn’t understand what was going on. He got more and more irritated.
“I just don’t understand.”, Junior shook his head, moving his queen to take a mere pawn. “What makes Bishop so powerful?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Casey saw Simon drag his other Bishop across the board and take out Casey’s queen. The game was checkmate.
“Check.”, Simon smirked.
The tween glanced over the board in disbelief. He sighed in defeat, flopping back in the chair. Cup toppled a bit in his lap.
“You see, Jones, your problem is that you aren’t looking at the bigger picture. You have to see what is happening to the entire board.”, Simon explained.
Casey’s brows furrowed. “But how am I supposed to know what’s going on if no one will tell me?”, he grumbled.
“Who said anything about asking permission?”
Junior’s face relaxed. He crossed his arms around his teddy bear and gave an amused hum. Simon sat up, resetting the board. He waved out a hand.
“Now shoo, I’ve humored you enough.”, he crooned. “Go on, I’ve got more tactics to test out.”
Casey chuckled, “Alright, alright.” He got up from his seat, pushing the chair in. “Thanks for the talk, Simon.”
“Anytime, Jones.”
Casey and Cup walked off towards the comic books. He grabbed one of the Jupiter Jim comics from the shelves, plopping down in a bean bag chair in the back corner of the library. He had enough talking for the day. Junior no longer wanted to hear about what cruel rumors were being told about his family. So he flipped through the pages, focusing on something else.
Tuning in the story, and tuning out the world.
Notes:
In case it wasn't obvious, Leo was clearly lying about Bishop being a pedophile. Bishop may be an asshole but he ain't gross. =)
Anyways about...33? (technically 34?) people die in the next chapter soooooooooooo see you on Wednesday! :D
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Shoutout to my beta reader, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 10: Captain Goes Down With His Ship
Summary:
Finally, he reached the controls. Pushing himself onto his side, Casey pulled the metal panel underneath the counter. He reached up for the wires, yanking down the power cables and cutting them open with a stray metal scrap. Junior clenched the sharp metal scrap so tight that it left gashes on his fingers. He twisted the exposed copper wires together, hearing the electrical currents come to life. Humming and zapping, glorious white sparks ignited the controls. He quickly tucked his hands back before he could get shocked. Turning back onto his stomach to crawl back to Donnie, he gave the captain a thumbs up.
A small win in this fucked up shithole.
Notes:
It's a ROTTMNT Future fanfic. You know what's supposed to happen.
Disclaimers are in the end notes.
Good luck.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“ALRIGHT, EVERYONE WAKE UP! GO ON! GET MOVING!”
The year was 2041. Casey was now 13. He woke up on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed that was not his. He was on a mission in the Red Angel with Captain Donatello and his crew. They had just successfully liberated a Kraang labor camp in Puerto Aisen, Chile. And man, Casey was beat. He had passed out on the beds with the rest of the team on the flight back home. They should be arriving back to base soon.
Still tired and exhausted, Casey had to get up. But first… Casey shifted his legs over him and began kicking the mattress of the top bunk above him.
As soon as Casey boarded, Donnie partnered him with a man named Valentín Lanzo. Valentín was fairly young, just 24 years old. He was just a kid when the apocalypse started. Valentín was deaf, though he had cochlear implants that helped him hear louder noises like alarms, words were still garbled and hard to understand if he wasn’t able to read their lips. And since Casey knew ASL, they were partnered together.
So there he was, kicking the top bunk where Valentín was sleeping. Valentín let out a frustrated groan, Casey couldn’t help but laugh. The young man jumped down from the top bunk, exchanging a tired and mildly irritated glance at the teen. Yet Valentín tried to suppress a smirk.
“Thanks.”, he signed.
“No problem.”, Casey grinned, signing as he talked.
Valentín was around the same height as Casey, if only a bit taller. An Ecuadorian man with dark tan skin and short blonde hair, brows, and a few blonde mustache hairs just barely growing in. He wore a camouflaged suit with a black cloak that was musty and stained in mud from the mission they just embarked on.
The crew got up and ready for the day. Everyone was tired and sore from the mission. It was hard to break through the bleary fog when the Red Angel hummed incessantly in the air, it made a perfect white noise machine. The smell of oil and gas was prevalent in the crew bunker. Then the intercom of the battleship chimed, Captain Hamato on the other line.
“B Team to cockpit. Our landing ETA is in 4 hours.”
Valentín fluttered a hand. “What’s going on?”
“We are needed in the cockpit. We’ll be home in 4 hours.”, Casey signed.
Casey, Valentín, and 3 others made their way up to the cockpit, switching out with the D team that took the night shift while everyone else slept. The B team was greeted by Captain Donatello as they walked in.
“Good morning, team. Get to your stations and help pilot the Red Angel back home.”, he pointed out.
Casey and Valentín sat in their stations at navigation. They glanced over the panels, keeping a watchful eye. And…not much else happened. The team was on their way home soon, and they were more than ready to go rest. As cool as it was to fly on the large Red Angel, Junior was admittedly starting to get bored of the rumbling battleship. Casey bounced his leg, hitting the slightly loose panel underneath the counter with his knee.
Blissfully unaware.
“Resistance HQ to Red Angel, over.” , someone radioed from the other line.
Donnie picked up. “Captain speaking, what’s up?”
“Uh, sir, you do know you are in the direct line of flight of a decoy fleet?”
“What?”, the captain muttered to himself. He turned over to Casey and Valentín. “What’s our radar picking up?”
Valentín glanced at the radar, which could pick up anything within a 2000 mile radius, but couldn’t find anything. He shrugged, signing, “There’s nothing there.”
“Negative, HQ.”, Donnie relayed back on the radio. “What’s the ETA?”
“About 2 minutes.”
“Shit!”, Donnie hissed under his breath. “Why didn’t they say anything sooner?!” He answered the radio again, “Alright, remain on standby. Be our eyes, the radars seem to be faulty.”
“Roger that.”
“Should we change course?”, Casey asked, pulling up the map.
“No, we don’t have enough time.”, the captain explained. “If we turn the ship, our sides will be caught in the crossfire, our turrets are mounted in the front. We can’t make an emergency landing either because this ship can’t slow down enough to do so within a couple minutes.”
“So what are we gonna do?”, Valentín signed.
“We fight.”, Donnie shrugged.
…Fight?
The softshell turned back to his panels, turning on the intercom. “Everyone get to your battle stations. Ready the turrets, prepare for fire. Decoy fleet ETA in T-minus 1.4 minutes.” Casey relayed the message to Valentín in sign.
With a press of a button, alarms and flashing lights rang out. Everyone was sent into high alert. Casey glanced over at the broken radar, which still didn’t detect anything. So he got up and walked up to the front to get a better look. There, in the distance, Casey could see the tiny specks of pink. He pulled down his mask to get a look at how many there were.
There were dozens. Dozens of Kraang decoy helicopters and battleships. And the radar’s not picking up anything?
“That…doesn’t look good.”, Captain Hamato winced. He immediately shook his head, putting on a calm and determined expression. “Alright, that does it. I’m going up top. Case, keep watch, I’ve set the ship to auto pilot.”
Casey exclaimed. “What?! But—”
“That’s an order, Jones!”, Donnie shouted back as he hurried over to the ladder in the back of the cockpit.
His battle shell released an oxygen mask, Donnie hooking it onto his face. He tied a rope around his waist with a locking carabiner attached to it. Climbing up the ladder, the captain opened the top hatch that took him to the surface of the Red Angel. Casey could hear his voice through the radio at the controls.
“Alright, R.A.P.H., we got this. Just like old times.” , Donnie reassured himself.
Casey watched through the cameras as Donnie latched himself with the carabiner to a wire on top of the ship. He crouched down, spreading his fingertips across the metal. His mystic powers glowed a violent purple hue. The sparks of light stretched across the battleship, coating the vessel in a holographic violet. The mystic energy formed large turrets and machinery at the ready to launch.
“Prepare to be Donnie’d by my mystic tech.” , the softshell muttered. He shouted through the intercom. “Everyone get ready!”
The Kraang screeched in the distance. Getting closer.
“Aim!”
Getting closer. Closer still.
“FIRE!!!”
Casey, Valentín, Donnie, and everyone else on board launched the turrets and fired the napalm hoses. The decoys began dropping like flies. Huh, this is going easier than I thought . It looked like they were going to win. Casey didn’t even need the radio to hear Donnie cheer “COWABUNGA!” from atop the ship. The fleet got smaller and smaller. Smaller still. Victory was around the corner. Casey could hear the distant cheers of the crew throughout the ship. He flipped down his mask again to check for any stranglers.
There was one.
A decoy battleship, not one of the Resistance’s own. The lesions on it were too large and overgrown to see what kind of base it belonged to. But it approached, launching onto the Red Angel like a spider. The ship rocked and tumbled, Casey held onto the counter to brace himself. Within seconds, he heard the top hatch slam shut behind him as Donnie scrambled down to get away from the decoy.
Captain Donatello yanked the oxygen mask off of his face, the mask retreating back into his battle shell. He hurried over to the controls, looking out the windshield to see the lesions spread across the ship.
“EVERYONE HIT THE DECK! BRACE FOR IMPACT!”, he demanded over the intercom. Casey scrambled to relay the message in sign to Valentín.
As Casey ran to cover next to Valentín, he saw Donnie try to control the ship to land it as safely as possible. Then there was an explosion from the back of the ship. The rocket thruster gave out, setting aflame. Donnie seemed to be having trouble with the controls, smashing the buttons that no longer worked. He took out his bo staff, stabbing it into the control panels and using his mystic powers to somehow steer the Red Angel.
Through the windshield, Casey saw the horizon reach closer. That was when the fear finally set in. He was going to die. Everyone was going to die. This was it. This was the end.
The ground got closer and closer. Closer still. The ship began nosediving, pulling the captain, Valentín, and Casey back. Casey began to slip, Valentín reached for his hand and held on tight. Tears welled up in the 13 year old’s eyes.
Then the ship crashed.
On impact, the Red Angel shook. Casey lost his grip and was flung all the way to the back of the ship. He screamed out in terror as he fell back.
Then was knocked out when his head hit the wall.
His head hurt. Everything was dark. His eyes were spinning.
Casey didn’t know how long he was out, but when his vision gradually cleared, there was fire. Lying on the ground, he felt the dirt and metal underneath his fingertips. Slowly, painfully slowly, he used all his strength to get up.
He screamed. Something had grabbed his side, the blood was burning hot. Casey looked down to see that a jagged piece of metal had pierced through his right abdomen, breaking his metal chestplate. On top of that…his left leg was broken. The pants of his olive green jumpsuit were torn, revealing the black and purple mangled skin of the leg. Casey tried not to hurl at the sight of his own bones sticking out.
The teen began to panic. He cried out, “HELP! SOMEONE! HELP ME!”
There was no response.
He screamed again, “IS ANYONE THERE?! I NEED HELP!”
Still no response. He had to move on his own.
Casey reached for the debris lodged in his side, bracing himself for the hell that was going to be unleashed. Taking quick, deep breaths, clenching his teeth tight tight tight , he yanked the metal scrap out of him.
In a second, Casey was hit with a flash of pain. His ears were ringing violently. Junior swore he was about to blackout again from the pain alone as he screeched in agony. Blood began pouring out from the wound. He clenched his stomach tight, leaning his head back as he cried out. His screaming was gurgled with a lethal taste of copper. Loose strands of his messed up braided bun were sticking to the blood on his skin.
As he laid there, waiting for the pain to subside at least a bit, Casey wondered if it was worth it. No one was around to help and there was no way he was going to make it on his own. Was it even worth it to keep fighting?
Yes! A voice from deep in his mind pleaded. You gotta keep going, Casey baby! You’re a warrior! And a warrior keeps fighting until the very end! So fight! Fight!
Casey lifted his head again, feeling something warm trickle through the corners of his lips. He carefully turned to lie on his stomach. He used his free arm to pull his entire weight to start crawling. Junior couldn’t be bothered to pull his hair out of his face. Inch by inch, he moved. It hurt like hell. Worse than hell, even.
Gathering his surroundings in the midst of crashed debris and fire, he seemed to be at the back of the ship. Nothing could be heard for miles, not even the wind. The teen called out again, but still had yet to receive any response. As he continued to crawl, Casey saw the bodies.
There were 34 people on board when the mission first started. Casey started counting 5 dead bodies…then 10…then 17…26… And 27, Valentín’s head skewered through a sharp metal blade, eyes wide open as blood stained the already blush red dirt. Then 30…32…
Cough. Hack. Donnie.
Casey looked at the supposed front of what was left of the ship. There, stuck under a large piece of debris, was Captain Donatello. He wheezed and coughed, struggling to pull himself out of the rubble.
“CAPTAIN!”, Casey called out in an already strained voice.
The softshell looked up, not fully aware of where he had to look. Casey could see his prosthetic red eye was cracked, his visor was broken too as the holographic modules and eyebrows were no longer displayed across his face. Casey kept crawling. His elbow was getting scraped and covered in dirt as he dug his fingers into the ground to grab hold and pull. As Casey made his way closer to his uncle— captain , Donnie began to recognize him.
“Casey!”, he shouted. He took a moment to catch his breath again as he coughed. He wheezed out, “Be careful! You shouldn’t move that much!”
Casey ignored him, using all of his strength to reach the softshell until he was right next to him. Finally satisfied, having reached Donnie’s side, Casey collapsed and began panting huge gulps of air. Droplets of blood flew out from the back of his esophagus. Donnie grabbed Casey’s shoulder to get his attention.
“L-lemme see.”, he heaved, nodding his head towards Junior’s abdomen.
Casey turned, unclenching his side to show the wound that was still pulsating blood. The captain didn’t waste any time, reaching for Casey’s cape and ripping off a piece of the cloth. Casey tried his best to sit up just enough for Donnie to wrap the bandage around his torso tightly, the teen couldn’t hold back the agonized whine that escaped him. Blood still persisted to leak through the bandage.
Casey pushed himself up to sit up properly, his leg practically numb with excruciating pain at this point. Brushing his long black hair back a bit, he reached for the debris above Donnie, “Let me get you out of there—”
“ NO! ”, the captain exclaimed. “No, just……just don’t. It’s not—...Y-you shouldn’t push yourself. I-I’ll be fine.”
Casey was hesitant, but…he wasn’t about to deny Donnie’s genius. He nodded, carefully bringing himself back down. Junior’s mind was beginning to sway, but Donnie shook the teen’s shoulder and nodded his head towards Casey’s mask.
“How’s your mask? Can you call HQ?”, he asked.
Casey pulled his mask down and pressed the radio button, but nothing was working. His screen was cracked and glitched out. “No…it’s busted.”, he muttered as the mask pulled back up.
Donnie sighed in frustration. “My panic button’s broken too. I doubt it had time to contact anyone.” He glanced around, eyes widening as they landed on the controls. He pointed. “Over there, the navigation modules! If—If you can reach it and hotwire the system, it should give a strong enough signal for me to contact help on my wrist tech. Can you do that?”
Casey winced, looking at how much further he had to crawl. But he nodded, “Sure…no problem.”
At least he was able to use both arms this time. Casey began to use his arms to heave himself through the rubble. Bit by bit. He was faster now, stronger. Though now his bandaged wound was rubbing up against the dirt. If he didn’t die soon, he’d definitely die of an infection later.
Finally, he reached the controls. Pushing himself onto his side, Casey pulled the metal panel underneath the counter. He reached up for the wires, yanking down the power cables and cutting them open with a stray metal scrap. Junior clenched the sharp metal scrap so tight that it left gashes on his fingers. He twisted the exposed copper wires together, hearing the electrical currents come to life. Humming and zapping, glorious white sparks ignited the controls. He quickly tucked his hands back before he could get shocked. Turning back onto his stomach to crawl back to Donnie, he gave the captain a thumbs up.
A small win in this fucked up shithole.
Donnie quickly tapped into his holographic gauntlet. “Red Angel to Resistance HQ! Is anyone there?”
“DONNIE!!!” , Leo screeched from the other side. “THANK LA VIRGENCITA, WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT YOU FOR AGES!”
Donnie coughed, taking a deep breath to help him talk. “Leo! Listen, our ship has crashed. We need immediate back-up! We got 2 injured and…”, he glanced up and looked around for the others.
“32 casualties.”, Casey answered as he made his way back to the softshell.
“32?! Th-that means everyone is…”, Captain Hamato exclaimed. He wheezed again, stopping for a moment to catch his breath.
“Donnie? Donnie, stay with me! Tell me where you are!” , Sensei shouted.
“Right…”, Donnie heaved. He squinted his real eye- the only eye still working- as he glanced at his gauntlet. “Umm…our coordinates are N 34°…14…” His voice lowered. He looked tired, eyes struggling to keep open.
“Captain Donatello?”, Casey spoke up. “Hey! Wake up!”
Donnie mumbled something Casey wasn’t able to hear. His eyelids fluttered dangerously as his real eye rolled back. The softshell blacked out, head hitting the ground.
“CAPT— UNCLE TELLO! GET UP! GET UP, PLEASE!”, Casey screeched, shaking his uncle’s shoulders.
“Casey?! Is that you?! What’s going on?!” , Leo pleaded.
“L-Leo! He’s not…he passed out!!”, the teen cried. He grasped his uncle’s shoulders, shaking him frantically. “Donnie, wake up!! Wake up—”
“Okay, Casey, listen to me!” , Tᝒío cut in. “We’re going to get you guys out of there, I promise! But you gotta do as I say, okay?”
“...O-okay.”, Casey whimpered. He gulped, swallowing spit and blood.
The leader spoke sharply. “The coordinates. Check Donnie’s device, what do the coordinates say?”
Casey reached for the softshell’s arm, turning the gauntlet towards him so he could read it. “N 34° 14’ 32.924”, W 73° 10’ 45.257”.”
“Okay, good. We’re tracking you down, alright CJ? Hang tight!”
The call ended, still open in case Leo or HQ reached out again. Casey turned back to his uncle, shaking his shoulders again to try and wake him. Hot tears streamed down the child’s face. I-it’s going to be okay. Help is on the way and…and we’ll be okay… , Casey reassured himself. It’s going to be…
He began to cry, dirt getting smudged up in his tears and hair. Casey gave up on shaking the softshell and dropped his forehead into the ground, trying his best to breathe as evenly as possible so that he didn’t jostle his wound. Everything hurt. Everything burned. And everyone was dead. They were dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dead —
A hand stroked the back of his head. Casey startled, looked up to see Donnie smile at him as the softshell soothingly petted his hair. The captain looked tired. Yet his mouth still opened.
“Hush, little baby, don’t say a word. Donnie’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.”, Uncle Tello sang, his voice low and quiet. “And if that mockingbird won’t sing, Donnie’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.”
Casey cried even more. He knew what his uncle was doing. They were going to die here.
“And if that diamond ring turns brass, Donnie’s gonna buy you a looking glass. And if that looking glass gets broke, Donnie’s gonna buy you a billy goat.”
The softshell began to cry too, his still real eye glossy with tears. Yet his voice did not falter through the calm yet looming melody.
“And if that billy goat don’t pull, Donnie’s gonna buy you a cart and bull. And if that cart and bull turn over, Donnie’s gonna buy you a dog called Rover.”
Casey reached his hand out to his uncle’s face, cradling Donnie’s tear stained smile in his palm.
“And if that dog called Rover don’t bark, Donnie’s gonna buy you a horse and cart. And if that horse and cart turn around, you’ll still be the sweetest little babe in town.”
Uncle Tello leaned in, pressing his forehead against Casey’s.
“So hush, little baby, don’t you cry. I promise everything’s going to be alright.”
Casey sniffled, wiping the tears from his eyes and hiccuping short breaths. He started to feel tired too. But he didn’t want to fall asleep just yet. He wanted to stay awake, breathing the same breath as his uncle until the very last second. But…
“W-we’re going to be okay, right?”, he croaked, his voice small. “Right??”
Donnie smiled softly, “You’re going to be just fine—”
“But you’ll be okay too, right?!”, Casey pressed, pulling himself away from their somewhat hug. “W-we’ll make it out of here together!”
The softshell shook his head, still smiling through tears. “I’m sorry, kiddo. But…I don’t think I’ll be joining you for dinner tonight.”
“But why?!”
Donnie frowned as he looked over his shoulder. Casey craned his head to see it too. Blood was seeping out underneath Donnie’s battle shell.
“...I…can’t feel anything below my shoulders. My arms and head are all I can move.”, the captain’s voice was hoarse. “My diagnosis detects that my spine is severely damaged, my battle shell is the only thing holding me all together. I’m…I’m dying , Casey. I…don’t think I’ll last much longer.”
“No! No no no no no, Uncle Tello, don’t say that!”, Casey cried.
“Hey… heh …what happened to not using familial titles on missions?”, the softshell chuckled wetly. “You can’t slip up like that…you gotta promise me.”
“...D-Donnie…”
“ Promise me .”, he pressed.
Casey nodded gingerly. “I…I promise.”
“...Good.”
Just then, they heard shouting in the distance. The voices were familiar. Oh thank the spirits. Casey pushed himself up as much as he could.
“OVER HERE!”, he screeched.
“CASEY?! DONNIE?!”, Leo called out.
Donnie yelled out too. “WE’RE RIGHT HERE!”
Just around the corner, Leo rushed in. Followed by Mikey, Usagi, and April. All familiar faces. Usagi and April rushed to Casey’s side, helping to move him out of the way as Leo and Mikey dropped to their knees in front of their older brother.
“Holy fuck, Casey! Your leg!”, April exclaimed.
She and Yuichi turned the teen onto his back to get a better look at his injuries. But moving around made the pain so so much worse than it already was. Yet Casey kept eyeing his uncles, knowing what was about to go down.
“J-just hang tight, Don! We’re gonna get you out of here!”, Leo assured as he grabbed the metal debris that was crushing his twin. “Mikey, use your powers to pull him out but be careful!”
“On it!”, Mikey nodded as his eyes lit up in a bright orange hue.
“No wait!—”, Donnie tried to warn before he got dragged out.
There, for all of the world to see, his battle shell was mangled and falling apart. Who the fuck knew what worse happened to his softshell. Leo dropped the debris back down and scrambled over to hold his figurative twin in his arms. Mikey clasped his hands over his mouth, a cry escaping him.
“O-okay…okay, okay, okay…”, the slider sputtered. “Y-you’re gonna be okay! We’ll—We’ll get you home and—”
“No, Leo, I can’t…”, Donnie sighed.
“But you will! You will be okay!”
“Nardo—”
“It’s going to be fine!—”
“LEONARDO, FOR FUCKS SAKE, I AM DYING!”
The world fell silent. The pain from Casey’s injuries were the least of his concerns now. Right now, at this moment, Casey and the others were witnessing Donatello’s last breath.
“...You can’t leave me here, Donnie.”, Leo croaked. “The Resistance needs you, your family needs you.”
“We all gotta go at some point, baby blue.”, the softshell smiled. “But…hey! That makes you the oldest brother now, alright? You gotta…take charge while I’m gone.”
Mikey whined, reaching for Donnie’s hand. “Dee! Please don’t say that! Please!”
Donnie’s head slowly turned to the youngest brother. “...It’s going to be okay, Michael. You’re so, so strong. You’ll be okay, you got your power. What’s that thing you’d always say? “According to my calculations, as long as you believe in yourself, you can do anything!” Haha…that’s right…”
“B-but who will I talk to about our designs?! The inventions we made together? Who’s going to be in charge of the greenhouse? The militia? The lab?”
“Use that creative brain of yours.”, the second oldest grinned. “You’ll figure something out, you always do.”
Donnie let out a quivered breath. As his head fell back, his twin caught it gently. Leo held his brother a little closer as Mikey held his hand a little tighter.
“We got you, Donnie. We got you.”, Leo reassured with a croaking voice.
The softshell let out a sad chuckle. His voice squeaked under pressure, “If…I’m being completely honest…I’m really fucking scared right now…”
Though his voice broke the facade, Donnie was doing his best to keep a brave face for his family. He seemed like he was trying not to break down into a panic at that moment. The older brother took a deep breath, stretching his grin out more.
Mikey squeezed his eyes tightly, rocking himself. His now unbraided locs spilled over his shoulders to curtain his tears. Leo gulped dryly, putting on his best smile through the waterfall of tears pouring down his face. His smile wobbled dangerously.
“Be—...be sure to…to say hi to Raph and Pops for us…okay?”, the slider asked.
“Will do.”, Donnie whispered.
His eyes fluttered, struggling to stay open. Casey felt a sharp sting in his heart. April was curling in on herself. Usagi’s fur was drenched in tears. Mikey was trembling, rocking more and more. Leo’s smile began to falter. And Donnie…took one last breath.
“...I love you.”
And with that, Donatello’s body was still. Leo quivered, bringing a finger up to his brother’s neck to check for a pulse. But in his face, Casey could see that there was nothing. There was nothing .
Hamato Donatello was dead.
Casey wailed out a piercing cry. Helpless and severely injured, he couldn’t do anything but watch. Watch as his uncle died right before his eyes. The turtle brothers clung onto the second oldest’s body tightly as they cried streams of tears. April left Casey’s side for a moment to join her brothers in their grief and sorrow. The siblings’ wails filled the dark cloudy red sky, crying…shrilling…pleading. And Usagi was distant, lost in a cloud of his own thoughts, unable to move.
The teen began to feel dizzy, feeling the exhaustion he was fighting back finally starting to weigh him down. But he didn’t want to sleep. Not when his Uncle Tello was right there. But his body did not listen to his wants. Everything turned into a blur.
“...Casey?”
“Casey!”
“CASEY! WAKE UP!”
When Casey opened his eyes again, he was somewhere else. Pain was the first thing that came to his senses. His mind was spinning and nauseating. His leg was burning with the absolute worst pain anyone could even imagine. And someone was pressing their hands down on his torso. And it hurt .
He scrambled to get up, feeling the cold sweat trickle down his body. As the kid tried to push the hands away, more hands grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back down.
“Don’t move! I know it hurts, baby, but we gotta stop the bleeding first!”, a woman’s voice pleaded in his ears. It was Grammy. He must be in the med-bay.
The hands kept pressing tighter and tighter. Casey screamed, squirming to fight against it. He even tried kicking his broken leg, which he immediately regretted. He screeched again.
“Damn it, kid!”, Leo yelled. His hands pressed further into the wound. “I know it sucks, but you have to work with me here! Carol, can’t we get him anything for the pain?”
“We’re out!”, Grammy Carol exclaimed.
“What do you mean we’re out?!”
“I sent a supply team to grab more antibiotics and painkillers a couple days ago. They still haven’t gotten back yet! I thought we’d have enough to last until they returned!”
Casey screeched. His vision was blurred, he didn’t understand what was going on. Grammy’s hand pressed against his forehead, rubbing her thumb soothingly.
Dr. O’Neil called out, “Draxum! What about the yokai plants? Is there anything there?”
“Do you think that if I had any, I would’ve told you?”, Grandpa snarked.
“MAKE IT STOP!!!”, Casey wailed. “MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!”
“His pressure is dropping.”, another doctor reported. “We need to get him stabilized, now!”
“Shit!”, Tío shouted. “Shit! Shit! Fuck! Casey, stay with us, okay?! Please ! We can’t lose you too!”
With his vision blacking out, Casey could only hear frantic voices muffled in the background. Shadows scrambling left and right. Hands reaching for him. Hands he could not hold onto. He just got back. He didn’t want to go! And then…
Everything
went
white.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Death. Major Character Death. Temporary Death. Blood, gore, and injury. Suicidal thoughts?? (kinda??)
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So...uh...how are you? (Idk what to say). On the brightside, we get smth sorta nice and wholesome in the next chapter??? Yayyy...I made some animations too!
Donnie's Second Thoughts
The plot twist in a nutshell
Twinless Behavior
(I'm so sorry for this)OH AND BTW, the coordinates don't really mean anything. I just used whatever seemed logical for a flight from Chile to NYC. =P
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Shoutout to my beta reader, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 11: Brains And Brawn
Summary:
As the speck came closer into view, Casey could see that most of it was green. Brighter than Mikey’s and Donnie’s green but not as bright as Leo’s. Walking further, further still, it looked like…
“I think it’s a person.”, Casey guessed. “A green person. Maybe it’s a yokai?”
“...Green?”, Uncle Tello muttered.
“Uh, yeah? Is the “grim reaper” supposed to be green?”
“ Sigh …No, Junior, the reaper is not green.”, the scientist rolled his eyes. “I think it’s… G-get us closer, tell me what you see.”
Notes:
CASEY'S FINE GUYS DON'T WORRY--
Disclaimers are in the end notes as per ushe! <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Everything was white.
Casey was standing on white. White solid ground. He found himself in a blank empty space. Everywhere he looked he saw white. Where am the fuck I???
Casey was…confused. He didn’t feel pain. Nor scared. Nor lost. Just…exceptionally calm. And very confused. His wounds were gone. And so was his tech. Just the olive green jumpsuit, boots, gloves, side pouch, and cape. Along with his messed up braided bun that was definitely all sorts of tangled by now. Something in the back of his mind nagged at him to walk forward. And so he did.
It was hard to tell if Casey was walking in a straight line. It was hard to tell if he was walking at all. But then he heard whistling. He followed it. The louder it got, the more Casey was able to see someone. Someone sitting on the floor. Someone…in a white lab coat with thick black rubber gloves up to his elbows and a vibrant purple bandana.
“Donnie!”, Casey exclaimed with joy as he ran over and hugged his uncle tightly. Tears welled up in his eyes, squeezing the softshell’s sides with all of his might.
“Junior?! What are you…oh…”, Uncle Tello sighed. He grabbed Casey’s shoulders to get a good look at his nephew.
Casey took notice that the softshell was missing his prosthetic eye and leg, along with his battle shell and visor. His tech was also gone. Donnie frowned.
“Oh, Casey…you shouldn’t be here…”, Donnie fussed.
“Here? Where is here?”, Casey asked, still stumped.
“Well…”, Donnie glanced around. “...I believe we are in some sort of multifaith afterlife transition zone.”
“Afterlife? …Wait…that means…”
“Yeah. We’re dead.”
Huh. Why didn’t that scare Casey? It was like his mind was just… okay with it.
Donnie continued. “Although, I was expecting there to be… something . Like…literally anything at all. Like the grim reaper or…I dunno…”, he shrugged. “I figured that there must be a threshold that we had to walk through to get to our own individual afterlives but… obviously I didn’t get very far.”
Casey glanced down at his uncle’s missing leg. Yeah, that is a problem… Though, surely Donnie wasn’t the first amputee to die, right? Wouldn’t there be something for those unable to walk? Well, besides being unable to feel any pain at all. Seemed like a real inconvenience for an afterlife.
Donnie shrugged as he rambled on. “It seems like technology doesn’t pass on here. Which makes sense to me. That’s why it’s in my burial rights that my brothers sew up my leg and eye before burying me. But…considering the apocalypse…I am honestly not mad about it at all.”
“Well…I can help you!”, Casey smiled. “Come on! Let’s find this threshold thingy together!”
Without waiting for an answer, the teen pulled the softshell to his foot and stump. He wrapped his uncle’s arm over his shoulder, acting as a crutch to help him walk. Without the concept of pain, Casey was hardly feeling any muscle exhaustion. His small stature in this realm was surprisingly quite strong at holding his weight and Donnie’s.
And so the two were walking for a bit. Uncle Tello hopped on his leg, using Casey as support. Once again, Casey couldn’t tell if they were walking in a straight line or even walking at all. Eventually, after what felt like forever , Casey saw a tiny dark speck in the distance.
“Don! You see that?”, Casey pointed at the speck.
“See what?”, the softshell quizzed. He squinted his eye, trying to look at what Casey was pointing at but perhaps his eye wasn’t helping him. “I see… something . Describe it to me.”
“Umm…”, Casey drawled, squinting his eyes too to get a better look. “Well…it’s dark. And…green?”
As the speck came closer into view, Casey could see that most of it was green. Brighter than Mikey’s and Donnie’s green but not as bright as Leo’s. Walking further, further still, it looked like…
“I think it’s a person.”, Casey guessed. “A green person. Maybe it’s a yokai?”
“...Green?”, Uncle Tello muttered.
“Uh, yeah? Is the “grim reaper” supposed to be green?”
“ Sigh …No, Junior, the reaper is not green.”, the scientist rolled his eye. “I think it’s… G-get us closer, tell me what you see.”
And so Casey did. Step by step, the two made their way closer to the person. Casey squinted his eyes even more, trying to get a clear focus on this mysterious person.
“Okay, there’s more than just green.”, Casey explained. “They’re huge. And…spiky?? And…red.”
“...Raph…”, Donnie whispered. “It…it can’t be…”
“Can’t be what?”, Casey asked.
But his uncle did not answer. His lips pressed in a firm line before his voice barked. “RAPH!”
“...Donnie?”
“Holy truffle mac n cheese…”, the softshell muttered. He shouted again. “RAPH! OVER HERE!”
“Donnie!”, the person called out. “It’s you!”
They ran closer and closer into view. Uncle Tello tried to hop closer, stumbling in Casey’s hold. As… Raph …sprinted towards them, Casey could see him better. A large large turtle with spikes and a rigid plastron with a red bandana across his face. Just like the one from the photo. Exactly like the photo.
“HAHA! C'mere you!”, the snapper roared as he scooped up his brother in his arms and spun him around.
The brains and brawn bursted out cackling in joy. Casey watched as the older brothers hugged onto each other tightly. Raph was huge , just as tall as the twins. And he looked like he had no problem holding his brother in his arms.
“Lemme get a good look a’chu, man!”, Raph grinned as he pulled Donnie back from the hug. “What on earth happened to yo eye?! What happened to yo leg?! Look at how much you’ve grown! You look…”, he frowned a bit. “...You look tired, brother.”
Donnie chuckled wetly, a tear pearling in his eye. “And you look so… so young, Raph. Too young.”
The snapper smiled sadly. “Haha…yeah…17 forever.”
“17?!”, Casey exclaimed. “But you’re fucking huge!”
“Hey! Watch t' language, lil guy.”, Raph snarked with a grin. He turned to Uncle Tello, “Ya don’t happen t' be responsible for that, right?”
The softshell rolled his eyes. “Oh please, I’m a great influence.”, he said sarcastically. But then his eyes widened as he realized something. Donnie exclaimed, “Wait! Raph! You haven’t met Casey!”
Raph was puzzled. “Ya mean our Casey? Why wouldn’t Raph have—”
“No no, Casey has a son ! This is Casey Jones Junior !”, Donnie gestured frantically at the kid.
“Casey Jones…Junior?”, Raph echoed, turning back to the teen. Then his eyes widened. “Oh wait! That’s right! Raph’s heard all about chu!”
“You have?!”, both Casey and Donnie shouted in sync.
“Yeah!”, Raph smiled. “Come on, you guys gotta see this!”
Without waiting for an answer, the snapper scooped up his younger brother and carried him on top of his shoulders with ease. Donnie was startled by the gesture for a moment, but then immediately wrapped his arms around his brother’s neck as another tear dwelled up in his eye. Then the alligator snapping turtle lent a hand to Casey. The teen was confused as to what Raph was inviting him to do but he took Raph’s hand anyway. Raph then pulled Casey off his feet like a big bag of grapes, resting the kid on his shoulders and holding on to him tightly. With the snapper now content with Casey and Donnie sitting on his shoulders side by side, he started walking.
Casey held on to Raph’s arm for dear life, afraid he was going to fall. But Uncle Tello just laughed as he tussled the kid’s messy long black hair. They walked for a while, at this point Casey was trusting the barren white landscape that they were heading somewhere. More specks of people came into view but Raph just walked past them. For a moment, Casey swore he saw Valentín amongst the scattered crowd. Then… finally …they reached a wall. A threshold. Bright and gleaming with a glossy pale green. Nearly the same shade as the sage green strands in Uncle Angelo’s hair. The wall didn’t look solid, it looked to be made of water. It was the most water Casey had ever seen before, the wall stretching infinitely high and wide.
There was another group of people waiting at the threshold. Many of them wore cloaks with that symbol… that symbol …a circle. There was a rat person wearing a similar robe with that symbol. And a woman with her hair in a bun, the symbol large and impressionable in the center of her dark blue robe. An old man who was the same height as the rat man. Another woman with her hair in a ponytail, with the same symbol in the center but of her light green robe. And…and…
“Special deliv’ry!”, Raph called out to the group. “You won’t believe who Raph found!”
And…Mama.
She turned around, facing towards the turtles and her son. And she…was just as Casey remembered her.
“...Casey baby?”, she muttered.
“MAMA!”, Casey exclaimed back.
No longer afraid of falling, Casey leapt out of the snapper’s hold and ran over to his mother. And like always, she smiled and got down on one knee with her arms opened wide. Casey Jr charged into Casey Sr’s arms, knocking her down. The Jones duo cried. Relieved tears. Happy tears. His mother held Casey’s face in her hands as she gave him several kisses on his forehead and cheek. And Casey cherished every single one.
“Oh, Casey baby! I’ve missed you so so so much!”, Senior exclaimed. “Look at you! You look wonderful! You’re practically all grown up!” But then she frowned. “But…not grown up enough! How did—What happened to you?!?”
“There was an accident.”, Donnie chimed in. “Our ship had crashed and…no one survived.” He slid down from Raph’s shoulders, still leaning against the snapper for support. “It…it was my fault really. Something went wrong with the ship during the decoy attack…it was way too coincidental…”
The rat man stepped forward. “At least you are home now…my son.”
Upon staring at the rat, which must be the Splinter that Casey had heard about, the softshell’s leg buckled underneath him. He collapsed to the ground, Raph kneeling down beside him as their dad approached Donnie. Splinter cupped the softshell’s face in his scrawny hands, tears rolling down his face.
“You look tired, my boy. Have you been getting enough sleep lately?”, the rat asked ever so softly.
Donnie didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Tears began streaming down from his sole eye as the softshell pulled his dad in for a hug. Splinter wrapped his arms around his son, rubbing his shell. Raph stretched his arms out wide, pulling his family into his strong and protective embrace. As Casey watched the Hamato reunion, his mom gently stroked his long tangled hair. It felt nice to finally be able to rest. It was peaceful here. Casey wanted to stay.
Once Uncle Tello had cried enough tears, he hoisted himself up with Raph’s help. Turning to the threshold, Donnie eyed it with suspicion. He pointed at the wall.
“So…that’s where the afterlife is?”, he asked, skeptically.
“Yeah!”, Raph smiled. “Each person’s afterlife is diff'rent dependin' on their beliefs. But we’re still able to visit each other! You should check out my place!”
“Lemme guess, is it full of teddy bears?”
“YES!!!”, the snapper beamed as he shook his fists like maracas. “IT’S THE BEST!!!”
Casey grinned. “I don’t care what mine looks like as long as you guys are there.”
“Then let’s not waste time!”, Senior cheered. “Come on! We got a lot of mother-son bonding to catch up on!”
With minds contented and smiles brimming, everyone nodded at each other. They all took each others’ hands and began to walk towards the threshold. Casey Sr squeezed her son’s hand twice.
“I can’t wait to hear all about what you’ve been up to.”, she grinned. Then Mama chuckled, “Instead of you having to talk to your teddy bear.”
Casey’s brows pinched. “...Wait, how do you know about Cup? You weren’t there—”
Just then a portal formed behind them. It was bright. And…orange. Voices were heard from behind it.
“Come on, kid! Stay with me!”, Leo’s voice pleaded. His hands were bloodied and were pressing against the chest on Casey’s body, trying to start the heart.
Mikey’s voice strained, “I can’t keep this up much longer!” His mystic energy flowed throughout Casey’s body, the streaks in his hair glowing a bright neon green.
Casey’s grip on his mother’s hand tightened.
“Is that…”, Casey Sr started.
“It’s Leo! And Mikey!”, Raph exclaimed. “...Does Mikey have hair??”
“My boys…”, Splinter smiled warmly. “My, my…you all have grown up into such fine handsome warriors.”
“Wait…”, Donnie muttered. “Why are they trying to save Casey now ? Hasn’t it been like…a while?”
“Time is diff'rent here. Sometimes things go by fast, sometimes it’s super slow.”, the snapper explained.
Suddenly, the portal’s mystic energy stretched out and swirled around Casey. Upon being wrapped in it, the trance of this plane of existence wavered off. Casey felt it. He felt it all. Pain, hunger, thirst, exhaustion…but worst of all… fear . The portal began sucking Casey in like a black hole.
“No! No no no! I don’t wanna go!!”, Casey screamed as he held onto his Mama tightly. “Please don’t let me go! I wanna stay here!!”
Mama only smiled. “You have to, Casey baby. This world still needs you.”
“But I just found you! Please, Mama, please don’t let me go!” He held on tightly to his mother’s hand with both of his as Casey was being pulled off his feet, hovering dangerously in the air.
His hands started slipping, losing his grasp on his mother’s hold. Tears were rolling down his face and he fought with every fiber of his being to stay. The woman with a ponytail and light green robe grabbed hold of his hand for a moment. Casey may not have known her, but she seemed important. The woman smiled, parting her lips.
“Anata wa hitori janai.”
And with that, Casey lost his grip. He was being flung back into the portal. Tears flew off of his cheeks as he screamed. But his family…his family just smiled.
“MAMA!!!”
“MAMA!!!”, Casey screeched as he was blinded by cold harsh lights.
“HE’S BACK! HE’S BACK! OH THANK GOD.”, Leo shouted.
“Halle- fucking -lujah!”, Mikey cheered.
Casey’s chest burned . His head was spinning, his body ached in absolute agony. The teen’s blood ran cold as his sweat flashed hot. Casey screamed and squirmed yet hands scrambled to hold him down again. Someone was telling him to breathe but how could he breathe when his lungs couldn't. get. air ? Why couldn’t they have let him die? This was much worse.
More shouting, more screaming. Hands were grabbing his arm. Something poked it. The hands were persistent on not letting his arm move. Once again, another hand was rubbing their thumb against his head. After a moment, his blurry vision got even more blurry. And it was getting harder to fight, limbs turning into lead. Exhaustion pulled his eyelids down.
“That’s it, kiddo, just relax. You’re safe.”, Tío soothed.
“Thank goodness the supply team got back here in time. We gotta get to work, fast.”, Carol ordered.
The voices began to drown out. Casey couldn’t move. Couldn’t see. All he could do was cry. His tears were warm. Casey found it oddly comforting. His eyelids were too heavy now but he still tried to look. He needed to look for her. He just found her, he couldn’t lose her again.
“...mama…”, Casey called out.
But no one called back.
When Casey woke up, there was something tucked in his arm. He rubbed his fingertips against it, recognizing the texture of the fabric and chainmail belt. It was Cup. His eyelids felt like they were glued shut. They might as well have been. But Casey just had to see. There was something he needed to look for.
Prying his eyes open, Casey stared at the ceiling of the med-bay. He could see the curtain dividers wrap around his peripheral. Casey slowly turned his head, seeing his family asleep beside him in folded chairs. Uncle Angelo was tucked into his shell, being cradled by Tío while Oji and Auntie lolled their heads on either of the slider’s shoulders. It didn’t look that comfortable. Casey hoped they weren’t sleeping like that for long.
Staring back towards the ceiling, Casey sunk into the quiet. It wasn’t usually quiet. There was always screaming, always explosions, always chattering and rumors. But now there was just quiet. Casey silently listened to the thumping beat of his heart. It drummed in a steady rhythm, accompanied by the pace of his breathing. Just…in…and out…in…and out… Followed by a thump…thump…thump.
Donnie is dead , a thought reminded him without warning. Everyone from that troop is dead. No one survived, not even you. Why did you survive when the others were much more capable than you? You’re just a kid. A dumb, stupid kid. Donnie is dead. Because of you. It’s all your fault —
“Casey?”, April’s voice whispered. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
Casey turned to look at his aunt, just barely realizing he had been crying. April sighed, reaching her hand out to cradle his face. She smiled, shushing soothingly.
“It’s okay, Casey baby. You’re okay—”
“Donnie is dead.”, Casey croaked. “He’s actually dead and it’s all my fault.”
“What?”, April whisper shouted. “No! Sweetheart, it’s not your fault! You did nothing wrong!”
The hushed commotion stirred the others awake. Uncle Angelo stretched out of his shell, Leo yawning as Oji rubbed his eyes. Mikey was the first to jump to his feet, standing beside Casey’s bedside.
“Casey! You’re awake!”, he exclaimed. “How are you feeling? You doing okay?”
“Good to see you, danshi.”, Usagi smiled as he joined the box turtle. “You really scared us there for a moment."
“Guys, give him some space. We don’t want to overwhelm him.”, Leo hushed. He grabbed Mikey’s shoulder and pulled him back a step. “How are you, niño?”
Casey just continued to cry. He didn’t understand why they were being so nice to him. They just lost Donnie, all because Casey was too helpless to save him. Why did they even bring him back? It just made no sense to the kid.
April wiped away his tears with her thumb, smiling reassuringly. “It’s not your fault, baby.”, she repeated. “You did everything you could. You did amazing.”
Casey nestled his face further into his Auntie’s palm. As he tried to turn to his side, his right side stung. Worse than stung, it burned like a hot knife. Casey winced, finally recognizing the bandages wrapped around his side and the cast on his left leg. The other’s widened their eyes, swarming him like a bunch of mother hens.
“It’s fine, it’s fine!”, Casey blurted out. “It doesn’t hurt that bad, I’m okay!”
“No, you’re not.”, Leo shook his head. “Mikey, mind grabbing Carol for me?”
“On it.”, the box turtle nodded as he turned on his heel and slipped past the curtains.
“How bad is it?”, Tío asked, turning back to the kid.
“I told you I’m fine. It’s not as bad as before.”, Junior hissed. Sure it was painful but Casey had felt worse. He knew worse. And if he could handle that—
“But it still hurts , right?”, the slider pressed. “Kid, this is not the time to act tough.”
Just then footsteps hurried over to the bed. The curtains flew open to reveal Dr. O’Neil, followed by Master Michelangelo. Carol smiled warmly at Casey.
“Grammy!”, Casey grinned, though his hoarse voice did not match his tone.
“Hey, dear, how are you?”, Carol hushed as she knelt beside the gurney. “Is your head okay? Feeling nauseous?”
Casey shook his head with a smile, laughing it off. “I’m fine. Really.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “He’s in pain but he keeps trying to hide it.”
“Ha! Where do you think he got that from?”, Grammy smirked at the turtle. “Not to worry, I got some painkillers right here.”
The doctor held up a bottle and syringe in her hand. Oh fuck why does it have to be needles? Casey groaned, shutting his eyes tight and turning his head away.
“It’s only gonna be a second, sweetie. It’s not that bad.”, Carol assured.
The teen grumbled. He opened his eyes again to find something to focus on. Soon, his eyes drifted towards the open curtain at the foot of the bed. There- on the other side of the room- was a person. Or rather a corpse , draped in a sheet. Two jars sat by the corpse. One had an eye, the other had a leg. It was pretty clear whose corpse it was. Casey held his breath upon looking at the gruesome sight.
Oji caught on, quickly grabbing the curtains and yanking them closed. But it was too late, Casey saw it all in detail. He turned to his Tío for answers. The slider frowned.
“...We’re just…fixing him up first. Before the burial.”, Leo muttered.
“He’ll be happy to have his limbs back. That way Raph won’t have to carry him.”, Casey murmured, leaning his head back into the pillow. He felt the needle prick his arm. Ow .
“...What?”, April mumbled.
“Yeah.”, Casey explained. “I found him when I was out. I helped him walk until we found Raph—”
“That’s just a dream.”, Mikey chuckled nervously. “It’s…it’s not…”
“It wasn’t just them. There was Mama and Splinter and the people in cloaks.”
“Cloaks?”, Leo quizzed.
Casey nodded, his eyes getting droopy. “I’ve never seen them before. But one of them said something to me.” He yawned. “Hey…what does “Anata wa hitori jani” mean?”
The room fell silent. Well that was odd. Surely Oji, Tío, and Uncle knew Japanese, right? After a pause, Grammy stood up.
“...Well…the medicine should be kicking in soon. That’ll last you a few hours.”, she whispered. “I recommend getting some more rest, sweetheart. Alright?” Carol then got up and left the group past the curtains.
Casey hummed, closing his eyes. Man, this was boring. He just woke up and now they’re telling him to go back to sleep. The painkillers were making it really hard to stay awake. So he fought against it, struggling to keep his eyes opened as they fluttered.
“Hey, you heard the doc, kid.”, Leo whispered. “Time for you to get some sleep. We’ll be back to check on you—”
“No! Don’t go!”, Casey shouted. He tried to sit up, reaching his arm out. “I don’t wanna go…”
“Go where?”, April asked, taking his hand.
Casey couldn’t answer, his eyes began to water and tears trickled down his face. As much as I want Mama, I don’t wanna go back… He pushed forward, moving his legs to get up—
“Woah, woah, hey…”, Leo hushed, hurrying over to press his hand against the 13 year old’s chest. “Okay, we won’t leave, alright? Just take it easy.”
He placed his arm on the teen’s shoulder. Casey wrapped his arms around the slider’s, quietly trying to stop himself crying. Leo gave him a sympathetic look.
“Alright.”, he sighed. “But if we’re staying, we’re gonna get comfy. So scoot.”
Very very carefully, Leo held Casey in his arms, moving behind the kid to lean his shell against the back of the wall. He tucked Casey and Cup against his plastron, pulling the blanket up to the teen’s shoulders. Mikey climbed up on the bed, tucking himself into his shell and leaning against Casey’s leg. April scooted her chair closer, resting her elbow on the bed and her head on her hand. Yuichi grabbed his chair and seated himself on Casey’s other side, folding his arms and resting his chin on the mattress.
Contented with his family by his side, Casey sighed and rested his eyes, lolling his head against his Tío’s plastron. The room was quiet again, now accompanied by the slow breathing of everyone else drifting off to sleep. Just…in…and out…in…and out… Followed by a thump…thump…thump. Yet Casey couldn’t sleep just yet. He had to confess what he had done.
“...Tío?”, Casey whispered.
“Hm?”, the slider hummed.
“There was something wrong with the ship.”, the kid muttered.
“What?”
“There was something wrong with the ship and I didn’t say anything. That’s why it was my fault.”
“Casey…”
“There was a loose panel. The radar wasn’t working. And we were in a direct line of flight of the decoy fleet. It seemed way too convenient.”, Casey continued. He yawned. “And that decoy ship…I swear I’ve seen it somewhere.”
There was a pause. Casey waited for Leo to say something but the slider remained silent. Casey hummed, nestling his face into Sensei’s plastron more.
“...I dunno…maybe I’m just being paranoid…”
Casey felt Leo’s hand run through his tangled hair soothingly. As Casey fell into a deep sleep, he heard the slider whisper.
“Yeah…maybe.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: Suicidal thoughts (in a survivor's guilt kind of way), needles, corpse, preserved organs in jars--
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See? He's fine! Everything is fine! =) *violently sobbing*Anyways we'll get to see Leo and Mikey (and Shelldon) be total badasses in the next chapter so wooo! See ya on Wednesday!
Shoutout to my beta reader, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 12: For Donnie's Honor
Summary:
“This is perfect.” , Bishop’s voice came through the other line. “Using those aliens as a weapon ourselves, we’re able to redirect this fleet right into the flight of that horrendous Red Angel. And with our surviving spy on the inside, these bastards have no idea what’s coming for them.”
“But sir…there’s a kid on that ship.” , another voice pointed out.
“So? That little vermin is just as rotten as the rest of those…freaks. Proceed as planned. Make sure no one survives.”
Notes:
AHAHAHAHA REVENGE TIME!!!
This chapter gets pretty intense but you'll be CHEERING by the end of it! =)
Disclaimers in the end notes! <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
They held Donnie’s funeral without him.
Mikey explained that they couldn’t let the corpse sit out like that for too long. Leo promised that when Casey got better, they’d visit his grave. And so when Casey did recover, the two of them visited the crash site where the captain was buried along with his crew. Everyone…except for Casey.
It took him a while to get used to seeing Donnie’s battle shell mounted on the wall in the memorial room alongside his brother’s shell. Took a while to get used to the purple bandana now interwoven with the red bandana on the hilt of one of Leo’s swords. In fact, everywhere Casey looked, he was reminded of the tech and architecture his uncle had built.
It took Casey a week to recover before he was allowed to leave the med-bay, and even with that he needed underarm crutches while his leg still healed. And apparently the nasty scar on his side would last for a long time. Maybe even forever. Many people visited him. Obviously wanting to hear the story about the crash. But Casey didn’t say much. He’d play the tired card and pretend to fall asleep on them until they went away. Grammy didn’t find his games amusing.
But it wasn’t fair. Casey was the only one who survived the crash. The only one who could tell the story. And there was no one to share that experience with. He was alone. He was the only one from that troop to return home.
The pity smiles came back. Some said their condolences as Casey passed by, others asked if he needed help to walk. Casey would just glare at them. Sometimes he kept his mouth shut…and other times he didn't. The smiles stopped, replaced with wary looks. Casey didn’t know if that was better or not.
He sat in the library most of the time. Tuning in the story and tuning out the world. He only returned to the med-bay when it was time for a new dose or time for sleep. Unfortunately, in order to get to the library, Casey had to pass by Donnie’s lab each time. The lab mostly remained closed these days. But on this particular day, Usagi was knocking on the door.
“Leo, please open up. You’ve been in there for hours!”, the rabbit pleaded.
After a pause, Yuichi sighed in defeat. He walked across the hall and sat down against the wall. Casey saw him bury his face in his hands, sniffling. The teen crutched up to him.
“What’s going on?”, Casey asked.
The rabbit looked up in surprise. “Casey! Hey!”, he smiled, quickly wiping away his tears. “I-it’s nothing, it’s just… sigh …Leo’s been in there all day.”
Casey turned to the door. “Isn’t he always?”, he asked, carefully setting himself down beside his Oji.
“Yeah but…come on, this isn’t good for him.”, Yuichi sighed. “He always shuts himself out, it’s no surprise. He hides his fears and insecurities behind a smile, never letting them see the light of day.”
Casey hummed, nodding in acknowledgement. He leaned into Oji’s shoulder. “We’ll wait here then.”, he said. “We’ll wait right here.”
“Yeah…”, the rabbit smiled. “I mean…he can’t stay in there forever. He’ll walk out eventually and see his poor husband sitting on the floor.”
Usagi and Casey both giggled. They waited on the floor together, silently nodding and waving at the confused people who passed by. At some point, Oji fell asleep, snoring loudly as Casey stared off into space. Okay…he’s been in there for a while… , Casey thought to himself.
Suddenly, a loud crash was heard from inside the lab, startling both Casey and Yuichi. Some angry shouting was heard behind the door. Usagi sprang to his feet, rushing towards the door and banged his fist on it frantically.
“Leo?! Bluebell, open the door! What’s going on?!”, he shouted.
Casey got up as well, making his way over to the door to join his Oji in banging on the door. When they didn’t get an answer, Usagi shouted again.
“Leo, please! Please open the door! Please !”, the rabbit pleaded desperately.
After another pause with no response, Yuichi scoffed in frustration.
“That’s it, I’m breaking it down.”, he grumbled. “Casey, get back.”
But before he could start winding up his rabbit leg for a kick, the doors automatically slid open. Oji stumbled, catching himself before he tripped on his feet. Peering into the room, Casey and Usagi found Leo sitting on the floor. His breaking was quick as his eyes widened.
“...Leo?”, his husband whispered. “Hey, kappa, you with me?” He slowly began to approach the slider.
Leo didn’t respond. He kept staring at the monitors in front of him. Usagi crouched beside him, gingerly reaching out to hold his husband’s hand. He rubbed his thumb against the slider’s hand.
“Babe, breathe. I’m here.”, Yuichi soothed. “I’m here, bluebell.”
Tío took a few deep breaths, collecting his composure. He didn’t give himself enough time to calm down before he held Usagi’s hand tightly, getting up and showing his husband the computers.
“Look.”, Leo muttered.
Yuichi sighed. “Leo—”
“ Look. ”, the slider pressed, pointing at the screen.
Casey staggered into the room, peeking behind the couple’s shoulders to get a better look. Sensei was pointing at a security camera aboard the Red Angel. There in the cockpit, was a person running maintenance.
“...What am I looking at?”, the rabbit asked cautiously.
“Donnie reported on the radio that their radars were down. But that can’t be possible. Donnie would never let the ship fly with any sort of problem.”, Leo explained.
“Maybe he just overlooked it?”
“ Not Donnie. Especially with the Red Angel.”, Master Leonardo emphasized. “Donnie is thorough with his maintenance. Thorough . Now look.”
The group watched as the person on the monitor opened up a loose panel underneath the navigation counters, messing the wires until the radars flickered. Not shut off, but unable to detect any incoming enemies. The footage was taken mere minutes before the Red Angel took off on its last mission.
“Another traitor…”, Usagi muttered. “But it can’t be.”
“But it is.”, Leo replied.
He pulled up another window showing security footage from the ship during the attack, scrubbing through the feed until he got a clear shot of the Kraang decoy battleship right in front of the Red Angel. Pulling up another window, Leo showed a side by side comparison of the decoy with a battleship from Operation 51. They matched.
“Casey said he recognized the ship.”, the slider explained, glancing over his shoulder at the teen. “So when I took a look, I recognized it too.”
“Okay so maybe the Operation lost one of their ships to the Kraang?”, Usagi asked skeptically. “Doesn’t mean it’s their fault.”
“I thought so too, but take a look here…”
Leo opened up yet another window, showing an audio recording from the Operation’s HQ. Donnie always spied on other bases through his Genius Built™ global network.
“This is perfect.” , Bishop’s voice came through the other line. “Using those aliens as a weapon ourselves, we’re able to redirect this fleet right into the flight of that horrendous Red Angel. And with our surviving spy on the inside, these bastards have no idea what’s coming for them.”
“But sir…there’s a kid on that ship.” , another voice pointed out.
“So? That little vermin is just as rotten as the rest of those…freaks. Proceed as planned. Make sure no one survives.”
Casey couldn’t believe it. John Bishop had yet another traitor that managed to slip away and sabotage the Red Angel. And he had the audacity to turn the Kraang into a weapon of war. Bishop had set up an all out plan of attack. Casey braced himself against his crutches so that he didn’t fall as his breathing staggered. He felt a shiver down his back as fear struck his core.
“This wasn’t an accident.”, Leo pressed gravely. “It was an attack . And it gets worse.”
Opening another window upon the layers of windows on the screen, there was damaged security footage taken a couple hours after the rescue team returned home. Many Operation soldiers searched high and low throughout the crash site. And Bishop stood in the center of it all, clearly stressed and outraged.
“FIND THAT DAMN CHILD ! NO ONE IS LEAVING THIS PLACE UNTIL EVERY ONE OF THOSE FREAKS ARE GOOD AND DEAD!”
Casey stumbled back at those words, falling backwards on the floor. His breathing quickened as Bishop’s voice reverberated in his head. That crash! They were out to get me! They’re still out to get me! Oji rushed over to his side.
“Casey? Casey! It’s okay!”, Yuichi called out to him. “You’re okay. You’re—”
A blue portal opened. Master Leonardo stood in front of it.
“Hamato Leonardo, just what do you think you’re doing?”, Usagi snapped.
Leo didn’t turn around. “What does it look like? I’m gonna take out the problem at the source .”
As the slider stepped through the portal, the rabbit leapt after him, trying to grab onto his cape. But the fabric slipped through his fingertips. Usagi lurched back as the portal started to close on his hand, holding his arms close to him as if he had just been burned. The bright blue portal left, leaving the dark lit purple hue of the lab. There was silence for a moment.
“...We gotta stop him.”, Yuichi muttered.
“Stop him? From what?”, Casey breathed, pulling himself up to his feet.
Usagi paused, clenching his fists. “...No matter how cruel or evil the opponent is, nor how justifiable their death…the first kill is never easy.”
Without missing a beat, the rabbit turned on his heel, rushing out of the lab and down the hall. Casey staggered to stand, hurrying after him. They reached the HQ where Usagi slammed the sliding doors open and marched up to the monitors.
“Radio Leo for me.”, he demanded to the soldier sitting at the controls.
The soldier, hesitant to make the samurai any angrier, quickly typed through the computers, calling Leo’s communication device. Without waiting for an answer, Yuichi leaned into the mic.
“Leo! Leo, can you hear me?”, he shouted. “You’re making a big mistake! You have to think this through first!”
As Usagi continued to call for his husband, the soldier stepped away from the computers and looked over at Casey with a look that said, “What’s going on?”. All Casey could do was shrug. He was scared. He thought he saw Sensei angry before. But this was next level.
Yuichi yelled in frustration, “HE HUNG UP ON ME!”
The rabbit tapped through the monitors to look at the spy cam on the emblem on Leo’s belt. The group watched as the screen displayed the slider’s POV at a base. Operation 51. Alarms were wailing in the distance. People were running. Many were running away, more worried about their chances of escaping that place instead of the threat that stood in the center. Others were soldiers jumping into action to stop the infiltrator.
Sensei always had a mindset of “Stay out of my way, and you’ll live”. So to the Operation soldiers that were just doing their job, their death warrants were signed the second they walked into Leo’s line of sight. Katanas out, Master Leonardo was on a rampage and killed every person that got in his way. He was an unstoppable machine. It was as fascinating to Casey as it was also terrifying. He heard Oji hiccup a sob.
“I-I need to go get him out of there.”, Usagi sputtered as he rushed out the doors. He tapped into his communication device on his wrist. “Shelldon, ready a ship for me. Now.”
Casey and the other soldiers in the HQ continued to watch the screen like a spectacle. The teen heard the group all mutter rumors around the room. The rumors spread out into the halls within a matter of minutes. No doubt the entire community was going to talk about it soon.
Then the screaming from the other line stopped. Replaced by the slider’s large and heavy footsteps as he walked down a long red-tinted hallway. Alarms still blared out in the distance. Leo reached a metal door that was now guarded by corpses. He pushed through the doors, revealing a man inside. John Bishop.
Bishop faced a wall of security monitors, as if he was watching the chaos unfold with amusement. From the spy cam, Casey could see the number “00000001” tattooed on the back of Bishop’s neck. The autocrat turned around to face the red-eared slider, a harrowing smile splitting across his face.
“Greetings, turtle —”
Leonardo threw one of his swords like a dart which narrowly missed Bishop’s head, taking a chunk of his hair along with it. Bishop wasn’t even fazed one bit. Did Bishop think he was really that invincible? Leo stepped closer.
“Ya know…” , Sensei started. “There’s nothing you can say that’ll be a good enough reason for me to not kill you. So you might as well mutter your final prayers, old man.”
“Now, now. Be rational.” , Bishop grinned. “You know the rules. Those…parasites had to die—”
“ MY BROTHER IS NOT A PARASITE! ” , Leo screeched. “MY KID IS NOT A PARASITE!”
“ Your kid?” Bishop laughed. Maniacally. “Come on, you and I should both know the truth.” Then Bishop stepped closer, smiling eerily. “Tell you what. Let’s make a deal.”
The slider scoffed. “Deal’s off, bucko—”
“Help me put a bullet in that kid’s head, and I’ll let you walk out of here scott free.”
Casey felt like someone poured ice down his back. He felt the others in the room stare at him. I should be dead , a thought echoed. None of this would’ve happened if I wasn’t here . He was quickly pulled back to reality by a sound of a large crash from the screen. Leo had thrown Bishop across the room as the man hit the wall hard . The wall cracked and crumbled on impact. Bishop collapsed against the wall, seeming too stunned or injured to get back up.
“I said the deal’s off.” , Master Leonardo muttered gravely.
Grabbing his katana that was stuck to the wall, the slider walked over to the man. He pointed the blade at Bishop’s neck and slit his throat wide open. Bishop gagged, leaning forward to stand and clenching his hands around the wound. He choked and gasped for air as the blood spewed out of him, the stains splattered on the spy cam. Dropping to his knees, the monster uttered his final words with a blood-stained grin.
“...Did you get your closure?”
With that, the body fell forward like a ragdoll. Lifeless. Pathetic. Never to raise a finger. Never to bark another order.
John Bishop was dead.
The HQ room fell silent, Casey noticing more people flooded the room to watch. The rumors were hushed. Just met with stares. Terrified stares. Surprisingly, there was nothing relieving about seeing the man who had hurt millions suffer such a fate. Instead, the Resistance began to fear their leader. Casey, on the other hand, felt a bit in awe at his sensei. Cunning, resilient, and decisive.
Another commotion was heard through the monitors. A voice called out in the distance, familiar.
“LEO?! LEO! LEONARDO, WHERE ARE YOU?!” , Usagi shouted from the other line.
There was a sound of the metal door being bursted open. Then Casey heard the rabbit gasp.
“Holy shit…” , he muttered. He walked closer to his husband. “...Leo?”
The slider didn’t move, still facing towards the corpse. “Operation 51 has fallen… They won’t hurt us anymore…”
Usagi gingerly reached for Leo’s arm, guiding him out of the room. He whispered, “...C-come on. Let’s get you out of here…”
The rabbit reached for the emblem and tapped it, causing the monitors to shut off. Casey and the others were met with dreaded silence.
The slider and the rabbit returned later, Usagi quickly taking his husband to the med-bay where Casey was resting. Sensei was covered in blood. His face was blanked out, sitting down on a chair while Yuichi and Carol fussed over him, cleaning him up. It was unsettling to see Tío like this. Yet Casey knew deep down it was going to happen to him one day.
It was inevitable.
A few weeks had passed. They found the other traitor, throwing them in the prison with the others. Michelangelo was furious. He kept having these…episodes…where his magic would burst out of him uncontrollably. Uncle Angelo stayed in the quiet room most of the time, muttering more to himself. The dents on the walls grew. And so did the sage green strands in his hair which the locs were now styled in a bubble ponytail.
Shelldon had been stressed out lately. Frantically running back and forth across the lair, almost always with stacks of paper in his hands. The poor little bot was having a hard time finding adjustments to fit the numerous roles Donnie once held.
Casey found him in a crowd of people, all of them yelling at the robot.
“Water conservation is down 20%! If we don’t do something about it, soon we’re not going to be able to even drink it!”, one person shouted.
Shelldon blurted out, “I-I’ll be right on it, dude! Honest!”
“What about patrols and defense?!”, another person demanded. “Parasites have been spotted all over the place and those droids are getting closer!”
“It’ll all be taken care of! I swear!”
Suddenly, Shelldon’s systems rang out a loud ear-bleeding beep. It silenced everyone. The robot’s eyes blanked out for a moment, running numbers. The turtle bot chuckled nervously.
“I’ll be right back, folks!”, he pointed out, squeezing his way past the crowd.
He ran past Casey, not even acknowledging the teen, and ran off into Donnie’s lab (or…guess it was just the lab now). Casey frowned, clutching his crutches to go after him. He opened the doors to the lab, finding the robot sitting on the floor with his legs tucked to his chest. Shelldon’s head was plugged into an outlet on the wall.
“Shelldon?”, Casey asked. “Is…everything okay?”
Shelldon grinned. “Just low on battery, dude. It’s all chill.”
Casey scooted to sit down next to the robot. “Your battery’s been draining a lot more often. I’m worried you’re gonna break down.”
“Haha…”, Shelldon laughed dryly. “You sound just like him.” The robot closed his mismatched eyes, making a low whirring sound. “I miss my dad.”
Casey nodded. “I miss my mama.”
Shelldon hummed. “At least we both have something in common now. No parents. But adults still tell us what to do.”
“Oh, don’t get me started…”, Casey rolled his eyes. “They’re all like “Casey Jones Junior! I may not be your mother but I’m an adult and you’ll do as I say!”, it’s so annoying.”
The robot laughed. “Yeah! And to me it’s “You, there! Robot! You were designed to obey orders so obey!”, as if they don’t realize I’m sentient.”
Casey continued to mock, making a funny face. “Scoff! Looks like someone never taught you manners! That’s what happens when you’re an orphan!”
Shelldon played along, laughing louder. “Low battery, my ass! You never eat, never sleep, and you never get tired! What do you mean you need a break? You’re just a machine!”
The two of them began cackling. Tears of laughter dwelled up in Casey’s eyes. Shelldon’s system gave a small chirp, telling the robot that he was done charging. Shelldon unplugged himself from the charger, getting up and dusting off his metallic knees.
“There we go! All charged up and ready to try again!”, the robot grinned.
“That quickly?”, Casey asked. “It’s only been like a few minutes. Even if your battery is charged, your systems could still overheat.”
“Dude! I’m the master of chill! I don’t overheat.”, Shelldon cooled.
Just then his systems gave out another long high-pitched beep, his eyes going blank and running numbers through them. Casey crossed his arms and raised a brow.
“...You were saying?”, he muttered.
The robot rolled his eyes. “Okay, fiiiinnnneeee!”, he droned. “I’ll run some diagnostics. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
The turtle bot’s systems whirred again as Shelldon scanned over his system to figure out what the issue was. After a couple minutes, there was a light beep. Shelldon blinked in surprise.
“Huh…”, he mumbled as his eyes squinted. “There’s a bunch of software updates here.”
Casey nodded. “That makes sense.”
“No no…”, Shelldon shook his head. “My systems always update automatically. And these ones…I’ve never seen them before…”
“What do you mean?”
Shelldon paused, squinting his mismatched eyes as they stared into nothingness. Then the metallic lids of his lenses upturned in sorrow. He made a low whirring noise.
“...They’re…from Donnie.”, Shelldon muttered. “He programmed them to update me once he passed but…why now?”
Casey’s brows furrowed. “...what—”
Before he could get another word out, there was an explosion coming from outside of the lab. It was far, but not far enough to not be in the base. Shelldon and Casey exchanged a quick glance before they both got up and hurried over towards the noise. It was hard for Casey to run with crutches, but he made it work.
The two followed the small crowd also investigating the noise. After another explosion was heard, many of them began turning around, shouting and running away. They almost trampled over the teen and the small bot in their panic. The two still pursued, making their way down to the prison. A bright orange glow illuminated the area. April, Leo, and Usagi were in the room, huddling around the light.
“Mikey! Mikey, talk to me!”, Leo called out.
April shouted, “What happened here?!”
“I don’t know!”
Shelldon and Casey pushed through the crowd to find Master Michelangelo standing in the center of the large cell where all the traitors were. Except the traitors…were dead. Glowing chains tangled the corpses and pierced through their hearts. The box turtle was curling in on himself, orange sparks of light flickered around him. He was shivering and muttering to himself. Michelangelo had his first kill.
“...i-i didn’t mean to…i swear i didn’t…”
Sensei took a step closer but Mikey flinched.
“ GET BACK!!! ”, he shouted.
With his voice, a sonic wave of mystic energy flashed around him. It strained everyone’s ears. The ornate box turtle’s eyes were beaming orange light like headlights, golden tears flowed down his cheeks. Most of his hair wasn’t brown anymore, replaced with a glowing neon green.
“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”, Mikey strained. “I can’t stop it! I can’t! It won’t stop!!”
“Mikey, just breathe, okay?”, the slider called out. “You know that our ninpo is tied to emotions, you just gotta calm down—”
“ I’VE BEEN CALM!!! ”, another sonic wave bursted. “I’VE DONE NOTHING BUT SHUT MYSELF IN THE QUIET ROOM TRYING TO CONTROL MY ENERGY FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS! IT’S ONLY JUST BUILDING UP! BUT IF I LET IT GO NOW, THEN EVERYONE IS GONNA DIE!”
“No one is going to die!”, April shouted. “We’re here for you, Mikey! Just trust us!”
A swirling flaming circle formed underneath the box turtle’s feet. It was beginning to open up a portal.
“Mikey! Mikey where are you going?!”, Leo yelled.
Master Michelangelo looked around him at the floor. “I-I don’t know! This isn’t me, I swear!”
As the portal opened, it began to swallow Mikey whole. He screamed. Leo, April, Yuichi, Shelldon, and Casey reached out to grab him but it was too late. The orange light was gone in a flash. Now it was just an empty cell filled with 16 bloodied corpses.
“We need to find him! Don—”, Sensei stopped himself. He took a breath. “ Shelldon …can you locate him for me?”
“On it!”, Shelldon nodded. His systems whirred for a moment. “He’s not far! We’ll find him in Harlem.”
“Then let’s go!”, Leo shouted.
Without skipping a beat, Master Leonardo unsheathed his sword and opened up a bright blue portal. He jumped through with the others following close behind. Even Casey. He staggered through the portal just before it closed, almost tripping over in the process. Shelldon turned to him.
“Be careful, dude”, he hissed. “Your leg is still in a cast.”
“I’m fine!”, Casey snarked.
“Over there!”, Usagi called out, pointing at something in the distance.
Everyone turned to look at what the rabbit was pointing at. There, in the center of the abandoned city wasteland, Mikey was floating in the sky in a swirling orb of orange light. Waves of energy pulsated around him. It echoed and rumbled far and wide like drums of war. No doubt attracting unwanted herds of Kraang.
“Let’s move!”, Sensei ordered.
“Do we even have a plan?”, Commander O’Neil asked.
Leo shook his head. “...No, but…there has to be something! I’m not leaving my brother like this!”
As the team marched closer, the mystic waves got stronger. Pushing the group further back. Casey couldn’t keep up as another wave struck him. The wind shoved him onto the ground. Shelldon rushed over, crouching beside him. The others pressed on. April grabbed onto Usagi’s hand tightly as the two of them marched forward. But it wasn’t long before the gravity became too heavy for them as they dropped to their knees. Leonardo pressed on.
“MIKEY!”, he shouted through the pulsating wind. “MIKEY, CAN YOU HEAR ME?!”
The mystic warrior made no response. Instead, he floated up higher. Higher than anyone had ever gone before. The magical orb shrunk into him in an instant like a black hole. The sky was back to its dark and cloudy red. But only for a moment. Before anyone could blink, a loud bang crashed all around them as Mikey lit up like a supernova. Lighting up the sky in a way that Casey had never seen before. If he never got to see the sun…this was as close as he was going to get.
The light show was gone just as quickly as it appeared, fading out to show the box turtle falling from the sky. And falling fast. Master Leonardo quickly threw one of his swords towards his brother, teleporting himself to it using the other katana. The slider dove through the air, catching his little brother in his arms before opening a portal underneath them and landing on the ground in front of the group safely. Mikey’s hair was fully sage green now. His orange mask was gone too, perhaps lost or disintegrated. And his eyes were closed.
“Come on, come on!”, Leo muttered, shaking Mikey’s shoulders. “Wake up, please!”
After a moment, the box turtle coughed and gasped for air. Everyone collectively shared a sigh of relief. He fluttered his eyes open to reveal that they were still glowing orange and blank. His head moved around.
“...where?”, he wheezed.
“I’m right here, hermano. I got you, b-big brother’s got you.”, the slider smiled.
“...i-i…i can’t…see you..”
Leo’s smile quivered. He dropped his swords, pulling his brother in closer. The red-eared slider and the ornate box turtle both shared a look that everyone else understood in an instant.
The two turtles only had each other now.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Death (more like...massacre), Character Death (no one you care about, dw), blood and gore, injury, suicidal thoughts (survivor's guilt)
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Yippee! Both Leo and Mikey had their first kills! :D (*sobbing uncontrollaby*)And heads up! After I post Chapter 13, I'm gonna go on hiatus for a couple weeks to finish school and prepare for graduation (and also because I ran out of chapters--).
So for now, I'll see ya on Saturday! =)
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Shoutout to my beta reader, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 13: Casey's Origin
Summary:
“What?! No, no no no, Casey, it’s not your fault!”
“DON’T ACT LIKE IT’S NOT! YOU KNOW IT IS! YOU KNOW THAT IF I WASN’T THERE ON THE RED ANGEL, THEN MAYBE DONNIE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!”
“Casey, please, you need to calm down! Take it easy, kid. We can talk this out, alright?”, Leonardo stepped forward. He slowly reached his arms out to hug Casey but Casey pushed him back again.
“DON’T YOU DARE FUCKING TOUCH ME!”, he screeched. “I DON’T EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FUCKING FACE AGAIN, YOU HEAR ME?!”
Notes:
Oh this is a fun chapter... Btw, due to some complications in my style, I had to try out a different way of doing the flashbacks (i hope it makes sense lol)
AGAIN! MAJOR NOTE! I am going on HIATUS for the next 2 WEEKS because I'm graduating high school! (And also cuz I ran out of chapters and need to write more lmfao). Next update is on June 21st! (probably)
Disclaimers are in the end notes. Have fun! =D
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Mikey was in the med-bay for a while. He fell asleep in Leo’s arms on the way there and hadn’t woken up for a long time. Leo didn’t leave his side for one second. At one point, the slider reached up to stroke his brother’s hair, only to have a huge clump of it fall into his hands. Sensei winced, taking note to not touch his brother’s hair again.
When Mikey did wake up, his eyes were back to normal and he could see again. Everyone was relieved but Draxum was skeptical. He asked the box turtle to activate his mystic powers, to test something. Uncle Angelo did, but as his eyes lit up in orange, Mikey reported that he couldn’t see anything. Grandpa Draxum explained that the mystic explosion had put a dent in Mikey’s ninpo, causing his hair to start falling out and for his eyes to go blind when his mystic energy was activated.
A couple weeks later, bald spots began to show. Casey found the ornate box turtle in the quiet room one day, holding a pair of scissors while sitting on the floor. With a heavy sigh, Mikey grabbed all of his coily sage hair and chopped it all off. From the second it was cut, the excess hair glowed a bright neon green in the mystic warrior’s hands. They fluttered and transformed into golden flakes, floating and fading away in the inexplicable wind whirling around the turtle. Mikey grinned at the light show in front of him, though his cheeks were stained with golden-tinted tears.
A few days later, Casey sat on his bunk bed in his room, finally able to climb up the ladder now that his leg had healed and the cast was gone. He leaned his back against the pile of teddy bears that did not belong to him, holding Cup close to his chest. There was a knock at the door.
“Who’s there?”, Casey called out.
“Alkynes!”, a familiar robotic voice spoke.
“...what?”, Casey muttered. He called out again, “...Alkynes who?”
“ Alkynes of ways for you to open a door, yet all you do is joke around!”, Shelldon laughed as he opened the door and let himself into the room. The robot strided over to the ladder and climbed up. “Whaddup, dog?”, he grinned.
Casey shrugged. “Not much.”
Shelldon slowly nodded. “Coooool…”
“Coooool…”, Casey slowly nodded but furrowed his brows skeptically. “...what’s going on?”
Shelldon fiddled with his thick metal digits. He spoke hesitantly, “Um…so…the updates Donnie gave—...the ones—...when he—...ugh….this is so hard, dude!”
“What is?”, Casey sat up.
“Uhhh…well…”, the robot winced. He reached into his tech shell and pulled out a holographic visor. Donnie ’s visor. “Dee had something he wanted to tell you for a long time. Actually… we all had something to tell you.”
“We?”
Shelldon made a low whirring noise. “...he left me instructions to give this to you.” The turtle bot handed the visor to Casey. He climbed back down the ladder. “...whatever is on there. Just know he’s sorry. And…it’s not your fault.”
That last sentence sent goosebumps down Casey’s back. Shelldon left the room, closing the door behind him. What could that mean? Casey turned to the visor. There, on the holographic screen, was a video. He tapped on the screen. The video loaded in.
“Greetings, Casey Jones Junior!” , Donnie smiled in front of the camera, sitting at his desk in his lab. Casey began to tear up upon seeing his uncle’s grin. “If you’re seeing this, that means either I’m too much of a pussy to tell you in person myself…or I’m dead. Haha!”
The softshell chuckled nervously. But then he frowned. Uncle Tello cleared his throat.
“Look…There’s something that your mother, aunts, uncles, and I have been hiding from you. They don’t even know I’m making this video. But…if…something were to happen…I think it’s only fair that I tell you the truth. Even if it will ruin our relationship.”
Casey’s brows furrowed. What was he talking about? , he thought. He loved his family dearly. There was nothing they could tell him that would change that.
…Right?
“Well!” , Donnie clasped his hands together. “Without further ado…roll tape.”
The video buffered, loading in the next clip. There, on the visor, showed Donnie’s POV as he was standing in the med-bay, watching a nervous buzz-haired woman with piercings cradle a baby in her arms. Mama .
“Are you sure the baby’s okay?” , she asked.
Carol smiled, patting Senior on the shoulder. “Yes, yes. There’s no signs of injury or illness. The poor thing is just malnourished. Nothing a bath and bottle won’t fix.” She turned to the softshell. “Speaking of, how’s that formula coming along, Donatello?”
Donnie turned to a bottle he was heating up on a stove. “One formula at an optimal 310.15° degrees kelvin (or 98.6°F/37°C as you call it), coming right up.”
He took the baby bottle in his hands, handing it to the doctor. Carol nodded in thanks, turning back to Casey Sr. She took Senior’s hand, tucking the bottle around her fingers.
“Here you go, dear. Just hold the bottle up like that so they can drink it.” , Carol soothed. She quizzed, “Sorry, it is “they” , correct?”
Senior nodded. “Yep! We’ll let Junior tell us themselves what their pronouns are when they’re old enough to say. Makes things easier.”
“Ahh, clever.” , Carol nodded understandingly. “You’re already such a great mother.”
“Sure but…a-am I doing this right?” , Casey Sr asked hesitantly, fumbling with the bottle a bit.
“Yep! You’re a natural, Casey.” , the doctor grinned. She cooed to the baby Casey Jr, “You’re lucky Grammy Carol knows what to do. It’s like it was just yesterday when I was teaching Kirby the same thing for April.”
The group watched as little Junior drank the formula quite quickly. The poor baby was starving for a while. Carol and Senior continued to coo and fuss over the baby while Donnie watched. When the bottle was finished, Carol handed the empty bottle to the softshell and turned back to Casey Sr.
“Alright, now it’s time to burp them.” , she explained.
“Burp??” , Senior asked, confused. “Why can they do it themselves?”
Carol laughed. “Because they’re a baby, sweetheart.” She smiled, helping Senior move the baby, “Now, hold their head up over your shoulders like that and pat their back until they burp. Simple!”
Casey Sr rolled her eyes. “This seems like a lot of work for one little human.”
“Hey, you’re the one that was so persistent to keep them.” , Donnie shrugged. He teased, “What? Are you not up to the “great challenge” like you said?”
“HA!” , Senior snarked. “Casey Jones never backs down from a challenge! You’ll see!”
Just then, their bantering was interrupted by a tiny burp. Carol dusted her hands, a smug smirk widening across her face. She tossed her arms out.
“And that’s how it’s done.”
The clip changed, loading in a different scene. It was nice to see another video of his mom. Casey smiled. Though a sense of dread was dwelling inside, wondering what secret his family was hiding from him.
In the next clip, Donnie’s POV showed the turtles out on a mission together. They were searching an old factory in the dark, the high beam lights from Donnie’s battle shell lighting the way. The slider groaned.
“Uggghhhhhh…we’ve been searching for days now!” , the younger Leo complained. It was weird to see both of his arms intact.
“And we aren’t heading back until we find supplies for the baby!” , Mikey replied, sticking his tongue out in a teasing manner. It was weird to see him with his shorter coily brown hair.
The red-eared slider grimaced. “...Are you sure keeping that kid is a good idea? I mean they literally have—”
Mikey whipped out a mystic chain and smacked his brother who yelped in response. “How could you say that?! You wanna just abandon the poor thing?!”
Leo threw up his hands defensively. “No! I’m not saying we abandon them, I’m just saying they can’t stay. Like…the Nexus can take them in! Big Mama would take great care of them!”
“I can’t believe you.” , the box turtle scoffed. “The last time we saw Junior, they were fast asleep in your boyfriend’s arms. How is that baby a threat?!”
“Wait, boyfriend?” , Donnie cut in. “I thought you guys broke up.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “We didn’t break up! It was just a small fight.”
“WHAT?!” , Mikey shouted. “How come I didn’t hear about this?!”
“Because we didn’t want Dr. Feelings to try and solve our problems, Michael .” , the slider pressed.
“Too bad! The second we get back, Dr. Feelings is scheduling an appointment for you two.”
“Whatever.” , the leader scoffed. He turned to his older twin. “Hey Don, you sure we’re gonna find anything in this place?”
Donnie looked down at his wrist tech, tapping through it. “Well, considering that many people had children when the apocalypse started, it’s no doubt that all the baby stores were raided. However, the factories that produced such products should still have plenty in stock. And so if my hypothesis is correct…” He looked up, pointing at a metal double door at the end of the hallway. “...our search is just about to end.”
The turtles walked over to the doors, Leo cautiously opening them. Inside were huge industrial shelves filled with boxes that carried various baby products. Completely untouched by time. Casey could just hear Donnie’s smug grin behind the visor.
“Holy sh…sugar…” , Mikey muttered.
Donnie chuckled. “What? Afraid that Raph’s ghost is gonna haunt you?”
“It’s fucking diaper-topolis in here.” , the box turtle blurted out.
“Ugh, just you wait…” , Leo sneered. He cleared his throat, pointing at a truck. “Grab a couple of delivery trucks and fill them to the brim. The less trips we have to make here, the better.”
The clip changed again. Casey felt…troubled. Tío…didn’t want me…but why? It didn’t make sense. Leo loved Casey. …Right?
The next scene displayed Donnie in his lab late at night, working on something. The softshell yawned, seeming clearly tired but persistent to pull an all-nighter. Just then, Casey heard sniffling come from the visor.
“...uncle tewwo?” , a shy voice muttered from the entrance of the lab.
Donnie’s head turned to the visitor. A small, toddler Casey Junior, probably no older than 4, with tears in their eyes. The scientist got up, walking over to the child.
“Jones? What are you doing up at this hour?” , he asked in a whisper.
“...bad dweam.” , the tot sniffled. “Wh-where’s Mama?”
Uncle Tello sighed. “Your mother is on a mission. She won’t be back for a few days.”
The toddler’s eyes began to water. Donnie winced, unsure of what to do.
“Eughhh….uhh…there, there?” , the softshell droned, cautiously patting Junior’s head. “...please stop crying.”
Casey Jr looked up at their uncle, extending their arms. “Up.”
Donnie stepped back. “Umm…no thank you. I’m good.”
“Up!” , the toddler whined.
“Okay, okay! Fine.” , the scientist exasperated.
He hesitantly crouched down and picked up little Casey Jr in his arms. The turtle grimaced, but still carried the toddler back to his desk and sat down. The tot glanced around the dimly lit lab, their eyes landing on a large red robot glinting in the dark. The robot was missing a leg.
“...Shelldon?”
Donnie turned to the bot. He shook his head. “No, that’s… sigh …a different robot.”
Donnie got up, still holding the child, and draped a cloth over the large red robot. He sat back down at his desk, cradling Junior in his arms as he continued working. The toddler nestled themselves against the softshell’s lab coat.
“...tewwo?” , the child mumbled.
“Hm?” , the softshell hummed.
“I think…I wanna be a “he”...” , Casey Jr yawned.
Donnie shrugged. “Well, if that’s what you prefer. I don’t mind. Thanks for telling me.”
“I wanna tell Mama.”
“And you will.” , Donnie yawned. He reached to rub his still real eye behind the visor. “Just gotta… yawn …be patient.”
The clip fast forwarded. The two of them had fallen asleep until Donnie woke up a while later. He got up, carrying the toddler back to bed. The softshell knocked on the door before entering the bedroom where the Jones duo, April, and Sunita once shared together.
Only Sunita was sleeping in the room as Donnie had mentioned that Senior was on a mission, most likely with April too. Donnie carefully crept across the room, setting Junior down in Casey Sr’s bunk bed. The toddler stirred in his sleep but didn’t wake up. He turned over, curling in on himself.
Outside the clip, Casey nearly dropped the visor upon what he saw. The teen leaned closer towards the screen.
There, on the back of the toddler’s neck, there was…a tattoo. In the clip, Donnie sighed solemnly, brushing the child’s hair out of the way to get a better look. It was the same serial number tattoo that the Operation refugees had. Same font and everything. The child’s serial number read “46508029”.
The video ended there. The holographic visor turned off. No further explanation or anything. Was that what Uncle Tello wanted to show me? There’s no way that can be real… , Casey thought, gingerly reaching to touch the back of his neck. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t feel anything. But he was still skeptical.
Casey quickly grabbed the green eyed mask from on top of his head, propping it up against the teddy bear pile. He turned his back towards it, exposing the back of his neck by holding up his braided bun. There’s just no way. This can’t be real. After a moment, Casey turned back and put on the mask. He scanned through the mask’s recording system. Rewinding the playback just a few seconds. And there it was.
Small, stretched out and worn, but still visible. It was so easy to miss if someone didn’t know what they were looking for. The tattoo was so faded and warped from growth that it could’ve easily blended in with the roots of Casey’s hair. But there it was. 46508029. Exposed for the whole world to see.
In an instant, Casey began to piece things together.
---
“Some of you here are refugees yourself, and have had to hide those tattoos. And I understand that you still fear for your lives, but I promise you that we will take them down and do everything we can to keep you safe.”
One person rolled their eyes. “It doesn’t seem like you are—”
“Trust me. We are .”, Uncle Tello pressed. He glanced at Casey for a moment before turning back to the board. “Now, moving on…”
---
Donnie…he was talking about Casey too.
---
“Gentlemen.”, the man greeted.
“Bishop.”, Leo grumbled.
Bishop. As in… the John Bishop? The man in charge of the infamous Operation 51? Casey never thought that he would meet his enemy in the flesh. Sensei was wary. He shifted inconspicuously in front of the tween as if to shield him. Bishop took notice. He smiled at the kid. As kind as it looked, Casey hated every inch of it.
---
Leo wasn’t being paranoid.
---
“Hold on a minute.”, the man called out.
Every muscle in Casey’s body tensed as the group turned around to face Bishop who held up a hand, hurrying over to them. Without even facing the turtles, Bishop walked in front of Casey.
“Listen…Haley.”, he grinned that bullshit smile. “...If you ever…change your mind about them . The Operation is open to you.”
---
The second Casey turned around to walk away…did Bishop see the number on his neck?!
---
The slide let out a frustrated huff, “Mikey, you don’t get it.” Leo rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he stood in front of the ornate box turtle.
“Get…what?”
Master Leonardo sighed. He glanced at his brother, jutting his head over at Casey without saying anything. It was like he was hiding a secret. Why do adults always hide secrets from me??
---
He was hiding a secret. Casey’s whole family was hiding it. Perhaps even the entire Resistance!
---
“How important?”, Draxum chimed in.
“Life threatening.”, Tío Leo pressed. “We ran into Bishop at Sacramento. He’s taken over the base—”
“Wait, wait.”, April cut. “The mission you just got back from? With Casey?”
“Exactly.”
---
Everyone! Everyone knew!
---
“...Bishop met Casey.”
“Casey?!? Does that mean Bishop knows about—”
“I don’t know.”
---
EVERYONE KNEW.
---
“Resistance HQ to Red Angel, over.” , someone radioed from the other line.
Donnie picked up. “Captain speaking, what’s up?”
“Uh, sir, you do know you are in the direct line of flight of a decoy fleet?”
---
AND IT GOT DONNIE KILLED .
---
“FIND THAT DAMN CHILD ! NO ONE IS LEAVING THIS PLACE UNTIL EVERY ONE OF THOSE FREAKS ARE GOOD AND DEAD!”
---
SEVERAL PEOPLE WERE KILLED!!!
---
Casey screamed, chucking Donnie’s visor across the room as if it was a bomb about to go off in his hands. He used all of his momentum in that throw that he stumbled off the bed and hit the ground. He scrambled to his feet, as if a wild beast was after him. Casey was hyperventilating, trying to control his breathing when suddenly a bunch of footsteps stormed towards the room.
“What’s going on in here?!”, Leo shouted as he bursted the door open before his eyes landed on the teen. “Casey! What’s wrong?”
Following behind, April, Mikey, Usagi, and Shelldon quickly rushed into the room. They were all… lying to me! All of them are liars!
“When…were you going to…to tell me?!”, Casey heaved between panicked breaths.
Sensei’s brows furrowed. “What—”
“ WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME I HAD A FUCKING SERIAL NUMBER ON THE BACK OF MY HEAD?!?! ”, Casey shoved the slider back as he emphasized the swear.
Everyone’s faces dropped. Master Leonardo looked the most fearful.
“YOU DIDN’T EVEN THINK TO TELL ME ANYTHING AT ALL?!”, Junior continued to scream.
“We didn’t want you to worry!”, Leo blurted out.
“WELL THAT SURE WORKED OUT!”, the teen snarked. “I’VE HAD A GODDAMN TARGET ON MY NECK MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE AND YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD’VE BEEN BETTER TO KEEP IT SECRET FROM ME ?! PEOPLE ARE DEAD NOW BECAUSE OF ME!”
“What?! No, no no no, Casey, it’s not your fault!”
“DON’T ACT LIKE IT’S NOT! YOU KNOW IT IS! YOU KNOW THAT IF I WASN’T THERE ON THE RED ANGEL, THEN MAYBE DONNIE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!”
“Casey, please, you need to calm down! Take it easy, kid. We can talk this out, alright?”, Leonardo stepped forward. He slowly reached his arms out to hug Casey but Casey pushed him back again.
“DON’T YOU DARE FUCKING TOUCH ME!”, he screeched. “I DON’T EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FUCKING FACE AGAIN, YOU HEAR ME?!”
The slider froze, his scared expression hardened. Casey groaned in frustration, storming past him. He shoved his way through the group and began running. They all shouted for him, reaching to stop him, but Casey pursued. He glanced behind him to see his family hesitate between going after Casey or checking in on Leo. But Casey didn’t care.
He sprinted towards the exit of the base, pushing the crowd of people out of his way. When he reached the topside, he pulled out his tech staff and had it transformed into a hoverboard, an upgrade Donnie had once made for him. Casey jumped on the board, soaring off into the barren wasteland.
As he rode the hoverboard, the adrenaline began to wear down. Tears blurred his vision as Casey started to silently cry. He tried to keep a straight face, focusing on the horizon before he could trip.
He rode for a while. The dark cloudy red sky grew darker. The cold air grew colder. The wind picked up, blowing copper red dirt in Casey’s vision. After what felt like hours, the hoverboard gave out. It lost fuel and immediately sputtered before hitting the ground. Casey screamed as he was thrown across the dirt. The fall skinned his elbow. It hurt but Casey sucked it up. He grabbed his board, transforming it back into his staff and began to look around.
I am not going back, Casey decided. He found a small cave. A perfect place for shelter. I’m a warrior! I can survive on my own. I don’t need anyone. …And they sure as hell don’t need me. Casey sat down underneath the shelter, at least it blocked out the wind. He held his knees close to his chest, shivering in the cold. See? Not so bad. I’ll just live out here where I can’t hurt anyone! Tears welled in his eyes again.
Casey shivered again, tucking his legs in tighter. He drooped his head down and began sobbing. It’s all my fault. It’s all my fucking fault. Why did they even bother to bring me back? Can’t they see? I got people killed. They would all still be alive if it weren’t for me. As Casey cried, he felt his mask slip down his head. It annoyed him.
Casey let out a groan of frustration, grabbing the mask and chucking it in front of him as he yelled. His skinned elbow winced in sharp pain. The green eyed mask hit the ground hard and got cracked really bad. Casey’s face dropped for a second, scared and regretful that he had broken his mother’s mask. But that fear was quickly overcome by rage.
“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”, he shouted at his mother’s mask. “EVERYTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE IF YOU HADN’T TAKEN ME IN!”
Casey sniffled, trying to wipe away his tears as they continued to overflow. He took a staggering breath.
“...even Sensei didn’t want me. So why ?? Why did you let me stay?!”, the teen cried. “People are dead because of me. Because of you .”
Staring at the cracked mask, Casey could feel the watching eyes of his mother staring back at him. And his mother was angry. But her anger did not need a face. Static hissed in his eardrums, drums rumbling in his veins. Casey could sense it.
“I wish you were never my mom.”, Casey muttered. Then he screamed, “ AND I WISH I WAS NEVER YOUR SON!!! ”
And with that there was silence. Uncomfortable, unsatisfying silence. Casey was alone.
The cold night seeped into the cave. It was dark, and it was freezing. The mask lit up its green eyes automatically. Just two beady little dots in the dark. This was a mistake , Casey thought as his breathing shivered. But it won’t matter. At least when I freeze to death, I won’t be able to hurt anyone again. His tears turned into ice flakes.
The wind picked up even more. Whirling around him. Whirling inside of him. A dust storm seemed to be passing through. Perfect , the teen thought sarcastically. Casey would be buried in the dirt along with the rest of the Red Angel’s crew. As it should be. He kept watch of the green eyed mask, seeing its eyes flicker in the dark red sand clouds. The sand itched the skinned gash on his elbow, rubbing literal salt in the wound. Casey counted the seconds. Then minutes. Then hours. Sitting. Watching. Waiting.
The glowing eyes floated up on their own. They searched the dark for something. Then the eyes landed on Casey. If Casey hadn’t been frozen yet, he definitely froze up now. The green eyed mask crept closer and closer to him. Its soulless eyes pierced through the teen’s gaze. A deep pit dwelled up in Casey’s chest, pulling his heart down to the core of the earth. It was weighing on him, dragging him down down down —
“Casey.”, a voice called to him.
It was muffled. Hard to hear anything over the rumble in his brain, the pounding in his ears, and the whirling wind that continued to spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin “Casey?” and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin “Kid, you with me?” and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin “Casey!” and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin and spin —
“CASEY!!!”
Casey wheezed, gasping for air. The world had gone black, he didn’t know where he was. The green light was gone. He was lost. He was…
There was something wrapped around him. It wasn’t the wind. It wasn’t cold . And the weight moved from his chest to his shoulders. Grounding him back to the solid dirt earth. He felt a strip of cloth tightly wrapping around his skinned elbow, not knowing how the bandage even got there. Casey didn’t even have to question if he was dead or if this was what death felt like. He already felt it before. This was not it. So if Casey wasn’t in the afterlife then…where—
“Deep breaths, kid. I got you.”, a familiar voice called out through the muffled void. “Slowly. That’s it.”
Casey didn’t know when he started, but he was breathing. Heaving. With each breath, he was pulled forward. Each exhale, his vision cleared a bit. Casey recognized the dark blue scarf that he was wrapped in.
“There you go. You’re doing great.”, the voice soothed. “I got you, Casey.”
There were hands on his shoulders. One larger than the other. It was still too dark to see anything. But Casey could feel it. One arm was strong, sturdy, and heavy. The other was softer, but still held a firm grip. Without much to see, Casey shut his eyes, feeling the frozen tear stains crackle on his face. He kept counting his breaths, letting the tug pull him forward. At some point, he noticed the weight on his shoulders were gone. Then there was light.
Seeping underneath his eyelids, Casey saw a calm yellow light. He opened his eyes again, registering the wave of warmth that fluttered around in front of him. There was fire. Dancing around in the dark and lighting up the small cave. The flames sat in a small pit dug into the ground. To his right, Casey heard someone sitting down next to him. He recognized the dark blue pants.
“Take your time, Casey.”, they assured. “I’m right here.”
Now with the light illuminating the small space, Casey peeked his head up to look around. The fire, the scarf, the man sitting next to him. Leo . Casey’s shoulders relaxed, turning to look over at the slider’s arms. He was holding Casey’s mask in his hands, rubbing the dirt off of it with his thumb. The turtle was…quiet.
“...what…”, Casey muttered. “...what the hell just happened?”
“You had a panic attack.”, Leo explained in a monotone voice, not moving his gaze from the mask.
“W-what’s a panic attack?”
The turtle sighed, thinking for a moment. “It’s like…how you go into a fight or flight response when there’s a threat. Except, with panic attacks, there is no threat. The fight is coming from inside of you. There’s nowhere for that fear to go.”
Casey hummed. “...I hate it.”
“I haven’t met a single person who hasn’t hated one.”, Leo chuckled.
“Why are you here?”, Casey questioned, turning to the slider. “How did you find me? I…thought you’d hate me.”
“I followed the tracker on your mask. But wait…why would I hate you?”, Sensei asked.
“Because I yelled at you? I pushed you and told you I never wanted to see you again?”
“I deserved that.”, the turtle nodded solemnly. “You were right. We should’ve told you everything. We thought… I thought that keeping it secret would keep you safe. Carefree. Without anything to worry about. Without fearing about some jackass actively trying to kill you.”
“But he didn’t. Instead, he killed Donnie. And Valentín. And so so many other people.”, Casey quivered. “I-if it wasn’t for me—”
“It wouldn’t make a difference.”, Sensei cut in. “You weren’t the only Operation refugee on that ship. And it is not your fault- or any of the refugees’ fault- that Donnie is dead.” Then the slider smiled. “...in fact, it was because of you that we were able to get there in time to say goodbye.”
Casey shook his head. “But…I couldn’t save him. If I had been faster—”
“It wouldn’t make a difference.”, Sensei repeated. “Trust me, you’ll drive yourself crazy with all the “what-ifs”. It’s not like we can go back in time and change the past.”
Casey didn’t have a response to that. He just stared back at the fire. So many questions were stirring in the teen’s mind. But Junior could only manage to blurt out one.
“...Why didn’t you want to keep me?”
It was then that Sensei finally turned to look at Casey. His eyes widened with long overdue regret. He chuckled nervously.
“So…you heard about that too…”, he mumbled. “Look…it wasn’t because I didn’t want you. I did. Truly. But…I was afraid.”
“Afraid I’d hurt people?”
“Afraid you got hurt.”, Leo pressed. “We had a whole Resistance to take care of. I didn’t want the Feds to be after our asses anymore than they had been. But…when I looked at you, I just…couldn’t. I couldn’t say no to your charm.”
Casey scoffed and looked away. Bullshit. Everyone in the Resistance knows it would’ve been better if I never showed up . Leo sighed.
“Casey, listen.”, he spoke up, resting a hand on the teen’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Casey’s expression softened. What?
“It was because of you that we’ve allowed other Operation refugees in with open arms. It was because of you that we stood taller. It was because of you that we had something worth fighting for. It was because of you that we had hope .”, Leo explained. “And you wanna know why? Because you are our beacon of hope , Casey Jones. You are an absolute gift that’s capable of things that look like a mere dream to people. You can move mountains, change the tides, break the wind and so much more. I wouldn’t give that up for anything .”
Tears welled up in Casey’s eyes, though he tried not to let it show. He couldn’t tell if Sensei noticed or not but the slider continued.
“Tell you what. No more secrets.”, Master Leonardo smiled. “I’mma tell you the true origin story of Casey Jones Junior. Where you came from, who your biological parents were, the whole shabang.”
“My biological parents? But how would you even know?”
Leo looked off to the side, taking a heavy sigh. “...I…found something after I killed Bishop.”
“I saw.”
“Yeah, I heard that too. But…after Usagi found me, we spotted something on a table in what I assume was a conference room. There were 3 file folders. One of a man, another of a woman, and the other of a baby with “no distinguishable gender” recorded. The baby’s serial number matched up too. 46508029.”
Casey tried not to wince at the number echoing in his head. The red-eared slider took a deep breath, causing the small fire in front of the two to waver.
“The man and woman were Ignacio and Yolanda Alvarez. A young engaged couple who recently traveled from Bilbao, Spain to New York in order to escape the nuclear power plant explosion of Garoña. They seemed to have escaped unaffected until a while later, they had a baby with…some complications. And I guess they realized Operation 51 wasn’t the best place to raise a child so they ran away. The files reported that the search team lost them for a moment, probably to hide their baby, and then draw the soldiers away until it was safe to come back. But…unfortunately the soldiers got to them.”
Casey paused, expecting to feel something about hearing about what happened to his biological parents but…he felt nothing. It didn’t change anything. It was just… huh .
“Sorry if that uh…was too much.”, Leo blurted.
Casey shook his head. “No. It’s just…underwhelming.”
“What? Were you expecting them to have all the answers?”
“I never had any questions for them at all.”
The conversation grew silent. The two of them watched the small dancing fire in the small dusty cave. Leo fiddled with the mask in his hands before he handed it back to Casey. Casey took the mask, taking in the large crack that stretched across it. Leo smiled, wrapping his arm around Casey’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry about it, we can patch that up.”, he assured.
Casey’s eyes watered. He stretched his arms out, diving in to hug the turtle. Sensei immediately pulled him in close, hugging back tightly. Casey cried, for he finally started to understand the dark secret of his past and why his family had kept it hidden from him. Master Leonardo was a great leader, always looking out for what was best for the Resistance.
“I’m sorry for being such a dick.”, Casey mumbled through a wall of tears.
Leo laughed. “Right back at ya, kiddo.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: Panic attack, suicidal thoughts (eugh boy i messed up this kid too much), injury.
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Again! Going on hiatus until probably June 21st as I graduate from high school and write up some more content for you folks! I'll still be on social media so find me on twitter, tiktok, and tumblr under the same user @azucar_skull =)Next chapter involves shenanigans with Casey and Shelldon going on an adventure! It's a really fun chapter. They discover an old coral reef, break into a mall, try old wine in a cathedral, discover more lore about Casey's whole...ghost thing--
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Shoutout to my beta reader, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 14: Runaway Phase
Summary:
“Mad? Pssh! Why would I be mad at my best friend, dude?”, Shelldon shrugged his hand. “Let’s just bounce together! We could be a duo! Oooo, we need a duo name like…uh…”The Orphan Duo!”...eyy?” Shelldon waved a hand in the air, his metallic lids squinting up.
Casey laughed. “That’s a terrible duo name!”
“Okay, “Orphan Duo” is out. But I’ll come up with something better.”
Notes:
I'M BAAAAAACCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am now officially a high-school graduate. Yippee! (oh god i gtg to college soon)
ANYWAYS! Enjoy this REALLY FUN chapter where Casey is being a classic moody teenager with his best friend Shelldon and comfort buddy Cup. This chapter actually wasn't supposed to exist but after watching a documentary on TLOU and how the developers still wanted Ellie to be a "normal" teen in the apocalypse, I decided to squeeze this bad boy in here (as well as some tasteful lore at the end--)
Also, you might see some links in this fic. That's because I MAKE POLLS ON MY TWT THAT HELP INFLUENCE THE STORY SO YOU SHOULD PROBABLY FOLLOW ME OR SMTH /nf
Disclaimers in the end notes but it's not that bad. This chapter is just super light-hearted and fun! =)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Casey…for lack of better words…was going through a bit of a “phase”. At least, that was what the adults called it. But the teen would hardly call it a “phase”. This was who he was now. The others would just have to learn to deal with it.
It started with Junior just running off to other spaces in the lair that no one usually would visit. Deep within the cave and the hallways, either checking out the now empty prison or climbing up and hiding in the big old willow tree. Casey did it as a test, to see if anyone would notice or care. He would bring some comics with him to pass the time and wait it out until someone would search for him.
And when people did start to search for him, Casey felt his survival senses kick in. It gave him an odd sense of thrill. His family really shouldn't have taught him how to play Hide N’ Seek. A training tactic merely disguised as a child’s game. And so Casey would hide in whatever room he was in, steadying his breath and pace of his heart just as his family had taught him. And when he was eventually found…
“What the hell are you doing up there?”, Leo exasperated as he squinted his eyes up at the 13 year old nestled way up in the willow tree.
Casey shrugged and smiled. “I didn’t want to be bothered.”, he called back as he waved one of his comics in the air.
“Well get down from there! Mikey’s been looking for you, saying it’s class time.”
Ugh…class . Junior would rather do anything but study and read boring books. The teen rolled his eyes, snapping his comic book back open. The red-eared slider scoffed.
“Casey Jones Junior, I am talking to you!”, he shouted. “Get down from there! That’s an order!”
There he goes again, yakking away at me . Casey sighed, shaking his head. Tapping the side of his mask, the mask pulled down and began playing music from his mama’s playlist. The screen’s vision through the green eyed mask made it a bit difficult to read the comic but Casey didn’t care right now. He heard Leo continue to yell at him but it was garbled through the music. Junior tapped the side again, raising the volume.
“(Choose your fighter.) Megalomaniac! No one ever wants to finish last! Running like a bull is on your back! On your mark, ready, set, go!”
As Casey continued to ignore his Tío, he felt the tree shake ever so slightly. Then there was a huge rumble. Casey looked up in surprise to see the turtle swing himself around a branch as he jumped up the tree and climbed over to the teen with the unmatched speed of a master. Show off , Casey clicked his teeth.
Leo glared at Casey, reaching to tap the side of the mask to turn off the music. Junior groaned in frustration, lolling his head so far back he almost stumbled off the tree branch.
“Don’t give me that attitude, kid! You’re only making this more difficult for yourself!”, the slider snapped. “Now come on, let’s get moving.”
After another excruciatingly boring lecture about math (which Master Michelangelo didn’t even know himself, he just had Casey solve problems from the college textbooks and checked the answer sheet), Casey stormed off into his room when he knew no one would be around.
He had been testing his hiding skills for a few weeks, but now it was time for the next big step. Running away from the Resistance entirely. In theory, Casey should be allowed to leave. Anyone in the Resistance was allowed to come and go as they pleased, they were not trapped to stay. The same should apply to Casey too. But it didn’t because he was a “speeeccciiaalll caaassseee”.
And so Junior grabbed his big ol’ travel backpack and began carelessly stuffing it with a few extra essentials like clothes, first aid, water flask, etc. Casey hated to admit it but…he was a little bit hesitant. The first time he ran off topside by himself, he ended up having a panic attack and almost freezing to death. But he knew better now! Master Leonardo had then taught Casey a few basic survival skills such as building a fire and whatnot. So Casey was practically a master at survival now! He could survive on his own.
And to make sure no one got in the way, Casey tapped into his mask and turned off the tracking device. That way, nobody would bother to come after him and he could just be alone.
But before Casey could finish packing, there was a knock at the door. Dammit. A robotic voice called out from the other side.
“Casey! You in there, bro?”, Shelldon asked.
Junior haphazardly stuffed the bag underneath the pile of teddy bears that did not belong to him before shouting back, “Yeah, what’s up?”
Shelldon waltzed into the room with flimsy pieces of paper in his metal digits. He cleared his artificial throat before stating, “So…I reviewed your request for a plasma gun and—”
“Neat!”, Casey beamed as he jumped down from his bunk bed. He looked around Shelldon, standing on his toes. “Where is it?”
“— And your request is denied, my dude.”, Shelldon finished.
“What?! Oh, come on, Shell!”, Casey exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.
“You come on!”, Shelldon snarked, pointing a finger at Junior’s chest. “Something’s been off about you lately and that’s not my sensor talking. What are you planning, dude?”
Casey chewed the inside of his lip, rocking on his heels. Then he sighed in defeat.
“Okay. Fine.”, he mumbled. “I’m…I’m leaving.”
The robot tilted his head. “...What?”
“I’m. Leaving.”, Junior enunciated as he climbed up the bunk to grab his bag. He continued to ramble on, “Look, as big as the Resistance may be, it can get…stuffy. So I’m running away. Please, please , don’t try to stop me or tell anyone or—”
“Can I come?”, Shelldon chimed in.
“Wait what?”, Casey quizzed. “You’re…not gonna stop me? Or get mad?”
“Mad? Pssh! Why would I be mad at my best friend, dude?”, Shelldon shrugged his hand. “Let’s just bounce together! We could be a duo! Oooo, we need a duo name like…uh…”The Orphan Duo!”...eyy?” Shelldon waved a hand in the air, his metallic lids squinting up.
Casey laughed. “That’s a terrible duo name!”
“Okay, “Orphan Duo” is out. But I’ll come up with something better.”
The teen smiled, reaching up to grab Cup. “You know what? Let’s make it a trio, and you got a deal.” Casey stuffed Cup into his bag, their head just poking out behind the zipper.
“Yes!”, Shelldon cheered. “Come on, let’s grab one of my rides!”
Before Casey could respond, the robot grabbed his hand and the group began running out the door and making their way to the hangar. Casey was surprised. He didn’t expect Shelldon to come along but the robot seemed just as eager to get away as Casey did.
“What if we call ourselves the “Best Bros” trio?”, Shelldon suggested.
“Meh.”, Casey shrugged.
“Rebellion Squad?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Aha! I got it!”, the turtle bot snapped his fingers. “Rad Dogz!”
Casey paused for a moment. “Hm…I guess that works.”
And so the Rad Dogz made their way to the hangar. Shelldon snuck Casey around the side into a room with a metallic box inside. Yet there was no battleship insight.
“So…where’s this ride of yours?”, Casey asked as he continued to scan the room.
“This is it!”, Shelldon pointed at the box.
In a moment, the robot’s systems chirped twice like a car and the metal box unfolded into a stylish hovering motorcycle with elaborate contraptions and compartments. Casey gawked over the vehicle in awe.
“Aw sick!”, Junior beamed as he ran over to the motorcycle. “I never knew you had your own vehicle.”
Shelldon grinned bashfully, rubbing his hand behind his head. “Haha, yeah. It was a gift from Don back when the apocalypse started. But just you wait! The real surprise is even cooler! We just have to wheel this thing out topside first.”
Shelldon shifted the gears on the bike to neutral, both him and Casey starting to roll the motorcycle around the side of the hangar and up the large ramp that led topside. No one seemed to notice or care what the two were up to, probably because Casey had Shelldon with him. Speaking of…
“Hey Shell, are you sure it’s alright for you to come along? Given all your new responsibilities and stuff?”, Casey asked.
“Not to worry, I got it all under control now!”, Shelldon smiled. “Turns out those updates Donnie gave also had “backup recruits” for his jobs.”
That made Casey grimace. “...He…had plans put in place for when he died?”
“Don’t sweat it too much, CJ. Donnie had been like that long before the apocalypse.”
That was…sad.
But no matter. The Rad Dogz reached the top of the ramp where Shelldon stopped rolling the vehicle. He faced towards Casey, his mismatched eyes squinting up in excitement.
“You ready?”, he quizzed.
“Uh…for what?”, Casey tilted his head.
“For this!”
Shelldon hopped onto the motorcycle, turning on the machine. A panel on the dash opened up as the robot shot out wires from his metal fingertips. The wires connected into their respective ports on the panel, the turtle bot’s eyes running numbers through them. In a moment, Shelldon and the motorcycle glowed in a vibrant purple hue as the two machines transformed together into one big hover-tank. The tank had just enough room inside for Casey to squeeze into.
“COOOOOOL!!!!”, Casey exclaimed. “You look amazing, dude!”
“You know it, Jones!”, the robot tank winked. “Now climb on! We should get moving before anyone tries to stop us.”
Casey tossed his bag into the tank before climbing into the singular seat and buckling in the seatbelt. The tank hummed and came to life as Shelldon drove the Rad Dogz out into the barren wasteland desert. Casey peered out the windows of the hovering tank as the team rode across the terrain. This was nice. Just Casey and Shelldon (and Cup), running away together.
The Rad Dogz drove for a while with no distinct destination in mind other than just to get away from everything. Eventually, they reached a place deep below the supposed “sea level”. A bunch of funny gray tree branches and large skeleton bones of various…yokais?... decorated the biome. Casey and Shelldon stopped for a bit to explore, Shelldon transforming out of his tank form for convenience.
“So…what are these things?”, Casey asked, pointing at the tree branches.
“That’s coral.”, Shelldon answered. “Dead coral. Alive ones used to be much more colorful.”
“Coral…”, Casey echoed.
He poked the strange dead coral, the brittle bushes crumbling away like ash. It was…unamusing. Perhaps the alive ones had much more pizzazz to them. Not that Casey would ever know. But the skeleton bones…now those looked cool. One in particular was HUGE. With a large arching jaw and long bristles for teeth. Its hands were wide and arching while its spine and ribs stretched on for probably 70 feet.
“What’s that?”, Casey pointed at the large skeleton.
Shelldon’s systems chirped as he scanned over the carcass. “That would be…a blue whale skeleton. Used to be one of the rarest whales out there.”
“Coooool”, the teen droned as he grazed his hand along the bristles. “...What’s a whale?”
Shelldon’s red eye beamed out a holographic screen, showing a large creature that matched the skeleton. “They looked like this. These dudes were the largest mammals in the world and had existed for 50 million years.”
“Wow.”, Casey whispered in awe. “Do you think I’ll get to see a real one?”
The holographic screen flickered away as Shelldon shrugged. “Doubt it, dude. Most marine life went extinct in the apocalypse. If there was anything left, it’d be some tiny guys in little tidepools.”
Huh , Casey thought. The ocean sounded like an amazing place. It was hard to believe there was once so much of it but now it was gone. Junior didn’t see the point in exploring much more if the only thing to find here was dead. Besides, there was still so much of the world to see.
“Let’s get going.”, Casey called out to his friend. “If we stay in one place too long, the others might find us.”
Shelldon seemed hesitant for a moment…but he smiled anyway and nodded. “Okie dokie!”
And so, Shelldon transformed back into the Shelldon Tank and the Rad Dogz were back on the road.
A couple hours later into their adventure, Casey realized he was getting hungry. It wasn’t like he could simply steal a few rations. There wasn't much to go around and supplies had been dwindling ever since they lost Uncle Tello. It would’ve been wrong to swipe a few goods for himself.
But when did that matter? Casey was fending for himself now, his sole focus should be on survival. He couldn’t let Master Michelangelo’s morals rub off on him.
Fortunately, Shelldon had a plan on where the team may find some food. A large abandoned mall the team stumbled upon in Philadelphia. The place was astronomically enormous. Crumbled and falling apart and covered in Kraang lesions, sure, but enormous. Shelldon unfolded into his body and led the way through the mall.
The place looked practically picked clean. Seemed like the perfect destination for a panic shopping spree when the apocalypse first hit. Store windows were smashed open. Products after products were stripped from shelves. Casey began to doubt that they’d find anything inside.
But pressing on, they explored. One store in particular looked like it used to sell stuffed animals. The teddy bear designs on the posters reminded Casey of the pile of teddy bears that did not belong to him. The store even had a few accessories. Casey brought Cup out from his bag as the Rad Dogz had fun planning Cup a little makeover. Now Cup was decked out in little pink cloth boots, a sick paint-splattered leather jacket, a pair of sunglasses that sat on top of their head, and a steel chain necklace to match Cup’s belt. Casey and Shelldon adored Cup’s new look. Cup seemed happy with their new look too.
Continuing their search for sustenance, they came across a pottery studio full of clay ceramic pots. Casey and Shelldon exchanged one look with each other before running inside and beginning to smash all the pottery inside.
“Batter up, Jones!”, Shelldon called out before he tossed a bowl in Casey’s direction.
Casey smacked the bowl with his staff as he cackled in laughter. “Woohoo! Touchdown!”
“It’s actually called a homerun.”, the robot corrected, kicking a table of dishware over.
Casey shrugged. Then he stuck out his arm, running down as he pushed a line of pottery vases off the shelves. It was a lot of fun. Casey wanted to explore his options beyond vases. So he readied his chainsaw staff and began smashing any windows that were still intact. Shelldon caught on to the teen’s idea, kicking and punching glass cases of the other stores nearby. The Rad Dogz were a destructive trio (Cup mainly supervised the situation).
As the demolition team made their way throughout the mall, they finally came across a store that had posters and signs of food on them. The food looked super tasty, not that Casey would ever get to try something like that. Regardless, this had to be the right place. Shelldon and Casey searched high and low in the place that Shelldon explained was a “restaurant”. However, just like almost everything else in the mall, the restaurant was picked clean. That was until Casey found a stray can underneath a dusty old cabinet.
“Aha! Score!”, Casey cheered. “I found dinner, Shell!”
“Rad! Lemme see it.”, Shelldon hurried over and checked the can. “Ahh…Chef Boyardee’s…always coming in clutch.”
“Gimme!”, Casey reached clenching and unclenching his fingers.
Shelldon chuckled, handing the can back. The teen ripped open the tab with brute strength as he began slurping the aged pasta inside the can. It never tasted good, but Casey was too hungry to ever care. Shelldon took a seat beside Junior, opening a large jug full of…a strange yellow liquid.
“What’s that?”, Casey asked between his slurps, pointing at the jug.
“Vegetable oil. 100% eco-friendly diesel.”, Shelldon chirped. “It’s not as efficient as motor oil or gas or batteries but Donnie made sure to hook up my systems to run on any alternative source of energy…besides solar power cuz…ya know…lack of solar, haha.”
Casey hummed in response, still chugging his dinner. The two took the time to refuel their components until they heard a strange squealing noise, overlaid with growling, in the distance. Casey finished what was left of the can before standing up and preparing his chainsaw staff. Shelldon’s system beeped as the robot readied his engines for battle. Then they saw it. A Kraang zombie lurking in the dark. The zombie seemed to have taken over a large grizzly bear. The kraangified bear spotted the Rad Dogz nearly right away.
“Stay behind me, dude. I got this!”, Shelldon exclaimed as his hands began charging up his plasma beams.
But Casey didn’t listen. He ran around Shelldon and began charging at the Kraang bear with his chainsaw revving. He lunged forward, jumping up in the air to get an angle on his attack.
“GOONGALAAAA!”, Casey shouted as he slashed at the zombie.
It took a few good strikes and dodges before the teen was able to take the bear down. He finished off his victory, stomping out the parasite crawling out of the Kraang zombie’s mouth. Then Junior took a glance for stragglers, giving a thumbs up to the robot when he considered it all clear.
Shelldon gave a thumbs up back but his metallic lids upturned in worry. “...That was close.”, he squeaked.
“What do you mean? I handled it just fine. This isn’t my first zombie.”, Casey shrugged.
“Sureee…”, the robot droned. “Hey, it’s getting kinda late soon…w-we should head back—”
“Back? Ha! I’m not going back!”, Casey snarked. “When I said I was leaving, I meant it. Surely you get it since you wanted to tag along, right ?”
Shelldon’s system gave a low whirring noise but the robot still nodded his head. “Yeah, okay. You’re right.”
“Cool! Let’s get out of here then.”, Casey smiled. He turned on his heel to leave but stopped for a moment. “Oh and let’s go somewhere further out instead of circling the neighboring states, hm?”
The robot chirped in alarm, the teen could see the electricity lighting up inside the cracks of Shelldon’s metallic panels. Junior nodded and smirked.
“Yyyeah. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”
Casey ended up taking a nap in the tank as Shelldon continued to drive. When he woke up again, it was night. It was hard to see anything through the windows in the dark. So Casey flipped his mask down and used its night vision to see more clearly. The Rad Dogz were driving through an abandoned city when Casey noticed what looked like a castle in the distance.
“Hey, Shell, do you see that castle?”, Casey asked.
“What castle?”, Shelldon quizzed through the tank.
“On your left.”
“Ohhh, that’s not a castle.”, Shelldon pointed out. “That’s a cathedral, my dude.”
“What’s a cathedral?” Cased flipped his mask back up and raised a brow.
“It’s like a church but run by a bishop.”
“...Like John Bishop?”, Casey puzzled, his brows furrowing with a twinge of fear.
But that fear flickered out from Shelldon’s robotic laughter. “Hahaha! Nah, that’s a different kind of bishop. Here, let’s go check it out.”
The tank drove over towards the cathedral, which was fairly large and had a lot of pointy roofs. A circular window sat in front of the doors, covered in shards stained in different colors. Yet the colors were dull, the glass dirty and covered in dust. The marbled stone was cracked, the iron fences were rusty. Yet the structure of the place looked…neat. Spooky, but neat.
Shelldon transformed back into his body as Casey grabbed his bag and turned on a flashlight taped to the strap of the backpack. Shelldon’s eyes literally light up like high beams. After a bit of brute force, the two managed to bust open the large rotten wood double doors.
Shelldon leaned in and whispered, “Watch out for—”
“Watch out for parasites. Got it.”, Casey finished, rolling his eyes.
The two split up their search, scanning around for any parasites that may be lurking in the dark. There were a few but Casey stomped them out. Once the place was cleared, he truly began exploring. More decorated stained glass aligned across the walls, showing odd portraits of people that Casey didn’t know. In one corner, sat a statue of a woman in a blue robe sitting on a table. The paint from the statue faded with time. The woman looked…sleepy, with her head down, eyes closed, and hands folded in front of her.
“Hey Shelldon, who are these people?”, Casey called out to the robot on the other side of the room. His voice echoed across the cathedral.
“The plaques underneath the windows say that these dudes are saints and disciples.”, Shelldon answered, making his way over to the teen.
“And…what are those…?”
Shelldon just shrugged. “I never bothered to learn it.”
“I thought you knew everything.”, Casey raised a skeptical brow.
“Only what Donnie taught me.”, the robot hummed. “I used to connect to the whole internet web of information. But…that doesn’t exist anymore. All I got are archives.”
Casey nodded in acknowledgement. The two continued to explore the cathedral before Casey found a room behind the altar. There were various books but one big book in particular sat in a broken glass case, pages were torn out from it. Casey closed the book to get a glance at the cover which read “The Holy Bible”. When he reopened the book, the teen tried to read what was inside but…it hardly made any sense. It sounded like stories but the whole vocabulary was too hard to understand.
“Yo, Shelldon, can you make sense of any of this?”, Casey quizzed.
Shelldon took one quick glance before nodding. “Oh yeah, that’s the bible. It tells the teachings about Jesus and…other important people, I think?”
“Wait, isn’t that the starving dude nailed to a plank?”
“Yep.”
Casey’s face scrunched. “...Whyyy???”
Shelldon shrugged and hummed an “I don’t know”. “But in any case, it’s basically one big storybook about these people in Jerusalem.”
“Where’s that?”, the teen asked.
“Islam. Ya know, that country in southwest Asia?”, Shelldon answered.
“What?”, Casey tilted his head. “But if these people are from there, then why do the drawings look like white people?”
The robot paused for a second, pondering and clearly stumped by the question. “Uhh…colonialism? I presume?”
Casey scoffed. “That’s kinda dumb.”
“It is.”, Shelldon nodded.
Casey’s lips pressed in a firm line with confusion but he moved past the old torn book, continuing to search the room. It didn’t take long before he found a cabinet full of glass bottles. They looked similar to Grandpa Draxum’s potions. Casey grabbed one of the bottles and looked closely at the labeling. The potion was called “Wine”. Like…whine? Maybe it was a crying potion?
“Got any idea what this “Wine” potion does?”, Casey turned to ask his friend as he held up the bottle.
Shelldon laughed. “That’s not a potion, dude! It’s a drink. This one in particular was used for practices here.”
Casey hummed in response, glancing over the bottle. If it’s a drink, then surely it must be safe for humans… The teen tried to pop open the cork on the bottle but the thing was airtight. The robot rolled his eyes, walking over and lending a hand to help. When Junior handed the bottle, Shelldon opened the potion— wine with ease. Casey took the wine bottle and peered inside to see its contents. It…kinda looked like blood. And the smell was funky too, like…antiseptics? But sweeter and earthy?
And so, very very hesitantly…Casey took a sip. He did not like what he discovered.
He spat out the liquid. “Bleugh! It burns! And it tastes like dirt!”
That made Shelldon cackle tauntingly. He wrapped his arms around his sides as the gears in his torso whirled in laughter. Casey fought with every fiber of his being to not throw the bottle at Shelldon. So he threw it at the wall instead, the wine glass smashing into pieces as the beverage stained the concrete. The teen dropped down and sat on the floor in defeat and embarrassment. When the robot was done having his laughing fit, he sat down beside his human friend as well.
Casey stared at the cross on the adjacent wall of the room. He sighed, pondering for a moment.
“...Did my mom ever say anything about her faith?”, he asked quietly.
Shelldon made a low whirring noise and shook his head. “She kept a lot of things private to herself. But I do remember her believing in those bad luck superstitions like pennies and black cats. Except, she believed that whatever should cause bad luck, would give her good luck instead.” He smiled, “She said that anything can be right or wrong if you “change your perspective”.”
“What about you? Do you believe in anything else besides logic and science?”
The robot shrugged. “There’s no point for me to practice any sort of faith. There’s no afterlife for robots afterall. Not like I can “die” anyways. Well…kinda?”
Casey’s brows furrowed, turning to the bot. “What do you mean?”
Shelldon hummed, gears literally turning in his head for a moment. “Many many years ago, your family and I went face to face with a supernatural being called the Shredder. I was ordered to protect Gram-Gram but…I failed. One minute, I jumped to attack and then…static. Next thing I knew, I was just a discarded head in Donnie’s lab. I spent days going in and out of…static. Before I could catch up on what was happening, the apocalypse started. And Donnie looked different. Everyone looked different. It was scary, jumping forward in time and not knowing the details. It’s…still scary.”
The teen smiled sympathetically, “There’s no need to be afraid. I won’t let you go “static” again. I promise.”
Shelldon’s systems chirped. The robot smiled as warmly as he could. “...Thanks, Casey.”
Casey reached his arms out to pull his best friend in close for a hug. Shelldon whirred, hugging back a bit too tight with his robotic strength but the teen didn’t mind. As Casey rested his head on Shelldon’s, he could hear the electricity buzzing around inside. After a long moment, the two pulled back from their hug and stood up again.
“Come on, enough sappy talk! Let’s continue exploring!”, Casey chimed.
The Rad Dogz headed back out into the main hall. The headlights from Shelldon’s eyes scanned over the terrain as Casey smacked his flashlight back on. He listened to the sounds of his and Shelldon’s footsteps reverberate across the cathedral. The place had great acoustics.
“Echo!”, Casey called out. “Hellooooo!”
His voice rang around the structure, including his laughter that followed suit. And so he tried to whistle. Emphasis on tried , Casey could only maintain 2 notes. But it was still…pretty.
Casey called out again. “HelloooO—”, his voice cracked.
It caught the teen off guard as he snapped his lips shut and clasped his hands around his throat. Shelldon laughed, which only embarrassed Casey even more.
“Oh shut up! I didn’t mean to squeak like that.”, Casey stuck out his tongue. “...I don’t know what just happened.”
“It’s just puberty, dawg. Your voice is gonna start cracking as it gets deeper.”, Shelldon explained.
“Ugh. Of course. Puberty feels like a curse.”
Junior decided to sit down at one of the benches, the rotting wood creaked beneath him. Shelldon came over and sat down too as Casey brought Cup out of the bag and propped them against the seat beside him. You know…despite all of the rot and rust…this place is kinda peaceful .
It reminded Casey of one karaoke night in particular. Casey and the turtles were away on a mission for an extra night due to some trouble getting back to base. They really tried their best to make it for karaoke night but Master Leonardo said it was too dangerous to push it. So they took shelter in an abandoned structure similar to this cathedral. Spacious, echoey, and…peaceful. They had their own karaoke night, using their voices to play music. Casey really liked the song Tío Leo performed.
Seems fitting for this place… , Casey thought as he took a breath and began to hum the song. Then he sang.
“They say there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the lord. But you don’t really care for music, do you?”, Casey sang softly. “Well it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth. The minor falls, and the major lifts. The baffled king composing hallelujah.”
Shelldon grinned, humming in harmony. Cup just sat patiently and listened.
“Hallelujah, hallelujah. Hallelujah, halleluuuuujah.”
It felt nice to just enjoy a peaceful moment in the apocalypse. Just like old times.
“Your faith was strong but you needed proof. You saw her bathing on the roof. Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.”, Casey continued. “She tied you to her kitchen chair. She broke your throne and she cut your hair, and from your lips she drew the hallelujah.”
Shelldon moved from humming to harmonizing backup vocals. It almost made Casey laugh but he didn’t want to lose face.
“Hallelujah, hallelujah. Hallelujah, halleluuuuujah.”
The song came to a short end as the 13 year old started to get really tired. He yawned, stretching his arms out. Shelldon nudged him with his elbow.
“Hey, it’s late. We should head back home now.”, he said gently.
Casey scoffed. “Shelldon, I told you, I’m not heading back.”
The robot sighed, shaking his head. “Ya know, dude. When I was Version 13, I ran away too. But I only got myself into some serious trouble and Donnie had to save my shell from getting demolished. And that was life before the apocalypse. Imagine how dangerous it is now .”
“Do you really think I’d run off on my own if I didn’t know any better?”, Casey snarked. “I can handle myself!”
“For someone so set on surviving alone, you still needed my help this whole time.”, the robot crossed his arms.
Casey stood up, quickly stuffing Cup in his bag before tossing the straps over his shoulders. “Whatever. I’ll show you I can do things by myself! Come on!”, he called out, gesturing a hand for Shelldon to follow.
After walking a few steps towards the doors, Casey noticed that Shelldon was not following behind. The teen turned to his friend and raised a brow.
“Well!? Are you with me or not!?”, he snapped.
The robot made a low whirring noise, averting his gaze to the floor.
Casey took it as an answer. He clicked his teeth and turned on his heel, heading outside and hopping onto the motorcycle parked out front. He revved the engine before accelerating off into the wasteland. Junior took one glance behind him to see Shelldon standing at the door before he turned back towards the horizon.
It only took a few minutes of riding the hover-motorcycle before Casey heard a commotion behind him.
“CASEY! WAIT UP! HANG ON A MINUTE, DUDE!”, Shelldon called out as his battle shell used its jets to fly the robot over to Casey. “SLOW DOWN!”
“I DON’T WANNA TALK, SHELLDON!”, Casey shouted back.
“BUT I DO!”, the robot yelled. “PLEASE! JUST GIVE ME A MINUTE!”
With a heavy sigh, Casey clutched the brakes on the motorcycle, the hovering vehicle skirted in the air to a halt. Shelldon landed on the ground immediately after. The teen stepped off the bike, crossing his arms and leaning his waist back against it to face the robot and raise a skeptical brow.
“...What!?”, Junior hissed.
“Casey, talk to me. What’s the real reason why you ran away?”, Shelldon implored. “Come on, there’s gotta be something that’s bothering you, right?”
Casey rolled his eyes. “What? Is “I just felt like it” not good enough of a reason?”
“Casey…”, the robot pressed. “...Please. W-we’re friends, aren’t we? Best friends.”
The 13 year old frowned. “...Okay, look…”, he sighed. “It’s just that…when Mama died, everywhere I turned, I was reminded of her. The places we went to, the memories we made. And whoever I talked to would always bring her up. And then, when Donnie died…it happened all over again. The entire Resistance as a place and a people continue to taunt me and watch my every move. Out here…there’s no one to judge me at all. I can go wherever I want and do whatever I want without thinking about some stupid rules and regulations!”
“But…how long did you plan on keeping it up?”, Shelldon asked, his metal lids upturning sympathetically.
“For as long as I have to! And don’t even think about giving me that whole “You’re our beacon of hope” lecture.”, Casey snarked. “Has anyone ever stopped to think where my hope is?! I don’t have someone to be hopeful for! I don’t have a reason to keep going! You guys keep talking about when the war is over, I’ll finally get to see what the real world looks like. But…”, the teen paused. He felt tears water in his eyes, but did his best to push them down. Then he shouted, “BUT THIS IS MY WORLD! This is all I know and all I’ll ever know! Don’t you get it?! There. Is. No. Future! This is it!”
Aaaand there went the waterworks. Casey sniffled, wiping away the incessant stream of tears with his gloves. Shelldon tried to approach but Casey held up a hand to stop him.
“So…don’t you understand? This is why I had to leave.”, the kid croaked. “Don’t you believe me?”
The robot nodded solemnly. “...Yeah. I believe you. But…I’m not so sure about them .” Shellon pointed at something behind Casey.
Casey’s brows furrowed as he whipped his head around to see…his family. Leo, Mikey, April, and Usagi were standing right behind him with concerned looks on their faces. Casey felt a chill run down his spine as he snapped his head back at Shelldon. Shelldon only smiled sheepishly, pointing at the panic button on his belt that was flashing a dim LED light silently. Of course…
Casey felt his fist tremble with rage. “Fuck!”, he hissed under his breath.
Quickly, Casey snatched his bag and pulled out his chainsaw staff as he attempted to form a hoverboard to make an escape. He paid no attention to the shouting behind him. Unfortunately, a flash of blue teleported in front of him. And grabbing the teen by the cape, was a very angry slider.
“Oho, no you don’t!”, Leo snapped. “You are in so much trouble, young man! What the hell were you thinking?! Running off topside?!”
“Let me go! I don’t wanna deal with you!”, Casey shouted, desperately trying to tug his cape out of Sensei’s grasp.
“Then suck it up and deal with it!—”
“Enough!”, Mikey jumped in. He glared at his brother, “Zip it now or regret it later.”
Master Leonardo scoffed and rolled his eyes. He still held on tightly to Casey’s cape. Master Michelangelo cautiously approached Junior with a worried smile.
“Hey, CJ, are you alright? You hurt anywhere?”, he asked.
“I’m. Fine.”, the teen gritted through his teeth.
Mikey just sighed in relief and immediately wrapped his arms around the kid. Casey felt a part of him soften…but he was definitely not going to show it. He just accepted the hug, holding back from reciprocating it. It felt sorta weird to have a Mikey hug without his uncle’s long coily hair hugging back too. Mikey pulled himself away from the hug, reaching a hand out to tuck a loose strand of Casey’s hair behind his ear.
“Let’s go home then.”, the box turtle smiled. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Casey sneered, feeling every fit of rage bubble inside of him. But he knew better than to snap now. There would be a time for that later.
“...Fine.”
“I CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT I SHOULD SAY TO YOU!”, Leonardo snapped.
Back at the lair, Casey sat down in a chair in the conference room as Leo and Mikey stood on the other side of the table. And currently, Sensei was in the middle of chewing Junior out, pacing back and forth.
“YOU KEEP RUNNING OFF TO PLACES WHERE I CAN’T FIND YOU, HIDING AWAY FROM EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE AND NOW YOU TAKE OFF INTO THE WASTELAND?! AND TURNING OFF YOUR TRACKER AS WELL?! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!”
“Oookay, dial it back, bro.”, Mikey cut in.
“NO! I’M NOT DONE YET!”, the red-eared slider yelled. He turned to Casey, slamming his hands down on the table. “KID, YOU ARE GROUNDED ! YA HEAR ME?!”
Casey scoffed, throwing his arms out. “What difference does that make?! You never let me leave the Resistance anyways!”
“Because you’re just a kid!”, Leo snarked.
“Yeah right!”, the teen snapped. He saw a glint of green gloss over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. “You wouldn’t be saying that if we weren’t family! If I was just some random stranger, you would let me come and go as I please because you wouldn’t even care!”
The slider sighed in frustration. “That’s not the point—”
“Then what is the point, Nardo?!”
…Woah. That was…weird.
“...What did you just say?”, Leo muttered.
“Uhm…”, Casey squeaked, averting his gaze. What the fuck was that?! That totally didn’t feel like myself…
“That nickname is reserved .” the turtle pressed. His brother held up the back of his hand to the slider to stop him.
Casey’s brows upturned with worry. He swallowed dry spit, trying to think of something to say.
“Look, big guy. I will open up my apology wallet and give you a big stack of sorrys.”, Casey smiled sheepishly.
…That also wasn’t him either. The fuck is a wallet???
The turtle brothers both expressed a look of concern but more importantly confusion. Mikey placed a hand on Leo’s shoulder, nodding his head over to the corner. The two walked off to the side and huddled around each other, muttering to themselves. Casey couldn’t fully hear what they were saying, but he was pissed nonetheless. Then after a minute, Leo turned to Casey.
“You can go.”, he said.
Casey scoffed. “Finally.”
He hopped off from his seat and showed himself out of the room, the doors automatically sliding closed behind him. Casey, as always, pressed his ear against the wall to listen in.
“Miguel, this is serious—”
“You don’t think I’m taking this seriously?”
“Well, I think you’re full of horseshit.”
“Leo. Don’t you remember what Donnie discovered? And how we all thought he was “full of horseshit” too? Well…he might be right.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Well. Donnie saw it, with his visor. But I felt it. I felt them just now.”
“But how is it possible? It’s not…it’s not mystic energy, right? Casey’s human.”
“It’s not just mystic. And it’s not technically ninpo. It’s—”
“Casey!”, April called out from behind. Junior did his best not to yelp. “Don’t you know better than to eavesdrop on us?”
The teen rolled his eyes. “Well, you never tell me anything so…yeah no, I don’t.”
Auntie sighed. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Come on, let’s get outta here before you get in any more trouble.”
Casey groaned in frustration but he did as he was told and followed the commander down the hall.
What were they talking about though?
Notes:
Disclaimers: Bit of Kraang gore, little bit of suicidal thoughts?? (kinda), uhh alcohol tho it ain't much idk. This chapter really isn't that bad tbh.
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Fun fact! The "Hallelujah" scene is foreshadowing for the next chapter! =0 Speaking of the next chapter, it is VERY FUCKING DARK OML. Chapters 15 through...the end of arc 2 which is probs chapter 21 is like MEGA. ANGST. I deadass threw up at some points just by writing it.So with that...I'll see you on Saturday! =)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
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We got a new beta reader!
Shoutout to my beta reader, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 15: First Kill
Summary:
No…it couldn’t be. But it was! The attackers were right there watching them, of course they heard everything! The one time Casey slipped up and it got him and his Sensei kidnapped!
“Hey… heh …what happened to not using familial titles on missions?”, the softshell chuckled wetly. “You can’t slip up like that…you gotta promise me.”
Casey fucked up.
Notes:
WOOHOO! Chapter 15 is here! Featuring my old dog Creedence!
HEAVY NOTE THO. THIS CHAPTER IS REALLY FUCKING DARK AND GRUESOME AND I THREW UP WHILE WRITING IT SO PLEASE CHECK THE DISCLAIMERS IN THE END NOTES (/nf). IT IS VERY GOREY!
Have fun! =)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
A few months later, Casey was finally “ungrounded” and out hunting with Master Leonardo and one of the Resistance’s hunting dogs, Creedence, a gorgeous brown bloodhound with a reddish-brown patch on her back.
There were hardly any wild animals left. And if there were, they were usually infected by the Kraang. Casey, Leo, and Creedence came across a lot of Kraang animals. Disgusting, screeching, vile abominations. Casey wasn’t fazed by it. Real animals seemed as imaginary as unicorns.
And the forests were not lush with plants and vegetation. Instead, the stale trees were coated in Kraang parasites and lesions. The smell of slime was potent with a thick layer of ozone scent, it was too strong for Casey’s nose to just get used to. Vines turned to tentacles, leaves into eyeballs. No one in their right mind would camp out in these forests. The only value they had were the very few wildlife still remaining.
Luckily, during their hunt through the now Kraangified forests, the group came across a deer. Alive, looking healthy, and thriving in the apocalyptic wasteland. The team ducked behind a rock, Casey holding onto Creedence's collar.
“Alright, wait for my signal.”, Leo whispered in a low voice. Casey nodded. “And…go!”
On demand, Casey let go of Creedence and the two watched her bolt after the deer. The deer quickly fled but the dog was hot on its tail. The bloodhound barked as she chased after the deer. Casey and Leo jumped over the rock and began running after Creedence, following the sound of her bark. Creedence was fast . It was hard to keep up with all of the Kraang vines and trees in the way.
The barking faded out, Casey wondering if Creedence finally caught the deer. He followed close behind Sensei as the two of them noticed the trail of blood that began to form. At the end of the trail laid the deer, now dead on the ground with a large bloody bite mark in its neck. Creedence, with specks of blood around her teeth, sat down happily wagging her tail. Casey chuckled.
“Good girl, Creed.”, he said, petting the dog.
Leo kneeled down to inspect the loot. “It’s a great catch. I don’t see any sign of diseases.”, he smiled. “Come on, help me carry this thing back to the—”
A screeched bark echoed out nearby. A Kraang hound. Master Leonardo and Casey pulled out their weapons at the ready. Creedence growled, sniffing around for the hound. Suddenly, the Kraang hound jumped out from a rock high above Casey and tackled the teen to the ground. Casey dove back but not quick enough as the hound tore its teeth into his leg. Ow . Leo jumped in, punting the Kraang hound off of the kid. The hound went flying a few feet before it skidded across the dirt.
Casey scrambled to get up as he watched his Sensei decapitate the hound with his sword. The head flew off, landing in front of Casey as it screeched and squirmed away. The teen quickly stomped on its head, twisting the toe of his boot until the alien’s cries stopped. He grinned back at Leo giving him a thumbs up.
The slider laughed at the teen’s antics but then frowned as he looked down at Casey’s leg. “Eugh boy, that doesn’t look good.”
Casey glanced down at his leg too. The pants of his olive green jumpsuit had a patch of cloth ripped out from it where the teeth dug in, flesh exposed and blood oozing from the wound, trickling down his leg. It hurt really bad but…Casey had felt worse. He just had to tough it out.
“I mean it stings but it’s not that bad.”, Casey shrugged nonchalantly, masking the actual burn from the pain.
“Junior, that is a hound bite. Hands down, it needs stitches.”, Leo pressed.
The teen rolled his eyes, “I’m telling you, it’s fine.”
“And I’m telling you, it’s not.”
“Ugh! Stop trying to baby me—”
“I’m sorry, are you the medic here?”, Leo snapped. “No? Then stop trying to tough it out and let me handle it. Come on, let’s just get this meat back to base and we’ll get you patched up.”
“But Tío!—”
“No buts!”
Creedence began barking again, but not at the two bickering. The hairs on her back were raised as she barked and growled at a slime-coated tree. Casey and Leo turned to her in confusion. But it didn’t take long to see that there was a group of people hiding behind the tree. Immediately caught by the dog, the group jumped out of their hiding spots, pointing their weapons of flaming arrows and explosive bullets, and surrounding Casey and Leo in a circle. Casey revved the chainsaw of his staff at the ready to strike, pressing his back against Sensei’s shell. Leo striked his katanas, the metallic clash hissed in a threatening manner.
“What do you people want?”, the red-eared slider demanded. “Hey, we got this deer fair and square so back off!”
“Oh, we aren’t here for the venison.”, one of the people smiled. “Say…aren’t you Leonardo?”
Sensei grimaced. “What’s it to ya?”
The person chuckled lowly. The teen glanced over to look as the person slowly spun around to reveal the serial number tattoo on the back of their neck. Casey felt a shiver down his spine, tucking his own neck into his shoulders. They turned back around.
“You messed with the wrong people, you freak.”, they grumbled. “Because of you, Bishop is dead and the Operation is falling apart.”
“The Operation has already fallen! Why would you people still want to uphold its legacy?”, Leo shouted.
“Because we are all that remains of our home!”, another person shouted. “We are all that remains of America.”
Casey rolled his eyes. What good was a government in the apocalypse?
“The Operation may be gone, but we are reborn! We are the Arch Angels!”, the person yelled.
Leo snickered. “Arch Angels? Really? What are you, emos?”
No one seemed to share his amusement. But Casey did find it funny as he and his Tío snickered and cackled at the group.
“Here’s what’s gonna happen…”, the first person called out. “Either you come with us quietly…or we are gonna do this the hard way.”
“It may be the hard way for you…”, Sensei grinned. “But it’s the easy way for me.”
In an instant, a mystic blue illuminated the turtle’s markings. Casey could sense the warped speed of his Sensei jumping into action. But before the turtle could strike, a swarm of enemies jumped on him and reached for the swords in his hands. They swiped the katanas out of his grasp and began attacking the slider. Casey jumped in to stop them before he was pummeled by Arch Angels too. He turned to face them, revving his chainsaw and slashing away, grazing and cutting the enemies.
Creedence lunged into attack, going for the ankles. The person screamed, shaking their leg to get rid of the dog until Creedence lost her grip and was flung off. Another person kicked the dog on her side. The bloodhound whined, getting up to make a break for it. Casey saw her disappear into the forest.
The teen shouted, enraged. “DON’T YOU DARE KICK MY FUCKING DOG!”
In an instant, he saw a glint of green gloss over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. He swung his chainsaw at the enemies coming after him, dodging and blocking the explosive bullets that zipped by him with his staff. Except for one which grazed his left shoulder and blasted upon impact, ripping apart the surface of his arm as his ear ringed incessantly for a long while. The teen screeched, clutching his shoulder and pushing down the pain that seethed. He had to be tough. Casey felt his mother's rage ignite a flame inside of him, the one of a warrior. Casey dropped to the ground, swinging his leg out to sweep the enemies off of their feet before grabbing one of them in a chokehold with his chainsaw staff. The person gagged, desperately grabbing at Casey’s grip and digging their nails into his gloves. Just then, something blunt hit the back of Casey’s head. And he was sent stumbling to the ground.
Holding on tight to his weapon, Casey stuck the end of the staff into the ground to get back up before arms were now grabbing his, yanking his hands behind his back. Casey shouted, pushing himself back to kick his legs aimlessly in the air and attack the person who was apprehending him. But more people ran to grab on to the teen, slamming him to the ground and pressing their knees and boots against his spine. They yanked his arms back some more, more than Casey thought his shoulder range could handle.
“GET OFF OF ME!”, Casey screeched.
Sensei turned his head around to the scene. He quickly snapped the neck of the person he was attacking with brute strength and rushed over to stop the enemies from hurting Casey.
“HEY! GET AWAY FROM HIM!”, Leo shouted as he ran. “I SAID GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM—”
Another person smacked Leo in the back of the head with a heavy metal bat. Casey watched as the slider’s eyes rolled back and eyelids drooped, the turtle hitting the ground like a sandbag. A swarm of people rushed over to apprehend Master Leonardo, tying his arms behind his back. Casey screamed in rage, using all of his might to fight back against the Arch Angels. He lurched and squirmed, trying to wriggle his way out of their grasp. Hands were now grabbing his braided tied up hair and bashing his head against the dirt. Casey’s vision began to blur.
Someone was walking over to the teen. They kneeled down, holding what looked like a syringe filled with a strange yellow substance. Casey winced, still squirming with all of his might. Hands pulled on his hair, exposing the right side of his neck to the person. Casey screamed.
“NO! DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME! I’M WARNING YOU!”, he threatened.
But it was no use. He felt a pinch in his neck and within a moment, Casey couldn’t move. His eyes spun around in front of him, desperately trying to stay open. Casey tried to lurch. And then again.
Then everything went black.
Casey was suddenly woken up to water being splashed on his face. It was cold. He gasped, lurching forward as his blurry vision spun back into focus. He was…tied up.
In a chair, his torso was tied to the back of the chair with rope, his wrists to the armrests, and his ankles to the legs of the chair. He looked up, his vision splitting into two. There was gray. Gray stone surrounding the place. Perhaps an abandoned warehouse of some kind. The enemies were surrounding the room. In front of Casey, across from him just a few feet away, Leonardo was also tied up to a chair, his robotic arm gone. Completely knocked out and slumped over.
Casey squirmed with all of his might, trying to break free of the hold but it served no use. Instead all he felt was pain as the pinch in his neck tingled, the surface of his shoulder burned, and the bite on his leg seethed. His consciousness still muffled, he heard someone cackle.
“Don’t wear yourself out trying to escape. There’s nowhere for you to run after all.”, they said with an eerie grin.
Another person grabbed a bucket, walking over to the slider. They tossed the water at the turtle, causing Leo to wake up in shock and gasp for air. It didn’t take Leo long to adjust to the scene unfolding before his eyes. He too lurched forward, trying to squirm out of the restraints which was proven fruitless.
Another person, a man, waltzed into the room. He was pale and wore a camouflage military uniform. Short blond hair with gray streaks. A serial number tattoo on the back of his neck. And an untrustworthy smile.
“Wakey, wakey, sleepyheads.”, the man cooed eerily. “Time to face the consequences.”
“Who are you?!”, Casey snapped, his own voice ringing in his ears. Whatever he got drugged with was taking its lovely ass time wearing off.
“Oh! Right! Where are my manners?”, the man grinned. “You can just call me General Allen. And you are?”
“What do you want with us?”, Leo shouted. “I swear, when I get out of here, I’m gonna rip your spine out of you and beat you with it!”
“You, my friend, are responsible for the death of our leader. For the death of America.”, General Allen snipped. “Dare I say you put the JFK assasination to shame. And in my walls, we have punishments for troublemakers like you.”
Leonardo scoffed. “So what? You’re gonna kill us?”
“Kill you? Heavens, no!”, Allen chuckled. Then he hissed, “But I will make sure your funeral is a closed casket.”
The general then turned to another person and gave a nod. This person was a large bulky man with incredibly buff muscles, veins popping out and all that. The large man looked surreal. He cracked his knuckles before delivering a heavy blow to the slider’s face. Leo took it like a champ, taking a deep breath as he composed himself.
It was then that Casey’s foggy mind suddenly became crystal clear. Casey felt the hairs on his back raise as he finally took high alert.
“Luckily for you, you caught me in a good mood.”, Allen grinned. “If you guys just tell me where your base is, I’ll let you go.”
“What kind of bullshit deal is that?!”, Casey shouted.
“A fair one, if you ask me.”, the general turned to the teen. “You two could live your lives out together in peace without the interference of my men. After all, if I heard from my associates correctly…”, he eyed the slider. “...that man is your…”Tío”...as you would say.”
Casey felt like he was splashed with cold water again. How did he …
“I’m sorry, are you the medic here?”, Leo snapped. “No? Then stop trying to tough it out and let me handle it. Come on, let’s just get this meat back to base and we’ll get you patched up.”
“But Tío!—”
“No buts!”
No…it couldn’t be. But it was! The attackers were right there watching them, of course they heard everything! The one time Casey slipped up and it got him and his Sensei kidnapped!
“Hey… heh …what happened to not using familial titles on missions?”, the softshell chuckled wetly. “You can’t slip up like that…you gotta promise me.”
Casey fucked up.
General Allen nodded at the muscle again. Another blow to the face for Master Leonardo. Casey winced at the sight, trying his best to not let out a sound.
“Tell me where the Resistance is.”, Allen demanded, leaning in real close to Casey’s face. “TELL ME!”
Casey sneered. He hacked up a big wet ball of saliva and spat at the man's face. The general grimaced, the look of shame and embarrassment was seen through the microexpressions as the man tried to keep a straight face. He stood up, wiping the spit off his face with the sleeve of his camouflage suit.
“You brought this upon yourself, vermin.”, he grumbled. He turned to another person and nodded.
The other person was a woman, with her gray hair cut short. She unveiled a chisel and hammer from behind her back and walked over to Leonardo. The muscle man hooked his arm around Leo’s neck, holding him firmly in place but not choking him. The woman angled the chisel on the chest of the slider’s plastron. Sensei struggled to squirm out of the way as she hit the hammer on the back of the chisel and chipped off a huge chunk of the turtle’s plastron.
An agonized scream was sucked out from Leo’s soul as the chunk clattered on the floor and blood leaked out of the crack. The woman struck again, this time to the other side. Master Leonardo screeched anew as he helplessly flailed against the restraints.
“NO!”, Casey yelled, lurching forward and struggling against the rope. “NO! DON’T HURT HIM!”
“Then tell me where the Resistance keeps their base.”, General Allen snapped.
Casey opened his mouth to speak but Sensei cut him off. “Don’t! …D-Don’t say a word to him, kid… I-it’ll be okay…”, he gasped out, seemingly out of breath.
Casey felt his eyes water. But he did as his Sensei told him. He gave a firm nod, shutting his lip.
The general sighed, shaking his head, “Oh, there they go again, confiding in each other for support.” His face fell flat, turning to Leo’s torturers. “Again.”
Casey couldn't do anything but watch as they chipped away at Leo’s plastron and shell. He winced as he heard the slider scream and cry, unable to help. He couldn’t. Do. Anything . Junior did his best to prevent the tears dwelling up in his eyes. Yet after each hit, Sensei still looked up at the kid and gave a faint smile of reassurement. Casey couldn’t tell if it made him feel better anymore.
Allen leaned in over Casey’s shoulder, muttering in the teen’s ear, “I can make it stop. I can make all of the pain go away. All you have to do is tell me where the Resistance is. And then I’ll let you go.”
Casey snapped his head around and glared at the man with a cold dead stare in his eyes. “I will make sure your death lasts a thousand years.”
“Plan B then.”, General Allen called out as he stood up straight. “Separate them. Take the brat to the other room. Perhaps some isolation will get rid of their peace of mind.”
Three men walked over to Casey, one grabbing the back of his chair and dragging the kid across the floor. Casey and Leo both screamed, calling out for each other. Casey tousled with all of his might against the rope tying him down, swaying side to side in the chair. He knocked himself over at one point but before he could fight back, they punched him in the face and grabbed the back of the chair again. Casey screamed out again, feeling the blood trickle down his nose.
Being led down the hallway, Casey screamed and rocked as he was faced with the realization that he was now alone . There was no one coming to his aid this time. Leo couldn't help him this time. After all these years of being together, Sensei would always be there to shield him from danger. To shield him from the truth. But now Leo wasn’t with him. Instead, the slider was in the other room. Tied to a chair and screaming in agony as they took a chisel to his plastron. Helpless and unable to help. What was a child supposed to do here?
The new room was smaller. There were counters surrounding the walls. The men dragged Casey into a corner, facing the room. One of them, with black hair, propped another chair against the door. Another man, much taller than the rest, searched the drawers in the counters. And the other, wearing an eye patch, cracked his knuckles.
“Get rid of his armor.”, the tall man pointed out over his shoulder.
The eye patch man reached for Casey’s green eyed mask to which the teen screamed at.
“DON’T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!”, the 13 year old screeched as he swerved his head around.
He lurched forward towards Eye Patch’s hand and bit down hard on his thumb. The man screeched, frantically punching the kid to stop but Casey just bit down harder and harder until he sliced the eye patch man’s thumb off like a guillotine, hearing the satisfying crackled pop of the bone. Casey could feel the texture of the flesh tearing beneath his teeth, could hear the squelch in the line of his jaw. He spat the discarded thumb out, trying not to puke at the taste of the man’s blood. The fleshy taste was tough like rubber and salty like pork, slimy and bitter with a metallic aftertaste.
The man grabbed hold of his hair, yanking the teen down to rip the mask off his head and tossed it across the floor. The man with black hair came around to take off Casey’s knee pads, chestplate, and scarf while Eye Patch held the teen in place from behind the chair.
“Heyyyy, would you look at that?”, the eye patch man chuckled as he leaned in to look at Casey’s neck, yanking the kid’s hair up out of the way. “This kid is one of us!”
Great.
The tall man stopped searching the drawers, putting whatever he found on the counter. It made a metallic clatter. He walked over to look at the teen’s neck as well.
“It’s him. The one Bishop was hunting for.”, the tall man muttered.
“The child from the crash?!”, the black haired man laughed. “ That ’s the kid who survived that monstrosity? HA!”
The eye patch man cackled along with his associate as he made his way back around to stare at the teen’s fearful eyes. “How can a scrawny brat like you be such trouble?!”
Casey spoke before his mind. “Let me go and I’ll show you!”, he snapped, lurching forward against the restraints.
Casey didn’t know where that remark came from. It didn’t feel like him.
The men laughed at him. Eye Patch cut the laughter by sending a strong punch to the kid’s stomach, winding Junior in the process. Casey immediately felt nauseated, the burning prickling bile going up his throat as he puked out on the floor. Tall turned to his walkie talkie.
“Hey, Allen! You’ll never believe this. The kid is actually that one child from the crash! The one Bishop was after!”, he chuckled.
“Oh really? Well…you know our policy.” , General Allen mumbled from the other line. “Kill him. But not too quickly.”
There was shouting in the background. It must’ve been Leo.
“Roger that, sir.”, the tall man replied. “You heard the man, gentlemen. Go ballistic.”
As the three men surrounded Casey, the teen’s vision began to warp under pressure. His conscience was the only part of him that was able to run away from this. So he did. All the while they hit him. Then again. And again. All giddy and excited to take turns punching, kicking, breaking, pulling.
He tasted blood. His front tooth got chipped. That’ll leave a mark. His mind began dizzying. He puked up some more.
His head hurt. Blurry, dizzy, nauseated.
One of them slashed at his scalp. There were bits of his hair on the floor. So long for my memories.
His jaw popped out of its socket, dangling dangerously out of place. His nose streamed a rush of blood, tasting the thick vile liquid in the back of his throat.
They continued to beat him up. Again. And again. And again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and Stay strong, still as a boulder! again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again Use your brain! Remember your lessons! and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again Be the brave warrior I raised you to be! and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again—
FIGHT!!!
Casey snapped his eyes back to reality. There is so…much… blood . He felt something swirling around inside of him. There was that same fighting spirit he always had, the one that reeked of his mother’s tenacity. But there was something else. Something more. A part of him braced itself against the attacks, envisioning the body as a shield. Something that would never shatter, never budge. Another part of him took a keen eye to his surroundings, collecting data on every word said and every movement of the room. And of course, there was that part of him, the real him, itching for a fight.
The tall man grabbed the item he left on the counter. A cleaver, sharp and pristine, ready to take on the task. He nodded his head at the eye patch man.
“Untie him. I want this to be an honorable killing.”, he grinned.
The eye patch man raised a skeptical brow. But the tall man just chuckled.
“Look at him. He is in no position to fight. And even if he tries, what’s he going to do? Cry uncle?”
The men snickered. Eye Patch and Black Hair untied the rope around Casey’s wrists, ankles, and torso. The teen slumped over, the floor underneath spinning around violently. Casey couldn’t tell if he was still swaying or not. Eye Patch got behind the chair and yanked Casey’s head back up by what’s left of his hair. Black Hair grabbed his broken jaw to look directly at the scene. Tall reached for the kid’s right hand, firmly pressing the arm against the armrest.
The cleaver stretched high up into the air, shining in the fluorescent light with an evil glint. In one clean hit, the blade swung down and cut through halfway down Casey’s forearm, mere inches past the elbow, slicing through the bone. Blood began spewing out as Casey screeched in pain. His voice reached volumes Casey never thought it could go. A scream from deep deep inside his core.
The scream of pain quickly morphed into a battle cry. Casey lurched forward, reaching for the cleaver. And he felt something ignite inside of him. The spirit of a warrior. The strength of a boulder. The mind of a genius. The itch for a fight. He saw a glint of green gloss over his vision, faint but lasting as he felt the itch take over.
The men quickly scrambled to apprehend Casey, but he fought. He fought with a sense of strength he didn’t have before. Grabbing the cleaver, he yanked it out of Tall’s grasp. He kicked and screamed, chucking the cleaver at the man’s groin. Tall screeched as he clutched his bleeding crotch, giving Casey the opportunity to quickly pick the cleaver back up and slit the tall man’s throat wide wide open. The tall man stumbled back, grasping for his neck.
Black Hair went in to swing a punch but Casey dodged with an impeccable level of speed he’d never had. He slashed the black hair man’s stomach, twisting the blade and tearing the flesh up up up. The cleaver got stuck and Casey had to yank it out of the man, his intestines coming with.
Eye Patch made a run for it, heading for the door. But before he could move the chair blocking the way, Casey threw the knife at him like a dart and hit the back of the eye patch man’s head. He charged at the man, tugging the cleaver out of his head as the corpse fell backwards onto the ground. Casey pressed his knee against the eye patch man’s chest as he held the cleaver high up in the air and then swung the blade down in between the man’s dead stare. Then he swung again. And again. And again .
Casey heaved, staggering to stand up as he dropped the cleaver on the ground. His arm…his arm hurt really really bad. It burned like white hot metal. His jaw hung slack, if it wasn’t for the skin and muscles holding it in place, Casey would’ve bet it would fall right off. The blood from his nose had dried up. His hair was a mess, some long strands survived but the rest was cut short. A little too short, Casey noted the bleeding from his scalp as it trickled down his brows. The right of his neck where he had been pricked and drugged before felt sore and burning. The left of his shoulder scalding as it rubbed against the now sticky red cloth of his jumpsuit. The hound bite was still taunting him too, aching and pulsating.
The gray concrete room was now stained in red. The vile smell of puke and blood was not pleasant either. Casey felt himself sway as his world sat still. It finally clicked in his head. The one thing Casey knew was inevitable. He had his first kill.
You did good, Casey baby , a thought said. You did good .
And with that, Casey was alone. The green glint was gone. In the quiet, still room. Covered in blood. Writhing in pain. His conscience ran off again. Everything turned a blur. It made things hurt less at least.
It was safer that way.
Notes:
Disclaimers: HEAVY blood and gore. Dead animal. Needles/Getting drugged. Dismemberment. A "hint" of cannabalism. Unsettling vibes (idk how to put it, but you will be hunching your shoulders).
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Remember the last chapter? When I said the "Hallelujah scene" is foreshadowing?"She tied you to her kitchen chair. She broke your throne and she cut your hair. And from your lips she drew the hallelujah." =)
CHECK OUT SOME ART I MADE FROM THIS CHAPTERRRRRRRRRRRRR
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 16: Can't Risk Anything
Summary:
Some things were better to be let go. Casey glanced at the pair of scissors in his hand. He felt his arms tremble slightly, his right residual shaking his prosthetic. He tried not to think about it too much as he grabbed hold of his hair and began cutting the strands off as short as he could. He watched the clumps of hair fall to the floor, and with it…his childhood. But…Casey didn’t feel sad. He didn’t feel much of anything at all.
It was just hair.
Notes:
HEHEHHEHEEHEH RAT HAIR CASEY TIME-- (even tho he only has short hair for the 2nd half of this chapter only, i love rat hair casey with all of my heart)
Also this chapter is EXTRA long. (Average word count is like 4k, this chapter is 7k). BTW, I made some TASTY ART AND ANIMATION for the last chapter and this chapter (15-16 kinda go together) that I thought you might enjoy.
Disclaimers are in the end notes as always! Have fun! =)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Casey didn’t know how long he was in there for.
Minutes? Hours? Who knew? But it didn’t matter because he wasn’t there. He was somewhere else. Nestled deep into the back of his mind where nothing could hurt him. He could sit in there forever. It was like being tucked inside his own little shell. Away from everything.
Thudding. There was thudding. A familiar reptilian roar echoed in the distance. Then people were shouting in a distressed panic. Screaming, even. From far away. It was none of Casey’s concern, he stayed in his mind. A familiar voice called out to Casey in a frantic. Then a crash as more familiar voices followed and ran over to the first voice. A familiar dog was barking. A familiar robot was whirring. The voices talked to each other for a bit, then footsteps scattered around. All shouting his name.
There was banging on the door. The door Casey was not facing, for he was staring at the bloody scene of the room. Then there was a crash. Something behind him toppled over as the door was bursted open. There was a yelp. A familiar yelp.
Then hands grabbed his shoulders, the touch was seething . An attack. Casey ran to the front of his mind, desperately trying to fight back against the intruder. He turned around, screaming and kicking with all of his might as he was pushed down to the floor. Everything hurt. It hurt so bad . His skin was clammy and a rush of fatigue threatened to pull him down into unconsciousness. Yet Casey persevered. He punched and kicked and squirmed, wondering Where the fuck is that cleaver?! The person was shouting, holding Casey down firmly. The teen violently shook from side to side to get out of their hold. Their grip moved to grab his face. Their hands were…soft?
They were shouting at him, desperate and pleading. White and blue filled his vision as Casey tried to push himself away with his bleeding right stump, using his left arm to feel around for the cleaver. When he finally felt the hilt under his fingers, the teen gripped with all his might and yelled out a cry as he slashed the blade at the enemy. The cleaver swung across their face, ripping the skin. The attacker screamed but didn’t let go of their hold. Before Casey could hit again, green and dark blue (stained in red) came into view. The green one lunged for Junior’s wrist, twisting his arm until the teen was forced to let go of the knife.
Casey screeched in terror and in agony, his voice gurling against the dangling jaw, as he squirmed with all of his strength and energy against the enemies’ hold. He heard the green order something of the white before they hastily let go. Casey scrambled backwards, scooting away until he had pressed himself against the wall. But no one made a move to attack. What were they doing? Were they waiting for something? Casey’s heart was practically beating outside of his chest at this point but he didn’t dare to make a move, eyeing the strangers with a horrified wary look as he heaved panicked shallow breaths which were barely giving him air.
The green moved forward. Slowly. Red splattered all over them and they seemed to be missing an arm. They used a bloodied metal pipe as a crutch as they approached the kid. Then the green knelt down right in front of Casey. From here, he could see a blue stripe stretch across their face, red stripes hiding behind the blue. Their mouth was moving but Casey could hardly hear it over his rasping breath. The voice was familiar though.
The stranger(?) slowly set the metal pipe down, making as little noise as possible. Then they placed a hand on Casey’s knee. Casey’s breath picked up for a moment but the person quickly hushed out an “It’s okay, it’s okay.”
“You’re okay.”, they continued. “I need you to take a few breaths for me, alright?”
They exaggerated their breath, encouraging Junior to follow. Their thumb on his knee moved up and down with the rhythm. The kid tried to follow along though the slowing of the pace felt even more suffocating. Within a couple minutes, Casey felt his mind being pulled forward with each inhale, felt his vision clear with each exhale. There was a glint of green for a moment, faint and gone in a flash. A muttering of thoughts in his mind reassuring he was alright. Then the teen was finally able to register what was happening.
The man in front of him was no stranger.
“...le…eh..oh?”, his voice croaked. The broken jaw was not helping.
Leo smiled with relief. “...Yeah. Yeah, it’s me. I’m here, kiddo.”
Upon closer inspection, the slider had bruises across his face with a black eye, blood dripping down his beak and snout. His shell and plastron were cracked and chipped, blood leaking out. And his robotic arm was missing. However, his pants and arm were stained in blood as the stray bloodied metal pipe sat nearby. It probably wasn’t his blood.
“...Oh… god …Casey…”, he mumbled, his face screwing up. “...What on earth did they do to you?”
As tears began watering in the turtle’s eyes, Leo slowly reached his arm and residual forward and pulled the 13 year old into a tight embrace as much as he could. The teen whimpered in fear, hating the ickiness that the touch made him feel. But he didn’t think the slider understood as Sensei just held him tighter. The red-eared slider sobbed into Casey’s shoulder.
“...I-It’s going to be okay now, Casey.”, he croaked. “I am never gonna leave your side again. I am going to stay right here . And I’m never gonna lose you again. I promise.”
White and blue— Usagi slowly made his way over and crouched down beside his husband, placing a hand on the turtle’s shoulder as Leo pushed back from the hug. A new scar joined beside his blind eye, blood leaching into his fur. The samurai gradually took in the teen’s injuries. His lips pressed in a firm line with concern.
“We gotta get him back to base. Both of you.”, he ordered to Leo. He turned back to Casey with a sympathetic look. “I’m gonna move you now, alright?”
Before Casey had the chance to respond or react, the rabbit reached out and scooped the kid in his arms. Everything burned at the touch, the teen letting out a whine as he felt Usagi stand back up.
“I know, I know. But we gotta move fast, alright? Just hang tight for me, kid.”
The rabbit took a closer look at the kid. He examined Casey from head to toe, brows furrowing in concern and fear. Then the samurai looked up at the room. And the bodies, intestines, and blood that now decorated it. Yuichi looked back at the teen, squeezing his arms around him gently.
Casey wanted to explain. He wanted to explain everything. But all he could do was cry. The gentle pressure from Yuichi was not helping him. But…why? He already knew the rabbit was no threat. But the touch did not comfort him.
Casey reached his hands up to cover his tears but…one of his hands was missing. His right hand, hell, his arm was cut past the elbow. Oh well, Casey was left handed anyway. But…where did his hand go? And more importantly…what had happened to him? Casey swore he knew the answer a second ago. But his mind was throbbing in pain. The room began to sway. Then it was tilting tilting tilting —
“Let’s hoof it.”, Leo cut in, staggering to a stand.
The urge to cry was quickly overrun by nausea. Casey lolled his head against the rabbit’s shoulder, feeling his jaw dangle underneath. He shut his eyes tight, doing everything in his power not to puke. Then suddenly, the group was moving.
Being jostled around as the team hurried out of there was not helping. Casey peeked an eye out to see two people helping Leo walk as the turtle limped behind. A familiar bloodhound, Creedence, was whining softly as she trotted beside the rabbit and teen. The walls in the hallway outside were covered in blood. Several bodies lied amongst the ground. The corpses all had serial numbers on the back of their heads. One corpse, a man in a camouflage suit with blond hair turning gray, was staring directly at Casey with its cold dead eyes. The teen shut his eyes closed again.
The second Casey was hit with the outside air, dusty and polluted, he couldn’t keep it in any longer. He whined as he tried his best to squirm out of Usagi’s hold before throwing up on the dirt, narrowly missing the rabbit. There was blood in the bile.
Before Casey’s exhausted body had the chance to faceplant into the earth, he was being picked up again. He was carried onto a purple battle ship. Somehow, being aboard the ship made Casey feel uneasy. Something was wrong with the ship, the kid had a gut feeling.
“...ray…ahr…broh…kehn…”, he croaked, trying to warn the others. No one understood what he was saying.
A metallic table unfolded out from the wall with a mechanical whir, Usagi gently placing Casey down on top of it. He set the kid to the table as Leo staggered over and slumped down in a seat next to Casey. The slider winced, rubbing his forehead. The ship began to hum as Shelldon carefully piloted it off into the air.
“Turn him on his side and tourniquet his arm.”, Sensei muttered. “Check his pulse, tell me if it’s fast.”
His husband nodded, unraveling the ribbon from his ears. The pierced ears drooped behind him as the rabbit grabbed Casey’s right arm. Usagi wrapped the ribbon above Casey’s elbow and tied it tight tight tight. It hurt like hell. Casey whined, trying to squirm away but the rabbit kept him down.
“I know it hurts, danshi, just bear with me okay?”, Usagi hushed as he gently moved the 13 year old’s shoulders and rolled Junior onto his side. Yuichi then pressed two fingers against Casey’s wrist, closing his eyes in focus. The rabbit’s brows furrowed as he switched over to press against Casey’s neck. The idea of someone touching his neck made the teen feel…icky. “It’s…pretty fast. And faint.”, he reported, opening his eyes back.
Leo sighed with exhaustion, leaning his head back. “He lost a lot of blood. We gotta stop the bleeding as much as we can until we can get back to base.”, he hummed. “How are you feeling, CJ?”
Casey croaked. It made the slider wince.
“...S-sorry. I won’t make you talk.”, Sensei assured. “Just…try to relax, alright? We’re gonna get you home.”
Usagi covered the kid with a blanket and strapped him down to prevent him from falling over on the flight home. Then the rabbit walked over to his husband, looking Leo over at his injuries. The two other soldiers with them tended to the teen, grabbing more bits of cloth and pressing them against Casey’s residual. The 13 year old cried out at the burning sense of pain from the pressure. Yet hands were grabbing his shoulders, unwilling to let him move.
One of the soldiers crouched down to the teen’s level, asking questions that Casey couldn’t answer. They moved a finger from his eyes to track but…his eyes were running a bit delayed today. After trying to follow the movement for a 2nd time, the soldier gave up and reported to their partner.
Casey let the exhaustion win and closed his eyes, listening to the hum of the ship. Things were gradually being pieced back together. Casey had killed those men in the room, didn’t he?. Before that they were hurting him. Before that he was with Leo. Before that there was a fight. Before that they were hunting. Where did things go wrong?
“You two could live your lives out together in peace without the interference of my men. After all, if I heard from my associates correctly…”, he eyed the slider. “...that man is your…”Tío”...as you would say.”
Oh. Right.
Casey was never going to let that happen again. In fact, it was probably for the best that he never used familial titles at all. So that way, it was only authority roles stuck in his head. He would never slip up again. He couldn’t afford the risk. Can’t risk anything .
The ship landed with ease, the soothing hum powered down into silence. Replacing it was someone shouting orders. The trip back home felt surprisingly quick, Casey thinking he’d fallen asleep. The loading door dropped down as the team got ready to hurry out. The straps around Casey were removed, he felt himself be picked up again.
“Come on, Case. You gotta stay awake for me.”, Usagi mumbled to the kid as he carried him out of the ship.
Casey fluttered his eyes open to the scene in front of him. A whole crowd of people had formed, all fascinated with the idea of tragedy. The rescue team parted the crowd to make way for the others as they pushed through the sea of humans and yokai alike. Shocked gasps and panicked murmurs filled Casey’s ears. It made his head spin.
They reached the med-bay where a team of medics were waiting for them. The room was too bright. Casey kept his eyes shut as people shook his shoulders to keep him awake. His consciousness was zipping in and out as agonizing pain licked at every surface of his body. One minute, they’re cauterizing his residual. The next minute, they’re resetting his jaw back in place. At one point, Casey caught a glimpse of Sensei getting staples in his shell, clearly in pain. Painkillers didn’t work on the turtles, at least not what they had available. Usagi held his husband’s hand the whole time.
Then the next minute…Casey blacked out.
His right arm felt funny. Not in pain but…funny. It felt like his hand was phasing through something. … Am I a ghost?…Did I die?
No. There was no blank white space with a solid floor. So he couldn’t be dead. So…where was he?
He was lying down on something soft. A bed. He could faintly hear his own breathing and his heart in his ears. Just…in…and out…in…and out… Followed by a thump…thump…thump. His head felt really warm, something cool and damp was pressed against his forehead. Casey blearily blinked his eyes open, realizing it was a mistake. The lights were blinding . He groaned, feeling a pounding in his head as he closed his eyes again.
A hand was holding his. But not the ghost hand that Casey had still yet to figure out. They were holding his left hand, their thumb rubbing gently across his knuckles. The teen shivered slightly when he registered the needle in his arm dripping a cool liquid inside.
“Hey, niño. You awake?”, a soft voice muttered. It was Leo.
Casey opened his mouth to speak, but it was difficult to. He noticed there were bandages wrapping around his jaw to the top of his head. So he just hummed. It was a good enough response.
“You got a pretty bad concussion. How’s your head? Feeling better?”, Leo murmured. The turtle was careful to use yes or no questions, thank the spirits.
Casey’s head didn’t hurt but…the lights were definitely too bright. Casey raised his right forearm to cover his eyes except…it wasn’t there. He opened his eyes, looking at the residual of his arm. About 4 inches or so down the forearm. The rest was just…gone.
Leo squeezed his hand twice. “Hey, I know it can be a bit disorienting. Trust me, I know the feeling. But it’s going to be okay. Shelldon is designing a new robotic arm for you, isn’t that cool? We could be…ya know…robot arm buddies.”, he smiled reassuringly. “That is, if you want. No rush. Could get a pirate hook too.”
A pirate hook sounded cool. It was just like the times Casey used to play pretend with Shelldon when he was younger.
“SHELLDON!”, Donnie had shouted. “What did you do with my tool box?!”
He had stomped into the room to find Shelldon wearing his old eye patch and little 5 year old Casey holding a wrench, pretending it was a pirate sword.
“We’re playing Pirates!”, Casey had beamed.
“Ohoho, not with my tools!”, Donnie had snarked with a grin. “Give it back!”
The softshell had started chasing after the child who was squealing and giggling. Eventually, the scientist had nabbed him, tickling Casey’s sides. Casey’s laughter had filled the entire Resistance.
“AHAHA! I REIGN VICTORIOUS! SURRENDER OVER YOUR TREASURE, PIRATE!”, Donnie had cackled.
Casey’s trip down memory lane was abruptly interrupted by footsteps hurrying over to the med-bay. April and Mikey came into view.
“We hurried back from our mission as soon as we heard!”, April shouted. “Is everyone okay? What happened?!”
“Please, April, inside voices.”, her mother exasperated in a hush. “Especially since poor Junior’s got a concussion.”
Both April and Mikey eyed Casey with fear. More specifically, they eyed his chopped arm. Great, more staring. I’ll never get to see the end of it, will I? Casey groaned, turning his head towards Leo and closing his eyes again. He heard the two sitting down in those folded chairs. Mikey sighed.
“Is…is he okay?”, the box turtle asked softly.
“...I…don’t know.”, his brother whispered. “Kid lost his arm, got drugged with a dirty ass needle and now he’s running a fever, hound bite on his leg, big explosion scar plastered on his shoulder, concussion, broken jaw, tortured…” He paused, collecting himself for a moment. “...I mean, we were lucky to have found a few extra IVs and painkillers back when we raided what was left of Operation 51. So he’ll… live but…”
Casey opened his eyes just a bit as he sensed the staring. His Sensei’s brows were all sorts of furrowed and wrinkled. The forehead chasms cutting deeper into his scales as his eyebags sagged with grief. Master Michelangelo scooted closer to the bed, reaching his arm across for his older brother.
“How are you, Leo?”, he asked.
“I’m alright. Typical beating, cracked shell and plastron. Sure to leave a scar.”, Leo replied nonchalantly. “It’s the kid I’m worried about.”
“I can see…”, Master Michelangelo drawed. “Are you sure you’re alright, Leo? You look tired. Did you even get a chance to sleep once you guys got back? If you wanna talk—”
“Oh Christ, Casey.”, April blurted. “Your hair. It looks terrible!”
Casey felt April’s fingers graze the back of his head. But it suddenly felt like a hot iron stake, flames incessantly licking at his scalp. The image of those men, those enemies, grabbing his hair suddenly flashed into his mind. He flinched, scrambling to get away from the touch. He tried to get up, to run, forgetting he was now missing an arm to help push himself up. Panicked yet hushed voices filled his ears. It made his head spin. And if he couldn’t run, he tried to hide. Pulling himself under the covers and curling up into a ball on his left side to protect himself from the cruel world that wanted to harm him. Leo shook his shoulder, but Casey didn’t budge from his little cocoon. His breathing quickened, his heart beating in his eardrums.
Then, he felt a weight press into the bed. Someone was lying down in front of him. They gently placed a hand on Casey’s shoulder, rubbing his arm up and down. Casey could hear them sing.
“Hush little baby, don’t say a word. Leo’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.”, Leonardo sang, his voice low and quiet. “And if that mockingbird won’t sing, Leo’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.”
Casey’s breathing slowed. He was still shaking terribly, he couldn’t control it.
“And if that diamond ring turns brass, Leo’s gonna buy you a looking glass. And if that looking glass gets broke, Leo’s gonna buy you a billy goat.”
Casey uncurled himself from his ball. It took constant reassurance from himself that he was okay. I-I’m okay…I’m okay.
“And if that billy goat don’t pull, Leo’s gonna buy you a cart and bull. And if that cart and bull turn over, Leo’s gonna buy you a dog called Rover.”
I’m okay…I’m…okay. He took a deep breath. His eyes fluttered open, staring at Leo’s chipped plastron in front of him.
“And if that dog called Rover don’t bark, Leo’s gonna buy you a horse and cart. And if that horse and cart turn around, you’ll still be the sweetest little babe in town.”
Casey sniffled, closing his eyes again. I’m okay.
“So hush little baby, don’t you cry. I promise everything’s going to be alright.”
The rubbing up and down his arm was soothing. It wasn’t painful, or icky, or burning. Just pleasantly soothing. The slider made sure to give Casey some space which the teen was very grateful for. Casey didn’t know if he could handle anything else right now. He opened his mouth again, croaking out a noise from the back of his throat as he struggled against the bandages to speak.
“...i’m sorry…”, was all he could get out. He felt his next breath rattle every bone of his being.
“I know, kid.”, Leo whispered. “...Me too.”
The next time Casey woke up, he was stirred awake by someone crying.
It wasn’t him- so- Casey could check that off the list. But…who was crying then? It sounded deep and gravelly, muffed and buried in someone’s hands. He slowly pried his eyes open to the bright, antiseptic smelling room, searching around the edges of his vision for the suspect. He could just make out the blurry green and blue figure, shaking and shuddering as a blurry white and blue figure held them close. The turtle finally had his robotic arm back on, holding Casey’s mask in his lap. Oh good, I was wondering where that went.
“It’s all my fault. It’s all my fucking fault.”, Leo groveled through a stream of tears. “...I-I couldn’t…I didn’t… protect him like I was supposed to. God, look at him. I did this to him.”
“Shshsh…it’s not your fault, bluebell. No one is blaming you for this.”, Yuichi soothed. “None of us knew this would happen. And what’s been done is done, all we can do is be there and support each other.”
Sensei was crying. Not just a few tears of shame or bitterness. Full on sobbing and falling apart like an endless thread unraveling at the seams. It felt so out of character to see the slider like this, but…perfectly reasonable at the same time.
“They were going to kill him… Mutilate him into bits.”, the turtle heaved. “All the while they were chipping away at me until I told them where we were. I…I-I could hear him screaming…from down the hall…”
“I know, I know.”, the rabbit hushed, his own voice quivering. “Oh spirits, koibito, I’m so so sorry that happened to you. I should’ve been there. We should’ve searched sooner.”
“...I begged them to let him go… I said…if they did…I’d tell them everything.”, Leo sobbed. “And…they promised …so I told them… And when they didn’t let him go… I…saw… red.”
The slider didn’t say anything after that. He continued to bury his face in his hands and Usagi comforted him quietly.
Casey saw brown shifting below him, curled up beside the bed. He leaned over to look down and find a dog, a bloodhound. Creedence. Sitting ever so patiently on the floor beside the gurney. Junior felt the corner of his lips curl in the faintest smile.
“...creed…”, he whispered.
Though his voice was hardly any louder than Master Leonardo’s wailing, it was enough to cut through the tension and pull everything to a halt. The red-eared slider began frantically wiping away his tears, taking a few deep breaths as he smiled forcefully. The switch in his brain seemed to be slower now.
“H-hey, niño! Glad you’re…awake.”, he sputtered, still sniffling.
Usagi sighed, rubbing soothing circles into his husband’s shell. “Take a minute, alright?”, he hushed to the slider. Then he turned to Casey. “How are you feeling, danshi?”
Numb , Casey wanted to voice but nothing came out of his mouth besides a small click. He looked back down at the dog, reaching his left hand over to pet her head. The rabbit smiled a bit, though his nose twitched with worry.
“You know, Creedence is the real hero here. She ran all the way back home on her own. And when we saw her without you guys, we knew something was up and we got her and Shelldon’s trackers to lead us to you.”, the samurai explained. “She’s a trooper, just like you.”
Casey hummed in acknowledgement as he leaned back into his pillow. Man, I feel weird . Dizzy and groggy and dizzy— oh, wait, he already thought dizzy. After what felt like a few minutes, the slider stood up and knelt down beside Casey. His eyes were red and puffy but his smile was bright enough to cover it.
“You doing alright, kid?”, he whispered.
Casey just nodded with a hum. His head still felt weird but it didn’t hurt. Nothing hurt. It was all just fuzzy and numb.
“...That’s good.”, Sensei grinned. “Now that you’re awake, I wanna explain to you that you gotta get some surgery done. Carol’s gonna be back in a few moments to get you started too.”
“...for what?”, Junior croaked. Eugh, his voice sounded terrible.
“Your arm. Your jaw. We’re gonna do the best we can, don’t worry.”, Leo explained. “Here, look.”
The slider then proceeded to take off his robotic arm with a slight hydraulic hiss. He showed his residual to Casey, which had a metallic casing over it.
“You remember me explaining this to you before, right? This thing on my stump is called a port. There’s an insert that goes around 5 inches into my arm so that I can attach my prosthetic into it using this metal rod.”, the turtle explained as he pointed at the areas he described.
Casey nodded in understanding. He had heard Master Leonardo talk about it before. Heard him describe the process like an action figure popping their plastic arm on and off. Leo smiled again when he saw that the teen understood.
Sensei continued, “So that’s what we're gonna set up for you too. At least a smaller, less heavy duty version. As well as going in and stitching up the ripped muscles and tendons in your jaw before it decides to get lock jawed. Sound like a plan?”
Casey nodded again. He was too dreary to argue or question anything else. But he trusted his family. They would take care of him.
The procedure went as smoothly as it could given the conditions of the apocalypse. But since there wasn’t enough anesthesia to go around these days, Casey was awake during the ordeal but luckily Usagi was with him to distract the kid with stories about the early days when he first met Leo. Apparently, Leo fell first while Yuichi fell harder. They met during the first year of the apocalypse in an abandoned coffee shop, looking for supplies. At first, they drew their weapons, as strangers. But after some face man talking on Leo’s half, the rabbit agreed to tag along with the Resistance. The rest was history.
When the procedure was done, Casey had a nice line of stitches along the either side of his cheekbone. The scars would heal eventually, but only time would tell if there was permanent damage done to his jaw. At least his arm was good to go, with the port healing smoothly.
After about a week of resting in the med-bay, Casey’s port and concussion had recovered. And his prosthetic arm that Shelldon made was ready to try on. The robot guided Casey through the set up as the two friends sat on the gurney together.
The prosthetic itself was sleek and futuristic in design, coated in a flashy emerald green hue with blocky pale green nerves shyly glowing up and down the arm. It felt weird to have an arm attached that felt so… detached . Disconnected. From everything.
“...and if you click this switch here— Uhh, Casey? Are you even listening, dude?”, Shelldon droned, raising a metallic lid.
“Hm?”, Casey turned to him. He didn’t even notice that he had zoned out. “Yeah. I’m listening.”
Shelldon paused for a moment, giving a skeptical look before he shook it off and continued. “As I was saying, if you click this switch here, it’ll unhook the lock-in mechanism so you can take the prosthetic off. Which you should be doing whenever it’s not in use like sleeping or taking a break.”, he explained, pointing at the switch and gesturing his arms.
Casey did as Shelldon told, unhooking the arm and watching it pop right off his stump. It was simple enough. The small glow of the nerves gradually dimmed and turned off when it noticed the disconnection. As if it was never anything in the first place.
“...could add some features to enhance your strategies in battle.”, Shelldon babbled. Crap, I didn’t notice.
“What?”, Casey chimed in.
Shelldon dropped his arms and gave his best friend a dead panned stare. “...You weren’t paying attention again, were you?”
Casey’s lips pressed in a firm line, averting his gaze. “Sorry…I guess I’m just tired. B-But I’m paying attention now, keep going. I’ll listen.”
“No, it’s alright. You’re still recovering after all.”, Shelldon smiled sympathetically. “We can deal with the fine print later. Just get used to the arm for now, alright?”
Shelldon scooted off the bed and took his leave, waving goodbye. Casey waved back with a grin but couldn’t help but feel bad that he was straight up zoning out on his friend. It wasn’t like Casey wasn’t trying to listen.
He was trying. He was.
It wasn’t until a couple weeks later that Casey was cleared to leave the med-bay. Unfortunately, the damage to his jaw was permanent. Casey didn’t feel too bummed out by it, but it wasn’t like he was expecting it either.
For the most part, Casey just had to be careful when eating tougher and chewier foods like meat or hard tack. Technically, he could still eat those kinds of food, but on one hand it would hurt and on the other hand he would have to take small bites. Not entirely worth it but not impossible either.
Besides, food wasn’t the only loss. There was his hair.
Casey sat in his room and grazed his hand through his hair, feeling the stitches in the scalp, the long strands that survived, and the other strands in varying length. His hair was a mess. And too impractical to be tied in a bun. There was only one option.
“Casey baby, it’s matted. It’s a full on nest. We just gotta cut it short, okay?”, Auntie explained.
“No! I don’t wanna! Don’t cut it!”
“Why??”
“Because I wanna remember Mama! Uncle Angelo says that hair holds memories!”
Casey scoffed. Oh how the times had changed. Casey was once so persistent in holding onto the memories of his past. But…Commander O’Neil was right.
“I was told that hair holds trauma. And that sometimes it’s better to cut it off in a way of letting things go. If you want to hold on to the memories, Casey baby, you’ll be holding on to the trauma as well.”
Some things were better to be let go. Casey glanced at the pair of scissors in his hand. He felt his arms tremble slightly, his right residual shaking his prosthetic. He tried not to think about it too much as he grabbed hold of his hair and began cutting the strands off as short as he could. He watched the clumps of hair fall to the floor, and with it…his childhood. But…Casey didn’t feel sad. He didn’t feel much of anything at all.
It was just hair.
A few days later, Casey found himself being gradually more self-conscious about his chest. It didn’t help that his metal chestplate was still being repaired either.
And Casey knew that having more tissue on his chest doesn’t change his identity, besides there wasn’t even that much but it was still noticeable. And he knew his family, hell- the entire Resistance, wouldn’t change a thing in how they address him. But it still made him feel…uncomfortable.
Though he learned a trick. If he just wore bigger shirts and sweaters (namely sweaters because he didn’t want to look at his right arm, prosthetic on or not) and hunch forward a little, it would look like there was nothing there. Either that or he would cross his arms in front of them all the time.
Commander O’Neil caught on to his discomfort though. At first, she just guessed it was…how did she put it?...”typical teenager slouching”. But when Casey acted reluctant to being told to stand up straight, it was like a lightbulb went off in her head.
“Why didn’t you say anything, Case?”, she asked with a sympathetic smile.
Casey shrugged, crossed arms tightly tucking further. “Cuz it’s awkward. It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, it was just too awkward to talk about it.”
The commander shook her head with a sigh. “There’s nothing awkward about bodies. Types, features, scars and all.”
April slowly reached out and gave Casey’s arm a gentle comforting squeeze. The teen took notice at how he was practically April’s height now, probably going to outgrow her and Mikey if he ever got that chance of a future.
“Hey.”, Commander O’Neil whispered with a smile. “I think I know something that can help, hm? Wanna see?”
Casey’s brows furrowed skeptically but he was more than curious to find out. He nodded at April before following her across the lair and down into the storage unit, a big hallway with doors stretching into various sorted rooms. The two stopped in front of a door that held the room filled with clothes. Casey tilted his head with confusion but the commander just flashed him a smirk.
They headed inside and April waltzed over to one of the box compartments and began shuffling through a crate of what looked like crop tops. She then seemed to find what she was looking for. A black crop top made of some very tough fabric that didn’t seem to stretch.
“This is a binder.”, she explained, handing the clothing to Junior.
“A binder?”, Casey quizzed, inspecting the binder.
“This’ll help compress your chest so you don’t have to walk around with shrimp posture ”, April emphasized as she exaggeratingly hunched over and tucked her arms in, sticking out her tongue.
She groaned like a zombie as her eyes crossed, getting a shy chuckle out of the teen. The two went to Casey’s room to try it on and the binder fit snuggly. It felt so much better than hunching over all the time. After receiving a long lecture about binding safely, Casey thanked April for helping him out. The commander smiled brightly.
“Of course! Everyone deserves to be comfortable in their bodies, no matter the state of the world.”
After almost ripping Usagi’s arm off as he approached the teen from behind and placed a hand on his shoulder, Casey was called down to the quiet room to talk with Master Michelangelo. Fuck.
When Casey brushed past the beaded curtain, he was surprised to see the box turtle practice ninjutsu moves with a blind fold on. It made sense, though. If Mikey now went blind when using his powers, he would have to rely on other senses in battle. Upon hearing the hush of the beads, Michelangelo swerved in Casey’s direction.
“Hey, Casey!”, the turtle smiled through the blindfold. He could tell it’s me? Wow, he’s gotten good.
“Hey.”, Casey replied as he walked closer into the room.
Mikey peeled off the blindfold, sitting criss-cross while hovering over the floor. “Come join me. I’ve been meaning to talk with you.”
“...Am I in trouble?”, the teen quizzed, walking over and sitting on his knees beside the turtle.
“Of course not! No one’s in trouble here.”, the ornate box turtle grinned. “But I’m sure Yui would appreciate an apology when we’re done.”
Right. Casey did overreact back there. He didn’t even know why he lashed out at the rabbit. Usagi simply came up to Casey from behind to pull him into a hug and then suddenly the teen had blaring alarms go off in his head. Before he knew it, people had to drag Junior off of Usagi like a feral cat. And then that made it even worse, Casey squirming his way out of their hold before making a run for it to somewhere less crowded.
“So. Talk to me. What happened to you back there with the Arch Angels?”, Mikey asked.
Casey’s brows furrowed. “Didn’t Leo already tell you?”
The box turtle sighed. “Well yes, I heard his side of the story. But now I wanna hear yours . What went down when you two got separated?”
Casey’s expression softened. He turned away, staring at the floor. “...I dunno.”, he shrugged. “I…bit off a dude’s thumb, I guess.”
“...Like…clean off?”
“Yeah.”, the teen shrugged again. He hesitated to add, “Didn’t taste good.”
Mikey nodded, but no expression was seen on his face. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. Ugh, I hate Dr. Feelings mode .
“What about just now when Sagi approached you? Or even the other day when April touched your hair? What was going through your mind?”, the box turtle asked.
The teen shrugged again, he seemed to be doing that a lot now. “I dunno. It was like…like I had been burned.”
“Burned?”, Master Michelangelo asked but not in a judgemental way.
Casey nodded. “It…hurt. But…But I knew Usagi and April didn’t want to hurt me. It still hurts. Like I’m being attacked again.”
The turtle nodded again. “Do you sometimes feel like you’re back in that room?”
The image of the small concrete room flashed into Casey’s mind. He felt hands connect to his jaw and knees lunge towards his stomach. The teen bit his lip, and nodded so subtly that it was hard to tell if he even nodded at all.
There was a pause for a moment. Casey didn’t know why. But he hated the silence more than anything. And so he opened his mouth again.
“It sucks.”, he muttered. “Not having control over it. I…I wish the touch didn’t burn me. I miss it. But I can’t help it.”
Mikey hummed in understanding. “You think your boundaries have changed?”
Casey only answered with a nod.
“Well…”, the turtle drawled. “...do you want me to help you figure out what those changes are? Maybe that’ll be a good starting point.”
It was then that Casey finally found enough courage to make eye contact with Mikey. He bit his lip again, holding back from crying. And nodded.
The two then spent the next hour going back and forth, asking questions and getting answers. At some point, Casey allowed Master Michelangelo to hold his hand. It was the closest thing to comfort that Casey had received for a long long time.
For the most part, arms were okay. Shoulder taps, hand holding, stuff like that. Back, face, and legs were gray areas. And torso, neck, and hair were off limits. Then of course there were no hugs or being approached from behind. Casey did feel a bit content with this new information, but it still made him feel sad that this was how the way things were now. He wished he could go back to simpler times with Mama, running into her arms when things got scary.
Master Michelangelo was talking to the kid about something but his voice was muffled against the cloud in Casey’s mind. It wasn’t until the turtle lightly tapped the teen’s shoulder that Casey was able to snap out of it. Junior quickly shook his head and blinked his eyes to get rid of the fog.
“You alright?”, Mikey asked with soft concern. “You with me?”
Casey took a breath and nodded. “...yeah.”, he mumbled.
“Where did you go?”, the box turtle tilted his head.
The teen shrugged, “...Away.” Then he spoke up, speaking quickly, “B-But I’m back now, it’s okay. It’s nothing. What were you saying?”
“...I was asking if you wanted me to help you tell the others about your new boundaries. Would that help?”, the mystic warrior asked cautiously.
Casey shrugged again. “Sure, I guess.”
The turtle gave a smile more than deserved. The two of them got up and headed back out of the quiet room to look for the others.
Mikey did most of the talking, which Casey was more than grateful for. The kid also apologized to Usagi too in which the samurai apologized in return. He reached to pat Casey on the head but quickly aborted the movement just as fast, instead he smiled warmly. Casey appreciated the sentiment.
Leo crouched just a bit to get at eye level with the teen as he rested his hand on Casey’s shoulder. “...Are side hugs still on the table?”, he hushed with a reassuring smile.
Casey looked up at the slider with the smallest sliver of fondness. The corner of his lips hesitated in curling into a smile. Junior nodded gingerly.
And so, slowly and carefully, Sensei wrapped his arm behind the kid, gently squeezing his arm on the other side. Casey’s shoulders tensed for a bit before the teen felt his troubles melt off of him a little. The rough edges of his anxiety smoothed out ever so slightly. And for the first time in the many many years of Casey’s short life…
He believed it would be okay.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Blood and Gore, vomiting, PTSD, panic attacks, unreliable narrator, disassociation/derealization, needles/uneasy feels, haphephobia (fear of touch)
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Fun fact: When I first watched the movie, I thought Casey had a prosthetic lmfao. Then I realized it was just a grappling hook but like...come on...the headcanon is there now.
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 17: Here's Your Warrior
Summary:
Julian nodded in acknowledgement but then turned their gaze back to River with a rather worried look. “...Do you think…the Resistance is safe for us? For River?”
“Oh yes.”, Casey responded quickly. He reassured, “The Resistance is the safest and strongest base to have ever lived. It’s lasted for as long as the apocalypse and it’s still standing. You and River will be safe there.”
Notes:
My twitter account got locked for 12 hours yesterday bc I told Lory (@Loryska2) to adopt a goose since she loved Goosey Leo sm. Mr. Musk marked me for sending SH threats like wtf.
ANYWAYS enjoy this chapter! A little short (3.5k words today) but PRETTY intense. You'll love it.
AND HAPPY DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH! No one talks about how July is disability pride month so PLEASE show some love and listen to the stories of your fellow disabled creators like moi! =))))))))
Disclaimers are in the end notes!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Okay, try it now!”, Shelldon called out excitedly.
The year was 2042. Casey was now 14. Back in his usual fit, with his mask, olive green jumpsuit, metal chestplate, earthy green pouch, lime green boots, black gloves, and so on, Casey was also wearing a beige colored sheet over his prosthetic arm. The fabric was mainly to prevent the arm from getting worn down or weathered. And Shelldon had just equipped a grappling hook mechanic into the robotic arm.
And so, there the Rad Dogz were in the hangar, trying out yet another attempt after many many many failures. Casey was a bit hesitant but he tapped the side of his arm, aiming at the rafters overhead.
As expected, the grappling hook shot out and wrapped around one of the metal poles in the rafters. Casey braced himself as he was soon swept away and began flying towards the pole. Reaching his arms out, Junior grabbed the metal pole with skill, swinging around the pole before he swung himself off and rolled a landing back down on the ground.
“Holy shit!”, Casey bursted out in a nervous chuckle, brushing a few strands of his growing short hair out of his face. “It finally worked!”
The robot cheered as his systems let out a valiant robotic chirp. The two friends began cheering together as they ran around and bounced with excitement. Casey soon scooped up the robot into a hug (as he had learned robot hugs were different from other hugs) and spun him around. It had taken WEEKS of trial and error for Shelldon to get the grappling hook to work. And boy, were they glad it did.
“This is perfect! Thanks, Shelldon.”, Casey beamed.
“Don’t sweat it, dude!”, Shelldon shrugged off. “I’m just glad it finally worked! Make sure to keep practicing it though.”
Before Casey could babble out another word, Sensei and his team made their way into the hangar, the turtle sticking two fingers in his mouth to let out a loud whistle. The slider gestured a hand to the teen to come forward. Casey knew what this was about and quickly switched off his childish demeanor to focus, hurrying over to the slider.
Sensei, Casey, and their team were heading off on a mission to rescue another labor camp. Someplace further north in Calgary, Canada. The Resistance had been taking out a lot more Kraang labor camps over the past few years and the numbers were steadily decreasing. It wasn’t always a spontaneous decision, of course. The Resistance would spend months ahead of time, planning the rescue. Weekly sending a small group to give supplies to the prisoners trapped inside and gather intel on each camp’s layout and number of Kraang, and then building upon the information they gathered as they tell the inside to ready themselves for rescue.
Master Leonardo turned to the team. “Alright gang, you know the drill. We break in there, fight off the minions, rescue the people, and get the hell out of there. No one gets left behind, capiche?”
Casey and the other soldiers replied with a unanimous “Sir, yes, sir.” as they began boarding onto several battleships. The fleet whirred into action, humming as they rolled up the launch ramp. One by one in a line, the ships went into take off, soaring towards the labor camp. Casey did his best to swallow the uneasy feeling that the battleship gave him.
The radars are fine.
It wasn’t long until a few hours later that the team arrived at the camp. Approaching their destination, the soldiers got ready for drop off and combat. The ships lowered just enough above the ground, nearby the camp by a couple miles. Casey and the others hopped out, joining up with the leader as they brought out their weapons. Junior revved his chainsaw staff as the green eyed mask automatically panned down to cover his face.
“On my signal, we charge!”, Sensei ordered.
Battle ready, the soldiers and the battleships got into position. The Calgary camp took notice, beginning to wail out the alarms. And that was their cue.
“CHARGE!”, the slider bellowed.
The Resistance let out a battle cry as everyone began running for the camp. Kraang minions emerged from the structure. The minions looked similar to their hound counterparts, except some were bipedal while others scrambled on all fours. Most minions wore an orange footprint on their head, Casey remembering the stories of the fallen Foot Clan his mother was once a part of.
The gates to the camp were covered in Kraang lesions, which could only mean one thing. Ugh, teeth doors . Sure enough, the lesions parted like lips, showing an array of teeth as eyeballs opened wide and stared into the souls of the soldiers. The stance was unnerving, but it was their only way through. The front line readied their plasma guns and grenades, chucking the plasma at the lesions and watching them burn and wither away the flesh. The jaws to the door dropped down as the gates screeched in pain. The shrill was loud and deafening. But the Resistance couldn’t stop for anything. Many soldiers, including Casey, took their opening and sprinted for the gates.
Casey zipped out his grappling hook, hoping he reached something inside. The hook latched on and swept Casey towards it, diving through the gates as the other soldiers began pouring inside.
No matter how many camps Casey had helped liberate over the past couple of years, each scene was the same and unsettling.
Humans and yokai alike- all in a terrible state of well being- stared at the Resistance, some with fearful looks and others with a long lost gleam of hope. Soldiers began ordering for people to run towards the exit, directing them to the battleships waiting on standby. Casey spotted one minion grabbing a small fox yokai hostage, the lesions soon wrapping around the yokai’s leg and spreading fast.
He saw a glint of green gloss over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. Casey jumped into action, shooting his grappling hook (and oh how fun it was to use it) and flying over to deliver a swift kick to the minion’s jaw. Luckily, he came by just in time before the lesions could spread up the fox’s knee. He turned to the Kraang minion and revved his chainsaw, slashing away at it until it went down. He then quickly moved to help the yokai walk as they were taken into the arms of another soldier who was a part of the mystic team, using their powers to break away at the infection.
Just then, a sudden explosion rang out in the distance, rumbling the earth as everyone braced against it. All gazed up at the sky to see a Kraang decoy missile launcher launch…well… missiles at the people below. Soldiers and prisoners quickly ran for their safety as buildings began to crumble and crash down upon them. As Casey ducked from the debris, he heard a distinct cry through the explosion. A piercing wail of an infant. He jerked his head around at the noise as his green eyed mask detected a human holding their baby close to them, cornered and unable to flee. Without second thought, Junior zipped to them with his grappling hook, scooping them in his arms as he dragged the two into cover under a metal shed as the cement and debris buried them in.
Casey and the person coughed as they waved out the dusty cloud and smoke out of the air. The teen looked up at the person, examining for any injuries. The mask detected a huge bleeding gash on the person’s leg, rendering the reason why they couldn’t run. Casey Jr crouched down in front of them.
“Here, let me see what I can do.”, he said through the mask, gesturing towards the person’s leg.
The person muttered a quiet “Thank you” before turning to their distressed child. Casey opened up his side pouch and began using his mini first-aid to disinfect and bandage the wound. Upon closer look, the person and baby were both very pale with black hair, the person had stretched looped earlobes with no plugs in place. The teen felt himself switch to a more softened tone as he moved his mask up to show his face in greeting. The person let out a little gasp.
“What?”, Junior smirked. “Am I that ugly?” He remembered that as of late, the teen’s face began to break out with acne. Another puberty curse thing.
“No, that’s not what I—”, they blurted. “...How old are you? I didn’t know the Resistance recruited soldiers so young.”
“I’m 14.”, Casey shrugged. “How old are you?”
The person laughed. “Who’s to say anymore? I’ve lost track of time.”
“It’s September 4th, 2042.”
The person was stunned. “20…42?” Their eyes darted around back and forth as the gears turned in their head. “...huh. Guess that makes me 32 years old now.”
Casey nodded in acknowledgement. He finished dressing the wound tightly which made the person wince a bit. The teen turned to the debris covering the exit. He got up, dropping his mask down to examine the rocky wall’s structural integrity. From his angle, if Casey tried to remove the rubble, all three of them would be crushed in an instant. But if someone were to dig from the outside…
“Sensei, come in.”, Casey tapped into the communication device on his mask. “I need some help.”
“What is it, Case?” , the slider picked up from the other side.
“I’m trapped under some debris, I got an injured person and an infant with me. We can’t get out from our side, we need someone to dig us out.”
“On it. We’re coming. Hang tight.”
With that, Junior flipped his mask back up with a sigh and went back to sit down by the two. The person tilted their head.
“What’s going on?”, they asked.
“Waiting for backup. We’re gonna be here for a hot minute.”, Casey chewed the inside of his lip, feeling his chipped tooth prick at the flesh.
There was a pause for a minute. Casey could tell that the person felt awkward, the teen also sensing the awkwardness himself. The uneasiness sent a weird tingling sensation down his neck. Junior did his best to hold it down, knowing it would cause his neck to tic in response. But then thinking about it only made it feel more uncomfortable and now it was sending him into a spiral. But he had to hold it, he had to control it. These weird involuntary movements only had happened a few times over the past couple of months but when they did happen, Casey hated the stares he would get. If looks could talk, Casey would hear them call him insane.
The baby mumbled a bit in discomfort, getting an automatic rocking response from the parent. It was enough to snap Casey out of the spiral, rubbing his arms up and down his legs to ease the tension swirling inside.
“What’s your name?”, the person asked, breaking the ice.
“Hm? Oh uh, Casey. Casey Jones.”, the teen grinned.
“Pronouns?”
“He/him.”, Casey replied. “And you?”
“I’m Julian. They/them.”, Julian smiled. They turned to their baby, “This is River. I’m raising them gender neutral.”
Casey hummed. “My mom did the same for me.”
Julian grinned. “Oh nice, what a small world.”
Casey nodded. But then the conversation grew silent again. Though, Julian seemed to be good at keeping the talk going before it died.
“Uhm…h-how did you go about joining the Resistance?”, they stuttered out.
“I was raised in it. Brought in as a baby.”, Casey answered. “I’ve known these people my whole life.”
Julian nodded in acknowledgement but then turned their gaze back to River with a rather worried look. “...Do you think…the Resistance is safe for us? For River?”
“Oh yes.”, Casey responded quickly. He reassured, “The Resistance is the safest and strongest base to have ever lived. It’s lasted for as long as the apocalypse and it’s still standing. You and River will be safe there.”
Julian seemed to let out a lot of tension in their muscles at that statement, sighing in relief. River gurgled in their arms, opening their eyes to stare up at their parent. Casey smiled at the two before the group suddenly heard crumbling from the debris.
“Casey! You there?”, Sensei called out from the other side.
“Yeah! We’re in here!”, Casey shouted back.
“Alright stand back, we’re gonna get you out!”
Casey nodded to Julian, the both of them standing up and pressing themselves as far away from the pile of rocks as possible. Gradually, bit by bit, light began peering through the rubble as Sensei and a couple other soldiers dug their way in. The slider soon came into view, flashing a smile at the kid. He turned over his shoulder at the other two soldiers.
“I got this one. You guys keep looking for any more survivors.”, the leader ordered.
Leo climbed his way in, nodding in greeting at Julian and taking note of River in their arms. He saw the now bloodied bandaged leg that Julian was clearly limping on, nodding to himself as he made a decision. He turned to the person.
“Right, I’ll help you walk. Jones, take the baby.”, he stated firmly.
Casey and Julian exchanged a quick glance before Julian smiled, trusting the teen as they passed River over to him. Casey held on to the baby carefully as Leo wrapped Julian’s arm around his shoulder. The group moved their way through the rubble until they got out. The slider stuck two fingers in his mouth as he let out a loud demanding whistle.
“Team! Cover me!”, Master Leonardo shouted at his soldiers.
The Resistance nodded, covering for the group as they ran for the battleships. They only got past the gate before being surrounded by Kraang minions. Casey quickly shifted his cape to cover River as he reached for his staff. But before the group even got the chance to fight, a Kraang vine wrapped around Casey’s neck. Time must've slowed down because Casey took in the seething sensation of something grazing his skin, that of cold wet slime, hearing it squelch under his ears. Then time picked up again as Casey was yanked away and dragged across the ground, his chainsaw slipping out of his hands in the process.
He clutched one arm around the baby who cried out in fear and the other around his neck as he heard his Sensei and Julian shout for him and River. Still being dragged through the dirt and stuck in a chokehold with no way to breathe, Junior felt more lesions reach for him. The vines wrapped around his waist and his arms as alien teeth cut into his skin. The teen shifted his hold on River, covering them with his metal chestplate in hopes to protect them from the attack. The baby began to wail louder and louder.
Louder still.
Then suddenly, Casey saw a flash of blue zip by as plasma hit the minion from behind, causing the alien to screech in agony and melt away. The vines went lifeless as the Kraang lesions dropped their hold on the teen. Casey gasped for air, finally able to breath again. Leo, now carrying Julian up with his robot arm, raced over to the kids.
“Can you move?”, he asked quickly.
“Yeah.”, Casey nodded, staggering into a stand.
Julian chimed in with a strained voice, “What about River?! Is my baby okay?!”
The teen nodded again, turning to the baby tucked in his cape, “Yeah, don’t worry—”
The group felt the breath of their souls get sucked out of their body as Casey unveiled the cape to find a gash had dug its way into River’s side. The baby’s wail was practically inhuman, one that Casey had never even thought was possible. The leader cut in before panic could begin to uprise.
“Ship. Now.”, he pressed sternly. As the group began running again, Leo leaned into his communication device. “How’s our rescue coming along, team? Did anybody get left behind?”
A collective hussle of several soldiers reported an “all clear”. Casey looked up to see the battleships land on the ground and open their latches.
“Alright, everybody to the ships! Hurry, we got several wounded who need help right away! Medics, get on standby!”, the leader shouted through the device.
The Resistance fled for the ships, the group clambering onto one as Casey and Leo set Julian and River down in seats. The other soldiers looked at them with horror, drawn in by the infant’s incessant whining. The medic team rushed over, scooping the baby out of Casey’s hold and fussing over to help them. Once everyone was boarded, the battleships quickly took off before the Kraang could follow. Leo got up to head to the controls.
Julian staggered to stand as the medics took River to the other side of the ship to treat them. Casey pressed a hand against Julian’s chest to stop them.
“Kid, move! I need to see my baby!”, Julian snarked, swatting at the teen’s hand.
Casey shook his head, stepping more in front of them. “They need space to work, trust me. They’ll help River but you gotta let them help.”
“THAT’S MY CHILD! I NEED TO SEE THEM!”, Julian shouted as they attempted to charge towards the medics.
It took Casey and two other soldiers to hold Julian back as the medics did their work. Junior kept glancing over his shoulder to see the doctors desperately try to stop the bleeding. All the while, Julian’s and River’s screams filled the ship. Casey felt a switch in his demeanor as he blocked out his emotions, feeling nothing about the cries that pierced his eardrums. Instead, he put his focus in holding Julian back.
Then River stopped wailing.
The whole ship went quiet for a moment before the medics muttered amongst each other. Julian stopped resisting as they stared in horror at the team of medics all still huddling around their baby and blocking their view. But Junior could clearly see that one of the medics was performing infant-modified compressions. The teen and other soldiers did not stop Julian as they slowly stood up.
The parent limped across the ship, desperately trying to pick up speed. Casey watched as the paramedics glanced sorrowful looks and shifted to the side. Julian slowly reached out to River with shaky arms. They picked up their child, holding them close to their chest before letting out a scream that erupted from their core. Julian collapsed to the ground and curled inwards around the small corpse in their arms. And Casey…Casey felt nothing.
“Are you okay?”
Casey jolted a bit, blinking his eyes and shaking his head as he tried to remember where he was. He was back home, finding himself walking around aimlessly in the hallways when Master Leonardo approached him and waved a hand in his face.
“Hm? Yeah, I’m fine.”, Casey responded.
“Are you sure?”, the slider pressed. “I know that what happened earlier could be quite a lot.”
The teen shrugged. “It doesn’t affect me.”
Leo paused for a moment and sighed, putting his hands on his hips as he rocked on his heels and stared at the ground. “Look…I know I’m not the best when it comes to raising you. I get that, I’m a bit more on the stricter side. But…but if there’s anything you want to talk about—”
“They’re dead, so what?”, Junior shrugged again.
“So what?”, the red-eared slider quizzed, brows furrowing in question. “Case, death affects everyone no matter how close you were. And despite all that, that baby got hurt on your watch even though you did everything you could to protect them. And now you’re telling me you don’t care?”
Casey screwed his face up skeptically as he hesitantly nodded. That only made the turtle scoff and look away. But the teen didn’t understand why his Sensei was so bothered by this. It didn’t bother Casey.
Leo sighed. “Casey, whatever is going on with you…it’s just…not normal.”
The teen straightened his posture and put on his best face. “With all due respect, sir, have you ever considered that this is my normal?”
Master Leonardo seemed put off by Casey’s new resting soldier face because he frowned, searching in Casey’s eyes as if he lost something a long time ago.
“You know what, Mikey was right.”, Leo muttered. “You were way too young to start training. I mean, look at what that did to you.”, the slider exasperated, gesturing towards Casey’s hair and arm. “And I know that your mother always flaunted about how you were going to be the bravest warrior the world had ever seen but—”
“You guys wanted a warrior?”, Casey cut in. “Well, you’ve raised one.”
That remark seemed to have stunned the slider. Casey considered the conversation over and began taking his leave. Master Leonardo didn’t do anything to stop him. But before Casey could turn the corner down the hallway, he felt that switch again. His heart softened, making the teen stop in his tracks and turn back to Leo.
“Hey, Sensei?”, Casey called out.
“Hm?”, the red-eared slider quickly spun around to face Junior. “What’s up?”
“Umm…are we still on for karaoke night tomorrow?”
The slider’s stance softened as he shared a warm smile. “You know it, CJ.”
The teen nodded and grinned. “Cool.”
“Cool.”
And with that, Casey turned back around and kept walking.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Blood and gore, smidge of body horror, tics, dead baby, disassociation.
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At this point, any side character that has a significant description is automatically going to die or get traumatized. If I describe a character, then you should pay close attention. Lol.ALSO MAJOR NOTE!!!!! I have noticed that several ppl have skipped over some text in the past few chapters as it was too much for them. I am not blaming you for choosing to protect yourself but remember that what you skipped over is on you. WITH THAT SAID, I would like to warn you that the next chapter is the most gruesome chapter in the entire series. (I am VERY serious when I say that I threw up twice while writing it and have gagged every time I read it over).
However, everything else after chapter 18 is fine/less than gruesome. 18 is like the max of body horror and gore it will go, it can't get any more graphic from that. And (supposedly) everything else after chapter 21 (end of Arc 2) is much lighter and gets progressively better.
See you on Wednesday! (Over a million people are going to die--)
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On last thing! I AM JOINING ART FIGHT!!! Come find me if you wanna rumble!
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 18: The Starvation Era
Summary:
Oh how Casey could picture it now. A nice piping hot meal in front of him on the table. A glorious cooked steak from a successful hunt, brimming with grease with etched charcoal lines. Hueso’s trademarked freshly baked bread with a thick crust and soft and fluffy interior. A somewhat salad on the side made with whatever vegetables were ripe in the greenhouse. And, of course, a luscious green stalk of sugarcane waiting for the grand finale.
Notes:
I hate 4th Of July fireworks but at least my dog and I both have PTSD so we trauma-bonded last night. =D
ANYWAYS, LIKE I SAID, THIS IS THE MOST GRUESOME CHAPTER IN THE ENTIRE FIC. YOU WILL HURL, GAG, AND FEEL THE NEED TO COVER YOUR NAILS AND EYES FROM THE UNCOMFORTABLE EXPOSURE. /srs
Please consider reading the disclaimers in the end notes! Remember, while I don't judge you for skipping anything you don't wanna read, just note that whatever you missed is on you, tho you guys seem pretty responsible and in control and I love that for you. <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The year was 2043. Casey was now 15.
The world was going to shit.
Well, to be fair, the world had already gone to shit. But it just got shittier.
The Resistance was not as strong as it was a year ago, or even 15 years ago, or even back at the start 21 years ago. Rations were not enough to give out daily anymore, water conservation had dropped to 34%, medicines had either run out or on the brink of, weapon supply had deteriorated, there were too many mouths to feed and not enough beds to sleep in.
The Resistance was falling apart.
Hunger was the most obvious problem and the underlying cause of everything that followed after. The greenhouse was decommissioned to conserve water, the only agriculture being dry wheat for rat feed. Rations dropped from twice a day to twice a week. And people took turns on what days they ate. Casey was a part of the group that ate on Wednesdays and Saturdays. And when rations were served, it was just undercooked rat meat.
At the start of the starvation era, the Resistance population was 1.6 million.
The people were NOT happy. Hanger struck almost immediately. Fights broke out constantly and Casey would be lying if he said he never got caught in one…or several. These fights would be over the most obscure things but it didn’t matter. The people were miserable .
2 weeks in, people began looking for other options. Some tried to eat Kraang lesions in hope it would have some sustenance. They regretted their choices immediately after. The lesions pierced through their stomach lining and ripped open humans and yokai from the inside out. Widespread panic shrieked across the lair as the now Kraang zombies attacked others and began to wipe people out. Though, as soon as it started, the soldiers took them down.
Around 20,000 were lost to that incident. 1.58 million remained.
Others were severely tempted by the idea of cannibalism. Many were tantalized but didn’t dare to try. Others did though. Casey hated the fact that he was also tantalized by human and yokai flesh. It especially didn’t help that he knew what it tasted like since he bit off that man’s finger. At once he was so disgusted by what he had experienced. But now. He craved it. Junior spent many days going mad at the craving of it, but he had done a good job keeping those temptations down.
Usagi on the other hand had gotten increasingly uncomfortable with the malicious stares that came his way. One day in particular, a man had the gall to jump on him. Casey was there to witness it.
“GET OFF ME!!! GET HIM OFF OF ME!!!”, the rabbit shrieked.
Casey ran over and swung a kick to the man’s side. The man screamed like a rabid animal, still clenching onto Yuichi’s ear with his teeth and hands. More people ran over, doing everything in their power to pry the man off. The samurai still screamed until a precise shot of plasma hit the man right through his heart. Casey and the others turned to find Leonardo holding the handgun with a serious yet terrified tone to his face. The slider ran over to the rabbit, shoving everyone out of the way. Usagi was in absolute distraught, shaking like a leaf.
“Bun? Hey, talk to me, are you okay?”, Leo asked quickly in a panic.
Yuichi nodded as best he could against the shock. But when he went to stand, everyone could see the blood dripping down his ear. The man had bitten a huge chunk off of Usagi’s right ear. The rabbit whimpered, clutching his hands around the wound.
Leo took a shaky breath. “O-Okay, okay. You’re okay.”, he tried to reassure, slowly wrapping his arms around his husband and helping him to walk. “We’re going to get you patched up, alright? Just stay with me.”
Everyone hastily cleared the way, fearful of angering the slider. Casey watched as the two staggered off into the med-bay. Then he looked back at the body of the man on the ground with a gaping melting hole in his chest. Soon, people began arguing about whether or not they should eat the corpse or toss it out. Casey walked off before he got the chance to see others begin to tear into the flesh.
Usagi ended up closing himself off in his room most of the time. He only ever left if someone, preferably Leo, was with him.
And yet, more people were looking for alternative ways to satisfy their hunger other than waiting for their gracious undercooked rations twice a week. The willow tree in particular had its bark and leaves picked at by everyone who visited the tree. Even Casey. And when the willow tree was nothing more than a pile of twigs, people looked at other options. Many developed pica, trying to eat inedible things for some nutrients. Chemicals, medicine, yokai poison, paper, cloth, hair, wood, gasoline, soil, whatever they found reasonable to get their hands on.
Many got incredibly sick. People experienced symptoms of infection and poisoning, which also spread to others and got them sick in the process too.
About 474,000 people died from pica. 1.16 million remained.
A few weeks later, Casey found himself in his room, sitting on his top bunk while holding Cup close. The teen found himself STARVING and tired and sore. He could feel his bones when he rubbed his arms, could see his ribs and spine when he got dressed. He scratched at the small stubble growing in on his chin as he looked at the hair on his legs providing the tiniest bit of warmth against the sickening cold that starvation brought. Casey just sat there on his bed and just wished he could go back to easier times.
Times with his family all eating and chatting happily in the canteen. Donnie would be picking at his food and the disaster twins would trade some parts of their meal with each other. His mom would help Casey cut up his food as the kid would share puppy eyes with his aunts for their dessert. Mikey would try to lure Casey to eat his greens as the child would stick up his nose.
Even as time shifted, they were still happy. Casey thought fondly of Leo and Usagi’s wedding. How Donnie had scrapped whatever he didn’t want to eat onto Casey’s plate as April fussed over the tween making a mess. How Mikey sneakily went in to get a third slice of cake. How the husbands fed each other spoonfuls with giggling smiles.
Oh how Casey could picture it now. A nice piping hot meal in front of him on the table. A glorious cooked steak from a successful hunt, brimming with grease with etched charcoal lines. Hueso’s trademarked freshly baked bread with a thick crust and soft and fluffy interior. A somewhat salad on the side made with whatever vegetables were ripe in the greenhouse. And, of course, a luscious green stalk of sugarcane waiting for the grand finale.
The teen could practically smell the baked goods and steaming meaty aroma. He greedily reached his hands out and stuffed a handful of the salad in his mouth. The taste was richer than never before, however the greens were oddly chewier than he expected. Perhaps it was just his broken jaw. So, Casey took it easy as he went for the steak but with no utensils at the ready, he just had to use his bare hands. Yet Junior did not mind one bit .
He clenched the meat under his untrimmed nails and prosthetic digits as he chomped down on the delectable beef. The outer layer was really really tough but luckily Casey found a loose opening as he could just hear the tearing of the muscle right in his jaw. And soon, a rush of meaty, greasy, juicy flavor bursted out at the seams. The inside was soothing and oh so tender. Casey ended up enjoying every part of the steak, even parts he wouldn’t usually like to eat like the fat.
Then the teen moved on to the bread with a tantalized lick off his lips. He took the loaf, twisting and pulling the bakery in halves. A hot rush of steam unfolded out of the center and the fresh scent of cooked yeast and yokai flour filled his nostrils. Junior happily munched on the bread, tasting the buttery flavor inside as the soft dough danced around his taste buds. Casey enjoyed every bite from center to crust. He even poked and licked every crumb off of his fingers with delight.
Junior returned to the salad, stuffing more of the greens in his face. Growing up as a picky eater who hated eating his veggies, Casey resented his younger self for taking it for granted. The teen still noticed the toughness in the texture but he moved past it. The flavor was too rich, too savory to be ignored. The texture suddenly tasted…fuzzy? Casey figured the salad turned to mold and set it down.
And last but not least, the dessert. His favorite treat of all time. The sugar cane. Casey practically lunged for the stock, gnawing on the tough exterior like a dog chewing on a bone. Though at one bite, Casey bit into something soft. He almost bit his tongue in the process. It probably was just the softness of the sweet gooey sugar water inside. But before he could bite down again, the scenery changed.
The sugar cane was not hard, sweet, and green. But rather soft, bitter, and red. The lighting around him dimmed as Casey registered his bedroom around him. His tongue and throat were scratchy as he felt wads of string and cotton wedge in his teeth. Teared bits of fabric sat in front of him, covered in saliva. And a steel chainmail belt with the Resistance's emblem glistened in the low light.
Casey felt horror dwell in his full and uneasily satisfied stomach as he noticed a small fabric heart sitting in the palms of his hands. The teen gagged as he reached two fingers into the back of his throat and slowly pried out the cotton stuffing inside. He felt the stringy synthetic fiber trail behind, causing Junior to gag even more as he retched. He sputtered and coughed, noting the few specks of blood that indicated scratches in his esophagus. He retched some more before hacking from the back of his throat like a cat about to cough up a hairball. Casey felt an uncomfortable shudder up his spine, tears now quietly running down from his terrified wide eyes as he questioned the deceitfulness of his mind.
Finally, bile dripped through as a wad of cotton, fabric, and buttons coughed up from his stomach. The teen spat out the disgusting toy remains all over his bed as he finally felt himself being able to breathe again through panting and coughing. He reached back in his throat, pulling and picking at the string that still remained in his teeth. His jaw popped a bit and locked with soreness, Casey having to snap it back in place again when he finished the unprompted flossing. Through staggered breath and shaky hands, Casey began sobbing over the loss of the one staple comfort throughout all of his sorrows. The one thing that kept him afloat. The one friend who had been by his side through thick and thin. And now, all that remained was the small stuffed heart that Casey clutched against his own.
Cup’s adventures were over.
At some point later in the month, Hueso’s poor old skeleton bones couldn’t take it anymore. From the lack of nourishment and the overbearing exhaustion of the catering work life, Señor Hueso passed out on the floor and died right before his body hit the ground. His son, Hueso Jr, was absolutely distraught by the death of his last remaining family member. And the following night, a soldier discovered that the younger skeleton had a secret stash of booze in the kitchen and drank himself to oblivion to join his father’s side in the afterlife.
By the end of it all, a total of 894,000 were lost to starvation or the complications thereof. Only 706,000 remained.
The Resistance had to cut corners and make many sacrifices in exchange for survival. For starters, Todd had to release all of his dogs out into the wild with a very heavy heart. Everyone felt a loss in that and many hugged the dogs through weeping tears as they all said their goodbyes. Those who were reliant on service animals to get by were now partnered with a friend by their side. The people could only pray that the dogs would continue to thrive on their own, Todd optimistically believed so.
People scrambled to take on more jobs as even more roles had unfortunately opened up. Folks were taking on replacement kitchen staff, patrols, maintenance, etc.
For instance, Usagi was now referred to as Busho Yuichi, taking on Donnie’s job as a military instructor. He still had yet to mentally recover from having his ear almost ripped off, almost always accompanied by Commander O’Neil or the turtles. But aside from that, Busho Yuichi had been doing a splendid job. However…he seemed put off by the title of Busho. As if an old wound was reopened.
Casey in particular took on helping out Doctor O’Neil as a medic apprentice, learning many new things as well. As a new apprentice on the medic team, Casey had witnessed a lot of people cling onto the remaining threads of their lives. Sunita was one of many who got sick due to the worsening state hygiene conditions. She told Casey how proud and grateful she was to be his ‘Anakē, even if the teen had stopped using that title. On the inside, they would always be family. Just not out loud. April had to be removed from the med-bay, distraught and screaming with tears, when Sunita took her last breath.
People have also been cutting corners where they can to get by. Like the Purple Dragons (who have replaced Donnie’s tech job) had been looking for ways to conserve power and fuel resources as well as searching for alternative sources. Even if it costed…Shelldon.
“No! You can’t do that!”, Casey shouted.
Kendra, the Purple Dragon’s leader, sighed. She ran her fingers through her straight natural black hair with bleached and tinted purple ends. “Kid, look at it. We can’t keep repairing it over and over again, it’s just an expense we have to make for the sake of the team.”
“Shelldon is not an it ! He is more than just a machine, he is alive! He is my friend! You can’t take him away from me!”, the teen shouted even more, straining and cracking his voice in the process. He glanced over at his friend slouched on the side of the lab, run down with oil leaking out of his joints as his metallic lids lopsided. “Let me be the one to repair him! I can do it, Captain Hamato taught me how! I’ll gather the resources on my own and take on that responsibility myself!”
“It’s no use.”, Jeremy cut in. “The AI’s build is so complex and even with the alternative modifiers put in place for an apocalyptic state, it’s still not enough to keep the robot running for much longer. We should harvest the remaining resources instead and salvage the tech for spare parts.”
“YOU WILL NOT BE SALVAGING ANYTHING!!”, Junior screeched, jabbing an accusatory finger at the man. The teen felt tension rise in his shoulders as he pushed down the urge to twitch from the stress. “THAT IS MY FRIEND ! MY BEST FRIEND! SHELLDON IS THE ONLY ONE IN THIS DAMN PLACE THAT HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO UNDERSTAND ME! YOU CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME! I WON’T LET YOU TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME—”
“ Enough. ”, Leonardo’s low voice cut sharply through the shouting. Everyone in the room felt the tension rise as Leo, Mikey, and April entered the lab. “That is enough.”
“But Sensei—”
“No. Buts.”, the slider pressed, stepping forward in front of the 15 year old. “You need to stop thinking about yourself for once and start thinking about others. You gotta set aside your feelings and think about the sacrifices you must make for your team, for the Resistance, and for all of humanity.”
Casey stiffened, trying not to let tears dwell up in his eyes. He glanced back over at Shelldon. The robot’s gears hissing as they fought against overheating from the exhaustion it took to keep the machine running. The joints creaked as the turtle bot moved his head to look at the teen. Leo placed a hand on Casey’s shoulder.
“We gotta shut him down, Casey. It’s…for the best.”, the red-eared slider hushed soothingly.
The teen’s throat tightened as he shut his eyes tight, tilting his head down and shaking his head furiously. But the slider persisted, putting both hands on his shoulders now.
“Casey… please …”, Leo insisted.
With a quivering sigh, Casey met Master Leonardo’s gaze. Calming his nerves as much as possible, the teen quietly let out an “...okay…”. Kendra sighed with mild annoyance, shifting over towards Shelldon. Casey looked down at the floor, listening to the woman walk closer and closer—
“Wait!”, he blurted out, turning to Kendra and reaching out an arm. Kendra groaned, lolling her head back as she reluctantly turned back around to face the teen. Casey took a breath, pressing his lips in a firm line. “...Let me do it.”
The woman rolled her eyes, stepping to the side and gesturing her hand for Casey to go ahead. The teen gently pushed his Sensei’s hands off of him as he approached the robot. Junior crouched down on his ankles mere inches in front of his best friend. Casey gave Shelldon a sad smile.
“...Hey.”, he whispered.
“W—What’s up—up, my du—ude?”, the robot’s voice box glitched. The choppy voice sent an unnerving shiver down Casey’s spine.
“Are…are you sure you want to do this?”, Casey’s voice croaked. “I-I can…”
“Casey—y…I’d give any—anything for m—my family.”, Shelldon soothed. “E—Even if it breaks—breaks me a—a—apart piece by—by piece.”
The teen’s eyes began to water. “I don’t want you to leave me…”
“I’m not g—going anyw—where.”, the turtle bot pressed. “I—I’m just going back to—back to…st—static. And—and when I come back…you’ll—you’ll be a—all grown up.”
“But I promised…I promised I wouldn’t let you go back there.”, Casey’s voice warbled.
Shelldon did his best to squint his eyelids up in a comforting grin. “It—It’s o—kay. I’m not—I’m not afraid of it—it any—more.”
Junior took a long, deep breath. “...I’m going to miss you, Shelly.”
“A—A—Aww…I’m gonna—gonna miss you too—miss you too.”, the robot chuckled sadly. He then looked down at his chest, weakly pointing a creaking finger at it. “All you have to—have to do is o—open the chestpl—ate and ta—take out my—my power source. It—It’ll activate an imminent—imminent shutdown.”
Casey took another deep breath and nodded. He steadily reached out his left hand, feeling the warm buzzing metal under his fingertips. Pressing gently, the chestplate clicked and hissed open, the panels shifting to the side. A glowing neon purple cylindrical battery pulsated rhythmically, electrical currents surged simultaneously throughout the body. The teen dug his fingers around the edges of the hot metal, slowly pulling the source out a few inches as the battery twisted and showed its glowing acid bubbling inside.
Junior bit his inner lip to stop his teeth from chattering as he glanced back at Shelldon. The robot only sent him a reassuring smile in return. Casey’s lungs greedily sucked in as much air as they could as his eyes darted back down to the power source. Don’t think about it, just…just do it already! Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think…
Casey yanked out the battery.
The wires snapped, electrical sparks zapping out dangerously as Casey clutched the source in his hands. Shelldon’s systems let out a low alarming chirp, counting down the seconds. The robot’s metallic lids upturned with a singe of fear.
“Casey…ca—can you promise me some—something?”, he asked.
Junior nodded firmly. “Anything.”
“Promise me…that you—you’ll re—reboot me…when—when the war is ov—er…al—alright?”
Casey placed the battery down and leaned in, pressing his forehead against Shelldon’s as he cradled the robot's head in his hands. The turtle bot slowly reached up and gently curled his digits around his best friend’s hands. Casey took a breath, feeling the hot tears hit the metal surface.
“...I promise.”
Waiting for a response, Casey listened as the gears slowly whirred down into silence. The buzzing warmth gradually went still cold. The teen’s breath hitched, holding onto Shelldon’s body for a bit longer before carefully wedging his arms out of the robot’s frozen stance. The mismatched eyes were no longer illuminated, the gears no longer creaked, the AI no longer budged with life.
Shelldon was shut down.
Casey took another breath and wiped his tears with his forearm before standing up and slowly turning around. He needed to get out of here before anyone saw him full on burst into tears. Leo sighed softly as he approached the teen.
“...Casey—”
“Don’t.”, Junior blurted out. He tried to say something else but his throat tightened even more. “...Just…don’t.”
The slider didn’t push it, nor did anyone else. Casey shoved his way out of the lab and quickly picked up the pace as he headed for his room. With nothing and no one left to comfort him besides the teddy bear pile that did not belong to him, Casey screamed into his pillow and cried.
Many more people had gradually begun to fall ill due to the lack of resources and hygiene prevention, and without much left to do for them, they too gave their life for the sake of easing the Resistance’s burden.
21,180 people died from sacrifice. 684,820 remained.
Everyone was miserable. In case it wasn’t obvious enough.
As much as the council implored for people to hold onto hope, it wasn’t enough to prevent the mass of suicides that went down. Some either starved themselves to death which took sooner that they thought, others jumped into the line of fire in battle, a few used their clothes as rope, and many jumped off the cliff around the edge of the cave’s surface.
The families, friends, and loved ones of those people were usually the most devastated. Either blaming others for their demise and killing each other in the process, or taking their own lives too. Death was practically at every corner.
And Casey. Casey was no different.
He had seen the world for what it was, constantly told he was in the wrong because this was not how it was “supposed” to be. But did no one ever stop to consider he didn’t know nor care about what was “supposed” to be? The teen had been constantly losing family left and right, no one ever staying long enough to love him. And besides, he had seen the afterlife. There was peace there, a family, his mother. There was nothing worth living for here.
And so, Casey walked out of the cave, climbing up around the sides that led to the cliff. Hardly anyone came up there unless it was for one reason. When Casey reached the top, the edges of the cliff became more narrow, just a few feet. He pressed himself against the stone wall, looking up at the barren wasteland. The cold harsh dusty wind rushed around him and the horizon, kicking up sand with its feet as it ran from east to west. The air was fresh with smoke as always, the singe of gunpowder and hinted rotting flesh from the mass graves nearby filled Casey’s nostrils. The dirt ground shifted beneath his combat boots, solid yet on the brink of crumbling into nothing. Casey felt the rocks behind him rub against his back and head. Everything all too familiar. This was his world, this was his home.
This is all I’ll ever get to know , he thought as he felt his fingertips press away from the wall. He took the mere couple steps to the edge of the cliff, not daring to look down as he felt the toes of his shoes stick out over the ledge. The 15 year old felt hot tears run down his cheeks but his breath remained steady and silent. That was until…
He heard crying.
But Casey himself wasn’t audibly crying. His voice did not hitch, his lungs did not shake. Tears were streaming but other than that he was quiet. So who…?
The crying came from behind him. There was still more to the cliff path, Casey hadn’t reached the end of it. The sound was from around the corner, blocked by the stone wall. Casey turned back to the horizon for a moment…but there was no hesitation anymore.
So he stepped away from the ledge.
Junior pressed himself back against the rock, wiping his tears as his lungs greedily took in some more air. Once the teen had composed himself, he shifted onto the path and made his way around the corner. The pathway opened up wider with about 3 times the amount of space Casey had been standing on. And as he peered around to see the source of the sound…
There was Leonardo.
Crying streams of tears he thought no one would hear as the slider himself also stood on the ledge, his turtle toes sticking out over the edge. Casey ducked his head a bit behind the stone, unsure how to approach the situation. Suddenly, the ground cracked and crumbled against the red-eared slider’s weight. Leo’s crying halted as he stumbled backwards in a panic before the ledge gave away and the chunk of rock he had been standing on tumbled off the cliff. Leo quickly scrambled back onto his shell and pressed himself against the stone wall behind him. His breathing panicked for a moment, desperately taking in a sigh of relief. Casey himself barely noticed how he had held his breath tight with fear, sighing in relief as well. Yet his sigh was too loud, giving away his hiding spot as the turtle snapped his head over to the teen.
“C-Casey?! What…what are you doing here?”, Sensei blurted out between panicked breaths.
“Umm…”, Casey drawled, turning around to look behind in the direction of where he was standing earlier. “...I…I came out here to think…”, he answered hesitantly. He added, avoiding further questions, “...w-what are you doing here?”
Leo’s eyes widened a bit as his expression relaxed, seemingly seeing through Casey’s lie. “...I came out to think too.”
Casey felt something fester in his core. A glint of green flashed over his vision, faint and gone in an instant. The purple static hissing in his ears, the red drums rumbling in his veins. The static and the drums urged Casey to move forward and reach out for the slider. The teen walked over and sat down against the stone beside his Sensei. The two of them spent a long quiet moment staring out into the horizon.
“...The Kraang’s getting stronger, ya know.”, the turtle finally spoke up. “The droid herd is up to 27 droids. I’ve been trying to contact the global network but more and more bases across the globe are being shut down. I…I really hate to say this, Casey…but I don’t know how much longer the Resistance can hold on.”
Casey felt an itch. “...So what? We’re giving up?”, he snipped.
Leo shook his head and sighed. “I mean, I don’t want to.”
“Then don’t.”, Casey answered quickly. The itch grew stronger. “If I were you, I’d fight till the end. Go out in glory.”
“Yeah, and how’s that going for you?”, the turtle exasperated though he didn’t mean to be unkind.
The itch stopped. “...Fair point.”
The conversation went quiet for a moment. That was until Casey’s mask chirped a notice, a call blurting out from the communication device.
“Casey! Where are you?! Have you seen Leo?!” , Usagi called out in a panic.
Casey quickly turned to Leo who only gave the slightest nod after a moment of hesitation. “Uhh, yeah. He’s with me. W-We’re on our way.”, Casey answered back through the device.
Taking a breath, Casey pushed himself off the ground and brushed the dust off his knee caps. He paused for a moment to wait for the slider but Sensei instead stared at the kid with a small sense of fear, looking up at the teen as if he was waiting for Casey to guide him. It was weird to be on the other side of the coin.
“Come on.”, Casey reassured, lending a hand to Master Leonardo. “The people need their leader.”
The red-eared slider gave a light chuckle and smirked. He took his student’s hand and stood up as well. “And the people need their beacon of hope.”
Hand in hand, the two made their way down the cliff until they were safely back on the solid ground. Leo wrapped his arm around Casey’s shoulder, gently squeezing the kid’s arm as they walked through the entrance of the cave. Soon enough, Busho Yuichi and Master Michelangelo came sprinting towards them.
“Thank the spirits, where were you?!”, Yuichi shouted as he came to a halt in front of his husband.
“Umm…”, Leo drawled, looking for a quick answer. “Me and Case were just on patrol. No need to worry.”
“...Patrol?”, Usagi raised a brow, crossing his arms.
“Yyyep.”
The rabbit eyed the turtle up and down. “...Without your belt? Your tracker?”
Casey glanced over as well to notice that the slider was indeed missing his belt that he never took off. Huh, smart move . Master Leonardo just laughed it off.
“Oh ha! I must’ve forgotten it in the rush to wake up this morning. It just slipped my mind. My bad, bun.”, he grinned.
The rabbit did not like that answer. His brows furrowed as his nose twitched with fury. “...I’m not that dumb, you know.”, he muttered.
“Wait what? I never said you were—”
“Then why are you lying to me?”, Usagi’s voice grew.
Leo let go of Casey as he stepped closer to his husband. “I’m not lying—”
“Yes you are! Don’t think I don’t notice the puffiness in your eyes!”
The slider sputtered, shrugging it off, “It’s just from the dust outside—”
“There you go again! You’re lying to me!”, Yuichi was now full on shouting. Others began to stare.
“Bunny, please—”
“ DAMN IT, LEONARDO, I WILL NOT BE LEFT A WIDOWER! ”, Usagi snapped.
The entire lair broke into silence. No one said a word. No one whispered between each other. The rabbit huffed out an exhausted breath. Yuichi glared back at his husband.
He reached forward and grabbed on tight to the turtle’s mask tails, muttering, “You and I are going to talk. Now. ”
And with that, Usagi practically dragged his husband away to have a private conversation. Which left Casey alone with a very concerned Master Michelangelo.
“...What. Happened?”, the box turtle put simply, his brows wrinkling with worry.
Casey glanced at where the couple took off to, before turning back to Mikey. “...Patrol.”
Of course, Leo and Casey weren’t the only ones who had attempted to take their lives. Other people were…successful. And many had also seeked revenge in a fit of rage and riot. Those who did kill were no longer prisoners…but executed. There was no place in the Resistance for criminals. The people quickly agreed it was a waste of rations.
51,607 people had died from suicide or murder (or execution). Only 633,213 remained.
“GET OFF OF ME!”, Casey screeched.
Sensei turned his head around to the scene. He quickly snapped the neck of the person he was attacking with brute strength and rushed over to stop the enemies from hurting Casey.
“HEY! GET AWAY FROM HIM!”, Leo shouted as he ran. “I SAID GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM—”
Another person smacked Leo in the back of the head with a heavy metal bat. Casey watched as the slider’s eyes drooped and the turtle hit the ground like a sandbag. A swarm of people rushed over to apprehend Master Leonardo, tying his arms behind his back. Casey screamed in rage, using all of his might to fight back against the Arch Angels. He lurched and squirmed, trying to wriggle his way out of their grasp. Hands were now grabbing his braided tied up hair and bashing his head against the dirt. Casey’s vision began to blur.
The second Casey blinked, the scene changed. A small cement room. Three men. One with an eye patch, another with black hair, and the other taller than the rest.
The men laughed at him. Eye Patch cut the laughter by sending a strong punch to the kid’s stomach, winding Junior in the process. Casey immediately felt nauseated, the burning prickling bile going up his throat as he puked out on the floor. Tall turned to his walkie talkie.
“Hey, Allen! You’ll never believe this. The kid is actually that one child from the crash! The one Bishop was after!”, he chuckled.
“Oh really? Well…you know our policy.” , General Allen mumbled from the other line. “Kill him. But not too quickly.”
There was shouting in the background. It must’ve been Leo.
“Roger that, sir.”, the tall man replied. “You heard the man, gentlemen. Go ballistic.”
Yet Casey’s vision didn’t warp this time. Instead, it was clear. And all so vivid . Every punch, every crack, every drop of blood spilled was in hyperfocus. Each hit was more painful than the last. Casey’s mind tried to run but it couldn't . He couldn’t escape.
Casey.
Even though the teen screamed out in agony, exhaustion never took him under. And so he struggled against the restraints, tilting the chair from left to right to forward to back. It took him an embarrassingly long amount of time to notice the rope was replaced with oozing Kraang vines. The lesions stretched down his arms and up his back, seeping underneath his gloves and into his hair as the kid screeched a strained breath.
Casey!
The lesions then reached into the bed of his fingernails and eyelids. The slimy icky flesh felt excruciatingly painful, so much so that Junior could no longer scream. The vines twisted around his throat as the parasites entered into his brain and—
“CASEY!!!”
Casey yelped in a panic as he jolted awake, shoving the unwanted hands off of his shoulders. Tossing and turning against the sheets, he threw them off as he sat up and clutched his heart that was beating a mile a second. Feeling the cold atmosphere shiver around him, Casey curled himself up and pressed his knees to his chest as he gradually began to take in what was happening.
“You’re okay, dear. You’re not there anymore.”, a familiar voice hushed. “You’re home. You’re safe. It’s okay.”
Casey took a staggered breath as he raised his head to see Carol sitting in front of him with her arms out, hesitant to comfort the teen. Junior’s eyes darted around as he remembered the scene. …Right . Without enough beds for the (initially) huge population, everyone had opted to sleep on the floor of the wide open atrium. The beds themselves (including the pile of teddy bears that did not belong to Casey) had been discarded for firewood, sparing only the blankets. Casey took in the mass of people all sprawled out on the floor, whether alone or huddled next to a loved one.
A few feet away, Casey noticed the small pile of his family sleeping. Leo was snoring loudly, lying on his shell as his arm and residual sprawled out to hold his brother, April, and his husband. The box turtle instinctively tugged at his robe as he snuggled closer against the slider’s plastron. April’s arm twitched as drool trickled down her cheek and her loosely kinky hair stuck to her lips. And Usagi clung his arms around Leo tightly, the rabbit and turtle had never left each other’s side ever since Sensei told his husband what happened on the cliff.
Casey would be lying if he said he wasn’t envious. As much as the kid wanted to be comforted and held, he knew he couldn’t. His mind wouldn’t let him forget the dangers that had been. Making him uncomfortable around the idea of cuddles and hugs. He missed it.
The teen’s train of thought was quickly interrupted by a blanket being tossed over him. The initial wave of cold caused him to shiver as Casey tucked the sheet around his legs and right arm. He looked up to Carol smiling reassuringly.
“That was a pretty nasty nightmare, wasn’t it?”, she whispered.
The 15 year old hummed. “I guess.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“...Not really.”, Casey hushed. “I just…I just don’t want to keep living like this. I hate being scared all the time.”
Carol clicked her tongue sympathetically. “Me too, baby.”, she lamented. “I mean after all, you’re still just a kid. Yes, you’re incredibly strong and brave and powerful. But still a child nonetheless. You should be worrying about dumb high school freshman drama. Not this.”
What’s high school? , Casey wanted to ask. But he knew that he’d never understand it anyway. Instead, he slouched his shoulders as he shook off the last few jitters of the nightmare, itching at the new hairs on his chest and armpits and the annoying scratchy stubble on his chin. His residual tingled with phantom pain as Casey tried his best to ignore the discomfort dwelling from it.
“You know…sometimes I imagine a life of what could’ve been.”, the doctor sighed. “I’d imagine that I would’ve switched from a general hospital doctor to a pediatrician. And you’d be one of my patients.” She smiled, staring down at the ground. “And…instead of being there because of some horrible injury, you would just be there for a check up. And instead of fearing needles because of a traumatic encounter with poisonous sedatives and kidnapping, you would be throwing a fuss over a flu shot. And instead of having to tell your family that you suffered irreparable damage, I’d get to tell them that you’re going to be okay.”
Carol then sniffled as a few tears watered in her eyes. She chuckled softly as she wiped them away with her hand.
“Sorry, I know it sounds ridiculous—”
“No no, it doesn’t.”, Casey quickly answered. “That sounds…nice.”
Even though Casey didn’t understand the full extent of what could have been, it did sound a lot more pleasant than what the apocalypse gave him. Doctor O’Neil finished her tears as she sat more upright in front of the teen.
“You know, it may be a more realistic scenario if you went and got a haircut at my husband’s salon. He would’ve loved you.”, she continued.
Casey tilted his head. “Huh…I don’t think I’ve ever heard about your husband.” To be honest, Casey barely realized she ever had one.
“Oh, we lost him a long time ago.”, Carol let out a long sigh. She tucked a loose strand of tightly coily gray hair behind her ears.
“What happened?”, the teen asked curiously.
The woman took a pause, thinking for a moment. “His name was Kirby. And he owned this local barbershop on the corner called “Bad (Ass) Hair Day”, haha!”, she chuckled. “And April had this…pet?...named Mayhem. She explained they were a “nuclear saint bernard” but…I could see through that lie that something was going on. When I first met the Hamatos, oh boy did everything make sense.”
The two shared a hushed giggle, peering over at the family sleeping a few feet away. But then Carol cleared her throat.
“It was the night the apocalypse started. Kirby and Mayhem got along real well and on that night in particular, my husband scooped the little guy up and said he was going to run by the pet store really quick to grab a few things. I told him…”, the woman paused as her throat tightened a bit. “I told him the store was about to close and to wait until morning. But…Kirby being Kirby, he was persistent. He promised he’d hurry back. Then…the sky opened.”
Carol’s eyes began watering again. Casey’s heart softened as he scooted closer as held out his hand. Doctor O’Neil smiled, holding the kid’s hand gently.
“I remember a few days into the apocalypse…April and her team came back from a search mission. My poor little girl ran up to me with tears in her eyes, telling me she found them but…they were gone.”
Carol stared at the hand not holding Casey’s and took a long look at her ring finger. Decorated with two golden rings, one holding a brilliant yet aged diamond. The rings were now forever stained with dirt and grime yet the doctor held onto them.
“It’s been hard for me and April since Kirby passed. My first few days of widowhood…hell the first few months, even years, were a trainwreck. But we pushed through. Just look at my little girl now. All grown into a fine, strong, independent woman. A militant commander in the world’s most lasting survival base. Oh, I know Kirby would be proud.”
Casey nodded in understanding. He bet Kirby would totally be proud of his daughter. April was amazing. Carol took a heavy sigh, wiping her tears once more before squeezing Casey’s hand.
“Alright, that’s enough tears for one night. Why don’t you try getting some more sleep, dear?”, she whispered.
The teen’s lips pressed in a firm line as he shook his head, rocking himself to shake off the anxious feeling arising inside. “I don’t think I can. I’m not that tired.”
“Trust me. You are.”, the doctor insisted.
She pressed the heel of her hand against Casey’s forehead, pushing the kid backwards. Junior begrudgingly complied, flopping back down on the ground with a huff. The teen wrapped the blanket around himself tighter, folding his arm under his head to act as a pillow as he basked in the small amount of warmth from his breath, a balm against the cold brisk apocalyptic air. Doctor O’Neil smiled softly as she sat beside him.
“Don’t you worry, baby. I’ll be right here to wake you if you have another nightmare.”, she reassured. “Sleep well, Casey.”
Casey hummed a thank you, finally shutting his eyes as he pictured the doctor’s wild imaginary scenarios.
As if that’ll ever be real.
A few weeks had passed. And so had more and more people. Starvation, illness, suicide, murder, or a casualty on the battlefield. The cruel world was slowly eating away at what remained of life.
625,134 more people had died. Only 8079 people remained.
Leo had been searching tirelessly across the global network, giving the same announcement every single day for the past month.
“This is Hamato Leonardo, leader of the Resistance stationed in New York. Many allies have fallen and many more survivors are gone. We ask that if anyone… anyone at all is still out there, to reach out and we’ll come get you. We have nothing left to offer except shelter for service. At least let us know if you are alive. We might be all that remains.”
No response was ever received. Drones were sent out across the globe to look for signs of life, but they all came back fruitless. It was safe to say that the 8079 people- of humans and yokai- of the Resistance were all that remained of humanity.
This was it.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Blood and gore, Injury, Mass death, Character deaths, Major body horror, Cannibalism, Emetophobia, Eating disorders (namely pica), Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempts, Successful suicides, Murder, Unreliable narrator, Graphic depictions that will 100% make you uncomfortable.
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Do you believe me now when I said I threw up twice (/srs) while writing this chapter?Anyways, if you made it, give yourself a fucking hug my god. Everything else after this chapter is less graphic, I promise. If you can get through this, you can get through anything else that yours truly throws your way. =)
Next chapter is a fun one. (Not really but it makes me smile). Because it's going to start the countdown to the movie!!! =0 That's right, there's only 3 CHAPTERS LEFT OF ARC 2 before Casey gets thrown through a portal and we can have some post-movie time!!!!!! =D
Btw, remember that your poll votes affect the story. (Minus this one but others do!!)
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
I should make a t-shirt for you guys that says "I survived Azúcar_Skull's fanfics."
Chapter 19: Ninja In, Ninja Their Faces, Ninja Out
Summary:
Everyone readied their weapons to take their leave…yet Mikey did not get up. Still surging his ninpo, the ornate box turtle stayed focused on the spell. Leo sighed, nudging his brother with the hilt of his sword.
“Mike, leave it! We gotta go!”, he shouted.
“I can’t!”, Master Michelangelo shouted back, his brows beginning to upturn with fear. “It’s—There’s something holding me!”
“What??”
“This isn’t right! Something’s wrong—”
Notes:
My therapist canceled on me for the 4th time in a row (she's out sick with smth nasty) and now i'm having a crisis--
Anyways enjoy this chapter that involves some DEEP CANONICAL LORE-- jk it's just stuff from the show.
Disclaimers are in the end notes but tbh this is a pretty light chapter compared to literally anything else--
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The year was 2044. Yet Casey was still 15.
If there was one place that still had survivors, they were in the hands of the Kraang. And not just the Kraang in general. The Kraang. The main 3 who initially arrived on earth.
Casey remembered the place from his extensive training back when he was 12. The largest labor camp controlled by Brother Kraang himself, the Big Apple Camp. Holding about 12,000 people hostage, human and yokai alike. It was the Resistance's only chance to save the world.
And so, all the remaining soldiers in the Resistance loaded up onto battleships. As Casey sat down in his seat, he instinctively reached to tie his hair back, only remembering that there was hardly enough to tie. Sure, his hair had been growing back out but the current length was only enough for a small man bun. So Casey just left it as it was, the grease helped hold back his hair anyway.
Ironically…the Big Apple Camp was not called that because it was based in “the big apple” that was NYC. But rather because the perimeter of the camp looked like a big apple. Still, it was based up in Albany so the trip to the camp did not take very long.
“Alright, you guys know the plan.” , Master Leonardo called through the intercom. “Ninja in, ninja their faces, ninja out.”
Everyone shouted a “Sir, yes, sir!” throughout the battleships. Casey drawed out his chainsaw staff at the ready as the fleet hovered down to the ground just enough for the troops to drop down. Junior and the others quickly hopped off the ships as they soon awaited the slider’s command.
The camp was astronomically huge. Heavily guarded with Kraang minions, it was the most Kraang Casey had ever seen in his entire life. But this was only just the outside. Beyond the gates, who knew what was in store? For all anyone knew, the survivors were already dead—
“CHARGE!”, Leo shouted.
Flipped like a switch, Casey’s focus went into hyperdrive as he felt his feet begin to run faster than his mind. The soldiers jumped into action, charging for the gates. The teen did his best not to flinch as several Kraang began taking out soldiers left and right. Casey couldn’t look, he had to keep running.
A swarm of Kraang spilled over the large barricaded walls. All of different types. Parasites, zombies, hounds, decoys, minions. All working together in one place. The battleship fleet from above rained down turrets on the Kraang, but were careful to only go semi-lethal. This was a rescue mission after all, they had to be cautious to not hurt the civilians inside. The turrets did their damage, busting a way in through the walls. Casey and the others pointed out the small entrance as the team raced towards it.
The 15 year old reached out his grappling hook as it latched to the wall. He let the rope reel him towards the entrance as he flew inside. Taking a glance at the scene before him, Junior noticed that the Big Apple camp was much larger on the inside. Practically 2 miles wide. A whole city of people in need. The teen quickly refocused on the small hole, grabbing on and tearing away at the debris to make the entrance wider for the other soldiers to get in. A few joined to help Casey break down the barrier as others raced over to help and rescue the civilians. Once the space was wide enough, Casey regrouped with the rest of the soldiers to continue the fight.
Trapped behind bars, several people called out for help. Casey ordered them to stand back as he revved up his chainsaw. It took a few strikes, metallic sparks flying, before the bars were broken free and the teen began redirecting the civilians to the exit. As people began piling out in a panic to escape, Junior noticed one person in the back who was struggling to stand.
A purple skeleton yokai with glowing yellow eye sockets, nose hole, and mouth and with vibrant, curly, cyan hair that stretched down their back, wearing a black robe that was tattered and worn and being tied around the waist with frayed rope.
“Sorry, bad legs.”, the skeleton smirked, leaning a hand against the wall for mobility.
Casey quickly hurried over, grabbing one of the broken bars and offering it to the skeleton to use as a crutch. “Don’t worry, no one is getting left behind. Do the best you can to reach the exit, I’ll cover you.”, the teen explained.
The skeleton yokai then took the metal bar and leaned their weight against it to help them walk out of the room. They shot the teen a wink before heading for the exposed barricade. “Thanks kid.”
Junior nodded back, revving his chainsaw again as he charged forward to block a couple of Kraang hounds from attacking the skeleton. He kept a strong stance, making sure the skeleton yokai made their way out. The teen managed to take the hounds down with ease, cutting his chainsaw blades through them like hot butter. Once the yokai was in the clear and being assisted by another soldier, Casey went back on his mission.
Further down into the large city-sized camp, he spotted Busho Yuichi with Commander O’Neil and a few other soldiers usher inside of a building from a back door. Casey joined up with them as the team made their way up the stairs and past several more minions and zombies to find more survivors. When they reached the second level, there was a large mass of lesions. Except these lesions were more than just idle icky slime. It was a swarm of parasites. Quickly crawling their way down the hall.
“QUICK! TUCK AND COVER!”, Usagi ordered before darting out of the way.
The soldiers dispersed like rats. Some ducked into rooms in that hall, others hid behind a structure. But many, like Casey, were equipped with a cape, cloak, robe, etc. The teen ducked into a corner behind a shelf, curling himself up against the wall before yanking his cape over to cover him. It didn’t have to cover all of him, just as long as no skin was exposed. He pressed a hand against his mouth as he steadied his breathing.
Junior did everything within the fibers of his being to remain completely still. The parasites might not have had the ability to hear, but they could sense the smallest vibrations all too well. Casey peered through the cloth, seeing the shadows of the parasites stretch across. The squelching screeches drawled closer as the teen quickly went over his training.
“Hey, Case, wanna play a game?”, Leo had once smiled at the kid when Casey was still very very young. “It’s like Hide N’ Seek but with a twist.”
The child had nodded eagerly, excited to try out a new game with his Tío. The turtle had grinned sweetly, tossing a blanket at the kid as he showed his cape.
“It’s called Tuck N’ Cover. When you hear me shout the command, you gotta curl yourself up into a ball and cover your body with the blanket. You cannot let any part of you be exposed and you cannot move an inch.”, the slider had explained. He had then tucked himself into his shell as his robotic arm wrapped the slider in the scarf. The kid had let out a little surprised gasp at Leo’s antics and giggled when he popped his head back out of the shell. “Like so. Ready to try?”
Ever since then, Leo and the rest of Casey’s family added more rules to the “game”. Rules like how to make the kid appear more still and lifeless, and how to keep your calm and know when it was clear to come back out. His mama even specifically taught him how to steady his own breathing so that it practically wasn’t there at all.
Which was what Casey was doing now. Hearing the parasites stretch across the hallway and completely cover the teen in a coat of slime, Junior glanced around his tight cocoon to make sure all surfaces were covered. He pressed his hand firmly against his mouth as he took faint and shallow breaths through his nostrils. Just like how his mother had taught him.
The parasites continued to crawl across the surface before the shadows finally left Casey’s vision. He paused, listening closely to the sound of the parasites screech further away. Everyone remained still and waited a couple more minutes until there was absolute silence. As always in these situations, Casey would wait even longer as soldiers began to stand and call out an “All clear!”. Considering it safe as the parasites did not return, Casey stood back up as well and called out an “All clear!” of his own.
The team continued down the hallway before reaching the large cell block that held many civilians. A part of the soldiers dispersed, leading the survivors to safety while the rest continued to climb up the building. As they searched each floor, more people were saved and more soldiers left the main group. Casey stuck with the Busho, the Commander, and a few others as they reached the rooftop and began searching the horizon for more people to save.
Then suddenly, there was an eruption from a distance. The team looked over to see a cloud of dusty red smoke coming out of the tallest building in the camp. Emerging from the smoke, a sea of minions screeched and raced down the edges of the building. And sitting on top was a metallic body with a red glowing eye.
“...Is that a droid?”, Casey asked.
April shook her head. “Worse. It’s him. Brother Kraang.”
Brother Kraang . One of the three main Kraang that initially emerged from the portal. Powerful beyond anything anyone had ever seen, debatably more powerful than Kraang Prime. With the ability to rip open the sky and infect all life in the blink of an eye, there was no escaping Brother Kraang.
“Leo, come in. I got eyes on Brother Kraang.”, Usagi called through his communication device.
“Alright, just stay put. Keep Chopsticks busy for us before we get there.” , Sensei answered from the other side.
“Chopsticks??”, the teen tilted his head in confusion.
Busho smirked. “Well…yeah. Look at him. His battle body looks like a giant pair of chopsticks.”
Junior took a closer glance at the top of the building, flipping down his mask to zoom in. The husbands were right. Brother Kraang really did look like giant chopsticks in his armor. The teen snickered at the nickname, admiring Leo’s antics. But he quickly refocused when the swarm of minions made their way closer.
“Hurry! Everyone move to higher ground!”, the samurai demanded.
The team quickly jumped off the roof and onto another building as they ran to escape the Kraang minions approaching. Busho Yuichi thwiped out his mystic yo-yo and sliced through the building they just emptied, causing the structure to collapse and block the pathway the minions were coming from. It wasn’t long before a flash of blue flickered in front of the team, one of Leo’s portals stretching brightly as Yuichi ushered the team to jump through.
Casey held his breath as he charged through the portal, closing his eyes as he adjusted to the flashing lights of blue and green before suddenly falling through the sky and tumbling down on an open road at the base of the tallest building.
“Jones, scan the building! Is there anyone else inside?”, Master Leonardo demanded as he, Mikey, and other soldiers rushed over to join the team.
Casey quickly tapped into his mask, scanning the structure for any heat signs of life. But all there was were the cold icky bodies of the Kraang. He shook his head. “Nope, just Kraang!”, he answered.
“Perfect, that’ll make this easier.”, the rabbit smirked. “Lemme just slice this building down with them in it!”
“Not with all of us right here!”, April snarked. “We’ll get crushed!”
“Allow me.”, Mikey grinned.
The box turtle concentrated his mystic energy around his core, clasping his hands together as his eyes illuminated with a brilliant orange. A glowing ball of light swirled into existence as it ballooned around the group, enveloping them in a mystic orange shield. The bubble solidified as sparks of energy zapped around it.
“Go! I can’t hold this for long!”, Master Michelangleo shouted.
Leo glanced at his brother before nodding at Yuichi. The rabbit then reached his mystic yo-yo outside of the shield and stretched the razor sharp string around the tall building as the weapon zigzagged through the structure and sliced it into several pieces. Within seconds, a cloud of debris fell upon the group. Large chunks of cement rained down and crashed against the shield. The team couldn’t help but flinch and shout as they were rocked and tumbled. Soon, the smoke cleared as the agonized wails of Kraang filled the air.
Mikey began to sweat bullets as he concentrated harder to expand the mystic dome before it erupted and blasted away the debris that surrounded them. Leo hurried over to scoop up his brother before he could collapse, resting the box turtle on his shoulders. The leader then took the lead, ushering the team to follow him towards the ruins to look for Brother Kraang.
Unsurprising to no one, Brother Kraang survived the debris collapsing. The alien stood tall in his battle armor’s stilts, sending glares at the team. The soldiers began to charge at the enemy, taking down the few remaining Kraang minions that surrounded Brother Kraang. Usagi tossed out his yo-yo to slice Kraang 3 but the razor sharp string only clanked against the armor. The rabbit gave a look of confusion and horror as his weapon wrapped around the Kraang and sent him flying with it. What was even more bizarre was how the yo-yo snapped as the Brother Kraang broke free of its string.
Sensei quickly caught Usagi with a portal and landed the samurai safely beside him. Busho Yuichi stared at his broken mystic weapon with terror before he quickly switched focus and reached for his katanas. Casey found himself being attacked by a minion, refocusing on it. The Kraang minion in particular was quite slender. Wearing brown pants with a red loincloth on top, with black wrappings on its arms and legs. And like many of the other minions, a broad orange footprint was planted on its face, complimenting its single large yellow eye. Yet…unlike any of the other minions…this one had a flame on its head.
An interesting note but Casey paid no mind as he continued to attack the minion. Though it wasn’t much longer before another Kraang minion cornered him as well. This one was much larger with purple pants and wrappings, a large mouth and cyclops eye for a torso, with even 2 more cyclops heads on top, and on its left shoulder was the head of a human with the same footprint and the same flame on its head. The larger minion sent a mighty punch to Casey’s side, sending the teen tumbling back before landing back on his feet.
Sensei jumped in to help, slicing his swords at the two Kraang minions as Casey revved up his chainsaw and charged to attack again. With the two of them, it didn’t take long before the minions went down. The flames slowly flickered out. The slider then winced, seemingly recognizing the two minions.
“Eugh boy, well that’s one way to introduce you to your so called “granddads” I guess.”, Leonardo mumbled.
“Wait, they’re my what —”, Casey sputtered.
The turtle rubbed the back of his neck, looking over his shoulder at Mikey still on his shell for confirmation. “I mean yeah, didn’t they take in Casey Sr when she was 7?”, he asked but only received a confused shrug from the box turtle in response. “Ah well, don’t worry about it. Let’s go stop Chopsticks.”
The team glanced over at Brother Kraang who was busy trying to navigate the stilts of his battle armor across the rocky terrain. He may still be fast but the debris was slowing him down. Master Leonardo made 2 portals right in front of the stilts, letting the legs step inside before quickly cutting the portals away. Yet the portals fizzed out of existence, not chopping the legs in the process. The slider was stunned.
“Wait, what?”, he tilted his head. “That should’ve worked.”
Mikey didn’t skip a beat as he straightened his stance on top of Leo’s shell as his body sparked with orange light. Mikey’s eyes lit anew as he clapped his hands together in front of him, signaling his chains to launch out of nowhere and wrap around Brother Kraang’s armor. Yet the chains shattered as the alien managed to break free. Master Michelangelo’s face went pale.
“He broke my chains too! What is happening?!”, the box turtle exclaimed as he glanced at his hands.
While the brothers were distracted by confusion, their sister called out with a worried look on her face. “Uh guys, we gotta move!”, she pointed back at Brother Kraang.
The team watched with horror as Brother Kraang raced a few mere feet in front of them, stretching out 2 of his appendages as they dug into the floor. Within split seconds, his lesions began to spread over to the soldiers. Casey swore under his breath as he quickly grabbed his Sensei’s wrist and launched his grappling hook up to a nearby roof of a building, sending him and the turtle brothers away from the lesions. Once the three hit the ledged, clambering their way on top of the roof, they glanced over to see soldiers running for their lives.
Leo immediately spotted Yuichi and April running for higher ground, calling out to them before chucking one of his katanas at his husband. The rabbit caught the hilt of the sword and within a moment, he and the commander were teleported onto the roof with them.
“Are you guys alright? Anyone infected?”, Leo shouted.
“We’re fine!”, Usagi exasperated as he hurried over to the ledge to see the other soldiers fleeing the scene.
The turtle brothers quickly went to work on grabbing as many people as they could. Leo made portals left and right, teleporting a few across the nearby rooftops. Mikey stretched his chains out to fish people up from the debris, April guiding him on where to aim as the box turtle couldn’t see through his glowing eyes. A few soldiers managed to escape and climb up the roofs on their own, others weren’t as lucky. Casey witnessed in disgusted horror as he watched the Kraang lesions rip open people apart and turn them into minions.
“We need to evacuate.”, Usagi muttered. He called out to the teen, “Scan for any more survivors. I’ll call in the ships.”
Junior nodded, flipping down his mask as he ran over to the other side of the roof and began to scan the horizon for anyone else. Other than the soldiers and the civilians who had already escaped, Casey couldn’t find much else. Except…for a horde. A horde of Kraang zombies. Recently infected ones too. The lesions were spreading faster than they should.
The ships Usagi called in were making their landings as the escapees quickly boarded on. But it would be difficult for the team and the remaining soldiers to get through the horde of zombies. Luckily, they had a badass mystic warrior with them.
Mikey jumped off the roof into the scene with a plethora of confidence. Smirking as his eyes lit up brightly, cracking his knuckles and rolling up his imaginary sleeves. Striking his arms into the earth, the mystic warrior sent a surge of his energy towards the Kraang zombies. Casey watched in starstrucked awe at the master healing the horde of the alien lesions.
But…the lesions did not burn away. They just kept growing and spreading. Mikey seemed to have sensed it in his power that something was wrong. The team quickly scrambled down the roof to join the box turtle. Leo reached out a hand on Mikey’s shoulder. With his contact, the slider sent his own energy to his little brother in order to amplify the healing strength. Yet the lesions kept growing.
“W-Why isn’t it working?!”, April exclaimed.
Usagi shrugged with worried eyes, examining the turtles closely. “I don’t know, maybe their powers are spent?”
“It’s not our power that’s the problem!”, Mikey snapped. “There’s…something else present…”
Leo stepped out of the charge, grabbing his katanas. “Well, in any case, we have to move! Now!”, he demanded. “Come on, let’s get out of here!”
Everyone readied their weapons to take their leave…yet Mikey did not get up. Still surging his ninpo, the ornate box turtle stayed focused on the spell. Leo sighed, nudging his brother with the hilt of his sword.
“Mike, leave it! We gotta go!”, he shouted.
“I can’t!”, Master Michelangelo shouted back, his brows beginning to upturn with fear. “It’s—There’s something holding me!”
“What??”
“This isn’t right! Something’s wrong—”
Suddenly, Mikey let out a pained screech from his core as his eyes lit up in a violent pink hue. His screams turned into sonic waves, bursting the team’s eardrums as the box turtle and the rest of the Kraang froze in place. All screeching, screaming, piercing cries. Then, just as soon as it started, Master Michelangelo blacked out and fell to the ground. His brother did not skip a beat, scooping the turtle up under his robotic arm.
“Hurry! Let’s move while the horde is still stunned!”, he ordered.
Coming back to their senses, Casey and the rest of the team evacuated the labor camp and raced over to the battleships waiting for them. They only managed to get a headstart before the horde was back on the move. The soldiers and civilians scrambled onto the ships, quickly closing their latches as soon as they boarded. The teen called out to his family to grab on as he shot out his grappling hook at the back of the main ship. The team all held onto each other as the grappling hook zipped them over to the ship and ran inside. The leader screamed at the pilot to close the latch just as the Kraang were tailgating them just a few feet away. The latch closed just in time for there to be screeched banging noises on the door. The ship quickly took off into the air, everyone on board finally taking a breather.
Leo quickly ran over to the side, dropping down a metallic table as he set the box turtle down on it. The others hurried over to see if Mikey was alright. But as soon as they arrived, the ornate box turtle began to open his eyes.
“Mikey!”, Leo called out, shaking his brother’s shoulders. “Hey, are you alright? Can you hear me? Do you know where you are?”
Mikey’s face screwed up with disorientation before he suddenly shot his eyes wide open and scrambled to get up in a panic, searching around frantically.
“Woah, woah, hey! It’s okay! You’re safe!”, Leo hurried to soothe. “We’re heading home now, alright?—”
“NO!”, the mystic warrior screamed. “NO WE CAN’T GO HOME! THEY KNOW WHERE IT IS!”
“What do you mean by that? Who knows where we are?”
“ KRAANG PRIME! ”, Mikey screeched. “HE SYNCED INTO MY MIND THROUGH THE HORDE, AND NOW HE KNOWS WHERE WE ARE!”
The ship fell silent. Only a moment later did it fill with quiet muttered hushes and whispers of the soldiers around the team. All looking concerned and worried. The leader inhaled deeply before taking initiative.
“Right…April, contact the Purple Dragons and get a status update on the droids.”, he ordered.
“On it.”, April nodded, holding up her communication device as she stepped off to the side.
“Sagi, call the other ships and HQ and inform them about the situation. Wait for my command on what to do next.”
Usagi nodded as well. “You got it.” He hurried over to the controls.
“Case, blanket.”
Casey nodded and hummed an affirmation, turning on his heels over to where the ship kept their emergency blankets. He grabbed one of them, heading back to Master Michelangelo who was shaking like a leaf with wide eyes sparking sparsely with mystic energy. The teen gave a sympathetic frown as he gently tossed the blanket over the box turtle’s shoulders. Master Leonardo sat on top of the metal table, wrapping his arm around his brother.
“It’s going to be alright, little brother. We’ll figure this out. We always do.”, the slider reassured.
The box turtle didn’t give a response. Shutting his eyes tight, Mikey curled in on himself. Casey watched as Leo pulled his brother in closer and rubbed the back of his shell. Junior then felt something swirl inside of him. There was a glint of green, faint and gone in a flash. The static hissing in his ears, the drums rumbling in his veins. The static and drums urged Casey to reach out and place a gentle hand on Mikey’s knee. Upon contact, Michelangelo opened his eyes and stared up at Casey. The ornate box turtle seemed to have sensed something as he searched in the kid’s eyes. Casey gave him a smile.
“We’re here, Mikey. Together.” Casey didn’t expect himself to say those words, but he wasn’t going to take them back.
Master Michelangelo grinned back and nodded, placing a hand on top of Casey’s. “Together.”
April hurried back over to the group with worry creasing her brows. She took in the scene before her, smiling at her family sympathetically.
“Hey Mike, how you doing, big guy?”, she asked softly.
“I’m okay.”, Mikey sighed. “Any news from the Dragons?”
April frowned again, glancing up at Leo. “The droids are on the move. Currently based in Moldova but marching fast.”
“Are they headed here?”, Leo asked.
“We believe so.”, the commander nodded. “Kendra estimated…”, she paused for a moment as her voice got caught in her throat. She took a breath and tried again. “Kendra estimated it’ll take 3 days for them to arrive.”
“3 days…”, Casey breathed in bewilderment. “B-But don’t the droids move on foot?”
Leo huffed, “Yeah but those things are huge . A march like that, with no need to stop or rest since those things are literally undead, it doesn’t take long for the droids to wipe out a city.”
“And our powers don’t work on them anymore.”, Mikey added quietly.
“...What do you mean?”, Leo quizzed skeptically.
The box turtle paused for a moment. “...you saw what happened with Brother Kraang. Mystics don’t work on him. And the horde…nothing we did could heal them. I sensed something inside of the lesions when I was connected.” Casey felt the turtle’s hand shake in his. “The Kraang…they infused themselves with empyrean.”
“Empyrean?”, April tilted her head. “Isn’t that what the Shredder was after? What he used to draw out Splint's ninpo?”
Mikey nodded. “Not only that. The Kraang had visited Earth before. They gifted Oroku Saki the Shredder armor. And they brought empyrean to Earth with them.”
Who the fuck is Shredder????
“So…the Kraang found the empyrean they left behind and got high on their own supply?”, Leo puzzled. “And now they’re immune to mystics??”
The box turtle’s silence was answer enough. But…that wasn’t fair! Without mystics, there was no way that the Resistance would be able to fight back. And if they couldn’t fight, that meant they had to run, right?
“So what does this mean?”, Casey asked. “Are we going to evacuate the base?” It seemed like the most logical answer.
Yet the red-eared slider paused for a long moment. Casey could sense the rest of the soldiers begin to stare at their leader for an answer. Then Leonardo spoke up.
“...No.”
“What?!”, Usagi shouted from the controls. He hurried down to his husband. “Leo, we can’t face those guys. We’re in no shape to fight.”
“And we’re in no shape to run either.”, Leo explained. “If we flee, they’ll only come after us again. Think about it, the people in these ships and in that base are all the remains of humanity. The Kraang isn’t going to stop until all of us are dead.”
April chimed in, “What if we spread out? Separate everyone into several Resistance bases across the globe?”
“And repeat the invasion? I don’t think so.”, the slider snarked. “We have no choice. We’re going home and we’re going to prepare for the fight. With any luck, it’ll be our last.”
Mikey crossed his arms. “In a good way, or a bad way?”
Leo paused again, his expression softened yet creased with determination.
“It will be our last.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: Surprisingly no blood but still gore/body horror and injury. A bit of PTSD (idk if it was narrated well),
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In case you're new, the purple skeleton yokai is my persona lmfao--And oh BOY only 2 chapter left of Arc 2!! I've already started writing Arc 3 (the post-movie arc) and it's so weird to go back and forth between what chapter you guys are on and what chapter I am on.
And on top of that, I MADE A NEW ROTTMNT COMIC SERIES ON TUMBLR!!! It's called Feral!Casey AU, tdlr; the kid was raised by the Kraang! (Don't ask me how, it'll be explained later).
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Also, I wanna rant about how fucking cool everyone (especially Mikey) was in this chapter. Even when things didn't go as planned and a few of our characters are disabled, the team still worked quick to accommodate for each other and push through. I'm so fucking proud of myself for that. Disability pride, y'all! >=)
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 20: Last Resort
Summary:
“NO! DON’T GO! COME BACK HERE! DON’T LEAVE ME AGAIN!”, he pleaded. “MAMA!!!”
The woman could not hear him. She kept on walking. Not looking back. The kid continued to scream, practically slamming his body against the barrier.
Notes:
Mockingbird by Eminem is stuck in my head. Fuck. (as well as kevin kaarl)
Anywhizzle enjoy this chapter as a victory to AO3 for overcoming the DDoS attack. Everyone better give a huge round of applause to the team and consider donating if you can.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The 3 day countdown began.
Day 0, the team returned home from the Big Apple Camp. Injured survivors were rushed to the med-bay as Leo called an emergency meeting with the council. As predicted, Casey wasn’t allowed in. And as always, he listened in through the doors.
“In 78 hours, the Technodrome will be at our doorstep with 33 droids in march.”, Kendra explained. “Do I even have to go over the lethality of just one droid?”
“What is there to say? A giant ass skyscraper with legs and laser beam that can disintegrate an entire army within the blink of an eye? This is a death wish.”, Usagi exasperated.
“Even if in some insane timeline we were to win, how will we rebuild society from the ground up on a now inhabitable planet?”, April joined in. “There’s no more water, barely enough food, and not enough people who will make it.”
“Well, do you have a better idea?”, Leo muttered. “Go on, I’m listening.”
The room went silent for a moment. No one had an answer. Except for Leo himself.
“You know…if things go bad, we could try Donnie’s plan.”, the slider suggested.
“Donatello’s plan?”, Draxum quizzed.
“Yeah. The one we didn’t believe at first.”, Leo continued. “If Mikey could learn that gateway spell and we get Casey on board—”
“No!”, Mikey slammed his hands on the table. “That plan is suicide!”
“It is! Quite literally it is!”, Leo insisted. “But it could work! Besides, it’s not like we’re sending that kid on his own. We’ll still be with him in a way.”
“Yeah, I don’t like that plan either.”, April pointed out. “It’s too much of a risk. What if we like…can’t reach Casey or something?”
“Well, he’s already got plenty of help.”, Sensei exasperated. “I mean have you seen him? Have you seen how he fights?”
“Casey is just a kid, Leo!”, Usagi snapped. “We are not leaving a kid to take on this responsibility!”
“I mean…not to step on any timbily turtley toes…”, Big Mama inquired. “But you were just a child yourself when this whole catatrocious catastrophe began. And look where that ended all of us up.”
A pause.
“Thank you for the input, Big Mama.”, Leo blurted sarcastically. “Real helpful.”
“Anytime, dear.”
“So is that it then? We’re just gonna dive right into this plan headfirst? Hm? Hit our head on the shallow end?”, April asked.
“No, of course not.”, Leo interjected. “If anything, I would love to throw this plan out the window. But it’s our only backup when this fight goes south.”
The room went silent again. But just for a moment.
“So…this is it then, huh?”, Usagi spoke up. “We fight. We fight with all we got. And hold on to hope.”
“It’s a ninja’s greatest weapon after all.”, Leo agreed. “Just remember not to let anyone know about this plan. Let them think we’ll be alright. They need to have hope if we are going to win.”
“Even though we won’t.”, Draxum intervened.
“We will win. Just you wait.”
“But the backup plan…”, Mikey spoke out. “We will only do it if it’s our last resort, right?”
“Yes, I promise.”, his brother assured. “Last resort.”
Everyone else unanimously agreed, repeating “Last resort.” as well.
“...Last resort.”, Mikey muttered.
Last resort , Casey thought. And with that, the meeting seemed to have ended. Junior listened closely as he started to hear footsteps walk across the room and ohfucktheyaregettingcloser —
The teen tried his best to tip-toe run away from the door as far as possible and duck around the corner before the doors slid open and Leo marched out with haste.
“Where are you going?”, Yuichi asked, poking his head out of the room.
“To pray. Feel free to join.”, the slider muttered as he continued down the hall.
The turtle noticed Casey peering around the corner as he passed by but didn’t do or say anything else to the kid. Casey didn’t bother to follow. Instead he stood there and thought about how dire the situation had become. The council was focused on fighting till the end even if they knew things wouldn’t end well. Casey hated it. He didn’t want to lose his family all over again. So he had no other choice.
Just an itch for a fight.
“Hey, skeleton guy, can you tell us another story?
Day 1 rolled around and the people of the Resistance had been informed that they were resting, training, and preparing for the biggest fight of their lives. The leader insisted that it would be their last, for at the end of the fight, the war would be over. And the Resistance would win. The people were wary and scared but…they had hope. And they looked to Casey as their beacon, telling him how happy he would be to finally have a “normal” life. Casey let them believe.
“I have a name you know.”, teased the purple skeleton that Casey had helped rescue from the Big Apple Camp.
“I…forget.”, another survivor said.
The skeleton yokai sighed. “Azúcar. Azúcar Skull. He/xem.”
“Right."
A bunch of the Big Apple camp survivors gathered around on the floor in front of the skeleton. Casey stood in the back, wondering what was going on. The yokai grinned, sitting on a crate in front of the crowd. Xe set his metal bar cane on the ground as he dusted xyr sleeves and stretched his arms.
“Alright…story…story…”, Azúcar muttered. “Right…let’s see.”
The people of the Resistance also became curious as to what the skeleton was doing as the soldiers gradually came around and gathered in the back or sat on the floor.
“Every good story starts with once upon a time.”, the skeleton started. “Long long ago, there lived this ancient society that lived deep underground in a cave. To put it simply, this society quite literally lived under a rock. They’ve grown to hate the surface and the dangers that lurk beyond in the sunlight. The dark cavern was their home.”
“So, they lived in a cave just like this one?”, one person asked.
“Close.”, Azúcar smiled. “But instead of dry dusty red dirt, the inside was coated in a damp dark violet hue. Water dripped into small pools from beautifully carved stalactites and followed into soft quiet rivers. Moss and mushrooms flourished in the environment. And with the humid space in every fireplace, the cavern was such a comforting warmth. The society was able to constantly sustain themselves without ever needing to step foot onto the surface.”
“Wow, that sounds cozy.”, another person grinned.
The skeleton nodded. “It was. Now the society wasn’t full of humans or yokai. They were filled with these shadow creatures. A body with pitch black skin like a silhouette. They did have mouths but their insides were so dark, it was hard to tell if they were there. The only thing that stood out were their large glowing white eyes. These creatures also wore robes of various styles to cover up their physique.”, Azúcar told. “And no genitals either. They were all gender nonconforming.”, xe added.
Casey glanced at Mikey in the corner of his eyes, sitting on the floor with the others and sketching out the creatures that the storyteller described.
“One of which was named Títere. The Puppet Master.”, the skeleton continued. “They were a young member of the society, breaching their early adult stages. And they, unlike the rest of the society, yearned to see the stars. Títere had heard and read books about what lies beyond the surface and the sky that they didn’t know of. But growing up underground, the young puppet master had never seen the stars or the sun. Did not know the clear sound the surface made when it rained or snowed. Could not smell the fresh scent of flowers and fruits in the spring. Had no idea what it felt like to spread their fingertips in the lush lively grass.”
The teen, now intrigued in the story, stepped a little closer and sat down. In an odd way, he could somewhat relate to the main character of this story.
“Now the reason why Títere was called the Puppet Master, was because their role in their society was to provide stories and entertainment. Keep the moral running high. But with this passion, this urge, to see the surface, it slipped into their stories as well.”, Azúcar continued xyr tale. “And the creatures were mad . Parents ushered their children away from the shows. Soldiers and guards would ambush their performances and send the young puppeteer into the dungeon for days, sometimes weeks.”
“But that’s not fair!”, one person spoke up. “They just wanted to see the stars. Why is it such a crime to love?”
“Because…”, the skeleton pointed out with a shrug. “Their love for the Earth was considered unnatural. Many of Títere’s friends and family and neighbors had said as much. They would tell them things like, “Come now, Títere. The surface is a dangerous place. No one in our community had seen the surface before. And besides, who even wants to run up there? In this cavern, we got everything we’ll ever need. We got food, water, warmth, and shelter. There’s nothing out there that will love you back.” Yet day after day, the puppeteer became antsy. They loathed the society for not sharing their opinion. Who would even make such a rule? So Títere decided that they had enough. They needed to escape. To flee. However…leaving was not that easy.”
The skeleton scooted the crate back and picked up the metal bar. With it, xe drawed a map out in the dirt as xe continued his story. Everyone shuffled to peer closer.
“Blocking the exit was the monarch’s castle. Which was heavily guarded with soldiers and walls. Now the monarch in question had been in power for as long as Títere could remember. The monarch had a gift of never aging, but that didn’t mean they were completely immortal. Yet the monarch would often tell the tales about how when they ventured to the surface, the rest of the society was killed by the harsh cruel world. They would bawl as they explained how it was safer to stay underground and that everyone should trust them. So everyone did. Except Títere.”, the skeleton explained. He set the bar down and then clasped his hands together. “In order to escape, Títere had to plan a regicide.”
The crowd let out a quiet gasp. People began murmuring amongst each other. Casey found himself scooting closer near the front.
“And so one night, while the village was asleep, Títere snuck out and headed for the castle. They took a thin black cloth and tied it around their eyes so that the white glow was less visible. Careening their way through the dark, they reached the gates of the entrance. They used the reverberation of the cavern by screaming for help in one direction, distracting the guards and had them running in the other direction to look for the source of the sound. Then Títere ran past the gates and climbed up the side of the castle into the tallest tower where the monarch slept.”
The skeleton stretched his arms out, acting out the scene as xe continued the story.
“The puppet master hunched on the ground, moving very very quietly and slowly. There, the monarch was sleeping oh so peacefully in their bed. Oblivious of what would happen next. Títere pulled out a shiny jagged dagger from their sleeve, the blade making a small shnk as it glinted shyly in the dark bedroom. Títere held the blade with both hands, lifting it high up in the air.”, Azúcar gestured his arms above his head, clasping them together. “And… and… ”
Everyone waited with anticipation as the storyteller paused. Yet the yokai smirked, dropping his hands back down.
“And…that’s where the story stops for today.”
“WHAT?!”, Casey blurted out as the rest of the crowd also exclaimed in complaint. “You can’t just leave us on a cliffhanger like that!”
“I can. And I did.”, Azúcar teased. He turned back to the crowd. “Come find me tomorrow to hear the end!”
The skeleton yokai then grabbed xyr cane, hobbling xyrself up to a stand. As people began to disperse, feeling on edge with the suspense the storyteller left them with. Casey let out a huff, quickly getting up before following the skeleton.
The teen tapped the yokai on the shoulder. “Hey, why would you do that? You just left everyone with that suspense.”
Azúcar shrugged, “It’s called good business.” He smirked before taking a sigh. “But no, actually, take a look.” The skeleton gestured toward the people in the background. “My audience is usually full of people who are dealing with their own challenges. Whether big or small. I like telling stories into pieces because it gives them something to look forward to. Don’t you feel the same way too?”
Casey’s expression softened with the realization. “Huh…I guess it does make me look forward to something.”
“Then my work here is done.”, the skeleton continued to walk away. “Come find me tomorrow to hear the end of the story. See you around, Casey.”
Casey paused for a moment. “...Wait. I never told you my name.”
“Casey baby!”, a voice called to him.
The teen found himself in a dark empty space. The floor was solid and smooth and every step he took echoed around like a damp cavern. He cupped his hands around his face.
“Mama?”, he called back.
No response.
“Mama!”, he tried again.
Nothing.
He kept walking for a bit. Eventually he found light. He headed towards it. Getting closer, he heard people talking. Shouting, calling out to each other.
“Wha—Casey, where are you going?”
“I forgot to say bye to Mama!”
Casey found himself standing near the entrance of the cave, peering into the scene. A younger him was running across the atrium to the entrance, being chased by Donnie. And there, leaving the cave was…
“Mama!!!”
Mama turned around, facing the child. “What is it, Casey baby?”
“I forgot to say goodbye! Bye-bye, Mama!”
“See you later, Casey baby! Be good to your family for me, alright?”
“I will! I love you!”
“I love you too!”
His mama turned away. But the teen felt true fear. He tried to reach closer but…there was an invisible barrier blocking him. Junior banged on the barrier, but it wouldn’t budge. He started hitting it more frantically, watching his mother walk away into her demise. The teen was now shouting. Screaming.
“NO! DON’T GO! COME BACK HERE! DON’T LEAVE ME AGAIN!”, he pleaded. “MAMA!!!”
The woman could not hear him. She kept on walking. Not looking back. The kid continued to scream, practically slamming his body against the barrier.
Casey? Hey, wake up!
He was screaming. Kicking. Punching. Shoulder slamming. But the stupid fucking barrier still wouldn’t move.
Wake up!!
The younger version of him started to walk away too. Blissfully unaware of the hell that was about to rain down on him.
“WAKE UP!”
The teen jolted up from his slumber, screaming. Hands were quickly on his shoulders, a voice shushing him.
“You’re okay! You’re awake. I got you, Case.”
Casey sensed other people staring at him as he remembered where he was. In the atrium, not far away was the entrance. Casey was literally in this room…but in a nightmare. It was just a nightmare.
The kid started to sit up right, tucking his knees to his chest. The hands shifted, one rubbing up and down his back. It was enough to trigger the waterworks that the teen desperately tried to push down.
“Let it out, Casey. There’s no shame.”, Mikey soothed. “...We can move somewhere else, if you want.”
The kid looked up, glancing at the few that he accidentally awakened with his screaming. Some were filled with pity, others with annoyance. Junior very subtly nodded, his eyes brimming with tears. The box turtle pulled Casey up into a stand, wrapping the teen in his blanket and picking up his prosthetic before walking out of the atrium and into the hallway.
Master Michelangelo guided Casey to a bench further down the hall, sitting the both of them down and setting the teen’s robotic arm off to the side. The second Casey sat down, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. The ornate box turtle always had the effect of making people show the most vulnerable part of themselves. The teen felt the hot tears run down his face. The box turtle began rubbing soothing circles on Casey’s back, taking a breath.
“Hush little baby, don’t say a word. Mikey’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.”, the mystic warrior sang, his voice low and quiet. “And if that mockingbird won’t sing, Mikey’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.”
The kid tried to wipe his tears, but they kept on flowing.
“And if that diamond ring turns brass, Mikey’s gonna buy you a looking glass. And if that looking glass gets broke, Mikey’s gonna buy you a billy goat.”
The rubbing was calm and gentle. Nothing in comparison to the swirling inside Casey’s heart.
“And if that billy goat don’t pull, Mikey’s gonna buy you a cart and bull. And if that cart and bull turn over, Mikey’s gonna buy you a dog called Rover.”
It was moments like this that Casey felt like a kid again. A stupid, naive, incompetent child. Like the one in his dream, walking away and being thrown into this hellish world.
“And if that dog called Rover don’t bark, Mikey’s gonna buy you a horse and cart. And if that horse and cart turn around, you’ll still be the sweetest little babe in town.”
He should’ve done something. Maybe if something had changed, she wouldn’t be dead. Maybe it was something Casey did that caused her death. Like all the other deaths that followed after.
“So hush little baby, don’t you cry. I promise everything’s gonna be alright.”
The teen couldn’t spare to cry. There was hardly enough to cry. It left him exhausted and incredibly thirsty, his throat hissing in dry air. All scratchy and arid. He swallowed to ease the discomfort, though it was painful.
“...M-Master Michelangelo?”, he muttered. “...am I a bad person?”
The rubbing stopped. Mikey leaned in and hushed, “What? No, of course not. What makes you think that?”
The teen’s lungs greedily sucked in air. “It’s just…I— We’ve lost so many people. And…and most of it was my fault too—”
“Casey, no.”, the box turtle lamented. “No, none of this is your fault. Things just…didn’t work out for us.”
“Yeah. Because of me.”, Junior hissed. “The second I’ve entered the Resistance, I’ve been a fucking death trap. A beacon of destruction . Everywhere I go, death will follow. I’m lying to these people about hope . I’m leading them to their demise. You know that. I know you know that.”
“No you don’t.”, Mikey snarked. “You don’t know what I know. Because if you did, you wouldn’t be saying this to yourself.” He sighed, putting both hands on Casey’s shoulders. “Case. Listen to me. You have this…thing. This beautiful ability. This fight power. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And this is you . Not the expectations others have set for you, this is you.”
“So…what does that mean?”, the teen sniffled, wiping his tears. “Who am I supposed to be?”
“That’s the best part. You get to decide that.”, the mystic warrior smiles. “You can be destructive if you want, sure. But you can also be powerful and uplifting too. You don’t have to be what others expect you to be.”
“...but I don’t know who I want to be. And besides, with the Kraang at our door, I doubt I ever will.”
“You will, Casey. Trust me. You will.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: Uhh....nightmare? Bit of 4th wall breaking? ....huh this chapter is pretty chill yet tense at the same time howdididothat--
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How did you enjoy my cameo? >=)Also, this chapter was meant to be longer but then it got too long so I had to split it in half. So. There's 2 chapters left of Arc 2, not 1. But hey! More suspense I guess! The finale is all solid now, next Wednesday will be the end of Arc 2. (You guys are gonna LOVE Arc 3 there is SO MUCH COMFORT--)
I will also be going on hiatus once Arc 2 ends so that I can enjoy my summer vacation and also write more chapters. It might be 2 weeks. Might be 3. I'll keep you posted on that when I can (I am already taking a social media break for the rest of the month cuz mental health stuff sdghdghh).
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 21: Monatophobia
Summary:
“If…if you were able to pick…who would you have die first? Me? Or You?”, he asked.
Notes:
This chapter is gonna make you cry. It sure made me full on fucking sob. /gen
Disclaimers in the end notes cuz uhh...well I wrote this. And you know me. =)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
As day 2 rolled around, everyone was quickly on edge.
Tomorrow was going to be the fight of their lives. People soon began to realize that there was a very slim chance of survival, and even a slimmer chance at winning. It was clear that doomsday was soon upon them.
It didn’t help that Master Leonardo put a pause on rations as soon as the team returned home from the Big Apple camp. He insisted it was because he wanted everyone to share a meal together before the fight to save their strength, to ensure a chance that they would win. But the people of the Resistance were convinced it was their final meal on death row.
A lot of people gave up. Without much of a word, they marched right out of the Resistance and into the wasteland to pursue their own deaths instead of waiting around. Casey wasn’t too optimistic that they’d make it much longer. Julian was one of them, though they definitely had something to say before they left.
“YOU STUPID LITTLE BITCH!”, they shouted as they smacked the teen right across the face. “YOU PROMISED ME! YOU PROMISED ME THAT THE RESISTANCE WAS SAFE! THAT RIVER WOULD BE OKAY!”
Casey rubbed the sting on his cheek, which didn’t really hurt as much as literally everything else he had gone through. He kept a calm expression, hoping that would help bereaved parent settle down.
“I didn’t promise anything. I only stated what was fact at the time we first met. And what was fact was that the Resistance was a safe place at some point.”, Junior explained in a cool manner.
“BUT I TRUSTED YOU! I TRUSTED YOU WITH RIVER’S LIFE AND NOW THEY’RE DEAD AND IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!”, Julian berated as tears choked up in their eyes. “YOU ARE A LIAR! YOU LIED TO ME! YOU FUCKING LIED TO ME!”
The kid did his best not to flinch as the person raised their hand again to slap him. But just as the motion came down, a tough bright green three-fingered hand caught their wrist.
“Hands. Off. My. Kid.”, Leo uttered under his breath in a threatening tone.
Julian cackled. “HA! Your kid? Your kid has turned into a weapon of war!”
The person then yanked their arm out of the slider’s tight grasp, turning on their heel and grabbing their belongings before marching right out of the cave and into the cold desert. Master Leonardo sighed as he watched Julian storm off. He turned to Casey with a soft worried expression.
“...Casey…”, he whispered, slowly reaching out his hand to press against Junior’s cheek that was slapped. Casey felt a lurk of danger in his chest for a moment but it quickly melted when he felt his Sensei’s warm fingertips on his skin. “...Are you okay?”
Casey stared at the red-eared slider for a long moment. That word LIAR echoed in his mind but…it was true. The teen, in his own personal way, was a part of the council, even if he actually wasn’t. He was their “beacon of hope” after all. He had to smile for the Resistance and tell them that they would win the fight. Even if he had heard a completely different conversation go down. But to answer Leo’s question, Casey felt…numb. The sting didn’t hurt anymore and he was not upset by Julian’s words. He didn’t feel anything at all.
And so, the 15 year old nodded silently, yet couldn’t help to meet Leonardo’s gaze. Before he could be pressed further, he backed off and walked away.
He was okay.
After spending some time pacing the halls and flashing a grin to the people who passed by and asked if the council was telling the truth about winning, Casey found himself heading towards the quiet room.
Yet the quiet room was not quiet at all. Instead, Casey heard the sparking flashes of mystic energy and a seemingly frustrated mystic warrior. The teen peered past the beaded curtain into the room to find Master Michelangelo practicing something. The box turtle kept repeating the same motion.
He planted both of his feet flat on the ground, spinning on one foot while creating an orange circle of light around him with the other. His eyes lit up as Mikey reached into his core. A tear of light cracked from his ninpo, gravitating in front of him. But as soon as the tear appeared, the box turtle then immediately stopped and dropped to his knees. Heaving as if he just ran for miles. After a third attempt, Casey decided to push past the beaded curtains into the room.
“Uh…hey.”, he said.
Mikey grinned as he took a few panting breaths. “Oh, hey CJ. Did you need something?”
“No.”, the teen shook his head. “I was just wondering what you were doing.”
“Oh.”, the box turtle nodded with furrowed brows. He glanced around the room before staring at the circular traces in the dirt. “I was just…trying out a new spell.”
“New spell?”, Casey tilted his head.
“...Yeah. Only problem is, I need to be able to see what I’m doing because I have to envision something into existence. But of course, I can’t see anything at all when I use my powers. I need to find a way to make this work.”, Mikey explained with a determined glint in his eyes.
Casey pondered the idea for a moment. It must’ve been difficult for the mystic warrior to carry out certain spells like this one if Mikey was unable to see. Yet the box turtle shook his head off at his own train of thought and shot a grin at Junior.
“Enough about me, what’s been going on with you?”, he asked. “How are you feeling about our upcoming fight?”
Casey shrugged, chewing his inner lip with his chipped tooth. “Honestly? I’m more frustrated than nervous.”
“How so?”
The teen sighed in exasperation, rolling his eyes. “It’s so fucking annoying. Everyone in the Resistance looks to me for hope and keeps on telling me that same old spiel of how great it’s gonna be for me to lead a normal life and go to school and be with kids my age. But…none of that is normal for me!”, he ranted. Casey then threw his arms out as he continued, “And no matter how many times I explain this to them, they still shrug it off and insist they know better than me! As if they can read my fucking mind! I hate it, it’s so frustrating!”
Junior didn’t mean to spill his guts out to Master Michelangelo like that. The box turtle just always had that effect of getting people to open up. Yet the teen found himself feeling the anger he had been pushing down for the whole countdown period, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palm and his prosthetic scraped against itself. The ornate box turtle seemed to have caught on as he gently reached forward to hold Casey’s wrists.
“Take it from me, but stims like this could be harmful to you when you least expect it.”, he grinned. “You gotta try a different outlet, like this!” He then pressed his thumbs into Casey’s palms, forcing the hands to unclench. The turtle smiled as he lightly shook out the teen’s arms for him. Junior huffed out a chuckle at Mikey’s shenanigans before the mystic warrior's eyes lit up with an idea. “Wait…that’s it!”, he exclaimed.
“What is?”, Casey tilted his head.
“That’s why the spell wasn’t working! I was focused on the wrong outlet!”, Mikey shouted, getting increasingly more excited. “All of my magic is centered in my ninpo. And thanks to that dent, it’s causing mystic implosions and making my eyes go blank. But…if I channel the energy into another output…”, The turtle drawled, letting go of Casey’s wrists and staring at his own hands.
Mikey backed away, ready to try again. He took a deep breath before he shook out all his limbs and bounced on his toes. He planted both feet flat on the ground, spinning on one foot while creating an orange circle of light around him with the other. He then brought his hands to the center, mystic energy spark around them. Then the turtle lunged to the side, pushing his arms out as he focused his eyes on the space in front of him. Surprisingly, his eyes did not light up, the main focus of his energy now flowing down his arms. With sparks of energy circulating around the mystic warrior, a tear of light cracked from his hands.
Casey watched in awe at the master as the ornate box turtle continued chipping away at the tear of light. Yet the both of them were quick to notice the cracks forming on Mikey’s fingertips. The box turtle yelped in surprise, retracting his hands back as if he had been burned. Casey quickly reached out his arms as he saw Mikey curl inwards on himself.
“Master Michelangelo! Are you alright—”, Casey exclaimed.
“I’m fine.”, the turtle spat out.
“A-are you sure?”
“I said I’m fine .”, Mikey hissed. But then he quickly collected his composure, uncurling himself and flashing a smile at the teen. “It just took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting that to happen.”
“Expecting what?”, Casey tilted his head.
The mystic warrior sunk into a small frown as he glanced down at his fingers again, the teen noting the faint cracked scars. “My powers…my spells…they all have consequences to them. You’ve seen it. More green hair, more spots, more wrinkles… All that jazz. It seems this spell…”
Mikey sighed and paused. Junior waited patiently for him to continue but he didn’t. Instead, the box turtle shook his head and smiled again.
“Why don’t you run along? I still need to practice and could use some alone time to concentrate.”, he suggested softly.
Casey was going to ask if he was sure but…the kid was hesitant. So instead he nodded, slowly. And pushed past the beaded curtains out of the room. Yet…before he was out of hearing range, he heard Mikey talk into his wrist tech.
“Hey, Leo? You got a minute? There’s something I need to tell you.”
As the evening rolled in, people began catching the attention of Azúcar to finish xyr tale.
“Alright, alright. Settle down.”, the skeleton grinned. “Don’t trip my cane now as I’m trying to walk.”
A crowd began to form as the yokai made his way to the atrium, sitting back down on the crate. Xe cleared xyr throat and set his metal bar down as he began to continue his story.
“So…where was I?”, he drawled.
One person called out, “Puppet dude was about to kill the monarch!”
“Right! Okay…let’s see.”, Azúcar snapped his fingers.
The skeleton yokai stretched his arms out above him as xe clasps xyr hands together, imitating the movement as he told the story.
“Títere held the blade with both hands, lifting it high up in the air.”, the skeleton spoke. “And… and… ”
As Casey sat down on the ground, he scooted closer to the front, eyeing the storyteller. Everyone else leaned in as well with suspenseful anticipation.
“And…they stopped.”, Azúcar said solemnly. “Títere…couldn’t do it.”
A few people in the crowd exclaimed in complaint.
“The young puppet master did not have what it took to kill. “What am I doing ?”, they muttered. Their arms trembled…losing their grip on the dagger.”, the skeleton explained. “And the sharp blade fell… RIGHT into the monarch’s shoulder!”
The audience gasped. A few cheered for the fall of the monarchy.
“The monarch woke up with a piercing scream! Within moments, guards bursted down the door and immediately apprehended Títere. They threw the puppeteer into a cell as the castle doctor tended to the monarch and awaited further instruction. Then, as the dawn creeped into the cavern, Títere was dragged out of the cell and brought to a balcony of the castle that overlooked the entire community. Everyone gathered around to hear the news that the monarch had to share.”
The skeleton cleared his throat, speaking in a mighty tone as xyr arms raised above his head.
“The monarch said, “My colony! Standing here before you today is a traitor charged with attempted regicide!” The crowd gasped in shock and began booing Títere. Then the monarch continued, “I have heard about Títere’s incessant complaints to see the surface world. But never in my immortal years did I expect this to be the extent of their desperation. And so…as punishment…Títere is to be banished to the stars and live there forever with no ways of returning home, since they wish to see them so badly.””, the storyteller chanted loudly and exaggerated. “And so, the young puppet master was banished to live among the stars, residing on the moon. They got what they wanted, but at what price? They were alone. Filled with sorrow, grief, and regret. It is said that you can still hear their tales through the night, as the young stary -teller is the creator behind the constellations, telling stories through the sky for all on Earth to enjoy. The end.”
“What? That’s it?”, someone called out. “They’re just stuck on the moon for all eternity? That’s not a happy ending.”
“I never said it was.”, Azúcar shrugged. “Just a story.”
“I thought your stories were supposed to grant hope.”, Casey said skeptically. “How can we have hope if the story doesn’t have a happy ending?”
“Trust me. Your story does.”
After the skeleton’s story was finished, it was time for dinner.
Master Leonardo held off rations for the short time to ensure that everyone in the Resistance could share one final meal together before the big fight.
The dinner was nothing special. Just some leftover cans of soup mixed with rat meat. But everyone was more than grateful to not starve tomorrow. Casey included. He sat himself down at a table with his family. April and Usagi were gossiping to each other as the turtle brothers took turns making each other laugh. It was so weird to think that this was what remained of his family. No Mama or Donnie. No Sunita either. Not even Shelldon or Cup. Everything felt so small. And Casey knew deep down it was only going to get smaller.
“...today is?”, Mikey asked. Casey wasn’t paying attention again.
“What?”, Casey muttered, subtly shaking himself out of the fogginess of his mind.
“I asked if you remember what today is?”
Today? It was… oh .
“...It’s my birthday.”, Casey replied as his eyes lit up with realization.
Damn, had it really been that long now? The teen still felt like he was 13, fresh out of the Arch Angels lair. And now he was 16. Holy fuck.
“Wait, really?”, Leo chimed in, mouth half full with food. He swallowed, giving a look of surprise. “That’s today?”
April smiled. “Wow, 16. I can’t even believe it.”
Me neither , Casey wanted to say.
The box turtle grinned, “Well, what are we waiting for? We obviously gotta sing Happy Birthday!”
“Please don’t.”, the now 16 year old groaned.
“Too bad. It’s tradition.”, Usagi chuckled. “You’re gonna get birthday’d.”
The teen rolled his eyes as he watched Master Michelangelo stand up in his seat and face everyone else in the canteen. Junior’s shoulders tensed as he felt his face warm with embarrassment. Mikey clapped his hands loudly to gather everyone’s attention.
“Everyone, if I may have just a moment of your time.”, he spoke out. “I know that tomorrow is a big day for us, filled with many more hurdles to overcome. But for just one last night, let us all smile and celebrate. As our little bundle of hope—”
“Not that little.”, Casey interjected.
“—has turned 16 years old today!”
A few people had started cheering and clapping for the kid. Junior gave in a bit and returned a half-smile, still feeling awkward.
“So let’s all sing Happy Birthday to him and have some fun! Ready? 1…2…3…”
As the ornate box turtle conducted everyone into song, Casey sat there and began to let the grief sink in.
He remembered the early days when he was surrounded by family. Holding a mantecada with a candle in it. So young. And happy. And so so naive.
“Make a wish!”, his mom whisper shouted. “Don’t say it out loud or else it won’t come true.”
Casey yearned to see the sun. He had heard so many stories about it. And it was what he had wished for many years. But this year in particular…Casey just wished that his family would be there when the sun rises.
“...Happy birthday to you!”
After dinner, Casey decided it was time to get some sleep early. For the next morning would probably be the last morning of his life. But as he walked down the hall to grab his things from his bedroom, he heard people talking inside.
“Hey. Remember that one time you tried to serenade me?”, Usagi chuckled.
“Ay caramba, don’t remind me. That was so embarrassing.”, Leo laughed back.
Casey listened in, not wanting to disturb the husbands’ conversation.
“It was right when we met. A year into the apocalypse, so we were…17. And even though I agreed to join the Resistance, I wanted nothing more to do with you.”, the rabbit continued. “And after a couple months of you making a fool of yourself, you decided to serenade me with a song at karaoke night.”
“Stop. Please. I’ve repressed the memory.”
Yuichi giggled. “You were SO nervous, your voice was cracking the entire time.”
“It was not!”, the slider snarked.
“Yes it was!”, Usagi shouted back. “You were up on that stage like…”LaDy LoVe NeVeR sMiLEs, So LeNd YoUr LoVe To Me AwHiLe~””
Leo scoffed and muttered, “I did not sound like that.”
“Nah, that’s my spot on impression of you.”, Usagi laughed. “And then! Your foot got caught on the microphone cable and you fell right off the stage in front of me!”
The husbands began bursting out in laughter at each other. Casey also had to press his hand against his mouth to stop himself from snickering. It took a few moments for them to collect their composure.
“And then you said the dumbest thing ever…”, the rabbit said. “You got up, with bruises all over you, smirked at me with that stupid face, and said, “Guess you can say I’ve fallen for you.””
“And you howled in laughter.”, Master Leonardo added.
“I did not howl.”, Yuichi scoffed.
“Oh you were howling, alright.”, Leo laughed. “You were laughing so hard that we had to get you to sit down and take a breath before you passed out.”
“Okay, yeah I did.”, Usagi sputtered in more bouts of giggling. “But you know what? That was when I saw the real you.”
“What do you mean?”
The rabbit sighed. “Hearing your voice as you tried to walk me through my breathing. So careful yet a fumbling idiot covered in bruises and tangled in wires. I saw who you really were. Instead of some guy trying to get with me.” Usagi chuckled softly. “And that’s how I knew…I love you.”
The two shared a quieter laugh this time, taking it all in. After some pause, the rabbit spoke up again.
“...I’m not ready for all of this to end.”, he muttered. “I’m not ready…to lose you.”
“Hey, I’m not ready for it either.”, Leo soothed. “But…who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow?”
“We die, Leo. We know that. We’re all going to die .”
“...Yeah.”
More pause. Then Usagi sighed.
“If…if you were able to pick…who would you have die first? Me? Or You?”, he asked.
Leo seemed to have thought about it for a long moment. “...Honestly? I’d rather it be you.”, he finally answered. “That way…that way you won’t have to mourn for me. You won’t have to feel that pain. You would get to pass on into the afterlife and reunite with your family. And then, when you’re ready, I’ll be there. Right after you.”
Usagi huffed out a wet chuckle. “Yeah, you better not make me wait.”
Sniffling filled the room, mixed with the sorrowful laughter.
“Bluebell…can I ask you something?”, the rabbit whispered.
“Anything.”
“Promise me I won’t die alone.”, Usagi’s voice croaked. “P-Promise me that you’ll be there when I go. That you’ll be the last face I see.”
Casey heard shifting behind the door. Then he could hear Sensei’s voice muffle as the turtle must’ve pressed his face into his husband’s shoulder in a hug.
“Never in a million years would I let that happen.”, the slider hushed, voice quivering. “I’m never going to leave you ever again. For however many hours we have left…I’ll be there.
“Psst! Hey, wake up!”, Mikey whisper shouted as he gently shook the 16 year old’s shoulder.
As Casey had gotten older, it had been easier to wake him in the middle of the night. Especially on missions. (Minus the incessant nightmares that made people have to actually scream at him to wake up). The teen woke up, hitching his breath in his throat as he gradually took in no immediate threat. Disregarding the small panic that resided in him, he turned to face Master Michelangelo and found Master Leonardo standing behind him.
“Get up. We got work to do.”, the slider ushered. “Put on your gear and let’s go.”
Junior complied, getting up and throwing on his prosthetic, armor, cape, boots, and green eyed mask over his olive green jumpsuit he slept in before grabbing his chainsaw staff. “What’s going on?”, he mumbled.
“Training.”, Mikey explained as the group left the atrium, carefully watching their steps to not trip on anyone else as they slept.
Casey was confused. Training was important, especially now of course. But why in the middle of the night? Couldn’t they have done this sooner as they were preparing for battle?
The teen continued to follow the turtles as they led him, not to the dojo, but to the wide open space in the cave where the willow tree once grew. And standing in the room waiting for them, was Baron Draxum.
“Jones.”, the yokai nodded in greeting.
“Mr. Draxum.”, Casey nodded back. He turned to the brothers. “Again. What’s going on?”
“I merely just want to observe your fighting pattern, child. That’s all.”, Draxum answered. “Shall we get started?”
Without missing a beat, Mikey stomped a foot as his eyes began to glow brightly. Dancing out of the palm of his hands were illusion spells that mimicked the form of Kraang zombies and hounds. And if Casey knew one thing about Michelangelo’s illusions.
They could punch back.
And so Casey readied his chainsaw as he began to shake up the last bit of sluggishness from sleep. Then as the illusions charged, the teen jumped into action, slicing away at any enemy that came near. As he fought, Junior was still confused as to why he was training at this hour. No one had given him a clear explanation. It didn’t help that he could overhear the two turtle brothers whispering to each other.
“I don’t think this is a good idea.”, Leo muttered.
“Trust me. If anyone can help Casey with this, it’s Draxum.”, Mikey hushed back through his mystic concentration. “He knows better than me and Donnie when it comes to this sort of stuff.”
The fuck is that supposed to mean? Casey snapped his attention back to the fight as the illusions struck at him. He fought with fervor, attacking the Kraang with all of his might. He noted that the fight was easier than what he was used to, probably due to Mikey not wanting to actually hurt him. The teen scoffed at that. He didn’t need anyone to go easy on him. Draxum caught on to the box turtle’s antics as well.
“Enough.”, he cut in. “I can’t analyze this behavior properly, Michelangelo, if you’re not triggering his ability.”
Mikey looked like he was about to say something but thought better of it. He deactivated his powers and instead he muttered out, “Alright, fine. What do you propose we do?”
Draxum turned to Casey. “You’ll fight me.”
“What?”, Casey and the turtle brothers said collectively.
“Fight me!”, the baron ordered again.
The warrior scientist then stretched out his arms as his mystic vines shot out of the ground and made their way towards Casey. The teen tried to dodge out of the way but it was a split second too late. The vines grabbed hold of his leg, turning the kid upside down as he was hoisted into the air. Junior struggled against Draxum’s hold but it was no use.
“...Drax.”, Leo called out.
The baron did not listen, still focused on the 16 year old. “What are you willing to fight for?”, he shouted. “For the Resistance? For your family? For yourself?”
Casey winced against the pressure on his ankle as he tried again to reach up (down? It was so disorienting.) and grab the vine. His core ached with strain, the teen feeling the hot blood rush to his head and out of his fingers.
“If you have something to prove to me, then prove it! You are not walking out of here without a fight! So… FIGHT!!! ”
Casey saw a glint of green gloss over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. He screamed out a battle cry as he curled his torso and grabbed on tight to his ankle, reaching for his chainsaw in the other hand. He slashed away at the vine, shooting out his grappling hook at the yokai as he fell and zipping over to send a kick at the warring warrior scientist. Draxum quickly dodged the attack as Casey hit the ground and tumbled into a landing. Junior stood back up, spinning on his heel to face the baron. The sheep man cackled.
“There it is! There’s that fighting power we’ve been looking for!”, he shouted. “Show me what you got, boy!”
The teen clicked his tongue in irritation at Draxum’s tenacity. He gripped his staff and began shifting his weight from leg to leg as he charged at the sheep. Baron Draxum hoisted himself into the air with the help of his vines as he began to dig the vines into the ground. The flooring cracked and crumbled as the large vines slithered their way to the kid. Casey only had a second to jump and zip his grappling hook to the ceiling of the cave before the vines shot out and reached for him. The 16 year old felt a strange gust of wind rush in his cape as he pushed off the wall and towards the baron.
Casey took note of the turtles standing idly in the background. He couldn’t tell what they were thinking or doing, but he knew he was being watched. Tested.
Draxum pushed an arm out, shooting a wall of vines to block the teen but Casey was quick to dice away at them. The teen grabbed onto the sharp horns of the yokai’s helmet, yanking himself over the baron to suplex the helmet to the ground. The warrior scientist slammed to the ground on his back with a resounding crack from the earth. Casey could hear other crumbling bits of rock echo around them as he got back up to face Draxum again.
The old sheep turned onto his stomach, helping himself to a stand with his vines before taking himself up into the air again. Once he was up high from a safe distance, he sneered at the child.
“Well? What are you waiting for? Don’t give the enemy a chance to stand up! Attack me!”, he taunted at Junior.
Casey enjoyed that remark. He grinned, running over to the vines as he jumped on and began to climb. The vines continued to stretch and grow as they reached the hole in the ceiling that had once shed a sliver of cloudy red sunlight on the now absent willow tree. Casey kept on climbing as he felt the two of them being lifted into the air. The teen came up with a plan quickly. He took out his chainsaw staff as he slashed away at the vines with ease, causing the platform above to wither and tumble. From up high in the dark dusty night sky, Casey caught a glimpse at the baron’s shadow.
He shot his grappling hook at the yokai, reeling him in before hopping off the remaining vines and jumped up. He angled his legs right into Draxum’s torso, sending the both of them falling through the hole in the ceiling and back into the willow tree’s abode. Casey shot his hook again at the ceiling to stop himself from completely crashing but Baron Draxum managed to create a shield of vines around himself to save himself from the fall. So Junior jumped down and slashed his chainsaw at the cocoon, revealing the sheep yokai inside. Yet in an instant, Draxum shot out a web of smaller vines that wrapped around Casey’s entire body, causing the apprehended teen to hit the ground.
“You were holding back.”, the sheep muttered. “But still…good work.”
Casey scoffed, trying to squirm his way out of the vines’ hold. “What? Did you want me to kill you?”
“Trust me, child, you cannot kill me.”, Draxum sneered. But then he explained, “However your skillset is definitely outmatched compared to your willpower and ability to wield it as such. Whatever clicked in your mind when I told you to fight…hold onto it. It’ll help you in our final battle tomorrow.” He turned on his heels, hooves clicking against the rocky flooring as he stepped over to the turtles. “You’re welcome.”
The walls continued to crack, the gust of wind still whirled around (which was weird because even though there’s a hole in the ceiling, there shouldn’t be that much of a draft). Another soldier rushed in, wondering what was going on before Michelangelo assured that everything was fine. The soldier then reported that the power had gone out to the entire lair. Draxum turned back to the child with a hum before telling the soldier to take him to the lab.
Leo shook his head in disapproval at the yokai as he left before the slider made his way to Casey. The turtle took out one of his katanas and cut away at the vines. Mikey hurried over to the teen with a grin as Casey stood up and dusted the dirt off of him.
“Great work out there!”, he beamed.
Casey screwed his face, looking between the two brothers. “...Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?”, he spat out. “Cause I doubt that you just brought me out in the middle of the night on our final day for some impromptu training session.”
Mikey’s smile wilted as he turned to look at his brother. Neither said a word for a moment. Then Leo sighed.
“Case. Tomorrow is going to be bad.”, he hushed. “And…there might be a point where we gotta…take you somewhere. And we can’t come with you when— if that happens.”
“Why not?”, Casey tilted his head.
“We just…can’t.”
The teen sneered. “You’re lying to me again, aren’t you? You think I can’t handle myself. Tell me, Sensei, what’s really going on?”
The turtles looked at each other again. Neither said a word for a moment again. Casey scoffed, walking closer to press his hand against the slider’s plastron.
“I don’t like that plan. You’re not going to leave me alone again, you promised. So promise me…”, Casey insisted. “Promise me that where I’ll go, you’ll be there.”
Leo looked away, his lips pressing in a firm line. Then he shrugged.
“Yeah. We’ll be with you.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: Monatophobia (duh), hot minute of...idk the term...uhh hitting a child?, bit of harmful stims, a little chronophobia?
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One more chapter left of Arc 2. How are we feeling? Hhhhhhhhh....Currently, I'm writing chapter 24 and uh Casey is not doing so great. Going back in time will do that to you. BUT! We get to meet my favorite side character. He is so fucking awesome. Super cool, a goober, swagger, energetic. Refers to his wife as "queen" and daughter as "princess" (and will refer to Casey as "prince"), but he is but a "humble servant". ;)
AGAIN, I am going on hiatus after chapter 22 to write more chapters and enjoy my vacation. It looks like I'll be out for the rest of the month but that may change cuz my college courses start on August 18th and I need to see how that schedule is gonna work cuz it's all new for me. We might even switch back to only one update per week, we'll see. <3
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 22: Find The Key, Stop The Kraang
Summary:
“I got you, Sensei! Stay with me!”, Casey shouted.
The turtle grinned against the pain and swollen eye. “You’re a life saver, Casey Jones.”
The teen flipped his mask up to show his smile. “I learned from the best. Come on, we’re almost there!”
Notes:
It's time.
Disclaimers are in the end notes...but I think you already know what's going to happen.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
August 5th, 2044. Casey was 16 years and a day old.
This was the end.
As dawn arised through the dark dusty red clouds, everyone was preparing for the battle of their lives. Anxious and antsy soldiers swarmed about. They donned their gear, sharpened and reloaded their weapons. Many loved ones hugged each other, already preparing their goodbyes.
Mikey brought out buckets of red, brown, and black paint, many soldiers coming over to mark streaks on their faces and arms. April nudged Casey’s arm with her elbow.
“Want to grab some paint too?”, she smirked.
“What’s it for?”, Casey asked.
“Spirit. Intimidation factor. Something like that.”, she answered, walking over to dip her fingers in the paint.
The commander drew streaks of black and red underneath her eyes, signaling Casey to come join her. The 16 year old looked at the paints and streaks on everyone, wondering what design he should choose. Then he caught a glance at his Sensei. And the decision became clear.
The teen took the green eyed mask off his head as he reached for the red paint and began to precariously draw crescent stripes on the mask in imitation of the slider’s own stripes. April snickered at the kid’s idea but Casey paid no mind. The look fit perfectly.
Casey got up and ran over Leo. “Sensei! Come look at this!”, he called out, hiding the mask behind his back.
Leo spun around at him in confusion, “What is it, CJ?”
The teen smirked as he brought up the mask to his face. Through its eyes, Casey could see the turtle melt with joy at the stripes. Leo chuckled, wrapping his arm around the kid’s shoulder.
“It looks great, niño!”, he beamed. “But that reminds me, I have to install an update on that mask for you. You mind if I take it for a minute?”
Casey complied, handing the mask to the slider. “What update?”
“Just a few scanner revisions to help you see better. Nothing much.”, Leo replied. “I’ll be right back.”
As the turtle left with the mask, he signaled Kendra over to follow him. Casey watched the two go down the hall before he turned back around.
The rest of the Resistance continued to prepare for the fight. Even those who weren’t even in the best shape still stood their ground. It was their final fight after all. The best they could do was go down in glory. Casey noted Azúcar in the background practicing his skills with the metal bar xe used as a crutch. The skeleton stumbled a bit here and there but it was easy for xem to stand tall and whack the bar with all his might.
The busho sat beside the commander as they went over strategies…and goodbyes. Usagi had a journal in his lap, one that Casey had not seen before. As the rabbit glanced around at the scene, he seemed to sigh softly and continue to add something to the journal.
Leo soon returned with the mask. Casey put it on to see what the updates were. But nothing seemed to have changed.
He wondered what Leo did with it.
A lot of people were seen holding keepsakes and tucking them away. Casey found the slider in the memorial room, staring at his family’s altar.
Leo picked up the family photo in his palm, glancing at it longingly. With a heavy sigh, he stashed it away in the inner pocket of his scarf.
Casey walked over too, picking up the stuffed fabric heart and robotic memory chip from the shelf and tucking them away in his side pouch. The slider smiled at him, reaching for the battle shell mounted on the wall. Clicking a small panel, Leo reached in and pulled out another memory chip. He passed it to the teen.
“You might want to hold onto this too.”, he muttered.
“Why me?”, Casey asked.
“It’ll serve you better.”
A couple hours later, everyone heard rumbling and shrieking from the distance followed by a blaring drone noise.
The soldiers peered outside to see the onslaught of all the Kraang types. Parasites. Zombies. Hounds. Decoys. Droids. And the Kraang.
The Technodrome was massive . Casey thought people were joking when they described its size. But he thought wrong. The ship made its way over to the highest point in the ruined city, its tentacle lesions anchoring it into the ground below. The light eye of the drome beamed up, displaying a holographic panel to the Resistance.
On the screen was Kraang Prime in his battle armor, his brother and sister behind at his side. Casey had seen photos of them, sure, but this was different. Seeing them live…it struck fear into every cell of his body. A fear so intense that it finally began to click.
He was going to die today.
“Greetings, pests.” , Kraang Prime called out on the screen. “Today is the day that Kraang will officially conquer this world! I have searched for decades to find you turtles and now we meet again. Though there’s only two of you now, I see. Such a shame.” He clicked his teeth in a teasing manner. “I will allow you to make the first move. We will be waiting. Goodbye.”
And just like that, the screen flickered out. Panic began to rise but the leader was quick to hush it. The council rose to the front of the crowd. Big Mama taped the broach on her chest as she transformed into a large mighty powerful spider yokai. Draxum stretched out his arms, already preparing a platform of vines for himself. Usagi brought out his katanas, clashing them together. April smacked her mystic indestructible bat against her hand with malicious intent. Mikey’s arms and eyes sparked with energy. And Leo stood tall on a crate before the Resistance.
“People of the Resistance…”, he called out. “You may think that today is the last day of our lives. But you’re wrong. Today is the first day of our lives. Today is the day we will no longer suffer. Today is the day we will no longer starve. Today is the day we will no longer survive, but live. By the end of this fight, we will all walk home with our heads up high. Because we are the Resistance! We are Earth! And we have a ninja’s greatest weapon of all… hope . And as long as we hold onto hope…We! Are! Victorious!” Leo shouted as he pumped his fist in the air with pride.
The people cheered louder than Casey had ever heard before. It rattled his eardrums as he found himself cheering alongside them. The slider grinned wide from ear to ear. He turned on his heel with his arm still raised. Everyone watched as his three fingers closed flat together, the back of the hand facing the Resistance. The hand then turned to its side, the soldiers readying their weapons. The hand tilted back, and everyone waited.
Leonardo paused, taking a deep breath as the wind gently flowed in his cape.
Then the hand swung down.
“ CHARGE!!! ”
Everyone let out a battle cry as they raced out onto the wasteland. Soon, the Resistance’s battleships shot out overhead, making their way to the droids. The screeching noise of Kraang and ships passing by were loud but Casey brought his mask down to cover the flinching seen in his expression. He didn’t have to look fearless, the skull mask’s angry exterior did it for him.
Kraang hounds and zombies were attacking. Many were slowed down in the fight while others pushed forward. Casey watched as the ships pressed on to the droids. The droids were the largest thing that Casey had ever seen before, but their size was nothing in comparison to that of the mothership. He watched as one of them stood tall like a mighty giant. Its singular eye beamed up with an evil red glow. The red glow Casey once recognized from his spot in the dumpster when he was a baby.
The eye shot out a hot red beam of light at one of the ships, the laser causing the battleship to explode immediately upon impact. Just like that. Gone in the blink of an eye. Casey felt himself freeze up. The teen was in so much peril, it was as if that horror was the only emotion he had ever experienced in his life.
“Move it, kid!”, someone shouted. Then there was a large hand gripping Casey’s arm.
The teen snapped himself out of the shock as he recognized the red-eared slider dragging him. The two continued running alongside the samurai as a horde of Kraang hounds, zombies, and decoys came their way. Casey shook himself out of Leonardo’s hold as he grabbed his chainsaw staff and revved its engine. Soon, the Kraang attacked. Casey slashed away at the enemies as the screeching filled his eardrums.
Casey saw a glint of green gloss over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. He noticed the small rocks of rubble breaking out of the earth. Without even knowing or thinking, he kicked up the rocks and swung the blade end of his staff at the Kraang with precise shots. The wind picked up, which seemed to be giving the teen an advantage in his aim.
It was such an awe to watch the husbands together, fighting side by side. Leonardo zipping himself and his partner through portals as they attacked the Kraang from all angles, Usagi slicing at the enemies with clean precision. The blind eye and torn ear did not hinder his ability, all the rabbit needed were his blades. They were quite literally a power couple.
The team continued to strike at the horde, feeling confident as the Kraang went down one by one. That was until a decoy tank with huge monstrous pincher crab claws smacked Casey and Leo, sweeping them away. The claw pushed them against the ground, Casey crying out as he shot his grappling hook around the tank and zipped himself out of there. He striked his chainsaw through the metal, hearing the grating noise as hot metal sparks spewed out. The decoy hissed and shrilled, clutching its claws deeper into the dirt. The teen heard the faintest yet resounding crack before a piercing scream echoed out of the slider. Usagi jumped in, attacking the tank with his katanas. Finally, he found a vulnerable soft stop as he jabbed both of his swords inside, cutting open the Kraang lesions. Soon the tank flopped down with lifelessness. Casey and Yuichi quickly ran over the turtle.
The teen chopped the claw off as the rabbit began prying the appendage off of his husband. With the claw removed, Usagi and Casey knelt down in front of Leo, Casey lifting his mask up to get a better look.
“Lemme see.”, the rabbit hushed, reaching his arms out.
“‘Mph fine…”, the turtle muttered, holding his robotic arm around his side. His right eye was swollen.
“Bullshit! Let me take a look.”
Usagi quickly moved Leo’s prosthetic to reveal a huge bleeding gash in the red-eared slider’s plastron. The teen gasped as he noticed how out of it his Sensei looked. Yuichi took a breath.
“Can you teleport yourself out of here?”, he asked quickly.
“...Can’t…”, Leo hissed. “Fucker broke my sword. Can’t teleport with just the one.” He gripped the remaining sword, the red and purple bandana stirring in the wind.
“Then you’re going to need to run.”, Usagi said sternly. He turned to Casey with a determined look in his brows. “Case, I need you to help carry Leo to safety. There’s a ruined monument not far from here, you’ll find the head of a large copper-metal statue over there.”, Busho Yuichi explained as he pointed to some rubble in the distance. “I’m going to cover you guys while you run. When I’m free, I’ll meet you there.”
“No!”, Leo winced. “Sagi…Don’t.”
“No time to argue with me, Leo. You have to move now!”, the rabbit pressed.
“I’m not going to leave you alone!”
“You won’t.”, Usagi smiled. He leaned in closer, holding Leo’s hand in his, their rings glinting together in the low light. “...Bluebell…can you do me a favor?”
“...Usagi—”
“I want to change our vows.”
The slider’s face screwed up in confusion. “What??”
Yuichi sighed with a grin. “...Death won’t do us part.”
Leo’s expression relaxed. His quivering lip curved into a faint smile as he nodded.
“...Death won’t do us part.”
Satisfied with that answer, Usagi reached in to give his husband a long heart aching kiss. The husbands pressed their foreheads together for a long moment.
“I love you.”, Leo whispered.
“I love you too.”, Usagi whispered back.
The rabbit then turned to Casey. After a moment, he placed a hand on the 16 year old’s shoulder and leaned in to give the teen a small peck on the forehead.
“Take care, danshi.”, he smiled softly.
Casey bit his inner lip to stop it from wobbling. “See you in a bit, Sagi.”, he put optimistically.
And with that, the samurai picked up his swords and turned around. Casey grabbed Leo’s left arm and tossed it over his shoulders as the slider clutched his robotic arm around his plastron. With the teen’s help, Leo staggered to a stand. A couple of hounds began approaching but Usagi blocked the way.
“Go! I’ll cover you!”, the Busho ordered.
Casey pulled Leo’s weight onto him as the two began walking, then jogging, then full on running. The teen glanced over his shoulder for a moment at Usagi fighting off the hounds. It took everything in him to turn back around and look away.
Flipping his mask back down, Casey scanned ahead at the monument checkpoint. It wasn’t far. Just a quarter mile. He could make it. He had to. For a moment, the slider went silent. The teen nudged him a bit.
“Sensei? You there?”, he asked.
The slider made no response. His eyes were glossed out and faced to the floor, indicating that Master Leonardo was disassociating. The turtle was bleeding out a lot. Casey sighed, bringing his head back up to be their eyes.
Explosions rang from east to west and people began dropping like flies left to right. Many skulls decorated the battlefield, Casey noting the several who had fallen during the era of starvation and war. A shrill echoed from his left. Casey glanced over to see Big Mama being thrown through the air by a droid. The spider flailed, trying to shoot out her webs but instead got pierced by a large metal spike sticking out of the ground. Then the spider stopped flailing.
Big Mama was dead.
Yet beside her, Casey saw the flash of bright emerald green flames from April’s bat as the commander and a group of other soldiers fought against a horde of hounds and a couple of droids. Then suddenly, one of the droids snatched April and tightened their grip around her. Tighter and tighter. Tighter still. The commander tried to break free but it was no use. Casey heard a snap . A piece of the once indestructible bat fell as April’s body went lifeless. Junior barely managed to get himself to look away as the droid haphazardly chucked the corpse against the ground.
April O’Neil was dead.
Shaking off the grief and pushing down his emotions to focus on the mission, Casey stared ahead at the monument. He could see Todd with three other soldiers shooting plasma guns from their shield of cover in the rubble. The one soldier next to Todd was shot in the head by a decoy gun turret, their body flopping over like a ragdoll. That caused the capybara to go ballistic, wielding dual plasma guns and he shot left and right at the Kraang.
Then Casey felt movement beside him. He heard a soft groan of pain as Master Leonardo reached in his scarf for the photo. The photo was now stained in his blood. Within a moment, clarity came back in his eyes.
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After taking a moment to regain his focus, Leonardo shot his head up at the horizon, taking in the scene. Explosions of red and blue ignited from all angles. The two looked up as the loud droning noise of a battleship began to get too close for comfort. The ship spun out of control with a busted blade engine as it made its way down to the ground, crashing just a few feet from their right. The turtle whipped his head around to a group of 7 droids marching together, one of them beaming up their laser before obliterating a whole troop of soldiers. Casey silently flinched as he heard the slider wince from the noise. The teen noted the horde of Kraang hounds fastly approaching them. Leonardo turned back to his plastron, hissing from the pain. Casey nudged him again, drawing the turtle’s attention to the kid.
“I got you, Sensei! Stay with me!”, Casey shouted.
The turtle grinned against the pain and swollen eye. “You’re a life saver, Casey Jones.”
The teen flipped his mask up to show his smile. “I learned from the best. Come on, we’re almost there!”
Turning back towards the checkpoint, Casey and Leo continued to run as two shipwrecks that waved the Resistance’s flag began igniting into an array of explosions. A swarm of hounds began barking at one another as they started to surround the two. The moment Casey and Leo reached the monument, the hounds had them all cornered. The teen winced and stopped running, kneeling down against Leonardo’s weight. Before Casey could even think about what to do next, 3 hounds began to pounce on them from behind. Leo pulled Casey in closer as the kid pulled himself into the slider’s plastron, bracing for impact. That was until a familiar mystic zap wisped in the wind.
“Bad doggies!”, the mystic warrior shouted.
Casey and Leo let go of their hold on each other as they both turned around to see glowing sparks of light hide the box turtle. The older brother smirked.
“Impeccable timing, little brother. Very dramatic.”, he taunted.
The light soon snapped into solid chains, surrounding the scene. Unveiling himself from the chains, Mikey was seen floating criss-crossed as his eyes shot out wide open with that signature beam of mystic orange in his determined gaze. He moved his arms in a circular motion as the chains imploded. With a resounding grunt, the chains soon exploded and shot out in all directions, piercing through everything in their paths besides Casey and Leo. The chains quickly flashed out a beautiful yet obvious and revealing beam of light up into the sky. Several heads of the Kraang droids turned to the light, beginning their slow march over.
Yet Casey didn’t waste any time. He picked Leo back up and then set the slider down against the rubble and pile of skulls. Mikey levitated his way over, eyeing his brother with worry. Junior quickly turned to him.
“Help him, Michelangelo!”, the teen pleaded. “He’s hurt bad.”
Leo pulled his robotic arm away and groaned at the pain and sight of blood pooling in his palm. Without saying a word, he glanced up at the battlefield with a look of uncertainty. Casey watched the scene unfold before his eyes as the people of the Resistance- and that of what remained of the world- were dying out fast. A droid in particular charged up its laser before sweeping across the army of soldiers in front of it. Looking up at the Technodrome, the sky thundered with energy as lightning strikes of Kraang power flashed around the ship. Leo’s eyes widened.
“That’s it. The Resistance failed.”, he lamented. He shut his eyes tight as his voice began to falter, “The Kraang won.” He paused before shaking his head and opening his eyes again. “But—But it isn’t over. We still got a ninja’s greatest weapon…”, he smiled. Casey’s face dropped at that phrase. “Hope.” Turning to his brother, Leo smirked. “That…and a badass mystic warrior.” Then he frowned. “Mikey. We need a time gateway.”
A what?
The ornate box turtle’s expression softened for a moment. Then his brows furrowed. “It’ll take everything I have.”, he cautioned.
“I-I know…”, the slider winced. “But this is our last chance. …It’s our only chance.”
Mikey’s brows upturned in sorrow for a moment before he put on a determined grit and hummed an approval.
The mystic warrior levitated off to the side, rolling up his imaginary sleeves. Casey felt anxiety stir up inside of him from all this secrecy. He stood up, facing towards the box turtle. Leo only looked away with a sorrowful look.
“Wait! What’s going on? Where is he going?”, Casey asked.
Leo quickly called to him, gesturing his robotic arm. “Casey, listen.”
As Casey crouched down beside his Sensei, he glanced at the younger brother as his feet planted flat on the ground, sparks of orange glimmering for a moment. Then the turtle spun around on one foot, drawing a circle of light around himself with the other. It’s that spell…from before. The ring of light illuminated the ground as Mikey motioned his arms around him, mystic energy igniting in his palms. Then he thrusted his arms forward as the light began to surround every part of his body. The teen brought his attention back to the slider.
“The Kraang first came to our planet through a mystic doorway.”, Leo explained, reaching for the photo. He glanced at it for a moment before flipping it around and placing it on the ground. “The key that opened that doorway looked like this.”, he continued, drawing out the symbol of the key with an ashy rock.
Casey stared at it with awe yet confusion as Leonardo handed the drawing to the teen. “Why are you telling me this?”, he questioned. The council never told their plans to the teen. Why was it all changing now?
Leo’s expression was stern. “Because Mikey’s about to send you back in time to the day that the key was stolen.”
Casey sat there stunned. “Wait…he’s gonna what ?!”
Time travel. Was that really a thing? Casey had heard so much about it from his old Jupiter Jim comics but never in his life would the teen believe it could become a reality. Was Mikey really capable of ripping a tear in time and space?
The 16 year old glanced over to see sparks of light flicker in front of the box turtle for a moment before a beam began to crack midair. Then he saw the crack beginning to spread at Mikey’s fingertips. The scars that the mystic warrior was initially afraid of. The scars traveled up his arm as the ball of light grew bigger and bigger. Leo tapped Casey’s knee to draw his attention again.
“The people who stole that key opened the doorway for the Kraang. You have to find it before that happens.”, Leonardo continued. “Find the key, stop the Kraang.”
Casey didn’t like this plan one bit. This was what Leo meant when the slider explained they were going to take Casey somewhere…but they couldn’t join him. Casey tucked the photo away as his eyes furrowed with worry.
“But, Sensei—”
Leo grabbed onto Casey’s shoulder with his robotic arm. “Say it!”, he demanded sharply.
The teen glanced down at the chipped cracks on the slider’s plastron. He composed himself, complying. “Find the key…” He lifted his gaze back up to Leo’s. “...stop the Kraang.”
The slider grinned, relaxing his shoulders and patting the kid’s shoulder. Casey did his best not to let his bottom lip quiver. He pressed his own prosthetic arm against the slider’s prosthetic, holding on tight.
“...I-I don’t want to lose you.”, he pleaded.
Master Leonardo grinned. “Casey…”, he hushed. “This isn’t about me—”
Just then a droning noise blared as red light illuminated the scene, 3 Kraang droids approaching a little too close for comfort. Casey and Leo stood up, the teen grabbing his chainsaw.
“They found us!”, he shouted as his staff revved its engine.
Another red light, another droid looming over them from behind. Leo stressed, snapping his head towards his brother.
“Mikey!”, he pushed, his voice desperate.
The plane of light continued to grow bigger and bigger. Bigger still. The cracks on the turtle’s arm now full on enveloping in light as the deterioration stretched to the back of Michelangelo’s head and shell. The box turtle looked down at his arms in fear for a moment before he found resolution and continued the pry away at the gateway unfolding. He hooked his fingers around it, pulling the fabric of time and space outwards. The mystic warrior let out a battle cry, pushing himself to his limit. A limit Casey did not want him to reach.
He stumbled forward. “Master Michelangelo, no! You’re gonna—”, he shouted.
Yet the turtle just turned around with a grin. He winked at the teen with shining watery eyes before turning back around. In one final tug, the gateway opened with a flash, withering away at what remained of Michelangelo. The turtle shattered into small shimmering flakes of light as they dispersed into the wind.
Hamato Michelangelo was dead.
Casey was in such a shock at the situation. The beauty of the mystic warrior’s magic, coveted in his death. Granting the sole opportunity. One too precious to miss. One too late to turn back. Leo looked away with a heavy sigh before turning back with a hopeful smile.
The time gateway stood before them, inviting a brave warrior to enter inside. Hounds emerged, growling as they surrounded the two. Another droid leaned in, charging up its red light. Leo slammed the heavy weight of his robotic arm on Casey’s shoulder.
“Casey…”, he called out. A Kraang hound began to charge. The slider grinned at the teen. “When you’re done saving the world, do me a favor…”
Casey felt the leader’s prosthetic press further into its grip on Junior’s shoulder. The teen didn’t even have a moment to think or speak as he witnessed the next moment.
“Grab a slice!”, Leonardo cheered as he threw the teen with all of his might through the gateway.
Casey felt time slow down as his eyes dwelled up in tears, helpless only to watch as Leo smirked at him. The red-eared slider turned back to the fight, chucking a hound off of his robotic arm. He glanced back at Casey. Then another hound lunged to attack before Leo blocked that one too with his remaining sword. He glanced back at Casey again. Finding his resolve, Leo turned away and began running. Yet he only made it a few steps before a large beaming red laser shot directly at the slider. The teen witnessing the ninja’s body burn into ash in an instant.
Hamato Leonardo was dead.
Casey screamed out for his Sensei. For all of his family. But nothing he could do or say could stop him from being thrown through the time gateway. The light swallowing him up whole. There was a flash of white. Then everything faded to black.
And what happened next…
I think you already know the answer.
Notes:
END OF ARC 2. (Long ass arc, ik).
Disclaimers: Blood, gore, injury. Major character deaths. PTSD. Yeah.
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Ha, get re-orphaned for a third time. Orphan-cubed. Orphan^3. 3-dimensionally orphaned--THIS STORY IS /NOT/ OVER!!!! WE ARE LIKE HALFWAY DONE, ISTG. THERE'S AN ESTIMATED 35 TO 40 CHAPTERS SO YEAH. HOWEVER! I am going on hiatus. I'll be back by August but we may switch to weekly updates! Follow my socials to keep in touch (same user on tumblr, twitter, insta and tiktok).
I also HIGHLY reccomend you watch the movie before proceeding to the next chapter (/nf). I will recap it for you (especially since there's lore you need to know) but like...the movie is just more fun, yk?
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 23: It's Over
Summary:
And now he is here. The sun is rising. For the first time, Casey is seeing it. The sun. The sun he had wished for on his birthday for many many years.
Is it really worth it?
Is all of the suffering Casey had gone through in his entire life really worth it for this moment? This dream that others had for him?
Casey would destroy the sun if it meant he can be back home with his real family.
Notes:
WE ARE BACKKKKKKKKKKKK FUCK YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
LOTS OF NEW LORE IS APPROACHING, GET READY!
QUICK NOTE: As I start college, we will be doing WEEKLY updates instead on Saturdays. Once I finish writing all the remaining chapters (to which there is like....30 more chapters to go....) I will update them back to twice a week. But for now, Saturday updates! =)
Disclaimers in the end notes as always!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
August 5th, 2022.
Casey’s first sunrise…is bittersweet.
The teen is sitting on his knees against the rubble of a strange new city. An explosion is echoing from up high but Casey can’t hear it over his own crying. In his hands holds the sword of Hamato Leonardo. A different Hamato Leonardo. From the past. Or…perhaps Casey should be calling it the present. Nothing makes sense anymore. It is all…different.
Everything happened so fast.
Casey woke up in an old version of New York City. Filled with people, electricity, cars, and… life . The night sky was a clear dark blue. Not the red Casey had seen before.
After a while of searching, Casey ducked into an alleyway and used his grappling hook to zip up onto a perch of a building. He looked at the photo in his hands, mourning for a moment. Before an idea came to him. His family was still here right?
Next thing he knew, he found Commander O’Neil! Who promptly knocked him out when the teen approached her from behind. Well played.
Then Casey woke up, tied in a chair. Again. Great.
But he didn’t mind one bit! His family was there! All of them! All alive in one place. Younger and different from what Casey remembered but it was still them all the same! He was so happy, he was ready to disregard his own boundaries for a hug!
But it is not the same anymore.
The turtles did not trust him though. The larger red one in particular was not fond of him at all. It took Casey a minute to recognize him as Raph. The turtles interrogated him for a bit, accidentally activated his grappling hook and caused the teen to spin upside down, then Casey was finally able to explain himself. He explained the apocalypse. He explained the plan. He explained everything. No one believed him, laughing in mockery until the rat yokai…mutant, Master Splinter, took note of the Kraang.
Once they believed the teen, they realized that they were just a tad too late. The younger version of Leonardo seemed a lot more clumsy than Casey remembered. And his Sensei literally died moments beforehand.
No. No. Leonardo was not dead. He was right there in front of him. There was no time to mourn! There was nothing to mourn. Everything was fine! This was fine.
This is not fine.
After having to free himself from the chair, the team made their way to stop the Foot Clan but it was too late. The Kraang emerged through the portal. Then they used a power that Casey had never seen before. They took away all of the turtle’s mystic powers. Escape pods were sent out. Casey implored the younger Leo that they needed to get the key before he was swept away. Upon returning back to the lair (which is not a cave but an abandoned subway station), Casey soon learned the turtles never used the escape pods before. Which sounded like bullshit. He also learned that the younger Mikey is very clingy. His Mikey was also clingy but the younger one took it to a whole extra level. Casey had to practically pry the younger box turtle off of him. The younger Mikey still seemed as introspective as his older counterpart. Casey didn’t have to explain anything as he backed off, only putting his hands on Casey’s shoulders if need be.
Then Leo returned with the key. But he was upset that they lost Raph. Casey wasn’t really bothered by it. But Leo definitely was. He was acting…strange. Different. Casey didn’t like it.
The young leader was not listening to his team. They took the subway tunnels when there was no chance of escape. Casey was still in awe-struck at seeing his family again, telling the turtles about how cool they were in the future. Then he remembered the awful truth of what happened, seeing the way the younger Mikey stretched his arms out in front of him.
He felt something swirl inside him, along with the itch for a fight. It was something new. Not static, not drums, not a warrior’s spirit. It was…laughing… cackling . Like cackling fire. The cackling fire told him that he had to confess to the turtles.
Until they were interrupted by Kraang vines. They rolled out, marching on to find the exit on foot. The younger Leo was acting all cocky when they found the stairs. Then a wall of Kraang parasites attacked. The slimy lesions crawled out, screeching and hissing as the team quickly started to fight them off. The younger Donnie (boy was it hard to get used to seeing him again) and the younger Mikey were calling out to the leader to turn back but Leo was not listening. Why wasn’t he listening?
Casey had felt that itch again. Something else clouded inside him. Something new as well. But not hissing static, not rumbling drums, not a warrior’s spirit, and not cackling fire. Something cold…and dim, and unclear. Like the dusty red clouds yet they were a dull gray tinted in blue. And it was wet, not skin flaking dry. It didn’t hiss or rumble or cackle like its brothers, it sounded like shushing. It reminded Casey of the condensation of the greenhouse. It was mist. Shushing mist. The strange mist seemed to tense with anger and…shame.
Then Casey was saying words that did not belong to him. They belonged to the mist.
“What the heck was that?!”
“Some kind of drippy, crazy Kraang monster.”
“No! I mean you! Why weren’t you listening to anybody?”
“Because I was trying to get us into the building!”
“Well that sure worked out well!”
“But I was doing everything right. How could it go wrong?”
“Because you weren’t listening to your team!” The mist was rumbling with rage. “You don’t have all the answers all the time!”
“But I’m the greatest ninja the world’s ever seen. You said that!”
Casey had sighed. “I was wrong.” Those words now his own.
The mist and the younger Leo had spoken in sync. “What?”
“You’re impulsive! You’re arrogant! And you don’t see how every decision could cost someone their life!” Casey had shouted. “You wanna know what really happens to your brothers in the future?! They die . Everybody dies fighting the Kraang.”
The mist inside the teen had softened.
“The world needs Master Leonardo . And all we got is this guy.”
After tossing away the photo, the photo stained in blood which now only represents a dead timeline to Casey, the teen went back to work on their escape through the tunnels. The mist dissipated. It took awhile for the younger Leo to get his shit together before he ended up confessing to Casey. He told the kid he wasn’t the Leo that Casey knew and probably never will be. Casey paused at that. …Maybe he was right.
But the young slider was quick to understand that they needed to work together. With the blue clad turtle leading the way, Casey smirked. It still felt like the same Leo. …Maybe he was wrong.
They quickly regrouped with the others. Found Raph as a…Kraang zombie? Technically, if he was possessed directly from the Kraang, it made him a minion. But the possession wasn’t complete. The team disrupted it. Nonetheless, the Kraang took away the key and the team was forced to retreat.
They climbed up a rooftop just as the portal opened again, revealing the Technodrome. Operation 51…or well…the American government sent in their soldiers to attack but their bullets didn’t work. The bullets weren’t rigged to explode or catch fire. Nor did they have any plasma guns. This is the best weaponry of this time?
Everyone soon agreed that it was too late. Casey complying that they couldn’t change the future. Donnie also explaining the logic through science. Then Leo said he was wrong. Gradually, the pieces came together. Raph was never turned into a zombie in Casey’s timeline. They did change the future. They were just in a…different bifurcated time branch.
They put their heads together and came up with a plan. The turtles went after their brother while the commander, Master Splinter, and Casey get on the ground to get the key.
Casey’s team (more like April’s team, seeing how quickly and assertively the commander took charge, like always) had quickly jumped into action, taking out the Kraang decoy helicopters. At one point, Casey wrapped his grappling hook around a turret that was about to hit a pet store, sending the turret back to sender. Once they spotted the key, the sister Kraang flew over and attacked them, pushing them into a construction zone.
Casey never noticed how skilled the commander was with the crane. They managed to trap the thing under the construction and wrecking ball after a while of fighting. Then April sent Casey away with his grappling hook with a “See ya!”
And with that, Casey was running.
Casey is crying. Heaving.
Casey was calling out to Leo through his green eyed mask. The fight was still going on. As Casey climbed up the tower, he saw 2 figures fall through the sky. A large red figure enveloping them. The 3 barreled back to the earth with a mighty impact on Staten Island.
All connections to Leo are lost now. He hears static through the comms. Leo is gone.
“Casey? Casey, come in!” , the younger slider had called.
Casey made it up to the top, parkouring across the floating debris. “Sensei, I’m here. And I got eyes on the key.” , he reported. “Tell me when you’re home free, and I’ll pull the plug!” , he added, running for the key.
Tears are falling down his face. On Leo’s sword. Sirens are wailing from all around. But Casey can’t hear it over the screaming in his head, yet externally his crying is silent . Even with the Kraang gone, he senses danger lurking around him. Senses the civilians that have turned into Kraang zombies. He has to be quiet, he cannot draw their attention.
“Casey, listen to me.” , Leo had pressed. “When I get to the other side, you close that door.”
Casey had froze.
“What?! Sensei, no!”
“Casey, it’s the only way. He’s too strong. He’s not gonna stay on the other side unless I keep him there.”
“There has to be another way!”, Casey had implored.
“We tried everything, Case. This is the only way.”
The oldest brother had called through. Casey guessed they broke him out of the infection. “Leo! Please don’t do this! LEO!”
The slider had chuckled. “Haha, you’re one to talk, big bro. Hero moves are totally your style.”
Then Casey had heard the Kraang. Heard the fighting. The pained shouts. Everyone else could hear it too. Casey couldn’t bear it.
“Leo, please! I can’t lose you again!” Not again. Not again, please.
“Hey. Future me would be real proud of you. I’m proud of you.”
Casey couldn’t stop the tears that flowed.
Casey can’t stop the tears that flow.
After listening to the fight continue, Leo called through again.
“Casey! Close the portal now!” , he had strained.
“WHAT?!” , Kraang Prime had screeched through.
Casey felt every emotion possible swirl inside of him as he grabbed the key. A glint of green had glossed over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. Static had hissed in his ears, drums rumbling in his veins, a warrior’s spirit in his core, cackling fire choking up his lungs, shushing mist grazing against his skin. But there was no itch for a fight. What was there to fight for anymore?
“Casey! GUH! Please!” , Leo pleaded. He had to plead .
With tears streaming down his face, Casey yanked the key off its perch and began running. He had to run. He had to get away. He had to survive. Just like always.
The explosion rang out from the sky, Casey tearing his eyes away from the scene. Then he was walking. Then he found the sword.
And now he is here. The sun is rising. For the first time, Casey is seeing it. The sun. The sun he had wished for on his birthday for many many years.
Is it really worth it?
Is all of the suffering Casey had gone through in his entire life really worth it for this moment? This dream that others had for him?
Casey would destroy the sun if it meant he can be back home with his real family.
Instead, here he is. Holding the sword of the great young Master Leonardo. It is this moment that it finally registers in Casey’s mind. Everyone is dead. Mama, Donnie, April, Sunita, Usagi, Mikey, Shelldon, Cup, Big Mama, Draxum, the Resistance, and Leo. They’re all dead. Even in this timeline, people are dead. Leonardo is—
“LEO’S ALIVE!!” , April screeches through the communication device.
Casey winces against the sudden screaming in his eardrums. He taps into his mask, taking a breath and wiping off his tears.
“W-What??”, he sputters.
“The boys found him! Mikey said he did a mystic portal thing and the others helped and now Leo’s back! They’re okay! Well…mostly…” , April scrambles to explain. “Splints and I are on our way to get them. But the boys are badly hurt. I need you to get back to the lair and set up the med-bay for us. Can you do that?”
Casey pauses for a moment. They’re…okay? So while he was here moping for nothing, the turtles were actually doing something to save Leo? Everything seems to go by so fast in this timeline. Casey just can’t keep up.
“Casey? You hear what I said?!” , the commander asks.
“...Yeah.”, Casey manages to say. “Yeah, I got it. Meet you back at the lair.”
And with that, Casey scrambles to his feet. He gathers up Leo’s sword, finding the other one close by. Soon, he is zipping his way through New York City with his grappling hook and running down into the sewer tunnels to the turtle’s lair.
By the time he gets there, Casey realizes…he has no fucking clue where anything is. He manages to find the med-bay almost right away, which is convenient given you’d want it near the entrance. But he doesn’t know where things are kept. So Casey does his best, setting up the two gurneys that are there while searching the drawers for anything they could possibly need. April didn’t specify the injuries, so he just has to be ready for anything.
About 30 minutes goes by before Casey hears the turtle tank roll in the garage. (Man, that thing is cool. Casey’s surprised he’s never seen it before). And soon enough, he hears people quickly rush into the med-bay.
The turtles.
They’re all teenagers just like him. Not only is it weird to see them so young but it is also weird to be around people his age for once. They all seemed so similar to their future counterparts, but they are also so different in their own ways. More importantly…they all seemed less serious. More loose, more lively, more carefree. More like…like kids.
Raph seems to be un-Kraangified, though he has a huge hole in the shoulder of his shell. Familiar . And his right eye is all sorts of injured and his right shoulder is popped out. Huh…it’s like Usagi’s story… Mikey has jagged scars reaching from his fingertips to his shoulders, Casey’s heart practically skips a beat when he sees it. Donnie looks exhausted with blood leaking out of his battle shell, a parallel that is still too soon . And Leo…
April and Splinter rushes in soon after, carrying a stretcher with an unconscious young Leonardo. He has bruises and cuts all over him, especially on his shell and plastron. Casey hurries to help them lift Leo onto one of the gurneys as the commander quickly runs over and starts setting up an IV and heart monitor. Master Splinter climbs up on the foot of the bed.
“Raphael, let me check your eye. Future boy, tend to Michelangelo. Donatello, go rest on the other gurney, don’t lie on your shell.”, the rat mutant demands.
Casey nods, walking over to grab a first aid off the wall before heading towards Mikey. It is still so weird to see the younger mystic warrior without his hair, well… completely . It is also weird for Casey to be older than someone for once. Master Michelangelo looks up at Casey with watery tears in his eyes and his arms are shaking terribly. The injuries look shallow but Casey will know more when he cleans it.
Another weird thing. Even though Casey grew up with running water, he hasn’t had any since 2043. Or wait…it’s 2022 now. Time is weird here. Nonetheless, Casey sparsely fills a bowl with a little bit of water and starts dipping a rag into it.
“This might hurt a bit.”, he quietly warns the box turtle.
“It already hurts.”, the turtle croaks.
Casey nods in acknowledgement, working his way up and down Mikey’s arms to clean them. The young ornate box turtle winces and whines each time the rag is moved. Junior does his best not to press too hard but it is like the smallest graze scathes the mystic warrior. April soon comes by with some painkillers for Mikey and helps feed the pills to him as his arms are rendered useless at the moment. Casey feels bad for not knowing that they even have that kind of medicine available, but he can’t blame himself too harshly.
With Mikey’s arms all bandaged up and the turtle somewhat more calm, Casey checks him over for other injuries. Meanwhile, the rest of the med-bay is chaotic and the help is stretched thin. Leo is still not waking up, Donnie is still not tended to, and Raph is still being checked over. Casey takes a sigh.
“Where’s Doctor O’Neil?”, he asks absentmindedly.
The room just goes quiet. Stares are sent his way. Casey looks back at all of them with a skeptical look.
“Uhm…the guys haven’t met my parents yet.”, April points out.
“Why not?”, Casey tilts his head. “You guys got along fine with the doctor in the future.”
Splinter hums. “Perhaps…it is time we do meet. Besides, if we can, we need all the help we can get. April…if you don’t mind…”
April’s lips set in a firm line for a moment. “Well…if Case says they won’t freak…alright, I’ll give her a call. Donnie, can I borrow your phone? Mine got…busted trying to collect some evidence for my journaling project.”
Donnie simply nods, pulling out his…Casey doesn’t know what it is. It’s like a small flat device that lights up like the holographic screens in the lab. That must be what April called a “phone”. He’d have to ask about it later. April promptly leaves the room, tapping into the device.
It isn’t until Raph and Mikey are done getting patched up that April reenters the room.
“So…my mom is a bit busy right now at the hospital but she’ll be on her way as soon as she can. She told me we should just monitor the guys until she gets here.”, April explains.
“Thank you, April.”, Splinter smiles. He turns to the softshell. “Leonardo is all set for now, let’s take a look at you.”
Captain Hamato, who has yet to say a word since the team got back, curls inward on himself more as his father approaches. The rat sighs softly as he reaches a hand to hold his son’s face.
“It is going to be alright, my son. Just one look and we’ll get you cleaned up.”, Master Splinter reassures.
Casey remembers how Donnie felt about textures, that’s why he always wore that lab coat and those gloves. This Donnie doesn’t have any of that. The young softshell complies as Splinter reaches up to take off the battle shell. The shell drops, the inside being coated in blood. Casey winces at the sight but he isn’t the only one in the room who feels that way.
Peering around to look at the shell, Master Splinter’s eyes gloss over it with increasing worry. “...well, it’s going to need some stitching.”, he puts it slowly. “But, I believe you’ll be alright. Future boy, April, come help me.”
Casey and April help clean and stitch the captain’s softshell. Raph makes his way over to his youngest brother, with a gauze patch over his eye, his right arm in a sling, and bandage wrappings around his shell and plastron where the cracks are. The box turtle leans his body into the snapper’s side as Raph wraps his other arm around his brother.
After a few minutes, April’s device starts making a melodic noise. She picks up and hurries out of the room, returning a couple minutes later with someone else.
A younger Carol O’Neil enters the room with a small shocked gasp. Her hair didn’t have any gray in it and her complexion is smoother. Her hand only has the one diamond ring on it, and it is as shiny as ever. The turtles and rat stare at her with shy smiles and anticipation. It takes a moment before the doctor smiles.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Hamatos.”, she greets.
Everyone shares a collective sigh of relief. April shows her mom to Leonardo as Casey and Splinter finish helping Donnie. Some light conversation buzzes around as Carol and everyone else exchange explanations. The doctor takes it all pretty well, learning about the mutations and the whole mission the team endured through last night. Though Carol has a hard time believing the idea Casey is from the future, stating it sounded like a sci-fi movie. But she is quick to believe it, seeing how she is standing in a room with 5 mutants.
“You know…it’s all starting to make sense.”, she chuckles softly. “With the way Mayhem is, and how you always went on those night adventures and come crawling back through the window covered in scrapes and soot. Honestly, it’s relieving to hear that you weren’t getting into any trouble with the law this whole time.” Then she gives her daughter a small glare through her smile. “Though we are definitely going to have a talk about the dangers you’ve thrown yourself in, young lady.”
April squeaks a bit through a nervous smile as she helps her mom check on Leo. After a while, everyone is all checked over. Donnie is finally able to relax a bit and lie down in his back against the propped up gurney. Though, Doctor O’Neil seems a bit apprehensive to tell the news about Leo. She takes a deep breath, walking over to Splinter.
“Unfortunately, Leonardo has fallen into a coma.”, she hushes. “But it’s not fatal, he is fine. His brain has suffered a traumatic injury, however. It might be a few days before he wakes up.”
Splinter’s ears droop sadly. He takes a moment to compose himself before smiling at the doctor. “Thank you for your help, Mrs. O’Neil. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.”, he says, bowing to Carol in appreciation.
“Oh of course, Mr. Hamato. You and your boys take great care of my April. It’s the least I can do for you.”, Carol grins. “Now, allow me to show you how to keep an eye on Leo while we wait for him to wake.”
Casey stands off to the side as Doctor O’Neil guides the rat through the steps. Everything all feels so surreal. Is Casey dreaming all of this? Is he just dreaming the night sky and morning sun? Is he just dreaming all of his pain and sorrow? When he wakes up…will his family even be there?
“...hello? Are you there?”, Carol asks, waving a hand. Casey hasn’t noticed she was done explaining things and is suddenly right in front of him.
“Ah, sorry. I…sorta spaced out for a moment.”, Casey smiles sheepishly.
“No need to apologize, dear. It must’ve been an exhausting day for you too.”, Carol grins sweetly. “I just wanted to check over you really quick.”
“Oh well, I’m fine. Nothing seriously hurt.”, the teen shrugs and shakes his head.
The doctor crosses her arms. “Yes, but I can see you’re covered in scrapes and bruises.”
“They’re not a big deal. There’s no need to waste resources on me.”
That statement seems to make Carol crease her brow in concern. She soothes, “Dear…I may not know what your “apocalypse timeline” is like. But trust me when I say we got everything we need here.” Doctor O’Neil then grabs a stool and pulls it up to Casey. “Now, allow me to take a look. I won’t take long. And you can tell me if you need me to back off, alright?”
Junior frowns for a moment but complies anyway, sitting in the stool. “Alright.”
Carol goes through cleaning and disinfecting the scrapes on Casey’s arms and legs. It feels strange being tended to like this, but…nice. Doctor O’Neil was always so caring. She asks about the faint explosion scar that stretched up and down Casey’s left shoulder. When the teen replies it is an old wound from a grazed bullet…no one likes that answer. Then she asks Casey to take off his gloves and arm wrappings to check underneath, to which the teen hesitates.
They don’t know about the arm…
But it would be suspicious if Casey hid them, right? So…he complies. He takes off his left glove and wrappings first, to which the doctor spots a major black and purple bruise on his wrist, handing the kid some ice for it. Then it is time for his right.
…They’ll have to figure it out at some point, I guess . Casey doesn’t mind if they know. What he does mind is that they are definitely going to ask questions about it. Questions he doesn’t want to answer. Not to mention, looking at the prosthetic causes Casey to think about it. And he does not want to think about it.
So slowly, Casey reaches over…and gingerly peels off the glove, showing the shimmering green and shy glowing electronic nerves. The teen feels eyes peer at it in a stunned sense of awe yet concern.
Carol smiles softly. “My, that’s some impressive tech.”
“Thanks…”, Casey mutters. “...my friend Shelldon made it.”
The kid notices the softshells’ eyes widen as if he hasn’t heard that name in years. Casey hasn’t said the name in a while either.
The doctor hums in acknowledgement, “I sure hope you gave your friend a huge thank you. I’ve never seen such a high-quality, robotic prosthetic before.” She carefully reaches over to hold the teen’s right hand. “Mind if I take a closer look?”
Casey nods, reaching to take off the weathered brown sheet of fabric and undoing the wrappings to show the rest of the arm. The turtles watch the arm with curiosity but Carol doesn’t seem fazed by it at all. She keeps a calm and steady look in her eyes.
As expected, Carol does start to ask questions. But not once does she ask about the how, the why, or the when of what happened. She only asks questions about the prosthetic. Like how it works, how it detaches and reattaches, and how Casey takes care of it. It is refreshing as well as relieving for the teen to not get pressured to retell the story to someone for the millionth time. However…
“How’d you lose your arm?”, Mikey blurts out. “Were you born with it or was it like an accident?”
“Mikey!”, Raph hisses under his breath.
Casey weakly smiles. “Uhh, neither?”, he answers, unsure. “B-But it’s not like I did it on purpose of course.”, he quickly adds when he notices the split second look of fear on the box turtle’s face. “It’s fine, don’t worry.”
The younger mystic warrior shuts his lip after that, noticing the small glares from his brothers. But Casey isn’t mad at him for it. Nearly everyone in the Resistance asked about it. Carol, though, smiles softly, gently squeezing Casey’s arm.
“Well, I think that’s enough questions now.”, she says. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry too much. I just wanted to make sure that you were cared for.”
“I was.”, the teen reassures. “You made sure of that.”
The doctor’s eyes widen. A glimmer glosses over her eyes as her smile stretches. Doctor O’Neil gives Junior’s arm another gentle squeeze before getting up to go check on Splinter.
Casey crosses his arms, being left-handed and folding his left arm on top which covers a bit of the prosthetic. He really doesn’t like what the arm means for him. A whole string of events that led to this. From being born inside Operation 51 as a byproduct of nuclear radiation, to losing his biological parents in an attempt to flee the government, to being hunted by John Bishop, encountering Bishop and stupidly revealing the tattoo he didn’t know he had at the time, to losing Donnie in a ship crash that is technically his fault even though everyone kept saying otherwise yet Casey just can’t be convinced, to Leo brutally murdering Bishop and Casey learning about his origin, and by then you’d think that was the end of that but noooo because Casey just had to slip up using familial titles on missions and get him and his Sensei kidnapped and then—
The cleaver stretched high up into the air, shining in the fluorescent light with an evil glint. In one clean hit, the blade swung down and cut through halfway down Casey’s forearm, mere inches past the elbow, slicing through the bone. Blood began spewing out as Casey screeched in pain. His voice reached volumes Casey never thought it could go. A scream from deep deep inside his core.
The teen’s breathing hitches. The pain in his residual feels real and alive as the sensation of the blade writhes inside his nerves. Casey curls in on himself, clutching where his prosthetic meets the arm as he feels the room begin to spin. His chest tightens uncomfortably and Junior can practically hear his heart scream in his eardrums.
He knows this feeling. He’s had it before. But fuck is it always intense each time. The kid tries his best to steady his breathing but everything is out of pace. He eyes the floor in front of him, trying to recognize where he is. But…Casey is unsure. The light is bright and the smell of antiseptics and blood is potent so it has to be the med-bay. But why is the med-bay so small? And…a lot more polished and clean? This isn’t right. This isn’t his home. Where am I?!?
“...reathe, Case. Breathe.”, a familiar voice calls out through the screaming in his head. There’s hands on his shoulders. Small, deft. Not familiar. “You’re safe, alright?”
The teen looks up to see a woman. A girl. Around his age, a bit older. Dark skin, loosely kinky hair in poms, green jacket, red framed glasses. Oh . It’s April. Right…this isn’t home at all. This…isn’t home.
“I know it’s not the home you recognize.”, she says. Wait, was I saying that out loud? “But trust me when I say that you’re safe now. You’ve got us. We won’t leave you behind.”
It all feels so disorienting. Everything is the same but changed at the same time. It’s not…quite what it’s meant to be. Nothing sits right with Casey. There’s not an ounce of anything in this timeline that’s exactly the same as Casey remembers. He doesn’t belong here. He’s the one that’s out of place.
“Deep breaths, CJ. Like this.” April exaggerates long deep breaths of her own, encouraging Junior to follow.
Casey does. He can sense everyone’s eyes on him. He knows they’re judging. He knows. It takes a while for the teen’s breathing to steady. It takes a while to fully become present in the room.
“How are you feeling? You look pretty exhausted.”, the commander asks.
“I… am exhausted.”, the teen mumbles.
April nods sympathetically. “I mean we all spent the whole night stopping an invasion. But you were probably up and at it before that, right?”
“Yeah…”, Casey’s brows furrow. “I woke up this morning, preparing for the fight of my life. Only to be thrown back in time and go through all of that.” He pauses, running the math in his head. “Shit, I think I haven’t slept in like 24 hours or something.”
“Language.”, Raph calls out.
“Raph, please.”, April rolls her eyes in a light tease. She turns to Casey. “Don’t mind him. He’s a stickler for filter.”
“Huh, that’s funny.”, Casey tilts his head. “In the future, everyone, especially the turtles, had absolutely no filter at all.”
Mikey gasps. “Even me?”
Junior nods. “Yeah, even you. Sometimes.” He glances over at Donnie, “Don’s the one that swore the most.”
Raph sends a side eye glare to his immediate younger brother who smirks back at him. Mikey giggles at them. Casey feels himself relax a bit.
“And then Sensei…he swears a lot too but he gets really creative with threats.”, he continues.
Raph sighs mild amusement yet exasperation. “Yeah…that sounds like ‘im.”
The room then begins to fill with quiet snickering and longing fond looks at the unconscious slider lying in his gurney. Carol finishes checking on Splinter, taking a breath and facing the room.
“Well, now that everyone’s patched up, I think you all should rest for a bit. It’s been quite a night for us all.”, Carol suggests.
“Agreed.”, the rat hums. “I’ll go put on some tea for us. Do you have a preference, Mrs. O’Neil?”
“Oh, it’s fine. I’m good with whatever you make.”, the doctor wavers her hand.
With that, the turtles’ dad nods and leaves the room. April turns back to Casey.
“Speaking of rest, I think I know what’ll make you feel better.”, she smiles. “How about a nice shower? You look like you haven’t had one in ages. When’s the last time you had a shower?”
Casey puzzles, thinking for a moment. “Uhhh….fffourrrr…?”, he drawls.
“Fffourrr….weeks?”, April questions. “...months??”
“Years.”
April gives Casey this appalled expression. “It’s been 4 years since your last shower?”
“Actually, it was also my first.”, the teen mutters.
Commander O’Neil lurches back in disgust. “...Yeah no, we’re changing that. Now. Come on.”, she states, getting up and taking Casey by the arm out of the med-bay.
Junior follows April down the hallway and into one of those…metal carts? that is renovated into a bedroom. Jupiter Jim posters and other designs decorated the walls as alternative lighting illuminated the place in a blue hue, the place is a mess with a bunch of knick knacks scattered all over. April walks over to a drawer filled with clothes and starts searching through them.
“I feel like you’re more Leo’s size. Though the clothes might be a bit bigger cuz of his shell.”, April explains.
“Oh, that’s okay. I prefer baggy clothes.”, Casey chuckles weakly.
The commander nods knowingly. “I thought so.”
“...You do?”
April doesn’t answer that question. She simply finishes finding what she was looking for, handing the clothes off to Casey before leading him out of the room and across the lair. She shows Casey to another room that is completely tiled and clean. A row of four sinks line up against a long mirror on the wall, with a toilet in the corner and a large tub covered by a curtain. The teen is surprised to see an actual working bathroom. He had only seen broken ones in the ruins of abandoned homes. And the ones he used in the lair were just large stalls with a toilet and when it came to bathing, well ever since water conservation dropped, people just used dry towels.
“I’m guessing you don’t know how a shower works, so lemme show you real quick.”, April says as she guides the teen over to the shower and unveils the curtain.
She goes through explaining how the thing works. From turning the water on, to Casey learning that you can change the temperature (what in the actual FUCK ), and how the soaps work (why are there so many soaps??). April then gives Casey a pat on the shoulder as she makes her way out of the bathroom.
“By the way, don’t forget to take a break from that binder. I’m guessing you’ve had that on for a while.”, she adds.
“...Wait. How did you…”, Casey puzzles, his brows furrowing in confusion.
The commander sends a wink over her shoulder. “I could tell by your slouch. Among other signs. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me too.”
“Oh, it’s okay.”, the teen grins. “I don’t mind who knows I’m intersex, never had a problem with it.”
April nods. “Thanks for telling me. Enjoy the shower.”
“Thanks, Commander O’Neil.”
“Oh please, as much as I love that title, I’m not a commander. You can just call me April.” She turns back around, exiting the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
And with that, Casey stands in the room alone. He takes a glance in the mirror, seeing the exhaustion and dirt coat every inch of his body.
It has been a long day.
Showers. Are. AMAZING .
Casey had never felt more relaxed in his life. However he did feel bad about using so much water, even if April had assured him it was fine.
Regardless, the teen is now all fresh and clean wearing some comfortable clothes he had never seen or experienced before. A big pair of dark blue sweatpants with an oversized light blue hoodie with a unicorn print on it. The sleeves are so long, it swallows up his hands. He likes it, it is all floppy and cozy. The kid smiles a bit to himself, flapping his hands in the large sleeves. Hopefully Leo won’t mind that Casey is borrowing it.
After taking a glance in the mirror again, the teen notices that the ends of his hair began to curl in waves. That’s strange, they’ve never done that before . Casey would probably ask if it’s another puberty thing, but he doesn’t know how these versions of his family members would react. But it isn’t a huge bother.
Casey leaves the bathroom, stuffing his belongings in his side pouch and heading back to the med-bay. As he makes his way back, he passes by another train cart thing. He hears sniffling from inside.
Unlike the first one, this cart is illuminated in red. The teen peers a bit inside to see Raph sitting on…wait isn’t that Casey’s bed? With the pile of teddy bears that did not belong to him. That’s right. They belonged to Raph. The snapper in question is holding a stuffed fuzzy cow towards his plastron as the oldest brother begins quietly shedding large flows of tears. He presses the arm that’s not in the sling around the cow as Raph curls inwards on himself.
Casey never got the chance to know Raph. He doesn’t know what to do here. But the rumbling drums in his veins tells him he has to do something.
“...hey, are you okay?”, the teen quietly asks.
The alligator snapping turtle quickly looks up at Casey, silencing himself. He wipes his tears and sets the stuffed cow down.
“Oh…hey, CJ. Raph’s alright. Just…a bit tired.”, Raph smiles through his tears.
The drums in Casey’s veins tells him the snapper is lying. The teen steps closer into the room, rubbing the side of his arm.
“...Do you wanna talk about it?”, he asks slowly.
The turtle sighs, looking down at the ground. “It’s just that…I’m the big brother. The one who is the biggest. I’m responsible for keeping everyone safe…and I couldn’t. I couldn’t be the strong boulder that I’m supposed to be.”
The teen thinks for a moment. The words the snapper said sounds familiar. “...You know, my sensei is a lot like you.”, he says. “He always puts on a brave face but when he gets stressed, he’ll find somewhere to hide before letting his tears out.”
Raph huffs a small laugh. “Yeah, that’s just Leo for you.”
“Sure, but…Leo is our boulder in the Resistance. He takes a lot after you, I can tell.”, Casey says. “You helped him be strong too, just like you.”
The snapper grins. “...Thanks, Case. I needed to hear that.”
“Sure.”, the teen smiles back.
The turtle finishes wiping his tears, pinching the bridge of his snout. “Though, I think Raph needs some time alone. Not to be rude, CJ.”
“Oh, no it’s okay. I’ll get going.”, Casey grins, turning to exit the room.
“Thanks for talking with me, Case.”, Raph says. The drums thank the kid for reaching out too.
“Anytime.”
Casey walks back out into the hallway and continues to head back to the med-bay. But upon arriving closer, he hears something making some sort of hum. A quick pause, then another hum.
“Come on…come on, pick up.”, Doctor O’Neil mutters to herself.
Another humming noise, then a beep. “Thanks for calling Bad (Ass) Hair Day. This is Kirby. Leave a message.” Then another beep.
“Damn it!”, Carol hisses.
“Still no response from Dad, huh?”, April says. “...Do you think he’s okay?”
The doctor sighs. “Baby, I wish I knew. I’ve been trying to contact him all night. We called for a bit before his phone cut out. I just hope he’s alright.”
“Don’t worry, mom. He and Mayhem will be okay. I just know it.”, April reassures.
Casey gently knocks on the frame before entering the room. He notices that the turtles, besides Leo, and Splinter are gone. April smiles wide at the teen.
“Did you enjoy your shower? Feeling better?”, she asks.
Junior nods. “Yeah, it was really nice. I didn’t know that was a thing here.”
April nods knowingly. “Mhm, personally, a good shower always fixes a sour mood.”
“Which is why you use up all the hot water and drive your father and I insane.”, the doctor smirks.
April rolls her eyes. “Okay, well, now I have my own apartment. …And now I drive my roommates insane.”
Casey puzzles, “Roommates?”
“Yeah! Huh, you might've met them before in the future if you know me so well.”, April says. “Actually…now that I think about it…”
April stares at Casey for a long moment. The teen starts to question what she is reading. Then the girl raises a brow.
“...I knew the name sounded familiar…”, she mutters under her breath.
“What name?”, Casey tilts his head.
But before April can answer, there is another gentle knock at the entrance of the med-bay. Splinter is standing there, peering into the room with a polite wave.
“Sorry to interrupt but I came by to tell you that dinner is ready, if you’d like to join us.”, he offers.
April grins brightly. “Oh thanks, Splints. I’m starving.”
April and Splinter make their way out of the med-bay. The topic of food makes Casey hungry too. But today is…uhh…Friday? His next ration isn’t until tomorrow. But he can wait—
“Casey, you coming? Trust me, you’re gonna love this.”, April motions her hand for the teen to follow.
“Oh, it’s not my turn yet.”, Junior replies absentmindedly.
“...What do you mean it’s not your turn?”, April mutters.
The teen’s brows furrow in confusion. “I mean it’s not my turn. It’s Friday, right? I get my rations on Wednesdays and Saturdays. So you can go on ahead, it’s okay—”
He hears someone’s voice hitch behind him. April looks up too. Casey turns around to see Carol stare at him with her eyes brimming with tears. Her gaze scans over the teen before she looks away and wipes her tears.
“...I’m sorry…”, she hushes. “It just...caught me off guard.”
“What did?”, the kid tilts his head.
The doctor looks back up at him, taking a breath. “ Baby …you don’t have to ration anymore.”
“I…don’t?”
“No, you don’t.”, April replies with a sympathetic smile. “This…this isn’t like your timeline. You can come eat with us.”
“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to waste—”
“ Yes , I’m sure. Come on.”, April insists, grabbing Casey’s wrist and leading him out of the med-bay.
She turns back to her mother for a moment with a soft frown. But Carol just smiles back.
“Go on, I’ll watch over Leo for you guys.”, she says. But the second she turns around, Casey sees more tears roll down her cheek.
Casey follows April down the hall to the kitchen where the turtles and rat are sitting down at a table. Donnie now has a huge purple hoodie draped over him, working away at a broken device that is similar to that phone thing. Mikey and Raph stuck super close to each other, the box turtle leaning into the snapper’s side. Splinter came around setting some food down on the table and passing out plates, thwiping his tail at the softshell.
“No tinkering at the table, Purple. It’s time to eat.”, he states as he takes a seat.
Donnie rolls his eyes, putting his tools down to use his hands. “I’ve already finished.”, he signed in ASL before handing the device to April. It is unusual to see the softshell so quiet but today has been a long day.
Casey looks at the food in the center of the table, watching everyone grab a piece. “What is this?”, he asks, reaching to grab one as well. He’s never seen anything like it.
“Tamales. Though these are store-bought from the market.”, Splinter smiles. “Don’t tell me you didn’t have tamales in the future, Future Boy.”
The teen shook his head. “We mainly just ate rats and soup. We used to have a greenhouse though.”, he explains, holding up the tamale to take a bite.
“Uh Case, you don’t eat the husk.”, April chimes in. “You gotta open it first. Like this.”
She unravels the small twine around the wrap before peeling the supposed husk off and revealing the second exterior as a puff of steam emitted from it. April then looks back at Casey expectantly. Casey copies what she did, his mouth practically salivating at the idea of food. And then he took a bite.
Immediately, Casey is hit with a wave of flavor he has never experienced before. It is hot, salty, a bit spicy, very gamey and chewy. But overall, it is delicious . Casey realizes a second embarrassingly too late that he is crying. There’s a hand on his shoulder.
“You alright, CJ?”, April asks with a light chuckle.
The teen only manages a nod, wiping away his tears as he swallows his food. Then he goes back for another bite. And another. And then another. Within seconds, the tamale is gone. Damn. Should’ve savored it.
“You want some more?”, April asks, reaching to grab herself a second tamale.
Casey is a bit perplexed. “I can have more?”
“Why yes, of course!”, Splinter beams. “Feel free to help yourself to as many as you like!”
“Umm…alright.”, Casey smiles, a bit hesitant. But he grabs another one anyway.
As he works his way through the second tamale, Junior turns to the happy chirping noises coming from the youngest brother. It has been a long long time since he’s heard any of the turtles chirp. It’s nice.
“Thanks for the food, pops!”, Mikey grins. “These pork tamales are the best!”
“You are very welcome, Michelangelo.”, his father hums.
“Pork?”, Casey asks.
“Yeah, it’s the meat inside these things.”, Raph answers.
Casey nods in acknowledgement. “Hm. Tastes like flesh.”
The table suddenly goes quiet. Minus the surprised choke from Donnie. The teen finishes his second tamale, reaching for a third.
Donnie signs, "See? This is why I prefer plain corn tamales." He expresses, showing the inside of the tamale in his hand.
Raph swallows his bite, and clears his throat. “...Run that by me again, CJ?”, he asks.
“You know what flesh tastes like?”, April adds in.
“Yeah but it’s not like I ate it.”, the kid shrugs, explaining mid-bite. “I just bit a guy’s thumb off, no big deal.”
“Eww…”, Mikey whines. “Like…clean off?”
“It was self-defense.”, Casey clarifies. “The guy was tryna take my mask and my hands were…quite literally tied up in rope.”
“Tied? Like to a chair?”, Raph ponders.
“Yyyyeah being tied up isn’t my first rodeo.”, Casey’s brows furrow at the snapper. “By the way, thanks for leaving me behind to untie myself.”
Mikey chimes in, “Oh yeah, I was wondering…How did you get yourself out?”
Casey simply answers by raising his prosthetic arm. The rest begin to piece it together. By this point, Casey finishes his third, finally feeling full for once. But damn these tamales are delicious. And so he reaches for a fourth.
The group continues to chat for a bit as Casey makes his way through his fourth tamale. His injured jaw becomes sore from eating such large bites that Casey forgets to chew enough at one point and almost chokes. But it’s been a long time since the kid ate this much. Not to mention, everything tastes so good . Casey thought he tasted rich food before, but he guesses he was wrong. How more flavorful can food get here?
About halfway through the fourth tamale, Casey’s stomach makes a lurch. He pauses for a moment, feeling the discomfort rise up inside. Then he feels it rise up his throat. He hurks, setting the half-eaten tamale down. April takes notice.
“Case, you alright?”, she asks.
It takes a moment before everyone else starts staring too. Perfect . Casey goes to nod but his stomach begins to knot up and he hurks again. Immediately, Raph is getting up, his chair scraping across the floor. He hurries to grab a waste bin from the corner of the kitchen, bringing it to Casey’s side.
“No, it’s fine.”, Casey mutters. “I’m okay.” Of course, his stomach is telling him otherwise.
Raph cringes with worry. “CJ. Your face is literally turning pale.”
The teen’s brows pinch. But before he can ask to clarify, he is suddenly lunging for the bin. He retches for a moment before puking up all of those amazing tamales. What a waste.
Everyone else at the table groans in disgust and sucks air behind their teeth. Donnie quickly gets up and leaves the kitchen within seconds. Casey’s arms begin to shake, tears and snot covering his face. Mikey, April, and Splinter leave the table to clean up as Raph stays with Casey. He reaches to pull back the teen’s hair but Junior promptly swats his hand, doing it himself.
His first taste of a “normal” life, now thrown into the trash.
“Here, baby. This’ll help your stomach feel better.”
After a few minutes, Casey washes up in the bathroom before heading to the med-bay where Carol greets him with some water and a medicine bottle that says “Pepto Bismol” on it. He has no idea what it does, but he trusts the doctor. She’s never wronged him before.
“...thanks.”, he mumbles, taking the small dose cup of the pink goo that Doctor O’Neil poured.
He downs it easily before sitting back down on the stool and running his tired hand through his hair. He sips the water offered to him (which is like the best water he’s ever had, EVEN THE WATER IS BETTER HERE—) as Carol sighs sympathetically.
“You know, I had a suspicion you wouldn’t be able to handle food here very well.”, she says. “I suggest you try and ease into it starting with bland foods like toast or noodles. And also to eat slower, especially with that injured jaw.”
Casey stares at her skeptically. “How did you know about the jaw?”
She raises a brow at the kid as if she can read him clearly. “I can see how it shifts when you talk. Jaws aren’t meant to do that.”, she states. “How did it break anyways, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Oh, um…”, the teen drawls, staring down. “Some guy punched me really hard. But you and Sensei did your best to fix it. It just gets sore sometimes, maybe lock in place for a moment, but it’s not too bad.”
She hums sympathetically. “Well I sure hope you taught that guy a lesson.”
Casey doesn’t answer for a long moment. “......I did.”
The doctor doesn’t press anymore after that. She puts away the strange pink medicine before turning to check on Leo’s vitals. The red-eared slider looks so…tired. Perhaps being knocked out for a few days will do him some good. But still…Casey really wants him to wake up now. The teen is feeling so much guilt for what had happened. He has to apologize. Soon.
There’s a gentle knock at the entrance of the room. Casey looks up to see Raph carrying a pile of blankets over his shoulder and pillows tucked his arms. The snapper glances over at Leo for a moment before smiling at Junior.
“The rest of us are crashing in the TV room together. We would sleep here with Leo but there’s not enough space. You should come join us, CJ.”, he says. “You too, Carol, if you want.”
“That sounds nice, dear. Thank you.”, Carol smiles. “How about it, Casey? Your eyebags are practically begging for some sleep.”
Casey finishes his water, setting the cup down. “...Okay.”
Splinter enters the room shortly after, climbing up to sit beside his red-eared son. “Go on ahead, boys. I’ll stay here with Leonardo.”
Raph smiles at his dad and nods, leading Carol and Casey out of the med-bay. They head towards what is called the “TV” room. Casey recognizes the place instantly as the room where he was tied to a chair when he and the turtles met. Good times , he thinks sarcastically. Donnie and Mikey are setting up in the center of the floor while April pulls out a few beanbags and turns them into a makeshift mattress.
Raph deposits the pillows and blankets in the center before flopping down on his plastron on a huge fluffy blanket. He curls to his side a bit as Donnie opts for leaning his back against the oldest brother’s shell. April joins Donnie’s side, leaning her back against Raph and tossing a blanket over her and the softshell. Mikey throws a thick blanket on top of them before he climbs on top of the snapper’s shell, lying across like an added weight. Carol sits down on the beanbag pile, unclipping her earrings.
April looks up and smiles at Casey. “Come join us on the floor here, Casey. We got room.”
“Casey doesn’t like being touched.”, Mikey mutters, already half-asleep with drool trickling down his mouth.
Raph opens the eye not covered by a gauze patch. “Oh, Raph didn’t know that.”
Casey shrugs it off. “It’s alright. It’s been awhile since I had to explain that. Mikey was quick to catch on, though.”
“In any case, we can find somewhere else for you to crash.”, April says, sitting up to look around for an idea.
Donnie thinks of one for her, tapping into his mystic wrist tech. A whirring noise starts off to the side of the room where a couch unfolds out of the ground. Raph grins.
“Oh yeah, Raph forgot this room has a “movie night” set-up. Good thinking, Donnie.”, he says. “You can sleep over there, Case.”
The teen smiles a bit warmly. “Thanks.”
He picks up one of the spare blankets and walks over to the couch. It’s the first time Casey has seen a couch that isn’t covered in mold and fabric tears. Everything looked so clean and new here. He sits down on the couch, setting his side pouch and chainsaw staff beside him. Looking through the pouch, Casey eyes a few of the items that tagged along with him into this crazy timeline. The bloodied old photo, the fabric heart, the two memory chips, and…the green eyed mask. These few artifacts and Casey himself are all that remain of his timeline. His home. The Resistance. And its humanity itself. The community that he was built into and built for. As for the Kraang…
Casey shakes his head at that train of thought. He looks back up to the room he’s in, trying to remember what is going on. He finds his family already fast asleep on the floor. It must’ve been a tiring day. But…something feels off. Something is wrong. What could be wrong?
Oh . Patrol. Who is staying watch right now? The teen glances around to find no one else awake besides him. Is he supposed to be taking the first watch? Did anyone say he is? Well, no matter. Junior gets up, putting his mask on top of his head and grabbing his staff. Despite all the exhaustion pulling him down, the teen doesn’t mind. He’s been awake for much longer, he’s sure. Just a few hours and then it’ll be time to switch patrol.
He yawns as he walks over to the entrance of the room, leaning against the frame. Just gotta…stay awake and keep watch. No biggie. Just keeping an eye out for the…the…Kraang…? Wait…this isn’t right. There is no Kraang, Casey made sure of that. He got the key. So…what..what is he doing?
“It’s over, my boy.”, a low gruff voice speaks.
Casey blinks back to reality, looking down at Master Splinter who is talking to him. “W-what…?”, he mumbles.
The rat sighs, smiling sadly. “The war, the Kraang. It’s all gone. You did it, my boy. You saved the world, you saved my sons. Now it is time for you to rest. You can let your guard down now.”, he explains, reaching to hold the teen’s hand gently. “It’s over.”
“Oh… right .”, the kid croaks.
His knees begin to wobble underneath. His breath hitches, leaning against his staff for support before Casey finds himself sliding down the doorframe and curling inwards on himself on the ground. His eyes overflow with tears as the teen cries out relief…and sorrow. Splinter kneels beside him, rubbing his thumb across Junior’s hand. Those two words echo in his head.
It’s over.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Panic attacks, disassociation, flashbacks, injuries, blood and gore, medical setting, mentioned cannibalism
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Tbh the next few chapters are all about Casey Jr adjusting to this new world and reuniting with people (there's a LOT to cover). But by (probably) chapter 30...things get...interesting
See you next week!
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 24: When Am I?
Summary:
“...Can I help you?”, the teen drawls.
Mikey doesn’t answer for a moment. Then finally, “...What color are your eyes?”
“Um, dark brown? As far as I’ve been told.”, Junior answers.
“Huh. I could’ve sworn they’re hazel.”, Mikey leans back.
“Hazel?”
“Yeah. I’ve seen them flash green. Maybe it was the light or something.”, the box turtle shrugs, going back to his drawing.
Notes:
Casey's disassociation episode is inspired by Every Night The Longest Day, which btw if you want a good leo-centric whump/angst, "breaking the curse" kind of sick fic, with a happy ending, I HIGHLY RECCOMMEND IT, IT'S ONE OF MY TOP FAVORITE FICS!!!
First week of college classes for me, woo! (I am so overwhelemed already)
ALSO, NO ONE POINTED IT OUT AND I'M WORRIED PPL AREN'T NOTICING THIS BUT....Chapters 23 and beyond are in present tense now. Cuz Casey is in the /present/ timeline...get it??? (Ba dum tiss) (you can also interpret chapters 1 through 22 as a flashback for Casey when he found Leo's sword, if you wanna be poetic or smth??? it's not what i had in mind but idfc how you see it)
Disclaimers in the end notes as always!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
A baby is wailing.
Casey finds himself back in the strange dark echoing void. And a baby is wailing.
He walks forward, trying to find the source of the noise. The wailing sounds strained. Almost inhuman. The baby’s cry begins to get louder and louder.
Louder still.
The teen finds the baby on the ground, all by themself. His eyes widen with worry as he rushes over to scoop up the infant in his arms. He shushes them.
“Don’t worry, River. It’s okay. I got you.”, he assures. “We’re gonna get you to safety.”
Looking back down at the baby, Casey notices a huge bleeding gash at River’s side. The infant’s screaming grows even louder as the teen is stuck frozen in terror. Suddenly, the baby’s skin begins to warp. Kraang lesions reach their way out of the wound, climbing inside out to form a horrid monster.
The teen screams, dropping the baby on the ground as River transforms into a large Kraang hound. Instinctively, the kid notices he has his chainsaw staff with him. He grabs it, revving the chainsaw as he starts to slash away at the beast. Like always, it only takes a few hits. But Casey finds himself shaking terribly.
The second he kills it, Junior looks up to see a person standing right in front of him. The person looks so angry.
“YOU LIAR!”, Julian screams. “YOU PROMISED TO KEEP RIVER SAFE AND NOW THEY’RE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!”
The teen glances at the splatters of red and pink blood on his hands. “...I-I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to—”
“Is everything okay?”, another person spoke up. Casey turns around to see a familiar face he recognizes from the Resistance. “I heard we’re going to fight the Kraang soon. Is the leader positive we’re going to win?”
Casey swallows his fear, taking a breath and putting on a bright smile. “Everything is fine. Just have hope , you’ll see.”
“ LIAR!!! ”, Julian screeches. “WE ARE ALL DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!”
More voices join Julian as Casey finds himself being surrounded by the people of the Resistance. The more people that appear, the more the teen becomes covered in blood. Their blood. The people are screaming, miserable and injured. Some are missing limbs, guts, heads. Others are mangled and twisted. Many with exposed flesh and bones. They are all shouting at him.
“YOU DID THIS TO US!”
“YOU LEFT US TO DIE!”
“YOU GAVE US FALSE HOPE!”
“WHY WOULD YOU LIE TO US?”
“YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE KILLED US YOURSELF!”
“Casey.”, a voice cuts clear.
The shouting stops, the people disappear. Instead, standing in front of him is Master Leonardo. He looks furious, staring down at Casey the way the slider would stare at an enemy.
“...Sensei?”, Casey calls out.
“We took you in. We fed you, bathed you, clothed you.”, Leo says. “And this is how you repay us? By leaving us behind, rotting away in some other timeline while you live the good life?”
“What?! No! It’s not like that! I swear!”, the teen pleads, hurrying forwards.
The red-eared slider shakes his head disapprovingly. “...I thought I knew you.”
Sensei turns around, walking away. Before Casey can get the chance to stop him, Leonardo disappears into thin air. The teen panics.
“NO! COME BACK, PLEASE! LEO!”, he screams.
The people of the Resistance appear again, screaming again. Casey tries to run but every step he takes, another person blocks his path. They are getting closer. They shout at him, push him, shove him, slap him across the face, punch him in his gut.
“I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!! PLEASE! I’M SORRY!!”, the kid screeches.
CJ? Kid, wake up!
The 16 year old curls up on the ground in a ball as the people send kicks to his sides. They are all scolding him, taunting him.
“I’M SORRY!!!”, Casey repeats. “I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SORRY!!!”
Wake up, Casey! You’re having a nightmare!
He’s sorry. He screams it again and again. It’s all his fault. The entire timeline is dead and it’s all because of him. He lied to them. He made promises and he broke them. For what?? They were all gonna die anyway. What difference did Casey make?
Snap out of it!
Once again, Casey wakes up screaming. Someone’s got him in a tight hold in their hands and it freaks him out. He punches his residual at the hands until they fly off, pushing himself to sit up. His heart is fucking racing and his breathing is so fast and shallow, it is like it practically isn’t there at all. There are people surrounding him, shushing him. He tries to recognize where he is but nothing looks familiar. Nothing is making sense.
“...otta try to breathe, Case. Take some deep breaths.”
The teen is trying, really trying to breathe but his breath keeps hitching in an arrhythmic pattern. He wraps his arms around himself, his left hand digging into his right arm, as he curls inwards. Someone leans in, gently placing their hand on his but then Casey is suddenly hit with the memories of his nightmare.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I’m sorry—”, he rasps.
“It’s okay.”, they hush, their voice light. “I’m not going to hurt you, you’re safe. I just wanna help.”
Their hand is shaking ever so slightly, trembling with tremors. But they keep a soft grip, rubbing their thumb across Casey’s knuckles. Another hand purposely sets into Junior’s view for him to see. Without saying a word, they slowly open their three-digit fingers one by one in a slow paced motion. Opening 1, 2, 3. Closing 1, 2, 3. The person who backed off earlier, comes back. Their voice is low and gruff.
“Breathe wit’ Don, CJ.”, they say. “Take it slow.”
Casey tries. Upon the first slow inhale, his lungs burn so bad that he has a coughing fit, choking for air. At least it helps his pacing slow a bit. The two voices, light and low, murmur words of encouragement. The teen looks back up at the hand in front, trying again. It takes a couple minutes before he can follow along with the pattern. Then finally after a while, he can think more clearly again.
“...where?”, he croaks, not looking away from the hand.
“You’re at our place.”, the light voice answers. “Remember? We’re your friends. You’re safe here.”
Friends… , Casey ponders. Casey doesn’t have any friends. The only friend he had is dead, reduced to scraps. So who is the lighter one talking about? Junior turns to look at the three, gradually recognizing the turtles. Oh . That’s right. These guys aren’t his family anymore. They’re just friends.
“...I’m sorry.”, he repeats again. The weight on his chest grows heavier.
“Why’re you sorry?”, Raph asks.
“...because...you don’t know me...”, Casey’s voice quivers. “...yet you still put up with me…”
Mikey smiles sympathetically. “We put up with you, Casey, because we care about you. We really do.”, he explains. “Besides...I don’t know what it is...but I feel like I’ve cared about you all my life even though we don’t know each other well. Perhaps we are just that great at getting along.”
“Yeah, don’t sweat it, CJ.”, Raph grins. “You’re one of the Mad Dogz now. Ya broke the space time continuum n’ saved the universe, that’s grounds for instant friendship.”
The teen chokes out a soft laugh. He takes a few more deep breaths, grounding himself back into the room. He notices that April and Carol are nowhere to be found, and the turtles are already wide awake. Is he the last one to wake up?
“W-what time is it?”, he asks. He feels his head get cloudy but tries to stay focused.
“Like…9-ish?”, Mikey says, more to himself. “You seemed pretty exhausted so we were letting you sleep in past breakfast until we heard you mumbling in your sleep.”
Casey nods and hums in acknowledgement, desperately trying to latch onto the conversation. But his mind is basically saying “I’m out. Peace.”.
“...you feeling?”, Mikey continues.
“Huh?”, Casey asks, trying to maintain focus on the box turtle.
“I asked how are you…”
Then his mind blanks out.
... .......... ............................ .......... ..............
............................ ...... .......
...... ...... ..................
... ..... ......
.... ....
Everything turns fuzzy. He notices someone tapping on his shoulder. He tries to come back, but he is stuck. It’s like being trapped under a comfortable bed, all warm and cozy and safe. He knows he needs to get up, but everything inside him tells him not to.
The people back off, but they don’t leave.
........ .... .
...... ....... ..........
............... ........... ...............
..................... ...... ......
.... . .
A woman comes in. She asks a question to someone nearby. The person replies. She walks over to Casey, waving a hand in his face and snapping her fingers. The teen manages to move his head a little, but that’s all he can muster himself to do as his chest tightens and begs him not to move again. The woman says something to him but gets no response. She gets back up, patting the teen’s knee.
“...eel better, baby.”
.
..... ....... .. .......
............... .... .................. ... ...........
............ ... .............. ........
.... . ..
There’s someone talking. Then music begins playing. Casey recognizes some names. Another person is talking. The music gets louder, grander.
He hears someone else, a light voice, mimicking the people who are talking.
“...upiter Jim, ahoy! Pew, pew pew!”
The teen finds himself rolling off the comfortable bed in his mind as he sucks in a breath of air. His vision clears, refocusing back to the scene in front of him. He feels a cold chill graze his skin. The noise becomes louder.
He finds Mikey lying on his plastron on the floor, kicking his legs up. The noise is coming from a…projected hologram?...displaying people. They kind of remind Casey of Jupiter Jim except more real life. It is…somewhat uncanny to see the real Jupiter Jim instead of the Kraangified version Casey ran into when he was 10. The ornate box turtle is drawing something, while reciting the same words coming from the hologram. The teen decides to get up and walk over to the turtle, picking up his prosthetic arm and hooking it back on in the process.
“Uhm…hi.”, he mumbles.
Mikey beams up at the teen. “Oh, hey Casey! You’re back. How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. Sorry for spacing out on you guys like that.”, Casey replies, taking a seat beside Mikey. “It happens sometimes.”
The box turtle nods. “Don’t sweat it, Case! At least you’re back now.”, he says, going back to his drawing.
Casey leans over to get a look at the drawing. “Is…that a leopard shark?”
Mikey slams his pencil down. “YOU KNOW ABOUT SHARKS?!”, he exclaims.
Junior nods, smiling nervously. “Uhh yeah, you taught me about them.”
“YES!”, the ornate box turtle pumps his fist down. “I’ve been waiting to talk to someone about sharks!”
That gets the teen to laugh. “Guess future you did us a favor.”
The turtle giggles, “Haha, yeah! It’s great!” He pushes a stack of paper over to Casey. “Hey, wanna draw with me?”
“Okay.”, Junior smiles.
It’s been a while since Casey has drawn anything. At least on paper instead of a stick in the dirt. And so he picks up a pencil and grabs a sheet to begin. It takes a second to figure out what to draw, but he has the perfect muse in front of him. Michelangelo. So Casey draws. He draws his Michelangelo, with the cape, the hair, the extra spots. He draws the sparks of energy, the explosions, the implosions, the rings of light that spiraled around him. He draws the quiet room, surrounded in candles on the floor and dents in the wall, centering a blindfolded master at work to attune his skills.
In the middle of him drawing, Mikey leans in really close. Not at the art, but at him. Casey side glances over at the box turtle to find him squinting his eyes to find something on Casey’s face.
“...Can I help you?”, the teen drawls.
Mikey doesn’t answer for a moment. Then finally, “...What color are your eyes?”
“Um, dark brown? As far as I’ve been told.”, Junior answers.
“Huh. I could’ve sworn they’re hazel.”, Mikey leans back.
“Hazel?”
“Yeah. I’ve seen them flash green. Maybe it was the light or something.”, the box turtle shrugs, going back to his drawing.
Casey hums in acknowledgement. He isn’t sure what to make of it. Green? I don’t think my eyes are green —
A glint of green glossed over his vision, faint and gone in a flash.
…Hm.
Casey shakes his head, refocusing back on the drawing.
Once he has filled the paper with colored sketches front and back, he grabs another sheet. He envisions his Sensei, prideful and brave. He draws the scarf, the prosthetic, the chips in his shell and plastron. He draws the illumination of his markings, the swords, one with red and purple cloth, the portals that swallowed him. He draws the atrium, a crowd watching the leader on a pedestal, his spirit lifting others higher.
Another sheet. He envisions the Captain, intelligent and bold. He draws the visor, the prosthetics, the snazzy lab coat. He draws the mystic creations materializing out of thin air, weaponry enveloping him. He draws the lab, various tech and machinery crowded the room, a scientist absorbed in his work—
The sketch he is working on is suddenly yanked away from him. Casey looks up in surprise to find the younger Donnie holding the drawing in his hands with a stern expression. Mikey scoffs.
“Donald! You can’t just look at someone’s drawing without permission!”, he snarks.
“I-It’s fine, I don’t mind.”, Casey smiles sheepishly. “They’re just sketches of you guys.”
“Of us?! From the future?! Can I see?!”, Mikey perks up.
“Yeah, sure.”
Mikey scoots over and picks up the drawings of his future self, adoring the designs. “ I HAVE HAIR?!? ”
Donnie also snaps his eyes over to the drawing. Casey can’t quite tell what he is expressing as the softshell continuously glares at everything with focus. Donnie then looks back at the drawing of himself, gaze softening. He flips the page in front of Casey, pointing at the sketch of his prosthetic leg.
“What happened?”, he signs.
Casey presses his lips for a moment. “...I…don’t know.”
“And the eye?”, Donnie signs again.
“I don’t know that either.”, the teen shrugs. “What I do know is that you lost them both at the same time. Long before I was born.”
Donnie’s serious expression comes back. He looks…a bit scared? Casey quickly perks up.
“N-Not that it hindered your abilities at all! You were the captain of the entire Resistance fleet. Pilot of the greatest battleship of all… The Red Angel .”, Casey smiles.
“Woaaaahhhhh……”, Mikey drawls. “What about me?! What am I in charge of?”
Casey beams. “You are the most powerful mystic warrior ever! You lead a special team of other mystics to fight back against the Kraang! Even when your powers caused you to go blind, you attuned to everything else in an instant.”
“I'm gonna be blind in the future?!”, Mikey shouts in concern.
“Oh no, not entirely.”, Casey explains quickly. “Your powers…if you use them too much, they put a dent in your ninpo. Affecting your vision, your body’s age, hair…even…your arms.”
The ornate box turtle frowns down at his arms. At the dimly lit orange cracks that shine through. Donnie proceeds to sit down on the floor with them, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Casey feels a twinge of guilt for making them upset. He just wanted to tell them how cool they are. …Were.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you guys.”, the teen mutters.
Mikey shakes his head and smiles. “It’s alright. Your…your future wasn’t nice to us, I can tell. I’m just glad we’re here now.”
Yeah…Glad to be here.
They soon hear footsteps approaching them from behind. The group turns to see Raph and April walk in the TV room with trays of food in their arms. The snapper gives a toothy grin at them.
“Dad made lunch! Our fav’rite hot soup!”, he calls.
“Woo! Hot soup!”, the youngest cheers.
As the oldest comes around serving bowls of some really good smelling noodles with this reddish brown broth, April crouches beside Casey with a bowl and a plate.
“Mom got some toast for you.”, she says, passing a plate of two slices of toast on it. “Sorry it’s not Lou Jitsu’s famous ramen.”
“I don’t mind.”, Casey replies. He reaches for a slice and goes in for a bite. MAN . “Why does everything taste so good here??”, he exclaims through bread and fresh pearls of tears. “I’ve had toast before. But this is amazing!”
“That’s because mom’s toast is the best.”, April smirks, twirling her chopsticks into her bowl of hot soup.
The group works their way through their lunch, Casey enjoying every bite of his. It is so soft yet just the right amount of crunchy with a delicious salty and buttery taste. Toast is fucking amazing, oh my god . Once they are done, Casey goes back to the couch and searches his bag.
Casey and this bag are all that remains of his home. Everything else is gone. Yet, the teen finds comfort in the smell of sulfur and gunpowder in his pouch. The bits of red dirt at the bottom. The smudges of oil, grease, and dried blood. It may be gruesome. It may be hell. But hell is all Casey has ever known.
He reaches for Cup’s small fabric heart, holding it close. The worn heart is but a small comfort against this strange new world. But comfort nonetheless.
Casey feels a weight sink into the couch beside him. He turns to see the alligator snapping turtle sitting next to him. The snapper smiles.
“Who did that belong to?”, he asks. “Raph recognizes the heart.”
“Oh…this is just from an old teddy bear I had. I named it Cup.”, Casey replies softly. “Sen—...Leo gave them to me. Told me they had “secret mystic powers”, haha.”, he chuckles.
“Mystic teddy bear powers?”, Raph smirks. “Heh, I haven’t told that trick t’ my bros in a while. Used to say it t’ ‘em when we were kids.”
“So…is it true?”, Casey raises a skeptical brow with a smile. “Do teddy bears actually have mystic powers?”
“Yep! Only if ya believe in the magic!”, the turtle grins. Then he looks back at the heart, “What happen’ t’ ‘em?”
“Uhhhhhh………”, Casey drawls, thinking of the most appropriate answer. “...I at—...er…broke it. A year ago.”
Raph hums in response, nodding. “Well, it’s a good thing ya kept the heart. That means ya can give ‘em a new body.”
“A…new body?”, the teen raises a brow.
“Yeah man! Teddy Bear Town! Ya know?”
“...No. I don’t.”, Junior mutters.
Raph’s face drops. “What?! Ya haven’t been t’ Teddy Bear Town??”, he exclaims. The snapper immediately stands up and hurries out of the room. “Be right back!”
Casey sits there and waits. He watches the projected hologram that everyone else is staring at. Jupiter Jim searches an abandoned space station of an old and long forgotten alien species that spoke in its own cipher. The teen remembers how Leo memorized the cipher and taught it to him.
The snapper strides back in just a couple minutes later, wearing a large red hoodie with baggy white basketball shorts and a black backpack slung over his shoulder. He nods his head towards Junior.
“C’mon! Bring the heart wit’cha.”, he says.
As Casey gets up to follow him, Donnie quickly stands up and flutters a hand. “Wait. Shouldn’t we lay low for a while?”, he signs with concern. “We just got back from saving New York. People had cameras on us.”
“This is an emerg’ncy, Don.”, Raph smirks. “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. We’ll keep our heads low.”
Casey huffs a laugh to himself. What is this place? Operation 51?
The snapper motions the teen to follow him. The two make their way out into the dark sewer tunnels. Casey glances at the heart for a moment.
“...So…where are we going?”, he asks.
“The best place on Earth.”, Raph answers. “Trust me, you’ll love this.”
They make their way up the ladder up the sewer hole cover. Raph budges the cover with ease, pushing himself up before lending a hand to Casey as he climbs up as well. They breach the surface world into an alleyway. Loud cars honking and revving as the place crowds with hundreds of thousands of people. The teen feels anxiety swell in his chest, clenching Cup’s heart even more. Everything is way too loud out here. Too vibrant. Too… alive . The sounds of chattering, honking, sirens. The sights of blinking lights, rushing feet, illuminated signs. The smell of ozone, smoke, and vendor food. The feeling of warm air, stillness with no wind, and flat flat stone underneath his feet. It is all…so… different .
“CJ? Ya aw’rite?”, Raph asks, turning over his shoulder as he tugs his hood over his head.
Casey pauses for a moment. “...I’ve…I’ve never seen New York like this. I’ve gotten so used to it being all ruined and abandoned. I’m not…I don’t think I can…It’s just…”
“Too much?”, the turtle frowns.
The teen nods.
“Here.” Raph swings his bag down to his front and opens it, reaching in for something. “Raph always keeps these in here for Don, just in case. Let’s see if these help a bit.” He pulls out an industrial noise canceling headset, the ones Casey has seen people use when running maintenance on the battleships that revved so loud. He hands them to Casey.
Junior wedges the fabric heart to hold between his ring and pinky fingers as he reaches for the headset. He pushes them on, brushing his hair back in the process. Sounds suddenly cut silent, muffling the city. He takes a breath, relaxing his shoulders a little.
“...Thanks, Raph.”, he smiles.
“Of course, man.”, Raph grins. “If ya start to get overwhelmed, just let Raph know. We can always head back too, if ya want?”
“I can keep going.”, Casey nods, namely saying it more to himself.
The snapper smirks, turning back around. “Then let’s roll!”
The two reach the bright lit up store with the Teddy Bear Town sign on the front. Casey remembers seeing an old abandoned version in that mall the Rad Dogz explored when he was 14. To see one up and running without a care in the world…it feels like a fever dream.
They walk inside, the plethora of stuffed toys and decorations fill the store. A complete turn around to the ripped up and picked clean shelves. The posters look the same, reminding Casey how he really did go back in time. Back to the before.
But pressing on, they explored. One store in particular looked like it used to sell stuffed animals. The teddy bear designs on the posters reminded Casey of the pile of teddy bears that did not belong to him. The store even had a few accessories. Casey brought Cup out from his bag as the Rad Dogz had fun planning Cup a little makeover. Now Cup was decked out in little pink cloth boots, a sick paint-splattered leather jacket, a pair of sunglasses that sat on top of their head, and a steel chain necklace to match Cup’s belt. Casey and Shelldon adored Cup’s new look. Cup seemed happy with their new look too.
“Over here! Let’s pick out a new body.”, Raph calls over.
Junior follows the snapper over to a wall filled with various toy skins on shelves. It takes a few moments before Casey’s eyes land on a mint green bear with soft faux fur. It is different from Cup’s oaky brown, but Casey likes the color. He’s sure Cup will like it too.
He reaches up for the skin, though it is just out of his reach as the mint bear sits on the highest shelf. Raph chuckles, easily reaching over to grab the bear for him. Casey huffs in amusement at the snapper’s large height. He notices that the turtle also picked out a light blue unicorn skin, a pastel orange shark skin, a dark night purple cat skin, a pale sunny yellow dog skin, and a reddish-pink bear skin. Likely for him and his siblings.
The alligator snapping turtle shows Case over to all of the accessories, the two of them picking out things to decorate the toys with. Casey decides to go for a red bucket hat and denim overalls with an embroidered sunflower on the little front pocket. Raph snags matching multicolored beaded bracelets for all of the toys to wear.
They bring the toys over to a machine full of cotton stuffing. Raph starts planting his own fabric hearts into his own stuffed toys as Casey plants Cup’s heart into its new body. Back to where they belong. Welcome home, bud .
Once the toys are stuffed and dressed, Raph and Casey head to the counter upfront where the snapper picks out a decorated pale blue card with the words “Get Well Soon” written on it. The turtle then gives the person behind the counter a stack full of…green paper slips? And a small punch card with the Teddy Bear Town logo on it. As they leave the store with their new fabric friends, Casey taps Raph’s shoulder.
“What were those paper slips you gave them?”, the teen asks.
“What? Ya mean money? It’s how we buy stuff here.”, Raph answers.
“What do you mean “buy”?”
The snapper hums. “Raph guesses you wouldn’t know ‘bout money stuff, huh? It’s like…have ya ever traded things before? Like a snack for a pencil?”
Junior nods albeit skeptically. “The Resistance traded animal scraps for clothes and weapons from the Nexus at one point. Sometimes medicine.”
“Well there’s a good example.”, Raph grins. “It’s like trading things except, without using actual items, you use money.”
“Huh.”, Casey hums in understandment. “...Why?”
“Uhh…Raph don’t know. Efficiency??”
The two return back to the lair, Casey feeling relieved to hear silence without the need of the noise cancellers as he rests the headset on his shoulders. They stop by the med-bay to check in on Leo. Unfortunately to no surprise, the slider is still out. The oldest brother sighs softly as he gently tucks the blue unicorn with the matching bracelet and card into his brother’s arm on the side. Carol is also in the room, smiling a bit sadly at the red-eared slider.
“I’m positive that Leo will wake up very soon, not to worry.”, she says.
“Thanks mom—er—Carol.”, Raph sputters.
That makes the doctor huff a laugh. “Oh baby, call me whatever you like.”, she says. Then she gives a smug grin, “As long as it ain’t insulting.”
“Ha! Raph would never .”
She waves as she leaves, heading for the TV room. Raph scoops back up the toys before following her, Casey looking over his shoulder at the comatose slider before heading out of the room too.
Raph waltz in the TV room with a beaming smile. “Special deliv’ry!”, Raph calls out to the group.
Mikey immediately perks up at the toys that the snapper is hauling into the room. “Omigosh! New friends!!”
“I thought you said it was an emergency?”, Donnie signs, brows furrowing.
“It was!”, Raph exclaims. “Case needed a new body for his bear!”
Casey smiles shyly, holding up Cup. “I broke their old one but kept the heart. So Raph showed me to Teddy Bear Town.”
“Aww look at its cute wittle outfit! And they all have matching bracelets! Aw, Raph!”, Mikey beams.
The oldest nods. “Here’s yours.”, he says, passing the shark. He picks up the cat, “Don! Heads up!”
The softshell fumbles to catch the toy as Raph throws it. He huffs and sends an eyeroll, but Casey can still see the corners of his beak curl into a smile. The snapper gently plops the dog on April’s head, getting an amused chuckle out of his sister. She doesn’t move the dog though, still scrolling through her phone from her spot on the beanbag. She carries a worried look in her brows, matching her mother’s who is pacing around with her phone in hand as well.
The group resides to sit down on the various pieces of furniture, continuing to watch the Jupiter Jim marathon on the projector (Casey has been informed). The teen also takes the chance to flaunt his knowledge on the alien cipher, impressing the turtles and even Donnie. Junior can just sense his Sensei’s smug grin shining through.
Suddenly, April jolts up to a stand with a small gasp, causing the plush dog to fall on the beanbag. The teens turn to look at her as she holds her phone up to her ear. There’s that humming noise again. Then a click.
“DAD!?”, she shouts. That draws Carol’s attention as well, rushing over to join her daughter. April stammers, “H-Hang on, I’m putting you on speaker.”
“April?! Baby girl, where are you?! Are you alright? Where’s your mom??” , a man’s voice calls out from the other side.
“We’re right here, Kirby. We’re fine.”, Carol replies. “What happened to you?! We’ve been trying to call you all night!”
Kirby? Casey recognizes the name.
The woman took a pause, thinking for a moment. “His name was Kirby. And he owned this local barbershop on the corner called “Bad (Ass) Hair Day”, haha!”, she chuckled.
That’s right! Kirby O’Neil. …Isn’t he supposed to be dead?
“Man oh man! You ladies won’t believe the crazy night me and Mayhem just had!” , Kirby exclaims. “We got trapped underneath some debris in the pet store! And then I saw this weird alien helicopter. That thing looked straight outta a movie! And it launched this rocket at this group of people. It might as well have been a movie cuz one had a tail, another had a flaming green bat, and the other had a halloween skull mask! And when I saw that I said, “Mayhem, I think we’s in Armageddon!”, we were so scared!” The man pauses, taking a breath. “And then, the craziest thing happened! The skull man shot like a grappling hook outta his arm and caught the turret before it could hit us! Phew! If it wasn’t for that guy, me and Mayhem woulda been toast! Jelly toast!”
That causes the entire group to look over at Casey. Oh great, everyone stares at me here too . The teen gives a sheepish shrug. Donnie motions his hands.
“Space time continuum.”, he signs simply with a deadpan stare.
“What about you guys? Where you at?” , Mr. O’Neil asks.
“We’re with the Hamatos. April’s friends.”, Carol answers.
“Those guys?! The ones we’ve never met before?” , Kirby exclaims. “So. All it took for us to meet your friends was to experience the end of the world, huh, April?”
“Yeah, guess so.”, April laughs nervously.
“Well when am I gonna meet ‘em?”
“Well…”, she drawls, glancing up at the turtles.
The brothers look around at each other with a nervous look. But then they unanimously smile and nod at their sister. April nods back.
“Okay. I’ll text you the address.”, she says back to the phone.
“Oh good! Thank god too, cuz…I left my keys.”
“Just…don’t freak out when you see them.”
“April. I saw a lotta crazy things last night. I won’t freak out.” , Kirby replies. “See you soon, your highnesses!”
“Bye Kirby, stay safe!”, his wife calls out.
And with that the call ends with a beep. Mikey turns over to Casey.
“You’re a hero, CJ!”, he beams.
“Well, I mean…I didn’t know he was there. There were lots of people.”, Casey says.
“Don’t be so modest, big man!”, Raph grins, landing a large hand on Casey’s shoulder. The touch familiar. “That’s just how we Mad Dogz roll! Savin’ lives!”
“Well I guess another round of introductions are in order.”, Carol smiles.
“...I think I read the directions wrong.”, an unfamiliar voice mumbles towards the entrance of the lair. Then they call out, “Uhh…hello? Sewer creatures? Carol? April?”
“Dad!!”, April beams as she brings up from her beanbag.
“Apes?? Why are you down in the sewers?”, Kirby hurries over towards his daughter’s voice.
Soon, the group sees a man peer into the TV room. Kirby O’Neil. Tall and broad, built like square with soft cheekbones. His skin is dark yet just a bit darker than April’s, his hair is tightly kinky yet tighter than April’s. He wears his hair in a short high top with a super clean cut hairline Casey didn’t even know is possible. With the hair smoothing down the sides of his chin into his full and trimmed beard, a slit on either side cutting where his hairline meets his temples, and his hair symmetrically fading into the back of his neck. His buttoned up hot pink shirt is dirty and a bit torn from the rubble, a tear gaping on one leg of his jeans. His silver chain necklace and bracelets are smudge in dirt and grime. And a cute, yellow and blue creature with fangs is perched on his shoulders, in need of a long overdue bath.
“Princess!”, Kirby beams, rushing down the flight of stairs to hug his daughter. “Awww, I’m so glad you’re alright!”
He embraces her tightly to his chest, laughing with joy. April wipes the pearls of tears in her eyes, cooing at the creature who’s supposedly Mayhem and scooping them up in her arms.
“And there’s my queen!”, the man smiles at his wife who walks over to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Stunning as ever.”
“Welcome back, baby.”, the doctor grins. She turns to the turtles. “So…these are the Hamatos.”
Kirby looks up at the group, both Raph and Mikey giving a sheepish grin as Donnie raises a brow. The man’s mouth hangs open as he takes it all in. After a moment of staring, April nudges his shoulder.
“Dad? C’mon, you promised not to freak.”, she mutters.
Kirby shakes himself out of his trance. “You guys may be the coolest fothermuckers I’ve ever met.”, he says.
“Aw, thanks! What a charmer!”, Mikey beams, sticking his tongue out.
“So you guys are like…alien tortoises?”, Kirby quizzes.
“More like teenage mutant ninja turtles.”, the box turtle answers. “With a rat man for a dad.”
“It feels like I’m sucked in a sci-fi movie, this is incredible.”, the man raises his hands to push down on his cheeks.
Carol laughs. “Well, let me introduce you, hun. Big guy over there is Raph. Little one is Mikey. And our purple friend here is Donnie.”, she explains. “There’s a fourth brother too, Leo. He’s…resting at the moment.”
April chimes in, “And this is Casey Jones Junior. He’s…um…from the future where the aliens destroyed the planet and took over Earth so he got sent back in time to stop the apocalypse…and we did."
Casey gives a shy wave of his robotic fingers from his spot on the couch. Kirby…just…stares at him for a moment, clearly processing everything. But he shakes himself out of his own daze once again and smiles bashfully at everyone.
“Sorry for all the staring. You gotta understand it's a lot to process.”, he says to the group. “I know I just met y’all but it already feels like I’m your biggest fan!”
Mayhem gives a chirp, mystically shrinking into themself and then teleporting on top of Kirby’s head. The man scoffs.
“So now you can teleport. That woulda been useful earlier, May!”, he says.
“Wait, YOU KNEW?!”, April shrieks. “How??”
“I’d also like to know why you kept this from me!”, Carol adds, putting her hands on her hips.
Kirby grins nervously. “Well…I sorta figured out when Mayhem randomly crashed into the apartment that one time. Me and them were like a secret little duo team. Guess…it’s not so secret anymore, huh?” He picks up Mayhem and turns to them, “Don’t tell me you’re involved in all of this mutant turtle stuff too.”
Mayhem gives a small shrug and soft whine in response. Kirby sighs, laughing and shaking his head. Then he looks back up at the turtles, scanning them over before his eyes land on the green eyed mask propped up against the couch. In an instant, Kirby gasps dramatically.
“SKULL MAN!”, he points at the teen. “IT WAS YOU!”
“Um…yep.”, Casey ducks his head a bit in his shoulders.
“And another thing, hun, April over here was the one with the mystic bat.”, Carol mutters.
“Mom!”, April snarks.
“April!?”, Kirby snaps his head around to his daughter. “That was you out there?! Fighting those things?!”
The O’Neils quickly began shouting at each other. Kirby profusely worries over April as Carol mutters her opinions here and there. Casey remembers how the commander had fights with her mother as well, but this is different. A new level of what the O’Neils are like. Whole again with no one left behind. Casey notices something else, in the turtles. The slight pang of guilt on Raph’s face. The way Mikey tucks himself in his shell ever so slightly. The firm press in Donnie’s lips as he twists the dials on his goggles. It’s subtle. But Casey notices.
After a solid minute, the O’Neils quiet down.
“April, you can’t not tell us these things.”, Carol huffs.
“Does it even matter now? You can’t punish me for it anymore.”, April sighs.
“You may not live under our roof but you’re still my daughter!”, the doctor exclaims. “I’m worried. What if something happens to you?!”
“She’ll be alright.”, Kirby cuts in. “C’mon, this is April we’re talking about. And I’ve seen how she’s broken outta her shell ever since she’s met the Hamatos. They make her happy. And I know they’ll keep her safe.” He sends a thankful grin to the turtles.
“Thanks, Dad.”, April smiles softly.
“Of course, princess!”, her dad reaches in to hug her tightly once more. “Just don’t scare me like that again, you’re making me old! My poor heart can’t take it.”
“Haha! Okay, I promise.”
Carol joins in on the hug as well, the O’Neils holding each other for a moment. Casey notices how the turtles relax just a little. Mayhem chirps, teleporting onto April’s shoulders and hugging around her neck as they purr. The doctor pulls back from the hug, leaning into her husband’s ear.
“Could I speak with you for a moment?”, she whispers. The teen elects to ignore how her eyes twinkled in his direction.
The couple head out of the TV room, lingering in the doorway. April carries Mayhem over to the turtles, Mikey springing up to pet them. Chatter fills the room again but Casey isn’t too keen on joining the conversation. He’s too focused on the way Kirby and Carol mutter to each other, occasionally flicking their eyes at him. Casey pretends not to notice, though it irritates him to some degree. It scares him.
After a few minutes, they approach him. The chattering stopped. Kirby walks closer, getting down on a knee. He looks Casey in the eyes with a serious stare.
“Casey Jones Junior.”, he starts. “Carol and I have been talking. I’m aware that you got no place to go. So. We’d like to offer you to come live with us, if you like.”
“A chance at having a normal life.”, Carol chimes in with a soft smile. “I’m sure you’d want that.”
A normal life… The one thing Casey’s family, hell, the entire Resistance wanted for him. What they expected for him. Everything they fought for. This was their goal. Even if Casey never understood it.
So who is he to deny it? Is it even his place to say?
“Umm…okay.”, Casey replies.
“But first, I must ask you a serious question.”, Kirby continues. “It’s a super serious question. The most serious question of all that must be taken seriously. You serious?”
The teen hesitates for a moment, but nods. The man took a deep breath, drawing his gaze to the floor for a long long moment. Then he looks back up, meeting Casey’s eyes.
“...Do you know…how to shoot hoops?”, he asks.
Casey scrunches his face in confusion. “Umm…n-no? I don’t know what that means.”
Kirby’s face drops into a deadpan stare. He then immediately gets up, facing his wife. “He can’t stay.”
April bursts out into laughter, the turtles and Carol following along too. Casey just sits there confused on the couch as Kirby chuckles and turns back around.
“Nah, I’m just pulling your leg, C-Junior. You’re welcome over to our place. You can take April’s old room.”, he smirks.
“Wait really?”, the teen asks.
“Sure!”, April beams. “You’ll like it, trust me.”
Before Casey knows it, he’s out topside again with the O’Neils. Having said his goodbyes to the turtles, including wishing Leo a fast recovery, Casey dons the noise cancellers as the blaring sounds of cars and distant sirens fill the air.
The group loads up in a car, something Casey has heard and seen, but never really rode one before. He rode tanks, battleships, motorcycles, and hoverboards. But nothing so…mundane. “Normal”.
“Seatbelts, Casey.”, Carol chimes over her shoulder from the steering wheel.
“Uh…seatbelt?”, Junior tilts his head.
“Like this!”, April smiles, sitting next to him.
She grabs the belt from behind, pulling it across her shoulder to buckle into a latch on her other side. Casey looks over his shoulder to find the same contraption, mirroring April’s movements. Carol nods from behind, proceeding to drive.
Casey has always found rides soothing. But this time, it’s a bit different. Leaning to look through the window, the teen watches the world pass by. People walking and chattering about. Sitting at tables in front of stores that sell baked goods. So many parents and children strolling together hand in hand. A big bright blue sky above them with only white clouds this time. And the sun. The sun . Is this the dream Casey had wished for? Is it even his wish?
A few minutes later, the car pulls into a lot with a bunch of other cars neatly parked in rows. Carol turns over to her husband sitting beside her.
“Why don’t you and April clear out the place while I take Casey to shop for essentials?”, she suggests.
“Good thinking, my queen.”, Kirby winks. “C’mon, princess, let’s get your old stuff to your apartment.”
Casey watches as the two leave the car, walking up to the building before Kirby stops suddenly in his tracks. He turns back around and knocks on Carol’s window to which Carol rolls it down.
“...Could I borrow your keys?”, he asks with a bashful grin.
“What would you ever do without me?”, his wife chuckles, passing a small copper key to Kirby.
“Probably having to kick in the door. Thanks, your highness!”
And with that, Carol and Casey are on the road again. Casey doesn’t really like the idea of being topside for this long. Everything is safer when he’s hidden underground, away from prying eyes. He reaches in his bag for Cup, dusting off the bits of red dirt and holding them close to his chest. He tugs at the sleeves of Leo’s blue hoodie he’s still wearing as the teen takes a breath. The breathing merely soothes the edges of his anxiety.
Casey brings his attention to the music coming from the front of the car, taking off the noise cancellers to hear it better.
“I want some! I need some! Anybody, somebody, someone custom built for me! I want some! I need some! A whole lotta lovin’, satisfaction guaranteed!”
The teen taps his fingers to the beat, humming along. It helps. Carol’s eyes flick at him through the small rearview mirror up front.
“You like this song, Casey?”, she asks, twisting a dial that raises the volume a little.
“I guess so. I mean, I’ve heard it before.”, Junior answers. “We used to have karaoke nights in the Resistance. Master Leonardo said it was to boost morale. They were…fun.”
“What’s your favorite song then?”
Casey thinks for a moment, brushing his fingers up and down Cup. “Um…I guess Cherry Bomb? It was my mama’s favorite.”, he says. “But I also like the songs that the turtle brothers sing too. This song here is actually one of Leo’s favorites.”
“It’s nice to hear you have good memories like this in the apocalypse. I can bet it would feel like a balm to some people during the hard times.”, Carol hums.
“That’s why Leo made karaoke nights.”, Casey chuckles.
They soon pull into another lot of neatly parked cars, this one being much bigger. Carol parks the car into a spot as Casey holds Cup just a little closer. She turns off the engine, unbuckling herself and grabbing her purse.
“Let’s get going then.”, she says, leaving the car.
Casey moves the noise cancellers back over his ears and unbuckles himself before grabbing his bag and tucking Cup back inside it. He exits the car, walking over to Carol.
“Um, where are we?”, he asks, glancing around.
“This is a strip mall, baby. Each building sells different kinds of products. We’re just going to grab you some essentials, maybe a few clothes, just to get you settled.”, the doctor explains.
“Why do I need all that?”
“Because you’re in our world now. You’re living the good life now, Casey. You’ll see.”, Carol beams. “Now come with me, we’ll stop by the pharmacy first.”
“...What’s a pharmacy?”
And so the two walk around the stores. Casey gradually got more comfortable asking questions about this strange place as Carol happily answers with less judgment. There’s so much structure in this timeline. Every gear in the cog machine runs differently. For instance, what Carol considers “essentials for everyday life” included things like a toothbrush, hairbrush, a weird glue stick that smells like flowers (deodorant), towels, and a few other things. Casey doesn’t understand why it’s all so important here, but he’ll play the part if this is what it takes to be “normal”.
As they enter the store full of fabrics, Carol picks out a few shirts and pants for Casey to try on. They feel different from the clothes Casey’s used to wearing. There are so many colors and styles to choose from. The doctor helps with the pickings. At some point, she taps him on the shoulder.
“I’m going to go look at some blouses over there for a minute. I’ll be right back.”, she whispers.
Casey nods back, turning to look at the table of shirts in front of him. He sets the noise cancellers around his neck once he figures it’s quiet enough. Junior guesses the amount of fabrics have to do with insulating the noise of outside. The shirts have a bunch of different designs on them. Pictures that tell jokes. One design showing two stick figures, one holding the other’s spine with the words “I’ve got your back!”. Casey reaches for it with his right hand—
Casey hears a sudden shrill next to him, causing him to flinch. He looks over to see a woman with a short blonde bob looking at his arm with an appalled look.
“What is that thing on your arm?!”, she shouts.
Casey’s voice quiets, “O-oh, um…you mean my prosthetic?—”
“You shouldn’t show that thing around, there are kids here! You’re scaring them!”, the woman continues to yell.
“...Oh…” The teen slowly retracts his arm, tugging his sleeve over it. “...I-I’m sorry.”
“Excuse me, is there a problem here?”, Carol intervenes from behind. “Don’t tell me that you’ve been yelling at my kid!”
“Well, I’m just saying he shouldn’t flaunt it around for the whole world to see!”, the woman snobs. “He should wear a fake one with a normal skin tone so that no one knows he’s a freak!”
“Ohhhhh now I know you are NOT talking to my kid that way!”, the doctor snaps. “Listen here, lady, you got no place coming up to my kid and making a scene about something he can’t control! He never asked for this! And he certainly didn’t ask for your goddamn opinion! Now I suggest you leave before I start calling the cops!”
Casey starts to tune out the argument, putting the noise cancellers back on. He lets Carol make a physical barrier between him and the woman. He lets the woman continue to shout and point fingers at him. He lets the other people in the store talk over each other as they join in.
One person starts recording the whole thing on their phone before there’s suddenly an electric purple spark exploding their phone, damaging the footage completely.
Soon, Carol leads Casey away to another part of the store as the woman is stopped by two men in white buttoned shirts with golden badges.
“Casey.”, Carol hushes, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright, baby?”
Casey nods, though he tucks his hands into the big pocket of the hoodie and stares at the ground. The doctor sighs, crouching down to meet Casey’s eyes and holding his arms gently.
“Sweetheart, I need you to know that nothing that woman said is true.”, she says. “There’s nothing wrong with your body. Types, features, scars, and all.”
“...I know.”, the teen mumbles.
He glances over at the table they’re now standing beside. It holds many knitted fabrics like hats, scarves, and gloves. He reaches for a pair of black gloves, rubbing the fabric between his fingers.
“...C-could we get these too?”, Junior asks.
Carol sighs. “Baby, there’s no need to be ashamed of your arm. You don’t have to hide it for anyone.”
“I-I know…it’s just…I don’t like looking at it. I don’t like what it reminds me of.”
The doctor frowns sympathetically but then proceeds to nod and smile anyway. “Alright, if that’s what you want.”
Casey feels himself relax just a little. He glances over in the direction where the woman once was. She was right…it’s not a pleasant thing to look at. Casey remembers the way his own family was appalled and shocked by the injury. Even long after it healed, he still got looks for it. Sad, guilty, sympathetic looks. He hated it.
“Casey, sweetie.”, Carol brings his attention over once more. She reaches to gently pull Casey’s arms out of his pocket, holding his hands in hers. “You know that woman was wrong about what she said, right?”
“...I know.”, the teen mumbles again.
“You are a very handsome young man, Casey, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
“Thanks, Carol.”, Casey smiles.
“Of course, baby.”, the doctor smiles back. She stands back up, letting go of Casey’s hands. “Are you ready to continue shopping?”
Once the two got everything they need, they load back up in the car and drive off. The sun is starting to set, turning the sky in a gradient of blue to orange and red. The sunlight flashes through the car window sometimes, blinding the teen in the eyes.
Junior rubs the fabric of the gloves he now wears over his hands, a feeling of security washing over him. It’s hard to tell there’s anything wrong with him at all.
They pull back into the smaller lot from before. Getting out of the car and grabbing their things, the two make their way inside of a building. Casey knows he’s already thought this but…it’s still weird to be in a building that’s all lit up and not covered in debris.
Carol and Casey walk into this strange box that could fit a whole group of people. The doctor says it’s called an elevator and it lifts people up and down different floors. She presses a button on the side of the elevator, the doors closing with a beep. The box suddenly shifts, making a low hum as Casey watches the numbers on the small screen go up. Then there’s another beep, the movement stops. After a pause, the doors open, revealing a new place. The teen finds the invention to be super impressive.
Heading down the hall, the two reach a door with a number labeled on it. Carol knocks on the door, the teen hearing shuffling from inside as Kirby opens the door.
“Hey, perfect timing. Me and Apes are clearing out the last few boxes.”, the barber smiles.
“There wasn’t much I left behind here to begin with.”, April chimes from behind, carrying a cardboard box out to the living room. “Welcome to our place, Case! Here, lemme show you your new room.”
She sets the box down, motioning Casey to follow her to the room in the corner of the apartment. The door opens to a room with pale blue walls and the same dark wooden flooring as the rest of the apartment, with a large dark gray rug sitting in the middle. A full XL bed is tucked in the far right corner of the room, a large square window sitting in the middle of the opposite wall of the door. Sitting under the window is a drawer mostly empty of April’s clothes, and a desk perched opposite of the bed. April walks in the room, grabbing another cardboard box from under the bed and stuffing her old clothes in.
“I should probably throw all these things into a Goodwill, there’s so many clothes I don’t wear anymore.”, she says.
“April, you wear the same green jacket and yellow skirt all the time.”, her mother smirks.
“Case in point.”
The doctor chuckles, setting down the bags of Casey’s things on the desk. “Now a few things to know while living here. Don’t cause too much noise, we got all kinds of neighbors surrounding us. If you plan on going somewhere, you have to let me or Kirby know. And we got snacks in the kitchen so feel free to help yourself anytime you are hungry.”, she explains.
“Anytime?”, Casey puzzles. It sounds like they’re wasting rations—
“Yes, anytime. You don’t need to follow a schedule or wait for your next meal.”, Carol smiles. “We’ll get out of your hair to let you get settled, baby, alright?”
“Wait, am I not sharing this room with anyone?”, Junior asks.
“Nope!”, April chimes. “All yours.”
Strange. Casey never had a place to himself before. Growing up as a kid, he shared a room with April, Sunita, and his mama. Then in his teens, he shared one with the turtles and Usagi. Then in the last couple years, he didn’t even have a bed, and shared a space with the entire Resistance. He had his moments of privacy, sure, but nothing that solely belonged to him. This new arrangement starts to make the teen feel uncomfortable.
“Are you guys sure about all this? There’s really no need to do all of this for me.”, Casey mutters, rubbing the side of his arm.
“Of course, baby. You’ve worked so hard to get here, you deserve this chance.”, Carol smiles. “Allow yourself the chance to be happy.”
“Yeah, CJ!”, April beams, picking up the box. “You’re in our timeline now. The one you saved.”
“...Okay.”, Casey smiles back.
And so, Carol and April clear out, giving Casey a moment to himself. A whole room to himself…it feels lonely. There’s no bunk beds wedged in every wall. No mattresses to kick or be kicked on. No ladders to swing down and miss the last step. No top bunk to lean over upside-down and scare the person below. No designated spots for each other’s clothes and belongings. No divider to provide privacy to one another when getting changed. No one to scream or laugh to keep him up at night. No home to him.
This is what normal is… , Casey tells himself. You’ll adjust. He sets his bag down on the bed, sitting down and suddenly finding himself startled by how soft the mattress is. Sure, he hasn’t had a bed in 2 years. But even before, he never found himself sinking into the cushion quite like this. He flops backwards, letting his legs hang over the edge as he reaches for Cup.
“At least I got you with me now, huh?”, he whispers to the bear. “If only the rest of our family was here.”
A sting swells in his eyes as the teen quickly tries to blink away the tears. This is what normal is, you’ll adjust , he repeats to himself. You’ll adjust, you’ll adjust, you’ll adjust. This is the way things are meant to be. This is what everyone wanted for me. So why…? Why am I not enjoying it??
There’s a knock at the door. Casey jolts up, wiping off his tears quickly. Before he could answer, the other spoke for him.
“Casey? Kirby made dinner.”, Carol calls out.
“...Be right there!”, Casey calls back, keeping his voice as even as possible.
After a minute to collect his composure, the teen gets up and exits the room. He sits down with the O’Neils as Kirby serves hamburgers to April and Carol, Casey receiving more toast to munch on. This time with peanut butter, which was like a sacred treat in his timeline. Mayhem is also with them, curled up under the table.
They talk for a while. Kirby gives a dramatic retelling of his time with Mayhem during the invasion. Carol fusses over the parts of Manhattan that are closed down for reconstruction. April complains about her college professor. Casey tells a few light stories about their future selves here and there, avoiding the obvious that is the apocalypse and lack of Kirby. Just as predicted from future Carol, Kirby is indeed proud to hear about how amazing his daughter was in Casey’s timeline.
The night rolls in. April and Mayhem left to go back to her apartment, taking April’s belongings with her. Kirby watches the TV of a bunch of people in color-coded bulky armor fighting over a weird long brown ball. Carol shows Casey how to brush his teeth to which the teen finds the experience to be very unpleasant. Why don’t they make tastier toothpaste?? The doctor also promises to take Casey to visit the Hamatos first thing tomorrow morning, as long as he gets to sleep first. The teen is ecstatic to hear about that.
He says goodnight to the O’Neils, heading back to his room. He puts on the pajamas Carol got for him, a simple oversized gray shirt with green plaid pants, taking off his prosthetic and setting it on the drawer. He flops down on the super soft mattress, holding Cup close. But…he couldn’t sleep.
Even with the window closed, Casey can still hear the sounds of sirens and honking cars outside. Nothing like the Resistance, which was always quiet aside from the people murmuring to each other. Casey remembers how often nights, he would smother himself with his own pillow to drown out Leo and Usagi muttering sweet nothings to each other. Donnie would usually chuck a pillow at them to make them shut up. Then when Donnie…left, Casey was the one to do it. There is no one here to chuck pillows at anymore. There’s no noise of murmuring or laughter (or sometimes loud karaoke music) for Casey to lull off to sleep too. Now it’s just sirens and honking cars.
The mattress is too soft as well. The teen doesn’t like how his weight sinks into the cushioning, enveloping him in the fabrics. It isn’t uncomfortable, very much the opposite. But it’s still…different. The floor feels more inviting.
And so with a heavy sigh, Casey rolls off the bed and onto the wooden floor. He grabs his pillow and blanket, holding Cup close as he crawls on his elbows under the bed. It’s dusty, but much more preferable. Being hidden underneath also provides security too for if the Kraang—or whoever…decides to attack. Speaking of attack…
Casey reaches out for his bag next to the bed, searching his hand in it aimlessly. Once he feels the familiar grip of the hilt, Junior pulls out an etched hunting knife. A gift from an old knifesmith in the Resistance 6 years ago. The knifesmith was very rough n’ tough with a scratchy voice that said, “Every young boy needs a good huntin’ knife. What kind of man would you be without it?”. Casey remembers how both Leo and Mikey freaked when they saw it, Donnie didn’t really care. In fact, it was Donnie that taught the kid how to wield it properly. And it was Usagi that taught the kid how to use it for defense at night.
Almost everyone in the Resistance slept with some sort of weapon. The teen distinctly remembers Donnie sleeping with a plasma handgun. Leo used to sleep with a knife as well, but most of the Resistance didn’t dare to mess with him so the slider was assured he was safe. Usagi always slept with a handcrafted shank, though, becoming the protector for the two of them while Leo used his shell to shield them. The samurai practically had thousands of knives in his sleeves at all times. Mikey never needed one, his mystic powers were well enough a weapon. Even with the Resistance being the strongest base on Earth, security was never guaranteed.
Casey holds the knife in his left hand, tucking his arm underneath his pillow. He wraps his right residual around his bear, holding them as close as possible. Finally content and secure, the teen gradually drifts off to sleep, letting the noises of the city wash over him and drown out his mind.
Something touches his shoulder. Unsafe. Unfamiliar.
Casey snaps his eyes open, a glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. He lurches forward to attack before his mind even has the chance to wake up from slumber. Soon enough, his vision refocuses, taking shape of how he points the knife at Carol who looks very frightened.
The teen relaxes a bit, placing the knife down. “Oh. It’s just you.”, he mumbles.
He scoots out from underneath the bed, taking in the sunlight now beaming in the room through the window (which is still hard to get used to). Casey sits up, facing the doctor as Carol glances over him with a concerned look.
“Casey…why were you underneath the bed? Did you spend all night down there?”, she asks.
“It’s safer.”, Junior shrugs. “Plus it’s…hard to get used to a bed after you haven’t had one in a while.”
Carol sighs sadly. “Oh baby, you are safe here, I promise. You deserve to sleep in a bed. Sleeping on the floor is bad for your back too, I would know.”, she assures. “Promise me you’ll try the bed next time?”
The teen smirks. “Doctor’s orders?”
Carol chuckles, shaking her head as she stands back up. “Breakfast is almost ready. The sooner you get up, the sooner we can go say hi to the Hamatos.”
Carol gets up to leave but then notices some sort of strange mist seeping in through the window which is somehow wide open. Casey knows he wasn’t the one to open it.
“Why’s this window open?”, Carol hums, walking over to the window. She shuts the window down, waving out the mist. “You probably shouldn’t leave the window open overnight. You’ll get mist in here.”
The doctor leaves the room, closing the door behind her. Casey springs up, excited to go see the turtles again. He gets dressed in some olive green sweater and dark gray pants, adjusting his binder underneath before clicking back on his prosthetic. He gathers his usual stuff in his pouch, Cup included, and heads out into the living room to find Kirby sitting at the table and drinking coffee while Carol works the stove. The food smells really good.
More toast for him yet again but there is also scrambled eggs and bacon. It’s no rat jerky or yokai scrambled eggs, but it still tastes delicious. Speaking of rat jerky, Casey happily explains how the Resistance worked to the O’Neils. He talks about how things were runned by and the systems put in place. Carol is fascinated by the work while Kirby finds himself impressed.
“When you put it like that, the apocalypse doesn’t sound so bad.”, he grins.
The teen nods, munching on more eggs. “Yeah, I guess so. It is my home, afterall.”
They finish breakfast, cleaning up the table and getting ready to go. Casey can’t help the smile beaming over him as he impatiently bounces on his heels. But just as Carol and Casey are about to head out the door, Kirby stops them.
“Hold on just a sec.”, he calls out. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small copper key. “I went out and grabbed Casey a copy of the apartment key.”, he explains holding it out to the teen.
Just as Casey reaches out to take it, Kirby holds his hand back up and raises a brow.
“Don’t lose this, you hear?”, he says.
“I won’t, sir. Promise.”, Casey nods.
The barber smiles, handing the key.
“Welcome home, prince.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: Blood and gore, PTSD, panic attack, disassociation, ableism.
.
Is it obvious that Kirby is my new favorite side character?Next update is a fun one! We get to meet a certain woman who you may or may not know. She's like...an ex Foot recruit? Short buzzed hair? Scratchy voice and has piercings on her? Hockey ethusiast? Meh, probably doesn't ring any bells for you. =)))))
Also a certain someone else finally wakes up from his plot convenient coma--
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 25: That's My Mom
Summary:
“What happened?”, Leo asks.
Casey sighs. “You know how I said everyone died?”
The slider nods solemnly.
“...My mama was the first.”, the teen explains. “She died when I was 6, fighting off Kraang hounds as the team retreated to safety. She went back to save April while everyone else made a run for it. And…sometimes…”
…I can still feel her.
Notes:
You know what? Screw it! *unorphans your Casey Jr* :D
Also, I had a thought. This is canon to the fic now. =)
Disclaimers in the end notes, you know the drill. <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It’s been a week. Leo still hasn’t woken up.
Everyone is starting to get worried. Carol swings by constantly to check in on the slider, Casey comes with every time too. In the past week, Casey has spent most of his time with the turtles. Raph’s right eye has seen better days, a glossy look covers it now. He says he can still see through it, but only blobs of color while everything else is a blur. Mikey’s arms seem to have stopped trembling that bad, his compression gloves now becoming a part of his everyday style. His magic though, it’s still finicky and needs someone who knows mystics to train him. Donnie’s shell is healed with scars, he never takes off his battle shell though. The times he does, he covers it with a thick hoodie.
All the while, everyone is still collectively worrying and waiting for Leo to wake up. Deep, deep down, Casey hears a voice in his mind say that he will wake up very soon. Smells like dew.
The teen finds himself once again in the med-bay, watching the monitor quietly scan the slider’s heartbeat and oxygen levels. He fidgets with his fingers, both real and robotic, as he leans against the counter and stares back down at the floor. He has to wake up soon…he just has to…
Guilt is eating away at Casey’s core. He needs to apologize to the red-eared slider. The turtle is literally just a kid after all. …So is Casey. The old stoic leader that the teen has once looked up to is gone. Why did Junior ever expect this timeline’s Leo would be the same? His Leonardo is dead . He’s never coming back. And Casey’s never gonna see him again. This Leo doesn’t know him. This Leo hasn’t been there to lift Casey up in his arms. This Leo didn’t murder an onslaught of men in his family’s name. This Leo didn’t have to go through the pains of losing the people that he promised to protect.
Yet…this Leo is still the one that sacrificed himself in the end. For the sake of the greater good.
“...is that…hispanic Jesus?”, a loopy, tired voice croaks.
The teen snaps his head over to the gurney to see the younger Leo looking back at him with exhausted eyes. Casey springs up to a stand.
“S-Sensei!!”, he exclaims, hurrying over to Leo’s side.
“...i ain’t no sensei, señor christo. just call me leo.”, the slider slurs, clearly still out of it.
The teen laughs through tears of relief. “No, no. It’s Casey. Casey Jones? W-we fought the Kraang together, remember?”
“...the…Kraang?”, Leo’s eyes begin to widen. He stares off for a moment, his brows creasing with worry. “did…did I win?”
“Yeah. You did it, Leo.”, Junior smiles.
“Good.”, the turtle answers quickly, slipping his eyes back shut. “...where is everyone?”
“I’ll go get them.”
Casey practically sprints to the entrance of the med-bay, taking a huge breath before calling out.
“LEO’S AWAKE!!!”
Within seconds, several footsteps begin barreling towards them. The turtles and Splinter practically tear into the room, shoving each other’s shoulders.
“Leo!!”, Mikey beams. “You’re okay!!!”
“Don’ scare us like that, big man!”, Raph smiles albeit wobbly. “Ya almost gave Raph a heart attack.”
“...Leo?”, Donnie’s voice cuts through, though quiet. It’s the first time he’s spoken since…then.
“My sons, please. We must give your brother some space.”, Splinter huffs, pushing the other turtles back with his tail. “Donatello, would you be so kind as to contact Mrs. O’Neil for us? I’m sure she’ll want to check in on Leonardo.”
“...Yeah. Okay.”, the softshell nods, pulling out his phone.
“Well…I think it’s safe to say Leo will be just fine.”
Carol comes back and checks over Leo but not before ushering everyone else out of the med-bay so that she could work. She explains as such, stepping outside. Everyone shares a sigh of relief.
“However, I suggest he stays on bedrest for a while longer.”, the doctor continues. “We also want to avoid feeding him anything too heavy for a bit since he just woke up from a coma. He also seems to be struggling a bit mentally, I can tell. Try to take it easy on him, I’m sure you boys understand your brother more than I do.”
“Yeah…we get it.”, Raph laments. Then he smiles, “Thanks, mom.”
They wait a minute before gradually filing back into the room. First Donnie, then Mikey, then Raph, then Splinter, and then Casey. When Casey enters the room, he finds the turtles sitting beside Leo, the brothers happily chatting amongst each other as Splinter gently places his hand on Leo’s head and rubs his ratty thumb across it. The slider glances over at the teen.
“Casey.”, he speaks up. “How’s the timeline treating you?”
“Uhm…still getting used to it.”, Junior smiles sheepishly.
“Have you tried the pizza here yet?”
“No.”
“What?!”, the slider squawks. “No no no, you gotta. You just gotta. W-what about soda?”
“...No.”
“Oh c’mon! You’re not even living!”, Leo whines.
Mikey snickers at his brother’s dazed state. “Sounds like we need a bucket list.”
“Oooo yeah yeah yeah…”, the red-eared slider babbles. “Mike, gimme a pen.”
The box turtle quickly leaves the room, coming back moments later with paper and pens. He passes some paper and a blue pen to Leo as the two younger brothers begin excitedly adding things to the list. They keep asking Casey questions too.
“Have you even seen sharks before?”, Mikey perks up.
“No, actually. There’s no ocean—”
“THERE’S NO OCEAN!??!”, Leo shouts. “Mikey! Add it to the list!”
“Ocean. Beach. Aquarium.”, Mikey lists as he hastily writes things down. “I’m also gonna add submarine because that would be fun. Donnie, you can make one, right?”
“Of course.”, the softshell smirks, seeming more like his usual self. “There’s nothing I can’t build.”
“Is this a bucket list for you guys or for Casey?”, Raph chimes in, raising a brow.
Leo grins. “For all of us. We just saved the whole goddamn world—”
“Language.”
“—we deserve a bucket list!”
The group continues chatting together, filling the pages to the brim with several things that they need to try. It’s a lot of fun. Though Casey sees how the slider often pauses, staring off at the wall with somewhat of a somber look. But whenever he’s addressed, he perks right back up again and sends a signature grin. Looks like this Leo still knows how to flip that switch in his head.
Another week passes. Making it two weeks since Casey showed up and they all saved the world. One week since Leo woke up. Once being finally cleared from bedrest, Leo implores Casey to come and “grab a slice” with everyone. I still have no idea what that means.
He decides to wear the uniform he had on when he first arrived. Something about the outfit just gives him a sense of familiarity. He climbs out through his bedroom window, using his grappling hook to zip up to the roof tops, quickly catching up with the turtles, Splinter, and April as they excitedly parkour from roof to roof in the early hours of the morning.
Most of New York is repaired by now. They have cleaned up all of the remaining Kraang lesions, and shops that were destroyed are now up and running again. The sunrise sky lights up in a bright mix of warm colors. Where the sun is, the horizon is yellow, stretching into orange. Whereas the opposite horizon is still a nightly purple stretching into red.
Leo brandishes his portal into a nearby restaurant and out from the sky piles down about a couple hundred flat boxes of supposed "pizza". The amount is distributed amongst the group. The boxes are pretty hot, Casey smelling the pies inside.
The group perches on top of a tower on Brooklyn Bridge, stacking all the pizza boxes together. The team excitedly huddles around Casey as Leo grabs one of the boxes, revealing the pizza inside. It looks…greasy? The smell is amazing though. The teen slowly reaches for a piece.
“So…this is…”grabbing a slice?””, Casey asks. “I-I don’t get it.”
“Wait for it…”, Mikey drawls.
The teen hesitantly takes a little bite. Immediately, he is introduced to a whole new world of flavor he has yet to experience. His eyes light up as he hums with delight.
“Sooo much better than rats!”
The turtles and April nod in agreement while, for some reason, Splinter seems slightly offended. Casey continues to happily munch on the pizza, enjoying the cheesy gooeyness and hot salty pepperoni. Leo comes around to Junior’s side.
“Hey.”, he starts, wrapping an arm around Casey’s shoulder. “The rest of the world we saved is pretty great too.”, the slider finishes with a wink.
Casey smiles back at him. Just to think…there’s so much Casey has yet to explore of this planet. Will he even have time to see it all? The thought overwhelms him just as fast as it excites him. Luckily, April draws the attention to herself.
“Alright, everybody!”, she calls out, sliding into view and using Splinter’s tail to hold up her busted phone. “Look up here!”
With a quick flash, the camera takes a photo of the team. Casey’s new…family? Can he even call these people family anymore? He takes a long look at the photo on April’s phone, seeing the polarity between this world and his. Then as he glances up at the group, watching Leo make a funny face that Mikey laughs at, seeing Donnie stick his tongue in disgust at the bits of the food he doesn’t want, observing Raph’s fond smile and Splinter’s greedy grin as April chews away at her slice…
Maybe they aren’t family yet. But Casey smiles, knowing they might someday.
A ding chimes from April’s cellphone, drawing the teen’s attention to the screen. He speaks up.
“Hey April, you just got a message from someone named…Cassandra?”, he says, reading the notification before handing the phone back to April.
April taps through her phone before her face beams with impression. “Woah!”, she exclaims. She turns the screen for Casey to see. “Looks like our friend, Cassandra, has been busy!”
The girl swipes through photos of a woman in a…green eyed mask…and…
…Wait…
“THAT’S MY MOM!!!”, Casey shouts. He glares at the screen, taking in recognition of his actual mother. It…it’s her! After all these years it’s…
...Wait, her name is Cassandra?
“There goes the space-time continuum.”, Donnie speaks up from behind.
The team gives out a nervous laugh but…Casey is still in shock. Of course, it makes sense. Mama is alive here. She wasn’t brutally mauled to death by hounds. She is alive . She is… here . And she…
The teen’s train of thought is quickly redirected as everyone else gathers on the edge of the roof. Right. I’ll…get back to that later. He quickly collects his composure, making his way over to the rest.
“This wasn’t about me…”, he hears Leo say. “It was about all of us doing what needed to be done. Because we’re heroes.”
That makes Raph snicker. “You said “heroes””, he taunts.
Mikey and Donnie share a good-hearted laugh, likely a joke between the turtles that Casey doesn’t know about. Raph and Leo stand up, finishing their slices as the group looks out over the horizon of the city. It is…certainly a sight.
“There she is, gentlemen, our home. What a town.”, Donnie states, crossing his arms.
“Beautiful.”, Mikey smiles.
“And if it needs defending, we’ll always rise to the challenge.”, Leo adds.
“Speaking of which…you know what challenge I’m gonna rise to?”, Raph teases, glancing at his brothers. He then immediately slams down Leo’s head and shouts, “BEATIN’ THAT RECORD!”
Casey isn’t sure what he meant or what is happening. All he knows is that everyone is now suddenly cheering and running off to scoop up the pizzas. The teen just sorta…joins in, playing along. He helps the rest of the group stack the boxes on top of Raph’s head as the snapper stumbles to walk. Making his way up to the next tower, Casey joins in chanting Raph’s name with everyone else. He may not understand this world but…
He’ll let himself pretend. Just this once.
It’s been a couple days. And also, for the record, Raph won the pizza box stack record, scoring at 155 stacks.
Casey is still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his mother is fucking alive . He remembers screaming her name, only to get no response in return. Instead, just feared faces of his family and the Resistance. Standing in that crowd, the stares started. The rumors started. Casey was outcasted that day. No one had treated him the same since. Either calling him a brat and telling him to fuck off, or seeing him as a fragile porcelan doll on the verge of shattering into a million pieces.
He remembers how Leonardo and Donatello rushed April to the med-bay as Michelangelo tended to the screaming child. He remembers being so so so confused. And so afraid.
“WHERE’S MAMA?!”, he had screamed. “I WANT MAMA!!!”
“Casey, please. I need you to calm down for a minute so I can explain.”, Mikey had soothed.
“NO! NO NO NO!”, the child had screeched. “I WANT MAMA! MAMA EXPLAIN!!”
“She can’t, chico.”
“WHY NOT?!”
“Because she is dead. Your mother is gone.”, the box turtle had begun to cry. “...I’m sorry, CJ.”
“WHEN WILL SHE BE BACK?”
“...She…she can’t come back, Casey. She’s…stuck. Somewhere.”, Mikey had explained, pulling the child in close. “Somewhere…where we can’t reach her.”
Casey had calmed down, just a little. “W…Why did she leave me?!”, he had whined.
“No no, Case. Your mom didn’t leave you. Trust me, she would be doing everything in her power to get back to you. But she can’t. Because she’s dead. Dead people go to a place that’s not of our world. We can’t reach them, and they can’t reach us. That’s just how things are.”
Junior’s eyes had stung with hot tears. “...So…mama…mama is gone? Forever??”
“I’m afraid so, baby.”, Mikey had wrapped his arms tightly around the 6 year old. “And I’m so, so, so sorry.”
The child had wailed. He had tugged on the box turtle’s cloak and screamed out for the whole lair to hear. He could barely hear the mystic warrior’s hushed words of reassurance. It was the worst pain Casey had ever felt.
Debatably, after everything, it still is.
When Casey had finished crying, for now, he had felt a huge gust of wind sweep from the entrance of the cave. It had made him shiver. But in the wind, he had heard a voice. Soft. But clear.
“Casey baby?”
The child had snapped his head up towards the sound. “Mama?!”, he had called out.
But…no one had called back.
He had continued to look around, even as the wind had stopped. Master Michelangelo’s lip had quivered as he had shook the kid’s shoulder.
“It’s going to be alright, Casey. I’m here.”, he had forced himself to smile. “Your whole family is here for you.”
“B-but…I heard her!”, Casey had turned back to the entrance.
The box turtle had shook his head. “...I…I think that was just your mom saying goodbye.”
Junior’s lip had wobbled dangerously, hitching his breath again as tears had bursted anew. Mikey had sighed, scooping the kid up in his arms.
“L-Let’s get you out of the cold. We can go check on April?”, he had suggested.
As the ornate box turtle had begun to walk away with Casey, the child had turned over the turtle’s shoulders to look back at the entrance.
“...Goodbye, Mama.”
The teen sucks in a breath so sharply, he almost chokes. He is ripped out of that nightmare of a flashback and is brought back to the lair. He’s in the TV room, watching another marathon but this time of Lou Jitsu films. The turtles and April are with him. Casey takes a breath, regrounding himself.
“You good, CJ?”, April asks in a whisper as she is sitting next to him on the couch. “You kinda blanked out for a minute there.”
“...Yeah.”, Casey nods. He doesn’t explain more than that, but he doesn’t have to. The two continue watching the movie.
As the group continues watching, the movie is suddenly interrupted by another broadcast. The group shouts in complaint as the broadcast rolls. It shows a city coated in green fumes as the reporter states there’s been an unexpected radiation explosion from a nuclear power plant in Garoña, Spain. The place does sound familiar to the teen.
Donnie’s face lights up at the idea of “free uranium”, Raph scolding him in the process while Mikey and Leo actively try to stop the softshell from sending out a drone with his wrist tech to retrieve some of the element. Casey huffs a laugh at them, turning back to the screen to see that the radiation has also spread to other nearby cities including Bilbao. Now that sounds even more familiar.
“A young engaged couple who recently traveled from Bilbao, Spain to New York in order to escape the nuclear power plant explosion of Garoña.”
That’s right. Master Leonardo had explained the story once before about Casey’s birth parents. …What were their names again?
The projection screen then shows two photos of a man and a woman, with their names labeled underneath, Ignacio and Yolanda Alvarez. The teen’s mind lights up in surprise when he recognizes them.
He points to the screen, “Hey wait, those are my biological parents!”
The turtles immediately stop their fighting and glance over at the teen.
April exclaims, “Wait, really?!”
“You’re Spanish?”, Leo quizzes. “I thought you said Cass was your mom?”
“S-she is! It’s just….these guys were killed when I was a baby. I only heard about them through a small story.”, Casey explains.
The group turns back to the screen as the reporter continues to explain that the young couple is announced dead upon impact. The turtles and April wince, sending concerned looks at Junior. Casey turns to them with a confused stare.
“...Uhh, sorry for your loss?”, Leo smirks a sheepish grin.
“What? But this wasn’t what happened!”, Casey turns back to the projection screen. “No, they were unaffected by the radiation. …For the most part. Then they had me and the mutated genes is why I’m intersex. They weren’t supposed to die. That’s not what’s supposed to happen.”
Donnie hums in thought. “I believe this is another “timeline correction”. Perhaps in making Casey’s birth parents die before they can have a child, the universe is preventing another Casey Jr to be born. Eliminating the anomaly.”, he explains. “I’ve noticed a few other weird things happening like time parallels and how we all of a sudden became so buddy-buddy with Casey. Perhaps our familial bonds are just…meant to be. Eugh, that sounds cheesy.”
“Aww, friendship does really last between timelines!”, Mikey beams. “Oooo! Maybe even romance too!”
“Wait, speaking of which…did we have romantic partners in the future?! Tell me, tell me, tell me!”, Leo perks up at the teen.
“Uh, don’t, actually.”, Donnie interrupts. “That might disrupt the space-time continuum.”
The slider scoffs dramatically. “You’re no fun!”
“Mhm, sure.”, the softshell rolls his eyes. But then he straightens his posture and glances at Junior, pressing his fingers together mischievously. “On a separate note, Casey, since you’re the byproduct of a nuclear radiation mishap, would you happen to have any spare uranium in your blood streams?”
“Donnie!”, Raph shouts.
The bustling noise of chaos fills the room as the brothers continue to bicker at each other. It’s a kind of chaos that Casey is familiar with but, just like with the O’Neils, they are whole again. Complete.
A couple of hours go by, stepping into the late evening. Donnie gets up and leaves to go work in his lab, presumably for the search for uranium. Leo leaves too, heading to his subway car. The rest stay and continue watching the Lou Jitsu marathon.
At some point, Casey hears a light shuffle from behind. He glances over in time to see the blue tail ends zip by. Oh right. Casey still needs to apologize to him. Better now than never.
He gets up, heading out of the TV room and glances down the hall only to see the blue mask whisk behind a corner towards the sewer tunnels. The teen hurries after him, silently smiling to himself as he passes the younger Donnie’s lab. The sounds of dubstep and tinkering are still all the same.
Casey climbs out of the sewers just in time to see Leo’s silhouette reach the rooftops. Now back in the clothes Carol had bought him, Casey rolls up the sleeve of his sweater and launches his grappling hook at the ledge and zips himself up. The slider doesn’t go very far, residing on a nearby rooftop, sitting on the ledge and dangling his legs over.
“Leo!”, Casey calls out. “Got a minute?”
Leo looks up in surprise but sends his signature grin. “¿Qué pasa, Jesús Christo?”
The teen huffs a laugh, parkouring across the rooftops to meet up with him. He joins the red-eared slider on the ledge, hanging his legs over it as well. For a moment, the two just watch the city go by.
“Pretty, isn’t it?”, Leo mumbles. “I sometimes hop out to watch. To think.”
“I hear you.”, Casey smiles. “It’s…and I know I’ve said this a thousand times already…it’s amazing. I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.”
“Yeah…”, the slider grins. Then he looks up at the teen. “So what’s up?”
Junior sighs, pausing for a long moment. He clasps his hands together, rubbing his thumbs under his fabric gloves. Chewing his lip with his chipped tooth, Casey finds his words.
“...I…about what I said in the tunnels—”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.”, Leo cuts. “It’s fine. I needed the wake up call.”
“But still…I don’t know what came over me. Yes, I was angry but I shouldn’t have said those things.”, Casey huffs. He stammers, “I…I-I just…Look, Leo. I’m sorry.”
Leo’s grin stresses. “It’s alright, man. I already forgive you—”
“I know but I mean it. You’re…you’re not the same Leo. My Leonardo lost to the Kraang, having sacrificed everything.”, Casey laments. Then he adds, snarkingly, “Even himself .”
“Oof, you’re not gonna let that go either, huh?”, the slider winces. “Look, my brothers have already chewed me out on it, alright? No more crazy last minute stunts.”
Casey frowns. “You may not be the same Leo, but…I still know you. And I know when something is wrong.”
Leo’s brows furrowed. His grin drops, pressing in a firm line. After a minute of standing his guard, he sighs and flops back dramatically onto the concrete.
“Alright, you caught me. It’s just…” The slider pauses for a long moment, staring at the night sky. “...I’m the only one who got out of the Prison Dimension and lived to tell the tale.”
“I feel you.”, Casey hums, leaning back as well and feeling his head press against the cold concrete.
“You do?”, Leo turns to him.
“Yeah.”, the teen nods. “I mean I’ve never seen the Prison Dimension but…a few years ago, there was…an attack. On a battleship.” The remnants of the memory flash in his mind. The radar, the alarms, the bodies…Donnie. “...I was the only one who survived.”
“...Damn.”, the slider mutters. “I’m…sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Casey thinks for a moment, remembering the harrowing week he spent in the med-bay. “A lot of people pressed me for details. I don’t blame them, I was the only one who knew what went down after all. But…my family, they were just concerned for me. Sure, they didn’t know. They would’ve never understood. But they were all I got. Who was I to be picky about who gets to know?”
The conversation goes silent for a minute. The two just lay on their backs and watch the stars, listening to the blaring night life of the city. Leo speaks up next.
“Does it ever get easier? Telling people things you’d rather carry to your grave?”
Casey scoffs. “Hell no. There’s still a bunch of stuff I never told them about. And…now I never will.” He sighs, blinking back the droplets of tears beginning to form. He faces the red-eared slider. “Leo. You are so lucky to have your family, your brothers. Sure you guys were an unstoppable force in the future, but you guys stuck close and trusted each other with your life. Even if they’ve never seen the Prison Dimension, they’re the closest you’ll ever get to people who understand you. And trust me, they’ll understand.”
That gets Leo to smile. Genuinely. “Thanks, Casey.”
“Of course.”, Casey smiles back. “So…we cool? We’re not…we’re not mad at each other?”
The slider chuckles. “Yeah, man. We’re cool.” He holds up his fist for a fist bump.
Casey returns it. “Cool.”
After another reassuring smile, Leo then swings back up, sitting over the ledge. “Moving on from that sappy shit…Let’s talk about you.”
Oh god. Please don’t ask me about my past, please don’t ask me about my —
“I heard you found your mom.”, the red-eared slider winks back at him.
Oh.
Casey sits back up again as well, taking a sigh. “...Yeah. Casey, er…Cassandra Jones.”
“I should’ve known.”, Leo nods.
Casey’s face scrunches up for a minute. “Yeah—I don’t know how or why you didn’t figure it out sooner. I literally introduced myself as Casey Jones (exempt the Junior) and you guys didn’t even consider that I had the exact same name as your friend?”
Leo just gives a shrug in response.
Casey laughs, shaking his head. Then he drops to something more serious. “So yeah, my mom is Casey Jones. The greatest warrior that ever served the Resistance. She wanted me to be a warrior just like her. …I…I don’t have many memories of her, though.”
“What happened?”, Leo asks.
Casey sighs. “You know how I said everyone died?”
The slider nods solemnly.
“...My mama was the first.”, the teen explains. “She died when I was 6, fighting off Kraang hounds as the team retreated to safety. She went back to save April while everyone else made a run for it. And…sometimes…” …I can still feel her.
Casey doesn’t finish that sentence, hunching his shoulders and resting his elbows on his knees. Leo frowns sympathetically at him for a moment before looking back down at the cars below. Then, his eyes lit up. And the signature smirk grows wide on his face.
“...Would you like to meet her?”
“Are you guys sure about this?”
“Yeah, of course we are, CJ!”
“Well…w-what if I fuck up or something? What if she hates me??”
“First off, language. And trust me, yer fine, Case. Ya both got a lot in comm’n.”
Later in the week, the Hamatos, the O’Neils, and Casey are all sitting at a picnic table in Central Park. There’s so much green here. The teen finds himself anxiously bouncing his knees and fidgeting with his gloved hands. Carol, sitting beside him, places a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“Nervous, baby?”, she asks with a reassuring smile.
“ Terrified .”, Junior scoffs. “It’s been 12 years since I’ve seen her. How can I be calm?”
“It’s gonna be alright, prince.”, Kirby grins. “You got us. And trust me, I bet she’s gonna love you.”
“Sunita says they’re on their way.”, April reports, waving her phone.
Oh great. I get to reunite with two dead people. Casey sends a nervous smile. Leading up to now, April happily filled in Sunita and Cassandra on the situation. From the fight with the Kraang to Casey Jr’s existence. April assured that Casey Sr was excited to meet him, but the teen has very high doubts about it. What if she’s not the same?
“Oh look, they’re here!”, Mikey shouts. He calls out, waving his arms wildly. “Hi best frenemy! Hi Sunita!”
Casey looks up to see two figures walking up to them. This Sunita doesn’t seem that much different. Just cleaner, shorter hair in a bob style, and still enjoys wearing a nice flowy dress. Then…there’s her. The real Casey Jones. There’s less piercings on her with only two on the one left ear, and her hair is shortly buzzed. She wears a black tank with dark jeans, brown boots, and a red leather jacket.
“Yeah yeah yeah, hello to you too, Orange.”, Cass babbles, rolling her eyes. She scans over the group. “Where’s my supposed “son from the future” at?”
Carol nudges the teen’s shoulder encouragingly. Casey feels every part of him stiffen as he suppresses the trembles taking over him. He stands up, meeting his mother’s eyes. He feels himself shrink under her intense glare. Taking a breath, Casey steps away from the table and walks up to her.
“U-Umm…hi.”, his voice is utterly small.
“So… you’re my son?”, the older (she’s literally 18 in this timeline) Casey quizzes, raising a skeptical brow.
“Y-Yes, ma—ma’am.”, the younger Casey stutters.
Cassandra sends a mean glare, scanning the teen up and down as if Junior is standing before trial. Casey doesn’t know what’s going through her mind, but it can’t be anything good, right? After what feels like several minutes of her glaring at him, her facial expression brightens up.
She beams. “Nice to meet ya, kid!” Cass sticks out her hand for a handshake.
Just as Junior shakingly reaches his hand out to shake hers, Cass grabs his arm and pulls him in close for a sudden surprise hug. The teen freezes in place, feeling every hair on his body rise as his mom hugs him tighter. His breath hitches, struggling to keep pace as all the alarms go off in his head and—
“Umm, Cass?”, April chimes in. “...Junior doesn’t like hugs.”
“Huh? Why?”, her voice mumbles over Junior’s shoulder.
The teen can’t hold it in anymore. Tears shake out of him and rattle every part of his being. But he is no longer scared. He…he is right where he belongs. His arms reach up slowly, embracing his mother back as he sobs into her shoulder. He doesn’t care if people see him. He doesn’t care if all of New York can hear him.
The Jones duo is back.
The wind bristles strongly through the trees above, wrapping around as if it too wants to join in on the hug. The two eventually pull back from the hug, Casey sniffling and wiping his tears. He hopes his mom doesn’t get mad at him for getting snot and tears all over her shoulder.
Cass grins brightly at him and teases, “What’s with all the waterworks, Junior? Didn’t know my son is such a crier.”
Casey laughs wetly, “Hey, I got it from somewhere.”
Leo chuckles from behind, grabbing a few napkins from the table beside the large pizza box they brought. He walks up to Junior, handing him the napkins to wipe his face with as the slider wraps his arm around the teen’s shoulder.
“You’re welcome.”, he smirks.
“Alright, enough sappy shit.”, Cassandra intervenes, moving towards the table and ignoring Raph’s “Language!” spiel. “C’mon, let’s get to talking.”
Casey smiles, ignoring the quiet voice in his heart pointing out how different his mom is here. She’s all tough love, of course, but her future self was very caring. She just…hasn’t had the chance to be a mom yet. It’ll be fine , the teen reassures himself.
And so, the group regathers around the picnic table. Everyone grabs a slice, happily chatting amongst each other, especially the Jones duo. Cass mainly quizzes on how awesome her future self was, to which Casey is ecstatic to answer. And somehow, being like this, surrounded by the people he knows, all eating and chatting at the same table…for a second…
It feels like home.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Re-explained character death. Uhm...is that it? Huh. I guess this chapter is super chill.
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Hope you guys enjoyed this little chapter! I know it was really short. Chapters 25 and 26 were supposed to be one big chapter but it got too long so I split it in half.So next chapter is more Jones Duo bonding stuff. Super fun. Slightly lore-y. It's also the start of the "main" plot. The main plot being Casey's journey in discovering his own identity. Deep psychological stuff, ik. Thank Healing and Tigre for giving me the ideas.
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 26: Was I A Good Mom?
Summary:
“You’re not supposed to inhale the soda, you dumbass!”, his mom snarks.
“W-why is it so…spiky?!?!”, Junior wheezes.
“Cuz it’s got bubbles in it.”, Cassandra shrugs. “It’s a thing people like.”
“WHO WOULD LIKE THIS???”, Casey exclaims. “WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS??”
Notes:
I may or may not have suffered two chronic pain flare ups in the past week BUT I MUST RELEASE THE JONES DUO!!!
Enjoy this extra long chapter with Cass tryna be a good mom while Casey has a self-identity crisis. =)
Disclaimers in the end notes but it's like 90% fluff so...
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Mini Jones! We’re going to the mall!”
The next morning, Mama rolls up to the apartment with a punk leather outfit, sunglasses on her head, and purse in hand. She stands at the doorway, calling out to the teen but Carol stops her.
“Hold on, why didn’t I hear about this plan?”, she asks.
“Uhhh cuz I’m his mom. Duh.”, Cass drawls.
“Well, as long as Casey Junior lives with me, I’d like to know where he’s going.”, Carol presses, putting her hands on her hips. “Which mall? And for how long?”
“Columbus Square. We won’t be there for long, probably until like…the afternoon.”, Mama answers with a shrug.
“And you’ll only be at the mall?”
“Yep.”
“And you got my number?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The doctor sighs. “Well alright then.” She looks over at Casey, “You stick close to your mama, alright, baby? She’s the only one with a phone after all.”
“I will.”, Casey smiles, already grabbing his pouch and hurrying towards the door.
“I’ll have him back before curfew, Mrs. O’Neil.”, Cassandra taunts, receiving an eye roll from Carol.
“Stay safe, Jones…es? Have fun.”, Carol smiles, closing the door as the two head down the hall.
“So…you don’t have a phone?”, Cass raises a brow.
“No. I never had one. They didn’t exist in the apocalypse.”, Junior shakes his head.
“Well that changes today.”
They head down to the parking lot where Mama guides him to a run down but well-loved bright red pickup truck with a hooded trunk. The Jones duo hop into the truck and start to drive off into the city. The car ride is quiet for a hot minute before his mom turns on the radio and taps a playlist through her phone. She turns the volume way way up.
“Can’t stay at home, can’t stay at school. Old folks say, “You poor little fool”. Down the streets, I’m the girl next door. I’m the fox you’ve been waiting for!”
Yeah. It’s still her. In all the right ways.
Cass sings along, “Hello daddy! Hello mom! I’m your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch…Cherry Bomb!” Her voice is still not melodious but it still has the same passion, the same spark of her warrior spirit.
“Hello world, I’m your wild girl! I’m your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch…Cherry Bomb!”, Casey joins in too.
“Hell yeah, mini me! I knew you were my kid.”, the older Jones beams.
The two continue to sing (or… screech ) at car karaoke as they drive through the morning NYC traffic. One thing Casey learns quickly about his mom, she is very prone to road rage. She slams the horn at any waking moment while screaming Filipino swears at the aggressor. As the duo press through traffic, Casey notices the small triangular symbol on the car keys as the keychain dangles in the ignition. It’s not the Jewish Star that his Donnie had shown him, Casey knows that. He’s never seen this symbol before.
The teen points at it. “What’s that?”, he asks.
Cass glances at the keychain for a moment. “Depends…how religious are you?”, she smirks.
“Uhm…I’m not really sure. I just sorta…am me? The Resistance was very open-minded, unlike a few other bases.”
“Well, it’s a pentagram. Satanist symbol and all.”, his mother shrugs.
“What’s satanist?”
“You don’t know about Satan?”, Mama glances over at him.
“...No?”
“What about Christianity?”
“Sorta???”
“Welp, no big deal. Satan is just considered a symbol in Satanism after all. Satanists don’t really believe in him or any sort of faith. Satanism even encourages atheism.”, Cassandra explains. “Basically, the idea is more focused on self-journey in finding your true self. Everyone views it differently too, of course.”
Casey hums in acknowledgement, somewhat understanding it.
Mama continues, “If you’re my son, how come you didn’t know about this?”
“Ummm…”, Junior drawls, trying to come up with something that isn’t the obvious tragic answer of an orphan, “...You just weren’t really vocal about it.”
“That’s fair.”, Cass nods. She quickly changes the topic, “Speaking of true selves…I can tell that you, are not.”
“Excuse me?”, the teen tilts his head.
“I can see it all over you.”, the older Jones gestures a hand at Casey’s everything. “You’re an amalgamation of other people’s expectations. I see me, I see the turtles, I even see a bit of April. But I don’t think I can see you , the real you.”
“But…I am the real me.”, Casey denies.
Casey Sr hums. “Who’s idea was it for you to become a warrior?”
“You.”, Junior shrugs.
“Who’s idea was it for you to be brought back in time?”
“Leo’s.”
“Who’s idea was it for you to set boundaries?”
“Mikey’s?”
“Who’s idea was it for you to follow an inner code of safety?”
“...Donnie’s.”
“See? Everyone else but you.”, Cass nods. “Call it…I dunno…mom’s intuition.”
Damn , it really is her. Casey chews his inner lip, feeling awkward about being read through like thin paper. But Mama perks up, flashing a toothy grin.
“Luckily, Mama’s here to help. When we go out today, we’re gonna focus on you. What you wanna do, what you wanna buy, all that jazz. Alright?”, she beams.
“Um, okay?”, the teen sends a sheepish smile her way.
“Good. Because we’re here.”
They find a spot to park the truck, Casey putting on his noise cancellers and mentally preparing himself for the crowds. The mall is huge with several stores and even more people. All bright and vibrant and full of life. Cassandra leads the way with stride, taking Casey over to a store that sells piercing jewelry like the ones she wears.
Mama knocks on the countertop up front. “I’d like to get a walk-in appointment for my son.”, she says, winking over at the teen.
Me? The teen is a bit stunned. But…the idea does sound like fun. He always admired the piercings his mom and Busho Yuichi wore. They looked so cool.
The man behind the counter, who is coated in various piercings and tattoos, raises an unamused brow. “...Is he even 18?”
“No, but like I said, he’s my son.”, Cass smirks.
“...Yeah, I don’t buy that. You guys are clearly around the same age.”, the man drawls. “If you’re not gonna buy anything else then, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”
“What?! You think you can just assume my parental authority?! You got a thing against teen moms?!”, Mama snarks.
“Ma’am, please leave before I call security.”
“Alright, alright! Fine. We’re leaving.”, Cass throws up her hands and spins on her heels, striding out of the store. “C’mon, Junior.”
Casey hurries to follow after her, rubbing his fabric black gloves. “I forget there’s a bunch of rules here…”, he mumbles.
“Don’t sweat it, kid . I got another plan.”, Senior smiles. “We just need to find a different piercing store first.”
After a few minutes of looking around, the Jones duo comes across a different store. But instead of asking for an appointment, Cass goes ahead and grabs a self piercing kit. She also points at a few of the piercings available and asks Junior to pick out something he likes. The two grab their stuff and Cass is able to pay for it with less hassle. She tells Casey that they’ll pierce it themselves later.
Continuing their shopping spree, Mama takes Casey into one of the many clothing stores in the mall. She stops at the entrance, leaning against the wall.
“Welp. Have at it.”, she smirks.
“...What do you mean?”, Casey raises a brow.
“Go on, pick some things you like.”, Cass insists. “Don’t worry about budget. I own one of the largest brownie companies in Manhattan, I’m fucking loaded.”
“Well, I already got clothes. Carol bought me some and Leo lets me borrow a few of his clothes—”
“I don’t care about Carol or the turtles.”, his mom cuts in. “This is about you . What clothes do you want to buy?”
The teen ponders the question. He turns back to the store, looking over the sea of clothes in all different shapes and styles and colors. What clothes do I want to buy?
“...You sure I can get anything?”, he asks, glancing back at Mama.
“Anything that speaks to you .”, Mama presses. “Now go. Before I start setting a timer.”
And so Casey starts to wonder. He keeps glancing over his shoulder at his mom to see if she’ll do anything, but the woman simply waits for him. He explores the clothes that the store has to offer.
To be perfectly honest…Casey doesn’t understand fashion. In the apocalypse, everyone all had the same sense of fashion. Which was hardly anything for vanity, but for survival. Seeing all these designs of clothing, to which some aren’t particularly practical, Casey doesn’t know what to pick.
Though he does like his mom’s fashion sense. Shiny leather, dark colors contrasting bright patterns, a bunch of random zipper pockets to hold things in. Those look nice. And so, Junior peruses the store, looking at the different leather and flashy items that are similar to his mom’s style. He picks up a few things that stand out to him, barely noticing his mom approaching from behind.
“What’cha got—”
Casey spins on his heel on instinct, sending a karate chop to which Cass efficiently blocks with her arms. The two stare at each other for a moment before his mom smirks.
“Nice reflexes.”, she says.
“Thanks but…don’t ever do that again. I don’t like getting approached from behind.”, Junior smiles sheepishly.
“Noted.”, Mama nods. “What’cha got so far?”
The teen glances down at the clothes draped on his arm before showing it to his mother. Cassandra nods approvingly.
“Good choices. You sure you’re not just copying me?”, Mama teases.
“Oh n-no. I just thought they look nice.”, Casey stutters.
“That’s what we’re talking about!”, Senior beams. “C’mon, let’s go try them on!”
She leads Casey to the back of the store where there’s an array of changing rooms. An employee leads Casey to a room while Cass waits on a bench outside. They spend what feels like hours, Casey trying on outfits and showing them to his mom while Mama acts as his personal assistant in swapping out clothes that don’t fit or need a different color. The teen never understood why “normal” people feel the need to be so picky about their appearance but…he thinks he’s starting to get it. It looks good. And it makes him feel good.
Some outfits don’t feel good though. Casey frowns in the mirror at one of them he decides to try on. He unveils the curtain, revealing it to his mom.
“Is this even considered…”fashionable”?”, he asks, uncertain.
“Anything is fashion if you’re confident enough.”, Cassandra shrugs.
The teen hums with a pressed line in his lips, looking down at the clothes. “I’m not so confident about this one. But I mean…it looks…okay?? I can see other people wearing this.”
“But do you see yourself wearing this?”, Cass tilts her head.
“...No.”
“Then don’t buy it. Try something else. Remember, this is about you , mini Jones.”, Mama assures.
Casey smiles, feeling a bit more relaxed. “Yeah…you’re right.”
The teen tries on a few more outfits until the employee has to stop them and persist there is a limit of clothes allowed in the changing rooms. The Jones duo scoop up all the clothes Casey likes the best and start to carry them to the checkout. The cashier behind the counter is clearly not pleased by the mountain of items presented to them but keeps a strained smile on their face.
While the cashier scans through the pile of clothes and hassles to fold them, take off the security tags, and stuff them in bags, Casey notices a table behind them with various small jewelry accessories. Upon looking at the shiny pretty items, he spots a dual pair of necklaces that have a shiny cut green emerald gem on each of them. Casey picks them up gently, showing the gem necklaces to his mom.
“We should get matching necklaces.”, he suggests.
Cass’s eyes light up at the idea. “ Absolutely we should.”, she beams.
His mama swipes the emerald gem necklaces out of his hand and slams them on the counter. The cashier pauses for a moment, sighing and continuing scanning through the pile of clothes. After a few minutes, the Jones duo waltz out of the store with arms filled with large shopping bags. Cass grins over at her son.
“Welp, that’s one store down. 50 more to go.”, she says.
“Wait, we’re going to try them all?!”, the teen exclaims, bewildered.
Mama nods enthusiastically. “ We are going to try them all. ”, she insists.
Sure enough, the two practically go door to door, shopping for more clothes that Casey really likes. They even have to take several trips to the truck to put the bags away in the trunk before continuing their shopping spree. Cassandra even buys a bunch of new clothes for herself as well, the teen happily cheering on his mom as they have their own “fashion shows” in the changing rooms.
The early afternoon begins to steep in when the Jones duo finds themselves starving for food. Cass happily leads her son to the food court of the mall and gestures towards all of the booths.
“Pick something. Whatever you want.”, she repeats herself for the millionth time today.
Casey chews his inner lip and frowns a bit. “Well, Carol says I should go easy and eat some bland foods for now because my stomach is still adjusting to—”
“Oh I’m sorry, is Carol here right now?”, Cass crosses her arms and raises a brow. “Is Carol the one picking out our lunches for today?”
“Umm…no?”, the teen answers unsure, his shoulders hiking up to his ears.
“Exactly.”, Mama nods. “Now. Pick out what you want.”
“Well…”, Junior drawls, scanning over all the different cuisines being sold. He spots a place that looks nice, not a long line either. “...The food over there smells good.”
“Then that’s where we’ll go.”, Casey Sr wraps her arm around the teen’s shoulders and guides him to the booth.
The booth has a large panda bear on the logo with the name Panda Express. There are several pots of delicious looking food, however, Casey has no idea what they are or what it’ll even taste like. He’s never had so many options to choose from before. What you got was what you get when it came to meals in the Resistance. Cass gestures a hand to the buffet.
“Whaddya want?”, she asks.
“I…have…no…clue.”, the teen drawls, still eyeballing everything.
“Oh don’t worry then. I got this.”, Mama shrugs. She turns to the server behind the counter. “Can we just get one of everything, please, in a bunch of boxes?”
The Jones duo ends up with several boxes of the food, everyone else eyeing them with suspicious curiosity. They sit down at a table, opening up all the boxes. The food smells even more amazing up close. The choices still overwhelm Casey a bit.
“Where do we even start?”, he chuckles.
“I dunno, just grab something!”, his mom laughs back.
The teen takes the dinky plastic fork and just randomly stabs a piece of food. A piece of kung pao chicken, steaming on the pricks of the fork. He takes a bite and a whole new flood of flavors enters his mouth. His taste buds screaming in cheer. Junior starts just shoveling the delicious food into his mouth, trying not to choke from laughter as he sees his mom do the same.
Casey hasn’t even tackled a quarter of the feast before them until his stomach decides enough is enough. At first, the teen ignores it, opting to just slow down instead. But every bite he takes, leads him to the inevitable. He hates the fact that he’s used to this nauseated feeling by now. For the past couple weeks that he’s been here, it’s all just trial and error with food. Even when he ate the safe foods Carol makes for him, he’s still not used to eating so much and so often. Full was never a thing in the apocalypse. Just “not starving” was the closest feeling he’d get.
But Casey is definitely full now, practically too full. And there’s too much flavor, actually. He already feels the bile going up his throat as his vision sways. He sets the fork down, placing his head on his hand.
Cassandra stops mid-bite. “Oh shit. I work with enough mini-humans to know that face. You alright there?”, she asks with concern.
Casey can barely shake his head in answer when he starts to retch. With alarmed eyes, Cass grabs one of the empty plastic bags and practically chucks it at the teen. Junior hastily pulls it open and starts to hurl up all of his lunch. He can hear the surrounding citizens at the food court scream and whine in disgust.
“Hey. You still alive in there?”
Cass abandons the food to take Casey to the restroom. Another weird note about this timeline, the restrooms are segregated by gender. Casey understands the reason why fairly enough, but why are there only 2 options? What if you don’t identify with either of them? It’s kind of dumb.
Mama knocks on the doorframe to the men’s restroom, calling for him as Casey is busy hurling up in a stall. The teen spits out the last bit of vomit, pulling his hair back more.
“...yeah. Still alive.”, he calls back.
“Well, once you’re done, I got something for you that’ll help.”, Mama says.
The teen finishes up, washing out his hands and mouth in the sink before heading back out to find Cass holding a green aluminum can. She hands it to her son.
“Here, drink this.”, she says.
“What is it?”, Casey asks, opening the can with an unexpected hiss. “Is it some sort of potion?”
“It’s ginger ale. I dunno how it works, I just know it’s good for nausea.”, Cassandra shrugs.
Casey takes a hesitant sip, only to immediately choke on the crazy damn thing as the liquid seems to be…attacking him back? It’s so unnerving, the teen feels like he’s going into shock. He chokes on the drink, the fizziness seeping up his noses as his eyes water.
“You’re not supposed to inhale the soda, you dumbass!”, his mom snarks.
“W-why is it so…spiky?!?!”, Junior wheezes.
“Cuz it’s got bubbles in it.”, Cassandra shrugs. “It’s a thing people like.”
“WHO WOULD LIKE THIS???”, Casey exclaims. “WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS??”
“Yeah yeah yeah, weird alternate timeline line bullshit.”, Mama babbles. “Just drink it.”
With an exasperated sigh, the teen takes a more careful sip of the ginger ale, still hating the way the fizziness goes down his throat. His mom grins, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“That’s it, Casey baby, drink up.”, she nods. “It’ll make you feel better.”
“That’s it, Casey baby, drink up.”, she nodded. “It’ll make you feel better.”
The child whined at the nasty potion he was forced to drink. He began to cry, wanting the headache and fever to go away. Mama sighed, pulling him close in her arms.
“I know it sucks, baby. But Draxum said this’ll help ease your flu. Just finish it up really fast, then we can go down for a nap.”
The teen glances over at his mom with softened eyes, seeing the resemblance within her. He sighs, smiling thoughtfully, and continues to drink the ginger ale. God, it still feels so spiky… , he cringes.
Once Casey finishes the soda, he does notice that the surprising amount of burps it gives him helps his stomach feel better. Cassandra smirks and pats his back.
“See? I told ya it works.”, she grins. “C’mon. Let’s get back to our mission. We still have more stores to raid.”
The Jones duo continue their shopping spree, heading into a store that sells various kinds of tech. Walking up to an employee, Cass asks to see the phone case. She picks up a box and hands it to the teen.
“Boom. New phone.”, she grins.
“Huh, what does it do?”, Casey asks, inspecting the box.
“You can use it to contact people and make calls…and bully 5 year olds online.”
“Wait what—”
“Here, let’s go buy it and I’ll help you set it up.”, Mama proceeds to push the teen towards the entrance.
Along the way to the checkout, Cass also grabs a few other things for Casey as well. After purchasing the phone, the Jones duo sit outside on a bench as Cassandra shows her son how to operate it. It’s a lot similar to how Donnie’s holograms worked in the Resistance. A few of the extra things that Mama bought is a decorative sparkly green phone case, a pop-out holder with a smiley face on it, and a turtle keychain that plugs into the top. Senior then helps set up Junior’s new phone and adds in her phone number.
“Now you can call me at any time of day. If you get tired of Carol’s boring “normal” routine, you call me and I’ll take you somewhere fun.”, Mama beams.
“Haha, okay okay.”, Casey chuckles.
“Also…”, she turns back to the shopping bag from the tech store. “I noticed that you’re not a big fan of loud noises so I got you these.”
His mom holds out two boxes. One of some wireless headphones and another of loop earplugs. Casey takes the boxes, examining them with curiosity.
“Wow, thanks.”, he says.
“Of course! No son of mine is gonna waltz around with hand-me-downs! You deserve the best.”, his mama flashes a toothy grin.
“You deserve the best, Casey baby.”, his mama smiled softly. “That’s why I have to leave to go fight. So that we can win. And earn our world back.”
The teen smiles at his mom, putting away the noise cancellers in place for the earplugs. It’s nice to give his head a break from holding up the noise cancellers all day. And the loop earplugs do look nice too. The Jones duo get back up, grabbing their bags and continuing their shopping spree.
After buying even more clothes and accessories for the two of them, one colorful store catches Casey’s eye. A literal candy store. Mama nudges him with her elbow.
“What’s up with you? Got a sweet tooth?”, she smirks.
Casey laughs a bit. “Ha, I guess so. I was always trying to sneak into the greenhouse to steal sugarcane.”
“And just what do you think you’re doing, Jones?”, Donnie sneered as Casey’s hand hovered dangerously over the stock of sugarcane.
“Um…nothing…”, the small child sheepishly grinned as he hid the piece behind his back.
“Sigh…Hand it over, Case. You know the rules.”, Donnie droned. Casey begrudgingly placed the sugarcane in the softshell’s palm. “As much as it's a privilege to have sugarcane in the middle of the apocalypse, you know just well by now that we have to ration it. And it’s hard to do that when a little gremlin is sneaking around, stealing the supply.”
Casey’s smile drops a bit, reminiscing the early days of the apocalypse. Back when things were still okay. Suddenly, he is pulled out of his thoughts by his mom wrapping her arm around him.
“Well, let’s go buy some candy! Let’s buy all the candy!!”, Mama beams with determination.
“O-oh, well…Carol says I should be careful with sweets because of my jaw—”
“Ugh!”, Cass groans so hard that her head reels back. “It’s always Carol this, Carol that, Carol Carol Carol… Well, Casey baby, Carol isn’t here!”
“I know that but—”
“Do you want candy?”, Cassandra quizzes. “Do you truly desire it?”
“I mean…yeah? It looks good—”
“Then that’s what we’ll get! Remember, today is about you.”, Cass interrupts and proceeds to stride into the store.
“O-okay?”, the teen follows close behind.
The store is filled to the brim, wall to wall, with an assortment of sweets that Junior never knew existed. His mama leads the way, grabbing a bag and chucking whole scoops of candy into it. She grins up at her son and gestures her arm for him to join in. The bag gets heavier and heavier, the smell of sugar tickling Casey’s nostrils. At the checkout, the bag weighs about 7 pounds, making the kind old candy store owner chuckle at the joy on the Jones duo’s faces.
Walking out of the store, Cassandra stuffs her hand into the bag and pops a handful of candy into her mouth. Casey reaches in for a piece and pops it in his mouth as well. The taste is super sweet, almost too sweet for the teen to handle. But his face lights up at the sugary flavors, happily continuing to munch away on the candy as they proceed with shopping.
Before either of them know it, it’s night time. Stores are beginning to close and the intercom is asking shoppers to wrap up their errands. Cass’s phone buzzes to which she ignores and shuts off.
“How about we head somewhere else now?”, she asks.
“Didn’t Carol say to—”
“Oh she’ll be fine.”, Mama wavers off with a flick of her hand. “What she doesn’t know can’t bother her. Besides, it’s not a big deal if we go to…let’s say…the ice rink?”
“...What’s the ice rink?”, Casey raises a brow.
Loading up in the truck, the duo heads to another building which is the supposed ice rink. Yet heading up to the doors, a chained padlock blocked the entrance with a sign stating it’s closed. Mama isn’t fazed, pulling out a ring of keys from her pocket. She fumbles through them before finding the one that opens the padlock to the place.
“You have the keys to this place?”, the teen asks.
“I stole ‘em.”, she shrugs.
She heads into a back room and flips a few switches, flashing lights onto the place. The lights center around an oval coated in thin ice that has markings laying out underneath. A border wall with clear plastic blockades surrounds it with benches filing behind. Mama steps back out with two pairs of shoes that have blades on the bottom and two sticks that look similar to Casey’s weapon, along with a big bag of other equipment.
“C’mon! Go put these on, I gotta show you something.”, she beams.
The shoes feel really weird. Once put on, Casey has a hard time balancing on them, his legs feeling like jello. Cass nudges him to the rink but Casey is pretty certain that he is going to fall. His mom just rolls her eyes.
“It’s simple, just watch.”, she says.
Cassandra steps onto the ice with ease, gliding on the rink. It looks like so much fun. She waves her arm over to the teen. Casey takes a breath, holding onto the border for dear life as he slowly steps onto the ice and immediately begins to slip. He shouts as his legs slide around all over the place, leaning his weight onto the wall for stability. But it is no use as he falls promptly on his butt. Ow.
“I don’t think I’m built for this.”, he winces.
His mom skates over to him, grabbing his arms. “You’ll only fall if you start to freak out. Just take a breath, and trust me.” She pulls him back up to his feet, the teen trying his best not to pull her down as he starts to slip again.
Senior guides her son through the motions of pushing off to the side with one foot after the other. The footing starting to feel oddly familiar. Suddenly, a glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. Junior lets go of his mother’s hands and starts to glide on his own. Then he’s skating faster, racing around the edges of the rink and even going backwards. He feels a rush of cool wind in his wavy hair, skating with him. Cass lets out a surprised chuckle.
“You didn’t tell me you actually knew how to skate!”, she shouts.
“I-I don’t!”, Casey exclaims. “I just…I don’t know how I’m doing this!”
“Well whatever it is, keep it up! You’re doing amazing, Casey baby!”
The teen continues to dance around the ice rink, having an absolute blast. Though the rush of feeling is unfamiliar, he strangely feels at home here. As if he is meant to belong here, a warrior’s spirit igniting inside him. He makes his way back to his mom, turning his ankles to skid to a stop but ends up spraying shaved bits of ice all over her. The teen’s face drops at her shocked expression.
“Shit! I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—”, he blurts out.
Mama laughs. “Ohohoho, so you’re challenging me now, huh? Alright, you’re asking for this!”
She skates off, coming back around to her son with much more speed and intent as she sprays the ice at him. Junior sputters at the cold, trying to wipe it off.
“Eugh! It’s so cold! Why?!”, he exclaims.
“Think you can do better?”, his mom teases.
“Oh. It is on .”
The Jones duo continue to engage in an ice spray war, charging at each other and spraying huge waves of shaved ice. Neither are prepared for the sudden cold. After a few minutes, both of them begin to tremble.
“Had enough yet?”, Cass calls out.
“Pssh! You didn’t raise a quitter.”, her son calls back.
She sighs. “Figured.” Mama glides over to him, extending an arm. “How about we call it a truce then?”
“Yeah, alright. Truce.”, Casey nods, shaking her hand.
“Good. Because the real fun hasn’t started yet.”, Cassandra points out, skating over to the wall and reaching over the gate to grab the bag she carried out earlier. She tosses one of the sticks to Casey and sets a weird black disc on the ground. “I would like to show one of Earth’s finest games to ever exist.”
“What is it?”, the teen asks, catching the stick and holding it at the ready.
“It’s called hockey. You basically smack this puck around and try to get it into the net.”, she explains, grabbing a net stand from the bag and propping it up against one end of the rink. “Here, watch.”
Casey watches as Cassandra hits the puck side to side with the hockey stick and smacks it into the net with neat precision. She pushes the puck over to Casey to have his turn. The teen, feeling the strange familiarity that was still unfamiliar, hits the puck and sends it to the net with a clean shot.
“Nice.”, Mama smirks. “You sure this is your first time?”
“Are you saying I’m better than you?”, Junior teases.
Cass scoffs a laugh. “Ok, I see how it is. Let’s kick things up a notch.” She skates to the bag and brings out some armored pads and a mask. “Here, I’ll play goaltender. Try to get the puck past me before I can block it.”
The Jones duo continue to play ice hockey for the next couple hours. His mom teaches him through all the different tactics and rules of the game as they take turns in team roles. Mama is impressed by her son’s unique skills while Casey is still wondering where they came from. Still, it’s a lot of fun. Soon enough, they both get tired of the game and make their way off the ice.
“You should sign up for a team.”, his mama beams. “You’d crush it!”
“Really?”, Junior asks, taking off his ice skates and putting back on his regular shoes. “I-I’m not so sure.”
“Oh I’m certain of it! Every hockey coach in the world will be begging to have you on their team.”, Cass gets up after putting on her shoes and grabbing her things. “Now c’mon, let’s get out of here before we get caught.”
The two of them make their way out of the ice rink, Cass turning off the lights and locking the doors again, and head back to the truck. They drive off into the night, the hours now seeping into midnight. Casey stifles a yawn, not ready for this day with his mom to end yet. Mama drives them to Central Park, a place Casey once recognized as abandoned and dead, now full of life and nature. Cass grabs one of the shopping bags from the trunk and leads Casey into the park.
They find a huge smooth stone rock and climb on top of it. The rock is slightly warm from the summer heat. (Oh yeah…heat is a thing here…Casey still doesn’t know how to react to it). Mama reaches into the bag, searching with the flashlight of her phone. She pulls out a magazine and smacks it on the rock.
“Here, pick something from the catalog.”, she says, continuing to search the bag.
Casey turns on the light on his phone and begins to scan the magazine. The pages show various pictures of the different kinds of piercings available. The teen smiles, excited to try them out. He filters through the pages as Cassandra brings out the piercing kit.
“Tell me, mini Jones, what kind of piercing should I get next?”, she asks, grazing her fingers along the two rings on her one ear.
“Oh, well, in the future, you had two helix piercings on both ears and a septum piercing on your nose.”, the teen answers.
“Oooo…”, Mama hums. “That’s not a bad idea. I like it. Great choice, future me.”
She props her phone camera up to use as a mirror as Casey shines his light for her. The set up looks scary but Mama isn’t fazed one bit. Putting on the rubber gloves, she cleans her unpierced ear with a disinfectant wipe and prepares the piercing gun with a silver ring. Cassandra barely winces as she pierces the rings in place. She turns her head side to side, comparing the two ears.
“Oh wow, yeah, that does look nice.”, she mumbles. “Alright, time for the nose. Keep that light steady for me.”
She repeats the process, now for the septum piercing. She does wince a bit more that time but doesn’t seem to mind. Seeing his mom with the same piercing as her future counterpart, Casey notices all the pieces of puzzle lining up in place. She doesn’t seem that different from her future self. More relaxed and carefree if anything. Unburdened with the task of caring for a defenseless child in the middle of the apocalypse.
“Alright, now your turn. What are your pickings?”, she says to the teen.
“Uhh…I’m not so sure…”, the younger Jones drawls, scanning the pages. “I guess I want something like these two.”
He points to a picture of a model with an array of ear piercings. They have a lobe piercing with three helix piercings on each ear. Then he shows another picture where a model has vertical brow piercings on the arches of their eyebrows. Cass turns her head to look at it and nods.
“Yeah alright, we can make that happen.”, she hums.
Switching phones, Cass props up her camera for Casey to use as a mirror as she holds up his light. She marks the spots on Casey’s ears with a pen, the teen giving them a long look before nodding in approval. Mama prepares the first piercing stud on Casey’s right ear lobe.
“Alright, take a breath.”, she says. “Try not to move.”
Casey inhales sharply, scrunching his face. Within seconds, he hears the loud ker-chunk of the piercing gun. He feels a slight pinch but other than that it barely hurts. He’s felt way worse than this. He opens his eyes and glances down at the phone camera. There it is, on his ear. A shiny silver stud. It’s subtle but Casey really likes how it looks.
“It’s so cool!”, he smiles.
“One down, 9 more to go.”, Mama grins. “Unless of course you want more.”
Casey rolls his eyes as his mom prepares for the other lobe. He remembers a faint memory from when he was really young. Watching his mom sit Usagi down as Usagi got his rabbit ears pierced.
“OW!”, the rabbit exclaimed. “That one hurt!”
“Oh please, don’t be a wuss.”, Senior rolled her eyes.
The 4 year old Casey beamed, clapping his hands. “I want some too, Mama!”
“I’ll get to you once your Oji stops fussing around.”, Mama nodded.
“Absolutely not!”, April raised a brow. “He’s too young.”
“Why not? I’ve seen babies with piercings. It won’t hurt him that much.”
“Still, I think we should wait.”, the commander turned to the child. “It’s a really big decision, baby. You should just wait a few more years.”
“Aww….”, Casey pouted.
“OUCH!!”, Usagi shouted again.
“Just hold still!”, Mama snarked. “I don’t wanna be here all day.”
April sighed and face palmed. “Oh my god, please don’t get Usagi infected.”
Cass finishes the piercings on Casey’s ears. He looks them over in the camera, admiring how amazing they look. The silver lobe studs and helix rings glisten in the flashlight. He grins brightly towards his mom.
“I love them!”, he beams.
“Welp, we’re almost done.”, Mama smirks. “Ready for the brows?”
Casey nods, scooting closer to let his mom disinfect the areas and mark them. Once set and approved, she pierces the silver studs on the arches of his eyebrows. Casey can’t help the smile that stretches from ear to ear on his face.
“Hell yeah, you’re looking badass now, mini me!”, Cassandra beams. “Just let those things heal for a few months and keep them clean.”
Casey nods, still glancing over himself in the mirror. With everything Casey has gone through and the adventure he has had today, he never expected to look so… normal . Like every other average teenager that he’s heard about and seen walking around New York City. Mama speaks up.
“Hey…can I ask you something?”, she says, her voice strangely softening.
“Uh, sure. What is it?”, Junior raises a brow.
“...Was I a good mom in the future?”, Cass asks.
Casey scrunches his face. “What?”
“I mean like…I-I dunno. I know next to nothing about being a mom. I never expected to have a kid. That sort of thing usually involves a lot of money and being engaged in a romantic relationship which is just…not my cup of tea. And with my job, I work with a lot of girls who need someone to look up to. I just…”, Mama sighs and pauses for a moment. “...I’ve just been noticing this…disconnection between us. Even though we have so much in common. I know that it’s like…you’re from the future and all and I don’t know you but you know me. But…I don’t know if you know me all that well…” She looks up and meets her son’s eyes. “...Did something happen to me in the future?”
Casey frowns, averting his gaze. “U-Umm…well…”
“Look, whatever it is, you can tell me. I’m sure I can take it.”, Cass assures. “It’s not like it’s gonna happen again, right? You changed the future.”
“...Y-Yeah, alright.”, Casey nods and takes a breath. “So…basically…You found me in a dumpster when I was around 5 months old. My birth parents were chased by…some bad people and hid me away. They didn’t make it. But you took me in. You raised me as your own. Everything was fine for a while. It was great even. But then…” He pauses for a moment. “...when I was 6, you had to go on a mission. April, Sunita, and a few others were with you. From what I was told, you guys got ambushed by Kraang hounds on the way home. April got hurt really bad and you went to help her. Once she was safe, you went back and fought off the hounds to make sure everyone got to safety. But you…you never came back home.” The teen meets Cass’s eyes. “You died a hero , Mama. A hero .”
Mama’s expression softens for a moment, but then she beams a bright smile. “Sounds like the most noble way for a warrior to go.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”, Casey smiles back.
“So…I did good?”
“Are you kidding me? Of course!”, Casey says. He scoots closer, softening his tone. “And hey, if anything, you’re a great mom now too.”
Cass tries to suppress the quiver in her lip but Casey notices. She grins anyways and wraps her arm around Casey’s neck and noogies his hair.
“Ha! Getting all sappy on me, aren’t ya?”, she snarks.
“Ack! Hey! Let me go!”, Casey squirms.
“Awww but I wuuuvvvvv you soooooo much!”, Mama teases, tightening her grip.
“Okay okay!”, the teen gasps. “You’re choking me!”
Cass lets go of her hold on Junior, letting him sit back up and breathe. Casey sputters but laughs, brushing his gloved fingers through his hair. He smiles.
“You know, despite how similar you are, you and your future self still seem so different.”, he says. “I mean like…you are more carefree. In the future, you were so persistent on me becoming a formidable warrior.”
Mama hums. “That makes sense, actually. Wasn’t there a whole ass apocalypse to be afraid of? I’d wish for you to be a warrior too if that happened. But only because I’d want you to be safe.”
“Well yeah I guess but…”, Casey sighs. “...sometimes, I wonder if I ever fulfilled her wish. Your future self, I mean.”
Cassandra scrunches her face in curiosity. “What makes you say that?”
“I mean like…”, he pauses, looking up at the dark night. “I was never allowed to fight on my own. It wasn’t safe. They saw me as fragile. Someone who needed to be protected at all times. And when I did try to prove myself…I would freeze.” He sighs. “...maybe I wasn’t good enough. Maybe I never became that warrior that your future self wanted.”
Cass frowns at his words. She stands up on the rock, dusting off her knees and motioning her arm at Casey.
“C’mon, get up.”
“What, why?”, Casey asks, standing up as well.
“I’m gonna need you to repeat after me, alright?”, she smiles.
“Umm…okay.”, the teen shrugs.
Mama straightens her posture, taking a huge breath through her diaphragm. “I AM ENOUGH!”, she screams out into the park. “C’mon! Repeat it!”, she turns to the teen.
“Uhh…”, Casey drawls. He hunches his shoulders a bit. “I-I am enough?”
“Louder! Say it like you mean it!”, Cass exclaims.
“I…I-I AM ENOUGH!”, Junior shouts.
“Hell yeah!!”, his mom beams. She turns back to the open forest. “I DESERVE TO BE HAPPY!!”, she screams, pressing her hands to her cheeks to project her voice.
“I-I DESERVE TO BE…HAPPY!”
A few birds squawk and fly off at the loud commotion the two are making.
“I DON’T CARE WHAT ANYONE THINKS OF ME!!!”, Mama screeches, her face scrunching up with pride.
Casey repeats, “I DON’T CARE WHAT ANYONE THINKS OF ME!”
“MY BODY IS BEAUTIFUL, JUST THE WAY IT IS!!!”
“MY BODY IS BEAUTIFUL, JUST THE WAY IT IS!”
“NO ONE WILL DRAG ME DOWN!!!”
“NO ONE WILL DRAG ME DOWN!”
The wind picks up, whirling around them in a frenzy. Casey feels his long wavy hair get stuck to his face.
“I’M THE BEST MOM EVER!!!”
“I’M THE BEST…wait what?”, Casey laughs.
Cass cackles. “Almost tripped you up, didn’t I?”
The Jones duo share a loud bursting laughter. Once the laughing has droned, Cass scoops up her phone and bag. Casey crouches to grab his phone too.
“It’s almost 2 am now.”, Mama says, checking the time on her screen. “We should probably get you back. I already got a bunch of missed calls from Carol.”
“W-Wait, you’ve been ignoring her?!”, the teen exclaims with worry.
“It’s fiiiinnnneeee! We’ll just sneak you back in, she won’t notice a thing.”, his mom shrugs off, sliding off the rock. “C’mon, let’s get going.”
The two drive off back to the apartment building and park in the lot. Cass suggests leaving all the shopping bags in the truck for convenience and Casey can come back for it the next morning. He does still grab a few things like the necklaces, the candy, and the headphones. They make their way up to the apartment, Mama insisting on Casey giving her the key as she unlocks the door and very slowly opens it. The apartment is pitch black inside.
“Okay…”, she whispers quietly. “Just slip into your room before anyone notices, alright?”
Just before Casey can give a response, the Jones duo hear a click as a lamplight turns on. There, sitting in an armchair facing the door, is a very pissed off Carol. She sits with her legs and arms crossed, already dressed in her pajamas, bathrobe, slippers, and bonnet. She draws in a long breath.
“...And just where were you two?”, she says in a low tone.
“The mall!”, Cass smiles with a shrug. “Like I’ve said.”
“You said you’d be back in the afternoon. Not to mention, the mall stores close no later than 9.”
“Well…”, Cassandra drawls, her voice rising in pitch. “That was only a small guess. And so when the mall closed, we went to the ice rink. And then the park. And then—”
Carol huffs an exasperated sigh. “Cassandra, you can’t just drag Casey Jr around all night without telling me anything!”
Mama’s brows pinch as she frowns. “Why should I? I’m his mom—”
“You may be his mother but Casey’s the one under my custody!”, the doctor snaps, standing up now. “You’ve been gone all day and haven’t even bothered to give me the tiniest bit of an update?!”
“I just wanted to show Casey some fun!”, Cassandra snarks.
Standing there awkwardly, Junior shuffles through the candy bag and grabs a gumball. The sugar is sweet and immediately relaxes the teen as he starts to chew away at it. The chewiness hurts his jaw, but Casey doesn’t mind.
“Putting him in danger and doing reckless things in the middle of the night is not what I consider fun!”, Carol shouts. “Casey is already overwhelmed enough as it is! He needs a chance to settle and have a normal life!”
“Well, newsflash, babe, he isn’t normal! That’s what I’ve been trying to show him! To be his true self and not some cookie-cutter persona that you and everyone else is trying to fit him in! Let him make his own decisions, try out his own clothes, pick out his own diet and…sure, he got a little sick but it’s fine—”
“YOU GOT HIM SICK?!!”, Carol screeches.
“I said a little sick. But don’t worry, he’s fine now. Right, Case?”
Carol lets out a loud frustrated sigh. “...See? This is what I mean. You’re not fit to be a mother, you’re literally 18! Do you have any idea what Casey has gone through to get here?! We need to— I need to make sure he is safe. But tell me, how am I supposed to do that WHEN HIS MOM SWEEPS HIM OFF TO WONDERLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT—”
Her eyes snap over at the teen, noticing him chewing on the gumball. The doctor’s expression hardens as she lowers her tone to a low quiet rumble.
“...Junior. What are you eating?”, she asks.
“Umm…”, Casey drawls, hiking his shoulders to his ears. “...gum?”
Carol’s eyes widen as fumes practically burst from her nostrils, snapping her head back at Cassandra. “ HE HAS. A BROKEN. JAW!!! ”
“Well I didn’t know that!”, Cass snaps.
Casey jumps in, stuttering, “I-it doesn’t even matter! It doesn’t hurt that bad! I’m fine!”
“But you’re saying that it hurts ?”, Carol presses.
The teen doesn’t answer. He presses his lips in a firm line, ducking his head into his shoulders. Carol lets out a long sigh, standing up straight and collecting her composure.
She whispers, “Junior, go spit out that gum and get to bed. I need to have a talk with your mom.” She turns to Cass. “Alone.”
Casey shuffles away awkwardly, heading to the kitchen to spit his gum out in the trash before making a beeline to his room. As soon as he closes the door behind him, he hears the following conversation go down.
“Casey, listen. I know you just want to hang out with your son from the future. I can imagine how exciting that may be. But don’t forget you are still a teen nonetheless. Just barely an adult. Besides, you already have so many responsibilities going on with that brownie business of yours. You shouldn’t be feeling obligated to take care of a child of your own.”, Carol explains in a calm manner.
Cass scoffs. “You think I don’t know what I’m doing? Do you even know what you’re doing?”
“I’m giving him a second chance!”
“A second chance at what? To be normal? You keep pressing these expectations on him of what normality should be. He was raised in the apocalypse. The kid doesn’t have a clue what our normal is. He’s never going to fit in! So why should he?”
“I know Junior is a unique boy with such a complex background that we can barely grasp onto. But having a sense of normality, even if it’s different from his normal, can help him. He can learn to blend in.”
“But you aren’t considering his feelings. That kid is having a full on crisis and I’m just trying to give him a break from it all!”
“Well you aren’t considering his safety. You just admitted that he got sick under your care. You have to be more careful with him, he’s fragile .”
The last word rings in Casey’s eardrums. He’s heard enough. The teen clenches his fists and swings the bedroom door open, marching over to the two fighting.
“Have either of you considered about what I want?!”, he snaps. “On one hand, you’re trying to get me to follow the social norm. On the other hand, you’re trying to get me to abandon it. And sure, I have no fucking idea what’s going on or what I’m doing! I don’t know what I want or need but at the very least can I figure that out for myself ?!”
He huffs a sigh, staring at the two of them whose eyes are widened with concern. But Cassandra’s expression relaxes as she smirks and crosses her arms. She turns her head over to Carol.
“See? I am a good mom.”, she taunts.
Carol rolls her eyes, sighing as she presses the bridge of her nose. “...You’re right, baby. I’m sorry. It’s just…” She pauses, looking back at Junior with worried eyes. “You know I just want you to be safe, right?”
Casey frowns, but nods. “...Yeah, I know.”
“And you know I want you to be happy, right?”, Mama chimes in with a soft smirk.
Casey nods again, giving a half-smile. “Yeah.”
“Then it’s agreed.”, Cass smiles back at Carol. “We both got our own issues to work on. But together, we’ll take care of this mess of a child.” She holds out her hand to the doctor for a handshake.
Carol laughs a bit, rolling her eyes. “Well alright, we can work together.”, she agrees, accepting the handshake. She turns back to Casey. “We’ll talk this out in the morning once we get some sleep, alright? So get going to bed now.”
Casey turns to his mom who smiles goodbye at him. Casey feels himself hesitate for a moment but soon steps in and hugs her. Mama hugs back tightly.
“Goodnight, Mama.”, he mumbles in her embrace.
“Sleep tight, Casey baby.”, she beams. “Love you lots!”
“Love you too.”, the teen grins, pulling back from the hug.
Cassandra makes her way out, waving goodbye as she leaves. Carol turns to Junior, smiling and pats her hand on his shoulder goodnight. Casey heads back to his room, putting on his pajamas, taking off his prosthetic and earplugs, and hopping into bed. The mattress still feels strange to sleep on, but its softness lulls the teen to sleep.
Rest assured that his mama will be there when he wakes up this time.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Vomitting (he's okay--)
.
I like to imagine Kirby is tryna sleep in the other room, glaring at the ceiling like "....why...."It would be a shame if the next chapter...idk...resurfaced some trauma? Feeling like...a pinch in the neck?
.
Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 27: Operation Normal
Summary:
The teen nods as the doctor walks back over and sits back down in her stool. She scoots closer to the teen, pressing two fingers on either side of his face, right where his jaw connects to his skull. Once again, the feeling is unsettling.
Suddenly, he feels himself being sucked back into the old med-bay in the Resistance. His hair is a mess. His arm hurts. His head is spinning and people shake his shoulders awake. A medic holds his jaw in their hands before he hears a resounding
snap
.
Notes:
IT IS NOW HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH!!! YAYYYY
Anyways, this chapter deep dives back into angst now (ya thought i was done?) so uhh...
Jan 18th update: This chapter has been updated to replace the McDonald's scene with Canes in support of the boycott. Ik I wrote this chapter before October 7th but still. I got Palestinian readers and I want you guys to know that I am with you. <33 Learn more about supporting the boycott with these resources, Bdnaash and BDS Movement.
Disclaimers in the end notes! Things get unnerving!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
A few days later, Casey finds himself in Donnie’s lab with Donnie and Carol. The softshell is typing something up on his computer for the teen.
“Once I encrypt this interface, our dear Casey Jr shall be a legal US citizen.”, the scientist grins.
“Are you sure all of this is…legal?”, Carol asks, unsure.
“Well, how else am I supposed to do this if Casey Jr doesn’t have any proof of existence here?”, Donnie shrugs. “Now, Jones, remember the alibi?”
Casey thinks for a moment, reciting the words. “I’m…a refugee from Byzaria that’s been in an ongoing war for 22 years. My biological parents left me behind and escaped to their homeland in Spain where they died from the Garoña explosion. Mama officially adopted me and then escaped to the US when I was 6, where I rejoined her now. And Carol and Kirby are my legal guardians.”
(Author’s Note: Byzaria and its war are completely fictional just for the story and are not based on real life events. The Byzarian War merely reflects the apocalypse for plot convenience.)
“Good. Keep practicing that until it becomes second nature.”, the softshell nods.
“Why do we need to do all this?”, the teen tilts his head in confusion.
“Because there are laws here. You’ll need a bunch of legal documents to navigate your day to day life.”, Carol explains. “It’ll help you set up accounts, go to school, and see doctors.”
“Pfft, laws?”, Casey laughs. “What is this? Operation 51?”
Donnie scrunches his face, not turning away from his screen. “What is that? Like…Area 51 in attack mode?”
“Uh…no? It’s the base that was run by the US government. They…”, Casey pauses for a moment, gently rubbing the back of his neck. “They were bad people.”
Donnie hums in acknowledgement. “To be lawful in a lawless land. That's a recipe for disaster.”
With a click, the printer beside the desk begins to whirr. The softshell pushes his rolling chair to the machine and collects the handful of papers that are being printed out before bringing them to another machine which scans over the papers and laminate them with foil and stamps and packaging. Donnie gets up, presenting the papers to Carol and Casey.
“There you have it. Totally legitimate documents including a birth certificate, Byzarian passport, US citizenship and political asylum, and other stuff that the author doesn’t know what to put in.”, Donnie smirks with pride.
Casey’s brows furrow. “Wait what—”
“Don’t worry about filing these in, the documents are already in the system. You just need to hold onto these and keep them safe.”, the softshell continues to explain to the doctor. “Oh and speaking of medical records, I already added ASD and ADHD on there because those diagnoses are always a pain in the ass to get.”
“These look…actually real.”, Carol hums, impressed. “Thank you, Donatello.”
Donnie takes a bow. “You are very welcome, dearest mother figure.”
Carol lets out a light chuckle. "Well this is perfect timing. We can get Casey in to see the doctor sooner and prepare for school. We still may be too late to reach the first day but he won’t be too far behind, I hope.”
“See the doctor? Aren’t you a doctor?”, Casey raises his brow.
“Well, yes, but you’re not one of my patients, are you? Laws and such. But don’t worry, thanks to my connections, we can get an appointment for you today.”, the doctor explains.
“Why? I’m not sick or hurt.”
Carol smiles softly, pulling out her phone and tapping away. “Oh it just doesn’t hurt to get a check-up. Besides, there are schools here that require you to get vaccinated so we’ll have to get that for you too. It’s not a big deal, I’m sure.”
Casey hums in acknowledgement. It’s so weird to live in a world with so much structure going on. But Casey learns quickly to trust his new friends to help him navigate this place.
Besides, he’s heard future Carol explain what a doctor's office is. It shouldn’t be that bad.
Carol is able to get an appointment for Casey later that morning. They hop into the car and start driving off towards the office. Carol says that the people who work there are good friends of hers and it’s the doctor’s office she used to work at before becoming a general hospital doctor.
However, Casey can’t seem to shake this uneasy feeling rising in him. He fidgets with his gloves while glancing out the window of the passenger seat, hoping to find something to distract his mind. But that uneasy feeling churns in his stomach, a pit welling up inside of him. And he doesn’t understand why.
He has seen the med-bay before. He has seen the doctor at work. He has worked as a medic apprentice under Carol’s supervision. He knows how this works, but yet there’s a little voice in the back of his mind asking, “What if it’s different this time?”, because so many things have been proven to be different in this timeline. That uncertainty eats away at the lining of his stomach. He feels the anxiety rolling up his throat, making the teen press his lips in a firm line.
They drive to another building, unfamiliar. There’s a parking lot beside it that they park into. Casey swallows hard, pushing the anxiety down as he reaches to unbuckle his seat belt. You’re fine. Everything is fine. There’s no danger here , he insistently reassures himself.
“Casey. Can I talk to you real quick before we head inside?”, Carol asks.
Casey looks up at her and nods. He doesn’t know if he can keep his voice even right now.
She smiles sympathetically. “I can tell you are feeling a little nervous. So I just want to let you know about what’s going to happen and what to expect.”, she explains. “When we head up, we’re going to get you checked in and then they’ll take us to a room. A nurse is going to check your height, weight, and vitals. They may also ask you some questions. Then the doctor is going to come in and start the check-up. They’ll ask you a bunch of questions and take some tests to see how your body is doing. Does that make sense, baby?”
Casey nods again. When she puts it like that, it doesn’t sound so bad at all. The teen starts to feel embarrassed of himself for being so scared in the first place. Carol smiles though when she sees that Junior understands.
“I just want to let you know that when we go in there, you’re in control, got it?”, she says. “If there’s a question you don’t want to answer or a test you don’t want to do, just say the word and we won’t do it. This is for your health and this is your body that we’re talking about. You’re the boss.”
The teen feels himself relax at those words. It is reassuring to hear he has a sense of control in this unknown world. The pit in his stomach softens, as if those words were just what it needed to hear.
“Thanks, Carol.”, Casey smiles.
“Of course, baby. I’m going to be right here for you.”, Carol grins. “Are we ready to head inside?”
Casey nods, unbuckling his seat belt. They get out of the car and make their way into the building and up the elevator to the doctor’s office. The place is decorated with deep blue walls with a bunch of colorful fish painted on them. It reminds Casey about the bucket list the turtles came up with, and how they can’t wait for him to see the real ocean. There’s a sweet round old lady behind the desk, her cheeks plump and rosy with a bright smile. She coos over how much Carol has grown into a great doctor. She and Carol seem to be close friends. The lady checks them in and tells them to take a seat.
Casey and Carol sit down at the chairs in the waiting room. The teen takes in the scene at all the fancy colorful fish on the walls. The fish paintings aren’t entirely realistic but some of the scales are shimmery and nice to look at. A man in a nurse smock steps into the room with a clipboard and takes Carol and Casey down the hallway and into another room.
This room has white walls and is a lot smaller. A small counter and cupboards with a sink, two chairs, and an exam table. Just as Carol explained in the car, the man asks the teen to take off his shoes and step onto a scale with a height measurement. The teen glances over at Carol for reassurance, who simply gives a comforting smile and nod as she sits down at one of the chairs, before doing what the nurse asked.
“5’8. Not bad.”, the nurse smiles, writing something down on his clipboard. “You had any growth spurts yet?”
Casey thinks for a moment. “Not that I know of.”
“Well that sounds like you’re going to get even taller.”
The nurse then shifts the weights on the scale until it balances out to Casey’s weight. When the scale levels, the teen sees how the nurse’s face pinches for a soft moment and reshifts the weights. Then he turns to Casey.
“Could you step off and step back on?”, he asks with a smile. “These old things are a bit janky.”
Casey does so, stepping off the scale for a moment before stepping back on again. The nurse reshifts the weights again until the scale balances, proceeding to press his lip and write something down on the paper again. He asks the teen to go sit down on the chair so he could take his vitals. When Casey does sit down, he glances at the scale. 113 lbs. Is that a bad thing?
The man wheels over a stand with a small machine sitting on top. He grabs a thick strap that’s connected to a wire and glances at Junior.
“Is it alright if you can take that jacket off?”, he asks kindly.
Casey glances down at the black zipper jacket with a lime green hood that he’s wearing. Once again, he finds himself starting to worry about the judgment from his arm. But if these people are medical professionals…surely they won’t freak out like that Karen from the clothing store. The teen nods, unzipping the jacket and revealing the turtle shirt he’s wearing underneath. He pulls off the jacket, feeling his black fabric gloves come off with it. Exposing his shining green prosthetic for the whole world to see.
As expected, the nurse does seem a bit taken back by the robotic arm but acts unfazed as he nods in thanks and wraps the strap around Casey’s right upper arm. The nurse also attaches a rubber finger clamp to Casey’s left index finger. The machine turns out to be a blood pressure machine, Casey now recognizes. The one in the Resistance had required a manual air pump and tracking the pressure gauge.
The machine whirrs, tightening its grip as the teen watches the numbers shift. Then the strap loosens and the nurse writes something down again before taking off the strap and smiling at the two.
“Dr. Aguiler will be with you guys shortly.”, the nurse says, taking his leave.
“Thank you.”, Carol grins. Once the nurse leaves and closes the door behind him, Carol turns to the teen. “How are you holding up so far?”, she asks.
Casey nods, trying to soften his posture. “I’m okay.”
“Still nervous?”
“...Maybe.”, the teen shrugs.
Carol smiles sweetly, placing a hand on Casey’s knee. “Well don’t worry, baby. I’m right here. Just remember, you’re the boss.”
The teen nods, smiling back. “...Yeah.”
A couple minutes later, there’s a knock at the door before someone else enters the room. A dark-tan Puerto Rican woman with short tightly curly dark brown hair and rosy framed glasses, wearing a white lab coat over her outfit. Her name embroidered on the coat, Dr. Marisol Aguiler . The woman smiles as she steps into the room and closes the door behind her.
“Hey Carol.”, she greets. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you here. How’s that hospital position going?”
“Oh you know, it’s been pretty busy but I do enjoy it there.”, Carol smiles back.
The doctor then turns to Casey, adjusting her glasses. “And hello to you, I don’t think we’ve met before.” She reaches out her hand for a handshake. “I’m Dr. Aguiler, nice to meet you.”
Casey returns the handshake. “Hi. I-I’m Casey Jones.”
“I’ve heard you’re from Byzaria, is that correct?”, the doctor asks, reading a paper from her clipboard.
“Y-yeah.”, Casey nods.
“What’s it like there? I mean apart from what the media is saying about it. Were there places you liked there?”
This is the moment Casey realizes…he doesn’t know shit about Byzaria. Quick think of something…
“Uhm…y-yeah.”, the teen nods quickly. “There…there was this large willow tree I liked to hang out by.” I heard willow trees are common, surely that’s a thing in Byzaria too, right?
“Oh that’s nice.”, Dr. Aguiler smiles. “And how did you go about coming here to the US?”
“Oh well…”, Junior drawls. “M-my mom lives here so. So I came here. And the O’Neils took me in.”
“He’s been here for about 3 weeks now.”, Carol adds in.
“That must’ve been quite the change, hm?”, the doctor nods. “Are you adjusting to it well?”
The teen shrugs. “I-I guess so. It’s…there’s a lot more people here. Not used to the city.”
“Oh yes, it is New York after all. And Manhattan of all places. ”, Dr. Aguiler gives a light laugh. “Let’s get started then, shall we?”
She reaches into a drawer at the counter and asks the teen to sit on the exam table. The teen leaves his jacket on the chair as he hops up and hangs his legs over the edge of the table. The doctor walks over holding a…device? It looks like a pair of headphones with a knob attached to the end.
“What’s that?”, he asks, pointing at the device.
“...You don’t know what a stethoscope is?”, Dr. Aquiler quizzes slowly.
The teen shakes his head.
Carol chimes in, “Er…Byzaria doesn’t really have a whole lot of healthcare access. Hence why we’re here for a check-up.”
“Ahh, I see.”, the doctor nods slowly at Carol with a smile. She turns back to Casey. “Well, no worries. I’ll show you.” She steps closer, showing the stethoscope. “This stethoscope helps me listen to your heartbeat as well as your lungs so that I can hear what’s going on and determine if they’re working properly.” Dr. Aguiler then smiles, “Do you want to try?”
“Uhh okay.”, the teen nods.
The doctor then gives Casey the device, the teen adjusting it on his ears. She then takes the knob end and presses it against her chest so that Casey can listen. The teen’s eyes widen as he hears a crisp thump thump thump of the doctor’s heart. Much more effective than pressing his fingers on someone’s wrist and praying for a pulse.
“Woah…that’s so cool.”, he chuckles, lending the stethoscope back.
The doctor then puts on the device and presses the chest piece against Casey’s chest as she listens for his heart. The gentle pressure feels a bit unsettling but Casey reassures himself that he’s fine and the doctor is just doing her job. She shifts the knob, asking the teen to take a big breath slowly. Then she moves the knob to his back and asks him to do it again. Then she sets the stethoscope around her shoulders.
“All seems good there.”, she says, grabbing a rolling swivel stool from the counter and dragging it over to the table. Dr. Aguiler then points at his right arm. “Can you tell me a bit more about your prosthetic? Were you born without the lower arm?”
Junior glances down at his robotic arm. “U-Umm, no. There…there was an incident a couple years ago.”, he answers shyly. “My, uhh, friend made the arm though.”
The doctor nods. “That’s a really cool looking arm. Your friend sounds like a genius.”
“Y-yeah, he was.”, Casey smiles.
“Does the residual bother you at all? Any soreness? Phantom pain?”
“No, not anymore.”, the teen shakes his head. “Well…I-I mean I sometimes still have phantom pain but it…it’s not that bad.”
Dr. Aguiler nods sympathetically. She glances over at his left arm. “What about this scar? It’s pretty huge. Were you burned?”
Casey looks down at the large old blister scar on his shoulder. He shakes his head in answer. “N-No…it…it was…I got grazed in an explosion.”
“An explosion?”, Dr. Aguiler asks, her voice raising slightly in alarm.
“...Y-yeah.”, Junior nods gingerly.
The doctor chews her lip for a moment. She then kicks off the table and wheels the stool over to the counter. “Were you in a lot of explosions? Or any sort of loud environments frequently?”
The teen shrugs. “I mean, I guess? Maybe?”
Dr. Aguiler wheels back over with another tool. It’s small and black with a little cone-shaped device on top. Casey looks at it with curiosity.
“It’s an otoscope.”, the doctor explains before Casey can ask. “It lets me take a look in your ears. I just want to check something in them, if you don’t mind.”
“Okay.”, Casey nods.
Dr. Aguiler gets up and leans to Casey’s left, sticking the otoscope into his ear so that she can examine it. The feeling of the doctor being this close to him, her breathing seemingly louder in his ear, makes the teen feel more uncomfortable. He tries his best not to hike his shoulders as the doctor switches sides and checks his other ear. Then the feeling is all too familiar.
Allen leaned in over Casey’s shoulder, muttering in the teen’s ear, “I can make it stop. I can make all of the pain go away. All you have to do is tell me where the Resistance is. And then I’ll let you go.”
“...do not see anything going on.”, Dr. Aguiler explains, standing back up. Casey takes a small discreet breath, centering himself back in the room. “Have you had any trouble with your hearing? Or maybe have been hearing a constant ringing in your ears from time to time?”
“U-um…”, Junior stutters, forcing himself to relax his shoulders. “...no. No, my hearing seems fine to me.”
“That’s good.”, the doctor nods, walking back over to her clipboard and reading over it. “Let’s see…”, she drawls. She pauses for a moment before turning to the teen. “How’s your diet? Have you been eating well?”
The teen nods. “Yeah, you know. It’s been good, I guess.”
“What about in Byzaria?”
“Well…”, Casey pauses for a moment. “It’s gotten…a bit sparse in the past year…th-that I was there. But you know, I’m fine.”
Dr. Aguiler hums sympathetically. “How sparse are we talking?”
“I-it went from twice a day to…”, the teen hesitates. “...t-to twice a week.”
“Twice a week?”, the doctor echoes. “That doesn’t sound fun.”
“I mean…we managed.”, Casey shrugs.
Carol chimes in, “Well, Casey has also been having some issues adjusting to the foods here in the US. We’ve been starting out with some bland foods like toast, pasta, rice, etc., but he still gets sick sometimes.”
“That also doesn’t sound fun.”, the doctor frowns. She turns to the teen. “Do you think it can be something else too? Like a dietary issue or an allergy to something?”
Casey shakes his head. “Uhh, I don’t think so. I’ve never had an allergy to the food in the Re—…in Byzaria.”
“It might be a good idea to get tested for that.”, Carol hums. “Seeing as you didn’t have as much exposure to different foods in Byzaria.”
The doctor nods in agreement. “Good call. I can get you a referral for that today too.” She writes something down on her clipboard. “Are there any other injuries or complications you’re having, Casey? I’ve noticed your tooth is chipped too, but that’s more of a dentist’s job.”
Casey thinks over the question for a moment, mentally scanning his body. “N-not really. Just the prosthetic and eating stuff really.”
“Oh!”, Carol snaps her fingers as she remembers something. “Your jaw.”
“His jaw?”, the doctor asks, looking up from the clipboard.
“O-oh uhh…yeah.”, Casey nods, remembering it too. “My jaw is sorta…broken? Carol says I can’t eat certain things with it. Maybe that plays into the whole…eating thing too?”
Dr. Aguiler hums. “Do you mind if I take a look?”
The teen nods as the doctor walks back over and sits back down in her stool. She scoots closer to the teen, pressing two fingers on either side of his face, right where his jaw connects to his skull. Once again, the feeling is unsettling.
Suddenly, he feels himself being sucked back into the old med-bay in the Resistance. His hair is a mess. His arm hurts. His head is spinning and people shake his shoulders awake. A medic holds his jaw in their hands before he hears a resounding snap .
The teen lurches his face away from the doctor, his breath hitching in his throat. Dr. Aguiler leans back, a concerning crease pressing into her brows behind her rosy framed glasses.
“...Are you not comfortable with me touching your face, Casey?”, she asks.
Casey bites his inner lip to stop it from quivering. He takes a soft breath, glancing over at Carol.
“U-um…”, he stammers. “...no.”
The doctor scoots back and smiles sweetly, folding her hands in her lap. “That’s okay. We wouldn’t want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, okay?”
The teen takes another breath and nods gingerly. “...Y-yeah, okay.”
“Can I ask you more about your jaw? Like how it got hurt?”
“Uh, yeah…umm…”, Junior hums, putting the pieces back together. “I, uhh, I got punched in the face. And…well, it popped my jaw off.”
“Yikes. I’m so sorry.”, the doctor frowns sympathetically.
“I-it’s fine, really. The medics in…Byzaria popped it back in place and then stitched the muscles to prevent lock jaw. I-it didn’t heal completely but you know…I can still eat and talk.”, Casey stammers with a sheepish smile. “It just gets sore sometimes.”
“Still, let’s keep an eye on it.”, Dr. Aguiler nods, turning back to her clipboard and writing something down. “Well if that covers everything, I’ll go ahead and send those allergy blood test referrals to the lab. You guys are also here for vaccines too, right?”, the doctor asks, looking up at Carol.
“Yes. You know how some schools here require them, especially nowadays. Plus, it’s just a good idea.”, Carol nods. “Namely looking at a flu shot, covid vaccine, and a tdap.”
“Oh yeah, for sure. Let me write that down.”, the doctor nods, scribbling away on her clipboard.
“Q-question…”, Casey speaks up. “What is a blood test? And also what’s a vaccine too?”
“Oh it’s nothing too crazy, really.”, Dr. Aguiler smiles. “A blood test is when they stick a needle vial in your vein and take out just a tiny bit of your blood so that they can run tests on it. Things like certain allergies, infection, diseases, and a whole bunch of other stuff.”
Casey feels his shoulders tighten. “N…needles?”
“Yes, but don’t worry. They don’t hurt. You won’t feel a thing.”, the doctor reassures.
Carol chimes in, “A vaccine also uses needles too. It’s when they take a bunch of dead virus cells and inject them into your body so that your immune system learns to fight off the real diseases.” She also smiles reassuringly. “It’s just a few needle pricks, it won’t be that bad.”
The doctor turns back to Carol as the two continue talking, but their voices start to feel muddled. There’s a tingling sensation on the right side of Casey’s neck. Eerie and sore. He gently reaches up a hand to press it when suddenly—
Casey shook his head with a smile, laughing it off. “I’m fine. Really.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “He’s in pain but he keeps trying to hide it.”
“Ha! Where do you think he got that from?”, Grammy smirked at the turtle. “Not to worry, I got some painkillers right here.”
The doctor held up a bottle and syringe in her hand. Oh fuck why does it have to be needles? Casey groaned, shutting his eyes tight and turning his head away.
“Alright then.”, Carol smiles. “Casey? You ready to go?”
The teen looks up, swallowing his fear and nodding. He hops down from the table and puts on his shoes and jacket.
“NO! DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME! I’M WARNING YOU!”, he threatened.
But it was no use. He felt a pinch in his neck and within a moment, Casey couldn’t move. His eyes spun around in front of him, desperately trying to stay open. Casey tried to lurch. And then again.
Then everything went black.
“There you go, dears. The referrals have been sent to the lab at the hospital. Just swing by once you get the time.”, the receptionist smiles sweetly.
“Thank you, Shannon.”, Carol grins. “Let’s go, baby.”
The right of his neck where he had been pricked and drugged before felt sore and burning. The left of his shoulder scalding as it rubbed against the now sticky red cloth of his jumpsuit. The hound bite was still taunting him too, aching and pulsating.
“Casey? You okay? You seem quiet.”
“I know it hurts, danshi, just bear with me okay?”, Usagi hushed as he gently moved the 13 year old’s shoulders and rolled Junior onto his side. Yuichi then pressed two fingers against Casey’s wrist, closing his eyes in focus. The rabbit’s brows furrowed as he switched over to press against Casey’s neck. The idea of someone touching his neck made the teen feel…icky. “It’s…pretty fast. And faint.”, he reported, opening his eyes back.
The doors of the car unlock with a chirp. Casey opens the passenger door and brings himself inside to sit down on the seat. Carol goes around to the driver’s seat as Junior closes his door. The second Carol is settled inside, Casey can’t hold it in anymore. His breath hitches as his eyes begin to sting.
“Casey?”, Carol asks, her voice soft. “Are you alright?”
His next inhale is sharp through sniffles, the hot flow of tears brimming in his eyes. The teen only musters a shake of his head before he starts to curl inwards and shuts his eyes tight. The driver’s door opens as the car lets out a soft chime. Within moments, the passenger door swings open and a hand is gently placed on his shoulder.
“You’re okay, baby. Just breathe.”, his guardian hushes. “I got you, you’re okay.”
A high-pitched whine escapes out of him, his hands pressing on his neck. The feeling of being pricked, of something vile entering his body, losing his fight against the threat—
“Hey hey hey…”, Carol soothes, rubbing her hand up and down his back. “Focus on me, baby, focus on me. Deep breaths, slowly.”
Casey tries. He heaves, shivering as he inhales and shuddering as he exhales. Carol is murmuring soft words of encouragement, her touch gentle. And nothing like those assholes.
“You’re safe, Casey. Wherever your mind is right now, you’re not there anymore.”, his guardian reassures. “We’re just in the parking lot. We’re in the car.”
“...right…”, the teen quivers. “...I-I’m sorry—”
“You got nothing to be sorry for, baby.”, Carol smiles. “If you can, do you mind telling me what scared you? Was it something the doctor said?”
“N-No…it’s just…”, Casey croaks. “...umm…this is gonna sound stupid but…I…I-I don’t like needles.”
“That doesn’t sound stupid to me at all, hun.”, she reassures, shaking her head softly. “No matter how ridiculous you may think it is, it’s important for us to be aware of what scares us. So that we can learn to overcome them and cope.”
The teen doesn’t have more to say. He lets Carol softly rub her hand up and down his back. He lets his tears pour out of him, wringing out every last drop like a wet towel. When the towel is dry enough, Casey heaves out the remaining staggers in his breath. Carol leans her head into the teen’s view a bit more.
“Hey…don’t forget that you’re still in control here, alright?”, she whispers. “You get to control what we do next.”
Casey nods along, still keeping pace of his breathing.
“So. We still have to get those tests and vaccines done. But we can either go to the hospital right now and get it over with, or head home and rest and come back another day.”, the guardian explains. “What would you rather do?”
Junior takes a deep breath, thinking for a long moment. Going to the apartment and just hiding in his room with Cup sounds tantalizing, but the dread from knowing he’ll still have to go through with it feels worse. And so, he makes his decision.
“...L-let’s just get it over with right now.”, he mutters. “I’d rather not think about it much longer.”
“You sure?”
“...yeah.”
“Okay.”, Carol nods with a smile. “We’ll head out then.”
She goes to stand up, drifting her arm off the teen. But Casey feels hesitant, yearning for her protective comfort. Without thinking, his arms reach forward and wrap around his guardian’s torso. Carol halts for a moment but then she smiles, gently hugging her ward back.
“You are so brave, Casey.”, she soothes. “You are one of the bravest boys I’ve ever met.”
“Thanks, Carol.”, Casey mutters.
“Of course, baby.”, she smiles, pulling back from the hug. “Do you need another minute or…?”
“No.”, the teen answers quickly, shaking his head. “No, I’m ready to go.”
Carol nods, stepping back and closing the passenger door. She walks back around to the driver’s seat and gets in. The two buckle their seatbelts as the car starts and drives off.
Back on the road, Casey clutches his fingers in the fabrics of his pants. He tries not to let his shoulders tense up again as he watches the city pass by. Fear dwells in his stomach, swooping dangerously. Carol gently pats his shoulder in reassurance as she drives. They reach a large building with a wide parking lot and a huge red cross sign on it. Casey has seen the red cross before, a very well-known symbol in the Resistance and many other bases. This must be the hospital.
The car parks into a spot near the entrance. The teen feels every muscle in his body tense as his breath hitches again. Carol sighs sympathetically.
“Hey, are you sure you want to go through with this? It’s not too late to turn back.”, she suggests kindly.
Casey pauses for a moment. “...The sooner, the better, right?”, he smiles sheepishly.
“Okay then.”, Carol nods cautiously. “Just know that if you decide to change your mind at any moment, just say the word and we’ll go home.”
The teen nods in understanding, unbuckling his seat belt and getting out of the car. The two make their way across the parking lot and into the building. A staff member notices them and points to a box near the front that holds disposable masks. The two put on the masks and then head to the front desk. Casey lets Carol take the lead through the entire interaction. She hands him a sticker visitor pass and leads them down the halls to the laboratory, knowing the layout like the back of her hand.
The lab has a small open window peering into a desk. The phlebotomist behind the counter has the teen and Carol sign a few papers before opening the door and bringing them inside. Inside the lab foyer room, there’s a wall lined with chairs with small boards folding out of the armrests, blue plastic curtains dividing the chairs in between. The phlebotomist leads Casey to a seat, Carol sitting in the spare chair beside him. The phlebotomist then leaves to grab the supplies. The teen takes a deep breath.
“You got this, baby.”, Carol hushes, placing a comforting hand on his right shoulder. It’s hard to see with the mask on, but it’s clear that she’s smiling with the way it twinkles in her eyes. “Remember, we can stop at any moment if you need to.”
Junior nods understandingly as the phlebotomist returns with a small test tube rack of vials. 5 vials. 5 needles. Okay…okay…I can do this… The teen clenches and unclenches his hands, trying to regain a sense of control. The phlebotomist starts strapping a latex tourniquet on his left arm, a feeling all too familiar.
“Turn him on his side and tourniquet his arm.”, Sensei muttered. “Check his pulse, tell me if it’s fast.”
His husband nodded, unraveling the ribbon from his ears. The pierced ears drooped behind him as the rabbit grabbed Casey’s right arm. Usagi wrapped the ribbon above Casey’s elbow and tied it tight tight tight. It hurt like hell. Casey whined, trying to squirm away but the rabbit kept him down.
“Ready?”, the phlebotomist asks.
Casey takes another breath and nods in response. He turns his head away, facing more towards Carol instead. He doesn’t feel anything at first, he’s not even sure if it has started yet. But then he feels the slight movement in his arm, registering there’s already a needle inside. His next inhale comes in a little too sharply, Carol gently rubbing circles into Casey’s shoulder with her thumb.
“Alright, one down.”, the phlebotomist smiles.
Oh come the fuck on, this is gonna take forever. The teen chews his inner lip, bouncing a leg. He expects the next one wouldn’t be felt but he was wrong. There’s a pinch this time, ever so slightly. Casey tries to act tough but it doesn’t stop the wince in his expression. His breathing staggers, but he regains pacing just as quickly.
“You’re halfway there, baby, almost done.”, Carol reassures.
“Yep, the hard part is out of the way.”, the phlebotomist says. “Now it’s just the shots and you’ll be good to go.”
Now, Casey may not be looking at it, but the fact that the last two needles are the blood tests…the fact there’s blood involved in the first place, makes him a bit uneasy. Which the teen doesn’t understand why. He’s a medic apprentice. He’s a warrior. He’s seen soooo much more blood than anyone could imagine.
Another pinch, and Casey holds his breath. It doesn’t last long as he wheezes, feeling the medicine seep into his muscle. He’s shifting, leaning forward now as if that’ll help him breathe. But it doesn’t. How can he breathe if there are hands and knees pressing down his spine —
“GET OFF OF ME!”, Casey screeched.
Sensei turned his head around to the scene. He quickly snapped the neck of the person he was attacking with brute strength and rushed over to stop the enemies from hurting Casey.
“HEY! GET AWAY FROM HIM!”, Leo shouted as he ran. “I SAID GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM—”
Another person smacked Leo in the back of the head with a heavy metal bat. Casey watched as the slider’s eyes rolled back and eyelids drooped, the turtle hitting the ground like a sandbag. A swarm of people rushed over to apprehend Master Leonardo, tying his arms behind his back. Casey screamed in rage, using all of his might to fight back against the Arch Angels. He lurched and squirmed, trying to wriggle his way out of their grasp. Hands were now grabbing his braided tied up hair and bashing his head against the dirt. Casey’s vision began to blur.
Someone was walking over to the teen. They kneeled down, holding what looked like a syringe filled with a strange yellow substance. Casey winced, still squirming with all of his might. Hands pulled on his hair, exposing the right side of his neck to the person. Casey screamed.
“...asey!”
There’s two hands on his shoulders, shaking him gently. It takes an embarrassingly long second for the teen to realize the high pitched whine being ripped out from his vocal chords. His head hunches down as his breathing picks up. Clenching his hands and curling his toes in his shoes, the kid wants so badly to bash his head against the table to knock himself out or at least feel anything other than this!
“Baby, look up at me, okay? Eyes on me.”, Carol guides, her voice soft but alert.
The kid shakes his head violently, hiccuping on sobs as he does so. His body starts to rock in the way it does when it feels restless and scared. His hands shake out in front of him, doing everything in their power to get rid of the eerie feeling of cold unwarranted medicine seeping in his veins. His shoulders curl up his neck, covering the sting that burns up his spine and urges his head to jolt forward in a reflexive tic on its own. He tries to push it back but the burn gets worse, an alarm screaming in his head —
“Baby, listen to me. You’re okay. You’re not there anymore, baby. You’re safe.”, his guardian reassures. “I got you, okay? I got you.”
The teen glances at his left arm, seeing the small wads of cotton taped to his skin. He notices that the phlebotomist has backed off, letting Carol take the reins here now. Her gentle grip tightens.
“Hey, we can just stop for today, okay?”, she says. “We’ll just go home and finish this another time.”
The apartment sounds nice but…Casey went through all this effort to get here and push himself through it. He’s not willing to stop now. He swallows hard, ignoring the uncomfortable dryness on his throat.
“...h-how…how many needles are left?”, he mutters, weak and raspy.
“Just the one flu shot.”, the phlebotomist answers, their bright tone a tad too tight. “Real quick and then you’re good to go.”
Carol nods. “Yes but, like I said, we can just leave. You don’t have to worry about that now.”
“I’ll do it.”, Casey spurts quickly.
His guardian sighs. “That’s very brave, baby, but you really don’t have to.”
“It’s just one more.”, the teen insists. “I-I…I just want to get it over with.”
“Alright.”, Carol nods in understanding. She gets back up, nodding her head at the phlebotomist.
The teen pulls his eyes away from his arm again as the phlebotomist prepares the vaccine. His legs start to bounce again with the urge of something else to focus on.
“It’ll only take two seconds.”, the phlebotomist reassures softly.
Casey nods but still fixes his gaze on the floor off to the side. He feels the pinch, holding his breath tightly as the medicine runs its course. As soon as it is administered, it is done. Another cotton ball is taped to the exposed puncture.
“There. All done.”, the phlebotomist smiles. “You’re all set.”
Casey stands up, almost too quickly, and seeks comfort in Carol as he latches his hands around her arm. He feels like a scared little kid again, holding on tight to the arms of his elders when he seeks their security, not letting them go as if they’ll slip away to somewhere he can’t reach. Carol uses her free hand to lovingly pat the teen’s shoulder.
“Thank you.”, she says to the phlebotomist, guiding Casey out of the lab. “Let’s go, baby.”
The two walk out of the hospital, making their way back to the car. Casey only lets go of his guardian’s arms when it's time for him to get in the passenger seat. They get in the car and put on their seatbelts. As soon as the engine starts, the kid’s breath hitches again.
“Oh baby…”, Carol hums. She reaches over to rub soft circles into Casey’s back. “Hey, listen, you did such a great job today. I’m so proud of you.”
The teen wipes his tears with his gloves. “R-really?”
“Yes, really! I don’t think it could’ve gone any better. You took control and made sure your boundaries were met when stepping out of your comfort zone. Sure, you had a couple panic attacks but you’ve handled everything so well. I’m really impressed, baby, I am.”, the doctor smiles.
She leans in, stretching her arms around Casey’s shoulder from the divider between the seats. Casey cries in her embrace as his guardian consoles him gently. They stay like that for a few minutes, listening to the quiet hum of the car’s radio. By the time Casey's tear ducts are dry, the teen sits back up and steadies his breathing. He wipes his eyes with his gloves, feeling the exhaustion pull down on him.
“You ready to go home, baby?”, Carol hushes, moving the gear shift to drive.
Casey nods in response, but thinks for a moment. Like a child, the kid instinctively ponders and yearns for the support of his family when he is feeling down. Junior speaks up ever so slightly as Carol drives them out of the parking lot.
“U-um…actually, could we go say hi to the Hamatos?”, he asks shyly.
“Of course! I’m sure they’d love to see you.”, Carol beams. She continues driving down the road when the doctor gets an idea of her own. “In fact, why don’t we pick up some dinner for everyone?”, she suggests with a smile.
“...Okay.”, the teen smiles a little bit back.
They pull into the drive through of a fast-food restaurant, a large red sign reading "Raising Cane's" stands tall next to the building. Casey begins to zone out as Carol orders food for everyone. He’s present enough to help Carol put the food in the backseat but not enough to engage in conversation. Before he knows it, they park in the alley where the entrance to the lair is.
They carry the bags of food down and make their way into the lair. The security system gently notifies their arrival. They find the turtles and April hanging out in the TV room where the siblings are watching a marathon of Jupiter Jim movies. Leo and Mikey are dressed in costumes, acting out the movie playing in the background. April smiles at Carol and Casey, waving her arm.
“Hey guys—Wooahhhh, Mom’s got food!”, she exclaims.
Leo perks up at the bags of food the two are carrying in. “No way, you got us Cane's?! Thanks, Mamá Carol!”, the slider beams, hurrying over to help them with the bags.
Carol chuckles lightly. “You are very welcome, Leo. I wasn’t sure what you Hamatos would like so I just got everyone chicken tenders. I hope that’s alright.”
“It’s cool. Thanks, mom.”, Raph smiles as Leo begins distributing the food amongst his brothers.
Donnie digs into his bag, opening up the small box and picking out the fries. “So…”, he drawls. “How was your first doctor’s appointment, Casey?”
“Oh dang, you had to go to the doctor?”, Mikey chimes in, taking Donnie’s fries from him. “Are you sick?”
“No, he’s fine.”, Carol answers. “Just a check up.”
Eyes begin to fall on Casey, who is clenching his bag of food just a bit too tensely. He knows what they’re seeing, can feel the red puffiness in his eyes. Mikey’s brows furrow.
“...You okay, CJ?”, he asks.
“Umm…”, Casey mumbles, unable to bring himself to look the box turtle in the eyes. “...yeah.”
No one pushes anything else. Raph’s smile tightens as he invites Casey to sit on the couch with him. The group spreads out across the TV room. Donnie and Leo hand Raph and Mikey their fries. Leo tries to inconspicuously steal some of Donnie’s food…and fails. Casey picks away at his food, but…for the first time in a long while…he can’t bring himself to eat. The last time he was like this was when his mother passed. He knows he should. And especially in the apocalypse, he couldn’t spare to waste a meal. And here, the food is amazing . But he’s just…not that hungry.
By the time his fries are cold and soggy, Junior repackages his dinner and sets it aside, opting to watch the movie that’s playing. He feels where the snapper sinks his weight into the couch, feels himself leaning towards it. The teen stifles a yawn, his shoulders relaxing as he registers the company of his family around him.
They may not be family yet, this may not be his home. But it feels familiar. The way Mikey and Leo continue to perform in sync with the movie, Leo firing guns as Mikey flops over dramatically. The way April and Donnie laugh at the portal duo’s antics, correcting their performance. The way Carol and Raph smile fondly amongst them, happy to see their family unwind. It’s home enough.
Before he knows it, Casey finds his tired eyes drooping from the emotional exhaustion of the day. His weight leans against Raph, feeling unbothered by the oldest brother’s scaly spikes. The touch doesn’t burn anymore. Junior feels where his body gently bounces against the snapper’s chuckle. Then he feels himself drifting off to sleep.
He feels at home.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Medical trauma, blood, needles, ED mentions, PTSD, flashbacks, panic attacks, disassociation, harmful stims, tic, haphephobia
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Shout out to Carol for being fucking awesome in this chapter, I love her. Her advice is outstretched to everyone! You're the boss! Take control of your health! It's not their pain, it's yours!Also the next chapter is...15k words long. Kinda hard to keep it short when...idk...you're talking about Future Cassandra's backstory before she met Casey Jr? Featuring early leosagi as they gradually fall in love? Maybe even April and Donnie's first kills and how Donnie lost his eye and arm? A glimpse at Raph and Splinter's death scene? =)))))))))))
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 28: Cassandra's Origin
Summary:
Cassandra wailed out into the skies. Let her cries be heard across the globe and let it be known to the aether her pain. Let her pleas reach the beyond and demand the return of her daughters. Let them hijack the grim reaper’s boat and swim back to shore. They were too young. They would forever be young.
Notes:
Had a rough week. Cleaned up blood of the concrete (and myself), dealing with medical bullshit, the US government is literally turning into Operation 51, my therapist quit her job and now I gotta look for someone else. BUT WHO CARES! I GOT LORE AND ANGST TO REVEAL TO YOU GUYS, YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT!!! (the AO3 author curse has come for me--)
ENJOY THIS SUPER FUCKING LONG 15K WORD CHAPTER!!! You'll see why I couldn't just cut it in half cuz of the flow lol. It's very very dark so uhm...yeah. =)
Disclaimers in the end notes! Welcome back to the apocalypse. <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Ah, hang on. I gotta take this call.”
A few days later, the Jones duo are driving in the pickup truck. Mama is taking Casey for a joy ride around the city when her phone begins ringing. Cass presses a button on her truck’s control panel and picks up.
“Musta?”, she greets, readjusting the emerald gem necklace-matching Casey- around her neck.
“Grandma CJ! Ashley got into the almond cookie batch by accident again and I can’t find her epipen!” , a slightly distressed young girl replies hastily from the other line.
Cass sighs. “Everyone’s medications are in the nurse room, blue crate in the top left cabinet.”
There’s some shuffling in the background before the girl answers. “Found it! Thanks, Grandma CJ!”
“Mhm. Just make sure to keep an eye on Ashley and call me if she gets worse. I’ll swing by later.”, Cassandra nods.
“Got it! Bye!” , the girl replies before ending the call.
Cass lets out a long sigh, pinching the bridge between her brow. “I swear to Satan, that Ashley kid is gonna be the death of me.”
Casey gives a light chuckle, though his brows furrow in confusion. “Who’s Grandma CJ?”
“Oh, that’s just the name of the company I own with the Brownie Clan.”, Mama hums. “Initially, it was for world domination. But after I learned it’s gonna take us 10 years to get there, I’ve just been…hanging around.”
“The…Brownie Clan?”, Junior quizzes. He’s never heard of them before.
“Yeah. My girls.”, Cass smiles. “Ooooo! Tell me, mini Casey, what were they like in the future?”
“Uhmmm…”, the teen drawls, fidgeting with his emerald necklace. I don’t know anything about them… “They…they were good. Uh…strong just like you.”, he answers hesitantly, unsure if telling her the truth would unsettle her.
“Ha! Of course. I wouldn’t expect any less of them.”, Cass beams. “We beated the Kraang’s ass together!”
“Ha…yeah…”, Junior nods.
But that does make him wonder…what did happen to them?
By the time Casey gets back to the apartment, he eats lunch with the O’Neils and then makes a beeline for his room. He grabs his side pouch, digging through it for his mask. His mother’s mask. The green eyed mask.
If the mask used to belong to Cassandra, then surely Casey could rewatch the footage to look for answers. Answers from the early days. The idea seems so obvious, it leaves Casey wondering why he didn’t think of it sooner?
The teen sits down on the edge of his bed, tapping the back of the mask to open up the screen. A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. A strong gust of wind sweeps its way through the open window, tossing Casey’s hair into his face. The teen sputters out his hair, letting out a frustrated huff as he gets up and slams the window closed.
“Stupid draft…”, he mutters.
He sits back down on the bed, picking up the mask again when suddenly he feels the device begin to burn up underneath his gloves. Hell, a small flame ignites from it. Casey panics, attempting to blow out the small flame. The mask must be a bit busted from being unused for too long. Still doesn’t explain why it’s overheating.
With the flame extinguished, Casey taps into the mask again. A bright green holographic screen pops up in front of him, showcasing the recording files of the mask. But suddenly, his nightstand tumbles from bumping Casey’s knee. The hit is somehow strong enough for the top to crack and crumble, causing Junior’s water cup to topple over. The water seems to sizzle slightly for a random moment, Casey can’t understand why. The water continues to stretch across the carpet until the teen scoffs and tosses a towel on top of the growing puddle.
He rolls his eyes, reaching to tap the holographic screen. But as soon as the teen tries to tap onto the screen, an electrical spark shocks the teen’s finger. Casey winces, retracting his hand. He lets out a groan of frustration, glaring at the mask. His fingers clench hard around the edges of the mask.
“Ugh! Why won’t you work!?”, he hisses under his breath.
Suddenly, the mask slips through his grip as if the device just phased through his hands. The mask drops to the floor with a clatter and Casey feels the whole room go silent. Well…the room is already quiet but…there is a strange sense of…absence? The kid sighs, snatching the mask back up and tapping through it again.
Finally, the mask’s temper tantrum seems to be over. He pops up the screen again and taps into the files. Sinking his weight into the mattress of the bed, Casey scrolls through to find the data his mother left behind. His chipped tooth chews at his inner lip.
“...What are you hiding from me, Mama?”, he mumbles.
It’s now up to the green eyed mask to answer his questions.
August 5th, 2022.
Cassandra was on the move.
A siren wailed out in the sky. The woman, along with her Brownie Clan, were charging towards a looming figure in the sky. A portal opening up on top of the tallest building in New York City. A call chimed through the green eyed mask.
“April? What is that thing?! What did you guys get into now?”, Cass exclaimed.
“I-I don’t know! Leo lost this weird face rock thingy and the boys thought it wasn’t a big deal until this happened!” , April called through the other side. “Splints is explaining that it’s some alien race called the Kraang. We need all hands on deck over here!”
“We’re on it!”, Cass nodded. “Brownie Clan! Regroup! Get in the bus!”
Cassandra ran over towards a minibus with the Grandma CJ Brownies logo on the sides. She hopped inside as her Brownie Clan filed in and scrambled for their seats. Stepping on the gas, the Brownie Clan raced towards Metro Tower. Cass had to zigzag her way through the oncoming traffic that was trying to escape the panic. By the time they reached the tower, the clan ran for the stairs. They scaled up the tower in a hurry. And when they reached the top…
“Hot soup!”, Master Splinter shouted, twipping his tail at Sister Kraang.
Yet the sister bit down hard on his tail and threw the rat across the room, slapping into Raph and causing debris to fall on both of them. Cass stuck two fingers in her mouth, letting out a loud whistle to her clan. The girls jumped into the fight. Cassandra grabbed her chainsaw hockey stick, revving its engine and running into battle. The fight was tough but her Brownie Clan was tougher.
Yet somehow, across the chaos, a distressed scream echoed out.
“RETREAT!!!”, the snapper bellowed.
“Retreat?”, the slider snarked. “We don’t retreat!”
“Leo, for once, listen t’ me! They’re too powerful n’ Dad…”, Raph’s voice got caught in his throat. He glanced back down at the weary rat mutant in his arms. “...D-Dad’s hurt!”, he cried. “I’m done arguin’ wit’chu, Leo! Donnie! Where are those escape pods?!”
Donnie scrambled to a stand in the middle of the fight. “You don’t have to tell me tw—WOOAAH!!!!!!”
Before Donnie’s sentence could finish, the Sister Kraang swept her tentacles underneath his feet, causing the softshell to lose his footing. The fall caused him to drop all the escape pods on the ground. The softshell scrambled to scoop them up.
“Ohhh no no no no no!!!”, he babbled. “H-hang on, I can fix this!”
“There’s no time for that!”, Leo snarked. “Screw it, I’m getting that key!”
“LEO NO!!!”, Raph shouted.
Cass did her best to keep the Sister Kraang distracted as the red-eared slider ran for the key. It wasn’t long until the Mad Dogz and the Brownie Clan had their hands tied. Kraang Prime leapt up in the air, sending a strike towards the blue clad turtle who was retrieving the key. Raph leapt into action. He raced after his brother, only able to swing in the way just in time before—
Shnk!
Time went still. Cass’s eyes widened in horror as she watched her comrade get pierced right through the center of his plastron. Raph’s pupils shrunk until his eyes rolled back, his body toppling over in the Kraang’s hold like a ragdoll. The screams of his family rang out. But one voice…
“R…Raph…?”, Leo’s voice was meek.
Kraang Prime yanked his tentacle out of the snapper, letting the corpse fall and tumble down the steps. The alien crawled his way over to the slider.
“We’ll be taking this…”, he grins eerily as he snatched the key out of Leo’s hands.
Leo wasted no time dodging out of the way and running over towards Raph with the rest of his brothers. All of them shouting and shaking the red clad turtle. Yet Raph didn’t budge.
“Raph?! Raph! C-C’mon, wake up, big guy!”, Leo pleaded.
“I’m not getting a pulse.”, Donnie reported as he pressed two fingers into Raph’s wrist. His battle shell launched out a stretcher. “Quick, we need to get Raph and Papa out of here—”
A deafening screech ripped out of the youngest turtle. In a flash of bright orange light, mystic energy shot out of him. An explosion of power that pushed everyone back against the mystic force. And for the first time ever…Mikey’s eyes glossed over and glowed in a beautiful golden hue, fresh tears pouring down his face.
“What the?!”, Kraang Prime exclaimed. “I thought I locked away your puny tricks!!!”
The mystic warrior staggered to a stand. He glared at the Kraang with a deadpan stare.
“Think again, chico.”, he muttered.
Without leaving room for the enemy to think, Mikey leapt into the air and shot out mystic chains from all sides, attacking the Kraang. The sky emitted into a bright sunny orange in the middle of the night. It was as terrifying as it was gorgeous.
His brothers looked upon him in awe for a moment before Donnie quickly switched back to focus.
“O-Okay…Okay…”, he hesitated. Then he took a breath and demanded, “Leo, get Papa! We need to get them out of here! April, grab the turtle tank and bring it around outside! Casey, follow April!”
“On it!”, April shouted, running for the stairs.
Cass nodded and turned to her girls. “Brownie Clan, regroup!”
The girls bolted for the stairs with Cassandra following close behind. She looked over her shoulder at the Hamatos for a moment, seeing Leo carefully place Splinter down on top of Raph’s plastron as Donnie readied the stretcher. Mikey was still putting on a light show, keeping the Kraang at bay long enough for everyone to escape. The team raced down the stairs, the Brownie Clan already piling into the minibus as Cass hopped inside and swerved them out of there.
The girls sounded worried. They were all shouting amongst each other, screaming and crying. Some of them had phones out, dialing their families. Cass glanced at them through her rear view mirror and sighed.
“Brownie Clan, attention!”, she barked out. The bus went silent. “I know you are all worried but you are warriors . I’ve trained you to be brave. You may try to contact your families but for now you stick with me until we have a clearer plan on how to get everyone home safely, understand?”
“Yes, Grandma CJ.”, the girls answered in unison.
The Brownie Clan followed the turtle tank in their desperate attempt to flee the fight. Cass got a call through her mask which she flipped down and answered.
“What’s the game plan, O’Neil?”, she asked.
“I-I’m not sure. Donnie, we’re heading to the lair, right?” , April stammered.
“No, the location has been compromised.” , Donnie replied, his voice was low, leaving no room for messing around.
“But we need supplies for Raph and Dad!” , Leo exclaimed.
“There’s some in the turtle tank. Trust me, Nardo, we can’t go back. It’s too risky right now.”
“Then where should we go?!” , April squeaked, her voice straining in distress.
“I know a place.” , Donnie answered quickly. “I’ve been eyeing it for a while just in case we lost our home again. It’s a long drive but it’s all we got. Just follow these coordinates.”
Cass followed the turtle tank as Donnie led them deep into the forest, south of Manhattan and across New Jersey. Within an hour or so, they reached a large open cave. There was a lot of room inside, the team parking in the shelter of the cave. The Mad Dogz filed out of the tank as the Brownie Clan got out of the bus. The turtles set up a makeshift camp around the turtle tank, with two cots to rest Raph and Splinter down on. The family got to work, doing what they could to save the two. But…it was far too late.
Hamato Yoshi was dead.
Hamato Raphael was dead.
Mikey wailed out to the skies again, his remaining brothers and sister joining him. Cass mourned the two from afar. Master Splinter, who talked and listened to her troubles and redirected her path towards the good side. And Raphael, one of her greatest friends who she confided everything with. They were both gone. But it wasn’t time for Cassandra to break down just yet. She had work to do.
“Grandma CJ? The phone lines are dead and wi-fi connection has been cut! We can’t get through to our families!”, a girl cried.
“W-What are we going to do?!”, another girl panicked. “Is this the end of the world?!”
The girls began panicking, crying. Yearning for support. It made Cassandra feel distressed. She was never one to comfort people. She had no idea what to do. Only what she knew how to do.
“Brownie Clan, attention!”, she demanded. “I know you are all stressed out right now but I promise you, we’ll be fine. Until we reach contact with your families, you will stay with me. Think of it as another field mission.”
The girls nodded solemnly, wiping their tears. Cass wasn’t sure what to do besides patting the head of the girl closest to her. The girl then immediately wrapped her arms around Cassandra’s waist, the others soon joining in. Suddenly, Cass was surrounded in the embrace of several terrified children all looking to her for comfort and security.
Cass glanced at the Hamatos and April in the distance. Seeing them grieve and mourn for their losses. Fully acknowledging the doomsday that fell upon the world. More will be killed to the Kraang , she thought. Then she looked upon her Brownie Clan. And she felt fear.
“I promise you, girls, it will be alright.”, Cass reassured in the steadiest voice she could muster. “I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, you have my word.”
She hoped she would hold to her promise.
A few days later into the apocalypse. The cave had become a refuge to many.
Donnie carved out tunnels into the cave, creating hallways that lead to bedrooms, storage rooms, a med-bay, a canteen, a hangar. The shelter was expanding. Humans and yokai alike were…startled, least to say, about working coincided. Things were rough and bumpy, but it was slowly coming together.
The girls’ families were never found. None reunited. It was solely up to the warrior to raise them into warriors of her own. No challenge the great Casey Jones couldn’t handle! This would be a breeze!
After finishing another ration, the Brownie Clan headed off to bed. They all shared a long room with rows of bunk beds for the girls and a few walk-in closets for them to share to get dressed in. Cass yawned, counting off each of the girls as they all got ready for bed.
“Alright, I think that’s everyone…”, she muttered. She then called out, “Everyone here? Bunk buddies accounted for?”
The girls gave out unanimous responses of agreement.
“Good. Goodnight, girls.”, she nodded.
“Goodnight, Grandma CJ!”, the girls replied in practiced sync.
Cassandra closed the door behind her and headed down the hall to her room. She shared the room with her roommates April and Sunita. Cass flopped down on her lower bunk with a huff.
“Ugh…those girls are making me feel old.”, she mumbled into her pillow.
“32 little prepubescent girls is a lot to take care of.”, April hummed. “Are you sure you can handle all that?”
Cass felt stung by the kind question. She sat up and glared at her friend. “Of course! There’s no challenge the great Casey Jones can’t handle! I’ll prove it!”
“Still…”, Sunita drawled. “If you need help, we’re here for you. We could work together! April and I could be like the classic lesbian aunties.”
“Pssh, I need the help of no one! You’ll see!”, Casey snarked, flopping back down on her bed and heading off to sleep.
A couple days later, Cass was out on a mission with April and the turtles. Her girls were back at base with Sunita. The team were out looking for any spare survivors that needed rescuing in the rubble of New York City. It had been about 3 hours now…and all they found were corpses.
But eventually, they heard two different noises coming from opposing directions. The turtles took off towards one area and Casey and April took the other.
Cass peered in the destroyed café windows as they walked around. Tables and chairs overturned to create a barricade that didn’t work. Spoiled baked goods rotting in their display cases. Cash registers ripped off counters in a panic. A small pink bunny doll in a lavender dress was abandoned on the ground. Casey frowned. She walked over to the doll and picked it up. It looked so well loved and cared for. Surely its owner wouldn’t mind if her girls took care of it.
“ DAD!!! ”, April screeched, her voice strained.
Cass snapped her head up to find April kneeling over a pile of rubble in the distance of what remained of an old pet store. She quickly stuffed the bunny in her side pouch before running over to her friend.
“DAD! MAYHEM! GET UP! GET UP PLEASE !!”, April pleaded, shaking something.
Cass peered over her shoulder to see a black man in a hot pink buttoned jacket next to the small mystic creature known as Mayhem. They were covered in blood and broken bones in what could only depict being crushed from debris. April was still shaking her father’s shoulders violently, screaming and crying.
“April, stop!”, Cass shouted, grabbing her friend’s shoulders and pulling her back. “He’s gone, April! There’s nothing you can do!”
“That’s my dad !!”, April strained through her tears. “And my little buddy…they’re both dead !”
April continued to wail for a long long time. Cassandra didn’t know what else to do besides hold her friend close and let April cry it all out.
She thought about her girls.
And held on a little tighter.
“Brownie Clan, attention!”
More weeks passed, turning into a couple months. It was the start of a new day, Casey slamming the door to the girls’ room open. The girls woke up with jolts and scrambled out of bed to stand at attention.
During the past week, Casey had given herself more piercings including a septum piercing. The girls claimed it made her look like an intense angry bull. Cass noted the two muttering in the background as they stood at attention. She paused, exchanging a glare at them before they silenced themselves. Cassandra huffed and continued her announcement.
“Like I said yesterday, we’re leaving early today for a supply run. You are to get ready and eat breakfast within the next 2 hours, understand?”, Cass reported.
“Yes, ma’am!”, the girls shouted back.
“Good. Now get to it!”
The Brownie Clan hurried to get dressed, girls grabbing their uniforms and heading for the dressing rooms. Cass was just about to turn around and leave when she felt a tug on her arm. A little girl with round glasses and her hair wrapped in a tight brown hijab undercap. Casey recognized her as Urshia.
“Grandma CJ? Could you help me with my hijab? I’m having trouble putting it on.”, Urshia asked.
“You…trust me with that?”, Cassandra asked, puzzled.
Urshia nodded. “My mom used to do it for me because she always knew how to wrap it better. But I could never do it as well as she did.”
Cass chewed her inner lip and frowned sympathetically. “Well…a-alright, I suppose I can help. Let’s find a dressing room then.”
They head into a dressing room where Cass locked the door and followed the girl to sit in front of a mirror. Urshia handed Casey her dark beige camouflage hijab scarf, a chiffon fabric pattern Casey found a couple weeks ago for her hijabis.
“You know you’ll have to teach me how to put it on for you, right?”, Cass said.
“Yeah I know. It’s okay.”, Urshia nodded.
The girl then guided Casey through the steps of wrapping the hijab in the particular style that Urshia wanted and sticking the hijab pins in where needed. A few of the other girls shook on the locked doorknob and banged the door to which Casey shooed away and told them she’d be done in just a minute (it had been several minutes).
“You know we could try and find you a sports hijab in our supply run today.”, Cass suggested, securing a pin behind the girl’s head. “Might be easier for you, I don’t know.”
“Where would we even find something like that?”, Urshia asked skeptically.
“I have my ways.”, Cass smirked. “There, all done.”
The girl looked up at the mirror and smiled, shaking her head a little to test the security of the hijab. Urshia turned around and immediately hugged Casey’s torso.
“Thanks, Mama!”, she beamed.
“...Mama?”
The girl quickly retracted with a sheepish smile. “Oh, s-sorry! It’s just…It’s just that—”
Cassandra cackled. “It’s alright! It…makes me look a lot younger doesn’t it?”, she flaunted, tossing her imaginary hair over her shoulder.
Urshia giggled. “You’re literally 18, Mama.”
“Yeah. I’m ancient. Wise beyond my years.”, Casey grinned, rolling her eyes. “Now come on, we gotta hurry getting ready.”
That day was just the beginning.
The maternal title quickly spread around to the other girls who adopted it delightfully. Mama this, Mama that. Casey would never admit this but…it made her feel warm inside. It made her feel needed, a protector to her clan. Her family.
Months were seeping over now. Casey’s buzzed hair slowly growing out. The Brownie Clan, along with the Hamatos and April were on yet another mission. They went to talk to another survivor base only for it to be overrun by Operation 46, one of the many government-led bases. The leader of Operation 46 charged an attack, Leo shouting a battle cry and the fight was on.
The girls had been trained more than just the ways of a ninja warrior. They all had their weapons of choice. Swords, maces, spears, nunchucks, sais, even guns. Casey couldn’t be more proud of them. She flipped her green eyed mask down and revved her hockey stick’s chainsaw. The team charged into battle, attacking the soldiers of Operation 46.
Casey kicked up rubble that came her way, smacking the rocks with the blade end of her staff and hitting the heads of all that came her way. Three men, one with black hair, one taller than the rest, and the other who was charging at her had Cass cornered. The other grabbed her hockey stick and began to push her back, but before Cassandra could even think to slice his head off with her chainsaw…she hesitated.
She had never killed before. She wasn’t sure if she was ready. She wasn’t sure if she ever will be. What had the world come to?
Instead, Cass screamed out a battle cry, pushing back tenfold. She twisted her grip, pressing the bottom of her stick against the man’s face. After a swift knee-kick to his balls, Casey managed to get the advantage. Her staff moved faster than her mind, gouging the bottom end into the man’s eye.
He was going to need an eye patch for that.
In a panic, Cass yanked her staff back as the man staggered up to a stand, his friends grabbing him as the three of them fled. Cass collected her composure, swallowing dry spit.
“YEAH YOU BETTER RUN!!”, she shouted. “IF YOU EVER COME NEAR ME OR MY KIDS AGAIN, I’LL KILL YOU!!!”
She knew that was a lie. Hopefully.
Refocusing back on the battle scene, Resistance soldiers began to retreat. They were making their way back to the battleships they arrived in. Cass ordered her girls to regroup to the ships. As they fled, Cass spotted Donnie and April in the distance. They were being shot at. Casey witnessed in horror as one Operation soldier shot a bullet toward the softshell. The bullet grazed across his face but it hit him through his left eye and out his temple, obliterating the optic completely. A rare lucky thing that he was still alive from that.
Donnie screamed, clutching his eye as blood poured from it. He fell to the ground, seeming convinced that he was already dead. Cass quickly made her way over to the two, ordering her Brownie Clan to get to the ships and wait for her. April was already grabbing Donnie’s arm to get him to stand back up. Cass got over to cover them.
“GET YOUR ASS UP, PURPLE ONE!”, she shouted.
Donnie made no response other than a wince of pain. Cass kept her focus on the attackers. Blocking bullets was a breeze for her, she had been in training ever since she was 7. She knew the ways of a ninja. Still, there were much higher stakes at hand than brooms and paper origami ninjas.
But it wasn’t long until April was attacked by one of the enemies. They pushed her back and slammed her into the ground, using their rifle to block her arms. Cass was about to run into help when the flying bullets redirected her focus. Donnie still seemed to be down for the count too.
April screamed and flailed against the attacker’s hold as she searched aimlessly for her bat. Once she had it in her grip, April let out a battle cry as she whacked the soldier in the face, getting them off of her. The young woman then staggered to a stand as she smacked the bat at their head again. Then again. And again. And… again .
Cass grabbed Donnie’s arm and dragged the two of them to April’s side. Her friend was still beating away at the corpse’s bashed out brains. Casey literally had to yank April’s arm back to stop her.
“That’s enough, O’Neil! Get it together!”, she snarked. “Come on, we need to get to the ship!”
April snapped out of her trance, realizing the horrors she had done. But Cass didn’t let her spiral any longer. Casey grabbed her friend’s wrist and Donnie’s arm, bringing them to the ships.
The Operation soldiers were still on their trail. The softshell seemed to have come back to clarity, reaching into his battle shell to grab something. He turned around to face the soldiers, blood still seeping out of his eye.
“Purple! We need to go!”, Cass snapped.
Donnie did not listen. He pulled out what seemed to be a handgun, fueled with some glowing blue acidic plasma. Cass recognized the chemical from April’s herbicide journaling project. The plasma gun rapidly shot out beams of horrifying light, exploding into millions as it hit the soldiers. In a flash, all that was left behind was the melting corpses of the carnage. The softshell’s breath staggered as he began to shake. He let out a rather unsettling chuckle in his panic.
Cass was still trying to keep her cool against everything. She grabbed Donnie’s arm and April’s wrist again and kept running for the ships. But their plans were halted by the now all too familiar screech of the Kraang. All fighting paused for a moment as a horde of zombies arose from the horizons. Operation 46 quickly retreated at the sight of them. Donnie brought out his gun again and began firing away at the Kraang zombies. Packs exploded into oblivion but others scattered and spread.
One got the upper hand on them, smacking the softshell’s gun out of his grasp before pummeling him to the ground. April jumped in to help when Cass spotted another zombie charging from behind. She quickly turned on her heels and sliced away at it with her chainsaw.
“I’ll cover you! Go help Donnie!”, she ordered to her friend.
Casey didn’t have to hold the fort for long. Soon, Leo and Mikey made their way over to stop the attack. Mikey yanked the zombie off of Donnie and Leo swiftly slashed away at the stragglers surrounding them. It wasn’t long before the horde was diminished. With the Kraang and Operation 46 gone, the Resistance could finally return to safety—
“HELP! I-IT’S GOT MY LEG!”, Donnie screeched.
Sure enough, Casey turned around to see Kraang lesions spreading up the softshell’s right leg. Mikey dropped to his knees, surging his mystic energy through his brother. But the lesions just kept spreading. The box turtle then wheezed out of breath, collapsing and catching himself with his hands that were trembling uncontrollably.
“I-I…I can’t do it!”, he croaked. “I’m still learning the spell, I’m sorry! Just…just give me a minute—”
“We don’t have a minute, Michael!”, Donnie snapped.
There was a moment of pause before Donnie made the next move. He reached for Leo’s katana and began to swing it down towards his leg before the slider grabbed his wrist.
“What the hell are you doing?!?!”, Leo screamed.
“Nardo, you know just as well as I do that we need to stop it before it spreads any further!”
April shouted, “We’ll think of something else!”
“We don’t have anything else! I’m running out of time, please !”
“Okay, okay!”, Leo interrupted. “...Just…let me do it.”
The slider untied his bandana and wrapped it around Donnie’s upper thigh tightly as a tourniquet, lesions inching towards it like a race to the finish line. He picked up his katana and steadied himself.
“April, I’m gonna need to borrow your jacket here soon. Casey, get Donnie’s blowtorch from his tech bo. Mikey, be ready to use your powers to carry him.”, Leo ordered. He then pulls out a pair of gauze from his side pouch and hands it to his twin. “Here, bite down on this.”
As Donnie secured the gauze padding in his mouth, Leo raised his sword high up in the air. April bunched up her jacket in a ball. Mikey cracked his knuckles. Casey ignited the blowtorch. The slider looked at his purple clad brother for a moment, who only gave a single nod.
The blade came slashing down with zero hesitation. It went in, but not through. Donnie screeched in agonized pain through the gauze as Leo swung his sword down again quickly. The femur bone inside snapped and cracked. One more swing and Leo was through. The softshell cried out into the skies, cold sweat seeping down his face. He flopped backwards flat on the ground, heaving.
“Blowtorch, now!”, Leo demanded.
Casey kneeled down, cauterizing the wound. Donnie screamed again but it was clear he was trying his best not to flail. By Leo’s command, April stepped in and pressed her jacket tightly against the residual. Then Mikey used his levitation powers to carefully pick up the softshell and guide him to the ships.
The team quickly made it inside, resting Donnie down on the side examining table. Casey looked over at her Brownie Clan who watched the scene in horror. Cass glanced back over to her team, knowing there wasn’t much more she could do, and made her way to her girls.
“Don’t look, girls.”, she hushed, directing their focus on her as she walked to face them away from the scene. “Don’t look. It’s alright.”
“Is…is he gonna be okay?”, one girl asked.
“Yes, of course.”, Cass smiled. “This is Hamato Donatello we’re talking about. He’s too stubborn to let a measly injury bring him down. He’ll be fine.”
Casey led her girls to sit on the other side of the ship, as far as she could from the scene. After a while, April walked over to them and sat down on the metal floor beside Casey. Her face was paler, eyes still widened in fear. She was shaking terribly and couldn’t seem to stop herself.
“...are you okay?”, Cass asked, her voice strangely quiet.
April let out a wet chuckle. “If you were to go back in time and tell me…that I would be a murderer at 18 years old…I wouldn’t believe you.”, she smiled, though tears started pouring down her face. Her breathing hitched, glancing up at where the turtles were. “Donnie’s still only 16 too. And…this is just the beginning, isn’t it?”, she croaked. “We are in a fucking… war . I-I don’t even know why it took me so long to actually grasp that but… fuck …”
April’s breathing got more unsteady, quicker. She raised her glasses, now clouded in tears, to sit on her head. Her hands pulled down on her face.
“I-It’s not going to end here, will it? More people are going to die . More people are going to get killed, we’re gonna have to kill—”
Her next breath wheezed out of her. Suddenly, April was hyperventilating, unable to get in any air. Cass’s brows furrowed as she gingerly reached over to offer a comforting touch to her friend’s shoulder—
“ DON’T TOUCH ME!!! ”, April screeched, shielding herself with her arms as she lurched away.
Casey quickly retracted her hand. She swallowed dry spit. “I…I won’t.”, she muttered. “Just…try to breathe, okay?”
April was panting from fear but nodded anyway. She sat up straight again and started to guide herself through some deep breathing, clasping her shaking hands in her lap. It took awhile until she seemed more in control of her pacing.
With her friend now cared for…
Casey began taking a few deep breaths of her own.
It had been a little over a year since the apocalypse started. The team were set out on a supply run. Once again, the girls remained at base with Sunita. Last Casey checked before heading out, they were in the greenhouse cheering over their first grown strawberry.
They needed that joy. It was nice to see her girls smile more.
Also…Mikey had hair. It was…odd. The box turtle’s head looked like a kiwi, just some short coily brown hair growing in. Mikey said he loved it and planned on letting it grow out so long that it would drag across the ground. Casey always made a means to mess up his hair at any given chance.
Like now.
“Knock it off! I’m not a dog!”, Mikey snarked.
“It’s so scruffy!”, Cass beamed, vigorously petting his hair.
“Shh! Be careful, Kraang parasites could be nearby.”, Leo hushed.
“Actually, my studies have confirmed that the parasites are deaf, unlike the other Kraang types. However they are very sensitive to vibrations.”, Donnie explained, tapping through his tech. He now wore an eyepatch over his left eye and a prosthetic leg with a bending piece of metal for his foot, using a metal black cane to help support his weight and balance. The softshell insisted he was working on some robotic enhancements soon.
In fact, everyone had a more “apocalyptic” look to them. Mikey had this orange cloak now. Leo and Donnie wore pants. Leo had a blue scarf. Donnie had a black lab coat, though he was still on the hunt for a classic white lab coat in the future. April wore camouflage pants with a yellow leather jacket, her glasses now cracked and hair tied back in a pom. She talked about replacing her glasses with goggles soon. And Casey had a nifty blood red scarf. Oh yeah, they had a whole get-up to them now.
Whilst exploring an abandoned plaza, they had picked up some good loot. Donnie found a bike shop and began tearing everything apart for spare parts. Mikey found supplies at an arts and crafts store. April and Casey both found some spare children’s clothes in a clothing store for the girls. And Leo was searching a café, telling everyone to meet up there.
As April and Casey regrouped with the others in the coffee shop, they began counting their loot until a crash was heard in the back area of the shop followed by an unfamiliar voice shouting, “Shit!”
The team immediately stood their guard, readying their weapons. More shuffling was heard from the back. Leo held up his katanas and collected his composure.
“Hey! Who’s there?! Show yourself!”, he demanded.
The grating of something sharp unsheathed itself. Emerging from the doorway of the back room was a ronin, wielding katanas of his own. He wore a black cloak covering his back and head with a black scarf mask covering his face. The only parts of him that were seen were the white fur in his hands, feet, and eyes. There was an eyebrow slit on his left brow, and tufts of white hair partially covered his eyes. This guy knew how to conceal himself.
“No sudden movements.”, he ordered, narrowing his gaze.
“...You’re a yokai.”, Leo muttered. He smiled. “Hey, so are we. Well…sorta?”
“Yokai or not, we’re not on the same side.”, the ronin stated. “Now what do you want?!”
“Woah, hey, chillax.”, Leo relaxed his stance. “W-We’re the good guys here.”
The ronin’s eyes flicked at Casey and April. He nodded his head at them. “What about them?”
The slider glanced over his shoulder at the two. “Don’t worry, they’re chill.”, he reassured.
“Mostly.”, Casey smirked, receiving a rather harsh elbow nudge from April.
Leo rolled his eyes but looked back at the stranger. He explained, “We’re the Resistance. Ever heard of it?”
The ronin’s eyes widened, his expression unreadable. “...I have.”
“Good. So…you know that we’re friendly…?”, Leo tried his best to put on a signature smirk.
The ronin scoffed. He tensed his stance once more, the glint of his katanas shining in the low light. Leo sighed, lowering his swords down.
“Look. Why don’t you come with us to the Resistance? Everyone is welcome. We work with a “shelter for service” system. We got clothes, food, healthcare, whatever you need.”, the slider smiled.
“Nice try. I’m not planning on getting trapped in another base.”, the ronin muttered.
Leo raised a brow. “No one is bound to the Resistance. People can come and go as they please. Heck, you can even waltz in for some supplies and leave.”
The ronin didn’t respond. Leo sighed, taking a step back to leave.
“Look, if you don’t wanna come, that’s fine. I’m not forcing you.”, he said. “Just let us leave and we’ll go our separate ways—”
“I’ll come with.”, the ronin answered. He put away his weapons slowly, watching everyone else do the same. The yokai then approached the slider, pointing an accusatory finger right up in his face. It was until the yokai was standing right in front of the slider that Casey noticed how the ronin was taller than Leo by a few inches. “But I got my eyes on you.”
“...N-noted.”, Leo nodded, a bit flustered. Casey couldn’t ignore the way the turtle’s cheeks flushed red. “Umm…I’m Hamato Leonardo. My buddies behind me are April, Casey, Mikey, and Donnie. W-what’s your name?”
“...Spot.”, the ronin replied, leaning back and crossing his arms.
“What kind of a name is Spot?”, Mikey muttered.
Donnie rolled his one eye. “It’s called an alibi, Michael.”
“Alibi or not. Spot is a solid name.”, Leo smiled at the yokai. “Nice to meet you, Spot.”, he said, holding out his hand.
Spot glared at the hand for a second before meeting the red-eared slider’s gaze again. “...Sorry. I don’t do handshakes.”
“Ooooo, burn.”, Donnie teased. “Get rejected.”
“Can it, Don.”, Leo snarked. He turned to the rest of the team. “Well, if everyone has what they need, let’s roll.”
“Whatever you say, oh great leader.”, Casey teased, hauling a bag of clothes over her shoulder as everyone else gathered their stuff.
Spot whipped his head at the slider. “Wait… you’re the leader? But you’re just a teen.”
“Hey, so are you. Who are you to judge?”, Leo smirked.
Spot just scoffed and rolled his eyes. “This world really is going to shit…”
A few weeks had passed. Cass found herself in the atrium with her girls, watching them run around and play tag together. Cassandra would join in too…but she was too busy listening in on the turtle twins and April. And surprisingly…Spot had been staying with them for much longer, even participating on patrol. He never gave a motive to stay but also never gave one to leave either. That guy sure was a mystery. Leo sighed exasperatedly.
“Ughhhhhh…I dunno what to do, Donnie. He doesn’t even like me back.”, Leo moped, dramatically leaning his shell across Donnie’s back.
“Oh wow, how unfortunate.”, the softshell said sarcastically. “The angsty brooding mysterious ronin dude doesn’t love the annoying loud obnoxious guy. What a shocker. Seriously, Nardo, you need better standards.”
“Scoff!”, the slider snarked. “You’re just jealous cuz you got no game.”
“No game?!”, Donnie cackled. “ You’re the one who can’t even land a date!”
Cass chuckled. “Ahh, it’s moments like these that make me grateful to be aroace. Good riddance to that drama.”
“What’s going on?”, a girl asked, walking up to the group with curiosity.
April smirked. “We’re humbling Leo about his crush on the new guy.”
“Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! You have a cruuuuush!”, the girl teased at the slider.
A bunch of other girls overheard, rushing over to tease the slider with taunting ooo’s as well. Leo groaned, burying his face in his hands.
“Oh my goddd…shut up!”, he exasperated.
A few more weeks had passed. Cass was holding the bunny doll she found in her hands. It was torn. Its arm was ripped off, its eye was missing, and stuffing and plastic beads were falling out of its seams.
“What the hell happened to Mademoiselle Lapine?”, Cass muttered, raising an eye to the three Dominican girls, the Mejia triplets, who all looked at the ground in shame.
“Araceli started it!”, Cristela, one triplet, pointed to the other.
“What? No! Yaris was the one to rip out Lapine’s eye!”, Araceli pointed to the third.
“Why do you guys always put the blame on me?!”, Yaris snapped.
“Girls!”, Casey shouted, stopping the Mejias’ bickering. “I simply asked what happened to the doll. Not who's to blame.”
The triplets all looked away for a moment, glancing at the ground and at each other. Araceli spoke up.
“Okay so, Cristela was playing with Lapine and I told her she was playing with it for too long and that it was my turn. But she didn’t let me so—”
“That’s not what happened! I wasn’t even playing with it for long!”, Cristela interrupted.
Cass sighed, “Please, Cristela, let your sister finish. Then you can tell me your side of the story.”
“As I was saying…”, Araceli drawled. “Cristela didn’t let me so I tried to take Lapine from her and…that’s how the arm ripped off. And then Yaris came in to stop the toy from getting ripped even more by taking it away from the both of us and then the eye ripped off.”
“And then you guys got mad at me for ripping the toy when I was trying to save it in the first place.”, Yaris snarked, crossing her arms.
Cristela rolled her eyes. “Okay whatever. Araceli still started it. I was playing with it first!”
“You were playing with Lapine for over an hour!”, Araceli shouted.
“Did not! It was only 10 minutes!”, Cristela shouted back.
“Girls, please!”, Cass silenced. She brought a hand up to rub her temple. “You are sisters. You are warriors! You know better than to bicker about some toy.” She sighed, taking the missing arm and eye out of her pocket. “I’ll fix up the rabbit for you girls. But you need to learn to outsmart your opponents better than with useless squabbling. The dojo is a much better place to handle a disagreement.”
The triplets all glanced at each other for a moment.
“...No. We’re good now.”, Araceli answered.
“Oh cool.”, Casey hummed. “Guess that settles it.”
The Mejia girls took their leave quietly. Cass glanced around at the hallway they were in, noticing two figures in the distance standing in front of the memorial room. It was Leo with…Spot? Since when did Spot let Leo get so close to him?
Leo was saying something to Spot that Casey couldn’t quite hear. Spot took out a small photo from his cloak, there looked to be an old rabbit yokai lady next to a young cat yokai girl. After a moment, Spot entered the memorial room, Leo watching him head inside with a faint smile on his face. The slider noticed Cass in the distance and waved at her shyly. Cass flattened her lips and waved back.
She turned away, heading over to her bedroom to figure out how the hell was she going to fix the rabbit doll.
A couple hours of poor stitching and pricking her fingers with the needle, Mademoiselle Lapine was patched up. And it was time for the girls to head to bed. Cass headed to the girls’ bunker, putting Lapine back in a large box filled with other toys and then headed out to the atrium.
She didn’t need to shout. She had a signature whistle to call over her girls. Casey stuck two fingers in her mouth, letting out a loud whistle into the lair. Within moments, rumbles of footsteps from every corner came rushing over, scaring the other people in the process. Cass smirked with pride as the Brownie Clan quickly filed into formation in columns and rows. It was easier for Cass to do a head count that way. She was about to ask where Tiana went when the girl herself came rushing over with half-finished braids and Sunita running after her in tow. Casey rolled her eyes fondly. She ordered her clan to go to bed, allowing Sunita to quickly finish Tiana’s hair first.
The clan dispersed, heading towards their bedroom. Casey gave them a few minutes, going to her room and getting dressed into her pajamas, before heading over to make sure everyone was in bed. Some were already tucked in, half-asleep. Others were chatting to each other across the bunk beds. Two were having a pillow fight in the right corner. Cass yawned, counting off the columns and rows of girls in their beds.
“Ollie… Jennifer… Lea… Nochtli… Xiomara… Anna Beth… Urshia… Maggie… Chloe… Hanuel… Angel… Tammy… Ok, I think that’s all.”, she muttered to herself. She yawned again, rubbing her eye. She called out, “Alright…is everyone there? Bunk buddies accounted for?”
The girls gave out unanimous responses of agreement.
“Ok good.”, Casey sighed. She called out again, “Goodnight, girls!”
“Goodnight, Mama!”, the girls replied in practiced sync.
Cassandra closed the door behind her, heading back to her room. It was tiring taking care of so many girls. But they were her girls. They were her kids. She was up to the challenge.
She loved them.
More weeks had gone by. It was a Saturday which meant Karaoke Night. The one night Cass was grateful for, for it was one of the more rare times to see her children so happy and carefree. And also because it tuckered them out real fast, making bedtime protocol soooo much easier.
This night was different however. Spot had been gradually warming up more to the slider and the ronin (now a samurai to the Resistance) still hadn’t given any reason to leave. Before Karaoke Night started, Leo approached the turtles and Cass, April, and Sunita, practically sweating bullets. The blue clad turtle nervously explained that he planned on serenading the samurai to which his two brothers cackled at. But Donnie was all in for seeing his twin embarrass himself.
The night was set. People, humans and yokais alike, filed into the canteen. Donnie set up the stage and booth, preparing Leo’s song request. But the slider was hesitant.
“Cold feet, blue guy?”, Cass teased.
“My feet are perfectly warm, thank you.”, Leo snobbed.
“Ew.”
Leo still stood there at the start of the stairs to the stage, completely frozen. After another minute of watching the slider contemplate his life choices, Cass scoffed.
“You know what? Fuck you. I’ll go.”, she muttered. Casey waltzed onto the stage, grabbing the mic. She turned and pointed at the softshell. “Play my song, Dee!”
The all too familiar punk rock rhythm filled the room. The kids’ faces lit up, rushing to the stage to join their Mama in the song. Soon, the Brownie Clan were all leaning into the microphone as much as they could, as they joined in unanimous chorus.
“Can’t stay at home, can’t stay at school. Old folks say, “You poor little fool”. Down the streets, I’m the girl next door. I’m the fox you’ve been waiting for!”
Casey remembered the lyrics by heart at this point. There wasn’t a single karaoke night where this song didn’t play. Her kids all loved to scream their lungs out until their voices cracked. And so there they all were with her, singing along.
“Hello daddy! Hello mom! I’m your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch…Cherry Bomb! Hello world, I’m your wild girl! I’m your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch…Cherry Bomb!”
The night kicked off to a great start, the Brownie Clan gracefully completing the song. With the crowd warmed up, the slider seemed more at ease. He confidently waltzed up the stage, shooing away the girls as they teased his crush, and nodded at his twin.
As the 80s glam rock song started to play, Cass walked over to the side of the room, leaning her back against the wall and crossing her arms. The Brownie Clan began giggling to each other to which Casey quietly shushed with her finger. She couldn’t wait to see how this was going to play out.
”LaDy LoVe NeVeR sMiLEs, So LeNd YoUr LoVe To Me AwHiLe~”
…wow.
The slider sounded horrible . Casey would admit, the blue clad turtle usually didn’t sound half bad. But man he was not doing good right now. Guess Leo really was super nervous.
But before Cass could wither away from secondhand embarrassment, the slider’s foot got caught in the microphone cable and he fell right off the stage in front of Spot. Leo was tangled all over in wires and covered in bruises from the fall. Casey couldn’t stop the cackle that escaped her, her girls laughing along as well and soon the whole canteen.
The turtle blushed through the embarrassment, looking up at the samurai. He got up, with bruises all over him, smirked at Spot with that stupid face, and said, “Guess you can say I’ve fallen for you.”
Oh no, YOU FOOL —
Startlingly, the samurai howled in laughter. Everyone else was stunned, turning completely silent. Spot wrapped his arms around his sides and hunched forward, cackling like it was the greatest joke the world had ever heard. Leo began to laugh along, albeit a bit nervously.
Apparently, the yokai didn’t seem to be used to laughing so much. He began wheezing and coughing through his laughter, tugging ever so slightly on his mask to allow air to rush in. Leo quickly halted his laughter, his brows edging with concern as he asked Spot if he was okay. A quick shake of the head was enough to put Leo into his medic mode. He guided the samurai to the nearest seat at a table, walking the samurai through his breathing.
Once Spot’s airways began to clear up, the yokai looked up at the slider. His eyes softened as his expression seemed to relax. He stared longingly at Leo for a long moment before quickly blinking and turning his head away.
Donnie approached the two, unraveling the microphone cable off of Leo and returning to the stage with a huff. He announced the next song, playing it and continuing the night’s event.
The mood quickly shifted back to normal as the Resistance continued singing and dancing to each other’s karaoke. However, every time Casey glances over at the table the turtle and yokai were sitting at, she saw them constantly engaged in conversation. Even though the mask hid the yokai’s mouth, the smile was all too clear in his eyes.
Holy shit, that actually worked… Well done, blue one.
Everyone continued partying until the early morning came. The Brownie Clan were all tuckered out on various furniture around the canteen. Cass was not going to be the one to get them all into bed. So she sat down on the ground and leaned her back against the wall, resting her eyes when she decided she had enough fun for today.
She did wake up a few times during the party, noticing how her girls had surrounded her. The kids all leaned their weight into their mama as they all dozed off to sleep together. Cass smiled softly and yawned.
“Goodnight, girls.”
A year had passed, making it over two years since the start of the apocalypse. The team were set out on a mission in the Red Angel, far out in Nicaragua.
Cass stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out a loud whistle across the battleship. “Brownie Clan, attention!”
Quickly, her girls all filed up in columns and rows. Casey did her normal headcount to make sure that all 32 of them were accounted for.
“Listen up, girls. We’re out here because there’s been increased activity of Kraang droids. There may only be 5 of them in the world right now but their numbers keep increasing. We’ll be taking down two of them here once we land.”, Cass explained, pacing back and forth in front of her girls. “You are to stay close to me at all times. If we ever get separated, remember your buddy system. You will not face the droids alone. You are to stay with me and follow my every command, no questions asked. Is that clear?”
“Yes, mama!”, the girls replied in practiced sync.
“Good. Get to your battle stations, girls.”, Casey nodded, suppressing the prideful smirk curling in.
The Brownie Clan dispersed, grabbing their weapons and preparing for a fight. The Red Angel soon landed in the ruins of Managua. From the sky, Casey had noted how much bigger the land seemed, with the way Lago Xolotlán appeared considerably smaller. The Kraang had been stripping away the resources of this earth, killing off nature and its oceans. Casey would hate to see all of it disappear. This is the planet she would fight for. It gave her a sense of hope .
The back latch of the battleship dropped, Leo leading the way with Spot…or Usagi by his side. In the past year, the samurai seemed to come out of his shell. He pulled down the hood of his cloak and mask to reveal he was a rabbit yokai by the name of Yuichi Usagi. Casey didn’t understand his means for concealing himself, but it wasn’t her place to know. The rabbit still covered himself when on missions like this one, on the occasion the team ran into outsiders.
The ruins of the city were a sight. Buildings crooked and toppled over, covered in Kraang vines and lesions. Debris and impact points signaling where bombs fell from the sky to reduce the Kraang infection at the start of the apocalypse. Cars abandoned on the street, engines and batteries stripped with rotted tires. A lonely suitcase cracked open on the side of the road, a doll with young children’s clothes inside. All indicators of human life suddenly interrupted by war and invasion.
A droning sound echoed in the distance, red lights flickering behind tall buildings. Leo pointed up at them.
“There. That’s where we’re headed.”, he said in a much calmer tone than the one he had two years ago. There was no room for that comical side of him anymore.
Donnie scanned ahead with his visor. The softshell had now replaced his prosthetic with the robotic leg part of that…red robot. Casey suppressed a shudder. She’d rather not think about the look in the purple turtle’s eyes when he built that thing.
“Those are our two droids. Type A and C.”, Donnie explained.
“What does that mean?”, one of the girls asked.
“Type A is the much larger ones, they look like giant bipedal creatures with a singular red eye and tail. Type C are the smaller rounder ones on all fours like a giant hound.”
Another droning sound followed by crumbling. The type C droid scrambled its way on top of one of the buildings like a spider, scanning over the horizon. A red light began drifting from one side to the other, making its way closer and closer to the team.
“Shit! Everybody get down!”, Leo hissed.
The team quickly ducked for cover behind the abandoned cars. Cass glanced around to keep an eye on her Brownie Clan. Luckily, all of them were doing what they were told. Executing exactly what she had trained them to do. They ducked, sticking in small groups. Curling themselves up and keeping their lips sealed. Casey couldn’t be more proud.
The light scanned over their cover, everyone waiting with bated breath. Quietly wishing, hoping, praying…that they won’t be caught. The light stopped, turning off. But no one dared to sigh in relief as they watched Leo raise a hand in wait. Seconds feeling like minutes, there was silence for a few moments.
Then a loud siren call from the droid screeched out. Following behind were the sound of zombies and hounds. Cassandra felt the hairs on her body rise as she reached for her chainsaw staff.
“CHARGE!”, their leader demanded.
Instantaneously, Casey hopped up on the car’s hood she was hiding behind and swung over. She revved her chainsaw, letting out a battle cry as her clan joined in the fight. A sea of pink and dark red emerged from their hiding spots in the ruins, screeching and shrilling. Casey pushed down the fear bubbling up inside of her. She had a planet to protect. A family.
The team attacked the Kraang. Demolishing all that came their way. Zombies were a walk in the park for Cassandra…as long as you ignore how human they still appeared. The team seemed to be holding their own very well. It took a while to power through the zombies and hounds but successful nonetheless.
The Brownie Clan may be children, but their skill level was unmatched. In the Resistance, they constantly remained top of their class. They were already so powerful back when they first banded together, hell they kidnapped April and Splinter in a heartbeat. Of course, April still surpassed them. But they had been training tenfold since then.
So it was no surprise to their mama that they held their own very well. Soon the horde was gone. All that remained were the droids.
The type C droid crawled down the building, charging towards the group. Before anyone could say a word, type A emerged from behind another building, looming over the structure as if it was a countertop compared to the droid. What a large monstrous being.
Leo barked out a demand, “Split the work! Brownie Clan and April take A, everyone else come with me to C!”
No one dared question their leader. Casey and her clan caught up with April and began running left to draw the attention of type A. Type C glanced at them for a moment until Donnie shot a plasma bullet at the thing, melting away the exterior of its hide. Type C wailed a siren and charged at the others. Meanwhile, the girls were all heading for type A.
It didn’t take long for the damn beast to notice them. On Casey’s command, the clan dispersed into smaller teams. They all ran and parkoured their way up the debris to gain the upper advantage on their enemy. As the girls spread out, Cass’s fear soon took over. She tried to stay focused on the droid approaching but her eyes kept darting to her children around her as they fought. She started to become worried for them.
She kept telling herself not to worry, to trust her girls the same way they trusted her. She knew they could carry their own weight. But Cassandra was afraid. Casey Jones wasn’t supposed to be afraid of anything.
The droid raised its leg, sending down its clawed foot to stomp on a group of girls below.
“WATCH OUT!”, Cass shouted.
Before she had the chance to think, her body flung itself towards them. She scooped up the group in her arms and slid on her side to get them out of the way just as the foot slammed into the ground. She looked down at them to make sure they were okay. But fear made itself known in their eyes as they looked over Cass’s shoulder.
Casey turned around just in time for the droid’s tail to snatch her up in its grasp. It tightened around her sides as Casey shouted in pain. She snagged her chainsaw staff off the ground as the tail yanked her into the air. Casey kicked and squirmed and hit the damn thing with all her might but it was to no avail. Before she knew it, she was heading towards the wall of one of the tall buildings that surrounded the area.
The crack and crumble of debris silenced everything else. Asbestos and dusty cement filled her lungs as the tail let go of its hold. Chunks of stone weighed her down as Casey coughed a fit, her ribs were definitely broken somewhere. She scrambled to push off the debris as April flew up with her jackpack that Donnie made for her. The newly appointed commander rushed over to her friend and dug her out of the rubble.
“Casey! You okay?!”, she shouted. Then she eyed Cass’s torso. “Aw gees, you’re bleeding real bad!”
Casey didn’t listen to her. She pulled herself up, leaning on April for support and ignoring the sharp sting in her side under her left arm. Casey grabbed her staff and hurried towards the hole in the wall where she came from to look for her girls.
The droid lurched its head high up in the air, a threatening red in its eye glowing brighter and brighter.
Brighter still.
In an instant, its head swung down and blasted all below into oblivion. A fierce red and white disintegrated everything it touched. Any life that remained.
Including…
“NOOO!!”, Casey screeched. She ran to attack but April grabbed her and yanked the both of them down to cover behind the remains of the wall before they turned to ash too. The laser flashed right for them but the commander kept a tight grip on her friend. Before they knew it, the light was gone.
And so was…
...No.
No. Casey knew it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true.
Her ears began ringing, silencing out April’s words of concern. Suddenly a red glow loomed behind them. The eye of the droid peering in the building for survivors.
And that red was all she saw.
Letting out a battle cry, Casey sprang up. She grabbed her chainsaw staff and charged at her enemy. She screamed as she pierced her staff into the beast’s eye. The droid wailed a screeching siren as it tumbled back. Cass kept pressing her weight into the eye, squirming the staff more to dig deeper in the cycloptic eye.
A claw reached to grab her but a flash of blue held it back. Looked like the others were done with the first droid. The team jumped in, melting plasma away at the droid’s appendages. Allowing Cassandra the chance to demolish its weak point. She yanked her chainsaw out of its head and swung it down again. And again. And again .
Soon, the red faded out. The droid powered down, plummeting towards the earth. Upon impact, its head hit the ground, sending Casey flying off of it and roughly tumbling as she landed. She coughed and wheezed, blinking her eyes as the smoke cleared.
She looked up, hoisting herself up with her staff as pain ached in every fiber of her being. But the pain was the last thing on her mind. Her eyes glossed over the scene, searching. Pleading.
Singed clothes. Splattered blood. Ashes and bones. Casey couldn’t stop the wheeze that escaped her. It took everything to find her voice.
“GIRLS?!”, she screeched.
No response.
Cass took a breath. “BROWNIE CLAN, REGROUP!”, she demanded. “REGROUP, I SAY!!!”
Nothing.
She began walking. More ashes and blood stained concrete. Discarded weapons she recognized. Cass pushed back the sting in her eyes as she stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out a loud whistle. Then another. But no one ran to her.
“SAY SOMETHING!!!!”, she screeched. “ANYTHING, PLEASE!”
Not a sound was made.
She was running now. Ignoring the aches turning into burns. She clawed at the rubble, sprinting around for any signs of life to be found. Her breathing staggered.
“GIRLS????”, she pleaded.
The others were hesitant. Donnie and Mikey quickly began pulling away the debris to help search. The box turtle cleared as much as he could with his chains as the softshell scanned high and low with his tech. Still nothing.
“WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!”, Casey cried.
She shook her head upon seeing more bones and burnt clothing. Clots of hair. Pools of blood trickling through the stone. Those weren’t their bones. That wasn’t their blood. It couldn’t be.
Her body froze, the weight of agony dragging her down to her knees. She dropped her staff, clenching at her sides. Her breathing was quick and uneven, she couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“ WHERE ARE MY CHILDREN?!?!?!?!?! ”
Cassandra wailed out into the skies. Let her cries be heard across the globe and let it be known to the aether her pain. Let her pleas reach the beyond and demand the return of her daughters. Let them hijack the grim reaper’s boat and swim back to shore. They were too young. They would forever be young.
Nothing could stop the terrorized scream that tore her apart. Her body was being ripped to shreds right then and there. Glass shattering into shards.
Her throat strained and torn as it incessantly continued to cry. The muscles in her jaw ripped open as far as it could to let out its sorrow as much as possible. Her head spun and dizzied as air could barely reach the lungs which were squeezing out all of their agony. Acid in her stomach churned and bubbled up her already burning throat.
She retched and gagged, catching herself with her shaking arms before her head could hit the ground. The bile did not wait as it spewed out of her and torched her throat with salt in the wound. She heaved, her stomach rolling up again as more acid spilled from her mouth. Casey coughed and wheezed, pushing herself back to sit up before her trembling arms could give out from exhaustion.
Cassandra curled in on herself, tugging her arms around her as her knees tucked into her chest. Her head thrusted upward again, wailing without command. She wanted to stop now. For all of the pain and grief to stop before she died from this broken bleeding heart. But she couldn’t control herself anymore. She couldn’t…stop…crying.
April ran to her side, dropping to her knees in front of her friend. She was shouting words that Cass couldn’t hear over the buzzing of her own screams. The commander couldn’t do much more but hold her friend tightly as she continued to sob. Casey’s body was growing too tired to hold itself upright anymore, leaning everything into April.
She heaved, unable to control her breathing until her voice gave out. With no more energy to scream, Casey just sobbed through hiccuping breaths. All the while, April murmured words of sorrowing reassurement. The others rushed up to them. Casey didn’t have the will to fight. Her warrior spirit was gone. The flame flickering out. She let them move her and examine her injuries. She let them carry her back to the ship. She let them hold her in their arms.
“...my girls…”, she croaked.
“...what happened to my babies?...”
.............
...
.
Casey cried for days.
It didn’t even matter the time of day, she couldn’t even tell anymore. She just knew that when she woke up, she’d be groveling in pain until she exhausted herself back to sleep. She couldn’t make herself stop and collect her composure long enough to hold any food down or drink some water.
The only times Casey did get up was to visit the girls’ bedroom. The place was left in a mess. Sheets untucked and tossed about, toys scattered all over the floor, a beaten up pillow spilling out its foam bits from a successful pillow fight match. Casey spent a lot of her time in that room, going from bed to bed.
Photos, drawings, unfinished bucket lists covered the back wall of each bed. Hidden diaries under mattresses Cass wouldn’t dare to open. Favorite story books bookmarked on the last page they had been read on. Secret snack stashes that would surely begin to rot. Jewelry, makeup, and music boxes that brought the girls little joy in the apocalypse.
All these were wasted now. The beds would never be made, toys would never be put away, bucket lists would never be completed, diaries would never be given a new entry, snacks would never be eaten, keepsakes would never be kept close.
And their bodies. There was nothing the team could salvage. They let the clan’s ashes spread through the wind, all Casey could do was cross her fingers and hope the wind would be kind enough to carry them to their families.
Their families. These girls had families. But they were her only family. Sure she had friends, and real good ones too, but they were nothing compared to the love she held for her children.
Casey would be pried out of the room by one of her friends sooner or later. She didn’t fight it anymore.
One day, while Cassandra was alone in her bunkroom soaking her pillow with tears, there was a knock on the door.
“What’s the skinny, chica?”, her best frenemy smiled from the doorway. He kept his voice soft and low. “Is it alright if I come in?”
Casey didn’t respond much more than a puffy-eyed stare. Mikey nodded to himself, closing the door behind him but keeping his distance. For a moment, both of them were quiet. The box turtle’s short coily brown hair started growing sage streaks lately, they glowed shyly in the dimly lit room.
“I know I can’t read your mind. But…I understand how you feel right now.”, he started. “You’re scared, angry, confused…so much had been lost in the blink of an eye. I get that, you know? When…when I lost Raph and Pops…I had to grieve for the both of them at once. That pain…it tore me apart.” He looked up at his friend. “Was that…was that how you felt too?”
Casey continued to stare for a long moment with exhausted eyes. “...like into a million pieces.”, she croaked, her voice gone.
The box turtle nodded sympathetically. “They were your kin. You made the decision, the promise to protect them and look out for them and take care of them.”, he explained. “I made that promise too—”
“And now they’re dead.”, Cass cut in. “You broke that promise. You failed them.”
Mikey stiffened. He gave a soft frown and shook his head. “I was doing my best—”
“ Yeah well your best wasn’t good enough and now they’re all fucking dead because of you!!! ”, Casey snapped.
The ornate box turtle’s eyes brimmed with tears. In a single blink, his tears overflowed down his cheeks. Mikey’s breathing hitched and yet…he still smiled.
“...it’s okay.”, he muttered. “You…you didn’t mean to say that. You’re upset, I understand. I…I-I forgive you, Casey.”
Cass opened her mouth to speak. To apologize, to say something…anything. But she couldn’t find her words. Anger and hatred of herself boiled in her heart. Her tears too began to return.
“...I’ll…give you some space.”, the newly appointed mystic warrior whispered, wiping his tears. He turned around to open the door. “You know where to find me if you want to talk. I’ll always be here for you.”
Mikey left the room quietly, shutting the door behind him and leaving Casey alone. Cassandra flopped back down on her bed, hearing whispers in her own voice mock and ridicule her behavior. What a mess she was.
She cried herself to sleep once more.
Weeks had gone by. They felt like nothing however as Cassandra was still crying day and night. On this day, there was another knock at the door.
“U-Umm…Miss Jones? May I come in?”, Usagi’s voice came from the other side.
“You can call me Casey, rabbit.”, Cass croaked. “Come in.”
Yuichi gingerly opened the door and shut it quietly behind him. The two stare at each other for a long moment, the rabbit feeling awkward and scratching behind his ears. Casey sighed.
“If you got something to say, just spill it. Stop staring at me like some miserable spectacle.”, she snarked.
“Right. Sorry.”, the samurai nodded quickly. “Umm…well, look. I know we’re not close and all but…I know what it’s like to have to look after someone. A child.”
“You’re a parent, too?”, Cass asked, sitting up on her bed.
“A brother.”, Usagi answered. “...She was only 7.”
Cassandra’s expression softened. It was unlikely of the rabbit to open up about his past, especially to some acquaintance. Perhaps there was more to him than Casey thought.
“I was in Neo Edo when the apocalypse stuck. A mystic city underneath Japan. My auntie, little sister, mentor, and friends…we all ran for our lives.”, Usagi explained. “We…couldn’t save everyone. And then, later on…we got picked off too.” He walked closer, sitting down on the floor beside Casey’s bed. “First my mentor got killed trying to protect us all. Then my auntie was too old to continue on in the apocalypse. Then my friends…then Hana…”, his voice croaked. “She was all I had left. And those stupid Kraang zombies came for us. I couldn’t….I couldn’t save her.”
Cass frowned. She felt sympathy for the rabbit. Understanding how scary it was to be responsible for a child’s care.
“...I try not to dwell on it. I tell myself it’s not my fault.”, Yuichi continued. “There were times where I begged to be given a second chance. But second chances like that aren’t given to us. Even if I’m given another little kid to protect, it’s not going to make up for the guilt I still feel. You know?”
Cassandra didn’t answer. She didn’t know how. So instead, she looked away, pondering on that thought. The samurai sighed.
“Sorry, I know it’s probably not my place to say.”, he mumbled. “I-I’ll just go.”
Without another word, Usagi left the room, Casey still pondering on that thought. She knew what the rabbit meant about second chances but…
She would give anything for that chance.
Months had passed, feeling like years. Cass thought she was getting better. She had stopped crying at least. But she was wrong.
After another horrific nightmare of that day she lost her world, Cass woke up in a cold sweat. Unable to ease her mind, she dragged herself out of bed. She grabbed her blanket and her pillow, and silently crept out of the room without waking her roommates.
She headed down the hall to the girls’ bunker, the place that gave her some sense of peace albeit sorrowful. For a second, she thought she saw her daughters fast asleep in their beds. But no one was there at all.
She closed the door and walked down to the middle of the room. Kneeling down, she placed her pillow and blanket on the floor. Then she laid down on the solid concrete, tucking herself in. Discomfort was barely a concern for her right now.
“Goodnight, girls.”, she muttered to the room.
Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes again. And she cried herself to sleep once more.
It had been a year since the Brownie Clan passed. And Cassandra had enough.
One morning, while she washed her face out in the bathroom, she took a long look at herself in the mirror. She was not the woman she once was anymore. Her buzzed hair was growing out. Her eyes were dark and sullen. Her body was thinner. Her muscles had gone slack. She was rotting. She wasted a year rotting in her bed.
She returned a glare at her reflection. “You need to get your shit together.”, she muttered. Her voice raised as she pointed an accusatory finger at the mirror, “You are a warrior, for crying out loud! Nothing is ever going to get done if you’re just lying around and feeling sorry for yourself! There’s no point in crying over something so stupid! They’re dead, it’s done. You need to move on!”
“Stop acting like a child!”, she berated herself. “You are Casey Jones ! You’ve been through worse. You survived worse pain than this. So toughen up and stop whining like a pathetic little kid!”
She glared at herself with a sense of hatred and regret. “You need to prove you are enough. You don’t deserve to mope around all day. Don’t you care what people think of you? You need to get yourself back in shape, soldier. Don’t let these stupid emotions drag you down.”, she scolded. “...You’re not a mom anymore.”
“Be the warrior you need to be.”, Casey concluded.
The warrior straightened her posture, and brightened her sullen expression into the neutral stone cold face of a soldier. She sensed the slightest ignite of a warrior’s spirit inside her, but until it was enough to actually become normal again, she would pretend it was.
She left the bathroom swiftly, raising her head up high.
This was the Casey Jones she was supposed to be.
Months had moved on since Casey was able to get a grip on herself. Emotions aside, there was one last thing she needed to do before putting all of this trouble behind her.
She needed to seal up the room.
Grabbing some bricks, wet mortar, and a spade, she boarded up the door that led to the girls’ bedroom. She tidied up the room beforehand, making the beds, putting the toys away, folding up clothes and sorting the dressing rooms. A neat little living space for the dead.
Brick by brick, the view of her final memories of her daughters were being covered up. It was better this way. Out of sight, out of mind. The Brownie Clan was never given a proper burial anyway, for there was nothing left of them to bury. This would suffice. A memorial of them.
Many people stared at Cassandra as they passed by in the hallway. But Cass didn’t dare to stare back. She kept her face calm and collected, focusing only on slabbing the mortar and bricks on. It didn’t take too long anyways.
Once the door was sealed, Casey finished by plastering the brick wall to blend in with its surroundings. When she was done, her heart skipped a beat when her mind didn’t recognize where the door was for a moment. It made her feel wary. She didn’t want to let go of the memories completely.
Cass pressed her hand against the plaster, sinking it into the mix as it set. She let herself pretend that her girls were on the other side, pressing their hands against the wall. Of course, she was just trying to make herself feel better.
“Goodbye, girls.”
More months had gone by, two years since the girls had passed. The year was 2028.
Cass and the team were aboard the Red Angel again, heading back to the Resistance after a long flight of gathering resources. Materials were being spread thin, forcing the Resistance to search further out for supplies. Everyone was chatting amongst each other on the ride home, Usagi teasing Leo about being shorter than him despite the slider gradually growing taller than the rabbit.
But before they could reach the base, the control system gave out a quiet low alarm. Captain Hamato clicked his teeth.
“There’s something stuck in rotor R1. I can clean it out but we’ll have to land for a while.”, he explained to the crew.
“Hm. You think it’s like…a bird that got stuck?”, Leo asked.
“Nardo, almost all birds went extinct two and a half years ago.”, the softshell rolled his eyes, his left eye now brandishing a robotic red orb. “If anything it’s some Kraang lesions or chipped debris. We did hit that tower not too long ago.”
“Ya mean… you hit that tower, Dee.”, April muttered stalely.
The ship landed within a few minutes, Donnie climbing up the top hatch to see what was going on. Mikey yawned and stretched his arms as he made his way to the back latch.
“I’m gonna stretch my legs for a bit, if anyone wants to join.”, he hummed.
“Be careful. I’m pretty sure Operation 51 is located nearby.”, Usagi warned. “They had another… escape incident not too long ago. There’s probably soldiers around.”
“Eh.”, the box turtle shrugged. “They can kiss my ass. I’m hyperactive right now, I need to walk.”
“I’ll come with.”, April chimes in, walking over to the youngest as the back latch lowered down.
“Same here.”, Leo nodded. “It’s getting a little stuffy in here.”
Casey decided to join too. It was a long flight. Even though they were almost home, she was desperate for some freedom. Of course, the Red Angel was HUGE , but everyone needed more than pacing up and down the same halls to get their steps in. She turned back to the rabbit who still sat in his seat.
“You coming?”, she asked.
“Noooo thank you…”, Usagi drawled, tucking his cloak’s hood over his head and adjusting his mask. The samurai crossed his arms and shook his head. “Though, feel free to grab me a souvenir. Like a…shiny rock. Or...ooo, one of those weird bobble heads from those weed dispensary stores.”
“How about a knuckle sandwich?”, Casey teased as she turned back and followed the others outside.
“Aww, come on, Cass! How am I supposed to indulge in my new American life if I don’t have a tacky souvenir?”, Usagi laughed as Cassandra made her way out.
There wasn’t much out in the wasteland. Just some ruined buildings in the distance that definitely had impact debris that only a droid could do. Cass felt goosebumps on her back as she worried that a droid might have been nearby.
Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sounds of an angry softshell trying to detangle whatever it was that got stuck in the rotor. The turtles and April giggled at his antics before continuing their walk. They didn’t go far, didn’t plan to. Just strolled around the perimeter of the ship just to be safe. By the time they finished lapping around, Donnie climbed down the side of the ship and landed beside the group with a huff.
“Welp, the verdict’s in. It was Kraang lesions and debris.”, he snarked. “I cleared out most of it, the rest should fly off on its own when the rotors are back on.”
“Shouldn’t we clean out everything?”, Leo asked, raising a brow.
“Oh well if you want to spend the next 3 hours searching every nook and cranny of the rotor then be my guest!”
Cass huffed a laugh at the twins’ antics, shaking her head. Suddenly, she heard a sound. A distinct sound. From the distance, Casey heard what was very much the sound of a child. Crying. Her brows furrowed.
“Do you guys hear that?”, she asked, focusing her gaze on the ruins in the distance.
“...Hear what?”, April quizzed, looking around.
“I could’ve sworn I heard someone.”, Casey muttered. “A child.”
Donnie hummed. “Well, my sensors aren’t picking up anything.”
“I know what I heard!”, Cass snarked. The cries wailed out once more. She snapped her head towards the source, “There it is again! Listen!”
One time could be excused. But a second time? There was no way she was imagining things.
However, the group cautiously eyed her with concern and fear. Mikey’s lip quivered as he walked over to his frenemy, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Oh…Casey…”, he started. “Casey, it’s okay. You’re okay—”
“Don’t bullshit me! I’m not making this up!”, Cassandra snapped, pushing back from the box turtle. “Look, I’ll prove to you that I heard something!” She started marching off towards the ruins, ignoring the shouting from behind her. “10 minutes, tops!”
She walked, then faster, then she was sprinting. Within a couple minutes, she reached the ruins. But there was silence. Cold fear trickled down her spine but she kept her head up high. Flipping down the green eyed mask, Casey began scanning the terrain.
“Where are you, little one…?”, she sing-songed to herself. “I know you’re real…please tell me you’re real…”
Soon enough, another wail beckoned out. Much louder this time. It sounded strained and worn as if the poor thing had been crying for days. Casey whipped her head towards the sound with wide eyes, the mask sensing the source coming from a grimy dumpster in an empty alley. The warrior approached the dumpster, prying the door open.
And she was shocked by what she had found.
A dirty, sick, abandoned baby. Probably no more than a few months old. Their wails were so distraught and overused, Casey had easily mistaken them for a much older child. She lifted her mask up, eyeing the baby more carefully before scooping them up, cooing and cradling them in her embrace. The baby’s wailing quieted down a bit, looking up at this stranger before them as Casey wrapped her dark red scarf around them. She smiled, bouncing the baby side to side.
“Hello, tiny human. What were you doing in the trash?”, Casey cooed. “Did someone leave you? No…that would be awful…maybe they were trying to hide you from the Kraang? Or maybe…” She frowned. “Maybe they couldn’t handle the responsibility of raising a child in the middle of the apocalypse.”
Casey anxiously glanced around to see if other people or Kraang were nearby, still bouncing the baby. The group was calling to her in the distance. She sighed.
“No matter. There’s no challenge that the great Casey Jones can’t handle!”, Cass flashed a determined grit. She turned back to the baby. “And you shall be Casey Jones Junior. My partner in crime. I will raise you to be the most extraordinary, most bravest, most heroic warrior that the world has ever seen!”
The baby stared at her dumbfounded. But then Casey tickled them, getting out Casey Jr’s first ever giggle. And just as quickly, pain was written all over the infant’s face. Junior began to cry again. Casey’s face dropped, hushing the child.
“Oh you poor thing! Don’t worry, hush now. Mama is here.”, his mother cooed. “Come on, you must be starving. We shall have a great feast for our new little warrior!”
Casey Sr cheered victoriously, marching off with her son in her arms.
Her life being turned right around.
Casey Jr sits in his room, shaking as tears trickle down onto the mask.
With a quick swipe of his hand, he flickers out the holographic screen and sets the green eyed mask down beside him. The teen buries his head in his gloved hands, unsure what to feel. On one hand, he feels sorrow and pity for his mom. On the other hand, he feels like he is finally understanding her for the first time.
Casey starts to pick up more bits and pieces from his past. The handprint on the stone wall in the hallway near his room. The way his mother was always constantly paranoid about Kraang droids. How every little tip she gave him, every tactic she trained him, played out as crucial parts in his survival time and time again. His mother wanted a warrior, not to protect the Resistance, but to protect himself.
Everything she did, she did for him. Even if it led to her death.
Casey begins to hiccup on his sobs as he remembers the words, the words she described herself. How his mother viewed herself. Junior has only heard small stories of her past with the Foot Clan, enough to know they didn’t treat her right in her youth, but it all made sense. She never saw herself the way others view her as a strong formidable warrior.
And now…that same person is alive in this timeline. Does she view herself the same way?
“So…I did good?”
“Are you kidding me? Of course!”, Casey says. He scoots closer, softening his tone. “And hey, if anything, you’re a great mom now too.”
Cass tries to suppress the quiver in her lip but Casey notices. She grins anyways and wraps her arm around Casey’s neck and noogies his hair.
“Ha! Getting all sappy on me, aren’t ya?”, she snarks.
That’s right, she is hesitant. She hides it well but Casey notices.
Drying off his tears, Casey takes a breath and reaches for his phone. He smiles a little at the lock screen, an image of him and his mom smiling with ice cream smeared on their faces. He scrolls through his contacts of the Hamatos and O’Neils, finding his mom’s in the mix. He dials the number, letting the phone ring.
.
.
.
“Musta?”
“...Hey, mama.”, Casey smiles, grazing his fingers across the gem necklace.
“Casey baby! It’s only been…what…8 hours since you’ve last seen me? Aww, did you miss me that much?” , his mom cooed from the other line.
Casey laughs softly, his voice still a bit croaked. He wipes another tear that pearls in his eye.
“Now talk to me, what’s going on? Is this a jail call? Do I need to bust you out?”
“What? No! No, I’m not…wait, why would you even think I got arrested???”
“I dunno. You’re my kid after all.” , Cass teases. “But seriously, what’s up?”
Casey takes another breath, collecting his composure. “It’s…i-it’s nothing. It’s just…”
“I love you.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: Major character deaths, children deaths, a lot of fucking deaths, blood and gore, negative self-thoughts, gays--
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Hmm yesss your sorrows fuel me >=)Taking a break from updating for 3 weeks due to a slight scheduling miscalculation! We'll return on October 14th!
Not that the next chapter is very interesting tho...just a teen getting some much needed therapy and almost blowing up the therapist's office. =/
I AM ON TUMBLR BTW!!! When GEM is completed, I'll be starting a ROTTMNT comic called Feral Casey AU (FCAU) on Tumblr so please feel free to follow me on there and give the concept art the spotlight it needs to get the algorithm going. =) /nf
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 29: Untreated
Summary:
“So your life just suddenly took a huge drastic change in a new place, new social enviornment, new family in almost the blink of an eye and all of that has been incredibly overwhelming?”
“Yes! Exactly!”, the teen shouts, throwing his arms out in front of him. FINALLY! SOMEONE FUCKING GETS IT! The kid quickly collects his composure and brings his hands back down to his lap. “S-Sorry.”
Notes:
WOOHOOO I'M BACK BABYYYY!!!! Who's ready for A THERAPY CHAPTER--
I deadass almost forgot to post this cuz I'm rewatching TLOU HBO Series rn (for obvious reasons). I have a notebook at the ready, taking notes for GEM like how school is useless in the apocalypse and Casey may not be so enthusiastic when we get to the school chapter. =)
So uhhh...enjoy therapy. dsjgnadjkglh
Disclaimers in the end notes.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Have fun getting therapized! :))”
Casey huffs a laugh through his nostrils as he looks at the text message Leo sent him. A couple more weeks has gone by since Casey has taken a look into his mother’s worldview in the green eyed mask. Making it over 4 weeks since the invasion and Casey’s arrival.
And today, Carol is taking him to see a doctor. But a different kind of doctor. A therapist. She explained a few days ago how therapy might help Casey figure things out about his past and identity crisis. It’s funny, when she explained how it works, Casey kept thinking about all those talks with Master Michelangelo in the quiet room.
Casey and Carol make their way up an elevator in one of the many skyscrapers in New York city. They reach a floor that’s divided into several large office spaces. One door leads them to the supposed therapy office where Carol checks Casey in and they find a seat to wait in the waiting room. Junior starts to feel nervous again, the last doctor experience was not pretty. He hunches forward a bit, fidgeting his gloved fingers with the emerald gem necklace around his neck. Casey becomes distracted by his thoughts as his bright sparky green phone buzzes again.
“Btw if ya need me to bail you out just say the world and i’ll portal out ;)” , Leo texts again.
“Why would I need that?” , Casey replies.
“Trust me you will”
Another notification pops up, this time a message from Mikey.
“Oh Juniorrrrr~ Please stop texting Leo during his precious session time with Doctor Feelings~”
Another message from Leo. “oh GOD CASEY SAVE ME--”
Casey’s attention is soon abrupt by someone calling his name in the distance.
“Casey Jones?”, a man asked. He seems to be around his mid 40s with pale skin, medium length dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, wearing box rimmed glasses. His full beard adds a soft “teddy bear” personality to his smile as the man comfortably sports a blue hoodie and baggy gray jeans.
Casey puts his phone away and stands up from where he and Carol are sitting. The man notices and approaches them, holding out a hand for a handshake to Casey.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Dr. Zayton Honeycutt.”, the man greets with a warm smile. He has an accent to his voice, British, Casey believes. He then turns to Carol, “And you must be…”
“Carol.”, the doctor answers with a smile of her own, extending her arm to shake Dr. Honeycutt’s hand.
“Ah, right. Carol. We spoke briefly over the phone.”, the therapist nods, shaking her hand enthusiastically. He stands up straight and turns back to Casey. “Shall we get going then?”
“Uh, okay.”, the teen nods, albeit a bit hesitant.
Casey follows Dr. Honeycutt down the hall into another smaller room. There’s a dark oak desk in the back yet a navy blue sofa chair sits in front of it with a gray couch across from the chair with a low white coffee table in the middle. There’s a few bookshelves surrounding the room with a little glowing lavender-colored humidifier sitting on one of the shelves. And the entire right wall is a large window overviewing the whole city, with thin white sheer curtains framing either side of the window. The therapist motions the teen to the couch as he shuts the door.
“Have a seat, Casey.”, he says kindly.
Casey does, sitting down in the center of the couch and setting his lime green pouch bag beside him. The room is quiet enough for him to take off his loop earplugs and tuck them in his pocket. Yet the teen still feels wary being in a strange place with a stranger. Dr. Honeycutt sits in the sofa chair across from him as Casey's phone buzzes again.
“Oh, sorry.”, the teen mutters, glancing at his phone to see a swarm of pleading messages from Leo and menacing messages from Mikey. He huffs another laugh as he sets his phone on silent and places it back in his pocket. “It’s just…my brothers.” Brothers? Can I call them brothers now?”
“Ah, I see. Brothers can be like that.”, the doctor chuckles. “How are you feeling today?”
Casey shrugs, holding his arms around him. “I’m alright.”
The feeling of the situation is all too familiar, Casey having enough sessions with Master Michelangelo’s “Dr. Feelings” to get a sense on how this is going to go down. Right on cue, Dr. Honeycutt gives a patient smile, the same one Casey would often see the old box turtle use.
“That’s good, glad to hear it.”, he says, picking up a clipboard that was set on the table. “Before we dive in, I want to reiterate how this patient-doctor policy goes. It’s all just formality.”, he shrugs off. “Everything that you say to me is strictly confidential and by no means am I entitled to say anything to your mother, Carol—”
“Guardian.”, Casey corrects.
“—Guardian, of course, my apologies. I don’t have to tell her anything other than simple progress reports on how you are doing. The only thing I will give away to her is if you’re in danger of yourself or others, that’s just legal protocol. Other than that, what is said in this room, stays in this room.”, the therapist explains. “Does that all make sense? Any questions on that?”
Casey nods. “Yeah, I think I get it.”
“Good, so how about we start our first session with getting to know each other? Unless there’s something else you want to talk about.”
“Umm…”, the teen hums, glancing at the floor. “What is it that you want to know about me?”
Dr. Honeycutt huffs a light laugh. “Well, it’s my job to get to know you . How about you ask some questions about me?”
“Okay, umm…”, Casey pauses. He is not the best at small talk. What is normal small talk even like in this timeline other than asking ‘Hey, what was your first kill like?’ “Uhh…I dunno what to ask.”
“Oh that’s quite alright.”, the therapist wavers a hand. “How about this…well, my name is Dr. Zayton Honeycutt, as you know. But I am known as Prof. Zayton Honeycutt at the university near here, where I teach young minds about psychology. I have a very wonderful family, though it’s small. My beautiful wife, Marra, and our son, Ely, who will be starting middle-school at the end of this month of August. Should be a very riveting experience for him.”, he explains. “Now for you. Do you have any family? I know you’ve mentioned your brothers earlier.”
“Umm…yeah, I—”, Casey stops himself, fear sinking in his stomach. Don’t use familial titles , a voice in his mind threatens, you know what happened last time you slipped up . His eyes finally meet Dr. Honeycutt as his posture tenses. “...everything that I say to you is confidential, right?”
“Yes, absolutely.”, the doctor nods reassuringly.
“You’re…you’re not gonna rat me out to anyone?”
“My lips are sealed.”, Dr. Honeycutt responds, pressing his index finger and thumb across his lips.
“W-What if…what if someone breaks in and…I dunno…try to steal your clipboard?”, the teen mumbles, hiking his shoulders and tensing his arms around his torso even more.
“All of my clients’ files are safely stashed away in this safe behind my desk.”, the therapist explains calmly. “If anyone tries to get them, they’re going to have to get through me.”, he teases, holding up his fists in a battle stance.
Junior snickers a bit as the doctor lightly punches the air. Dr. Honeycutt smiles.
“What? You think I’m too old to fight?”, he smirks.
Casey lets out another laugh before his demeanor drops. “...So…you’re sure we’re okay?”
The doctor folds his hands in his lap and leans in. “Yes. Your secrets are safe with me. I promise.”, he reassures.
Casey leans back in the couch a little, sighing through his nose. His throat threatens to close up but the words still spill out his tongue. “...Yes, I have family. Well… had . Back…uhh…in Byzaria.”
“What were they like?”, Dr. Honeycutt asks.
“Uhm…”, Casey rethinks the alibi in his mind, trying to convey the truth in the most unskeptical way possible. “Well, my biological parents left Byzaria when I was 5 months old. They were killed in the Garoña explosion.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be.”, the teen shrugs and smirks a bit. “I hardly knew them and they never knew me. Sometimes I think they left me behind because I was just extra luggage weight to them, slowing them down.” Shit, why did I say that out loud?! This guy barely knows me!
“Ah, I see. Who needs them then, hm?”, the doctor smiles and shrugs.
Casey meets the therapist’s eyes for a moment. “Yeah…”, he nods. He then turns back to his thinking. “Then there was my mama. She took me in and raised me as her own. But when I was 6, she…left too. Not on purpose, though. Uhh…she escaped here to the US but I wasn’t able to go with her until now.”
Dr. Honeycutt slowly nods in understanding. “And who took care of you when your mother wasn’t around?”
“That’d be the others. My uncles and aunts.”, Casey hums. “There…there were the brothers, Uncle Tello, Uncle Angelo, and Tío who married Oji. Then my aunts were together, Auntie and Anakē. And there was also Grammy, Granny, Grandpa, and…my cousin Shelldon.”
“Sounds like your mom has a lot of siblings.”
“Oh no, we weren’t related. None of us were. Well…except my three uncles.”, Casey answers quickly, meeting the therapist’s gaze again. “I just…we just called each other that. Same with my…siblings now, except my brothers who are related to each other. We’re not… family , we just…call ourselves that? Sorry, it’s weird.”
“No, not at all.”, the doctor smiles. “I’m glad you have such a strong relationship with these people, you’re able to build a family off of compassion rather than bloodlines.”
“Huh…”, Casey ponders. “I…guess so.”
“And this family in Byzaria, they took care of you while your mom was out?”
The teen nods. “Yeah. Especially my uncles. They were all so busy already. Tío was the leader of…the survival base we were held up in. Uncle Tello was our captain, head scientist, head surgeon, leading botanist, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Uncle Angelo was the ambassador and consultant who also led a mys—er...a special ops team. And then Oji became a busho after…uhm…yeah. Oh and Auntie was our commander.”
“Wow, that all sounds impressive.”, Dr. Honeycutt smiles.
“Oh yeah!”, Casey beams. “You should’ve seen them on the battlefield! Tío was incredible with skills of his own that could’ve been played off as magic! And when he and Oji were together, man, they were unstoppable! And Uncle Tello could administer and launch weaponry like no other! Uncle Angelo was amazing with all his powers! And Auntie was so cool, she was not someone you would wanna mess with!”
The therapist laughs softly. “Sounds like you’re very proud of them.”
Casey pauses, noticing how his body has relaxed a bit and how his hands wildly gestured around him as he ranted. He tones down his smile and brings his hands to his lap. “Uhh…yeah. I was.”, he nods.
Dr. Honeycutt hums. “You keep using past tense when speaking of your family from Byzaria. Can I ask why is that? Did…something happen to them?”
Casey pauses again. This time, it feels like his throat closed up for good, sealing his lips. He looks down at the floor at the side of the coffee table, unsure how to respond. A lot of things happened to them, to us…I just…
“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to say.”, Dr. Honeycutt says in lieu of Casey’s response, leaning his elbows on his knees. “Yes, a part of my job is allowing you to be comfortable enough to open up but we’re only in our first session. You’re in control here, we go at your pace.”
Casey thinks on it, no longer in the mood for talking at all. He feels much more comfortable staying silent now. He nods, letting the doctor know he heard him.
“How about…your family here?”, the therapist attempts in redirection. “You said your mom is here now? And Carol is your guardian?”
“Uhm…”, Casey drawls, recollecting his thoughts. “Y-Yeah. Yeah, my mama is here. And while she’s my actual mom, Carol and her husband Kirby are my guardians.”
“And how come your mom is not taking care of you?”, Dr. Honeycutt asks but not unkindly.
“Uhh…” How the fuck do I explain that my mom is literally two years older than me?? “She’s just really busy. She owns her own company and all.” Hopefully that answer will suffice.
“Ah, I see. Have you been able to see her? Are you two close?”
“Yeah! …No. Sorta??”, Casey answers, unsure. “We’ve been hanging out together a lot but…there’s this weird…gap of disconnection. We get along great and have so much in common, it’s just…it’s like I’m meeting someone new rather than reconnecting.”
“I can understand that.”, the doctor nods. “You haven’t seen her in 10 years, yeah? It must be such a change.”
Casey scoffs a laugh. “Everything here is a change.”
“How so?”, Dr. Honeycutt tilts his head.
Casey’s shoulders drop but still tense. He forgets for a second that his every demeanor is being judged. He remembers how his Michelangelo would not let it slide.
“Umm…”, the teen hums, averting his gaze. “I-I mean…you…you know about Byzaria, right?”
“Yes, I do. It’s all the media talks about but recently I’ve been indulging in my own personal research.”, Dr. Honeycutt nods.
Huh, what a niche way to say you’re tryna stalk information on me , the thought from Casey’s soldier mindset tips in. Junior chews his lip to stop himself from sneering at the man. “Well…yeah, so…basically you know that I grew up in that war. Here, there is no war. And everything is…so…chill?”
“And I take it you never knew life before the Byzarian War, correct? The war has been going on for 22 years but I remember Carol saying you just turned 16.”, the doctor quizzes.
“Yeah.”, Casey nods. “The war was all I’ve ever known.”
“So, you don’t know what a normal lifestyle is?”
“...Yeah!”, Casey exclaims with a bit more energy than he intended.
“So your life just suddenly took a huge drastic change in a new place, new social enviornment, new family in almost the blink of an eye and all of that has been incredibly overwhelming?”
“Yes! Exactly!”, the teen shouts, throwing his arms out in front of him. FINALLY! SOMEONE FUCKING GETS IT! The kid quickly collects his composure and brings his hands back down to his lap. “S-Sorry.”
“No, no. This is great. We’re finally getting somewhere.”, the therapist assures with a smile and a nod. “I can see that this has been stressful for you, yeah?”
Casey sighs and looks away again. “It’s just that…growing up, everyone at the survival base has been constantly telling me about how I’ll get to see what a normal life is like one day. They treat my existence as if it was wrong or unacceptable. And sure maybe it is, but it’s all I got.”, he rambles.
The kid sighs. “And yet, they still go out of their way to tell me I’m in the wrong. They put their lives on the line to end this war. People have died for this war! People I knew! My family…they risked everything to get me here. Everything ! Even their own lives. They all died trying to protect me and now I’m stuck here in a completely different world and they’re not even with me!”
The teen’s voice begins to wobble as he feels the stinging behind his eyes. “And I don’t mean to be ungrateful. They sent me here for a reason and now I can’t even fucking fulfill any of their wishes! I can’t tell what they want from me anymore! And I’ll never get to know because they’re all dead! Every last one of them is gone! They raised me to be a soldier but now I’m just a soldier with no general to bark commands at me! I need someone to tell me what I need to do here because I sure as hell don’t have any fucking clue! Just what the fuck am I doing here!?”
It is then, Casey is reminded of where he is, and who he is sitting across from. He feels like shit for saying all of that and he didn’t even mean to do it. The teen meets Dr. Honeycutt’s calm and neutral gaze again, feeling vulnerable and afraid of all the things he told him. There is no way around taking back his words. And so the kid admits defeat, burying his eyes in his palms to press back the tears. His gem necklace shifts and dangles in his curled position.
“...Sounds like you have a lot of expectations weighing on your shoulders, Casey.”, the therapist hums sympathetically. “Your family had done so much for you and I bet you feel like you have to owe it up to them, yeah?”
“...If I don’t, all of their efforts would’ve gone to waste.”, Casey mumbles, his face still covered in his hands.
“What is it do you think they expect from you? Success? Happiness?”
“I don’t know anymore.”
“Well…if you want to know how I see it…They’re your family. Built out of the relationships you made and not from relatives. So if they do truly love you, and I know they do, then surely the thing they wanted most was to give you a chance at a peaceful life. Where you can be safe and happy. Sure, it’s not what you’re used to and it will never be normal to you. But I’m sure their actions were out of kindness and support.”, Dr. Honeycutt explains in a soft tone. “But, Casey, that was their dream. Now it’s up to you to decide what it is that you want and what makes you happy.”
Casey pulls his head back up, folding his arms around his sides again. “Sure but…I was already happy. I’d give anything to be sent back in…back to Byzaria if it meant I could still be with them.”
“And this family you’re with now, your mom, guardians, and siblings, are they aware how much this affects you? Do they help you in any way?”
“I-I mean…sure? To be honest, they’re the closest I got to anyone that’ll understand any of this.”, Casey smiles pathetically, unsure how to drive away this shitty feeling to feel anything but this.
Casey stares at the floor again, thinking about the others. How close they’ve gotten over the past few weeks. How close Casey was to losing his family all over again. How close the Kraang were to taking away everyone he loved and destroying his world for a second time. Suddenly, Junior’s airways feel constricted as if someone sucked all the oxygen out of the room. No…No! He can’t think about that. The Kraang are gone . It’s over . He got out. Everyone got out. Everyone except his real family that is. A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. In his apocalypse, the aliens have taken away so many lives, and the humans and yokai who fought against them were just as cruel. The Kraang worked together while humanity tore each other apart. Perhaps that’s why the Kraang won—
PFOOM!
The teen sucks in a startled breath at the loud noise as he looks over towards the source. The humidifier on the bookshelf seems to have erupted in a huge cloud of mist, the fog filling the shelf and spilling onto the floor. A large crack has formed on the small machine as well. Dr. Honeycutt jolts and whips his head around to the scene as well. He glances back at Casey for a moment before getting up and walking over to the bookshelf.
“Sorry about that, I guess our humidifier friend here has decided to be rude and disrupt our moment.”, the therapist sighs.
The doctor goes to turn the dial but immediately retracts his hand the second his fingertips grazes the machine. Dr. Honeycutt winces.
“Ow, this thing feels like it’s on fire. Must be overheated.”, he mutters.
Suddenly, another plume of humidity puffs out of the humidifier. But this time, the cloud lunges in Casey’s direction as if by some mysterious wind with a mind of its own. The teen leans away from the cloud as it approaches, swatting it away with his hand. The therapist sighs and steps over to the wall to look for the outlet to unplug the machine. But the second he does, the outlet lets out a crackling electric zap that barely misses the doctor as he drops the cord and throws his hands up defensively. Soon, the humidifier dies down and deactivates, allowing Dr. Honeycutt to return to his seat.
“Sorry about that.”, he repeats. “I have no idea why that happened. It’s relatively new so…maybe it’s a defective model.”
Casey merely gives a hum in response, folding his arms back in their place around him. The doctor turns to the teen, glancing down at a digital clock on the coffee table for a quick moment.
“Tell you what…I think this was a great first session. We’ve managed to get the ball rolling and we have a great starting point to focus on. However, we got 10 minutes left of this session so…how about I show you some coping skills you can try out on your own until we meet again next week?”, Dr. Honeycutt suggests.
The kid sniffles, wiping his eyes with his gloves. After taking a moment to collect himself and do a couple shaky breaths, he nods.
For the last 10 minutes, Dr. Honeycutt coaches Casey through some grounding methods for him to try. Counting off things he sees and hears and feels. When the session is over, they get up and shake hands before Casey gathers his things, puts his loop earplugs back in, and heads back out into the waiting area where Carol greets him. She stands up with her purse over her shoulder and smiles at him.
“How was it, baby?”, she asks.
“It was good.”, Casey smiles back. He is not going to admit how he practically had a breakdown in front of a random stranger. That doctor is really good at his job.
“Wonderful. You…weren’t on your phone during it, right?”, his guardian asks skeptically as the two make their way out of the office and to the elevator.
“Uhh, no? Why?”, Casey raises a brow as they walk.
“Hm, Michelangelo texted me and asked me to make sure you weren’t distracting Leonardo.”, she says. “Sounds like the two of them are in a brotherly quarrel.”
Casey chuckles, taking his phone out of his pocket. “Uhh, yeah, I think I remember that.”
Looking at the spam of notifications, Casey takes a glimpse at the latest message.
“In my final hours of angsting…Casey, I bestow upon to you my greatest treasure, my Jupiter Jim comics. Remember me dearly as my phone is whisked away from my grasp. - Hamato Leonardo Splinterson”
Casey huffs a laugh, shaking his head at Leo’s antics. He and Carol enter the elevator, making their way back down and into the parking lot to get to the car. The session leaves Casey feeling…lighter? But heavier at the same time. He knows these things take time, he’s heard thousands of lectures from the Resistance’s consultant. But this is the first time his feelings weren’t casted away the second an emergency alarm went off or something needed attention. It was hard to get a peaceful moment in the apocalypse. It’s hard to get used to peaceful moments in this timeline too. But he’ll adjust.
…He has to.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Trauma...that's basically it. It's therapy--
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A new character has entered the ring!! Although, we'll probably only see Dr. Honeycutt like one or two more times. These "therapy chapters" are more of a refresher for you guys to understand Casey's trauma and the apocalypse and how he will grow from that as we reach the end of the story in a few months.And for the next chapter...well...lemme ask you this...do you want to meet some ghosts?
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CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR!!! I DROPPED SOME EXCLUSIVE LORE FOR USAGI!!
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 30: Byproduct of Empyrean
Summary:
The room still roars in chaos. Water still floods in from the rain, fire fills the air with smoke, lightning crackles away at anything in its sight, the walls begin to tear down, and the wind swirls in a frenzy. And Casey…can’t do anything. He feels the power coming from him yet he feels powerless to stop it. He hears the sirens blare and wail. Hears helicopters flying overhead to extinguish whatever fire has erupted in the forest. And yet all he can do is scream.
Notes:
GHOST TIME, BITCHES!!! WOOOOOOOOO!!! I literally got nothing to say except YOU READY FOR SOME FUCKING GHOSTS?!?!
Also MAJOR NOTE: It has come to my attention that Green Eyed Mask has become somewhat topical due to recent events with the colonization of Palestine and especially the Gaza genocide. Remember, you are reading a story about a boy who grew up in a desecrated war zone with very limited resources and who is thoroughly convinced that he will never grow up and may not make it to tomorrow, day after day. If you, the reader, are affected from what's happening out there and it's taking a huge toll on your mental health, please be wary if you want to continue reading.
Stay informed and stay safe. <3
Disclaimers in the end notes.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
…
Something strange is going on.
Something strange has always been going on. But this…there is no explanation for it.
It all started…actually…Casey doesn’t know how it started. But he does know that he noticed these…strange things happening around him. Ever since his arrival here in the new timeline.
For instance, at dinner with the turtles where Donnie is reluctant to show up, insisting he is busy on his latest project.
KABOOM!
An explosion erupts from Donnie’s lab. The group glances at each other for a moment before immediately getting up from the dining table and hurrying over to the lab. As soon as they turn the corner, the softshell slams his doors open and coughs a fit as smoke plums from the room. He snags a small fire extinguisher from his battle shell and begins to extinguish the electrical fire that ignited on his servers. Luckily, the smoke goes out quickly. However, Donnie’s server circuits are fried.
“Gah!”, Donnie exasperates. “Damn electrical current just blew out of proportion without warning!”
“Language.”, Raph spat. “What on earth happened, Don?”
“I’m asking the same exact question, Ael.”, the softshell huffs as he brings his goggles down to scan the damage. “I was busy typing away at code on my computer when suddenly the server monitors began to overload at an alarming rate. Next thing I know… this !”, he waves wildly at the machine. “Now I have to spend the next 4 hours repairing the fucking bitch!”
“Language!”, Raph shouts.
“Sounds like Dee is just hangry.”, Mikey grins, waltzing up to his purple clad brother, who is still grinding his teeth in fury, and reaches behind to rub the softshell’s shoulders. “How about we all take a break and eat some dinner?”
Donnie inhales sharply before huffing a sigh. “ Fine .”, he hisses. “It’s like the electricity is forcing me not to work.”
Of course…this isn’t the only instance. There’s been more.
“Hey, which one of you guys spilled water like… all over the floor of my room? ”, Leo pipes in, sticking his head into the TV room.
“Uhh, wasn’ us, Leo. S’rry.”, Raph shrugs.
“Just drink it off the floor, you dehydrated dumb-dumb.”, Donnie mutters.
The slider scoffs. “Well someone did. This is by far the worst prank yet, whoever did it almost ruined my comics! Almost …somehow the water perfectly avoided it.”
Casey’s brows furrow. “...I don’t think water is supposed to do that.”
“Exactly!”, Leo exclaims. “One of you guys pranked me!”
It just…keeps happening.
“My brownie stand!!”, Cass exclaims. “Is there a hurricane coming through?! How did the wind topple it all over?!”
“All I know is that these pigeons are getting a brownie feast.”, Sunita shrugs, trying her best to gather up the boxes that had tumbled down.
Mama sighs exasperatedly. “Guess we’ll need reinforcements. Mini me, get the extra sandbags from the van!”
Again.
“...Mikey. That is burnt.”, Raph mutters, staring down at the burnt clump on the frying pan Mikey is cooking with.
“I didn’t mean to! The gas fire just exploded for no reason!”, the youngest turtle whines, his face covered in ash.
“I’ll still eat it.”, Casey suggests, raising a hand. “Can’t be that burnt.”
“Ew…you’re gonna puke it up again, I know it.”, Leo drawls. “I so gotta record that—”
And again.
“GAH!”, the snapper yelps with a resounding thud.
Casey whips his head around to see Raph on the ground after he seemed to trip over a large crack that formed in the concrete.
“What the?! Since when did that happen?”, Raph exclaims as he stands back up.
“Maybe…the ground gave up?”, Casey shrugs.
“Well the ground needs to get its act together! Raph’s walkin’ ‘ere!”
And it wasn’t leaving him alone.
It’s been 6 weeks now since the invasion. Around mid-September 2022. Casey finds himself staring at the ceiling in his room, his thoughts keeping him wide wide awake.
Dr. Honeycutt had prescribed Casey some medication to help him chill out and get some sleep as the cherry on top of his already obvious C-PTSD diagnosis. And even though the teen already took his sleep meds a while ago…he just can’t sleep.
His mind is instead swarming with thoughts. Thoughts about this timeline. Thoughts about his timeline. Despite everything that has changed, Casey’s thoughts have continued to be persistent on death. It’s no surprise. He did try to end his own life already. But whatever stopped him, frustrated him even more. What’s more frustrating is, the whole reason he wants to die is to be with his family again. His real family. No hate to the others, of course. They’re amazing. But his family, the one that has really known him his whole entire life, is in the afterlife.
But not this one. So it doesn’t even matter if he tries to kill himself again. He’ll just be stuck in a different afterlife for the rest of eternity. Alone. Maybe…I deserve that.
He feels something boiling inside of him just underneath his skin. Out of frustration, the kid yanks his pillow from underneath his head and smothers it in his face, letting out a deep seated scream. His thoughts also keep swarming these strange abnormal behaviors. He always tries to play it off as some sort of reasoning. These must just all be big coincidences. There’s no way he’s losing his mind now . Maybe later of course, he could schedule that for his 30s. But not now.
Just as the teen is ready to chuck his pillow across his room, an itch for a fight to cool his jets, suddenly something strange happens AGAIN . A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. As he throws his pillow, the window slams open and a large gust of wind shoves the pillow against the wall with way too much force. Casey, though shocked of course, winces as he prays that the O’Neils are not woken up from that noise.
He springs out of bed in fury, ready to slam the window shut twice as hard. But something halts him. A voice. And not his own.
“Casey baby!”
Junior freezes in his tracks. He spins around his room wondering if maybe his mama called him on the phone in the middle of the night? No, that wouldn’t make sense because Casey would have to answer the phone first before his mother could respond. So…what—
“Hey kid!”
Another voice. Ooookayy......I have officially lost it. The teen lets out a nervous chuckle, too unhinged for his tone, as he crouches onto the floor. Yyyep. This is it. I have completely lost my mind. Fuck it! Maybe this whole timeline has been in my head this entire time too! Why not?!?
“Casey Junior!”
This is…this is just a dream. Mhm. A whole big hallucination. Casey nods to himself. Hell, I bet if I just head back to base, I’ll see that everything is completely fine. The teen scrambles up to a stand. He’s already wearing a gray shirt and dark jeans with his emerald gem necklace since his insomnia has said not to bother with even trying to get in pajamas. And so, he tosses on a black leather jacket, some black sneakers, and his bright green prosthetic, the wires of it dimly glowing a pale green in the night.
He clambers out the window, rolling up the sleeves of his jacket to his elbows and shooting out his grappling hook to climb uptop the nearest roof. The teen begins sprinting across the rooftops just as he practiced many times before. Just gotta get back to base where everyone is home and safe , he attempts to reassure himself through his borderline blind panic.
It is then, as Casey is now far from the apartment, that he realizes his chainsaw staff isn’t with him. Neither are the earplugs, as the sounds of cars and sirens rack his eardrums. Or even his green eyed mask which has the literal directions back to base!
But he can’t turn back now. He can’t look back. Something is after him and itiscreepingintohismind —
“Slow down, big man!” Yet another voice beckons.
Casey picks up the pace.
This world may be different but Casey knew the landmarks like the back of his hand. He sees the tall copper statue in the distance, all too distinguishable. His home is just…a few miles south of it. He has to make it, he has to. His breathing starts to become unsteady but he can’t let his panic take over. He needs to run.
He reaches the shores, noticing how much ocean there is. Luckily, there’s a large ferry in the near distance. His grappling hook can reach that. He stretches his grappling hook out at it, flying across the water as he zips to the ferry boat and lands on its roof. But the vessel isn’t fast enough. He needs to get away. Good thing the bridge is close enough. He zips up to the towers of the bridge and begins swinging across the Hudson with his grappling hook. Once back to solid land, he zips to the rooftops and continues his escape for home.
“Hey, take it easy, chico!”
He has to get out of there. He needs to get out of there now !
Soon, forestry enters the horizon. Yes! He doesn’t even need his mask to get home. He zips closer and closer to the forest until he can feel the branches give in to his grappling hook. He tumbles to the dirt ground, the soil all too familiar. There may be more life to this forest, but he knows it all too well.
The cave is not too far from here.
His lungs are threatening to give in but Casey won’t let them. He is almost there. I’ll show up, everyone will be there, and everything is going to be okay. It’s all going to be —
…where’s all of Donnie’s security measures?
He should be tripping alarms by now. No matter. He needs to get back now . He continues sprinting until he spots the wide open mouth of the cave but…
The lights are out. The hangar entrance is nowhere to be seen. It’s just a simple cave. A simple cave surrounded by an overgrown forest that Casey definitely doesn’t remember. I-It’s nothing…it’s all just in my head.
He races inside, ready to shout for help but…the cave is empty.
It’s all…just nothing.
Hell, the hallways are gone, spare a few tunnels that are already a part of the cave’s interior. There are no people. No crates. No battleships. It’s just him. In a lonely cave. Home to no one at all.
His next breath wheezes out of him. This…this can’t be right! Something’s wrongwrongwrong wrong —
A light. Moonlight. From one of the tunnels. Casey follows it, heading down the familiar hallway. He knows this room. The willow tree room. Except this time, there is no large tree seeping away at any glimpse of sunlight it could get from the cloudy red skies above. Instead…the moonlight and stars twinkle into the cave from the hole above it.
And instead of a tree…
There’s a sapling.
Thriving in the lush cavern thanks to the long winding roots in its ecosystem outside the cave’s walls. A stubborn, powerful, ambitious lifeform willing to live through these impossible conditions. A young soul holding onto the slightest bit of hope from the sunlight and moonlight above for its survival. Unknowing of the dangers that lurk beyond in the surface world. The catastrophes, the wars, the bloodshed. It never grew up and gave its life to feed the people who invaded its home. It never became a climbing toy for a child who wanted to hide away from this world. It never became a resting spot to bear bad news about the death of a loved one.
It is nothing more than a simple sapling.
Casey feels the pricks of tears from the corner of his eyes as he registers that his home is gone. Of course, it’s gone. He knows this already. So…why? Why was he just so convinced he could simply return to it? Why was he just so convinced that his family is—
“Casey baby?”
There it is again! That voice! Casey’s breathing hitches as he spins around wildly, trying to find the source. But no one is there. His fear is soon pushed down, overridden with anger.
“WHO’S THERE?!”, he shouts. “YOU BETTER NOT BE FUCKING WITH ME, I’M WARNING YOU!”
Suddenly, a mutter of voices overlap each other in Casey’s head.
“Who’s there?”
“Is someone here?”
“He’s not alone.”
“Is there an enemy?”
“Is Casey being followed?”
The kid’s entire being shudders, turning round and round as if he’ll find the source of all this commotion. His fists tightens, trying to stop himself from shaking so much. The itch for a fight grows stronger.
“STOP HIDING FROM ME! I’M NOT AFRAID TO FIGHT YOU!”, he dares.
Again, the voices overlap. More rushed and fearful.
“Fight?”
“Is the kid fighting someone?”
“Who is he fighting?”
“What’s happenin’?”
“Get ready to attack.”
The voices begin to swirl inside the teen’s mind. He is scared. Terrified . He has completely lost his mind and now he’s hearing voices in his head. They’re getting louder and louder and louder —
“Who is hurting my baby?!”
“We need to help the kid!”
“He’s scared, I can feel it! He must be in danger!”
“Danger?! How do we stop ‘em?!”
“It’s kinda hard to tell, dear brother, if we can’t see what’s going on out there!”
He feels it boil over. The rush of a warrior’s spirit. The rumbling of drums. The hissing of static. The cackling of fire. The shushing of mist. The itch for a fight.
A glint of green glosses over his vision.
A glint of green glosses over his vision.
HOW HAVE I BEEN MISSING THAT?!
The scream of pain quickly morphed into a battle cry. Casey lurched forward, reaching for the cleaver. And he felt something ignite inside of him. The spirit of a warrior. The strength of a boulder. The mind of a genius. The itch for a fight. He saw a glint of green gloss over his vision, faint but lasting as he felt the itch take over.
Casey felt something fester in his core. A glint of green flashed over his vision, faint and gone in an instant. The purple static hissing in his ears, the red drums rumbling in his veins. The static and the drums urged Casey to move forward and reach out for the slider.
Junior then felt something swirl inside of him. There was a glint of green, faint and gone in a flash. The static hissing in his ears, the drums rumbling in his veins. The static and drums urged Casey to reach out and place a gentle hand on Mikey’s knee. Upon contact, Michelangelo opened his eyes and stared up at Casey. The ornate box turtle seemed to have sensed something as he searched in the kid’s eyes. Casey gave him a smile.
Casey saw a glint of green gloss over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. He screamed out a battle cry as he curled his torso and grabbed on tight to his ankle, reaching for his chainsaw in the other hand. He slashed away at the vine, shooting out his grappling hook at the yokai as he fell and zipping over to send a kick at the warring warrior scientist. Draxum quickly dodged the attack as Casey hit the ground and tumbled into a landing. Junior stood back up, spinning on his heel to face the baron. The sheep man cackled.
Wind begins whirling around, shaking the trees just outside the cave. Thunder rolls in the distance, sending down rainfall from above. Lightning crackles with the thunder, zapping out sparks as it surrounds the teen. Smoke fills the air, fire igniting out of nothing from the dirt. A rumbling quake shakes the earth, cracking and crumbling the cavern walls.
Before Casey can get a grip on what’s happening, sirens blare out in the distance. Not car sirens, warning sirens. Loud and roaring. The voices start to get more frantic at the noise. The teen shrills in fear, praying that his voice is loud enough to silence out the others, to regain some fucking sanity back in his brain. But that only makes things worse. The more he panics, the more the voices panic. And the more the voices panic, the more chaotic the environment gets.
The little sapling struggles to maintain its grip in the soil as the room continues to shake and crumble. Casey tries to flee but he finds the walls of the cave close him in the room as debris piles upon his only exit. He collapses to the ground as the unsteady terrain deprives him of his balance. He scrambles back, trying to find another way until—
CRACK!
The kid snaps his head up to see a chunk of rock break off from the hole in the ceiling, falling down towards the teen. Casey freezes, unable to do anything except duck down and clutch his head as he awaits the crash to send him away to the afterlife. But as the rock falls…nothing happens. He is fine. The rock crumbles into smaller pieces of debris surrounding him…and…inside of him. As if his body is phasing through the material.
Casey glances around to find his silhouette has taken a translucent green sheen. Even the clothes on his back blended with him. He looks like some kind of…ghost. Yep. Definitely dead , Casey’s subconscious comes to terms with.
The room still roars in chaos. Water still floods in from the rain, fire fills the air with smoke, lightning crackles away at anything in its sight, the walls begin to tear down, and the wind swirls in a frenzy. And Casey…can’t do anything. He feels the power coming from him yet he feels powerless to stop it. He hears the sirens blare and wail. Hears helicopters flying overhead to extinguish whatever fire has erupted in the forest. And yet all he can do is scream.
He screams out into the skies, out of fear, out of panic, out of guilt. He drops to his knees, screaming louder and louder. He can’t feel his vocal chords anymore in this ghost form, can’t seem to run out of air and suffocate, can’t sense any exhaustion pull him down. Tears roll down his cheeks, green and illuminating with the rest of his features. He is trapped feeling hopeless and stuck as the world caves in around him. Energy still shooting out of him in hopes to fend off anything and anyone that comes their way.
Including…
“This way! We’re getting close to the source of this mystic output!”, a voice shouts out. And not from his head.
“Don, be careful! This place is collapsin’!”, another voice beckons.
“I got this one, get back!”, yet another voice yells.
Suddenly, the familiar clink of glowing golden chains wraps around the rubble that has caved in the exit. In a snap, the rocks are thrown out of the way to make room for the team. The turtles and April are all here. They freeze as they take in who is in the cavern.
“ CASEY!!! ”, everyone exclaims.
“What is this?! What are you doing?!”, Leo shouts.
Casey tries to answer through the panic in his mind but all he can manage is a desperate wheeze as he shakes his head. Another crack, more debris falls. Raph jumps in, pulling Leo out of the way and shielding his arms around his siblings. Donnie glances around.
“Well can you stop it?!”, he screeches. “You’re flooding New York and setting it ablaze at the same time! All the while, the wind speed is astronomically large and earthquakes are breaking the streets! The signals are without power too, emergency responders can’t get through! You need to get a hold of yourself!”
“Donnie, I don’t think he’s aware of what’s going on!”, April pipes in.
“Whatever, we need to stop it, now ! Questions later!”, Leo takes initiative. He turns back to the teen. “Stay put, I’m coming to get you!”
The voices in Casey’s mind continue to scream with his panic. The wind begins to push Leo back as the slider tries to push forward, blocking out the gust with his arms. But the wind is too strong, it sweeps the slider off his feet and sends him flying and crashing into the wall.
“NO!”, Casey screeches.
The wind halts, retreating to swirl close around the teen. Raph rushes over to his younger brother as the others quickly try to run over to the teen. Donnie flips his goggles down and his brows raise. He types away at his wrist tech, running calculations on the mystic energy. But soon, the fire spreads closer and closer to the softshell, filling his air with smoke. The softshell coughs, trying to swat away at the smog but it’s clear he is beginning to suffocate.
“DONNIE!!”, Casey shouts. He pushes himself up to a stand, trying to maintain his balance against the quakes.
The fire pulls back, running over to wrap around Casey. The purple clad turtle drops to his knees, gasping for air. April and Mikey continue forward. April attempts to scale the walls to hold her balance when a spark of electricity hits her arm with a resounding zap. April shrieks, clutching her arms close to her chest as she rubs the electrical burn on her arm.
“DON’T HURT THEM!!!”, Casey beckons to the skies, curling himself inwards.
The lightning snaps, flickering sparks around Junior. April leans herself against the wall, looking at her arm. Mikey starts sprinting. He brings out his mystic chains to try and get some space between him and the mystic elements. But the rain pours in, grouping up into a large ball of water as it sends a wave crashing down and knocking over the box turtle. Mikey can only manage to tuck into his shell as he is washed away.
“ STOP IT!!! ”, the teen cries, crouching down and clutching his hands over his head.
The rain softens, hurrying to swirl its droplets around the kid. The wind, the fire, the lightning, the rain, they all swirl and shield themselves around the teen. That only leaves one element left.
“Raph, use your ninpo to reach Casey!”, Leo orders.
“What?! But Leo, your shell—”
“RAPH. GO. ”
The snapper winces at those words, for some reason Casey doesn’t know. But he nods anyway, getting up and running over to the teen. Casey still tightens himself in a ball, hoping that all of this would stop. His head is beginning to spin with dizziness as his breathing picks up. Without even having to yell, the quakes freeze. Instead, the ground cracks out ever so carefully beneath the kid’s feet. And before Casey knows it, there’s hands on his shoulders.
Junior shrills in a panic, immediately flailing his arms out at the attack. But Raph keeps him in a tight hold. Casey snaps his eyes open to find the alligator snapping turtle enveloped in a large clone form of himself in a translucent bright red. The clone sizes the snapper by a mere few inches but the larger form is nothing to scoff at. Somehow, his ninpo is able to hold onto the teen without his arms phasing through. Raph keeps his hands on Junior’s shoulders.
“Casey! You with me?”, he asks, loud enough to silence out the chaos unfolding around them but soft enough to lull the kid into a sense of security.
Casey can’t respond more than shuddering breaths that rattle his being as tears continue to melt his face. Raph still holds on, ducking away as more debris falls near them.
“Listen, we’re gonna figure this out. Raph’s not leavin’ ya to deal with this alone. None of us are. We’re stayin’ right ‘ere with ya, Case.”, the tall snapper reassures. “Raph’s gonna need ya to breathe with him, a'ight? Follow me.”
Raph then takes a big breath, encouraging Casey to follow. Casey does, but it’s hard. He trips up, suddenly feeling so out of breath though his lungs are ghost. Raph still steadies him and guides him through the breathing. Junior begins to sob again, throwing his weight into the snapper’s plastron as he feels the panic rise again. Raph holds him tightly, sitting to cross his legs on the ground as he cradles the teen in his hold.
“Hush little baby, don’t say a word. Raphie’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.”, the oldest brother sings, his voice low and quiet. “And if that mockingbird won’t sing, Raphie’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.”
The voices stiffen.
“And if that diamond ring turns brass, Raphie’s gonna buy you a looking glass. And if that looking glass gets broke, Raphie’s gonna buy you a billy goat.”
Casey’s breathing evens out, albeit still shaken.
“And if that billy goat don’t pull, Raphie’s gonna buy you a cart and bull. And if that cart and bull turn over, Raphie’s gonna buy you a dog called Rover.”
The others get up, regrouping beside the snapper. They reach out, pressing their weight into the hug.
“And if that dog called Rover don’t bark, Raphie’s gonna buy you a horse and cart. And if that horse and cart turn around, you’ll still be the sweetest little babe in town.”
And the voices hug back.
“So hush little baby, don’t you cry. I promise everything’s gonna be alright.”
Casey sniffles, wiping his tears. The voices in his mind seem to have calmed down too as they recognize the teen is no longer in danger. The external forces treat, building up inside the kid. Casey feels a powerful urge take over him. He snaps his head up at Raph and pushes himself away from the hug.
“Get back.”, he mutters quickly.
Raph’s brows furrow. “What—”
Just as Casey sensed, a large explosion of mystic energy erupts out of his core, sending everyone back. The teen stumbles on his feet, but manages to stop himself before he can fall. Junior looks down at his hands and sees that the translucent green sheen is gone, his normal body returning again.
His wavy black hair brushes over in front of him. And with it, Casey notices something…odd. A few strands have turned sage green, like the mystic warrior’s. Just a few, he could barely see them at all if they didn’t glow so gently in the dark night of the cave.
He looks back up at the others, seeing them toppled over on the ground a few feet away as they gather their bearings. Casey reaches out a hand and steps forward when…he feels something wet and coppery trickle down his nose and tinting his lips.
He brings his left hand to press against his nostrils, bringing his hand back down to see blood pooling in his palm. All of a sudden, Casey takes note of how dizzy he feels. His ears begin ringing, his vision blurring. Casey glances back up at the team. They stare back, but their voices are muffled out. The world begins tilting. And before Casey knows it…
Everything goes black.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Suicidal thoughts (passive suicidal), bit of blood (yk how it is), panic attacks, derealization, insanity(?)
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I wish I could say this is the pinnacle of the fanfic but like you can say that for chapter 2, 5, 10, 15, 19, 22, etc. BUT STILL WE GOT TO MEET SOME FUCKING GHOSTS!!!The next...3 chapters focus on "Okay...what the fuck was that--" where I sit your ass down and explain the entirety of Casey's powers, how they work, and what we're gonna do about it. So buckle the fuck up. =)
The next chapter specifically focuses on...chapter 6. Where it says, "The softshell looked at him with a strange puzzled look, as if he couldn’t believe what he saw. Then he stared off into the distance behind Casey. Casey turned around to see what he was looking at but there was nothing there." (Oh yeah, it's rewind time) (that and also we get a little bit more Raph robot lore)
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
Check out my Tumblr for more content!
Chapter 31: Smoking Buddy
Summary:
Back in the lab, the captain sat at his desk, flicking a lighter to a cigarette stick in his mouth.
“...You’re smoking again?” , Shelldon asked skeptically. “I thought you quit.”
Captain Hamato ignited the cigarette and took a long draw of the stick before huffing out a sigh. “Yeah well, ever since my smoking buddy went sober, I’ve had to take up the reins. Besides, we’re dealing with something big on our hands.”
Notes:
I'M BACK! Sorry for the short wait, again I am dealing with a lot of medical bullshit and will be having sporadic hiatuses here and there. =) (Speaking of, I'd like to announce I am done with hospital treatment [for now] and we're currently seeing how well I'm doing at home. So the next couple months should be good...unless smth comes up? Idk, it's hard to tell with the AO3 curse--)
Ik you'll say "oh please don't push yourself, your needs comes first" but bestie, I REALLY want to finish this story already. Not because I hate it now or anything. But because I really wanna start my comic already so I'm tryna finish this as soon as I can.
ANYWAYS. STORY TIME. ENJOY DONNIE BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL.
Disclaimers in the end notes.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Casey baby?”
“Hope we didn’t scare ya, bud.”
“Kid, are you alright there?”
“Case, we’re sorry.”
“Would you guys just shut the fuck up and give Junior some space?”
His head hurts like hell. Casey opens his eyes ever so slightly but bright fluorescent light burns into his retinas, drilling sharp pain in his skull. The teen winces, squeezing his eyes shut again but someone draws his attention.
“Ah, well look who’s finally awake. Had a good nap?”, a familiar, slightly annoying comedic voice mutters. “How’s your head?”
“...like I got run over by a tank.”, Casey grumbles. He goes to breathe through his nostrils, yet realizes the wad of tissues stuck up his nose. His prosthetic is also gone too. “...where the fuck am I?”
“Hey, language.”, Raph cuts in. “Don’t worry, yer just in the med-bay wit’ us.”
Donnie pipes in next, seemingly impatient, “Yes, well, now that he’s awake, I’d like go over my findings with everyone—”
“It can wait, Don.” Raph nudges Casey’s arm, making the kid open his eyes again to see the snapper hand him a cup of water.
“Oh ho, it absolutely cannot!”, the softshell snarks. “Need I remind you about Leo’s shell getting thrown against the wall and cracked again , April’s arm getting an electrical burn, or even how I almost suffocated to death?!”
“Donnie.”, Mikey spats.
The room turns quiet for a moment. As Casey continues sipping his water, he slowly begins to register what is happening around him. The teen is lying in a gurney that’s been reclined upright. Leo leans on the counters, bandages and gauze wrapped around his shell in a very familiar style. Raph sits beside the gurney Casey’s resting on, seemingly worried and restless. Mikey sits at the foot of the bed on a stool, swiveling around while a towel sits on his shoulders catching water dripping from his bandana. April leans her shoulder against the doorframe, her arm wrapped in bandages. And Donnie stands in front of Casey with a whiteboard he’s dragged into the med-bay, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently.
“You got a lot of explaining to do.”, the softshell glares. “Do you know what kind of catastrophe you caused to Manhattan? Hell, it even spread to Jersey, but it’s not like anyone gives a shit about them.”
“Language, Don.”, Raph huffs.
Mikey turns to the teen. “...You never told us you had mystic powers.”
Casey chews his inner lip, setting the cup down in his lap. “...I didn’t know I had them.”, he mutters. “I…I don’t know what happened back there…I…that was terrifying.”
Raph rests a hand on the teen’s shoulder. “Well, hey, don’t worry. We’re gonna get this all figured out.”
“Well, yes, if you would allow me to elaborate—”, Donnie chimes in.
“ Donnie! ”, the others retort in sync.
“...What do you know?”, Casey asks.
“ Thank you! ”, Donnie enunciates, gesturing his hand at Junior. He turns to the whiteboard, tapping his wrist tech and displaying holographic screens across the board. “So! Given that Casey is a byproduct of radiation, there’s of course some logical abnormalities like his intersex identity and who knows what else- theauthorneverspecifies - I have deducted some research on extracting uranium from both sources, a blood sample from Casey and a nuclear sample from the Garoña explosion—”
“I’m sorry, you took samples from the power plant?”, Raph chimes in, raising his index finger.
“You took my blood sample??”, Casey adds, scrunching his face in confusion.
“—AS YOU CAN SEE HERE…”, Donnie pretends to ignore. He pulls up two screens and shows them side by side, likely the samples. “Surprisingly enough, uranium is only found in the nuclear sample. Casey doesn’t have any of it (which is a bummer). However, they both have another element that is found in both samples…”
A third screen emerges in between the two, revealing a strange glowing green blob of some element. But the element is easily recognizable to everyone in the room. Donnie’s magnificent brows raise.
“Empyrean.”
Raph gives a look of bewilderment. “Wait wait wait, is that the weird neon-looking goop that the Shredder used to extract Pop’s ninpo?” Again, who the fuck is Shredder??
“Why yes of course but empyrean goes beyond just a simple mystic element.”, Donnie answers. “As Big Mama has stated back in Season 2 Episode 13b, empyrean is the very source of yokai power. And it was given to earth from the Kraang. Which…is intriguing as it suggests that yokai have not existed for eons- as said throughout the series- but rather for over 5000 years, implying that the first record of yokai was around 3000 BC. But of course, we’re not here to judge the continuity errors of the show’s lore.”
Leo mutters, “...what the heck are you on about—”
Donnie continues to rant, “In any case, it seems that humans have gotten their hands on this stuff too and have had for a while. Like in Garoña, where it appears the power plant has experimented on empyrean to source the nuclear radiation. And in Casey’s timeline, his biological parents were affected by the explosion and now the empyrean is within him.”
“So…does that make Casey a yokai?”, Mikey tilts his head.
“According to the canonical lore…maybe? Depending on how and where TMNT yokais came from? I don’t really know.”, Donnie answers, also unsure. He ignores Leo’s “canonical lore????” mumble and continues to eye the screens on the board. “Regardless, empyrean, when used directly like what we saw with Shredder, is often used for soul magic. Manipulating souls, trapping them in swords, sucking them out of one’s body till there’s nothing left, etc. It is possible that the…powers we saw last night are…souls. Which makes perfect sense considering my scanners picked up our ninpo, so…I have a pretty good guess who are sorta…vibing in Casey’s soul.”
“So…you’re saying…”, April drawls, though it’s clear she’s waiting for Donnie to fill her in as she doesn’t fully understand.
Donnie huffs, “I’m saying that Casey’s somewhat possessed by 5 ghosts, 4 of them being our future-past selves.”
Casey takes a slow breath, trying to process all that is being said. …There’s…ghosts…in my head…? It just sounded completely ridiculous. But…honestly? Casey thinks he’ll believe anything to explain what the hell is going on with him at this point.
“However, to fully extend on what these ghost powers entail, I’ll need to observe them more.”, Donnie explains.
“Well, I don’t think getting Casey to reactivate those powers is a good idea.”, Raph points out. “Especially since he doesn’t have control over them. What if he causes another fire-flood-thunderstorm-earthquake-power outage again?”
Donnie mocks a laugh. “No need! Why seek out something in the present when all of our answers are in the past?” He pulls out something from his battle shell, Casey’s mask. How did he get that? “The future -past.”
Donnie tosses the mask to Casey as he continues to explain. “If my data is correct (which of course it is), this isn’t the first time these powers have been activated. Meaning if we just rewind the mask’s recordings and keep an eye out for mystic signals, we should find our answers!”
“So we just narrow the recordings down to mystic signals and search through all of that to find Casey’s powers?”, Leo asks.
“Yes. I know it sounds tedious but it’s the best shot we got.”, Donnie nods. He turns to the teen. “What say you, Junior? Ready to find the truth?”
All eyes turn to Casey. The teen looks down at the green eyed mask in his hands, pondering the fearful possibility that there may be more secrets to him that he didn’t know about. And while he is hesitant to rewind the clock…an answer is waiting for him in the palm of his hands.
“Let’s do it.”, Casey nods.
After taking some time to fully recover from last night, the team all recuperate in Donnie’s lab. The softshell hooks up the green eyed mask’s files to his monitor as everyone drags in dining room chairs and huddles around the screen. They all agreed Casey should be the one navigating the files, the teen sitting up close in Donnie’s swivel chair with the computer mouse in his prosthetic hand.
He opens up the recording files, ready to filter through the mystic signals when he notices something. A file that stood out among the rest. While the others are labeled with the date and time of recording, this one is intentionally renamed “For Casey”. Hovering the cursor over it, it is dated August 5th, 2044. The day Casey went back in time.
And the thumbnail. That wasn’t Casey’s perspective of that day. It was Master Leonardo, sitting at a desk.
Leo leans in, “Is that…future me?”
“...Yeah.”, Casey nods. “I’ve never seen it before though. I don’t know what this is.”
“Well let’s find out!”, Mikey beams. “I wanna see the future!”
“It’s not our future, Michael.”, Donnie rolls his eyes. “It’s Casey’s future-past.”
Casey cuts in, “If we’re going to look at it…I need you all to know that…in my future, things were bad. These versions of you, they’re more…wary. I just don’t want you to feel bad or get the wrong impressions.”
“Hey, if they’re anythin’ like us, we’ll understand. It’s tirin’ bein’ on guard all the time.”, Raph smiles reassuringly.
“Yeah, we’ll keep an open mind.”, April winks.
Casey smiles back. “Alright…” He brushes back the small few sage green strands in his hair and turns back to the screen and clicks on the file.
It loads in.
Right in front of the camera was Kendra, future Kendra. With her long black hair and purple bleached ends. She adjusted the camera before stepping back and revealing Master Leonardo sitting at the desk in future Donnie’s lab.
“Alright, you get 5 minutes.” , future Kendra said, making her way out of the lab.
“Can you give me 10?” , future Leo asked with a nervous smile.
“5. That Technodrome will be at our doors in 30 and I need to wrap up some work before we all inevitably die. Now make it snappy!” , future Kendra snarked and left the lab, the doors shutting automatically behind her.
The older slider frowned. He turned to the camera, taking a deep breath.
“Hey, Case.” , he smiled. “I know you’re probably wondering what the hell this is all about, heheh. You know…a part of me still believes that we’re going to win this war. And that I’ll be able to tell you all of this myself in person but…you and I both know we don’t have that luxury anymore.” His smile dropped as Master Leonardo took on a more serious tone. “Casey, listen. There’s this…thing about you, something I haven’t noticed until it was too late. And by then…there was only so much we could do before the inevitable and now we don’t have the time and I… sigh …okay, there’s no easy way around this so I’m just going to say it.”
He took a deep breath, glancing up into the lens of the camera.
“Casey…you’re a medium. A mystic medium.” , he explained plainly. “Now, I know that sounds ridiculous. Trust me, I didn’t believe Donnie when he told me either. …I should’ve though.” The slider frowned again, clasping his hands together on the desk. “And now…I don’t have enough time to explain everything but…but…But! Donnie had files on this! They’ll explain everything you need to know!” , he exclaimed. “I’m going to give you the memory chip he kept for keepsakes in his battle shell. In there, you’ll find a folder labeled “GNMR”. It’s password encrypted but…you’ll know what it is.”
He glanced at a monitor off to the side, likely reading something bad as a singe of fear hit his eyes.
“Look, I know that this is all confusing and disorienting and trust me, I wish I could tell you all this myself. But…I’ll still be there with you through the time gateway. You already got your mom, Raph, and Donnie with you. Soon, me, Mikey, April, and Usagi are gonna be there too. We’re all going to be with you, Case. You won’t be left alone to figure this out. I promised you no more secrets, didn’t I?”
The monitor on the side flashed red with an alert. The automated system said, “Intruder alert. Technodrome spotted. 33 Kraang droids spotted. 187 Kraang minions spotted. 4538 Kraang hounds spotted. 5345 Kraang zombies spotted. Attack imminent.”
Master Leonardo chewed his lip as he read over the screen. His breathing staggered, his eyes watered. But he clenched his eyelids shut, taking a shuddering breath. He glanced back up at the camera.
“Guess this is it then, huh? See you on the other side, kid.” , he smiled. “...I love you.”
As his hand reached to stop the recording, the footage ends. Leaving Casey and the others staring at the screen, speechless. After a moment, Donnie clears his throat and breaks the silence.
“Well…future me already figured it out. What plot convenience.”, he smirks.
“Don.”, Raph deadpans.
“So…and cool if you don’t, do you have the chip?”, Leo asks the teen.
“Yeah.”, Casey nods. “He gave me the memory chip and I’ve kept it in my pouch ever since.”
Junior gets up and walks back to the med-bay where he left his bag. Searching inside, he finds the memory chip to the captain’s logs. He also spots his phone and instinctively checks it to find a BUNCH of missed calls and texts from Carol and Kirby. Whoops . The teen winces, dialing Kirby’s number.
“Jones? That you?” , the barber picks up. There’s some hustling noise in the background, Kirby turning away from his phone to tell someone he needs to go on break before turning back to the phone. “Where on earth you’ve been, prince? You had me and Carol worried sick!”
“Ah yeah uhh…sorry.”, Casey smiles sheepishly, trying to think of an excuse. “I was uhh…freaked out? From the weird storm…fire…flood…earthquake thing? And so uhh…I ran off to the Hamatos’ place. Stayed overnight.
Kirby sighs. “Well, as long as you’re not hurt. You’re not, right? Everything all good?”
“Yeah, all good.”, Casey assures. “Uhm, I’m gonna stay with the others for a while. Donnie’s…working on some big project he wants us for.”
“Aight, don’t get blown up.” , his guardian laughs. “I gotta head back to work. I’ll fill in Carol too but no doubt I can’t stop her from running over to chew you out, capiche?”
“Got it.”
“Aight, you have fun now. Call me if ya need anything.” , Kirby replies, hanging up after a beat.
Casey puts his phone away, taking his pouch back to Donnie’s lab where everyone is waiting. Sitting back down at the computer, Donnie helps hook up the memory chip and opens up the files. Lo and behold, there’s a folder labeled “GNMR”. A double-click, and a pop-up window prompt appears.
The softshell hums. “It needs an 8 digit passcode, strange. I don’t know any 8 digit sequences.” He then reaches to point at the screen. “At least future me gave us a hint. “”Casey’s origin”, huh?”
The teen’s eyes widen. “...that son of a bitch.”, he mutters.
Ignoring Raph’s “Language!” snark, Casey types in the code. 46508029. The folder opens to show an array of files, placed in a particular order. Looks like Sensei had gone through it too, the first file labeled “Start here”. The teen glances around at the others, everyone giving a silent nod as they lean forward and are brought to the edge of their seats. Casey clicks on the file.
Immediately on screen, Captain Hamato was seen pacing around his lab with the camera on his monitor set up. He chewed the rubber of his gloves as Shelldon sat in a swivel stool, watching his creator pace back and forth.
“So…care to explain what’s gotten you all buzzed, dude?” , Shelldon drawled. The younger Donnie’s eyes widen at the appearance of the robot.
The older Donnie stopped pacing. “...Today, November 4th, 2040, Casey Jones Junior begins his training with troop 17 to become a certified warrior for the Resistance. However, when I gave him a decoy of his mother’s weapon to try out, I…noticed something.” He began to tap away at his wrist tech, with a mystic wave of his fingers, a screen was drawn out from his visor itself and hovered in front of the softshell.
“Well, what is it?” , Shelldon pressed on.
“...Holy shit.” , the captain mumbled, watching the screen. “Shelldon, I may have found a breakthrough to my old project. The science of souls. It’s…the answer just wasn’t born yet.”
Shelldon squinted his metallic lids. “What do you mean?”
Captain Donatello tapped the screen, enlarging it. The screen played back a recording of the young 12 year old Casey Jr swatting around a mystic hologram of his mama’s weapon. However, something strange was picked up on the device. Signals of mystic energy. A silhouette of a short buzzed hair woman in a signature blood red. The silhouette held her hands in her son’s, guiding the weapon to move with clean precise movements. Outside the recording, Casey feels a chill go down his spine. Mama .
“Casey Sr’s soul was there, guiding her son’s every move. How she got here, I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.” , the captain explained, swiping the screens away and sitting down at his desk. He began to type away at something on the monitors. “I ran some tests on Junior soon after I found out about this without his knowledge—”
Shelldon shouted, “You did WHAT—”
“—AS YOU CAN SEE HERE…” , future Donnie pretended to ignore. “His blood sample shows traces of empyrean, which already raises some flags. Where it came from…I have a hunch. Looking at his serial number, I can hack into the Operation’s files to find…there it is. His birth parents.” , the softshell pointed to the screen for his robot to see but the camera couldn’t see. He continued to type away as he rambled, “Ignacio and Yolanda Alvarez (oh he’s Spanish), a young engaged couple that fled Spain due to the Garoña explosion of 2028. Well, that explains the intersex. But I traveled to Garoña soon after the explosion to gather the uranium to fuel our weaponry.”
“See?!”, the younger Donnie exclaims to the snapper. “Why does he get uranium?!”
Raph rolls his eyes. “Well I’m sure future me is goin’ reprimand future you for getting uranium.”
“And if my hypothesis is correct then…” , the captain stopped typing. “...there’s a match. Empyrean.”
“So…does that make Casey a yokai?” , Shelldon tilted his head.
“According to the canonical lore…maybe? Depending on how and where TMNT yokais came from? I don’t really know.” , the captain answered, also unsure. “Regardless, this breakthrough could be revolutionary! According to my research on other power plants across the globe, Garoña isn’t the only place that experimented with empyrean. And if such a thing as Junior exists, perhaps there’s more people like him across the globe! Shelldon, don’t you see how this could impact the entire war?! Humans with mystic abilities, soul magic at that! The possibilities are endless!” , he exclaimed.
He pushed himself out of his chair, bouncing up and down on his knees and shaking out his arms. Casey had never seen him so happy before. The old softshell needed more reasons to smile. But soon, Captain Hamato stopped stimming, glancing at something tucked at the side of the room. Something draped in cloth. He walked over to it, pulling off the tarp to reveal…the red robot. He sighed and frowned.
“...Maybe…this’ll be my chance to fix everything.” , he muttered.
Shelldon droned a low whirr, hopping off the swivel stool. He waltzed over and took the tarp from the captain’s hands. He did a little hop and tossed the cloth back over the red robot.
“Hey, one thing at a time.” , Shelldon reassured. “You still have Casey’s staff to make.”
Captain Donatello shook away his thoughts and nodded. “Right, right. Yeah, you’re right, Shelldon.” He walked back to the center of the room, forming a chainsaw staff out of his mystic energy. “One thing at a time.”
The clip ends there, a sour mood falling upon the room. And of course, eyes land on Raph. The snapper averts his gaze to the floor, pressing his lips. Leo is the first to speak.
“...You alright, big guy?”, he asks with a sympathetic gaze.
“Yeah! Raph’s just fine.”, the red turtle grins. “Besides, we changed the future and all. That Raph and this Raph are different people now.”
“It’s still you in all the important ways, Big Red.”, April laments sympathetically, putting a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay to be…freaked out by seeing our future selves and what they’ve been through.”
“...Sure.”, Raph nods. Without letting anyone else say more, he turns to Casey. “Ready to continue, CJ?”
“Uhm, yeah okay. If you’re cool with it.”, the teen nods albeit gingerly. He turns back to the screen and clicks on the next clip.
Back in the lab, the captain sat at his desk, flicking a lighter to a cigarette stick in his mouth.
“...You’re smoking again?” , Shelldon asked skeptically. “I thought you quit.”
Captain Hamato ignited the cigarette and took a long draw of the stick before huffing out a sigh. “Yeah well, ever since my smoking buddy went sober, I’ve had to take up the reins. Besides, we’re dealing with something big on our hands.”
“Alright, but you know what Mikey would say if he or Casey catches you.” , the robot shrugged, walking across the room to a separate desk and pulling up some holographic monitors to work on.
…Now that Casey thinks about it. The view of Uncle Tello smoking brings familiarity in his mind. But the teen can’t think of any memory of the softshell doing it. It’s just…familiar. He can practically smell it.
“Oh please, I’m a great influence.” , the captain rolled his eyes. He took another draw, waving out the smoke in front of him with one hand and typing away at his computer with the other. “Anyways, research status update. I reached out to other survivor bases through the global network and, WHAT DO YOU KNOW , there are others like Casey Junior out there! I have founded a team of researchers of science and mystics to work together and conduct a project training these afflicted individuals into the key needed to win this war! We’re calling ourselves the Global Network Medium Research, or GNMR (pronounced juh-neh-mer). This project and research team is an exclusive confidentiality between us scientists and some apocalypse-world leaders. A few sites had already begun their progress of training these individuals, and soon enough, Casey Junior will be on board as well.”
The captain stopped typing, spinning his chair around to Shelldon.
“There’s one small problem though. It’ll be hard to get my brothers’ approval on this. I might even need to keep it a secret from Junior as well until I have more information.”
Shelldon paused his work to face his dad. “So…you’re gonna try to train CJ in secret…while also keeping it a secret from him?”
“That does sound like our only plan so far.” , the softshell nodded. He turned back to his computer, typing the keyboard. “I’ll reach out to GNMR for more insight. In the meantime, I better start to head out with the team to trade supplies with another base. With Yuichi back and his mystic yo-yo, it should be a breeze. Still kinda odd he refused the prosthetic eye I made for him though…whatever, it’s his choice.”
The clip ends there, leaving the team to reconnect with the room. Raph shares a stink eye with the twins who explicitly babble that they are not indulging in smoking habits like their future selves. Mikey rolls his eyes at their scuffling and nudges Casey to continue the next clip.
The next clip plays something different. An old VHS-looking tape with a GNMR globe logo on the screen, some kind of synth chord playing. The screen dissolves-cuts to a woman in a lab coat standing in front of a projection board.
“Welcome to GNMR, the Global Network Medium Research. We are a team of scientists conducting research on a new form of being known as mediums.” , the woman explained, her accent Slavic. The projection board showed a series of pictures as she continued to talk. “Mediums are individuals mutated with a mystic element known as empyrean. The cause derives from several nuclear power plants across the world that were experimented on, though due to warfare and apocalypse, they have exploded and affected hundreds. Currently, there are 31 mediums across the world. A few are based in the same bases. So far, our research shows that mediums have supernatural powers tied to the beyond of the afterlife. They are able to link with a past relative or anyone they shared a strong bond with in the living world and then manipulate the ghost’s power of their own. As of now, only a couple of mediums are linked to more than one ghost. These two subjects have been rendered a dangerous threat and need to be monitored carefully.”
Casey chews his inner lip. Well…I have 5.
“Some labs have already begun testing and training the mediums to maintain control of their powers. With time, we may have a special team of mediums that’ll be valuable assets in the war against the Kraang.”
The clip changes to show a different lab, a different projection board, and a different scientist from a different part of the world. The man continued the presentation.
“Mediums do not have control over their linked spirits. Their linked spirits do not have all the senses that we do. Mediums must act to be the spirits’ eyes and navigate their surroundings, otherwise the spirits will cause unpredicted destruction. There are two factors at play when it comes to the presence of a spirit, internal and external. Many mediums have described the internal factor as a feeling or symbolic sense of being, such as a thunder cloud or roaring tiger. They can sense what the spirit feels or even hear its thoughts in their head. External factors are the powers we are outwardly able to see. Each spirit-medium pair has their own unique power varying from wind manipulation, earth tremors, or even telekinesis. The two with more than one spirit have more than one power. The mediums themselves have their own power, the ability to turn their appearance a translucent green and phase through any non-mystic material, even without linked spirits. The range of intensity of these powers are still unknown, but our researchers believe they can cause quite the damage with enough skill and training.”
The clip changes again. This time it was the captain’s lab with Captain Donatello standing in front of a holographic projector.
“It is imperative that we keep all of this on the down low. If any outward information reaches the wrong base, the Operation in particular, there is no doubt they will turn these individuals and souls against us. It’s also important to note that these individuals are still… individuals and should be treated with the right amount of respect to avoid backlash—”
“Donnie! Leo, Mikey, and Casey are back from Sacramento.” , the commander’s voice interrupted off-screen.
“I’m busy right now, O’Neil.” , the softshell gritted through his clenched teeth.
“Too bad. Leo’s issuing an emergency meeting. Says the Operation is involved.”
The captain rolled his eyes. “Alright, fine. I’ll…just finish this later.”
He turned to shut off the camera and the clip ends there. Casey glances around to everyone behind him, seeing Donnie frantically taking notes on a notepad about what they just saw. Mikey ponders for a moment.
“So…they said that there’s only one…ghost-spirit-soul thing. And that the two with more than one are dangerous?”, the box turtle tilts his head. “Don’t you have…what…5?”
Casey nods. “Yeah…that totally isn’t concerning.”, he says sarcastically.
“I mean, you did cause a second apocalypse for a moment there.”, Leo hums, receiving a smack on the head from Raph. The slider rolls his eyes. “What? That’s literally what it was! A…fire-flood-storm-earthquake-power outage apocalypse. …We need a better name for that.”
“Leave it for Channel 6, they’re already cracking a story on it.”, April mutters, waving her phone screen at her brother. “Calling it…”Nature’s Warning”.”
“Yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah.”, Donnie babbles. “That’s great, can we refocus please? I need to see the data my future self has left for me— us . Left for us.”
“Alright, Don.”, Casey chuckles. “We’ll continue.”
Casey clicks on the next clip, letting load. It was a simple progress report on one of the mediums in a different base. Next clip, another report. The next few clips were all just reports, none on Casey. The team quickly skims through them, only pausing here and there to let Donnie write something down before continuing. Then suddenly…
Sirens wailed in the distance of the clip, a frantic scientist trying to send a message through GNMR. “This is Dr. Zhusupov from base Naryn! S-Something…something’s gone wrong with our test subject Karim! He’s gone rogue!”
Suddenly, earthy plant vines wrapped around Dr. Zhusupov’s waist. The plantation rapidly advanced with mystic green energy as the clip went to static. The next report followed…
“I am declaring a state of emergency on the GNMR project! The two mediums here in the Kardista base are fighting back and we have no choice but to consider euthanization!” , another scientist reported, through static and sirens of their own. “I implore everyone to shut down their experiments! There’s no use in a war weapon if the weapons are fighting back! These… things are turning into monsters!”
Another report.
“BURN IT ALL DOWN! Erase all research, destroy all evidence, and kill every last one of them motherfuckers before they kill you too!” , another scientist screamed, running for his life while calling through the line. “These freaks are beacons of destruction ! You cannot let them escape! You cannot let any of this research get out to other bases! Who knows what could happen—”
The scientist screamed as a translucent green figure attacked them. The person shouted in a language that Casey doesn’t know but it is clear that the person was enraged from being mistreated as a weapon. A test subject.
The next clip plays, showing the captain in his lab. His elbows were on the desk, fingers clasped together and pressed against his snout. His eyes were closed yet furious.
“...The project has been compromised.” , he muttered. Then his voice raised. “The project….has been…!”
He shouted in rage, pushing himself up and knocking over his swivel chair in the process. The softshell screamed and kicked things around, trashing his lab in his own fury. After a moment, he straightened his posture and took a breath.
“The GNMR is insisting that everyone eradicates their experiments, including the individuals. They’re insisting I kill Junior too. I can not let that happen. I can’t let them know he’s alive either, they might just come after him.” , he explained, more to himself than anyone else. “I’m just…I’ll just clean up the mess and… sigh …let my brothers know. We need to protect Casey Junior at all costs. He is our beacon of hope . The key to win this war.”
He took another breath, picking his chair back up and rolling it back to its spot. He started to tidy the other things he trashed in the room.
“Computer, wipe all of my files on Casey’s medium research, now.”, the captain demanded. He then turned to his wrist tech. “Shelldon, get my brothers in here. It’s…It’s time to tell them about GNMR.”
A couple minutes later, the lab was tidied up (mostly). There was a knock at the entrance before the doors slid open on their own. Sensei and Master Michelangelo walked into the room.
“What’s going on, Dee? Shelldon said you wanted to talk to us?” , the box turtle asked.
“...was that dent in the wall always there?” , the slider pointed out.
The captain hurriedly walked over to them. “Guys, something major is going on. And it involves Casey Junior. And you know I don’t sugarcoat so just let me get to the point. Casey…is a medium.”
Sensei scrunched his face. “You mean like…his shirt size?”
“What?! No! I mean like he is a medium vessel between spirits! Casey has these mystic powers that allow him to connect with his mother from the afterlife.” , the captain exasperated.
Both of his brothers paused, exchanging a quick glance at each other. His twin was the first to speak.
“...The kid just takes after his mom, Don. That’s not rocket science. Or…mystic science. Plus, since when did you start caring about mystics?” , the slider spoke slowly.
“Because Casey isn’t just the only medium, or well… wasn’t …which leads me to my next point. I’ve been conducting research with a global network team on these individuals but…something went horribly wrong. Their powers got out of control and the facility had demanded a total wipeout of evidence and to shut down the project entirely. Even…killing their own subjects.” , the captain explained quite bluntly.
“Pssh! Casey doesn’t even have powers, Dee. You’re talking nonsense.” , Master Leonardo scoffed. “There was probably just some misunderstanding with him, he's human.”
“Well you say that, but I have evidence!” , his twin perked up. “Concrete evidence right over…here…” , his brows furrowed as he glanced at his monitors. “Oh fuck me, I…I should’ve waited to wipe out the files. But…But! My visor has seen it! Take a look at this!”
Captain Hamato taped into his wrist tech and displayed a holographic screen showcasing his recordings. He rewinded the tape to the day he found the silhouette and flaunted it proudly to his brothers. He smirked widely.
“Boo-yah! Eateth thy words, brethren!” , he boasted.
The other two examined the footage closely, but their worried expressions only settled further in their faces. Master Michelangelo frowned.
“...Umm…Donnie…there’s nothing there. That’s just Junior practicing his new staff.” , the box turtle said softly.
“What?!” , Captain Donatello snapped his head to the screen, typing away furiously. “No, no no no! It was right here! My visor picked up Senior’s mystic signals!”
“Again, humans don’t have mystic powers.” , Sensei rolled his eyes.
“No, you don’t get it! It must’ve…some sort of interruption must’ve messed with the mystic findings. She wouldn’t disappear like that!” , the softshell snapped.
“Donnie…” , the youngest started softly again.
“No! I’m not lying to you! I wouldn't have dragged you out here just for some prank!”
“I know you wouldn’t…” , the mystic warrior’s eyes began to water. “...but…knowing your grief…if this is anything like last time—”
“THIS IS NOT LIKE LAST TIME!” , the scientist erupted. “I don’t even care about it anymore! You want to know how much I care?!” He stormed over to the red robot, yanking the tarp off and shoving the robot on the floor as its loose bolts broke out into a pile of scraps. “There! That is how much I care! I swear to you, I’m not going crazy again! This isn’t like last time! There won’t ever be a last time ever again! Please you have to believe me!”
The youngest clasped his hands over his mouth, emotions bursting through the seams of his eyes. The slider on the other hand, wore a stone cold expression on his face. He stiffened his posture.
“...I believe…you need to get it together.” , he muttered. “You’ve spent too much time locked away in your lab with this…bullshit mystic headcanon that you forgot we have a Resistance to lead!”
“You don’t understand! The research…they want Casey dead! Don’t you even care—” , the captain pleaded.
“Of course I care!” , Leonardo shouted, fists clenching. “I was the one responsible for leading the rest of Cassandra’s children to their deaths! I will not be held responsible for another! And I will not allow you to experiment on her remaining child! So get your fucking shit together, Donnie!”
The softshell straightened his posture, pressing his lips in a firm line. “...Fine.” , he gritted. “But I know what I saw, consider this my final warning.”
His twin scoffed again. “You seriously need to get out here.” , he muttered. “Speaking of, I’ve assigned you to a rescue mission based in Puerto Aisen, Chile. A team of 32 soldiers are already being assembled as we speak.”
“What?! But—”
“You will be boarding the Red Angel and leaving for departure tomorrow morning, so start packing.” , the leader demanded. “Do I make myself clear?”
The captain suppressed a sigh, pressing his lips. “...I’m bringing Casey with me to keep an eye on him—”
“Fine by me.” , Sensei turned on his heels and ducked out of the lab.
Master Michelangelo watched the slider leave the room before turning back to the oldest. He frowned. “...Donnie…if you need to talk…”
“We’ll talk when I return.” , Captain Donatello insisted. “And you will hear me out.”
His brother smiled sadly. “Right. Take this time to clear your head. But you will promise me a talk about this later.”
“...I will.”
The clip ends there, bringing Casey back to the present. He stiffens, feeling the sting in his eyes. Raph wraps a comforting arm around him.
“You a’right, king?”, he asks. “That…that was kinda a lot, wasn’t it?”
Casey shakes his head. “It’s not that…it’s…that mission. That…”, his voice tightens. “That was Uncle Tello’s last mission.”
Whatever comfort lingers in the room is suddenly sucked out like an air vacuum. The teen doesn’t need to explain anymore than that. The others get the picture pretty quickly.
“...So…”, Mikey mumbles. “...they never got to have that talk, did they?”
Casey shakes his head again.
“And…future me…didn’t believe him.”, Leo chimes in. “...I… he was so…hostile about it.”
“The future made everyone hostile.”, the teen assures. “Even the most aloof and friendly quickly became sharp and on edge. It’s not just Tío.”
“What did he mean by last time?”, April asks.
Junior shrugs. “...I don’t know. One of the great Hamato brothers’ mysteries in the apocalypse.”
“There’s more files…”, Donnie hums, pointing at the screen. “Looks like your sensei took over the research project for my future counterpart. Let’s take a look.”
“Not now, Don.”, Raph sighs. “We a’ready got a lot t’ process.”
April nods. “Agreed. It’s already 2pm, and all this mystic lore talk is making me hungry.”
“Good thinkin’.”, the snapper beams. “How ‘bout we all take a lunch break n’ then we can reconvene? Sound good, CJ?”
Casey sniffles from where he sits in front of the screen. He wipes his tears with the knitted fabric of his black glove, nodding.
“Yeah. Let’s take a break. We’ll come back to this later.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: Fourth wall breaking, smoking, "lockdown vibes" (idk, Stranger Things had to warn ppl about S4 E1 so--)
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I love how whenever I write Casey's past, I use past-tense. Then whenever I write the present timeline, I use present-tense. I just love how stupidly genius that idea is.Anyways, Present Leo finds out he's gay in the next chapter so that'll be a fun awakening for him--
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 32: Sober Buddy
Summary:
Back in the lab, but instead of the captain, it was his twin. Leonardo. He carried a somber look in his eyes as he flicked a lighter at a cigarette that rested in his mouth. Behind him was Shelldon, crossing his arms.
“Again?”, Shellon asked skeptically. “I thought you and Donnie quit.”
Sensei ignited the cigarette and took a long draw of the stick before huffing out a sigh. “Yeah well, ever since my sober buddy wound up dead, I’ve had to take up the reins. Besides, we’re dealing with something big on our hands.”
Notes:
Wanna see me drug Casey with a sedative again? =) (he's fine dw)
Idk what else to say here except I'm starting the process for top surgery!!!
(/nf)Disclaimers in the end notes!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The family all took an hour to relax and eat some tamales (to which Casey can proudly say he was able to hold down this time) before reconvening their discoveries on Casey’s newfound medium powers.
Now being aware of every spark of mystic energy inside of him, Casey keeps hoping to sense his uncles and mom and perhaps get some answers out of them. But they still remain dormant. Maybe they got drained from last night as well? Do ghosts even need rest? Is that what the whole “rest in peace” phrase means???
“Ready to indulge in more lore, gentleturtles?”, Donnie smirks as he leads the way back to his lab.
“You really gotta stop breaking the fourth wall.”, Leo mutters.
The team sits back down in their seats, Casey sitting up front at the monitors. With collective nods of agreement, the teen clicks on the next file. It loads in.
Back in the lab, but instead of the captain, it was his twin. Leonardo. He carried a somber look in his eyes as he flicked a lighter at a cigarette that rested in his mouth. Behind him was Shelldon, crossing his arms.
“Again?”, Shellon asked skeptically. “I thought you and Donnie quit.”
Sensei ignited the cigarette and took a long draw of the stick before huffing out a sigh. “Yeah well, ever since my sober buddy wound up dead, I’ve had to take up the reins. Besides, we’re dealing with something big on our hands.”
The robot rolled his eyes, picking up some sort of weaponry request form for a plasma gun and turning to leave the lab. “Just don’t let Casey see you. The kid looks up to you, you know?”
The robot left the lab, the doors shutting behind him. The slider turned back and faced the monitors. He took another draw of his cigarette.
“...I’m…not one to do science stuff but…Donnie was acting way out of line. Something bothered him. And I need to find out what. If only I knew where to start.” , the leader muttered. “Too bad whatever he was trying to explain has been wiped clean. How am I supposed to get any of this back?”
He typed through the computer for a minute, but his expression showed he was not finding anything. “...Guess I’ll have to go off what I know.” , he mumbled to himself. He took another draw of smoke, resting his elbows on the desk and rubbing his temples in circles. “Ok…Don said that Casey is a…medium. Like a psychic kind of medium. Mystic powers that connected to his mom’s ghost. And…there were more like him but the research got destroyed because something went wrong. Ok… what went wrong? How did Casey get these powers? Why did Donnie come clean when he did? And how the fuck am I supposed to figure this out?!”
Immediately, his head shot up. Eyes widened.
“...Mikey would know. He can talk to our ancestors. Maybe we can reach Donnie too!” , Master Leonardo exclaimed. But then, he frowned softly. “Or…what if his soul disappears too? Like Cassandra’s? Mikey said he couldn’t find her all those years ago.”
The slider sighed heavily, holding his forehead in his palm in thought as he took a hit of the cigarette again. There was knocking at the doors.
“Leo? You there?” , Master Michelangelo’s voice called through the other side.
Sensei swore under his breath as he extinguished his cigarette into an ashtray and tried to wave out the smoke before getting up and opening the sliding doors.
“What’s up, Mikes?” , the slider smirked on the facade.
The mystic warrior looked seemingly worried. “I can’t find Casey again, he ran off somewhere.”
“Have you checked the willow tree? Like…actually climbing it?” , Sensei asked.
“Yes, of course I did.”
“What about the med-bay? The prison? Our room? The library?”
“Yes, yes, yes, and yes. I’ve checked all his usual spots. I asked a few people if they’ve seen him and someone reported he was in the hangar but when I checked there, I couldn’t find anyone. Plus, Shelldon’s bike is missing.” , the box turtle explained. “...You don’t think he…”
The red-eared slider turned on his heels to the monitors. “Oh he most certainly would’ve.”
Master Leonardo began frantically typing through the computer for a moment. Then he huffed a sigh.
“Kid turned off his tracker.” , he mumbled.
“What?!” , Master Michelangelo exclaimed.
“Get to the hangar and grab a shuttle. Send out search parties in all directions.” , Sensei ordered as he stood up and began heading out of the room. “Seriously, what is it with this kid and running off to who knows where?!”
Casey feels eyes on him again. Judgmental, knowing eyes. His cheeks burn hot as he ducks his head into his collarbone.
The leader left the lab quickly, passing by his brother. The mystic warrior glanced at the slider for a moment before his attention was snatched by an electric zap from the keyboard on the desk. There was another zap, then a hum as the keyboard and computer monitors began beaming brighter and brighter. Brighter still.
“What on earth?” , the turtle muttered.
The box turtle’s brows furrowed as he approached the monitors. Then suddenly, there was a pop as a processor gave out and began smoking. Master Michelangelo jolted and yelped, waving out the smoke and inspecting the processor. Then he glanced back up at the screens. His eyes frantically glossing over something.
“...wait a minute. This…this is Donnie’s research. The evidence he wanted to show us. I thought he wiped it…how did it get here?” , the mystic warrior mumbled to himself.
“MIKEY! LET’S GO!” , the leader demanded in the distance.
The mystic warrior’s eyes furrowed on the monitors for another moment before the turtle gingerly hurried out of the lab. As soon as the doors shut behind him, there was a rumble. Then a BAM as a dent was suddenly impacted into the concrete wall, cracking and crumbling bits of stone. A humming spark zapped from the keyboard, almost as in response to the rubble.
Static starts filling the screen as the clip ends. Casey is still feeling embarrassed as Leo leans in with his smug signature smirk.
“So is this running away thing gonna be a problem with you?”, he teases. “Because I swear if I have to run all the way to New Jersey again—”
“Knock it off, Leo.”, Casey exasperates, shoving the slider’s face away. “It was just a phase.”
“Still…it looks like future Leo took on after Donnie in the project.”, Mikey chimes in. “If he did, Casey, did you notice anything about it?”
Casey thinks for a moment. “I mean…there was…Oh!” Suddenly, a memory flashes in his mind.
And so Casey readied his chainsaw as he began to shake up the last bit of sluggishness from sleep. Then as the illusions charged, the teen jumped into action, slicing away at any enemy that came near. As he fought, Junior was still confused as to why he was training at this hour. No one had given him a clear explanation. It didn’t help that he could overhear the two turtle brothers whispering to each other.
“I don’t think this is a good idea.”, Leo muttered.
“Trust me. If anyone can help Casey with this, it’s Draxum.”, Mikey hushed back through his mystic concentration. “He knows better than me and Donnie when it comes to this sort of stuff.”
“The night before I met you guys. Master Leonardo and Michelangelo woke me up in the middle of the night and led me to an open space where Mr. Draxum was waiting for me.”, Casey explains.
“Draxum?!”, the others exclaim in sync.
The teen nods. “They needed his help with something, that’s all I got. So Draxum and I sparred. I think…I think it was the first time my powers activated. I-I’m not so sure. All I know is that when I started to fight him, he…was impressed.”
“Why wouldn’t he be?”, Leo mutters, rolling his eyes. “Ugh, I swear if we have to get Draxum in on this…”
“He’s not gonna do anything, Leo.”, April sighs.
“ HE THREW ME OFF A ROOF! ”, the slider enunciates.
“Yes yes, you are deeply traumatized from our supposed paternal figure.”, Donnie rolls his eyes. “Can we get back to this revolutionary human-mystic discovery?”
“Okay, Donnie, we’ll continue.”, Casey chuckles.
Looking back at the files, there’s only a few left to go. Let’s just hope these wrap up some answers. Rinse and repeat, Casey clicks on the next clip and the team watches as it loads in.
A bunch of things appeared in the corners of the screen. Meters, numbers, scanners. The bottom right corner reading “S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. 14.0”. The robot’s POV overlooked Casey’s room that he shared with the turtles and Usagi.
“Systems are all set.” , the robot reported.
Sensei nodded. “Good. Mikey, how about you?”
“All clear here.” , Master Michelangelo stated as he sat on one edge of the circular rug on the floor.
“And you’re sure this spell will work?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve been contacting our ancestors with this spell for years now. It should work the same way.”
Draxum leaned against the wall in the corner of the room. The old sheep yokai crossed his arms around himself as he sneered.
“Just because it should, doesn’t mean it’s stable.” , the baron spoke. “This kind of soul magic, especially in a child, can be very flimsy. Don’t blow up the place.”
“Thanks for the encouragement.” , the mystic warrior muttered.
The alchemist sighed as he took out what looked like a small seed from his pocket. “Leonardo, here. This somnumceae will help put the boy to sleep so that we can contact the other spirits.”
Master Michelangelo snapped his head around to his dad, “Ex-fucking-cuse me!?” He turned back to his brother, “I didn’t hear this part of the plan!”
“It’s not gonna hurt him.” , Master Leonardo reassured, taking the seed from Draxum. “The reports in Donnie’s project show that contacting the connected souls is a very unstable process. Stating it’d be easier if the individual was put to sleep.”
The youngest brother sighed. “You’re even starting to sound a lot more like Donnie these days too.”
But just as the slider opened his mouth to retaliate, there was a knock at the door. The leader tucked the seed into his pocket as the door opened to reveal Usagi peering in.
“Hey guys, we’re here!” , the rabbit beamed, opening the door wide to let Casey Junior into the room.
“...What’s going on? Why’s Grandpa here?” , the 13 year old asked.
“We’re having a sleepover, duh!” , April ruffles with the teen’s hair from behind. “The whole family’s here.”
The commander waltzed into the room and promptly tossed the pillows off the bunk beds and onto the floor. Shelldon helped Casey arrange the pillows around the rug. In the peripheral of the screen, Usagi gave his husband a peck on the cheek before leaning in to whisper in his tympana.
“Woah woah woah, hold up!”, Mikey exclaims, waving his arms out wildly.
“Leo gets married?”, Donnie leans towards the screen.
“ I’M GAY?!”, Leo shrills.
All eyes turn to the slider. The blue turtle promptly covers his mouth with a closed fist as his eyes remain glued to the screen. Raph lets out a light chuckle as he pats his brother’s back.
“It’s alright, bud. Congrats on figuring it out.”, Raph smiles.
“I didn’t know!”, the red-eared slider shouts.
Donnie snarks, “Fuck you mean, you didn’t know?!—”
“Language!”, the oldest snaps.
“—THE CLOSET IS NON-EXISTENT, NARDO!”
Casey sits there dumbfounded. He understands that some people don’t really figure out their identity until later in their lives, but his sensei always seemed so confident so the teen simply assumed he already knew for a long long time.
The clip is still playing.
“Alright boys, settle down.” , the commander smiled. “Nothing like starting off this slumber party with a good horror story!”
The 13 year old sat down on a pillow beside the busho. “Is this the Gumbus story again?”
“Please don’t let it be the Gumbus story again…” , Master Michelangelo mumbled.
“It’s not the Gumbus story, I swear.” , April rolled her eyes. “It’s even better.”
Sensei made his way over to the dresser where a tea set sat on top, the cups all cracked and mismatched but that just gave the set an apocalyptic charm. While April chatted with Casey, Master Michelangelo, Draxum, and Busho Yuichi in the small circle, Shelldon’s POV eyed the slider slipping the seed into a dingy ceramic green cup, watching the mystic plant fizz and dissolve.
“So, once upon a time, it was homecoming at my old high-school.” , the commander started.
“What’s homecoming?” , the teen asked.
“It’s a dance.” , April clarified. “I expected it to be just a normal night but when I walked in, everyone was glued in on their phones.”
“That’s just what all teenagers do.” , Sensei rolled his eyes as he carried the tea set over and sat down with the others.
“Sure but, all of their faces…they looked like zombies.”
“Zombies?” , Usagi questioned. Master Leonardo began passing the cups around, handing a blue cup to the rabbit and the ceramic green cup to Casey.
“Oh yeah, ironic, isn’t it?” , the commander smirked as she took her cup from Leo. She takes a sip before continuing, “I was invited by the popular girl, Taylor Martin, to sit at the cool kids table. But it turns out, so was literally everyone else!”
“Cool kids table?” , Casey asked. The kid didn’t (and still doesn’t) understand high-school.
“It’s like…how do I put this…” , April hummed.
The busho took a sip of his tea before answering, “High-school is one big popularity contest.” ,
“That’s dumb.” , the kid muttered, taking a big sip of his tea.
“Yep.” , April nodded. “So Taylor Martin ushered me and this Dale guy (who I didn’t like but he had a crush on me and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings—) to sit down at the table with her. Talking about some hippo crush game. And when all the kids looked up and started talking in sync, I knew something was up.”
Casey took another sip as he leaned in to listen to April’s story. Shelldon’s screen marked a little timer.
“But, not wanting Taylor to think I’m uncool, I was desperate to get that game. So I tried to download this hippo crush game but Donnie put this blocker on my phone to stop me from downloading malware. Another red flag.” , Commander O’Neil continued, waving her arms out. “I was so mad at Dee, I ran out to give him a call and yell at him.”
“I distinctly remember that.” , Master Michelangelo chimed in. “Don was working on repairs at Todd’s place and I tagged along. After the call, he looked at me and said, “She’ll thank me later.””
April laughed. “Oh yeah, I will never forget the smug look on his face afterwards.”
The group laughed, minus Draxum, enjoying their tea and the story. Shelldon glanced over at the teen as his eyelids started to droop. Casey leaned his weight into Usagi next to him. April continued her story.
“Suddenly, everyone began filing out of the auditorium in a single line. All glued to their phones. After squeezing by Taylor, I followed them to the theater where I discovered Hypno was the one behind all this! I knew I had to get outta there fast! So I ran.”
Casey yawned, his eyes seeming heavier. The busho glanced down at the kid for a moment before glancing up at his husband, both sharing a knowing look. The little timer on the screen got closer and closer to hitting zero. Almost precisely on queue, Casey let out a snore as the timer ended. Usagi huffed a laugh, leaning back to allow the teen to use the rabbit’s lap as a pillow. April’s smile dropped, as if her cheerful demeanor was simply an act.
“...You better know what you’re doing, Leo.” , she muttered.
Master Michelangelo threw his hands out. “Oh great, so everyone knew about the whole drugging thing except for me. Perfect.” , he said sarcastically.
“Enough.” , Draxum halted. “Let’s get started. Michelangelo, you know what to do.”
The mystic warrior sighed. “...Right.”
The box turtle reached forward, stretching across the rug to hold his hand against Casey’s chest. The turtle’s eyes lit up a bright orange, a soft green glow illuminating from the teen’s heart. Master Michelangelo gently pulled the green glow out of Casey’s chest, sitting back down as he let go of the glowing orb and watched it light up the room. As the light faded, three color-coded silhouette figures floated in the center. Shelldon’s systems glitched for a moment, as if the robot was struggling to process the scene before him.
A woman in blood red, a snapping turtle in bright red, and a softshell turtle in toxic purple.
“...Oh my god…” , Leo croaked, holding back tears.
The softshell was the first to open his eyes, his eyes emitting a bright white glow.
He smirked at his twin. “Took you long enough to figure it out.”
“Leo! Mikey!” , the snapper spoke next. “Awww I’d give ya a hug if I could!”
“Raph! I thought I lost you there for a while!” , the youngest exclaimed. “When I reached out to our ancestors, you disappeared a couple months ago. You and Donnie!”
“Yeah well, kinda hard to travel between afterlives, I suppose.” , the captain shrugged.
Cassandra didn’t say a word for a while, glancing down at her son. “...why have you brought us here?” , she finally said.
“Right. We need some answers.” , Sensei nodded, wiping the pearls of tears in his eyes. “First of all…what do you mean by traveling between afterlives?”
The purple turtle crossed his arms, floating upwards. “It appears that the kid’s soul has a “pocket afterlife”. A space where we can exist inside of his soul and mind. When we come in contact, we sorta hang out in there. It’s still possible to head back to the real afterlife but it’s all…finicky. Everything about these powers are finicky.”
“Finicky how?” , Draxum questioned.
“We can’t see a thing when in the pocket afterlife.” , the snapper answered, shrugging. “We can only sense what the kid feels and thinks. And that is only if we are active, not dormant.”
“Where do you go when dormant then?” , April tilted her head.
“Somewhere…” , Cass muttered. “Some…void. W-We’re not so sure. One minute we’re present, the next we’re not.”
“But we can still see things when we step outside the pocket.” , Raph assured.
“External factor.” , Captain Donatello added.
“The external factor.” , the slider pointed out. “Is that all the weird stuff that’s been happening around Casey?”
“Yeah.” , his twin nodded. “Each of us is linked to the element we’ve connected with. I got electricity from trying to access my computer. Raph…punched a wall and got earth powers.”
“Worth it.” , the oldest grinned.
“And Senior grabbed the wind.” , the softshell finished.
“What about internal?” , Master Michelangelo asked. “Those behaviors…the words Casey has said that didn’t sound like him…”
“That’d be us.” , the captain answered. “A fancy way of possession, if you will. Internal is when we are inside that pocket afterlife, active and listening to Junior’s thoughts and feelings. We can send him our thoughts and feelings as well, maybe even influence what he says or does if we have enough energy to do so. External is when we are outside, able to manipulate whatever element power we’re connected to. However, we can only hear the environment, everything else is blind to us except for Casey’s soul which we can still see. But again…it’s all finicky. We can’t control shit. That’s the kid’s job.”
The commander hummed. “So you’re saying, if we train Casey to control these powers…they’ll become more predictable?”
“Precisely. However, if there comes a time where Junior loses control when the energy levels are high…the results may be catastrophic. That’s why the other scientists prophesized a beacon of destruction .”
“Then we just gotta make sure that doesn’t happen.” , Master Leonardo affirmed. “We’ll train him. We’ll help him out with this. Don’t worry.”
“Can he see us?” , Cass’s voice cut through. “Can he see me? Could…could you let him…see me?”
The group went silent for a moment.
Draxum replied, “Well, we can’t technically at the moment. He’s been put under by a somnumceae seed. Besides, we need to think about the process of all of this. Casey Junior’s awareness will play a factor into how much power we can control—”
“I don’t care about some bullshit science project you want to conduct on my son, Draxum!” , Cass snapped. “That is my son! I need to see my son— I need my son to see me !”
“And he will.” , Draxum explained. “Within time appropriate—”
“TIME APPROPRIATE MY ASS! LET HIM SEE ME!”
A strange gust of wind picked up in the room. Shelldon’s sensors detected unstable amounts of mystic energy coming in. A soft green glow emitted underneath Junior’s eyelids.
“Cass, please. You need to calm down!” , April tried to reason.
“NO! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I’VE WAITED? HOW LONG I’VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL MY SON AFTER ALL THESE YEARS THAT I AM HERE?!”
The wind began to swirl, picking up objects in its path. Turning the room into a tornado.
“Casey, ya need to chill out! Before ya take the whole room wit’chu!” , the snapper pleaded.
“Be reasonable about this, Senior! We gotta take precautions about all of this first!” , the softshell shouted.
The rabbit glanced at the teen, brows furrowing in concern. “Uh, guys—” , Usagi muttered.
“OH I’VE BEEN PERFECTLY REASONABLE! IT’S NOT LIKE I’VE SPENT THE PAST 7 FUCKING YEARS TRYING TO SAVE MY SON’S LIFE TIME AND TIME AGAIN! ALL THE WHILE HE MOURNS FOR ME WHEN I AM RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM —”
A deafening screech rang out across the room. Junior’s eyes snapped open as a green glow bursted out from him, and with that, the souls vanished. The wind dropped everything, breaking and crashing objects in the process. The kid screamed again as the light faded, frantically squirming to get up as he was bombarded by concerned family members. He clutched on tight to Usagi’s arm.
“Hey, hey, breathe. It’s okay, danshi. We’re here.” , the samurai hushed. “We got you, don’t worry.”
Casey shut his eyes tight as he held onto his Oji’s arm, breathing heavily. Quiet murmurs of his family surrounded him, hovering over but hesitant to reach out. Usagi just kept hold, gently stroking his nephew’s hair. After a few moments, the teen caught his breath.
“I…I-I had a nightmare.” , Junior panted, his eyes still shut tight. “Some…some void, I-I don’t know. I couldn’t see anything.”
The group glanced up and around at each other.
“But I heard shouting, even though I couldn’t understand what was being said, it was all muffled. I…I guess it scared me.”
The kid sniffled from where his face was buried in the rabbit’s fur. Usagi’s brows furrowed as he held Casey closer.
“Well…don’t worry, you’re okay now. I promise. You don’t have to be scared anymore.”
Junior’s breathing calmed down, evening out. Everyone else still sat there hesitantly, unsure how to react or say. But Shelldon’s systems whirred, knowing Usagi got it under control.
“...’m tired…” , Casey mumbled, his breath smoothing and slowing down.
“Yeah, I know.” , Yuichi sighed. “Just go back to sleep, alright? We’ll be right here.”
The teen soon fell back asleep fairly quickly. All the while, everyone sat quietly and looked around at each other. After a long moment, Busho Yuichi was the first to speak.
“We need to tell him.” , he muttered.
“But how? This is already a lot for us to handle as it is.” , April chimed in.
“Well he needs to know if we are to start training him.” , Master Michelangelo explained. “It just makes sense.”
“I’ll do it.” , Sensei cut in, looking at the teen in his husband’s arms. “I’ll tell him myself. He deserves to hear it from me.”
“Good idea.” , Usagi smiled.
“Sure you can handle that by yourself?” , the orange clad turtle asked.
“Yeah.” , his brother nodded. “I-I mean, how hard can it be? I’ll just take him out hunting tomorrow morning. We’ll head north near the Kraang forest, maybe bring one of Todd’s dogs along. It’ll be nice.”
“Then you better start planning.” , Draxum stood up and began to exit the room. “The sooner we get progress done the better. I believe this concludes our experiment for today.”
In a beat, Shelldon’s systems whirred as his eyes closed. And the clip ends there.
Hunting… , Casey’s mind echos.
“Well, that concludes that fiasco.”, Donnie drawls, scribbling down more notes in his notepad. “Looks like we already got a head start in this mystic training. And looking at the news reports from last night, I’d say there’s a lot of power range to explore.”
“But wait, this future Leo was gonna tell Casey about his powers. But Casey says he never knew about them before.”, Mikey chimes in. He turns to the teen. “...Did he not tell you?”
The teen shakes his head. “N-No…we were…interrupted.”
“Interrupted how?”, Leo mumbles.
“...We…”
“What do you people want?”, the red-eared slider demanded. “Hey, we got this deer fair and square so back off!”
“Oh, we aren’t here for the venison.”, one of the people smiled. “Say…aren’t you Leonardo?”
Sensei grimaced. “What’s it to ya?”
Casey’s next breath stutters. Suddenly everything feels cold all around him as chills are sent down his spine. His hands begin to shake.
Creedence lunged into attack, going for the ankles. The person screamed, shaking their leg to get rid of the dog until Creedence lost her grip and was flung off. Another person kicked the dog on her side. The bloodhound whined, getting up to make a break for it. Casey saw her disappear into the forest.
The teen shouted, enraged. “DON’T YOU DARE KICK MY FUCKING DOG!”
In an instant, he saw a glint of green gloss over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. He swung his chainsaw at the enemies coming after him, dodging and blocking the explosive bullets that zipped by him with his staff. Except for one which grazed his left shoulder and blasted upon impact, ripping apart the surface of his arm as his ear ringed incessantly for a long while. The teen screeched, clutching his shoulder and pushing down the pain that seethed.
Casey curls forward, clutching his left shoulder tight. But then he recognizes the hand that’s holding it. Shimmering green in the low light behind his black gloves.
The cleaver stretched high up into the air, shining in the fluorescent light with an evil glint. In one clean hit, the blade swung down and cut through halfway down Casey’s forearm, mere inches past the elbow, slicing through the bone. Blood began spewing out as Casey screeched in pain. His voice reached volumes Casey never thought it could go. A scream from deep deep inside his core.
“...asey, you alright?”, Mikey asks though his voice warps in Casey’s ears, lending a hand on the teen’s shoulder.
But the touch feels like fire, Junior instantly swatting away at it. A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. The monitors glitch and flicker with a hum of static. Progressively getting stronger as eyes turn to it. Soon, Casey’s on his feet in a desperate attempt to get out of there before his powers break anything else in the lab. He snatches up his pouch and takes off, ignoring the pleas of everyone calling out to him. Rumbling cracks form where his steps are.
Casey zips to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him and sliding down to the floor. He is panting, panicking . Desperate to suppress it all down because IsweartowhateverdeityifIcauseanotherfuckingdisateragain —
Casey reaches into his bag, rummaging around for something. On top of the sleep pills and anxiety medication that Dr. Honeycutt prescribed in order to get this kid to chill the fuck out, the doctor also prescribed this 3rd medication to be used for emergencies like this. The teen can only hope now that it’ll work. He twists the lid open and pops a tablet in, dry swallowing it. Then he sits, and waits…and breathes like he just ran a marathon. He drags his legs up to his chest, putting the bottle away before wrapping his arms around himself and ducking his head down. He sits there for who knows how long, heaving and sobbing.
A sink faucet turns on.
Out of one of the four sinks, one with a blue cup on the counter and various skincare products, hot water runs on its own. Steam emits from the water, fogging up the room in its mist. Casey glances up at it, brows furrowing. In the fogged up mirror, writing begins to appear on its own. As if some ghost is smudging their finger against it. Of course .
The teen slowly gets up, holding his arms in each other as he walks over to the mirror. Standing in front of the mirror, the small few sage green strands in the teen’s hair twinkle dimly along with a glint of his emerald necklace in the reflection. He smiles at the message.
“Hey kiddo, it’s your favorite tío! :)”
“...Hey, Tío.”, Casey mumbles, laughing a little to himself. It’s so funny to think that after all this time, his family is right here beside him.
The water warps, flicks of water droplets splash the teen who yelps a bit. He laughs a bit more as the water splashes him again. The mirror fogs up again before more words are written out across it.
“
I have
We have an idea on how to help you.”
“Oh yeah?”, the teen asks, wiping his tears. “What is it?”
The mirror fogs, more words written.
“Long story. But first…”
“We’re gonna need Draxum.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: Smoking (again), good ol' sedatives (again), panic attack (again)
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"Girl math" this, "boy math" that. What about "timeline math" where you realize Casey was drugged with a sedative twice within the same 12 hour window--? Bestie was drugged to fall asleep and then gets a needle in his neck the next morning, I don't think he was okay--So yeah, next chapter we'll see some old faces. And blow up a forest. Nothing too crazy. (also we get to see Carol just be FUMING MAD, gah I love her so much)
Fun fact, I plan on opening a TeePublic shop soon (eta 3 months) where one of the shirts WILL be "I survived GEM (so far)". I am in desperate need of cash as I'm starting the process for top surgery
--
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 33: That Jenna Raine Song
Summary:
“Mama!”, Junior calls out.
“Casey baby!”, Senior calls back.
Notes:
"Cuz time wasn't in our favorrrrr~ This isn't goodbye, this is simply "see you laaaater"~"
So, life check-in...not doing great. My health has declined greatly and I'm very close to just getting admitted into ICU. Luckily, I'm pretty ahead schedule on writing so no hiatus at the moment but we'll see what happens.Now. GHOST TIME!!!!! OH MY GOD I MISS WRITING THESE FUCKERS! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Disclaimers in end notes!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Casey sits on the couch surrounded in a weighted blanket and overbearing brothers as everyone waits for Draxum to arrive. Everyone but Donnie who is in the bathroom frantically trying to scan the mirror for signs of mystic energy, and April who is calling her mom.
“So what else did he say?”, Mikey asks from where he rests against Casey’s shoulder. “Did future Leo give any more answers as to how to control these powers?”
“No.”, the teen shakes his head. “He just said Draxum can help us contact the souls themselves. Nothing more.”
“I’m guessing he meant putting you to sleep again.”, Leo adds in, resting his elbows on the back of the couch from behind.
“I hope not.”, Casey mutters. “I don’t care if it’s a precaution, there’s gotta be a more convenient way to go about this.”
“Hey, we’ll figure out more when Draxum gets here.”, Raph assures, sitting on Casey’s other side.
April walks into the TV room with a huff. “Mom’s starting to get antsy about where you are, Casey. Plan on telling her about these powers?”
“Once I figure out what the fuck is going on, yeah.”, Casey nods.
“Language.”, the snapper gripes.
Donnie waltzes into the room, his focus glued onto his wrist tech as he sits on the ground beside everyone. “I swear when I catch you, futuristic brother of mine, I’m gonna have some words.”, he mutters.
“Ditto.”, his twin hums.
Soon enough, the clicking of hooves echoes throughout the lair. A sound so bone-chillingly familiar to Casey. Everyone quickly looks up as the particular sheep yokai enters the room.
Draxum looks much younger than Casey remembers, again along with everyone else since he traveled back in time. His hair isn’t gray, but a deep reddish brown and much shorter, only stretching to his shoulders. He wears a robe in shades of cool green and pale blue, no skull pauldrons to accentuate his shoulders but rather cool green shoulder pads instead. He also carries a dark gray cloth bag with him, some glowing objects peaking through the fabric. This man may stand proudly, but his appearance didn’t have the same intimidating tone as his future counterpart. This guy is softer.
“Now, does anyone care to explain to me in detail why I was bombarded by several calls and messages about a future timeline experiment I was involved in?”, the baron grumbled.
“Hiya, Dad-xum!”, Mikey beams, ignoring his question as the box turtle springs up and hops over the back of the couch to give his father a hug. The other turtles roll their eyes.
“Good to see you too, Michelangelo.”, Draxum sighed, reluctantly patting Mikey’s head. Casey can see the sort curve in his lips though. “Now where is this Casey Jones Junior?”
The teen gets up to face the yokai more properly. “Uh, here. Nice to see you again— or just to see you, Mr. Draxum.”
“Oh, this human understands authority and politeness. Good.”, the baron hums. “Now, I’m going to need an explanation from all of you.”
The group spends the next hour or so filling the alchemist in. From Casey Jr being sent back in time, to finding out he has ghost powers, to the tapes from future Leonardo and Donatello, to figuring out how to train them, to the need to get Draxum. All the while, the sheep yokai sits and listens in with a hand on his chin, remaining quiet and methodical. Only occasionally speaking to ask for clarification on something.
“Well, suffice to say, the next course of action would be to contact these spirits and get started on understanding the limitations of these powers.”, Draxum says finally. “When’s the last time they’ve activated?”
“Just a while ago. They reacted to a panic attack I had.”, Casey answers, glancing at the floor.
“Are these powers all emotionally motivated? Can you activate them on command?”
“As far as I’m aware, yeah. But I haven’t known about them long enough to learn how to do it on command.”
“I see…”, the alchemist hums, stroking his chin. “I do wonder if your abilities are similar to ninpo or if they’re a new construct all together. No point in getting caught up in theories when we can search for the answers right now. All we need is for you to contact them yourself.”
“...Am I gonna have to be asleep for that?”, Casey asks sheepishly.
“What? No. Though, now that you mention it…”, Draxum drawls.
“I’ll take the conscious option.”, the teen answers quickly.
“I figured. The unconscious route would allow us to contact the souls safely but wouldn't give you any initial training.”, Draxum nods. He shuffles through his bag and takes out a translucent green orb. “Here. We’ll be using this to allow you space to contact the souls without accidentally destroying the place.”
“Is that a…pocket dimension?”, Junior tilts his head.
“Oh so you know your mystic crafts too. Finally, a competent human.”
April squawks offended, “Excuse me?! What did you say, Barry?!”
“My point still stands, O’Neil. You do come off as rather brash during your training.”, the baron mutters. “Now are you all ready to start or will you continue to waste my time?”
Yeah, still the same baron.
“Oh, I’m so ready.”, Donnie grins, vigorously typing away at his wrist tech and pulling up holographic screens. “This new sense of data could be a huge game changer!”
“Then let’s not dawdle.”, Draxum says as he tosses the orb at Casey. The orb taps the teen’s head before highlighting him in a bright green glow.
“Hey wait!”, Casey tries to protest. But it is too late, he feels his body being sucked in the pocket dimension and everything goes black.
A hushing rushing sound fills the space. When Casey comes to, he notices that he’s lying down and feels something soft beneath him. Cool and intertwining with his fingers. He peaks his eyes open and finds lush grassy ground surrounding him. The teen jolts up at the sight of it, standing and spinning around every which way.
All around is lush and green. Tall forest trees loom over him, shading and shrouding everything in soft shadows. Small branches and twigs pile around in the dirt. The still air is crisp and refreshing. Behind him is a tall waterfall pouring over a cliff into a small river, the water rippling and crashing against the rock bed as it winds into the horizon. The small pebbles and stones at the river’s edges are dressed in moss. Sleek and bright green. Larger stones of the river bed peer out of the water, providing stepping stones to walk around on. The bright blue sky above him seeps its light through the trees. The forest is deathly quiet and still, only the rushing waterfall and river to fill in the sound.
Casey doesn’t know what to think of it all. He remembers stories of a place like this. A world surrounded in this. But that world…feels so alien to him. He doesn’t know if this place is to be feared or enjoyed. He doesn’t know if this place is meant to be good or bad. It’s just… alien .
Just then an earthy crash hits behind him. The teen yelps, spinning around to find Donnie on the ground beside him. The softshell groans, slowly pushing himself to a stand.
“Ugh, give a guy a warning next time, Draxum.”, he grumbles. He looks around at the forest. “Interesting choice of scenery though.”
“What are you doing here?”, Casey asks.
“I’m here to set up some equipment so that me and everyone else will be able to monitor you from outside the orb.”, the purple clad turtle explains.
Casey watches as the softshell methodically stretches out his mystic tech. He sets aside a holographic panel that seems to be mystically interlinked with a monitor, a window seeing into Donnie’s lab and supposedly seeing into the pocket dimension as well. The panel floats out of a small projection device that Donnie plants into the ground. The scientist takes a step back.
“Draxum! Can you hear me?”, he calls out to the panel.
The sheep yokai peers in the monitor. “Yes, everything is coming through just fine. Good work, Donatello.”
Casey notices the small smile on the softshell’s face at the praise but the turtle is quick to push it away.
“Yes, well, we’re all set now. So get me out of here.”, Donnie rolls his eyes. Within a moment, a green rift opens through the orb. Donnie waltzes inside, waving goodbye to the teen with a salute of his finger. “Don’t destroy my tech.”, he says as the rift closes behind him.
Back on the panel, Draxum, the turtles, and April all surround the monitor. Though Draxum is the one most seated forward.
“Jones. Are you ready to start?” , Draxum asks.
“Yes sir.”, the teen nods with a determined grin.
“Good. Go ahead and find somewhere to sit comfortably.” , the baron instructs.
Casey turns around to the scenery before him. After a quick look around, the teen opts to kneel on his legs beside the river. The planted device in the ground seems portable as it shuffles in the dirt to Casey’s side, allowing the panel a better view.
“Now, in order for you to contact the souls, you must enter your mindscape.” , Draxum explains. “Close your eyes and focus on the darkness. Look for the itch that drives you.”
“Okay, seems easy.”, Junior mutters to himself, nodding.
He takes a breath, closing his eyes as he exhales. The darkness behind his eyelids weren’t that dark, the sunlight still shining through. He moves his eyes behind his eyelids but nothing is happening. He voices as such.
“You’re not focusing on the right thing. Think, Casey Junior, what is it that you feel when your powers activate? Look for that.” , Draxum answers.
What do I feel? , Casey thinks. As far as he knows, when it comes to his powers, he is usually scared. Terrified. As if something is about to attack him. A battle he must win. An itch for a fight.
There it is.
The teen latches onto the itch, feeling the restless adrenaline underneath. The itch writhes in his bones, deep within the marrow. He chases it. A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash.
The sounds of the waterfall are gone.
Casey opens his eyes.
Void.
Dark empty void.
Casey stands up, only the sound of him and his clothes to commentate his movement. When he stands, Casey looks down at himself and sees his body is back to that bright green sheen it was back in the cave. Except he doesn’t seem to be translucent, just perfectly solid and glowing green against the dark. The teen looks around and calls out.
“Hello? Guys? Draxum?”, Casey shouts.
“We’re still here.” , Donnie reports. “Your feed is now coming through my subcutaneous tracker I put on you.”
“Excuse me?!”, the teen snarks. He sighs. “Of course you did. Anyways, are you seeing what I’m looking at?”
“No. We can only hear you. The panel is still showing your body still sitting there with your eyes wide open and covered in a green glow. It’s…kinda freaky.” , Donnie drawls.
“Try to look around for the other souls. They should be nearby.” , Draxum points out.
“Okay, on it.”, Casey nods.
The teen starts walking. Where he is going, he doesn’t know. He just hopes it leads him somewhere. He can hear his footsteps yet they don’t echo. His ears stay on the lookout for any sound that isn’t coming from him.
“Hellooooo?”, the teen calls out, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Uh…is anyone there? Mama?”
“CJ?”, a low voice beckons.
Junior whips his head around at the voice. In the distance, he could see a glowing bright red. The teen beams as he starts bounding towards the red.
“Uncle Ael!”, he shouts.
The snapper comes closer and closer into view, picking up speed of his own. His uncle beams a toothy grin as he swoops up the kid into a hug and spins him around.
“It’s you!”, Casey smiles. “Aw, I haven’t seen you in forever, big guy!”
The turtle chuckles. “Yeah, it’s been a while. Glad t’ see ya not dead this time. Also…Uncle Ael? Really?” He grins bashfully a bit at the name.
“Yeah, it fits you.”, Junior assures.
“Aw, thanks.”, Uncle Ael smiles again. “How’d’chu get here though? Did it work? Did the other Draxum put ya in a spell?”
“Not a spell! He taught me how to get here on my own!”, Casey exclaims.
“Junior, who are you talking to?” , Leo’s voice asks from outside.
Casey looks up towards the voice. “I found Raph! I mean…the Raph from my timeline.”
The snapper looks up too, albeit confused. “...Is someone up there?”
The teen nods. “Yeah, it’s the present-past timeline I traveled to. They’re all monitoring us in their Donnie’s lab. Can’t you hear them?”
“...No…?”
“Oh.”, Casey hums. He looks up again. “Can you guys hear this Raph?”
“Uhh…that’s a negative. We can only pick up your voice. Seems like the souls can’t hear us this way and we can’t hear them.” , Donnie reports. Casey relays the message to Uncle Ael.
“Oh, that sorta makes sense I guess?”, the snapper tilts his head. “Anyways, ready t’ meet the others? They’re just up ahead.”
“Yeah, let’s go!”, Casey bounces excitedly from where he sits in the turtle’s arms. But just before he can climb down, the snapper just hoists the teen up onto his shoulders. Junior huffs. “I can walk, you know.”
“Raph knows. But admit it, this is fun.”, Uncle Ael smirks.
The two continue walking for a bit. After what feels like a couple minutes, Casey sees a crowd of colors up ahead. Bright blue, bright orange, bright purple, and a deep blood red. The kid’s face lights up at the sight.
“Guys!!”, he shouts.
“Casey!”, they exclaim.
They start running towards him, blood red taking the lead. Casey excitedly hops off the snapping turtle’s shoulders and runs over to his mom as she smiles, getting down on one knee and opening her arms out wide.
“Mama!”, Junior calls out.
“Casey baby!”, Senior calls back.
Casey practically tackles his mom as he drops down for a hug. The Jones duo sit on the ground, holding each other tightly. The teen heaves as tears dwell up in his eyes. He feels the others surrounding him. They all join together in the hug. Enveloping in the security of his true family.
“Casey Junior? Junior, come in! What’s going on?” , Donnie beckons from outside.
“Give them a minute, Dee.” , Mikey exasperates.
Casey gently pulls back, soaking in the sight of his family before him. He wipes his tears, taking a breath.
He smiles at Uncle Tello, “I see you got your limbs back.”
“And it’s good to have them.”, the softshell smirks, ruffling the top of Casey’s head.
The teen then glances at Tío, “And your arm…”
“I don’t need it.”, the slider grins with a shrug. “The lack of it is just a part of the charm now.”
Junior looks over at Uncle Angelo, “It’s good to see you whole again.”
“It’s good to feel whole again.”, the box turtle nods. “The family is all back together.”
“Well, some of us are.”, Mama adds.
“Yeah, wait…”, Casey hums, looking around. “Sensei, you said Oji and Auntie would be here too, right? Where are they?”
The group looks at each other for a moment, but all eyes soon set on the glowing blue. The slider sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Usagi…April promised to wait for him in the afterlife before joining us with you. But…Usagi didn’t show up at all.”, Sensei explains.
“Wait…are you saying he’s still alive?”, Casey furrows his brows.
“No, no.”, Tío shakes his head and waves his hand. “I can sense him, he’s on the other side. He just…didn’t pass away until after you went through the portal.” Then the slider sighs again. “But…I can’t reach him. We’re only able to pass through this pocket afterlife and the afterlife of this timeline. Our family, April, Usagi, everyone…they’re all back in our timeline. The only way for us to reach them is to return to the apocalypse.”
“Which is not going to happen.”, Uncle Tello adds in. “It’s impossible. We’re stuck here.”
“But at least we’re stuck together .”, Uncle Angelo assures.
Master Leonardo nods, “Yeah…and besides, they’re not alone over there either. Usagi gets to be with his family and friends again. April gets to be with her parents and Sunita again. They’ll…they’ll look out for each other.” He chuckles a bit to himself. “I guess…death really did do us part.”
Casey’s brows upturn. He quickly gets up and steps in to hug his tío tightly, the slider hugging back with his one arm wrapping around. Sensei presses his forehead against the teen’s, Junior electing to ignore the warm tears pressing on him. After a long moment, the slider pulls back.
“...Right, now…enough sappy shit. Let’s get to planning.”, he smiles reassuringly.
“Yeah, okay. I do have some questions though. So do the others.”, Casey says, glancing up.
“Others?”, the slider looks around.
“This timeline’s versions of you guys. They’re monitoring us. But they can only hear me and you can’t hear them.”
“Ah, how perfectly convenient.”, the captain says with a hint of sarcasm.
“Yeah, so, first question. How did you guys get your powers? We saw the reports that you come into contact with an element?”, Casey asks, glancing around at everyone.
“Of course.”, the softshell nods. “And as you should’ve seen, I got mine from trying to reach my computer. And Raph…punched a wall.”
“And I grabbed the closest thing I could, the wind, to reach you as soon as I could.”, Mama smiles, though her brows upturn softly.
“For me, it was the time gateway.”, Master Michelangelo presses a hand against himself. “I tried to keep it open as long as I could and close it in time to make sure Kraang didn’t follow. Since my ninpo’s symbol is already a mystic cackling fireball, I got that.”
The group looks over at Master Leonardo for his answer, but the slider averts his gaze.
“Sensei? What about you? How did you end up with water?”, Casey asks.
The slider presses his lips for a moment before sighing.
“ IfeelintotheHudsonRiver .”, he mumbles quickly.
“You fell into the Hudson River?!”, everyone shouts in sync. Casey can hear the distance cackling from the panel outside.
“Okay yes, not my finest moment.”, Sensei exasperates, rolling his eyes. “I rushed into the portal the second I got obliterated (which was NOT FUN) and the next thing I knew, I fell in the river. So I didn’t really have a choice on getting something like…I dunno…toxic gas powers. That would’ve been sick.”
“Well, water powers are still very versatile.”, Uncle Tello points out. “You can do many things with them that would be very resourceful in any given environment—”
“Donnie. Not now.”, his twin mumbles.
Master Michelangelo chimes in, “Yeah, we need to focus on helping Casey here. Knowing from my experience, he can only stay here for a certain period of time until his energy gets spent.”
“Then let’s talk mystics.”, Uncle Ael nods. “What do we need to do?”
“Well, Draxum says that the more control I get over my powers, the better. Which means we gotta work as a team to communicate with each other effectively.”, Casey explains.
“Speaking like a true leader. Coming after my position?”, the slider smirks. “But hey, that’s good thinking. This is Casey’s body. He calls the shots.”
“Aww, so I can’t blow up shit with my powers all half-cocked willy nilly pel mel?”, the captain says sarcastically with a smile.
“It could also be nice to learn how to be more aware of our surroundings.”, Cassandra adds in. “Can’t fight if our brains are scattered across time and space.”
“I bet Draxum would know how to help.”, Junior smiles.
“Know how to help with what?” , Draxum chimes in from the panel.
The teen looks up into the dark atmosphere. “Do you think you can help the souls learn their surroundings better so that they aren’t navigating without senses?”
“I cannot help them but I can help you . You’ll need to be their eyes and ears. It’s a concept of trust.”
Casey relays the message back to the souls.
“Well, that’s still good!”, the snapper beams a toothy grin. “Raph loves some good team-building training!”
“Then we’ll get started as soon as possible.”, Master Leonardo says with a determined grit.
“As soon as possible another time.”, the mystic warrior sighs.
Casey’s brows furrow. “What? Why?”
The box turtle meets his eyes, then raises his hand showing the solid bright orange fading away into nothingness. The others look around at themselves too, their feet and hands also beginning to fade.
“You’re over-exhausting your powers. You already used too much energy as is with our whole…cave incident.”, Master Michelangelo hums. He then smirks, “Better get out of here before your hair starts growing more green strands.”
Casey huffs a laugh. “Yeah, about that…why is my hair changing like yours? You have ninpo, I have…radiated empyrean. Aren’t the properties different?”
The group glances around at each other with smirks on their faces. Uncle Angelo sighs. “You remember our Draxum, yeah?”
“...Yes? I still have memories of him?”, Casey nods cautiously.
“Well, remember the mystic plant he gave you? The…spirits, what was it called…verethragnaus?”
“These are Verethragnaus. They give your body the strength of thousands and kindle your fighting spirit with the will of millions. In ancient times of the yokai, warriors would often eat some before going out into battle.”, Draxum explained. “In other words, they’re like vitamins and are good for you. =)”
Casey’s eyes widen. “Wait, yeah! You’re saying that turns people’s hair green??”
“Yes and no.”, Uncle Angelo chuckles. “He gave us all some to strengthen our forces. But I saw from our mystic team that yokai began growing strands of sage in their hair or fur, if they had any, but only when they overuse their powers. A strange side effect, I suppose.”
“Wow, what a convenient plot device to add way late into the story.”, Uncle Tello mumbles.
“So, don’t overuse your powers, Casey.”, the box turtle continues. “You’re still very new to them and they can weigh you down quickly if you start training too quickly. So go. Go rest. You wouldn’t want to end up like me.” The mystic warrior gives a light chuckle.
Casey frowns but doesn’t fight it. “...Alright then. I’ll uh…how do I get out of here?”
Cass is quick to answer, stepping forward. “I’ll take you there.”
The others glance at her but Junior simply smiles. “Okay.”, he nods.
Mama reaches forward, taking her son’s hand and starts walking. Casey turns to the turtles, hesitant to leave but brings himself to smile at them and wave goodbye. The others wave back, sending smiles his way too.
“See ya later, chico!”, Uncle Angelo beams. “We’ll be right here!”
Tío chuckles and smirks, “Yeah, we’re not going anywhere this time.”
“Don’t forget to tell the other me the lottery numbers. Like we planned.”, Uncle Tello shouts, giving a smug grin.
“Give everyone a big ol’ hug from your uncle!”, Uncle Ael hollers, flashing a toothy grin.
Casey Jr laughs as he turns back around, continuing to walk with his mom. He glances down to see her legs starting to fade away. He better hurry. After what feels like a short while, Mama looks over her shoulder. Casey looks over too, noticing the others are gone.
“Casey baby.”, she says, grabbing Casey’s attention towards her.
“Yes, Mama?”, Junior says back.
Cassandra’s lips press in a firm line for a moment, looking down at the ground in front of her. “...Can I…Can I talk to you about something?”
“...What is it?”, her son asks slowly, raising a brow skeptically.
His mother doesn’t answer for another moment. She opens her mouth, and sighs, then opens her mouth again, then sighs again. Then finally…
“Dead or alive, I’ve only been able to see pieces of your life. I never get to see the full story from you. I try to be present, I want to be present as much as possible for you. I do my best to be there for you throughout your battles. For ages, I’ve longed to hold you in my arms again. Pleading that you would hear me when you cry for me.”, Mama explains. “Seeing you being put in danger over and over again…it terrifies me. I don’t care how old you are or how strong you’ve become. You’re my baby. You’ll always be my baby. And I just want to protect you from everything that has hurt you.”
Her voice begins to croak a bit, but she takes a breath and collects her composure. The two end up reaching a light, the sounds of rushing waterfall seeping through. She stops walking, turning to face her son.
“But baby…throughout all of the terrifying things I have seen…nothing has scared me more than seeing you try to take your own life.”, she mutters, tears pricking her eyes.
Casey’s eyes widen as he feels his stomach swoop. “...What?”
“The cliff, baby.”, Mama quivers. “I’m talking about the cliff. I was there.”
And so, Casey walked out of the cave, climbing up around the sides that led to the cliff. Hardly anyone came up there unless it was for one reason. When Casey reached the top, the edges of the cliff became more narrow, just a few feet. He pressed himself against the stone wall, looking up at the barren wasteland. The cold harsh dusty wind rushed around him and the horizon, kicking up sand with its feet as it ran from east to west. The air was fresh with smoke as always, the singe of gunpowder and hinted rotting flesh from the mass graves nearby filled Casey’s nostrils. The dirt ground shifted beneath his combat boots, solid yet on the brink of crumbling into nothing. Casey felt the rocks behind him rub against his back and head. Everything all too familiar. This was his world, this was his home.
A weight of dread presses onto Casey’s heart. He hadn’t known before, how would he? But the clue was so subtle, you could mistake it for anything.
“And then, last night…”, Cass continues. “I heard your thoughts, we all did. I heard you think about killing yourself again and I-I just…panicked!”, she exclaims.
The weight sinks into Casey’s heart more. “Mama—”
His mom continues rambling, tears now flowing down her face. “I was so scared ! I just…I just had to do something! I tried so hard to reach out to you and—”
Casey quickly wraps his arms around her. Tears of his own begin pearling.
“I’m sorry.”, he mutters, his voice shaking ever so slightly. “Fuck, I’m so sorry.”
His mother tightly hugs him back, sniffling. “I don’t want you to die, baby. No one does. Not your uncles, not your aunts, not your brothers, not your sister. No one.”
“...Bishop wanted me dead.”, the teen mumbles from where his face is buried in his mom’s shoulder.
“Yeah well Bishop can kiss my fucking ass.”, Cassandra snarks. “He didn’t know you, did he? He didn’t know how incredible you are. And he sure as hell didn’t know how much your family loves you, enough to commit mass murders and slit his throat. And trust me, when he and his little entourage arrived in the afterlife, they all got a fair ass-whooping from us. You should’ve seen it.”
That makes the kid chuckle a little bit. He pushes back, wiping his tears. He glances at the light, seeing the faint vision of the river and forest on the other side. Mama presses her hands on his shoulders.
“Casey baby, I need you to promise me something.”, she states, an all-serious tone in her voice. “Please promise me that you won’t ever have those thoughts again. Promise me you’ll actually try and enjoy your life. There’s so much ahead of you now. Don’t let our efforts go to waste by ending it all early.”
Casey nods and mumbles with a weak smile, “...I-I’ll try.”
“I mean it.”, Cassandra insists. “I don’t want to see you back in the afterlife until you are old and senile.”
The teen laughs wetly. “What??”
“ Old and senile !”, his mother grins. “When I see you on the other side, I want to see a crusty ass man…”
“Come on, Mama!”, Casey whines lightheartedly.
“...with long white hair in a braid that drags all over the floor! And a bushy beard that you can store all kinds of shit in. And a face with all the wrinkles and sags!”, Cass beams, squishing her son's face teasingly. “Consider this your belated birthday gift. A life where you can finally grow old! Instead of having to fear if you’ll make it to tomorrow. We all fought hard so that you wouldn’t have to fight anymore. We all gave our lives so that you wouldn’t have to give up yours. If you really want to make us proud, Casey baby, you’ll age.”
She hugs her son again, pulling him in close.
“And trust me…we’ll be there this time. We’ll be there.”, she mumbles.
Muffled voices are heard through the light, the blurred vision showing an array of colors. Mama sighs, pulling back from the hug. She nudges Junior forward.
“Go, go on. I’ll see you soon. I mean it this time.”, she smiles.
“Yeah…”, Casey nods. “See you soon, Mama.”
He turns to the light, walking towards it. And everything goes white.
“Casey! Come on back to us, hermano!”
All senses hit the teen like a truck. The light, the sounds, the smells, the crisp cold air. He lurches forward, catching himself with his hands. Something warm trickles down his nose.
“Ay, thank la virgencita! Kid, you with us?”, Leo exasperates, placing a hand on Casey’s shoulder.
“What…”, Junior heaves. “W-what’s going on?”
“You tell us.”, Donnie snarks from where he stands beside Casey’s right. “The transmission cut out and your scanners were going haywire. You almost destroyed the whole forest!”
Destroyed? Casey looks up, seeing how cracks have formed underneath him. The river overflows, kicking up mud on the ground. A tree’s branches are aflame. The panel glitches, electric sparks emitting from the device. Wind rushes through the air, getting hair stuck on Casey’s face. And speaking of hair, more sage green strands have formed. There’s a whole stripe of it now, about 3 inches thick.
“I told you guys to get him out of there sooner.”, Mikey taunts, shrugging and shaking his head. “Have we learned nothing from my experience with mystic overuse? (Not that I regret it).”
Leo rolls his eyes at the youngest, handing Casey some gauze. “Here, let’s get you cleaned up. We got visitors coming.”
“Visitors?”, Casey furrows his brows.
Raph chuckles dryly. “Yeah…Mom wants to talk to you.”
“Mom? …Oh…”
“...Carol.”, everyone says in sync.
Back in the lab, Casey sits in a chair, resting his elbow on his knee and head in this palm. He presses the gauze against his bleeding nose as his brain pounds in his skull. Needless to say, he feels like shit. Without moving, his eyes glance over at Draxum and Donnie standing beside the monitors and going over their findings. Mikey strides into the lab with a tray as Leo follows in tow.
“I got you some fruit and water.”, the box turtle smiles at the teen as he sets the tray on the desk beside Casey.
“...Thanks.”, Casey mumbles.
Leo rattles a bottle of ibuprofen in Junior’s face. “Here ya go, Jesús.”
Casey huffs a dry laugh at the name, putting the gauze down and taking the bottle. He glances up once more at the D&D duo. The orb in Draxum’s palm glows dimmer than it did before.
“Sorry about your pocket dimension, Mister Draxum.”, Casey says as he opens the bottle.
“No need. It’s a self-healing forest. I was expecting your powers to be destructive so I put you in a mystic forest that can repair any damages you may cause. It’ll be back to its natural design in a few hours.”, Draxum explains, still sifting through the holographic panels in front of him.
Mikey gets up to leave the room as Donnie carries his mystic holograms over to the teen. “Yes, well, Casey Junior…I’d say that was a successful test run. Next step would be to actually learn to use your powers on command. Speaking of powers, that whole phasing through objects thing, was that the first time it has occurred?”
Casey pops some pain relievers in his mouth, chasing it down with a swig of water before answering. “Uh…as far as I know, yes?”
“Mkay, and what are the properties of it? Are we working with IMBI rules or even Danny Phantom?”
Leo’s face screws up in confusion, “The hell you talking about, Don—”
“ HAMATO MICHELANGELO. ”, a very familiar voice erupts from down the hall.
Mikey squeaks. “O-Oh, heyyyyyy ma’! How’s it going?”
“Come here.”, Carol demands.
“SuRe!”, the box turtle’s voice cracks before he quickly clears his throat. “I-I mean yeah cool whatever.”
Leo winces, “Ooooooeugh…we’re in big trouble, aren’t we?”
“Where’s Raph?”, Donnie whispers, peering at the door. “Miss Carol likes him the most. He could help us soften the blow.”
“I don’t know, man!”, Leo hushes. “We just need to act…Raph-like.”
“Really, Nardo? That’s your plan?”
“Well, do you have a better one?”
“Casey.”, Carol’s voice cuts through the air like a blade. Her eyes land on the teen, Kirby hovering from behind with a sorry look on his face. “I haven’t seen you since last night.”
Casey’s soldier instinct kicks in. He stands quickly, straightening his posture. Donnie and Leo do the same, trying to blend in. “Dr. O’Neil.”, the teen nods.
“At ease.”, the doctor spats dryly. She puts her hands on her hips. “Care to explain to me why you’ve decided to run off in the middle of the night during a…multi-natural disaster without telling anyone about your whereabouts until this morning? You made me worried sick!”
Casey sighs. “I know, I’m sorry. I…panicked…from the whole crazy thing last night. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“Well, you still have a lot of explaining to do.”, Carol crosses her arms. “Especially now that I’m hearing that you are the cause of the whole catastrophe. Something about…magic ghost powers?”
Casey’s brows furrow. The group glances over at Mikey in the background who slips in through the doorway with a look of fear.
“I panicked, okay?! She pulled out the full name card on me!”, the youngest shouts, flailing his arms.
Donnie sighs exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of his snout and shaking his head. “Micheal…”
“So? Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on?”, Carol cuts in.
“It’s a long story…”, Junior drawls.
“Well, I’m here now. So spit it out!”
“Ooookay!”, Kirby chimes in. He steps forward, placing a hand on his wife’s shoulder which is quickly swatted away. “Carol, my queen , why don’t the guys…”, he nods his head at the turtles and Draxum, “...go and make some tea while we cool off in the TV room? And Casey will join us in a few when he’s ready?”
Carol purses her lips. “...Fine.”, she gripes.
The doctor turns on her heels and strides out of the lab, the barber in tow. The turtles quickly scramble to the kitchen as Draxum follows behind, leaving Casey alone in the lab. The teen sighs, relaxing his shoulders. He takes a few minutes to finish his water and toss away the gauze, swinging by the bathroom to wash off the last bit of dried blood in his nose. Once all cleaned up, he makes his way to the TV room, preparing himself for the conversation that he’s about to have. But as he gets closer to the room, he hears Carol and Kirby talking.
“You gotta go easy on the kid, babe. Junior’s been through a lotta hell.”, Kirby laments. “Now I know running off and causing trouble doesn’t let him out scott free, but just think of the why.”
“I know, I know.”, Carol sighs. “I’m just…so scared for him. When he first got here, he was in such a poor state. All dirty and injured. And he still looks so frail. No matter what, he’s not packing on more weight like he should be. It’s like he just…forgets that food is even an option for him when he’s hungry. Always stuck in his mindset of…”ration days”. And even when I do remind him and get him to eat, he rations it as if it’s the last meal he’ll ever get. I know I can’t shake off his survivalist routines overnight, but that doesn’t stop my heart from worrying about him. Christ, Kirby, he is just a boy. A child. He should have never had what happened to him.”
“The human mind isn’t built for war.”, Kirby hums. “Never was, never will be. All we can do is just be patient with him.”
Casey has heard enough. He takes a breath, intentionally making his footsteps louder as he walks down the steps into the TV room. The O’Neils both look up from the couch. The teen sits square on his knees in front of them. He tilts his head down.
“...I’m sorry for causing you guys worry.”, he mumbles. “It won’t happen again, I promise.”
“Oh, baby…”, Carol frowns sympathetically. “You know that we do it because we care about you. Now talk to us, what on earth is going on?”
Casey sighs, thinking about the best way to put it. He then goes through everything with them. From hearing voices last night, to running off to the cave, to the whole eruption of mystic energy, to figuring things out with the turtles in the lab (excluding the gorey details), to meeting the ghosts, to now. He leaves out the part of his thoughts of death triggering the souls to go active in the first place, he already worried everyone enough. Carol’s face gradually creases more worry lines as Kirby listens, looking deep in thought.
“Wow…magic ghost powers.”, the barber says finally. “That’s…pretty fucking badass.”
“Kirby.”, Carol spats.
“What? You gonna look at me and tell me that’s not badass?”, Kirby smiles. “It’s the badassest thing I’ve ever heard in my life!”
The doctor sighs, shaking her head though the corners of her mouth curl slightly in a smile. She looks at the teen, “And you didn’t know anything about these powers until now?”
“Yes.”, Casey nods. “I mean, I knew something was off for a while but…there’s no way I would’ve guessed this.”
“And you’re still learning to control it?”
“Yeah, we haven’t even properly started but Draxum will help us. He’s kinda the go-to for these sorts of things.”
Carol smiles softly, “My oh my…and to think I had such an extraordinary young man underneath my roof. But I still can’t help but be worried for you.”
“Yeah, I know…I’m sorry.”, Casey sighs.
“Hey, look…”, his guardian leans in. “Kirby and I may not know much about all this…mystic-mutant-yokai stuff, but you shouldn’t feel like you can’t tell us these things. We’re…we work together now, alright?”
“Yeah, we’re a team, prince.”, Kirby grins. “And a team has to help each other out.”
He holds out his fist for a fist bump. Casey huffs a laugh, returning the fist bump. Satisfied, Carol gets up, dusting her knees.
“Well, now that’s settled, let’s go see what’s taking those boys so long with the tea.”, she says as she makes her way out of the room.
As if right on cue, a crash is heard from the kitchen.
“Mikey, no! That was dad’s favorite teapot!”, Leo shouts.
“I thought it was Shredder!”, Mikey yells back.
“Yeah, why did we get a new teapot that looks exactly like the Shredder helmet?”, Donnie snarks.
Casey laughs to himself. Things may be incredibly confusing and disorienting at the moment but…his family is with him now. His family of both worlds.
What more could he ask for?
Notes:
Disclaimers: Bit of blood, meh. Mentions of suicidal implications and mentioned attempt.
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Poor Usagi...his one fear was dying alone. Guess we must all face our fears eventually.Next chapter we are FINALLY moving away from this lore stuff as the gangle of friends have A BEACH DAY EPISODE!!! Casey is gonna go swimming, see a whale, turn Raph into a sand mermaid, beat up and almost murder a group of men trying to mug April, buy some ice cream, etc! It'll be so much fun!!!
And about the health decline thing, I'll be okay. I mean I feel like absolute shit but yk I'm not like /dying/. So don't worry! =)
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 34: The Beach Day Episode
Summary:
Just then, a rumbling low siren beckons in the distance. Enough to startle everyone. It kinda sounds like…crying? Yet Mikey’s face lights up. He squeals ecstatically as he kicks his legs around.
“WHAAAAAAAAALLLLLLEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”, he screams in delight as he rushes over to the ledge of the reef.
Notes:
Imagine getting attacked by your abusive grandpa (who is the inspiration behind General Allen) on your way out the door one final time. I am...hhhhaaa...man this AO3 curse sure is smth. (fr tho, i'm safe. now and forever. <3)
ANYWAYS!!!!! This chapter is a nice fun break from the hell that we all went through. It's actually the exact vibe I wanted for Arc 3. A lot closer to the show's style while still mixing in a bit of angst. =)
Disclaimers in the end notes! Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Mini me! Get your ass in gear, daylight’s burning!”
“Coming, Mama!”
It’s been 7 weeks since the invasion. Not that the timing of this plot matters anymore (I don’t know what I’m doing).
The turtles, Mikey especially, have implored for a day off from all the drama that’s been happening. The box turtle flourished out the bucket list that he and Leo made, circled a few things, and began planning. Everyone is to meet up in the garage of the lair. The turtles, Casey, Cassandra, April, and Sunita.
What is peculiar is that Mikey gave Casey an outfit to wear, specifically for their outing today. A striped teal tank top, a pair of waterproof shorts with a dark green to bright green gradient, and some brown leather sandals. The outfit can’t be far from uncomfortable, the tank top makes the teen’s black binder stick out like a sore thumb.
And so, Casey hastily grabs his black jacket with the lime green hood and tosses it on as he picks up his lime green pouch and hurries out of the apartment, waving goodbye to the O’Neils. His mother is waiting for him at the front, wearing a skin-tight waterproof black tee and black shorts with sandals on as well along with dark red-rimmed sunglasses perched on top of her head.
“Ready for the most epic beach day of your life?”, Mama smirks.
“It’s my first so…it better be.”, Casey grins back.
They head down the elevator and into the parking lot where April and Sunita are waiting by the pickup truck. The two sit in the back while the Jones duo sit up front. Cass adjusts her rear view mirror, sending a glare to the girls in the back.
“Hey, no funny business back there.”, she snarks.
“Cass, please.”, April rolls her eyes.
April has a nice flowy yellow dress on with yellow flip flops and a white wide brim straw hat on her lap. Sunita brandishes her cloaking broach on top of her purple and pink dress with light blue flip flops. Looks like Mikey got everyone to dress up for…whatever this is.
The pickup truck arrives at the lair’s garage and, wouldn’t you know, the turtles are in outfits too. Leo in a blue tank top with blue striped board shorts, Donnie in white and purple Hawaiian shirt with purple board shorts, Mikey in an orange-yellow striped short sleeve wetsuit, and Raph in a yellow and pink Hawaiian shirt with red board shorts.
“Who’s ready for some fantastic fun in the sun?”, Leo beams. Everyone cheers in excitement.
“Well, yes, I’ve found the perfect beach spot not far from here where we’ll be unbothered by the public so that we won’t have to worry about disguises.”, Donnie smirks, typing away at some holographic wrist tech. “So, Nardo, if you’ll do the honors.”
Leo widens a cocky smirk as he waves his katana above him, wiggling his hips. “Haaaachi machi!”, he gloats.
With a slash, a large portal opens in front of everyone. Large enough for the truck to get through. The turtles hop up on the back trunk as Cass drives forward into the portal. A glare of bright light blinds the teen for a moment until his vision is able to adjust, the portal closing behind them.
A beach stands before them, one Casey had only heard about in stories. Pale beige sand with a large blue ocean of water lapping away at the shores. Waves rising and crashing. A big clear blue sky above with a glaring yellow sun. While Casey stares out the windshield in shock, everyone else cheers as they excitedly scramble out of the truck.
“Come on, Jones!”, Mama beckons, shaking her son’s shoulder to get him out of his trance.
Junior opens the car door, stepping out onto the sand. It’s warm, like really warm. If it wasn’t for the sandals, Casey can guess it would feel like walking on fire. Cass, April, and Sunita open up the trunk and grab a few chairs and an umbrella while the turtles make a beeline for the water. Casey opts to follow the girls and help them. April sticks the large standing blue umbrella in the sand, twisting it in place.
“Boys!”, she calls to her brothers. “Don’t forget your sunscreen before you go in!”
“Sunscreen?”, Casey asks.
“Yeah, that glaring hot ball in the sky can burn your skin if you don’t put on sunscreen.”, April explains. She takes a bottle out of the pocket of her dress and tosses it to the teen. “Here, put some on."
Casey stares at the bottle in his hand with confusion. He opens it and places some of the white goo in his palm. “Uhh…how is this gonna protect someone from getting burned by the sun?”
“Science.”, Donnie answers, approaching from behind. He takes the bottle from Casey and squeezes it out on his palm as well. “Natural sunlight beams UV rays and the sunscreen provides a thin shield that absorbs, scatters, and reflects the UV rays.”, the softshell explains as he rubs the lotion all over his arms. “Also you should take off that jacket, you’re gonna get baked in that thing.”
Casey’s lips press in a firm line, looking around them. “...You sure we’re the only ones here?”
“Absolutely. I even went ahead and closed off the beach so that no one disturbs us. Fully private. There’s no need to be worried about your prosthetic.”, Donnie states dryly, though it is meant to be reassuring, his tone can’t help it.
“I-It’s not that I’m worried about right now.”, the teen mutters.
Donnie finishes applying his sunscreen to look at Casey. “Again, rest assured that there’s no one here to judge you. And the ones that are here don’t give enough fucks to judge you.”
“Language!”, Raph shouts from the shore.
“How could you hear me from all the way over there?!”, Donnie shouts back. He sighs and turns back to the teen. “Look, I won’t force you to take off your jacket if you’re uncomfortable. But I suggest you try to avoid being boiled alive.”
The purple clad turtle hurries off into the water to join his brothers, passing the bottle of sunscreen to them. Casey glances back at the lotion still on his hand. Now that he’s thinking about it, it is really hot in this jacket. He feels himself getting sweaty underneath the fabric, a feeling he doesn’t usually get in the apocalypse. Then, it was always cold. Now, this is unbearable.
With a heavy sigh, Casey takes a glance around at the beach before taking off his jacket and applying the sunscreen. He tries not to think about how the shape of his chest looks or how vibrant his prosthetic shines. As long as he doesn’t look down at himself, he’ll be fine.
He sets down his jacket next to Mama’s bag under the umbrella. It’s odd. While April and Sunita are sitting and chatting to each other in chairs under the shade of the umbrella, Mama is off to the side in the sun, lying down on a towel with a weird reflective metal panel in her hands angled at her. It’s hard to tell if she’s awake with her sunglasses covering her eyes.
“Psst, Casey!”, Mikey whisper shouts from behind.
Casey turns to see Mikey digging an oval in the sand with a plastic shovel. Off to the side, Raph is sitting next to his brother, dragging sand to cover his legs. The box turtle beams at the teen.
“Wanna help me build a sandcastle?”, he asks.
“What’s a sandcastle?”, Casey raises a brow as he walks over.
“You’ll see!” Mikey picks up a plastic red pail. “Here, take this and fill it up with some water.”
Casey takes the pail from Mikey’s hands and starts walking towards the shore where Leo and Donnie are splashing each other in the water, squirting water out of some weirdly shaped plastic guns that utilize liquid ammo. He remembers Uncle Tello using a similar mechanic for acid-fueled weaponry. To think something could be a child’s toy…
The teen squats down, dipping the pail in and filling it about a quarter way of water. He heads back to the box turtle and snapping turtle. Raph has just about covered his legs in a mound of sand.
“...What are you doing?”, Casey asks the oldest brother.
“Raph’s becomin’ a mermaid.”, Raph declares with a snobby grin, dragging more sand over his legs.
“What’s a mermaid?”
“I’ll show ya. Pass me t’ pail.”
Junior hands him the pail of water. The red clad turtle sets it down at his side as the youngest scoots over to him. Together, the two scoop up pools of water in their hands and splash it on the sand on Raph’s legs.
“Have you noticed how the sand is more solid and smooth by the water?”, Mikey asks the teen, pointing at the shore. “When sand and water are mixed together, the sand turns into a mold. Then with that mold, we can build all sorts of structures. Like sandcastles!”
“Huh…”, Casey hums as he squats down beside the two.
Sure enough, the water starts to mold the sand into a darker beige and solidify. When the mound is hydrated, Mikey grabs his shovel and starts smoothing out the structure, shaping it to his will. He turns to Casey and points at the pail.
“Fetch me some seashells!”, he demands with a cheeky grin.
“Yes, sir.”, Casey chuckles, saluting and picking up the plastic pail. He turns back to the shore. “...what are seashells?”, he mumbles.
He walks back down to the shore, hoping that the supposed seashells are…by the sea. Does the ocean have a shell?? Is that what it means????
Crunch .
His sandals hit something crunchy in the sand. Junior looks down to see a bunch of tiny rocks. He squats down to get a closer look. They’re…kinda pretty. Some are white, some are orange, some are blue. These must be the shells. The small waves rumble and crash against Casey’s feet. The startling cold water causes the teen to yelp and fall back on his behind. The water ripples over the shells before retreating. The pull back causes the sand to uncover the shells a bit more. Casey smiles and begins scooping up a handful of the small shells, sifting the sand out using the shore. Once Casey figures he has enough, he heads back to Mikey and Raph.
By the time he gets back, Mikey had precariously etched grooves on the sand tail with his fingers. It looks very well done, which is no surprise coming from the artist. Casey sets the pail down beside him and sits down in the sand.
“Woah!”, Mikey stares in awe at the pail. “These ones look so pretty!” He lunges his hands in and digs around before grabbing a handful. He pokes around to get a good look at all of them. His eyes widen at one. “Hey, look! It’s an earring! Someone must’ve dropped it.”, the box turtle beams as he picks up the small earring in his fingers.
It’s golden with a small orange crystal dangling on it. Its clamp is still perfectly intact as if the earring is fresh out of the box. Mikey dumps the rest of the shells in the pail, proceeding to pierce the earring into one of his mask tails.
“Pretty, don’t you think?”, Mikey smiles.
“Raph wants one too!”, the snapper grins.
“I’ll see if there’s any more. If not, I can make you one!”, the youngest eagerly nods as he digs his hands back into the pail. He glances up at the teen. “Well, don’t just sit there! Help me decorate Raph’s mermaid tail.”
Together, the two dig around for shells and press them into the sand on Raph’s legs. Casey finds a pretty-looking spiral shell with groves and red stripes. Mikey says it’s called a red-banded nassa shell. Raph likes it too, saying that’ll be the perfect earring for him. The teen also finds a smooth, almost translucent green rock. It’s not shiny but the green is really bright.
“It’s so smooth.”, Casey smiles, running his fingers over it in his palm.
“Oooo! Sea glass!”, the ornate box turtle chirps. “Those are pretty rare to find here.”
“Then I guess I’ll keep it.”, Casey nods as he tucks the tumbled glass away in his pocket.
By the time they have finished, Raph fell asleep waiting. Mikey stuck his whole finger in his mouth before sticking it in his oldest brother’s tympana. The alligator snapping turtle yelps as he rubs his tympana against his shoulder.
“Augh! Mikey! Why yew—Wooooahhhh…”, he glances over at his mermaid tail. The snapper then brightens a toothy grin. “Aw, man! Raph looks so cool now!”
“The most majestic mermaid in all the seven seas.”, Mikey declares with a content expression.
“Seriously, what is a mermaid?!?!”, Casey shouts, still confused.
“Hey guys!!”, Leo calls from the water. He waves his arms at them frantically. “Come check this out! Don found a coral reef!”
A…what? , Casey thought, raising a brow as Mikey jumps up and runs over to his other brothers.
“So…what are these things?”, Casey asked, pointing at the tree branches.
“That’s coral.”, Shelldon answered. “Dead coral. Alive ones used to be much more colorful.”
“Coral…”, Casey echoed.
He poked the strange dead coral, the brittle bushes crumbling away like ash. It was…unamusing. Perhaps the alive ones had much more pizzazz to them. Not that Casey would ever know.
Now is the time to know.
Casey never thought he’d get the chance. He feels a flutter of excitement and curiosity in his chest as he scrambles up to a stand, only to be stopped by a whine from the oldest.
“B-but…my mermaid tail…”, Raph’s bottom lip quivers.
“Oh…guess you can’t really join without ruining all of Mikey’s hard work.”, Casey chuckles sheepishly.
Raph thinks for a moment. “...Wait! Go get Raph’s phone n’ take a picture! That way, it’ll last fo’ever!”, he exclaims.
“Sure!”, the teen nods as he hurries off to the umbrella.
He searches through the bags sitting beside the girls until he finds Raph’s bright red phone. Junior rushes back over and takes a few photos to the snapper’s delight. When Raph is content with the photos, he springs up out of his sandy prison, the shells tumbling away in the sand. The red clad turtle runs to put his phone away before joining back up with Casey.
“C’mon! Let’s go see that reef!”, he beams.
The two run towards the water where the others are waiting. Raph runs down to his brothers, the water rising up to his hips as he goes further into the ocean. But Casey stops. He stands there at the shore as the small waves tickle his feet.
“Let’s move it, Casey! We ain’t got all day!”, Leo beckons.
But the teen’s stomach churns a bit with a fear of uncertainty. It is then that Casey realizes…
“...I don’t know how to swim.”, he calls back to the group.
The turtles pause for a moment, before they quickly waddle back to the shallows. Mikey runs up with a reassuring smile and pats the teen’s shoulder.
“It’s alright, we can teach you!”, he nods.
“Yeah, it’s not a big deal if you don’t know.”, Leo smirks, crossing his arms. “A lot of people don’t know how to swim either. Not unless there’s a body of water nearby for them. You said there was no ocean in your timeline so that makes sense.”
“And speaking of, that prosthetic of yours doesn’t look waterproof.”, Donnie points out. “I invented a casing for your port and brought it in my bag. Go switch out your arm and put that on, then we can teach you.”
“Uhm…okay.”, Casey nods, although a bit hesitant.
He hurries off back to the umbrella and starts searching in Donnie’s bag. In the near distance, he can hear his mom snoring loudly under the sun. Looks like she did fall asleep. He finds the black waterproof casing that Donnie made for him. Casey looks down at his prosthetic arm, once again feeling uncomfortable about the lack thereof a real arm. But this arm is permanent, he’s going to have to get used to it eventually. It’s just…Casey doesn’t think 2 years is enough time to get over a traumatic amputation.
Regardless, Casey clicks the lock switch on his robotic arm and carefully puts it away in his pouch. Then he snaps the casing around his port, protecting the tech from getting water on it. He just has this…black little stub. It’s kinda cute.
He returns to the shore, kicking off his sandals besides the others’ that are off to the side before hesitantly stepping into the shallow water. The water is shockingly freezing against the blazing sun and Casey shivers from it.
“Why is the water so cold?!?!”, he exclaims.
“Chillax, it’ll get warmer the more you move around in it.”, Leo shrugs, wavering his wrist.
Raph chuckles. “Ready to learn how to swim?”
“I guess.”, the teen shrugs.
With the encouragement of the turtles, Casey gradually waddles his way deeper into water until it rises to his waist. He feels something slimy and icky wrap around his leg. A feeling that usually means certain death . Instinctively, every part of his body screams at him to fight. A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. But he dares not to move.
“There’s something touching my leg.”, he mutters, trying not to let his fear show too much in his voice.
“Oh, that’s just seaweed.”, Mikey explains.
“What?”
Raph digs his hand into the water and scoops out a handful of…some weird green fleshy vines. “Seaweed!”, he points out before stuffing it in his mouth.
“Raph, no. Spit that out!”, Donnie scolds.
“But people eat seaweed all t’ time.”, Raph says around his mouthful of seaweed.
“Yes, but this seaweed hasn’t been processed for edible consumption! Who knows what kind of parasites are in that?! Spit it out!”
Raph growls but reluctantly spits out the seaweed, letting it plop back into the water. Suddenly the water rumbles and ripples from where the seaweed sank into the depths. A huge wave begins to rise out of the water supernaturally. Everyone shouts, stumbling back away. The large wave just sort of…stands there. Actually…it kinda looks like…a person? Above 6 feet tall and wide enough to be a person, less of a wave wave and more of a blob sticking out of the water like a thumb. Casey’s eyes widen with recognition.
“...Sensei?”, he asks sheepishly. The others also begin to realize what’s happening.
The wave moves, gliding towards the teen. Yeah, it’s him alright. Casey huffs a laugh, sticking his hand into the water. The wave jiggles as if he’s being tickled.
“No way!”, Mikey exclaims, his eyes lighting up. “Is that actually him?! That’s so cool!”
“Can he see us?”, Leo asks. “Helloooo? Weird watery future me?”
Donnie crosses his arms and rolls his eyes. “We went over this. This Leo is using external factors to control the water. He can sense Casey’s soul and hear us in the environment, but other than that, he cannot see shit. Neither can he talk to Casey in this form, just move water around.”
“Language.”, Raph gripes.
The wave looms over the teen, stretching higher and higher. Casey swallows dry spit, sensing something bad is about to happen. “Oh no…”
The water comes crashing down on the kid, dowsing him in the frigid cold water. The teen shouts and sputters, frantically wiping the salt water out of his eyes. The turtles all share a good-hearted laugh. The wave springs up again in front of Casey.
“What the heck was that for?”, Casey exclaims.
The wave crashes back down into the ocean, a rippling current swimming away. After a moment, the wave pops up again from far away in the distance, stretching high up into the air for everyone to see.
“Ooo! I think he wants to show us something!”, Mikey beams.
“Then let’s get Casey swimmin’.”, Raph grins.
And so the turtles take Casey through the basics of swimming. Whilst holding onto Raph’s arm for dear life, Casey learns to tread water and do a few strokes in the shallows of the shore. Who knew there was so much to learn about swimming? It doesn’t really help that Casey’s missing a hand, but his residual isn’t too bad at pulling its weight. It just makes his arm a bit more tired, nothing too serious. Once Casey feels like he’s gotten the hang of it…
“Alright, let’s go deeper!”, Leo beckons. Without letting anyone else say a word he dives into the water and begins swimming for the large wave marking something in the distance.
Mikey and Donnie begin swimming after their brother as well. Casey feels his stomach churn at the idea of going underwater. Yet, Raph squeezes his hand gently.
“Here, hold onto my spikes.”, he says as he kneels into the water, his shell sticking out like a raft. “Raph won’t drag ya under, promise.”
Junior very precariously climbs on top of Raph’s shell, holding onto his spikes tight. The snapper then paddles his way through the water, meeting up with the others. The teen looks behind him and notices that they are really far out from the shore, the beach is barely visible from here. The wave shifts when he notices Casey arriving. He drops with a deliberate splash into the water.
“What do you think the older Leo is tryna show us?”, Mikey asks.
“Maybe…buried treasure?”, Leo suggests.
“No way, the ghosts from Casey’s powers can’t see stuff so how would he have found buried treasure?”, Donnie explains, his eyes squinting down at the water below them. “It’s more likely that this Leo heard something rather than saw .”
“Hear what? Sea monsters?”, Raph quizzes.
“Only one way to find out!”, Mikey beams as he ducks into the water.
“Wait for me!”, Leo calls out before diving in as well, Donnie following behind.
Raph looks over his shoulder. “Well? Ya ready, Case?”
“Absolutely not.”, the teen shakes his head.
“Hey, don’t worry. Raph’s got’cha. If ya wanna get back up, just give me a tap.”, the alligator snapping turtle reassures. “Now. Big breath!”
As Raph starts to dive in, Casey sucks in as much air as he can in his lungs, puffing his cheeks. He squints his eyes shut as he feels himself being submerged underwater. He hears the muffled laughter of the others swimming around in the water. Man, it would be nice to be an aquatic turtle .
“Open your eyes, Casey!”, Leo shouts through the water, his voice all wobbly.
Casey presses his lips firmly as he hesitantly blinks his eyes open. It takes a moment for his vision to adjust before he sees…colors. Lots of colors.
An explosion of colorful coral surrounds them, several kinds of tropical fish swimming amongst it. All sorts of water plants and marine life bustle around like the busy crowded streets of New York. A coral reef. The one he heard about in stories that felt like a fairytale. There is so much life in this ocean.
No wonder why his mother fought so hard for it.
“There’s so much fish here!”, Mikey giggles, swimming alongside a school of striped fish. “You don’t even see this many in the aquarium!”
“There’s not a speck of decay or rot in sight.”, Donnie mumbles, scanning the environment. “It’s all…pristine. How is this possible?”
Just then, a rumbling low siren beckons in the distance. Enough to startle everyone. It kinda sounds like…crying? Yet Mikey’s face lights up. He squeals ecstatically as he kicks his legs around.
“WHAAAAAAAAALLLLLLEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”, he screams in delight as he rushes over to the ledge of the reef.
“No way!!”, Leo smiles as he races after the box turtle.
The others hurriedly catch up with them, looking over the ledge that drops into the large depths of the ocean. There, in the void of blue, swims a large whale. As blue as the ocean and underbelly white as the glistening bright ocean surface with lumps on its snout, grooves stretching underneath its chin. Casey remembers seeing something like this before.
“What’s that?”, Casey pointed at the large skeleton.
Shelldon’s systems chirped as he scanned over the carcass. “That would be…a blue whale skeleton. Used to be one of the rarest whales out there.”
“Coooool”, the teen droned as he grazed his hand along the bristles. “...What’s a whale?”
Shelldon’s red eye beamed out a holographic screen, showing a large creature that matched the skeleton. “They looked like this. These dudes were the largest mammals in the world and had existed for 50 million years.”
“Wow.”, Casey whispered in awe. “Do you think I’ll get to see a real one?”
The holographic screen flickered away as Shelldon shrugged. “Doubt it, dude. Most marine life went extinct in the apocalypse. If there was anything left, it’d be some tiny guys in little tidepools.”
Huh , Casey thought. The ocean sounded like an amazing place. It was hard to believe there was once so much of it but now it was gone. Junior didn’t see the point in exploring much more if the only thing to find here was dead.
Casey hates to admit it, but the adults were right. Casey just had to see the world for what it used to be in order to understand the importance of protecting it. The Kraang had stolen so much from him that Junior hadn’t even noticed.
The whale lets out another siren call as it slowly glides across the water. Everyone stopping to watch it as it makes its journey across the majestic ocean. Just then, Casey feels his cheeks turn red as he starts to run out of air. He resists a muffled shout as he frantically taps Raph’s shoulder. The red clad turtle quickly sees his distress and leaps off the ocean floor, heading for the surface. Once breaching the air, Casey heaves for oxygen, panting as he tries to catch his breath.
“Sorry, CJ. Raph forgot that humans can’t hold their breath for too long.”, the snapper winces.
“It’s alright, big guy.”, Casey pants. “I’m not very used to it either.”
A rumbling crash of water erupts in the distance. The two look over to see the back of the blue whale erode from the surface. A large spout of water and air erupt from its blowhole on top. The others quickly swimming up to them to get a view of it themselves.
“Well, looks like other me wanted to show us a whale.”, Leo grins. “That must’ve been what he heard.”
“It’s beautiful.”, Mikey gushes. “What a pretty beast.”
Just then, Donnie’s wrist tech hums. The softshell taps through the device.
“How the heck is that thing working in the water??”, Leo scrunches his face.
“Perks of mystic technomancy.”, his twin shrugs. “April says it’s lunchtime. We should head back.”
“Awww…”, Mikey whines. “But… whale …” He gestures towards the large whale in the background as its tail thwips in the air before diving into the water.
“We should eat.”, Leo laments to his little brother. “Before you start complaining about your “blood shuggies” getting too low. C’mon, let’s hoof it.”
The red-eared slider dives into the water, the youngest reluctantly following in tow alongside the softshell. Casey continues to hold on to Raph’s shell as he paddles behind the others. Once they make it back to shore, April and Sunita wave over at the boys. Cass remains asleep. April walks her way down to the shoreline.
“Hey guys! Find anything cool out there?”, she smiles.
“Oh hell yeah, we did!”, Mikey exclaims.
“Language.”, Raph snarks.
“WE SAW A WHALE!!!”, the box turtle squeals. “A LARGE ASS MOTHERFUCKING BLUE WHALE!!!!!!”
“Language!!”, his brother shouts. He sighs. “Raph should really invest in a swear jar.”
“No way! You’re joking me, right?!”, April exclaims. “You guys managed to stumble upon a random blue whale? That’s insane!”
Sunita soon joins up with them, “Well, you can tell us all about it while we eat. Come on!”
The group heads over to the shaded umbrella, laying out a large blanket for everyone to sit on in a circle. Casey wrings out his hair before putting his prosthetic back on, tucking the waterproof casing away in his pouch. He looks over at his mother who is still lying down asleep in the sand. April notices and sighs.
“CJ, mind waking up your mom for me?”, she asks.
“Sure.”, the teen nods as he gets up.
As he approaches, Casey notices that Mama’s skin has turned bright red from lying in the sun for so long. The teen lightly shakes her shoulder with his foot, getting more and more aggressive as he tries to wake her up.
“Mama! Get up!”, Casey shouts.
Cassandra wakes up with a sharp, startled gasp as if she has witnessed all the traumas of war. She then lifts her sunglasses, glaring at her son. “Don’t scare me like that!”
“Sorry, sorry!”, the teen squeaks, throwing his arms up defensively. “Uhh…it’s lunchtime now.”
“Alright, I’m coming.”, Mama sighs as she gets up, folding up her reflective panel and following her son back to the others.
April winces at her. “Ah gees, Cass. Your skin is all burnt! Did you even put on sunscreen?”
“Sunscreen is for the intolerable. I will not be challenged by the blazing star!!!”, Cass taunts, pumping a fist in the air. “Besides, I hardly feel a thing.”
“Yeah. For now.”, Sunita rolls her eyes. “Just you wait.”
“Alright, settle down, everyone.”, April laughs, unveiling a cooler full of food. “Let’s have some lunch. My parents insisted on packing sandwiches, but luckily, Dad made the good ones.”
“Woo! Kirby sandwiches!”, Leo cheers.
April passes around the sandwiches. They were all the same, white bread with turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo, cut in triangles. But Casey doesn’t mind one bit, everything here is delicious yet again. Everyone opens up their plastic bags and enjoys their sandwiches as they happily chat about their exciting whale adventure. Meanwhile, Cassandra gradually starts to feel the effects of her sunburn but tries to mask her pain. April passes her friend some aloe vera, to which Mama lathers all over her skin. It’s funny how her entire front is red, except for the outline of her sunglasses across her face.
Junior’s stomach begins to churn a bit from getting too full, and so he simply puts the rest of his sandwich away in his bag. Casey hasn’t really been able to finish every meal, but he knows better than to let food go to waste. The teen thinks he’s quite conservative of his resources. A valuable skill when facing the apocaly—
“Is that all you’re eating, Case?”, April asks with a smile though her brows twinge a bit with concern.
The teen shrugs. “Yeah. Not that hungry.”
“Baby, you gotta eat more than that.”, his sister sighs. “Ma’ will have my head if you starve.”
“I’m fine, April.”, Casey rolls his eyes.
“I bet Casey is just saving himself for ice cream.”, Leo cuts in with a smirk. Everyone looks over at him with curiosity. He points over at the horizon behind him. “A couple miles that way is a beach town. They gotta sell ice cream there. What kind of beach town doesn’t have ice cream?”
Donnie starts typing away at his wrist tech, sandwich hanging from his mouth. “Hmm…indeed, they do have a local parlor with around 17 different flavors available. It’s not that pricey either.”
“Do they have sundaes?”, Mikey leans in to look at his brother’s tech. “Oooo! That one looks good!”
“What are we waiting for? Let’s roll, Mag Dogz!”, Raph beams, jumping up and pumping his fist in the air.
The turtles all cheered, quickly gathering their things and hurrying to the truck.
April calls out to them, “Wait! You guys didn’t even finish your…ah forget it.”
Everyone packs up all their stuff, making sure to not leave a mess behind, as they hop into the pickup truck. Cassandra lathers herself in another handful of aloe before taking the wheel and driving off towards the beach town. By the time they get there, the afternoon teethers into the early evening. Cassandra parks the car in a lot and the family scrambles out excitedly. Donnie tosses his brothers some hoodie disguises as Casey puts his jacket on too. The wind’s getting chilly, and it’s not from his mother’s ghost. Just a cool breeze.
They start heading down the boardwalk, Donnie leading the way to the ice cream parlor with his wrist tech. The breeze whooses on by, sending chills down April’s back. She wraps her arms around herself.
“Man, it’s getting cold out here.”, she whines.
“That’s what you get for wearing such a flowy light dress.”, Sunita shrugs.
Her girlfriend rolls her eyes. “Whatever, I’m dipping in this store to buy a jacket.”, she says as she heads towards a clothing store that’s on their route. “Anyone wanna come with?”
“We’ll meet you at the parlor.”, Donnie waves a hand.
“You want us to wait for you?”, Raph asks.
“It’ll be quick, I’ll meet you in a minute.”, his sister smiles as she heads inside the store.
The group continues walking to the parlor without April. Casey can smell all sorts of sweet things coming from inside. Some sort of upbeat 80’s playlist is playing from the parlor’s speakers. While it is getting cool outside, the parlor is still warm inside. The place is tiled ceiling to floor in white marble. The group huddles around the displays of ice cream, eyeing every flavor. Casey glances at all the different options, the majority he doesn’t understand. The snapper looks around.
“Hey, does anyone know what April likes?”, he asks.
The group collectively shook their heads. The teen takes out his phone. “Lemme call her.”, he says. The phone rings but then it goes to voicemail. He shakes his head at the others. “She’s not answering.”
“Then just run down to the store and ask. It’s just a few doors down.”, Leo shrugs.
Junior nods, rushing out the door and hurriedly sprints towards the clothing store. The evening chill picks up a bit, Casey shivering before zipping up his jacket. He finds the store and peeks around inside. He asks the cashier if they’ve seen his sister but the cashier says she left a while ago. Puzzled, Casey leaves the store and glances around as to where she might be. That is until…
“Where do you think you’re going, pretty lady?”, an unknown voice calls from the alleyway.
Casey knits his brows as he steps over to the corner and looks around. There’s 4 men all blocking something in the narrow alley. The glimpses in between them flash a yellow flowy dress. April! Quietly, Casey rolls up his right sleeve for a moment and zips to the roof with his grappling hook. He peers over the ledge to get a better look. There, April backs herself against a chain-linked fence. She clutches her hand against the new beige faux fur jacket she is wearing.
“Y’all are lucky I don’t have my bat on me. Cuz if I did, I’d whoop all your asses in a second.”, April sasses. “Guess it’ll have to take 2 seconds instead.”
The men laugh. “Tough one, aren’t ya?”, one of them taunts. “But enough talking. Give us what you have and we’ll be on our way. No one needs to get hurt.”
Casey grits his teeth. He has to act fast. Let’s see…4 guys, taller than me and April but that doesn’t matter much. One has a gun. One has a knife. Another has a crowbar. And the other unarmed. He thinks about his teachings. Master Michelangelo would say to negotiate and talk it out, try to resolve the conflict without violence. Captain Donatello would say to beat them up, no hesitation. Master Leonardo would say to talk while beating them up. Okay…these lessons are all conflicting.
Guess we’re doing this my way…
In a heartbeat, Casey leaps down from the rooftop, landing in between the men and April. Before anyone has the chance to say anything, the teen lunges for the man with the gun, grabbing him by the hair before throwing all his might to bash the man’s head against the brick wall which knocks him out instantly.
The one with the knife comes up behind the teen and quickly puts him in a chokehold, a shit one at that. Casey doesn’t hold back though. Biting down hard on the man’s arm, the man screamed and frantically tried to get the teen off of him. In ripping his arm away, a chunk of his flesh teared off as well. Casey spat out the flesh, ignoring the soreness in his injured jaw. He heard Commander O’Neil behind him joining in the fight. The teen lunged at the man in front of him, tackling him. He yanked the man’s hair before switching to put the chokehold on him. The teen dug his nails into the man’s scalp, twisting the man’s head as hard as he could. The man gagged for air yet Casey continued twisting and twisting and twisting —
“CASEY! THAT’S ENOUGH!”, April shouts. “LET HIM GO!”
She lunges for Casey’s arms, pulling him back until he reluctantly lets go of the man. The man frantically scrambles backwards, turning to help lift up his comrade who just regained consciousness from being knocked out and then hurries away. The others are already gone as well. Once the two are sure that the men aren’t coming back, April pulls the teen to face her. One look and April gasps in fear, taking a step back.
“...Y-you got a little…blood on your......uh....hmm…”, she winces, gesturing her finger to the corner of her lip.
Casey raises a brow, bringing his hand up and wiping his lips. He looks down to see a smudge of that knife guy’s blood was on his cheek. He licks his thumb, wiping the smudge off before looking back up at April. She seems…scared. Why? The threat is gone. She laughs nervously.
“Some…s-some ghost powers you got there, huh?”, she smiles through her fear.
“What powers?”, the teen’s brows furrow. “That was all me.”
His sister’s smile drops. “...R-right.”, she mumbles. April takes a breath and composes herself. “Look, I get the whole…”traumatized boy from the apocalypse” vibe but…Case, don’t tell me you were going to…t-to…”
“Finish them?”, the teen tilts his head. “Isn’t that the right thing to do? Make sure they never return?”
“NO!”, April shouts. “No, the Mad Dogz don’t kill people! We’ve never killed anyone in our fights, I ’ve never killed anyone in my fights!”, she presses her hand against her heart. “I would never become a murderer!”
That’s when Casey realizes. This isn’t his timeline anymore. April realizes it too, her eyes widening more in fear.
“...But…the apocalypse changes people.”, she whispers, more to herself. Her voice turns soft. “Casey…”
“I’m sorry.”, the teen cuts in. “I…fuck, I just…I didn’t know—I wasn’t myself back there—”
“I know you weren’t.”, his sister hushes. “And I know it’s hard to adapt to a new set of social standards in a completely new world, especially when it meant life and death to you.” April steps forward, placing a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “But I promise, no one is out to get you anymore. I’ll say it again and again if I have to.”
She pulls him in for a hug, squeezing him tightly. Casey still feels…conflicted. His eyes start to water and he doesn’t know why. The fighting itself begins to blur. He just lets April hug him, gently hugging back. They hold each other like that for a moment before April pulls back.
“Now, let’s go get some ice cream.”, she chuckles to lighten the mood.
Casey takes a breath, wiping his eyes. “Yeah, okay.”
The two leave the alleyway, being wary of their surroundings as they head back to the parlor. The cashier behind the counter is getting annoyed with Donnie as he samples various sorts of flavors. The others already have their treats in hand. Leo has a rainbow sorbet, Cass has dark chocolate, Raph has cookies n’ creme, Mikey has a triple fudge-chocolate sundae with bananas and whipped cream and hot fudge sauce and sprinkles, and Sunita has lemon. April rolls her eyes at the scene. She pushes Donnie to the side and puts in her order. Casey still has trouble figuring out what to try and randomly points to the mango sorbet with chamoy drizzle on it. Donnie finally picks out cake batter and April takes out her wallet to pay for all their desserts.
The evening dips in as the sun sets over the water. The group head out and enjoy their ice cream as they stroll back to the car. Casey enjoys his sorbet a lot, it’s sweet and sour with the chamoy adding an extra flavor to the mix. When April is asked about what took her so long, she vaguely explains the story of how 4 guys were trying to mug her until Casey showed up to help scare them off. She leaves out the whole…situation that occurred. The others are shocked but relieved that April and Casey are alright. Cass offering to pummel those men if they ever showed their faces again.
The team finishes their ice cream while watching the sunset from the pickup truck. Once done, they climb inside as Cass drives off. Leo wields a large portal to take them home, the portal bringing them out on the other side of Manhattan. The slider shrugs awkwardly but Mama doesn’t mind. The trip back home isn’t too long.
Belly full of ice cream, adrenaline calming down from the fight, and excitement waning in his mind, Casey leans his head against the window of the truck. The chatter and music from the vehicle surrounding him as the vibrations from the road lull him to sleep. Despite the scare from earlier, today has been a great day. Mikey was right.
They needed this.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Blood (and cannibalism??? Idk).
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What a lovely chapter. Just like...seriously. It was so nice to write this when I needed a break from life.Next chapter is really interesting as Casey Jr starts high-school!!! We'll meet a new set of characters that are...somewhat important? Oh and Raph curb stomps a child--
Fr tho I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving (if you participate) and if not, send those fuckers my way. Let Uncle Azúcar take care of them. >=)
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 35: The Kid From Byzaria
Summary:
“Where are you from, Casey?”, the teacher asks.
Here we go. “...Byzaria.”, Casey answers precisely.
Now all eyes are on him, murmurs hush. By now, Casey has learned a bit more about Byzaria. A landlocked country that’s been at war between its government and resistance for 22 years. Stories of it pop up on social media every now and then. Posts from people his age talking about it. Posts insisting that the public must know about it and put an end to it. It’s the perfect alibi for him.
Notes:
WE. ARE. BACK! LET'S. FUCKING. GO!
For whom it may concern, I am feeling much better. Treatment has been great and I'm practically back to "normal"...well...the new normal that comes with chronic illness, I guess. Lol.
BUT ANYWAYS LET'S FINISH THIS!! You may notice that we have a finite chapter count now! SO LET THE COUNTDOWN COMMENCE.
!!! I WILL BE UPDATING TWICE A WEEK AGAIN! WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS !!!
Disclaimers in the end notes! As always!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Today is Casey’s very first day of school. Ever.
It’s late-September now, Carol and Kirby are finally able to enroll Casey at April’s old high-school. The reason why it took so long is because Casey was forced to take some placement tests. He already had an education thanks to Master Michelangelo’s hard work and determination to teach him. But once again, there are so many laws here when it comes to everything.
Casey doesn’t understand what the big deal is but everyone is ecstatic for him. He and Cass spent yesterday going through his closet as his mother was persistent in finding him the perfect outfit. She finally lands on the classic leather jacket, sleeves down to his wrists, a blue turtle shirt underneath. Instead of his black gloves, Mama has gifted him a different pair of black gloves with skeleton hand decal on them which look super cool. He donned his gem necklace with his piercings, while finishing the look with black baggy jeans and his lime green shoes. Mama wrapped him in a big old hug that night before Carol shooed her off to let Casey get some sleep for his big day.
Checking his phone the next morning, Casey gets a wall of text notifications from the turtles and his mom wishing him a good first day of school. Again, the excitement flies over his head. It takes a moment for him to realize…these guys never went to school. Even their future counterparts talked about how they missed out on the opportunity to go to school. The turtles explained how it was a struggle for their father to educate them, then in turn, a struggle to educate Casey. But they managed. These guys are happy to see Casey live out their dream.
But not Casey’s dream.
Mikey swings by the apartment to drop off a lunch box he made for Casey as the teen and Kirby start making their way out the door. The two head down to the car and hop in. It is then, on the road, Casey feels his stomach churn up with knots. New place, new people, with no knowledge about what any of it entails.
“You’ll be fine, prince.”, Kirby assures.
“Everyone says that. Doesn’t make it any better.”, Casey mumbles, bouncing his knee.
“Yeah well maybe you’re not fine now , but ya will be.”, his guardian shrugs. “School is one hell of an experience. Especially for a kid like you. There’s a lotta kids your age there that’ll judge ya for the smallest of things. There’s a lotta teachers that’ll pressure ya to keep up a good grade. Not to mention ya need to ask permission to use a bathroom.” Kirby chuckles. “The first day is a disaster. The first week, hell, the first month or two is torture. But you’ll adapt and adjust, just like you’ve been doing since you’ve gotten here.”
“Just gotta…get through it.”, Casey sighs.
“Exactly!”, Kirby beams. They finally pull up to the front of the school. “Go on, now, Mr. 10th Grader. Carol will pick you up at 3, alright?”
“Okay.”, the teen nods. He grabs his bag and opens the car door, stepping out onto the sidewalk.
“One more word of advice!”, Kirby calls out. “Don’t start fights, finish them.”
Junior looks back at him with a confused look on his face but the barber starts to drive off. Casey turns to face the school, taking a deep breath, and heads inside.
He stops by the administration office where a lovely old lady behind the counter hands him a folder. Inside is his class schedule, a map of the school, passcode to a locker, and a list of accommodations that Carol and the school counselor has put in place for him. These included things like extra time on assignments and tests, a pass to leave class without being excused, and a pass to the school counselor. Carol was persistent in making sure that Casey would be as comfortable as possible here. And the school counselor is nice too. Her name is Ms. Janet. The teen recognizes her in the hall on the way to his first class.
“Hello there, Casey, excited for your first day?”, Ms. Janet smiles. Ms. Janet is a tall and slender dark-skinned woman with flat dark brown hair. She wears a salmon-pink blouse with a matching colored pencil skirt, orange cardigan, and red heels.
“I guess so.”, the teen shrugs, smiling sheepishly.
“Don’t worry, I know you’ll do great today. Do you need help finding your class?”
Casey shakes his head, glancing down the hall. “No, I think I got it.”
“Alright then. Well, you know where my office is if you need me.”, the school counselor nods, continuing to walk down the hall.
A bell rings out shortly after, loud enough to startle the teen even with his loop earplugs in. He hurries to his first class of the day which is English 10 with Mrs. Hudabega. He peers inside to see a bunch of other kids already sitting down in the classroom. Mrs. Hudabega, who appears to be a large round ginger in a polka dot black dress, waves Casey over.
“You must be the new student.”, she whispers. “Give me a minute to find your seat on the seating chart.”
Seating chart? Right. American school. Operation 51 vibes. Casey will probably never get used to that.
Just then, a beep of an intercom echoes out. A man speaks into the mic, “Please stand for the pledge of allegiance.”
The students and teacher stand up in almost absolute synchronization. What the fuck is happening??? They face towards the left corner where an American flag hangs from a pole. Then they all recite some sort of chant in a monotonous pace.
“I pledge allegiance, to the flag, to the United States of America. And to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation under God. Indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.”
“You may now be seated.”
Casey tries his best not to panic from whatever the fuck he just witnessed. Cool, it’s exactly like the Operation. Totally not a threat. Plus, the chant itself is a load of bullshit. If only these kids have seen what Operation 51 has done to them in some other timeline.
As everyone else sits back down, the teen notices how eyes glance over at him. Casey shrinks his head down into his shoulders, brushing the sage green stripe of hair back. Mrs. Hudabega notices yet she smiles brightly.
“Class, I’d like to introduce our new student who's starting his first day today.”, she announces. She turns to the teen, “Would you like to introduce yourself?”
“Uhm…”, Casey mumbles, looking back at the room of eyes piercing at him. “S-Sure.” He takes a breath. “Uhh…hi. My name is Casey Jones. And…yeah.”
“Where are you from, Casey?”, the teacher asks.
Here we go. “...Byzaria.”, Casey answers precisely.
Now all eyes are on him, murmurs hush. By now, Casey has learned a bit more about Byzaria. A landlocked country that’s been at war between its government and resistance for 22 years. Stories of it pop up on social media every now and then. Posts from people his age talking about it. Posts insisting that the public must know about it and put an end to it. It’s the perfect alibi for him.
“I see…”, Mrs. Hudabega drawls, starting to read the room. “Well, welcome to the United States then. Anyone have any questions for Casey before we get started?”
One kid raises his hand. Blonde hair, blue shirt, blue eyes. His smile alone proves he’s a dick and a half.
“Darryl?”, the teacher points to him.
“Yeah uhh…”, Darryl drawls. “Were you like a soldier or something?”
Some students snicker. Mrs. Hudabega huffs, “Let’s all be respectful, please.”
“Sort of.”, Casey answers anyway, as nonchalantly as he can. “It’s not as crazy as you might think.” It’s a lie of course but no one needs to know that.
Darryl laughs wryly “Cool. So like that means you were targeted and stuff? You ever kill someone?”
“Darryl Parker! That’s enough!”, the teacher snaps.
“What kind of asshat question is that?!”, a girl speaks up. She wears a pink tank top with a loose white jacket spilling over her shoulders and light denim booty shorts. Her long dark brown hair is super flat with straight ends, a gray beanie on top, as a padlock necklace and silver chains rest around her neck. Her nails are long and perfectly sculpted with flowers on them. Her body is short and plump with dark tanned skin. “Tell me, Darryl, what are you expecting to benefit from asking that? Do you get off from making people uncomfortable?”
“It’s none of your business!”, Darryl scoffs.
“Oh, nuh-uh! You made it my business the second you opened that flabby thing you call a mouth! Don’t want me to get involved? Then you better shut the fuck up!”
“Alright! That is enough! Everyone, settle down now before I start calling the office!”, Mrs. Hudabega snaps. She sighs, turning to the teen. “I’m so sorry about that, dear. Let’s see…your seat is number 32, you can go sit down now.” The teacher points Casey over to his seat.
Casey nods in thanks and heads down to his assigned seat, noticing it’s right next to the girl. They smile at each other for a second as Casey sits down. The teacher starts her lesson on the projection screen, going over some paper assignment that Casey doesn’t get. The girl leans in.
“Don’t mind Darryl, he’s a dick and a half.”, she whispers.
Casey huffs a laugh. “Don’t worry about it.”, he whispers back. “Wouldn’t be the first guy to ask me those questions.”
“I’m Irma, by the way. Irma Langenstein.”, the girl whispers. And upon closer inspection, she has a laminated steel nameplate necklace with the name “Irma” written neatly in cursive on it.
“Casey. Uh…you already knew that.”
“Nice to meet you, Casey.”, Irma smiles. “Say, if you don’t have anywhere to sit during lunch, you’re welcome to come sit with me and my friends. We always sit at the table in the left corner by the window.”
“Cool, thanks.”, the teen nods.
“No problem.”
“Eyes up here please, you too!”, Mrs. Hudabega calls from the front.
Casey huffs a slightly annoyed sigh. Today’s going to be a long day.
Lunchtime rolls around. English had a rocky start, and the subject had always been difficult for Casey to grasp, but Irma makes it fun. Chemistry is pretty fun and easy for Casey to pick up, which confuses him a bit as his peers seem to struggle more significantly with the subject. History is bullshit but Casey knows better than to run his mouth, it irritates him how isolated and filtered the course is. Yet, it’s time for lunch.
Taking up on Irma’s offer from earlier, Casey scans the cafeteria to look for her. He spots Baron Draxum running the lunchline, the sight of a familiar face calms the teen’s nerves a bit. After walking for a moment, he sees Irma wave her arm wildly at him. The teen smiles, walking over to her. She’s seated with 3 other kids.
“Casey, come sit with us!”, Irma smiles. “Everyone, this is Casey, the new guy. Casey, these are my friends.
“Hey, I’m Miwa.”, the first girl waves. She has a pale Asian complexion with red eyeliner underlining her eyes and black lip gloss. She sports a punk leather outfit with a really interesting haircut, short black hair with two strands of hair on the sides and a bleached blonde undercut. “Nice jacket, by the way.”
“I’m Javier, but you can call me Javi.”, the other guy nods at Casey. He has dark tan skin with blonde hair and blonde facial stubble. The resemblance looks vaguely familiar. Javi has a flamboyant accent and body language to his style as he wears a pink polo shirt and khaki shorts. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“And I’m Baqat.”, the last girl smiles. A tan hijabi with a light pink outfit that covers her from her hairline, wrists, and ankles. Her smile is very bright with a beauty mark on her right cheek. “I’m sure we’ll get along great.”
“Uh, thanks, it’s nice to meet you all.”, Casey nods.
“So, where are you from?”, Miwa asks, poking a plastic fork at her thermos full of pasta.
Casey glances at Irma for a moment before answering, “Byzaria.”
The others look up at him. Javi swallows his food before asking, “Like… the Byzaria?”
“What else could he be talking about, dingus?”, Miwa snarks.
“Just saying…that’s pretty crazy, bestie.”, Javi shrugs.
Baqat perks up though with a smile, “Do you have good memories of Byzria?”
Junior thinks for a moment. “...Yeah. Yeah, I do. There was…well, there was the time my uncles got married.”
“Uncles?”, Javi asks, his face lighting up a bit. “Plural uncles? As in like…” He flicks his wrist in a gesture.
Casey suppresses a snicker. “Yes, Tío and Oji.”, he nods. “Granny knew a few seamstresses and they got us all suits and stuff. Our blacksmith forged gold nuggets into rings. And our chef made a huge cake. Tío’s siblings went all out to decorate the place, it was crazy.”
“All of that in the middle of a warzone?”, Irma puzzles.
“Well, our base was underground. It’s safe there and partols made sure no one would bother us.”, the teen explains. “My uncles were…very important people.”
“That’s so sweet!”, Baqat grins, clutching her hands against her heart. “Just imagine two lovers sticking it out through thick and thin! It sounds like something straight out of a storybook.”
“Honestly, slay.”, Javi agrees.
“Mk, cool, quit the daydreaming you two.”, Miwa rolls her eyes. “Lunch ends in a bit and I know that the both of you tend to chat the whole time and forget to eat. So eat.”
“Right! Thanks, Miwa.”, Baqat nods, turning back to her lunchbox.
That reminds Casey that he needs to eat too. Lunch has never existed before for him, only breakfast or dinner, even during the starvation era. It still feels unnecessary to eat 3 meals a day, 2 is plenty for him. Regardless, the teen takes out his lunchbox from his school bag and sets it on the table. It looks like Mikey lended Casey his metal orange lunchbox, the stickers decorating it confirms the teen’s theory.
He opens the box to find a peanut butter and jelly sandwich cut into the shape of a heart with a note on it reading, “Have a great first day! -Mikey”. The rest of the box is filled with baby carrots, apple slices, and a cookie. The teen huffs a laugh as he bites into his sandwich. Javi smiles at the sandwich.
“Aw, it’s a heart.”, he says.
“Yeah.”, Casey nods. “My brother made it. He likes to cook.”
“That’s so sweet. I got a brother too.”
“You do?”
Javi nods, taking a bite of his chicken fried rice. “His name’s Valentín, he just turned 5.”
Casey stops munching. Valentín…Lanzo?
Through the windshield, Casey saw the horizon reach closer. That was when the fear finally set in. He was going to die. Everyone was going to die. This was it. This was the end.
The ground got closer and closer. Closer still. The ship began nosediving, pulling the captain, Valentín, and Casey back. Casey began to slip, Valentín reached for his hand and held on tight. Tears welled up in the 13 year old’s eyes.
Then the ship crashed.
“...eah, I remember! He’s such a sweetheart.”, Baqat beams. “I hope my ASL is getting better for him. I love our conversations.”
“Baqat, I’m starting to think my brother loves you more than he loves me.”, Javi chuckles.
Baqat sticks out her tongue in a tease. “Well, that’s because I’m an only child. Your brother is my brother now.”
Valentín. He’s only 5 in this timeline? It sends Casey into a daze. Everyone, everyone , is about 22 years younger here. If Casey’s old friend is only 5…how old was the Resistance? Was there an explanation behind the adults’ immaturity? For they were only children when the apocalypse struck?
“Hey, I’m also an only child. You don’t see me complaining.”, Miwa mumbles.
“Girl, I wish I was an only child!”, Irma laughs. “My older sister drives me crazy! Don’t you agree, Case?”
Casey blinks his eyes, shaking his head a bit out of his daze. “Huh?”
“Earlier in English, you told me you had an older sister?”
“Uhh…y-yeah. Yeah, I do.”, the teen nods, collecting his composure. “Her name is April.”
“Wow, you got a brother and a sister?”, Javi raises a brow.
“A-Actually, I have 4 brothers.”, Casey smiles sheepishly.
“4?!”, the group exclaims in sync.
“Damn, rest in peace, bestie.”, Javi laughs, gesturing the holy cross in front of him. “That sounds like a total nightmare.”
“Hey, they’re not all that bad. A little loud, sure.”, Junior grins. “More overbearing a bit than anything.”
“Do any of them go here?”, Irma asks.
“No, just me. April used to go here though.”
“An alumni, huh? Let’s hope she left a good impression then.”, Miwa hums.
“Why’s that?”, Casey tilts his head.
Miwa turns to look over her shoulder and nods at a table where a group of 3 boys sit. The others glance over too.
“That’s Logan and his entourage. That dickhead acts like he runs the place. No doubt about it, he’s aching to hear more about Mr. New Guy.”, Miwa explains.
“Why would he be so interested in me?”, Casey asks, confused.
The only trouble he’d get with other people was for being a target of a survivor’s next murder. To assert dominance or steal resources, that’s just the apocalypse. Why would a kid like Logan act like he needs to be in charge of something in a world where killing is outlawed? What is there to gain?
Miwa turns back to him, “I dunno what sort of social norm you had in Byzaria, but here at a real school, everything’s one big popularity contest.”
“It’s so dumb.”, Baqat huffs. “The only reason why Logan’s such a prick is because his mom doesn’t love him enough.”
“Baqat!”, Irma gasps in shock.
“What? Was that too mean? I-I’m sorry.”, Baqat hushes, her cheeks turning red as she ducks her head into her shoulders.
“No, no, it’s just that I wasn’t expecting our sweet innocent angel to be so savage.”, Irma laughs.
“It’s good to see you take a stand, girl.”, Javi smiles. “You should do it more often.”
Just then, the bell rings out again. Casey glances down at his lunch to see he’s only eaten half of the sandwich while the rest remains untouched. But that doesn’t bother him. He packs up his lunchbox and stuffs it in his bag along with the rest of his new friends as they get up to leave.
“What class do you have next, Casey?”, Baqat asks.
The teen glances at his schedule sheet. “Uhh, math. With a…Mr. Delgado.”
“No way, you’re in Delgado’s class? So am I!”, Javi beams. “Here, come on, I’ll take you there. You can sit next to me.”
The bell rings again as Javi and Casey hurry to math class. They sit down in time for Mr. Delgado to take roll.
Math is easy for the teen. He’s already been studying it at a college level ever since he was 12. Though it was a struggle for both him and Uncle Angelo to learn and teach the subject, they’ve managed.
So with that…the class is boring. Casey has already learned this stuff and isn’t interested in hearing the teacher drone about some lecture on algebra. He ends up doodling in his notebook, occasionally helping Javi with a question or two. Then suddenly, something hits him in the back of the head.
“Ow!”, he hisses, turning around to see what was thrown.
A paper ball sits on the ground behind his chair, a couple of boys at the table behind him snicker under their breath.
“Nice emo get-up, loser.”, one boy taunts. “Is that the latest fashion trend from the war?”
“Silence!”, Mr. Delgado shouts from the front. He glares at the group for a moment before turning back to his lesson.
The teen scoffs and turns back around, Javi leaning in. “Don’t mind them, they just want your attention.”
Casey agrees. He had his fair share of assholes to deal with in the Resistance. Though, never children or even someone his age. He would just ignore them and move along, often told he should “show some respect” to whoever bad-mouthed him. As if they had earned it.
Another paper ball hit his head. And this time, Casey just about had it. He whips around, scooping up the two paper balls and throws them back at each of the boys’ foreheads. They stop their snickering to make a huge scene, shouting and whining dramatically. Mr. Delgado whacks his fist against the whiteboard.
“Don’t make me warn you guys a third time! Tyler, sit up front. Connor, sit on the other side of the room.”, the teacher shouts. Then he points at Casey and Javi, “And you two, knock it off.”
Javi suppresses a curse under his breath. “Some help he is.”, he mutters.
The two boys groan in annoyance as they get up, gathering their things and going to their separate seats. Casey can’t help but feel frustrated by the ordeal. What was their problem? Casey’s been treated like shit before, sure, but the others here…it’s like they’re out to get him. Is it because of the Operation? No, no. The Operation doesn’t exist anymore. Still, these kids. What if some of them were soldiers in his timeline? His biological parents’ murderers could be sitting in the same room with him right now. What if—
“JONES! PAY ATTENTION!”, the teacher shouts. “You might actually need to learn a thing or two if you want to survive in this world!”
The teen’s posture stiffens as he looks at the teacher with a cold glare. Casey can feel the itch for a fight underneath his skin. Javi winces, pressing a hand against his forehead and shaking his head. A bunch of students snicker, some whispering amongst each other. As Mr. Delgado turns back to the board, Javi frowns at Casey.
“Hey, you good? Mr. Delgado is a nut, okay? He probably didn’t even read up on his new student. He’s never cared.”, Javi whispers.
“Yeah.”, Junior mutters, for that’s all he can manage to say.
Tears prick the corners of his eyes yet Casey does his best to hold them back. His hands shake in his lap as his knee bounces frantically. The teen’s ears burn with the ever so quiet whispers and snickering that murmur across the classroom. He swears that their words are getting louder and louder —
KRSSHZZT! SNAP! POP!
A few students yelp in surprise as everyone looks up to see Mr. Delgado’s computer blowing a fuse. A small bit of smoke emits from it as purple electrical zaps spark all around. As the math teacher rushes over to try and figure out what is happening, Casey immediately stands up from his seat. Shit! These are his powers acting up, isn’t it? Suppressing a panic, the teen quickly heads for the door.
Mr. Delgado shouts, “Hey! Where do you think you’re going—” But Casey is out the door.
He hurries down the hallway until he finds the restroom, slipping inside and checking to see if anyone’s in here. Once he finds that he’s alone, Casey rushes into the accessible stall and promptly sits on the floor. He doesn’t care about how gross it is. His heart is pounding like crazy as his breathing picks up quickly, all the while, he can’t stop his hands from trembling. Trembling like the walls that begin to crack from where he sits. No, no, no, no!
“Psst! Hey!”, he whisper shouts, his voice quivering. “Knock it off! Please! There’s nothing to fight here, just go away! Leave me alone!”
The walls stop rumbling, which provides the teen an ounce of relief. He pulls his knees up to his chest, hugging his legs tightly as he begins to sob. His silent crying begins to suffocate him. The shushing sounds of mist echo in his mind. A voice draws its way in.
“Hey.”, the voice says. Distinguishable and clear. It’s Sensei. “Breathe.”
It takes a moment but Casey’s able to follow the simple command, taking a deep breath as smoothly as he can. He can feel the mist calm down too.
“What happened out there? Are you hurt?”, the mist asks.
“...N-no, I’m o-okay.”, Junior mutters. “I…um…I was in class and…”
“Class? You’re in school now?”, Tío perks up. His voice fades off, “Hey, guys! Casey’s going to school!”
Suddenly, Casey feels a rush of senses flood his mind. It all becomes too overwhelming. A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash—No, no no! Keep it together! The teen holds himself tighter as he shuts his eyes.
“Wait, wait!”, Sensei calls out, though it doesn’t feel directed towards him. “Give him some space.” His voice returns clear again. “Casey? You alright, kiddo?”
Junior sniffles. “...I-I just wanna go home…”
“What happened? Did someone make fun of you?”
“No!”, the teen’s voice raises louder than it should. He presses his lips for a moment. “...Maybe.”, he mumbles.
“Should we teach ‘em a lesson? You know you got a bunch of angry ghosts on your side, right?”, Sensei teases.
Casey huffs a laugh. “No, that’d be too easy of a fight.”, he smiles, wiping his tears a bit as they continue to flow.
The mist goes quiet for a moment, Casey wondering if the ghost’s energy is starting to deplete. But then Tío talks again, “Then, how about some company? I’ll stay right here until my energy goes dormant.”
The teen sniffles again, brushing his glove across his eyes. “Yeah…okay.”
And so, being wary of someone walking by, Casey mumbles to the spirit. It feels a little crazy, talking to an empty space, but it’s comforting to know that his tío is here. Even if he can’t see him, Casey feels him inside. The slider’s voice washing around like waves, rippling echoes into his mind. After a bit of talking, the teen takes out his phone, switching out the loop earplugs for his earbuds. The two of them listening to some music as the rest of the world fades away. For a moment, Casey thought he was sitting in the corner of the canteen during karaoke night.
The bell rings again, startling Casey. He spent the rest of his class time in here. Junior quickly gets up, wiping off the dry tear stains and taking a breath.
“Guess, I should get going.”, Casey mumbles.
“My energy is starting to fade too.”, the mist sighs. “But I promise you that I’m always going to be here with you. The rest of us are here too. Don’t you forget that. If you need us, you know how to find us now.”
“Thanks, Tío.”, the teen smiles.
And with that, he feels the shushing mist go into silence. Casey hurries out of the restroom and back to his class to pick up his stuff. He had to stay behind to explain to the teacher. Annoyed, Casey just shows Mr. Delgado his list of accommodations for a moment and then turns on his heel out of the classroom.
After a couple more classes, the school day ends. What a shit first day , Casey thinks. At least most of the classes are easy and his new friends are nice. All that’s left is to wait up front for Carol to pick him up.
Except…it’s been about 30 minutes already. Casey figures she’s just running late, sending a text to ask how much longer it is until she arrives.
Another 30 minutes. Casey’s getting bored. Most of the students have left already.
An hour goes by. The teen has tried texting and calling Carol a few times before giving up. It’s not like he can find his way back on his own. The streets are so lively and busy, Casey’s convinced he’ll end up getting lost in it all. He doesn’t even have the address to his apartment memorized. In the apocalypse, he just had to rely on a general sense of direction. The green eyed mask usually helps. If he had it on him. Which he doesn’t.
Junior sighs, finding a concrete planter ledge to sit on up front while he waits. He scrolls through his phone, about to put on some music, when he notices some guys approach him. The teen looks up to see it’s…that kid Miwa warned him about. Logan. And a couple of his friends.
“Hey, new guy.”, Logan smirks. A pale kid with short brown hair slicked back in so much gel, it puts Casey’s formerly greasy hair to shame. He wears a red jockey jacket with the school’s football team’s logo on it and baggy jeans held up so low that they’re practically about to fall. His friends seem to follow a similar fashion, especially with matching jackets.
“Uh…hi.”, Casey greets dryly.
“Word around here is that you’re a refugee, right? From Byzaria?”, the jockey tilts his head in question, crossing his arms.
“Yeah?”
“Guess you’re a huge loner then. Given you got no family.” The boys behind Logan laugh.
Casey’s brows furrow. He tucks his phone away. “Excuse me?” The fuck is up with him?
“I heard that the O’Neil’s took you in. So obviously, you’re not their kid. Not to mention, when April used to go here, she’d cause all sorts of trouble. And she was so annoying too.”, Logan snickers. “To think they’d take in such a sorry sack of shit must mean they’re desperate for a kid to love.”
“Funny.”, Casey hums. “ I heard that the reason why you act like such a prick is because your mom doesn’t love you enough.”
The boys behind Logan chuckle in awe, staring at him. “Ohh, man! You gonna let him talk to you like that?”, one of them says.
Logan sneers. “You listen here, dipshit. You walk onto this campus, you’re on my turf! You will know your place here! And you really don’t wanna mess with me or my friends. I will beat your ass in a heartbeat.”
There it is. The itch for a fight. Looks like Logan’s got an itch too. Casey stands up, getting eye to eye with the jockey. He smirks.
“Prove it.”, Casey mutters.
Logan’s face scrunches up in rage, a short fuse. Not good for the apocalypse. That calms Casey’s nerves a bit knowing this guy was probably one of the first to fall. This’ll be a breeze. Logan lunges at the teen as his friends cheer him on. Casey blocks him by pushing his hands against Logan’s shoulders, kicking his knee up into the jockey’s gut. Logan coughs as the wind is knocked out of him, yet his anger takes over.
Logan thrusts his entire weight to the ground, pulling Casey down with him. The other boys cheering louder, insulting the teen. Logan gets the upper hand, slamming Junior into the ground and putting his hands around Casey’s throat.
Casey gags as he chokes for air. He claws at his throat but it’s to no avail with the gloves on. His head is too locked in place to find somewhere to bite. Logan pulls Casey up and slams him back down again, the teen’s head hitting hard against the pavement. Casey tries to breathe but he can’t , frantically searching around for an opening. He should be able to kick his legs and turn his weight hard enough if he just—
Suddenly, someone shouts. A large deep voice. Before Casey could blink, Logan is dragged off of him in a red blur, crashing some feet away. Casey quickly sits up, rubbing his throat as he coughs and heaves. Someone else runs over, grabbing Casey’s arm and pulling the teen up to stand. Junior catches his breath to see Mikey in front of him with his jacket disguise on.
“Omigosh! Casey! Are you okay?!”, the box turtle exclaims.
Casey doesn’t answer as his attention is pulled to Logan behind him. He’s backed up against the wall with Raph in his disguise towering over the jockey.
“Ya better not mess with my brother again, ya hear me?!”, the snapper shouts. Casey has never heard him more pissed off before. It’s impressive as it is terrifying.
“What…what are you guys doing here?”, Casey turns back to Mikey.
“Oh snap, it was crazy!”, Mikey exasperates. “Carol got held up at the hospital and Kirby was in the middle of doing some hair extensions on a client. So they called April but she was still in class. So April called Cass but Cass was busy wrangling the Brownie Clan after some sort of batter mishap. So Cass called Leo but Leo and Donnie are out in the Hidden City running from the police (again). And so Donnie called Raph and I and we weren’t busy so we hurried over to get you!”
Casey caught like…half of that.
“L-Leave me alone, man!”, Logan yells at Raph though his voice begins to pitch.
“Yeah, well, if I ever see ya lay a hand on my brother again, I’ll BITE yer head off!”, Raph gnashes his teeth before turning away.
He strolls back over to his younger brothers. “Ya doing a’right, CJ?”
“Yeah…I’m good.”, Casey nods slowly, still looking over at Logan.
“Come on, get up!”, one of the boys groan at Logan. “Just walk it off, dude.”
“H-He had fangs, bro! Fangs !”, Logan retaliates.
“Yeah whatever man. Stop being such a bitch.”, the other boy scoffs.
“Let’s get out of here.”, Mikey sighs.
Raph nods, stretching his arms. “Agreed.”
The three begin to walk off. Casey scoops up his bag that was left on the planter ledge, slinging it back on over his shoulders. Logan gets up and continues to insult the teen but Casey pays him no mind.
He’s got a bunch of angry ghosts, and a bunch of angry siblings, on his side.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Bullying, panic attack, some fist fighting stuff, narrative is topical due to Palestine (as in, I wrote this stuff before October 7th but the story has coincidentally followed the genocide of Palestinians. So far, I know that GEM has 2 Palestinian readers whom I'm keeping in mind as we progress through this story.)
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Speaking of the Palestine thing, ik I've talked about it in chapter 30 but yeah the story has become topical. And while I won't give away our Palestinian readers as they've shared some private stuff, lemme just say this: Both loved GEM because of the way I portrayed a child living in a war. Even though I've never intended it to reflect anything, I was just going with my gut. I've asked and worked with them to be sort of sensitivity readers and let me know if there's something I need to change. So to my 2 Palestinian readers, again, let me know if anything must be changed. Regardless, the depictions of war in this story are purely fictional and do not represent real life events. =)
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Anyways, now that I got that cleared up, here's your next chapter hint: 46508029. ;)
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 36: 46508029
Summary:
“Did…”, April spoke up, soft and meek. Hesitant. “...Did the Resistance do that to you?”
“What? No!”, Casey snaps his head up. “N-No! The Resistance would never— They’re not cruel!”
“Then…who?”, his mother asks. Her gaze turning cold, not at her son, but at whoever has done this to her kin.
The teen’s breathing hitches. He doesn’t know why he’s so scared. They’re gone, they’re dead and done. They’re not coming back. There’s no need for him to be so afraid. There’s nothing to fear anymore so why is he so terrified?
“...This…this was the Operation’s doing. Operation 51.”, he finally spits out.
Notes:
*looks at hit count* OMGS THANKS FOR GETTING THIS FIC TO 10K HITS! (ik hits are like click counts but still, wow!)
*returns with a nice school chapter the next chapter being heavy angst and lore shit* Who's ready to cry? =D
Happy Valentine's Day for those who celebrate! And while the NEXT chapter would've been a perfect Valentine's update (wink wink), unfortunately...a certain character...had to make a reappearance.
This gets a bit dark so disclaimers in the end notes if you need them!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“So…how’s school going?”, Mama asks.
The Jones duo are once again at the ice rink after hours. The sun is just about setting down outside. Casey hits the hockey puck into the goal and sighs.
“Not what I expected, that’s for sure.”, he laments.
“Ha, yeah. No matter where you go or who you are, it always feels like everyone else is a bunch of losers.”, Mama laughs, whacking her hockey stick against the puck and skating across the rink. “At least tell me you made some friends to make it a little more bearable.”
“I’ve had.”, the teen nods. “Irma, Miwa, Javi, and Baqat. They’re good people.” He grabs another puck from the sports bag and tosses it against the floor. “But then there’s…Logan.”
“Yeesh, he already sounds like an asshole.”, Cassandra mumbles.
“He is.”, Casey scoffs. “It’s been like…what, 3 weeks since I’ve started school? Logan acts like he owns the place, terrorizing people to keep them from standing up to him. He’s always picking on me and my friends, calling us names and shoving us in the hallways. Ms. Janet says to just ignore him, but that’s just such bullshit. You think ignoring the Operation would stop them from killing civilians?”
“There you go again with the Operation. Seriously, what is that?”
“It’s…it was an inside joke in the Resistance.”, the teen mumbles, not really feeling too comfortable to explain it. “You’d just have to be there to get it.”
“Booooo!”, Cass taunts. “I want in on an inside joke!”
She smacks her puck towards the goal but the puck hits the bar, bouncing off and heading towards Casey’s face. The teen is too distracted in his own mind to react quick enough, but luckily, Mama quickly skates over and blocks the puck with her stick, hitting the puck away. She turns to her son.
“Hey! Look alive, Jones!”, she snaps her fingers.
“Oh, sorry.”, Casey smiles. “Guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
Mama frowns, brows furrowing. “You’ve been off your game all night. Is school really eating you up that much?”
The teen shrugs. “I guess. B-But I’m focused now, don’t worry.”
“Nah, don’t bother.”, Cassandra says as she turns and skates over to the sports bag. She picks it up and begins scooping the hockey pucks away into the bag. “No point in playing if you aren’t having fun. We’ll do something else.”
“Right. Okay.”, Casey mutters.
He gets off the ice, sitting down on the nearest bench to take off his skates. His chunk of green hair twinkles dimly in the dark ice rink where the only fluorescent light beams onto the ice, surrounding everything else in shadows. It’s nice. On the ice rink, with darkness surrounding the walls, Casey feels like he’s in his own world.
Cassandra drags the sports bag over, tossing it aside as she sits on the bench to take off her skates too.
“Say, I got an idea.”, she smirks. “Why don’t you come over to my place tonight? I’m sure the Sunpril duo won’t mind. We can stay up late, watch a bunch of garbage movies, and eat so much candy until our guts explode!”
Casey laughs. “That…sounds like fun.”
“Perfect! We’ll head out to grab some snacks then.”
After closing up the ice rink and running a quick trip to a small 24/7 convenience store, the Jones duo head over to another part of Manhattan where Cass parks her truck and leads Casey up to her apartment that she shares with April and Sunita.
Though, when Cass gets to her door, she forcibly jiggles the locked door handle before deliberately grabbing her keys and shaking them around. Casey scrunches his face in confusion.
“What are you—”
“Trust me, you’ll thank me later.”, Mama mutters. She swings open the door with no regard to the sleeping neighbors surrounding the apartment. “HEY GUYS, I’M HOME—Oh good you’re not making out.”
April and Sunita jolt from where they are. Sunita sitting at the dining table on her laptop and April lying across the couch, scrolling through her phone. April rolls her eyes in annoyance.
“Cass, do you really have to do that everytime?”, she sighs.
“Of course I have to.”, Cass snobs. “Plus, we have a child in our presence. My child.”, she gestures towards Casey in the doorway.
“Oh, hey! What are you doing here?”, Sunita smiles at the teen.
“Uhm, Mama says I could spend the night here.”, Casey smiles back as he walks over and deposits the shopping bags on the table, setting his school bag down on the floor as well.
“That’s right, ladies! We’re having a slumber party!”, Cass declares with pride, closing the door behind her.
“Oh cool. My mom said it was okay for Junior to stay here?”, April hums from the couch, not looking away from her phone.
“Uhh…”, Cass winces. “...I’ll be right back.” She quickly pulls out her phone and heads to her room.
“If we’re having a sleepover, can we make a pillow fort?”, Sunita beams at her girlfriend. “Please, please, please ?!”
“Okay, okay. Lemme grab some blankets.”, April chuckles, getting up from the couch to wrangle up all the blankets in the apartment.
“Yes!”, Sunita pumps her fist into the air. “Come help me, Case!”
Casey and Sunita walk to the living room area, moving the couch back and the coffee table aside to make room on the floor in front of the TV. Sunita rips the cushions and pillows off the couch to create a makeshift mattress on the floor. April returns with a pile of various blankets. She spreads a large pink comforter across the makeshift mattress as Sunita orders Casey to get more pillows from her room.
Casey heads over to April and Sunita’s room, acknowledging the familiarity of the bunk bed that’s up against the wall. It looks exactly the same as their bunk bed in the Resistance. He climbs up to April’s bunk, snagging her two pillows before climbing down and ducking into Sunita’s bunk to scoop up her mountain of pillows and stuffed animals. All the while, he can hear Mama in her room on the other side of the wall.
“Yes, yes, Junior is fine. Look, I was just wondering if he could spend the night with me and the girls?” “What? No, I just said he’s fine!” “No, don’t you worry about school. I’ll drive him there myself.” “I won’t let him stay up late, you have my word.” “Hey, I’m his mother, alright? Just let me handle it!”
Casey hauls his loot back to the living room and dumps the pile on the mattress. He, April, and Sunita finish propping up all the pillows and stuffed animals by the time Cass steps out of her room, already in her pajamas (a black tank top and blood red pajama pants with orange and white striped socks) and has her pillow tucked under her arm.
“Hey, mini me. I left you some pajamas to borrow for the night in my room.”, Mama nods her head at the teen.
“Oh, thanks.”, Casey smiles, getting up.
“Ooooo, we need pajamas too, Apes!”, Sunita squeals, bouncing up and grabbing April’s hand as she drags her to their room.
Casey steps into his mom’s room, shutting the door behind him and noticing the way Mama’s room holds itself. A Bradford poster is taped to the wall beside her bed as a hockey player poster is held up against the headboard. There’s even a Lou Jitsu poster in the corner above a bookshelf. Her room is littered in clothes and workout equipment all over the floor. Binders, books, notepads, and various papers all about training and survival cover every inch of her desk and bookshelf. A laptop sits closed on her bed, stickers of ninja stars on it and a scuffed up Foot Clan sticker that looks frantically scratched out.
Casey sees the clothes his mother has set out for him on the bed. A pair of gray sweatpants and an oversized black shirt with some Prairie Dog metal band design on it. The teen gets dressed, heading back out to stuff his clothes away in his bag at the dining table as April and Sunita waltz out of their room in their pajamas. Sunita spins around in a flowy pink nightgown with her broach on and with matching bunny slippers as April dons some comfortable navy blue sweat shorts and yellow hoodie with some blue fuzzy socks on.
April tosses a pair of brown and black striped fuzzy socks at the teen. “Can’t have a sleepover without fuzzy socks.”
Casey huffs a laugh as he takes off his shoes, switching for the socks, and then heading over to sit down with the girls on the floor, bringing the snacks with him. Mama dives into the bag of snacks, distributing them amongst the group as Sunita scrolls through the TV with the remote to find some sort of movie to put on. April’s eyes light up with an idea.
“We should do each other’s hair.”, she suggests, clasping her hands together as she glances around the group.
Sunita lets out a long gasp. “Yes!!”
“No.”, Cass mumbles. “And for the record, my hair is buzzed.”
“Well then you can sit in the back of the braid train.”, Sunita snobs. She scoots over to sit in front of Cass, facing her back towards her. “Come on, you two, get in here!”, she smiles at April and Casey.
April sits in front of Sunita with her back turned as she pats the spot in front of her. “Here, Casey. Let me do your hair.”
“Here, Casey. Let me do your hair.”, Auntie patted the spot in front of her.
The young child, although hesitant, headed over to sit down. His hair was a matted and tangled mess of knots from lying in bed for so long. Auntie hadn’t done his hair since Mama…well…
“Just don’t yank on it.”, Casey mumbled.
“Just don’t yank on it.”, Casey chuckles.
“ Gasp ! I would never. What do you take me for, my mother?”, April scoffs with faux dramatics.
The teen scoots over in front of April as Sunita finally picks out a cute Ghibli movie to watch. Sunita and Cass discuss what to do with Sunita’s hair as April brushes Casey’s hair. April hums.
“Hmm…I think we should do something with this green strand of hair you got. A braid just sounds too easy. It needs…something.”, April mumbles as she thinks.
Casey ponders on it too. “...Well, when Master Michelangelo had green hair, it was kind of all over the place. It wasn’t all in one strand.”
“Mm…what if I dissect this strand then?”, she suggests. “It kinda starts in the middle so if I part your hair here—” She stops. Casey waits for his sister to continue but instead he just feels her hands sift through his hair as it’s being lifted. Casey realizes a second too late as she pokes the back of his neck. “Woah! I didn’t know you have a tattoo! Does it mean anything?”, she exclaims.
Casey clasps his neck with a hand as he tumbles forward, turning to face his back against the TV stand. An unnerving chill runs down his spine from where April poked and his breathing picks up in response. It has been so long since he has had to even worry about the mark, the target , on his neck. The teen heaves, trying to catch his breath while the others stare at him with worry and concern.
“Uh…s-sorry…I uh…”, he quivers between pants.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay.”, April hushes. “Just take a moment, okay? Take some deep breaths.”
Casey does. “...R-right.”
He looks down at the floor, continuing to steady his breathing as his nails clench the back of his neck in a tight grip. His fingers tug on a few strands of hair, so much it hurts, but Casey doesn’t care about that right now. He just…breathes.
“Did…”, April spoke up, soft and meek. Hesitant. “...Did the Resistance do that to you?”
“What? No!”, Casey snaps his head up. “N-No! The Resistance would never — They’re not cruel!”
“Then…who?”, his mother asks. Her gaze turning cold, not at her son, but at whoever has done this to her kin.
The teen’s breathing hitches. He doesn’t know why he’s so scared. They’re gone, they’re dead and done. They’re not coming back. There’s no need for him to be so afraid. There’s nothing to fear anymore so why is he so terrified ?
“...This…this was the Operation’s doing. Operation 51.”, he finally spits out.
It’s a few days later. Casey hasn’t said much more other than the Operation are bad people. No one pushed him to talk, not even the turtles when April told them about what happened. Instead, his family continues to reassure him that he’s safe, that he’s free. So why doesn’t he feel that way?
“Casey!”, Leo shouts.
“Huh, what?”, the teen looks up, yanking his mind back to reality. He, the turtles (in their disguises), and April are out in the streets of New York City on a bright sunny Saturday morning to pick up some groceries. “What’d you say?”
“I asked if you still have Splinter’s shopping list.”, Leo says. “Cool if you don’t, but I completely forgot what he asked us to get.”
“Oh, yeah, I have it.”, Casey nods, taking the slip of paper out of his pocket and handing it to the slider.
Raph stops walking up front, putting his hand up. “Hold it, guys. There’s something going on up ahead.”
The group looks over to see there’s a few police cars parked across the street. Caution tape covers a building still covered in some Kraang vines. A sleek black car pulls up. Leo winces.
“You think we can squeeze by without the cops seeing us?”, he whispers.
“In broad daylight?”, Donnie raises a marker brow. “I’d say it’s safer to take a detour. If we head back the way we came, we can cross the block and loop around to the store.”
“Ughhhh but that’s too much walking.”, Mikey groans. “And I’m starting to get hungry.”
The driver’s door to the car opens up, a person in a posh servant uniform steps out and heads around the car to open the backseat door for someone. And out from the vehicle rises…a man.
A pale man in a tailored black suit with black hair slicked back and square sunglasses on. A man who tugs on his white gloves in that same fidgeting habit. A man that keeps his head level with an all too familiar eerie grin. A man who is none other than him .
John Bishop .
Casey’s mind suddenly swoops into tunnel vision. His hearing warps the sounds of the city. His skin pricks with an unnerving chill. The only thoughts running through his head are screaming DANGERDANGERDANGER . And before he knows it, Casey’s running.
He can barely hear the others call to him as he runs off, stumbling into an alleyway where he slams into a dumpster before pushing himself up to run again. His heart pounds in his ears, his mind solely focused on getting the fuck away from that man! A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash.
He runs out the other side of the alleyway, sprinting across the street and narrowly dodging the cars that slam on their brakes and honk at him. He races away from the prying eyes that stare at him with confusion and shock as he ducks into another alleyway, finding himself in a maze of walls. He runs and sprints and zig zags around until he trips over his own footing and eats shit on the concrete.
The teen hoists himself up with shaking arms as he heaves, he tries to stand but his legs are wobbling. Soon, there’s a hand on his shoulder. And he screams . He snaps and shouts, scrambling himself back against the wall. A rumble cracks from behind him as the wind picks up and whirls in a frenzy. The wall snaps as a large crack forms, causing Casey to shrill as he ducks head down and clenching his hands in his hair. There’s people with him, familiar ones, he’s aware. But he can’t hear them—
“Donnie! What’d you say about his powers? The ghosts can hear the environment, right? They can hear us?”
“Yeah?”
A pause. The wind and rubble are still active and panicking.
“Hey! Other us! Cool your jets, okay? There’s no one to fight, no one is in danger! Casey’s okay, he’s just….he’s a little shaken up but don’t worry, we got him! So just calm down!”
The wind slows down to a gentle breeze as the rumbling comes to a halt. Casey doesn’t dare look up but he flinches as he feels a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, it’s okay. We got you, Case. We’re taking you home.”
A flash of blue appears next to them. The hand wraps around his arm and hoists the teen up to his feet. Someone else comes around and holds up his other side too. He listens to the warped voices instructions, dragging his feet through the blue light. Then he’s in someplace in dimmer light. He’s seated down on something soft. A different hand rests on his knee, orange filling the edge of his vision.
“Bring some ice, give him space.” , the orange asks.
This new place is quieter. Enough that Casey can hear himself. He hates the way his voice whines on its own. The orange gently rubs their thumb across his knee, hushing murmurs of reassurance. Soon, the orange takes his left palm, prying the clenched fist open, pulling off his glove and placing something freezing cold on his skin.
Casey sucks in a startled breath, flinching his head up. His vision sways from the dizzying, sudden movement before landing on the cold thing in his hand. It’s ice. Just ice, sitting there in his palm.
“Yeah, that’s it. Just focus on the ice, Casey. You got it.” , the orange reassures.
There’s just ice. Cold and bitter yet the teen welcomes it warmly. He feels his breathing starting to slow, enough that he can control it again. And just as soon as he can, only one thing lingers on his lips.
“...Bishop. John Bishop…he’s…”, he mutters.
“Just take a minute, okay?”, Mikey hushes. “We’ll talk in a moment.”
Casey heaves, trying to calm his breathing as it wheezes in and out of him. Fear trembles every limb as tears threaten to fall. But Casey doesn’t want to cry. He wants to scream . He’s so angry, it hurts .
Donnie drapes a weighted blanket over him. The pull eases the way his body shakes with the frantic beat of his heart. The others just stand there, waiting for him patiently like they have been doing for him ever since he was thrown into this world. Casey doesn’t deserve their patience.
“That…that man we just saw stepping out of the car…”, Casey starts, his voice quivering. “I…he…”
“You don’t have to tell us everything.”, Mikey assures.
“No, I do! I have to!”, the teen snaps. “You don’t know what that man is capable of!”
“He’s just an agent, right?”, Donnie points out. He’s typing through his wrist tech. “You said John Bishop. It looks like he’s some fancy pants EPF agent who’s leading the investigation on the Kraang invasion.”
“ That agent is responsible for my tattoo!”, Casey spats, fury seething out his mouth as the fire pools in his tongue. “For your future self’s death ! The death of my biological parents! What happened to my arm !”
The room goes quiet. The ice in Casey’s palm has melted as the water seeps onto the floor. The teen takes a stuttering breath.
“If…if he’s here…then we’re all in danger.”
The other’s expressions quickly match Casey’s fearful one. The messenger from the future has delivered them a warning yet again. The oldest comes to his resolve.
“Casey. Tell us everythin'.”, he mutters in a low voice.
After taking a few minutes to calm down, the group settles in the kitchen where Splinter is already there putting on some tea. When he sees the looks at his children’s faces, he invites them to the table as he makes more tea for them. Casey tells them as much as he could about Bishop. From how Casey wound up in a dumpster and taken in by Cassandra to the day Donnie was murdered and the day Leonardo got his vengeance. The group takes it as well as Casey expected, which is not that well. The teen shuts his mouth by then, unwilling to share more.
“Bishop had been…targeting people. Yokais and mutants specifically.”, Leo mutters, his eyes looking deep in thought.
“And our blurred photos are all over the internet.”, Donnie adds. “I’ve tried to hack in and wipe out as much of it as possible but there’s no telling if it’s already reached the EPF.”
“They could be looking for us?!”, Mikey exclaims.
April sets her teacup down a little too harshly. “No one is looking for anybody! I won’t let that happen to you guys!”, she snarks.
“Indeed.”, Splinter hums, stroking the small patch of fur under his chin. “We will find a way to stop John Bishop from discovering us. Perhaps if we covert the investigation to have something else cover up our contributions, we may be able to get away freely.”
“Way ahead of you.”, Donnie says with a menacing smile, pulling up his wrist tech and formulating several mystic holographic panels. “Just give me 2 days and 2 gallons of coffee, I’ll have something in store to show that fuckface who killed my future self.”
“Language!”, Raph shouts. “And don’t you dare be planning anything lethal!”
“Aw, what? Come on, Raph! At least let me go semi-lethal!”
“Donnie!”, the others shout. Casey doesn’t protest, a plea in his eyes.
The softshell groans and rolls his eyes. “Okay, okay fine. One pacifist revenge coming right up.”
A couple days have passed. Casey can’t help but feel jumpy. He’s always vigilant and checking his corners, namely holding himself up in his room with the shutters closed and lights off. The darkness gives a comforting and familiar sense of his old underground home anyways. And when at school, he keeps his head down but his eyes stay looking forward.
His wariness leaves his guardians worried. Casey tried to explain as much as he could about John Bishop. Carol and Kirby made him a promise that he’ll be safe. Yet Casey’s mind just can’t trust anything anymore. He doesn’t even know how to twist the words to Dr. Honeycutt that he’s being actively hunted. He lets the therapist assume it was anxiety at play. This is more than just feeling anxious. This is life or death.
Not that Casey appreciates either life or death.
There’s knocking at the door to the apartment. Casey remains in his room.
“Casey, could you get the door for me? I’m busy with dinner.”, Carol calls out.
The teen shudders from where he sits on his bed in his dark room. He knows it’s just nothing but he can’t help the uneasy feeling that swells in his core. The knocking continues.
“Casey, please. I’m sure it’s just some package delivery, okay, baby?”, his guardian calls out again. “Kirby has to order a lot of supplies for his business.”
Casey lolls his head back with a heavy sigh as he swallows up his fear and gets up. He steps out of his room, taking a glance at Carol in the kitchen who’s got her hands tied making some stew. Junior walks over to the door, glancing down at the shadows beneath the crack under the door. The shadows are much bigger than a person, even one that is large like Raph. The teen stretches on his heels to look into the peep hole.
And his heart drops.
John Bishop in the flesh is standing at the doorway with two cops on either side behind him. Casey bites his tongue to suppress a scream as he stumbles back, hitting the small standing table next to door and knocking over a flower vase as it crashes against the floor. He darts for his room, slamming the door shut.
He ducks underneath his bed where his etched hunting knife is waiting for him. His own heartbeat rings in his ears as his breathing wheezes. But he must calm down, he must stay silent and hide if he wants to survive —
“Casey?”, Carol knocks on his door before carefully opening it. “Baby, you still here?”
She walks further into the room, not having to search much as Casey’s panicked breathing gives him away. The doctor gets down on her knees and peers under the bed with worried eyes to see her frightened ward, her earrings and necklace glinting dimly in the dark.
“Baby, what’s going on?”, she asks in a whisper.
“...h-he’s here…”, Casey croaks as tears prick the corners of his eyes.
“Who?”
There’s more knocking. Carol looks over behind her for a moment before sighing. She turns to the teen with a determined expression.
“I’ll take care of it. You wait right here.”, she hushes.
Carol gets up, heading out the room and closing the door behind her. Casey hears her footsteps approach the front door and listens as she opens it.
“Can I help you, gentlemen?”, she asks.
“Well, we just heard a crash back there. Is everything alright?”, one officer asks.
“Yes, everything is fine.”, Carol assures in an even tone. “It was my cat, they’re very skittish.”
“Ah, sorry about that then. We didn’t mean to scare your cat—”
“Why are you here?”, Carol asks, quickly cutting the officer off.
“A concise woman, getting straight to the point.”, that voice is John Bishop. “My name is John Bishop, ma’am. I’m with the EPF, Earth Protection Force. I’m leading an investigation on the strange recent happenings in New York and me and my men are currently going door to door to ask civilians if they’ve witnessed anything.”, Bishop explains. His tone sounds convincingly charming. And much younger in this timeline too. There’s no hoarseness to his voice, having to pause here and there to clear his weary throat. “Mind if we come in?”
“I do mind. Whatever you need, we can talk about it right here.”, Carol expresses calmly yet sternly.
Yeah, it’s still the same old doctor. The one who fended her patients from unwanted visitors in the Resistance’s med-bay. The one who could put up quite the act and lie her way out of anything to ensure the safety of those that were under her care. The mother of the strong and bold commander, whose own fire and spark ignites in her daughter. Warm and welcoming, yet fierce at the same time.
“Well there is a lot to talk about, is it alright if we sit down?”, Bishop chuckles.
“No.”, Carol hums. “Just ask away and get this over with.”
“Alright, alright. Is there anyone else in the apartment? Spouse? Children?”
“No. Just me.”
“I see.”, the agent mutters. There’s a shuffling sound of paper. “Have you seen anything or anyone like this?”
There’s a pause for a moment.
“What am I looking at? These photos are all blurry.”, Carol chatises. “I thought you guys were professionals.”
Bishop sighs, rather annoyed as if he’s heard those words a million times already. “Yes, I know. But bear with me, they’re the closest thing we got. Now have you seen anything? Bright glowing explosions? Some kind of rebellious people fighting back? Strange creatures aside from the ones that have already terrorized your city?”
“Sorry, can’t say I have. I’m a general hospital doctor, working in emergency rooms and ICU. I was cooped up during the invasion, running around and taking care of patients. I couldn’t see anything outside with how busy I was.”, Carol explains.
“But have you possibly seen anything on TV? Or on social media? Heard something from a coworker?”, Bishop presses.
“Nnnope.”, the doctor drawls, popping the “P” at the end. “I haven’t seen a thing. Now, is that all the questions you have for me? I have dinner cooking on the stove.”
“No, that…that sums it up.”, Bishop sighs with irritation. “But…feel free to give me a call if you do find anything…suspicious. Here’s my business card.”
“...Thanks.”, Carol hums.
“You have a goodnight, ma’am.”
“You too.”
Carol shuts the door, the sound of a lock clicks. There’s a rustle of paper being torn into shreds before footsteps approach Casey’s room again. Carol knocks before entering but Casey doesn’t move from underneath his bed. He’s still shaking terribly with ragged breaths. His guardian kneels before him, ducking down to meet his eyes.
“It’s alright, baby, they’re gone now. You can come on out.”, she smiles patiently.
Casey’s mind trusts her but his heart is fearful, glancing over at the direction of the front door and unwilling to move. Carol doesn’t sigh or frown or anything of the sort, shifting to lie down on her stomach in front of the teen. She reaches forward to hold his hand, rubbing her thumb across his gloved knuckles.
“I got you, Casey. I promise. No more bad guys.”, she assures softly. “I got dinner waiting for us on the stove too. It’s my famous beef stew. You love it, don’t you? It’s one of the few things that gets you asking for seconds.”, she chuckles.
That gets a small nervous laugh out of the kid. Stew sounds nice, if only his stomach would stop swirling. Suddenly, there’s a thud and sounds of movement from out in the living room. Casey winces, duck back further underneath his bed. Carol sits up, peeking over to see what’s there, but when she gets her answer, she scoffs. The doctor quickly gets up and hurries out of Casey’s bedroom.
“Oh, hey, mom.”, Raph greets, climbing through the window. Wait…what?
“What on earth are you all doing here?!”, Carol shouts in a hushed voice. “There’s police everywhere right now!”
“We heard that Bishop was running investigations in the district and wanted to check in on Casey.”, Mikey explains.
“Yeah, is he okay? This really can’t be good for him.”, Leo chimes in with concern.
“Well, yes, he’s alright for the most part but Casey is feeling panicked right now. Just don’t overcrowd him. I know you guys are like true brothers to him.”, Carol says.
“Got’cha. We’re sorry for bargin’ in like this, we’ll head out soon.”, Raph apologizes.
“No, no.”, Carol sighs exasperatedly. “It’s probably better if you stay put for now. And stay quiet . Honestly, you guys should be laying low. If those EPF agents can keep that Kraang woman thing in captivity, I don’t even want to imagine what they could do to you.”
Footsteps approach Casey’s room as the others continue talking in hushed voices. The steps stop at the doorway.
“...Case?”, Mikey whispers.
“...I’m over here…”, the teen mutters from his spot underneath the bed.
Mikey walks over, crouching down onto the floor to look at Casey. He smiles sympathetically. “Hey there, big bro. You doing okay?”
Casey doesn’t really answer, it’s an obvious no.
“Mind if I join you?”, the youngest asks.
The teen nods. Mikey gets down on his plastron and crawls under the bed to lay beside Casey. He folds his arms to rest his head on top as he looks over at Junior, frowning softly.
“I take it that… he came by?”, the box turtle mumbles.
Casey nods. “Carol took care of it though. Meanwhile, I’ve just been hiding here like a coward.”, he mutters. “I-I don’t know why I’m so afraid. It’s not like he knows who I am. I just…what if he knows what the tattoo means in this timeline? I got scared he would see it or something. I know it sounds really dumb.”
“That’s not dumb, Casey. And you’re not a coward.”, Mikey assures with a determined pout. “You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for, you are even stronger than your own powers. That man obviously underestimated your strength. You are stubborn, I can tell. You fought like hell and escaped the impossible and yet you continue to fight despite being so worn out. You are strong, but so are we. So let us in. Let us fight with you.”
Casey’s eyes begin to water but he tries to hold them back, keeping a steady face. “...Yeah, you’re right.”, he nods subtly.
His brother gives the teen a warm smile. “You’re not there anymore, Casey. You don’t have to fight by yourself now.”
“I…I-I know…”, Junior’s voice begins to croak. “...I know…”
Mikey scoots in, reaching to wrap his arm around Casey in a side hug. The touch is what tips Casey over as he leans into Mikey’s embracing, silently hiccuping sobs. The two lay there for a while.
“Casey! Michelangelo! Dinner is ready!”, Carol calls out a few minutes later.
The box turtle turns to the teen. “How’s about it, then? Wanna go eat?”
Junior pulls back, wiping his tears with his glove. “Yeah…okay.”
The two crawl out from under the bed, Casey dipping by the bathroom real quick to wash off his face melting with tears and snot. Everyone sits down at the dining table, Donnie and Leo helping Carol set out some extra folding chairs for the group. Carol dishes out hot bowls of beef stew for everyone as the boys thank her graciously. They all enjoy some nice few moments, eating their stews. Then Leo perks up.
“We still need to do something about Bishop. It’s only a matter of time, right?”, he says.
“Leo, not now. It’s dinner time.”, Raph mumbles.
“Not to worry, dear brothers, I believe to have found a solution to our problems.”, Donnie declares, bringing up a hologram from his wrist tech.
“You do?”, Casey raises a brow. “But how could you possibly—
“Done.”, Donnie cuts in, holding up the holographic screen to the group.
“Donnie…what did you do?”, Raph asks, a bit concerned.
“What? Nothing!”, the softshell smirks. “I just pulled up John Bishop’s history and discovered he is responsible for breaking several federal policies “for the sake of completing his investigations” yet the only reason he still gets to keep his job position is with his clever mind and a large sum of embezzled hush money.”
“I’m sorry, he did WHAT—”, Mikey shouts, bewildered.
“Mmmmmhm! A few social media posts here, a couple leaked footage sent to Channel 6 there and Bishop is no more, Michael!”, Donnie exclaims triumphantly. “All we must do now is wait and let the good people of the public handle it.”
Carol chuckles. “My, you have such a brilliant mind. Voting can only get you so far in our world. It seems like these days, problems can only be resolved with scandals and exploitation.”
“And scandalize and exploit, I did.”, the softshell smirks at the praise, crossing his arms.
Sure enough, the next morning, Casey wakes up to his phone ringing. He doesn’t believe his alarm should be going off yet. His hand aimlessly searches around the nightstand before landing on his phone, pulling the screen to his bleary eyes to find a bombarding wall of notifications and a call from Miwa. The teen picks up, leaning the phone against his ear.
“...hello?”, Casey mumbles groggily.
“Look alive, CJ! Haven’t you heard the news?! HA! ANARCHY WINS AGAIN, FUCKERS!!!” , Miwa cackles with way too much energy for…5:32 in the morning.
“...what…” The teen yawns, his body giving in to a good long stretch. “...what news?”
“I sent you the link like 5 times so wake up and go see it!”
Casey yawns again, sitting up to sit criss-crossed before scrolling through his messages. He taps the link which takes him to a Channel 6 news article. A brief skim through it slaps him wide awake.
‘BREAKING NEWS! WHISTLEBLOWER UNVEILS THE MIND-BLOWING SCANDAL BEHIND THE EPF’S GREATEST AGENT!’
Casey’s brows furrow as he reads through all of the outraged comments and posts from social media. So many people sharing such hatred for the man. Casey can’t tell if he should smile or grimace. See? Now you know how I feel .
“ISN’T IT GREAT?!” , Miwa shouts. “Finally, that jerkward can leave us alone! Look, I gotta go. My foster mom’s calling for me. We’ll talk later at lunch, bye!”
The teen just turns off his phone and sits there for a few long moments. Finally… finally . This brings an end to Bishop’s wrath. In his timeline and this one. But…would Bishop strike back? Would he find out who tore him down from his pedestal? Casey quickly shakes himself out of his spiral, reaching back for his phone to find a distraction. Yet, all of the media are talking about the scandal.
There’s no escape from it.
After heading back to sleep for a few short minutes and then inevitably dragging himself out of bed to get dressed, Casey shuffles out of his room. Kirby smiles at him from his spot on the couch.
“Morning, prince. Sleep well, your highness?”, Kirby smirks.
“...mehh…”, Casey croaks in lieu of response, but it still humors Kirby all the same.
Suddenly, the TV chimes in an abrupt musical introduction as the screen flashes “BREAKING NEWS” several times across it. A woman in a dress suit appears on screen.
“This is Carly Balmaceda, still filling in for the completely forgotten Warren Stone.” , the woman announces. “Our top breaking story this morning is coming live from New Jersey where the outraged John Bishop, a now former EPF agent, is caught fleeing imprisonment in a high-speed chase with the police on the freeway Interstate 95. We now report live on the scene with our reporter, Jim. Jim, tell us what’s going on.”
What on earth…? , Casey stares at the screen bewildered. He steps closer, standing beside the couch.
“Well, Carly, it’s a pretty intense situation out here. The police, highway patrol, SWAT, and CIA are on the scene as the enforcements have completely blocked off the freeway, trapping Mr. John Bishop in. Bishop has yet to exit his vehicle and the SWAT are now bearing up their blockades as we speak.” , the reporter explains, the scene of the freeway being filmed behind him.
“Holy shit.”, Kirby spats. “Carol, you hearing this?”, he calls to his wife who is preparing her lunch in the kitchen.
“Mhm.”, his wife responds.
“It looks like- oh- yes- yes, John Bishop is now getting out of the vehicle. And I won’t lie, Carly, I don’t like how he has a hand behind his back. The police are forcing us to push back away from the scene.” , the reporter continues.
A police officer ushers the reporter and cameraperson back a few feet. As the officer does so, John Bishop slowly reveals a gun from behind his back before pointing it at the SWAT team. He shouts at them in a frantic tone. One that Casey remembers quite well.
“YOU’VE ALL LOST YOUR GREATEST WEAPON TODAY! YOU, YOU PEOPLE ARE NOTHING WITHOUT ME! WITHOUT MY INTELLIGENCE!” , he shrills. “IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?! IS THIS REALLY HOW HUMANITY TREATS ITS FINEST CREATION?!”
That’s when Casey realizes it. The one motivator that kept Bishop going for so many years. His purpose to survive, to live. Power. All he ever yearned for was power. To maintain control over the world and its citizens. Terrorize them to be under his thumb. A god who doesn’t even need to lift a finger to kill. Yet…Bishop is out of power here. There’s no one left to control. There’s no one left to threaten.
The man’s eyes dart around from behind his sunglasses before landing on the camera. Then he is staring, glaring . Glaring into the soul of the audience. Glaring into the soul of the child and the souls that exist in him. In a heartbeat, Bishop aims the gun at his head.
“YOU PEOPLE WANT YOUR CLOSURE?! ”, he shouts. “THEN YOU CAN HAVE IT!”
Before anyone could react, the sound of a gunshot echoes. A splatter of blood. And Bishop’s body collapses to the ground by the force of the gunfire.
John Bishop is finally dead.
The reporter snaps his head back to the camera, grabbing the lens and pulling the view away. The footage cuts there, switching back to the anchorwoman in the studio.
Casey stands there…unsure how to feel or react. A cold chill shivers down his spine. Bishop…shot himself in an instant. The second he lost the one and only thing that ever mattered to him. He killed himself. Just like the last time the kid witnessed the hellspawn of a man die on screen…Casey doesn’t feel an ounce of satisfaction or relief. Just…emptiness.
“Kirby, change the channel!”, Carol shouts. Her husband lunges for the remote. She glances over at the teen. “Baby, are you alright?”
The teen nods slowly. “...Yeah.” He doesn’t feel good but he definitely doesn’t feel bad either.
“A-are you sure?”, Carol insists, placing a hand on Casey’s shoulder.
Casey just turns and stares at her worried eyes. He doesn’t feel scared, or upset, or angry. He doesn’t shake, or cry, or clench his fists. Kirby gets up, heading over to wrap his arms tightly around the both of them. Carol pulls Junior in close.
“I’m so sorry, baby.”, she hushes.
And that’s when Casey finds his voice again.
“...Well I’m not.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: Major panic attacks, haphephobia, major PTSD bullshit, accidental self-harm/harmful stims, character death/suicide (dw about it), blood
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Damn, that sucks. Anyways, aside from all of that bullshit, Carol fucking slayed in this chapter. Round of applause for Carol. Pop off, queen. You tell him.
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So...what's the next chapter? Here's a better question: Ready to meet the samurai? ;)
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 37: Baby I'm Not Foolin'
Summary:
The samurai huffs a laugh. “That was amazing. You’re one heck of a fighter.”
Leo’s smiling facade falters for a moment, a blush of red faintly flushing his cheeks. The red-eared slider recovers himself with a scoff, nodding his head back to swish his mask tails in faux confidence.
“Well, yeah, of course I am.”, Leo teases. “You’re not so bad yourself, conejo.”
Notes:
CUZ BABY I'M NOT!!! F-F-F-FOOLIN'!!!
Speaking of, I've been meaning to share this GREEN EYED MASK SPOTIFY PLAYLIST for a while... ;)
Even though it would've been better to post this on Valentine's Day, the holiday has a horrid misogynst history behind it and love is overly romanticized--
Disclaimers in the end notes!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Some time has passed since the chaos of Bishop’s death has ravaged across the media. Which is why Casey happily agreed to tag along with Donnie and Leo on their trip to the Hidden City one weekend. It’s a nice getaway from the hustle of New York.
But man, the Hidden City is HUGE. Casey has only ever heard tales of the place before it became an infested death trap filled with Kraang. There are so many yokais going about their daily lives in reflection to the humans in the world above. To think they have to live so separated is just another dizzying concept on the list of confusing things Casey has had to learn about this world.
“Alright we need to pick up Draxum’s serum from Witch Town next.”, Donnie says, taking a look at his wrist tech.
Leo rolls his eyes. “Why are we helping out Draxum with his experiments again?”
“Because, Nardo, Draxum and I are now working together on this next project. Which is why I need you to go in and get the serum because your dearest genius twin, who was wrongly accused, is still banned from that place!”, Donnie exclaims. “And I doubt Casey even knows where he’s going too. No offense, Junior.”
“None taken.”, Casey mumbles, his eyes still up and gawking at the scenery.
The lights of the Hidden City are so colorful. Much more different from the NYC fluorescent white and yellow with beaming neon signs and digital screens. It’s all pleasantly cozy and easy on the eyes. The shop walls aren’t straight and organized, the cavern warps and molds to its liking. Yokai big and small mingle about. Even more so than the yokai Casey has grown accustomed to in the apocalypse. This place is magnificent. And to think it was all destroyed before the teen was born.
“Alright, let’s get a move on.”, Donnie calls over. “The sooner we get what we need, the better.”
The group starts walking down the busy market space on their way to Witch Town. Casey is still gazing up at the mystic sights and tuning into the vibrant sounds of the Hidden City. So much so, he doesn’t notice Leo stopping abruptly as the teen bumps into his shell, causing them both to stumble.
Casey quickly apologizes, “Ah, sorry—”
“Shht!”, Leo shushes harshly with his finger.
The slider glances at his twin who also stops and stares at him. Leo nodded his head over to a dark back alleyway that’s far from the crowd. Casey leans in to see there’s two yokai in the alley, one cornering the other with a blade in hand. The leader sends a silent look to Donnie and Casey who collectively nod. Someone is in trouble.
They sneak closer to the walls of the alleyway, pressing their backs around the corner to be hidden from view. As Casey peers over his shoulder to get a subtle glance, he notices something.
One yokai is large and all blob-like. Like a giant walking blobfish but with a dark grimy green complexion, wearing a coat wide enough to wrap around where its supposed neck is. And the blade it’s wielding is a large sickle, glinting sharply.
The other yokai is a white rabbit. Donning a samurai uniform. And…is that red eyeliner? Since when was that a thing?
“Enuf jabbarin’!”, the blobfish shouts in a thick brute voice. “Hand ov’r the tokens n’ yew’ll walk on outta ‘ere wit’chur ears attached!”
“Listen, you don’t want to do this. I-I got people waiting for me. A family.”, the rabbit pleads. “A bunch of friends, an auntie, and a sweet little sister. Only 5 years old. She turns 6 pretty soon. Wouldn’t want to miss her 6th birthday, am I right??”, he smiles weakly. “C-Come on, we can talk this out.”
The blobfish smiles devilishly, bringing its sickle point closer to the rabbit’s face. Leo then jumps out of his hiding spot and cups his hands around his mouth.
“HEY, SLIMEBALL, WHY DON’T YOU GO BOTHER SOMEONE ELSE?!”, Leo shouts tauntingly.
The blobfish yokai glances over at the slider for a moment. In an instant, the rabbit acts. He ducks down and swings himself away from his opponent before wall jumping up a few feet, slamming back down a powerful kick to the face with his impressive rabbit hind legs. Casey and Donnie exchange a wide-eyed look at each other while Leo runs into the scene and joins the fight.
The blobfish brandishes its large sickle at the rabbit but Leo opens a portal beside the blobfish, ducking in to swipe its weapon before ducking back out. Still processing the agile terrapin that appeared out of nowhere, the blobfish realizes a moment too late how the rabbit charges at it with a determined grin on his face.
“IZUKO!”, he shouts, unsheathing a katana from its scabbard at his side.
The rabbit slashes away at the blobfish who narrowly misses his attacks and squeezes out around him to get to the exit of the alleyway. That’s when Casey and Donnie jump in, ready to block its way out.
“GET OUTTA THE WAY YA FLABBARIN’ SCUMS!”, the blobfish snaps, bracing to charge the two.
“Oh no you don’t!”, Leo smirks, swiping his katanas with mystic energy.
A giant portal rips open the floor beneath the blobfish yokai’s feet(?). The yokai is sent plummeting into the ground as the portal closes, swallowing it whole. Leo cheers victoriously as Casey chuckles at him, the rabbit staring at the floor with bewildered eyes and frantically looking around.
“Where did it go?!”, the samurai rabbit exclaims.
“The city’s prison.”, Leo smirks, resting one katana on his shoulder and leaning on the other. “Don’t worry, I got the slimeball a lovely room with an ocean view.”
The samurai huffs a laugh. “That was amazing. You’re one heck of a fighter.”
Leo’s smiling facade falters for a moment, a blush of red faintly flushing his cheeks. The red-eared slider recovers himself with a scoff, nodding his head back to swish his mask tails in faux confidence.
“Well, yeah, of course I am.”, Leo teases. “You’re not so bad yourself, conejo.”
The rabbit smiles brightly. He holds out his hand. “Yuichi Usagi.”
Leo quickly sheathes his katanas back on his shell, returning the handshake. “Call me Leo.” He takes a second to glance over at the other two. “That’s my twin brother, Donnie. And my other brother, Casey.”
Casey grins and waves as Yuichi waves back, Donnie just nodding his head in greeting. The samurai glances around at the three of them.
“Seriously, I can’t thank you enough. In fact, why don’t I—”
“SAGI! WHERE ARE YOU?!”, someone beckons in the distance. Their voice distinctly young.
Usagi’s tied back ears perk up at the sound, his head whipping towards the direction. He stammers, letting go of Leo’s hand that he wasn’t aware he was still holding and hurries out the alleyway.
“H-Hang on. In fact, just follow me for a moment.”, the rabbit stutters quickly.
The group rushes after Usagi as the samurai swiftly traverses his way through the crowded market and towards a young group of 3 teenage yokais, one rhino, one tuxedo cat, one fox, and one very young ginger cat yokai with mismatched eyes. Yuichi’s eyes widen as he spots them.
“HANA!”, he calls out to the cat.
The little girl, which Casey now starts to piece together as the same one from the photo in the memorial room, sprints over to Usagi. The rabbit yokai scoops her up off her feet and spins her around in a hug.
“Where did you go?!”, Hana pouts from her spot in Yuichi’s arms. “You said 5 minutes!”
Usagi sighs solemnly, looking away from the young cat. “...I was gathering my strength.”, he mumbles.
“What?”, Hana tilts her head.
“I was gathering my strength…TO DO THIS!”
The rabbit flashes a menacing grin as he sucks in a big breath, ducking his head onto Hana’s stomach and forcefully blowing out air that rumbles and tickles the little cat as she lets out a shrilling squeal of laughter. Hana tries to squirm out of the way as Usagi continues to tickle her with all his might.
“Sagi, stop it! That tickles!”, the ginger cat giggles.
“Yeah, that's the point.”, her big brother smirks at her.
Casey stares at the rabbit with a bit of…shock. This…this isn’t the same Usagi he knew. His Usagi was cold, bitter, and hostile. This Usagi is warm, cheerful, and friendly. His Usagi spent many nights screaming awake, waking the others in the bunk room. This Usagi probably only has dreams about puppies and flowers. His Usagi was hunted by the people and haunted by the spirits. This Usagi isn’t bothered by anyone at all.
What changed?
“They say that the only reason people keep going in the apocalypse is for family.”, the samurai had once explained. “I…I lost my reason to keep going a long time ago. But…then I met Leo. And the others.”
“And me?”, the young Casey asked.
Oji turned to him, smiling softly. “Yes. You too.”, he said. “As long as our family stays here together, I’ll keep going. That’s…all I can do.”
“You guys won’t believe what I just saw!”, Yuichi beams to the other teens. He points at Leo, Donnie, and Casey. “There was this huge blobfish person that tried to mug me—”
“WHO TRIED TO WHAT?!”, the rhino shouts.
“Show me where they are!”, the fox demands.
Yuichi sighs exasperatedly, “Let me finish . It tried to mug me but then these guys showed up and Leo here used these…like…mystic portaling katanas and caught the yokai. It was insane!” He turns to the three. “I seriously can’t thank you guys enough. Oh, a-and these are my friends, Gen, Chizu, and Kitsune.” Usagi gestures towards the teens. Then he pats the little cat’s head. “And this is my little sister, Hana. Hana, guys, this is Leo, Donnie, and Casey.”
“Hi!!”, Kitsune beams. “It’s always nice to meet more fighters.”
Chizu huffs a laugh, “There’s enough of us already.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”, Casey grins politely.
“You guys should come with us.”, Yuichi offers. “We could all get some pizza. My treat.”
“Huh? No, there’s no need for that.”, Leo laughs. “Just glad we could help.”
“Please, I insist. Consider it my thanks for helping me out.”, the rabbit implores. “...And my thanks for saving the world.”
Leo’s brows pinch his mask. “...What?”
“That mystic energy. I knew I recognized it. Those were you guys up in the sky fighting those…pink things, right?”
The red-eared slider stammers over something to say, pulling his mask tails over his shoulder to rub between his fingers. Luckily, Donnie answers for him.
“Yes. That was us.”, he spats. “How did you find out?” The softshell says with quite an accusatory tone. He seems to not fully trust the rabbit.
“How didn’t we?”, Usagi laughs, oblivious to Donnie’s tone. “There’s a bunch of shoddy recordings of flashing lights in the sky from that day. Definitely nothing I’ve ever seen before. You must all be proud of yourselves.”
Leo looks like he had something else to say but his smiling facade soon takes over. “Just…happy to help.”
“So come with us!”, Yuichi smiles. “Pizza. Run of The Mill. My treat.”
“Uh, o-okay!”, Leo stutters over his flustering.
The group starts walking with Usagi and his friends. Leo slows down his speed to walk behind the rabbit and next to Casey. The slider leans in.
“That’s the guy from the clips, right?”, he whispers.
“Yep.”, Casey whispers, nodding.
“So…I have a chance, then??”
“I wouldn’t get too cocky.”, Donnie whispers from Leo’s other side. “It’s best not to disrupt the space-time continuum. What if you knowing about Casey’s timeline fucks up your opportunity to get bitches?”
“Not. Helping. Donnie.”, his twin hisses.
“I’m just saying. Casey, don’t tell him anything. If Leo really wants this guy, he’s gotta do it himself.”, the softshell shrugs.
“What?!”, Leo whisper shouts. “Nooooooo, I’m terrible at this! Casey, help me!”
“Casey, don’t.”, Donnie hushes.
Casey sighs. “Sorry, Leo, you heard him.”
“Whyyy....”, the slider whines as silently as possible.
Donnie just gives his brother a smug grin before leaning back away. Casey smirks mischievously, leaning in close to Leo’s tympana.
“One thing. Don’t rush it. Usagi isn’t one to fall in love right away.”, he advises. “Also, he likes getting scratched behind the ears. That’s all I’m gonna say.”
“Thaaank youuuu!”, Leo hushes under his breath in pride.
“What are you guys whispering about back there?”, Usagi asks, turning to look over his shoulder. Hana peeks over as well, sending a suspicious glare.
“Uh, n-nothing!”, Leo smiles. “Just uh…well, Casey has never been to Run Of The Mill so—”
“HELLO, HIDDEN CITY!” , a voice erupts from above.
The group snaps their heads up at a giant billboard screen that seems to be playing a live broadcast of…a giant spider woman.
“It is your most fantabulous favorite aspiring business owner, Big Mama! And founder of the Battle Nexus. Tonight, I have a splendiferous one time offer that cannot be refused!” , the spider yokai announces.
“Eugh, great. What does she want?”, Leo mutters.
“I know, right? I’ve never met her, but my gut tells me she’s a creep.”, Usagi mutters back.
“Oh, trust me. Your gut is right.”
“Come one, come all to the Battle Nexus! Any one of you could be a champion tonight. Aaaand, if you win, you’ll win this fantasmagoric prize!”
The screen shows a close up of a shining mystic yo-yo. Hey…wait a minute…
“THAT’S MY YO-YO!”, Yuichi shouts.
“Wait, what?!”, the slider exclaims.
“So that’s where it went.”, Kitsune hums. “Guess the lost yo-yo mystery is solved.”
“We have to get it back!”, the rabbit swings his arms out in front of him, Hana still holding on like a koala. “If that yo-yo ends up in the wrong hands…”
“Why are you so worked up about a yo-yo?”, Leo tilts his head in question.
Yuichi sighs. “It’s not just a yo-yo.”
“It’s magic!!”, Hana exclaims. “It can cut through anything!”
“Anything?”, Donnie asks.
“Oh yeah, that’s right.”, Casey chimes in. “When activated, its string can slice through any material. Well…any material not coated in empyrean.”
“Yeah, exactly.”, the samurai nods. “...How did you know that?”
“Uhh…I…studied mystics a lot…”
“Well, don’t worry, Yuichi. We’ll get it back.”, Leo gives his signature grin, placing a hand on the rabbit’s shoulder.
The rabbit meets the turtle’s eyes for a moment. Then he smiles brightly, “Yeah, thanks!”
Leo’s face burns red for a second before he clears his throat. “R-right, uh, follow me! I’ll take us to the Nexus.”
The group approach the gates of the Battle Nexus where two brute yokai guard the entrance. Leo manages to weasel everyone in with some face man talk (that I totally know how to write and all my readers are amazed by my skills--) and leads the way, marching up to Big Mama’s office. Another yokai guard, a fox, blocks the door.
Leo does a quick count of everyone before turning to the guard. “7 competitors to see Big Mama, we’re totally on her schedule.”
“Nice try, kappa, but I ain’t falling for your tricks this time. So shove off!”, the fox sneers.
“Aw, what?! Do you have any idea who I am?”, Leo complains.
The slider goes back and forth with the fox yokai while the rest of the group stands awkwardly. If Casey remembers anything about Big Mama, she is “not one to be trifled with”. She always has a sly way of getting what she wants. But if Casey remembers anything about Granny . Granny taught him how to do the same.
The teen inconspicuously steps away from the group, standing beside the wall next to the door. He makes sure that the fox and slider are still distracted before making contact with his powers. Casey focuses really hard on that itch for a fight until a glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. If I phased through a boulder before, surely I can phase through the wall , Casey thinks. However, he’s only activated this new power once before. Okay…how the fuck do I do this again?
Last time, Casey was scared. A boulder was falling and he didn’t want to be hit by it. Okay. So. Now what?
“Boo.”, Donnie leans in and whispers.
Casey yelps as he is startled out of his concentration. Before Casey can hiss at the turtle for scaring him, he notices his hands are green. All of him is now transformed into a translucent green. Huh .
“Figured.”, Donnie hushes. “Your ghost power is a defense response, only activating to keep you out of danger.”
“Thanks for the help, I guess.”, the teen spat dryly.
“Yeah, yeah. Hurry up and open the door for us.”
With a nod, Casey takes an airless breath and slides through the wall. It feels like nothing to him as the wall acts like air around him. A quick glance of his surroundings, Casey sees Big Mama in her human form looking out over the balcony and at the gladiator ring below. It looks like her henchmen are also distracted too. The teen manages to shake himself out of his ghostly form and walks over to open the door. The fox yokai’s shouting comes to a halt and glares in shock at Casey.
“Big Mama will see you now, folks.”, Casey smirks with a bow.
The fox yokai seems to stutter over himself as the others hurriedly walk into the room, Casey shutting the door behind them on the yokai. Yuichi quickly puts Hana down and spots Big Mama within a second, striding towards his target.
“You!”, he shouts.
Big Mama turns around with sinister curiosity. “Me?”
“You took my yo-yo!”, the samurai snarks. “And now you’re giving it away like some prize at a carnival!”
The spider lady tithers. “Oh, whatever could you be flabbering about, rabbit? That yo-yo was simply a cut of the loot from a small gang. So really, it belongs to me now.”
“Ohoho, no it doesn’t!”, Usagi chastises. “You’re gonna give that back to me right now or so help me, I’ll make you!!”
As the rabbit reaches for his katana, so do Big Mama’s henchmen square up. Before things get out of hand, Leo jumps in between Yuichi and Big Mama, holding his arms out.
“Woah, woah, woah. Let’s all just cool our jets now, alright? No need for things to get messy.”, the red-eared slider cracks his signature grin.
The samurai hisses, “Leo, I appreciate your help but—”
“Trust me, I got this.”, Leo assures. He turns to the spider. “Lemme speak a language you’ll understand. What do you say about a deal?”
“Oh how splendiferous!”, Big Mama beams, clasping her hands together. “But you see, I already have a deal made for the prize. All you need to do is take on my greatest champion, and that silly little yo-yo is all yours!”
The turtle winces, glancing at the gladiator arena. “...Is there any other way to win the yo-yo? Diplomatically?”
“Well…I suppose…”, Big Mama hums in thought. “If you could get my snugglemuffin beefcake out here—”
“Battle Nexus it is.”, Leo answers quickly.
“What?!”, Yuichi squawks.
“Wonderful! In any case, to make this fair, I will allow you turtleyboo to pick one partner to fight alongside you against my champion. So choose wisely.”, Big Mama smiles eerily.
“Easy. This guy.”, the slider points to the rabbit. “I’ve seen how you fight, Yuichi. And I promise you, I’ll help you get that yo-yo back.”
“Right.”, Usagi nods. “Big Mama, consider your challenge accepted.”
Casey and the others squeeze into the bleachers and find a front row seat to watch the tournament. Yuichi’s friends are looking considerably worried aside from his sister who peers over the railings with curiosity. Donnie doesn’t look fazed one bit by all of this, sitting next to Casey and slurping on a soda drink cup and bucket of popcorn in hand as he stares at the arena below.
“I got Raph on speed dial for when this goes bad.”, Donnie mutters.
Casey scoffs. “Pssh! I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
Big Mama sits in her balcony on the other side of the arena. She transforms into her spider form as her voice projects on the holographic screens above the Nexus.
“Welcome ladies, gentlemen, and all my lovely yokai folks! Prepare to witness a stifling battle of strength, wit, and glory!” , she announces. “Going against my greatest champion, the Kraken, who is back better than ever! Please welcome our new challengers. A young aspiring samurai from Neo Edo, the Rabid Rabbit! And a returning opponent, the son of the legendary Lou Jitsu himself, Neon Leon!”
“What kind of a nickname is Neon Leon?”, Kitsune mumbles.
“A dumb one.”, Chizu huffs a dry laugh.
“Sagi’s is better.”, Hana nods.
Leo and Yuichi enter the arena where the large multi-eyed Kraken awaits the two on the other side. A blaring horn sounds, and the battle is on.
Casey doesn’t know what the two talked about before the battle started, but it is clear that they devised a plan. Leo swiftly drops a portal and the rabbit jumps through with zero hesitation. And out from behind the Kraken, another portal forms and Usagi flies in with his sword and ready to strike.
Yet the Kraken is faster, shooting out its appendages at the rabbit and sending him flailing to dodge. Leo hurries over, tossing one of his katanas at the Kraken and then teleporting himself to it to get the advantage. But the Kraken spots him too. In an instant, the beast wraps a tentacle around the slider, trapping him in. The Kraken captures the rabbit too.
The Kraken roars, flailing the two back and forth in its grip. Casey stands up, leaning over the rail.
“We need to get down there and help!”, he exclaims.
“Can’t.”, Donnie spat between munches of his popcorn. “Plus, this is kinda funny.”
The teen groans at his softshelled brother. He can’t just sit here and watch Leo get hurt. He has to do something. He has to fight .
Fight.
That’s it.
Casey runs as fast as he can past the bleachers and down into the gladiator halls, slipping past the guards. He manages to sneak his way to the gateway, seeing Leo and Usagi flail and squirm within the Kraken’s grasp. A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. An itch for a fight .
“You guys with me?”, Casey calls out to his mind. A flurry of static, drums, fire, mist, and a warrior’s spirit swirl inside of him.
It takes a moment until he hears “Yeah, we’re here.”, from Mama. “We’re all here. What’s going on?”
“Leo and Usagi are in trouble at the Battle Nexus and—”
“USAGI?!”, the ghosts shout in sync. It makes Casey’s head pulsate.
“How did— What— Why is he— Why are you at the Nexus?!”, Sensei stammers.
“I’ll explain later, I need your help now .”, the teen hisses.
“Right.”, Uncle Tello says. “Lead the way.”
Casey takes a look at the arena, trying to get a sense of what to do. He spots the bright holographic screen above. An idea comes to mind.
“Okay, first, Uncle Ael, I need you to shake the ground of the arena in front of me.”
“On it.”, the snapper agrees.
It’s not long until the drums leave the teen’s presence and Casey feels a rumble beneath his feet. Then suddenly, BOOM! , the terrain quakes as cracks form from the arena, letting rocks erupt upwards. The Kraken trembles and loses its grip, dropping the slider and the rabbit.
“Uncle Tello, shock the Kraken with the screens from above now!”, Casey demands.
“Don’t have to tell me twice.”, the softshell cackles.
The static goes external, hissing and crackling in the screens. And soon, ZAP! , an electrical current erupts and shocks the Kraken. The yokai roars in agony as it's fried.
Leo and Yuichi snap their heads up at what is happening, clearly confused. Then, the slider catches a glimpse of Casey peering around the gate. The turtle chuckles in relief. He gives the teen a smirk and a nod before turning to the rabbit.
“Yuichi! New plan!”, Leo shouts.
Casey’s nose bubbles with copper red warmth as he continues to look around for openings. Leo rushes over to a crack in the ground and proceeds to haul a boulder through a portal, waiting for the right moment to use it. Meanwhile, Usagi slashes away at the Kraken, keeping the beast distracted. Perfect, now if only we have some kind of force to hold the Kraken down…
“Sensei, get as much water as you can from the drinks surrounding the bleachers. Mama, you’ll help pull the water down on the Kraken to keep it in place.”, Casey mumbles.
In agreement, he feels the mist and spirit leave him. Soon, a bubbling sound comes from the bleachers. Donnie himself is particularly surprised and annoyed when his lemonade is swept out of his cup. The water from the lemonade, as well as the water from the other drinks, are pulled out and drawn towards the Kraken.
The wind picks up, swirling around the beast as the water gets caught in the wind, creating a hurricane ring of force holding the yokai in place. But it isn’t enough. The Kraken squirms and roars as it tries to wriggle out of the hurricane that’s struggling to keep its form.
But before Casey can say anything, Master Michelangelo chimes in. “Allow me.”, the mystic warrior says.
Casey feels himself empty as the fire’s cackling fills the arena. Then the flames engulf out of nowhere, swirling around the hurricane and creating a whirlwind of hot and cold air. The Kraken hisses as it tucks its tentacles in.
Leo opens up a portal, he and Yuichi running through. And out from uptop the Kraken, another portal opens. The boulder from earlier falls through with the slider and the rabbit following close behind. They both stick a leg, yelling a battle cry together as they kick the boulder down right on to the Kraken and knocking it out. Casey calls off his family’s attacks. The Kraken collapses to the ground, defeated.
The crowd cheers, jumping up from their seats and applauding. Leo and Usagi share their victory together, playfully shoving each other in giddy excitement. Then the samurai pulls the ninja into a hug for a moment. A moment that Leo will probably cherish until the end of time.
“Well…there you have it! Rabid Rabbit and Neon Leon have defeated the Kraken!” , Big Mama announces, a bit of reluctance in her tone. “Now, boys, come meet me up here for your prize.”
The two rush towards the gates, Casey joining up with them. He quickly wipes the blood trickling down his nose as they meet up.
“You guys were amazing out there!”, Casey beams.
“It was insane! I have no idea where all those…elemental things came from!”, the rabbit exclaims, running his hand through his tuft of hair.
Leo chuckles. “Let’s just say we have a few…connections.” Casey suppresses a snicker. “Now come on, let’s go get that yo-yo back.”
Needless to say, the spider yokai is a bit huffy when the group arrives back in her balcony view. But as to her deal, one of her henchmen, a right hand guard with an oddly similar plastron, bug mask, and three fingers, approaches the rabbit with a box, unveiling the yo-yo inside.
“Welp, it was nice working with you, Big Mama.”, Yuichi smirks. “But a deal is a deal.”
“Yeah, and you didn’t alter the terms at the last second again, did you?”, Leo chimes in, raising a brow.
Big Mama tithers. “Oh, of course not. You’ve won it fair and square afterall.”
“Oh good.”, Donnie hums. “Because the author doesn’t have enough space left in the story for one of your classic shenanigans again—”
“Izuko!”, Usagi shouts, thwipping out his yo-yo as the string lights up in a mystic white hue.
The string wraps around a pillar before slicing the material in half, causing the upper half to fall and crumble. Good thing it wasn’t a load-bearing pillar. Everyone glares at the samurai who chuckles shyly.
“Yeah, okay, we’ll go now.”
The group venture back out, finally heading to Run Of The Mill for some pizza. It is a pleasant surprise for Casey to see Señor Hueso again, much younger and lively and not on the brink of collapsing in exhaustion. The group all chat amongst themselves as they dish into their pizzas, Leo and Usagi sitting beside each other as they’re surrounded by their friends. The two exchange stories of their adventures, trying to out impress each other.
By the end of the evening, the rabbit slips the turtle his phone number, imploring to hang out again. And the red-eared slider beams with joy all the way back home.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Gay. More Gay. All The Gay. Homosexuals. Two non-hetero men.
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LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-- (also writing that fight scene was so fucking fun omg)Fun fact: Usagi is the only character who does not parallel his future self. P!Usagi and F!Usagi are polar opposites! For instance, think back on when Leo and Usagi first met. In the apocalypse, Usagi did NOT like handshakes. In the present timeline, Usagi is the one to INITIATE the handshake. And other little things like that. It's funny what the space time continuum can do... (the apocalypse turned our boy into Fanon Usagi--)
Next chapter though...well...to put it simply, it's a refresher of Casey's past before we dive deeper into the plot. So you can imagine the horrors that await us. (Get ready to cry)
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 38: Through His Eyes
Summary:
“This is Casey Jones Jr, coming to you live from the Red Angel.”, the teen reported, holding a fist as if pretending to hold a microphone. “Reports are looking good. And I am incredibly bored.”
“What are you doing, Jones?”, the captain’s voice questioned off-screen.
Junior turned to him. “I’m doing a news report. Like the ones Aunt—erm, Commander O’Neil showed me.”
The softshell laughed. “Okay, well, you’re doing it wrong. Face the camera towards me.”
Notes:
It's aromantic awareness week, and as a demiromantic, you better be aware of me. (And GEM Usagi too, he's demiromantic as well, as seen in like...the last chapter--). Here's an honorary flag of Demiromantic Usagi.
Aside from that, on a serious note, this was the last chapter I wrote before entering hiatus. In fact, by the scene with "I need you to tell us everything", I wrote that just before my escape from abuse. This chapter was really hard to write for a while after that. Looking back on it now, it feels so distant. I'm content with where I am now. Safe, free, being cared for by a professional, having loving family and friends. I'm healing as Casey Jr heals too.ANYWAYS, TIME FOR TRAUMA--
Disclaimers in the end notes!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Casey! Perfect timing, come help me finish dinner.”
It’s been some time since the Battle Nexus adventure. It’s a Saturday evening when Casey decided to swing by the lair to hang out with the turtles. He spots Mikey in the kitchen preparing some sort of stew.
“You know I don’t really know how to cook, right?”, the teen smirks, stepping into the kitchen.
“Oh, you’ll be fine, don’t worry.”, the box turtle wavers a hand. “Just grab me some more broth from the fridge.”
Casey nods, poking his head in the fridge as Mikey places a raw chicken on the cutting board and searches the drawers for something. Once Casey finds the boxed carton of broth, he closes the fridge door. He turns to Mikey who is chopping away at the chicken with a…
cleaver.
The cleaver stretched high up into the air, shining in the fluorescent light with an evil glint. In one clean hit, the blade swung down and cut through halfway down Casey’s forearm, mere inches past the elbow, slicing through the bone. Blood began spewing out as Casey screeched in pain. His voice reached volumes Casey never thought it could go. A scream from deep deep inside his core.
The teen’s breath is caught in his chest as his trembling hands fumble and drop the carton. Mikey looks over at the source of the sound, raising a brow. He takes a second glance at Casey’s face, eyes widening as his shoulders drop.
“Woah, Case, are you okay?”, the turtle asks. “You’re like…super pale.”
Casey tries to breathe but he can’t , his hands can’t stop shaking as a shiver is sent up his spine. His vision blurs, covering the scene glossy and gray and white and blood blood red —
“...asey? Casey!”, someone calls out, reaching out to him. “Hey, it’s okay. Let’s...uh…let’s just sit down.”
But just as they go to graze Casey’s shoulder, the teen flinches back, stumbling backwards.
“ DON’T TOUCH ME!!! ”, he screams, his voice straining. “GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!”
The box turtle stiffens, retracting his hand in an instant and ducking his chin into his shell. “...o-okay.”, he mutters.
Amidst the panic, Casey starts to recognize who he’s shouting at. His heart sinks seeing his little brother so afraid.
“Mike…”, the teen wheezes. “I-I’m sorry, I…It wasn't—It’s not—”
Loud several pairs of footsteps barrel into the room, one voice erupting against all else.
“What’s goin’ on ‘ere?! Is everyone okay?!”, one shouts with urgency.
The voice is loud and low, roaring. Casey hits the deck on impact, curling in on himself. His right stump writhes in pain, hot burning pain like a fresh wound. A blood curdling scream rips out of him as he ducks down, pulling his scalp tightly. His breathing is now breathless, not getting any air at all. He’s trying, he’s trying . But he can’t because every fiber in his being is screaming that he’s dying he’s dying he’s dying he’s dying —
“—CJ, eyes up.”, someone gave a clear command.
Casey latches onto those words like a lifeline. He snaps his head up to see someone crouching down in front of him. Someone, green, red stripes, blue mask. It’s Leo. The younger Leo. Casey’s not there anymore.
“Breathe with me, alright?”, Leo hushes in a soft voice. “In. And out. In. And out.”
Even though Casey’s still not getting any air, he goes through the motions. He’s not feeling any different but the calm repetitiveness has his attention. Though, why isn’t he getting air? How can he be breathing without it? What… Casey looks down and sees his body is covered in translucent green. …Oh. His powers must’ve activated when Mikey touched him. With that in mind, the teen wills himself to chill out, his powers fading away. Blood trickles down his nose again as exhaustion tugs at him.
“There you go, you got it. Just keep breathing.”, Leo assures with a smile.
Casey breathes, that’s all he can do. No one gets too close to him, which makes sense. Donnie only leans in to hand Casey one of his pills. The teen sighs internally, I’m really starting to hate these things. He takes it anyway, dry swallowing it, though he’s beginning to doubt its integrity.
“Um…”, the box turtle starts meekly. “Can…Can I ask what happened? Was it something I did?”
“Don’t worry, Mikes, I’m sure it wasn’t your fault.”, Raph reassures.
Casey answers lowly, “The cleaver.”
“...The cleaver?”, Mikey asks slowly.
Casey nods, still trying to find his breath.
“...The cleaver took my arm.”
“I need you to tell us everything, Casey.”
That’s Dr. Feelings now. The brothers have regrouped in the living room, giving Casey some time to calm down further. Mikey, in particular, has dipped into his room for a moment before stepping back out in a brown sweater, blue jeans, and round glasses.
“Well, not everything everything.”, Leo pipes in. “Just enough so that we know what your triggers are so we can avoid…that whole situation again.”
“Yeah, it’d be nice for us t’ know how we can help you, CJ.”, Raph smiles reassuringly.
In hindsight, the idea is pretty simple. Just tell them what’s up and Casey won’t have to be as scared anymore. But he can’t help but feel ridiculous by it. Do they really need to have this discussion? His mind is just being irrational and jumpy. Yet, Casey can’t ponder on his reluctance too much as Mikey pulls out a clipboard and pen.
“So, where do you want to start? We can start with what just happened or find something smaller to tackle?”, the box turtle suggests kindly.
“Umm…”, the teen mutters. Then he huffs a laugh. “Well…we know about cleavers now.”
Mikey nods, writing something down. “What about any knife in general? Or sharp objects?”
“No.”, Casey is quick to shake his head. “No, I don’t mind other knives.”
“Maybe it’s anything to do with his arm.”, Leo chimes in, pondering. “You never liked looking at your residual or prosthetic. You always cover it up. Why is that?”
Junior shrugs. “I just…don’t like thinking about it?”
“Think about what?”, Mikey asks.
“About…”
Casey freezes, losing his words. His mind only playing images of what happened but he can’t seem to put it into a sentence. The more he searches for his voice, the more he loses it. The more he sees the glint of the cleaver, the more he panics.
Raph snaps him out of his spiral by placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, ya good? Ya don’t hafta say anythin’ ya don’t wanna say.”
Casey takes a breath, the inhale coming in more startled than he intends. “Yeah. O-okay, I’m okay. Let’s just…focus on something else for now.”
“That’s okay, Case!”, Mikey smiles. “Hmm, let’s see. What about…uhh…foods? Are there any foods that you don’t like?”
“...Not really.”, Casey answers absentmindedly, his mind losing focus.
“How about…”
But Casey isn’t listening anymore. He blinks and the cleaver is slashing right through his arm. He winces, flinching. He holds his arm as if it is freshly severed but there’s nothing there. There hasn’t been anything there for a couple years. Not ever since he lost his fucking arm—
“Case!”, Raph shouts, shaking his shoulder.
The teen heaves, grabbing Raph’s hand and pushing it away. His mind spins for a moment as his eyes catch up to where he is. And of course, people are staring and he hates it. Casey lets out an exasperated sigh.
“I can’t do this anymore. I’m done.”, he mutters.
Mikey objects, “But, we only just—”
“Mikey.”, Leo spats. “Let’s just leave it. If he doesn’t want to talk—”
“But he needs to talk, Leo!”, the box turtle presses, more to the slider specifically for some reason. “ You get that.”
“He doesn’t have to.”, Donnie chimes in. The others stop to look over at him in his little corner of the room with his arms crossed. “I mean…theoretically, we could watch what happened ourselves.”
The youngest pinches his brows. “What? But how could…”
“The mask.”, Casey answers. “...That’s…that’s perfect !”
Leo winces. “I’d rather not experience second-hand trauma, thank you. We’ve all seen those clips and movies about war happening in real time, it’s depressing.”
“But we have to, right? There’s no other choice here.”, Mikey insists. He turns back to the teen. “Please, Case, I— We want to help you out here. But we can’t if we don’t know at least a little more about your world.”
All eyes are on Casey again. He thinks for a moment. Showing it to them would be easier than saying it, but that would mean Casey has to relive it either way. After another moment of pondering, the teen sighs. Fuck it .
“Okay. Just let me go get the mask then.”
Everyone once again piles into Donnie’s lab, huddling around the monitors in various chairs that are dragged in. And once again, Casey gets front center as Donnie hooks up the green eyed mask to the monitor. A wall of files appears before the group.
“Should we get April for this? Or even the O’Neils?”, Leo suggests. “I mean, a part of me feels like they should be here to know about this too.”
“Well, yes, but they shouldn’t witness it.”, his twin answers. “We can tell them our findings later.”
“Well, Dr. Feelings is all set for this session. So whenever you are ready, Case.”, the box turtle smiles.
Casey glances at the files on the screen, taking it all in. He knew that he’ll have to face his past eventually. He’s always known. He just didn’t think it would be so…literal. At least this way, the facts are facts. The teen sighs and shrugs.
“Alright. Might as well find the starting point.”, he says.
The teen reaches forward for the mouse, scrolling up through the files. If they’re looking for his memories, Casey’ll have to start at the day he was given the mask. Which would be…fuck, when was that? After Mama died, that’s for sure. Year…2034? Man, it’s been so long, Casey can’t tell the exact date anymore. He used to dread the anniversary. Why can’t he remember?
He clicks on a clip at random, hoping he’s got it right. Scrubbing through the footage, the camera is blocked by fabric. Then suddenly the fabric moves, unveiling a small Casey looking down at the mask. There we go . The 6 year old looked so tired back then. The child looked like he hadn’t slept well in days, his eyes were bloodshot from crying, and his hair was a mess.
“This was the day I got my mask.”, Casey reports. “So…that’s our start.”
“Where do we go from there?”, Raph asks.
Junior shrugs. “Uhh…I dunno. Maybe…”
The teen swipes a deliberate scroll through the files, waiting until the rows slow down before clicking on another recording at random. The year was 2038, the 10 year old Casey was sitting on the floor of his room playing with Cup when a shadow approached from behind.
“Can you take your mask off for a second?” , that was April’s voice. “I want to take a look at your hair.”
“Okay.”
The camera moves, the mask being propped up beside the teddy bear. The angle was shoddy but clear enough to see the child. His hair looked like a nest. The commander frowned, sitting down behind him and carefully sifting through his hair with her fingers.
“Geez, are you raising a family of birds in here?” , Commander O’Neil winced. “I should really find you a good brush. It’s ridiculous how rare it is to find a brush these days.”
“Why do I need a brush? I just use my hands.” , the child asked, turning to face his aunt.
Auntie promptly turned his head back around to continue looking. “Because finger-brushing can only do so much. Here…let me try…”
The commander pulled out what appeared to be a cleaned rib cage of some small animal, using it as a comb to try and get out some of the knots. However, the comb tugged on Casey’s hair, yanking his head back.
“OW! Auntie, that hurts!” , Junior shouted.
“Sorry, sorry! ” Auntie sighed. “Right, I’m afraid we have no other choice. We’re gonna need to cut it. You’re overdue for a haircut anyways.”
“No! Don’t touch it!” , Casey screamed.
Suddenly, this clip seems familiar. Casey seems to remember whining about not wanting to cut his hair.
“Casey baby, it’s matted. It’s a full on nest. We just gotta cut it short, okay?” , Auntie explained.
“No! I don’t wanna! Don’t cut it!”
“Why??”
“Because I wanna remember Mama! Uncle Angelo says that hair holds memories!”
The teen huffs a laugh. Memories, huh ? But the more he thinks about it, the more fearful he feels in the pit of his stomach. Is that why he can’t remember his mother’s death anniversary? Because the memory of that had been cut off when…
“That’s not the saying I heard.” , April said, raising a brow. “I was told that hair holds trauma. And that sometimes it’s better to cut it off in a way of letting things go. If you want to hold on to the memories, Casey baby, you’ll be holding on to the trauma as well.”
“Don’t care! I wanna keep it!” , Casey snapped, curling in on himself.
Auntie sighed again. “Alright, alright. We won’t cut it, okay? But let’s at least unmat it and tie it up or something so that it stays out of the way. Sound like a compromise?”
“Poor little guy.”, Raph chimes in. “You just wanted to remember your mom.”
“Are you still this protective of your hair?”, the box turtle asks with a deliberate click of his pen.
The teen just shrugs. “I guess so. I mean, I’d wanna remember you guys too.”
“Aw…”, Leo smirks. “You love us.”
Casey scoffs a laugh. “You wish.”, he teases, playfully shoving the slider’s shoulder.
Junior turns back to the monitors, scrolling through the files again and flashing forward. 2039…nothing there…2040…no—wait, yes. Casey can still remember it as clear as day…probably? The ship crash. He presses his lips together as he searches.
“What are we looking for next?”, Donnie asks, glossing his eyes over the screen.
“Well, if we’re going in chronological order…the next thing would be…well, your future self’s death.”, Casey winces. He can hear the collective sound of everyone holding their breaths. He clarifies quickly, “B-But don’t worry. I won’t actually show it. I don’t wanna look either. Just the stuff from before.”
“You were there for it, right?”, Mikey asks. “In the experiment logs, your Donnie said he was taking you with him.”
Casey nods. Finally, he finds the date. There is a separate recording file, indicating that Casey had recorded it himself deliberately. Out of curiosity, he clicks on it. The footage showed the young 13 year old adjusting his mask against the monitors at the navigation system aboard the Red Angel. Valentín was partly in view, sending a curious look.
“This is Casey Jones Jr, coming to you live from the Red Angel.” , the teen reported, holding a fist as if pretending to hold a microphone. “Reports are looking good. And I am incredibly bored.”
“What are you doing, Jones?” , the captain’s voice questioned off-screen.
Junior turned to him. “I’m doing a news report. Like the ones Aunt—erm, Commander O’Neil showed me.”
The softshell laughed. “Okay, well, you’re doing it wrong. Face the camera towards me.”
The child did, turning the mask to face the captain. He, too, held a fist like a microphone and allowed a smirk to stretch across his face.
“Thank you, Jones. As you can see here, we are currently crossing over the dry remains of the Atlantic Ocean, riding along the east coast.” , Uncle Tello gestured toward the windshield behind him. “Skies are constantly cloudy, wind speeds going 20 miles per hour, but with 0% precipitation.”
“What’s preci…preseer…” , the 13 year old fumbled on his words.
Captain Donatello corrected, “Precipitation.”
“Precipitation.” , Casey echoed. “What’s that?”
“Rainfall. You know…” , the softshell’s smile fell. “...you don’t know. Uhm…here.” He used his mystic holograms to project a simple graphic display of the water cycle. “In the Old World, the ocean would get heated from the sun rays. The water would evaporate into vapor and form into clouds. And when those clouds were heavy enough, the vapor cools back into water and fall from the sky. In some weather, it could get colder and turn into snow. But we would also get hail, sleet, hurricanes, thunderstorms…”
“Thunderstorms?”
Uncle Tello nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yeah, electricity in the sky ! What a wonderful thing it was.” The softshell turned to a box that sat beside the controls, crouching down and searching through it. “Here, I actually got something for you. While we were rescuing the camp, I ran into a meteorologist professor who lent me one of his books for you to study.” The captain handed the textbook to the teen. “Here, now you can learn about all the different kinds of weather.”
Casey looked down at it, raising a brow. His uncle opened the book in the teen’s hands and pointed to a section for him to read. Yet the child only looked more confused.
“...The…Co-ri-...co-corioles force g-generates…a counter…clockwise spin…to low pressure in the…Northern Hem..hem-i-sp-here…” , Junior muttered, squinting his eyes as he read through the text in the book.
Captain Hamato frowned again. “Is it…too hard to read for you?” The child shrinked a little into his shoulders, shrugging. The captain hummed in thought, stroking his chin. “What about the comics Leo gave you? Are those easy to read?”
Junior shrugged again. “Kinda? It’s still a little tricky.”
Uncle Tello shook his head, but not in disappointment at the kid. “No, that won’t do. Back in the Old World, a kid your age would be studying Shakespeare plays in school.”
“What’s Shakespeare?”
That got the softshell to face the teen, gaze hardened in concern. “...Even Leo knew who Shakespeare was at 13…and we never had school…” , he muttered.
The captain went back to pondering, pacing back and forth in front of the control panels. But soon he found his resolve, snapping a pointer finger to the air. He turned to Casey.
“Tell you what, when we get back home, I’m going to teach you everything I know.” , he insisted, in a serious tone that meant he meant it sincerely.
“Everything?” , the 13 year old tilted his head.
“E v e r y t h i n g.” , Captain Donatello smiled. “I’m going to teach you how to read, how to write, how to calculate equations, all of it! You’ll be able to predict meteorology with the power of astrophysics and aerodynamics while reading Shakespeare at the same time!”
“I don’t know what any of that means, but okay!” , Casey smiled back with an eager expression.
Uncle Tello grinned warmly just as a low beep repeated from the control panel. He spun around and glanced over at the notification, a thin line pressed in his lips. Casey leaned over to get a look.
“...What is it?” , he asked.
“It’s a navigation error.” , the captain answered dryly. “So why don’t you get back to your station and figure out what’s going on?”
“Yes, captain.” , the 13 year old soldier nodded.
He hurried back to his spot, signing about the error to Valentín, and then worked to find the problem. But nothing arose. Captain Hamato came over to take a look too but couldn’t find anything either. He disregarded the message.
A grave mistake.
The clip ends there, leaving Casey pondering about what happened next. Yet, the others aren’t aware of it, more focused on the way the world looked in the apocalypse.
“That was actually kind of sweet of future Donnie to teach Casey about stuff.”, Mikey smiles, glancing between the teen and Donnie.
Donnie rolls his eyes, crossing his arms reclusively. “Oh please, it makes sense. I mean, I did the same for you guys when we were younger.”
Yet, the buzzing noises of his family fades through his ears, Casey focusing on the screen. He doesn’t even need to play the clip before the images flash in his eyes. The horizon tilting, the ground getting closer and closer and closer still, the sheer sounds of explosions erupting his eardrums, the cold wind and burning fire grazing his skin—
“Case?”, Mikey asks, placing a hand on the teen’s shoulder that snaps him out of his trance. “You okay?”
The obvious answer is no, but Casey doesn’t voice it. He doesn’t want to continue on with this twisted trip down memory lane. Even just thinking about it brings it back, brings him back. He doesn’t want that.
“We don’t have to keep going.”, Casey says finally.
“What?”, Mikey’s brows furrowed. “But Casey, I can tell this is something that really bothers you. The only way to overcome it, is to face it.”
The teen huffs a laugh. “Yeah, I’m not so sure I’m ready to face anything.”
“Well…you’ve faced it before already.”, the box turtle shrugs.
Casey ponders for a moment at that watertight argument, not finding a comeback. He sighs defeatedly, “Touché. Well, if you guys are so persistent, we’ll continue.”
And continued they did, Casey scrolling through the footage again to reach the part where it all happened. Then there it is.
“Resistance HQ to Red Angel, over.”
“Captain speaking, what’s up?”
“Uh, sir, you do know you are in the direct line of flight of a decoy fleet?”
“Negative, HQ. What’s the ETA?”
“About 2 minutes.”
“Shit! Why didn’t they say anything sooner?! Alright, remain on standby. Be our eyes, the radars seem to be faulty.”
“Roger that.”
“Should we change course?”
“No, we don’t have enough time. If we turn the ship, our sides will be caught in the crossfire, our turrets are mounted in the front. We can’t make an emergency landing either because this ship can’t slow down enough to do so within a couple minutes.”
Casey just lets the footage play, watching the others be brought to the edge of their seats. In the footage, the captain fled to the top of the ship, using his powers to launch all the goddamn fire power he could. But of course, it was to no avail. The captain still looked just as fearful when he ran back down for cover.
“EVERYONE HIT THE DECK! BRACE FOR IMPACT!”
The horizon began tilting, tilting, tilting . The ground getting closer and closer. Closer still. Then Casey flew to the back of the ship as they crashed.
The camera glitched but still maintained its feed. The teen wasn’t moving. The eruption of fire could be heard, people screaming. Then it went quiet. Deathly quiet.
Footsteps were approaching, Valentín. Staggered and bruised but still moving. He shook the kid’s shoulders but got no response. He walked off. A creaking groan of metal was heard in the distance. Then a crash. There were no more footsteps.
Snapping himself out of the daze, Casey lunges forward and pauses the clip. “I think we’ve seen enough here.”
Mikey nods, scribbling in his clipboard. From a quick glance, it’s really just a bunch of doodles of a sad looking Casey. Real professional, Mikes .
“Well, is there anything here that sticks out to you? Anything we can help you look out for? Like are you afraid of heights or planes or loud crashes?”, Mikey asks patiently.
Casey just shrugs. “I guess planes? I always get paranoid everytime I’ve had to board a battleship.”
“Well you won’t need to worry about planes anymore now that we got my awesome portalling swords.”, Leo smirks from his seat, tossing his mask tails over his shoulder. Raph rolls his eyes at him.
“We still need t’ know about that cleaver thing. If yer ready for it, CJ.”, the snapper says.
Casey nods and sighs. “Yeah, yeah. Okay. B-but only a little.”
And so back to the scrolling. He doesn’t have to scroll far, he remembers Uncle Tello’s death and the…cleaver thing happened in the same year. Soon enough, he sees himself in the Kraang Forest. He clicks on the footage.
Master Leonardo, Casey, and Creedence were hiking through the terrain. They spotted a bird perched on a tree branch, the group crouching behind a bush. Casey took out his hunting knife and managed to swiftly land a shot at the bird, killing it as it fell to the ground.
“Nice shot, Case!” , his Sensei praised.
Casey smiled, hurrying over to pick up the bird. One glance and there were pink lesions growing under the bird’s wing. The teen scoffed.
“Infected.” , he mumbled.
The slider frowned. “Ah well, we’ll find something else.”
Casey pulled his knife out of the bird’s chest, discarding the corpse into a bush. As he picked out the bits of flesh from his blade, the turtle began fidgeting with his hands, rocking on his heels. Sensei took a sigh.
“You know…I actually brought you out here to have a talk with you…” , he started.
The teen looked over at his Tío, giving him the attention as he waited for him to continue. The slider seemed to be avoiding eye contact, staring at the ground and rubbing the back of his neck.
Looking back at the footage, Casey realizes it now. Sensei needed to tell Casey the truth about his powers.
“So…there’s this thing that—....you know how it is when—...what I mean is—”
“Is…this another puberty talk?” , the 13 year old cut in.
“What—No! No.” , Master Leonardo sputtered. “No, it’s not that.”
“Okay, good, because you were so awkward during that.” , Junior huffed a laugh at the slider.
“I was not! It’s just…” The blue clad turtle sighed. “Casey, look. You’re a—”
“Shhhtt!” , the teen hushed. “Look over there!”
In the distance, Casey pointed to a deer. Alive, looking healthy, and thriving in the apocalyptic wasteland. Sensei glanced at the deer, then back at the teen, and then smiled.
“Okay, it can wait then.”
The team ducked behind a rock, Casey holding onto Creedence's collar.
“Alright, wait for my signal.” , Leo whispered in a low voice. Casey nodded. “And…go!”
On demand, Casey let go of Creedence and the two watched her bolt after the deer. The deer quickly fled but the dog was hot on its tail.
Casey remembers this part of the memory. They catch the deer, ready to bring it back. Then a Kraang hound attacked them and bit Casey’s leg. Then the slider and the teen started arguing. Then Casey slipped up. Then they were surrounded. The Arch Angels. All with similar tattoos on the back of their necks.
“These “Arch Angels” had tattoos too? I thought it was just the Operation.”, Donnie chimes in.
“They were what remained of the Operation.”, Casey explains. “Some managed to escape the first time. Those escapees reformed and made the Arch Angels. People with a taste for vengeance against Master Leonardo.”
Back to the footage, the fight commenced. Creedence got hurt and took off running. Casey snapped and jumped a man. An explosive grazed his left shoulder.
Casey subconsciously itches at the large scar.
Then they knocked him down, grabbed him, pushed him. The teen screamed. He screamed and his Tío snapped a guy’s neck and bolted for him. Then the slider was knocked out cold. The Arch Angels tied the two of them up. Then they put that damned syringe in Casey’s neck. And he was out.
Casey keeps the footage rolling. He wants to see what these fuckers did to him and Sensei while they were knocked out. He shouldn’t be surprised.
They dragged them carelessly across the dirt before chucking them into the back of a small commercial truck. Their unconscious bodies tumbled around as they were sent to the warehouse. Then dragged inside and tied into chairs. Then someone splashed a bucket of water on Casey.
Casey pauses the footage there. “I think that’s enough. I don’t want you to see this. I don’t want to see this.”, he mutters quickly.
“Can you tell us a bit more about what went down then?”, Dr. Feelings asks.
The teen shrugs defensively. “What left is there to say? Got taken, roughed up a bit, lost my arm, the end.”
“How did you get out?”, Raph asks, his Raph chasm creasing in concern.
Casey thinks for a moment. He thinks about the chair, the rope. The 3 men beating him. The cleaver. The blood. Their blood. “...I stopped them.”, he mutters. “W-We both did, me and Sensei. Then rescue showed up.”
“You’re being vague.”, Mikey mumbles. “Let me— us help. We want to help.”
“Let’s just move on.”, Casey says quickly with an exasperated sigh.
He scrolls through the clips. 2042…2043… What a horrible year that was. The Resistance was starving of food and all other resources, the population slowly dying out. Maybe something here will get Mikey off of his ass. Casey clicks on a clip at random.
The 15 year old was walking down the hall. He yawned, seemingly tired. He then approached a door, knocking on it.
“Jake? C’mon, man, it’s time to switch patrol shifts. Get up.” , the teen exasperated.
He waited for a response but nothing happened. He banged on the door louder.
“Jake! Wake up!”
He jostled the door knob to see the door was unlocked. Casey peered inside to see a man, Jake, slouched on the floor with an empty rum bottle in hand. The teen scoffed, enraged.
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” , he snapped at the man. “Dude, you’re supposed to be on shift right now! I’ve been out there for 14 hours while you’ve been drinking!”
Hm… , Casey thinks, looking at the footage. He has absolutely no memory of this moment at all. He can’t even tell what’s happening in the footage.
“Oh shhudddup…” , the man slurred. “You’re always ssssuch a yapper.”
Junior stormed over to him, pulling Jake up to his feet by the collar of his jacket. “You better sober up and get your ass moving or so help me I’ll gut you! I’m tired, Jake! So you better get out there on patrol, now!”
Jake shouted, swinging the bottle at the teen who barely managed to block it as it came crashing and shattering onto his head. Casey shouted back, stumbling and ready to tackle the guy before Jake pulled out his knife.
“Listen here, you brat. You ain’t going to snitch to nobody, you hear?” , Jake muttered. “You’ve always been an annoying little pest, always getting your nose into business that doesn’t involve you. The council adores you and lets you get away with everything while the rest of us rot in hell for our mistakes. So you better watch your tone, brat, unless you want me to cut up your face!”
There was silence for a moment. Then suddenly, Casey bolted out of the room. He raced down the hallway as fast as he could. The man shouted after him, his footsteps following close behind. Soon, the teen darted around the corner and spotted two familiar people in the distance.
“Busho! Commander O’Neil!” , he called out, sprinting towards them.
“Wha— Casey? Why is there glass in your hair?!” , April exclaimed.
The teen pointed behind him at the man. Jake sneered as he saw who the kid was with. He began running towards them, his own feet stumbling as Jake struggled to keep a straight line.
“You little snitch!!” , he shouted.
In a heartbeat, the Busho flicked out his mystic yo-yo, wrapping the guy around in the string and causing him to trip and fall to the ground. Jake stopped squirming the moment the string began to glow a mystic white hue.
“Give me one good reason not to slice you up and feed your remains to the dogs.” , the samurai threatened in a low voice.
“ That’s …Usagi?”, Leo mutters under his breath, eyes widening as his brows pinch.
“Mhm.”, Casey nods. “I told you before, the apocalypse twisted the nicest of people into cold beings.”
“Were people always this mean to you in the Resistance?”, the box turtle asks.
“No.”, the teen shakes his head. Then he thinks for a moment. “Well…sorta? Some people are nice, some are rude. Things got tense in the recent years when supplies ran low and our situation became more dire. But it’s nothing compared to our enemy bases.”
“The guy hit you with a glass bottle.”, Donnie spat. “You’re telling me that’s not unusual?”
Casey shrugs. “I actually have no memory of this at all. But I’m sure this was not a recurring problem.” He huffs a laugh. “Just some dude being a jerk.”
“But you still got hurt. In your own home.”, Mikey presses, leaning in. “Did anyone else bothered you? Is this why you don’t tell us about that Logan kid that’s bullying you at school? Because…this is your normal?”
“I’m sorry, what Logan kid—”, Leo’s voice raises.
“It’s not a big deal!”, Casey exclaims.
“No! It is!”, Mikey insists. “What went down in the Resistance?”
“Geez, Mikey, it’s nothing! Stop pushing me.”, Casey gripes. “The Resistance was my home . Those people raised me. They’d never…”
They’d never…
Everyone was running amidst the panic. Casey had to dodge in order not to get toppled over. He started crying, hoping someone would notice him.
They’d…
The old man sneered. “Heyyy I know you…Yer that lil’ pest that’s always gettin’ his grubby hands on our crops! I ain’t givin’ ya nuttin’!”
…
“Alright, that’s enough!”, he barked. “Leave him alone!”
One of them scoffed. “Hiding behind a child? You got some nerve, rabbit!”
But that was nothing. Those people had a right to be angry.
“GET OFF ME!!! GET HIM OFF OF ME!!!”, the rabbit shrieked.
Casey ran over and swung a kick to the man’s side. The man screamed like a rabid animal, still clenching onto Yuichi’s ear with his teeth and hands. More people ran over, doing everything in their power to pry the man off. The samurai still screamed until a precise shot of plasma hit the man right through his heart. Casey and the others turned to find Leonardo holding the handgun with a serious yet terrified tone to his face. The slider ran over to the rabbit, shoving everyone out of the way. Usagi was in absolute distraught, shaking like a leaf.
…Right?
“YOU STUPID LITTLE BITCH!”, they shouted as they smacked the teen right across the face. “YOU PROMISED ME! YOU PROMISED ME THAT THE RESISTANCE WAS SAFE! THAT RIVER WOULD BE OKAY!”
Casey rubbed the sting on his cheek, which didn’t really hurt as much as literally everything else he had gone through. He kept a calm expression, hoping that would help bereaved parent settle down.
“I didn’t promise anything. I only stated what was fact at the time we first met. And what was fact was that the Resistance was a safe place at some point.”, Junior explained in a cool manner.
“BUT I TRUSTED YOU! I TRUSTED YOU WITH RIVER’S LIFE AND NOW THEY’RE DEAD AND IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!”, Julian berated as tears choked up in their eyes. “YOU ARE A LIAR! YOU LIED TO ME! YOU FUCKING LIED TO ME!”
He deserved that, honestly. It was his fault after all. He lied to the entire Resistance. He had to as their beacon of hope . But so, so many people are dead now because of that false hope. Eyes were always staring down at him. Rumors and whispers murmuring and muttering. And he thought that maybe this timeline would be different but school is exactly the same. People staring, gossiping, taunting him. Faces familiar to the ones that have aged and looked down upon the child.
“ LIAR!!! ”, Julian screeches. “WE ARE ALL DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!”
More voices join Julian as Casey finds himself being surrounded by the people of the Resistance. The more people that appear, the more the teen becomes covered in blood. Their blood. The people are screaming, miserable and injured. Some are missing limbs, guts, heads. Others are mangled and twisted. Many with exposed flesh and bones. They are all shouting at him.
“YOU DID THIS TO US!”
“YOU LEFT US TO DIE!”
“YOU GAVE US FALSE HOPE!”
“WHY WOULD YOU LIE TO US?”
“YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE KILLED US YOURSELF!”
“Casey baby?”
The teen jolts up immediately, silencing any conversation that the turtles are arguing about. He reaches for his mask, unplugging it from the wires.
“We’re done.”, he mumbles.
“No, we’re not!”, Mikey snaps, grabbing Casey’s wrist.
“Mikey! That’s enough! I’m not doing this anymore!”, Junior shouts, yanking his arm out of his brother’s grasp.
“No!”, the box turtle whines, lunging for the green eyed mask and swiping it. He takes off running out of the lab.
Raph bolts to a stand, running after him. “Mikey! What has gotten into ya?!”
Donnie scoffs, typing through his computer to check something. “Have you imbeciles ever heard of ejecting the drive first before unplugging?”, he mutters. “You can lose data on both ends if you’re not careful.”
“Not now, Donnie.”, Leo rolls his eyes. He turns to the teen. “...You okay?”
“I’m fine.”, Casey gripes. “Just need my mask back.”
He pushes past the twins and out into the hall, the red and orange turtles aren’t too far away. Mikey clutches the mask around his plastron as Raph tries to pry it away from him.
“Mikey! Give it back! You’ve gone too far!”, Raph snaps.
“No! Casey isn’t telling us everything! He needs to tell us what’s going on!”, Mikey shouts, shutting his eyes tight as he curls inwards on himself.
“He doesn’t need to! Ya can’t keep pushin’ ‘im!”
“But—!”
Leo cuts in, “No more buts, Mikey!” He and Donnie rush over to their brothers. “We’re done talking—!”
“ WHY WON’T ANYONE OPEN UP TO ME?! ”, Mikey screeches, tears pricking his eyes. Everyone is caught off guard by the box turtle's behavior. Their ray of sunshine is crying. “Ever…ever since the invasion, all of you guys are just locking up! You won’t tell me anything! Donnie hides how much his shell hurts, Raph won’t say a word about his time being possessed, and Leo has yet to barely say anything about the prison dimension! Even Dad has been hiding in his room a lot more often, and that’s saying something for him. A-and April keeps facing everything with a smile as if nothing happened!”, the orange clad turtle stammers, his voice croaking.
“...Mikey…”, Casey starts softly, though he doesn’t really know what to say or how to comfort his brother.
“…I just thought that if Casey…if…maybe the future has some answers that could help us…help me . I just…everything feels like it’s been falling apart —” Mikey stops, tears now streaming down his face.
The other brothers look defeated, as if silently agreeing to the youngest’s remark. Casey walks forward, without much to say, and wraps his arms around the box turtle, nestling his head into Mikey’s shoulder. Soon, the others join in on the hug. Surrounding the younger two in a tight embrace.
“Raph knows ya like to help people, Mike. You got heart, and a mighty strong one too.”, the oldest mumbles, his voice rumbling in the hug.
“Sí, hermano. We may not be the most open right now, but we don’t need to solve all of our problems in one go. These things just take time. It sucks but we’ll pull through together.”, Leo smiles reassuringly.
“Yeah, what they said.”, Donnie nods.
Casey chuckles. “See, Mikey? Just because we’re a bit closed off, doesn’t mean we hate each other. We’re…family.”
“Aw you guys…” Mikey sniffles. “...I love you all so much.”
“We love ya too, big man!”, Raph beams.
“Say…you think we should have a turtle pile tonight?”, Leo suggests.
“Absolutely.”, Donnie agrees.
And for once…
Casey doesn’t mind joining in too.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Reliving past experiences (hand chop, Red Angel crash, kidnapping, starvation era, etc.), panic attacks, PTSD, mentioned blood and gore, disassociation, dangerous drunk.
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Don't worry, it gets worse from here.Next chapter...a personal favorite...PROM NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 39: Bad Trip
Notes:
PROM NIGHT CHAPTER PROM NIGHT CHAPTER PROM NIGHT CHAPTER--
This is hands down one of the favorite chapters and I know you'll love it. It's such a GEM classic. Classic shenanigans, classic ghost powers being weird, classic foreshadowing, classic banter, classic Casey's family (especially the O'Neils) being THE FUCKING SHIT--
Disclaimers in the end notes!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Eyes on the board, Mr. Jones!”
Casey snaps his eyes awake, unaware that he had fallen asleep during Chemistry class. Granted, it is pretty boring. Casey knows everything there is when it comes to chemistry so all this stuff is an absolute breeze. Though he can’t help but feel tired as of late.
For the past few weeks, Casey has found himself hiding in the restrooms more than in class. The constant nagging and shoving around from Logan and his entourage, his powers spiraling out of control because of it, his ninja-warrior-trained brothers ready to beat up anyone that raises a finger at the teen and Casey trying to calm them down, not to mention he’s sick of all these pills trying to soothe him.
Reluctantly, Casey has to admit…sometimes a kid just needs some normal in his life. Heh…”normal”... Casey can practically hear the people of the Resistance rolling in their graves.
“Psst, Casey!”, a voice hisses behind him. It’s Miwa, she sits at the desk behind Casey’s, reaching to tap a pencil on his shoulder. She leans in closer. “Are you doing alright? Your eyebags put my eyeliner to shame.”
“O-oh, are they really that bad?”, Casey whispers, rubbing and pulling on his eyelids. “Guess I haven’t really gotten much sleep. The gho—...uhh hockey practice uses up a lot of my energy.”
“You know, I keep hearing about that but I’ve never seen you play. When are you gonna invite me and gang to one of your games?”
The chemistry teacher, Mrs. Talley, clears her throat deliberately. “EYES. ON. THE. BOARD.”
Casey rolls his eyes, turning back around as Miwa slinks back in her seat. The teacher glares at them for a second before going back to her lecture. Casey stifles a yawn, resting his head in the palm of his hand.
Sleeping is hard. He tries to rest but his mind won’t shut up. The ghosts are very chatty, Casey can’t really blame them. He’d be chatty too if he was stuck in a void in someone’s head, starving for something to do to prevent himself from going insane from boredom. But it’s not just that. The ghosts are just as PTSD-driven as he is, always freaking out at the slightest noise that makes them all jumpy. The amount of heart palpitations makes the teen feel like an old man about to have a heart attack. If only he could just sleep it off and get some rest, it’d make things less irritable—
“WAKE UP!”, the teacher slams her hand down on Casey’s desk.
Junior jumps again, realizing he must’ve dozed off again. He feels his heart leap in his chest as he notices the glint of green glossing over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. Calm down, you guys… , Casey presses through his head. The teen sighs, finally recollecting his surroundings to see Mrs. Talley looming over him.
“S-sorry, Mrs. Talley. I’ll stay awake.”, he apologizes.
“You better. Next time, I’m writing you up.”, the teacher sneers, turning on her heel back to the front.
“Yeesh, what’s her problem?”, Miwa mumbles.
“I heard that, Ms. Miwa.”, Mrs. Talley snaps her head back around.
“Miwa is my given…you know what? Never mind.”, Miwa rolls her eyes. “Have you ever heard about giving a kid a break? Casey’s tired, it’s not his fault for falling asleep.”
“I’m sorry, do you want to teach this class? Would you like to come up to the front and solve this balancing equation for everyone?”
“Excuse me?!”, Miwa stands from her seat. “You wanna try and change the subject and even force me to run the risk of public humiliation as a form of punishment for defending my friend?! See, this is the authoritarian bullshit that society is trying to push on the students!”
“Oh boy, here we go…”, Casey mutters, suppressing yet another yawn. He speaks up, “Miwa, chill out. It’s not that big of a deal.”
“No! It is a big deal!”, his friend shouts back. She points an accusatory finger at the teacher. “I will not tolerate this abuse of power of the standardized American education system!”
Casey groans in embarrassment on behalf of his friend. He puts his elbows on his desk, pressing the palms of his skeleton-patterned gloves into his eyes. As he does so, he can feel tears begin to water the fabric. He’s just so tired but his head is so loud he can’t sleep —
WOOSH! HISS!
The chemical flask of thankfully just water at a desk beside him erupts and splashes all over Mrs. Talley, the water sizzling as if it is burning hot. The chemistry teacher screeches before snapping her head at the student.
“JAMIR CHAHAL! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING?!”, she screams, furiously glaring at the poor innocent kid at the desk.
“I-It wasn’t me, I swear!”, Jamir stammers defensively. “I don’t know what happened, the thing just…exploded!”
“Do you really expect me to believe that?!”
Casey feels his chest sink at the realization that the incident is his doing. He quickly gets up, leaving the class quietly while the teacher is distracted. Once free, he hurries to the restroom, checking inside to make sure it’s empty before hiding in the accessible stall for the umpteenth time since he’s started school.
He sits in the corner, trying to take some breaths. His hands tremble out in front of him as his eyes water even more, his ghostly form swishes about as it tries to take form but is hesitant to. He swallows down his fear, twisting it into rage.
“What the heck was that?!”, he hisses underneath his breath.
Shushing mist spills from the toilet bowl. Okay…gross…
“Okay fine, don’t tell me. Just ominously float a cloud of sewer water towards me.”, the teen mumbles. “Just…knock it off, okay? All you’ve been doing is making things worse!”
The mist droops, sinking more into the floor.
“Don’t act all sorry now! You just burned Mrs. Talley and got Jamir in serious trouble for something he didn’t do!”, Casey hushes. “This isn’t the apocalypse anymore! There’s repercussions for hurting people and better yet, I just want some fucking normalacy for once. …Don’t laugh at that. I’m aware I’m “not normal”. But I can be. I just…I just need you to fuck off. You keep ruining my chance.”
The mist hisses more, puffing up with rage. But soon, it depletes, gradually pulling back away and disappearing entirely. Casey sighs, focusing on his arms and legs until his ghost form returns back to normal. He lolls his head back against the wall, closing his eyes tight as he allows the tears to trickle down. He’s too tired for all this. Yet all jittery and jumpy at the same time. He takes his prescription bottle of anxiety pills out from his pocket. But honestly? It’d just make him more tired. He hates these things anyway. He tucks the bottle back in his pocket, getting up to leave.
As he steps out of the stall, he glances over at his reflection in the mirror. Man…Miwa was right. He does look like shit. Casey also has a more significant amount of green hair strands now. The original strand is much thicker than before, now stretching around 8 inches thick, maybe more. And a second strand, around 3 inches thick, on the other side of his head. Thanks to his powers acting up and causing all sorts of chaos, his mystic energy has been reaching its limits as more strands are turning green. Casey sighs, brushing his hair back and lifting his head up before heading back to class.
It’s going to be a long week.
By the time lunch rolls around, Casey isn’t feeling particularly hungry. He lets the voices of his friends chatting together wash over him and he folds his elbows on the table, resting his head and closing his eyes. He’s only at peace for a few precious seconds before he feels someone flicking his head. He glares up to see Javier sitting across from him.
“Hey, is it me or is your hair turning more green? Are you like doing some sort of bit where you gradually dye your hair to see if anyone notices?”, Javi asks.
“Leave me alone, dude. I’m too tired to think right now.”, Casey grumbles before closing his eyes again.
“You’ve been tired a lot lately.”, Baqat chimes in. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Irma scoffs. “It’s Logan, isn’t it? Girl, you can’t let him get to you like this! He’s wearing you down!”
“So what? We can’t do shit about it.”, Miwa spats. “He constantly pushes us around and gets a kick out of it everytime Mr. Green here tries to throw hands.”
“Hey, I can and will beat his ass.”, Casey points out, practically half-asleep.
“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Casey.”, Baqat sighs. “Trust me, when my yumma and I fled our old home to move here a few years ago, I got picked on a lot too. For my clothes, my accent, my way of living. It got pretty tough for the both of us but we pulled through. I’m sure you and your mother will find that peace soon. Immigrant life isn’t pretty here.”
“Thanks for the backstory, Baqat.”, Casey yawns. “But I’m more into violence to resolve my conflicts.”
“Violence isn’t the answer.”, Javi drawls.
“It’s the question. And the answer is yes.”, Irma snickers. “Casey, next time you get in a fight, call me first so I can record it.”
“You are all unhelpful.”, the teen mutters. Soon, he feels himself being pulled into sleep.
After Mama drops him off back at the apartment afterschool, Casey barely has the energy to greet the O’Neils before heading to his room and flopping on his bed. He’s so tired, he considers just clocking out early but of course in this timeline, there’s a thing called homework . It’s absolute torture, and Casey knows torture. Okay…let’s see…there’s a chemistry test tomorrow that Mrs. Telley says to study for. As if I’ll need to do that. We’re reading pages 15 through 25 in that book from English…ugh, I’ll need Donnie’s help with that when he gets the chance. Man, why is reading so hard? Whatever, uhh, what else…
Just before Casey’s wandering mind could doze off, his phone buzzes in his pocket. He tries to ignore it, but the phone just keeps on buzzing. He groans in frustration, pulling his phone out and bringing it up to his face as he reluctantly pries his eyes open. A bombardment of messages from the group chat with his school friends flood the screen. He takes a look.
Irma: Casey
Irma: Caseyyyy
Irma: CASEYYYYYYY PICK UP
Miwa: shut the fuck up dude
Casey: what.
Irma: Girl I just got the BEST idea! We should go to prom! All of us!
Baqat: Gaaassssppp YES
Javi: Were we not already planning that tho
Casey: What is a prom?
Irma: YOU DON’T KNOW????
Baqat: Oh you poor tragic Byzarian child :(
Javi: Bestie, prom is like the ONE good thing about this school
Miwa: it’s literally just a dance where people dress fancy and have a popularity contest. then cry on the stairwell when they lose.
Baqat: In other words, IT’S GONNA BE FUN!!! You’ll love this dance, Casey. It’ll be a great way to get your mind off of things.
Casey: Do I have to dance? Im not very gud
Casey: good
Irma: I mean not really. But you are still coming with us. We can all just hang out.
Baqat: I heard there’s gonna be a cotton candy stand!! :DDD
Casey: what is cotton candy?
Baqat: …
Miwa: bruh
Javi: We’re going to prom.
Casey: oh kaye
Irma: It's “okay” and we totally need to go shopping for outfits. Now. Prom is Friday night.
Casey: Can I sleep first? Please?
Irma: Start resting your eyes then, I’m picking you up in 30.
Casey sighs and sets his phone down, opting to sleep as much as he can until Irma drags him out.
Before Casey knows it, Irma practically drags him out of the apartment. He only had a small chance to haphazardly grab his side pouch and wave goodbye to the O’Neils before he’s swept away. At least he gets a chance to sleep in the car as Irma’s older sister picks everyone else up and drops them all off at the mall.
“If Dad isn't back from his little date with his new girlfriend, either Mom or I will pick you guys up.”, Irma’s older sister says.
“Okay, thanks, sis.”, Irma wavers a hand. “Let’s all head inside.”
The group enters the mall where Irma quickly makes a beeline for a particular store that sells all kinds of flashy outfits. It seems that Baqat made some kind of reservation beforehand as the staff lead the teens into a big room filled with clothes, a couch, and a few changing stalls against the wall. Casey remembers hearing a story about a room like this, something about some spell that Hypno put the turtles under.
“Wow, this is an impressive set up, rich girl.”, Miwa hums.
“Stop saying I’m rich, my yumma just has connections.”, Baqat rolls her eyes.
“Whatever, look at this!”, Javi squeals. “Oooohhh I gotta try them all!”
Irma scoffs. “Well then, you better wait your turn. I’m going first.”
Without much looking, Irma pucks a dress from a rack and ducks behind the curtain of one of the stalls. Miwa, Casey, Baqat, and Javi all take a seat on the couch as they wait. Soon enough, Irma pulls the curtains back and reveals the dress that she’s now wearing.
An elegant silver sparkle coated dress that drapes to her ankles, with slits going down both sides of her hips and a low cut cleavage to her sternum, black criss cross lacing intertwining on her hips and cleavage. It is truly a stunning dress, impressive how Irma immediately saw it and knew what she wanted.
“Thoughts?”, she smirks at the group.
“You look like a disco ball.”, Miwa spats.
“It looks…shiny.”, Casey shrugs.
Javi rolls his eyes. “Well, I think you look stunning, bestie.”
“Yeah, but isn’t it against the school’s dress code?”, Baqat points out.
Irma cackles. “Ha! They can try to dress code me, as if I give a shit.” She glances down at herself, taking another look at the dress. “I think this’ll be the one. Just need to run to the jewelry store for some accessories. Ooo, and we all should get our nails done too!”
“Sounds good to me, my black nail polish is flaking off.”, Miwa mumbles, getting up and sifting through the racks for outfits.
“And you know what? I think this’ll be the year I try a dress.”, Javi smiles. He gets up as well to start looking.
Baqat bounces up, squealing and clapping her hands. “Really?! Aw, Javi, you’d look soooo gorgeous in one! We’ll help you find the perfect dress!!”
“No, we won’t.”, Miwa calls out.
Irma laughs, turning to the teen. “Well, come on, Casey! Go find something.”
“Oh, uhh…”, Casey drawls, looking around. “I-I don’t really know…this fancy stuff?
“Didn’t you go to a mid-war wedding?”, Javi quizzes.
“Well… yeah . But my suit was picked out for me. I don’t actually know what to do.”, the teen shrugs.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”, Irma smiles, wavering a hand for Casey to follow. “Let’s go pick something out.”
And so the group all shuffled around the room full of fancy clothes. Miwa grabs solely black articles of clothing, mix-matching around to figure out what goes together. Javi gawks at an array of dresses, yet hesitates to grab any of them. Baqat goes in and out of changing rooms with arms full of various silks in all sorts of shades of pink. Meanwhile, Irma fusses over finding the perfect suit for Casey, the teen opting to just trust her judgment.
It feels like the friends have spent an eternity in the endless abyss of clothes, so much more than Casey has ever thought there were. And it makes no sense to the teen. Why would people ever have to worry about their clothes looking nice? Casey has thought he understood the idea at this point. But this is a bit much. And the others are so fussy about it too.
“Okay, how’s this one?”, Casey asks Irma for the umpteenth time as he steps out of his changing room.
He dons a black undershirt with a smooth jade undervest, matching jade dress pants, and a lime green bow tie around his neck. It looks…nice. Irma ponders as she scans him up and down, stroking her chin.
“It’s cute, but you’re definitely going to need to lose the skeleton gloves. And you’ll need some shoes too.”, Irma hums. She turns to a shelf full of shoe boxes, glancing around at them. “What’s your shoe size?”
Casey looks down at his hands, rubbing his fingers between the black fabric. “Umm…8.5? And…is there any chance I can keep the gloves on? I-I just like to have them on.”
Irma looks over her shoulder at him, staring down at his fidgeting hands. Then she shrugs. “Well…okay. If you’re a glove person, we can find some of those fancy satin gloves that old timey people wear. In the meantime, grab some socks.”
Junior nods, going over to a basket and grabbing a pair of white socks before Irma snaps.
“NO. Casey, rule #1 of wearing a suit, never wear white socks. Grab the black ones.”
“O…kay??”, the teen screws his face in confusion.
Irma passes Casey a box of shoes and a pair of fancy satin white gloves. The shoes fit fine, a pair of black leather dress shoes with very thin string laces. With Irma finally content with Casey’s outfit, he goes and changes back into his normal outfit, folding the suit pieces up and setting them off to the side. Meanwhile, Miwa steps out of her changing room with a shopping bag already in hand.
“All set, Mi?”, Irma asks.
“Yep.”, Miwa nods.
“Well lemme see!”
“Knock it off. You’ll see it at the dance.”
Baqat waltzes out of her changing room, doing a spin in a dress that she seems to really adore. A long sleeved silk dress down to her ankles in a pretty bubblegum pink with rose gold embroidery decorating the sleeves, collar, and trim. Her smooth pink heels clack against the floor. The right shoulder of the fabric expands and stretches into a hijab that neatly wraps around Baqat’s head, and the sleeves stretch down to her hands, wrapping around the rings of her middle fingers but leaving her other fingers free. Pretty and pink, a perfect match.
“Omigosh, this is sooooo cute!!!”, Baqat squeals.
“Your brightness is hurting my eyes…”, Miwa mutters.
“Hey, guys?”, Javi calls from behind his curtain. “Can you give your honest opinions about this? And I mean honest , be brutal. I can take it.”
“Just let us see, Jav.”, Irma rolls her eyes.
“Okay…okay…”, Javi sighs. He pulls the curtain back, revealing the long turtlenecked satin red dress he’s wearing. “Tell me, does this dress look good with my mustache?”
“You look nice.”, Irma nods.
“Okay, but does it look good with the mustache ?”
“Why does that matter?”, Miwa mutters.
“Because, this dress needs to be perfect! It’s my first dress.”, Javi huffs.
Casey ponders for a moment. “Maybe something…frilly and sparkly? That shows off your chest more? And short too, like…like this one.” He finds a deep blue sparkle covered dress with light blue tulle on the outer edges of the shoulder straps and all around the dip hem trim of the skirt.
Irma huffs a laugh. “Look at you, Mr. I Don’t Know Fashion.”
“It just…makes sense?”, the teen shrugs, smiling sheepishly.
“I love it!”, Javi beams, walking over to pick up the dress. “Oh, it’s gorgeous!”
“I think it’ll look nice with some long sleeved white silk gloves too as an accessory.”, Baqat suggests.
Irma gasps. “Oooh, yes! And with white heels too! You can borrow mine, Javi, I’ll pick them up for you.”
“So basically we’re making him look like Cinderella?”, Miwa raises a brow.
“Oh fuck yeah! I’m about to slay this ball!”, Javi grins.
Javi gathers up the dress and a pair of long sleeved white silk gloves and scurries into his changing room. Within a couple minutes, he steps back out in his outfit which fits perfectly in every which way. With the group all content on their outfits, they get dressed back in their normal clothes and proceed to check out. When everyone bought their stuff and had them in bags, Casey notices how the group instinctively lend their bags to Miwa for her to carry, who doesn’t seem to mind. This just looks like a thing they do. Junior plans to hold onto his bag before Miwa simply takes it from him subconsciously and tucks all the bag handles through her arms.
Irma leads the way to the jewelry store where she picks up a few accessories for herself. Miwa peruses some rings but hesitates to pick out something.
“I dunno…my foster mom said my budget is $50.”, she sighs.
“I can spot you!”, Baqat smiles, resting a hand on her friend’s shoulder.
Miwa scoffs a smile. “Rich girl.”
“Again, I’m not rich, I just wanna be helpful.”, Baqat rolls her eyes.
Casey gets a tap on the shoulder from Javi who holds a pair of emerald green crystal earrings.
“Casey, these’ll look so great on you! And it matches your aesthetic!”, he smiles.
“Hmm…you really think so?”, Casey asks.
“Oh, for sure! They’ll definitely be an eyecatcher.”
“The last thing I want is to catch eyes.”
Javi laughs, rolling his eyes. “Okay, tell you what. I’ll buy them anyways and if you wanna wear them, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll keep these.”
Casey shrugs. “Okay.”
After buying their jewelry, Irma then has everyone swing by the nail salon to get their nails done. Casey doesn’t even need to glance at his gloves to know that he’d rather sit this one out. Miwa grabs a bottle of black nail polish from the shelf full of colors before heading to sit down at a station. The others, besides Casey who opts to sit in a chair, scan the selections.
“Red or white?”, Irma asks, holding the two bottles to show her friends.
“Definitely red. I think a splash of color will really add to your look.”, Javi replies.
“Good idea. I’m also thinking about getting a mani-pedi while I’m here because I know some great heels I have to go with my dress but they’re open-toed so I might as well go all out.”
“Not a bad idea, I’ll join you.”, Javi smiles, taking a turquoise bottle off the shelf. “I mean my gloves and shoes will hide the nails anyways but outside the dance, they’ll look nice.”
“Casey.”, Baqat calls out, drawing his attention towards her. “Which color should I get?”, she asks, holding two bottles in her hands.
“Uhm, don’t you like pink? Isn’t that your thing?”, Casey hums.
“Well, yes, but which shade of pink should I go for?”, Baqat rolls her eyes. “Because look, I’m a huge fan of this pastel pink but I really think this deep pink will go great with the dress. And I obviously can’t go for a shade in the middle because it’ll muddle and blend in too much.”
“...Okay.”, Casey nods, gradually processing what his friend just said. “Well…maybe the deeper one? Cuz the pastel looks a little too bright and might stand out…wrong?? I-I dunno.”
“No, no, that’s good. Thanks for the suggestion.”, Baqat smiles, placing the pastel back on the shelf. “Say, don’t you wanna get your nails done too?”
“No, I’m good. I’ll just wait for you guys.”, Casey declines.
“Why? Do you need some extra cash for it? Because I can—”
“I said I’m good, Baqat.”
“Okay.”, Baqat nods. Though Casey doesn’t miss how she glances down at his skeleton gloves. “You know, I’ve been kinda curious. Why do you wear gloves all the time? Are your hands just really cold or…?”
“Uhm…”, Casey drawls, glancing down at them too. “I-It’s just…well, I like to keep them covered.”
“Does it have to do with something in Byzaria?”, Baqat tilts her head.
Casey chews his inner lip with his chipped tooth. He tries to look for an answer to smoothly get out of this conversation but he takes so long that Baqat starts to get worried.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!”, she speaks quickly. “I-I didn’t mean to be rude. I don’t know why I asked that. It’s not my business, I get it. I’m so sorry—”
“It’s okay, Baqat, really.”, Casey smiles as convincingly as he can, laughing it off.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, it’s fine. I’m not mad, don’t worry.”, the teen assures. “Now, go get your nails done.”
Baqat nods and smiles, joining up with the others. Casey scrolls through his phone as he waits for everyone else. Soon enough, they leave the mall to which it’s very late. They wait out front as Irma tries again and again to call her parents and older sister to pick them up. But nothing prevails.
“Urgh! Stupid jerks! Ma’s probably asleep by now, God knows where Dad is with his new girlfriend, and my sister’s probably ignoring me on purpose!”, Irma groans in frustration.
“I could try calling my mama.”, Casey suggests. “She always stays up late and I’m sure she won’t mind.”
“Really? That’d be awesome.”, Irma sighs with a smile.
Casey pulls out his phone and dials up Mama, who picks up right away. Casey puts her on speaker for the others to hear.
“Musta?” , Mama greets.
“Hey, Mama, it’s me. I’m wondering if you can give me and my friends a ride?”, Casey asks.
“Sure thing, Junior! Where you guys at?”
“Wait… Junior ?”, Javi points out.
“Well, yeah.”, Casey nods. “Mama’s name is Casey Jones, and I’m her son, Casey Jones Junior.”
“Wait really? That’s so cool!”, Irma smirks.
“No, it’s not. He’s stuck as a Junior forever.”, Miwa mutters.
“Who’s that?”
“My friends. From school?”, Casey answers. “We’re at the mall, the one you took me to before.”
“Ohh yeah, your school friends.” , Cass drawls. “Casey baby just looovvvesss talking about you guys!”
“Mama!”, Junior shouts. His friends snicker around him.
“Okay, okay. I’m on my way, hang tight.”
And with that, Cassandra hangs up. Within a few minutes, her pickup truck pulls up in front of the mall. The group walks over to her.
“Hey, guys! Nice to finally meet you all. Uhh…I think someone’s gonna have to sit in the back on the truck bed—”
“Dibs.”, Irma cuts in, walking over and climbing up on the bed.
“...Guess that settles it. Hop in!”
The group hops into the pickup truck, Casey taking the passenger seat as the others squeeze in the backseats. Once everyone is all situated and seatbelted, they drive off. Baqat directs Cassandra to her place to get dropped off first. Irma gets dropped off at her mom’s next. And Miwa, Javi, and Casey are dropped off together in front of the apartments. Casey waves goodbye to his Mama as Miwa starts handing the other two their shopping bags. Yet, Javi looks down at his bags before handing them back to Miwa.
“Would you mind holding onto these for me? I-I don’t think my parents would be too enthusiastic about me bringing a dress home.”, Javi pleads, pressing his palms together in a prayer style.
“Sure, okay. Just make sure to pick it up right after school on Friday.”, Miwa shrugs.
“Aw, thank you so much, Mi! You’re the best!”, Javi beams, tightly wrapping his friend in a hug. Then he pulls back, waving at the two of them. “Gotta run now, I’ll see you guys at school. Bye!” Javi then takes off around the corner of the block.
Miwa and Casey start walking together to their apartments. Miwa lives nearby, in a separate building. Though, that interaction leaves Casey a bit confused.
“Uh, why wouldn’t his parents be happy about the dress? Is it just…not their style?”, he asks.
Miwa hums a laugh, scrolling through her phone as they walk. “You could say that. But, no, Javi’s actually just not out to his parents. So if you ever run into them, don’t mention anything.”
“Not…out?”
“Out of the closet. You know… gay .”, Miwa finally glances up at Junior.
“...I still don’t get it.”, Casey screws his face up more in confusion.
“Gees, what goes on in Byzaria?”, Miwa mutters. She puts her phone away in her pocket. “I dunno what your norms or standards were like in your homeland, but here in America ( especially America), being openly out, or known , as any sort of queer is not widely accepted. A lot of people, like Javi’s parents, are super unsupportive. So we have this term called “the closet”. If someone is in the closet, that means they’re not openly out about their identity. If someone is out of the closet, that means they are.”
“Oooh…I get it now.”, Casey drawls. “That explains why my brother, Donnie, told Leo that his closet is “non-existent”. Makes sense.”
Miwa laughs, a real genuine laugh that Casey hasn’t anticipated. “Oh man, that’s too good.”
The two continue walking until it’s time to go their separate ways. Casey heads up to his apartment, yawning as today has really tuckered him out. And it’ll be nice to finally go to sleep. Perhaps he’ll sleep in just a little bit to get a few extra minutes before school.
Casey quickly speeds by the O’Neils, sending a quick wave before heading for his room. He’d rather not have them find out about the prom. Not that they’d say he can’t go or something, but because for once , Casey got to hang out with his school friends and be treated like a normal kid. It’d be nice to have this dance be his slice of normalcy against everything, his abnormal family shouldn’t get involved in that.
Casey dresses in his pajamas before flopping on his bed from the sheer exhaustion, ready to get some shut eye. Thankfully, none of the ghosts seem to be bothering him tonight. Within moments, Casey finally drifts off to sleep for good.
Explosions erupted from the ground, loud and rumbling as it shook the earth. The sky was coated in a cloudy red hue. Casey’s combat boots were well worn down to the point where he could feel the dirt sink inside. But the discomfort was nothing in comparison to the fear dwelling in his heart as he found himself running .
Running away from the explosions behind Junior, debris flew and barely missed the teen. There were other soldiers running with him that weren't so lucky. Covered in explosion scars, hit on the head, shot at by bullets. People around him were dropping left and right. But he couldn’t stop, he couldn't even look at them. He had. To keep. Running .
Soon, Casey found cover. A low barricade made of concrete and metal poles. He leapt over it before ducking down, lying against the barricade as he tried to catch his breath. Where was his team? His sensei? Where was he? What was he doing out here?! He couldn’t handle this alone!
Another explosion had the kid screaming, covering his ears as the glorious fiery light casted a shadow from behind. There was a whistling in the air, something falling. A severed head. Casey’s next breath wheezed out of him as he fought with his mind to tear his eyes away from the view. But then, out of his peripheral, the head moved .
“HEY!”, the head shouted. How the fuck is it still moving?!?!
Casey shrieked, ducking away as his body curled in on itself.
“GET OUT OF HERE, KID! YA GOTTA KEEP GOING! DON’T STOP, GET UP!!”, the head demanded. “YOU NEED TO RUN! GO! GO ON, GET OUT OF HERE!”
Panicked, Junior stumbled up to a stand and bolted out of there. More explosions, more gunfire, more bodies. He had to keep running. There was a ship at the end of the horizon. Large and bright, the Red Angel. He had to make it. There was no other choice.
Out from the mountains and barricaded terrain, enemies appeared out of nowhere. To the left, Kraang zombies and hounds. To the right, Operation soldiers. The Kraang swarmed in a pack, charging for all of the people. The soldiers fired at both them and the Resistance. Casey kept running.
The Red Angel soon hummed, the way it did when powering up for take off. Casey screamed, shouted, begged them to wait up for him. But it was no use. The battleship began taking off into the air. Casey ran after it with tears in his eyes as he screamed. There was nowhere left to run now. A soldier from the side aimed their sniper at him.
BANG!
Casey wakes up in a cold sweat, heaving and panting. There’s clatter and crashing that rumbles around the room. The ghosts are awake too. The teen takes a breath, trying to compose himself from the nightmare but it doesn’t work. He’s in his ghost form right now.
And…phasing through his bed. The teen groans in frustration, getting up out of the bed before willing himself back to his normal form. He takes a glance at the panicked spirits causing a frenzy and knows he needs to get out of there quickly before he wakes the O’Neils. He slides into his slippers before opening up the window and climbing up the fire escape. It’s a bit hard to climb the ladder with slippers and only one hand but he manages just fine.
Once on the roof, the ghosts follow. Breaking street lights, fire hydrants, crumbling the sidewalks, and shaking the trees violently. That’s strange…where’s —
“What’s the skinny, chico?”, the cackling fire hums from his mind.
“Ah! Gees, Unc, warn a guy next time!”, Casey hisses, sighing as he goes over to sit on the ledge.
“...Sorry.” Uncle Angelo doesn’t sound so sorry. “Is everything okay? You seem frustrated.”
“Oh yeah, just fucking swell!”, Casey cackles sarcastically, tossing his hand and residual out in front of him. “I just awoke from the 50th nightmare this week and it’s only Tuesday! Not to mention, I had to run out here to avoid these powers trashing the apartment.”
“Well maybe if we just—”
“I am not in the mood for one of your lectures. I already got a therapist for that.”, the teen spats.
Uncle Angelo sighs. “Okay, but…do you…wanna talk about it or…?”
Suddenly, Casey doesn’t have the energy to be angry anymore. He’s just so exhausted , he can barely sleep through the night. Thinking about that thought makes the teen emotional from the sleep deprivation, tears dwelling up in his eyes. He pinches the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes tight.
“Oh…there, there…”, the fire soothes. “Just let it out…”
“I’m just so fucking tired , Uncle Angelo…”, the kid croaks.
The mystic warrior sighs. “Well, that’s what happens when you overuse your powers—”
“OH, I’M SORRY! THIS IS MY FAULT NOW?!”, Casey shouts. “IT’S NOT MY FAULT THAT ALL OF YOU GUYS ARE ACTIVING YOUR POWERS ALL THE FUCKING TIME AND OVERUSING MY ENERGY!” He huffs in frustration. “I NEVER ASKED FOR ANY OF THIS! I NEVER ASKED FOR THESE POWERS AND I NEVER ASK FOR ANY OF YOU TO LIVE IN MY HEAD! FOR FUCKS SAKE, I DON’T EVEN—”
The teen stops himself. …I don’t even want you here anymore. He ponders that thought for a moment. He…He doesn’t actually mean it…does he?
“Ya know I can hear your thoughts, right?”, Master Michelangleo mutters.
Casey glances at the ghosts, their external forms staying in place as if they’re all staring at the teen. Junior sighs, a bit relieved that only the fire can hear his thoughts at the moment. Don’t tell the others, please , he pleads in his mind.
“No, it’s okay, I get it. We’re all dead now, our lives are over. And all we’re doing is just getting in your way.”, the box turtle sighs.
“What?! No, that’s not what I—”
He feels the cackling fire go external and leave his body, a swish of flames wrapping around the others. In a bright flash of orange light, the souls disappear and go dormant once more. Casey feels the warm blood trickling down his nose. He sighs, wiping the blood but just making a mess in his left hand.
The teen flops on his back, staring up at the few stars in the sky and the few planes making midnight flights. He listens to the night life of the city, the honking cars and sirens in the distance. He smells the smoking polluted air and the copper blood in his nostrils.
He’s not going to fall back asleep.
“How was school today, Jones?”
That’s Donnie. Once again, Casey had to be picked up by one of the turtles and opted to hang out with them for the afternoon. Thanks to this early morning’s fiasco, Casey has gotten absolutely nowhere in getting some more rest. But he pulls through it anyway.
He stifles a yawn before answering, “It was fine. Boring, really.”
Raph seems to quickly catch on to Casey’s exhaustion immediately because he looks over at the teen from across the TV room from the snapper’s spot on his beanbag.
“Hey, don’t think Raph didn’ notice that yawn. And those eyebags. Have yew been sleepin’?”, the oldest squints his eyes at the kid suspiciously.
“Since when was it your business?”, Casey raises a brow.
“Hey, woah now. I already got two insomniac brothers, Raph ain’t gettin’ a third one.”, Raph gets up and makes his way over to the teen. “C’mere, yer takin’ a nap.”
Before Casey gets the chance to argue, he is lifted off his feet and cradled in Raph’s arms like a baby. The alligator snapping turtle makes his way to the couch and sits down with the teen in his arms. Junior rolls his eyes, attempting to get up but Raph has him in a tight grip.
“Raph, let me go! I’m fine!”, Casey groans in frustration, trying (and failing) to squirm out of Raph’s hold on him.
“Nope. Nuh-uh. It’s nap time.”, Raph shakes his head with a wide smirk across his face.
“Dude, I have homework.”
“Too bad.”
Mikey chuckles from his end of the couch. “Yeah, I wouldn’t fight with Raph on this one. There’s no way to win.”
Casey lolls his head back and sighs. “...Fine.”
A buzz hums from Casey’s bag.
“Hey, Case, I think you got a text.”, Leo points out.
“Can you read it for me? I’ve been apprehended.”, the teen grumbles.
The slider digs through Casey’s schoolbag before fishing out his phone. He takes a glance at the message, reading out loud. “It’s from Irma asking if you wanna something with your hair for…FOR PROM?! YOU’RE GOING TO PROM?!”
“Wait, really?!”, Mikey beams. “Omigosh, that’s so exciting!! When is it? When is it?!”
“For crying out loud, shut up.”, Casey sighs. “It’s on Friday. I’m just going with some friends, it’s no big deal.”
“No big deal?”, Leo snarks. “Dude, it’s your first ever prom! We’ve never been to prom before. Well, except me and Raph that one time when we needed to save April from Hypno, but this is different! You’re living our dream!”
Yeah… your dream.
“We should help you plan an outfit!”, Mikey beams.
“Oh, I already got one. Me and my friends from school went to the mall last night. We were out for a while.”, Casey points out.
Raph nods slowly, “Ohh…so that’s why yer so tired.”
“Haha, yeah…I guess so.”, Casey smiles sheepishly. He’ll let them believe what they want.
“Well, I’m still bummed you didn’t tell us sooner.”, Leo drawls. “This is only like…one of the biggest moments of your life.”
“It’s really not, Nardo.”, Donnie mumbles, crossing his arms.
“Uh, well, I guess I just wanted to…hang out with the others for a bit?”, Casey shrugs. “Ya know…be a normal kid.”
Donnie snarks. “HA! You? Normal? Casey, you are the furthest thing from normal.”
“Donnie, that’s not nice!”, Mikey hisses.
The teen rolls his eyes. “Say what you want, but I just need to be around other kids like me. People who don’t understand the apocalypse or my past and honestly? I’d rather they not know. For once, I don’t have anything shadowing over me. Don’t you get it?”
“Raph gets it.”, the snapper nods. “Ain’t no one gonna get wantin’ to be “normal” more than us.”
“Yeah. But we aren’t normal. At least, not in the sense of humans.”, Leo chimes in. “So why even bother blending in? When we can go elsewhere, like the Hidden City, and find people who are like us.”
“Exactly!”, Mikey smiles.
“Well, guess I’ll never blend in because my genius outshines the rest.”, Donnie boasts.
Leo rolls his eyes. “Yeah, okay. Get over yourself, Dee.”
Raph chuckles. “A’right, that’s enough. It’s nap time now.”
The oldest shifts his hold on Casey so that the snapper can lean back on the couch and shuts his eyes. Casey huffs in annoyance but lets himself sink into the warmth and comfort of his brothers.
Let’s just hope the ghosts leave me alone.
It’s Friday. The dance starts in a couple hours.
Casey puts on his outfit, the black undershirt, white satin gloves, jade green undervest and dress pants, black socks, and black dress shoes. He has a hard time figuring out how to tie his bowtie when there’s a knock at his bedroom door.
“Casey? Did you finish your homework?”, Carol calls out.
The teen stammers, hastily answering, “U-Uh, yeah!”
“Can I see?”
Before Casey can answer, the door opens. He winces as the light from the living room pools in his room. Carol lets out a surprised gasp before covering her mouth to hide her smile as she scans the teen up and down.
“Aw, you look so nice! What are you getting all dressed up for?”, she beams.
Casey flusters, rubbing the back of his neck, “Uhm…well…there’s this prom thing happening at the school tonight and—”
“You’re going to prom?! How come I didn’t hear about this?” The doctor’s smile brightens.
“Because it’s not a big deal!”, the teen rolls his eyes.
“Oh, but it is, baby!”, Carol chuckles. She steps forward towards him, reaching up for his untied bow. “Here, let me help you with that.”
Casey takes a step back. “What? No! I got it.”
“Just let me take a look.”, his guardian persists.
“No! Stop smothering me!”, the teen retaliates, swatting away her hands and pushing her back. “You’re not even my real mom!”
The doctor is taken aback. She stares at her ward with worried eyes. Casey figuratively smacks himself on the back of the head for saying that, he’s been acting like a dick all week. He doesn’t mean to. He’s just… tired .
“I-I’m sorry, Carol. I don’t know why I…”, Junior stammers for an apology.
“No, it’s alright. I understand. You are right, I am not your mother.”, Carol smiles sadly. “Though…I am curious, does that mean Cassandra is more of a real mother to you even if she isn’t your biological mother as well?”
“Well…she raised me, so…”, Casey shrugs.
“Yes, and from what I recall you telling me about your timeline, I helped her raise you .”, Dr. O’Neil smirks.
“Well, yeah, you were Grammy . But you’re still just a doctor. You worry because you’re afraid of me getting hurt.” The teen sighs. He walks over to his bed and sits over the edge.
“Actually, it doesn’t really work like that.”, Carol hums. She goes to take a seat on the bed beside Casey. “Despite my small daydream of becoming a pediatrician, I actually don’t specialize in taking care of children. So when it comes to worrying, I don’t see it as a doctor, but as a mother.”
She frowns a bit, chewing her inner lip and fidgeting with the diamond ring on her finger.
Carol explains, “That morning after the invasion, I was so swamped at the hospital with so many patients that I was stuck in “doctor mode” for a while. So when I met you and the boys, I was viewing everything as the current state of your injuries. And you looked…fine.” She huffs a laugh. “Just a few scrapes and bruises. Even your residual was healed very nicely. But I could tell you were exhausted, constantly staring into space. You’ve been through something, I couldn’t even fathom.”
Casey doesn’t really know how to respond, just silently listening to the doctor’s tale.
“And then April got you to shower and that hoodie you had on was so big on you, it swallowed you up whole! You looked so small in it.”, Carol laughs. But her smile soon melts away. “But then…I heard you talk so…nonchalantly about needing to ration your food. And that’s when I saw you. Like… really saw you.”
Tears dwell up in Carol’s eyes but she’s quick to wipe them.
“That hoodie wasn’t so big because you were small, but because you were so so so thin. Tattered in bandages and large old scars from a war untold. Your hair was a mess, tangled and greasy even after you’ve bathed. And such a tired face with dark sullen rings underneath your eyes, your eyes…you looked up at me with an unknowing look. Unfazed by it all. Desensitized.”
Carol takes a breath and collects her composure.
“In that moment I knew, I had to take care of you. Not as a doctor, but as a mother.”, she says solemnly. “Now, of course, I am not your mom. But as your guardian, baby, I will do my best to make sure that you’re okay. I promise.”
Casey blinks away tears that aren’t even there as he smiles softly at his guardian. “...Thanks, Carol.”
However, the heartfelt moment is interrupted as there is knocking on the window. The two look over to see…
“Javi?!”, the teen shouts. He quickly gets up.
“You know this boy, Casey?”, Carol asks.
“Yeah, he’s my friend from school.” Casey opens up the window. Javi stands there waving sheepishly. “...We have a door, you know.”
“R-Right! Sorry, uh…”, Javi stammers, climbing into the room with his shopping bag in hand. “Uhm…hi, Mrs. O’Neil.”
Carol chuckles. “It’s nice to meet you, Javi. Please, call me Carol.”
Javi nods before turning back to Casey with an uneasy smile. He speaks quickly and nervously, “Hey, is it alright if I get ready here with you? Miwa gave me my stuff a-and I thought I had enough time to get ready and leave before my parents came home but my dad got back home from work early and so I had to sneak out and make my little brother swear not to tell anyone and now I’m here and we only got a couple hours left and—”
“Dude, it’s fine.”, Casey assures. “You can get ready with me, I don’t mind.”
“Aw, thank you!!!”, Javi sighs in relief. He presses his hands together once more in a prayer gesture. “You’re a lifesaver, Casey Jones.” Please don’t call me that…
Carol gets up, dusting her knees. “Well, I’ll leave you boys to it then. I’ll stop smothering you.” She then leaves the room, heading back to whatever she was doing.
The teen turns to his friend. “Uh, there’s a restroom next door you can use.”
“Okay, great! Thanks!”, Javi smiles, hurrying out of the room to get dressed.
By the time Casey finally figures out how to tie his bowtie, Javi strides back into the room in his dress. He looked beautiful. Javi claps his hands as he does a spin in his dress.
“What do you think?”, Javi asks.
“You look awesome.”, Casey grins.
“Fuck yeah I do!” Javi makes his way over to his shopping bag and pulls out a makeup bag. “Now for the finishing touches. You should get in on this too!”
“Oh, I-I don’t really—”
“Casey, sit your ass down and let me bedazzle you.”
And so Javi applies makeup on himself and Casey. For Javi, he goes with light blue eyeshadow, bold black thick-winged eyeliner with a white outline on top, and bright red lip gloss. For Casey, Javi manages to compromise with getting him to wear glittery green eyeshadow, black very thin-winged eyeliner, and at least some chapstick. Granted, it goes great with Casey’s piercings.
Javi also helps style Casey’s hair by tying up the top half into a man bun while the bottom half of his hair flows loosely.
“You’re looking great, Jones.”, Javi smirks. He digs through his bag. “Now one last thing.” He pulls out the crystal emerald green earrings he bought earlier.
Casey immediately shakes his head. “No. I’d rather not—”
“Casey Jones Junior.”, Javi huffs. “This is going to be the night of your life. Your first ever prom in a new home, New York City nonetheless, don’t you wanna kick it off slaying??”
The teen glances back down at the earrings with a sigh. He’s never been the kind of kid who owned nice things. In fact, wearing such things back in his timeline would make him a target to other survivors, indicating he had something of value worth stealing. All this fancy dress-up for a stupid dance feels ridiculous. But…if Casey wants to fit in…
“Fuck it.”, he mutters, taking off the studs in his ear lobes and taking the crystal earrings.
“Now you’re talking!!”, Javi beams. He opens the hand-held mirror for Casey to look into. “See? Doesn’t it feel nice to look nice?”
Junior almost had a heart attack at his reflection. He has never imagined himself wearing such a thing. And to see it with his own eyes feels so surreal. And…nice.
There’s a knock at the opened bedroom door. Kirby looms past the door frame with a smile and waves at the boys.
“Heard you’re going to prom. You guys need a ride?”, the barber asks, taking out his carabiner of keys and twirling them on his finger.
“Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks.”, Casey nods.
“Yes, please!”, Javi smiles.
Kirby takes a better look at the two. “Wow, you guys look sick! Hey, do you think I can rock a dress like that?”
Casey scoffs as he and Javi get up to leave. “You wish.”
The sun has just about set over the city line, the night pouring in. The group pulls up to the school where a bunch of other kids are all decked out in glamorous outfits. Some lingering outside, others filing in the gym where some loud thumping bass music resonates from. The string of karaoke night familiarity twists in Casey’s heart, but is immediately overshadowed by the unfamiliarity of the people surrounding him.
Kirby pulls up to a parking spot and parks the car. Javi and Casey unbuckle their seatbelts to leave.
“Thank you for the ride, Mr. O’Neil.”, Javi thanks as he scoots out of the backseat and out the door.
But before Casey can open the passenger door, Kirby stops him by putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Now hold on, I gotta go over some rules.”, Kirby says.
“Rules?”, Casey twists his face in confusion.
“Mhm. Now, don’t accept any handouts from anyone, especially if it looks like candy. And if the punch is spicy, don’t drink it.”
“Okay.”, the teen nods with a raised brow. He turns to open the door—
“When dancing with a lady, keep your hands above the hips. …Actually just keep your hands above the hips in general.”
Casey nods again. “Got it—”
“Never go anywhere alone, have a friend with you. Don’t leave your stuff unattended, cover your drinks.”
“Are you done?—”
“Don’t leave the venue without telling anyone where you’re going first. Always keep your phone on you, charged and ringer on.”
“Okay! I get it!”, Casey exasperates. “I’ll be fine, Kirby, okay?!”
Kirby laughs. “Alright, alright.”
Casey huffs, turning to the door again and opening it—
“...Ooone more thing.”, Kirby drawls.
Casey slams the door, flopping back in the car seat. If he had a table, he would flip it over right now. He lolls his head over to his guardian, furrowing his eyebrows and gesturing his head as if to say, “What?”
But Kirby uncharacteristically drops his smile. He leans in close and speaks in a low voice.
“If anything happens, call me. No matter what hour it is, no matter where you are, I’ll come get you. You don’t have to explain a single thing, all I care about is taking you home. No questions, no nada.”
It’s the first time Casey has ever seen Kirby act so serious. It almost feels unsettling. But the teen gives the barber a faint smile and nods.
“Okay.”, he mutters.
Kirby’s smile returns again as he nods. “Alright then, you go have fun now, ya hear? Go on, get out of my car. Shoo.”
The teen chuckles. “Okay, thanks, Kirby.”
Casey finally exits the vehicle and hurries up to his friends who are all waiting for him at the entrance. Upon arriving, he gets a look at everyone in their final looks. Javi is still as beautiful with his dress, makeup, gloves, and heels. Baqat wears her dress with some light makeup on. Irma has done up her hair in a bun tied by pearls as she sports matching pearl bracelets and shiny silver rings, with silver chunky double hoop earrings, white open-toed heels, and a nice bold makeup look. And Miwa dons a black corset, with a black dip hem skirt and the tail in the shape of crow feathers, black tights and leather platform boots, and a leather crop top jacket on top, her makeup isn’t much different from her aesthetic aside from noticeably heavier rings of eyeliner.
“Casey! There you are! Wow, you’re looking awesome!”, Irma beams.
Javi tosses his imaginary long hair over his shoulder. “I helped him by working my magic.”
“Okay, okay, okay! Enough talking, let’s go in!”, Baqat bounces excitedly.
The 5 of them waltz into the gym where the music thumps louder. A disco ball sets in the center of the ceiling, spilling reflective blue and purple lights around. Streamers and balloons decorate every corner and wall, yet Casey can’t tell what colors they are in the LED lit up space. A DJ is set up on the stage next to huge speakers. Food is laid out in the back, several tables lining the wall. And all the students are spread out, some dancing in front of the stage, some sitting and chatting on the bleachers, and others lingering around the edges of the gym or by the food.
Before Casey can even get a chance to process his environment, Baqat grabs his hand.
“Come on, it’s time to party!”, she beams.
Baqat leads the way to the dance circle, dragging Casey alongside her. When the group reaches the center, Casey more so stands back and watches as his friends begin to join in on the dance. Irma and Javi start busting down some really nice moves together as if they memorized their own choreography for each pop song that plays, Baqat just dances to the vibes in her own way, and Miwa stands there nodding her head along. Baqat notices how Casey watches the group.
“Come on! Dance with us!”, she beams, ushering Casey over.
The teen shakes his head, waving his arms out defensively. “N-No way, I’m not good at dancing!”
“You don’t need to be good, just dance!”
Baqat grabs Casey’s hands and pulls him in towards everyone else. She continues to dance, now holding Casey’s hands and trying to tug him to dance along as well. She bounces up and down, getting Junior to reluctantly start bouncing on his heels. The others joined in as well, stepping in to all hold hands in a circle and groove, minus Miwa. With them, Casey feels the world melt away for a moment. Just a moment to be… normal . Human. Just a kid at a school dance.
Baqat huffs. “Okay, I’m done jumping. Jumping is hard in heels.”
“Yeah, you brought that upon yourself.”, Irma laughs.
Miwa steps back from the circle. “I’m getting a drink.”, she mutters, excusing herself.
“Oh, yeah, same here.”, Javi nods, following after her.
Baqat’s face lights up. “Oh right! Casey, you still need to try the cotton candy!”
“Oh shit, yeah! Let’s go!”, Irma beams. “Come on, guess we’re all going to the snack bar.”
And so the group squeeze through the crowd until they reach the tables in the back serving snacks and drinks. Sure enough, there is a cart on the side with a spinning bowl and a sign saying “Cotton Candy”. The vendor running the cart would stir a paper stick around in the bowl, and Casey watches in awe as the sticky pink string sticks onto the stick and creates a cloud of fluff. Baqat bought some cotton candy for her and Casey to try. The candy is incredibly sweet. Like. It’s just pure fucking sugar.
Casey and Baqat meet up with the others by the drink cooler and punch bowl. They all seem to be having a great time. The teen can only hope he’ll be just as happy as them. He just needs to blend in more.
“So how’s the cotton candy, Casey?”, Irma asks with a head tilt. “Does it taste like the good ol’ American dream?”
Casey huffs a laugh. “It tastes like sugar. Nothing else.”
“That about sums up the American dream.”, Miwa nods.
“Well…well…well…”, a familiar irritating voice drawls from behind. “Funny seeing you guys here. Especially you, green freak .”
Casey doesn’t have to look over his shoulder but he does and eugh… Logan . Plus his posse of course. They all seem to be wearing matching tuxedos for the event. Irma is the first to bite.
“It’s a fucking school dance, Logan. Of course we’re here. What do you want?”, she spats.
“Woah, now, no need to get so feisty. Especially when wearing a dress like that , I’d be careful if I were you, slut.”, Logan smirks. His friends snicker behind him.
Irma inhales deeply. “Ohhhhohohoho, buddy, you’re in for it now—”
“Irma, don’t.”, Baqat hisses. She turns to the bullies. “Guys, can we just not do this now? It’s prom night. We’re all just here to have fun. We’ll be on our way now, okay?—”
“Oh but of course we’re here to have some fun. In fact, my buddy managed to sneak in a little something special into the punch bowl here. You all should give it a try. Especially you, Jones, I think you’ll love it.”
“No thanks, I’m good.”, Casey deadpans.
Logan rolls his eyes with a cheeky grin. “Oh come on, I insist.” He grabs a plastic red solo cup, dunking it into the punch bowl before holding it out to Casey. “Go ahead. Give it a sip.”
Javi pushes past Casey and smacks the cup right out of Logan’s hand. “He said no, asshole!”
“Ooo, look at you, faggot. All dressed up like a fucking tranny.”, Logan taunts. “Why don’t you back the fuck up, hm? Would hate for you to break a fingernail.”
Casey feels the all too familiar anger boil up inside him. This is supposed to be his night. His one chance to finally be a normal fucking kid and this fuckhead is ruining it! In his rage, the teen shoves Logan back.
“Why don’t you back the fuck up?! You cowardly little shit, I whoop your ass and you still come back for another round as if you think you have to be top dog!”, Casey snaps.
And there it is. That short tempered fuse is written all over Logan’s face. The jock snarls, straightening up.
“Hey, now, why don’t we all just cool down? Huh?”, he smirks. “In fact, why don’t you have a DRINK !”
Logan snatches Casey by the back of his head and shoves him towards the punch bowl, the table giving in and breaking in half as Casey is sent tumbling down. Before the teen even has the chance to render what is happening, he hears shouting from behind him. A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash— NO! No. Not now. Please not now.
But it’s too late. Junior sees how the punch sizzles and hisses into small clouds of mist. How the floor beneath him rumbles a bit too intensely to the bass of the speakers. How the disco light flickers and zaps. How the cotton candy machine begins to plum smoke. How the sudden random draft flutters in the streamers. He has to act fast. Now.
Casey gets up, pushing past the squabbling between his friends and the bullies and shoves his way through the crowd to get to the restroom. He darts towards the accessible stall once again and slams the finicky door behind him. But soon after, there’s a knock. He sees pink silk through the cracks of the stall, lingering by the doorway.
“Casey? Are you okay—”
“ LEAVE! ”, Casey shouts.
He didn’t mean to be so rude, especially at sweet kind Baqat. But the girl quickly goes quiet and heads out of the restroom. Leaving Casey to have a much needed talk.
He sighs. “Alright, listen up. I need all of you guys to fucking knock it off, okay?! You keep on ruining my chances at a normal fucking life which is bizarre to me, considering the fact that you are all just a bunch of dead fucking ghosts living in my head! How am I supposed to be a normal kid when you guys just keep RUINING IT?!?! ”, he shouts.
The teen clenches his half-up hair, dropping down to the floor as he heaves. Warm tears pool in his eyes. But then…he hears an awkward cough from one of the stalls.
“Uhm…bad trip?”, a random teen drawls.
Casey lets out a very long and exasperated sigh. Stupid, you didn’t even check first to see if you were alone? As calmly as he can, Casey plays along. “Yeah…bad trip.”, he mutters.
“...Cool…” Then a pause. “Uhh…any chance I can get hooked up with your dealer or—”
“Get the fuck out.”, Junior spats.
“—okay.”
There’s a sound of a toilet flushing followed by footsteps leaving the restroom, the dickwad didn’t even wash his hands.
Casey groans in annoyance…and exhaustion. This night has been horrible. He just wants to blend in for once. Growing up, he never knew what normal was supposed to be like. And he is usually so avoidant of the concept because why would he even bother in the first place? It’s just that as of late, being in this country, every person and billboard ad keeps pressing him to blend in and fit with the norms. He actually thought he could be happy like the rest of them.
But he’s not. He’s not happy. He’s not normal. And he won’t be happy being normal.
The teen sighs. Once again reaching into his pocket for the pills that are supposed to calm his jittering nerves and you know what? Fuck these pills. Casey has had enough of this. He’s not going to get any better like this. Junior gets up, walking over to the toilet and opening the bottle of pills before dumping them all in the toilet bowl and discarding the bottle along with it. With a deliberate flush, the medication is soon out of sight and mind.
He’s been dealing with this bullshit all his life. What’s the worst that can happen without these stupid pseudo pills?
Casey leaves the stall, heading to the sink to try and wash up and dry off as much of the punch as he can but it’s no use. He’s even got cotton candy stuck to his half-up half-down hair-do that doesn’t seem to want to come off. Pushing back the tears before he breaks down, the teen pulls out his phone and checks the time. It’s only been a little over an hour since the dance started. But Casey is already spent. He scrolls through his phone, dialing up Kirby’s number.
“Hey, this is Kirby.” , the barber answers.
Casey does his best to keep the calm in his tone. “...Hey.”
“Hey, prince! What’s going on? You enjoying prom?”
“Uhm…yeah, uhh…I was…I was wondering if you could come pick me up? I-I’m done here.”, the teen mutters.
“Hm. Yeah, sure. I’ll be right there. Give me about 10 minutes, okay?”
“Okay. See you.”
The phone hangs up. Casey tries to pick out some more of the cotton candy out of his hair and drying off more punch off his clothes with paper towels within those 10 minutes before he gets a text. Casey steps out of the restroom, glancing over at his friends who are still standing by the broken table, murmuring amongst each other. Casey probably ruined their night too. He sneaks by without getting noticed and heads outside.
He quickly spots Kirby’s car out front and walks over, getting in the passenger seat.
“Hey, kiddo—what on earth happened to you?! You’re all drenched and…is that cotton candy in your hair?! Kid, are you alright?!”, Kirby exclaims.
Without even sparing a glance, Casey just mutters, “No questions.”
Kirby nods slowly and sighs in understanding. “...No nada.”
The barber puts the car into drive and starts heading off back home. As they drive, the tears from earlier resurface. The teen’s lip quivers as he tries his best not to heave or sniffle, though his efforts are fruitless as Kirby takes notice. His guardian sighs, reaching out a free hand to rub Casey’s back in soothing circles.
“Just let it all out, little prince. It’s alright. I got you.”, he mutters.
And so Casey cries. He curls forward and buries his face in his palms. He sobs the whole car ride back home.
His one chance to be normal…
And he ruined it.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Panic attacks, bullying (and with that, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia. yeah...logan is a fucking prick)
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I'm sitting here~ *clap clap* Crying in my prom dress~
(This entire chapter solely exists because of that song, I'm not even kidding. Feel free to hyper-analyze the lyrics. Who knows? Maybe there's some foreshadowing in there too.....)Next chapter is where things get good again. It's another "looking at the past to get more lore" chapter. But with Leosagi. =)
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 40: Beacon of Hope
Summary:
“And this is not even your child! Your word means nothing here so why even—”
“Excuse you, my word means everything ! I am the leader here, not Casey. And certainly not you !”, Leo snarled, practically beginning to loom over the rabbit as the slider began to outgrow him in the past couple years.
The samurai glared at him for a moment before his expression morphed into enraged confusion. “What is your problem?! I can’t even seem to understand you anymore, it’s like I’m talking to a brick wall!”
Leo scoffed, an ironic grin creeping in the corner of his beak. “What’s my problem? What is yours?! You’ve been acting like such a pain! Always pushing my buttons!”, he deflected.
Usagi shouted, “Well maybe I wouldn’t have to if you weren’t such a stuck-up !” He shoved Leo back as he emphasized that last word, causing his partner to stumble back a couple steps.
Notes:
It's not an Azúcar_Skull fanfic without angst and old gay people. =)
I'd like to give a special shoutout to my besties, Eli and Healing, as you can thank them for peer pressuring me to write a particular kiss scene in this chapter--
Disclaimers in the end notes!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
After a fitful night of trying to get some sleep, Casey gives up on his efforts. That early Saturday morning, he sneaks out and heads to the lair. Unsurprisingly, Donnie’s up already and working in his lab. Casey doubts he even fell asleep.
“Donnie.”, the teen says sharply.
The softshell startles and snaps his head over at Casey. “Fuck, you scared me! How are you so quiet—”
“I need to get into the pocket dimension. Now.”, Junior cuts off.
Donnie huffs an unamused laugh. “Ghosts giving you a hard time?”
“Now, Don.”, Casey spats. He grows impatient. “It’s urgent.”
“Alright, alright. Hold your britches. Let me go get the orb.”, Donnie rolls his eyes as he gets up to retrieve the forest orb.
Falling back into the forest, the place has been mystically healed as Draxum had previously promised. Donnie shoots Casey a text to let him know when he’s done so Donnie can bring him back out. The teen finds a spot by the river to sit down, taking a deep breath.
In…
The rushing sounds of the waterfall trickling into the river streams. Cool crisp still air. The smell of wet moss and trees. The feeling of the grass and dirt beneath his legs. The teen closes his eyes.
Out…
Silence. Void. Dark. Abyss.
Casey gets up, taking note of the glowing green form of his body once more and begins marching towards some direction. Soon enough, he finds the blur of colors in the distance. His pace quickens, fingers curling into fists.
The group grows closer into view, all murmur amongst each other. But the teen doesn’t care about what they are saying. It’s about what they’ve been doing . His family notices him approaching.
“Casey baby!”, his mother smiles.
“Mama.”, the teen nods.
Cassandra wraps her arms tightly around her son but Casey doesn’t return the hug. She pulls back, glossing over his expression.
“What’s wrong? Are you alright?”, she asks.
“You tell me.”, Junior spats.
“What do you mean?”, Sensei tilts his head.
The teen scoffs. “What do you mean “What do I mean”? You guys, all of you have been ruining everything for me!”
“What??”, Uncle Ael squawks.
“Oh, so you guys are just completely unaware of the fact that you keep constantly getting me and other kids at school in trouble with your stupid powers?”, Casey’s voice raises.
“We’re just trying to protect you!”, Uncle Tello intervenes.
“PROTECT ME FROM WHAT?! THE KRAANG?!”, Junior shouts. “The Kraang are gone! We— I made sure of that, I closed the fucking portal and got the key just like you asked!”
“It’s not just that.”, Uncle Angelo shakes his head. “There’s more danger out there than just the Kraang. And we just wanted to keep you safe because this is your one shot at a normal life and—”
“And you ruined it!”, Casey snaps. “You guys always talk about how this is my life now but it’s not! Especially when— Because you guys just— AUGH!” The teen stammers in his anger.
He buries his face in his hands. Not to hide his tears, for this anger is fiery and dry. He sighs heavily and pulls down on his face as he feels the judging eyes of his family watching him.
“...Say it.”, Tío mutters.
The teen glares through his fingers. “...What?”
“You’re right. We haven’t been communicating effectively and I can tell you got something to say but you’re afraid to hurt our feelings so, you know what? Just say it. We can handle it.”
Casey huffs a dry laugh. “You sure?”
“Go on.”
The teen sighs, dropping his hands down. “Alright, let’s start with you. Day 1 of me joining the Resistance and you already wanted me gone. Not because you hated me, no. It’s because you were a coward . You were afraid of being responsible for getting me killed time and time again to the point you were willing to give me away to save your own skin. And even when I got to stay, you continued to trap me in the Resistance unless I was let out with your permission. Which goes against the very code of the Resistance that you wrote.”
“And don’t think you were any better.”, Casey points to the mystic warrior before he got a chance to open his mouth. “While your brother was over here playing military general, you refused to do anything and instead just watched from the sidelines. A pacifist to a fault . Always holding yourself up in that quiet room muttering to yourself about dead ghosts and having a chat with them instead of being involved in the ones who are still alive.”
“And you got a lot of nerve to make all of those hasty and brash decisions of yours.”, the teen spares a glance at the captain. “No doubt, you are smart. But you are terrible at making the right choices. For starters, from the side clues I’ve gathered, you thought that building a robotic replica of your deceased brother was appropriate. Then when you discovered I had powers, you set up a covert operation underneath your brother’s noses and didn’t tell them anything until it was far too late. And that’s just the thing with you, isn't it? Always being secretive about everything and not letting anyone else in on your thinking until it all comes crashing down.”
“...I don’t even know where to begin with you.”, Junior shrugs at the snapper. “I’ve never met you alive and have barely gotten to know you well enough. But I do know this much. You’re just as scared as everyone else and your big heart of worry is what led you to getting killed. What good is a shield if he kills himself?”
“Hey, Raph never wanted t’ die!”, the snapper snaps.
“But you did it anyway for the sake of everyone else.”, the teen mutters. Then finally, he turns to his mother. “And as for you…”
Casey sighs, staring at her. Cassandra’s expression is hollow but she waits patiently for what her son has to say. Casey shakes his head.
“What am I to you, a replacement? A second chance? Something to make you feel better about yourself?”, he asks. “I’m sorry your daughters are dead but don’t you dare take it out on me. You’ve been the cornerstone of everything, the mastermind behind the whole operation, the very reason why I wear your mask and brandish your weapon. You’ve shaped me into a husk of a being, a heartless soldier, all for the sake of keeping me alive and becoming something what the rest of your children couldn’t be. For fucks sake, I share your name ! I will never be anything more than your shadow. Always following in your footsteps and never becoming my own person. All of my interests, personality, demeanor, and name will forever be a reflection of you . Because of you, I’ll never become nothing more than secondary.”
Casey finishes his spiel with a huff. It feels nice to let that out but he knows for a fact he went too far. He doesn’t care about that right now though. The ghosts are finally getting a taste at how Casey’s feeling right now. So…at least they’re on the same page.
“...We’re always getting in your way, hm?”, his mother speaks up first. “In this timeline and the next, in life or death, we’re just messing things up for you.”
“I mean…kind of.”, Casey shrugs, pulling his eyes to the floor. “I just…I just thought I’d finally get to belong somewhere.”
“You’ve always belonged, Casey.”, Uncle Angelo smiles. “You just tend to stand out in your own unique way.”
The teen scoffs a laugh. “Yeah, all because of these stupid powers. And my past. Everywhere I go, death and chaos always follow me. I’m nothing but a beacon of destruction, hell, those GNMR scientists even prophesied people like me to be that. I can’t control these powers, I’m always getting everyone into trouble, and I keep messing things up!”
“You’re not a beacon of destruction , Case.”, Sensei cuts in. “You’re a beacon of hope . Our beacon of hope. You’re a ninja’s greatest weapon, hope . We got you, and you got the key.”
“Oh, so I’m a weapon ?”, Casey snarks.
“No! That’s not—!” The slider stops himself and sighs heavily. “Casey, your powers have done so much good before. Don’t you remember?”
Junior’s brows furrowed in confusion. “...They have?”
“You don’t…you don’t remember what happened? During the famine?”, now it’s Master Leonardo’s turn to express the confusion. The teen shakes his head in response. “...Huh. Yeah, that…sorta makes sense…”
“What? Why? What happened?”, Casey asks.
The slider ponders for a moment. Then he lends his hand. “Here, come walk with me.”
Casey takes his hand and the two start walking away from the others. Again, Casey has no clue where they’re going but Tío seems very certain.
“I’m taking you into my memories. It’s better for you to see it for yourself how your powers, scratch that, just you alone became our beacon of hope. But it’s not going to be easy. I can’t really help navigate you but as long as you follow the memory me, you should find what you are looking for.”, he explains.
“...Alright.”, Casey nods.
A blue light glistens closer and closer as the two walk towards it. Tío squeezes his hand twice.
“It’s not going to be pretty. There’s some sides of me that I’m ashamed of.”, the slider laments.
“Tío, it’s alright. I can handle it.”, the teen assures. “I’ve seen you through it all. I did talk you down from jumping off a cliff before, remember?”
Sensei snorts before snickering. “...That…is true.” He takes a breath. “Ready?”
Casey smiles with a determined nod.
Together, the two walk into the blue light as it envelops around them.
Then everything goes blue.
“Usagi.”
“...What?”
The 17-year-old turtle asked the ronin. The survivor he found in that coffee shop, hiding himself in a cloak and mask. The two managed to talk alone for a bit after Leo embarrassed himself during karaoke.
Casey merely views inside this memory. Like a ghost no one else can see.
The samurai’s eyes gazed to the ground. “My name. I-it’s not Spot.”, he stammered.
“...Well…yeah, I figured.”, Leo half-joked, huffing a laugh.
The samurai chuckled, pulling down his mask and cloak, revealing his face for the very first time. “...I’m…Yuichi Usagi.”
The red-eared slider stared for a long moment.
“...You’re beautiful.”
Usagi blushed, darting his eyes back down to the ground. “Y-You…don’t think of me any differently? For being a rabbit?”
“What? No. Why does that matter?”, Leo asked, confused.
“Because, you know…prey and all that.”
“Dude, I’m a fucking turtle.”, the turtle spat. “I don’t give a shit. And even if that, prey have awesome abilities too. I mean, you’re fast, agile, light on your feet, impressive hearing, and…your legs can deliver a pretty powerful kick to the groin.”
“I said I was sorry!”, Yuichi snapped his head up.
Leo laughed. “Note to self, never spar with you again.”
The rabbit chuckled. “Ugh, you’re such a dick.”, he teased.
Casey feels the room swirl as he is transported to a different memory.
“Med-bay, quick!”, the young leader demanded.
In his arms lied a helpless, sobbing Cassandra. She was bleeding from her side but her pain was not from her injury. April, Donnie, Mikey, and Usagi followed close behind.
Casey Jr follows as well. A curious observer.
“What happened?”, Carol asked as the group rushed in. She cleared off the emergency bed as Leo gently placed Cassandra down.
“The mission…w-we’ve stopped the droids but…”, Leo stumbled to explain.
Cass’s breathing hitched. “...my girls…where are my girls?...”, she continued to sob.
Carol’s eyes widened in concern. “...Where are the girls?”
The group looked dejectedly down at the ground. The doctor gasped as her eyes dwelled up with tears that she quickly pushed down. She rolled up her sleeves, rushing to the counter to grab a kit.
“R-right…well…I need someone to help her calm down. Leonardo, help me with the stitches.”, the head medic ordered.
“Got it.”, Leo nodded.
So this is right after Mama lost her daughters, the Brownie Clan. The year must be…2026, if Casey remembers the recordings from the green eyed mask correctly.
Usagi quickly rushed out of the room, almost full on sprinting. Leo spared a glance for a moment but looked back at Cass when he remembered his hands were tied. Mikey gave him a sympathetic smile, before heading out of the med-bay after Usagi.
With April calming her friend down enough to lie still, the doctor and disaster twins got to work on patching her up. Leo’s brows were consistently set furrowing but his plastron shivered ever so slightly with shaking breath. When Cassandra was stabilized, she was left to rest. The slider took his leave. He started heading down the hallway.
Casey follows close behind.
His pace quickened. Then slowed. Then stopped. The slider trembled as his fists clenched. Tears began to prick his eyes as he sniffled. Yet, trying his best to hold things together, he used his scarf to wipe off his tears. Leo then took a deep breath, hollowing his expression and tilting his chin up high, and kept walking.
As he walked, Mikey began heading in his direction. The youngest stopped right in front of the other.
“Go comfort your boyfriend.”, he whispers, nodding his head towards their shared bedroom. “You two need each other right now.”
“Thanks, Mikey.”, Leo nodded.
“You doing okay?”, his brother asked.
“Yeah.”, Leo hummed. Though the tone made the sentence sound unfinished, he left it at that.
The slider continued walking down the hallway until he reached the bedroom. He knocked on the door gently before peering in.
“Hey, it’s me.”, he said, slinking in the room and shutting the door behind him.
Casey steps into the room with him.
Two candles sat on either side of the room, dimly lighting up the place. The top bunk with a pile of teddy bears remained untouched as no one had slept in it for years. Yuichi sat on the bottom bunk he shared with Leo, writing in that journal that Casey has only seen once . Leo walked over and sat down beside him.
He looked at his partner for a moment. “Mind telling me what’s going on?”
The rabbit huffed a wet laugh, closing the journal. He tilted his head up, trying to find his words. He glanced at Leo before staring at the floor, sifting his fingers through his turf of hair.
“It’s just that…”, Usagi croaked. “...I…I could’ve sworn I saw…Hana.”
“...Your sister?”, Leo asked.
The samurai nodded. “Just…back there…seeing all those singed bodies of those poor girls…I-I…I saw her just standing there among them…just… staring at me.” Usagi sighed. “I…I-I dunno…”
Leo stared off for a moment. Then he shook his head. “...She’s…dead, Usagi. They’re all dead. They’re not coming back—”
“I KNOW THAT!”, Yuichi snapped. “It’s just… fuck , doesn’t it disturb you?!”
“No.”, the slider said sharply. His expression was cold. “No, it doesn’t. We’re in a new era, Usagi. We can’t let our emotions get the better of us. We just…need to move on. And not get stuck in the past. The only way now is forward. There’s no point in this.”
The rabbit glared at him for a moment. Then he sighed, turning away. He shifted his back towards his partner.
“...Get out.”, he muttered.
“What?”, Leo asked, as if he was confused.
“ Get. Out. ”, the samurai’s voice raised. “I…I need some time alone.”
After a moment of pause, Leo got up, dusting his knees. He shifted towards the door but stood there awkwardly for a moment. He rocked back and forth on his heels.
“...I’m sorry—”
“ Leave .”
Leo’s breath hitched ever so subtly but he left the room anyways.
The room begins to morph as Casey falls into another memory.
The council meeting room. The early council surrounded the table. Leo, Donnie, Mikey, April, Cass, Draxum, and Usagi. A map was splayed out on the table with small flags and board game pieces marking things on the board.
This is exciting. Casey has never actually been in the council room before, let alone in a council meeting.
“So in 2 days time, we’ll reach the Ellsworth Labor Camp in Pennsylvania.”, the leader explained. “There’s a troop already based 20 miles north-north east, 100 soldiers gathering intel and preparing backup. We drop in with 5 other ships, 4 carrying 400, we’ll have 500 soldiers to infiltrate and take down the labor camp.”
“How do we get inside?”, April asked.
Casey peers over her shoulder. The map doesn’t show much but there’s polaroid images on the side, likely of the camp taken by the soldiers based nearby. One wall has a weak spot, a way in if Casey can guess.
“There’s a weak spot right here at this wall, west side.”, Leo showed the photo.
Called it. See? Why couldn’t he be allowed in on the meetings?
“Downside is that it’s pretty guarded. Which is why we need a distraction to draw the Kraang east side before ambushing. That’s where Donnie comes in.”
“Guns blazing and all the bombs I desire?”, the softshell smirked.
His twin rolled his eyes. “ Semi -lethal please? This is a rescue mission. We’re not trying to get anybody killed.”
“Oh, so now you actually give a shit about saving lives?”, Usagi hummed.
Leo’s brows pinched for a moment before flashing a quick smile. “Uhm…yes?”
“Hm. Shocker. How are you so sure this plan will work? What will happen when someone gets killed?”
The slider’s eyes darted to the others. “It will work. As long as everyone sticks to their roles and everything goes according to plan—”
“And if it doesn’t?”, Yuichi crossed his arms.
“Then…”, Leo drawled. “We’ll improvise—”
“So you’re leaving success left up to chance?—”
Leo slammed his hands on the table. “Dammit, Usagi, you got something to suggest or are you just going to stand there and judge my every move?!”
The red-eared slider seemed to remember that they weren’t alone in the room. The other council members spared glances at each other, shifting awkwardly. The samurai scoffed and turned on his heel, leaving the meeting room.
The leader huffed, rolling his eyes at the rabbit before turning back to the others. He cleared his throat.
“So…yeah, just promise me you’ll keep the explosives below semi-lethal on the east wall. And…we’ll get in through the west side.”, he muttered.
The room shifts again, dizzying the teen as he is pulled into another memory.
“It’s been 30 minutes, where the hell is she?”
“Calm your tits, Nardo. My tracker says she’s on her way back.”
“Oh there she is—IS THAT A FUCKING BABY?!”
Casey remembers this. Sort of. He remembers when he was 6, Uncle Tello showed him a clip of this shortly after his mother passed away. Man, it feels so long ago.
“Hey guys! Look what I got!”, Casey Sr called out as she hurried over to the group. There in her arms was a grimy-looking baby wrapped in a dark blood red scarf. “I’m naming them Casey Jones Junior.”
“Is that your kid???”, Leo asked, bewildered.
“Why yes, I performed osmosis and sprouted out a child.”, Senior snarked sarcastically. “I found the poor thing in a dumpster. Thank the spirits, I found them in time.”
Leo’s brows pinched, however. He looked down at the baby with concern. The slider quickly shook his head.
“We can’t just take a baby with us, Casey. Their parents could be looking for them.”, he stated.
“Have you seen the poor state this baby is in?”, Mama snarked. “For all we know, they’ve been left out there for weeks! Geez, look at them! They’re close to death right now!”
“We don’t have what it takes to raise this kid! We don’t have anything!”, the leader’s voice raised.
“Uhm, actually…”, Donnie chimed in. “I believe I can whip up some formula from spares in the greenhouse, to start. I mean it’s not enough but it should help.”
Cass smirked. “ Thank you, purple.” She turned back to the slider. “And since when was this your decision? I’m not asking you for permission, am I? I can raise this child on my own.”
“Yeah?! And how well did that work out last time?! You want to get another child killed?!”, Leo full-on shouted, rage seething through every scute and scale.
“LEO!!!”, the group shouted back.
The baby began whining. A sickening whine strained and dry. Cassandra brought her attention back down to the child, bouncing and rocking them.
Casey peers over her shoulder for a better look. As a baby, Casey looked gravely ill. It’s a miracle he survived. That and many more close calls to come.
Mikey leaned over in front of the baby with a smile. He reached to stroke the baby’s hair.
“Oh you poor sweet thing.”, he cooed. “It’ll be alright. We’ll be more quiet.” He shuffled a hand through his pocket, pulling out a piece of sugarcane and holding it up to the child. “Here, a sweet thing for a sweet thing.”
The baby’s whining stopped as they tasted the sugarcane, soon wrapping their little hands around it with big pleading eyes. Donnie flipped down his goggles and began examining the child.
“Remarkably, no injuries. They’re doing alright minus the severe hunger and thirst. Just a day too late and maybe they would’ve kicked the bucket by now.”, Donnie reported, prodding the baby by booping their nose and pinching their cheek.
The baby giggled behind the sugarcane. The softshell’s expression softened before he forced himself to return to a grumpier tone. April squealed at the baby’s cuteness.
“Aww, you are just the most adorable little thing I’ve ever seen in my life!”, she beamed. “Come on, the sooner they get fed, the better.”
The group head back onto the Red Angel where Usagi remained seated with his hood and mask up, scribbling away at that journal of his again. He took a glance up at them before his eyes widened. He slammed the journal shut, bolting to a stand and yanking down his mask. For a moment, he just stood there in shock, pointing at the baby and looking between them and Cassandra.
Cass smirked. “Don’t worry, it’s not yours.”
“I—...W-where???”, was all Usagi managed to sputter out.
“Dumpster.”, Mama answered. “Their name is Casey Jones Jr.”
“You’re keeping them?!”, the rabbit exclaimed.
“No, we’re not.”, Leo called out as he made his way to the front.
Cass rolled her eyes before sticking her tongue out at the slider. “Ignore him, he’s just being an asshole.”
Usagi’s face twisted into a strange expression of mutual understanding and disgust. He huffed, pulling his mask back up and heading to his seat. “Well, I think you’d make a great mother. One who actually cares about saving a life.”
Leo scoffed, though it looked like he was pretending not to notice. The tension between the both of them resonated throughout the ship, but everyone seemed to have gotten used to it by now. The captain headed up to the front to start up the ship again.
And Casey finds himself warping into another memory.
“UGH! YOU ARE SUCH A DICK !”, Usagi shouted.
The rabbit and slider were in the hallway, the hallway specifically leading to Donnie’s lab. There didn’t seem to be anyone around though. This particular hallway was hardly ever busy.
“Oh yes, please , enlighten me!”, Leo exasperated, rolling his eyes.
“You tell me! Why is it that when a literal child shows up on our doorstep that you turn them away?!”, the rabbit snapped.
“Hm, lemme think. For starters, we all saw that serial number on their neck. And you know we don’t take Operations in the Resistance—”
“ YOU don’t take Operations in because YOU are afraid of some old man who wears a fucking suit and tie in the apocalypse!”, Yuichi pointed an accusatory finger against the leader’s plastron. “You just turn them all away with the excuse that we don’t have enough room when everyone knows damn well that we do!”
Casey is starting to feel…mixed feelings about his Sensei. Why was Leo acting like this??? He always seemed accepting and open to helping anyone and everyone when Casey was around. Why was the slider so cold back then?
“Second of all, we don’t have the supplies needed to take care of a child—”, Leo quickly moved on to a separate point.
“Donnie said he had a fix!”
“A temporary one.”
“And this is not even your child! Your word means nothing here so why even—”
“Excuse you, my word means everything ! I am the leader here, not Casey. And certainly not you !”, Leo snarled, practically beginning to loom over the rabbit as the slider began to outgrow him in the past couple years.
The samurai glared at him for a moment before his expression morphed into enraged confusion. “What is your problem?! I can’t even seem to understand you anymore, it’s like I’m talking to a brick wall!”
Leo scoffed, an ironic grin creeping in the corner of his beak. “What’s my problem? What is yours?! You’ve been acting like such a pain! Always pushing my buttons!”, he deflected.
Usagi shouted, “Well maybe I wouldn’t have to if you weren’t such a stuck-up !” He shoved Leo back as he emphasized that last word, causing his partner to stumble back a couple steps.
That was when something snapped inside of the turtle. His brows furrowed deeper into his blue mask, shoulders tensing as his fists clenched. Yet his eyes darted to the side.
The eyes pierce through Casey, the teen wondering if they are directed at him before he turns around. There, peering out the doorway, Donnie is watching the two from afar.
Leo huffed a sigh, facing his boyfriend again and getting up in his face, pointing a finger. “You better watch it.”, he muttered in a low voice. With that, he turned on his heel and left around the corner.
Usagi clenched every muscle in his body. “UGH!”, he screamed, swiftly walking off in the other direction past Donnie’s lab.
“Trouble in paradise?—”, Donnie drawled.
“Don’t.”, the rabbit hissed.
The room begins to grow darker and darker as Leo walks further and further away. Not wanting to get lost in the void of memories, Casey quickly hurries after the slider before he is warped into a different memory once again.
A new hallway, one leading to familiar bedrooms. Leo was marching by with a mind clearly distracted by thoughts as his brows pinched in concentration. Then suddenly, he heard someone scream. He snapped his head up in alert before quickly heading for the noise.
Around the corner, the hallway with Cass’s room and a sealed off wall with a handprint on it. There, Cass was screaming as she backed herself against the wall. The scream startled the baby in her arms who also began to wail. Leonardo hurried towards them.
“Casey?!”, Leo called out. “What’s going on?!”
Casey looks around for any immediate threat as well but there is no indicator.
The warrior was shaking like a leaf as she curled inwards on herself and slid to the floor. Whatever had frightened her wasn’t real, her eyes darting around at nothing before she shut them closed. The leader crouched down in front of her, taking grip of her shoulders.
“Casey? Look up! Eyes on me!”, he ordered clearly. “Eyes on me, Case!”
Mama snapped her eyes open, taking the form of her friend in front of her. A trembling cry still escaped her throat. The baby kept screeching.
Leo glanced between her and the kid, chewing his cheek. “U-Uhm…here. Lemme just…”
He hesitantly reached his arms out before taking the baby from Cassandra’s hold. The red-eared slider stood up, gently bouncing the baby.
“Just take a moment to catch your breath, okay? I…I got this.”, the leader assured.
Though his expression conveyed he did not get it. A worried crease pressed between his brows as he stared wide-eyed and dumbfounded at the kid. His arms tightened awkwardly as if afraid to hurt or drop them. He looked fearful.
“It’s going to be okay.”, he muttered. To himself or to the child was uncertain. “You’re going to be alright.”
Cass seemed to have finally caught her breath. “Th-They’re hungry.”, she huffed. She took a few more breaths before continuing. “Just…give them here.”
“You sure?”, Leo asked.
“Yes.” Cassandra pushed herself up to stand, reaching her arms out. “I got it. Give them to me.”
“R-Right…okay.”, the slider mumbled, handing Junior back to their mother. He cleared his throat. “Let’s go sit down.”
He guided the two to a bench further down the hallway. As they sat down, Cass pulled her scarf over to cover her chest before tucking her child in to breastfeed. Leo stared down at his hands, rubbing the fabric of his pants.
“...I’m sorry.”, he started.
“For what?”, Mama asked.
“For…” His eyes glanced at the handprint embedded in the wall. “...For everything. If anyone’s to blame for what happened to the Brownie Clan, it’s me—”
“Blue, I do not blame you.”, Cassandra cut him off. “And…I’m learning to not blame myself either. If anything, blame the Kraang.”
“But surely you blame me for the Kraang, right?”
“If not you, blame the Foot Clan. Before that, blame the Shredder. Before that, the Hamato Clan. The blaming can keep going on for as long as we want, it won’t help anyone.”
“Well you can still blame me for wanting to get rid of this kid.”
“This kid is mine. All the blame will end on me, even after I’m gone.”, Cass hummed.
Leo finally looked at her. “...What?”
Mama sighed. “There’s no telling what this new world holds for us. At any chance, my child could be orphaned again. Which is why while I’m here, I’ll ensure their survival. I will make sure they get the best possible chance to grow old.” She turned to the slider with a determined expression. “They’ll start training at age 7, just as I did.”
“What?! No! That’s way too young!”, Leo exclaimed. “Our youngest regime is just barely over 20, your kid can start training then!”
“10.”, Cass bargained.
“18.”, Leo pressed.
“11.”
“16 then—”
“12.”, the warrior spat. “Junior will start training at age 12. No later.”
Leo shook his head in disapproval. “That’s still too young for a poor kid.”
“Since when was this your choice? I am their mother .”
“Casey…”, Leo sighed. “I just…”
“Look, I get it. I am a woman who lost her daughters and am now taking care of a baby. Everyone’s been giving me the side-eye. I may not look like I should be doing this, but I am. I know I am capable of this responsibility. All I ask from you is a bed for this child to sleep in, a seat at the dinner table, clothes to cover up in. A home. That’s it.”
Leo sighed again, thinking for a moment. “...We’ll go get supplies today. Donnie found a manufacturing factory out west, they may have something for the kid.”
Cassandra paused for a moment before she smiled gratefully. “Thank you, blue one.”
The slider shook his head with a smirk. “Don’t thank me just yet.”
The room warps again, it’s dizzying. Casey finds himself stumbling before landing in the hangar. The turtle brothers are loading up into a truck as Cassandra and April say their goodbyes to them and wishes for a speedy and safe supply run.
“Say goodbye to your uncles, Junior.”, April cooed.
The baby in Cass’s arms babbled happily as they kicked their feet. Suddenly, a large bang erupted from one of the aircraft’s faulty engines that a mechanic was working on. It was loud enough to startle the baby that began to cry. The people in the hangar began staring too. Cassandra quickly walked off, bouncing the baby in her arms.
“Oh, shhh, shhh… It’s okay.”, she hushed. “You know you’re lucky you’re still a baby. You’ll have to get used to loud noises like that eventually in this world. Come on, brave one, show me your courage.”
The baby kept wailing as Cass walked over to a spot less crowded. She kept bouncing and rocking them but it was to no avail. The more they cried, the more worrisome she got. The samurai rabbit looked up from the journal he was writing in and stared at the two for a moment, seeming hesitant, before walking over to them and closing his journal.
“May…May I try something?”, Usagi offered.
Mama sighed. “Worth a shot.”
She handed the baby to the rabbit who gently held them in his arms for a moment. Then he leaned forward, taking a big breath before blowing onto Junior’s stomach to tickle them. The baby’s crying was halted by a startled giggle. Something in the samurai’s eyes lit up with a sense of fondness and nostalgia.
Casey remembers something like this. Didn’t the present timeline’s Usagi do the same for his little sister Hana? The light in the future rabbit’s eyes even looks the same as his present counterpart for a moment.
“Did that tickle you?”, Oji chuckled, rocking the child gently as he idly swayed side to side. “Hm? I see a smile there.”
Cass huffed an amused grin. “Huh, you’re pretty good at this.”
The rabbit’s smile twinged with sadness for a second. “Yeah…well…I-I’m pretty good at cheering people up.”
The swaying motion rocked the baby to sleep who was now snoring gently in Usagi’s arms. The rabbit’s eyes caught a glance at the slider who was staring at them from the distance, the turtle quickly looking away once caught. Cass noticed too and frowned.
“You two seem more angry at each other than ever. I mean, I may not get the whole romance spiel, but that doesn’t mean I’m clueless to it. What’s bothering you?”, she asked.
“Nothing.”, Yuichi was quick to answer. “Well…that’s kinda the thing. I just don’t know. He just…Leo just seems colder these days, it’s like I can’t get through to him.”
“He’s thinking like a leader.”, Cass nodded solemnly.
“I don’t care if he’s the leader! He’s my boyfriend! Shouldn’t that mean something different?”, Usagi huffed.
“Shit if I know.”, Mama shrugged.
The truck’s engine started up in the distance, revving to go. The turtles quickly climbed inside. Mikey poked his head out the window.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon!”, he called out. “See ya later, best frenemy!”
As the three brothers drive off, the room shifts again. Another hallway. Yet this one is unfamiliar and more wide. Windows peering at the left wall indicate the dark cloudy night of the surface, so certainly not the lair, but an abandoned factory. The three brothers are walking towards a door at the end of the hall, high beams from Donnie’s battle shell lighting the way. The slider groans.
“Uggghhhhhh…we’ve been searching for days now!”, Leo complained.
“And we aren’t heading back until we find supplies for the baby!”, Mikey replied, sticking his tongue out in a teasing manner.
Casey remembers this. The clip from Donnie’s visor when the softshell left a recording about the truth behind his tattoo.
The red-eared slider grimaced. “...Are you sure keeping that kid is a good idea? I mean they literally have—”
Mikey whipped out a mystic chain and smacked his brother who yelped in response. “How could you say that?! You wanna just abandon the poor thing?!”
Leo threw up his hands defensively. “No! I’m not saying we abandon them, I’m just saying they can’t stay. Like…the Nexus can take them in! Big Mama would take great care of them!”
“I can’t believe you.”, the box turtle scoffed. “The last time we saw Junior, they were fast asleep in your boyfriend’s arms. How is that baby a threat?!”
“Wait, boyfriend?”, Donnie cut in. “I thought you guys broke up.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “We didn’t break up! It was just a small fight.”
“WHAT?!”, Mikey shouted. “How come I didn’t hear about this?!”
“Because we didn’t want Dr. Feelings to try and solve our problems, Michael.”, the slider pressed.
“Too bad! The second we get back, Dr. Feelings is scheduling an appointment for you two.”
“Whatever.”, the leader scoffed. He turned to his older twin. “Hey Don, you sure we’re gonna find anything in this place?”
Donnie looked down at his wrist tech, tapping through it. “Well, considering that many people had children when the apocalypse started, it’s no doubt that all the baby stores were raided. However, the factories that produced such products should still have plenty in stock. And so if my hypothesis is correct…” He looked up, pointing at a metal double door at the end of the hallway. “...our search is just about to end.”
The turtles walk over to the doors, Casey closely observing the memory from the side as Leo cautiously opens them. Inside are huge industrial shelves filled with boxes that carried various baby products. Completely untouched by time. Casey can now visibly see Donnie’s smug grin behind the visor.
“Holy sh…sugar…”, Mikey muttered.
Donnie chuckled. “What? Afraid that Raph’s ghost is gonna haunt you?”
“It’s fucking diaper-topolis in here.”, the box turtle blurted out.
“Ugh, just you wait…”, Leo sneered. He cleared his throat, pointing at a truck. “Grab a couple of delivery trucks and fill them to the brim. The less trips we have to make here, the better.”
The three quickly got to work. Donnie used the extended arms on his battle shell to carry supplies by the palette. Mikey whipped out his mystic chains, wrapping them around the boxes that flew off the shelves at his demand. Leo pushed items after another into one of his portals that transported the goods to one of the delivery trucks.
“What else did Casey need for the baby?”, Leo asked.
“Let’s see. I think we’re good on diapers and pacifiers now. We still need clothes. And formulas.”, Donnie answered.
“And breast pads.”, Mikey chimed in. He glanced over at Leo. “You know, I think this baby is starting to rub off on you.”, he smirked.
“What?”, the slider scoffed. “What are you talking about?”
The box turtle shrugged. “Just a few weeks ago, you wanted nothing to do with them. But look at you, you’re actually giving them a chance.”
His blue-clad brother sighed. “The kid would have a much better chance in the Nexus.”
“Oh don’t be silly.”, the mystic warrior rolled his eyes. “Admit it. You care about them.”
“Of course I do! What do you think I am? Some heartless monster?”, Leo griped. “It’s just…I… we can’t be the ones to take care of them if this kid is going to get the best chance in this world.”
“And what makes you think they’ll have a better chance in the Nexus besides the Resistance, aka, the strongest base on earth?”
The slider looked like he was about to say something, but his mouth shut closed. He huffed an exasperated sigh as he shoved more stuff into his portals. Mikey frowned sympathetically.
“...Well…can you tell me more about what's going on between you and Yui?”, the youngest suggested, switching the topic.
“It’s nothing.”, Leo muttered.
“It’s enough to make Donnie think the two of you broke up.”, Mikey shrugged.
The red-eared slider sighed. “It’s just…I don’t know what’s gotten into him. It’s like one day he just decided to start pushing my buttons. It’s like he wants to piss me off.”
“Why would he do that?”
Leo scoffed. “I’m not a fucking mind-reader like you are, Mike. He’s just all…snippy.”
“Well, there’s gotta be more to it than that.”, Mikey hummed. “Just think on it. We’ll talk more when we get back.”
“You really don’t need to get involved in our business—”
“If it means you two will stop acting weird during council meetings, then so be it.”
“...Fine.”
The room warps again. It’s starting to become less startling as the teen gets used to it. Still a dizzying mess, though.
The quiet room. The candles surrounding the area were lit. Mikey sat down on one end while Leo and Usagi were seated across from him beside each other. The box turtle smiled patiently while the couple both shared an annoyed expression.
“Way to go, Leo.”, Usagi muttered sarcastically.
“Oh, sure. Blame me.”, Leo muttered back.
“So.”, Mikey clasped his hands together. “I’ve been hearing that there’s some tension between you two. Enough to break out into a fight earlier, correct?”
“It was just a little spat.” The slider rolled his eyes.
The rabbit’s nose twitched. “Just a little spat? Was that considered just a little spat to you?!”
“Uh—How about we break down what happened?”, Mikey quickly intercepted with a nervous grin. “Just…list out the facts.”
“Well, Usagi started it.”, Leo mumbled.
“I did not!”, Usagi snapped.
“Just the facts, please .”, the box turtle exasperated.
The rabbit huffed. “Well…I was trying to figure out why Leo didn’t want to have Casey Jr around.”
“And I told you that it’s not safe.”, Leo added.
“So naturally, I called him a dick.”, Yuichi spat. “And of course, Leo started to get all defensive.”
“I did not!”, the slider scoffed.
“Like hell you didn’t! I kept asking you to answer the simplest of things to which you kept avoiding the questions!”, Usagi snapped.
“So, pause.”, Mikey intervened. “Leo kept closing off on you and kept avoiding the problem.”
“That’s right.”, the rabbit nodded.
“And your response was to push his buttons where he was uncomfortable?”, the orange-clad turtle tilted his head with a deadpan stare.
The samurai darted his eyes to the floor. He shrugged, “W-Well…I…”
Leo huffed a dry laugh. “Yeah, you really shouldn’t stick your nose in where it shouldn’t be.”, he mumbled.
“Leo, knock it off.”, Mikey exasperated. “Unsurprisingly, this behavior of yours isn’t new. As your brother, I know that. You always hide your true feelings behind a smiling facade. This…cold and heartless take is an interesting turn. To be honest, you kinda remind me of Raph—”
“I’m just doing what’s best for the team. For the Resistance.”, his brother cut him off.
“Even if it means pushing away the people that matter the most?”
Leo sneered, though he didn’t say a word. Instead, he looked down at the ground as well. Dr. Feelings turned to Usagi.
“Yui, I may not know you inside and out, but I know enough that you’ve been struggling with forming connections again. We’ve talked before, I even gave you that journal to help log and visualize your thoughts.”, the mystic warrior explained. “And while I’ve noticed progress, you find it more difficult to articulate those thoughts out loud rather than on paper.”
“Yeah, well, it’s easier to talk to a book than a brick wall.”, Usagi grumbled, crossing his arms.
Casey is really glad no one can hear or see him right now as the teen can’t help but burst out cackling at that line, wheezing and holding his sides.
“Excuse me?!”, Leo snarled.
“Oh don’t act so surprised. You’ve barely opened up to me at all!”, Usagi scoffed.
“I try to but then you’re the one closing me off because all you want to be petty!”
“Uh, guys—”, Mikey muttered.
“Petty?! You’re calling me petty?! You’re the one who started all of this in the first place! You’ve been nothing but cold and stubborn and completely impossible to read!”, Usagi snapped back.
“UGH! I don’t get it!”, Leo’s voice grew louder. “I don’t get what it is with you getting on my nerves! Did I do something to you?! Come on, say it! Just tell me! Why…Why do you hate me?!?!”
“ I DON’T HATE YOU!!! ”, the rabbit’s voice erupted, ringing out around the room.
A pause. Silence. Leo’s dumbfounded expression was left staring at Usagi’s unbridled fury and rage. Then suddenly, the rabbit quickly leaned in, pressing his lips against the red-eared slider’s beak. As if to prove what he said, to prove that he meant it. After all, it was harder for him to articulate his thoughts out loud. After staring in baffled confusion, Leo leaned in closer as well, his hands gliding to wrap around his partner as Usagi’s hands pulled Leo’s face closer.
Mikey quietly stood up, gently dusting his knees with a smug grin stretching across his face. “Welp, my work here is done.”, he whispered to himself as he quickly left the room.
Leo’s body began to tremble as tears streamed down his face. Usagi noticed and pulled back, brows upturning in concern. The rabbit wiped his thumb against the slider’s wet cheek.
“What’s wrong?”, he asked softly, softer than ever before.
The turtle sniffled. “...I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, Sagi, I…”, he croaked. “I just wanted to be strong a-and brave for everyone, for the Resistance.”
“You don’t have to be brave with me.”, Usagi smiled faintly.
“But I’m the leader now. I…I have to keep it together!” Leo sucked in a quivering breath as his tears kept flowing. “If the leader falls apart, then we all fall apart.”
“You’re not my leader.”, the samurai hushed. “You’re my boyfriend. And as my boyfriend, you have to tell me these things. I need to know what’s bothering you. Otherwise, who else am I talking to right now? A brick wall? A… non-sentient robot? Just let me see the real you again.”
Leo’s lips wobbled in a feeble smug grin. “The me that’s tangled in a microphone cable and covered in scrapes?”
Usagi laughed, the first time in a while. “I mean the you that’s you . Funny, clever, a bit dumb.”
“A bit?”
“A lot.”
The two chuckled. Leo sniffled, collecting his composure and wiping his tears. “I mean it when I say I’m sorry. I—I hurt you when you needed me the most. There’s no excuse for that, I was a real asshole. I just get so scared…Every decision I make can cost someone their life and it did cost several lives before. I…I’m not capable of this position.”
“You only hurt me because you were hurting too.”, Yuichi pointed out. “You blame yourself for things that were beyond your control. And you push everyone away when you need them the most.” He shifted his seated position to properly sit up on his knees and wrap his arms tightly around his lover. “Just…promise me that you’ll talk things over with me first. Before your short temper makes you do something stupid.”
Leo huffed a wet laugh. “So introspective. Did you get that from your journal?”
“Mmmmaaayyybeee?”, Usagi drawled, grinning sheepishly as he pulled back from the hug. “You don’t even want to know about all the insults I wrote down in it.”
“Oh now that I gotta see.”
The rabbit sputtered a sigh through pursed lips. “Okay, you asked for it.”
The samurai then pulled his journal out of his black cloak, opening it up and flipping for the more recent pages. He huffed a laugh at a few of them.
Casey walked over to lean in more to see the journal. He’s rarely ever seen Usagi with it and has never peeked inside. The journal is…as Usagi as Usagi. Full of unintelligible scribbles and chicken-scratch doodles, the lines getting more intense when expressing a strong emotion of joy, rage, sadness, or grief.
“Okay, this one just says to call you a stupid dumb-dumb shithead.”, he read.
“That’s the best you could come up with?”, Leo smirked. “Donnie calls me that on the regular.”
“I’m just going easy on you.”, Yuichi rolled his eyes. He flipped through a few more pages. “Here, try this one. “I am one step away from getting Leo to meet Auntie with a fentanyl tea party.””
Leo bursted out laughing. “¡Ay, mierda! Where the fuck did you come up with that?!”
“I don’t know!”, Usagi cackled.
“I’ll take note to never take tea from you.”, the slider grinned.
Usagi rolled his eyes amusingly as he continued to flip through his journal. He paused upon a page which he stared at for a moment. His expression softened. Leo leaned in.
“What is it?”
The rabbit stared at the entry some more before reading out loud, “Today in the hangar, Baby started crying from a loud engine. I offered Casey to help cheer them up. For a moment, I swore I was holding Hana in my arms again. Hearing her laughter and giggling. It made me feel something I haven’t had in a long time. In fact, I’ve noticed that everyone else seems… happier?? ...around Baby. It’s like Baby’s very presence provides…hope. The Resistance seems brighter with them around, like a beacon of light.”
“Or a beacon of hope.”, Leo muttered.
Usagi huffed a laugh. “Is that why some people name their kid Hope?”
“Hope. Miracle. Faith. Destiny.”, Leo listed. “Who knows why people are given such names like that. But, “the beacon of hope” has a nice ring to it. Hope is a ninja’s greatest weapon afterall.”
“So…the baby is a ninja’s greatest weapon?”, Usagi smirked. “What are you gonna do? Give a gun and let them have it?”
“Yeah, why not?”, Leo chuckled. “But seriously, you’re right. This kid does seem to light up the room a bit more around here. As long as we can keep that hope alive.”
“We can. And we will. Together.”, Usagi hummed, shutting his journal and leaning his head to rest against the slider’s shoulder.
Leo leaned his head on top. “Yeah…together.”
The room warps once again, dizzying the teen as he is thrown somewhere else in time. Before he can get his bearings, there’s the screech of blaring alarm sirens and damned screams of panicked civilians. Blood coated the walls and ground of a fortress Casey has seen but never visited before. It’s Operation 51. People are running and screaming meanwhile guns are being fired at one individual. Leo. Leo, blinded by rage, slaughtering any soldiers that got in his path.
The slider gradually became coated in their blood as the people imprisoned there took the chance to escape. He charged up to one soldier in particular, grabbing them by the collar and slamming them against the wall.
“WHERE’S BISHOP?!”, he demanded. “TELL ME WHERE!”
The soldier choked, pointing a trembling finger towards a building. One glance and Leo slammed the soldier’s head into the wall which killed them instantly. He then began his march towards the building.
Once again, this wrath of Leo is one Casey will never forget. Both impressed and terrified of his anger. The seething rage that boiled up inside the leader. And to think of his teenage counterpart, one who is so cheerful and laidback and always cracking jokes…to think of how someone like him can and did turn into someone like Master Leonardo. The apocalypse feels like it has its own entity in the stagnant air, able to tip people to their breaking point and push them to morals that once have never crossed their minds.
Casey also spots some familiar figures in the distance. A plus sized woman with long straight black hair, a pale woman with a short black haircut and bleached undercut, a man with blond hair and blond mustache to match, a hijabi wearing preferably pink. Casey knows them. This is what happened to them in the future? The group quickly escapes, Javi glancing at some wanted posters on a wall before they all darted past the slider and ran out into the wasteland. Casey approaches the posters.
Leo approached the posters on the wall. Every single wanted poster marked people who were wanted for escaping. Even Casey’s biological parents were on the wall, with big red Xs spray painted over them to indicate their downfall. All the posters were crossed out. All but one sitting in the corner.
A blurred image of a child with his hair in a braided bun. The details naming him, “Haley Alvarez, #46508029”. Donnie’s wanted poster hung beside it, a freshly painted X over it. And the poster Javi was looking at, “Valentín Lanzo”. All these people, treated like threats. But there was something else that made the slider soften.
Candles. Candles were placed beneath the wanted posters on the ground. Wilted flowers and letters trampled on the ground. Chalk writing etched the wall surrounding the posters. “Our fallen heroes!”, “End this madness!”, “Let them be free!”. The writing around Casey’s poster protesting to protect him, pleading that he was just a child, calling him their beacon of hope.
Leo sneered at the wanted posters. To think of his family and the people of the Resistance as war criminals. He ripped Casey’s poster off the wall, crumbling it and shredding it up into oblivion as tears pricked his eyes.
Then he kept marching.
More warping. More dizzying madness. Casey first notices the smell of this next memory. He didn’t know he could smell them. But the smell is potent. It smells of blood and antiseptics. A tell-tale sign of the med-bay. He finds his younger self, resting on the gurney. Hair all chopped in various lengths, running a fever as a cool wet towel rests on his forehead, and very clearly…a freshly chopped arm. Sensei is sitting by his side, holding his hand.
“Knock knock.”, said Usagi from outside the curtain. He peered into the room. “Hey, Leo.”, he whispered.
“...Hey.”, Leo whispered back. He looked exhausted.
The rabbit frowned at the sight, he slowly crept through the curtain, carrying his husband’s prosthetic arm, Casey’s mask, and a first aid kit. “I uhh…got your stuff.”
“Thanks.”, the slider muttered.
Usagi handed Leo the prosthetic and mask to which Leo set the mask down on his lap as he hooked his prosthetic arm back in. Usagi opened up the first aid beside him as he sat down and began to disinfect the fresh gash on his right cheek. You know, the one Casey gave him with the cleaver when the teen thought he was under attack. The rabbit poured the hydrogen peroxide onto a piece of gauze and began pressing it into his wound, hissing from the sting.
“So…”, Usagi spoke up. “...How is he?”
Leo turned to the teen, taking a sigh. “He’ll…he’ll be okay.”
The slider didn’t sound so sure of himself. And Usagi could tell. He frowned some more, putting down the now bloodied gauze and preparing a suture needle and thread.
“And…how are you ?”, he asked.
Leo didn’t respond, still staring at Casey’s still form. Usagi sighed, bringing his fingers up to feel where the wound was before trying to stitch himself up. Leo finally pulled his attention towards Usagi, scooting closer and leaning forward.
“Here, let me.”, he mumbled, taking the needle from Usagi’s hands.
Leo then gently cradled Usagi’s face in his palm as the medic meticulously went to work on stitching up the wound. The rabbit tried not to wince as the slider pulled the needle and thread through each stitch. The samurai snickered.
“Feeling pretty tense being this close to you.”, he teased.
“Well that’s what you get for marrying a medic.”, Leo murmured, the corners of his beak cracking into the faintest smile.
“Hm. I’ll have to get my face sliced up more often then.”, Usagi hummed. But then his expression dropped to something more serious. “...You still didn’t answer my question.”
Leo sighed. “I’m fine.”
“Leo, you were tortured .”
“Yeah, and Casey was almost killed .”
“So…aren’t you upset about that?—”
“OF COURSE I’M—”, Leo shouted. Then he stopped himself. He glanced over at Casey who didn’t even stir. Leo took a deep breath, quivering. “Of course I’m upset.”
Usagi frowned at him. “Then…talk to me. You promised you would tell me these things.”
Leo finished stitching up Usagi’s wound, leaning forward to snip off the string with his teeth. Then he sighed, flopping back in his seat. Usagi waited for him to continue. But then Leo’s eyes began to water with tears. He quickly hunched forward, burying his face in his hands. The rabbit leaned in, rubbing his husband’s shell.
“Oh, Lee…”, he murmured.
“It’s all my fault. It’s all my fucking fault.”, Leo groveled through a stream of tears. “...I-I couldn’t…I didn’t… protect him like I was supposed to. God, look at him. I did this to him.”
“Shshsh…it’s not your fault, bluebell. No one is blaming you for this.”, Yuichi soothed. “None of us knew this would happen. And what’s been done is done, all we can do is be there and support each other.”
Sensei was crying. Not just a few tears of shame or bitterness. Full on sobbing and falling apart like an endless thread unraveling at the seams. It felt so out of character to see the slider like this, but…perfectly reasonable at the same time.
“They were going to kill him… Mutilate him into bits.”, the turtle heaved. “All the while they were chipping away at me until I told them where we were. I…I-I could hear him screaming…from down the hall…”
“I know, I know.”, the rabbit hushed, his own voice quivering. “Oh spirits, koibito, I’m so so sorry that happened to you. I should’ve been there. We should’ve searched sooner.”
“...I begged them to let him go… I said…if they did…I’d tell them everything.”, Leo sobbed. “And…they promised …so I told them… And when they didn’t let him go… I…saw… red.”
The slider didn’t say anything after that. He continued to bury his face in his hands and Usagi comforted him quietly.
The room warps again, seeming much more dizzying than all the other times before as if being sucked into a blackhole before being spat out somewhere new. When Casey regains his senses, he spots the slider waiting in line at the canteen. Immediately, Casey can tell he’s much further in the future as the slider looks more older and tired. And…frail and thinner than he should be, aging stress-creases wrinkling into every detail of his face. A solemn, dull, tired look in his eyes.
“Here’s your ration for the next few days, Pepino.”, the old skeleton said, pouring a depressing looking bowl of stew.
“Gracias, tío.”, Sensei murmured with a sympathetic smile. “How are you holding up? How’s Junior?”
“We’re alright, Hueso Jr is fine. Just a bit more tired these days since the famine.”, Señor Hueso shrugged with a wavering hand. “I know that everyone’s getting more cranky and going mad because of it. Speaking of…I’m sorry to hear about little goloso and his bear. The child loved that toy.”
Leo sighed, pressing his lips together for a moment. “Y-Yeah…I…I had no idea how bad the starvation had gotten to him. I didn’t think he’d actually… eat the bear. Better than the other things we’ve been seeing, I guess.”
Okay…Casey knows exactly what year he is in.
“I’m not surprised.”, Hueso shrugged. “He had always been such a skinny kid. If I remember correctly from the lab’s readings, the more fat on your bones, the better your chances of surviving famine.”
The slider tensed for a moment, a worrying crease in his brows. Huseo took notice and offered a reassuring smile.
“B-But not to worry, I know that our beacon of hope is resilient. I mean, look at me. No skin or fat at all but I’m still kicking.” The old skeleton chuckled.
“Y-Yeah…Yeah! You’re right.”, Leonardo smiled. “I should better get going. Cuídese, señor.”
“Tell your familia to hang in there.”, Hueso waved goodbye as the slider walked off.
As Leo walked through the canteen to find a seat, he stared at the bowl of stew in his hand. He paused, pondering for a long moment. Then his face showed an expression of resolution as the turtle quickly left the canteen and headed down the hall leading to his room.
Walking by, he saw a figure in the distance. A young(er) and very tired looking Casey Jr. He smiled brightly, waving his arm to get his nephew’s attention. Yet the teen didn’t notice, staggering towards their shared room with feet that dragged across the floor ever so slightly.
A pinch creased Leo’s brows but before he could take a step further, someone from behind tapped him on the shoulder.
“Mr. Hamato.”, the person started.
“Oh, hello.”, the slider grinned.
“I wanted to ask if you have any more intel on the droids?”, they asked.
Leo glanced behind him at Casey who slowly stumbled into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. “Uhm, can this wait?”, he asked.
“But sir, the pack’s size is growing more worrisome and we are gradually losing our allies one by one.”
Casey rolls his eyes. He rather not hear about this droning and depressive news that he’s already heard before. Instead, the teen’s intrigued by his younger self. Well… younger as in only by a year, if he recalls correctly. The teen walks over to the door but finds he can’t open or move the door, nor can he phase through the walls. Only stuck within some limits of the slider’s perspective. And so, like he has done many times before, Casey presses his ear against the door to listen in.
Yet all he hears is a resounding thud .
The slider quickly ended his conversation and walked a bit more hurriedly to the room. He knocked on the door with a familiar rhythm that he always did.
“Hey, Case? You there?”, he asked with a smile. “I, uh, I got something for you.”
There was no response. Leo huffed, likely used to the teen’s antics, and slowly began to open the door.
“Trust me, you’re gonna like it. Uhh…Hueso had an extra bowl and so I figured you’d—”
With the door now wide open, the slider stared wide-eyed at the center of the room. There, on the floor, Casey was lying face down. The turtle stiffened.
“...Casey?”, his voice lowered. He quickly stepped forward, kneeling beside the teen as he set the bowl down. “Are you okay? W-Why are you on the floor?”
He shook the kid gently to which Casey stirred ever so slightly. Leo turned Casey around and that was when he could see it. The dark sullen lines shaping out his skull beneath his skin, the bones peeking through his arms and legs. The teen’s breathing was slow, raspy and labored. His eyes were dull and half-lidded, not asleep but not present. His tío brought his shaking hand to press two fingers against Casey’s neck.
“...okay.”, Leo quivered. “Okay…okay…it’s going to be okay…” He quickly pulled Casey into an upright position in his arms. “Come on, Casey, stay with me. I got you.”
Casey is unsettled, rightfully so. He sees how thin, broken, and tired his younger self is. He knows that his current form barely reflects a difference besides clean clothes and green strands of hair. The teen looks down at his own hands, leaning forward to compare them to his younger self. There’s barely a difference.
He gets why everyone is so concerned for him when he doesn’t eat. He figuratively slaps himself in the face for not noticing. He has never known that this state is not ideal. It’s always been his life. But now he faces the reality. A near lifeless form of himself, clinging onto life as Sensei holds him close in his arms.
“Come on, baby boy, please .”, Leo pleaded. He reached for the bowl of stew beside him, taking the spoon and bringing it close to Casey’s lips. “Wake up, you gotta eat.”
The teen barely stirred as the slider force fed him. One spoonful, then another, then another. Soon, Leo discarded the spoon altogether and brought the bowl to his face. Casey sipped on the broth, the small fillings filling up his mouth. Then, slowly, he began chewing and swallowing. Master Leonardo let out a huge sigh of relief, tears pouring down his face as he smiled.
“There you go, that’s it. Take it easy.”, he whispered reassuringly. “There’s my boy.”
By the time the bowl was empty, Casey’s eyes started to flutter, slowly drifting towards the turtle. Leo’s smile widened as tears continued to flow.
“...s..sensei?”, the teen croaked, low and raspy.
“Hey, kiddo.”, Leo hushed. “It’s going to be okay. I got you.”
Carefully, Leo scooped Casey up and stood up. He turned to his bed on the lower bunk, settling Casey down on it. The slider subconsciously reached up at the top bunk for Cup but…of course Cup was no longer there. So instead, he grabbed one of the bears from the pile of teddy bears that did not belong to him, taking a small red bear with a missing button eye and giving it to Casey.
“Hang tight, I’m going to go get help.”, Leo explained. “Don’t fall asleep, got it? You need to stay awake. Please.”
He squeezed Casey’s hand twice before he got up and headed out the door.
Casey looks back at himself, still catatonic as his lifeless eyes stare at nothing, but the room begins to fade as the slider gets further and further away. He has no other choice but to go after him. Out into the hall, the leader begins running. Casey chases after him as he follows him to the med-bay. Master Leonardo quickly slams the doors open, scanning around before eyes landing on Doctor O’Neil.
“Carol! Quick, we got an emergency.”, he said urgently.
“I’m a little spread thin at the moment.”, Carol called out from the other side of the med-bay. It’s strange yet nostalgic to see the older Carol with her head full of gray afro hair, a makeshift cloth mask covering up her mouth and nose.
This was no surprise. During this era, many people got sick. And the med-bay was filled wall to wall with gurneys that held the sick. There wasn’t much room anymore either.
“ Please ! I-It’s about Casey!”, Leo insisted, shimmying around the beds to get closer to her.
Carol’s head perked up, staring wide-eyed at the slider as her brows lowered. She excused herself from the patient she was tending to and scooted around the beds to meet up with Sensei.
“What do you mean?”, she asked quietly.
“I…”, Leo stumbled, taking a breath. “His body is shutting down. I-I got him to eat but he’s still not looking too good. I…I don’t…”
Suddenly, a rumbling sound echoed in the distance. The base began to shake and tremble before erupting into a giant quake. The lights flickered and zapped wildly. Wind began pushing up dust into the entrance of the lair. People began shouting.
“EARTHQUAKE!”, Leo shouted as everyone hit the deck.
The slider turned his shell upward as he pulled the doctor in close to him, bracing the both of them against the counter. And yet, just as soon as it started, the shaking stopped. The sounds of screaming were quickly replaced by…squeaking.
Leo stood up, turning to the entrance and stepping out to see a whole sea of rats running around the atrium. The sandy dust-covered rats flooded into the hallways and scurried around. The slider stood there in a state of shock.
“What in the fuck —”
“Blue!”, a familiar face shouted in the distance. A short girl with straight-black hair and bleached purple ends.
“Kendra?”, Leo called back.
The future Kendra hurried up to him. “You are not going to believe this! There’s been some kind of 5.2 magnitude earthquake and a huge dust storm just now and I-I don’t know what it did but the electricity levels from the reserves are going off the charts! It’s some kind of Christmas miracle in September!”
The gears were visibly turning in Leo’s head but he quickly put himself together. “Right…well…g-go get as many generators as you can and charge them up as much as possible. We need that power.”
“Already on it.”, Kendra saluted with a wink as she hurried off.
The leader faced the Resistance. “Everyone! Start grabbing nets, crates, whatever you can get your hands on and catch all of the rats! If we work together, we’ll all be able to eat tonight, got it?”
The Resistance called back a scattered “Yes, sir!” and the people quickly got to work. Carol soon ran up to the slider with a large med-bag in hand.
“You were saying about Casey?”, she asked.
“Casey!”, Leo’s eyes lit up. “Yes, Casey, come quick! This way!”
Leo began bolting back down the now rat filled hall with Carol following. Mikey, April, and Usagi stood there looking at all the rats and panicked people while wondering what was even going on.
Mikey called out to his brother, “Leo! What’s—”
“Not now, Mikey!”, the older interrupted.
With the doctor high-tailing after the slider, the others soon picked up on what was going on. They hurried after the two as they all headed to the bedroom. Leo swung the door open and quickly scrambled down in front of the bed.
“Casey! Casey, you still with me?”, Leo called out.
The teen’s eyes were closed, his breathing slow and shallow. The slider frantically shook him as the others filed into the room. They gasped in shock, quickly surrounding the two.
“What happened?!”, April exclaimed.
“Is Casey okay?!”, Mikey yelped.
“Move.”, Carol demanded, shoving her way past the group. “Everyone, take two steps back, please.”
Leo kept shaking the kid. “Come on, kid, open your eyes! Casey!”
Suddenly, Casey’s eyes snapped open. Yet his pupils were coated in a glowing green sheen of light. Bright emerald eyes illuminating the space around him. Leo retracted his hands instantly.
“...Casey?”, he muttered.
But it was clear by Leo’s expression that he began to piece things together. The earthquake, the dust storm, the power surge. It was all Casey. The powers that Donnie had once warned him about. The powers that Leo himself soon began to discover as well. The red-eared slider’s lips wobbled into an unstable smile as tears pricked his eyes, knowing that the spirits of his older brothers and friend were with them.
“...You did it, Case. You’re a hero, a life-saver. Because of you, thousands of people will be able to eat. You saved us.”, Leo hushed, voice quaking. “Our beacon of hope.”
The child did not stir, merely taking a breath as the glowing green light faded from his eyes. The beacon of hope soon slipped back into slumber, blood trickling down his nose.
Leo quickly wiped his tears as he and Carol got to work, setting up an IV and ventilator. The mystic warrior joined them too, using his mystic energy to help stabilize Casey.
“This is what I meant to show you.”, a voice calls from behind. Casey whips around to find Leo standing beside him. “Your powers are capable of doing good. And even without them, your very presence gives us all a sense of hope . No matter what you do, Casey, you’ll always be our beacon.”
Casey sighs, a bit doubtful. “I hardly believe I’m worth such a title. I don’t feel like I’ve been doing that much.”
“Trust me, you’ve done wonders. Nothing but miracles since the day you were born.”, Tío assured, slowly pulling the teen into a hug. “Now, we should get going. Before you dissipate your energy.”
“...Okay.”, Casey murmurs, hugging back.
In…
The void, quiet and dark.
Out…
The sounds of a rushing waterfall.
Casey opens his eyes, feeling the tug of vertigo weigh on his head as he slumps forward, catching himself with his hands and ears hiking up to his shoulders. He breathes heavily through his mouth as blood drips from his nostrils. Though, he doesn’t feel as tired as he expected to be. The bleeding from his nose is less than before, the exhaustion doesn’t pull as heavy as it did. Can this be a sign that Casey is actually getting the hang of his powers?
Shushing mist fills his head like a refreshing wave.
“Welcome back, hope.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: Casey being just pure savage (like damn, take a chill pill--oh wait, you got rid of them...), mentioned dead children, the ship sinks for a bit but gets repaired, panic attack, PTSD, Bishop massacre, recovery from kidnapping, almost dying from starvation
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Oh look at that, Casey's powers are getting stronger. Surely, this won't end horribly--Anyways, the next chapter...um...(what do I say w/o spoiling it?)...well...I guess you can say I have a surprise for you. =) (it's a good surprise dw) That and also it is the longest chapter in GEM, like longer than chapter 28. It is a very big surprise...
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 41: Promise You'll Reboot Me
Summary:
“...Shelldon?”, Casey mutters.
“...Casey?”, Shelldon mutters back.
Notes:
Surprise!
Disclaimers in the end notes. (Seriously, this chapter gets dark.)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It’s snowing outside.
Casey stares out the window of his bedroom in a peaceful sense of awe. He has never heard of snow. Well…he did but he never knew what it was until now. School was canceled due to the amount of snow piling up so yesterday, Casey and his siblings all had a snow day. They even had a special snow day song. They all hung out at the park, bundled up in winter clothes, making snowmen and having snowball fights. Who knew playing with flakes of ice could be so much fun?
But Casey’s favorite part of the snow is watching the snowfall outside his window as he sits all comfy and warm in his home. In some ways, it reminds him about the cold dust storms of his old home. Ducking into the nearest cave for shelter as Sensei would start a fire. Then he and his uncles would share stories and occasionally sing songs as the storm blew over. Plus, the snow is pretty to look at.
As he leans closer to his bedroom window, he feels a chill shiver up his spine. Casey gets up, heading to his closet to grab a jacket. In doing so, he accidentally drops his side pouch which spills out its contents on the floor. The teen sighs, putting on his jacket as he crouches down to pick up the mess. That’s when he notices the small memory chip. Shelldon’s memory chip.
The teen frowns as he holds the memory chip in between his fingers. It’s been so long since he has last seen his best friend. Casey misses him a lot. Perhaps the memory chip has some footage that the kid can sift through.
Casey gets up, heading to his laptop that sits on his bed and plugging in the device. Yet, before he can even open up the file folder, his computer screen glitches. Huh. Weird.
Another glitch. Then another. Then soon the computer screen fills up with static. A whirring noise of the fan indicates the laptop is beginning to overheat. Electrical sparks and smoke emit from the keyboard which makes Casey panic, wondering if he just broke his computer by putting in a memory chip from the future or something.
Then suddenly…a face pops up.
A familiar. Purple. Robotic face.
The eyes opened, his left being red with a black rectangle pupil and the right being white with a purple oval pupil. The same eyes that Casey has grown up with his entire life. The same eyes belonging to his best friend…
“...Shelldon?”, Casey mutters.
“...Casey?”, Shelldon mutters back.
The teen lets out a startled laugh. “Holy shit, is that actually you?!”
“I mean…I think so? Is there another me running around I should know about?”, Shelldon’s digital eyelids indicate a smirk.
Casey runs his hands through his hair, crouching to the floor as he tries to catch his breath. Shelldon’s eyes try to peer down.
“Uh…Casey? You there, dude? I can’t really move my head through a computer screen.”
“You’re…you’re here. You’re actually here…”, Casey mumbles.
“Yyyeah???”
Junior chuckles a wet laugh as tears prick his eyes. “...You’ve been here this whole time and I never noticed.”
“Aww, don’t worry about it. The static hasn’t been as scary as last time. I’m sure you’ve been super busy with…uhh…wherever we are.”, Shelldon assures. His eyes scan the room before landing on the window. The lids widened. “...WAIT. Is that…IS THAT SNOW?! Did you— Did we actually win!?!? Oh rad, this is great!!! It’s over, Casey! We did it! We won!”, he cheers.
Casey laughs. Then sobs. Tears begin pouring down his face as he takes in the reality of everything happening before him. All the pain and sorrow he had gone through to get here. The sacrifices that his family had made for him. He stands, tears still streaming as he stares at his friend. Shelldon’s digital lids upturn in worry.
“...Casey? What’s wrong?”, Shelldon asks.
“There’s…there’s just so much to tell you…”, Junior croaks.
Casey then sits on his bed beside Shelldon as the teen begins to explain everything since the last time they met. The end of the starvation era, the 78 hours counting down their doom, the time gateway spell, the hectic journey of meeting the present timeline and stopping the invasion, the adjustments to a new world and reuniting with his mom, the discovery of his powers and the ghosts that live in his mind, the beach and whale that Shelldon once told him about, the drama that is school, the drama that is Bishop’s fall and death, Leo meeting Usagi in this timeline, the control Casey is gaining over his powers, and…wow…a lot has happened while Shelldon was shut down.
Yet, something strange occurs. As Shelldon watches Casey tell his story, Shelldon’s eyes begin to form…blue pixels around the corners of his eyes. Resembling the shape of tears. Casey pauses.
“...Are…are you crying?”, the teen hesitates to ask. He has never seen the robot do this before. Were there times when Shelldon wanted to cry but was unable to?
“As best as I can convey.”, Shelldon’s voice sounds like it’s faltering. “It’s just…you’ve grown up. Just like I knew you would.”
Junior huffs a relieved laugh. “Yeah, I…guess so. But I mean, it hasn’t been that long since I’ve last seen you.”
“Yeah but your life has been changing so much. I mean look at you! You got your powers all figured out with some magic green hair, you’re going to school and rocking it as best as you can, you seem happier.”
Casey scoffs an ironic smile. “It doesn’t feel that way.”
“It might not. But I can tell. You can trust me, I got data points.”, Shelldon resembles a smirk again.
Just then, the laptop zaps and glitches again. Shelldon’s eyes stir as if he is dizzy. Casey winces.
“I’m not sure if my computer can handle a robot’s processing for much longer.”, he drawls.
“Oh wait! I got something for that. A little thing that Donnie made for me to help access data across several devices.”, Shelldon chirps.
The screen glitches some more before all of a sudden, Shelldon disappears from the screen entirely. Casey worries for a moment before suddenly a miniature digital 2D version of Shelldon’s character pops on the screen and lands on top of the task bar on the bottom of the screen. Casey laughs, gushing.
“Holy crap, you are so tiny!”, he whisper shouts.
“Small and compact! Fit for a less intensive processor like a computer!”, Shelldon’s little body winks and bows. He looks around the computer screen, seeing the weather website that Casey’s tab is currently on. “Man, the snow doesn’t seem to be letting up, huh?”
“Guess not.”, Casey shrugs. “So…what now?”
Shelldon lets out a robotic sigh. “Well, I wish I could have my real body back so I can show you what a real fun snow day looks like.”
The two friends ponder for a moment before suddenly, the idea hits the both of them at the same time.
“Donnie!”
Casey hurries down the sewer hole as fast as he can in all of his bulky winter clothing. The snow fall seems to have gotten worse the second the teen stepped outside. But he has made it now. The teen rushes down the sewer tunnel to the lair where upon arriving in the kitchen, Mikey stops him in his tracks.
“Upupup! No tracking snow into the lair.”, Mikey states, holding his palm up at the teen. “What brings you here anyway?”
Casey smiles. “You’re just going to have to see! I need to find Donnie.”
“Speak of the devil and he shall arrive.”, Donnie drawls with a cocky grin as he pokes his head around. “What service can my impeccable genius do for you?”
“I’ll show you once we get to the lab.”, Casey nods.
“You’ll show us once you get out of your coat!”, Mikey insists. “Now clean off the snow on you.”
Casey peels off the outer layer of his winter clothes before grabbing his backpack and urging the two into Donnie’s lab. Leo follows behind as well when he spots the hustle and drags Raph with him. Raph seems to be some sort of exhausted as he staggers in with a blanket wrapped around him.
“W-was…goin’ on ‘ere?”, the snapper slurs as he plops in a seat.
“Woah, Raph, you alright?”, the teen asks.
“Brumation.”, Donnie spats. “He’ll be alright.”
“Now show us the thing!”, Mikey beams.
Casey opens up his backpack and pulls out his laptop with the memory chip still connected. He boots up the laptop, setting it down on Donnie’s desk. After a moment, Shelldon’s little avatar pops in on the screen. Casey smiles warmly.
“Guys, I’d like to introduce you to my best friend.”, he says, stepping aside to show the screen. “Shelldon.”
“Shelldon?!”, the others shout in sync, Raph’s speech lagging behind.
“Holy shit, you’re right! We are in the past! Look at all of you!”, Shelldon exclaims.
“Language…”, Raph mutters.
“Aww, he’s so tiny!”, Mikey coos.
“Yeah, but… how ?! How did he get here?”, Leo asks.
Casey explains, “Well, before…before the last fight, everyone gathered a few keepsakes with them. You've already seen Cup’s heart and Uncle Tello’s flash drive. But I also brought Shelldon’s memory chip. He…had to be shut down a year ago and scrapped for parts when we were running out of resources.”
“I’m sorry, WHO allowed them to shut down Shelldon?!”, Donnie exclaims.
“I did.”, Shelldon answers, cutting through the chaos. “We had no other choice. And…well, I’ve always been there to help so…yeah.”
The softshell’s marker brows upturn in worry and concern. He glances over at a box in the corner of the lab. Perched on top, Casey can see the discarded and broken parts of another Shelldon bot. Donnie sighs.
“...What did you need me for?”, he asks his question from earlier.
“We wanted to see if you could rebuild Shelldon’s body.”, Casey says.
“Well, you’re out of luck. Trust me, if I had what I needed, I would’ve rebuilt my Shelldon already.”, the purple clad turtle crosses his arms.
Shelldon and Casey look down dejectedly. There has got to be another way. Just then, static hisses in the teen’s mind.
“There is another way.”, the captain whispers. “Touch the monitor’s processor.”
Casey pinches his brows for a moment. “...Uh, okay?”, he mutters, reaching his hand out to touch the processor.
“Hey! Don’t touch my stuff!”, Donnie snaps.
But before he could say anything else, electrical sparks zap into the processor, causing the monitors to flicker into static. After a moment, the screens begin popping up the same blueprints over and over again in sync. Everyone glances up at the monitors in awe. Donnie, in particular, fervently reading over the specs.
“It’s…perfect. Genius even.”, he mutters. “I mean I’d expect nothing less from my future counterpart.”
“What? What is it? Let me see!”, Shelldon exclaims. Casey quickly turns his laptop around to face the monitors. “Woooaaaahhhhh, dude! I love it! I wanna try it right now!”
“Then let us make haste, my future AI companion.”, Donnie smirks. “This’ll only take a couple hours at most so everyone shoo while I get to work. I’ll just borrow the memory chip and soon Shelldon will be reborn.”
But as the softshell reaches for the memory chip that is plugged into Casey’s laptop, the AI begins to glitch the screen frantically. The computer lets out an alert chirp as Shelldon waves his arms out frantically.
“WAIT! DON’T UNPLUG ME, PLEASE!”, he screams in a shocking panic.
Donnie quickly aborts his movement but raises a brow. “...Why?”
“I-I…”, Shelldon stammers. “I don’t like the static.”
“Static?”
“It’s some robot void his mind gets stuck in when shut down.”, Casey explains.
A look of terror dwells over the softshell, an intense emotion that’s hardly seen. He glances at the box of discarded parts for a moment. Shelldon lets out a low whirr.
“Can I just…stay here? While you work?”, he asks timidly.
Donnie frowns sympathetically. “Yes…I suppose that’s fine.” He clears his throat, shooing his hand to the others. “I still need my space to work so…begone.”
The others hesitantly shuffle out of the room, especially Casey. He’s never seen his friend this afraid before. Shelldon has always been optimistic and cheerful, despite not being designed with a smile. So obedient like a puppy…he gave away literal pieces of himself to help others. To see the robot stand up for himself is…new. And Casey already knows how he feels about… new .
After a couple hours of waiting in the TV room, Donnie steps out of his lab with something clasped in his hands. Casey quickly stands up, anticipating to see what he has done. Shelldon is nowhere in sight though. Donnie gives a wide smirk.
“Gentlemen, allow me to present…Shelldon 14.02.1!”, the softshell flaunts as he unclasps his hands and reveals a tiny disc in his palm. It looks like one of his holographic panel discs.
“...I don’t get it.”, Mikey drawls.
Just then the disc chirps. Donnie allows it to fall to the floor as a bright purple holographic projection of Shelldon’s robot body. The others gawk in awe as the robot comes to life. Shelldon beams.
“Pretty cool, right? The little disc stays on the back of my head so I’m able to freely move around! And…I can do this!” The robot chirps, the projection shrinking and growing his size big and small before he finally lands on a miniature version of himself. “Look at me! Still universally compatible!” He then unshrinks himself back to his normal size. “I’m loving this new upgrade!”
Casey chuckles. “Well yeah but you’re so…see-through.”, he says, reaching forward to stick his hand through Shelldon’s arm.
Shelldon laughs, “That feels funny. Man, it’s so weird to be like this. It’s like I’m some kind of…”
“...Ghost.”, Casey mutters. His eyes light up with an idea, turning to the softshell. “Donnie, this tech was made with your powers, right? Does that mean it’s interlaced with empyrean?”
“Well yes of course!”, Donnie gives a smug grin. “Almost all of my tech is operated by my mystic powers these days.”
That’s all Casey needs to hear. He turns back to Shelldon with a knowing grin. “Wanna see something cool?”
“You know it, dude!”
Casey takes a step back, closing his eyes and focusing really really hard. It has been getting easier to tap into his energy, soon enough he feels the itch for a fight take over. A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. And soon, he feels the air pass through his skin.
“WOOOOAAAHHH!!!”, Shelldon exclaims.
That’s confirmation enough that Casey has successfully managed to turn into his ghost form on command. He opens his eyes and looks down at his translucent green sheen. With an excited smile, Casey reaches forward for Shelldon’s arm, and he feels his hand meet something tactile. The empyrean holding the two together. The teen lets out a shocked yet relieved laugh. And his friend laughs with him.
The robot then quickly wraps his arms around Casey, the teen immediately hugging back in return. The two best friends spin each other around in a hug as they laugh and cheer. Shelldon’s systems let out victorious beeps and chirps.
“WOOOOO!!! The Orphan Duo is back, baby!”
“I’m sorry, the what duo—”, Leo mutters.
Casey cackles. “We’re more like the Ghost Duo now.”
“The Undead Duo!”, Shelldon cheers.
“The Zombie Duo?”
“The Inter-Dimensional Not Of This World/Plane Of Existence Duo!”
“Okay, enough with the duo names, you’re giving the author a headache.”, Donnie cuts in. “I…don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy before, Shelldon.”
“It feels good to be happy!”, Shelldon exclaims. “I haven’t had a body in a looong time.”
The softshell hums, pondering for a moment. “You know, that does bring me to my next thought. How did your Donnie create your body?”
Shelldon’s gears whir lowly as his head droops down. “...It’s…a long story. Longer than Casey’s lifespan.”
The teen gives a wry smile. “Intriguing…”
“OOOO!”, Mikey beams. “Future backstory time!”
“The contradictory behind the phrase “future backstory” or “Casey’s past future” will never cease to baffle me.”, Donnie mutters. “But I concur, I am also intrigued to hear about this.”
“Well…”, Shelldon drawls for a moment. Then he gives a shrug. “O-Okay, sure. But it’s a long one so you better get comfy.”
Everyone quickly scrambles onto the couch, Raph dragging his feet as he flops in the middle. With muffled giggles of excitement, Casey and the turtles all squirm until they’re all comfortably situated on the couch and turn their attention to Shelldon standing before them. Leo flutters a hand.
“Go on.”, he smirks.
“I forgot how playful you guys used to be in your teen years.” Shelldon lets out a robotic chuckle. “Okay, let me think here…well, this story goes back to before Casey was born. Before I was even built. So, we’ll have to go off the story that my Donnie told me…”
August 5th, 2022.
Raph and Papa were dead.
Donnie sat there, staring at their bodies laid out on cots in the makeshift shelter they made out of this cave. Leo and Mikey were next to him, screaming, wailing, pleading. Donnie wished he could sob out loud but it was like his genius mind was broken. He just…stood there. Frozen. Warm tears poured from his eyes but he didn’t sniffle, his breath didn’t hitch.
It was like…everything was becoming fuzzy. He felt himself being swallowed into static .
There was a deft hand on his shoulder, someone calling his name.
“Donnie?”, a girl’s voice asked softly.
Donnie blinked and suddenly, the cots were gone. He was sitting on the floor inside the turtle tank without any clue how he got here. April was kneeling in front of him with a sympathetic smile.
“Good morning.”, she hushed.
Words did not find their way to Donnie’s lips. So he let his hands tingle with possibility.
“Morning?”, he asked in sign language, emphasizing the question mark with a curled finger as he couldn’t get his facial expression to follow the grammar.
April nodded. “Yeah, bud. It’s morning time. Did you even get any sleep?”
Sleep. Did Donnie sleep? He couldn’t tell. A glance out the window of the tank, showing the cave they were in, was confirmation enough that this wasn’t a dream. His brother and father were actually dead. The world had ended. April pulled his attention back to her.
“Leo and Mikey are heading back to the lair for any supplies they can salvage. Do you want me to ask them if they can bring you back anything?”, his human sister asked.
Donnie couldn’t think straight. Which was…a shocker. He knew that he would know what he needed once he saw it. So that meant…
“I’ll join them.”, he signed.
“You sure you’re up for it, bud?”, April pressed. “Me and the girls are holding down the fort and you can stick with us to get things settled here if you want.”
“I’m sure.”, Donnie nodded.
He went to stand up, his legs almost buckling as he wobbled a bit. But soon enough he was walking. Slowly. He left the turtle tank to find his brothers talking to each other near the entrance of the cave.
“...people that need shelter.”, Mikey protested.
“We’re mutants, Mike! They’re going to freak out if they see us.”, Leo disagreed, arms crossed.
“What would Raph do, then? Wouldn’t he want to protect people? Mutant or not?”
“It doesn’t matter! Nothing matters anymore because Raph is—Woah, uh, heyyyy Donnie.”, the slider stammered as the softshell approached them. “Uhm…how are you…?”
“I’m fine.”, Donnie signed. Clearly he wasn’t if he was not talking but who the fuck cared. “April told me that you guys were heading to the lair. I’m joining you.”
“Oh, sure, Dee!”, Mikey smiled with upturned brows. “Glad to have you with us.”
“Yes, well, we should get moving. The sooner, the better.”, Leo unsheathed his katanas. “There’s Kraang all over the place so have your weapons at the ready.”
He went to open a portal but the light flickered and soon dissipated. The slider sighed. Mikey frowned.
“Oh, right…the Kraang took them, didn’t they?”, he mumbled.
“Well, you got your powers back.”, Leo pointed out. “How did you do it?”
Mikey shrugged. “I just…I just felt like a bunch of eyes were on me. Like…ghosts? Spirits? Maybe it was our ancestors or something.”
“Like what we saw with the Shredder?”, Donnie signed to clarify.
“Oh yeah, I remember that.”, Leo’s eyes lit up. “Okay so…me and Donnie just need to focus on family?”
Leo looked back down at his swords. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment as he concentrated on his family. But…Donnie could see something was wrong. Now, Donnie would admit he was not the best at reading expressions but it was clear that it was hard to focus on the togetherness of family…when you and your two remaining brothers were all that remained of the entire bloodline. Leo sighed exasperatedly. Mikey gingerly reached out a hand.
“U-Uhm…maybe if—”
“We’re taking the tank.”, Leo spat, turning on his heel.
The turtles (now minus Raph) made it underground into their lair. Luckily, everything was still here. Yet, Donnie knew that the location was compromised. They couldn’t linger for long. He relayed said message to his brothers in sign.
“Right. We’ll gather up the essentials. Any keepsakes, keep it bare minimum.”, Leo agreed, giving his brothers the order to which they nodded.
Of course, Donnie swung by his lab. But, wow, there were a ton of things he just had to bring with him! All of his tech, tools, and projects. Surely, his brothers would agree on all of this stuff being essential, right? …No. He couldn’t. He should boil it down to any necessary tools and equipment and download all transferable data. He could rebuild some things if he had to, or return here if he really had to. Yes, that could work.
Donnie began gathering up his tool kit, his laptop, and hard drives into a box. He already knew how he could get reusable energy for his stuff back at the cave. He had done it before for the past two lairs he had lived in. That was what Donnie was good at. Being resourceful. And at times like these, they would need all the resources they could get.
As he exited the lab with his box in hand, he spotted one of the subway cars at the bottom of a large flight of stairs across the hall. The door was wide open, revealing a box dimly illuminated by the fluorescent light. On top of the box was Shelldon’s head. Donnie set the box down.
He headed down the stairs, entering the car and walking up to his beloved robot. The poor thing had been discarded. So much had been happening, Donnie hadn’t been able to work on repairing him. He didn’t even have all the necessary parts to begin with. But one thing he did have was Shelldon’s parts. Surely, his robot would be proud to have his parts be used in any equipment that they need. And so, Donnie opened the box underneath, placing Shelldon’s head inside before he picked up the box of parts and carried it back up the stairs. When he did so, he noticed his brothers piling up a few boxes at the top.
“Is that all you’re bringing?”, Leo asked mildly surprised, pointing at the two boxes Donnie had. “I’d thought you’d take the entire lab with you.”
“No need.”, Donnie signed, shaking his head. “I can always rebuild stuff if necessary.”
“If you say so.”, his twin shrugged. He glanced behind himself. “There’s…still one more room that I’d like to check.”
Donnie followed his line of sight, leading to Raph’s room. Mikey looked too.
“We should bring his keepsakes with us. You know…like a memorial.”, Mikey smiled as kindly as he could without crying. “I-I already got some of Dad’s things.”
“Good idea, Mikey.”, Leo nodded. He turned to the softshell. “Whaddya say, Dee? Should we go have a look?”
The idea of even stepping foot into Raph’s room felt eerie. But…his brothers were right.
“Together.”, he signed.
The three younger brothers made their way to Raph’s room. The doors were haphazardly swung open, the lights still on. Left behind in a hurry when…when the Kraang showed up. Leo took a deep breath, making the first step into the room.
The light was coming from Raph’s desk lamp. There was a sewing kit opened up and skewed drawings of some design pattern as light blue yarn spilled all over the floor. Raph was likely in the middle of knitting something when the team got the alarm to head out for his…last mission. Donnie managed to tear his eyes away as Leo made his way to Raph’s bed that was mounted against the wall.
“We should bring this with us. Put it in our room. It’ll be like he’s still there…sort of.”, the third…well… now second youngest mumbled.
“I like that idea. Our room wouldn’t be complete without it.”, Mikey smiled.
The two got to work, Leo dismounting the bed while Mikey gathered up all of Raph’s teddy bears. Donnie’s eyes drifted around the room, landing back on the desk lamp. That was when he noticed something folded up next to it. A blanket knitted with a variety of different colors. The softshell picked it up, letting the fabric unfold. It was Raph’s mood blanket, each new square taking on a color that symbolized his emotions. The center was various shades of yellow and pink, excitement and feeling loved. Then purple and green joined the mix, thoughtfulness and inspiration. But then orange and blue showed up, stress and sadness. Then red, anger. The last few rings were nothing but red. Then the latest ring taking on black, exhaustion.
Raph was angry, it was no surprise. He and Leo were always fighting. But it looked like Raph’s last emotion was just pure exhaustion from all of the fighting. He was tired. It was more ingrained into Donnie’s head that Raph’s final moments were filled with fighting, yelling, throwing punches through Leo’s bedroom door. And yet, and yet , Raph was never running empty on the love for his family. The only reason why he was so upset was because he cared for them. He cared for them so much, it got him killed —
“Donnie!”, Mikey shouted.
The softshell snapped his head up to see his little brother in front of him, holding his hands out with tears in his eyes. That was when Donnie noticed his own tears, his body shaking and trembling. Mikey gently placed his hands on Donnie’s shoulders.
“It’s okay, it’s going to be okay.”, he murmured. “Just take a breath, Dee—”
“I can’t.”, Leo croaked out from behind, his eyes tearing away from the mood blanket as guilt coated over his every being. He quickly left the room, taking the box of Raph’s stuff with him.
“Leo? Leo, wait!”, Mikey called out but it was to no avail. He glanced between the door and his other brother. “Uh…Um…A-Are you okay, Donnie?”
“I’m fine.”, Donnie nodded as he signed, wiping his tears in between. “Go after him.”
“Are you sure—?”
“Go.”
Mikey gingerly nodded before he stepped away, hesitantly leaving the room to search for Leo. Donnie finished wiping his tears as he promptly set the blanket down on the desk. But in doing so, the blanket lazily slipped off the far side. The softshell sighed, crouching down to pick it back up. But then he noticed a box of patterned fabric underneath the desk. He pulled the box out, placing the blanket back on the desk. One glance inside and Donnie felt like he was about to shatter.
Sitting on top of the box was a neatly folded orange cloak with gorgeous red trims and yellow squared-zigzag patterns. It looked so intricate and polished, truly made with love and care. Donnie set the box down on Raph’s chair so that he could pick up the cloak and get a better look at it. That was when he noticed there was more inside the box.
Right underneath the cloak sat a blue scarf , plain and solid dark blue. It was clear that the scarf was unfinished as one end of it was still incomplete and tattered. That explained the light blue yarn spilled on the desk, likely meant to be used for an intricate pattern. Yet there was still one last thing in the box.
Tucked in the bottom as if untouched was another piece of fabric, tough and thick like some kind of purple tarp . Whatever project the fabric was meant for would forever remain a mystery. Yet Donnie felt his heart break in millions of pieces as he adored the tarp.
That was when Donnie ran the math through his head. These were all meant to be winter clothing. Mikey’s was already done, Leo’s was partially finished, Donnie’s not started. Given how long it usually took Raph to finish one of these projects, and the fact it was already August 6th today meant that…these were going to be gifts for the winter holidays. And that made Donnie cry even more.
Knowing that there would be no Christmas or Hanukkah this year with Raph. No one to dress up as Santa and get the younger ones too excited to meet him. No one to light the menorah with the second oldest. No one to run errands through snow storms while the others complained about it being too cold to go out. No one to countdown the new year with his loud and roaring voice welcoming the midnight.
No more holidays, no more birthdays. No more of the same traditions. And all Donnie could think about was what he would do if he knew that Raph’s timing was ticking closer and closer. How would last Hanukkah go? How would Raph’s last birthday go? Oh the things Donnie would’ve done. The worst part of it all was that Donnie never got a proper goodbye from him. Raph’s death wasn’t slow. He didn’t cling on as the younger brothers weeped their farewells. It was sudden. Just like that. Gone .
“Donnie! You alright in there?”, Mikey called out from down the hall.
The softshell quickly wiped his tears, stuffing all the fabrics back in the box before picking it up and carrying it out of the room with him. He gave a reassuring smile to Mikey to let him know he was okay.
Even though he was not.
It had been a few days now. The invasion was still raging on. They took in more survivors. Humans, yokai, mutants. People looked to Leo as a leader. Mikey tapped into his powers more. April worked rescues. Cass adopted the Brownie Clan as her own daughters.
And Donnie had kept himself busy. He carved hallways into the cave, expanding it further down underground. Creating labyrinths of rooms. He installed a hangar for fighter jets that the survivors brought in. He got electricity running with the help of wind turbines as solar panels immediately became useless when the sky turned a cloudy red. He set up a med-bay near the entrance where the turtles finally got to meet April’s mom. He created storage spaces for supplies, with an organized system and everything. He built a canteen where Hueso and his son set up rations in. He crafted bedrooms upon bedrooms to fit as many people as they could. He forged a forge for Todd who began to design actual weaponry.
And of course, he set up a lab.
The lab wasn’t much. Yet. Just a curtain covering the entrance with a couple desks set up inside. One holding all his monitors and the other being a makeshift workbench. His powers still haven’t come back yet but it didn't matter. Donnie grew up without the reliance of mystics, he could build just fine. And so he built. And built. And built.
Building what? Donnie was hesitant to admit.
He couldn’t let go of Raph. The brothers needed their boulder, their protector. Donnie needed the brawns to his brains. Surely there must be some way to bring him back. And Donnie might’ve found it.
If Gram-Gram could be reincarnated from a sword, if Shredder from metal scraps, if Kraang from reanimated corpses…then surely he could bring back Raph too.
All he needed was a body.
Raph’s real body was obviously not going to work. There was no way Donnie could have it preserved long enough to last until he could get Raph’s soul back in it. Not to worry, Donnie already had a fix. A robot. A red robot designed to look exactly like Raph’s counterpart. Perhaps equipped with hydraulics if Donnie was feeling fancy.
This will work , Donnie thought to himself, It has to work . He had spent all night tinkering away in his new makeshift lab to build the robot. The endoskeleton of the design was already in progress. Though eerie to look at, it would serve its use soon.
“Donnie? You in here?”, Leo called out from outside.
Donnie froze, eyes darting to the skeleton as he quickly shoved it behind some boxes. The stand toppled over against the ground which made a loud crash, Donnie wincing at it and hoping he didn’t just break all of his progress. Leo pulled back the curtain.
“Uh…everything alright?”, he asked. There was a bowl in his hand.
“Yes!”, Donnie quickly answered with a nervous smile. “Everything is fine.” This time sounded more convincing since the softshell had found his voice again.
“Well…cool.”, Leo drawled as he stepped into the room. “Hueso made some food. It’s the closest I could get to your safe foods.”
He held out the bowl to which looked like some heated up canned soup. Donnie felt his stomach churn as he stuck his tongue out.
“Bleugh. Is it even at least kosher?”, he mumbled.
“Well, do you want to starve?”, Leo chastised, crossing his arms.
Donnie scoffed in response but… shockingly Leo was right. With the new era of the apocalypse, there was no room for luxury. If Donnie wanted to survive, he’d have to suck it up. He took the bowl reluctantly, suppressing a shiver as he stirred the spoon around the icky gloopy soup. Then he took a sip from the spoon. The taste wasn’t bad, it was the texture that was horrid . He set the bowl down on his desk.
“...Thanks.”, he muttered. “You can go now. I have a lot of work to do.”
“Actually…”, Mikey drawled from outside as he waltzed past the curtain. “We were wondering if you would join us to hang out for a bit.”
“I literally just stated I have a lot of work to do.”
“You always have work to do.”, Leo rolled his eyes. He sighed. “Look, I’m not beating around the bush about this. We’re all clearly still grieving over Raph and Pops. It’s only been a few days. Sure, things are getting increasingly more hectic by the second but we all deserve a moment to breathe when we can. Holding yourself up in this lab for days on end isn’t helping anybody.”
“Excuse you! I’m helping plenty ! Setting up all of our systems and tech and machinery. Navigating a new wireless network to contact other survivors across the globe! Repairing parts damaged in battle! There’s tons of things I need to get done!”, Donnie snapped.
“Yes! But don’t think all of it falls onto you!”, Leo shouted back. “The people need food, water, shelter, medicine, a leader ! April and her team are also running around trying to gather up survivors!”
“And we need clothes.”, Mikey pointed out. “People need clothes, and lots of it with how cold it has been. We also need graves, multifaith rooms, a quiet room, something to take their minds off of this and be at peace for once.”
“But most importantly, Donnie, we all need a break.”, Leo concluded. “C’mon, working yourself away will only hurt you more.”
Donnie sighed, looking at his brothers as they looked up to him as their new oldest. He darted his gaze away from the eye contact. His mind lingered on their words for a moment, already looking for a “fix-it” solution.
“Well…speaking of clothes…”, he drawled, heading to the back of his lab and reaching for the box of fabrics from the corner. “Raph was…um..working on something. Before he…you know…”
He held up the orange cloak and blue scarf for his brothers to see. Mikey began choking up at the sight. He hurried over, taking the cloak gently in his hands.
“It’s…beautiful…”, the box turtle croaked.
Leo walked up too, taking the scarf. He noticed the unfinished and tattered end as he rubbed the fabric between his fingers. Looking up, the two younger brothers saw Donnie pull out the purple tarp . They put the pieces together, the clothes, the project finishing statuses, the timing of the holidays. Leo cried, clutching the scarf close to his plastron as he held his hand against his mouth. Mikey gingerly put on the cloak, wrapping his arms around himself with the faintest smile.
“...Thanks for finding this, Dee.”, Mikey mumbled.
“Of course.”, Donnie nodded.
Leo collected his composure, straightening his posture as he took a breath. “I’ll…I’ll be in the willow tree cavern.”, he stuttered as he took his leave, wrapping the scarf around his neck.
“I’ll be right there.”, Mikey called out. He turned back to Donnie. “You coming to hang out too?”
Donnie nodded gingerly. “Y-Yes. Yes, I’ll meet you there.”
No one had to say it, but the brothers knew.
The three turtles only had each other now.
About a day later, Donnie was working in his lab once again. He fixed up the skeleton of the red robot, covering it with the purple tarp when not being worked on. Looking at the tarp provided enough thoughtfulness about his late brother. He didn't know what his gift would be, but it would be perfect nonetheless. Maybe it was meant to be a coat considering the thickness of the material?
Pewwwwwww……BOOM!
Something erupted from the surface. It had been happening all day. At first, Donnie assumed it was the Kraang. But it only took some quick thinking and a bit of spectating from the security cameras to learn the actual cause.
BOOM! BOOM! Pewwwwwww…
KRACKABOOM!
The cave’s walls rumbled, dust scattering from the ceiling. That one was close by then , Donnie noted. But before he could turn his attention back to his work, footsteps sprinted for his lab.
“DONNIE!”, Mikey cried out. He still wore the cloak, never taking it off.
Without giving much time for Donnie to react, the youngest leapt into his arms, trembling with tears. The softshell opened his mouth to speak but—
BOOM!
Mikey yelped, shaking even more as he completely tucked into his shell. Donnie haphazardly caught him, lowering the both of them to sit down on the floor. The older stroked the younger’s shell.
“It’s okay, Mikey, you’re okay.”, he soothed.
“Wh-what’s going on up there?! Why is this happening?!”, the box turtle whined.
Donnie sighed, staring upwards. “It’s the EPF’s doing. They’re trying to minimalize infection by bombing the more infested cities across the globe. And since we’re based near the initial invasion point…yeah, there’s a lot of Kraang and Kraangified civilians around.”
“But WHY?!?! Don’t they know they’re killing innocent civilians too?!?! All this bombing is turning cities into barren wastelands ! How do they know that this will even work?!?!”
“It won’t.”, Donnie spat. “Not entirely. It may help reduce pressure but it won’t eradicate the Kraang. They’re doing this because they don’t know what else to do. They’re just as scared and clueless as we are.”
A terrified whine escaped Mikey, sobs rattling him in his shell. The explanation provided no comfort for the box turtle as it did for the softshell. Donnie wasn’t the best at comfort, nor was he the best at lying either. More explosions erupted from outside as missiles continued to rain, thank god for Donnie’s noise canceling goggles.
“It’s going to be okay, Mikey.”, Donnie soothed once again. “We’re safe here underground. They can’t get to us.”
The next day, after the bombing had stopped, the team went topside to look for survivors. Cass and April heard something in one direction while the turtles searched for another noise in the other direction, so they split up.
Traversing over the debris and around the craters, the brothers searched for the source of the noise and any signs of life. Some buildings were toppled over or leaning on each other, still creaking and groaning as if they might fall any minute. Thankfully no ear-piercing screeches of aliens. For now.
“Keep your weapons out just in case, guys.”, Leo ordered, unsheathing his katanas. “Be ready for anything.”
The other two nodded, readying their nunchucks and bo staff. The three spread out some more as well. Donnie flipped down his goggles to find any more clues he could use. While traversing through the ruined city rubble, his leg skinned a sharp edged stone. He hissed at it before continuing his search. Welp, that’s what you get for being careless , he lectured himself, though it didn’t really matter. The small pain was sort of good, in the sense it woke him up a little. He hadn’t slept in a while.
Regardless, he spotted a patch of fallen rubble where blood leaked from beneath the stone. Two corpses were crushed underneath. A couple presumably, judging by the closeness of the two and the rings on their left hands. Though crying was heard nearby, coming from a shelter formed from the pile of rubble. The softshell climbed his way through, getting closer until he found…a child.
A dark tan little boy with blond hair, wearing an oversized pink polo jacket. There was wiring implanted in his ears but it looked damaged. The boy was curled inward on himself as he cried into his hands.
“Hello?”, Donnie asked softly.
The boy didn’t respond, continuing to cry. Donnie reached forward, carefully tapping the kid’s knee. The boy startled, jolting back as he stared at the mutant turtle with terrified eyes.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m with the good guys.”, Donnie assured quickly.
The boy continued to stare, stunned and confused. Yet he blinked a few times, stammering and gingerly flexing his hands before he brought a shaking hand up to his ear.
“I’m deaf.”, the boy signed, his expression beginning to worry in anticipation.
“That’s okay.”, Donnie signed back. That explained the broken cochlear implants. “I know ASL. That is, with my three fingers.” He wiggled his three-fingered hand with a nervous smile. “What’s your name?”
The boy seemed to relax a bit more, shifting his seated position. “Valentín.”, he answered, emphasizing the accent. He then showed his sign name, a simple “V-L” initial. L was probably his last initial, if Donnie had to guess.
“V-L.”, Donnie repeated to clarify. “Nice to meet you, I’m Donnie.”, he fingerspelled and then showed his sign name, the sign “big-brained” but with a “D” handshape to start.
“Donnie?”, Valentín repeated the sign name. “As in big-brained?”
“Yes.”, Donnie smirked. “Because I’m the smart one.”
That got the kid to giggle, just a bit. Donnie smiled a bit to himself as well. But then he got more serious.
“How old are you?”, he signed.
“5.” Wow, only 5? “How old are you ?”
“16.”, Donnie replied. “Are you hurt?”
“No.”, the boy shook his head.
“Are you alone?”
“I…Before I wasn’t.”, Valentín replied. “When the explosions started, I was with my parents and my brother. But then…my parents…”, his hands twisted to one side, probably prepared to sign “died” but the boy trembled as he was unable to finish it. Instead he signed, “My brother is missing.”
“Missing how?”
“Some soldiers took him. Led by a man in a tux suit.”
Tux suit? The vague description didn’t ring any bells but Donnie didn’t ask for clarification. Instead he asked, “Do you know where they took him?”
“Don’t know. But the soldiers had military outfits. Maybe it was the people in the EPF posters?”
If Valentín’s brother was taken by the EPF…then sadly…there was nothing Donnie could do. He took a deep breath, focusing on what he could do right now.
“I’m with the Resistance.”, Donnie fingerspelled then showed the Resistance’s sign name, signing “resist” but with an “M” handshape. “We’re not with the EPF. Our doors are open, letting people in and out as they please. We got food, medicine, shelter, whatever you need. You’ll be safe there, I promise.”
“What about my brother?”, the boy asked.
Donnie chewed his lip. “...I…can’t help you with that. The EPF are too dangerous right now. But the Resistance is doing what we can to help others escape. We’ll find a way.”
“Donnie! Did you find anything?”, Leo called out from the distance.
Donnie’s head turned towards him. “One minute!”, he called back. He turned back to Valentín. “My three—...two brothers are here. They’re with me too. Come back with us. Please?”, he signed, pleading.
The boy sat there for a moment, still terrified and lost. But Donnie could tell that he knew he had no other choice. He nodded, gingerly, before getting up from his hiding hole in the rubble. But he stopped suddenly as he stared wide-eyed at the corpses out front. Donnie glanced at them too before he shifted his body to cover Valentín’s view.
“...Can you close your eyes for a moment? I’ll guide you.”, he signed.
The kid nodded as tears pooled his eyes some more. He covered his eyes with one hand, reaching the other out which Donnie took in his hand. Carefully, he guided the kid out. The boy stumbled in the rubble but Donnie kept him from falling. The other brothers quickly rushed over to them, a few other people following behind them as well. When they were far enough away from the bodies, Donnie tapped the kid’s shoulder. Valentín gawked up at the other mutant turtles.
“Valentín, these are my brothers.”, Donnie signed while talking. “Guys, this is Valentín. He’s deaf.”
“Nice to meet you.”, Mikey signed to the boy with a beaming smile. He looked up at Donnie and asked, “Is it just him?”
“Yes.”
The brothers gave each other a knowing look before Mikey brightened the mood again, looking back at the kid. “You’re okay, now. I promise.”, he assured in sign.
“We should get moving now.”, Leo said. “Kraang has been spotted nearby. Let’s go find April and Cass.”
The group headed back the direction they came, April and Cass catching up to them. Yet…April’s eyes were puffy from crying as her cheeks were still wet with tears. She had something clasped in her palms.
A golden ring and a pet collar.
Many more months had passed. The red robot was gradually gaining its progress. The mechanisms inside were being built one by one, adding more functionality to the mix. Donnie wanted his brother to be reincarnated with the most state of the art machinery he could design. Programming its systems to achieve the closest authenticity to breathing life. Minus…well… breathing .
Everything was coming along smoothly. His younger brothers were going to be so impressed and grateful for this. But now he had to pause his work.
Time for a diplomatic mission with another survivor base. Operation 46 had been reported nearby but…
Surely, it would be fine.
It. Was. Not. Fine.
The only thing in Donnie’s mind was agony. Seething pain running in his left eye and right leg. Well…lack thereof. Operation 46 had found them and attacked. They shot his eye, and he shot back with his newly invented plasma gun. Then the Kraang emerged, and he lost his leg.
This was their world now, wasn’t it? Kill or be killed. Donnie was a murderer now. And an amputee. The battle scars were just going to keep on growing from here. He didn’t want this.
He wanted Raph. He wanted his big brother. He wanted to find him playing Mario Kart in the TV room and collapse upon the snapper’s shell. He wanted to be lulled off to sleep with Raph’s heavy weight, breathing, and looming protective presence. He wanted it so badly, he was sobbing.
“...not much longer and you’ll be able to rest, okay?”, a voice called to him. “Just hang on, hermano, please.”
Tears blurred his vision, static hissing in his eardrums. There was rumbling beneath him before it slowed down. Then he felt arms cradle him. Not big and strong ones that stenched with worry. But thin and nimble. It hurt so much to be moved but thankfully he was placed on something soft soon enough. Then hands grabbed onto him. Icky touchy hands. He tried to squirm. But he was too tired.
“I know it sucks, baby, but we’re trying to help, okay?”, a woman’s voice said to him. “Just hang on a little longer, dear. You’ll be stabilized soon.”
He deserved this. He deserved the pain he was experiencing. That’s what you get for being so careless. He didn’t even hesitate when it all happened, just quickly demanded Leo to do it. After excruciatingly long moments of lying in pain, he felt something prick his arm. And soon, warmth washed over him. Tugging away at him as he was pulled into sleep.
Donnie spent weeks in the med-bay. By the time he was moving, he was propelling himself in a wheelchair. Of course, he wasn’t going very far. Just straight back to his lab.
The robot project was put on pause for a while as Donnie used some scraps to build a prosthetic limb for himself.
It had been a year since the apocalypse had started. The Resistance was starting to feel like a home. That was until Leo got goo-goo eyes for some rabbit ronin who was clearly disinterested. There was no point in Donnie playing the protective twin if Leo was already being rejected. He just egged his brother on in amusement.
The robot was nearing completion. Just a few more repairs here and there. Then…figuring out how Donnie was supposed to get Raph’s soul in it. He would figure it out as he went along.
And side note, Donnie had a spiffing black lab coat with black rubber gloves, though he’d preferably like to find a classic white lab coat one of these days to fit his bad boy/mad scientist image. And the prosthetic worked fine but it still had its limits, especially in battle. Which worked out okay with Donnie. He was more of a tinkerer than an on-the-field warrior. And so here he was. Tinkering. Until—
CRACK! KA-BOOM!
That came from down the hall. Donnie bolted to a stand, grabbing his walking cane as he hobbled out into the hall. Leo was nearby, hearing it too. The twins quickly headed towards the noise. The quiet room.
Mikey had been occupying the quiet room the most. Often meditating, supposedly contacting their ancestors. Including Raph and Papa. He was ecstatic the first time it worked, telling the others about how their spirits were doing. It felt nice knowing that they were at peace.
But now…the box turtle was curled up on the floor. He was shaking a bit, some sage green strands began to show in his short coily brown hair that had started growing in lately. Odd.
“Mikey! Are you okay? What happened?!”, Leo shouted as he dropped to his knees in front of the box turtle. It was worth noting that the slider had pants now. And both the slider and ornate box turtle still wore the cloak and scarf Raph made for them.
“I-It’s fine, I’m fine.”, Mikey stammered quickly. “Just…need a moment.”
Donnie stepped closer to the two where he noticed that Mikey’s nose was also bleeding. Weird. Leo rummaged through his side pouch to bring out some gauze. He helped Mikey sit up and handed him the gauze to press against his nose. Mikey focused on taking deep breaths through his mouth. What was also odd was that the quiet room had some dents in it. Definitely too big to match Mikey’s fists so…how?
“I just…had a little fight with Raph.”, Mikey muttered. “A brotherly squabble.”
“What?! Is he okay?”, Leo asked.
“Oh, he’s perfectly fine. Considering he doesn’t even have a physical body. It’s me who just exploded with mystic energy, no big deal!”, Mikey spat, rolling his eyes.
“But why would that happen?”, Donnie asked.
“I’m not sure.”, the box turtle shrugged. “Mystics are usually predictable once you study them enough. I practically know the ins and outs thanks to Draxum’s training. But…when working with ghosts…it’s like there’s an entirely different structure. There’s no solvable solution or any pattern of data I can work around. It’s all so…finicky.”
Donnie did not like those words. No, he needed data. He needed patterns, pathways, repetitions, structure. Something fearful swelled in the softshell’s chest. But he pushed it down quickly.
He would find a way to bring Raph back. He had to.
More time had gone by. Enough time. It was time.
The robot was ready.
Donnie took pride in the fact he was able to keep it a surprise from his other brothers for long enough. They were going to be overjoyed when they saw Raph again. He couldn’t wait for all of his brothers to be reunited again. It had been far too long.
All he needed was Raph’s soul.
But Mikey had previously stated that soul mystics had a completely different structure. One that was wildly unknown. Ugh, damn mystics , Donnie grumbled in his head.
However, he had found one connection.
Empyrean.
Empyrean was responsible for harnessing the Shredder’s power, for Karai’s ability to turn into an inexplicable sword, for the Hamato’s Ninpo. Heck, Donnie had been theorizing if it could grant the Kraang immunity. As if that was likely .
Regardless, he needed empyrean if he was ever going to get Raph back.
But it wasn’t like he could just… spontaneously find empyrean out in the middle of nowhere apocalypse. The only empyrean that existed now only lived on in yokais and mutants. It was impossible! It wasn’t like Donnie could just drain blood out of…
Oh…
He could .
Well…Donnie didn’t know the exact ratio of empyrean compounds to blood cells, but surely it was potent enough that with the right amount, he could charge up the red robot with enough empyrean to link to Raph’s soul. But it wasn’t like Donnie would be able to borrow an empty blood bag without causing suspicion to his brothers. He was alone on this.
There was only one option.
Donnie shivered. No. There was no fucking way Donnie was just gonna do that. That would be ridiculous! There had to be another way.
There is no other way , a dark yet honest voice muttered from the back of his head. This is your one chance to give Leo and Mikey their brother back and you want to take that away from them? Is that what you want? To be useless? To fail? What kind of scientist doesn’t make sacrifices for the greater good?
Donnie gulped, feeling his body stiffen. He looked up at the red robot, uncovered from the purple tarp. He could feel the deactivated eyes pierce through him. He had no other choice. This was no other way to get Raph back. He had to do this. He must.
Donnie walked over to his toolbox, searching through it until he found a box cutter. He sneered, wiping as much rust as he could from the blade. Then it was time. He headed over and flopped back down in his chair, kicking the empty waste bin closer to him. The softshell then peeled off his black rubber gloves and rolled up the sleeves of his lab coat.
His arm was shaking with fear as his stomach churned in disgust at the idea of what he was about to do. But yet…at the same time…it was like his skin was calling to the blade. Like two opposing ends of a magnet.
And so the magnets connected.
Donnie winced at the hot white sting of pain that grazed across his arm. He hovered his arm over the bucket, letting the blood drip down into it. A pint should suffice, at least for now. The cut wasn’t shallow enough, drying up quickly. So he sliced again, pressing deeper. Donnie bit his tongue hard to stop himself from making any sort of noise. He pressed his thumb against the wound, squeezing out as much as he could. But… eugh …that was unnerving. It made him feel woozy. But he had to finish the job.
Within a couple minutes, he had as much as he needed. He dropped the knife, picking up the bin as he walked over to the robot. He opened up the robot’s chestplate where the battery and soul source sat. Donnie then precariously poured the red oozing liquid into the soul source compartment and waited for something to happen.
He waited.
And waited.
And.
Waited.
Then suddenly, the eyes began to light up, a closed line going across. The robot’s system began to whir. Glowing white. Then shifting to a red hue. The robot then opened his eyes ever so slightly. Donnie looked up at him with big, pleading eyes.
“...Raph?”, he muttered.
“...d—o-o—n…ie?...”
Holy shit, it worked!
I need more .
Donnie hurried back to his seat, placing the bucket back down and picking up the box cutter again. He reached in, slicing deliberately with no hesitation. He didn’t care about the pain anymore. His brother was here. He was right here !
“...D—o—n?!”, the robot glitched, the voice faint.
“Hang on just a second, Raph, I’ll have you back and fully functioning in no time!”, Donnie’s smile stretched widely as he pressed and twisted the wounds in his arms like a wet rag.
“W—at—? N-No—! Wh—t are y—— doi—n’?!” The robot’s gears twitched as if he was trying to move but was incapable of doing so.
“Just trust me , okay?!”, Donnie pleaded. He dug the blade into his flesh even more. “Please, just stay with me!”
“N—no—! Thi— is all——wrong!”
Donnie tried to hurry. He pushed back the dizzying feel in his head as he twisted and squeezed, filling up the bin with more of his empyrean infused blood.
“—No. No, no—no, no—no—n—o,n—, no no no—...”, the robot began to mutter.
Donnie looked back up at him, brows furrowing in fear. “...Raph?”
“No—no—...no…no…n—”, the robot’s voice was beginning to fade.
The whirring quieted down, the lights dimming. Donnie quickly stood up, shaking away the dizzying effects of vertigo as he scooped up the bucket and hurried over to the red robot.
“No, no, no! Come on, Raph! Stay with me!”, he shouted, pouring more blood into the soul compartment.
But it was no use. The lights turned off, the gears stopped whirring, the eyes closed again. Raph was gone. Again.
“NOOO!”, Donnie screamed. “NO! RAPH! COME BACK! COME BACK, PLEASE!!!”
Tears pricked his eyes as he slammed his fists against the robot’s shoulders. But it didn’t matter. He lost his brother again. He was gone. Donnie had failed .
“No, no, no, no, no…Raph… please …”, Donnie muttered. “ Please …I need you. Come back, Raph. Raph, please…”
“...Donnie?”, Leo’s voice called from behind, uncharastically quiet.
Donnie’s shoulders flinched as his eyes widened with a new sense of fear. He peered over his shoulder to find his twin pulling back the curtain. Leo’s eyes glanced at him for a moment. Then at the floor, following the path of red droplets. Then snapped back up at Donnie’s arm. He marched forward.
“...What…What the fuck are you doing?!”, he exclaimed, grabbing Donnie’s wrist.
The softshell hissed as it burned like hell. He lurched his arm away, glaring at his brother.
“It’s not what you think, Nardo!”, he spat. “I’m getting Raph back!”
“You—... WHAT?! ”, Leo shouted, bewildered. Of course he wouldn’t be able to comprehend Donnie’s genius.
“Just trust me! I know what I’m doing—”
“DONNIE, YOUR ARM IS BLEEDING !”, Leo shouted. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!”
“Would you quit it?! I’m fine!”, Donnie snapped.
“NO! NO YOU ARE NOT!”
“What’s going on in here?”, Mikey’s voice chimed from behind the curtain.
The curtain pulled back all the way to reveal Mikey, April, Usagi, and Cass standing behind it. The group let out gasps of shock as they took note of the blood dripping from Donnie’s arm. Mikey’s eyes immediately started tearing up as the box turtle rushed over to his brothers.
“Donnie! Wh—Why—What are you—”, the youngest stammered as he hovered his hands frantically around the softshell but hesitated to reach forward. “W-Wh—Are you okay??”
“I’m. Fine.”, Donnie sneered.
“No, you’re not, Dee! Look at what you’ve done to yourself. This is crazy—”
“I’M NOT CRAZY!”, the oldest shouted. “I’m doing what needs to be done. I’m bringing Raph back, I can prove it!” He stumbled back to pick up the box cutter again and brought it to his arm. “Just watch!”
“NO!!!”, the other brothers screamed in sync.
Mikey practically threw himself onto Donnie, tackling them both to the ground. Leo lunged forward and yanked the blade out of Donnie’s grasp. Donnie tried to squirm his way out but Mikey had him in a tight hold.
“Donnie! Donnie, please ! Please don’t do this to yourself! There’s always a better way!”, the box turtle pleaded as tears were now streaming down his face.
“There is no other way! Let me go!”, Donnie screamed.
“This is ridiculous.”, Leo muttered. “You’ve been hiding yourself in this lab for the past year, making some robot that looks like Raph to make you feel better about yourself, and cutting yourself up as if that’s going to help anybody!”
“If you would let me explain , I need this blood to get Raph back—”
“No. You’re done. This project of yours is over.”, Leo cut in, his voice low.
He stepped over to the robot, whose chestplate was still open wide. Leo’s brows furrowed with a darkened expression as he winded up a fist. Donnie snarled, trying to squirm even harder to break free. But it was too late. Leo punched straight into the battery with all of his might, shattering the capsule before ripping it out of the robot. Donnie screamed, tears pricking his eyes. But his twin did not hear his cry, smashing the battery against the ground for good measure. Blood leaked from its compartment.
Red hot anger boiled over in an instant. “I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU! WHY?! WHY DID YOU DO THIS?!”, Donnie screeched.
“Raph’s dead, Donnie.”, Leo spat. “...You need to get over it and move on.”
The softshell bared his teeth, a threatening hiss clicking from his throat. “GET. OUT. GET OUT OF MY LAB! ALL OF YOU!”
“But Donnie—”, Mikey chirped.
“ LEAVE!!! ”, Donnie yelled. “JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!”
He finally found the strength to break free of the youngest’s hold. He pushed Mikey off of him and staggered to a stand. Blinded by rage, he began grabbing the tools from his workbench and chucking them at his brothers.
“GET OUT! GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!!!”
The others stumbled back out of the lab in a hurry. Donnie hated the looks they all gave him as the weeping mystic warrior closed the curtain over them. Scared looks. Pitied looks. Sad looks. He hated it all. He hated it so much that there was nowhere else for the hate to go besides his fists.
He threw the workbench over with all of his might, the tools and blueprints scattering against the ground. Then he kicked over boxes, ripped servos off the walls, yanked the wires out, smashed his fists into every single monitor, smacked his bo staff against all of his machinery and processors. Then soon he was met face to face with the red robot. The red robot. In the reflection of the robot’s chestplate, Donnie saw himself. Fierce brows furrowed, snarling teeth clenched, and his eyes, his eyes …were wide with narrowed pupils. He looked insane . …Maybe he was.
Maybe Raph never showed up in the first place. Maybe it was all one big hallucination. Maybe his reasoning for slicing up his arm was irrational. Maybe it didn’t even make sense in his own head. Maybe…
Maybe Donnie was crazy after all.
It had been a few weeks now.
Donnie had a lot of explaining to do to his brothers. Just as expected, they didn’t understand it. It didn’t make sense to them, it started to make less sense to Donnie as well. The two also kept very close eyes on Donnie which was annoying but not surprising.
The project had been decommissioned. The robot spent its days being covered by a tarp as Donnie cleaned up his wrecked lab. All of Donnie’s efforts for everything went down the drain. A new sense of uselessness swelled in the pit of his stomach.
However, in the midst of repairs, Donnie crafted himself a holographic visor. Given the missing eye, it was hard to read shit, and worst yet, work on anything else. The visor wasn’t perfect at regaining vision, but it did its job, calculating depth perception of things and even providing other sources of data as it scanned everything Donnie looked at.
In doing so, it picked up on a box shoved away into the corner of the lab. The box with Shelldon’s parts. Donnie sighed solemnly, walking over to the box. He picked it up, setting it down on his workbench as he rummaged around inside. Oh, Shelldon, if only you were here to see what your old man was up to now.
…Now there was an idea.
If Donnie could practically reanimate the dead with robots (well, in theory), then why hadn’t he brought Shelldon back sooner?
Better late than never.
And so Donnie worked tirelessly for the next few hours, repairing Shelldon. He ended up having to take spare parts out of the red robot, but at least it was serving some usefulness with that. Donnie kept constantly ragging himself about how ridiculous this was. Shelldon was right here the whole time while Donnie was losing his mind and literally doing blood sacrifices to bring back his dead brother. Shelldon had always been there for him. He had to be there for him again.
This time, Donnie was adding a few new upgrades, creating a Version 14. This new design would give Shelldon a full body suit, equipped with limbs, a renewable energy source, a battle shell, and everything. It took Donnie all day but finally it was time to activate the robot.
He pressed a hidden switch behind the robot’s head and waited.
And waited.
And. Waited.
Then suddenly, the engine whirred on as the cracks between the metal panels began to glow a dim purple. And then the eyes opened. Two familiar big red eyes, staring endlessly. Donnie glanced over the bot up and down.
“...Shelldon?”
A pause. Then…
“Donnie? …Why do you look different? What happened to your eye?”
Donnie sighed in relief as he leaned in to hug his son. “Oh, Shelldon…I’m so sorry. So much has happened since you’ve been gone.”
“Heh, tell me about it—ARE YOU MISSING A LEG?!”
Donnie chuckled, pulling back from the hug. “Okay, there is a lot to tell you about.”
Donnie then filled the AI in on what had happened since the Shredder fight. Which was…a lot. Like a lot a lot. Then the apocalypse, and the past year of said apocalypse. Shelldon took it…pretty well? Donnie couldn’t tell very much.
“Wow…okay…that’s a lot to process, even for a processor like mine.”, Shelldon drawled.
“Yeah…I know.”, Donnie muttered, staring at the ground. “It’s just…been so busy and stuff. I got so caught up in everything and…yeah…”
“Well…thanks for bringing me back, Dee. It’s nice to be present again.”, Shelldon’s metallic lids squinted up in a smile.
Donnie smiled back and nodded. He stood back up, balancing himself against his cane as he took a breath. It’s great to have Shelldon back , he thought as his robot son eyed everything in his environment. Shelldon pointed at the monitors.
“What’s this thing over here?”, he asked, walking over to it.
The monitors displayed blueprints that Donnie was designing to build an aircraft meant for battle. Namely transportation but he was definitely going to add turrets and napalm to it. And it would be the largest battleship to have ever flown the skies in all of history. Proudly named…
“The Red Angel.”, Donnie answered. “She’s going to soar the world in the blink of an eye. We’d be able to carry out missions from anywhere on Earth.”
“A huge plane will be hard to maneuver if you find yourself in battle with an enemy fleet.”, Shelldon pointed out.
“That’s why I’m adding the napalm.”, the softshell smirked.
Shelldon laughed. It made Donnie laugh too. A sense of familiarity had come back again. The scientist and his invention.
And with it, he felt his ninpo begin to unshackle, bit by bit his powers were reforming.
It had been two years into the apocalypse now. The Red Angel was finished and soon brought out for a mission to Managua where Donnie, his brothers, April, Cass, Usagi, and the Brownie Clan were to take down two Kraang droids.
38 left for the mission.
6 returned home.
Donnie didn’t know someone could scream like that. He didn’t know Cass could scream like that.
The softshell slinked back into his lab as always. He unhooked his prosthetic leg, a new one he… borrowed …from the red robot, and placed it on the workbench. It got busted in the fight so he’d have to fix it later. He hopped over to his wheelchair but it wasn’t where he left it. …Where?
He heard wheels rolling behind him as Shelldon appeared, pushing the wheelchair up to him. Donnie smiled as he sat down.
“Thanks, Shelldon.”, he muttered. “It’s been a long day.”
“I bet. I heard screaming earlier. Is everything okay?”, Shelldon asked.
Donnie sighed. He wheeled up to the monitors, pulling up data entries that logged all of the Resistance’s missions. “The Managua mission was…successful. But not without casualties.”
“...Casualties?”
Donnie didn’t answer, simply typing away at the entry as the robot scanned over the screen. Shelldon read it all. “Managua, Nicaragua. November 22nd, 2026. Defeated two kraang droids, type A and C. 1 injured, 32 casualties. Injured: Cassandra Jones, right abdomen. Casualties: Brownie Clan, laser.”
The robot whirred lowly. “...Oh, Donnie…those poor kids.”
“Children don’t last very long anyways. Though, I’ll admit, those girls had some fight in them.”, the softshell hummed as he continued typing.
Shelldon’s systems beeped a low alarm, as if to scoff. “It’s like the Resistance is cursed. Cursed to never allow children a chance of a future.”
Donnie stopped typing. It wasn’t like Shelldon to be so pessimistic. In fact, Donnie vividly remembered how his brothers had messed up Shelldon’s programming to make him this super laid back AI that was always down to having some fun. The scientist turned to the robot with a raised holographic brow.
“Cursed, you say?”, he asked.
“Things are changing too much, Dee. I don’t like it. And it sucks that I’ll never understand that change. I’ll always remain the same robot, the same Shelldon. You’ll age, I won’t. And now those kids won’t either.”
Donnie thought about what his robot said for a moment. “...You got a point, Shelldon. And tell you what, the next kid to enter this place, let’s make a deal to keep them safe.”
“I like that deal.”, the robot nodded.
“Keeping an eye on them, making sure they have what they need.”, Donnie drawled.
“Oh, just you wait, dude! I’ll be watching them like a hawk!”, Shelldon beamed with a determined expression. “Them. And all who come after!”
Donnie chuckled. “I’ll hold you to it.”
4 years into the apocalypse, the year was 2028. The team headed out for a supply run much further out with the Red Angel.
6 left for the supply run.
7 returned home.
Donnie hurried into his lab, scrummaging around a box of scraps before dumping things onto the workbench. Shelldon chirped in alarm as he walked over to spectate.
“What’cha got now, Dee?”
“We got a new recruit joining us today, Shelldon.”, Donnie spoke as he popped open his tool box and began looking for whatever he could need.
“New recruit?”
“Going by the name Casey Jones Jr. Casey found an infant on the way back to base, presumably no older than 5 months.”
“I’m sorry, a WHAT?!”, Shelldon’s system shrilled and beeped. “There’s a baby here now?”
“Yes! Shocking, I know. Even more shocking is that despite the severe malnourishment from neglect, that kid is resilient. I’m trying to work on anything they’ll need. A crib, maybe some clothes if I can find any spare fabrics. And, ah Curie, they’ll need a bottle, a pacifier, some diapers…”, Donnie began mumbling before he cleared his throat. “Hey, could you go down to storage and see if…”
But as Donnie looked over his shoulder, Shelldon was already heading out the (newly built) sliding metal doors of the lab in the direction of the med-bay. The softshell sighed.
“Or just abandon me despite the fact you were built to assist me.”, he grumbled. “Robots, am I right?”
5 years into the apocalypse—
“PURPLE! I REQUIRE YOUR ASSISTANCE!”, Casey shouted from down the hall as footsteps quickly approached the lab.
“I’m a little busy right now—”, Donnie drawled.
“Not as busy and stuck-up as Blue and a lot more focused than Orange. Here.”, Cass interrupted. She deliberately deposited Casey Jr in Donnie’s arms. “I’m heading out so keep an eye on them, okay? I know you got at least one that’s still working.”
“I—Wha—But—”, the softshell stammered. “Casey! I can’t take care of a baby!”
“Welp, they’re still alive so you’re doing an amazing job already. Okay, byeeeeee~!”
And with that, Casey hurried out of the lab leaving her baby in the hands of the scientist. Donnie frowned as he looked down at the kid with a worried expression. Luckily, Shelldon approached him, chuckling as he picked up the baby into his hold.
“Hahahaha, you got put on babysitting duty, dude.”, Shelldon laughed teasingly.
Donnie smirked. “Actually, you are on babysitting duty. I’m going back to work on rebuilding my eye.”
Shelldon raised a metallic lid, “Your eye?”
Donnie nodded as he headed back to the workbench that was covered in spherical scraps. “Yes, it’s about time I start to see more precisely. I’ll need something that can pair with a compatible brain transmitter but also not overheat because I’d hate to have something burning in my socket.” The softshell shivered at his own words.
Shelldon thought for a moment, idly swaying the baby in his arms who babbled meaningless sounds. Then his eyes lit up (literally). “Aha! I got it!”, he chirped. He then reached for his right optical sphere and popped it right out. “Here! Just use mine!”
“What?!”, Donnie squawked.
“This tech is already set to the specs that you need so why not?”, Shelldon smiled. “You need this more than I do.”
“Shelldon, I can’t—”
“Look. You literally gave a part of yourself for that red robot. And the red robot gave parts of itself for your leg and my body. Now it’s my turn.”, Shelldon insisted, reaching the eye out to Donnie more. “Donnie, I’d give anything for my family. Even if it breaks me apart piece by piece.”
“I… sigh …a-alright then.”, Donnie reluctantly agreed, taking the optical sphere from Shelldon. “But I'll make you a new one when I can.”
“Sure thing, Dee.”, the robot grinned.
Just then Donnie picked up a foul odor in the air, his nose scrunching up in disgust. “Ugh, are your sensors picking up that smell?”
A pause. Then the two slowly looked down at the baby in Shelldon’s arms. Donnie’s eyes rolled up as he lolled his head backwards and groaned.
10 years into the apocalypse.
Yuichi Usagi went MIA after getting separated during a Kraang ambush. Leo was furious. So furious in fact, his own ninpo unlocked as well, creating portals to who knows where in search of his lover.
“We need to send search parties out in all directions in accordance with his last location. Usagi can’t be left out there alone.”, he had said.
And so they searched. And searched. And. Searched.
It had been weeks, stretching into months. Donnie was getting tired of it. So he retaliated by going back to his work. He was far too busy for a manhunt. Donnie was now a captain, a surgeon, leading scientist, leading botanist, battle strategist, new troop trainer, and the list kept going on.
But before Donnie could completely zero in on his tech, Leo bursted into the lab.
“What are you doing here? We need to head out now!”, his twin shouted.
“I’m not going.”, Donnie muttered, not even batting an eye at the slider.
“Fuck you mean, you’re not going?! Usagi can’t be left alone out there for too long! Don’t you care at least a little bit about him—”
“Of course I care! What kind of a mutant turtle do you take me for?”, Donnie snapped, turning on his heel to face his brother. “For crying out loud, Leo, it’s been 4 months! Who the fuck knows where he is by now, or yet, what condition he is in? You have to think of the Resistance first.”
“To hell with the Resistance!! Donnie, he is my partner !”
“And yet you’re the one always saying that we need to toughen up, suck it up, and move on.”, the softshell snarled. Then he sighed, lowering his voice. “Look, I hate to say it but, you need to be their leader, Leo. They’ll do what you say but look at them, they’re getting hurt and stretching themselves thin just for you. Wherever you go, our people will follow. If you walk into fire, we’ll walk into fire too. So, please, it’s time to stop this.”
Leo sneered. “...So that’s it then, huh? What am I supposed to do? Give up? Is that what your scientific conclusion is?”
“Well, statistically speaking, yes. My data has proven that Usagi’s percentage of coming back alive on his own out of this apocalyptic hell, is in the decimals.”, Donnie mumbled.
Leo’s rage morphed into fear. Then sorrow. He took a deep breath through the nostrils, shaking his head and shutting his eyes tight. Donnie frowned.
“I’m sorry, Leo—”
“Like hell you are.”, the red-eared slider hissed as he turned on his heel and marched out of the lab.
12 years into the apocalypse. The year was 2034.
Donnie woke up to a late start. Late was never good for a busy man like him. So he rolled out of his bunk bed and slid down the ladder. Underneath his bunk, Mikey was still fast asleep in his hammock. The softshell decided to give his brother a few more minutes of rest. He turned to the other bunk, Raph’s bed and his pile of teddy bears mounted on the top while Leo and Usagi’s bed were below it. The slider was nowhere to be found, as expected of his duties. Usagi’s pillow had been used as a hugger, which currently had some fresh tear stains on it.
Donnie got dressed and headed out to do his routine checks before holding himself up in the lab for the rest of the day. As he made his way through the base, he spotted Leo in the memorial room. He was seated in front of the family shrine, playing with Usagi’s yo-yo in his hand as he moped. Donnie chewed his inner cheek. As much as he hated to admit it, he missed the old Leo. Cheerful and very very very annoying. The softshell approached the memorial room.
“Morning, Nardo.”, he greeted.
“Morning.”, Leo mumbled, not looking up as he continued to yo-yo mindlessly.
“...So…”, Donnie drawled, already feeling awkward. “...Any plans today?”
“Nope. Pretty mundane stuff. A supply run party will be back by sundown and April’s team is sending out supplies to the labor camp out east. They’re just hitting the rendezvous point with the other troop there and heading back, should only take less than a day.”
Donnie huffed a wry laugh. “Sounds like we could use some action.”
“Well, you can take your Red Angel and go beat up the Operation once and for all.”
“Hard pass.”, the softshell rolled his eyes.
The conversion dwindled. Donnie continued to awkwardly stare at his brother who still kept his head hung low and tossing the yo-yo up and down mindlessly. God, this is awkward . Donnie had never been good at cheering others up.
“...Are you okay?”, he finally brought himself to ask.
Leo stopped playing with the yo-yo. “...I’m fine.”
Donnie scanned his twin up and down, Leo clearly wasn’t fine. Yet Donnie shrugged. “If you say so.” He turned to leave. “I’ll be in my lab.”
He finished his routine checks, everything was in proper working order. Time for lab work. He finally found enough parts to rebuild Shelldon’s eye. He planned to make it white with a purple pupil so that he and his robot could have matching mix-matched eyes. Then Donnie heard the oh-so familiar loud footsteps of Cassandra waltzing into his lab.
“Purple! Favor!”, she beamed, hoisting up her son in her arms more. The kid waved at his uncle.
“Let me guess. Babysitting?”, Donnie raised an unamused brow.
“You got it!”, Cass winked as she deposited her son. “Welp, gotta go!”
And with that, Casey Sr took off. Casey Jr watched her leave before turning to the softshell. Donnie sighed.
“Don’t break anything.”, he spat before spinning back around.
Not even five minutes later and he heard the tiny pitter patter of feet run out of the lab, followed by a whimper. Donnie snapped his head around.
“Wha—Casey, where are you going?”, the turtle asked as he spun around to face the six-year old.
“I forgot to say bye to Mama!”, the child exclaimed as he hurried out of the lab and rushed over towards the entrance of the lair.
Donnie ran after him, chasing down the child. Then they reached the entrance where not far in the distance, Casey Sr, April, Sunita, Todd, Bullhop, and Hypno were making their way on their mission.
“Mama!!!”, Casey called out.
Senior turned around in confusion. “What is it, Casey baby?”, she called back.
“I forgot to say goodbye! Bye-bye, Mama!”
“See you later, Casey baby! Be good to your family for me, alright?”, Casey Sr beamed waving her hand wildly in the air.
“I will! I love you!”
“I love you too!”
The child beamed brightly at his mother’s words. Donnie huffed as he caught up to the kid.
“Great Galileo, you are fast. How do you run so fast with such tiny legs?”, the softshell exasperated.
Junior just simply giggled. Donnie rolled his eyes fondly as he took his nephew’s hand and walked him back to the lab.
“Hi-yah!”, Casey Jr shouted.
Donnie heard the sound of him stumbling and the rocking of a metal stand, though thankfully, nothing was knocked over. Donnie sighed in relief.
“Yes!”, he heard the child cheer.
A good ninja is always aware of their surroundings… , he thought amusingly. Just then, Donnie’s communicator device on his wrist tech beeped. The softshell picked up the call, setting down the screwdriver and spinning his chair around.
“Captain Othello Von Ryan speaking.”, Donnie chimed with a smug smile.
“Donnie! Come quick! April’s hurt!” , Mikey panicked from the other side.
The softshell immediately dropped the act and stood up with a serious look, speed walking out of the lab. “What are her symptoms?”, he asked gravely.
“She’s knocked unconscious. There’s blood in her hair and on her stomach.” , the ornate box turtle replied.
“How long has it been since she returned?”, Donnie continued as he quickly dipped by the med-bay to grab a first-aid kit.
“Just now. There’s been an ambush and the team just got back. We’re up front at the entrance doing a headcount.”
“I’m on my way.”
There was a huge crowd forming at the entrance. Of course , Donnie rolled his eyes as he groaned. He shoved his way through the crowd, shouting at people to move before he got to the front. It pained him to find what he saw.
The team were battered and bruised, catching their breaths while April while lying down on her back, completely unconscious. There was a huge bite mark on her right side, no doubt from a Kraang hound. And blood was trickling from the back of her head.
“One…two…three…”, Leo mumbled, counting. “....four...five. No, that can’t be right. One…two…three…”
“I’m here!”, Donnie called out. “Oh my muffins, April! What happened out there?”
No one answered. Donnie didn’t care. He cracked open the first aid kit and immediately got to work.
“April…Sunita…Todd…Bullhop…Hypno…”, Leo continued to mumble. He spoke up in mild frustration, “Ugh, I know we’re missing someone! My brain keeps blanking out. The name is on the tip of my tongue, I swear—”
“Mama!”, Casey Jr shouted out.
…Oh. No.
Donnie felt his stomach churn dangerously as he snapped his head up back at the team. Cass was nowhere to be found. No…no, she didn’t…where…? His gaze slowly turned to the child, so did everyone else’s.
“Mama?”, Casey called out again.
A worried crease pressed between his brows. The child’s eyes began to water as the lair filled with hushed whispers. Dread fell upon the softshell.
“MAMA!!!”, Casey cried.
Donnie and Leo rushed April into the med-bay, leaving Mikey to tend to the screaming child. As if his heart wasn’t already broken, it shattered even more when the doctor witnessed her own daughter knocked out and bleeding on a stretcher.
“My god, what happened?!”, she exclaimed as the twins moved their sister to the gurney.
“There was an ambush.”, Leo explained, going into his profound Medic Mode. “Kraang hound bite on her right side, gash in her head, clearly unconscious. I’m not sure about any brain injuries and I doubt we’ll find out until she wakes.”
Carol scanned her eyes over April, biting her lip to stop it from quivering before taking a breath. “Right. You take care of the bite. Donnie, try to locate where her head is bleeding from.”, Doctor O’Neil ordered before heading towards the cabinet drawers.
The twins nodded, getting to work. Donnie pried his way through April’s afro to locate the source but it was a pain to pull it apart enough to find the scalp with just his fingers. Luckily though, Carol came back with a large pair of scissors. She grabbed a chunk of her daughter’s hair and wedged the scissors around it, hesitating for a moment.
“...I’m sorry, baby. Forgive your mom.”, she muttered, voice trembling ever so slightly.
The scissors deliberately clipped through April’s hair, a few inches from the scalp enough to find the wound. Donnie soon spotted the large gash on the back of her head towards the right. It was pretty deep.
“Found it.”, Donnie stated clearly, grabbing some gauze to press it against the wound.
The turtles and Carol continued to help April. After a while, Donnie noticed that the screaming outside had stopped. And soon, April was stabilized, moved to a little section divided by curtains. Donnie and Leo sat down beside her as Carol gently tucked her daughter in, running her hands through April’s now buzzed hair and giving her a kiss on the forehead. Mikey soon walked in with Casey clinging to his cloak. Mikey smiled softly.
“How is she?”, he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Carol glanced down at April for a minute before she brought herself to look away. “She’ll…be alright. Comatosed for now but…alright.”, she answered.
Leo frowned, eyes catching Casey’s. “H-How are you, kid?”
There was something to the child’s expression. Sure, it was tired, puffy-eyed yet still wet with tears, confused, horrified. But deep within the etches of his face, Donnie saw anger. Unbridled anger like no other. Embedded with a taste for wrath more powerful than his mother’s. It was…creepy. And oddly enough…Donnie swore he saw the child’s eyes flicker green—
“I’m sorry, please excuse me.”, Carol cut through the silence. Tears began to prick her eyes as she held her hand against her mouth and hurried out of the room.
The turtles watched her as the doctor fled but no one made a move to stop her. Afterall, Doctor O’Neil was quite known for keeping a calm facade in the midst of the apocalypse. Her daughter’s condition would be a huge breaking point. Donnie remembered a few years ago when her husband—
WOOSH!
Suddenly, a random draft appeared out of nowhere and shook the curtains frantically. It upturned Mikey’s cloak and made Leo’s scarf smack him in the face. The brothers sputtered, collecting their composure as the sudden wind died down. Donnie glanced upwards, noticing a vent above them. Ah, a faulty problem with the air conditioning perhaps —
“Where’s Casey?”, Mikey quickly asked.
The twins glanced around. Casey Jr had just up and disappeared. Mikey quickly ran out of the lab, Leo getting up to hurry after him. Donnie stayed put though. The kid probably needed some space and Donnie knew he wasn’t the best at comfort. So he kept watch of April for a few more minutes.
He didn’t take long though. After a while, Donnie got up and went to go find his brothers and Casey Jr. It didn’t take long. He found Leo sitting on a bench in the hallway where their rooms were. Across the way was the room the Jones duo slept in with April and Sunita. There was screaming heard from inside. Donnie walked up to Leo.
“Hey.”
“...Hey.”
Donnie glanced at the room before sitting down beside the slider. “I’m guessing Mikey’s in there?”
“Yeah. He said to give them a moment.”, Leo nodded solemnly.
And so they waited a moment. A long sorrowful moment. The screaming soon quieted down. After a while, the door opened, Mikey slipping out of the room before shutting the door quietly behind him.
“How is he?”, Leo asked.
Mikey looked up at his brothers, trying to smile as much as he could. He shrugged, lightly chuckling, “He tired himself out.” His voice broke, the box turtle’s eyes filling up with brims of tears before burying his face in his hands. Leo and Donnie stood up, hurrying over to comfort the youngest.
“Oh, Mike, it’s okay.”, Leo soothed.
“It’s too early to assume things, it’s too early to assume things…”, Mikey muttered on repeat.
“Assume what?”, Donnie quizzed.
Mikey straightened his posture, running his hands through his hair as he took a breath. He took a moment as the tears continued. “...I…it’s just…he…”, he stumbled over himself. He took another breath, sniffling. “He said he heard his mom calling his name and then ran off to go find her. Then when I tried to calm him down, he just… refused to listen to me. All I could do was sit there as he cried.”
“...Mikey…”, Donnie said, but couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“I don’t know how this is going to impact him. I’ve only ever done research on how this affects adults but…kids can feel emotions just as strong as adults can. It’s just…their minds don’t have the capacity for it…”, the mystic warrior croaked. “The damage could be irreparable and I… fuck , he’s just a kid! A kid who has to grow up in this fucked up world! I just can’t even imagine what it’ll do to him—”
“Okay, okay. That’s enough.”, Leo silenced, stepped forward to pull the youngest in close. “Come on, breathe. Take a step back before you start spiraling.”
Donnie joined in on the hug too, at a loss of words. It was unlike his bright beaming brother to be the catastrophizer. He always tried to look at things from a positive perspective. But it was like at this moment…he simply couldn’t . Mikey trembled beneath the embrace of his brothers. Leo sighed.
“He’ll be okay.”, the slider reassured.
Mikey immediately began shaking his head. “He’s going through hell. Things will only get worse from here.”
“Maybe. But…we’ll be there.”
“Yeah, what he said.”, Donnie chimed in. “We’ll all be right there with him. Through thick and thin.”
Though of course, that would be impossible soon enough. They would all die at some point, leaving the kid behind to pick up the mess. It wasn’t like they could reach him from the other side.
18 years into the apocalypse. The year was 2040, Casey was 12 now.
And it was his first day of training.
Donnie didn’t know how Leo managed to get Casey Jr started so young. He and Mikey kept bickering back and forth about it. Leo kept explaining some excuse about how Casey Sr wanted Junior to start earlier at age 7. Though, to be honest, Donnie wouldn’t be surprised.
The kid did shockingly well on the first day. He was really excited to start training, maintaining focus during April’s and Donnie’s lectures despite the child’s poor lack of reading skills. Donnie really should catch him up to speed on that soon. And regardless, Casey Jr was really good at using the chainsaw staff like his mother. All down to a perfect form.
All… too …perfect.
Donnie thought he must’ve been losing his mind once again because as he watched the kid practice his strikes, Cassandra appeared out of thin air. A blood red silhouette took her form as her hands held onto Casey’s, guiding him through the movements. There was no way it was her, yet Donnie’s visor was picking up some very unusual readings.
So back to the lab, he went.
Captain Hamato paced around his lab.. He chewed the rubber of his gloves as Shelldon sat in a swivel stool, watching his creator pace back and forth.
“So…care to explain what’s gotten you all buzzed, dude?”, Shelldon drawled.
Donnie stopped pacing. “...Today, November 4th, 2040, Casey Jones Junior begins his training with troop 17 to become a certified warrior for the Resistance. However, when I gave him a decoy of his mother’s weapon to try out, I…noticed something.” He began to tap away at his wrist tech, with a mystic wave of his fingers, a screen was drawn out from his visor itself and hovered in front of the softshell.
“Well, what is it?”, Shelldon pressed on.
“...Holy shit.”, the captain mumbled, watching the screen. “Shelldon, I may have found a breakthrough to my old project. The science of souls. It’s…the answer just wasn’t born yet.”
Shelldon squinted his metallic lids. “What do you mean?”
Captain Donatello tapped the screen, enlarging it. The screen played back what Donnie just witnessed moments before.
“Casey Sr’s soul was there, guiding her son’s every move. How she got here, I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.”, the captain explained, swiping the screens away and sitting down at his desk. He began to type away at something on the monitors. “I ran some tests on Junior soon after I found out about this without his knowledge—”
Shelldon shouted, “You did WHAT—”
“—AS YOU CAN SEE HERE…”, Donnie pretended to ignore. “His blood sample shows traces of empyrean, which already raises some flags. Where it came from…I have a hunch. Looking at his serial number, I can hack into the Operation’s files to find…there it is. His birth parents.”, the softshell pointed to the screen for his robot to see. He continued to type away as he rambled, “Ignacio and Yolanda Alvarez (oh he’s Spanish), a young engaged couple that fled Spain due to the Garoña explosion of 2028. Well, that explains the intersex. But I traveled to Garoña soon after the explosion to gather the uranium to fuel our weaponry.”
“And if my hypothesis is correct then…”, the captain stopped typing. “...there’s a match. Empyrean.”
“So…does that make Casey a yokai?”, Shelldon tilted his head.
“According to the canonical lore…maybe? Depending on how and where TMNT yokais came from? I don’t really know.”, the captain answered, also unsure. “Regardless, this breakthrough could be revolutionary! According to my research on other power plants across the globe, Garoña isn’t the only place that experimented with empyrean. And if such a thing as Junior exists, perhaps there’s more people like him across the globe! Shelldon, don’t you see how this could impact the entire war?! Humans with mystic abilities, soul magic at that! The possibilities are endless!”, he exclaimed.
He pushed himself out of his chair, bouncing up and down on his knees and shaking out his arms. But soon, Captain Hamato stopped stimming, glancing at something tucked at the side of the room. Something draped in cloth. He walked over to it, pulling off the tarp to reveal…the red robot. He sighed and frowned.
“...Maybe…this’ll be my chance to fix everything.”, he muttered.
Shelldon droned a low whirr, hopping off the swivel stool. He waltzed over and took the tarp from the captain’s hands. He did a little hop and tossed the cloth back over the red robot.
“Hey, one thing at a time.”, Shelldon reassured. “You still have Casey’s staff to make.”
Captain Donatello shook away his thoughts and nodded. “Right, right. Yeah, you’re right, Shelldon.” He walked back to the center of the room, forming a chainsaw staff out of his mystic energy. “One thing at a time.”
19 years into the apocalypse. 2041.
Donnie was not crazy.
He was not crazy.
“I’m not crazy.”, he muttered. “I’m not crazy, I’m not crazy, I’m not crazy…”
“Uhh…”, Shelldon drawled from his charging station. “You good, dude?”
“I’m not crazy!”, Donnie snapped.
Shelldon’s metallic lids squinted at him. “...Right. Uhm…h-how are you feeling about…you know…your brothers not believing you?”
“Oh, I am just fantastic !”, Donnie smiled sarcastically. “It’s not like I found another breakthrough that may bring back Raph while also configuring with a child who has mystic powers beyond the normal construct that may just be the key to fucking everything as we know it! And it’s definitely not like I told this to my brothers only for them to just… cast me aside as if it is nothing! No, not at all! I’m not mad. I’m not stupid. And I! Am Not! CRAZY!!!”
Donnie’s fist connected with a monitor, striking straight through it. The scientist took a breath, composing himself. There would be a time for this later.
“Right. Well. I should get going. The Red Angel leaves in a few, I’ll just save my frustration for the Kraang.”, the captain smiled as calmly as he could.
The robot made a low whirring noise. “Dee…you’re kind of scaring me—”
“Donnie.”, Mikey called out from the door.
“Mikey?”, Donnie whipped around. “What are you doing up so early?”
The box turtle fidgeted with the fabrics of his cloak, glancing down at the floor as his locs spilled over his shoulders. “Uhm…well I…uh, H-How are you?”, he stammered.
Donnie’s holographic brows pinched for a moment. “I’m fine.”
“Oh. Good.”, Mikey hummed.
“...Yeah.”, Donnie muttered. There was a long awkward pause for a moment. The oldest crossed his arms, raising a brow. “...So…?”
Suddenly, Mikey rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Donnie and hugging him as tightly as he dared. Donnie stood there stunned for a moment before he slowly wrapped his arms around the youngest as well. The softshell gently stroked his fingers through the box turtle’s locs.
“Mikey?—”
“I’m worried about you, you know?”, Mikey croaked from where his face was buried in Donnie’s lab coat.
“Well, don’t be. I’m fine, I swear.”, Donnie spat.
“Donnie…”, Mikey whined. Then he sighed. “It’s just that…last time—”
“There won’t be a last time.”
“Donnie, I saw you cut yourself just to prove a point! I…I don’t want you to get hurt like that again!”, Mikey snapped. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because I am!”, Donnie pressed. He pushed back from the hug, getting down on his knee with his prosthetic leg to be at his brother’s eye level. “Listen, I know I fucked up before, but I promise you that it won’t ever happen again. Because this time…we got Casey. You know…our beacon of hope ? Everything is going to work itself out. I just need you to trust me. …Please…”
Mikey stared at his older brother for a moment with watery tears before he took a breath, sighing defeatedly. “...Okay. I trust you.”
Donnie whooshed out a breath of relief, dropping his head down as he slumped. “Thank you, Michael.”
“But you still owe me that talk when you get back from your mission.”
Donine glanced back up at his brother, smiling assuringly. “...Of course.” Just then, Donnie’s wrist tech beeped. The softshell sighed. “Welp, there’s my cue.” He got up, dusting his knees. He then turned to his brother, ruffling Mikey’s hair. “Until we meet again, oh wise one.”
Mikey giggled as he playfully shoved Donnie’s hand off of him. The captain picked up his duffle bag and slugged it over his shoulders as he started to head out of the lab.
“Donnie?”, Mikey called out to him.
Donnie paused, turning to him. “Yes?”
The youngest smiled at him. “...I love you.”
The oldest smiled back. “I love you too.” He turned back around and kept walking, wavering a hand. “I’ll be back in a couple days, alright?”
Captain Hamato made his way to the hangar, waving at one of the mechanics, an Operation refugee, as he headed for the Red Angel. Though, there was something odd with the way the mechanic kept staring at the captain as he passed. It was kind of eerie.
The captain met up with Valentín at the boarding ramp. The boy had grown quite a lot since when Donnie first met him. Donnie explained in sign that Casey Jr would be joining them on the mission and that he wanted Valentín to look after him. To Casey, they would just be partners working together. The man agreed, teasingly signing how Donnie had a spot in his heart for his nephew that was softer than his shell. Captain Donatello simply rolled his eyes.
Speak of the devil, the enthusiastic 13-year-old sprinted up to his uncle, giving him a hug. Donnie patted his head, telling him that Casey would be partnering with Valentín. Casey didn’t seem to mind, just excited to go on a mission. Donnie wished he could have at least half of his bright energy.
The other crew members arrived, everyone climbing aboard as the captain soon settled in the cabin, launching the aircraft into the skies with ease. Everything seemed to be running very smoothly.
Something in Donnie’s gut felt that something was going to end soon. But his mind and soul thought quite the contrary.
Something else was about to begin.
“And then…well…you know what happens next.”, Shelldon finishes the story.
The others sit in silence for a moment. Unsure what to really say about that.
“Well that was a long-ass story.”, Donnie mutters.
“Language!”, Raph spats.
“So…Uncle Tello basically tried to build a robot vessel for Raph, failed horribly, and that led to him building you.”, Casey drawls, putting the pieces together. “He gave his blood for the robot. The robot gave its parts to build you. And you gave your life for the Resistance.”
Shelldon smiles sheepishly and shrugs. “Yyyep, pretty much.”
“What is it with this family and all the self-sacrifing?”, Leo mumbles.
Mikey scoffs, “As if you’re one to talk.”
“Hey, so are you!”
“Hamatos…”, Casey laughs to himself.
“The gift that just keeps on giving.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: Disassociation, grief, PTSD, a lot of war stuff (again, all is purely fictional and not a reflection of real life events), amputation, self-harm, children death, rementioned character deaths
Also side note: For Valentín, I wanna say that I am not of Deaf culture. I mean, I am taking ASL 3 right now cuz my speech is failing me but that doesn't excuse it. I am knowledgable at best. But still let me if anything needs correcting. Some goes with Donnie's Judasim, I am knowledgable at best. As for the other war related events, again, this story is purely fictional and is not based on real life events. We all cool? =)
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How are you guys liking your surprise? Shelldon's back, babyyy! And we get some red robot lore, FINALLY! I've been hinting at that shit since the beginning of the story, gees! (Also this is THE LONGEST CHAPTER. We thought chapter 18 or 28 was long? NAH. This chapter takes the crown. (why do i do this to myself--))Okay okay, next chapter...I forgot. *goes and reads* AH. It's another "filler episode" just like the beach chapter. It's the final "full fluff" chapter before we enter the 4 Part Finale. So enjoy it while it lasts! =)
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Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 42: Casey's World Tour
Summary:
“You having fun, Casey?”, Leo asks.
“Yeah! It’s the best.”, the teen eagerly nods.
“Well we’ve only just started. I’m going to show you everything.”, the slider smirks.
For a moment, Casey catches a glimpse of Future Leo inside the Present one. The slider whose mood brightens from Casey’s smile, and would do anything to keep it that way. The teen finds it endearing. The mist flusters.
Notes:
One last happy fluff chapter before the 4 part finale begins. (GAAHHH!! I can't believe the story ends in two weeks!)
BY THE WAY! Check out this GEM LEOSAGI ANIMATIC that I made! (Which TOTALLY doesn't include a spoiler...)
No disclaimers for this chapter. I'm serious! Fully fluff, have fun!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Spring break has rolled around. Casey gets the week off from school for which the teen is most grateful for. He plans to spend the whole week sleeping, perhaps if he asks Donnie nicely, he could be comatosed.
But it looks like his siblings have other plans.
Before Casey can fully wake up on the first day of spring break, a flash of blue appears beneath him and swallows him up whole. Then Casey is plummeting through the light as he yells in a panic before landing in Raph’s arms. The snapper chuckles, grinning his sharp teeth at the teen.
“Morning, Casey! Wanna go on a trip with us?”, he asks.
Casey scoffs. “Why is it whenever you guys go on crazy adventures, I get involved in them last minute?”
“No clue.”, Leo smirks, sheathing his katana back in its sash. “What matters is that Mikey pulled out the bucket list again and—”
“WE’RE GOING WORLD HOPPING!!!”, the box turtle beams.
“Thanks to my state of the art transportation: portals .”, Leo finishes, wiggling his fingers across the air on the word.
The teen laughs. “Ha! You’re really putting all of your faith into your portals to travel around the world? Even Master Leonardo goes off target by a few miles when traveling that far.”
“Quite the contrary.”, Donnie chimes in, tapping through his wrist tech. “Using my state of the art Portal Accuracy Device , I’ll be able to redirect Leo’s mystic gateways into the exact pinpoints of our ideal destinations.”
Leo scoffs, rolling his eyes. “I don’t need a PAD , Donnie.”, he teases.
Mikey, Raph, and Casey snicker at the joke. Donnie gives a deadpan stare at his twin.
“Hilarious.”, he drones sarcastically. Then he clears his throat. “Regardless, as long as you use your portals sparingly , we should be fine.”
“Loosen up, Don! I got this! Right now though, we need to get the others here.”, Leo rolls his shoulders before unsheathing his katanas again and opening up another portal.
“Others?”, Casey tilts his head.
“Leo’s bringing his boyfriend~”, Mikey coos.
“I—Wh—He’s not—We’re just…friends.”, the slider stammers.
“ Just friends?”, a familiar voice calls out as he passes through the portal. Usagi crosses his arms and smirks at Leo. “Is that all we are?”
Mikey bursts out laughing at Leo’s blushing face as the red-eared slider tucks his neck into his shell. Usagi laughs too before giving his boyfriend a peck on his head. When did these two become a thing? , Casey wonders. Though, the teen supposes it has been about…a couple months or so (???) since they’ve first met.
Regardless, Leo quickly shakes himself off from the embarrassment and readies his katanas again. He opens up another portal from the ceiling and out falling through are the girls, Cassandra, Sunita, and April. They land on top of each other on the floor before April scrambles up to a stand, sending death glares at her blue-clad brother.
“LEEEOOO!!!”, she screams.
“Eugh boy.”, the slider mutters.
“GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE SO I CAN BEAT IT WITH MY SHOE!”
The group watches as April chases Leo around the TV room with a shoe in hand. All the while, Casey yawns, shaking off the last bit of slumber before slinking out of the room.
“Right, well, I’m going to borrow some clothes.”, he announces, gesturing to his pajamas. He glances down at his right residual. “...I’m also going to need my prosthetic back once Leo is done getting his shell whooped.”
After getting dressed into some borrowed clothes from Leo’s wardrobe, comfy black sweatpants and the iconic blue unicorn hoodie, Leo portalling Casey’s prosthetic and side pouch in, and everyone else in the group throwing on some blend-in disguises, the group is ready to go on this adventure.
Casey also brings out Shelldon’s hologram disc from his pouch and Shelldon beams up to join the adventure as well. The holographic robot opts to turn into a very small version of himself and clambers onto Casey’s shoulder to hide from the human world.
Leo has declared their first destination shall be Italy. He shares a knowing look to the rest of the group, all but Casey. Suspicious. Regardless, the portal opens wide for the whole team, with Donnie’s device stepping in and running some calculations to correct the trajectory before they all walk on through, landing in a city Casey has never seen before.
The teen’s mind begins to light up with excitement. There’s a whole world out there. One that he helped save. He’s only had a mere taste as to what this new world holds, and he wants to see it all. Leo smiles when he notices how happy Casey looks. He nudges the kid’s shoulder.
“Just you wait until we get to the fun part.”, he says.
The group takes in the sites. Apparently, they’re in the most popular city, Rome. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Smoke fills the air as literally every trash can around each corner has an ashtray. The “self-repairing” roads are all wobbly. And Italian blasphemies are splattered in spray painted alleys, protest signs, and straight from the people’s mouths.
The touristy parts are fun, though. The group most enjoys the museums featuring artworks of the renaissance artists that the turtles are named after. There is even a room in one museum where no one is allowed to talk at all, something about how even the soundwaves could ruin the preservation of such precious art. The brothers make a challenge where they all go on a scavenger hunt to find artworks made by their named-after artist and whoever has the most would win. Raph won, by the way.
While the brothers are occupied with the game, Casey and Shelldon find themselves next to Usagi in one of the many art display rooms. The rabbit tucks his black hoodie over his ears more as he turns to the teen.
“Is it true that you guys are from the future?”, he asks.
“...Yeah.”, Casey hums.
“Mhm!”, Shelldon beams from his little spot on Casey’s shoulder.
“And you’ve met me in the future?”
“That’s right.”, the teen nods.
“What was I like?”, the rabbit asks eagerly.
“Uhhh…w-well, the future is different now. The you from my timeline is different and—”
“Yes, yes, I know that.”, Yuichi rolls his eyes. “But like…was I cool or…?”
“Eeehhh……”, the teen drawls.
“I wouldn’t say cool …”, Shelldon drawls as well.
“Aw, what?!”, Usagi whines.
Casey chuckles. “I’m kidding. You were cool.”, he says. “You were a samurai to the world’s greatest community. Strong, resilient. Your ears had piercings in them, you had a cool blind scar in the right eye, and you kinda had a beard.”
“I had a beard???”, Usagi exclaims, grazing his hands across his chin. “Eugh, that makes me sound old.”
“Your fur was just growing out a bit and we don’t necessarily see the need to groom in the apocalypse.”
“That’s fair.”, the rabbit hums. “And…what about Hana?”
“What?”, the teen’s brows furrow.
“Hana. My sister. What was she like?”
“Uhm…”, Casey drawls, quickly looking for an answer that doesn’t imply she was very dead. “...positive. She was always positive.”
Usagi smiles warmly. “Yeah. That sounds like her.”
After the museums, the group makes a stop at a hole-in-the-wall pizza joint for something to eat. When they are done eating, Usagi glances over at Leo with a smirk.
“Are we ready for the surprise?”, he asks.
“Absolutely.”, Leo grins widely.
“Surprise?”, Casey asks.
Mama ruffles his head. “Trust me, you’re gonna love it.”
Usagi leads the group out of the pizza joint and down through the alleys. The group zigzags their way through the maze of alleys until they come across a large wall with vivid crazy graffiti art of mystic symbols, runes, and creatures. With a simple waving gesture of Usagi’s hand, the walls open to reveal a portal to a mystic world. The group gawks at it as they walk on through.
“Welcome to Hidden Italy .”, Usagi smirks, taking a bow before the group.
“It’s literally like the Hidden City…but…Italian.”, Mikey mumbles as his eyes gaze over everything.
“Well yes, it’s precisely just that.”, Donnie drawls. “The Hidden World is merely a reflection of the human world. There’s portals in and out of this mystic domain all across the globe.”
“And how did you know about this place?”, Casey asks the rabbit.
“Well…”, the samurai drawls with a mischievous grin. A grin that Casey can recognize across timelines. A grin suggesting that the rabbit is up to something. “I may or may not have been to Hidden Italy before with Auntie and Hana. But also…I may or may not have been informed about a particular tattoo of yours.”
Casey feels an unnerving chill up his spine. First of all, how dare his brothers (Leo) blab to Usagi about something so sensitive. Second of all, what is Usagi up to?
“Now here’s the best part. The laws in Italy are different from the laws in the US.”, the samurai points out.
Shelldon chimes in, hopping off Casey’s shoulder and turning back to normal size, “Which means while in the US, minors can’t get tattoos, in Italy they can. Or…if you wish…you can get them removed .”
“...Removed?”, Casey asks.
“Yeah, dude! You can get your tattoo removed!”, Shelldon chirps. “Lasers. Beautiful things, aren’t they?”
“Wait, wait, wait…there are ways to remove a tattoo?”, the teen quizzes. “Like…that’s been a thing this whole time?”
“Yep!”
“THEN WHY DIDN’T THE RESISTANCE DO THAT FOR THE OPERATION REFUGEES?!”, Casey exclaims. “Do you know how many lives could’ve been saved with this?! Surely, Uncle Tello could've invented something???”
“Hey.”, Donnie spat. “Don’t question the author’s continuity errors.”
Mama slings her arm around her son’s shoulder. She points to a shop in the distance. “See that shop? That’s where we’re going. You’ll be free of your ugly ds-digital font tattoo. If you want, that is.”
“I—Wh—...DUH!”, the teen stammers. He starts to smile through his surprise. “Fuck yeah I do!”
“Language.”, Raph chuckles. “Let’s get’cha in then, Case.”
The group walks up to a tattoo shop with a large lustrous sign on top reading “Taiga Tattoos”. Upon walking inside, the place is coated wall to wall with various designs. Flowers, skulls, Medusa, snakes, playing cards, so many cool designs. They walk up to the reception desk where a peculiar yokai woman stands behind it. Almost practically humanoid besides her demon imp horns arching from her forehead. A rather short stature with long lavender hair, glasses, and a large fur coat over her dress. A little floating axolotl dances around her shoulders. There’s a nameplate on her chest reading “Healing”.
“Hi, welcome to Taiga Tattoos, do you have an appointment?”, Healing smiles politely.
Cass shakes her head. “Nope. Just a quick walk-in for this guy right here.”, she answers, patting Casey on the back.
“Oh, are you his mom then? Minors can’t get tattoos on their own.”
“Sure am!”, Mama beams. “I give my kid full permission here.”
“Great! So what tattoos are you thinking of getting?”, Healing asks Junior.
“Oh, I-I’m actually here to get a tattoo removed.”, the teen stammers.
“Removed? Okay. What are we removing?”, the axolotl girl continues to ask as she starts typing on the computer at the desk.
“Uh…this thing o-on the back of my neck.”
“Is it still sorta new? Removals can take a few sessions depending on how faded the tattoo is.”
“N-No. It’s been there for…a long time.”, Casey answers, feeling more uncomfortable by the second. Soon, he won’t have to be.
“Alright. We’ll see what the artist can do. Go ahead and take a seat.”, Healing says, gesturing to the chairs in the small lobby area.
The group all find a spot to sit and wait. The others are very excited for Casey, their excitement is also rubbing off on the teen as well. Though he can’t help but feel nervous. He doesn’t even know how the removal works. Will it involve needles? He hopes not. Soon enough, someone comes walking out of the employee room.
“So…who here is getting the removal?”, he drawls.
A Bengal tiger yokai, with long brown hair on top of his head slicked back into a ponytail and bright yellow eyes. A single golden earring is pierced in his right ear. He wears a black t-shirt with its short sleeves rolled up and black muay thai shorts. His hands and knuckles are bandaged up, probably from kickboxing if Casey has to guess. The teen shyly raises his hand. The tiger smiles at him.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Elia.”, the tiger greets.
“Casey Jones Junior.”, Casey replies.
“Well, follow me, Casey, and we’ll get you set up. Uh, unfortunately, I don’t think I can fit everyone else into the room. Maybe just a plus one. This place is sort of small, sorry.”
“I’ll go.”, Cass raises her hand with a grin. “Let’s go, Mini me!”
Elia guides the two over to a room in the back. There’s a vanity desk with a mirror against the wall and a leather lounge chair in the center of the room. The walls are also covered in various framed designs. Again, Casey’s nervousness begins to increase. But he swallows it down, taking a deep breath. The tiger points to the chair.
“We’re doing the back of your neck, right? Go ahead and have a seat or lie down. Whatever feels more comfortable to you.”, Elia suggests. “Mom can grab a stool from over there in the corner.”
Casey sits on the side of the chair as Cass pulls up a stool. Elia walks around to get behind Casey as the teen pulls his hair around his shoulder. Having his neck exposed like this still feels just as scary as finding out he had the tattoo in the first place. Just a few more minutes and it’ll all be over , he reassures himself.
“Oh. That’s…an interesting tattoo.”, Elia hums.
“...Yeah.”, the teen mutters.
“I don’t even want to ask what it means. I can get the picture. But not to worry! It’s a pretty shoddy job. It’s all warped and faded by now. I’m sure it’ll come off in just one session.”
“Well that’s good.”, Mama smiles. “Maybe I can squeeze in getting a tattoo while I’m here. Something cool like…a…”
“How about a bird?”, Junior suggests.
Cass scoffs. “Birds are lame.”
“What about that mystic flaming one? Uh…what’s it called…?”
“A phoenix? That would look really cool.”, Elia chimes in.
“Oh fuck yeah! That’d be awesome!”, Mama beams.
The tiger chuckles. “I’ll see what I can do once I’m done here with Casey.” He heads to the vanity desk and grabs what looks like some kind of a light pen. He then turns back to the teen. “Ready?”
“Uh…is this going to hurt?”, Junior drawls.
“No.”, Elia shakes his head. “...Well…yes. It’s gonna feel like a bad sunburn at most, though.”
“Ugh, I know what that feels like.”, Cassandra grumbles, still sour from their day at the beach.
Casey sighs. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
The teen hunches his shoulders as he feels the heat blaze his skin. Though, oddly enough, the sensation blocks out the unwanted feeling of fingers grazing it. The eerie notion of someone staring at it. The pain is distracting, the kid lets himself focus on that. Cass scoots her stool closer, resting a hand on her son’s knee.
“You got this, Mini Jones.”, she grins.
“Almost halfway there.”, Elia says.
After a few more excruciatingly long minutes of trying to sit still as the laser does its work, Elia sets it down on the desk. Casey’s neck definitely does burn but, like always, he’s been through worse. This is manageable. That is until he feels something cold and slimy graze the back of his neck and oh god oh fuck it’s the Kraang —
“Woah, woah, easy!”, the tiger exclaims. “It’s just this mystic healing gel. Helps with the healing process and soothes the burn.”
Casey turns to see the tiger hold a jar of some green goo in his hands. Eulgh, gross . But it does seem to work as the pain quickly subsides. The teen gets up, pressing his hands against the back of his neck. Elia hands him a handheld mirror.
“Here, take a look.”, the yokai smiles. He shifts Casey’s shoulders, facing the teen’s back towards the desk mirror as Junior holds the handheld mirror up to his face.
Casey takes a look and he is almost convinced the mirror is a mystic trick. The tattoo is gone. The tattoo that has been haunting him since birth. The tattoo that has put him and his family in danger time and time again. The tattoo that brought destruction to his safe haven. The tattoo. The curse. It’s gone. Just like that.
“I’m free…”, the teen mutters. He can’t believe it.
Though, glancing up, he sees his mother make silly faces in the mirror. She pushes and pulls her cheeks while sticking out her tongue. Her son chuckles.
“What are you doing?”, Casey smiles.
“What? I’m modeling. This is my modeling face.”, Cass smirks.
The two head out of the room with Elia leading them to the front. As Cass pays for the service (as well as setting up an appointment to get a phoenix tattoo in the future), the teen shows the clean slate to his family. The others cheer for him, wrapping him in a bunch of hugs. And with that, the group exits the shop. The teen waves goodbye and thank you to the two shopkeepers, hearing them mutter to each other as they leave.
“Hey, nonno,” Healing turns to Elia. “Azúcar is going to freak when xe hears who was just here.”
“Oh yeah.”, Elia laughs. “He’s gonna freak out alright.”
The group decides to explore the mystic market for a bit, grabbing some trinkets and souvenirs, before leaving the Hidden world and back into the human one. Leo unsheathes his katanas, taking a quick glance around the alley before charging up his mystic energy.
“Alright, Mikey, where to next on our trip plan?”, the slider beams at the box turtle.
“The illustrious country of Frahn-ceh .”, Mikey drawls with an accent.
“Ohohoho yeah!”, Leo chuckles. “I’ve teleported there before. (On accident).”
With a wiggle of his hips and a slash of his katanas (and adjustment from Donnie’s device), a portal opens up revealing a large, tall structure made of iron lattice looming over a city. The group eagerly hop through, ready to explore more that this world has to offer.
Landing in the middle of bustling Paris, the group gawks at the sights for a moment. Then it occurs to them that they don’t really have a plan on what to do here. So they’ve all decided to split up and explore whatever interests them. The Jones duo decide to stick with Leo and Usagi as the slider wants some coffee.
“We’re in France . They’ve got to have good coffee here, right?”, Leo smiles.
“I can spot 50 million coffee shops in front of me right now.”, Usagi mumbles.
“What is the deal with coffee anyways?”, Casey asks. “It’s all bitter and cold and gross.”
His mother scoffs. “That’s apocalypse coffee. We’re going to get you some real coffee.”
Leo finally picks a coffee shop to go into. The place smells delightful. It feels all cozy inside yet refreshing at the same time. The menu, however, is confusing. There’s a whole bunch of concoctions that the teen can’t even begin to comprehend. There is even a whole section dedicated to sugary death bombs of sugar. Some of them even sound like the same exact thing, just with different ratios. It’s all just simply confusing.
“You know what you want, Jones?”, Mama asks, eyeing the board as well.
“Uhh…you know what? Surprise me.”, Casey drawls with a shrug.
Cass orders coffee for the both of them. Leo and Usagi have already ordered their stuff, waiting at the end of the counter. By the time the group has all of their orders, they find a booth to sit at. Casey looks at the little writing on his cup saying it’s a mocha. Whatever that is. A quick sip confirms that, first of all, it’s really hot and the teen burns his tongue. Second of all, it tastes like hot chocolate yet more bitter. Not bad.
“Why is France always seen as the place of romance and fanciness?”, Casey Senior asks. “I’ve never understood the vibes.”
“Well, I guess since everyone else calls it that, everyone simultaneously believes it.”, Usagi shrugs. “I’m honestly not so sure. What do you think, Leo?”
The group looks to Leo who is just staring down at his coffee up, eyes gazing distantly. Usagi raises his voice.
“Leo!”
“Hm?”, Leo snaps his head up. “Uhh, I don’t know. I feel like other countries can be deemed as fancier places too. I guess it’s just a personal preference for everyone.”
Mama huffs a laugh. “Well, my preference of fancy is a large pile of gold to sit on.”
“Of course it is.”, Casey rolls his eyes, chuckling.
“So!”, Leo perks up. “Where to next?”
The portal opens to Mexico next, some place called Guadalajara. It’s raining quite a bit when the group crosses through the portal, everyone tucking up their hoodie disguises or pulling out umbrellas. They walk down the streets, exploring as the roads become flooded.
“You know…this is where our author’s family fled from on their way to America. He’s a third gen.”, Donnie drawls as the group walk down the streets.
“What the fuck are you talking about, Dee??”, Leo mutters.
“Hey. Language, Leo.”, Raph grumbles.
“Oh, sorry. Excuse me.”, the slider rolls his eyes. “¿¿De qué carajo estás hablando, Dee??”
“Leo!”, Raph snaps.
“Uhh…is anyone else seeing that tinaco heading down the flooded street?”, Mikey points out.
Sure enough, there’s a large black, graffiti-tagged water pump supplier cruising down the flooded street from the rainfall. It hits a bus, grazing by. Then hits another and causes the bus to get stuck.
“...Huh.”, Casey hums.
The group heads to a separate city in Mexico, Mexico City itself. They grab a bite to eat from a street vendor, elotes, before heading to a museum. The National Museum of Anthropology. It’s actually really cool. Seeing artifacts from thousands of years ago. It makes Casey feel like he’s back home in the wastelands in some way. Exploring among the rubble of an Old World. It’s beautiful.
“Another fun fact is that our author is also Aztec. He’s learning to not be afraid of his identity these days.”, Donnie comments.
“Can you stop it with the fourth wall breaks?”, Leo exasperates.
“To be fair, this is probably the last time.”, the softshell shrugs.
After the museum, they decide to head out to the plaza to try and find something to eat. Casey isn’t particularly feeling hungry but he doesn’t mind trying out some new foods. Admittedly, it’s been his favorite part about exploring the world. Trying the cuisine from each country. The group splits up again, Casey tagging along with Leo, Usagi, and Cass again to a restaurant. Shelldon decides to sneak in too to find some cooking oil for a bit of fuel. The teen tries not to laugh as the robot shrinks his form and scurries off towards the kitchen area.
The group sits down and orders some food. Leo totally tries to wow Usagi with his Spanish speaking skills. When the food arrives, Casey gets to try some enchiladas. They taste pretty good, Casey probably would’ve finished his plate if he was actually hungry. He doesn’t mind boxing his food to go—
Splat!
The teen jolts as he notices Leo drop his food all over the table. The slider winces, both from embarrassment and from hot food falling on him.
“Ah, fuck.”, he mutters under his breath.
“You good?”, Casey asks.
“Yeah, I just wasn’t really paying attention to my hands. You know how it is when your brain goes on autopilot while you eat.”, Leo shrugs as he scoops his food off his lap and back on the plate. “Eugh, I’ll just grab a snack from a vending machine or something.”
“Or you can have some of my food.”, Usagi offers, scooting his plate between the two of them. “I wouldn’t try the guacamole though, it tastes like they drowned their avocados.”
“Figured. Hueso’s is better.”, Leo laughs. “Thanks.”
After Mexico, the group re-groups as Leo makes them a portal to Japan. They land in the big bustling city of Tokyo, the family gawking at the scenery. Even Usagi.
“Aren’t you from here?”, Donnie asks.
“Well yeah, the countryside. But even Neo Edo isn’t this huge and flashy.”, the rabbit explains.
“Ooooo! We should see your home!”, Mikey suggests. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”
“It’s pretty far from here though. We could take the train but it’ll take a while.”
“Not without my portals!”, Leo smirks, already swinging out his katana.
He tries to make a portal but the light immediately dissipates. Everyone laughs.
“Do you need a PAD , Nardo?”, Donnie teases.
“What?! Come on, why isn’t this working?!”, Leo whines.
“You just made a portal to the other side of the world, bro.”, April snickers. “I think we should play it safe and take the train.”
And so Usagi guides the group through the elaborate and very confusing train transportation system. Once they’ve hopped on and found somewhere to sit or stand, it all comes down to waiting.
The train ride takes a while, Casey scrolling through his phone of unanswered messages from his friends’ group chat. Leo drifts off to sleep at some point, leaning against Usagi’s shoulder. The rabbit smiles warmly at this before he notices Leo starting to drool, and shoves him to lean the other way on Raph’s shoulder. Casey and Shelldon laugh.
They finally make it to their stop, everyone getting off as Usagi guides the group to yet another shifty alleyway with elaborate yokai graffiti. With a wave of his hand, Yuichi opens the portal to another Hidden World city.
“Welcome to Neo Edo!”, the rabbit greets. “My actual home in the country is still pretty far but it’s been moved out of and stuff so there’s no point to go check it out.”
“This place looks amazing!”, Sunita beams.
Shelldon jumps out into his full holographic form and begins eyeing all of the robots. “Look at all of these guys! This is so cool!”
Usagi takes the group to all of his favorite spots in Neo Edo. His favorite restaurants, the arcade, the Ki Stone temple, and much more. It is all very exciting. As the group explores one place to the next, Casey notices how Leo is lagging behind.
“Hurry up, Leo!”, Casey beckons with a wave of his hand.
“I’m just enjoying the scenery! Can’t a guy appreciate a nice view?”, the slider retaliates.
“There’s much more to look at, come on!”, Usagi insists, hurrying over to grab Leo’s hand before dragging the both of them to the front of the group.
Neo Edo is a great Hidden city to explore. But Casey can say that about practically every place he has explored today. It’s been so much fun and he hasn’t even seen everything there is that this world has to offer. Big or small, bad or good. He wants to see it all. He wants to travel across every square inch of this earth and learn from it. The sheer imagination of possibilities makes Casey really excited, he can’t stop grinning.
“You having fun, Casey?”, Leo asks.
“Yeah! It’s the best.”, the teen eagerly nods.
“Well we’ve only just started. I’m going to show you everything.”, the slider smirks.
For a moment, Casey catches a glimpse of Future Leo inside the Present one. The slider whose mood brightens from Casey’s smile, and would do anything to keep it that way. The teen finds it endearing. The mist flusters.
They continue their exploration of Neo Edo before the group decides to go to another country on their world-hopping tour. As the team gathers around, April bounces on her toes and raises her hand.
“Oh-oh! How about we go to Liberia next? My dad’s family is from there.”, April suggests.
“Ooooo, yes! That sounds fun.”, Sunita nods.
“Well if all of us are in favor of going then…Hachi Machi!”, Leo grins.
He unsheathes his katanas and swishes them deliberately through the air. Though, Casey notices the way the blue-clad turtle trembles as his ninpo flows through his body. By the time the portal opens, Donnie hooks up his device to clarify the accuracy. But then suddenly, Leo collapses to the ground with a thud .
“Leo!”, everyone shouts in sync.
Casey hurries over to the slider as everyone else huddles around. Leo is curled up on the ground, shaking like a leaf as his teeth are chattering. The turtle is sweating bullets while his eyes remain closed. Raph leans in, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“Leo! Are you—”
“It’s mystic overuse.”, Mikey says quickly. “He’s been portalling us across the globe all day and pushing himself beyond his limits.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”, Donnie mutters to which Mikey averts his gaze.
The slider stirs, groaning as he hazily blinks his eyes open. When he looks up, he is loomed over with faces of worry, concern, and more importantly angry and annoyed. Leo winces.
“...Eugh, boy…”, he mumbles.
“Leo…”, Raph drawls. “Care to explain why you got yourself in this mess?”
“Uhh…yes...eventually?”
“Nardo, you went against my warning and pushed yourself to make a bunch of far distance portals back to back without giving yourself enough cooldown time.”, Donnie exasperates.
“Would you believe me if I said I forgot?”, Leo provides a shaky grin.
His twin sighs. “Yes, I would.”
“Look, it’s just…Casey looked so happy today and…I-I don’t know. I just wanted to keep him smiling.”, Leo explains. He looks up at the teen. “You’ve just…you’ve been through a lot lately. You’ve been through a lot in general. I just wanted to give you a fun day.”
“Leo…”, Casey sighs. But he smiles sympathetically. “I really do appreciate you putting this together for me. All of you. But you don’t have to stretch yourself thin or bend over backwards. I’m having a blast just by being with all of you. I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I were to travel the world, I wouldn’t want to do it alone.”
“B-But I promised to show you all of it!”, the slider retaliates.
“It’s a big world, Leo. I doubt I’ll get to see it all in one day.”, Casey chuckles.
“Yeah, little bro.”, April smiles. “We really appreciate you even bringing us to just one place, let alone 4. You don’t need to exhaust yourself for us.”
“I second that.”, Mikey beams. “But if you ever do anything like this again, I’m busting out the doctor glasses and notepad.”, he threatens sweetly.
Leo laughs nervously in response. Then he shudders, coughing. The snapper sighs as he gently scoops up his little brother into his arms.
“Alright enough Hamato martyr crap, let’s getcha home.”, the oldest declares.
Donnie readjusts the portal device to change their destination for home. The group walks through to find themselves in the entrance to the lair. Raph leads the walk as they head for the TV room. The turtle brothers all sit down on the couch together, April and Cass heading to grab blankets while Sunita and Usagi head into the kitchen. Casey brings Shelldon’s holographic disc to a charging station in the room.
Leo is still shaking a lot. To which Mikey sighs, placing a hand on his shoulder and the other hand out to the others. “Give me your hands.”, he says. The other two do, to which Mikey activates his ninpo, the others following, as the box turtle guides them to recharge Leo’s mystic energy. Soon, the shaking stops. Yet Leo is still exhausted.
“Bleugh, I just feel like I lost 5 hours of sleep. Or 2 cups of coffee.”, Donnie mutters.
“Sorry, I tried not to take too much out of you. Just enough.”, Mikey smiles, shrugging.
“It’s alright. It’s been a long day in general. Raph’s ready for a good long nap.”, the snapper grins, lolling his head back and closing his eyes.
April and Cass return with a mountain of blankets while Sunita and Usagi return with trays of teacups, a tea kettle, and snacks. The group distributes the blankets amongst themselves, Raph making sure that Leo is extra cozy as the slider can barely keep his sleepy eyes open. April pops a movie into the projector as the family all drink some tea and unwind together after a long, yet fun adventure.
Even small moments like these are most enjoyable, Casey ponders. Out of all the places Casey has been to…
Home is by far his favorite.
Notes:
Idk what to put here if there are no disclaimers...
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Anyways! This chapter is kinda my "fuck you" to that one storyboard ending in the movie where Casey would leave to travel the world. >=) AND. CASEY'S. TATTOO. IS. FUCKING. GOOOONNNEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! (I still absolutely nourish Casey's fernweh. I see him traveling the world with some company as like a hobby.)NOW FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. ...Oh boy. Okay, um. Two words: Homicidal tendencies. I-yeah, yeah yes, we are going over that now...
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SHOUTOUT TO OUR BETAREADERS, ELI AND HEALING! Hope you guys enjoyed your personas cameos. I fucking love you guys so much, everyone comment about how great they are. They did more than just read over my fic, they helped developed some of the ideas and we became very close friends throughout this series. I seriously don't know where I would be without them. <3333
(Srsly the conversation that invented this chapter was like: Eli: Can't you just remove the tattoo? Me: Not in the US. Eli: Then take him to Italy and have my persona do it, bitch. Healing: *some psychological analysis about how being free of the tattoo would provide Casey with a blank slate for the future*)Shoutout to my beta readers, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 43: The Itch For A Fight
Summary:
“Casey, I really don’t want to beat around the bush on this.”, the therapist presses. “So I need you to tell me. Are…have you been feeling any sort of destructive tendencies? Towards yourself or others or otherwise?”
Notes:
Let the 4 part finale begin!!! I call it the 4-part finale because the final chapters take place back to back (minus the final one which jumps to the summer but still).
This first part helps set the mood for the next ones. Have fun!
Disclaimers in the end notes!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
With spring break over, Casey is thrusted back into the wonderful hell that is school. It’s only been a couple weeks and the teen still hates to be back. There’s only one thing that makes this place enjoyable.
“Hey, CJ!”, Baqat waves her arm wildly from down the hallway.
All of Casey’s friends catch up to him in the hall during their break where Casey is switching out stuff in his locker. He smiles, waving to his friends as they approach. Baqat bounces up to him first.
“Do you want to come over to my place after school today?”, she asks. “We usually do this movie night thing every now and then and now that you’re a part of the group…”
“You kidding? That sounds like fun.”, the teen grins.
“Everyone brings over a snack to share.”, Javi adds. “I’m bringing pretzels this time. The chocolate covered ones.”
“I just have a closet full of microwave popcorn.”, Miwa mumbles.
Before Casey can voice his idea, he suddenly feels someone grab his hair before slamming him against the door of his locker. Then he hears the all too familiar cackling. Logan and his bitch squad. The teen rubs his forehead, standing up and turning to face the group.
“Better watch where you’re going, freak.”, Logan taunts.
Irma snarls. “And you need to watch your attitude!”
“Can it, Langenstein.”, Logan spats. “This is just between the two of us.”
“What could you possibly want this time?”, Casey mutters.
“You know…I’ve been pretty curious as to why you wear those gloves all the time.”, Logan drawls. “I shrugged it off in the winter but it’s like the middle of spring now.”
Logan steps forward to grab Casey’s arm to which the teen deliberately shoves him back, causing Logan to stumble into his friends.
“None of your business, dickwad.”, Junior hisses.
And there it is again, the short fuse. Logan lunges towards him, his hands grabbing Casey’s shoulders as he pushes the teen back against the lockers. Casey grabs his shoulders, pushing Logan back tenfold before they’re both sent to the ground. With the hallway already bustling with students, many stop to gaze at the spectacle, creating a circle around the two.
The buzzing of cheers hiss in Casey’s eardrums. The world feels like it is breaking apart. The only thing in front of him is the enemy. The teen gets the upper hand at first, swinging punches onto Logan. But soon Logan kicks Casey’s gut with his knee, causing the teen to fall back as Logan tackles onto him.
He grabs Casey’s hair, slamming Casey’s head into the floor and making Junior accidentally bite his tongue on the impact. Bite. Casey gets an idea. He shouts, pushing himself up as he lunges for Logan’s free arm and biting down hard on his wrist. His jaw locks as the jockey screams. Logan tries to punch his way free but Casey just delivers a stern kick to the groin as the teen lets go.
A teacher runs over, grabbing Casey by his hoodie and yanking him off Logan. Logan doesn’t make movements as he writhes on the ground in pain, holding his hands between his legs. The teacher drags Casey away, the teen only able to get a glance at his friends before he goes around the corner. Irma has her phone out, Miwa looks impressed, Javi insults Logan, and Baqat stares at Casey with a fearful look.
“Care to explain to me what happened this time?”, Principal Balfour asks.
Seated in the principal’s office, Casey stares down at the ground dejectedly. This isn’t his first time being in here. It’s actually his third. Of course, he’s had many more fights with Logan than visits with the principal.
Principal Balfour’s figure looms over the desk. He is a tall, pale, middle-aged man with a perfectly smooth bald head yet an ever so long bushy gray beard. His pale blue button up undershirt is literally fighting for its life against the man’s build as his gray plaid tie chokes his neck. The principal glares at Casey with an intense expression.
“Mr. Jones, this is the third time I’ve seen you in my office for fighting.”, Principal Balfour gripes. “Now, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve actually been playing nice the first two times given you are a new student and all. But it’s the spring term, finals are next month, and you should be well aware about our school’s policy by now! It’s practically common sense. Don’t pick fights.”
“Logan started it!”, Casey snaps, staring back at the principal. “He’s always the one to be starting it! You think I’m asking to get in trouble? No! I’m just trying to survive.”
“If you have a problem with one of your peers, you can always take it up to Ms. Janet for advice.”
“All she ever tells me to do is just ignore them! That doesn’t solve anything! This whole system that this school has is stupid and rigged!”
“Because students like you are trying to break out of the system. In here, we have order.”, Principal Balfour presses. “Now, this time I will be calling your parents—”
“Guardians.”
“—and be grateful that I’m not marking this on your record. If I ever hear about you getting into a fight again, it’s after-school detention for you.”
“What about Logan? Aren’t you going to punish him for the way he’s been treating everyone like shit—”
“Watch your tongue. And don’t concern yourself with him. We’re talking about you right now.” The principal sighs, turning to his computer and typing away at something. “Now should we call Mr. or Mrs. O’Neil?”
The teen lets out an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes. “...Probably Kirby, I guess. Carol is usually too busy at the hospital.”
“Right.”
The principal dials up Kirby’s number on the phone. Eventually, the barber picks up. Casey can’t tell if it’s more embarrassing that Kirby is getting a call from Casey’s principal in the middle of the barbershop.
“Hello, is this Mr. O’Neil?”, Principal Balfour asks into the phone.
“Yeah, that’s me.” , Kirby answers. Casey can just barely hear his voice.
“Yes, this is Principal Balfour. I have Casey Jones Junior with me in my office right now. He got into a fight with one of our students and I am calling to let you know.”
“He WHAT?” , Kirby exclaims. “Hold on, you said he’s there with you right now?”
“Mhm.”, the principal hums.
“Can you put him on the phone with me?”
“Yes, of course.” Principal Balfour hands the phone to Casey.
The teen swallows dryly. Oh boy, here we go… “...Hello?”
“Casey? Is this true? Did ya actually get into a fight with someone?” , Kirby gripes.
“...Yeah…”, Junior replies solemnly.
“And lemme guess…Logan?”
“Yeah…”
“Did you win?”
Casey pauses for a moment, not quite sure if he heard what he heard. He stammers, “U-Uhm…I mean, yeah?”
The next thing he knows, Casey hears Kirby cheering from the other line. “WOOOOOOOO! THAT’S MY BOY! AHAHAHA!”
“...Wait…what?”
“YES! I am totally gonna take ya out to get ice cream afterschool. Woo!” Kirby chuckles. Then he clears his throat. “Now, don’t let the principal catch ya smiling, alright? Look sad, look sad!”
Casey tries his best not to laugh, biting his inner lip as he forces a frown. The teen makes a lip quiver, throwing in a sniffle. “...Okay…”, he says as solemnly as he can.
“There ya go. Now hand the phone back to the principal.”
Casey does so, making sure to keep his frown on. The principal takes the phone.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Balfour, sir, I am so sorry that my ward has been causing such trouble at your school! Rest assured that me and my wife are going to give him a stern talking to when he gets home and he will be thoroughly punished for this outrageous behavior!” , Kirby plays it off.
“Yes, well, thank you for your time, Mr. O’Neil. You have a good day now.”
“Good day to you too, sir.”
The principal hangs up, setting the phone down while glancing at the teen with some twisted smirk. “Well, I think that’s punishment enough, don’t you agree? You’re free to go. Don’t let me see you in my office again.”
Casey nods, quickly getting up and grabbing his bag to leave. But as soon as the door closes behind him, he drops the act, allowing the corner of his lips to crack in a smile. He heads down the hall past Logan sitting on a bench with bandages around his wrist and an ice pack on his lap. Logan snarls at him.
“Go to hell, you fucking freakshow.”, he mutters.
Casey simply lurches forward and gnashes his teeth at the jockey, causing Logan to flinch back. Casey can’t help but cackle as he continues walking down the hallway. No matter what punishment he gets, the victory from a good fight is well worth it.
“Now remember to not let Carol know I took you out to get ice cream.”, Kirby insists.
Kirby takes Casey to a nearby ice cream parlor where they each got a cone and sat outside on a bench. Kirby got mint chip while Casey got chocolate. Casey replies with a nod as he licks his ice cream cone.
“Thanks, Kirby.”, he says.
“Of course. That Logan kid is such an ass.”, the barber scoffs. “If you think he is bad, you should’ve met his parents at the PTA meeting.” Kirby shudders at the memory. “Though, I hope this won’t be a recurrence.”
Casey shrugs. “I mean, isn’t it already?”
“Look, I get it.”, Kirby sighs. “Or at least I try to. You’ve been through a lot. Growing up in a world where violence is the only effective answer. And I get that the staff at the school don’t really do much to stop this kid from hurting you. It’s really getting on my nerves. Carol’s too. I’m pretty sure she’s breaking the world record for a parent, or guardian, waltzing into the principal’s office. April’s time there wasn’t that much different.”
“Really?”, Casey asks.
Kirby nods. “She didn’t have many friends growing up besides uhh…what’s that purple girl…Kendra? But even they grew apart during high-school. At least she had the Hamatos but at school, she was alone. I tried to get her into clubs and sports, ya know, be with kids her age. Princess has always given everything her all. That’s what makes April so special, ya know? Always putting in 110%. She surpasses with flying colors and always loves to give her stuff a little extra flair. Too bad her teachers didn’t like her flair.” Kirby chuckles. “It’s always something new at least once a week. I’ve gotten called in so many times and have seen April covered in glitter, slime, smoke, mud, paint, or a mixture of everything. And then I’d get told off by the principal to control her imagination. As if I’d ever make her repress that wonderful energy of hers.”
April really is something special. And it’s endearing to see the proudness glimmer in her father’s eyes when he talks about her. But then Kirby shakes off his gaze, turning to the teen.
“Still though, I am worried about your troubles at school.”, he says.
“Sorry…”, Casey mumbles. “I’ll try to stay out of it. If I can help it.”
“Could you promise to confide in me a little more? Or anyone really. I’m sure your friends are lovely people and there’s the Hamatos too and all and…w-well you don’t really need me that much—”
“I’ll always need you, Kirby.”, the teen smiles. “I can’t imagine how I’d get here without you.”
Kirby huffs a laugh. “Well, uh, you could take the subway.”, he jokes.
The two share a laugh, Kirby wrapping his arm around his ward. Just then the barber’s phone starts buzzing. Kirby pulls back from the side hug to check his phone as he continues to enjoy his ice cream. Casey sees Mr. O’Neil’s eyes practically pop out of his skull.
“I forgot you had therapy today. We’re supposed to be there in 10 minutes.”, Kirby mutters quickly. “Here, come on, let’s go. You can finish your cone in the car.”
“Is that…ice cream on your chin?”, Dr. Honeycutt asks, scratching his chin in reflection.
“Oh, uh, is there a smudge on me?”, Casey glances down at himself as he takes a seat in the therapist’s office.
“Yeah, it’s kinda stuck to your stubble.”, the therapist nods. He grabs a tissue from the tissue box, handing it to the teen. Casey takes it, rubbing away at the ice cream smudge. “Was there like a special occasion or something as to why you got ice cream?”
“Uhh…yeah? I…won a fight. At school.”, Casey stammers, his head ducking into his shoulders gingerly.
“You…won a fight?”, Dr. Honeycutt asks slowly.
“Yeah…”
“And…Kirby took you to get ice cream to celebrate?”
“Y-Yeah…”
“Hm.”, the therapist hums. “Go figure.”
Casey manages to get the smudge off, lightly tossing the tissue into a nearby waste bin. Then Dr. Honeycutt picks up his clipboard. The cue that means that the session has started.
“Why did you get into a fight in the first place?”
“Uh…well…you remember Logan, right?”, Casey rubs the back of his neck. He feels slight comfort in knowing the fact that the tattoo is now gone.
“Yes, that bully from school. He’s still causing you and your friends trouble?”
The teen scoffs. “When has he ever not?”
“Did you bite him again this time?”, Dr. Honeycutt drawls with an unamused look. He’s gotten used to Casey’s fighting style by this point.
“...Yeah.”, Junior shrugs. “And…kicked him in the nuts.”
The therapist takes a long sigh. “Casey, this is the umpteenth fight that you’ve had since starting school. And while most of it is with Logan, other bullies get in the way too.”
“Well they kinda earned it, you know.”
“Casey…” But Dr. Honeycutt stops himself. He ponders for a long moment, glancing down at the clipboard. “...since our time working together, you have shown a lot of improvement in some areas. You seem more open to people, more sociable. Maybe you haven’t recognized the differences yet but I do. However, there’s just this…thing I see going on with you. This antsy and restless behavior. Sometimes when I see you, it’s like you’re ready to punch something. And…well, I’m wondering if you’ve noticed anything about that. Perhaps there’s something there that explains why all these fights keep breaking out in the first place?”
“It’s nothing.”, Casey answers with no hesitation. But of course it isn’t. He has noticed it too. But it’s all rational. Who wouldn’t want to punch some assholes in the face?
“Casey, I really don’t want to beat around the bush on this.”, the therapist presses. “So I need you to tell me. Are…have you been feeling any sort of destructive tendencies? Towards yourself or others or otherwise?”
Casey’s eyes glance up at the doctor. “...What?”, he mutters.
Dr. Honeycutt sighs. “I’ve been getting emails from your guardian, Carol, from time to time. You know how she worries and cares for you. From what I understand, you’ve been behaving more aggressively as of late. Not necessarily angry, though if you are, I want to understand. Just…aggression.”
The teen’s brows furrow. I’m not aggressive, am I? A little ticked at Logan from time to time but no, not aggressive.
“Behaviors like this don’t just appear out of the blue.”, the therapist explains. “I mean, it’s not like you spontaneously woke up one day and decided to pick a fight with Logan, right?”
Junior shrugs. “I mean…I guess.”
“Right.” Dr. Honeycutt chews his lip for a moment, drumming his fingers against the clipboard when he sees this conversation isn’t going anywhere. “Well, how about we pick up where we left off last week then, hm?”
“...What was last week?”, the teen asks hesitantly.
The therapist flips through the clipboard. “Let’s see here…we were just going over a few events from your life over time. Leaving off at…you said you got kidnapped before, right?”
Oh fuck, not this. Casey would rather ram his head into the wall than have to sit here and talk about that. “...Yeah. I did.”, he answers anyway.
“What happened there, then? This was a few years ago, right? Back when you were 13?”
“Yeah.”, the teen nods. “Uhm…well, you know how my Tío was the leader of the Resistance. Well…an enemy group came after him and…I was there too. So…w-we both…uhm…yeah.”
“And then what?”
The images flash into Casey’s mind. The warehouse, being tied in a chair, watching Sensei get tortured, getting tortured himself, the blood, the mass amounts of blood — “I don’t know.”, the teen mumbles. “I was unconscious.”
“And when you woke up?”, Dr. Honeycutt presses.
“....................I don’t know…”
“You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?”
The teen’s eyes flicked up at the therapist. Casey would much rather be anywhere else but here. He feels stuck. Like being tied down to a chair. He wants to escape it. Dr. Honeycutt gives him a sympathetic smile.
“Casey, a part of this process is to talk about things that you are uncomfortable talking about. I can’t simply read your mind. And even if I could, it wouldn’t help. You need to be able to talk it out. You have to get it out there.” The doctor leans in, resting his elbows on his needs. “I need you to tell me.”
“Nothing happened, okay?”, Casey gripes. “It was all a blur, I can hardly remember it.”
“Talking about it is the first step to healing, we’ve been over this.”
“Well I don’t need to be healed!”, the teen snaps, standing up. “It’s over now. It’s in the past. And that’s where it’s going to stay.”
“And that’s good that you’re recognizing what happened doesn’t exist anymore, but I can tell it’s still something that’s bothering you.”, Dr. Honeycutt pleads. “This is something you’re still afraid of.”
“I’m not afraid! I’m just…I don’t need this.”
Casey turns on his heel towards the door. For the only thought screaming in his mind is Get out, get out, get out ! He needs to run, he needs to escape, he needs fight, he needs to kill —
“Casey, wait!”, Dr. Honeycutt exclaims. “Just hear me out.”
The teen pauses. He doesn’t move, doesn’t turn around or drop his hand. He just simply waits. Peering his eyes to the side.
“I understand that running is a natural reaction for you when you’re faced with a stressful situation. But you can’t keep running away like this. You’re going to need to face these things eventually.”, the doctor explained. “Just…come sit back down and we’ll talk things out. Bit by bit. Does that sound alright with you?”
Casey knows his answer right away. “...I’ll see you next week.”
And with that, Casey leaves, slamming the door behind him as he hurries down the hall.
“Oh! Hey, Casey! Hey, Shelldon! Yer back early.”, Raph smiles. “Didn’chu have therapy today?”
Casey decided to stop by the lair when he and Kirby returned home, grabbing his side pouch and sneaking out through the window and traversed down into the sewers. The teen then lets Shelldon’s holographic disc out of his pouch to allow Shelldon to join him as they headed to the lair.
Casey shrugs as he plops beside Raph on the couch.
“It got canceled, I guess.”, he lies nonchalantly.
Raph chuckles. “Don’t tell Mikey then, he might try to go all Dr. Feelings on you.”
“Dr. Feelings heard everything.”, the box turtle chimes in from the entrance to the TV room, in his glasses and sweater and everything. “And more.”, he presses, crossing his arms.
“What are you on about?”, the teen rolls his eyes.
“Oh, April sent Nardo the video.”, Donnie mumbles from his spot on the beanbag chair.
“What video?”, Shelldon asks.
“Yeah, what video?”, Raph asks as well, unsure as to what his younger brothers were up to.
“Allow me.”, Leo appears behind Mikey, waving his phone in the air. April is behind him as well.
Leo, Mikey, and April head over to the others and sit down among the beanbag chairs and floor. Leo sits down on the armrest beside Casey and leans in to show a video that is posted on social media. Casey feels his heart sink when he sees it.
The footage displays a student recording the fight that Casey and Logan had earlier today. The student then reveals themselves, holding out their phone like a selfie and pointing at the teen. It’s Irma. Of course, it’s Irma.
“THAT’S MY FUCKING BESTIEEEEE!!!!” , Irma shouted in the video.
Well…shit.
“Wait WHAT?!”, Raph exclaims. “Casey, did you get into another fight?!”
“It’s not a big deal!”, Casey rolls his eyes.
“Not a big…Casey!”, Shelldon stammers, his holographic gears whirring.
“You bit Logan. He was bleeding .”, April presses.
“And kicked him in the crown jewels.”, Donnie points out. “I know you didn’t learn that from any of your martial art uncles. The apocalypse forced you to fight dirty.”
“So what if I did? He deserved it.”, the teen crosses his arms and legs, shrugging.
“Casey, this is serious. Someone could’ve gotten badly hurt.”, Leo insists.
“Isn’t it our entire life mission to beat up the bad guys?”
“Stop them, not maim them.”, Raph gruffs. “Not unless they’re big bad like Shredder or Kraang. A kid bullying you is nothing in comparison to that.”
“It looked like you were out for blood.”, Mikey points out. “...I…I’ve never seen you act like that before.”
“...I have.”, April cuts through the conversation.
All eyes turn to her. Confused looks, even from Casey. What does she mean?
“At the beach.”, she continues, looking up at the room. “When those guys tried mugging me.”
“At the beach?”, Leo asks. He looks between his human sister and brother. “What happened at the beach?”
The teen stammers. “W-What? Nothing! We just…fought them off. Scared them away. That’s it.”
“That’s it?”, Donnie sneers.
“That’s. It.”
The others turn back to their sister. Casey’s pleading eyes land on April. Don’t you dare tell them. Please don’t tell them. I don’t want them to know that I’m —
“Casey tried to kill someone.”, April says bluntly.
“WHAT?!”, the turtles and robot exclaim.
“Okay, but I didn’t!”, Casey stands up from the couch, backing away from the others.
“But you were going to! I had to stop you!”, April snaps. Then her gaze softens, brows upturning. “...I was scared .”
This is what Casey’s afraid of hearing. Hearing that others are afraid of him. In the apocalypse, to be feared would be glorious. But here…it’s different. Just as everything is different in this timeline. He thought he could just forget the past and live a new life after some adjusting. He thought wrong.
“Well…don’t be. Everything’s fine now.”, Casey mutters.
“Is it?”, Mikey gets up, walking towards the teen. “Because, Casey, if there’s something wrong—”
“Nothing is wrong!"
“We need you to tell us. Talk to us.”
Casey scoffs a laugh. “Now you’re actually sounding like my therapist. That’s why I had to run off earlier.”
“What?!”, Raph shouts.
“You just left your therapist in the middle of the session?”, Leo adds.
“See? This is what I mean.”, Mikey redirects their focus. “Casey, you’re hiding something from us. And I know you’re scared but you need to tell us what’s bothering you.”
“Nothing is bothering me! Just you guys! So back off!”, Casey snaps, turning on his heel to face away from them.
“Casey.”, Mikey insists. Casey can hear his footsteps inch closer. “Talk to me.”
“I…”, the teen starts. He glances over his shoulder at his friend Shelldon. The two share a knowing look.
Shelldon nods his head in insisting. “You need to tell them what happened back there at the warehouse.”
“The warehouse?”, Leo asks. “The one where you were kidnapped to?”
Casey snaps his head back to stop himself from crying. But his throat tightens against his control. “...I don't want you to think of me like that…”
“Like what?”, Mikey asks.
“Yeah, like what?”, Leo joins.
“Like what, Casey?”, April pries.
Soon, everyone else is joining in. Reaching out to him. Hushing, murmuring, pleading, staring .
Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what—
“LIKE A MURDERER ! A MAN THAT MURDERED PEOPLE!”, Casey screeches.
The voices stop. But Casey’s doesn’t. He feels everything flood out of him along with his tears.
“Sure, I’m not like Sensei who committed several slaughters but that doesn’t change the fact that there was still blood on my hands! B-But I didn’t have a choice!”, the teen shouts. “They kidnapped us! Tortured Tío, tortured me, took my fucking arm, chopped off my hair!”
He heaves, clenching his fists as his arms snap to the side.
“So I stopped them! I had to stop them!” An ironic chuckle breaks through his tears. “You should’ve been there, honestly. I chopped off a guy’s dick before slitting his throat. Then I twisted out the other guy’s intestines. And I bashed the third guy’s head in over and over and over again even when he had already stopped moving.”
Casey’s shoulders tighten as he feels his lungs betray him, sucking in sharp breaths.
“...I had to do it. I had to. There was no other choice. This was how things worked in the apocalypse. It was inevitable. ”, his voice croaks. “I just wanted them to stop. I had to make it stop. I needed everything to just stop .”
The teen curls inwards on himself, trying not to fall in the process but his head was dizzying. He tries to breathe but his lungs aren’t cooperating. He sobs, holding his arms. Junior then feels Mikey’s hand softly press against his back, fighting the urge to shiver from it.
“Casey…”, Mikey hushes.
“...I didn’t mean to.”, Casey’s voice now feels impossibly small. Childish . “I didn’t want to…I just…”
The teen’s knees buckle underneath him as he drops to the floor. The box turtle is quick to crouch beside him, soothingly rubbing his hand up and down Casey’s back. Junior’s lip quivers.
“...I just want to go home…”
“That’s okay. We can take you back to the apartment.”, Mikey soothes.
“No. Not there. That’s not my home. I want to go home .”
It is then Casey feels something he hasn’t felt in ages. Homesick. Severely and desperately homesick . He yearns for the cold desert and the cloudy red skies with no sun. He wishes for the dusty dimly lit caverns that burrow deep underground to hide from warfare. He pleads for the taste of lukewarm mushy rat soup. He begs for the tattered worn clothes that swallow him up because “he’ll grow into them eventually”. He wants to go home .
Mikey doesn’t know what else to say. He just simply shifts his position to hug Casey properly. The others gradually join in on the hug too. Casey sobs even harder with his family surrounding him with love.
“...I’m so sorry…”, the teen cries. “I don’t want you to think of me differently…I just didn’t want you to worry.”
“There’s no need to be sorry.”, Mikey assures. “And we don’t think of you differently. You’re still our brother. Hurt and lost, sure. But still loved.”
“Yeah, hermano.”, Leo smiles. “We’re sticking together whether you like it or not.”
“Space-time continuum. Timeline correction. All that junk.”, Donnie points out. “We’re meant to be family in practically every universe. As cheesy as that sounds.”
April chuckles. “It may be cheesy. But it’s the truth.”
“Yer one of the Mad Dogz, CJ.”, Raph assures.
“There’s nothing you can do to scare me away, dude.”, Shelldon drones his gears.
If Casey isn’t already crying hard, now he’s sobbing. His vocal chords scream against his will as he cries out into the sewers. Tears soak his cheeks and make his black and green hair stick to them. He heaves through his mouth as his nose becomes congested with snot that he heavily sniffles to avoid dripping all over his family. He’s a mess. A sorry, pathetic mess. His whole life has been nothing but a mess. But it is his mess. All he wants is a little bit of control over it all. Is that too much to ask for?
As the energy drains out of him, Casey slumps his weight into his family’s embrace. His throat is sore, his eyes are red and brimming, his nose is all stuffy, his muscles ache. Mikey squeezes him a bit tighter.
“How are you feeling, Casey?”, he asks softly.
“...tired.”, the teen mumbles.
“Well, Raph thinks this calls for a turtle pile.”, the snapper soothes.
The oldest brother wastes no time scooping up his whole family and plopping them on the couch. Leo and April get up to gather the beanbags around for extra room. Donnie swings by the kitchen to put on some tea. Shelldon finds a movie to watch. Raph gets comfy on the couch to allow his siblings to pile on top. And Mikey keeps his hold tight on Casey, to which the teen sinks into. With everyone settled, he stares blankly ahead at the projection screen, feeling himself doze off.
“We love you, Casey.”, Mikey whispers. “Don’t you ever forget that.”
“I love you too.”, Casey murmurs as his eyes begin to droop.
Today has been exhausting but at least it’s over. Yet something continues to swirl deep within Casey’s core. Something he felt growing stronger by the day, getting more difficult to ignore. It’s shifting. From an itch to an urge…
Nothing a little sleep can fix, right?
Notes:
Disclaimers: Bullying, homicidal tendencies, PTSD, mental breakdown
.
Don't forget that Casey literally stopped taking his meds w/o telling anyone and is also gaining control over his powers-- (but also I fucking love Kirby so much oh my gods I love him I love that man I want him to bed me-- /hj)As for the next chapter...uhm...imagine Casey is Elsa from Frozen during the song "Let It Go" (i'm serious, just watch thru it and look at the lyrics closely)-- But okay okay like actually, Casey is going to commit federal crimes
.
Shoutout to my besties, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 44: The Urge To Kill
Summary:
A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash—
“
DON’T!!!
”, Casey shouts, his voice becoming strained. “LISTEN TO ME! DON’T DO IT!”
But the spirits do not answer. He feels an overwhelming presence flood into his mind. A warrior’s spirit, hissing static, rumbling drums, cackling fire, and shushing mist. They swirl in a frenzy inside of Casey’s core. Pleading to erupt.
Then he feels a presence stronger than the rest. It is no longer the itch for a fight. Instead…
It is
the urge to
kill
.
Notes:
No one is born with a warrior's spirit, cackling fire, or what have you. No. It is your soul. Your soul develops and changes over time as you grow.
So what happens when your soul's very own entity changes form? From a secondary background character...to your very own person?
Disclaimers in the end notes.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Casey wakes up late the next morning. A bit too late.
“Ah shit, I have school!”, he shouts as he springs up from the already empty turtle pile.
“Hey, language! And don’ worry, ya have plenty of time.”, Raph points out. “Leo can teleport you there.”
“Yep! No need to panic over early morning traffic of NYC! Or…any of the traffic for that matter.”, Leo drawls. “So you just sit back, relax, and eat the breakfast that Mikey’s making. We’re here for you now, Case. Don’t you forget it.”
The teen sighs with relief and smiles. “Thanks, guys.”
“Whooooo’s hungry for pancakes?”, Shelldon chimes in as he enters the room. “I would help carry them but I’m incorporeal so uhh everyone to the kitchen!”
The three walk over to the kitchen where the others are waiting. Mikey serves out hot pancakes to everyone which Casey enjoys. The teen still isn’t feeling super hungry. But not from being used to it this time, he has been trying. Yesterday has just taken a huge toll on him. He hopes today will go by easily.
After breakfast, Leo portals Casey’s school stuff to him and then portals the teen to school. Casey sends a quick text to his guardians about his whereabouts before heading inside.
The dismissal bell rings, dismissing the first class period of the day. Which is English for Casey and his friend Irma. The teen and his friend gather their things and head up to the door to leave before Junior is stopped by the teacher.
“Casey, can I speak to you for just a minute?”, Mrs. Hudabega asks.
The teen tries not to wince and steps over to her desk. He knows English isn’t his strong suit. So he can only imagine what Mrs. Hudabega wants to talk to him about.
“How are you, Casey? Everything good at home?”, the teacher asks with a smile.
“...Yeah?”, the teen drawls.
“Good. Now, I noticed you’ve been falling behind on assignments.” Oh boy, here we go . “But, I don’t blame you. I’ve already been informed by Ms. Janet, the school counselor, that you may need some assistance on this subject. And you’re taking tutoring right now for this, correct?”
“Yeah.” Casey doesn’t have an actual tutor, but it’s not a total lie. Donnie is very much sufficient enough.
“Perfect. I just wanted to make sure that you’re getting the help you need. However, your grades are still slipping and I really want to make sure you pass this class without having to stress about summer school. So I’m giving you an extra credit assignment. It’s simple really. I want you to write a singular page prompt about your family tree. Just who your parents are and what siblings you have. Simple.”
“Uh, can it be about found family?”, the teen asks.
“Whatever or whoever is family to you!”, Mrs. Hudabega smiles. “I know it’s annoying that I’m trying to help you by just giving you more work to do, but that’s just how our curriculum works. I can’t just give bonus points out with no good reason or the administration will not be happy about it.”
“No, I get it.”, Casey nods. “I’ll get it done.”
“Awesome! Feel free to take your time on it. As long as it gets done before the grading period ends so that I can send home a nice report card.”, the teacher assures. “Now, hurry along to your next class. I don’t want to keep you waiting for too long.”
“Alright, see you.”
Casey hurries out of the classroom and out into the hall to rush to his next class, Chemistry, before the bell. Which is on the other side of the school so he needs to run . Unfortunately, in the rush to get to class, Casey bumps into someone.
And you’ll never guess who it is.
Logan .
“Move, dickhead!”, Casey shouts as he tries to maneuver out of the way.
But of course, Logan grabs him by his backpack and pulls him back. “Well, hey, Dorito-head! Why are you in such a hurry?”, he smirks mischievously.
“Logan, I swear on your mother, I will kick you in the groin again.”, the teen hisses.
“Now, now. I think we got off the wrong foot.”, Logan scoffs.
“If you don’t fuck off, I’ll be showing you the right foot up your ass.”
Casey shoves his way past the jockey before Logan grabs his wrist. The teen yanks his arm away and pushes him back.
“I said fuck off, Logan!”, Casey shouts.
“What? Too afraid to reveal the slits on your wrists?”, Logan taunts.
Casey stares at him with a confused and frustrated look. “...Ex- fucking -cuse me?!”
“Oh, come on. It’s pretty obvious.”, Logan rolls his eyes. His friends behind him laugh.
The shouting is starting to draw attention. And thanks to the fight from yesterday, Casey is sure that everyone is on edge about another quarrel. So when a crowd gradually starts forming, the teen begins to seethe even more. He spots his friends in the distance too. …The last thing he wants is for them to be afraid of him.
“But you were going to! I had to stop you!”, April snaps. Then her gaze softens, brows upturning. “...I was scared .”
He doesn’t want this. Though, he doesn’t mind pummeling Logan with his fists again.
“You wear long sleeves everyday and cover up your hands with those gloves. Plus the whole black and green hair emo look is not helping you out.”, Logan explains. “You’re just some sorry sack of shit who has been living under a rock his whole life. It’s clear that no one has ever shown you love. You just pick a fight to prove that you’re more than some pathetic child in need of charity.”
Casey squints his eyes in suspicion. “...That sounds more like projecting than insulting.”
“Well at least I’m doing better than you!”, Logan boasts, jabbing a finger against Casey’s chest. “You fucked up orphan and son of a whore!”
In an instant, Casey pushes Logan back as hard as he can as the crowd grows louder, whooping and cheering.
“YOU WILL NOT DISRESPECT MY MOTHER OR MY FAMILY LIKE THAT!”, the teen yells. “You can insult me all you want, but just so you know, your fight is with me ! No one else!”
Logan laughs. “Ha! If you’re so brave then why don’t you show us your wrists? Come on, prove it!”
“I don’t have to prove anything to you! I’m pretty sure that yesterday is already proof enough!”
“Come on, show us!”, Logan taunts. He lurches forward, grabbing Casey’s arms as his friends quickly tackle the teen to hold him in place. “Show us your wrists! Show us your wrists!”
“What?! No! Let me go!”, the teen snaps, trying to squirm his way out without peeling off the gloves in the process.
Soon, the whole crowd starts chanting, “Show us your wrists! Show us your wrists!” What is wrong with all these kids in this fucked up school?! Junior continues shouting as he tries to break free. He shoves down all the panic and tears beginning to burst through. His eyes dart wildly around for escape, for someone, anyone to help him. He sees his friends trying to push their way through the crowd but they keep getting pushed back. Teachers begin marching out of their classrooms to quiet everyone down but it is no use over the roaring chants.
Fuck the gloves. If Casey can just get his hands free and then quickly shove them in his pockets, he can hurry out of there without anyone noticing. He yanks away with all his might while Logan yanks back harder. He feels an unnerving tug seep its way up his right arm. It’s starting to hurt. Then suddenly…he hears a click.
Clank!
Casey’s prosthetic snaps off and falls out of his sleeve, crashing against the marble ground and making a loud clash that silences the hallway. Fear pools in Casey’s stomach, chills washing over his entire being as if being stabbed with billions of needles. His eyes glance down at the arm before snapping back up at everyone else.
The shrilling of screams ring throughout the school, loud enough to be heard for miles. Chaos breaks out as kids begin freaking out and/or running. Logan cackles a maniacal laugh.
“EWW!!!”, he shouts, kicking the prosthetic away like a dead rodent.
Casey lunges for the arm, running over to scoop it up before darting down the hall to the nearest restroom. He slams the door behind him, locking it before heading into the accessible stall and collapsing against the ground.
His breaths are coming in too short and too fast. His eyes dizzy, wide-eyed with panic and instinctual fear. His stomach churns, twisting and nauseating. His mind is screaming, as if in a contest against the screaming from outside. There’s knocking at the door but Casey does not answer. It is a moment too late that Casey realizes the blood trickling down his residual.
A glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash—
“ DON’T!!! ”, Casey shouts, his voice becoming strained. “LISTEN TO ME! DON’T DO IT!”
But the spirits do not answer. He feels an overwhelming presence flood into his mind. A warrior’s spirit, hissing static, rumbling drums, cackling fire, and shushing mist. They swirl in a frenzy inside of Casey’s core. Pleading to erupt.
Then he feels a presence stronger than the rest. It is no longer the itch for a fight. Instead…
It is the urge to kill .
“STOP IT! PLEASE , DON’T DO THIS! I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!”
Before Casey knows it, a scream rips out of his throat as he becomes blinded in bright emerald green agony. As if he’s being peeled from the inside out. He tastes warm red metal from his nose onto his lips. A sonic wave of energy bursts out of him as the ground begins to quake. Wind breaks down the windows, shaking the building as it uproots debris. The electricity spark and flicker from the lights and alarms begin to blare. The walls and floors crack and crumble, falling apart. Fire ignites all around and licks its flame against the teen’s heels. Pipes erupt, flooding water everywhere.
The elements spread out like wildfire. Who knows what damage is being done to the school but it doesn’t matter. Casey’s body feels like it’s being shattered into pieces and slowly resewn with barbed wire dipped in hot sauce. His scream reaches volumes that ring out for the entire universe to hear.
Soon, the pain dies down. All that Casey is left with is sheer exhaustion. As if every cell in his body is slowly draining all its energy. Copper runs down the back of his throat. His mind is scattered and frantic of thought. But one thing is for certain, he needs to leave. He can’t let the ghosts destroy the whole place. He has to run.
It takes all of his energy to stand, struggling against the tremors of the earth. The flickering lights are not helping in showing a clear exit. But he stands anyway, grabbing his prosthetic and trudging along. Each step feeling heavier than the last. A single glance in the mirror shows something interesting.
His arm is bleeding immensely, his nose is bleeding profusely. His clothes are getting covered in it. But his eyes . His eyes are coated in an emerald glow, and his hair is beaming bright green. All of it. Every black strand has been taken over with empyrean green.
Casey keeps moving. Clutching his prosthetic against his chest as his left hand holds onto his bleeding right residual. He leans his shoulder against the wall for balance as he slugs down the hall towards the stairs. He ignores the panicking people. In turn, they ignore him, only fearful for their own lives.
He reaches the fire exit stairs, careening down as he slides his weight against the rails. The teen is leaving a trail of blood behind him from his nose and arm. He has to focus all of his energy into his footing as his head is more dizzy and disoriented than ever. One wrong misstep and Casey would be tumbling down.
He finally makes it to the ground floor, nudging past the doors and beginning his walk across the grassy patch of land outside the building. He glances over his shoulder to see if the spirits are following. But it’s like they don’t even know he’s there. Casey doesn’t know if they are there either.
A flash of blue catches his attention, four figures spawning on the other side of the field. All in various shades of green with color-coded masks and glowing mystic weapons at the ready. His brothers. They’re here. They can help.
The smallest relaxation from relief causes Casey to trip over himself and collapse against the dirt before he could even catch himself. He tries to push himself up but it’s like gravity has increased tenfold with the clutches of the underworld pulling him in as if to drag him beneath the surface. He hears his brothers calling to him but his ears are stuffed with cotton. Then suddenly, there are hands grabbing his shoulders and hoisting him up.
“CASEY! Casey, talk to me! What’s going on?!”, Leo shouts.
Talking feels like running a marathon right now. But Casey uses up all the energy he has left to speak.
“...i…couldn’t…control…them…”, he slurs.
“The whole place is going down!”, Donnie reports. “We should focus on making sure everyone gets out!”
“Without them knowing about us?! Are you crazy?!”, Raph snarks.
“Well, do you have a better plan?”
“Casey!”, Leo grabs the teens attention again. “You need to get the others to stop this!”
“...can’t…”, Junior murmurs. “...they’re…not…listening…”
“Guys, we should move!”, Mikey calls out. “Let’s just clear the paths and let the civilians lead themselves out!”
“And if they can’t move?”, Donnie asks.
“Hey, I’m trying!”
While the brothers bicker back and forth, Casey’s ears begin ringing. Colors shift and wobble in front of him like a melting painting. His eyes begin to droop as his body sags into Leo’s grasp. He feels himself being shaken to stay awake. But Casey’s energy is depleting.
Casey is going dormant.
Darkness floods into his retinas. It’s not even black, just… darkness . Void of light.
He can’t see, can’t physically feel, smell, or taste.
But he can hear .
“Casey? Casey! Casey, wake up!”
“Casey?! Omigosh, this is bad! This is really really really bad!”
“CJ! Can ya hear me?!”
“Nardo, what’s the plan?”
“I’m not getting a pulse, Dee. We have to move him now!”
No pulse? But he’s here, he’s…
He looks down, if that is all possible, and sees himself coated in a translucent green sheen. Not solid. His feet are also not planted onto anything. He’s just…floating.
He’s a ghost .
“Okay…this is freaky…”, Casey mutters. Even his own voice doesn’t echo off anything and it feels weird. He speaks up. “Hey guys! I’m over here! Can you hear me?!”
“What about the school?”, Raph asks. “Someone needs t’ do somethin’!”
“I’ve already sent out my drones to hold up the load bearing walls to prevent the place from caving in.”, Donnie explains.
“Yeah, we’ve done enough. Let’s just get out of here and get Casey to the med-bay. Hurry! We don’t have much time!”, Leo shouts.
Just then, an explosion rumbles from behind. Casey snaps around to see more colorful blobs of light. Blood red, purple, bright red, orange, and blue. His family. He has to get them to stop.
Casey turns to the others’ voices for a moment. “Leo, if you can hear me, just hang on! I’ll be right back!”
Then Casey runs…or… flies over to the others. And that’s when he sees that something is really off.
The ghosts are all floating in a large circle, each one of them barricading themselves in their elemental powers. As if trapped in a bubble of their own delusions. This is definitely not good. No wonder why the ghosts didn’t answer him before. But Casey has to hurry, there will be a time for questions later once everyone is safe.
The teen rushes over to the snapper first since he’s the closest. But the red-clad turtle has surrounded himself in stone-like mystic walls. Casey tries to see if he could just phase through them which is an obvious no. He punches the wall and barely gets a dent out of it. But then Junior realizes that he doesn’t feel pain in this form. Which means he can just pummel through with little consequences. And so he does, though it is tough. As Casey does so, he can hear Raph’s voice breaking through.
“I’m the strongest. I’m meant to be their shield, their boulder. My entire design was to protect them. And I failed them.”, the rumbling drums murmurs.
“Uncle Ael!”, Casey calls out. “It’s me, Casey! You gotta snap out of it! Please, I need you!”
It takes a while before the teen manages to squeeze his way through the rubble. He reaches his one left arm out and barely manages to grab onto the turtle’s shoulder. The second his hand grazes the snapper, Raph awakes.
The barricade falls, crumbling down into nothingness. Casey sighs in relief, wrapping his arms tightly around Raph. The snapper startles, snapping his head down at the teen.
“Wha—Casey?! How did—Where—”, Uncle Ael stammers. He grabs Casey’s shoulders to get eye to eye with his nephew. “ What are you doing here?!”
“Well, clearly this isn’t the mindscape!”, Casey gripes. “What are you doing here?! You guys are destroying the whole school!”
“We’re what?!”
“Oh? You weren’t aware? ‘Cause I can hear the screams of the damned below us in…wherever we are!”
“Woah, woah, woah! Watch the accusations, bud. Raph don’t know what happened! One minute, we all felt your fears. The next, Raph was being plunged into my own fears. I think it was some kind of…mystic ghost trance.”, his uncle tries to explain. “Oh no…the others! They must be under their own trances too!”
“Then let’s snap them out of it before the whole place burns down!”, Casey exclaims, turning to find the others.
“Casey, wait!”, Raph stops him, grabbing his shoulder. “... How did you get here?”
The teen looks away. “...It doesn’t matter.”, he mumbles.
“It doesn’t—...listen, if it ain’t obvious already, we’re not in the mindscape or the afterlife. You’re a ghost just like the rest of us, floatin’ blindlessly ‘bout in the real world!”, Raph stresses. “ Where is yer body ?”
“Uhh…somewhere…that direction?”, Casey drawls, unsure, pointing into the nothingness of where he came from.
The snapper pinches his snout, sighing heavily. “Okay…one problem at a time.”
“Why is this a problem?”
“Because without your body, ya have nowhere to return to!”, Uncle Ael shouts. “Do you want to be a ghost fo’ever?”
“Technically I’m not dead. At least…I don’t think so? If I was, wouldn’t I be in the afterlife by now?”
“...Huh…fair point.”, Raph ponders. Then he quickly shakes out of his train of thought. “Whatever, save the others now, answers later.”
“Got it!”
The two quickly fly over to the next, Leo. He has wrapped himself in a barricade of mist. Raph and Casey nod at each other before diving in. The mist is thick, coated in intelligible whispers. Through the thickness, Casey ends up losing sight of Raph. The teen doesn’t even know he’s floating in a straight line until— Splash! Now he’s in a barricade of water. Floating is beginning to feel like swimming . There’s voices swirling around, muffled. It sounds like people shouting. Enraged and lost, pleading for answers, demanding justice. Casey can practically hear their fists pump up into the air. There, in the middle of it all, a glowing glacier of ice. Encapsulated inside is the red-eared slider. His gaze is distant and Casey can hear his voice peel through the ice.
“I’m a fraud. Everyone, the entire world was looking at me to be their leader. To guide them to victory. And I’ve led them to their deaths. My people, my followers, my own family should never have put their trust in me. Why did anyone think I was good enough for this?”, the shushing mist murmurs.
“Tío! Come on, talk to me! Snap out of it!”, Casey pleads.
He bangs his fists against the ice, chipping away at it bit by bit. Breaking apart the ice until the mystic blue water starts pooling in. It isn’t long until Casey reaches in, grabbing Leo by his mask tails and yanks him closer to tap on the shoulder. The mist dissipates, the water evaporates, and the ice melts.
“What the—Case?! How did—”, Leo exclaims but Casey cuts him off.
“No time to explain! Gotta help the others! Raph, fill him in!”, Casey shouts before flying off.
He heads for Mikey next. Engulfed in flames that raise the heat way way up. It doesn’t burn but it feels like it should. Golden magma melts from the box turtle’s exterior. All the while, his voice dances among the flames.
“I’m not a threat. I’m not a threat, I’m not a threat. I just couldn’t take it anymore. I’ve always been the pacifist, the mediator. I’ve never wanted to hurt anyone. I’ve never wanted to kill anyone.”, the cackling fire murmurs.
“Uncle Angelo! Wake up!”, Casey cries out.
He weaves through the flames before he manages to grab hold of the mystic warrior’s hand. Soon the fire extinguishes into plumes of smoke. Mikey jolts when he sees the teen.
“Casey! Oh thank the spirits you’re okay! …You are okay, right? Why…How are you here ?—”, the box turtle stammers.
“It’s a lot to explain. Let the others catch you up, I gotta run.”, Casey clarifies before hurrying off.
The teen dives for the next entranced ghost, Donnie. Barricaded in a nest of electric sparks. The flickering and flashing make it hard for the teen to see. And when the bolts touch him, they sting . But unlike the frantic dancing flames, layering ocean, or instinctual walls, the lightning is methodical. Creating a pattern in the way it defends the softshell. Casey just needs to pay close attention and follow the pattern accordingly. He can hear the softshell turtle muttering to himself.
“I’m a failure. A useless creation unable to uphold its creator’s intentions. No matter what I try to fix, I end up breaking things even more. I ruin everything I touch. Why do I even bother trying?”, the hissing static murmurs.
“Uncle Tello! Snap out of it! I need you!”, Casey pleads.
After a while of traversing through the maze, he reaches the turtle, giving him a good slap to the face for the hell of it.
“Gah! What the—...Huh? Oh…did we…oh no…”, Donnie mutters. “Oh, no no no no no!”
“Yeah, I know. Take a minute, okay?”, Casey assures before hurrying off.
He flies towards the last, his mother, Cassandra. Surrounded in a frenzy of swirling dark red wind and dust. But as Casey flies in, the wind scoops him up and sends him spiraling around in the tornado, unable to hold on. He calls out for his mom.
“Mama! Can you hear me?!”
The wind echoes that word. Mama. Several voices swarm the warrior. Several children. Girls. Little girls. All calling out.
“Mama!”
“Mama!”
“Mama!”
Casey calls out too, “Mama!”, but his voice blends in with the crowd.
Then the tornado thrusts him out, Casey having to navigate his floating abilities to stop himself from spinning. Then he dives back in, trying to push further before getting picked up and sent spiraling again. He tries to hold on, he tries . His mother is now sobbing.
“...Girls? Where did you go? Come back to me…”, the warrior’s spirit murmurs.
“Mama! It’s me! It’s your son, Casey Junior! Come back to me, Mama!”, Casey calls out.
“Where are you?! Where are my babies?! Give me back my children!”, Mama does not hear him.
The wind spits him out again. The others catch up to him.
“What’s going on?”, Leo asks.
“I-I can’t get through to her!”, Casey strains. “Mama!”, he calls out again.
Without giving much thought, he dives back in again out of desperation. He reaches his arms out as far as they can go but his fingertips are barely able to graze her. The swirling voices start screaming. Blood curdling screams. Crying, shouting, pleading, begging. The sounds that would traumatize any mother.
“Girls?! Brownie Clan, regroup! Come back to me!”, Mama’s voice pitches. “Don’t leave me!”
“They’re gone, Mama! It’s just me! Please look at me! I’m here! I’ve been here this whole time!”, Casey pleads. “Look at me! Notice me!”
But Mama does not answer.
The wind tosses the teen aside. Tears begin pricking his eyes as his mind clouds up ideas. He just wants his mom . He wants his mom back. That’s all he ever wanted!
“Casey, maybe we should try—”, Mikey tries to suggest.
“ MAMA!!! ”, Casey Jr shrills.
His body ignites in a green hue, a burst of energy beams out of him. It silences the screaming children. Leaving a cloud around his mother. He feels himself fading, sees how the light is starting to die . He has to hurry. Casey rushes over to his mom, diving in for a hug as he holds her for dear life.
“Mama!”, Casey calls out.
“...casey baby…?”, Mama calls back.
Casey feels her hands slowly drift up his back, holding him tightly. She chokes. Then hics. Then sobs. She gently grabs her son’s hair, her hands tangling in it, and pressing her lips against his forehead.
“...oh casey baby…oh my baby…my baby…”, she cries.
The teen holds on tighter as his tears pour over. Cassandra cradles her son, kissing him several times on the forehead, his cheek, his ear, his hair. And just holds him close. Holds him as if he’ll leave if she lets go. But Casey does not intend on leaving. Even as he feels his soul fading.
The others slowly approach them. Cass peers over her son’s shoulder at them.
“...what… happened ?”, she asks softly.
“Well, it appears we have reached the final stage of Casey’s powers.”, Donnie sighs, crossing his arms.
“Final stage? What do you mean?”, Leo asks.
“Yeah…so… tiiiny detail I forgot to mention; Every medium has their peak. When they reach this peak, neither the individual or spirit are in control. Kind of like an autopilot mystic fight or flight mode.”, the scientist explains. “Where the individual dissects their own soul from their body, creating an unstoppable force of nature. No one could stop it. Not the ghosts, not the mediums, and certainly not the GNMR scientists. In the end, that’s why they had to consider euthanization.”
“But…Casey stopped this all by himself!”, Mikey points out.
“Yes, that’s what puzzles me. Perhaps the scientists acted too quickly to kill the other mediums and therefore those individuals didn’t have enough time or perhaps Casey is able to figure things out more because he is more mystically inclined or perhaps it has something to do with him having 5 ghosts linked to him…there’s not enough data on this. Only approximately 20 or so mediums existed. All treated and tested the same exact way. Except Casey. Perhaps that’s why we got different results.”
“Well, however it happened, it’s over.”, Raph assures. “But this is far too dangerous now. We can’t keep this up and Casey can’t keep continuously fixin’ our mistakes.”
“You might be right, dear brother. Unfortunately, we’ll have to discuss this later. It looks like Casey is running out of time.”, the softshell gestures towards the teen’s fading body.
“...What happens if I fade completely?”, Casey drawls, glancing down at himself.
“You’ll cease to exist entirely.”, Donnie spats.
“WHAT?!”, the others shout in sync.
Casey sighs. “You seriously need to get better at explaining these things.”
“Don’t blame me, blame the author.”
“Okay, we need to hurry then!”, the leader takes charge. “Case, can you remember where your body is?”
“Yeah, uh…it’s…uhm…”, the teen glances around. The wind sure threw him for a loop. “...oh no…”
“Here.”, Sensei floats forward, placing a hand on Junior’s shoulder.
In a flash of blue, a landscape folds out before them. A landscape of all the water in the area. The ocean, the Hudson river, the sewers, water cups, water fountains, the mist in the clouds. That ’s how the ghosts are able to navigate around.
Raph joins in, placing a hand on the teen’s other shoulder. Red flashes of stone take shape. The roads, sidewalks, buildings, rocks, tunnels. Mikey grabs on too, orange forming fire. Campfires, smoke, lighters, engines, candles, oil lamps. Donnie places his hand down, purple light guiding the way. Lights, technology, wires, cables, street ads, car headlights, batteries, static shocks. Then Mama, blood red soaking in. Wind currents, breath, fans, vents, the air in the clouds.
A map of NYC materializes. It’s not perfect or succinct, like thin sketchy outlines of colors against the darkness, but it works.
The building they float upon, the school, is engulfed in their elements. Destroyed.
“Any guess, the other guys have my body. If they’re not here then…”, Casey drawls.
“They must be heading for the med-bay.”, Leo supplies. “Trying to see what happened to you.”
“If riding by tank, they’ll have a clearer path in the subway tunnels.”, his twin adds. “Let’s move it.”
The group hurries down beneath the earth until they see the faint lines of subway tracks. There’s people chatting, carts clacking. No, this can’t be it.
“This place is still operational.”, Cass points out. “We need to find the abandoned tunnels.”
“How are we supposed to do that if Raph can’t read any signs?”, the snapper asks.
“Casey, can you sense anything? Any elements at all?”, Mikey asks.
“How should I know?”, the teen snarks. “I never came into any elements like you guys besides…”
Empyrean.
Could that actually work? There’s only one way to tell for sure. Casey clasps his left hand onto his shoulder with the others, focusing intensely. Then suddenly, a glint of green glosses over the terrain. Bodies, several of them, roam deep in the Hidden City or disguised among the humans of New York. Close enough. It should work.
“Look for a green light in the tunnels!”, Casey exclaims.
The team searches frantically before Donnie points to something in the distance. “There!”
There, a body lying flat while moving across the tunnel. That has to be Casey’s. The ghosts hurry closer, trying to keep up with the speed of the moving light. Purple sketchy lines indicate technological panels and circuitry of the tank. Then Casey hears the familiar voices.
“What’s the time at?” , the other Leo calls out.
“Th-three minutes and 37 seconds…” , the other Mikey quivers.
“We still have time. Come on, Casey! 1…2..3..”
They’re trying to start his heart.
“Raph, drive faster!” , the other Donnie demands.
“Raph’s goin’ as fast as I can!” , the other Raph snaps.
“Alright, Case, it’s time to go.”, Sensei urges. “We’ll talk soon, okay? We’ll get everything figured out, don’t worry.”
The group share a big hug for the briefest of moments. Then the teen pulls back, hurrying after his body.
“Give the youngins a hug from your uncles and mom!”, Uncle Ael calls out, waving his arm.
Casey waves back before flying towards the tank and diving in.
Pain is the first sense to come back, sending Casey screaming as he jolts up. The second time being resuscitated is just as bad as the first time. He feels a deep aching sensation in his chest as he clutches his shirt, trying to breathe while his lungs are burning in agony. There’s hands grabbing on to him, frantic and pleading but the teen swats them away with his residual. Yet the hands keep coming back until they got him constrained and hold him back down against the stretcher he seems to be on.
“Breathe, Case, breathe !”, Leo soothes. “We got you, just hang on, okay?”
“Take it easy, Casey. You’re okay.”, Mikey assures.
“Well. His brain was without oxygen for the first minute and it caused his body to seize.”, Donnie mutters. “But yeah, you’ll be fine, Junior.
Casey breathes, though it hurts. He blearily blinks his eyes open, seeing the worried looks being sent his way. It takes a moment for smell to come back to him but when it does, Raph’s fear stink is potent.
Leo is ever so gracious to lend a ventilating mask to the teen so that Casey doesn’t have to focus on the aching pain in his chest anymore. He lets his family help him, giving in to the exhaustion pulling him down.
“Stay awake for a bit longer, Case.”, Leo advises.
But no one tells Casey what to do.
“...needs—...have to give him—”
.
.
.
“Draxum can…——we’ll need…”
.
.
.
“...asey! What happened..——”
“Carol——...don’t—”
“He——...hospital!”
“Can’t treat——....mystic stuff—”
.
.
.
“Prince…——up…wake up…”
.
.
.
“Open your eyes…”
.
.
.
“Casey baby—”
.
.
.
Casey’s brain feels like soup. All his thoughts liquifying and pooling out his ears. When he manages to barely pries his eyes open, he sees the bright fluorescent lighting of the med-bay. Peering down, Mikey is sitting beside his legs, arms folded and hunched over as the box turtle sleeps away, drool careening down the corner of his mouth.
He hears the soft beep of a heart monitor, listens to the hissing of his own breath as it is pulled and pushed out of him like the tides of the ocean. Another glance down shows bandages wrapping around his residual. His left arm being hooked up to an IV, except the IV bag is a glowing mystic green. His leather jacket, necklace, and shoes are gone. Just the sweatpants, socks, and green t-shirt he has on. It seems like someone also helped take off his binder for comfort. It was probably April’s suggestion since his sister is always nagging him to take breaks.
And his throat is unbelievably dry. Casey smacks his crusty lips before the hoarseness causes him to start coughing. Ugh…not fun. The coughing startles Mikey awake though, the youngest springing up and looking at Casey with big ol’ eyes.
“Casey! You’re awake! Omigosh, thank the spirits! Are you okay?! How are you feeling?!”, his brother babbles.
“...w-water…”, Casey manages to voice.
“Oh…yeah, haha…you definitely look like you need it.”, Mikey slows down his frantic speech. “You were out for 3 days…”
Casey sputters and coughs in surprise. “3 days?!”
“Technically 2 and a half. That mystic exhaustion took a lot out of you, didn’t it?”, Mikey sighs. “Drax had you hooked up to this empyrean infusion IV to get your mystic energy levels back up. Sheepman must reallyyyyy care about you.”
Casey scoffs. “...I-It was probably you and your puppy eyes that persuaded him…” He swallows dryly which only makes things worse. “...water?...”
“Oh, right!”, Mikey scrambles to a stand. “I’ll be right back!”
The box turtle hurries out of the room, leaving the teen to ponder for a moment. Man…he does not feel good. He wonders if the ghosts are feeling okay too after all that happened. He tries to call for them but he barely has the energy to move. He just hopes they’re alright.
Now…the fully green hair though. Casey peers his eyes to see the strands of hair in his peripherals. They definitely do seem to be intact, no hair loss for Casey apparently. Guess he just has permanent green hair forever. Not that he minds the color. It’s his favorite after all.
Mikey returns with a cup of water and a swarm of worried family members in tow. Leo gets to him first, immediately checking his vitals. Carol also hurries over to check the teen as well. The family pile into the already small med-bay.
“Baby, how are you feeling? Any pain anywhere?”, Carol fusses.
“...J-just need some water…”, Casey croaks.
“How’s your senses? Everything coming back clearly?”, Leo asks.
“ Water …”, the teen insists.
“Boy, you better move and let me give the poor kid some hydration!”, Mikey snaps, elbowing Leo aside.
Mikey helps take off the ventilator mask and props up the teen to sit up and drink. Leo and Carol are quick to help, adjusting the bed’s recline up. Casey stretches his neck to sip the water and oh my days this is the greatest relief ever . The teen lets the beautiful cool liquid sit in his dry mouth for a moment before swallowing it down.
“So!”, Donnie claps his hands. “Now that Junior is finally awake, you have some more explaining to do, mister!”
“Don, give him a moment.”, Raph mutters.
“Yeah, my dude was literally in a coma not 2 seconds ago.”, Shelldon drawls.
“Oh? So am I the only one who is just the slightest bit curious about WHAT IN THE EVER LOVING CURIE HAPPENED?!”
“The ghosts were stuck in a trance.”, Casey mutters, his voice now clearing up. “Something about a peak.”
“A peak?”, Mikey quizzes.
“An ultimatum of my powers. One where neither the ghosts nor I were in any control over it.”
“How did you stop it?”, Leo asks.
“Well, back when my heart stopped, I technically wasn’t dead.”, Casey winces as he tries his best to explain. “My soul just…left my body and then I was a ghost. But apparently I didn’t count as dead.”
“Oh my muffins, it literally is an IMBI/Danny Phantom crossover—”, Donnie mumbles.
“Can you stop?”, his twin snaps.
“From there,” Casey continues, “I was able to reach the others and snap them out of the trance. It was hard. They all had a unique mystic barricade around them that I had to break through. Then we ran around to find my body and yeah.”
“It seems like these powers are causing more harm than good.”, Draxum drawls in as he approaches the room, startling everyone. When the fuck did he get here? “At first, we thought that some training and control would help you manage this energy. But it’s only made them even stronger and more unpredictable.”
“So what?”, Leo shrugs. “We just stop Casey’s training and let everything spiral out of control?”
“No.”, the baron spat. “In fact, the answer is quite simple. Though, it is easier said than done. Especially in Casey Junior’s situation.”
“What is it?”, Casey asks.
Baron Draxum shifts, staring the teen right in the eyes.
“It’s time to say goodbye.”
Notes:
Disclaimers: PTSD, bullying, self-harm insults, ableism, homicidal tendencies, blood and gore, temporary death(???), dissassociation, grief
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It's time to say goodbye. (Fr tho, this chapter was the moment I've been waiting for. Ultimate powers, baby!! New hair style too just like the animes)As for the next chapter, I have a question for you. Will you join the march?
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Shoutout to my besties, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 45: The March
Summary:
The green eyed mask. Belonging to his mother, built by Uncle Tello, out of the parts of Uncle Ael’s robot, designed by Uncle Angelo, painted with the stripes of Tío, and worn by Casey Jones Junior.
The green eyed mask didn’t just represent Casey. It represented everyone, the shadows, the ghosts of his family that looked over his shoulders. The eyes that had seen everything, the lenses to this whole story. The story of the Resistance. Of this World. The rise and the fall. All perceived through its lenses. When it is his time, the mask will be set down on the shrine. But for now, Casey put it back on his head and placed his hand on the dusty top shelf.
Chapter Text
The family gives Casey some time to rest up first. He was out for 3 days after all. But the baron’s words loom over the teen throughout the day. What does he mean when it's time to say goodbye? That sounded really ominous .
He can’t rest properly like this. Not with something big about to happen looming over him. But he tries anyway, he doesn’t want to make his family worry anymore.
When Draxum returns the next morning, the family all gather around in the living room to discuss things out. It was a long and confusing back and forth conversation that lasted for about 3 hours. But in the end, things began to piece together.
To put in summary, Casey was only able to return to his body because he had a body to return to. The ghosts do not. They’re stuck with Casey and are unable to pass on properly into the afterlife anymore without being unbound to the teen’s own soul. Draxum was stating that in order to help Casey’s powers, they would have to figure out a way to unbind the ghosts.
That’s what he meant when it’s time to say goodbye. Casey would have to let go of his family, let them pass on, let him move on. The teen doesn’t know if he can do that. And besides, they can’t unbind the ghosts without their bodies.
Luckily, Draxum has an idea.
“Wait…he’s gonna WHAT?!”, Casey snaps.
Draxum scoffs. “What? It’s perfectly reasonable. Michelangelo has gotten enough practice—”
“Need I remind you, THIS KILLED MY MICHELANGELO ?! This is bullshit!”
“Hey, watch the language.”, Raph cuts in. “But I do agree with you. I’m not letting my little brother make anymore portals!”
“I don’t think it’s that bad of an idea…”, Mikey mumbles.
“What?! There’s absolutely no way you are agreeing to this!”, Leo exclaims.
“Yeah, we have enough martyrs in this family.”, Donnie drones.
“Are you all actually insinuating I would risk such a perfect lifeform on a time gateway?!”, Draxum cuts through the arguing.
The siblings stop for a moment.
“...Yeah, isn’t that your whole thing?”, Leo murmurs.
Draxum rolls his eyes. “Yes, yes, it’s such a shocker that Michelangelo’s pacifism is rubbing off on me. Can you all just let me explain? I never implied that Michelangelo would be doing this by himself. It will take the energy charge of all of your powers combined to open a portal to Casey Junior’s timeline.”
“...Just like what we did to get Leo back…”, Donnie slowly concludes as his eyes widen with understanding. “But, are you sure this is safe?”
“Yes. With the 4 of you, myself, and Casey Junior, we should have enough mystic energy to create a portal to the alternate timeline.”, Draxum explains.
“Emphasis on should .”, Leo spat.
“Well, I say we give it a shot!”, Mikey beams, flexing his biceps.
“Are you sure about this, Mike?”, April asks.
“Are you all sure you want to go to an alternate dimension?”, Carol adds.
“I support it.”, Kirby gives a thumbs up.
“Well I’m fairly certain my kid can do it!”, Cass boasts.
Shelldon winces, “Ehh…I’m still not so sure about this.”
“Guys, look…”, Mikey huffs. “The second my fingertips start to crack, we’ll call it off. Okay?”
Casey sighs. “I’ll hold you to it.”
The team moves to the rooftops for more space. Mikey stretches and cracks his knuckles, feeling pumped about this. Casey on the other hand…is apprehensive.
Even if this works, he knows what awaits on the other side. A death wish. Bodies of the fallen, Kraang roaming around. Who knows what could’ve happened in the year he has been gone? Are the others even aware of this?
“Guys…”, Casey calls out. “Fair warning, I’m not entirely sure what awaits on the other side. The place could be fully run by Kraang.”
“It’ll be alright! All of us are here now and we can take ‘em down!”, Raph grins.
“Still…be prepared.”
“Whatever, I outta stay right here.”, Kirby throws his arms up defensively. “You know…for supervision.”
Carol chuckles. “I’m staying behind too. Though, promise me that you kids will be careful. Please .”
“We will, mom!”, April assures.
“Michelangelo, are you ready to start?”, Draxum asks.
“I was born ready, baby!”, the box turtle winks.
“Everyone, to your positions.”
Mikey stands proud before the rest, reaching his arms out in front of him. His brothers, Draxum, and Casey join him on either side, placing their hands on his shoulders. Then Casey feels it. Their ninpos.
Leo’s like an ember, blue and in the center of attention. Donnie’s like glitchy blocks that move in a pattern. Mikey’s like cackling flames, dancing to a rhythm. Raph’s like a shield enveloping them all.
And Draxum’s mystic energy is interesting as well. The baron has this tether to him. Proud and strong, eager to rise above the rest.
Then of course, Casey’s. The itch—The urge to kill. Stronger than the teen initially anticipates. He feels it flow through his body and to his younger brother.
A tear into the fabric of time rips open. The brothers gawk in awe and wince at the same as the rift cracks open further and further. Casey glances down at his arms to see the crackling glow shine through his own veins. The portal crumbles and tears and then BOOM !!!
A portal opens.
“Well done.”, Draxum praises. “Now, you guys go on ahead. I’ll keep an eye on things from this end of the portal.”
“Ha. Coward.”, Leo teases.
“Whatever, let’s go!”, Mikey cheers.
Without giving the others a chance to ready themselves, the box turtle grabs their hands and jumps through the portal.
Then everything goes white.
April 15th, 2045.
The air was deathly quiet. No gunfire, no shrilling, no screaming. Just the wind blowing and kicking up loose dry dirt. The smell of smog filled the space, a comforting and nostalgic feeling for the teen. But there was another smell in the battlefield.
The smell of rot.
They landed where Casey left. By the statue head. Ruined and rusted with time. The horizon was coated in dirt. No Hudson River, but a Hudson Valley. No lush lands, but cold and dry deserts. No NYC, but ruins of buildings that were crumbled and toppled over. No home, but it was home.
“Is…is this the right place?”, Leo murmured. The time gateway closed behind the group.
Casey didn’t answer. Instead, something caught his eye. Glinting in the low light of the cloudy red skies. Metal, bulky green with red. Casey walked towards it, seeing the old worn unfinished blue scarf and medic pouch beside the metal prosthetic arm. Yet…something else lied down beside it.
A skeleton.
The skeleton wore a blue samurai uniform, the embroidered 3 black circles in 1 white circle all too familiar. The left hand intertwined with the robot arm. The left ring finger wore a shining golden ring. The teen crouched down, ever so gently twisting the ring to read the engraving inside. He reached for the discarded pouch, digging through it until he found its pair. Two golden rings, with the inner engraving “No Take Backs” etched in them.
Casey nodded. “This is the right place.”
He set the rings back in their respective spots. That was when he noticed a piece of paper clutched in the skeleton’s other hand. It looked like it was torn out of a journal. The writing on the top read “Dear Casey,” . Casey took it, reading over the note.
Dear Casey,
I know you won’t get to read this. And I hope that you never will. I hope that you have found peace. I hope you stopped the war from cycling. I hope you have found a loving home. Someone to take you in. Maybe tell them you are just a refugee from a war-ridden country, I’m sure they’ll buy it. I hope you are fed, clothed, and bathed. I hope you have everything to your heart’s content. I hope you have found reasons to smile again.
Blood drops stained the page.
…The Kraang won. Every last living thing on this planet is dead. And you wanna know what’s funny? After the Kraang conquered the Earth, they just left. We’re nothing but a trophy to them. They didn’t want our land. They just wanted control. And once they had it, they discarded us like we were nothing. Just an empty planet.
The writing began to get shaky.
I’m the last person remaining on Earth. At least for now, that Kraang decoy sure did a number on me. I…I’m scared. I don’t want to die alone. Even if I had the company of the smallest ant, I’d be most grateful. But I guess we must all face our fears eventually.
…I don’t want to go. I’m scared. I’m so fucking scared. I can feel my family looking down at me, I can feel their judging eyes. FUCK! I hate this! I hate this I hate this! Why am I writing this???
…I know I won’t see Leo again. I have a feeling the time gateway would disrupt something and I won’t be able to get to you, danshi. At least April promised she’d wait for me. That sounds nice. And…hey! Auntie is waiting for me too! And Hana. And Gen, Chizu, Kitsune, everyone. They’re just waiting for me to wrap it up. Haha…Okay, it’s getting hard to write. My head hurts.
Goodbye, you cruel world.
The note ended there.
Casey folded the note, tucking it into his side pouch. He got up, leaving the skeleton be and shifting towards the Resistance leader’s remnants. He knelt down, grazing his hand across the scarf. He thought hard about what Draxum instructed him to do.
It was time to let them go.
A glint of green glossed over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. Then the articles of items began glowing a bright blue hue, like blue sun rays peeking through. The mist made his presence known. Shushing, hushing. Then the mist was no more. The glowing faded.
One down.
Casey stood up, dusting his knees. He picked up the blue scarf, carefully folding it before stuffing it into his side pouch, and picked up the samurai’s yo-yo as well and tucked it in the pouch. He turned around to the others who were still eyeing the terrain with mixed emotions. He sighed, frowning softly.
“The Kraang aren’t here anymore.”, he assured.
“How do you know that?”, Donnie asked.
Casey shrugged. “Read a note.”
“Cool. Regardless, this place gives me the creeps. Can we just be a little faster?”, April shuddered.
The teen nodded, turning back to the landscape. Retracing his steps from when he was last here, Master Michelangelo’s remains shouldn’t be too far. Though…his body did shatter into glitter. The wind caught Junior’s attention as he heard a piece of fabric flutter in the wind. There, stuck to a spiky metal spoke, the box turtle’s robe was waving like a proud flag.
Casey climbed up through the rubble, bones, and skulls. He reached his fingertips out until he managed to grab the cloth. He held it in his hands, focusing.
A glint of green glossed over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. The robe began glowing in a bright orange hue, like more accurate sun rays. The cackling fire cackled one last time. Then the cackling fire was no more, the glowing faded.
Two down.
Casey felt something lift inside of him. Lighter, weaker. The nostalgic feeling of only having the drums, static, and a warrior’s spirit. Simpler times. But he had to keep moving.
He folded the robe, stuffing it beside the scarf in his side pouch. Then he looked over towards the horizon and spotted something in the distance. Something in yellow. He hurried over to it, passing the skeleton of a large spider sticking out of the ground. And there it was, a human skeleton in a yellow jumpsuit beside the broken mystic bat. Casey picked up the bat pieces, sighing thoughtfully. He took out the blue scarf, wrapping the bat pieces in it and carrying the scarf like an extra bag as he hurried back to the others.
The teen turned back to the others, walking towards them as he took out a slip of paper from his pocket. He took the time to rewind the footage from his mask and write down the coordinates. The coordinates to the Red Angel.
Casey handed the paper to Leo. “Could you make us a portal there? It’s about 345 miles south of here.”, he asked.
“Uhh…s-sure? It’s gonna be tricky going that far.”, Leo drawled, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Don’t worry…”, Donnie smirked. “I brought you a PAD .”
Leo let out a very very long and heavy sigh as the others snickered. Then the slider cleared his throat, unsheathing his katanas. He slashed the swords through the air as a flash of blue ripped open a portal. Then Donnie hooked up his portal accuracy device and corrected the destination to the coordinates. Then the team walked through.
The place looked worse than Casey left it. The ruins of the Red Angel emerging from the dirt and sand of an empty ocean floor. Rust and rot decaying over time. Ruined stoneheads were neatly lined up in columns and rows amongst the crash site. The group stared in discomfort and shock while Casey simply walked forward, unphased.
There, in the corner, with the Jewish star engraved on top. “Hamato Donatello. Beloved son, brother, uncle, and captain. 2005-2041.” The stone was cracked and crumbled. Long dead flowers wilted on the dirt. Stone pebbles practically buried in the dry soil from the kicked up wind. At least the Kraang had the smallest ounce of decency to leave this graveyard alone.
Casey knelt down in front of the grave, taking a shaky breath as he pressed his fingers into the dirt. The teen never thought he would have to return here, yet here he was. The sole survivor of the crash, the sole survivor of the Resistance, of this world.
A glint of green glossed over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. From the dirt, bright purple light peered through. The hissing static fogged up Casey’s mind. Then the static was no more.
Three down.
Casey choked a sob. He felt like he was losing pieces of himself bit by bit. But he had to keep moving. He got up, wiping his tears as he returned to the others.
“Hey, Case…you need a moment?”, Raph asked softly.
The teen shook his head, the only response of his answer.
Cass smiled sympathetically. She wrapped her arm around Junior. “Then, let’s move forward, warrior.”
Leo made another portal, Donnie adjusted it. Then the team returned to the battlefield.
Casey took out his mask from his side pouch, putting it on. It was a comforting surprise that it still worked. Pointing in the direction of the Resistance base. The teen guided the group towards the cavern in the far far distance. The walk was long, but silent. Casey started to wonder why the others came with at all, but he was most grateful. He didn’t want to do this alone.
Then there it was. The Resistance. The entrance was barren at first glance, but as Casey walked closer, he spotted something. He lifted up his mask and turned to the others, putting his hands out.
“Wait!”, he exclaimed. The others halted. “Just…just wait out here.”
“What is it?”, Mikey asked.
“It’s nothing good. I don’t want you to look at it.”, the teen sighed.
“Well then there’s no way we’re letting you go in there alone!”, April snarked.
“I’ll come with.”, Shelldon spoke up. “You guys wait here.”
“Are you sure about this?”, Leo asked.
“We’ll be fine.”, Casey assured. “Let’s go, Shelldon.”
The friends walked in together while the others waited outside. What laid ahead was a horrid scene. Corpses. Several corpses. Humans and yokai, women and men and people, young and old, soldiers and survivors. While during the final battle, everyone charged out to victory, it seemed that many retreated and claimed defeat. Dry blood splattered, pooled, and dragged across the ground and walls. The whole place was broken into and ransacked.
“This way.”, Shelldon muttered.
Casey snapped out of the initial shock and followed the holographic robot down one of the hallways. It took a moment for Casey to remember the route, already predicting the turns where Shelldon was turning. They were heading for the lab.
The metal doors did not open for them, but it was no big deal. Shelldon simply shrunk his hologram into a small disc and slid himself underneath the doors. Casey transformed into his ghostly form and phased through to the other side before transforming back. Shelldon re-sized back to normal and walked up to the monitors.
Casey pulled his mask back down to see better in the darkness. The lab was completely untouched. A place preserved and frozen in time. No dirt or rust or crumbling, just still air and dust. The robot’s old body sat discarded in the corner of the room. Shelldon pointed to a generator in the corner.
“Could you check to see if that still has juice in it?”, Shelldon asked.
“Sure.”, Casey nodded.
The generators ran on batteries charged from wind power. The turbines outside looked broken so Casey could only hope there was still some charge left. Pressing the button, the generator began humming. Shelldon turned the monitors on. The screens glitched here and there but they were still partially functional. Then Shelldon maneuvered his disc into the computer’s processor.
Casey’s brows furrowed, flipping up his mask. “...Shelldon?”
The hologram disappeared. Then on the screen, Shelldon’s face appeared. Casey felt dread swell in his chest.
“Shelldon, what on earth are you doing?”
“I’m tired, Casey.”, Shelldon explained. A pop-up screen appeared, stating that an uploading process had started. “This is my home. Our home. I was built here. And here is where I will move on.”
“Move on? What are you talking about?! Get out of there!”, Casey snapped. He reached for the disc compartment to eject the device but the machine was not cooperating. “Shelldon!”
“Casey, listen. I’ve lived a very long life, outliving my creator. I’ve seen all the good and the bad that this world had to offer. I’ve been grounded and lost in static. I’ve been loved, scared, angry, upset. I had a life. I was alive.”, Shelldon ranted. “But it’s time for my story to end here.”
“But I just got you back! Are you fucking kidding me?!”, Casey pleaded.
“I’m sorry, Casey.”, the robot droned, the computer whirring lowly. “But don’t worry, I’m not returning to static. You see, Don made another network system. One that could stretch beyond our universe. It only ever made it to beta, only I was able to test it out. And what I’ve seen, it’s amazing. So I’m uploading my conscience to the network. Soon, I’ll simply become a dream. Echoing in the minds of all who knew me. Doesn’t that sound beautiful?”
Casey shook his head in denial, tears pricking his eyes. “...but…won’t I ever get to see you again?”
“Someday. In some other world. In some other time.”, the robot smiled.
The uploading process completed, the computer making a small chime. Shelldon’s eyes upturned in some sense of farewell.
“Catch you on the flipside, dude.”
Then the screen flickered out. The monitors shutdown as the generator ran out of juice. Casey caught himself on the desk before he could crumble, sobbing as he felt even more of himself being chipped away. It was all so sudden, why didn’t Shelldon tell Casey about this? Did he know the teen wouldn’t approve?
But it was Shelldon’s choice. Now he got to be with the outer worlds, even the real one. He says hi to you, waving. Could you wave back?
Casey kept moving. He walked over to the discarded robot and picked up Shelldon’s head, carrying it with him. He phased through the lab doors again and picked himself back up. He decided to explore the lair a bit, clear his head for a moment before he must finish the mission.
He explored the canteen, empty and barren. Tables upturned to make useless barricades, the kitchen ransacked for anything redeemable, spoiled food rotting away but no flies swarmed it as the flies were now extinct. Then he explored the willow tree room, no longer having a tree. Just an unrooted hole in the ground as the low sunlight no longer shone into it. Then the quiet room, quieter than ever. The candles had all melted to their lowest points, the beaded curtain ripped apart as beads spilled all over the ground. Casey’s little classroom, more pathetic than before. Two pride flags of his intersex and trans identity were ripped and worn, the teen remembered how his Uncle Angelo searched everywhere for those priceless artifacts for him. Then lastly, his old bedroom, now a lonely corner. A rummage around, he found his old clothes all worn and tattered, but surprisingly they looked just a tad too small for him to wear now.
Enough stalling , Casey told himself. He set the clothes down, leaving his old bedroom for the final time. Casey walked down the hallways, getting lost and then redirecting his footing until he found it. The memorial room.
The shrines were untouched. Dusty photos and artifacts decorated the shelves as burned out candles sat idly. And to the left was the Hamato Clan shrine. Two shells mounted on the wall, one with spikes on the left, the other made of tech on the right. The top shelf displayed a tattered blood red scarf on the left and an old robe on the right with the Hamato symbol on it. The bottom shelf layed barren.
Casey sat on his knees in front of it. He placed the head of his friend on the left of the bottom shelf. Then he unwrapped the bat pieces and placed them in the middle of the bottom shelf, piecing the parts back together as neatly as he could. Then the yo-yo on the right of the bottom shelf, re-wrapping all the twine into place. Then he folded the scarf and set it beside the blood red scarf. Then the orange robe beside the old brown robe. The top shelf displayed the 4 articles of clothing across, neatly in a row. The bottom shelf displayed the robot’s head, broken bat, and yo-yo. With two shells, one spiky and one tech, mounted above the shrine.
Then Casey remembered the mask. He took it off from his head, flipping it around to see its face as he rubbed the dirt off it with his thumbs.
The green eyed mask. Belonging to his mother, built by Uncle Tello, out of the parts of Uncle Ael’s robot, designed by Uncle Angelo, painted with the stripes of Tío, and worn by Casey Jones Junior.
The green eyed mask didn’t just represent Casey. It represented everyone, the shadows, the ghosts of his family that looked over his shoulders. The eyes that had seen everything, the lenses to this whole story. The story of the Resistance. Of this World. The rise and the fall. All perceived through its lenses. When it is his time, the mask will be set down on the shrine. But for now, Casey put it back on his head and placed his hand on the dusty top shelf.
A glint of green glossed over his vision, faint and gone in a flash. The blood red scarf and spiky shell began glowing their respective colors. The warrior’s spirit outshined once more, the rumbling drums pummeled its final roll. Then the spirits were no more.
Five down.
Casey felt…empty. Lonely. Hollow.
But more importantly…free.
His life belonged to him now.
The teen bowed down to the shrine, processing a long farewell prayer in his mind. Saying goodbye to his family, to the Resistance, to his home. Wishing them a peaceful eternity in the afterlife. And hoping that he would see them again, when it was his time of course. But that wouldn’t be happening for a very very long time, rest assured.
Suddenly, white filled his view. Bright light filled the cavern.
Casey snapped his head up, almost screaming from being startled as pale translucent silhouettes of people began walking out of the memorial room. People from the photos on the shrine. People from the Hamato Clan shrine, the ancestors. What on Earth?!
“Guys?!”, Casey shouted.
But the spirits didn’t respond. They kept moving, phasing through him. It was like they couldn’t hear him or see him. The teen scrambled to a stand, trying his best not to freak out. He followed the spirits out of the room. And his jaw dropped.
Thousands of ghosts filled the halls. They all moved in sync. Walking. Striding. Marching . The teen hurried down the hallway, seeing more spirits flooding in. Casey ran out towards the entrance, spotting the spirits of the corpses standing up and joining the march. Then Junior caught up with the others that were waiting outside.
“Casey?! What the heck is happening?!”, Leo exclaimed.
“I-I don’t know! There’s just…people.”, Casey stammered.
And that was then they saw it. The people of the Resistance, the people of Earth. Humans and yokai alike, all marching together. The world was bright again. The world was full again. Then Casey spotted some figures in the distance, climbing up the statue head. The teen began sprinting, ignoring the others shouting for him. Casey full on bolted towards the statue, the figures coming closer into view.
No longer bright and colorful, but simply pure white. His family climbed the statue head. Smiles on their faces. And it wasn’t just the 5 ghosts. Auntie April and ‘Anakē Sunita climbed up with them.
Oji Usagi climbed up with them, running up to Leo as he jumped into his embrace and hugged him tightly. A reunion long overdue. Never to be separated again. The two shared a long awaited kiss as ghostly tears flowed down their faces, holding each other closer. I meant what I wrote at their wedding. They were husbands, now and forever. No matter how far apart they were.
Casey felt something flutter inside of his soul, before he knew it, his translucent bright green shine began taking form. And he began bumping into ghosts.
“Oh, s-sorry! I didn’t mean to.”, Casey stammered an apology at the ghost he bumped into.
The ghost’s face lit up. A ghost of an adorable little raccoon yokai wearing a hoodie. “Hey! It’s you! Our beacon!”, they exclaimed. “Everyone, look! Our beacon has returned!”
Heads turned to him, eyes staring at him. Casey was then swarmed by the faces of the Resistance. The faces that once haunted his dreams, calling him a liar, a traitor, shameful for abandoning them in their time of need. Shouting at him, shoving him.
But instead…
They were cheering. Applauding. Clapping and whistling. The Resistance showered their beacon of hope with love and gratitude. It was all such a twisted shock and overwhelming. Casey couldn’t take it.
He fell to his knees, clasping his hands over his mouth as he started sobbing. The cheering only got louder. “You’re our hero, kid!” “We love you, Casey!” “We’re so proud of you!” “Thank you!” And Casey sobbed even harder.
Then someone approached him. A little girl. Her hair was bobbed and she wore a scouts uniform. Several other little girls gathered beside her, 32 of them in fact. The girl in front reached out her hand to Casey.
“Get up, brother.”, she said.
Casey sniffled, wiping his tears away with an arm which didn’t help the streaming of tears from stopping. He took her hand, standing back up. The Brownie Clan cleared a pathway for the two as they marched up to the front and made their way to the statue head. Then Casey climbed.
He was greeted at the top with the smiling faces of his family. He laughed with joy through his tears before running up to his mother and hugging her tightly. The others joined in the hug.
“Great job, Jones.”, Mama smiled. “There’s a reason why you are named after a great warrior after all. Because you transformed into something even greater.”
“...I love you guys…”, Casey croaked. “So… so much …”
The family held each other for a long long moment. Then they pulled back, the leader stepping forward towards the crowd.
“People of Earth!”, he called out. “The Kraang are gone. The Earth is now ours to take back! We! Have! WON!!! ”, he shouted, pumping his fist in the air.
The crowd cheered, pumping the fists, whooping and whistling.
“WE ARE FREE! WE ARE EARTH’S FINEST! WE ARE HUMANITY’S GREATEST! WE ARE VICTORIOUS!”
The others began cheering alongside him.
“Now, it is time for us to reclaim it. From the heavens. May we all find peace.”
And with that, people began beaming up into the sky. Streaks of white light flashing in and out, breaking apart the dark dusty red clouds. The family turned to each other.
Michelangelo smiled, gesturing his hands out in front of him as a bright ground portal sets on the ground. A gateway back to the present timeline. “There. Take care, Casey. I’ll be seeing you.”, he said softly. Then a beam of light enveloped him, and he was gone.
Leonardo wrapped his one arm around Casey in a tight hug, Casey hugging back. “Aaaugh, I’m gonna miss you, kiddo. Don’t cause any more trouble, alright?”, he grinned. Then a beam of light enveloped him, and he was gone.
April O’Neil leaned in and gave her nephew a peck on the forehead. “You’re amazing, baby. Don’t you forget that.”, she assured. Then a beam of light enveloped her, and she was gone.
Yuichi Usagi patted Casey on the shoulder. “Enjoy your life, danshi. You’ve earned it and deserve so much more.”, he smiled. Then a beam of light enveloped him, and he was gone.
Raphael ruffled the teen’s hair. “Brush yer teeth, be sure to eat, and watch that language.”, he advised with a chuckle. Then a beam of light enveloped him, and he was gone.
Donatello wrapped an arm around Junior’s shoulder, leaning in. “Be sure to tell the other me about the lottery numbers. They’re in my flashdrive, you still have it.”, he winked. Then a beam of light enveloped him, and he was gone.
Then there was Mama.
She turned to the crowd, Casey’s eyes followed. Everyone else was gone. Mama turned back to her son, resting her hands on his shoulders as she stared proudly at him. She tucked his hair behind his ear, straightening out his leather jacket, just smiling ever so lovingly. Casey smiled back though his eyes were sad.
“...See you later?”, he asked.
Mama laughed. “Old and senile.”, she smirked, holding out her pinky for a pinky promise.
Casey chuckled wetly through his tears. “Okay.”, he nodded, reciprocating the pinky promise.
Mama pulled her son in, kissing him on the forehead. Then she pulled back, holding his hands in hers.
“Goodbye, Casey baby.”, she murmurs. “I love you.”
Then a beam of light enveloped her, and she was gone.
Casey stared up at the sky, now empty and clear. The early night stars shone through, peering down at the Earth. Then something incredible happened.
A bright green light flashed across the atmosphere, dancing and beaming and intertwining. An aurora borealis. Shining bright emerald green onto the Earth. Casey felt the light peer through his translucent skin, felt his soul glowing brighter than ever before. Then his form returned to normal. He wiped his tears, climbing back down the statue.
He walked over to the others, still drying the remnants of his crying. His family smiled at him.
Leo still looked in awe at the sky. “That…that was honestly fucking amazing. And Raph, don’t you dare say it—”
“Language.”, Raph smirked. “But Raph admits…it was fucking amazing.”
The squad bursted out laughing. Raph simply rolled his eyes. He turned to the teen. “You need a minute, CJ? That looked like a lot.”
Casey sighs, a weight lifted off his chest. “I’m doing great, bud. Let’s just go home, he smiled.”
And so the family walked through the portal together, letting the light swallow them as they returned to the present.
April 15th, 2023.
Notes:
Disclaimers: Grief, rotting corpse, massacre, fourth wall (Shelldon winks at you)
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WOOO. WHAT A CHAPTER. UGH. MY FEELS. Seriously, I think this is like the biggest climatic chapter in the whole series.Next chapter? Well. It's the last one. (I can't fucking do this. I'm not ready). I will say though, my brother says and I quote, "That is the most satifying ending I have ever seen." which makes me feel good so I hope it makes you feel good too. =)
PERSONAL SHOUTOUT TO KRAZYKOON! They're a great mutual of mine that apparently added my persona as a cameo in their fic so I added them to the crowd of ghosts. =))) Check out Muted Scales by Krazykoon here on AO3! (It's like ROTTMNT x Samurai Rabbit but pirate themed and the turtles are sirens, it's super cool.)
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Shoutout to my besties, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 46: Happy Birthday
Summary:
“My baby boy is growing up so fast!”, she shouts, hugging him just a bit too tightly. “And growing taller too!”
“Y-you guys put all of this together…for me?”, Casey stutters, hesitant.
“Well, DUH! You’re one of us!”, April beams. “Now come on over here and have some cake!”
“Cake for lunch?”, Casey chuckles. “Carol-approved?”
“Carol-approved.”, Carol rolls her eyes.
Notes:
And it all comes back full circle...
Enjoy the last chapter. No disclaimers. <33
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
August 4th, 2023. Casey turns 17 years old today.
He wakes up this morning a bit late but it’s no big deal. It is summer, afterall. And man , this weather is hot. Miwa explained it is because of something called global warming and climate change. How awful! Casey fought like hell for this planet but the people here were already destroying it? Regardless, the heat is just too much.
And speaking of his friends, Casey is meant to meet up with them today. He hops out of bed, getting dressed in his usual wear and prosthetic. But he doesn’t hide it with sleeves and gloves this time. He rolls up the sleeves of his leather jacket and leaves the gloves alone.
The teen dips into the bathroom, taking a look at himself in the mirror. His bright sage head of hair spills over his shoulders. Casey admits, it’s a nice look. What’s not nice though is that the mystic exhaustion fiasco seems to have more consequences than a hair change. Casey frowns at the specks of scratchy facial hair growing in, a sign of a slight mystic aging but nothing serious. It can pass off as heavy puberty. He does like his stubble, but everything else is too much. It makes him look much more adult for his age, the teen betting he could probably buy alcohol without getting carded. He’s not going to risk that, though.
Casey brushes his hair, his teeth, and washes his face before starting to shave off the excess facial hair. Everything but the stubble. Kirby’s been teaching him how, splicing in some secret barber tips. Once he’s finished and pats his face with a towel, his phone starts buzzing a notification.
He opens up his phone and sees a text in the group chat.
Irma: We meeting up at 10 or 11?
Casey: 11?
Miwa: 10:30
Baqat: Yeah it’s 10:30
Javi: Oh I thought it was 10. I’m already here lol
Casey: Ha its ok im on my way son
Casey: *soon
Javi: okay dad XD
Baqat: Lollll! Congrats on your son, Casey!! :))))
Casey: I hate you all
The teen rolls his eyes fondly and puts his phone away, heading out into the main area of the apartment and grabbing a muffin from the tray. Carol comes around, gently placing her hand on his shoulder.
“Happy birthday, baby.”, She smiles. “Where are you running off to?”
“I’m meeting up with my friends.”, Casey explains. “We’re gonna hit the arcade.”
“Well that sounds fun. Be sure to be back by 2 pm, remember that the family is coming over to have lunch. So don’t be late.”
“I won’t. I promise to be back in time.”, Casey nods. “Bye Carol!”
And so Casey heads out the door to meet up with his friends.
He heads up to the meet-up spot in front of the arcade. Sure enough, Javi is already there. Casey waves to get his attention. Javi notices and beams at Casey, hurrying over with his arms out for a hug. Casey greets him warmly, hugging back.
“Ohhh, it’s so good to see you again! Haven’t seen ya since that…thing at the school. We should’ve met up sooner this summer!”, Javi grins. He pulls back from the hug and gets a better look at his friend. “Ooooo, loving the hair! Slay it, CJ!”
Casey chuckles. “Thanks, it’s…a statement.”
“Love that for you. By the way, how is summer school going?”
“It’s just tutoring for English so I’ll be ready by the fall. Carol still isn’t too keen on me coming back though.”, Casey drones.
“Aw, what?! But I’ll miss you!”, Javi exclaims. “Is she enrolling you in a different school then?”
The teen shakes his head. “...No. It looks like I’ll be doing homeschooling. But we could still meet up after school! And of course there’s all of my hockey practices and games.”
“Right!”, Javi nods. “I’m still so impressed you got in. I get the feeling every college hockey team will be after to contact you.”
Casey shrugs, rubbing the back of his neck. “I-I’m not so sure about that…I’m only a little good.”
“Are you kidding me?! They can grant you scholarships! You can do this as your profession! Come on!”, Javi exclaims.
“You really think so?”, Casey tilts his head.
“Yes! Think about it, in like 15 years time, I’ll be settling with my future hubby and child and we’ll prepare a bunch of food and invite people over to sit in and watch your game live on TV!”, Javi nods excitedly. “Oh! Speaking of…”
He hands the teen a gift bag, stuffed with tissue paper and something hidden inside. Casey opens it, finding a bunch of his favorite snacks inside. He smiles.
“Oh, thanks!”, Casey expresses.
“Check out the envelope.”
Peering further, there is an envelope. Casey opens the envelope to find two tickets to a New York Rangers game. Javi’s smile widens.
“You. Me. Rangers game. 2 weeks from now.”, Javi emphasizes.
“What? Really? W-What if I have class that day?”, the teen stammers.
“Fuck class! We’re going!”
Casey laughs. “O-Okay!”
Soon, the girls meet up with them. Baqat beaming and bubbling with energy as she wraps Casey in a tight hug.
“Happy birthday!!!!”, she shrieks. “How have you been?”
“Been good, actually.”, Casey smiles.
“It’s good to see you again.”, Irma grins. “I’m sorry about the whole…everything from school. Thank God, Logan got expelled though.”
“Oh yeah.”, Miwa smirks slightly. “That meant he got kicked off the football team too. Now he is back at square one with his football dream career.”
“He got what he deserved.”, Irma snobs. She turns back to Casey. “I’m still super sorry about that whole fight. I just didn’t know about the arm and—”
“It’s okay, really. Don’t worry about it.”, Casey shrugs it off. Then he holds out his prosthetic. “Here, you can check it out.”
The group gawks at it. Even Miwa is impressed.
“Wow. Shiny.”, she spats.
“And it’s like…fully functional?”, Baqat asks.
“Yeah. It’s a bit hefty though. Imagine having an arm made of metal.”, Casey huffs a laugh. “But I like it. An old friend built it for me.”
“That’s so cool.”
“Maybe your cool robot arm could help us beat the arcade rigs.”, Irma teases. “Come on, let’s go!”
And so the group of friends enjoy a lovely late morning/noon of playing arcade games. They play, party, open gifts, and win some prizes. Before Casey knows it, it’s almost 2 pm. He winces as he glances down at his phone.
“Ah shit, guys. I gotta get going.”, he says.
“Aw what? But I almost have enough for the mushroom cow plushie!”, Irma whines.
“Then here, take my coins.”, Casey insists, digging in his pockets and handing his friend the arcade tokens. “But I really should go, or else Carol will get mad.”
“Okay, this’ll work.”, Irma huffs. “Have a nice birthday, Case!”
“Yeah, see ya soon.”, Miwa nods.
“I miss you already!”, Baqat beams.
“We’ll see you at your hockey game next Saturday!”, Javi calls out.
“Alright then. Later!”, Casey waves goodbye as he heads out of the arcade.
Once Casey gets home, he heads into his room and sets down his gifts and prizes. Then he plops himself down at his desk, opening up his laptop to check his English tutoring homework for the day. It’s such boring crap but at least he’s starting to get the hang of it.
He really wishes Uncle Tello was here to help him out.
…
Casey closes his laptop.
He climbs out the window, zipping himself up to the rooftop with his grappling hook. Casey then walks over to the ledge and sits down over it, staring down at the city below. Just listening to cars and sirens. It all feels so far away.
Casey is grateful for his new found freedom. For control over his life. But that wasn’t without the sheer loneliness that swept over him soon after the events that day when he released the souls. That was basically his summer. Spending the days working on English, spending the nights grieving and staring at the ceiling in silence. Sometimes crying himself to sleep.
He’s doing better these days, promise. But it was one hell of an adjustment. Just…everything in his mind silenced at once. No voices, no presences. His body just felt so…lonely. But he’s been managing. Mending the holes bit by bit each day. Things are looking good.
“Hey, quit moping! It’s your birthday!”, a familiar loud voice calls out from behind.
Casey turns over his shoulder to greet his red-eared brother. “Hey, Leo.”
“Figured I’d find you up here.”, Leo smirks, sitting beside Casey on the ledge. “What are you thinking about?”
The teen shrugs. “...I guess…I just miss them. The ghosts.”
“Hm. Figured.”, Leo hums. “It must be jarring.”
“I’ve been managing.”, Casey sighs.
“And how’s that online tutoring going?”
“Good. Not failing horribly. So…good.”
“And…therapy?”
Casey scoffs. “Don’t worry, I’m not up and leaving mid-session anymore. It’s been okay. A bit rocky here and there but that’s how things are.”
“So…you’re doing okay now?”, Leo turns to him.
“What is this? An interrogation about my status these days?”, Casey teases. “Don’t worry. Things are looking up now.”
“That’s good.”, Leo nods. Then he ponders for a moment. “Though… hypothetically …and I’m only saying this as just a hypothetical and not something that will happen soon but far far in the future…but hypothetically, if I were to somehow die before you…could I become a ghost and link to your powers and stuff?”
“Noooo…”, Casey drawls lowly. “I’d rather not go through that whole fiasco process again and deal with your annoying ass in my head.”, he teases.
“Oh come on! No toxic gas powers for me?”
“You already have toxic gas powers.”, Junior mumbles.
Leo scoffs in shock. “The slander ! Damn…” But he sighs. “That is fair though. It’s time for us to just…close this story of our lives and move on from it.”
“Eeeexactly.”, Casey emphasizes, nodding.
Then Leo’s phone buzzes. The turtle glances down at it for a moment before tucking it away in his side pouch and turning to the teen. “Carol says food's ready. Race ya down, then?”
Junior just simply smirks, activating his translucent ghost form and phasing through the roof.
“Wh—Hey!”, he hears Leo shout as he falls down into his room.
Casey chuckles as he transforms back, letting himself land on his bed. He crosses his legs, tucking his hands behind his head. Leo clambers down the fire escape and crawls in back through the window with a huff.
“I forgot you can still do that…”, Leo mutters.
“You snooze, you lose, Leon.”, Casey taunts.
Leo scoffs, rolling his eyes. He picks up Cup from Casey’s bed and chucks it at the teen’s face. “Come on, get up. Everyone’s waiting.”
“Okay, okay.”, Casey laughs, getting up.
He heads over to the door, Leo following behind, and opens it to head out into the—
“SURPRISE!!!”, everyone cheers. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
Casey jolts as he sees that the whole apartment is now covered in streamers, balloons, and a big banner in the back reading “Happy 17th Birthday, Casey!” . His family had set up the dining table in the living room for extra space and chairs. A bunch of snacks, sweets, and a large cake sits on the table. Cass is the first to run up to him, wrapping her son in a big hug.
The first thing Casey notices is that his mama is wearing a tank top, flaunting the phoenix tattoo across her shoulder blades that she got at Taiga Tattoos. It suits her well.
“My baby boy is growing up so fast!”, she shouts, hugging him just a bit too tightly. “And growing taller too!”
“Y-you guys put all of this together…for me?”, Casey stutters, hesitant.
“Well, DUH! You’re one of us!”, April beams. “Now come on over here and have some cake!”
“Cake for lunch?”, Casey chuckles. “Carol-approved?”
“Carol-approved.”, Carol rolls her eyes.
Mama guides Casey over to his seat at the front of the table where Kirby lights up the candles on the birthday cake. The cake is double layered, enough for everyone to get a piece. Decorated with shades of green with “Happy Birthday!” written on top. Once all the candles are lit, Mikey begins conducting everyone in chorus to sing happy birthday.
It’s been wild. Casey’s last birthday didn’t have a cake or a party. Just a final cold meal before the biggest battle of his life, surrounded by what remained of his family and home. From a little kid who wished to see the sun one day, to wishing his family would still be alive tomorrow, to now…
Casey doesn’t know what to wish for.
“...Happy birthday to you!”, they finish the song.
“Make a wish!”, his mom whisper shouts. “Don’t say it out loud or else it won’t come true.”
Technically, Casey did get his wishes. He did see the sun, he did see his family again. Could he really ask for more? So he makes his wish. For things to stay exactly as they are. Then he blows out the candle.
Everyone cheers for him as the candles extinguish. Then the turtle brothers begin pounding the table with their fists chanting, “Cake! Cake! Cake!”. Carol gets them to settle down as she starts slicing up the cake and distributing them to everyone.
The group settles down enjoying the cake, which turns out to be a chocolate layered cake. It’s nice to just sit and enjoy the good company with the people that love him. Casey notices how Mikey powers through the cake, getting more cake on his face than in his mouth. Raph makes a fuss of it, grabbing Mikey’s face to rub it clean with a napkin. Donnie winces at the excessive amount of frosting, scraping it off and handing it to Leo who accepts it graciously. It feels just like home. By the time they are finished, Kirby and April put away the dishes as Cass scoots her chair closer to Casey.
“Time for gifts! Me first! I’m the mom!”, she cheers, slamming a wrapped present in front of the teen. “Open it!”
The wrapped object is soft and squishy. Junior rips open the wrapping paper, noticing the gift inside. A hockey jersey in Casey’s green life colors and last name embroidered on the front and back, the big number being “46”, if 46 has some relevant meaning. Casey smiles brightly.
“I love it! Thanks, Mama!”, he exclaims.
“I better see you with it at your next game.”, Mama teases, wrapping her arm around Casey’s neck and noogie-ing his hair.
“Me next!”, Mikey beams. He slides a flat box wrapped present across the table.
Casey takes it, opening it up to find a framed portrait. It’s a beautifully drawn and painted portrait of the whole family. The Hamatos (including Splinter), the O’Neils, the Jones, and little Mayhem too. It’s perfect.
“Wow, Mike, this is amazing!”, Casey says. “Thank you!”
“Aww, I knew you’d like it.”, the box turtle grins.
“My turn.”, Donnie points out, pushing a small metallic box across the table.
Casey looks at it with curiosity before he taps the top and the box springs out, unfolding on its own. Inside is a small broach. Casey’s very own panic button. Something more small and practical than his mask or prosthetic. It’s nice. It makes Casey feel more involved in the team. The teen grins up at the softshell.
“Awesome work! Thanks, Donnie!”, Casey says.
“But of course. Nothing short should be expected of my genius.”, Donnie brags, masking his true reaction to the praise.
“Whatever, Don.”, Leo rolls his eyes. “Here.” He slides an envelope across the table.
Casey opens the small envelope, his eyes widening when he peaks at what’s inside. A photo. The photo. The photo from Casey’s timeline, old and worn and splattered in dried blood and dirt, with a hasty charcoal sketch of the key on the back. Casey can’t believe he’s seeing it again.
“I…thought I lost this. Thank you.”, he mutters graciously.
“Yeah, well…it’s just been sitting in my room but I figured you should have it. It’s from your timeline after all.”, Leo drawls, rubbing the back of his head.
“That’s very sweet, Leo.”, Raph smiles. “Alright, guess it’s my turn.” He stands to pass a large gift bag of tissue paper across the table.
Casey takes it, sifting through the tissue paper to dig out what’s inside. He feels soft yarn meet his fingertips as he pulls out a large crocheted sea turtle plushie. Its shell alone is as huge as Casey’s torso, and it’s absolutely adorable with a beautifully woven shell pattern. The teen pulls the sea turtle plushie in close.
“Aww, this is great, Raph! Thanks! How long did this take you to make?”, Casey asks.
“About a month. Raph thought it’d take longer so poor lil’ guy has been sittin’ in that bag for a few weeks.”, Raph replies.
“Not all gifts need to be big or fancy.”, April says, sliding a store-bought birthday card across the table. “This oughta do.”
Casey picks up the birthday card, setting it in front of him as he opens it up. Some thin leaflets fall out of the card and spill on the table. The inside of the card doesn’t have any additional writing. The teen glances at what fell out, seeing a few $20s adding up to $100.
“April! You can’t just give Casey $100!”, Carol scoffs.
“He’s responsible enough.”, April smirks.
“Well, I appreciate it.”, Casey smiles, picking up the money and stuffing it in his pocket. “Thanks, Apes.”
Kirby chuckles. “Alright, alright. Last present.”
Kirby ducks into the kitchen for a moment before handing back into the living room with a large stapled stack of papers and a pen. He sets it on the table in front of the teen. Casey looks down at it.
It’s a bunch of legal paperwork, the top reading “Adoption Form” . Casey flips through the pages, noticing they’re all of the same caliber. And already filled out by Carol and Kirby. He looks over his shoulder at them.
“What is this?”, he asks.
“Well…”, Carol drawls, wrapping her arms around her husband’s arm. “We all know very well that you are a part of this family. But, we figured that we could…make it official.”
“We could be your parents. With Cassandra.”, Kirby smiles. “If you want.”
“Yes!”, Casey exclaims, getting up to face them. “Oh my god, yes!”
He runs up and hugs the two tightly. Carol and Kirby hug him tightly back. The three hold each other like that for a while.
“Who wouldn’t want you guys as parents?”, Casey chuckles.
“Aw, baby, you are too sweet.”, Carol’s eyes start to water.
“All you need to do is sign your name on the bottom.”, Kirby points out.
The teen nods, heading back over to the papers and picking up the pen. He signs his name in the bottom corner, “Casey Jones Junior” , completing the adoption. Everyone gets up from their seats, joining in a group hug as Casey now feels like he belongs. Complete and secure.
He’s found it. Home. Everything is going great and he couldn’t ask for more. He is given the gift that no one else in his timeline has. The ability to grow old. He has a future, he is the future. He will live the life that he wants, with no expectations of anyone and his choice and freedom alone.
And when the day comes, he shall return back to his world, and be buried under the stars.
But that day will not be for a very long time.
The end.
Notes:
The photo is my last "fuck you" to the audience, I hope you like it. =)
.
But seriously, I hope you guys enjoyed this finale.But what if I told you there's a SURPRISE BONUS CHAPTER? IT'S UP RIGHT NOW, CLICK CLICK CLICK!!! (And I'll say my farewells over there)
.
Shoutout to my besties, @eli-tigrecreativa (tumblr) and @healingwordswriter (tumblr), for helping me beta read this fanfic! You guys are absolute baller!
CHECK OUT MY TUMBLR! When GEM is finished, I'll be starting a comic series!
Chapter 47: Bonus Content: The Vault Of Deleted Scenes
Notes:
You cannot believe how many pages I have SCRAPPED during the making of GEM. And I didn't want them to go to waste so, here!
IF anything is intriguing enough and I have time, I mayyy write a spin-off. Just lemme know. ;)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
As a special treat for making it to the end, here is a list of all of GEM’s deleted scenes and concepts! =))
The Original Plot
The original plot of Green Eyed Mask was to simply portray My Life Their Story (MLTS)’s Casey Jr’s past. When writing Casey in MLTS, I kept asking myself, “What would his past look like?”. Readers of MLTS may notice some similarities such as F!Raph’s death and F!Leo’s suicide attempt. But after the idea kept expanding, it soon developed into its own AU. And then, last minute, while writing chapter 13, I spontaneously decided to give Casey ghost powers. It was just meant to be 10-15 chapters… TAT
Kraang Hound Cowboy
In chapter 7, during the ambush scene, I was supposed to write about Mikey grabbing a Kraang hound with his mystic chains and riding it like a horse.
…
But then I forgot— (At least I drew it!)
Mikey’s Forgotten Side Plot
If you go allllll the way back to chapter 4, you will notice that Mikey was muttering to himself in the quiet room. And then proceeded to cover it up and lie, saying he wasn’t talking to anyone. This was a part of an important plotline that centered around Mikey’s sanity and grief.
By chapter 12, I was supposed to write about Mikey having a one on one with Casey to ask him about what the teen saw in the afterlife. When Casey describes what he saw, Mikey would get confused and frustrated because Mikey thought the afterlife was different. Long story short, Mikey was making up that he was talking to the Hamato ancestors and that his conversations with Raph were all fake and a figment of Mikey’s imagination. This would then lead to Mikey freaking out and then killing the traitors as seen in chapter 12.
However…I deadass forgot about the whole thing and instead wrote the nice wholesome scene between Casey and Shelldon’s friendship. Let’s just say Mikey was actually talking to the real ghosts and not losing his mind, for the sake of fixing up that plot hole.
The Original “Smoking Buddy” Bit
Before the chapters “Smoking Buddy” and “Sober Buddy” revealed the disaster twins’ smoking habits, Chapter 12 “For Donnie’s Honor” was meant to have a scene where Casey found Leo smoking in the hangar. The scene went something like this:
“Sensei? Where are you?”, Casey called out as he searched down the halls.
Uncle Angelo sent Casey out to find Leo, to which the teen was a bit reluctant. He’d rather rest in the med-bay, sleeping off this horrible hour. At least the pain in his side and broken leg were bearable. It’s not that bad . It took Casey a moment longer than usual to realize he was near the hangar. Usually, he’d hear Uncle Tello tinkering away. Usually.
Casey peered inside, sparing a glance to find no slider. He was about to leave when he saw smoke emitting from the corner. Was there a fire? No one else seemed to be in here, Casey would have to check. And so, he used his crutches and crutched away towards the plume of smoke. Only to find Tío sitting on the wing of one of the battle airships. He had some kind of stick between his fingers that was emitting the smoke.
“Tío?”, Casey called out.
Leo startled, sputtering and coughing as he tried to wave out the smoke. He offered a grin. “Heyyy, Case! What are you doing out here?”
“Uncle Angelo’s looking for you.”, Casey explained. “...What are you doing?”
The slider winced, looking away. “...Smoking a cigarette.”
“Smoking?”
“Yeah, that’s what this is. Smoking.”, Master Leonardo nodded. “It’s a thing people do.”
Casey’s brows furrowed in curiosity. The 13 year old carefully climbed up the wing, setting his crutches beside him as he sat next to the slider. The kid looked up at his Tío with curious eyes.
“Can I try?”, he asked.
“What? No!”, Leo snapped. “It’s bad for you. It’s a bad habit.”
“Why are you doing it then?”
The slider averted his eyes again. “Just…don’t tell Mikey, okay? He’d whoop my ass if he found out you caught me smoking.”
“...Okay.”
The two stopped talking for a bit, sitting in their company. Now that Casey thought about it, the particular smell of the smoke was…familiar. Nostalgic even, something long buried in the depths of his childhood. Leo took a long draw of the cigarette, exhaling the smoke out of his mouth like some kind of fire-breathing yokai.
“Donnie and I used to do this together.”, he muttered. “Back before you were brought here. We’d sneak out to this spot in the hangar, right underneath the vent. Making sure Mikey never saw us, though he’d find out anyway. Then me and Don would share a few cigarettes, lean back on our shells and bitch about life. We would complain, and rant, and laugh…” The slider chuckled fondly at the memory. But then he sighed frowning. “We stopped not long after you turned 3. Mikey was really pressing us on being role models and…he was right. From smoking buddies to sober buddies, Donnie and I quit. Until now when he…”
Leo stopped his rambling. Casey could see the tears pricking the corner of his eyes. The teen never had any siblings but he could still understand how the slider lost a whole other half of him with his twin’s death. Forever incomplete.
“I guess I’m just picking it up again out of nostalgia. But now I’m just some sad mope, smoking to himself in solitude as he broods.”, Tío mumbled before taking another hit.
Casey didn’t really know what to say. His Tío seemed so sad, his whole family was sad. They lost the world when Uncle Tello died. Everything felt like it was crumbling apart. And this was only the beginning…wasn’t it?
The kid leaned his head against the red-eared slider’s shoulder in a pathetic attempt to comfort. But perhaps it was all Leo needed as he relaxed, wrapping his arm around his nephew. There wasn’t much that needed to be said. They were in mourning. The silence and the smoke filled the air with a calming quiet. Casey felt tears water, but he pushed them down quickly.
“You sure I can’t try smoking?”, he joked half-heartedly.
“No.”, Leo spat sternly. “It’s against the law…wait…”
Casey leaned back up to give his Tío a deadpanned stare. Leo stared back for a moment before looking away.
“Touché.”, he muttered, taking another draw of his cigarette once more.
…
I honestly can’t remember why this scene wasn’t added. I don’t think I simply forgot. I dunno. I only just remembered this was a thing just now, March 2nd, 2024 at 4:40 am-- (yeah I kinda sprung out of bed to write this part)
The Guitar
As a nod of appreciation to one of GEM’s inspirations, The Last Of Us, Leo would learn to play the guitar from Hueso. Then in turn, teach Casey how to play the guitar. The instrument would help bond their connection even more. However, I also just straight up forgot for a while and when I remembered it, it was already too late to make any changes into such a compact and complicated script.
Usagi’s Many Many Scrapped Deaths
When it came to killing off Usagi, I went through SO MANY options. Here’s a summary of each idea.
Idea 1: Usagi would’ve gotten sick via “The Kraang Poisoning” trope much earlier on, slowly dying off as we go through this anticipatory grief with the other characters as well. This idea was scrapped because it would put too much stress and focus on Leo than our main character. It sounds really bitchy to say it like that but hey, I’m becoming a director, you gotta make picky decisions like this.
Idea 2: Usagi would’ve transformed into a Kraang zombie. After being separated from Leo for 6 years, Usagi would get himself into trouble and turn into a zombie. And instead of a beautiful reunion, Leo would be face to face with a husk of his lover and forced to end his misery. This idea was a good one, like the angst potential is immaculate, but obviously scrapped because we wouldn’t get to properly meet Usagi.
Idea 3: Usagi would go zombie, but in the final battle. This idea was inspired by one of my beta readers and besties, Eli. Usagi would become infected in the final battle and ask Leo to end his life before he transformed. This idea was scrapped because I wanted to do something original and not steal from my friend. =) (You can find Eli’s comic on the idea here)
Idea 4: Usagi would commit suicide, long after the final battle. Instead of the ending we got, Usagi would’ve survived and lived out for a while longer thanks to his fear of dying alone. Then, when Casey Jr returns to his timeline and enters the abandoned Resistance base, he would hear a gunshot in the background. From there, Casey would follow the source of the noise to find Usagi’s dead body with a gun in one hand and his final journal entry in the other. This idea was scrapped because I felt like it was too sad of a means to end Usagi’s story.
Idea 5: Usagi would sacrifice his life to save Leo in the final battle. Much similar to the canon ending where Usagi covered for Leo and Casey while they ran to the checkpoint, we would see and confirm that Usagi actually died defending his lover, instead of the vague input I gave you in the canon story.
Then finally, I settled on what you see here. Usagi, defending his family, gets injured, unable to make it through the portal, crawls over to Leo’s remains, writes his final letter, and dies peacefully, rotting away with the rest of the world.
Kidnapping Variations
The kidnapping in chapter 15 had a few variations to it. In fact, chapters 15 and 16 was just a bunch of me writing then deleting then writing then deleting until I finally landed on the perfect story that I wanted to portray. Here are some of the other variants:
Variant 1: Casey wouldn’t be knocked out and would’ve been kept conscious as he and Leo were dragged into the back of the truck and transported to the warehouse. From there, Casey would attempt to escape or try to contact help with his green eyed mask. This was later scrapped and replaced with Creedence running off into the woods to seek help.
Variant 2: Same as variant 1 but instead, Casey just mopes around like a sorry shit. Pleading that he needed Leo’s guidance. But Leo is just in a nice peaceful slumber. <3
Variant 3: During the rescue in chapter 16, instead of Leo jumping in to help Usagi and then being the one to bring Casey back to reality, the job would’ve been solely left up to Usagi. This was the most solid variant for a WHILE. It would focus on how seeing Casey surrounded by 3 bodies, reminded Usagi of the little girl from chapter 7 surrounded by 3 bodies as well. A parallel of his trauma and needing to overcome it to save his beloved nephew. But then I changed the script at the VERY last minute. Like. The night before the update. As much I would’ve loved a good bonding moment between Casey and Usagi, Leo and Casey’s bond was just a tad stronger and more appealing. Sorry, Usagi.
Here is what I wrote for Variant 3 before deleting it:
“CASEY! SNAP OUT OF IT! IT’S ME!”, the person cried.
Their face was white. Not like the skin color. But like paper. Their left eye was glossed out and blind, a scar stretching across it. A blue ribbon tied up their ears like a ponytail, decorated in steel piercings.
“IT’S JUST ME, OKAY? COME ON!”
Casey stopped squirming. His blurry and dizzy eyes trying their best to focus back into view. His voice sounded like shit.
“...s…a…gh…?”, he rasped. It didn’t help that his jaw was literally dislocated.
Usagi let out a desperate sigh of relief. “Yes! It’s me, Case. It’s Oji.”
The rabbit took a closer look at the kid. He examined Casey from head to toe, brows furrowing in concern and fear. Then the samurai looked up at the room. And the bodies, intestines, and blood that now decorated it. Yuichi looked back at the teen, cradling his face gently.
“W-what…what happened to you?”, he quivered.
Casey wanted to explain. He wanted to explain everything. But all he could do was cry. Usagi immediately pulled him in for a hug. Casey was hesitant for a moment. But…why? He already knew the rabbit was no threat. But the hug did not comfort him.
There was more shouting from outside of the room, Yuichi pulling away from the hug to turn to the noise. He glanced at Casey for a moment. With a sigh and a frown, he reached up to cover Casey’s ears.
“HE’S OVER HERE!”, Usagi called out.
Casey reached his hands up to cover his ears too but…one of his hands was missing. His right hand, hell, his arm was cut past the elbow. Oh well, Casey was left handed anyway. But…where did his hand go? And more importantly…what had happened to him? Casey swore he knew the answer a second ago. But his mind was throbbing in pain. The room began to sway. Then it was tilting tilting tilting —
“Woah there! I got you, kiddo.”, Yuichi hushed, pulling Casey in close. “I got you, don’t worry.”
More footsteps entered the room. Familiar voices gasped and shouted at the scene.
“Holy shit, Sagi…”, Leo muttered. “You really went ham in here…”
“It wasn’t me.”, Yuichi explained.
“...what?”
“It wasn’t… me .”
Casey somehow had the sense that everyone was now staring at him. Did he always had this sense? Sensei walked around and crouched down next to the two. His face was bruised with a black eye, blood dripping down his beak and snout. His shell and plastron were cracked and chipped, blood leaking out. And his robotic arm was missing. However, his pants and arm were stained in blood as he held a stray bloodied metal pipe in his hands. It probably wasn’t his blood.
“...oh… spirits …Casey…”, he mumbled, his face screwing up. He dropped the pipe and reached his arm out to carefully turn Casey’s head to him, taking a good look. “...what on earth did they do to you?”
The urge to cry was quickly overrun by nausea. Casey lolled his head against the rabbit’s shoulder, feeling his jaw dangle underneath. He shut his eyes tight, doing everything in his power not to puke. Then suddenly, he was being moved.
“We gotta get you both back to base.”, Usagi ordered. “Come on, let’s hurry.”
…
Then I was like “Nahhhh, let’s have Leo barge in and take over the comfort”. Usagi, I’m sorry, you’ll have a bigger and better spotlight in Feral Casey AU.
Starvation Era Hanging Man
During chapter 18, the scenes where we mentioned the many suicide deaths, in one particular scene, Casey was sent to go check in on someone. But as he approached the room, he would hear the creaking of rope. And then opened the door to find out that the person had hung themself.
I…also forgot about this. But then I was like “it’s okay, that’s why chapter 38 exists”. But when I got to chapter 38, I thought the scene would be too much for the present timeline characters to watch. And so the hanging man was replaced with the drunk man. =P
Forgotten Cup Comfort Scene
I made a concept comic about this a long time ago (you can tell it’s old because Casey still has both of his arms intact—). I meant to put this in chapter 18, then I forgot. Then I meant to put in chapter 23, then I forgot.
Casey Ending Up Homeless
After the events of the movie, there was an idea to make Casey live on the streets. Ashamed of his past and what he’s done to this present timeline, Casey decides he’s better off without the turtles and runs away. During this time, he would meet John, Mark, and Wendy, 3 homeless individuals that live under a bridge. Over time, Casey warms up to them and learns more about them as well as how to survive. Casey’s powers would also start to bloom during this time as well, making Casey even more fearful and refusing to return to the turtles. Until one day he gets caught and is forced to come back home, and then the plot continues. This was deleted due to timeline complications and trying to keep the story on pace with things like school, prom, winter, etc.
Todd’s Puppy Rescue
I really wanted to add a moment in the present timeline where Casey and the gang go to Todd’s place and Casey “reunites” with Creedence. Creedence would then treat Casey like an old friend. It’s not that I forgot about this plot, I just didn’t know where to put it. At least we got some cute art, though!
Hot Air Balloon Ride
In chapter 42, Casey and the gang were supposed to go to Spain to see Casey’s birthplace. But since the place is still heavily radiated, they would have to be careful. I thought a hot air balloon ride would be the perfect way to go.
But then I forgot Casey has a whole ass trigger around heights and flying in aircrafts.
So here’s what I wrote before I deleted it:
The portal opens to the very heart of Spain, in Madrid. Casey is curious to see his birth home in Bilbao but Donnie advises that the group stays clear of the city and any area affected by the Garoña explosion. Leo argues they can still get close enough.
While the architecture of the city is very intriguing, the place doesn’t seem very lively. With Casey’s limited Spanish and Leo’s fluent Spanish, they read posters that tell surrounding cities to be wary of radiation poisoning. The slider huffs a sigh.
“Maybe…there’s a way to view Bilbao from up high? Like a tall enough mountain or something.”, he suggests.
“No mountains tall enough, I’m afraid.”, Donnie mutters. “But…I think I’ve got something better.”
Donnie points over at something in the distance. The group looks to see…
“A…giant…balloon??”, Casey tilts his head.
“It’s a hot air balloon. It uses heat from a fire to hoist itself into the air. That thing can lift us over to Bilbao. The only downside is I don’t think it’ll have enough fuel to get us back.”
The teen ponders for a moment. The solution comes pretty quickly to him. It’s the execution that’ll be difficult.
“What if I ask the ghosts?”, Casey suggests. “I’m sure my Michelangelo could give us a lift.”
“Good thinkin’!”, Raph smiles.
“Cool! Uh…lemme just…”
Junior takes a breath, closing his eyes for a moment. It’s super easy by this point. In an instant, he senses the itch for a fight running through his veins. He opens his eyes as a glint of green glosses over his vision, faint and gone in a flash.
“Woah.”, Usagi mutters.
“Yeah, that’s kinda his thing.”, Leo nods.
Then Casey hears a voice. Emanated from cackling fire. “Hello?”
Uncle Angelo? , Casey asks in his mind, staring into the middle distance.
“Hey! What’s up?”, the mystic warrior beams.
So…weird request but…can you inflate a hot air balloon for us?
“A…I’m sorry, what? What’s going on over here?”
Casey huffs a laugh. Me and the others are portaling around the world and exploring places. We want to see Bilbao but we can’t go near it since there’s still radiation. But Donnie found a hot air balloon, we just need more fuel.
“...Okay. First of all, how are you portaling around? Is this Leo?”
Yeah. He makes the portals while Donnie corrects their accuracy with his tech.
“How many portals did he make?!”
Uh. Just 3 so far. Wait no…uhh…6?
Casey can just hear the box turtle smack his forehead from inside the teen’s mind. “You should remind him to be careful. Too many portals, especially when traveling across countries, is extremely draining for him. You remember how our Leo had a cooldown time when traveling that far, right?”
Yeah, I remember , Casey nods. Don’t worry, I’ll remind him. Besides, he seems fine right now.
“Mhm, I’m sure he is.”, the cackling fire mumbles. “And secondly, no. I’m not helping you.”
“What?!”, Casey exclaims, out loud this time. It startles the others. “Why not?”
“Because I remember the Garoña explosion from our timeline. It was bad, Casey. There’s no way I’m taking you there, it’s not safe.”
“I’ll do it.”, the warrior’s spirit chimes in. “If I can make the wind strong enough, it can lift the war balloon.”
“You mean hot air balloon?”, the teen mutters.
“Yeah that’s what I said.”
“What? No! You are not taking him there!”, Uncle Angelo snaps. “That place is crawling with radiation and empyrean. Too much of that could be really bad!”
“Not if they’re high up enough.”, Mama retaliates. “They’ll be fine. I got this!”
“No, you don’t!”
“Yes, I do!”
“Can you two shut up?!”, Casey groans, smacking his hands against his head.
Raph looks over at the teen with concern. “Uh…Case?—”
“I’m fine.”, Casey answers quickly. “It’s just weird to have voices in your head that fight with each other.”
The cackling fire sighs. “Alright, you know what? Fine. But if anyone gets sick, I’m not to blame nor am I helping.”
“Whatever.”, the warrior spirit drawls. “Ready when you are, Casey baby.”
“Okay, cool.”, the teen sighs. He turns to the others. “Good news, found some help. Future Mama.”
“Alright! Future Mama!”, Cass exclaims.
“Then let’s go hijack a hot air balloon, fellas.”, Donnie smirks.
And so, very sneakily and stealthily as a family of ninja warriors (and samurai), the team hop onto the hot air balloon as Donnie pilots the aircraft into the skies, ignoring the angry hot air balloon tender shouting at them in Spanish from below. Donnie brings them up as high as he can without going up past the clouds to where they can’t see. Once up high enough, he flips down his goggles.
...
…Aaand that’s all I wrote. =/
Twice The Moms, Twice The Trouble
Before I decided to destroy the school in chapter 44, Casey was just supposed to get injured and lose his prosthetic, nothing else. No powers. In this case, Carol would be ROYALLY pissed and drag Casey to the principal's office. However, Cassandra catches wind of the incident and uh here:
“So, you must be Casey’s mother, yes?”, Principal Balfour asks.
“Oh, no no. I’m just his guardian.”, Carol wavers. “His mother is on her way.”
Suddenly, thundering footsteps get louder and louder until WHAM! Cassandra bursts in, kicking down the door in her fury.
“WHO THE FUCK HURT MY KID?!”
…
As you can see, this has been removed because the principal’s office (and the whole school) is now thoroughly destroyed by angry ghosts. =P
The Alvarez Origin
The Alvarez Origin Side Comic is a short story about Casey's birthparents, their immigration journey, and the secret behind his powers. (There mayyy be a smidge of extra lore. ;))
Conclusion notes
I want to thank you all for enjoying GEM as much as I did. It has truly been a journey and I really appreciate all of the kind comments, artworks, animations, tiktok reaction videos, etc. I cherish them all and hold them deeply in my heart. And I hope you’ll follow my tumblr and check out my NEW COMIC, Feral Casey AU.
In FCAU, Casey Jr is raised by the Kraang before being rescued by the Resistance at age 8. Due to his unique infection, he is the one and only Kraang hybrid of his kind, able to take the form of any Kraang type. (There are MORE KRAANG TYPES AND BIOMES in FCAU than there were in GEM). Kraang types including the Mound, Howler, Snitch, and the rare Mimic. Plus a nod to TLOU2, the Rat King.
His journey centers around learning that the Kraang are bad and he has been lied to, understanding where he truly comes from and belongs and ultimately turning against the Kraang. (Basically how every indigenous child learns about America but in a ROTTMNT metaphor--)
So may Feral Casey AU provide many more adventures for us all! See you then!
Deep within your screen, you sense static . Shelldon hopes to see you again soon in my future works. ;)
Notes:
Idk what else there is to say besides thank you for reading GEM! It's been an honor to be your author and I am so grateful to all of you and my besties whose help has been a HUGE support.
I DO NOT PLAN ON WRITING MORE FICS. At the time being. My focus is going into Feral Casey AU so if you want to see more content from me, GO TO MY TUMBLR. I don't plan on posting it anywhere else at this time, less stress on my end. (Ik you can put comics on AO3 but it would be so tedious cuz this format is a bitch).
So with that said, my AO3 account shall rot. Kinda. I'll still be reading fics, duh. But until I find the spark to write again (which I do not see right now), it's time for me to move to Tumblr where a new Casey Jr AU shall thrive.
See you then! <333
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izokayy on Chapter 3 Thu 20 Apr 2023 08:15PM UTC
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