Symbiosis

by sleepy_tablesalt

Summary:

Leonardo is left inside the Prison Dimension, trapped inside this barren wasteland. Left alone with his sworn enemy, Kraang...
Or so he thought?

Chapter 1: The End of a War

A/N~ Chapter 1 will start June 2, but here is the introduction 3 <3

POV 3rd Person (Leo):

"Casey. Casey, come in"

Leonardo switched his gaze between the communicator that wrapped around his wrist and the enemy before him, The alien stalked towards him, Leonardo watched him, taking very few steps away as Kraang walked closer to him, never taking his eyes off him, he kept watching, making sure he kept the distance. 

"Sensei! I'm here!"

 Casey's voice called out as Leo watched the alien before him, stepping away from the droid as the droid glared at Leonardo. "And I've got eyes on the key. Just tell me when you're home free, and I'll pull the plug", Casey's voice spoke up, he was ready, everyone was prepared to end this whole fight, this battle, Leonardo was ready to do what was needed to be done, yet Casey sounded so prepared for him to jump out. Leonardo knew that wasn't going to happen, and it hurt, Leo knew he had to tell him, but how could he? Leo stared down at the wristband, the same one the slider used to communicate with his allies, with his family, and sadness was all he could feel as he looked between the wristband and the photo brought back from the future, Casey's future, Leo knew he needed to do the right thing, "Casey, listen to me. When I get to the other side, you close the door-", Kraang steadied himself, he was ready, "What?! Sensei, no!"

"Casey, it's the only way, and you know that. He's too strong. He's not gonna stay on the other side unless I keep him there", with sullen eyes, Leonardo stared down at the communicator, he was ready to protect the earth, to keep his family safe, "There has to be another way!"

"We tried everything, Case. This is the only way", for the first time the slider has known this kid, Casey was silent, he was thinking the plan over, however, of course, not everyone was okay with this plan, "Leo, please don't do this! Leo!", he words were so ironic. For weeks maybe months, maybe even a year, Raph kept reminding Leo, telling him so many times to be more heroic, to be a stronger leader, yet the moment he was, Raph told Leo to think it over. Leo chuckled as he stared at Kraang, "You're one to talk, big bro. Hero moves are totally your style", this whole conversation was so ironic, for as long as Leo's known Raph's always been there to protect the family...not this time though. Leo needed to stay strong, he stumbled his legs giving out as the only thing keeping him up was his words, winds rushing past him, trying so hard to knock the turtle down. Leo tried his best to block the wind, staring at the droid that glared at him, his body swaying so calmly, so....relaxed, "Outmatched and alone, yet you persist. For what? Honor, redemption? Sacrifice? All meaningless...", his words seethed through his teeth as he glared at the boy, "We'll see about that". Sprinting towards the alien, the turtle wielded his swords tightly in his hold, but as the distance between them shortened, Leo slid underneath him, creating a portal and rushing through it, but as he exited through the portal, Leonardo threw my swords, only for him to dodge it, 'perfect'. Leo fought hard, he couldn't let the alien know that everything was part of the plan, he needed to focus, yet...he grabbed Leo. Chucking him against the ground, the ground crumbled below the turtle as the wind was knocked out of his lungs, pinning Leo down with his foot, it hurt...everything hurt so much, but now wasn't the time, Leo needed to focus.

"Leo, please! I can't lose you again..."

"Hey...", Leo grunted as the Kraang applied more pressure, for a second it felt like his shell cracked, "-future me would be real proud of you...", Leo groaned again, shuffling around trying so hard to breathe, to catch his breath, "I'm proud of you..."

"Weak words, weak actions. I have forever known what you fail to understand. Strength. Always! PREVAILS!!!", Leo's blade stabbed through the droid's legs, reaching up as he held firmly onto the alien robotic leg with all his might, glaring at him, "What you fail to understand, I missed on purpose", digging the blade further into this droids legs, his hold became stronger, watching as the sword began glowing, eliminating a beautiful blue light, and just in a blink of an eye, they teleported towards the other sword, "No. Enough of your little tricks!", he grabbed Leo's swords and chucked them away, but his hold never weakened, yelling right into his wristband, "Casey!-", his voice stuttered, he was in so much pain, it hurt to talk, to speak so loudly, "Close the portal now!"

"What?!", the kraang looked back towards the portal. He pushed Leo away, but the turtle never let go, pulling him harder, pulling farther into the dimension, but as Leo stared at the portal it still stayed open, Casey was debating Leo's order, "No! Let go of me!"

"Casey! PLEASE!", Leo yelled into the communicator, losing so much strength by the second, but he held on, and stared down at the portal, begging that Casey would follow through, that he would be strong enough to pull the key, and...he did. The portal closed so quickly, causing it to make a huge explosion, one full of so many colors...

'It's over...'

 

'We won...'

Leo knew it was over, as he let go of the droid, chuckling as the turtle floated in the dimension, "You've been portal chopped", Leo chortled at the joke, staring at the explosion that brightened up this dark depressing dimension, 'Donnie would have cringed at that joke'. But Leo didn't get enough time to laugh at the thought. Pieces of the technodrone flew straight for him, launching Leo straight into debris, broken pieces of the life that was here before the dimension was ever opened, Leo knew he needed to fight back, to win this fight even though for Earth he won, but here...the battle never finished...but all his strength was gone. So as he listened to pieces of rock and ship crash around him, Leo laid there up against a rock, and his breathing came out so labored. "You...", the Kraang looked away from Leo, staring up at the array of colors, watching the explosion, what a beautiful sight, yet he sounded so angry, and Leo knew exactly why, "-You ruined everything! And now-", his footsteps were so loud as he walked towards Leo, laughing as he walked closer, this was his end, this was how Leo's story would end...'I thought...I thought I would live long enough to see one of us...give dad grandkids....guess not', his feet rumbled across the floor as he walked closer, "My wrath will be reserved for you alone", his footsteps stopped and as the slider opened his eyes all he saw was Kraang, standing over him, a shadow cast over his face, glaring at Leo, he lifted his arm, his hand clenched tightly into a fist, "You think you've won-", with each word he spoke, fist flew across Leo's face, bruising the boy's jaw, his cheeks, everything... it hurt, "You wretched! LITTLE!!! PEST!!!", with one final blow, Leo could hear the ground crumbling below him, and the sound of his shell cracking so loudly.

Opening his eyes, Leo turned his head off to the side, staring off into the void in front of his, but as he looked down at the photo of his family, looking at each one of his brothers, his Dad, even April. Leo felt a strange pain in his chest, yet he knew what he did was right, he protected them, Leo was a hero, 'It's sounds so stupid when I think about it, heh...', a smile pulled at his cheeks, it made him happy knowing his family was safe, but what was strange were the tears, why was he crying, "WIPE THAT GRIN OFF YOUR FACE!!!", his fist punch directly against his chest, hurling him straight through a broken down technodrone, Leo's entire body yelled in pain as he flew through that trash filled dimension hugging the photo against his chest. Leo was quiet, his throat stung, Leo's body wanted to cry, to sob so loud that everything could hear the slider scream in pain, but he didn't. His lip just trembled as the tears continued to flow down his cheek, 'Please...'

'...someone...anyone save me...'

Leo hugged the photo, but as he stared at the photo his vision began to fade out, he just floated, floating ammlissly through the empty space, only for him to laugh at himself, 'Is this how it all ends...I guess I'll never get to see my life flash before my eyes...heh', he never got the answer as he fell unconscious just before his body slammed against a floating rock, he was limp, yet he was still barely breathing. His hand fell to the side, still holding the photo tightly, it was strange he was unconscious yet his body never let go of the piece of paper. He was so close to dying, his heart beats continued to beat but the rhythm was slowing down until it reached thirty beats per minute, he was dying, yet Kraang just watched, his metallic suit bringing up his vitals, Kraang wanted to keep him alive, to torture him for everything he's done...but he had over plans. Kraang reached into a side compartment and pulled out a vial with a strange black liquid moving around inside, almost like it was alive, it pushed against the top, trying to escape its glass prison, but it couldn't.

"It's so peculiar to see earthings do the things they do...", he tossed the jar, throwing it in the air only to catch it a second later, "The moments I've analyzed this planet, it only proved that this planet was too weak to survive other alien races, yet for some reason you persisted, you were able to catch me off guard and trap me once again...", the Kraang walked closer towards Leo, still tossing the vial up into the empty space letting it float there as he walked closer. Kraang didn't care that Leo was unconscious, he didn't even care that he was almost near death, he just talked, "I will make sure to put good use to you. You do not deserve my mercy-", the kraang laughed as he reached back, grabbing the vial from the same place he left it, "No, you deserve something far worse. You will work by my side, and watch as I demolish the very planet you were sworn to protect", Kraang glared at the vial, he didn't pull off the top, no he crushed the entire vial, and the liquid just sat in the center of the Kraang's metallic palm. The kraang walked closer to Leo almost standing over him, and shook his hand, flinging the liquid straight onto Leo's body, and it didn't take long for his body to absorb it, it was strange, his dying body absorbed it so fast like it was craving it, like it needed the strange liquid.

The Kraang watched, waiting as he glared down at the limp body, but as he watched Leo's body was consumed, covered completely in darkness, covered in the dark liquid, but his body continued to lay there. "Wake up", and as the Kraang spoke those words, Leo's eyes opened wide, wider than the Kraang has ever seen, and there was no color, his eyes were just pure white as he stared up at the Kraang, Leo said nothing. And without a command, Leo stood up, his body moved without his control, still unconscious, yet his body moved, wobbling as it stood up, trying to get ahold of the body it was controlling, but as he stood up tall, it looked at its hands, flipping them over, analyzing the body it was in, "This..", its voice scratchy as it spoke, far deeper than Leo's, sounding nothing like him, "-creature...my host is far from human...". It continued to look over the body it was using, staring at the firm shell, the limbs, it looked over everything, "Yet, it is one of the inhabitants. It used its strength to protect the very thing that feared them...", it just stood there as it continued to touch the markings on Leo's skin, but stopped, staring down at the photo Leo never let go of, "Interesting...", though it had no pupils it looked back up to Kraang and a sharp, toothy grin appeared, "Thanks for the new host...", Kraang didn't get to reply as the creature ran away, leap from rubble to broken ship, running away from the Kraang...

It continued to run, running faster as it heard the Kraang scream, yelling at him to come back. But he only ran faster, never looking back.

Chapter 2: A Snail's Search

Notes:

A/N~ this has nothing to do with the story, but rather with me, I honestly don't remember the units of time the Kraang used in any of the shows, so for this unless someone points out, will be used in measurements used on earth

Cover done by @Amasc0met on twitter

POV 3rd Person(???):

'Ooooooohhhh', taking in a deep breath of the nitrogen-filled atmosphere, the creature laughed as it finally felt something, his eyes shut. Standing still the creature watched as its shadow cascaded over the remains of the broken technodrone, the sounds of the rumble clashing against each other, but that wasn't the best part...

The colors...

Shades of purples, pinks even some greys, this dimension's trash-filled sky was full of an ombre of colors, something this creature had never seen before, it was beautiful, so stunning that he wanted to stay in this spot until he breathed his last breath. The creature stared at the sky and studied the colors, the change in hues, something his liquid form never got to experience. 'I envy you...stranger', the creature reached out, catching a piece of loose metal, 'he's coming...', the creature knew he needed to run, to flee from the predator that roared out for him, yet he just stood still, staring off in the distance. Looking away from the noise, he analyzed the entirety of his new host, dragging each digit along the smooth skin, he looked and studied every inch of his body, the skin that covered his host's entire body, the stripes that painted his face, arms, even on his host's legs, everything about his host was fascinating, but what caught his attention though its host's abdomen and back, it felt strange, firm to the touch almost like the debris that filled this dimension, yet far smoother. 'What are you?', he wanted to know more, wanting so badly to tear his host apart bit by bit so he could see what exactly this body was, rip every single organ out of his host body, to slide a blade over the soft scaly skin, watching whatever strange liquid pool from the cut, whether that was himself or whatever liquid that kept this thing alive...

But he knew that doing so wasn't a good idea...

'Just a little peak would hurt', a sharp toothy smile formed on his face, the creature quietly, its cackle sounding airy, so hushed as it flicked its finger in the air, and a blade formed from the very tip of the host finger, and the sounded of the sharpened blade echoed through the air. Crouching to the ground, he sat with its host's legs crossed over each other, and as he got comfortable, he pressed the blade against the host's digit. A new color...

The color looked so similar to the markings on this earthling's face, it was so lovely, the liquid floated into the empty space, hovering just within his reach, but instead of reaching for the liquid that floated just a few inches in front of him, he stared at his finger and pulled it closer to his face, only to shove it inside his mouth seconds later, 'Coppery...', he licked his lips, savoring the metallic flavor, 'Interesting?', there were so many colors that covered his host's body, colors that he's never seen before. He stared at the finger, 'Maybe-', he looked up from his finger and pushed himself up to his feet, switching his gaze from the colors in the space and his host finger, 'I can find a way back to this creature's planet...to see more of these strange colors', he didn't want to lose this body, no one can take it from him, it was his.

"VENOM!!!", his leader's voice echoed louder as it screamed is birth given name...venom. Venom turned towards the sound of his voice and just stared, he was close, ready to put him back in his place, but he didn't want to go back to that colonizing lifestyle, going from planet after planet, destroying every single planet in our path to "prove" that they were that strongest and most superior lifeforms in the universe, he didn't want to do that anymore. Turning away from the voice, Venom was ready to leap, to run away, but as he lifted his host's leg he finally felt it, his legs were sore beyond anything the symbiote had ever felt before, it hurt far worse than the blade he used to pierce his host's digit, it hurt, every part of this host's hurt, his face, torso, legs, back, everything hurt so much, yet he needed to run, to escape, but he couldn't.

Using the only limb that didn't hurt, he pushed against the rock he leaned against, using all of his strength just for him to tremble as he stood against the debris, his legs trembled ready to collapse at any second, but that came sooner than he thought. A scream pierced through the very atmosphere he stood inside, visible sound waves broke through the air, making him collapse and fall to his knees, his body went numb as the scream filled his ears, the Kraang's secret weapon, the same sound that made his host and its kin lose their strange abilities. Venom stared at the ground, that was until the scream stopped.

T̶̲͖̾̂h̵̞̤̯͆̉̕e̸͓͂ͅȓ̵̜̘́͝ê̴̜͘ ̴̞̻̝͆͐̽ŷ̶̗̬͠ȯ̴͚u̸͚̪͙̒ ̶̞͑à̸̢͉̀̕ͅr̵͍̰͕̋e̶̪͚̹̓́̏.̵̧̎͠.̵͎̝̰̌̍̏.̷̛͎̹̂̌

A shiver ran down Venom's back as he heard Kraang's native tongue speak, his voice sounded like the screams of all their victims, screams and squeals mixed into one as Kraang spotted Venom leaning his back against the rock. Kraang Prime soared through the air, and landed right in front of Venom, cracking the very rock he landed on. Lifting the only arm that worked, venom blocked as much of the debris as he could. Venom needed to protect his host, he needed him, and he knew at this moment his host needed him as well, Venom watched as Kraang walked closer, his body swaying back and forth as he glared down at the two. Kraang said nothing as he watched the lowly creature scrumble at his feet, a black liquid covered the host's body, his size growing by the second, venom closed his eyes as he pushed himself up, trying so hard with all his strength to stand to his feet, to protect his host and as the body was fully covered, he opened his eyes wide, glaring harshly towards Kraang, no color was in the creatures eyes, his eyes glowed a pure white as he looked up at his leader. His lip curled up as he glared at Kraang, putting on a show of all his teeth and gums, and as his mouth opened slowly a long worm-like tongue slithered out from behind his teeth, and a squeal left his lips, screaming at the leader before him.

"You filthy. Lowly, parasite!", Kraang raised his hand in the air, smashing his fist into the creature's chest, Kraang picked up his robot leg and slammed it into Venom's body, crushing his host's leg, and a scream fell from venom mouth as he screamed so loudly, his legs were worthless now, his knee bones were shattered beyond repair, and walking was impossible.

"How dare you, speak to me in such a disgusting tone!- I should demolish you myself! You know that I own you- Ỉ̷̢̺̞̦ͅ ̶̲͔̹̱̼͌C̴͎͔̗̐͗̕R̴̛͎̟͊̓͋͠Ę̷̤͕̉Ā̶̛̦̗̠̣̈́T̸̩̘̹͙̒͐͆Ë̴̗̰́͛̎̀͊D̴͔̮̥́̈́͛ ̵̰̟͔̙̺̽̈́̐̕Ȳ̶͖̾Ǫ̸̖̺̤̮͗̎̀U̵͈̒̈-", reaching down Kraang wrapped his hand around Venom's throat, he couldn't breathe, Kraang squeezed his throat with just enough pressure that if he squeezed the creature's neck with more pressure, he would snap his neck, killing Venom's host in just one swift motion. "You owe your very life to me, I built you- made you from the very dust of this dimension!", Venom pushed against Kraang's hands, he needed air to breathe, and all Kraang could do was laugh as he watched Venom scramble for air, "You know...Earthlings had this very funny term that I live by, especially for you-", lifting one of his hands, Kraang reached up and grabbed Venom's head, he was going to kill him, crush him with just one squeezed, "I'm the one that gave you life...so I can take it away...", something snapped inside venom, Kraang's expression changed from something sickening to confusion as Venom's eyes glowed a bright blue and the markings that painted his skin glowed even bright, something was happening, but as Venom looked back at Kraang, he was gone...

He was somewhere else, a different part of the prison dimension, he himself had never seen before, 'Where-', looking around where he was, Venom noticed a technodrone just behind, floating  towards the epty ship and pushing against the debris that floated nearby, his body floated closer and closer towards the ship, slamming against it as he finally made it. Venom pushed open the door, just by looking at it's interior he could tell this ship was still in working condition, he spoke up, grabbing ahold of the ship's AI. "Mother Ship!"

Yes General

The ship spoke up as a pair of glowing yellow eyes looked down towards Venom, waiting for him to speak up, to complete the task he ordered it, "Where is the position of the Med Bay", the dark black slowly began revealing his host broken and weak body, he needed to fix him before it was too late. A screen floated down from above him, showing Venom his exact position and the location of the Med Bay.

Med Bay is on the far side of the Technodrone

East of your current position

"Good. Bring me a suit and gurney", Venom fully left his host's body, slithering on the ground as he waited for the system to bring him the necessities.

The items you required have arrived

Watching as the suit and gurney move closer towards Venom, he moved himself inside the suit, making the metallic body his own, it was easy to bond with a machine, yetvtaking over this suit  was never his favorite, Venom always preferred possessing a real malleable creature than a machine, it felt strange, harder to control compared to than the fleshy skin suit he'd call his host, but for now it will make do. Picking up his host body, he placed it on the gurney and made his way towards the Med Bay, "Mother Ship, prepare whatever is medically necessary for my host", the system agreed as Venom continued his journey. Looking around the hall he saw what he was looking for, and began running, his pace becoming quicker by the second as he slammed the door wide open, he placed his host on the medical bed. Venom stood back and pulled up the screen, staring through the transparent screen as the system scanned the host's body, injury after injury popped up on the screen as the system named them off one by one.

The patient is in critical condition

Surgery is highly recommended or else the patient's brain and heart activity will stop in approximately fifteen minutes

The host's bodily structure popped up on the screen, and each injury's location popped up as well, Venom didn't get a word in before his host was taken in, he wanted to yell, to order the system to cease its activity, but he didn't.

Injuries:

Brain - Posterior trauma

Jaw - Broken

Neck - Bruised

Cranium - cracked around the left socket

Ribs - Broken

Lungs - Pierced and deprived of Oxygen

Shoulders - Dislocated

Hips - Dislocated

Knees - Shattered

Internal bleeding inside the patient's abdomen and chest

Spleen - Ruptured

Legs - Destroyed

Venom stared at all the visible damage, analyzing all the X-rays given to him by the system, his host would be in surgery for a while, he was going to ask how long surgery would take, but something caught his attention. Venom zoomed in on the host's left side, something looked weird, it didn't feel right to him, "Mother Ship, what's this in the creature's abdominal left upper quadrant"

The LUQ shows signs of nerve damage

An Injury sustained from a past battle possibly

Venom zoomed on his host's left side, opening the slide that showed the current state of the patient's nervous system, the system was right, almost all the nerves near the patient's left upper quadrant were damaged, but from what was the question, Venom stared at the injury, to him he knew that this injury looked months, maybe even a year old. "Mother Ship, give me a time estimate of patient's surgery"

Thirty Hours

The splenectomy and osteorrhaphy as well as the disarticulation will be the difficult surgical procedure

If done wrong patient will be under anesthesia for forty to forty-eight hours

"Disarticu-! Mother Ship, is amputation medically necessary in this situation?! Is there no way for you to save the patient's limbs even in its current condition?"

No

The voice sounded so determined, that nothing could persuade the system even if he wanted to. The screen changed, switching from one tab to the next, showing the legs' condition. The bones were shattered beyond repair, broken into thousands of pieces, nerves and veins damaged beyond repair, there was even signs of multiple compound fractures throughout the host's legs, there was nothing he could save from his legs and Venom knew that.

Even if we saved its legs your host would have a difficult time walking let alone any activity that involves its legs

Mother Ship always knew how to make Venom understand, it was the closest thing humans considered a parental figure, yet...they had no relation to each other at all, one was a computer system with no source of life, while the other was created in a lab for the mere use of controlling the creatures this species wanted to rule over. "Do you have everything you need for the procedures?", Venom's voice sounded so monotone as he stared at his damaged host through the window, he hated this life, the life he was born into.

No

However a technodrone has the rest of the needed materials as well as some food supplies needed when the patients wakes up from anestesia

I sent the location through your wrist remote

You will be able to communicate with me no matter where you are positioned 

"Alright. If any complication occurs with anything please contact me immediately", the ship agreed as Venom turned away, leaving the Med Bay in search of these needed pieces. Looking at his wrist band, Venom pulled up the technodrones current location, 'The technodrone is two clicks towards the training quadrant, staring through the hole he created in the ships walls  Venom peaked through and leaped into the empty space, landing on some debris twenty feet away. Pushing off the rock, Venom floated through the air, he scanned the area, turning his robotic head in every direction, searching for any threat, "Mother Ship...", a ding alerted from his wrist remote, she was listening, waiting for him to order her or even ask her a question, but his mouth just hung open, leaping faster and faster through the cluttered air. "How far is Kraang Prime from my position"

1.147416315e-6 Parsec from your position

So far from what we've documented Kraang Prime at top speed he can travel almost fifteen hundred miles per hour

"Miles per- What does that mean?! How long will it take for him to find me!"

Kraang Prime will be here in approximately 611 days and three hours

Venom landed on a large piece of metal from a demolished ship, and stared off into the space, staring at the rocks and Kraang who died years ago. "Has he started his search...", a small rock floated in front of him, reaching for it, Venom's robot hand grabbed ahold of the debris, moving it around in his hand. He hated this, compared to using a living creature, robots to him are useless, he had no sense of feeling, and no receptors to differentiate between the different colors, however, robots were the easiest to control.

Yes

Kraang Prime position changed the moment you arrived inside the technodrone

'Since I've arrived...', Venom continued to stare at the rock, one that was only found inside this dimension, Venom shook his head and turned back towards his destination, tossing the rock away and began his journey once more, jumping from rock to rock.

You know General this senorio reminds me

Humans had this strange story of sorts...

This system had such a mind of its own, learning every mannerism and behavior from all the universe, so he listened. Venom was so close to the ship, he pushed each rock, pushing harder and harder, flying through the debris until he saw it, an undisturbed ship, no damage was done to it, almost like it was stuck in time, back when the humans trapped us here..., 'Maybe that's why the Kraang want to end everything on that planet...'

A challenge where you get a ton of earthly currency, but the only way you get to keep that is if you never get caught by this snail

A snail that always knows your location

Ready to kill you once it finds you so you have to always keep moving

"Wait?-", creating a blading with his arm, he pierced the side of the ship, squeezing through only to see an empty ship, "So is a snail one of the Earth's strongest predators, a creature on the top of the food chain?", Venom wrist remote lit up, showing a picture of a strange creature, sharing similar attributes to a creature of our own, "That looks similar to a Kraathatrogons?!"

Yes quite similar

However based on this story they must be far more dangerous than our livestock

Venom's steps echoed across the halls, step after step echoed as he searched for the materials, staring down at his wrist device following the location, "Mother Ship what specifically am I grabbing", shoving open the door. Venom looked around the room, scrolling through the screen that was attached to his wrist seeing the list of items, he walked straight toward the center console, "System bring me the parts from this lists-", plugging my arms in the console, Venom watched as all the items showed up on the list, air pressure released into the atmosphere, packing every single item into a multiple bags, sealing them shut once the system confirmed everything was inside.

"Mother Ship, everything has been obtained-"

General I understand that you only want to be informed about any negative activity from the patient

However while watching Kraang Prime's location a new life form has shown up near your location

Five Clicks farther from your destination

The life form looks nothing close to Kraang's kind

"That's the edge of the Dimension?!", he pulled up the screen and stared at the dot that blinked over and over, it was close, yet it was on the other side, 'What are you...'

Chapter 3: Another Dimension?

Notes:

Sorry for posting late...I've been busy at my gma's and aunty's because we were celebrating my birthday and had no time to actually edit this chapter, but I hope you enjoy <3

~Ten Hours Later~

POV 3rd Person(Venom):

*Squiiiiissssh*

Venom stabbed his finger into the removed organ, and poked the spleen over and over again, waiting just outside the operation room, he couldn't wait any longer, patience was never his strong suit, yet here he was staying put in the observation room. Venom could wait for his host, he would wait to the end of Earth's time for his host, yet for some reason he wanted so badly to get back inside his host body, to press his snout against this organ to inhale that beautiful smell, to run his long tongue along the spleen, oh how badly he wanted this surgery to end, but there was still so much to fix with his host. Prying open the cooler, Venom jammed the organ into the ice box, making sure the organ kept its freshness, oh how hungry Venom was, even though he didn't have a stomach he felt something growl inside of him, he felt a hunger. Venom sighed tiredly as he stood up from his chair, and walked towards the screen, 'Four...only four of the eleven- possibly twelve issues were fixed so far...', pulling up the map, Venom stared at the two dots that beep constantly, the air was filled with so many different sounds, the beeping from the heart monitor, the sound of this two dots location, the patient's breathing as the oxygen flowed through its lungs, even the sound of his metallic feet tapping against the ground as he paced back and forth. He wanted to leave this part of the dimension, to explore farther than any Kraang has done, to see beyond the edge of this dimension, but Venom knew very well that without a host to subside within, he wouldn't make it past the ship he ventured to hours prior.

'Maybe that unknown lifeform can help?', zooming away from the Kraang Prime's position he slid his finger across the screen, sliding closer and closer to the dot until...Venom couldn't swipe his finger any longer, big red letter showed up on the screen, 'Unknown Territory beyond this point', Venom tried swiping over and over, trying so hard to see what the other side looked like, but no matter how hard he tried he was met with the large bold red letters, words written in his own dialect. Venom hated his dialect and language that took years to master, years of determining what one squeal meant and what the other was... Salamanderian was by far his favorite, quite a complex language, yet compared to his own it was so much more intellectual.

"Mother Ship-", Venom popped up the monitor and watched the live footage of his host's current procedure, osteorrhaphy, "How far into the procedure have you completed"

General

I understand you are impatient

However I can't spe-

"How much of the procedure have you completed", for the first time, she was silent when Venom asked her this question. Staring at the screen, Venom watched her meticulously manoeuvered the fragments back to their original position.

Seventy-eight percent of the procedure is finished General

"Alright...", it was strange to Venom, why was he so impatient, he's waited for over a thousand years, so why was he nervous, was it because of Kraang Prime...possibly.

General how about we discuss plans for when the patient has completed all its procedures

Will that help with occupying your boredom

Venom sighed tiredly as his metal finger tapped the chair, the hours upon hours of his finger tapping against the chair began to show an indent, yet answering her question took some time to think about, "What could possibly be planned after my host's procedure? If it's about the meals and nutrition post-operation, then yes, we should discuss", Venom stared down at the patients open abdomen, his shell sawed open and tossed off to the side, ready to be used to seal this creatures body closed once more

Unlike the Kraang Empire

Earthlings or what we know about humanity itself is that those creatures take time to heal and adjust to their new habits

In this case amputation and fake limbs

Creatures on that planet dont adjust as quickly as your kind does so for three weeks you will have to help him adjust through what humans call physical therapy

"No. I'm done with you wasting my time, Mother Ship. Unlike you I have-"

Over twenty earth months until Kraang Prime arrives

That is almost two whole earth rotations

Until then you should make a plan

Try to find a way where you can escape him

"But the only way to do that is to either find a way back to his planet or to...", Venom finally saw where the Ship was coming from, he slid his finger across the transparent screen, swiping faster and faster until he reached the very edge of the map. Zooming in on the edge, "We could escape his radar if we left the dimension, however, if Kraang Prime were to pass through the barrier...", Venom stared at the map, searching for the weakest point of entry, a safeguard. He saw it, an area so small that he almost missed it if he wasn't paying close enough attention to the map, "Right there. This is going to be my entry point, the rest of the border to this dimension is full of radium, enough to destroy the organs inside you or if we are lucky enough to kill us, however, this point right here has very little radiation, barely enough to effect any creature that hasn't adapted to such high levels of radiation". Venom switched over to a different tab, and opened the Technodrone's inventory, "What information do you have on earthling's appetite?"

From what I've gathered Earthlings don't always have the same appetite

Some can eat tons enough to feed multiple humans while others eat barely enough to survive if they were in the wild however in some scenarios humans dont eat at all for days

Venom continued to stare at the inventory, the food supply was limit, however, what he had Venom was unsure if the food they had was even edible to his host, "Do some more research and find out what humans eat-..."

Is there something wrong General-

"Mother Ship. I want you to look into a certain project-", this galaxy- this entire universe is filled with so many different creatures, some that are so low that a mere gust of wind would kill them while some are considered gods, so powerful that they could kill and demolish anything in its path, something out there has to have similar attributes to this creature, anything. "I need you to look for a species- any species that shares similar traits to the patient...maybe with this lead we can find a source of nutrients that can help this creature grow even stronger-"

Two options have been found however these options will be extremely difficult or just impossible

Venom froze as he stared at the screen, the ship took control zooming through page after page, showing only two creatures, however only one of them was alive, "The Triceratons and...Salamanderian...", triceratons were sent into extinction a millennium before the Kraang were imprisoned inside this prison dimension. "Are there any traces of either race, we need to find anything that can be used to-"

Salamanderians are our sworn enemy

Trained to kill us the moment they lay their eyes on your kind so I advise that we ignore their kind

Those creatures are beast

Animals that kill anything in sight

"Mother Ship. Are there any traces of these two races"

General some traces show no sign of these races nearby however there is no way you can travel to these points of the universe

"And why's that. I have the ability, the resources to travel to these-", Venom jammed his fingers against the screen, pointing at each highlighted position on the screen, "positions on this map...so tell me what is stopping me from turning this ship towards my first destination. Tell me! What makes you comprehend that I am too weak to travel towards these positions...", Venom was angry, this ship insulted him, calling him a weak creature, a weak Kraang, Venom knew he was strong, he was powerful enough to take down anything that gets in his way, blocking him from his goal. He was a powerful entity, Venom was Kraang, a superior race among the rest of the lowly creatures that filled this universe.

You are trapped

You are in the prison dimension

You and your kind have been trapped for a thousand years

That is why General

"System. Shut up", Venom walked through the screen as he pulled up the inventory on his wrist, Venom stared at the food log, all their supplies depleted over the years, meal after meal, ration after ration disappeared after each day, but when there was nothing...Kraang did the only thing that kept it strong, that kept it alive. Cannibalism. The weak were killed off first, and their flesh...stored and consumed through the years, children consumed their kin, Kraang did anything to survive, and yet... Venom was happy he didn't get to live through that era, an era that lasted hundreds upon hundreds of years only to end when Kraang was near extinction. Fifty...only fifty Kraang were strong enough to survive, and yet the Kraang still craved more, their minds were unable to comprehend what was real and what was an imitation their minds created.

That was when Venom was created, Kraang Prime took pieces from all the fallen Kraang, using any and all pieces of the dead, using all the strong parts and mending them to create...Venom. A nameless creature that lived for the very purpose of killing and manipulating the very creatures that banished them to this very dimension, a creature that was mended and created with so many parts that it had no way of keeping a solid form, a creature that lived in constant fear of falling apart if it's not in a solid and bond host, a creature that is too weak to take down its master...a parasite, every part of him was filled with memories of its predecessor's life- its death, everything, and that only made him fear his creator even more. That was what he was, a weapon created by Kraang Prime to use, to control the humans and creatures that dare go against his words, that was his purpose, nothing more. And this was his chance to demolish that entire ideology, to make his own path to live something that his very existence wasn't meant for, this was his moment.

Walking down the corridor, Venom stared down at the current inventory, counting each possibly edible item he saw on the list, "Kraathatrogon meat, Kraathatrogon tongue, milk, eggs...", every item showed to be in the same place the ship's cooler, walking into the room a shiver ran down his back as he felt the chill on his metallic body. Venom checked every single item, the eggs and meat frozen for hundreds of years, preserved until it was burned by the very ice that kept it fresh, and the milk curdled into a rotten foal substance, all of it was ruined, barely edible for any creature. Typing into the system, Venom pulled up any ships within a one-click radius and looked through all their inventory, every single ship had the same items, whether it was a few more items or everything was gone, eaten up by the creatures, the pest that roamed through the prison dimension. "Kraathatrogon meat is an edible compared to the other foods Kraang used to eat, however I wonder if the unique taste will be something my host will not agree with". Walking back down the corridor, Venom continued his search and walked down the halls, a weapon, that is what he needed, something in case his own body couldn't create.

General two procedures are left

Patient will be finished in approximately four hours

"Thank you Mother...", pushing open the door, Venom walked towards the console, and opened the armory, analyzing each weapon's shape and deadliness, nothing fit his host's characteristics, Venom tried to remember what he used before his entrapment, but he couldn't remember. He searched, walking through weapons, yet nothing caught his eye, he looked at every club, pistol, and spear, and every single weapon didn't fit when he thought of his host, well...except one weapon, a sword, "Hu tou gou...", a pair of twin Chinese swords with a hook at the very end of each blade, the blade sharp enough to cut through any lifeform, yet strong enough to hook onto anything without snapping. Venom ran his finger along the blade, pressing his metallic digit harder and harder against the blade, Venom wanted to feel something, anything to make him feel conscious, to feel like a real living breathing creature, but as he pressed his finger against the blade, he watched as his finger was split in half, Venom didn't feel anything and now his finger was damage, "Mother Ship".

Yes General I will send you a new pristine suit right away

"Thank you, Mother...", the doors open as a folded-up suit flew through the air landing just a few feet away from him, "Mother Ship, I want you with as much knowledge and power you have to figure out what is on the other side of the border, anything you find will help, lifeforms, sustenance, what sector of the universe is positioned on the other side, I mean anything will help. With that information, you and I will be able to determine whether or not the other side is dangerous for me or not", Venom crawled inside his new suit, and let his old suit fall to the ground. Walking down the hallway, Venom listened to the soft sounds that filled the air, the squeals of electrical tools whirling inside the operation room, his foot tapping against the ground, and even the sound of venom tapping his finger against his thigh, there was so much noise, slowing down Venom stood in that hallway his hands reaching up to cover his ear, yet...he couldn't. The noise went on and on, he wanted all the noise to end, he just wanted everything to be quiet, Venom needed to rest, to relax while the ship took care of the patient, so that's what he decided to do. Turning away from the operation room, Venom walked back down the corridor and as he stepped further away the quieter things became, the sound of tools whirling in the air, the sounds of organs squishing around as a machine pushed them to the side, everything became quiet.

"I have to get over this foolishness- this weakness-"

That is not a weakness-

"It is. This feeling?! It is prohibiting me from working to my potential...I could be stronger- better! But instead a mere annoyance bothers me to submission-", he stared down at his wrist remote as the ship's robotic noise spoke through the screen. "Even Kraang Prime has informed me of that...every simple thing that bothers me must be dealt with, the fear, being overwhelmed, the childish fidgeting, all these childish antics must be dealt with. That...", Venom pushed open the door and saw his old home, the place were everything started, where his life was born, "That is how I will become stronger than him..."

General you are aware that you in strength are no where close in strength compared to your creator

You may be strong compared to the rest of those creatures on that waste of a planet but here

*BANG*

"Fuck-Stop reminding me! I know that I am just some weak parasite compared to the rest of this race, but I am trying my very best to be a strong or maybe a stronger version of Kraang Prime so that someone could be proud and I don't give a single shit who it is, but I swear I will train my new host to become so powerful that nothing in this universe can take it down...not even that beast that is searching for me...I will make him something everyone will fear-", Venom reached into his pocket as he stared at the photo his host dropped moments after his arrival, staring at the strange creatures that looked so similar to one another, except for the furry one and humans, possibly his host kin, "Even his own family will fear the monster I've created...and there's nothing that beast can do about it". Venom wanted to toss this photo away, wanting so badly for his host to forget it all to only remember and listen to him, but he knew that wouldn't happen, he needed his host to trust him, not despise or hate him, they needed to bond.

Venom sighed tiredly as he slipped the photo away, and made his way straight towards one of the walls, leaning against it, venom slid down the wall with his head leaning back, he was tired, he could rest now, and with his eyes finally shutting he felt overwhelmed with sleep and with one last blink, he closed his eyes, and listened to the gentle silence fill the air around him.

--------------------------------------------

As the hour passed onto the next, Venom still couldn't fall asleep, staring up at the ceiling he counted every single marking on the tentacle textured roof, every wound that littered the ceiling he counted, he did anything to fill these boring hours. It was coming close to the end of his host surgeries, sighing tiredly Venom pushed himself up and walked towards the door, summoning a screen, he stared at each procedure that was done, so far from what he could tell everything went smoothly, but as he continued to look at the chart something felt strange, all of the procedures were finished less than an hour ago, I flicked through the log notes, flipping through every page over and over and over and over, 'Why wasn't I informed of this?!', pushing himself up, he ran straight through the halls, his foots steps echoing louder and louder with each step, Venom saw the door straight ahead and entered the code, walking in without a thought as to why the patient was still asleep, yet he just stood there. His eyes hovering over the patient's body, he could see all the scars, the wounds...the amputations, all the mistakes he could have prevented, but what he stared at was the host's digit, staring at the cut he gave his host, the first time he's ever felt so alive.

Venom wanted to be back in this body, but as he reached for him, he heard the ship speak up.

General the patient is not ready to do any sudden movements, I advise letting the body rest for an additional ten hours

Then and only then will you be able to control this body without harming it

"Fine...", Venom pulled his hand away from his host and stared at the screen, "What have you found about the other side of the border?", Venom's hand fell as he continued to rest his hand on the patient's firm abdomen.

Another Dimension

One that more Kraang occupies

Chapter 4: Vitals Are Stable

POV 3rd Person( Venom ):

"Another Dimension filled with more Kraang?! Is there a chance that some of the Kraang never was trapped...have you found any other lifeforms that live inside this dimension?"

It looks to be a similar dimension to this prison dimension your kind have been trapped inside for eons

Almost like a kin of this dimension

However it doesn't seem to stop there

"What do you mean?", walking away from the resting patient, Venom walked closer to the screen and watched as the ship drew a complex sketch of what could be dimensions or "universes" that connected in a strange coincidence.

From what I have found there are a multitude of dimensions that are kin to ours

And from what I've found most of them are controlled by the Kraang

However so far our dimension is the only one a Kraang can't escape from until now

Now with this cut in the edge of this universe you finally have a way to escape

*Crrreeeeeaaaaakkkk*

Venom turned towards the noise only for his eyes to be met with another's, his host's. Venom stared at the creature as he was stiff, his eyes wide as he stared at Venom.

*BeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeep*

The patients heart beeped faster and faster, his blood pressure rose slowly, the systolic number rising at a rapid rate while the other rose slowly, the patient was scared. Venom stared at his host, walking slowly closer, he stepped one foot in front of the other, and closed the distance in between them, stopping just an inch away from the end of the bed. "Mother Ship-", his host flinched yanking his arms and legs, trying so hard to escape, yet he couldn't, "How is the patient awake sooner than what was suspected?"

Compared to most lifeforms this one's genetic and biological code seems to be constructed far differently than most creatures

Its body began healing the moment I started the procedures

Shattered and fractured bones healing back together correctly

See look at this

The screen zoomed in on the host's left skeletal eye socket, it was healed with no materials needed, no staples, no wiring, it was almost like the bones heal on there own, Venom was stunned, but how could this be, bones take months to heal on their own, and even that most of the time the pieces never go back to their previous position...so how?

"It wasn't...-", the creature finally spoke up, his eyes stared at me as I stared at him, watching him through the transparent screen, he is afraid, "I thought...this was a nightmare...", the creature tore his eyes away from Venom and looked down at his trembling hands, his hands reaching up to his face and covering his ears, Venom stared at his host as he walked around the screen, standing tall by the side of the bed, analyzing his host, Venom went to reach for his host's face, studying the incision that scarred his face, a long scar that travel down through the side of his eye, "What are you exactly-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!", the creature flinched away, snapping his teeth towards the hand, Venom only chuckled at his attempt and walked back towards the screen, "What are you doing to me! Where-", the creature kept yelling, screaming for answers, but Venom never spoke to him. Zooming in the patient's side, he switched over to the peripheral nervous system, "Mother Ship were you able to fix this nerve damage?"

Negative

"And why's that. I specifically remember ordering you to fix this issue"

With Nerve damage all we can do is wait for the body to heal on its own rate

However based on how fast your host has healed its own shattered bones

I expect it's nerve damage to be healed in no time

However we can not truly know this flare up may occur in the near or far future  causing your host to go into immense pain or panic

*BANG*

Venom switched his gaze towards his host, his eyes widened, staring at his host's limp body laying there on the cool metal table, but as Venom stared at the creature's chest, he felt his nerves calm down as he watched its chest rise and fall, breathing slowly with each inhale. "What happened?!", the Mother Ship could tell his he was nervous, Venom's voiced laced with fear as his tongue stuttered, running around the screen, he stood beside the bed, checking his host's vitals.

Anesthesia

The chemical still subsides inside his body though he woke for a moment

"How long will this chemical stay inside him", all of his vitals were stable, his heart was slowing down and his blood pressure was stablizing, 'good...good...'. Grabbing ahold of the screen, Venom placed it over the creatures body, hovering in the air as he looked over everything that happened, "Mother...is it safe for the patient if I join it...?"

Yes so far from what Ive been monitoring the patient should be sustainable to survive while you bond with it

On the contrary the patient possibly will be ready in a week

"And the physical therapy you spoke of before, saying that will take weeks?", Venom sat on the ground as he left the suit he wore for hours on end, changing from one suit to the next, taking over my host's body.

You are physically and mentally connected to the host you bond with

Why don't you try it out

Venom pushed his body up, it was strange, even though this body just finished its many procedures moments prior, it felt completely healed, "Interesting...", sliding his legs off the table, he swung his legs back and forth, trying so hard to get ahold of his legs. The ship coached him through the works, all of this felt so strange to him, he had used robotic limbs before, yet now, he felt like a newborn child learning to walk for the first time. Sliding off the bed, he stared down at his host's new legs, "I thought you said this body didn't need the physical therapy?"

That is what you are going to be doing for this week

For the entire week you are going to train this body as well as expand this creatures lung capasity

You are going to be training this body to become a stronger vessel for you to bond with

These limbs are wired and neurologically connected to your host's brain

Created and fitted to fit what its limbs looked like before the accident

Try flexing the host's phalanges and metatarsals

The system was right, moving the toes around, the phalanges moved so smoothly, as if the were his own. Venom stared at the legs, they looked so metallic, so robotic, nothing like the legs his host had, "Mother, will this affect my host's mental state?"

The result of the procedure is...

Unforeseeable

Creatures of all kinds react differently to the procedure

Some go into what the earthlings call a depressive state

While others go on with their lives as if nothing occurred

"Is there a way to have the first not occur?", the system was silent as Venom sat back down on the bed, grabbing ahold of the screen, and watching the vitals fluctuate as he sat there on the medical bed.

The human-

This creatures brain its...

It is nothing like I've ever seen ever in this dimension

Its brain seems to made of parts of multiple creatures from that planet

Its blood however doesn't have the same components as a humans or its counter parts

"Counterparts?...", a pair of crutches appeared beside him, forearm crutches, reaching for the crutches he stabilized himself on them and began walking towards the large computer, watching as the ship showed Venom his host's entire biology.

Your host has both human and terrapin DNA running through its body

But what I find strange is this

This very creature has mutagen running through its veins

The very chemical-

"We use to turn others into Kraang...but how?", this chemical is similar to the secretion the Kraang create through their pores, the same concoction we use to change other creatures into our own. "The Kraang have been inside this dimension for over a thousand years, and this host is nowhere near that old...This-", Venom stared at the components, they should have never been in any other creature's control other than the Kraang, "Whoever this creature's maker is...they are a danger, worse than the Kraang...", Venom stared down at his hand, moving his fingers as he memorized every wrinkle and scar that painted his hand, it was... unique. "This creator...found a way to calibrate the Kraang's mutagen and turn into a- a drug that changes any living thing into a "perfected" version of itself...", Venom stared at his reflection in the mirror, analyzing every inch of this body he was chosen to bond, "This creature is imperfect...a creation that should have never been created let alone ever even been thought of...this creature and what else this creator that played God created, everything this creature is should be put to rest, yet...somehow, he created one thing that was good enough for Kraang Prime to choose as my vessel. You were able to take down my master, my creator...maybe we're not so different, Terrapin".

"No...", a voice spoke up as Venom stared up towards the screen, analyzing every single component inside this host's body, but as he stared even harder, he felt himself losing control, his host was waking up, "We are nothing alike...".

---------------------------------------------

POV 3rd Person( Leo ):

Leo couldn't catch his breath as he looked around the room, Leo tried to find something familiar, anything that reminded him of home, but nothing looked like home to him. Leonardo knew every part of the city, the streets, the sewers, god Leo even knew where all the entrances are to the hidden city was, but this...this wasn't the home he knew, "Where am I...Raph! Ra-", lifting one of his legs, Leo stepped forwards, but as his foot pressed against the ground, his body fell to the ground. Groaning in pain, he pushed his knee against the ground, pulling himself up as the sound of a voice was sounded off nearby, a voice he had never heard before, "Hello?!". Leonardo called out as he held onto the console, pulling with all his straight to stand up to his feet, to fight the foe, but as he looked down something caught his eye, and all the air that was in his chest disappeared, "My-...", his breath was stuttered, his hand reached up, covering his mouth as he stared down at his legs, but as Leo stared longer at them the fear was exchanged with anger, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!!!".

Leo wanted to yell, to scream at this thing, "HEYYYYY!!! Where are you!-", a pair of crutches were set down close beside him, Leo stared at them, they were a tease, a way of getting under his skin, "...fuck you..." reaching for them, Leo pushed himself up, searching for the droid he saw earlier, "God damn it- I know you're here!", the crutches clicked as the tapped against the ground.'That droid is here somewhere but where?', walking around the room, Leo knew where he was, "Why am I- Where are you! And what did you do to me!-"

"I helped you, Terrapin... I fixed the damages Kraang Prime did to you"

"What the-", He knew it after all this fighting, this entire battle, he's finally gone crazy, and a laugh fell from his mouth as he stared down at the ground. Leo heard a voice, but who's, "Come out!", Leonardo spun around the room, and his eyes landed on a pair of swords, a type of swords he's never used before, but who cares. Ripping the swords from the droids body, Leo was ready to fight, to kill the very droid that did this to him, but as he held those two blades close to his chest, he stared down at the lifeless droid that leaned against the wall, his breath came out heavy, 'He's empty...where is he-', Leo stepped away from the empty droid, his breath stuttered, his chest felt empty as the air continued to seeth through his teeth as Leo glared at the robot, "...Raph!...", his breath came out heavy as Leo looked around the room, "Can anybody hear me?!...", no voice responded back, he screamed over and over, yelling for his brothers to wake him from this terrible nightmare, to come get him from this place...Leo wanted to yell for them, to scream through this terrible messed up nightmare, to make anyone that could hear him escape this place, Leo knew that this was all just some nightmare, 'I know my brothers save me...right?'

"Unfortunately-"

That voice came through again, Leo looked around and around until...his eyes met his own reflection. The reflection showed half of my face covered in a black ooze-like liquid, dripping down my face and falling onto my shell, painting my shell a new shape of black.

"This family you spoke of...never really came"

Leo glared at his reflection, air seething through his teeth as he watched a long worm-like tongue come out of the oozes wide mouth. Leo wanted to destroy the image he saw of himself on the screen, it was his imagination messing with him, all of this is a nightmare. "What are you...", his words dripped with anger as he saw an eye on the side of the face covered in ooze glowing a bright harsh whiteness. "Were you the one the destroyed me...", the voice laughed at Leo's remark, but his laugh only made him feel more disgust, more anger as he stared at the creature.

"I didn't destroy...I fixed you-"

"You sound like the very creature that invaded my planet-", Leo looked around the room and saw a strange, yet nicely made dish of food, a dish of meat set off to the side. Leo walked towards it, smelling the meat only to notice a strange scent to it, 'Poison?'.

"Kraang Prime. The very being you trapped yourself with. He did this...Mother Ship"

Yes General

The ship spoke loudly, Leonardo's body froze as he heard the ship, and the screen showed a list of injury upon injuries, enough that some of them should have killed him yet he was here, alive and breathing. The screen showed a picture of what he looked like before he woke up, bruises formed all over his body, lacerations and abrasions all over his face and limbs, he was beat up...and his legs...

Injuries:

Brain - Posterior trauma

Jaw - Broken

Neck - Bruised

Cranium - cracked around the left socket

Ribs - Broken

Lungs - Pierced and deprived of Oxygen

Shoulders - Dislocated

Hips - Dislocated

Internal bleeding inside the patient's abdomen and chest

Spleen - Ruptured

Legs - Destroyed

As the ship spoke, each area that was injured was highlighted, showing the severity of the damage, and to say the damage was an easy fix would be an understatement, but as Leo stared at the skeletal and physical damage of his legs, each moment he realized why they did it, the bones below his knees were broken beyond repair, pieces of bones poking out of his legs, and his legs were mangled terribly, there was nothing they could do..., "But why...", Leo looked at every single scar. The scars on his shoulders, his hips, Leo stared at the staples on his abdomen, "Why didn't you kill me...". Leo felt so lost as he looked at his face once more, only to notice when he looked it was him alone, his face clean of dark ooze.

"I find you...interesting"

None of this was making sense to him, "But why?! And what are you?!", Leo wanted to know, so far the only Kraang he's met, each one was a bloodthirsty killer that wanted to take over the planet, yet this one...was completely different.

"I'm...not sure why I want to help you...all I can think of is that Kraang-"

The very name sent a shiver down his back, he hated that word, the very species that almost took away his brothers, that destroyed his home, yet when he heard the word, his body was filled with a sense of adrenaline, his brain activity spiking instantly.

"-Prime wanted to destroy the very planet you trained to protect, he wanted the humans or... whatever you are? He wanted your species to know that he is the strongest species, but I never understood why though..."

The voice slowly became quieted by the second, 'Maybe it's a sore topic...wait does that mean he's one of those three's kid?'

"However what I am is simple. I am an experiment. One created by Kraang Prime himself, a specimen born to be a weapon...my only purpose to my creator was to take down any race by bonding with inhabitants' own kind, forcing the species I bonded with to do as I wanted if I wanted them to kill I could make them. But I see...no use in doing so...I once heard him speak saying the moment the entire universe is under his control, I will be of no use...I would have been killed..."

Zooming in on the screen, Leo stared at the procedure that was done, while tearing away at the tender meat he held tightly in his hold. "Then...I guess we are...similar"

"How so?..."

"My...creator-", Leo hated calling Draxum his creator, it was true, yet he hated the way it connected his life to that man, "...Draxum made us-, my brothers and I for that very same purpose, he wanted to take down the human race, but Splinter, my dad, trained us to protect them...", Leo chugged the liquid that was poured into the glass beside him, cringing sourly at the flavor that stung his tongue.

"I do have a question for you, terrapin. While the ship and I were continuing with our procedures, deciding what route to go about for each injury, I noticed on the screen something strange in your body. Past damage on your left side-"

Leo stared at the screen and noticed what he said, from what Leo could see and what he knew previously, the injury shows to be nerve damage, an injury only he knew of, one that never was healed.

"I requested the ship to fix the injury, however, the system said that type of injury was one that needed to heal with time, it also stated with how long it took you to heal and adjust after that procedures then this injury should heal with no time..."

"Then the system must be right...now if you don't mind-", Leo leaned on the bed, resting his head on the pillow and pulled the drape that covered his body early over his body, closing his eyes as the constant beeps and pings from the heart monitor signaled through the air, Leo's vitals were stable.

Leonardo is stable.

Chapter 5: My One Wish

~One Week Later~

POV 3rd Person (Leo):

'They still haven't come for me yet..', Leo stared off into the empty void that surrounded the technodrome he lived inside, the only place he lived inside for the past week, and yet he felt so lonely despite knowing he lived with two beings, a ship and the another...an experiment. A creature that bonded with Leo against Leo's wishes, yet the creature wanted to protect him, he wanted to stay with Leo despite everything he heard about the human race from his creator, he chose Leo over his own kind...why. Leo sat on top of the technodrome with his legs crossed over one another, trying his best to imitate the pose he once saw his dad do, yet for some reason it felt wrong, his legs hurt as they were over-extended beyond what he was used to, but knew he needed to get used to it. Closing his eyes, he listened to everything around him, the rubble hitting against the ground, debris tapping as it made contact with his prosthetic legs, he listened to every single sound...his legs...Leo could feel a strange itch on his shin, he reached for it, searching for the itch as he kept his eye shut, but as Leo continued to search he could never find it, 'Where-', He opened his eyes and stared at his legs...his useless legs. Staring at the prosthetic, Leo was confused, there was no leg to itch, only metal, but as each minute passed the more his leg itched, it wanted to bite it, tear through the metal, he wanted to scratch that itch, he hated this...Leo never wanted this, he didn't want these legs...Leo didn't want to be here.

Breathing slowly, Leo felt the nitrogen and air fill his lungs, filling them until they were full to the brim, and let out a gentle relaxed exhale, Leonardo needed to breathe...he needed to meditate, something his father and Raph did to become stronger...something he should have done to become stronger

--------------------------------

"Happy Birthday-"

Leo slowly opened his eyes when he heard such familiar voices, "Guys?", as he opened his eyes he no longer sat in the dim void he sat in moments again, instead he was home, his family and friends sitting at their fairly large table, each one with a big smile on their face, everyone...is safe. "Come Donnie... it's your birthday! Make a wish!-", none of this felt real, none of this felt right, 'Donnie's Birthday?...would they really move on this quickly-', but as Leo watched his family cheer for Donnie, the more Leo felt the atmosphere, the air thickening by the second.

"Audible sigh...I wish...", Donald's voice sounded so low, so tired, and Leo knew that tone, a pitch that meant he wanted to be alone, to be by himself in the room he called his lab, Leo knew that tone, "Leo...was here". Leo knew they couldn't see him, but as he walked closer to the table, staring down at the cake they shared every single year, for a second Leo could have sworn Donnie was staring at him. Donnie sat up in his chair, leaving the table with the rest of his brothers and April confused and saddened, Leo heard a sigh and turned back, watching as Raph pinched his snout, "Donnie come on-"

"I'm going to be working on my projects", walking out of the room, Leo followed after Donnie as he stormed into his lab, slamming the door shut, "Why did you leave...", Donnie stared at Leo, glaring as he stormed towards the slider, stopping a foot away from Leo's face, Donnie's teeth grinding against each other, snarling loudly as the air rushed passed his teeth, "You can see me-"

"Why did Dad make you leader-", Leo wanted to finish his sentence, but as his brother's said those words his throat stung as he stared at his twin, watching Donnie glare at him with so much anger, "If Raph stayed leader...you would still be here"

"I did that to protect you guys-...to protect New York-"

"And you think I wanted this! That any of us wanted this...you...are so selfish Leo!!!", Leo knew that at any moment Donnie would have broken, falling apart and placing all there on his brother, Leo needed to be strong, he couldn't be weak, not right now, not ever. "You trapped yourself in there and you knew you could have just escaped yet you did that! That! Holy Banana Pancakes-  I could have escaped that Kraang!  And I'm a fucking soft shell turtle for Enstein's sake...", Leo's hand reached up and covered his mouth, hiding his trembling lip from his brother, 'He's right...I could have done better...', at this moment Leo felt even more alone than ever, he wanted to see his brothers again, he wanted to see April, his dad, hell maybe even Draxum, yet all he could do was laugh, clearing his throat as he walked towards Donnie, "Damn you're right! Dad shouldn't have chosen me hah! He should have chosen you-", Leo nudged Donnie as he turned around, his hands rested behind his head, walking towards Donnie's large security door, "Heh...Happy Birthday, Donnie..."

"Raph should have stayed leader, Nardo"

"I know, Donald", Leo shut the door behind him, leaving that entire reality behind.

--------------------------------

Slowing opening his eyes, Leo took a deep breath as he recognized where he was, 'Still...in this stupid dimension...', reaching towards the dust debris, Leo dragged his finger along the ground, drawing what looked to be a birthday cake. Leo hummed quietly as he stared at the cake, he could almost imagine it, his family celebrating the twins' birthday, lighting the candles on a marbled cake, part of it was Leo's favorite flavor, while the other part was Donnie's, 'Happy birthday to you-', his hum sounded so quiet, so depressing as his hums filled the quiet air, "Happy 17th Birthday Donnie and Me...happy birthday...to...us...", with a deep breath Leo blew down at the sketch, making the drawing disappear in seconds.

Leo stared at the ground only to hear someone else talking, their quiet voice continued to talk, mumbling their words as they walked to themselves, "You know I can hear you mumbling, Ooze...what the hell are you doing anyway?!"

"Planning! We are supposed to leave in a day and yet you sit here, watching rocks and ships in space-"

"Oh here you go with this bull shi- I told you we are not leaving this "dimension", my brothers are still out there looking for me-", Leo pushed himself to his feet as he walked towards the entrance, and entered the code, walking back inside the technodrome.

"Terra! We've gone over this! It has been one full earth week, and we have seen no sign of your kin, not one in sight!"

Leo clicked his tongue as he walked further into the ship, making his way straight towards the storage room, "System! Show me the ship's inventory!"

Yes Terrapin

Leo's footsteps and crutches echoed across the halls, each one tapping one after the other as he stormed his way down the corridor, Leo didn't want to discuss the topic again, he wished that the thing in his head would just stop bringing it up. Leo is set in stone, he will not leave this hell hole unless a familiar face appears, anything that reminds him of his family he will run to it, no matter how dangerous the journey is, he will not run away, not this time. Leo's finger tapped into the console, listening as the pressure released, letting the door open for him as he stormed inside. "System! What is left of our food supply and is there any more water left on the ship or on any ship nearby!", Leo stared at the screen, scrolling through the list over and over again, he wanted what was on the screen to be a lie, hoping that the food would last him for a while or even just until his brothers come back, 'Maybe I can ration the food, maybe...', he needed to survive, for his brothers, he needed them.

Food supply - Two days worth

Water supply - Limited

Looking into the ships near your location it seems that there is little to no food left on those ships as well

However even with rationing you may only last three days

"Are there any ships nearby that have any supplies, any within one to five miles from where we are", sliding the door to the side, Leonardo walked inside the walk-in freezer, looking through every single item, making sure the inventory was correct, part of him wishes it was wrong, that maybe somewhere on the ship there was more food, maybe some water that was overlooked by the system, anything will work, yet...there was nothing. "System, if I were to ration to one small meal a day, how long will that last"

Thirteen earth days

However Terrapin you haven't consumed any water in two days

Earthlings cant last three days without water until they start feeling the side effects

Watching the screen, it showed Leo's water levels, everything was low and it was starting to affect his body and strength, yet Leo just stared down at the ground, he needed to find more supplies and the only way to do that was to leave this ship, "My brothers will find me, and I will wait for them no matter how long it takes"

"Terra don't you get it, we are out of supplies for who knows how long and the only way to do that is to go through with my plan-"

"I am not leaving this spot until they get here!", Leo walked passed the screen, and left the storage room, "This is where the portal closed so I am going to stay right here-"

"Terra!..."

Ooze went silent as he yelled out the name he gave Leo, a simple name, a name easy to remember.

"This isn't where you were trapped before, for Kraang's sake we are not even remotely close to that position, we are over a parsec away from there!"

"So what!", Leo yelled into the air, his breath coming out heavy as he walked into the front of the technodrome, "I was gifted a very specific power that can help me in this very moment! I can go back to that point no matter what creature good or bad is waiting for me there! I will wait there-", Leo reached towards his shell, and pulled out the two blades that were holstered to his shell, his hold on each one strong enough to crack and break the very handle itself, "-until my brothers find me!"

"Terra, I want you to try...try and go back to that part of the dimension"

Taking in a deep breath, Leo stared at the empty space that filled the center of the room, and with one quick swish of his sword, he closed his eyes. Leo was ready to see something, part of him wished that there would be a glitch in the portal, where it led a straight path home, but as he opened his eyes there was nothing. Leo swung his sword again and again, trying so hard to make anything appear, but nothing did, his swords began to glow only for the brilliant blue hue to fade away. 'My swords?!', Leo stared at the blades he held in his hand, that had to be the reason, closing his eyes he imagined his own blades in his hand, he imagined the color, the shape, even the size of his blade, he could almost picture it, he's changed objects into swords before what's stopping him now. Leonardo opened his eyes and as he opened them he was only met with disappointment.

"Kraang Prime did the very thing that could disrupt your connection to these powers"

Leo stared down at the ground as he dropped his swords, the metal ringing loudly as the blade hit the firm floor, he was trapped and there was nothing he could do he had to stay put and live inside this dimension, hoping his brothers would find him, "Then I'll wait for them-"

"And how will your brothers find you- Do any of your kin have the power to free you from the dimension? Terra the only way this dimension can be opened is from the outside with the very key that could end the very plant you were sworn to protect...Your brothers will create an opening however you will be nowhere near to escape, but you know who will be...my creator, he will be the only one able to escape and free himself from this prison, leaving you to starve to death while he destroys the very planet you lived on...you brothers aren't coming, Terra"

"SHUT UP!!!...", Leo yelled at the creature spoke inside his head, but as he stared out the window, and watched large pieces of debris floated by, he was right, Ooze this liquid creature...was right, Donnie should have thought of something by now, that or Draxum could have thought of something, yet no one, he signals for the system to see if there was any nearby disturbances, there was nothing, "System..."

Yes Terrapin

"Prepare all necessary materials for the dimensional-, cross-over thingy"

Alright then

Groaning tiredly, Leo walked out of the cockpit, shoving his swords back into his holster. "So Ooze do you want to tell me why you want to go to this dimension so badly, for all we know that dimension could be identical to this one, or fuck it could be worse. We could just get trapped in another dimension with more dangerous"

"Yes that could be a possibility, however, there is a greater advantage to escaping into the unknown rather than staying in our current position"

Leo walked back into the room he rested in to pass the time and watched as the screen in the room started up, showing Leo the entire map of the prison dimension as the screen continued to load up the parts of the dimension none of them have even come close, three dots were highlighted and one of them was moving quickly.

"Okay. Do you see that dot that is moving? That is Kraang Prime, he knows of our position, and based on his path he's heading straight for us, however with how fast he's going he will not arrive for two earth rotations or what humans call two years. However to stall and lengthen our survival time, leaving this dimension will make him lose track of us, we will be safer in a dimension he is not residing in than the other"

"Then what's this dot?", Leo pointed to the speck on the opposite side of the map, a location nowhere near them, yet it intrigued him, Leo wanted to know the importance.

"That was where you closed the portal off between us and the earth"

"Wait, but...how are we so far from there, did you transport us with a ship", it made no sense, how did Ooze do it, moving Leo and him from point A to point B faster than Kraang himself?

"That part I'm unsure about...after trying to escape Kraang Prime, he found me only moments later and as he let out the same scream that captured you and your kins' powers, it felt like your body was going to explode. The markings on your body, the stripes glowed brightly...we were swallowed by this strange blue wormhole that brought us...here. It is a possibility that you could have done this yourself, however during the altercation you were near death, ready to die any second if you were not seen by Mother Ship, yet it still confuses me...you Terra can travel to and from a position no matter how far they are in a split second, but you still need your swords"

"I mean who knows, maybe I'm just that strong", Leo smiled smugly as he stared at his reflection, only to see Ooze looking at him with a straight face, "Hey you don't know~"

"That is true. But for now that situation is left for later, but first, you have traveled that far before, yes?"

"I mean yeah, but I was freaking out like a lot, I teleported all of my brothers and me into fucking space for god sakes"

"Then that could be what happened, in that scenario, your body and mind were filled with so much adrenaline that the powers overloaded, and sent you to a place your mind knew was far away from the danger"

"But would a safe place be with my family?"

"Yes it could be, however, Kraang has been trying many experiments and tests to escape this dimension, so I highly doubt your powers can do what the Kraang couldn't. Plus to add wound to injury as homo sapiens like to refer to it, there is no way for you to escape this dimension or the next unless you figure out what you did before to get your powers back...do you remember what you did last time"

Leo just sighed as he crouched down to his knees, "No...that's the thing-", Leo jumped to his feet, rubbing his browbone in frustration, "System. Bring me a pouch to carry all the supplies I need- Something easy to carry!"

Yes Terrapin

"When we got our powers back all I can remember is me sympathizing with my older brother, telling him why I understand the stress of being leader put on us, telling him that I was the one that needed my brothers and that...they...", Leo stared at the bag the ship gave to him, a small pouch that crosses over his chest, but he didn't care, all he thought about was this moment right here, his brothers weren't coming, they didn't need Leo, Leo was the one that needed them. "Anyways we also each yelled one word yelling teenage mutant ninja turtle? I'm not even sure why we yelled that..."

"...Well here's some good news, looks like you don't need those crutches anymore!"

Looking down towards his arms, Leo switched between his arms and legs, 'Wait where are my crutches', balancing on the balls of his feet, he slowly began to hop from foot to foot until he was jumping, he was back, stronger than ever, "Oh my fu- I thought I was going to have to use those forever-"

Terrapin all the necessary supplies are already packed into the satchel

Food

Medical supplies

Water is nowhere to be seen so you will have to immediately search for a source

However there are three bottles tucked away for you to use and fill up

Inside the satchel I supplied you with a wrist remote

You can use that everywhere you go

No matter where you go

"Thanks system. Alright let's go", he said throwing the bag over his shoulder and walking out of the room, Leo followed the path towards the nearest exit, the ship was super simplistic once he got the hang of it, but as he walked closer to the door, all of this felt too real. Leo was on his own, with no family or friends, all he had was this creature and the technodrome's Ai with him, and yet he was ready for whatever was sent his way.

And Terrapin

I slipped some additional prostheses into those blue pouches you have as well as the instructions

In case anything were to happen to your prosthesis all that is needed to be done is to screw off the damaged part and screw on the new piece

As for how far the tear is over the last few Earth days we moved closer to its position

However moving any closer will disrupt my systems and processors

Your destination is half  a click away

"Alight! Thanks, System!", with one final key, the door released the pressure, air seeping through the cracks, and the door opened, the smell of the rich nitrogen-filled space flowed through the ship, and as Leo breathed it in he leaped into the air. Pushing against the ship, Leo leaped from rock to rock, he could see the tear in the border, it was quite bigger than he expected, but was an escape from this prison. Closing in on a rock with all his might Leo pushed against the rock, flying straight for the tear, "If I die Ooze I'm blaming you for it"

"Fair enough", Leo braced himself as he got closer to it, he closed his eyes tightly as he used his arms to block anything coming his way, waiting for something, anything to happen, but as he opened his eyes, he was only met with a weird bright pink dimension. Looking down at the ground, Leo crouched down and touched a small island's smooth surface, "What...is this place?"

Chapter 6: A Shocking Reality

Notes:

A/N~ heads up when it is Leo's pov venom's words will be by itself and venoms likewise unless they're talking back and forth, for example:

If it is leo's pov

"blah blah blah"(Venom)

"Blah blah blah", then he bitch slapped him(Leo)

And it's the opposite if its venom. Get it!

aight enjoy!

POV 3rd Person (Leo):

"What...is this place?", Leo stared at the eye that floated in the sky, the iris darting back and forth searching for something, watching everything around it. Leo turned back around and looked where the tear was, but when he turned back around... it was gone, looking down at his wrist remote, he pulled the device closer to his mouth, "System...system can you hear me?"

Yes Terrapin loud and clear

"Good, system do a scan over this entire dimension and see if there are any water sources or something close to it", Leo watched as the screen continued to load, only to turn his attention away, jumping from foot to foot, "there's no zero gravity here..."

On the contrary there is however this dimension's physics are quite different compared to your earth

Try it leap across

"What?!", Leo stepped away from the edge, his head inching closer and closer as he looked over, Leo turned back, walking closer to the tree, he needed distance to sprint across, 'Alright...here goes nothing', as he launched off his foot, he ran across the island and as the edge got closer by the second, he jumped. "Ahhhhhh!", his feet never made the landing, tripping over the edge of the neighboring island, his body fell forward, landing on his face a second later. "Ooowwwwww", Leo held his face as he knelt on the ground.

"Damn you really ate the ground, didn't you! Ha Hah!"

"Oh shut up, I'm just not used to this dimension's...fish sticks..."

Physics-

"Whatever! System do you know where the nearest water source is?!"

Location was sent

"Awesome!- Ah Shi- I know I'm gonna get a bruise there later", Leo stared at the projection, his eyes switching from one point to the next, he was close. Sprinting across the island, Leo leaped across the bottomless ravine and soared through the bright pink sky, for some reason he felt so...free. Leo reached the other island, stumbling over his feet, "Land safelyyyyyyyyyy-", Leo landed perfectly as his body hunched over, balancing on the bottoms of his feet, "Yes! Let's go!". Leo was ready to run, to jump across again, Leo was ready to find the water, to do anything to survive, he needed to survive, he needed to wait for his brothers, "Mop mop!", he stopped as a voice spoke up out of nowhere. Looking around the island, Leo's eyes landed on a small creature sitting on top of a rock, "What the-"

"Terra, I very much recommend you do not go any closer to that creature! So far what the ship has given us is that this dimension is similar to the prison dimension, this creature could be very dangerous"

"Oh shut it- Look at it, Raph would go nuts over it, he finds anything small adorable-", Leo stepped closer and closer to the creature, reaching to touch its cheek, maybe even to scratching its head, he thought it was adorable.

Ȧ̷̹͙̬̪͓̍͗̀̚ ̴̯̹̭̟̯̕H̸̜͋̎̉͗̋̊͝ͅ ̷̛̮̫͙͉̐̉͗͌͝H̸̯͔͖͚̣̹̐̎̆̃͘͝ ̷̫̂̀̈́Ḫ̶͙͌ ̵̧̳̘̠́̾̆̂̐͘H̸̰͉̰̓̒͒ ̷̥̲͙͂̐̎͘Ḫ̵͉̭͕̒̊̂̇̍̎̚ ̸̪̿̂H̷̹̣̦͊̇͌͌́̾ ̵̨̟͖̻͍̌̌̃̏͒͝H̶͎̩̒̓̄̌͌̓̒͝ ̴̛̖̝̟̰̌̍̈͑͂͛!̷͇̘̔̒͑͑̄̋͆ ̴͇̆!̶̧̳̪̭̳̇̍͆ ̴̡͉̼͔̼̉͂͑̈̿!̸̢̺̘̞͖̦̠͓́̌̆̿̈́̊͝

The scream was so loud and harsh, Leo covered his ears as he turned away from the creature, 'Hurt! Hurt!', Leo turned back towards the beast, yet instead of seeing the small creature, Leo was met with a massive stone-like creature, its scream continued to make his ears hurt, it felt like they would bleed any second. Leo wanted to leave, this place wasn't safe, he wanted to go back, he wanted to stay in the Prison Dimension, not here. Pulling out the twin blades from his holsters, "What the hell is that thing?!"

"I told you not to go near it!"

"Well how the hell would I have known it was thiiiissss-", Leo waved his swords at the monster as he stepped away from the creature, his stepping quickening faster by the second, Leo watched the monster run faster, watching as its body dragged across the smooth ground, "System! Locate the creature's weak spot!"

"You don't need her for this! Terra, do you remember that small creature you saw before?!"

"Yes? What about it-"

"Look at the top of this monster head-...do you see it?!"

Leo leaped across the ravine and looked over his shoulder, he saw it, the small creature that made those sounds early, the two were one creature, mended together since the beginning, "Alright what about it?!"

"That's the creature's weakness...may I?"

------------------------------------------

POV 3rd Person (Venom):

"Wha-"

Terra didn't have the opportunity to understand what was going on fully, but as he watched his arms and legs slowly become covered in a thick dark liquid, all he could do was freak out, "What the-", the liquid dripped down his face and as the little bit of body surface left was covered in the ooze, he noticed a great difference in his structure, he was way taller than before.

"Since when could you do this?!"

"Since forever!", the swords were placed back inside their holsters as Venom bounced from one foot to the other, hopping back and forth, he was ready to do this, and as Venom pressed the ball of his foot into the ground, he launched. Leaping through the air, Venom landed on top of the monster, its screams filled the air as it reached for Venom, a pure silver blade formed from his arm and sliced down the monster's face. The creature wined in agony, it was hurt, it didn't want to fight anymore, but Venom didn't care, Venom licked the blood-stained blade with his tongue, oh how Venom loved this, the flavor, the adrenaline, the fight...he loved every single part of this, he finally felt the freedom he has been craving for so long, yet as he walked closer to the wounded creature his eyes glaring at the smaller creature.

"Wait dude!"

Terra stopped him, "Ah! What now?!"

"Are you seriously going to kill this...thing?!"

"Yes...so?", Venom was so close to the creature and watched as the blade grazed across its rough skin, the creature whined as he pressed the blade harder into the monster's skin.

"Bro- Alright that's enough!"

"Fiiiiiine, you really take the fun out of everything. That's alright, I can do other things to protect ourselves", pulling the blade away from the creature, Venom could almost hear the creature sigh, it thought it was free, the creature thought he was lucky one, but as Venom's blade disappeared he walked closer, his body swaying back and forth, and as Venom lifted his fist, slamming it down on the small creature.

"Ooze!"

Venom couldn't hear Terra, no he couldn't hear anything, not the sounds the creature made, not the screams and orders from his host, he didn't even realize as his fist collided with the creature that the creature died moments ago, he didn't care, Venom didn't care what he heard, he wanted to protect him. The creature's blood coated his knuckles, but Venom didn't care, stepping over the creature he could see the watering hole, pushing off of his foot, Venom launched across the ravine and landed on a neighboring island, running across the island, he leaped from island to island, pushing off of the debris that floated in the air, Venom slid down the debris and landed on the island below, there it was, a small creak that was filled with a strangely colored liquid. 'Mother Ship said it was okay...', reaching into the satchel Mother Ship gave to him and his host, Venom pulled out a small compatible bottle and dipped it into the liquid, watching as the bottle slowly filled up to the brim.

"You...killed it"

"I am...sorry", Venom reached back and grabbed another bottle, filling it up as he spoke to Terra, he could hear the anger in his host's voice as he spoke, "I lost control, I don't know what happened...but it is good I did so"

"What makes you think any of that was okay?! The way you killed it was way worse than stabbing it!-"

"That creature is a danger and a threat to you and I. It is better if we deal with fewer threats than dealing with all of them...Terra in the Prison dimension we may not have many other creatures than the Kraang and the Kraathatrogons, but when the Kraang had a planet of their own, their planet was filled with creatures you could have never imagine, and do you see the creature I just took down?", Terra didn't respond as Venom filled the last bottle and shoved it into the satchel, pushing himself up to his feet, "Mother Ship what would have been the chance of survival if I would have left that creature alone after the first chance?"

Survival Rate Nine percent

"That's still a chance!"

"You know what fine!-"

------------------------------------------

POV 3rd Person (Leo):

"If you think you can survive, do it on your own!"

Ooze went quiet as the black ooze slowly disappeared, revealing Leo confused state, "Ooze...", Leo spoke out as the pouch slipped down his shoulder, speaking just a bit louder, Leo called for him, but Ooze didn't answer. "Fine. Since you want to be a fucking child about it then be quiet and see if I care!". Walking towards the edge, Leo continued to think over where he should go next, 'Based on Ooze's observation if this place is truely another version of Prison Dimension, we should stay away from areas populated by them- Wait...can these alien Kraangify like mine!', Leo didn't want to think about that, all he knew was he needed to find somewhere safe.

Leonardo ran across the island and leaped across the emptiness, that was until he felt something, something was watching him, but where, Leo landed on the island and raced towards the closest spot he could hide only for it to be a crystal tree, "Who the fu-", Leo peaked around the side of the tree, his eyes darting back and forth as it searched for the watcher, but who was it.

He needed to get away, Leo knew that, yet as he continued his search Leo wanted to know who was watching, to see who found him so interesting, but he had to leave, Leo knew at this point it wasn't safe to sit still in one place for so long, he turned away and raced across the island. Leaping from one island to the next, running into one creature to the next some weird yet friendly creatures, while most of them were monsters, hungry creatures wanting more to eat, Leo couldn't trust any of them, he didn't want it to happen again. There was no place the slider could find that was safe for himself, every island was covered with something dangerous.  Leo asked the system over and over, but some creature occupied every single location he went to, whether that was a monster or some small robot, nowhere was safe, and even if it was he couldn't risk it. "God damn it!-", Leo crouched down towards the ground as his back leaned against the strange crystalized tree, his arms wrapped around his legs, Leo hated this place, he hated it way more than the Prison Dimension itself, he wanted to leave, Leo wanted to go home. "System..."

Yes Terrapin

"Does...does he know where we are?"

Kraang Prime is still heading in our direction however I have no solid proof that he knows you're in another dimension

"So...so you're telling me all of this-", Leo motioned to everything around him, the environment, the bags he had to carry, even the monsters he had to fight, "-was for nothing?!"

Sadly I do believe so however checking on the point of contact of when and where you first entered is documented that Kraang Prime's speed did slow down for approximately two hundred seconds

All of this was useless, coming here was useless, Leo pressed his back against the tree and slid down the trunk, staring up at the pink-filled sky, "Then what was the point come here...System why did we come here"

It was all theoretical Terrapin

Neither I nor Venom knew what could possibly be on the other side of the tear

I scanned the tear and only saw that it had signs of life

Signs of both Kraang life and other creatures

However there is a zero percent chance that Kraang Prime will be able to come inside

The tear you traveled through closed and unless Kraang Prime knows of a way to reopen said tear I theorize that we are safe for now

Leo listened to the soft voice of the system, it sounded so calming, a sound he could fall asleep to if the system could sing, but as he listened something was making sense, her words caught his attention, "How could you tell- wait who's Venom?"

The symbiote you are bonded with Terrapin

Venom was the title that was gifted to him by Kraang Prime

As for how I was able to determine who and what was on the other side creatures and species of all kinds give off a specific frequency

All living creatures have it and the only way for something to lose that frequency is for them to reach the very end of their life cycle

However I have seen many species try to silence the frequency some have come close but none I have ever met and documented ever truly succeed

Leo just stared out into the distance as the tree cast a shadow over him, "Documented? What do you have on me", Leo laughed as he put all of his weight against the tree, and swigged a little of the water in his bottle. Leo pulled out a small sliver of the dried meat in his satchel and took a large bite out of the meat, despite being something new to him, it was by far the best thing he's eaten in a while...well besides pizza.

Well that information I have on you alone may not be a lot however I have a few facts about you as well as your kin

"My brothers?...", Leo sat up as he stared down at his wrist remote and watched a projection float in the air, Leo watched as fact after fact about him and his brother popped up on the screen, everything he'd said to himself was on the screen, "You were listening to me talking to myself?!"

Terrapin you are far from quiet when you talk amongst yourself

It was really difficult to not listen to your conversion

However just from your conversation I know that you have three brothers

Raph

Donnie

And Mikey

You also have a father named Splinter

You spent your time doing a multitude of different things to fill your hours

Meditate

Stars gaze

Talk about things in this ships your kin would have loved

Things you could have done to change this reality

Even things you could have done before your eldest kin being Kraangified

You tend to talk to yourself far more compared to the rest

"So what?! There was nothing on the ship to do, I mean come on, have the Kraang never heard of fun?!"

Kraang kind never saw the point-

"That was a retollickic question, System"

Rhetorical

"Damn both of you guys are real smarty pants-", standing up to his feet, Leo looked around where he was, something felt off, it was quiet, "Ugh whatever! System is there a part of this dimension that creates food?", Leo didn't get a chance to hear the answer as he felt a shock of electricity run through his body, making him fall to his knees, Leo aimed his blade toward the foe only to see another monster from this dimension, its body buzzed as it stared at him, none of it made sense, the pieces of its body weren't connected. "System?! Ooz-...Venom?! Please!-", he was on his own and Venom was probably laughing at him. There he was. Leo was learning his lesson.

Reaching towards his swords, Leo pulled one from its holster and threw it at the monster, only for it to dodge, 'Damn it my sword-', the swords came in from the other direction, going past him over and over and over until he finally caught it. Leo stared at the blade and turned towards the creature, and Leo only glared at the monster as it's body buzzed with electricity, reaching back to the other sword, Leo grabbed his other weapon, crouching down towards the ground and launched off of the ball of this feet, his feet stepped quickly, yet as his feet tapped against the ground there was no sound, Leo swiped his swords through the gaps of the monster, Leo was no where near close to defeating this monster. "System are there any weak points to this-"

"BOOYAKASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!", a voice yelled out from behind him, yelling as it ran straight for the monster, Leo turned back to see who or even what it was but all he saw was a small creature, one covered in some creature part, 'Wait is it...Kraangified?!', Leo stepped away from the creature as it aimed a rope towards the monster, watching as it pulled the monster, it didn't know where to look, Leo saw it, for a moment he noticed the creature charging it, it was going to shock them, he needed to do something. But as he looked back up, the small creature began yelling, his scream louder than anything he's heard before, that was the sound that made the creature run, and the small creature could only laugh.

Leo held his blades close to his sides as he stepped away from the Kraangified creature, Leo needed to escape, he needed to find a route away from this creature, but before he could leave, it turned around and raced towards Leo. Holding up his blades, Leo crouched down, he wanted to makes sure the distance between them stayed far enough apart, but as the creature got closer it looked...familiar, "Whoa! Are you a turtle mutant?!", Leo's eye's widened and took a step back, saying nothing as he gripped the handles even harder, "Whoa its okay-", he reached towards his face and pulled off what was a mask, showing Leo his true self, giving Leo full view of who he was, "I'm a turtle too! Michelangelo Hamato!", the turtle reached out his hand as a smile pulled at his cheeks, and reached for Leo's hand, waiting for him to shake it, "What's yours?"

"...Mikey?..."

Chapter 7: My...Brother?

~Two Hours Ago~

POV Mikey:

I'm stuck...

Trapped inside a Kraang facility.

Kraang droids surrounded every exit I planned for this mission, this whole mission was supposed to take less than an hour, instead, I've been stuck in the closet for half of that time.

Peaking through the crack of the door, I looked from one end of the hall to the other, watching as two droids sprinted towards the end of the hall, I waited, listening for any other droids and drones, but as they raced around the corner, I ran out of that storage closet. Running towards the other end of the hallway, I kept checking my pouch and holster, making sure everything especially my nun chucks was tucked tightly inside my holster, I needed a way out, but where. 

Racing down the hall, I turned down the next corner, and hid against the wall, "Continue what is known as the search for the turtle, the rest of the mutants we call the turtles must be around here somewhere!", the droids walked past the hall with their guns help close to their chest. I need to find a way out of this dimension, "Leatherhead has to be here somewhere?!", I whispered quietly as I continued my search, I checked every inch of this place, 'Maybe I'm in the wrong building?...", pulling out the small notepad, I stared at the long list of facilities, but as I stared at the first one, I couldn't cross it off, the facility was so large that only a third of it was seen from the outside, and I've barely scratched the surface.

Tucking the notepad back into the pouch, I peaked around the corner, and as I peaked around the corner a soldier caught sight of me, "Halt!", pushing off of the ball of my feet I sprinted down the hall, laser beams flying through the air passed me, and a single one grazed my skin, I looked at my arm. I watched as it bled, oozing down my arm, it hurt, I held onto my arm as I continued to sprint. Turning down the hallway, I called out into each cell as I checked each one, searching for Leatherhead, "Leatherhead...leatherhead!", I continued and continued, but as I checked every cell on the ground level, he was nowhere to be seen, 'He isn't here...maybe in the lab section!', sprinting towards the elevator, I jammed my finger into the button, smashing it over and over and over and over, my head switching back and forth at the button and the area around me, I could here their steps growing louder, I needed to go.

*Ding*

The doors slowly began opening but the moment a sliver of an opening appeared, I shoved the doors open wide, "SYSTEM STOP WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE ELEVA-", the doors closed before the droid could send in the order, I needed to find a way out, spamming all the buttons, I looked around the elevator and saw a emergency exit. Jumping towards the opening, I shoved the cover out of the way and climbed out of the elevator, placing the cover back where it was, looking up towards the top I noticed that there weren't that many floors above the ground floor, maybe just two, but I needed to check each one. Grabbing the large metal wire, I began climbing, but as I reached higher and higher, I realized it was taking me longer than usual.  Reaching for the ledge, I placed my arms on the edge and pried open the doors, the floor was quieter than the first, but I could still hear footsteps echoing across the walls. Pulling myself up to my feet, I stood up and began my search, I didn't want to be any longer, I wanted to go home, to be with my brothers...why didn't I just listen to them...why aren't they here yet?

Checking every door, I opened each one and peaked through the crack, seeing no sigh of Leatherhead, I called for him, my yells were quiet but loud enough for him to hear me, "Leatherhead! Leather-", I cracked open a door and saw something off yet so familiar, a kitchen. I never liked the idea of stealing from anyone no matter if they were evil or not, but in this moment in this dimension, I needed it more than the Kraang did, whether or not this food was stored for the prisoners inside this building. Opening my satchel, I grabbed anything that could last long that didn't need to be chilled, something simple that didn't need to be cooked, the options were limited, but I was still able to find food.

Shoving all the food into my satchel, a sound echoed across the floor, "Hello?", I froze and croached down the floor, peaking underneath the shelves I saw something, it footsteps were quiet, but slowly it walked towards me, pushing against that ground,  I stood up and stayed out of sight, creeping around the shelf until I reached the door, and tugged down on the knob, I was ready to leave the facility, to try another day, but something stopped me, "Sir?-", a voice, "You know Kraang is going to be mad right...you should put the food back...", turning around, I stared at the mutant, a small mutant scorpion stood there holding a dirty plate.

'I've been seen-", pushing the door wide open, I raced towards the elevator, "Wait! Sir!", the kid called out for me, I wanted to her, to free her from this place, but if I freed one I would have to free them all, I couldn't do that alone...but once I find Leatherhead- or even when my brothers get here, maybe we can save everyone, even the little kid, but for now...she'll have to wait...just a little longer.

Shoving the doors wide open, I reached for the cord and slid down, sliding down faster and faster until my feet slammed against the top of the elevator, making a loud bang echo loudly inside the elevator shaft. Prying open the cover, I slipped through and hopped down into the elevator, shoving the broken doors wide open, there was no time to stop, to think, they were coming towards the noise, and I needed to escape.

I knew the way out, I've been through this floor for days, coming in and out over and over again searching for my best friend, but he wasn't here, and the only thing I learned was the hallways that filled this floor. Sprinting across the floor, my eyes switched around the room, there was no one, no sounds, no voices, there was nothing, it was way too quiet, but in that moment I didn't care as I sprinted across the hallway, turning around every corner until finally I saw the exit, my satchel swung back and forth, the food made so much noise the more aggressive I ran, but as I made my last step I was out. Sprinting towards the closet tree, I hid behind the trunk, listening to the droids that continued their tasks, even the ones that ran out minutes after, "Droid-5103, did you spot the one that is known as the orange turtle?"

"No Kraang, Kraang has seen nothing of the sorts?", I listened to the droids, ten- twenty more droids walked out of the building, all asking something and yet no one saw me, "Yes!", I cheered quietly and looked around the neighboring islands, 'I need a place to stay quiet for now, just until tomorrow', until I saw it, a few islands away a small island maybe the size of Donnie's lab sat there. I was ready to run, to leap across to the next island, but something stopped me, "Droid-2569...", I peaked around the tree as I recognized that voice, 'Kraang Prime?!", I stared at the group, they stood fairly close so I could hear some of these words, mostly Kraang Prime's, "What's the status of the mutagen. It better be good news or else I will be factory resetting every single one of you guys and feed you to the Kraathatrogons, and they have been real hungry..."

"Kraang Prime, the liquid known as the mutagen is far from completion, Kraang is moving this process as fast as Kraang can, but the mutagen won't be finished for another full earth rotation, Kraang Prime-"

"I don't care! I want this done faster! Now where is that turtle!-", that was my queue, sprinting towards the edge of the island I slowed down and turned around, letting my body fall, my jaw and eyes shut tightly as I crossed my arms, feeling the air rush past me until finally I reached the other side, the underside. Crouching down, I stared out from under, listening as something's footsteps got louder, stepping closer and closer until they stopped, "If you see that turtle, you are to kill it on sight and you are to make sure that there are no witnesses...have you seen the rest of the turtles other than the orange one?"

"No Kraang Prime, however, Kraang possibly has an idea as to why this turtle spontaneously appeared-"

I fumbled a bit, making the ground above freeze, frozen in place I waited for their conversation to continue, but when it didn't I didn't understand anything, "s̵̠͒ẻ̸̺l̶̹̇t̵͎͌r̶̼̆ụ̵̐t̶̖̍ ̵̻̂ę̵̽h̴̲̃t̶̢͗ ̷̢͝ö̵̦́ţ̵͑ ̷̢̏ë̵͚ḡ̶̡ả̷̟ṡ̸̘s̸̜̆ẻ̵͍m̶͍͌ ̴̯͗a̵͚̾ ̵̹͠t̶͇́n̴̝͐ë̵͙ś̷̗ ̷̣͒d̴̰͠ạ̷̋è̸̠h̸͔͝r̶̭͐e̴͕̊h̴͇̎ț̵͗a̸̜̕é̸̗L̷̪̓ ̸͈̾e̴̹͋h̸̻̐t̴͚̀ ̸̭̆ṣ̴̅ȁ̸͎ ̴̗̀n̷̻̿w̸̩͋o̷̯͠n̶͚̿ķ̶́ ̶͍́ë̸̢́r̴̘̊u̷͖͛t̶̫͂a̷̞͛ė̸̩r̴̰̒c̸̢̑ ̸̖̿e̵̫̓h̴̳͛t̸̘͋ ̴̹͗,̶̧̽o̴̝̓ğ̵͓a̶̟̎ ̸͓͝e̸͖̔d̴̰̐a̵̤͂c̴̗͗ẹ̵͐d̶̮͗ ̴̹͌a̴͉̔ ̶̢̀ ", I tried to understand something, maybe anything of what they said but none of it made sense.

"They must have sent the one that is known as their kin to search for him", footsteps tapped against the ground, walking farther and farther away from the edge, "d̴̟̓ẹ̶̿ỵ̵̿o̶̹̔ȓ̵̪t̸͎̏s̴͓͑è̷͚d̶̳̚ ̴̣̿ẻ̶͍ḃ̸̲ ̵̥̈l̵̖̈́l̵͚̎í̸͈w̸͚͋ ̶̦̕ë̸̼́n̴͎̂ò̵͚ ̷͖̀e̶̖͠g̵̘̒n̶̫͝a̵̮͘ȑ̵̠ǫ̴̐ ̸͈̽ḙ̴͊h̸͍̕t̶̙̋.̷̦̃.̵̗̆.̴̻̒ḙ̷̇t̵͖̚ȧ̴̧ĺ̸̜ ̴̝̾ó̷̗o̵͚̐ṭ̶̿ ̴̛̤r̷̳̓a̸̢͂f̵͕͗ ̷̧̅ẻ̸̼b̴͔́ ̷̦̇l̸̤̔l̸̯͛i̷̟͊w̷̖̽ ̴̙̔t̵̪͝ȉ̸̼ ̴͕̿e̵̲̎ṟ̶̏ḙ̷͐h̸͉̆ ̷̡͝ț̴͗e̴͚̅g̸͕̑ ̶̜̿y̷̺̾è̶̩ȟ̷͚t̷͖͌ ̸̺̕ê̶̻m̷̲̔ḯ̴̲ṭ̴̾ ̶̗̚e̵͙͑h̴͈̀t̷̲͆ ̷̨͝y̷̤͘b̶͚̄ ̸̩́,̶͎̇l̷̠̊a̴̪̿i̵͗ͅt̶̘̿n̴̩̈e̴̺͑r̴͖͂e̴̞͌f̴̰́f̷̝̅i̷͚͗d̵͎̋ ̸̬̆ľ̵̝a̴̱̾r̸͈̍o̵̠̍p̸͓̄m̷̺̃e̴̛͙t̵͓̎ ̵̄͜ḁ̴̅ ̴͓̚ę̷͂v̴̧̚a̶̧͂h̵̤̎ ̸̮̇ẽ̸̲w̵̠̋ ̸̹́,̷͚̇t̵̜̿ȅ̵̞n̵̗̽ȁ̷̖l̷̥̈́p̵͙͑ ̴̗̊y̷̞̕h̵͇͂t̴͎͝ḽ̵̈́ḭ̴̒f̸̝̄ ̸͎͋n̴̗̐á̸͈h̵̏͜t̵̲́ ̸̘͆X̴̡̛ ̸͓̀n̴͖͒o̶̟̕i̷̜͂š̶̡n̴̘̅ḙ̶̿m̶̙͐i̴̭͝D̵̥͋ ̴͍͊r̴͖̆ë̶͍t̵͙̂s̷̖̄å̵̱f̵̝̆ ̷͙̈s̷͚̑e̷͖͗v̵͇͌o̸͓̓m̷̯̀ ̴͉͝e̵̤͋m̸̠̈i̵͚͠ṯ̸͑ ̵͈̕t̷̬͊â̴̖h̶̗̄ț̷̏ ̴͓̈́w̶͘͜õ̷̤ṇ̷̀k̷̬̒ ̴̝͘e̸̥͋w̶͍̾ ̶͈̏,̵͊ͅs̵̱͒e̵̟̅r̶̳̐ŭ̸̻t̵͉͝a̴̟̅ë̸̗́r̶̨͐c̴͎̔ ̸͖͌ȳ̵̻l̵͉̊w̸̭͂o̶͕͌l̴͑ͅ ̴͔́ë̴̥́s̴̲̑o̵͚̾h̵̬̀t̸̼͌ ̷̱̃e̴̞͋ḱ̷ͅi̷̻͠l̵̮͐n̴͈̿Ũ̶̥  ". I tried to listen to them as they spoke amongst each other, but I didn't understand a work, 'No I know they didn't leave me to do this on my own...my brothers would never do that...', crouching down to the ground I just stared down the gravel as I felt a nice breeze brush by. I thought over everything, 'Will they even come for me...what if they never come for me...', my hands trembled as I sat down on the ground. 'No!-', standing up, I shook my hands, my face, 'there was no time to doubt my brothers...they're coming for me, and if not this is a mission they trusted me to do on my own, I'll prove I'm just as good as my brothers, maybe even better', a smile pulled at my cheeks and my fists were pressed against my side, I reached the edge, ready to jump, 'My brother's are coming for me, no matter how long it takes I'll-'

"Make sure no portals form on earth in the meantime...make sure that mutant's kin never come to this dimension and you all know that the stupid one is in this dimension, right?"

'Stupid?...'

"Correct sir?", the steps got quieter, they were leaving, I tried to run, to walk towards the edge, to free myself, but I felt lost, however, now was not the time. Sprinting towards the edge, I leaped across and landed on the underside of a large island, hiding on the underside where no one could see me. Reaching into the satchel, I searched through all the food I got as I pulled out my tiny notepad, counting through all the food, writing down everything I had, 'Dried meats, vegetables, and fruits both from earth and Dimension X...that's it?!', the satchel was filled with lots of dried goods, but that was it, 'I make this last...maybe if I eat once a day, then I can make this last maybe... a month?', pulling out a piece of meat, I tore the meat with my teeth, the meat was so tender, but I needed it.

Chewing through the meat, I looked around the underside of the island, the ground was far softer compared to the top of it, 'Maybe this would be a better place to rest...', dragging my finger along the dirt, drawing sketches of multiple things, making small smiley faces, I even drew Ice Cream Kitty with her paws in the air waving at me, saying hi, 'Oh what about-', dragging my finger in the dirt I drew a sketch Crognard next to Ice cream kitty. Sitting up as I pushed against my knees, I stared at my drawing and rubbed my chin, it's missing something, but what, it had my favorite person and my best friend...oh me!', between the two I drew a small sketch of me, my hands and the air with the biggest smile, holding my most favorite thing in the world, PIZZA! "Perfect"

"You know what fine!-", someone's voice spoke up, it didn't sound like anything I've heard before, no Kraang droid's sound like, not even Kraang Sub-Prime or Kraang Prime sounded like that, so maybe a prisoner. Crawling towards the edge I heard another voice, "Ooze...", one that wasn't as deep before, peaking over the edge I stared at the figure that sat next to some weird creak, "Fine since you want to be a fucking child about it then be quiet and see if I care!". I needed a better angle, looking around, I saw a small island over maybe ten feet away, digging my toes into the ground, I launched my body across, landing beside a rock that was jammed into the underside of the island. Fumbling around, I hid behind the rock, and listened to the stranger, he looked strange, nothing like any Kraang I've seen or any mutant I know of, the creature leaped across onto the island, but something was off the creature looked around him, 'What are you? Shoot- No!', sprinting across the underside, I followed after him jumping from island to island, climbing the debris and floating rods, I tried anything I could do to race after him. He ran and ran and ran, he just continued to run until finally, he looked up, I kept my distance, crawling to the topside of the island I hid, staring at him from behind a rock, 'Alright Mikey, what kind of mutant is he, alright, he has a shell three fingers, and a tail...he kinda looks like...me!', I gasped silently at my discovering another mutant turtle, I continued to study him, 'He also has swords, wait! Is he Leo from another dimension?! AHHHHH?!', I was so excited, I wanted to jump to him, say hi, I really just wanted to hug him, but the longer I stared at him the more I noticed something felt off about him, 'Wait where's his mask? Why is talking to himself?'

"So...so you're telling me all of this was for nothing?!", a soft voice spoke after him, I wanted to know who was speaking, maybe it was his brothers, maybe April? Creeping as close as I could I tried to stay silent but he was so quiet, "Documented? What do you have on me", documented, this Leo has gone crazy, the turtle continued to go on and on, talking to himself, having full blown conversations with himself, but these sentences were too detailed to just him talking to himself, I mean I talk to myself as well but this...this is far worse than I've ever heard. "You were listening to me talking to myself?!", for some reason I felt called out, staring at him, I wondered if he saw me, but not once did his eyes ever meet mine, so what is he..., "Terrapin you are far from quiet when you talked amongst yourself-", I could finally hear the soft voice, but terrapin...what's a terrapin. 

"However just from your conversation, I know that you have three brothers. Raph. Donnie. And Mikey-", I knew it, I threw my fist in the air, cheering to myself for finding something out without my brother's help. I felt so proud, so happy that I finally solved something, but as I turned back towards the turtle, 'Wait...are they here?', peaking over the rock, I looked around the area we were in. 'Or-', I gasped quietly as I slid down the rock, maybe he was stuck in here just like me, but how did he get here, I turned back to him, watching as he spoke, his arms flailing in the air, 'Who are you talking to Leo...'.

"So what there was really nothing on the ship to do, I mean come on have the Kraang never heard of fun?!", looking at the little bit of meat left on the stick I grabbed, I tossed the rest in my mouth, listening to the mutant continue, I wanted to run out there, I wanted to meet my brother from another dimension, I wanted to talk, to chat about our likes, our dislikes, 'Wait does this brother even like pizza?!', I wanted to ask him to see if he was like the rest of the brothers I met, but as I turned my gaze back to him, I realized that he was no longer was just talking, his body stuttered as he fell to his knees, he was being attacked, yelling harshly aloud, screaming for help, but why who would help him, did he know I was here... there's no way.

I needed to help, to save him from this beast, but my feet were frozen in place. Standing up from behind the rock, I just stared at him, watching as he held his knees close to his chest, and for some reason, if I listened very closely, I could hear a voice, calling for help, he needed me. Running around the rock, I sprinted across the island, and reached into my satchel, pulling out the slug that could make or break the situation, my whole body moved as I ran, actually for a second it kind of felt like it was moving on its own, my legs thumping against the ground, but I just followed what it did. I pushed off the ground with each step and as I reached the edge with all my strength I leaped across, my arms flailing in the air as the distance between the island I once stood on to this one was coming closer, faster than I expected. Tripping over the edge, I pushed myself up, aiming the slugging straight for the head of the monster, it didn't know I was coming, it didn't care, the only thing this monster cared about was the creature it was torturing, but I cared, "BOOYAKASHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!", I will protect the one thing that could help me out of this place.

The tentacle connected to the creature's head and with all my might, I pulled it down the rocks that made up his body and banged against the ground, I couldn't stop, and jumped on top of the monster and wrapped the tentacle around the rock. 'A few days ago, the Kraang droids did something to scare the monsters of this universe off, nows a good time to try it!', taking in a deep breath, I opened my eye, it was going to shock us, it was going to kill us.

"A̶̮͎͒̀A̶̪̔A̵̼͖̐̀A̵̭͆́Ä̴͙̘̋Â̴̘̚A̵̲̔͒A̸̛̙͘Á̷̗́Å̸̭̣̀À̵̜Ä̸̯́ͅH̷͓͎͊Ḩ̷̱́͠H̶͓͓̓H̵̡͋̽H̴̩͇̔̽H̴̭̼̍H̸̜̹̒̋H̵̙́̉Ḧ̷̢̩̄H̴̥̤̋̀H̶̨̰̓H̵͖́H̵̢̪́H̷̺̕H̴̰̱̚H̸̰͐̐Ĥ̷̡̋H̸͚̍Ḣ̴͉̚Ḣ̵̞̼H̵͔̟̾H̸̳̞̀H̶̠͆͒H̶͎̿̊H̵͉̱͆̒H̷̤̓̀H̴͓̬͋H̶̘̙͝H̸̨̃H̶̨̥̔"

The creature stuttered backward, backing away from me, I screamed again and again, until finally it ran, "I did it...ha", I laughed as I stared off into the distance, staring at the spot the creature floated off of. I held my stomach as the laughs slowly died down, 'Oh please tell me he's-', when I turned around, I got a full look of him, he really was a turtle, our feet and bodies were different, but he was a turtle, "Whoa! Are you a turtle mutant?!-", I wanted to talk, I just wanted to get to know him, but as I stepped closer he stepped away, "Whoa it's okay!-", I pulled off the homemade mask and set it on the ground, my hands out where the turtle could see them, "I'm a turtle too! Michelangelo Hamato!", reaching my hand out, I wanted to shake his hand, I wanted to get to know this kid, but as I stared at him longer, the more, he didn't seem like my Leo...maybe I was wrong, "What's yours?", I smiled as big as I could, a new friend, someone to hangout with, eat pizza til our stomachs hurt, I was ready for that, "...Mikey?...", his face looked terrified, I wasn't ready for that...

 

Chapter 8: A Fraud

POV Leo:

This couldn't be real...

I stared at the young turtle that smiled happily at me, listening as he talked on and on, he was saying something, but every word he said didn't make any sense, "Mikey?...", he stopped talking. reaching my arm out, wanting so badly to make sure this was real and as I touched his shoulder, I felt the warmth no hallucination could ever give off, my brother was here...he was trapped just like me... I wrapped my arms around Mikey, hugging him so tightly I never wanted to let go, but it was strange, Mikey looked different, 'You were supposed to be safe...you were supposed to be at home watching Jupiter Jim and eating pizza with the family, so...why are you here?'

Mikey looked so different than I remember, 'What happened to him...I thought I was only gone for a week?', his dark green skin was paler than ever and his freckles were smaller than I remembered, 'how did you change so much... Miquel?', I wanted to hug him even longer, to keep him from escaping my reach until the end time, yet...as I stared at him longer, listening to every word, every tone, everything this kid said... sounded nothing like my brother...he sounded like a fraud. The hope that filled my mind only faded the more I heard this kid speak, 'Where are you guys...', and the more I listened to his voice the more I knew...my family still hasn't come for me yet.

This entire we I could have sworn I heard my brothers' voices, their words all around me, yet I never saw them, but this..., "Ha...ha...", I stepped away from this creature as I drew my swords and aimed them straight towards the hallucination, towards this fraud, "System".

Yes Terrapin

"Tell me...", my hands trembled as I stared at him, at this turtle, "...have I gone crazy...do you see the turtle in front of me?"

Yes Terrapin

"Whooooaaa! You have tech- can I see!", the kid reached for my wristband, but as I pulled my arm away, I made sure to keep some distance, my eyes glaring at the creature ahead of me, 'a mimic?! Is Kraang Prime fucking with me?!', with my blade pointed at the creature's snout, I glared at him, "How do you know my brother's name...What are you". Stepping back away from me, he lifted up his hands, "Whoa wait! Please listen-!", he seemed so happy, but why, why was this turtle so happy I am literally holding a blade to his face, "Leo, please listen to me-". The trembling stopped as I stared at the turtle, I wanted to make this creature speak, I wanted to run away, but as I tried to lift my foot I was stuck, I was frozen, "Venom...", the kid stared at me, his smile got smaller as he waited, "Venom?"

"On it..."

---------------------------------------

POV 3rd Person (Venom):

"You know I have been really... d̴͔̈́̈́̉e̵̟̩̲̾̀v̵̳́͝ŗ̴̻̩̅̅͊à̸̡͙̣ẗ̷̻̯́̄s̸͕̜̭̚", looking away from the kid, Venom watched as the liquid fully covered his host's body, he felt every single thing the debris, the dust, even the gentle wind brushing against his skin, everything filled his mind with so much dopamine, oh and how he wanted so much more. Venom towered over the creature and as the last bit of his host's skin was covered a growl bellowed from his throat and a sharp toothy smile appeared, "I haven't eaten anything since the spleen I ripped from my host body, but oh am I going to enjoy this-"

"Whoa!!!", Venom froze as he stared down at the kid, pulling his hand away, the kid looked so excited, so thrilled to see him, but why? Why was this creature not scared...instead it was excited, "Oh!-", he reached for his hand, but as Venom pulled it away, the kid just stared at him, pulling his hand away from him. Venom just watched, staring at the kid, stepping farther and farther away from him, 'what is wrong with this kid?'

"Dang that whole fight made me kinda thirsty-", the kid reached into the bag and pulled a strange creature that wiggled in his palm, an insect that looked similar to one in the prison dimension, "Let me begin-", he squeezed the slug and a bright green liquid squirted from the slug's body straight into the kid's mouth, Venom was shocked, too lost from words to even be disgusted by what he watched, so he sat down and listened.

"Venom tell you saw that-"

"Terra shut up, and yeah!", I whispered loudly, my eyes watching as he just kept drinking the liquid, wiping his mouth when he was finished, "So like I said I'm Mikey or Hamato Michaelangelo which is my full name-, anyways I have three brothers, were all the same age, but we kinda think of each other as different ages, like Leo is the oldest brother and leader of the team, for me I kinda like to think of Raph and Donnie as the twins cause they kinda both have terrible anger issues, so they're kind of alike, but Raph is more of the hot-head, and Donnie's more of the sciency guy who never leaves his lab- Hah! Actually, if he had a choice he would never leave it!"

"Heh...sounds like Donnie..."

"As for me I'm the youngest, or more like treated like the youngest", Venom listened to the young creature speak about his family, listening to the words he spoke about his kin, his friends, even his parent, Venom just listened to him. Relaxing his body, half of his mouth opened wide, revealing his host's tired face, "Heh your dad sounds so strict", Venom listened to them, both of them trading their names, both asking questions about each other, everything about them was so intriguing.

"Oh wait! Is gram gram alive in your universe"

"Gram gra-...we don't have any grandpa and grandmas in our universe, but luckyyyyyyy I want a gram gram, what was her name?"

"Hamato Karai-"

"KARAIIIIIIIII?!?!?!...Bro my brother, Leo's crushing on a girl named Karai- well I don't think she's related to us, but she is in the foot clan-", he went on and on about his brother liking a human, but as he continued to talk, the more time Venom realized his host was silet. "Uhhhh...Terra you good?"

"I just found out that I'm crushing for my own relative in another universe...DO YOU STILL THINK I'M 'GOOD'?!...Plus I'm watching an alternate version of my baby brother drinking fucking piss from a slug!-"

"Oy language!", Venom could feel Terra rolling his eyes, only making Venom laugh even harder, he tried to hold it in but as the smaller one continued to yell at his host, "Bro you're acting like a child, how old even are you?!"

"Hah older than you I bet! I am 17! Turned 17 just a few days ago"

"Hah! I knew it!-", Mikey pushed himself to his feet and as he stood there he danced around Venom and Terra, shaking his butt right in front of the two, "I'm ten months older than you!!!"

"Wha?!"

Venom could only laugh as he listened to them talk amongst each other, and as Terra continued to talk with the smaller one, the black ooze slowly revealed his host's body once again, leaving Venom hidden away from anyone's sight. The last bit of venom seeped away, but something stopped him, "Wait!-", he froze, 'Maybe he was speaking to Terra...', staring through his host's eyes as he waited for the small creature to speak, "So what are youuuu?", a thick black liquid pooled, whirling around and around until...his face formed, Venom's face appeared. "An alien, one created by Kraang Prime"

"Whoa wait, I didn't know Kraang and mutants could work together?!"

"Why? Does your Kraang not have a being like me?"

"I don't think so?", the creature shrugged his shoulders, as he pulled out a slab of dried meal, and bit down on the food, tearing it with all his might, "I mean-", the creature-, Mikey continued to speak while he chewed on his food, "Donnie might know something, but I'm not sure, he uses too many big words for me to remember or even know what he's saying"

"Hon-nes-tlyyyy, there would be times where I would walk into his lab and just chill, well sometimes I like to annoy him cause its fucking funny-"

"Language"

"And he would start talking about timelines and his experiments or whatever, like dude I'm slow"

Mikey laughed loudly as he fell onto his back, holding his gut as his laughs became out of control. "Ha Hah! Oh my- wait did you Donnie build a robot cause he was lazy too?!"

"Bitch yeah Hah! He built it because he didn't want to do the damn chores-"

"Bro you got a really potty mouth-"

"Its better than saying someone has a "potty mouth", but like I was saying he built a robot for chores, he actually built it to look like a turtle"

"Same, I named it metal head, because it's head is made of freaking metal! Heh I know...flipping genius"

"Awwwww I wish I got to name Donnie's robot, my Donnie chose his own name, his robot who he kinda considers as his own son, he named it shelldon"

They just chatted and Venom listened, hearing them going on and on about their brothers, their adventures, their enemies, they talked about basically everything, their lives were similar except a few things didn't match up, like, "Oh wait-, あなたのお父さんもあなたに日本語を教えてくれたのですか？ 私たちが幼い頃から父は私たちに教えてくれましたが、私はそこまで知りません-"

(Did your dad teach you Japanese too? My dad taught us since we were young, but I dont know as much as-)

Venom stared at Mikey, switching his gaze from him to his host, who in turn was shocked and just as confused as he was.

"Whoa whoa whoa wait! Slow down!-"

"What was I speaking too fast", Mikey tilted his head as Venom shook his own, "What in Kraang's planet was that?! I have not heard any dialect like that before"

"Yeah same, its that Korean?"

Mikey stared at Terra, his face saying all it needed to, "Ex-Cuse me??? KOREAN?!?!?!-", Terra snorted as they both stared at Mikey, Venom laughed uncontrollably, "I'm speaking Japanese! とんでもなく愚かな!"

(Freaking stupid!)

"Wait wait can you teach me?!"

Terra spoke up, he sounded so excited, ready to learn something new, "No wait I have a better plan-", the small creature instead of looking at his host, or maybe even thinking as he looked off to the side, instead he looked at Venom, he could almost see a sparkle in the small turtle's eyes as his eye grew bigger by the second, "Wha-"

"I heard you speaking in weird sounds early! Can you teach us!", Terra turned towards Venom and just stared at him, there was no expression of him pleading like the other, yet Venom was still confused, why would they want to learn the Kraang dialect, "Why would you want to learn Kraang, that language you spoke before sounded far intellectual than my dialect-"

"But bro think about it!- What if we get out of this place and we to talk to each other, but- but dont want others around us to know what were saying-"

"The Kraang dialect is a very difficult language to learn-"

"Then we'll start easy!", Mikey made it sound so easy, explaining different ways to start learning, why would someone want to learn this language, it should never have existed, Venom should have never spoken in his original dialect. "Let's do it! Alright Venom do the alphabet-", They stared at him, waiting for him to teach them, but as they stared at the dark liquid longer, the more he felt like laughing, and as each second passed the closer it became a reality. "Ha! The dialect has too many characters for you to even remember!", Venom continued to laugh, but as he watched the turtle, he watched as he rubbed his hands together, "Try me...", Venom took the challenge, taking a slow deep breath of the air.

a̸͍̥͔̒̈

a̶̻̲͊̿̒̕ͅͅi̴̙̪͗̊͒͘

a̷̧̿̉̋u̶̧̱͌͜

a̷̺̭̯̓y̴͇̗̾̌

b̷͕͋̒

b̶̹͑ý̶̪͓̇

c̸͇͖̤̈́̽̄

c̷̡̙͎̜̋c̶̦̼̳̪͋̒̚

ç̸̻̿̎̍̈͜ḧ̴̢͍́

ç̵̺͆̇̆̒ͅl̴͎͈̀͠

c̷̗̑͝ÿ̷̼

d̶̗̻̥̰͆͠

d̸͖̾̓d̸̝̋

ḓ̶̗̭̋́̌̾ḧ̵̨̦́

ḏ̸̓͝s̵̘̃

d̷̳̳̂̂̈ỳ̶̧

e̴̗͝

ę̶̝̄ã̵̧̠

e̵͉͍͐ĭ̷̺̙͘

e̸̛̝̪̕y̷̟̋̾

f̸̦̐̂

f̶̠̈́͐ĩ̸͕͊

f̵̛͍o̸̡͔̐

f̸͎̓h̸̰̦̋̊

f̷͈̣͗y̴͙̒͗

Venom stopped, and stared down at Mikey, who's face was confused with each letter he spoke, "Wait that's it?! Bro the english language has the same-"

"Those are the first twenty five characters of the Kraang dialect, there are over a hundred characters, nearly a hundred and twenty"

"Over a hundred-"

"Yes, now-", Venom's lowered down onto terras shoulder, his voice becoming more quiet as the black liquid slowly disappeared, "-study, once you practice those letters we'll more on, any questions ask mother..."

---------------------------------------

POV Leo:

"Ayyyeeee- wait what?! Ooze! How do you"

"I think he said the first one like... å̴̱̈́"

Close Michaelangelo

However your pronunciation was just a slightly off

Its a̸͍̥͔̒̈

"Alright-", Mikey scooted closer to me as we sat underneath the tree, I listened to the system's words, "-so a̸͍̥͔̒̈ ?"

Correct

Now your turn Leonardo

Mikey learned far quicker than I could, opening my mouth, I tried to make the sound, but it was all based on pitch and tone, something you had to get correct or else it could mean something else, "a̴̎̋͜".

Wrong

Your pitch is far too high

However your tone is closer to being the character a̷̺̭̯̓y̴͇̗̾̌

"A-... a̸͍̥͔̒̈ ?", I waited as I stared down at the wrist remote, staring at the systems projection it created for itself, a image made easier to look at based on the user, so for me it was gram gram, it used my memories of her, the few memories I had of her and created this, it sounded like her too, heh...isn't that funny, I wanted to pull her out of the wrist band and hug her again, to say hi to the only other family member I had, but I couldn't this wasn't gram gram, it was a machine, a fake.

"Yo! Ha-", Mikey couldn't stop laughing as he covered his mouth, his snorts filled up the quiet air, "Imagine how pissed Donnie would be if he found out that we got to learn a new language, he would be even more mad that's one not from earth", I just stared at him, and switched my gaze out towards the empty pink sky, but as I stared at the sky, memories of my family filled my mind, Donnie yelling about his flavored water and experiments, Raph being super loud as he workout in the dojo and gym, and Mikey blasting his music as he worked on his projects, I missed home, 'When are you guys coming...are you guys even coming for me?'

"Leo?"

"Oh sorry- um yeah heh- Donald would get so mad if he saw where we were-", I turned away from him and pulled my knees closer to my chest, staring at the sky once again, "Honestly every single part of this place he would analyze for hours just to understand...", Mikey was quiet, I could feel his eyes staring at me, but as I stared out into the distance longer, I felt something on my shoulder, it was Mikey, his back leaned against my arm as I leaned again the tree behind me, "Hey...", Mikey shifted when he heard my voice, letting me know that he was still listening, "Do you think their coming to get us?"

"Who?"

"Our brothers...", reaching into my pocket I pulled out one of the bottles the ship gave me, and took small sips from my water, sharing it with Mikey who in turn only to one large gulp, closing the bottle right after, "I like to think they would...I know that...", a quiet sigh came from him as the weight of him on my shoulder became heavier, "That I'm not the favorite sibling, but I like to think that even though I'm not their favorite, that they'll still try to save me..."

"Then why is it taking them so long to find us..."

"I...don't know, for me the portal disappeared right after I went through so maybe...they are trying to find a way to open it again? Maybe...they are trying right now, coming to save me from this dimension...", I layed my head on his, swishing the water around in the bottle, "I shouldn't be here then..."

"Neither of us should-"

"No I mean, I was not trapped in this dimension, a different one was where I was stuck, the prison dimension was where I trapped myself with Kraang Prime, my Kraang...", I touched the scars left from my surgeries, the procedures done to me over a week ago, my thumb rubbing over each stitches and staples, "I'm supposed to be there...not in this dimension, if my family finds a way to open a portal to the prison dimension without using the key to free Kraang Prime...the possibility of them find me here is impossible...", I stared down at the wrist remote, my words echoed into the air as I continued to practice, but I guess Mikey has something else to say, "Maybe...but if your brothers are like mine, they'll come looking soon..."

"I hope so...", that's where the conversation ended, staring down at the wrist remote, I raised it towards my mouth, "Gram-...system what time would it be if we earth on my earth...based on when I came in and how its been"

Based on the time duration since your arrival in the Prison Dimension

Its 23:11 also known as 11:11 pm

No wonder I felt so tired, my eyes growing heavy the longer I stared out towards the sky, for once I could finally sleep after all this hell, this torture, but before I fell asleep, I spoke up, making sure Venom could here me, "Venom..."

"Yes"

"I need you...", nodding off and on, I tried to stay awake, to explain what I needed from him, but I guess he understood.

"It's okay Leo, I'll make sure you guys are safe...just get some sleep...you need it"

---------------------------------------

POV Venom:

Lifting my host's hand, I stared at the wrinkles, the scars that painted his skin, and looked at his alternate kin, his skin had far less, yet he seemed far more powerful, strong enough to take down away foe he wanted to, yet he looks...so small and had no scars. Well except one place was scarred, his neck, not from battle scars, they looked to be scars given by his own hands, 'Why are these creatures so...interesting', I wanted to know about this creature, I wanted to know more about both of them.

'I hope your kin...never find you Terra, not just yet...'

Notes:

A/N~ words in Kraang are just reversed and glitched texted, just so you know

Chapter 9: The Stolen Prisoner

~Four Months~

POV Leo:

'Ninty-seven...it took me four months to perfect ninty-seven characters in the damn Kraang alphabet. For the past few months, nothing much has happened, Angie, and yes I'm calling him that because calling him Mikey my brother's name feels...strange. I tried to think of some other nicknames, but every single on I thought about was a name that was given by me or the others, Michaelangelo, Mikey, Mike, Miguel,  Mikester, Big guy, Orange and I'm pretty sure I heard one of us call him Angelo at one point, so I decided to go with Angie. A few months ago, Angie made me my own Kraang suit, made especially from the bones  and flesh of dead Kraang, and... what I hated by far was the fact that he wrapped the tentacles around my arms, I kept wanting to take off all of this stuff, but he kept telling me that the suit had a purpose, but why do I have to wear a corpse as a hat'

'Yesterday, Venom taught us the last bit of the alphabet, thirty-two more characters...'

'Where are you guys...every single fucking night in this damn dimension I stay up, waiting for you guys, waiting for someone-, anyone to come find me, to open some sort of port home, but every single day ends with disappoints, day after day after day they still haven't come!... But I can't give up...not yet, I know they're coming, any second, minute, hour, day, week...they'll come to the rescue, and I'll be waiting here for them, no matter how long it takes I will wait for my family, but...what about Angie. He has been waiting inside this dimension, maybe it's just two week apart, but neither one of our brothers has come for us, and what makes it worse is that this dimension has a way in and out, meaning his brothers either have forgotten Angie, or their seriously taking their sweet ass time, either way, his brother sound far worse than mine, but...what if his brothers come and get him before mine do, I'll be alone again, left alone with the system and Venom, I don't want that again, but...'

'Venom and the system could have killed me when I was at my weakest, used me to do whatever they wanted, they could have made me work for the Kraang, yet they didn't instead they help me...maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it was just us three, maybe...the three of us can find a way home...'

"Alright. This is perfect for practice, this tree is made of a very explosive material, one that if a branch is broken off the entire tree will explode, however, there is a way to avoid this, in the Kraang dialect there is a character that is used for this, ò̶̮̅w̷͍̕͜m̶͂͜ ̵̝̀̑o̵̪͋w̴̮͐m̶̹̘̋, try it, but don't touch the tree! Let the crystal fall to you"

Walking closer to the tree, I watched as Angie ran off in the opposite direction, staring at the trees that surrounded the island, I looked up, the branch was so close, just a few feet away, "ō̴͇̋m̴̭͒̽ ̵͔̓ͅo̴̤̹͗m̶̼̅.", I stared at the rock, waiting for it to fall, to do anything, but nothing happened, 'Maybe I...said it wrong? Or maybe I pick it after-'

"If it does not fall when you say the noise, you did it wrong"

'Why is he yelling, the Kraang soldiers might hear us...plus Angie's right there?', I turned back towards the tree, I needed to remember the tone, the pitch, the way I did it first was too low it needed to be way higher in pitch plus I pronounced it wrong so..., "ò̶̮̅w̷͍̕͜m̶͂͜ ̵̝̀̑o̵̪͋w̴̮͐m̶̹̘̋.", the crystals shook, shaking around I stepped back, waiting for something, 'Shit did I do it wrong, it's gonna explode?!', I wanted to run away, I crossed my arms over my face and waited for the explosion, the result of my mistake to happen, but nothing happened. Opening my eyes, I looked back at the tree and saw something weird, the crystal was gone, 'Maybe it floated off somewhere?', so I checked, looking around in the air, I saw nothing floating around, and nothing on this island looked damaged, but when I looked down, a small rock laid there motionless, "Oh"

"Whoa! You did it!", Angie jumped on my shoulders and wrapped his arms around my neck, he seemed so happy, laughing as he shook my shoulders, reaching for the crystal, "Wait so...", Angie tossed the rock into the air, and caught it right away, throwing over and over, only to catch it again and again.

"Ay! Careful with that?! If it hits a surface hard enough it could explode-"

"Wait so like a grenade?!", reaching for the rock, I pulled it out of Angie's hand, laughing as I almost watched him blow himself up, "Ha ha! Bro you going to blow up this island", Angie stared at the rock, reaching for it and oddly enough he had a pout on his face, "If you want one go get your own!", I used my hand and pushed Angie away, my hand pushing against his face as he kept reaching for the crystal, "Bro it's easy just go, ò̶̮̅w̷͍̕͜m̶͂͜ ̵̝̀̑o̵̪͋w̴̮͐m̶̹̘̋.". Angie looked so determined, racing towards the tree I tried and stared at it, his eyes squinting at the rock as his mouth hung open, "ò̶̮̅w̷͍̕͜m̶͂͜ ̵̝̀̑o̵̪͋w̴̮͐m̶̹̘̋!". I walked closer to him, and looked up into the tree, watching as not one but three crystals fell from the tree, slowly falling right beside him, "Whoa Ha! See I told you, you could do it!", just like he did to me, I shook his shoulders, laughing as I watched him become stronger, "I knew you could do it little bro!"

"Little?! Bro, I'm literally older than you!"

"Yeah by ten months! Plus I'm taller", I smiled smugly as I stared down at Angie, who still in turn pouted and that only made me laugh even harder, "Yeah but just by a few inches"

"And yet I still tower over you", I shoved the crystal into my pouch and pulled out my water bottle, drinking the water as I sat on the ground, and slamming the water down. Chugging the last bit of water in my mouth, I waved to Angie to sit with me, "Alright! What's the plan for today, Angie!", he reached for the water, chugging it moments after, "What do you mean-"

"You think I haven't seen you running off once a week! I can help you!", Angie stared at me and his smile fell as he reached into a pouch, pulling out a small worn-down notepad, flipping through page after page, until he stopped on something, placing it on the ground, giving me a full view of what he's been working on. "Since I got here, I've been looking for my best friend, you maybe have him in your universe, his name is Leatherhead?"

"Not that I know of..."

"Anyways, Leatherhead is trapped in one of the hundreds of buildings and so far, I haven't found him in any of them, and I am not leaving until I find him...so if you'd rather not want to be part of this that's fine, you can practice Kraang-"

"And leave you with all the fun! Pssshhh nah I'll join, plus I need to stay vigilant anyways...", I pushed myself up to my feet and reached for my swords, swinging them around before I slid them into there holster, walking straight for the edge of our hideout. I stared at the buildings that stood on almost every island as the dark black liquid pooled on my shoulder and venom's face appeared.

"I agree! I haven't seen action in months and I think it's time we kill some Kraang!"

"Looks like that makes two! Now where are we going, Angie?", Angie just stared at me, I thought he was going to say no, giving me every excuse in the book to make sure I don't go, but he...laughed, "Fine, alright make sure you have all the gear you need", racing towards my gear, I tied my swords into their holster, watching as Angie stared at the notepad, switching his gaze between the nearest building and his notebook. "Alright, here's the deal, since we are going to be doing this, the most time we are going to spend on this mission is two hours. For the rest of the week, we will spend two hours per day, however, if we see any sign or clue of your friend we will keep looking...okay? I-...we need to make sure we both survive, for both our families...", Angie turned away from me, I couldn't see his face, but as he closed his booklet, he turned around, his disguise on and his weapon strapped into his holster, "Yeah...I can do that"

"Before we leave, I'm going to hide all our stuff in the bushes!", pushing the extra bags and pouches into the bushes, even the tarps we used as bedding and blankets I hid inside the bushes, everything was well hidden. I raced towards Angie as I pulled down my Kraang mask, hiding our faces from anything that would see us. Stepping closer to the edge, I stood next to Angie, he was ready and so was I.

------------------------------------------

POV Mikey:

Crouching on the branch, I stared at the entrance of the Kraang building, my hand counting every rock I stuck to my belt and sash, "Every building inside this dimension as a vent on top of the building, leading straight to the top level...which for some reason is always the science room..."

"You mean...a lab?"

"Tomato, potato-", I waved my hand in front of Leo's face, and stared at the entrance, switching my gaze up to the top of the building, I pulled out my slug and aimed it towards the top of the building, waiting for the moment to go, to race to the top. "Three-", I whispered as I aimed the slug, waiting for the last droid to turn away, to leave its post, to do anything but notice us, "Two...one", the tentacle flew through the air, hitting the top of the large antenna, tugging the slug only for it to pull me straight towards the antenna, I shook the slug and released the hold it had on the antenna. Soaring straight for the top of the roof, I rolled as soon as the ground got close, landing safely where not a sound was uttered.

*Thump!*

"Aaaaaaaaooooowwwww-", my head quickly turned back to Leo, and saw his face pressed firmly against the ground, groaning as he pushed himself up, "Geez...alright where's the vent", Leo looked ready, but as I stared at him, I laughed, chuckling as his snout was now a reddish color of green, "This way!", I whispered loudly as I turned around, racing towards the vent, it was farely small, but it was big enough for the both of us to fit, so...it should be fine. Tightening my gear, I hunged my legs over the opening and aimed the slug from the edge of the roof, the border that held any overflow and held onto the slug tightly, "When I get down, i'll let go of the slug and you do as I do", Leo nodded his head as I looked down, slowly lowering myself down until I felt my feet touched the ground, releasing the slug and waiting for Leo to follow after to me. The light that lit up the hallway disappeared, only for it to come back as I saw Leo come down, landing right in front of me, we couldn't speak, any sounds said or done could be heard, I would know.

Handing me the slug, I pointed towards the way I was turned, and pressed my finger over my mouth, Leo understood and followed after me, we started off slow as I crawled down the vents and just barely I could here Leo following me, he was quiet, and so was I. 

Every facility had the same structure, whether that was their vent system or their entire layout, the Kraang in this dimension were basically one trick ponies, almost like if there was too many different layouts, they would get confused, so for them and their prisoners they keep the layout the same, so finding the exit was easy. I turned the corners, turning left then right then right again, following the path, then there it was, at the very end of the tunnel a vent showed the light of the room below, lighting up the dark vent, reaching for the slug as we got closer, I slowed down, "Remember, his name his Leatherhead and his a giant alligator", removing the cover as I sat over the open, placing the cover off to the side, I crawled over the opening, giving Leo full view of the lab below.

"Kraang, prepare anything that is necessary for what is known as perfecting the mutagen, and if you see the one that is known as the orange turtle, inform Kraang Sub-Prime immediately"

"Yes sir", I wanted to watch, to see what they needed to perfect the mutagen, 'Maybe if I memorize or- or even right it down, Donnie could use it to perfect the retromutagen!', no longer on my knees, I scooched myself to sit on my butt, my notepad out as I listened to the droids talking amongst eachother, but as I listened none of the words and ingredients made sense, 'Sodium...bicarinuts...moronic acid, analight...urinate- wait isn't that another word of going to the bathroom?! Do they put pee in the mutagen?! Ewwww', I cringed at the thought as I stuff the notepad back into my satchel, with the slug in my hand as I watched each droid leave the room, leaving only one left. "Okay! Leo its now or nev-", I leaned closer, and stuck the slug against the outside of the vent, ready to jump, to find Leatherhead, but when I looked up, Leo was trembling, his body shaking as he stared down at the ground, watching everything down below, "Leo?-", I reached for his shoulder, but as I reached, he flinched away, backing away from me, "Whoa whoa hey!- Its okay, you're safe Leo-you know what- Venom!", I whispered loud enough for him to hear me I watched as a dark face appeared, "Yes Mikey?"

"Its your decision, if you want to take control and join thats on you-", I hung my feet out of the vent, tightening all my gear, making sure none of it was lose or would fall off, "But if you think its better to take Leo back to camp, then go ahead", I didn't wait long enough for Venom's answer, I needed to use this opening, whether that meant he was coming or not. Sliding down the slug, I watched the door as I continued falling, releasing its hold on the vent, I watched the door, hearing voices on the other side. I saw a desk on the other side of the room and raced towards it, hiding underneath as the sounds of the voices grew louder by the second, "So what is Kraang eating for what is known as lunch?"

"Kraang is planning on eating what is known as the-", the voices were getting quieter as time passed, peaking over the desk, there was no one outside, jumping over, I slid across the desk and sprinted towards the door, 'shoot is the doors locked-'

*beep* *beepbeep* *beep* *beep* *beepbeep*

The sound from the outside echoed, I pushed off the ball of my foot and hid inside the shadows that filled this room's corners, watching the droids walk inside the room each one of their arms filled with different things, whether that was weirdly shaped glass cups or just other stuff, the door was still creaked open, wide enough for me to squeeze through, to make it out of here. Crouching down to the ground, I sprinted towards the door, "Hey!", I cursed at myself, sprinting across the hallway, and running into a closet, I closed the door, and peeked through the crack, waiting for the droids to walk away. "Search for the one known as the turtle, search the entire level!", droids ran through the hallways, guns pressed against their chest as their footsteps echoed together.

"Sir! I was informed by a few Kraang that they spotted something in the vents-"

"Then search for it!-", Kraang Sub-Prime was outside, peaking through the small crack, I watched him grab the droid and pull him down, forcing him to kneel in front of him, "...t̴͔̏ḯ̶̱ ̵͇̏l̵̙̑l̵̤̈́i̵͉͂k̵̥̚ ̵̖̽d̵͓̔n̵͙͆À̵̖... I want physical proof that it was dealt with...", Kraang Sub-Prime let go of the droid and stood up, only for him to quickly turn around, staring at the closet I hid inside, I needed an exit. Looking around the closet, I saw one, a vent placed at the very top of the wall, but as I looked at how far it was, the sound of the knob turning stopped me, my body froze, staring at the crack, it was over. I stepped back, my back pressing against the wall, wanting so badly to vanish, to disappear, but as I squeezed my eyes shut, the door stopped, "WHAT?!", my eyes shook as the door was slammed shut, listening as Kraang Sub-Prime yelled at something outside the door, I wanted to listen to the conversation, but as the silence lengthened, I froze, 'Did they hear me!-"

"Get back to your cell, 013-1914511...where the hell is that damn frog, he should be taking care of-", the footsteps got quieter as the Kraang ordered the droids, "Every droid, survey the premise and don't let anything leave unless permitted to leave!", I couldn't stay any longer, searching at this point is just suicidal. Creaking the door open, I closed the door behind me. I reached down, placing my hands underneath my pouch, making sure none of the items inside made a sound, 'When did my bag get so heavy?', racing across the hall, I closed the door and saw the vent, the slug still in my hand, I aimed it, pulling on the slug as it pulled me towards the vent I crept through early, pushing the cover out of the way, shoving the cover back into place.

------------------------------------------

'Dang it!-', flying through the air, I saw our island and pushed against a piece of debris, my body aimed towards the island, landing on it moments later, "Dangit!-", I pushed the shrubs out of the way, walking straight for our camp. 'Guess I can skip over that one and move onto the ne-", I looked up, staring at the figure with the tarp wrapped over his head, staring at me as well, I wanted to ask Leo if he was okay, but before my eyes even met his, I stared down at his legs, "Wha-...What happened to your legs?!"

"What the hell is moving in your bag?!", we yelled at the same time, but I didn't have time to process the words he screamed, the only thing I said was, "...Huh?", and as I looked down my eyes met a small creature's big red eyes, "...HUH?!".

Chapter 10: A New Hamato

POV Mikey:

"Did you kidnap a freaking kid?!", a small mutant's head was peaking out the top, its eyes switching between Leo and me, its face flat but as it looked back up at me a soft toothless smile appeared on its face, "Wha!- No! I went in and left right after because there were too many droids on the floor!- Wait no! Were not ignoring this- what happened to your legs? You had legs this morning so-", I stared down at his legs, and watched as he turned away, pulling the tarp over them, hiding his legs away, "Heh its honestly kinda funny when you hear it, I was fighting my world's- um....you know- and he kinda just-", he turned his face away. Without saying a word, he showed me what happened, I was shocked, 'His Kraang did...what?', watching as he showed me again and again, it felt so odd, was he stuck in some sort of trance as he punched where his leg was over and over until his fist froze, "And then...I met my buddy Venom... the technodrone and him were able to save me from dying, but they weren't able to save my legs...but hey I guess now I look more badass huh?", I never realized how big the bags under his eyes looked, the corners tinged in a slight blueish-green, 'When was the last time you slept, Leo?...'

"Now. Back to you, why did you have a kid in your bag?", I walked towards Leo, and pulled the pouched closer to my face, looking inside, the mutant was so small, there was no way this mutant wasn't a baby, "Like I said I'm not sure! When I got inside I hid in the closet across the hall, and Sub-Prime almost found me, but something stopped him, I don't what it was-"...I looked down at the pouch and watched as the mutant backed away farther into the satchel, it almost looked...scared, "You did it..."

"What are you talking about Angie?", I sat next to Leo and pulled the strap off of my shoulder, placing it in my lap, staring at the small creature, "You were the one that did it...huh?", a small pair of hands reached out of the bag, reaching for Leo. I looked up at him, but as he looked at the small mutant I could tell that he was hesitating, his hands trembling as they reached out for it, "Wait-...does this mean we can keep it!"

This creature is not a it Michaelangelo

She's a girl

"Ohhhhh...so can we keep her, Leo can be the dad and I can be the fun uncle!-"

"Dad?! Dude I'm younger than you and you want me to be the dad?!", I shrugged my shoulders, and watched as she climbed out of the bag, well more like...slithered, "She's a snake mutant?!"

Yes Michaelangelo specifically she is a Red Cornsnake

And by the looks of it she looks to be one month old

"A month-...System-computer-thing! I may not know babies, but I know that they don't move that...soon!"

Yes Michaelangelo that is true however unlike you

She is more snake-like than humans

Humans take months to learn how even to flip over

Snakes and other reptiles are far more independent

Snakes are on their own right after hatching

She could have gotten those attributes from her snake side

I stared down at the small mutant, so small that she could fit in both of Leo's hands, she snuggled into his hand and a gentle hiss came from her, her mouth opening wide as she yawned, her arms sketching, falling asleep in Leo's hands. I looked up at Leo and for a second I could have sworn I saw something in them, a gleam, a spark, but his face, everything about him seemed so terrified, his hands trembled as the snake laid comfortably in his hands.

I advise that since the infant is still quite young to return her back to where she came from

"What?", I looked down at the wrist device, I was ready to go against the voice's words, 'Take her back?!-', but I didn't get a chance to even speak, "No".

Leonardo

I understand that you think you must protect her but listen to me

You do not have to protect every living being just because it is your duty

"Quiet system", using one hand, Leo cradled the snake against his chest as his other reached underneath the tarp, searching for something only to pull out two small disks. I reached for one of the disk, wanting to know what they were, maybe a mine or another one of his compactable bottles, but when I reached for it, he smacked my hand and screwed them on. Sitting back where I was, I watched as the small disk grew back to the size it was before.

It seems you need time to calm down

However Leonardo I advise you if you do go this route and decide to raise this child

Please take good care of her and ask me any questions you have

"Hey system?", I spoke up, and crawled closer to his remote, sitting right next to him, "Why did you want us to take her back so badly?", I reached into my bag and pulled out a small piece of dried meat, chewing on the tough meat, savoring as much flavor as I could. Reaching into my pouch I pulled out another and handed it to Leo, watching as he used his only free hand, he chewed on the tough jerky, but as I waited the more I realized it was taking longer than normal for the system to answer my question, 'Was my question too difficult?'

I have done some

Research

I am unsure about the mutants on Leonardo's planet but as for humans

They aren't fully complete and matured until they reached their mid-20s sometimes even 30s

And you two aren't even twenty years of age

You're both seventeen

"Ohhhhh...", reaching into the pouch I stared at the notepad, looking at the next facility on the list, the building I was just inside, 'I need to find him...I'll move on to the next building, just until the attention is pulled away from today's incident', pulling down my mask and disguise, I pushed myself up and walked toward the edge of the island, "What Angie, where are you going?!", I checked my belts, my gear, I made sure to check everything, 'Good everything's where it belongs', I slid my nunchucks back into their holsters, "To search for Leatherhead again!-"

"Then I'm coming to-"

"No!...", I spoke louder than I expected, I turned back around and stared at him, my hand trembling over my mouth, I wanted to pinch myself, I wanted to say sorry, but as I opened my mouth, "I-I...", I stepped back as I watched the horror, the sadness overcome Leo's face, 'I'm doing...the exact thing my brothers do to me...I', spinning on my heel, I sprinted towards the very edge and jumped, my body soaring until I landed on the next neighboring island, 'I'm no better than them...no I'm...worse', I rubbed my forearm across my cheek, "What?!", landing on the next island. Rubbing my hand over my face, I tried to get rid of the water, trying so hard to just dry my face, but it hurt...with each rub, each time I dragged my forearm across my face, I could feel some weird pain... "what's...", staring down at my hands, I watched as drop after drop landed on my hands, I was confused, 'what was happening- what is this?! What's going on!-'. My throat and eyes stung as I choked, coughing wetly as a strange whine came from my throat, 'I don't want to be here anymore, Sensei...', I choked on the whine as I looked up in the sky, my body trembled, looking around where I was, 'Wait where am I?!'

"Papa!-", I tried to push myself up, only to fall to my knees again, "Pa-pa I want to go h-..home...", snorting up the snot that dripped down my snout I screamed for them, even louder..., "Leo! Donnie!- I want to come home...I'm sorry!", I rubbed my hand over my arm, picking at the pieces of skin that weren't even, picking at them over and over, "Whoa! Hey!-", something grabbed my hand, 'the droids found me?!', I pulled my arm, but the droids only tightened, "Leo! Help!-"

"Whoa hey, I'm here! It's me-", I turned towards the voice, and saw him, it was Leo, it may not have been my brother from my universe, but he was still my brother, "It's good to know I'm not the only one freaking out about this place...", Leo chuckled as he held the small snake in the other hand, her eyes open wide, she looked scared, but why. "I want to go home...", staring down at the creature, I watched as she slithered towards me, her hand grabbing my finger, no...she was hugging my hand, "Same, I really miss home... *sigh* but there nothing I can do but wait for them...I know they're coming...or at least I hope they are...Let's just head back-"

"No no no nonononono no NO! You don't get it, I may not get your side of the story on how you got to this place?!-", my hand waved around, pointing at everything, the sky, trees, land, monsters, everything in this dimension I motioned towards it, "-But I!...I ran into this dimension through a portal from my brother's lab, they all saw me walk through, I yelled that I was going to look for Leatherhead...that was four months ago Leo...", my face felt wet again, reaching up towards my cheeks, I rubbed my forearm across my snout and eyes, but the water and snot just kept coming, "Not even that it was over four months, almost five, I met you three weeks after I entered this place...". I stared up at the sky as I pulled my knees close to my chest, "In my dimension, we have easy access to this place, all of the portals are in TCRI, and even with that, there are so many more ways to get into this place. My brothers never really thought of me as an important member on the team", I heard the sound of something moving closer, but when I looked up it was Leo, his face looked...strange, no sign of carelessness, no boredom, not even pity...Leo was actually listening to me, something my brothers have never done. "I don't think they're even going to come for me..."

"You know what?", looking at Leo, I noticed that he was fully turned towards me, holding the small mutant close to my chest, I waited for Leo's idea, "My Mikey is normally the therapist of the family, but after so things I've heard him say...um...god this isn't as easy as I thought it was-", Leo laughed, scratching the back of his head, trying so hard to stay serious, "Let's do this then, if neither of our brothers comes before we find your friend Leatherhead, then we'll find a way back to your earth, see how things work out, but for now and no searching today okay?", the small snake slithered back to Leo, hugging his hand as she looked up at him and a huge smile appeared on her face as she looked at him, "Heh...sure, let's get back over there".

---------------------------------------

"We are not naming her scales!-", I groaned tiredly as I threw myself back, my hands covering my mouth, blocking out as much noise as I could, "Why not she literally has scales, it fits her!"

"And so what should I just be called green cause I'm green!", the snake played with my fingers, I stared at the small creature, trying to think of anything that Leo would be okay with, that was until something crossed my mind, "What about favorite characters, you okay with that cause hear me out bro...", wrapping my hands around her I held her up in the air, listening as the small thing giggled, "Chris Bradford!", I smiled at Leo, 'Does he not like that name either?!', placing the snake back in my lap, I held my hand up, trying- no hoping Leo liked the name, "But...to make it cool instead of ch we could do a K, cause that probably looks cooler, and since she's a girl we can call her Krisa Bradford!"

"I...actually like that...not the Bradford part, but I'm fine with the name Krisa-"

"Fair enough-", I gasped and looked at Leo, "And for short we can call her Kris!", Krisa reached up for Leo as she made the cute grabby hands for him, he picked her up, letting her sit comfortably in his palm as Leo just stared at me, "You just took one letter off her name-", tearing his attention from me, he smiled really big at the kid, holding her up in the air, "Would do you think about it Krisa, you like your name!", Krisa smiled her cute toothless smile as Leo held her up in the air. "Good! Now since you got to choose her first name, I get to choose her middle name!"

---------------------------------------

POV Leo:

"Works with me!", with a soft smile, Mikey pushed himself up to his feet and walked towards the closest tree, I could hear him practicing those characters Venom gave us to practice, 'I should start practicing to-'

"You should make her middle name Venom"

"No, we are not naming her Krisa Venom Hamato-"

"And why not?! Venom's a strong name, just like the person that owns that name"

For a second I could have sworn, I heard him chuckling, smiling as he said that, "Because I'm not naming my literal adopted kid after you!"

"But why?! We are literally bonded together, it's not like you don't know me!"

"I don't care that you bonded with me, now shut up, let me think of something", holding Krisa in my hands, I watched as she played with my fingers, moving them back and forth, making the cutest noises I've ever heard, 'Maybe I should do the same as Mikey and name her after a character from my favorite show? Krisa Jim Hamato? Nah that sounds weird...Krisa Lou Hamato...', the middle name didn't sound bad, but I was thinking of something...better. So, I tried to think of something else, 'I don't want to name her after Dad or any of the bros 'cause I know the moment they meet her, somebody's going to be butt hurt, so...oh!'

"Wait!", I turned towards Mikey and froze, staring at the crystals that filled his arms, walking closer and closer to us, "Why does she need a middle name, none of my brothers or I do, and based on us, I'm guessing you guys don't either? So why do you want to give her a middle name?", Mikey was right, none of my family, mainly my sibling had no middle names, I'm unsure about Dad, but still I wanted to give her a name, a name I chose, "Because why not. Plus I want her to have a name both of us gave her, and speaking of which, I know what I'm going to name her...Krisa Karai Hamato, after Gram Gram!", I think Gram Gram would be happy with that name, "-after all Karai's the only family member I have beside Dad and my brothers, and I want to give Krisa something besides my last name, something more that makes her apart of this family, so she'll be named after her great Gram Gram. Huh? What do you think Krisa, you like that-", I made a weird baby noise as I laid her on the ground, tickling her belly and side, listening to her small fits of laughter break out, "Wait so you're naming her after an enemy of mine, the daughter of the shredder, the leader of the Foot Clan?!"

'I guess our universes are kinda alike', I laughed as I turned her towards Mikey, "Yeah, well in my universe, she is technically the daughter of the shredder-", I mumbled quietly as I looked away from Mikey, turning my gaze back to Krisa, "But! In my universe, she is my Gram Gram, and she was the best Gram Gram I ever met", for some reason as I stared at Krisa, watching her laugh and smile, but just watching her be happy I felt something, a feeling tugging at my chest the longer I stared at her, that was until I felt something else tug on my shoulder, "Then that settles it, her name is Krisa Karai Hamato", Mikey laughed as he reached for her, picking her up and holding her up in the sky, "Now let's move on to the hard stuff-"

"What hard stuff..."

"System. What are some possible food items Krisa can eat and drink?"

Well for her her diet can very

If she is more like her animal side she will need any sort of prey once a week

Options being

Fish

Frogs

Mice

Rats

Any form of meat that she can eat is a good start

I don't have the knowledge however if this dimension has any of those meats like Kraathatrogon meat should work perfectly

However if she's more like her human side she will need formula for about...

Four to seven times a day

But this could vary since she is a mutant

She could crave meat four to seven times a day or only need to be fed formula once a week

As for water, I am unsure

Human children aren't permitted until they reach two years of age

"Okay let's start the easy one, I have dried Kraathatrogon meat-"

Fresh... 

The meat must be fresh not dried or frozen

"Then that screws up that plan?"

"Wait no it doesn't! We still have a way!", grabbing onto my shoulder, he turned me towards him, making me give him all of my attention, "I can do it, while I search for my friend!"

Chapter 11: Why is it Quiet?

~Six Months Later~

POV Mikey:

'Nights inside Dimension were different compared to Earth. I'm not sure about outside New York, but at night on Earth everything is quiet, almost all humans go back to their homes and rest for the night, but here, no. In this dimension, Kraang droids were the only thing that went to sleep at night, but the animals were wide away, the creature's never sleep, searching for god knows what, if I was  blind, I would have no idea when it is night, but the only thing that gave away the time of day was the sun, the sky darkened just a bit, changing from a bright pink to a darker pink. Sounds from the monsters and creatures that live in this dimension echoed through the night, making some nights impossible to fall asleep, while other nights if were lucky are slightly quiet, but during the restless nights I lay there staring at the dark pink sky, I question everything, wondering if this was all just one long nightmare. However, most nights I notice Leo is still up, and when I say that, I don't mean laying there with his eyes still open, no Leo will be sitting there and sometimes I even catch him, walking around the island, whispering every single character of the Kraang alphabet. Once in a while, I'll sometimes hear him talking to himself, most likely talking to Venom or the device on his wrist, repeating characters that are either perfectly pronounced by his wrist thing, or I'm guessing fixed by Venom'

'I could go over the characters over and over again like Leo, but I finished learning them, last week I repeated the characters like him, but now...I kind of got bored of the alphabet, I wanted to know more, to learn more, but I couldn't move on without Leo...so, I did the only thing that filled the long hours at night, every night while Leo was wide awake, mumbling to himself, I practiced. Not the Kraang language instead I practiced my Japanese, practicing accent, the wording, and the many ways one sentence can be worded differently...every night I practiced, sometimes I could hear Leo repeating the words I said, switching back and forth between Kraang and Japanese, sometimes when he was wide awake he would ask me the meaning of what I said was, I would tell him, however...'

'There are rare- special nights, where Leo is fast asleep, too tired from the previous week he stayed awake, and tonight was one of them'

"私の言っていることを理解できないのはわかっています、レオ、でも..."

(I know you don't understand what I'm saying Leo, but...)

Laying on the ground, I just looked up at the sky, waiting for the knowing echo of the words I just spoke, but there was nothing, shifting my head over towards Leo, staring at his shell as it faced me, I wanted to test the waters, to see if what I thought was true, "Hey...Leo", there was nothing, but I knew this didn't mean I was free. Pushing against the ground, I slowly stood up never taking my eyes off Leo and Kris, it wasn't Leo who normally woke up to me getting out of bed, it was Kris. Every single time I tried to get, being as quiet as I could Kris always woke up, causing Leo to wake up as well, but this time I was lucky, pushing the tarp back up their bodies, "そろそろ真剣に友達を探す時期が来たようだ..."

(I think it's time I seriously look for my friend...)

Standing at the edge of the camp, I switched my gaze from Leo to Kris, they both looked so peaceful, Kris laying in the crook of Leo's neck as her head rested on his chin and Leo lying on his side with his hands making a small border around Kris, 'She's gotten so big since we found her', I knew they needed each other, but I knew it even more as I watched Leo use his arms to protect her, protecting from everything...they deserve each other, "それは私が写真に写っていることを意味するのかどうか..."

(whether that means I'm in the picture...or not)

I knew they couldn't hear me, but as I turned around, part of me wished one of them woke up, that Kris would cry, wanting her uncle to hold her, or for Leo to make me stay, but I knew I needed to do this. 'Foods stocked and water bottles are filled, all of this should last them about a week, I'll be back by then with more food, and hopefully back with Leatherhead by my side'. Turning towards the other side of our island, "Michaelangelo?", a deep voice spoke up, it sounded so tired, yet I knew who it was, but as I turned towards the voice, the voice's face was there, "Don't tell Leo that I just left, tell him that I left an hour before he wakes up-", Venom stared at me only to switched his gaze back over to Leo, I could tell he was hesitant, "Please...just this once do this for me...", Venom just stared at me only to hear a sign moments after as he nodded, disappearing just as fast as he appeared. Sighing quietly I turned around and walked my steps got louder and louder as the speed slowly picked up, until I was sprinting, racing towards the edge, and as I pushed off my foot I flew, soaring through the air, landing on the next Island, 'I needed to do this...', I turned back towards the island, noticing how ironic everything was, Leo was asleep for once with Kris by his side, well neck, and the air silent, not even a sound from the monsters or creatures, tonight was the perfect night.

Sprinting across the island, I jumped from one to the other, I needed to go back to the building, the one where we met Krisa, the one building I've left alone for months, the exact place where the mission was ruined. I saw it, compared to the other facilities I've checked, all of them were near the island we called up, but this one was farther away, it was a building the Kraang had no idea I was coming, but as time past I realized that it was the closest point from where I entered this dimension. I stopped on an island, and glared at the building, its light were still on, but as more time past the more I hated the quietness, I looked back and forth, watching for anything, but as I looked around everything looked perfect, the monsters sleeping, the facilities closed until the morning, but why was it so quiet? 

Shaking my head, I decided to ignore it and continued my journey, 'Nothings wrong, they're just sleeping, everything is okay', looking straight towards my path I saw it, the building where everything was messed up, sprinting faster and faster, I angled my body downwards,crouching down as I held on, I saw the entrance, however, I knew that wasn't going to be mine. Looking up towards the top of the building, and squirting my eyes, I tried to see if there was anyone there, but there wasn't, no droids or drones roaming around the roof, it was clear, abut I found it so strange, the front of the building, only had one droid standing there, not paying any attention to the things around him, 'They usually have five or more, where...'.

With my slug ready, I aimed for the top of the tower and watched as the tentacle flew through the air, and bam! I quietly cheered as I tugged on the slug, it was stuck, 'Good...', I pulled one more time a little harder and flew along the line, squeezing the slug the tentacle let go of the pole, as I reached the highest part, I stared to fall towards the roof, getting closer to the ground, I rolled and landed on my knees, sprinting straight for the ventilation opening. Crouching down beside the vent covers, I twisted the screws off, twisting each one over and over again until finally...

*Tink*

'Yes! I'm so close, I can feel it!', picking up the covers, I placed it off to the side and slid into the vent, pulling the cover over, I shifted it just enough to not seem weird. In this moment, actually in every instance I was on my knees crawling towards something, my kneepads always held to ease the pain as the rubbed against the rough metallic surface, on any surface, these babies always did the job. Crawling down the tunnel I repeated the turn from months ago, turning left the right, right again then down, I wanted to speed up, to crawl faster and look for him, to find Leatherhead, but I couldn't everything was silent, so silent that the slightest sound was like yelling down a tunnel or walking on a creaky floor at 2 am, so just for now I needed to be quiet.

Turning down the last corner, I saw the exit, I was so excited, so ready to just run and slam that cover out of the way, but I couldn't, stepping closer and closer, and stopped, peaking through the crack of the cover, I looked around the lab, listening for anything, but it was quiet, 'good so far...', I grabbed the vent and removed the cover out of the way, placing it off to the side.

Pulling my slug out from my pouch, I stuck the tentacle to the top of the vent and lowered myself down, scanning the lab over and over, still, there was nothing. I squeezed the slug, shoving it straight into my pouch, racing towards the door, 'Alright if I remember...', leaving the lab was the easy part, but getting into the lab and other rooms was the hard part, thankfully I remembered the code, 41147518. I pushed the door open, and peaked through the crack, but still there was nothing, 'Where is everyone?', I couldn't relax, sprinting around the door, I slipped through and ran down the hallway, my eyes switching back and forth every time I passed by an intersection, I knew something as off but what.

'The Prison and Laboratory sector! Labs first', slipping on the floor, I needed to focus, so I ran down the hallway and made my way straight to the neighboring lab, 'This floor should only have three labs, so one more after this-', peaking through the glass I tried to see if there was anything or just anyone inside, this lab only had one mutant inside working on something, but it wasn't him, it wasn't Leatherhead. So I moved on to the next lab, running down the hallway, I looked at the multiple cells I ran past and shook my head, 'I'll check them right after, not just yet-', I turned away and kept running, searching for the lab, I followed the same path, only to find it moments later, I smiled and ran faster, my arms pointed back as I crouched down, slowing down just in time before I ran into the wall. Peaking through the glass, I cupped my hands over my eyes as I peered this through the glass, looking around the dimly lit room, but still, there was no Leatherhead, just two mutants working on the computer, 'Onto the cells'.

I raced towards the hallway and checked every single cell, as expected every creature was asleep on the fall, resting like they were at home. "Leatherhead", I wanted to yell, hoping that he would hear me, and call for me, wanting me to free him, but all I could do was whisper, "Leatherhead~", running along the hallway I ended up at the end of the hall, 'Alright next hall', turning around, I sprinted back down the hallway, turning around the next hall and kept running, I checked every cell, I checked each room, but he wasn't here, not in this cell or the next, not even in the one at the end of any of the hallways, he was nowhere on this floor, so...I moved onto the next.

Running out of the hallway, I peeked around the corner and looked for any enemy. However, still, there was nothing, so I ran, running faster and faster down the hallways, 'Where is the elevator?!', I ran down every corridor, every hallway. As I ran around the last corner I saw it, I was happy, everything was going smoothly, 'Let's go!'. Reaching for my nunchucks, I pressed the button and revealed the hidden blade, my hands gripping the handle in my palm, I raced down the hallway, slowing down the closer I got, and stopped. I spammed my finger against the button, and watched over my shoulder, there was nothing, I tried to see if there was any droid, but there was nothing, 'I have a weird feeling that this is too good to be true...', every facility in this dimension that I've seen in the last six months, throughout the day drones would patrol the hallways, one around every single corner, and if there were no drones there would be at least three or ten droids on each level, but this...something must of happened, something else has their attention, but what, I could stop for a second, this was my chance and I was going to take.

*Ding*

Before the door could even fully open, I rushed inside and spammed the next-floor door, hitting it over and over, waiting for the door to close. Watching the door close slowly, I stepped to the side and hid my body as much as I could, hiding from any droids that could see inside the elevator, with my shell pressed against the wall, I waited, counting each second as time passed, and the elevator began slowing down.

*Ding*

Pressing my back against the wall, I listened and watched as the doors opened, but still, there was silence, I felt confused as I stepped out of the lift and saw nothing, standing still, I waited for something to see me, for something to just attack me, but just like the floor above there was no Kraang, I could hear the sounds of snoring, even creatures talking quietly, but they weren't the same words Kraang used when they spoke, no this had to be a mutant. I couldn't stop, not now that I'd got in this far, so I ran, sprinting down the hallway, I checked every cell, going from one to the next and going back checking the other side of the hall, each cell was just like they were whether it was occupied by two mutant or three, there was never more than that, something I found strange.

"Leatherhead", my hands cuffed around my mouth as I yelled out in the hallway, pausing for a second to hear if there was a noise, a sound, 'Come on come on!', I cupped my hands over my mouth again, whispering just a bit louder, wanting to find him, "Leatherhead!", I slowed down and stood in the hallway, my breathing coming out heavy as I looked from one end of the hallway to the other side, listening for anything, I froze for a moment, I could have sworn I heard something, whether that was good or bad I couldn't tell, but I needed to check it out, so I did. Sprinting down the hallway, my feet barely slapped against the ground as I ran, I needed to be silent, I needed to be able to hear him, I ran down the hall and bouncing off the balls of my foot, checking every cell, I called out his name, "Leatherhead...leatherhead. Leatherhead. Leatherhead. Leatherhead!", but nothing ever repeated back, nothing ever does, 'Is he even in this dimension?!'. The longer I searched inside this facility, the more this place felt abandoned, there were no Kraang drones, not even droids, there was nothing, 'Did something happen to the droids here, but...', I slowed down and stopped in the middle of a hallway, "But why are the mutants here still acting like they're still in prison...like the Kraang are still here...", my body ached from the days of sleepless nights, the days of limited food, limited resources, and you could tell, my cheeks were slightly less round like before and my body reeked a gross smell, 'When was the last time I took a showered...'.

Raising my hands, I tapped my face, slapping my cheeks, trying to stay awake and alert, "Now is not the time, Mikey! You got this", starting with a slow jog, I continued my search, checking cell after cell, my body slowly down after each cell, I knew it was time to head back..., 'After this floor I'll head out, just...just two more hallways...you got this Mikey', I was no longer jogging, instead I walked as fast as I could to each one, my voice barely loud enough for even the mutants inside the cell to hear, and yet I still tried, but as I checked the last all I saw was nothing, my chest tightened and my throat stung each second, 'No no no no nononononono no no NO!', turning around, I ran as fast as I could, racing towards the entrance of the hallway, turning the corner to the hallway, my eyes fluttered as I grew more tired, I wanted to lay down, to sleep, but I couldn't not now anyway. I was no longer thoroughly checking each cell, I no longer called his name, I knew what my best friend looked like, so I passed by each one and looked through them for only a few moments, I wanted to keep looking, I tried to find him, but as I check that last cell in this hallway, I stopped. There was still one more hallway left, but what if he's not even here, maybe he's in another facility, another prison in this dimension, he has to be somewhere..., 'No! I needed to check everywhere!'.

I could no longer run, the nights of no sleep were finally getting to me, but it was okay, just one more then I'll check the last two floors tomorrow-

"Michaelangelo?-", I froze, there's no I could have misheard that voice, lifting my head I looked around the hallway, hoping I wasn't mishearing, "Michaelangelo?", that was Leatherhead's voice, so I tried to see if that was him, "Michaelangelo is that you?", I never felt so happy, with whatever energy I had left, I ran, no sprinted down the hallway and turned the corner, running down the last hall I didn't check, "Leatherhead!", he called my name out again, I checked each cell, but I saw one open cell, barely open, shoving the door out of the way, I ran inside and crouched over, holding onto my knees, trying so hard to catch my breath, "Heh...heh, you don't know how long I've been looking for you-", my face felt wet again, I rubbed my forearm over my eyes and forehead, trying to get rid of the sweat and tears, but I was so happy, I found him on my own...without my brothers.

"Michealangelo?", I laughed as I heard his voice again, "Why do you sound confused, Leatherhead, I here to free-", my smile fell as I looked up and saw a recorder laying there on the bench, reaching down I stared at it, listening as it replayed his voice as it said my name over and over, "Wha-", I didn't get to finish my sentence as something was jammed against my throat, sending electricity through my body, it hurt, 'This was a trap...', I coughed as I fell to the ground, "Tell him to Prison 0312, if this turtle's kin are in this dimension, we needed to make sure they will never find him", my eyes fluttering shut, I felt weak and tired, I reached for the staff, "He-help me L-eo", he wasn't coming...no one was.

Notes:

A/N~ alright two things...I may or may not have calculated things correctly, so in the story I said Mikey's 10 months older than Leo, well that would make his birthday in freaking December, yeeaaaaaaaaah no- were changing that, so I did more research, I looked up when the movie was published and added weeks to that, buuuuuuuuut!, I also looked up when his birthday is and it only told me the birthday of the varient from the 1990s, which is pretty close, but...

I found something else...AND I'M NOT USING IT AS A REFERENCE BUT IT IS SO OUT OF POCKET XD

"so assuming leo's bio mom layed eggs as early as march 21st and as late as august 21st, his birthday would be around may 19th to december 11th"

Yeah no...so!

From this point on, Mikey's birthday is his mutation day which is September 29, Leo's birthday will be August 15, and Krisa's will be December 26

This will be on every chapter from now on!

Mikey(2012): 18 years old

Leo(2018):17 years old

Krisa: 7 months old

Chapter 12: I Am Your God

POV 3rd Person(Mikey):

"Strap the turtle to the table!-", Mikey had no energy, yet with the little strength he had left, he fought against the droids as they pulled him into a dimly lit lab, locking the door behind him. Using his feet, he pushed against the droids and landed on the ground, standing up, Mikey's body swayed as he looked around him, pulling out his nunchucks, activating the blade he swung the blade around him, "Back!- St-ay back!-", Mikey looked around the lab, and noticed the vent above him, pulling out the slug, he aimed it straight for the vent, but he took too long. A droid grabbed Mikey by the arm, and pulled him down towards the ground, shoving his arms behind his back, "LEO!!!", Mikey groaned in pain as he kicked against the droid and looked up towards the vent, he continued to yell, 'Please be there...please...save me...', his face was soaked, tears streamed down Mikey's face as he continued to call out to Leo, "Pl!-", Mikey tried so hard to yell, but he couldn't. A droid slammed his metal hand against his throat, choking him with all its might as it dragged him further and further away from the door, further away from freedom, "Hel-p me-!"

*SLAM*

His ears rang as pain radiated down the back of his head, but what was strange was for a second he could have sworn he heard something crack, he only hoped that it was the table. Mikey scratched at the hand that gripped onto his neck, begging for some air, the droid finally let go of his neck, leaving him gasping for air, it took all Mikey's strength to lean up from the table, holding his hand over his throat, he winced from the slightest touch to his throat. Mikey bared his teeth as he glared at Sub-Prime, "What do you want from me!", the fight was over, Mikey struggled against the droids as they strapped him down against the table, none of his body could move, they tied down his legs, arms, stomach, neck, the droids even wrapped a strap around his head, and placed two metal bars beside his head, he couldn't even move his head, he was stuck. "It's quite simple turtle, we want to know how you were able to get inside Dimension X...", Sub-Prime stood right beside Mikey's head, his eyelids felt so heavy as Mikey continued to stare at him, and his breathing was heavy, uneven with each breath he took, but he persisted. Footsteps were the only thing Mikey could hear, the Kraang beside him didn't speak, so the droids movement around the room was all he focused on.

"No? Let me ask a better question...Why are you here in the first place?- And where is your kin?", Mikey moved his arms against the restraints, trying so hard to free himself, but he couldn't, breathing heavily Mikey snapped at the Kraang, glaring at him, "How should I know...", Mikey spoke through his teeth, air seething through the slivers between his teeth, "Do you think I'm a fucking idiot...tell me where your kin is now-"

"God, just say brothers- oh or maybe siblings, why in the world does every Kraang say kin-", Sub-Prime slammed his tentacle down on the drone he sat on, "My brothers aren't here!-, no one's here...", he looked away from the Kraang, and stared up towards the ceiling, he was tired and each passing second wasn't helping at all, "That doesn't explain why your here!-"

"I was playing a game with my brothers, alright! They didn't think I could survive on my own inside this place for even an hour, but hey look at me, I'm still alive!~", Mikey laughed pathetically as the tears started again, and all Mikey could do was look up, feeling every single drop roll down the side of his face, wetting the table he is laying on. "I bet your here for that stupidly insane croc, huh...", Mikey didn't say a word, he wasn't thinking about the Kraang's words, he wanted to think about Leatherhead, about his friend, yet the only thing Mikey could think about was his mistakes, his choices, all of it lead him to this point, but it didn't matter someone was going to come save him just in time, they always do, Mikey was ready for their big entrance, but as he zone back into the reality he was living, Kraang words strangely felt so loud as he spoke to him. "By chance, turtle do you know what the most important organs inside a creature's body are?", Mikey couldn't think straight his ears still rang and Sub-Prime words were muffled, the exhaustion and restless sleep nights were finally getting to him. Mikey tried to stay away, so he switched his eyes around the room, droids walked around the table, but only a few could be seen, so he watched them. Droids walked up and down beside the bed, whatever droid came near his eyes never looked away, yet there was one that caught his eye, a droid inside the room carried a droid suit and placed it right next to Sub-Prime.

"Sub-Prime, here's the suit you requested-", Sub-Prime crawled out of the drone he was in and into the suit, and as Sub-Prime turned on, there were even more differences, the other suits may look human, but this...this one acted just like one, its body-, its mouth-, its movements were smooth, not stiff like the others, and its eyes shined a bright powerful purple, everything thing about it seemed so unnatural. Sub-Prime walked towards Mikey and stopped right beside his head, its eyes glowed quite harshly, Kraang raised his hand as he looked down towards Mikey, "The kidneys...", Sub-Prime pressed his nail against Mikey's plastron, Sub-Prime used all his strength to watch his nail pierce through, but he couldn't, "The...wait wha-"

"liver, lungs, heart, and-", he dragged his finger along Mikey's torso, pointing to every single organ, until...,"...the brain", a smile appeared on his face as his finger pressed against Mikey's forehead, Sub-Prime laughed, he wanted so badly to place just a bit more pressure into his head, to watch his own finger disappear into this victims useless brain, which only caused him to laugh, and pull his finger away, "But in my opinion, the kidneys aren't as vital as the others and the liver...heh", walking around the table, Sub-Prime stood behind Mikey, sounds of metal tools tapped against eachother, clinking and clanging filled the rooms, voices of droids talking amongst each other was so much louder, 'Come on Leo, I know you're going to jump in any second now- o-or my brothers are going to barge in any second', a droid adjustable the table, leaning Mikey up by just a few inches, but that was enough, he could see so much now, but what frightened him was the tray beside him, he stared at everything the syringes, the scalpels, the chisel, super glue, there was even a hammer, 'This can't be real- this cant be real- nonononononononononono!', Sub-Prime walked back over, messing with the a pair of gloves.

"The liver is a very important organ, however, a creature can live without it, but the many complications can occur with its removal...fluid will start to build up inside your brain-", Mikey flinched as a droid wiped down his stomach, but it was strange the droid cleaned multiple places on the turtle, he cleaned his shell his arms, the droid even cleaned the skin right above where his shell and scales meet. Mikey's voice stuttered he asked them over and over, wanting to know what was going on, but no one was speaking, no one was telling him what they were going to do, "-which causes the victims to experience disorientation, severe mental confusion and seizures, and there is *sigh* so much more...now-", Sub-Prime rubbed his hands together and laughed, "Would you like to tell me how you got here, and why in Kraang's name did your kin send you of all people-".

"Through a portal you stupid alien-AHHHHHHHH!!!", Mikey's body seized, convulsing as the droid stabbed the staff into the turtle's side, the droid never released the pressure, pressing the pointed edge right above his shell, sending waves of pain through his entire body. "Le-AHHHHHHHH!!!", Mikey tried to pull away from the pain, but as each passing second went by the more the pain intensified, "Alright!", the pain stopped, but his body continued to tremble, and for a second Michelangelo forgot how to breathe. His breathing was unsteady as he forced the air out and pulled it back inside but it wasn't working none of the air was reaching his lungs, he couldn't breathe, he kept gasping for air, inhaling so loudly as the droids stood beside his bed. Sub-Prime stared at Mikey, watching as the pathetic creature struggled to breathe, and grabbed Mikey's face, "Now...answer my question, but use respect", he clicked his tongue on the T.

Digging his nails deep into the turtle's cheeks, "I went thro- huh-h- ough a p-*gasp* *gasp* -portal and my br-br-brothers didn't choose me to go alone, I came in by myself, but don't worry heh hah ha! They'll be here sooner or later- THEY'LL COME FOR ME!!!". Mikey was almost finally able to breathe normally, glaring at the Sub-Prime, his body flinched as the droid that held the staff came closer, and pointed the end towards his neck, he was just an inch away, but something stopped him, Sub-Prime held up his hand, stopping the droid from torturing the turtle again, Mikey was ready for him to yell, to scream at him, telling him over and over that his family will never come, but the droid only laughed at him, and a sadistic smile appeared on his face as he laughed at Mikey. 

"You really think so? Oooohhhhh...I don't understand how earthlings are so optimistic", Sub-Prime sighed as he stepped back, giving the droids around him enough room to work on Mikey, "Droid 0389 prepare the ten cc's of Lidocaine HCl two percent", Sub-Prime reached for the gloves and slipped on one after the others, and held his hand just in front of him, keeping the gloves sterile from any of the filthy surfaces. Mikey's head leaned back against the table, watching the droid as he stood there, but there was so much going on, his eyes switched from the droidc to the tray, to the tools, Mikey didn't know where to look, "Turtle, I do regret to inform you that your kin isn't coming for you-"

"You're lying!"

"Oh am I? Hm! Turtle by chance do you know how long you've been here?", the boy shrugged his shoulders and looked off to the side, Michelangelo knew the answer to the question, but knew the moment they found out, something bad would happen, so he faked a guess, "I don't know maybe...a few weeks?-"

"Mutant. Time on your planet Earth moves slower than Dimension X, you see for you it feels like its been oh I don't know let's say eight months, for people on Earth to them it feels like eight seconds...", Mikey's breathing stopped as the words caught up in his head, and stared at Sub-Prime, 'what?', Mikey tore his eyes away from the droids and stared down at his hands, he didn't know what to think, was the droid telling the truth or was this another sick lie, but it was strange part of him was so happy, his brother's didn't forget about him, they still probably care about him. Mikey wanted to laugh, to scream so loud, he wanted to cheer, god this made him so happy, his brother's didn't forget about him, but..., "so if your kin waits for an additional eighteen hundred seconds...they won't be here for almost five years, but wait....what if they wait one hour on your home planet, turtle I regret to inform you you're going to be waiting almost a whole decade", Sub-Prime was right, if they took even a second longer than normal, Mikey would be trapped...no.

Leo was going to come looking for him, he would notice that Mikey was gone the moment he woke up, Mikey's brothers may not be here in time to save him, but Leo and Venom would, and he would wait for them, no matter how long it takes, 'but...what if they can't find me...'

"Haaaaaaaaa. This was all fun, but I want to do a little more research on your physiology, compared to the rest of the beast I create, you and your kin have more... character to yourselves, which brings us back to the topic at hand"

"Wha-what topic, I told you everything, you said if I told you, you would leave me alone", Sub-Prime laughed as he held a sledgehammer in his hand, and the droid next to him held a needle, filled with a strange clear liquid, "When did I ever say that...I can't have you freeing Prisoners left and right, we already lost one that was supposed to become a little spy of ours...so I might as well weaken one of our enemies"

"Sub-Prime, where do you want me to inject the lidocaine", Sub-Prime tapped Mikey, tapping his shell, his side and lastly his arm, with one hand the droid used his thumb to feel around Mikey's arm, and with his other arm, he toss a hammer into the air, catching it over and over again, he took his time as he looked for something, but what...Mikey didn't know, "Administer an IV drip bag into the right arm and inject the lidocaine into the bag", the droids nodded their heads and walked off, Mikey looked around the room, he was confused, he wanted to yell out for someone, but as he turned back towards Sub-Prime, he saw the droid holding up a black permanent marker. "You know if I didn't care I could just cut-", Sub-Prime pointed to a spot and a droid dragged the marker straight across his chest, right above the collarbones, "-right here...but you lungs and ribs would be in the way, and we don't want to puncture those fleshy sacks, though it would be quite...entertaining, so!-", a visible shiver ran down Sub-Prime's back as he thought about the plan, sighing with so much excitement, Sub-Prime whispered something to the droid next to him, waiting for him to down something, "-̶̯̊ÿ̷̱́ḷ̴̍h̸̤͗t̶̡̏ỏ̴̖o̶͕͋m̶͖̉s̶͈͠ ̶̤̚o̸̗̚ģ̸̀ ̴̜͗d̴͍̑l̵͉̈u̴̠͆ỏ̸̻h̷̗̕s̶̜͐ ̵̥̿y̸͇͊r̸͖͑ë̶̤́g̸̭̈́r̸͔̅ṵ̸̎s̶̛͕ ̴̮̊e̸̪͑ḩ̸͐ț̵̈ ̶̟͆,̷͙͠t̸̹̃n̴̩̅i̴͔͛o̷̧͐p̵̜͘ ̸̼͒s̸̝͘i̷͙͝h̵̗̚ẗ̵͇́ ̴͓̉m̷̬̉o̴͉̊r̶͕̿f̷̢̐ ̴̲́ŕ̴̯é̶̤t̵͓͗ń̶̹e̵̙̔ ̸͔̈́ȍ̸̹ṱ̴͊ ̴̣́t̷̖̂s̵̘̿ĕ̸̩b̸̧̉ ̵̝̈́e̵̹͊b̶̟͛ ̵̺̋d̵͙͊l̶̿͜u̸̥͠ö̵̙́w̶̜̐ ̷̣͌ţ̷̔į̵͘ ̵͖̏,̶̱͊ỷ̶̧a̷͖͒r̸̮̀-̴͎̂X̷̩͌ ̶͇̈́e̷̦̋h̸̪̅t̷͚̉ ̸͚̂s̸̨̛a̴̦̾ ̴̞̊n̵͇̽w̵̰̔o̶̥̚ǹ̶̰k̷͓̋ ̴̟̍š̶͉ȋ̴̤ ̵͇̌t̵̉ͅa̵̲̓ḧ̶͖́w̴̞͌ ̷͓̉h̶̘̍t̷͖̋i̷͖͝Ẅ̷̢"

".̸̬̄.̶̫̉.̵̖̀ǹ̸͎i̶͉̽ȧ̴͜p̶̼̉ ̶̯̅d̴̪͘n̶͔̐a̶͈͘ ̶̼͐y̵̻͛ņ̷͌o̵͔͠g̵̭͑a̷̙̒ ̵̯̃f̸̹̕ő̶͜ ̶̳̉e̴͓̚t̴̤͐á̷̫t̵͍̓s̴͇̈́ ̵̩̍t̸̠͝ņ̴̾a̸̛͓t̴̢͐ș̴̓ñ̶̩ó̶̖c̶͍̏ ̶̫͂a̸͚̾ ̵̛̣n̸̈͜ị̵̈́ ̶̤̀m̶͈͑ḭ̵̇h̴̪͠ ̶̹̒t̵̺͋n̶̗̈́â̶̻w̴̪̒ ̵̫͒Í̸̺.̵̗̊.̴̨̓.̵̰͑m̵̧̍ḭ̶̉ḥ̵̇ ̶̥͋l̵͉͝l̸̟͌i̶̥̓k̸͚̿ ̵̰̊o̷̘̐t̴̛͎ ̵̩̕s̴̼̉ư̷ͅ ̶̜̚r̷͔̄o̶̟͝f̴̦́ ̴̯͒G̴̭̉N̴̗̓I̵͉͒G̷̘̉G̶̟͂E̵̝̍B̶̖͘ ̷̩͝ḿ̶ͅi̵̹͛h̵̬̉ ̴̟̽t̷̰͊ņ̵͗a̷͔̾w̵͎͊ ̷̺͂Ì̷̭ ̸̣͠,̵̙̀b̷̡͝à̵̦l̸͈̓ ̶̬̀s̴̹̒i̵̭̍ḧ̷̩́t̶͔̐ ̷̙͌ë̸̱́d̸̦̅i̷̬͋s̶̢̉n̷͔̾i̸͎̋ ̷̼̐é̶̦m̵̧̃ī̷̜t̴͇̚ ̴̛̟s̷̟̎i̶̢̿h̴͓̿ ̴͍̂f̸̥̑ò̴̠ ̵̧͝ḍ̶́n̶̩̑ẹ̶͠ ̷̦͆e̵͔̒ḣ̶͙ẗ̷͖́ ̶̞̊y̶͚͋B̴̜̀ ̵̙̈!̵̞͒ý̶͙ĺ̴͔ȟ̷͙ṱ̵̎ȍ̶̖o̵͔͐m̴͙̿s̵̙͝ ̷̜̇o̷͉̕g̸̨͒ ̵͉̍ȯ̵̪t̷̳̉ ̶̧͝ý̸̹r̷̺͊ė̸̦g̴̈͜r̷̤̋u̵̞̇s̸̯̕ ̴̟̈́s̵͗͜ỉ̸̬h̴͉̐t̴̬͌ ̸͉̇t̷̡̐n̴̤͑a̷̋͜ẉ̴͊ ̸̧̒t̴̜́'̶̪̚n̴̲̑ọ̸̈́d̴͖̋ ̴̙͆Ī̴͔", the droid nodded as it turned towards Mikey, and drew a big bold x right on the right side of Mikey's plastron, 'What are they saying?!', Mikey wanted so badly to call out to Leo, to call Venom's name, he wanted them to save him, but he knew better, they weren't coming for him, no one was coming, "Why are you doing this to me, like you said I'm one of the weakest of my brothers?"

"Because having you return to them in a state of despair and pain, will...", sighing happily, Sub-Prime clutched his hammer with so much might, Mikey could have sworn he heard something crack, "be oh so satisfying~". Mikey knew it was now or never, pulling at the restraints, he grunted as he pulled with all the strength he could muster, but he was tired, his arms hurt, pulling them harder and harder, he didn't care if he broke them, he wanted to go home, he wanted to see his family again. He pulled harder and harder, until...all of the pain in his arms-, no his body disappeared, he couldn't feel anything, his body was numb 'Why can't I feel anything...'. It was strange, his body felt so numb, but his eyes-, his throat stung when he tried to speak, he couldn't yell, 'what are they doing to me...'

------------------------------

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!", his throat hurt as he screamed, his voice echoed across the walls, he wanted them to stop, to end all of this torture, they wouldn't listen, but that wasn't the worst part... 

The medication wore off...

Mikey screamed as he felt everything the droid did to him, he felt everything cut and tear the robot did, he felt it all, "LE *cough* AHHHHHHHH *cough*", drool pooled down the side of his mouth as he coughed, his throat hurt so badly, Mikey wanted someone to save him, at this point he didn't care who, he wanted to run, to flee from this place, but as he stared out the window, he saw mutants walking by and not one of them looked towards the window, none of them cared.

'No one's coming to save me...'

I was going to pass out...

No...

I was going to die...

His heart pounded loudly inside his ears, that was all he could hear, that was until a voice finally broke through the noise, a voice he grew to hate. "Oh would you quit the noise- Ugh! Droid 0836 put the bit in the turtle- oh Kraang!-", Mikey could barely hear anything, let alone his voice as he spoke, complaining about...something, Mikey's eyes fluttering as his eyes rolled back, "Injection ten cc's of Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate 100mg into the drop bag- and add fifty ccs of saline into the drip bag as well", he tried to listen to everything, but he couldn't understand a word, everything was so loud, yells and orders muffled by the sounds of his own heart pounding inside of his head and the sounds of his own breathing echoing, "The turtle's body seems to be severely dehydrated due to how fast it's taking the saline in-"

"Sub-Prime, this mutant...has closer to what is known as a bodily structure similar to a human, those beings that are known as humans can't withstand that much Dexamethasone Sodium P-"

"How many fucking times do I have to tell you...EVERYONE!!!-", every droids stopped, and looked straight at the leader in charge, not one droid made a sound, "When I make a fucking order, you are to listen to the words I fucking say! So if I say pumped this mutant to the brim with mutagen, you do that, if I want to torture this kid until he breaks, you will comply...now continue...", so they did, two droids walked closer towards the table, Mikey lost all strength, he was a mess and the droids notices, crust formed beside his eyes from his dried up tears, a puddle dripped down the table, and a stream of blood from his nose dripped down his cheek, mixing with the drool below, he couldn't fight anymore, Mikey let the droids shove a thick piece of metal into his mouth, "no...", Mikey tried to move his head, but they were stronger than him, "leo...please", tears fell from his eyes again, he sobbed and whined, squinting his eyes shut, "take me home..."

Mikey's hand was close to his leg, he reached for his thigh and pinched himself, he wanted to wake up from this nightmare, he wanted to be home...

'This...is all real...', everything was real, none of this was a dream...

Sub-Prime stood over the table and dangled something just out of his sight, "Now look at that! Wasn't that easy-", he never looked back at Sub-Prime, he just looked up, "Behold... your body's only hepatic, also known as the liver", staring up at the ceiling, all he could think about was the pain, his jaw, his throat, his entire body hurt, but as Mikey looked up, he finally felt something other than pain, he could feel the water drip down the side of my face as his eyes started to blurred in and out of focus, the pain became too unbearable. His reaction didn't satisfy Sub-Prime, "*sigh*....̴.̵.̵l̵a̴e̷m̷ ̸t̸x̵e̶n̶ ̴s̵'̵e̸l̴t̴r̴u̸t̴ ̴e̶h̷t̶ ̷e̴b̸ ̸l̵l̵i̴w̷ ̵s̸i̴h̷t̶ ̸,̵k̵a̶e̴t̸s̴ ̶a̵ ̵e̴k̷i̸l̶ ̶r̵e̷v̷i̵l̸ ̴e̶h̶t̵ ̶e̶r̸a̸p̴e̴r̶P̴"

------------------------------

Mikey(2012): 18 years old

Leo(2018):17 years old

Krisa: 7 months old

Chapter 13: I'm Sorry...Leonardo

~Nine Hours Later~

POV Leo:

I couldn't sleep much...

Staring down at the empty spot beside me, I could hear Krisa's coos as she played with my hand, she wanted my attention, she wanted me awake, but the more my heavy eyes stared at the empty spot, the more uneasy I felt. "Venom...", my voice was flat from the restless night, I heard him reply, I even noticed that the system was paying attention, "Where's Angie?", reaching for my satchel, I knew it was time for Krisa to eat, so I pulled out a good size fish and handed it to her. Watching her eat always made me uneasy, something the system never told me was the fact that snakes don't chew, and sadly for my heart, Krisa was one of those mutants. she always has the same routine every time, she'll make sure its dead by wrapping her tail around the dead animal and squeeze it, I also learned that she'll eat anything, no matter how big it is, she do her best, so for both our sakes, I give her food that have less of a chance of choking her.

"Mikey left two hours ago to search for his friend, Leatherhead"

"He must have left when I was passed out", pushing against my knees, I stood up and stretched, my arms shook as my yawn turned into a yell, god I hate mornings. "Alright, well until he gets back let's do some more practice, Venom what's the next lesson-, and don't say let's wait for him, I need something to do, so come on what's next", for some reason Venom was quieter today, but I didn't think much of it, Venom rarely acts likes this so maybe he was having an off day so I didn't bother him.

"Let's try some easy words, ummm...aw okay will do a few words you would use in day-to-day conversation, for this month: food and drinks! I'll start simple r̸͇͛e̸̻͆v̶͓̓i̷̯͗l̶͍̀ ̶̞̉ň̵͕ỏ̵̱g̶̱̊o̴̞̿r̴̈͜t̵̝͝à̵͉ḫ̷̉ţ̸̓a̵̘̽ạ̸̊r̵͓̄K̶̯̆ !"

Venom's head floated beside me, I was silent and turned towards him, my eye bag never felt so heavy as I stared at him.

"...If you wanted to know it means Kraathatrgon liver-"

"And when the hell will I ever use Space worm liver in a sentence?!-"

"Well if you actually said the word just now then literally just now!-"

"Shut up, give me something easier like-", looking around, I tried to think of something that would be easy, something I would use in any conversation, "-oh well for starters how do you even say food and drink?"

"Well food is d̸̡̡̂͠ò̶͕͜ỏ̴̡͙f̷̳͙̿̊, and drink is k̵̢̝̆n̶͙̿i̷͇̬̋̚r̶̔̂ͅd̴̼͇͋̾, now try..."

"d̸̟̑̒...t̴̯̎ǫ̶͕̀ơ̷͖f̴̟̈ ?"

"Close- well uhhhh not really, t̴̯̎ǫ̶͕̀ơ̷͖f̴̟̈ actually means foot, which isn't food, try saying d̸̟̑̒-"

---------------------------------------------

~Three Hours Later~

'So I practiced, after studying the hundred and thirty-something characters, learning the words was honestly the easy part. For three hours or until Krisa got bored of listening to me and Venom practice, I decided to give Krisa some attention, well as much attention you can give a one-month-old, she messed with my hands, we played peek-a-boo and normally after every meal...she fell asleep. Now the real issue at the moment is where she's sleeping, I've noticed that different places will determine how well she sleeps, the cushioned ground gives me twenty to thirty minutes, cushioned in my lap gives me thirty to thirty-five minutes, and her most favorite but the least conventional resting on my chest with her head resting over my heart...she will sleep for almost an hour like in that position'

'But during the night what helps her the best is when she curled up tightly and snuggled against my neck, moving constantly throughout the night, trying so hard to get comfortable...the system told me that based on some type of brain waves that she is having these strange nightmares, however, since neither Venom or the system don't have access to her, they have no way to determine what could possibly be giving her these nightmares. System has told me that the only thing I can do to help her is to comfort her and raise Krisa as my own child...my...child...'

'I'm honestly surprised I was the first one in a way to give dad grandkids...well sort of, I honestly thought I was going to be the third one, maybe even the second, but here I am...Angie's treating her more like an older brother than an uncle, which makes sense...he's eighteen and I'm freaking seventeen for god sakes...neither of us should be taking care of a kid, actually since he's eighteen he should be the parent...yet she picks me...'

Is something wrong Terrapin

"Just thinking...", with my legs crossed and my back hunched over, I stared down at Krisa, 'she's been asleep for almost thirty minutes now...she'll be waking up soon...', I switched my gaze to my hand as I placed one on her back, scratching small circles, 'my nails have gotten longer, its probably getting to trim them...'

May I ask what you are thinking about...

If it has something to do with your time inside the dimension-

"Well no, but now that I think about it, if a portal were to open up inside the prison dimension...would do you know?", I reached over to the satchel, and pulled out a small frog, its body was still fresh even though the body wreaked terribly.

Yes.

I know about everything that goes on inside the Prison Dimension even this dimension as well

Every ship is connected so conversations spoken between one Kraang to the other is heard

Plus any unknown activity is looked into

Technodrones are the only thing that know what going on inside the dimensions they've been to 

Individual creatures such as Kraang or humans can not sense when something is occurring outside their field of vision or hearing 

However there is one Kraang that I know of that can sense everything around him

You know him too...

Sighing, I knew who the system was talking about, I placed my elbow on my knee and rested my chin in my palm, watching the empty space in front of me, "So I guessing you haven't noticed anything about portals opening inside the Prison Dimension since we left?"

No Terrapin

Since your arrival there has been no sign of portal activity inside the Prison Dimension

Soft whines tore my attention away from the sky and when I looked back down at her, looking at my...daughter, I smiled and chuckled, hushing her quietly as she cried out with her small arms reaching up towards me, placing the frog back inside the packaging, I picked her up only for her cries slowly quiet down, "It okay Krisa, papa's here...papa's here", it took some time for Krisa to quiet down. Still, when she did, she looked up at me, her brow bone turned upward, and her bottom lip trembled as she wrapped her tail around my wrist, whining quietly as she held my hand. I could only chuckle, pulling her into a gentle hug, "Did you have a bad dream hun?...System".

Yes

"Why do you think Krisa likes me more...ever since the beginning-", I reached over and grabbed the dead frog, hovering in front of Krisa, waiting for her to hold the frog and eat it, "Krisa seems always to want to be with me...why do you think-"

I'm...

Not sure

However the only expectation is that she sees something in you that reminds her of home

Maybe it was another mutant

Maybe you just remind her of her own mother or father

Or maybe you have been the only parental figure that truly acted...

Caring...

Because I may say you keep repeating that you are only seventeen years of age yet you have such an old soul

"Old soul?", Krisa grabbed the dead frog as she unwrapped her tail from around my wrist and wrapped it around the frog, squeezing it until she heard her all-time favorite sound, but by far my least favorite. I looked away and stared up at the sky as I leaned against the nearest tree, listening to every noise that filled the tent, it was nice, it was-

*Pop!*

I cringed at the sound and decided to ignore it, watching as the leaves from the bushes made a nice noise, it was relaxing.

A being

Especially an adolescent or youngling

A creature that demonstrates a maturity understanding or seriousness that is normal for a being much older

Old soul. I wanted to ask how on earth I could be one, that was until something crossed my mind, "Would you say Venom is an old soul?", the system was silent, it was thinking.

No

On the contrary he's quite the opposite

"Hey!"

And if Venom is offended by this tell him I didn't mean to

When I say the opposite, I am not saying that he is childish or immature for his age

What I mean to say is he is more...

Curious minded

Old souls tend to be more full of wisdom

And young souls are full of curiosity

"I knew what you said doesn't make any sense-", I chuckled as I looked away from the sky and down towards Krisa, my eyes widened when I saw a leg hanging out of her mouth, she laughed and swallowed the rest, "uh- like I was saying, I'm not smart, my brother Donnie on the contrary is the smart one, he knows everything about science and biology, and builds and fixes things, I can't do any of-"

Yes the way you speak of your fraternal twin Donnie

He sounds quite intelligent however...

Terrapin...

Wisdom and intelligence are and aren't the same thing

"Huh?", what she said made no sense, they are and aren't the same, what does that even mean? I stared at the device on my wrist, confusion covered my face, and she must have noticed.

Intelligence commonly refers to a capacity for academic learning and logical thinking

While wisdom commonly refers to life experience and insight into human nature

You and your fraternal kin both have forms of knowledge

However neither has the same type

*Burp*

I stared down at Krisa, who smiled widely in turn, "Whoa, good job!", she laughed as I continued to burp her, I knew she had a little more left, "Now let me hear that one more ti-"

*BURP*

"Good job! Now that was a 10 out of 10", coos and giggles were all she did after I spoke, "Wait system, in your opinion who is smarter...Venom or...ah me",

"Of course it is me, am I over five hundred years old!"

"So?! I have an older brother and I'm smarter than him!"

"And how do you know that?!"

"Know what?"

"That your elder brother is dumber than you"

"I never said he was dumb, but seriously, you don't have to be smart to know how to splint an arm and when I watch him do it...it makes me hurt more when I watch him do it...", Venom was silent, 'Boom I won', I chuckled as I placed Krisa on the ground, watching as she slithered around the ground.

"Well to be honest, a splint isn't something you can do without knowing what it is exactly"

"True, but Raph knew what it was and still messed up, but it was never his fault, sometimes the big guy forgets how strong he is, he'd either tie it too tightly, or just put the sticks on wrong", I laughed as I remembered the last time Raph did a splint, it was on Mikey, he screamed when he saw his foot, watching as it turned a deep shade of bluish-green, I had to redo it properly, "I honestly don't know why I was chosen as the teams medic, I was literally the goof ball of the team when I spout witty banter during the middle of a mission, I even say puns during some of my fights...but sometimes...I get it, Raph is to rough, to strong to deal with delicate tasks. Donnie hates the sight of blood, he gets overwhelmed really easily and Mikey can't be in charge of everything...so it had to be, if not then...I would be completely useless..."

"But..."

Venom spoke as I looked up at the sky, it was darker than before, days here were faster than at home, it was getting closer for me to going to bed, but..., 'Why isn't Angie back yet?'

"You aren't useless, Terra. You are the team leader-"

"Yeah!", I laughed as I said that, pushing against the ground and sitting up, I watched as Krisa played, living a somewhat normal life, "-What a great team leader I was, hah! I got Raph kraangified because I decided to listen to the future boy. Donnie and Mikey almost got hurt because of my negligence, and!-...", my legs started to itch again, I stared down at them as my nails ran over them back and forth over and over and over again, the pain, the itch never going away, I hated this feeling. Reaching for the prosthetic, I unscrewed each one and threw them off to the side, but it wasn't enough, the pain was still there, I wanted to bite, to tear, to get rid of that pain but it wouldn't go away, no matter how hard I tried the pain was still there. "My dad should have never made me the leader if he-...if Raph was still leader, everything would have worked out, I wouldn't be here...". My legs shook as I bounced them, "God damn it- System what is this, this pain, this itch!-"

It is what humans refer to as Phantom pain a sensation of pain in a body part that has been removed

And the itch is a type of neuropathic itch, or neurological itch, that can occur after amputation of a body part that still has nerves

Both are fairly common in all species

More than 70% experience this phenomenon

"Great so I'm going crazy!", my face pushed against my hands, my fingers pinching at the skin as I grabbed my face...

"System, how long has Angie been gone?"

Almost twenty hours Terrapin

"Twen-", I leaned forward, theres no way I heard her correctly, "Wait what?- Tell me I heard you wrong!"

No Terrapin

Michaelangelo has been gone for almost twenty hours

I stared down at the ground, counting the minutes, the hours I'd been awake, 'There was no way he'd been gone that long. He should have only been gone for ten?!', I was breathing out heavy as I counted over and over, but what the system said, "System if we were on earth, what time did I wake up?"

Ten in the morning

"And what time is it now if we were on earth?!"

Eight in the afternoon

"Then you're wrong! Venom said he left about two hours before I woke up, unless...", I froze as my hand lowered, my mouth stuttered as all of it connected, "You lied?"

"He told me not to tell you! He-he!- Look he!-"

私の言っていることを理解できないのはわかっています、レオ、でも...

I know you don't understand what I'm saying Leo, but...

"Wha-"

そろそろ真剣に友達を探す時期が来たようだ...

I think it's time I seriously look for my friend...

それは私が写真に写っていることを意味するのかどうか...

whether that means I'm in the picture...or not

"Wha-what was that?", those words were the only weres I could say as my mind replayed what she said over and over again, repeating like a broken record player.

I may have been trapped inside that Prison for over a thousand years

But Terrapin where do you think Kraang kind was before that...

Unlike the Kraang my main purpose is to gain any and all knowledge from the planet we were stationed on

Reaching for my prosthetic, I screwed on each one, and watched as the grew into the right shape, pushing against the ground, I grabbed everything I needed and packed away all of the gear I didn't need, hiding everything away until, I stopped and stood over Krisa who smiled when she saw me, I wanted to smile and laugh as she played with the rubble on the ground, but instead all I felt was anger and realization, "You did this on purpose didn't you, Venom"

"No! Like I said, he told me to tell you, I thought he would have been back by now! I mean he's been gone on missions for more than ten hours before, so I thought he was going to back before you even woke up-"

"System"

Yes Terrapin

"Has Angie done this before... Has he left while I was asleep before", for a moment, I wished Venom was a real physical being, I wanted to punch, kick, I wanted to just...but he wasn't a physically real being, he was just..., "You know Venom...Kraang Prime was right-"

"DONT YOU DARE SAY IT!"

"OR WHAT! WHAT ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO DO- OH THATS RIGHT! YOU CAN'T DO SHIT BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHY!!!-"

'stop it...'

"BECAUSE ALL YOU ARE IS JUST A WORTHLESS!-"

'Please stop it...'

"USELESS!"

'you dont mean it, just stop...'

"FUCKING PARASITE!!!", I breathed out heavily as I glared at the sky, drool dripping down tmy chin, only to hear Krisa cry, her sobs filling the air, "Nonononononono baby its okay-", I reached for her, trying to pick her up and comfort her, but that only made her cry even louder, I scared her...

Why do I keep ruining everything...

Its always my fault...

My fault...

I stepped away from her, tripping on a rock which on made me fall to the ground, knocking the air right out of my chest, I couldn't breathe. I breathed in and out as I tried to get any air in, but I couldn't, my chest tightened and my throat closed up, "I'm sorry-I-m- *cough* *gasp* -orry", I agologized over and over again, but I couldn't get a word out, my vision blurred over as tears pooled in my eyes, I was dying, well I felt like I was, and if only that were true, I would have let death claim me. I didn't call out to anyone, no one was coming to help me, Angie was gone, Venom hates me and Krisa was too young to know what to do, plus she was scared of me...

My head lolled back, I was light headed.

"!!!"

A voice?

"Leo..."

"Venom?...", there was no way I was hearing that correctly, yet I listened, the voice slowly became louder and louder until...

"Leo!"

I could hear him, and strangely I felt something heavy lay on my stomach, "I-"

"Just breathe Terra..."

"I'm sorry Ooze-", my breath came out trembling as I stared up at the sky.

"It's okay...now why don't we go look for that crazy kid!"

"Yeah...let's do it"

 

Notes:

Mikey(2012): 18 years old

Leo(2018):17 years old

Krisa: 7 months old

Chapter 14: Change of Plan

POV Leo:

"Leo. What on earth are you doing, we need to leave and look for Mikey now-"

"Good idea! But think Venom, who's going to take care of Krisa while I'm out! The system can't take care of her and I know damn well you can't either- no offense..."

"Well okay uhhh, Mother, do you have any ideas what we should do with Krisa?"

In some cultures all over the universe

Different cultures have different ways of carrying their children without limbs in use

A fairly common one that humans and even a race similar to Krisa's physiology use

I looked around the area that I slept in, our camp was really small and only had a few things, two tarps with a satchel at the very top of the bed used at night as a pillow, two boxes were placed off to the side one was filled with mine, Angie's food and water and in the other box was all Krisa fresh food, and my swords and holster were placed right above my head, ready for use when the time came. That was all we had, not clothes that could be used as slings, but I did have something that could work.

-------------------------

Leaping from one island to the next, I held my satchel to my chest, trying so hard not to hurt Krisa, but instead of complaining about the darkness or even the trip, she laughed throughout the journey. Her head peaked out, pointing at every little thing, whether it was a small creature or a monster I tried to avoid, trying to keep us both safe.

"What is your plan when we get there? Plus, what will you do with the little one when we get inside- wait, do you even know which of the hundreds of buildings in this dimension he's in?!"

I stopped, staring at the closest facility, 'He's right...', Krisa cooed quietly as she pulled at the top edge of my shell, looking down at her, her eyes looked from me to the building, hiding deeper inside the satchel. Kneeling behind a rock on the very edge of the island, I pulled the bag closer to my face, staring at the small dark eyes that peered from inside, "Honey, I know this is really scary, but I need you to be very very quiet, can you do that for me?", Krisa usually never responds to anything I say, I can tell she only listens based on my tone, but for a second I could have sworn she nodded before hiding farther into the satchel. I didn't put her in the pouch by herself, I put anything that could cushion her to make the mission more comfortable, 'You got this Leon...', I slowly breathed out as I hoped from one foot to the next, shaking my hands, trying so hard to get rid of the nerves.

With one final exhale, I stepped back away from the edge and with all my might I ran, running faster and faster and as the edge got closer by each moment, I pushed off the ground, soaring through the air until I hit the neighboring island, I winced as I landed on my knee, but I couldn't stop. Pointing my slug at the very top of the building, I tugged on the slug and flew through the air, landing right next to the vent, "Venom, I need you to do something!", I whispered loudly as I messed with the bolts, screwing off one after the other, "If I freeze up and start freaking out, I need you to take over and keep searching for Angie-", tossing the last screw off to the side, I ripped the cover off of the vent and tossed it off to the side, tossing my legs inside and fell to the bottom, with my hand cradling Krisa, making sure I wasn't dragging her along the bottom of the vent, "-search this place until you are sure he isn't here, we will search every single day, every minute until we find him..."

"Terra...but what if your family comes to find you...you will lose the one chance you have to get out of this place, if you miss that chance you will never be able to go home..."

Venom was right. After what he said, I stopped, switching my gaze from my destination back to where I came from, I was stuck and for the first time in so long everything felt so quiet, "System...", my voice stuttered as I whispered, feeling Krisa tapped at my stomach, making me looked down towards her.

Yes Terrapin

"Do you remember what the portal I came through from my Earth felt like..."

Yes quite different from the ones created here

Throughout my time inside this dimension, this Kraang has only one portal frequency

So If I sense any that are different

I will make sure to inform you as soon as possible when you are in a safe place

"Good...thanks", I started my journey again, crawling farther into the vent, I tried to remember where Angie had gone the last time. Turning left then right, I turned down every corner I needed to until finally I reached it. Peering through the crack of the vent, I watched and listened to everything down below, "Prisoner that is known as 013-618157, Kraang Sub-Prime ordered for your presence, follow. Don't fall behind"

'Kraang...Sub-Prime?!', my body froze as I watched mutants and yokai below continue to work in silence, my palms felt sweaty and my chest felt heavy, my arms shook as I stepped back, I wanted to go home, I didn't want to be here...

Venom didn't give me a chance to escape...

-------------------------

POV Venom:

"It's okay...I got you Terra", I didn't fully cover my host's body with myself, for now until I found a way out of this vent I took control of his body, his eyes changing from heterchromic colors to pure white. Watching through the crack, I pulled the wrist remote close to my mouth, whispering just loud enough for Mother to hear me, "Mother, show me another way out of this vent, somewhere less crowded with mutants and Kraang...", sitting back against the wall, I placed my hand over my chest, feeling my host's heart pounder harder, 'He's not relaxing...', I went to talk to Leo, but a projection showed up on my wrist remote, showing me the quickest path out of there.

"Terra as soon as I get out of this vent, I'll make sure to hide you and keep you safe, but for now I need you to stay calm, I can feel your heart pounding through your che- you know what, this should help-", reaching for my host's legs I unscrewed each prosthetic off, watching as the legs collapsed into small portable disks. I slid them into the small pouches that lined his belt and clipped them shut, staring down at his legs, I moved all the liquid down towards his legs, forming new liquified legs. Staring at the wrist device, I followed the path as I stared down at the map, turning left then right, then right again, throughout the entire journey through this labyrinth I crawled the ventilation system with one hand, and the other holding Krisa close to my abdomen. I could feel my arm getting even more sore by the second, and breathing was becoming an issue, I needed to take full control, or else this mission would have been a waste of time.

As I passed each ventilation opening, I could hear so many conversations, and voices of creatures below, I wanted to stop and listen, and maybe if I were lucky they would have said something about a new prisoner coming to the building, I wanted to hear rumors, but I didn't have time to stop, so I continued and saw the vent I needed to get to, no light came through the openings, "Mother, what does this vent lead to?", picking up the cover, I looked around and saw a few containers and shelves.

A storage closet

One that was built at the very end of a hallway less checked and watched compared to the rest

"Good", hooking my hand onto the edge of the vent, I lowered my legs through and fell through, hanging from my one hand, wrapping my arm around Krisa, I let go of the vent and fell to the ground, bracing my fall. "Mother mark this spot for when we leave"

Alright General

Looking around the room, it was filled with junk, strange devices, and clothing, possibly things the prisoners owned before they were captured, "Mother what would be a good disguise to search in, both forms will draw attention so what have you seen that could work"

Prisoners here have codes on their wrist

What will probably work best with you is 013-19129418

Codes connect to the prisoners' appearance however sometimes they will shorten the words down to fit the maximum numbers

As for appearance, some creatures here are Kraangified so that will be your best bet

However you need to change the color of your ooze

Here try this color

Trying to remember back when they invaded Earth, the black liquid covered only part of my host's body, leaving only about forty-five percent of his body untouched, staring at the color on the projection, I nodded and closed my eyes, opening my eyes once I heard Mother's confirmation. Looking around the small room, I noticed a small permanent marker, and picked it up, tossing the disguise Mikey gave to Terra, temporarily moving the pink ooze off my left forearm, I began writing the numbers Mother gave me, saying them out quietly, making sure they were good, I moved the ooze back into place. "Alright how do I look?", a projection appeared, showing me a version of Mother that I was comfortable with, yet she was silent, but when she spoke I could almost hear a sort of proudness in her tone.

Perfect

"Good", picking up the pouch, I wrapped my arm around the back, pulling it close to my body, but as I walked closer to the door I looked down at the bag, and saw the small mutant's big red eyes, "We'll be out of here soon little one, just for now please-", I brought my finger up to my mouth and hushed her quietly, only to chuckled as she copied me, "Good girl", clothing and accessories on any creature once they were Kraangified became apart of their body, so that's what I did, slowly the pink liquid ran over the bag, making it impossible for anything to take it away from me, but enough where she wasn't cramped, where she could breathe. Pushing open the door, I peeked through the small crack, 'No one...', walking out of the closet, I closed the door behind me, "Remember this closet's position, Mother"

Of course

Slowly walking down the hall, I looked at each one of the cells, each one was one empty, 'Where's the prisoners?'

Wait stop by that panel over there

I stopped and looked around, noticing a small panel attached to the wall glowing bright colors.

Hover the wrist remote over the panel

I'm going to hack into the system and create a cart for yourself

But first hold the wrist device in front of your face

I need to put you in the system but first remove yourself from Leonardo's face

Nodding my head, the ooze disappeared from Terra's face, my eyes still prominent as a flash of light blinded my vision, I placed the wrist device over the panel, switching my gaze back and forth from the panel to the well-lit hallway, "Mother, please tell me you're almost-"

Done

And Venom remember your cell number is 053

Alright hurry and be safe

Only

Speak

Kraang

"Yes Mother", I continued to walk down the hall, strange monotone voices filled the hallways, yet as I entered the hallway, leaving the dark abandoned one behind, "Halt!", I froze, looking over my shoulder, droids walked towards me with their guns held up high against their chest, 'Shit!-'. A droids grabbed my arm and scanned the code on my arm, 'Fuck- he's going to leave bruises-'

"The one that is known as Prisoner 013-19129418, come with me", I nodded and followed after him, mutants and droids stared at me as I passed by, but I never tore my eyes away from the droids in front of me, walking into some sort of room with food like a kitchen, "The prisoners need what is known as sustenance, bring this to every single cell on this floor, once finished, go to what is known as the next level and continue with what is known as the same task, but each time visit what earthlings call a kitchen, that is where you will pick up the food, once finish go back to your assigned cell". Standing still where the Kraang left me, I watched as the droid slammed the door shut, "So you're the new mutant", I slowly turned around and looked for the cart the droid spoke of earlier, I didn't have time to make friends, so I stayed silent, "If your looking for the cart is over there in the corner, bring it over so I can put the food on top".

The cart was fairly big with three different shelves, standing off to the side, I watched as the mutant loaded the cart, "e̴̥͋̀ņ̶͚̉̚ö̶̬͋ͅ ̶͚̘̉͜͝ö̶͚̆̚w̶̫̔̈́͗t̷͕̤͝ ̴͉̋́e̶͙̐͜e̷̳̟͒͂r̶̡̃̽h̶̥̏̋́͜t̷̩͉̥̓͝ ̶̞͐́r̶͍̻̾̑̋u̵͕͋̂̕͜ȏ̸͇̗f̶̜̠̫̈̉ ̵͕͎̈́͂e̵͂̌ͅv̵̧̳͐i̵̗̅́f̷̢̥́̄ ̷̭͊̿x̵̢̂̃́i̷̥͗s̵̘͇̩̄̏ ̵̲̮̯͑͋̿ņ̸́̀͘ë̷͕̚͜v̷͓͇̲̏e̵͉̐͊s̶̘͍͗́ -",

(one two three four five six seven-)

I whispered under my breath as I counted each bowl the mutant placed on the cart only for him to stop, he didn't say a word, he just stood there, sighing moments later as he continued filling the cart, "Guess you're too far gone even to answer me", the mutant placed the last bowl on the cart, and stepped away from the cart, "y̸̪̪̍t̸͈̮͋n̸͎̓͊e̵̜̫͂v̸͉̮͗è̴͇̀ṣ̴͚͗-̴̞̱̌̆t̷̎ͅh̵̦͋͑͜g̷̻̃̉i̶̢̇̈́e̴͇͠.̸̣́͌.̵̣̍.̷̱́̈́.̷̫̼̈"

(seventy-eight...)

I looked up at the mutant and nodded my head, grabbing the cart I backed up towards the door and pushed it open with my back. "Do you even know where to go with all that food? Do you even know the code to the cells...", I was silent and looked up at the mutant, who only sighed and walked toward me, "Remember okay, the code is 2118070125, got it?"

"S̷̼̈́̎ë̵͓́͘ͅỷ̷̗͘.̸͈̊́.̴̺̤̌̑.̴̬͂"

(yes)

Repeating the code in my head, "Oh and here just in case you get lost, this is a sketch of every floors layout...just so you don't get lost", grabbing the papers, I studied them and tucked the papers in between the bowls on my cart, nodding my head as I walked towards the door and walked out of the kitchen, walking away from the kitchen, I waited to hear the door shut and as it did, I spoke up, "Memorize that code Mother"

Will do General

Pushing the cart down the hallway, I walked closer to the windows and noticed that they were one-way seeing glass made especially so the outside viewers could see inside, but the mutants inside couldn't see the watchers. Opening the papers once again and noticed a small note on the paper.

"Make sure to knock first, most mutants know that a knock means its time for their meals"

'There's the first group of cells', walking away from the window, I made my way straight towards the first door, and raised my fist with my other hand hovering over the key panel. Knocking the door, I entered the code and pushed the door open, looking around the cell only to see two small creatures huddled together, placing the bowls on the ground, I closed the door behind me, 'onto the next room'. So that's what I did, I checked room after room, doing the same thing over and over again, peeking through the window, knocking on the door, and giving the prisoners their meals.

Peek

Knock

Give

Peek

Knock

Give

Peek

Knock

Give

Peek

Knock

Give

Over and over and over and over, and not once did I ever catch sight of Michaelangelo, and as I stopped by the last cell, I stood in front of it, my hand lifted as it hovered over the door, faltering as I walked closer and peeked through the glass, 'Please...', my hand stuttered as I squinted my eyes, searching for him, but he wasn't, instead a small frog sat there by itself.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

*Beep* *BeepBeep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *BeepBeep* *Beep*

As I pressed the last key, the door signaled and unlatched, pushing open the door, I slid the food in front of the young creature, "Hey...sir?", the mutant was so soft-spoken, his cheeks sunken in, but once he spoke I didn't know what to do so I just nodded, turning around, ready to leave this place and go to the next floor, I pushed the door open and walked out, this door felt heavier than the others, "Have you seen my sissy, she's a snake, she's red, and orange, I-I-I-I don't know where, but she lost somewhere a-a-nd", I froze and turned back to the poor thing, the mutant's head never turned up towards me, he just...stared at he hands, he must have thought my silence was my answer, he sighed as he pulled his knees closer to his chest, hugging them so tight his arms shook the tighter his hugged them, "okay...". I was stuck, switching my gaze to the outside of the cell and back to the kid, 'what...', my hand hovered over my chest, 'what is this feeling...I-', squeezing my eyes shut, I left the cell, closing the door before I could think about it any longer, but it was too late, the kid was now part of the plan, "Mother-", my voice was so quiet, almost like I breathed out a single word without a sound, yet Mother heard me, "save the position of that cell as well"

General that will mess with the search for Michaelangelo-

"If we take him with us, then we won't have to take Krisa on all these missions", my words were so hushed as I firmly spoke to Mother.

And what happens if he doesn't help you but in fact betrays us

"Then if that happens, he will fear me far more than this dimension's lowly Kraang, and make sure he regrets ever crossing my path"

Notes:

Mikey(2012): 18 years old

Leo(2018):17 years old

Krisa: 7 months old

Chapter 15: Reality of Humanity

!TW Racism, Foul Language, and Indications of R4p3

POV Venom:

*Ding*

'The mutant in the kitchen said just to leave the cart right where I got it, and get one from the connected kitchen...right?', I watched as the door opened, the hallways were quiet, walking out of the elevator, I looked around the hallway, mutants, and droids were walking around the hallways, yet the mutants were the silent ones, droids in groups talking about the strangest of things, but at this moment that didn't matter right now. Picking up the paper, I followed the path through the halls, yet...

As I walked inside those halls, I could feel it...

All their eyes stared at me, watching me as I strolled down the quiet hall, whispering about us...

About my host, yet when I looked over my shoulder there was nothing...

Standing in front of the kitchen, I pressed the keys on the panel, reciting each number as I pressed the key, lifting my finger I pressed the enter key and pushed the door open, walking inside without a second thought, "Can I help you?", a smaller sized mutant spoke up, its arm planted firmly on its waist as it looked up at me, glaring at me, "m̶̡̅'̵̠̅I̵͇̾ ̴̣̈ẗ̷͇́ṡ̵̹ų̷̀j̶̻̉ ̶̾͜e̷̲̓r̴̫͂ẻ̴̖h̶̙͆ ̴͇͝o̶͖͆t̷̜̑ ̴̲͋e̴̅͜k̵͉̓a̴̩̒t̶̟̔ ̴͈̚e̸̘͆h̴͎̉t̴̲̏ ̸̘͌ḋ̸̤o̸̹͒ő̸̜f̵̮͘ ̷̘̏o̷͍͗ṯ̶͠ ̵͓̄e̴͓͌h̷̪̿t̷̫͠ ̶̙̏s̴̥̉r̷̙̈́e̵̬͗n̷̮͑ȍ̸̭s̷͇͗í̸̗r̷̢̃p̸̘̈́"

(I'm just here to take the food to the prisoners)

I pointed at the cart and the mutant just stared at me, its face so confused just in time for a droid to walk inside, "Because of what is known as the prisoner's absence, this prisoner will be taking its place temporarily". With that the droid just left, pulling the cart out of the corner, I placed it in front of the small mutant, and stood back waiting for it to place the bowls how they preferred just like the last, but it didn't, "õ̶̧D̵̨̏ ̵̳͆u̷̜̿o̷̙͂y̶̳͐ ̵̲̍d̴͈͝e̵͉̊e̴͍͛n̸͙̚ ̴̮́p̸̤̍l̷̡͝e̸̞͂ȟ̸͔?̴̽–"

(Do you need help?)

"You know that everyone even the fucking robots speaks American right, so spea-kuh English", I curked my head and reached for the bowls only for the small mutant to slap my hand, "God why did this freaks give me a brain-de4d freak-", the mutant mumbled under its breath, "I said! We speak English you trash-god if we were back in New York I wouldn't have to be near any of these damn fucking Lipt4r-", I glared at the mutant as it continued to yell at me, but I didn't have time, reaching for the bowls, I placed them on the cart as fast as I could and left the kitchen, laughing at the sounds of the small mutant yelling, ordering me to come back.

*Snort*

No one was nearby, but as I heard the sounds of snickering, I knew Terra was back and was finally able to calm down, "Have you doing Terra?", I whispered quietly as I made my way to the first set of cells, and continued my normal routine.

"Better...thanks uhhh, how's Krisa doing?"

'Oh shoot I totally forgot about her...', as I stopped in front of the first cell, I peaked inside the satchel, "She's resting"

"Good, but...what are you doing"

*KnockKnockKnock*

As I pressed the final key and heard the signal, I pushed the door open, 'nope', sliding the bowl in front of the mutant, it quietly thanked me right before I closed the door moving on to the next one, "This is the safest way to find him if the droids see me they'll think I'm a prisoner here, which reminds me...I may have added something to the plan...", I laughed awkwardly as I pushed the door open, sliding the bowl into the cell, and shutting the door right after.

"What did you do-"

"Look if I can actually achieve this, then we won't have to risk Krisa by bringing her on these missions"

"What are you talking about..."

"I can't say right now...there are cameras around every single corner on every floor but when it comes time for that part of the plan, you'll know...", walking down the hallway, I went silent, handing out bowl after bowl to each cell, some mutants waited there while a few fell asleep, too tired to wake up and eat the bowl of slop that was made for them and some...look terrified.

'From what Mother said earlier this facility, as well as the rest, has six floors in total, however, the furthest one below is used as a training level, and prisoners aren't allowed there during the night, so that only leaves me the other five', using my hand, I blocked the light from my eyes as I looked inside, scanning the entire cell for anyone I knew, there was one mutant in this cell, so far from what I've seen each cell usually has two or three mutants inside, but the ones by themselves means somethings wrong with them. Knocking on the door, I noticed they flitched, 'Maybe I spooked him?', I pressed each key, one after another, dragging my finger to each one and entered the code, pushing the door open, I stopped where I was and stared at the mutant, watching as it hugged its legs, its head pressed firmly against its legs, "Its not real. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real...", it repeated the same sentence over and over, "ė̴̪r̴̝̈́A̸̗͠ ̴̫́ủ̵͍o̷̼͝y̴̨͑.̶̦̄.̸̹͐.̷̬̆ỵ̷̈́a̸̱̎k̴̞̇o̵̧͝?̵͉̌" 

(Are you okay?)

The creature flinched and as he looked up, his body trembled, shaking as he stared at me.

"Venom I think you should go, I think you're scaring him"

Nodding my head, I placed the bowl in front of the mutant and turned around, closing the door without a second thought, 'Jeez what was with that kid?-'

*CRASH*

I froze, looking over my shoulder, I looked back at the cell, the glass was covered in gruel and sounds of screams, cursing into the air as something inside pounded at the door, each bang got louder and louder, "Get out of here you freak! You are not wanted!", its words were muffled, yet to me they sounded so plain and clear, 'Freak?...'. Turning away from the cell, I pushed the cart towards the kitchen, my steps slowly getting faster and faster, Terra yelled inside my mind, telling me to calm down and slow down, but all I could hear was the words of that mutant, 'FreakFreakFreakFreakFreakFre-'

"OOZE!"

I slowed down and my hand pressed against my chest, my breathing was so heavy as I looked around, 'When did Terra's heart rate get so fast?', I took a deep breath and saw the kitchen, pressing the keys, I kept messing up the code up, so I did the code over and over, but each time I kept messing up the code, only to stop once the door swung open, "God! Oh the hell is messing with the-YOU!", shoving the cart towards them, I turned away from the mutant, its yells screaming louder and louder, demanding me to come back, but I couldn't not now, not until I find him. Seeing the elevator just at the end of the hallway, I walked faster, from what I've seen and heard so far, prisoners are prohibited from running in the halls, and they're not even allowed to speak unless spoken to, but in that moment, I wanted to leave this place, 'Humans...are the cruelest creatures I've ever seen...', pressing the key over and over.

"Ooze...just breathe...don't take what those mutants said to heart"

*Ding*

Watching the doors slide open, I quickly walked inside and turned around, sighing as the door closed, my breathing stuttering as we went down, traveling to the next floor, listening to the odd sounds outside of the elevator, listening to the silence, "Are-", I swallowed a strange feeling in my throat, my hands fell so sweaty, rubbing them on the wall, trying to dry my hands, "Are all humans like that...Do all of them think anything that doesn't look like them are...freaks... monsters?"

"I wish I could say that humans aren't like that, but the majority are...well except one- no two! My friends April and Casey are really nice people, I bet when they see me back and they meet you, they'll greet you with open arms-"

"But how do you know that-"

"Ooze...if my family still be happy to see me after bringing the earth's most dangerous enemy to that planet and still forgive me, I think my family will accept you for no longer being one of Kraang Prime's goons"

*Ding*

"I hope so...", I could only hope I could find a place I could call home, a place where I felt safe...

Maybe one day...

-----------------------------------------

~Two Hours Later~

I was on the last floor and I still hadn't seen Michaelangelo, cell after cell, floor after floor there was nothing, walking up to the first sector, I raised my fist and knocked on the door, I gave up on peaking through the glass, it didn't matter if I peaked, I was going to be opening the cell regardless, yet as I walked passed every cell I wanted so badly just to look inside, but I could tell the droids were getting suspicious, after the third floor, there was always a droid nearby, never within reach but always in earshot, hanging out at the very end of the hall.

As I knocked on the door, I entered the code and pushed the door open, the mutant's eyes fluttered open once the door swung open, groaning as he stretched his arms, he scratched his side, "Abou' time...", his eyes glared at me as I placed the two bowls on the ground, 'It said there were two mutants-', looking around the cell, I checked each corner, but it was weird, I couldn't find them, 'Maybe their out?', but as I turned back there it was, laying next to the mutant was another, its body limp and his chest was still, switching my gaze between the two, I watched as the blanket slowly fell off the mutants body...her body bare of any clothing, not even wearing a gown like the rest of the prisoners, and her neck...bruised with a deep dark purple on her pale white skin, "t̷̨̺̀a̵̜̱̓h̵͔̋̉͜Ẅ̷͓͔ ̵̹̲̿̾d̷̙̍e̴̗͝ņ̵͔́e̴͉̳͛p̵̢̑p̸̞̜̚a̶͇̜͊ḣ̴͇̓.̷͎̇͐.̷̳̌.̵̨̚ "

(What happened...)

"Oh her?-", I sighed as he stared at the limp body, "She was seriously annoying the shit out of me, so...I shut her up", lifting his foot he kicked her off of the bed, her body hitting the floor so hard, giving me full view of her face, her tongue, her teeth...they were gone, bruises all over her body, but what was worse were the bruises on her hips and legs. "I wasn't trying to kill her, but it just...happened, plus...I got bored ya' know-", with his sharp nail, he picked at his teeth, 'Wait...', looking around the room I realized, her tongue nor teeth were anywhere in sight, but as I looked back at him, I froze once I noticed his teeth and tongue, even the end of his chin was dyed a dark red color.

"Venom I think it's to go"

Nodding my head, I walked backward only to rush once he pushed himself up, trying to stand the moment I stepped away, closing the door as fast as I could, I walked away, no sounds followed once I stepped away from the cell, but all I could hear from the inside that cell was sounds of crunching, bones breaking echoed across the halls, "Humans are..."

"I'd like to say that not all humans and mutants act like that, but...some do"

"But why...what pleasure do they get from torturing their own kind-", was it survival, was it for the same reason when my own kind fought and consumed the carcasses, I tried to think of way humans or any creature would gain from this behavior, but...none of it makes sense, "I understand why I do it, its in my natural to crave the supple flesh and organs of a human, oh just think about...oh if only I have a humans brain in my hand, I would eat it in a heart beat...but from what mother taught me humans are weak, yet nice creatures- it always intrugued me, but just seeing how these mutants and humans interact with one another...why?-".

"Hell if I know, but hurry up I don't want to be here any longer"

"g̴̗͑n̶͉͓͗̾ả̸͚̓ą̷̦̿r̵͚̗͂K̸̡̲͊̃ ̸̳̐ǵ̴͚̦͒n̷̙̻̒̀i̷̲̇̋k̴̻̾̈c̸͉̹̓u̶̯͎̒f̴̩̆ ̴̘̑n̷̬͛̃m̷͖̯̈́á̶̦̠͊ḍ̴̨̀ ̶̺̒ţ̸̇i̸̯̾̊.̵͍̈́̊.̷̝̠͆̈.̵̬̇̀"

(Kraang fucking damn it...)

Sighing tiredly, I continued to pass out the food, mutants quietly thanking me as they nodded their heads, I nodded mine in return, acknowledging their gratitude.

-----------------------------------------

Staring down at the list, I noticed as I passed the only lab on the lowest sector prisoners slept on, I saw the time, one in the morning, everyone was starting to get tired, Krisa was already deep in her sleep and Terra, I could tell he was nodding in and out of sleep, his words slurring as he tried to distract himself, but of course I didn't understand a word he said.

*KnockKnockKnock*

I no longer looked down at the key panel, my finger had the keys memorized as I pressed each key and entered the code, pushing the door only to stop as a smell rushed past me, covering my nose, I coughed as I pushed open the door the rest of the way and saw a human Kraangified by this dimensions Kraang, tentacles covered the walls, gluing the human to the bench it sat on, "ỳ̶̱̔̃ĺ̸͉l̷̠̜̹̆a̷̻̬̥͉͋̓̑͝n̴̤̝̻͊̍̾̿̄i̶̤̎F̶̧̹̬̈́̃̏̉͠..."

(Finally)

Its hand barely reached off the bench and just stared at me, the human was gone forever, the mutation had affected this human too much to the point, that reversing it may kill him. Walking inside the cell, I noticed that there was one bowl left, a large one with a spoon placed inside the bowl, "e̸̳̿͌̕ṡ̸͉͔̇́ă̴͓͛͝e̷̬̣̠͂̌l̶͈̂P̵͖̭̿̇̊.̸̭͇̼̈̃̕.̸̨̝̃.̷̝̹͚̌m̶̨̘̔̌̿'̴̗̹͂I̴̖̱̻͋̅̑ ̶̻͓̽̑͝ȏ̵̢̝͜s̷͙͐̚ ̴̣̀̿y̷̗̳͗̓ͅṟ̸̍g̸̜̝̲̑̕n̴̰̽̇ù̵͇͊ĥ̶̡̡..."

(Please, I'm so hungry)

I froze and stared at the poor thing, its whole body was a living organism even the tentacles that enveloped this entire room, he was a trapped soul, "t̵̲͆a̷̫͊h̶̲̊W̵͉̊ ̷̦̔d̶͙̈́ẻ̸͔n̸̪̒e̷̗͝p̷̟̃p̶̦͆a̶̰̚ḣ̷̜ ̵̰̈o̸͔͛t̸͌ͅ ̴̰̄ŭ̷ͅǒ̵̯y̴͈͠?̸̤̾..."

(What happened to you?)

"ḛ̸̽h̴̰̐Ț̸̊ ̷̹͘e̵̪͂m̶̫̋a̵̹͊ŝ̵͖ ̸̟̅g̶̠̿n̷͚̍ị̵͆ḧ̸̯́t̴̝̂ ̶̩̚ẗ̶̡́ȃ̵̡ḥ̶̕t̷̯̑ ̶̡̅d̵̝̈́ē̵̟n̴̫̍ẻ̸͔p̶̞̂p̸̯͝ä̷̢́h̷̲͘ ̶͔͘o̸̪̊ṱ̸͑ ̵̯̈́ŭ̸̬o̴̟̽y̵̰̋.̴̻͝ ̶̻̐e̸̗̓h̷̢́T̸̗́ ̷̜̅ǵ̸̜n̸̪̉a̴̙̾a̵̝͘r̵͓̈K̸͔̾ ̴̛̮ḓ̴́e̷̥̋t̴̥̚ṡ̵̱e̵͜͝t̶̟̚ ̶̫̏ṋ̵̿o̵̡̚ ̸̺͛e̵̟̊m̶͈̅ ̸̛͓h̶̥̓t̶̳̑i̸͍͊w̵͖̓ ̴̫͒ē̴̝m̶̪͗o̸̦͛s̴̞̃ ̴̘̾e̵̹̽g̵̭̀n̵̦͋a̸͚͝r̴̺͝t̴̼̔s̸͂͜ ̶͕͐n̷̢̏e̷̩̎e̶̟͗r̵̘͘g̶̤̐ ̶̳̇f̵͈͝f̶̜̿u̴̗̾t̷̙̑s̷̭̐ ̷̞͒n̸̫͗ô̷͖ ̶̹͋h̵͙̃t̴̹͌ȓ̸͕a̷̰̿e̴̯̋ ̸̩̈́d̸̳̊n̸̖̕a̴͇͛ ̴̐͜d̶̟̓ę̸̃l̷̻̋i̴̙͑a̵̖͘f̴̫͐,̴̨̍ ̷̣̈́d̷͕̄ṇ̴̊a̶̩̔ ̸̰͒t̸̩̓h̶̪͠g̸̛̭u̷̙͗o̴̰͛r̷̝̚b̴̺̅ ̶̞̓e̷̬̓m̷̛̘ ̸͈͒e̴̠͆ȑ̶̼e̷̡̚h̸͙̓ ̶͇̽o̷͗ͅt̴̻̉ ̷̱̎e̴̤̋ì̴̗d̶͇̀...",

(The same thing that happened to you. The Kraang tested on me with some strange green stuff on earth and failed, and brought me here to die)

Walking towards him, I scooped a bit of the gruel into the creatures mouth, "I̵̥͝ ̸̥̽ŵ̴̰o̵̖̚n̷͕̈k̶̟̅ ̶̲͌u̵͎̓o̶̙̿y̵̯̒ ̵͇͝t̵͎̽n̶̛͈a̷̖͘w̵͔̎ ̵̭̇o̶̦̓t̴̻̃ ̴̞͒e̶̦̽v̴̗̂a̶͜͠e̴̦͐ḻ̵̂,̵̹̄ ̷̰͘ǫ̸̂s̷͓̿ ̵͓͐t̶̞̀e̸̮͑g̷̫̀r̸͚̋ó̴͉f̵̺͐ ̶̜́e̸̯̔h̸̳̑ẗ̸͎́ ̶̜͗n̴̡̛ȏ̵͖o̷̖͑p̶̣͐s̴̠̀,̴̙̾ ̵͎̋I̴͔͘ ̵̧̏n̴̢̉a̵̤͛c̸̗̓ ̸̭̈́k̵̙̈́n̸͙͗i̴̹̔r̵͈̉d̶̡̔ ̴̰̚m̶̢̌o̸̭̕r̴̥͐f̷̤͌ ̸̥̂ẻ̶͖h̴̟͌t̶͍̅ ̷̙͘ḻ̵̆w̸͍̅o̵̳̚b̵͕̄"

(I know you want to leave so forget the spoon, I can drink from the bowl)

A small smile appeared on his face as he looked up at me, and his eyes...

"y̶̨͐ȃ̸̖M̸̢̔ ̵͈͊Í̵̪ ̴̥̒k̷̢͊ș̴̇a̵͆ͅ?̵͖͐-"

(May I ask?)

The creature didn't move, but he listened, drinking the food, gulp after gulp, chugging the meal like he hasn't eaten for days, maybe even weeks, "ť̶̘a̴̙̒h̸̥͑W̴̯̊ ̶̳͆d̷̩̾e̸͆ͅn̴̺̔ě̴͈p̸̰̅p̴̧̓à̵̼ḣ̴̢ ̴̭͐o̶̬͂t̷̫̔ ̴͍̈́ṟ̵͠ǔ̵̪o̶̺̓y̵̤͗ ̵̑͜ś̶̤e̴̼͑ẏ̷͙e̷̮̓?̷͊ͅ"

(What happened to your eyes)

Drinking the last drop, he licked his lips, "t̷̗͂I̶̦͑ ̸̱̌ś̸͉a̴̯̓w̸̥̃ ̵͔̎ḛ̴̂h̷͔̆t̵͉̆ ̸͍͝ď̸̖ỉ̶͖u̴̿͜q̸̯̈i̵͕̅l̷̩͠.̵̨̈.̶̘̆.̶̓ͅ ̸̼̿y̷̑͜e̷̮̾h̴̯̔Ț̴͒ ̶͚̅d̷̙̈́ẻ̵ͅl̷̨̀l̷̨̀u̸͓̇p̵͖͗ ̸̢̑ȳ̴̦m̶̠͛ ̷̩͝d̸̪̅a̷͓̒e̶̩͊h̵̕͜ ̸̹̂ḳ̸́c̷̬͝ă̸̤b̸̥͒ ̶̘͊d̴͓̈́n̷̥͊à̴͙ ̶̘͒e̵̝͒h̴͚͂t̶͜͝ ̷̩́d̸̥̓i̷͉͗u̶͓̔q̵̤̿ĭ̸̭l̷̹̕ ̸̲͑d̴̨̒é̷͓l̸͂ͅo̴̹̍ọ̵͐p̸̩̈́ ̷͍͠n̶̙̈́î̷͔ ̵͔̕y̴͔̆m̴͜͠ ̷̗͝s̴̰͝e̸̛̮ý̷̳ḛ̸́,̵̨̅ ̸͖̈g̶̨͛n̸͙̕i̴͓̍n̶̮̂r̷̹͠ṳ̷̌b̶̮́ ̴͉̄s̴̘͑e̵̩͊l̶̜̊ö̵̗́h̵̞̃ ̶̣͛n̴̖͝ḯ̷͖ ̵̱́m̸̪̀ẹ̷͘h̴̟͑t̵̰̀,̴̢̍ ̸̺́I̸̬͊ ̶̲̐t̴̠̚h̴̛̟g̶̛̹u̷̼̾ŏ̶̫h̴̛̥t̸̹͝ ̵̐͜I̴̭͝ ̷̣̌s̵͉͂ä̷̼́w̶̤̿ ̴̭̂g̴̣̊n̴͔̔i̴͔͛o̴͓̎g̷̡͊ ̴͈͝o̸͎͘t̸͇͑ ̷͚͗ḛ̵̎i̵̜̇d̶̤̋,̷̙́ ̸̊ͅt̵̥̋u̴̡͠b̵̨̅ ̸̛͈Ḯ̶̜ ̵͚̉s̶͔͒s̸̤̐ĕ̸̞ù̷̙ğ̷̱ ̵̿͜t̷̞̉o̶̞͊ň̵̤.̸̻̋.̶̦̒.̶̈́͜ ̶̺͝ḙ̵͝h̷͇̉Ṫ̶̳ ̴̢͌y̸̬̎l̷̲͑n̶̙̋ó̷̧ ̸̺̔g̶͈̀n̵̗͌ì̷̮h̴̜̋t̵̪̉ ̶̠̎s̵͎̅'̸̤͋t̶̢̅a̸̞̅ẖ̶̑t̶̹͗ ̵͔̉g̸̠͋n̵̺̓į̶̀ȍ̴͈ǧ̶͜ ̶̤̒o̵͔͘t̶̻͐ ̵̗͛e̸͚̒b̷̺̉ ̸̮̃g̴̱̐n̷̠͂i̴̳͋l̶͙̋l̷̤̿ị̵͛k̵̙͘ ̷̰͋e̷̩̍m̵̙̏ ̷͎̇s̵̗̋i̴̛̖ ̷̘͌y̶̗̚m̷̹̆ ̵̣̾d̴̢̉l̵̤͆o̷͚͝ ̸̔͜ě̵͜g̷̪̓ą̸́"

(It was the liquid...They pulled my head back and the liquid pooled in my eyes, burning holes in them, I thought I was going to die, but I guess not. The only thing that's going to be killing me is old age)

"w̸̢͠o̶̙͝H̶̭̓-̷̖̓.̷̬͗.̶̬̚.̵̺͐w̶͔͝o̷͕̐h̴̦̋ ̸̜͠d̸̼̊ḻ̸̚o̸̪̐ ̴̖̚é̴̫r̴̟̆a̴̦̚ ̴̹̽u̴̠̔o̶̙̿ẙ̵̜?̷̥͛"

(How-...how old are you?)

"w̸̙̏o̵̖̿ȑ̶̨r̷͙͂o̵̘͆m̶͖͒ò̸̻T̴̲͠ ̶͇̊I̷͐ͅ ̶͍̌ḽ̷̂l̸̫͐i̵̛̘w̴̮͝ ̵̣̈́e̸̖̋b̸̬̑ ̷͈̌ý̸̧t̵̹͐ñ̶̺i̴̖̅n̸̹͑-̸̫̀x̷̼͌i̴̘͑ṡ̵͕ ̶̮̓s̴͍͑r̸̟̕ā̶̱ë̶̬́y̵̺̏ ̶̳̚d̷͓̐l̴͎̇o̵͓͊..."

(Tomorrow I will be ninty-six years old...)

I brought the bowl down to my side as I stood up, staring down at the old creature, his wheezing filled with so much pain, he was close to the end, "ṯ̷͌h̴̖͘g̴̢̀ȋ̶̭n̸̻̄d̶̙̂o̵̩̽o̵̙͠G̵̟͌ ̷̡͋g̴̱̀n̶̦͗û̴͜ò̴̺y̵̯̾ ̴͓̌e̶͚̍n̴͚͑o̶͇͌,̷̥̎ ̸͍́I̷̺͝ ̴̺͗e̸̼̕p̷̮̌ŏ̴̹h̵͙͠ ̵̲͒o̶̩͛t̴͕̃ ̵̨͗ȇ̷̪é̶̤s̶̞̃ ̷̚ͅu̷̟̍ŏ̶̬ÿ̸̝ ̸̭̓n̴̻̄ỏ̸͈ö̶̰́ş̸̎"

(Goodnight young one, I hope to see you soon)

I nodded my head as I closed the door behind me, pushing the cart I realized this floor felt so quiet compared to the rest of the levels, with no sounds of conversations echoing across the walls, not even the hushed conversation of the prisoners inside their own cell made a sound, everyone must be in bed sleeping. I was slower than before as I pressed each key, one after another and another, my fingers dragging from each one, pressing enter with all the might I could muster, sighing in relief as the signal alerted me, 'finally...'. Pushing the door open, I looked around the kitchen and saw no sign of the cook, 'she must have gone to bed', I shrugged as I pushed the cart where I found it. As I left the kitchen I tried to wake myself up, slapping my face I walked quietly towards the elevator, once I arrived I pressed the key, flipping my gaze around the area, no droids or mutants any where in sight.

*Ding*

Running into the elevator, I pressed the ground floor and looked all over my body, 'If I hold him and cover him in the ooze, I'll be able to take him out of this place', I nodded my head and as the doors opened, I rushed out, walking quickly down the hall, I made straight for the kid's cell. Looking at the cameras, I noticed they were still on, but it was fine, I still had that bowl from early, holding it in my hand I made a knocking motion, not actually hitting the door, and entered the code. Pushing the door out of the way, I closed it just a bit, wide enough to not close on us, but enough to have no one hear us, I crouched down towards the kid, and lifted my hand, I didn't have time so I shook him gently, and covered his mouth just in time before he yelped, his eyes flunged open, looking around only to land on me. "Hey-Hey!", I whispered, hushing him as I looked over my shoulder, silence still was prominent, "Listen, I'm going to get you out of here and meet the creature you spoke about earlier, but I need you to be quiet, can you do that for me?", he seemed so freak out, but I was happy when he nodded his head quickly, lowering my hand away from his mouth, he breathed out slowly, his eyes wondering my body, looking for something.

"Okay, what's going to happen, I'm going to take you out of this room, holding you by the wrist, but for now I need you to play along alright", nodding his head he draped the blanket he had over his shoulders, waiting for my plan, I walked towards the door and peaked around the corner, there was nothing, "Now please don't freak out-", slowly the ooze disappeared from Terra's body, and as it did, I walked over towards the bench and sat down, letting everything diappear. Looking up at the kid, he just stared at me or well at Terra, reaching into the pouch, I screwed on his prosthetics and stood up. Reaching for the kid, I grabbed his wrist and walked outside of the cell, closing the door right behind us. My 'cell' is pretty close so I rushed, walking just fast enough to not cause any unwanted attention.

Turning down the last corner, I saw the closet and rushed for it, the kid was getting the idea, and ran ahead of me, pointing at the closet, he swung the door open and ran inside with me right on his tail, and as I passed through he closed the door, standing just behind me, "Okay-", I grabbed my knees as I looked up at the kid, "You ready?"

"Yes", his voice sounded so excited, he was ready to be free, I was ready to leave...but as I looked up at the vent, something felt wrong about this, 'We're looking for you Mikey, just wait a little longer'.

Notes:

Mikey(2012): 18 years old

Leo(2018):17 years old

Krisa: 7 months old

Chapter 16: I Can't Leave, Her

POV Venom:

I'm so tired...

My breath was coming out heavily as I dragged my host's metal knees along the ventilation shaft, I listened to every single noise that surrounded me, the boy's sounds of pain as his knees started to hurt from the crawling, the whirling of fans directing the wind down the vents, I could even hear the voices of the droids below us, but just barely, the words sound more like a whisper as they spoke, yet I listened and crawled closer and closer towards our destination. "Ummm...Sir?-", the boy's few words echoed across the metal sheets, getting louder as they echoed back towards us, stopping in my tracks, I shifted my weight and turned back towards him, pressing my finger against my mouth, I hushed him, which only caused him to flinch, his head turned downwards, "Look-", my words were hushed, leaning closer to the kid, I tried to be loud enough for him to hear, yet he couldn't.

Dragging my hand over my host's face, I pinched the bridge of his snout, wanting so badly to be out of this place, I waved my hand and pointed towards the end of the vent, telling him to follow me. I followed the path Mother gave me and turned down every single corner it showed on the projection, turning left then right then right again, each step was starting to get harder and harder to complete as the fatigue was getting to the both of us, however, the pain was wearing the boy down.  Turning down the last corner, I could see it, the light, it was so dim that for a moment if I was any more tired I would have missed it, yet I could see the streams of pink coming from the opening. Crawling closer to the light, I rested my elbow on the bottom of the vent and pulled myself closer, and with my other hand, I reached into the pouch and pulled out the alien slug, slowing down, I pushed myself up and waited for the boy to catch up, "Why'd you stop?", the top of the vent if I stood up to my host full height and reached up that would still leave five feet of space left to reach. 

Standing up to my feet, I reached for the boy's hand and watched as he hesitated, turning away from me, he stared down the vent, looking in the direction we came from, "But...what about my sister...she's out there...I know it-", the boy looked back up towards me as I crouched down, staring into the kids worry-filled eyes, "I can't just leave her behind!-", his words, his voice was starting to get loud once again, but as I pressed my finger against my mouth, he voice stopped. "Listen, if you follow me just onto this roof, I'll tell you something that will make you super happy, okay? And if the news isn't what you want it to be, we'll look for you sister...okay kid?", he didn't say a word, looking back and forth from me to the direction we came from, he slowly looked at me and nodded his head, his hand reaching for me as I stood up. Hugging around my host's abdomen, I aimed the slug to the top of the vent and watched his the tentacle flew through the air and stuck to the very edge, pulling on the slug, our feet flew off the ground and rose closer to the very top of the opening, until finally I was able to reach, pulling both me and the boy out of the ventilation shaft.

 I was breathing heavily as I looked up at the dark pink sky, 'Who would have thought I would miss the Prison Dimension... its quieter than this dump', pushing up from the ground, I listened to the noises around me, the soft wind, the monsters' screams, I was even listening to the kid breathing as well, he was safe. "I don't get it..."

"Get what...", I chuckled, smiling softly, I turned back towards the kid as he looked up towards the sky, "Why did you save me", the way the kid spoke sounded nothing like a question, but words he spoke not to me but to himself, "I'm not sure...but when I heard you say you were looking for a mutant infant, one that looked like a snake, it only reminded me of Krisa-"

"Krisa? Who's Krisa", I turned away from the boy as I pulled the satchel into my lap, scooting closer and closer, I sat just a foot away from the frog, and pushed the satchel closer to the kid, still keeping it on my lap, "Your sister of course...", opening the bag just enough to give him view of the infant's face, I watched as his eyes widened, his hand reaching towards the small snake as he placed a single finger in her palm only for her to grab onto it. He was so lost in thought as he stared at his sibling, I looked up from the bag and saw something strange, he was trembling as a clear liquid fell from his eyes, I questioned if he was experiencing what Terra had gone through, I couldn't tell if I did something wrong, but instead of a frown, he smiled, "Oh my- I'm so happy she's okay...", he reached into the bag, wanting so badly to hold her, "Wait- hold on-", but I couldn't not now, not until we're somewhere safe, "Let's get somewhere safe, the guards are going to notice your gone, so we need to leave now-"

Wait Venom

"What is it Mother?"

Go toward the antenna

Maybe if I get access to their security footage I can make it so they don't know where you or the boy disappeared to

I looked up from the projection and walked towards the antenna, waiting for Mother's next instructions, I froze as I felt something grab my host belt, it was the boy, I stared at him as he hid behind me, using me like a shield.

Press the button on the right side and scan the entirety of the machine

Pressing the button on the left side of the wrist device, I started towards the very top, and slowly moved down the machine until I scanned the bottom, getting the green light that the scan worked.

The area is highlighted

Click the button on the left side once and a sort of port key should appear

Plug it in and I'll inform you when the task is completely

Nodding my head I looked for the highlighted piece only to find it on the other side of the antenna, clicking the button I pulled out the port key and plugged it in. The screen showed a loading screen as Mother worked her magic, "Wait so, how old are you kid?", walking out from behind me, I looked down at his hand, counting his fingers over and over again, "I think...this many", I counted each digit the kid held up, "Six-", I turned away from the kid and stared at the loading screen, noticing that Mother was eighty-nine percent finished, "You seem too young to care for a young creature..."

"I know...but he told me to take care of the egg"

"He?", the child nodded his head as he turned away from me, pointing at the projection, letting me know the task had finished, "That was my job-", I listened as he spoke, unplugging the port from the antenna, I placed the port back into its position. Walking towards the edge of the building, I crouched down and looked over. "The robots are gone right now every day", he was right, when I looked down there was no one, I looked back at the kid as he shrugged, leaning over the edge. "Alright, ready to get out of here", pushing up from the ground, I rested my arms on my hips, and looked down at the kid who smiled in turn, his head nodding so quickly, turning around, I crouched down to the ground, "Let's go then".

-------------------------------

Scanning the area, I saw the island just a hundred yards away and pushed off the island, soaring through the darkened pink sky, landing on the next, I peeked over my shoulder only to chuckle when I saw the kid's expression, his eyes wide open as he looked around the sky, fluttering open and close, winding rushing past his face as he nodded in and out of sleep, the boy was tired, and I understood. 'Just two more islands-'. Racing across the island, I hopped from one foot to the next and soared through the sky, landing on the island we called home. I stumbled on the ground and fell to my knees, letting go of the boy who fell right beside me, "I've never been outside before...", laughing tiredly, I walked towards the bushes and tried to set up camp, pulling out everything from its hiding place, "Oh can you hold Krisa while I set up camp", the boy turned back towards me, his hooded eyes looked so tired as his hands reached out towards me, I reached into the satchel and pulled her out, setting her gently into his arms, when I watched him hold her there was no awkwardness, he looked like a natural.

Grabbing the two sticks Terra hid, I set up the small tent as I listened to Mother's instructions, "Damn this is pretty difficult", yawning tiredly, I rubbed my eyes and draped the tarp on the ground, tossing both satchels at the top of the tent, "That's fine for now", I turned back to the two and walked over, picking up the sleeping infant, I reached for the boys hand and pulled him along, his body was on autopilot now, his body followed where I pulled him. Bringing him inside, I laid him down on the opposite side of the tent, and fixed his blanket over his body, he yawned as he brought the blanket over his shoulder, mumbling before he fell back into a deep sleep, "Night nigh sir..."

I chuckled as I laid down in Terra's spot, placing Krisa in her favorite spot, Terra's neck. With my eyes closed, I slowly gave Terra back his ownership, and with each blinking second, I fell asleep, resting with each passing second, 'I wonder how Terra's going to react...of well'.

-------------------------------

~Eight Hours Later~

POV Leo:

"Uuuuuuugggghhhhhh-", pushing the tarp off of my body, I sketched my arms and legs, shaking them with each passing second, rubbing my eyes, I rested my hand on Krisa's little head, "Morning Krisa-"

"Hey, you sound different?" my eyes shot open as I looked up toward the voice, only to see a small blue frog infant sitting just a few inches away from my head. "Wha-", pushing against the ground, I stumbled to my feet as I picked Krisa up, holding her close to my chest, "Who are you?!", reaching into my pocket I pulled out the only weapon I had on me, the slug. "You don't remember me? You saved me last night...Whoa! Your eyes are different colors-", the kids walked closer to me, but I stepped back, which only made the kid sad, I tried to think of everything, wondering how this kid even got here, that was until I remembered last night, "I'm sorry kid, but it was me that you met last night", and that is what made the boy cry, "Wa-wait!-", I held my hand in front of the kid, frozen as he continued to cry, rubbing his arms over his eyes, trying so hard to get rid of the tears, but the tears just kept coming, "Uhhhh- Venom!".

"Uggghhhh Five more minutes-"

"No! Venom who is this kid",

"Oh right...I'll explain but do you mind if I take control so he calms down"

He spoke through yawns, "Fine, but you better explain to both of us"

-------------------------------

POV Venom:

Pushing all the air in my chest into a sigh, I felt the dark ooze slowly cover Terra's body, scratching the back of my neck, I looked down at the small kid, "I wish this could have waited just one more hour-"

"Well sorry for waking up this early!-"

"Your voice is back...", I nodded my head as I crouched down toward the ground and sat in front of the kid, "But wait-", the boy reached for my face, I could feel Terra wanting to lean away, but I didn't, I needed Terra to understand this kid was just a kid, not a threat,  not even an enemy, he was just...a child, "What happened to your eyes? This one was blue-", he touched my eye just in time for me to close it, "And this one was red-", lifting his finger, he pressed the other eye, "But now there white..."

"Before I explain...", closing my eyes, I slowly let the dark ooze reveal Terra's face, and the kid looked from one side to the other, "What's your name kid?", the kid looked away as he pulled his finger out of my face, tapping his chin, trying so hard to think, "My code is Prisoner 013- uhhhh 0-"

"No no, I mean what is your name, like mine's Venom and my host's name is Leonardo", the kid tilted his head as he looked at me, "What's a name?", I froze, staring at the kid, watching as he looked away from us and played with two rocks he found, "A name is something your mom or dad give you, that's what they call you-"

"Wait so no one gave you a name"

The kid shook his head, and threw the rock across the island, staring at the rock that was left in his hand, he dropped the rock letting it hit the ground, only to pick it up and repeat, "Can I choose a name?", nodding my head, I watched as he held the rock in his hand, and looked up towards us, "Jay"

"Jay?"

"Yeah like the birdy", he smiled so big as he looked at Terra, I could tell he wasn't looking at me, his eyes watched Terra's, "Since the bird is blue and I'm blue, I'm Jay". Krisa slithered out of my hands and made her way toward Jay, the boy looked at her, pulling her into a big hug, she was so small compared to him, "Whoa! You got so big!"

"Yeah...she has..."

"You okay, Terra?", Terra was so quiet as we watched the two play with each other, I listened to the sound of Jay's laughter as he played with her, it was so strange, Jay was so young, and yet he was so careful with her despite their size and age difference, "Mother?"

Yes Venom

"How big was Krisa when we-, when Michaelangelo found her"

Krisa was seven and a half inches in height

"And now?", Krisa turned towards us, slithering her way towards me, she grabbed my hand only to prove that she did grow.

nine and three-quarters of an inch tall

Krisa should be a whole foot in a few months

However Krisa still has the inability to keep her body erect without assistance

I suspect she should be able to do so on her own when she turns twelve months old

For now she slithers on her belly

"Venom...what are we supposed to do now that we have two kids to watch, I can't really carry Jay in my satchel like Krisa-"

"I was actually thinking we can leave them both here, Jay has taken care of Krisa before! All we need to do is supply the stuff needed while we are on these missions-", I could feel Terra opening his mouth, ready to say a counterstatement, but I was ready, "Or we can leave at night while they are sleeping-"

I advise the latter for future missions

Krisa over the past month tends to rest throughout the night without waking up at all

There has only been one instance where Krisa woke up in the night due to a nightmare

"What do you think Terra? I could work-"

"But if we're searching the entire night, we're going to be too tired to even take care of the two during the day-, plus what if something happens!-"

"Terra, I can move your body while you give me control or you sleep, we can work together and look for Mikey!"

-------------------------------

POV Leo:

Venom just kept talking, yet all I could do was stare and watch the two kids play, listening to the sounds of Krisa's laughter as Jay played peek-a-boo with her, 'would it be okay if I left them here...why do the Kraang even have kids this young', I wanted to ask someone- anyone that question, but my words were stuck in my throat, "Venom", he finally quieted down and spoke up, letting me know he heard me.

"Yeah?"

"Give me back control...I need to talk to Jay", pushing against my knees, I could feel the black ooze slowly slide off my face as I walked towards the kids, sitting in front of them, I noticed that Jay looked nervous, he could tell I wasn't who he wanted, "Please don't be angry sir", I chuckled as I reached for my satchel, pulling out two pieces of dried meat, handing one of them to the boy, "I'm not mad, I-", I tried to think of the words, to think of the right thing to say, but nothing came to mind, "Anyways- look you don't have to call me sir kid, you can call me Leo, or whatever you want- just please not sir, it makes me feel old-", I scratch my face as I placed the meat in the boy's hand, who just stared at it, switching his gaze from me to it, "Look. Venom and I are looking for my friend- well brother, anyway!- We're going to be looking for him at night, so if Krisa ever wakes up during the night, I need you to take care of her-"

"You're not leaving me like the others right?", his eyes watered as he looked up towards me, hugging Krisa with his button lip trembling, he reminded me so much of my Mikey, begging for things to go his way, "What?! No, why would- wait...the others?", Jay rubbed his arm over his eyes as the other held Krisa close to him almost like a child holding a large toy, nodding his head, he looked up to me. Looking away from the kid, I leaned back on my arms and looked up toward the sky, "Well those people sound like meanies", Jay laughed, snot dripping down his nose, "Really big meanies".

"Well Jay if you want you can stay with me and Krisa, I'm trying to find my friend and get home...would you like to join us if we find a way out of here?", the sadness on his face disappeared so quickly, replaced by a big smile and his eyes sparkled as he stood up, still holding Krisa like a small doll, "Can I?!". I picked up Krisa from him as he jumped around, his cheers were so quiet, yet he seemed so excited, holding onto the piece of meat so tightly, "Hey hey!-", I laughed as I placed Krisa on the ground, and walked towards the kid, 'I remembered when I was that excited...oh no I sound old'.

"How about you don't play with your food", he slowed down and stared at the piece of meat, biting down on the jerky, I walked back over to the tent and sat inside, laughing as Krisa slithered towards me. Reaching into the satchel, I pulled out a small fish and held it out for her, "Time for lunch, hun!~", waving the fish back and forth, she made her way towards me so quickly with her small tongue hanging out of her mouth.

"Why is she doing that?", he pointed at Krisa, watching as she squeezed the fish and laughed at her oh-so-favorite sound, "I'm not sure?"

"Can I do it?", shrugging my shoulders, I bit down on the piece of meat and tore through it, the meat was so tough but as each day passed I was starting to get used to it, but there were days I really wanted one of Senor Hueso's pizza, my mouth watered at the thought of the pizza, only to turn towards Jay and freeze. "Jay...what are you doing?"

"I do what Kris does", his small hands wrapped around the piece of dried meat, squeezing it so hard, I could have sworn I saw a piece break off. I was going to ask the system if she knew why, but as Jay watched Krisa, he copied what she did and placed the whole piece of jerky in his mouth, "Hey! No no no-", I ripped the piece of meat out of his mouth, "I'm hungryyyyy-"

"You can't swallow it whole-, here let me do something-", over the tarp, I ripped the jery into small chewable pieces, and as I tore piece after piece Jay reached for a piece, and held it up to his mouth, "Chew it or you'll choke". Jay tossed it into his mouth, chewing the piece of meat.

'Two kids...what am I going to do when you guys come...you're coming to save me, right?'

Notes:

Mikey(2012): 18 years old

Leo(2018):17 years old

Krisa: 7 months old

Jay: 6 years old

Chapter 17: The Decision

~Six Weeks Later~

POV Mikey(2018):

'Why...', the others stared at the sky, watching the sky change colors as the explosion soared, all I could do was stare down at the ground, my arms pulled close to my side, my fist trembling, 'why would you do this...Leo', I tried to call out for him, wanting my brother to return home, but all that came from my mouth were pathetic sobs.

You are the most powerful mystic warrior the world has ever known

With those two hands, you sent me back in time

'That's right...', staring at my palms, I slowly lifted my hands out in front of me, and closed my eyes, trying so hard to imagine myself opening a portal, 'Come on Come on Come on!', as I tried even harder I groaned, trying so hard to do it, I needed to save him, I needed to save my brother. "Mikey, it's over...", I didn't give up, I couldn't now, 'How could you say that...it's not over yet, not until Leo comes home safe', the tears flowed even faster as I looked over my shoulder, "Leo never gave up on us, I'm not giving up on him", something was different, as I looked back in front of me, I felt this rush and power through my whole body, a crack formed in the air, I watched as it glowed a bright orange.

"Whoa! Whatever you're doing, don't stop!", the portal was opening, crack by crack, it opened up, but as I looked down at my arms, I saw the cracks, it hurt, my arms trembled as the portal opened wider and wider, but now wasn't the time to worry, I was so close, we're coming, Leo, were almost there, "We're here, Mikey. Together", the portal was so close to opening, but as the portal revealed the other side, my heart froze, "Is that...", I couldn't look away, Raph's red hand reached into the portal and grabbed the cloth we saw, pulling it straight towards ups, Donnie didn't take his hands off my shoulder as he leaned in closer to the portal, he was looking for him, 'Come on Leo where are you...'

"Guys...", I finally looked away and stared at the piece of fabric Raph grabbed, "Is that?-", my voice trembled as I stared at it, it was his mask, it no longer was its beautiful bright blue it was moments before, now...its was stained with different shades of brownish reds, "My system can't connect, th-there's no vitals...we didn't make it-"

"Guys look!", something happened with the portal, and as I looked back, I no longer saw the dimension from before, instead it showed a wasteland, and on the other side, was Leo. He was fighting a beast created by Kraang, but he looked so different, but it didn't matter, Leo was still alive, Raph reached into the portal once again, and grabbed Leo by his arm, with all his might Raph pulled him, but it was strange, as Raph pulled him towards us, he fought against the rescue. With the little strange Raph had left, he pulled one more time and finally pulled him all the way through, and the moment he was fully out from the portal, I closed it just before the Kraang beast ever got through.

'Leo!', as the portal fully closed, I turned back towards them, 'Leo's back!-', I wanted to hug him, no I wanted to punch him for that stupid idea, that stupid plan, but for now Leo was safe, Leo was home-, "Guys...this isn't our brother...", Donnie was right...all we saw was a version of Leo we never knew...and older Leo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

POV Leo:

*Ding*

"Order up!"

'How...how did I get here', all types of yokai walked around the crowded room, mutant families eating together, laughing together, but it was so weird, how did I get back here? 'The kids?!', I looked around the crowd as I called out for them, yelling for them, 'Jay is probably holding Krisa but where is he?', I pushed through the crowd, but something stopped me, holding me back. Raph looked just how I remembered him.

"Whoa- Leo what are you doing, we have to wait for Hueso to seat us-"

"But I need to find them!-"

I tried to pull away from Raph's hold on my shoulder as I called out into the crowd, but he wouldn't let go. Pushing against his hand, I felt another hand grab my other shoulder and another grabbing my arm, I yanked my arm away only for the person's hand to grab me once again.

"Let go! I need to find them- I can't lose them- Krisa! Jay!"

I dug my nails into the arm on my shoulder and glared at who it was connected to, my eyes burned as I looked at him.

" LET GO OF ME!!! "

But when I turned back to the crowd, it was gone, everything was gone, there were no mutants or yokai, no smells of food, even the building was gone, but not them, my brothers, Dad, even April was here. Standing inside a dark deep void, I watched my family as they stood there, they were waiting for me, they came back...

"You guys came back?-"

"Leo...of course we came back"

Mikey had the dumbest smile as he called out and Raph stepped towards me, his hand reaching for me. I looked at each one of my brothers, the bruises and the scars from the battle I started...this was all my fault, I didn't walk towards them, something was stopping me, "Sir?...", I turned my gaze away from them and looked down at Jay, my hand resting on his head as I stared at Krisa who hugged my leg, her tail wrapped around my leg with a small fish in her hand, gnawing on the tail.

"Please don't leave..."

I crouched down and knelt towards the ground, hugging Jay so tightly, sighing as I felt his small body tremble against mine, Jay became a mess, begging me to stay. Wiping my thumbs over his cheeks, I held his face and looked his in the eyes.

"Jay, I would never leave you kid...you and Krisa are really sick kids, why would I leave you guys-"

"Blue?"

I froze when I heard that voice and as I stared at Jay, his eyes started to water again, looking over my shoulder, Dad stepped forward, but it was so strange they stood so far from me, why won't they come closer?

"It's time to come home...you're family misses you..."

"No! Please don't leave us!"

My brothers, and my dad called out for me, and the kids begged me to stay with them, pulling at my hands towards them, but all I could do was cover my ears, but I could still hear their voices as they echoed inside my head, yelling louder and louder, I wanted to yell, to scream at them to stop, but before I could

"Terra..."

A voice spoke up, sounding so much louder than the ones around me, I turned toward the voice and stared at the dark figure that stood behind the kids, watching as it crouched down and reached for my hand.

"It's time to find Mikey, Terra..."

'Since when did Venom look like this', picking up Krisa, I reached for his hand and he pulled me up to my feet, my hand dangling there and Jay grabbed onto it, pulled me away from the others...

"Leo..."

I stopped and stared at Jay as he looked up towards me, tugging me, trying so hard for me to keep walking, but when I stopped I didn't look back, I knew the people behind weren't real.

"Please...come home..."

It was so strange, their voices sounded so real right now. Shaking my head, I looked at Krisa who smiled, hugging my arm as I carried her, I couldn't leave, not yet.

"Not yet, but...I'll be home soon"

----------------------------

"Hey!", I could hear Jay whispering as he tapped my face, but I kept my eyes shut, trying so hard not to laugh, "I know you're up", Jay continued to whine as he pushed my arm, wanting me to wake up, "I'm huuunnngryyyyyyyyy-"

"Fine fine", pushing up from the tarp, I scratched the back of my neck as my other hand held Krisa against my chest, 'She's still resting...good', I sighed as I turned back to Jay, hushing him down, I reached for the satchel and pulled out an apple and dried piece of meat, reaching for my swords. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?", he looked away, fidgeting with his hands, "I was hungry", using the long blade I cut the apple into small slices and placed each slice on the tarp only to be eaten moments after. "Alright, but after you eat, you have to go to bed, deal", he smiled as he ate the slices, Jay always liked his fruits far better than the dried meet we gave him every day, and I can't blame him, "And don't forget to eat your meat"

"Papaaaaaa-", Jay and I froze when he said that, he looked at me, and seemed so scared as he started to stutter, "Sorry sir, I-I-I didn-"

"Hey hey-", I chuckled as I put down the swords and ripped the jerky into small piece, placing them right next to the fruit, "If you want to call me that then go ahead, but-", I placed the last piece on the tarp as I stared at him, he seemed so nervous as I lifted my hands, "If I hear you call me sir, I'll just have to...", he moved his body away, but I was quicker, "Tickle you!", I tickled his side and underarms, Jay could only laugh, begging between fits of laughter for me to stop, but I didn't, "Only if you promise~". Jay laughed so hard, trying to push my hands away, "Ha!- I hahah Promise!", pulling my hands away, I watched as he laid on the ground out of breath, his laughter slowing down as he held his sides, "Now come on eat your food"

"Okay papa", Jay pushed up from the floor and picked at the fruit first, only to look up at me, watching as I ate my own food, "Papa, did you always live here?"

'Where did this come from?', chewing on the last piece of jerky, I reached for Jay's blanket and laid him down in his normal spot, draping the blanket over him, "Well no, I'm actually from this place called earth-"

"Earth? Like the place with scary humans?"

"Well- kinda, but the place I lived is full of lights and colors, there is even a place where my brothers and I could walk around freely without needing to hide our faces"

"Why did you hide? Was someone playing hide and seek with you", I laughed as I sat next to Jay, noticing that he was getting more tired by the second, "Because humans were scared of us-"

"What do your brothers look like? What are brothers?"

"Dang so many questions, alright one second-", turning back to my satchel, I pulled out the photo I kept all this time and showed it to Jay, pointing at everyone in the photo, "Well a brother is a boy you're related to, and a girl is sister, and this big guy right here is my big brother his name is Raphael, but we call him Raph, this one in the purple is my twin brother his name is Donatello or Donnie-"

"He has eyes like you-", he lifted his hand as he touched the photo, "Blue...and red"

"Yep! And this other one is my younger brother, and his name is Michaelangelo or Mikey. This rat right here is my dad-"

"He's your papa?", I nodded and dragged my finger to the last person in the photo, but Jay had something else to say, "If he's your papa, what is he to me?"

"Well he'd kinda be I guess your grandpa?... Anyways this human, her name is April", Jay's eyes fluttered as he listened to me speaking, "She's a really nice human, she's kinda like my big sister", he pulled the blanket up to his chin and snuggled into the satchel, trying to get comfy as he started falling asleep, "Can...I meet them, Papa?", pulling Krisa away from my chest, I rested her against Jay and smiled as I watched them cuddle together, "Sure...when we get out of here you can meet them".

"Come on, Terra it's time to go"

Yawning tiredly, I pushed against the tarp and walked outside, stretching my arms, "Can you take control of this part, I'm still waking up", Venom sighed as the black liquid slowly covered parts of my body.

"If you need more time to rest, just let me know"

----------------------------

~Thirty Minutes Later~

"Terra you up?"

"Yeah yeah I'm up...", the ooze stayed on my body as I took control of the situation, looking around the roof, I noticed this one was different, the whole building looked different. This place was far bigger than the others, what is this place, "Venom where are we? Is this even a place where mutants are held?"

"Mother said it was"

Unscrewing the last colt, I pulled the cover off of the vent and crawled inside, 'Please...this has to be the place, we'd checked over fifty of these buildings and not one of them was Angie inside them...he couldn't have left us', crawling through the vents, I listened to the noises around us,  sounds of machinery and screams filled the air, it always confused me, each facility during the night always sounded the same, sounds of screams and torture always filled the air at night.

Turning around the corner of the vent, I crawled slowly, my legs dragging across the rough metal floor, if I had knees they would have been aching, screaming in pain as the no longer smooth metal tore at the intruder's knees, normally they would have no way to stay quiet through all the pain, the sounds they made themselves would have given them away, but thankfully I wasn't normal. The system told me that the metal they used to create my prosthetics was made from strong and perfected metal, one I know Donnie used to make his weapon, especially his bo. Noticing the vent at the very end, I crawled a little faster and made my way towards the exit.

Opening the vent, I placed it off to the side and jumped through, landing quietly inside a closet. Cracking open the door, I saw the hallways were just like before, mutants walking up and down the hallways, making their way back to their cells, letting Venom cover some of my body in ooze, I pushed the door open and walked straight for the kitchen, "Halt Prisoner 013-19129418!-", I froze and turned back towards the droid- no the Kraang that hovered towards me, it was the one Angie talked about, Kraang Sub-Prime. He grabbed my wrist and stared at the numbers over my forearm, 'Shit did he find out?!', my other hand hovered over my swords, however, my body went stiff as the numbers smudged, I was ready for him to attack, to call an army, but instead he sighed, "This one must be one of the older experiments-", he flew closer towards my eyes and stared at them, backing away as he screamed, "Kraang Droid 2142! What have I told you... make sure all older prisoners and experiments have their codes embedded into their dermis"

"But the one that is known as Kraang did make sure"

"Clearly you didn't, take him to the room and fix the coding on his wrist", I needed to stay undercover, so I followed the droid, walking down the hall.

"Terra, what are you doing? We need to look for Mikey-"

I couldn't talk or answer, so I listened, listening to the voices, and whispers around me, but Venom wouldn't stop yelling, telling me to stop to go back, "Prisoner 013-19129418 in here", the droid opened the door, and let me walk ahead of him, closing the door after he walked in after behind me, "Mutant. Clean and etch his code into his skin", the mutant looked from the droid to me and pulled me into the chair. Looking at my arm, the mutant pulled out this weird machine, "Hold still this shouldn't take long"

----------------------------

"Done...", the mutant pulled away from my arm and put down the device, wiping away the excess ink off my arm, "You better get back to your chores before Sub-Prime gets mad at you", nodding my head, I stood up from the chair and walked towards, stopping as my hand touch the door, ".̵̗̭̑.̷͈͓͎̈́͠.̵̛̳̳̿u̴̫͖͖̎͝o̶͈͒͝y̸̻͎͆̋͌ ̵͓͎͇̆̽̚k̸̛̤̥͠ň̶͇̜͓̊a̵̮̙̍̃̅h̴̭̫̾T̷̟̍͊"

(Thank you...)

"d̷͇̦͙̃̀̏i̵̢̡̲̿̃k̷̫̠͆̃ͅ ̴̼͕̭̿,̸̖̪̓͝m̴̱̬͊̃e̸͍̫̓l̴͈̲̐̽ͅb̸̗͚̆o̵͖̫͓̔͌̈́r̷̞̈́p̵̧͚̋ ̷̡͍̜̌̉̇ō̷̡̧̝͘̚Ņ̶̻̊̅͠"

(No problem, kid)

I didn't move, looking over my shoulder I stared at the mutant, watching him wave me off, so I did. Walking out of the room, I made my way straight towards the kitchen.

"Took you long enough"

"n̸̨̑w̶̬̅͑̊͜o̶̖̓̌ĺ̶̎ͅb̷̺̝̌̈́̚ ̴̜̬̞͊̚̕n̴̥̺͆͝ẽ̶̯̱̠̉e̴̼͔̞͗b̵̡̈́̔ ̸̹͠e̷̛̥̹͊̕v̵̳̔͗̈́ȁ̴̞̤͈̀̕h̵͓̥̞́́ ̷͔̼͍͝d̴̲͊ľ̷̪̰u̸͇͗ȏ̷͖̩̣w̶̧̉̊ ̵̨͖̓̏̒ȑ̴̜̜e̶̪͗̂v̴̱̹̮́o̶̞̗̝̎c̴̗͍͖̒ ̸͖̗͌́̀ṙ̴̪̯̎̈u̴͍̱̻͛̏õ̴̮͘ ̶̬̹̓s̵͊͜͝'̴̦̞̊͛r̴̤̫̈̈́ḛ̶͘͠d̶̛͍͉̞r̴̳͖̞̄͐ŏ̶̢̳͍͊̚ ̷̫͔̥́͌̂ǧ̸̘̻̚n̵͎̼̖̅̀a̴͕̞̜͛̊a̶̱͑͑͆r̶̟̈̚K̸̟̘͊̔̈ ̵̱̭͈͛̏ṫ̸̡̊̕a̸͙̜̯̽̿h̸̙̲̑͛͛t̶̝̞͖̒ ̴̟͉̈́͐͘ẇ̶̰̂o̷̧̟̒l̵͎͍̜̀̚l̴̛̩͈͚̈́õ̴̙̖͗f̸̝͍̲͆ ̶̣͊ẗ̴̨̮̝́͊̽'̶̠̆̇̒n̵̢̜͒d̶̛͍̻̈́́ḯ̶̝͑d̶͔̥̤͠ ̵͝ͅḬ̴͂͠ ̵̖̹͙̅̌̑f̷̘̝̈́ì̷̠̠̠͗̑ ̴̳̊͐m̵̰̠̻̈́͌̌o̴̡̮̖͐͗́n̸̩̋͑͝e̶̲̋͠V̵͙̗̒̔"

(Venom if I didn't follow that Kraang's orders our cover would have been blown)

Entering the code, I pushed open the door and made my way straight for the cart, "Oh hello dear, why don't you bring that cart over here and help me out", nodding my head, I placed the cart right next and helped out the mutant, placing each bowl on the cart, never placing them too close to the edge, and as I placed the last bowl on the cart, the small elderly mutant grabbed my shoulder, stopping me from leaving the kitchen, "Oh and be careful of the first cell you visit, the prisoner is...ehhh dangerous, quite the temper on that one", nodding my head, I pulled the cart towards the door and pushed it open, closing the door right behind me.

Staring down at the map Venom gave to me, I noticed my first stop and raised my hand, knocking on the door, I hovered my hand over the key panel, and pressed each key as I said them inside my mind. But as I opened the door, I stared at the mutant that sat inside, it didn't seem as angry as the mutant said, yet its eyes never met mine, all I saw was a tired mutant...a tired alligator.

Notes:

Mikey(2012): 18 years old

Leo(2018):17 years old

Krisa: 9 months old

Jay: 6 years old

Chapter 18: The Change I Never Wanted

POV 3rd Person(Leo):

Leo always had a routine to his mornings, he did anything he could do to stay sane...

He had to, for the kids...

For Mikey...

Staring at the reflection in his blade, Leo cleaned the blade with a water-soaked rag, cleaned every speck of dirt, but as he stared at the reflection in the blade, Leo analyzed the new look he saw, his eyes were beginning to change from white into a tinge of pink, purple veins crawled from the furthers part of his eyes, almost reaching from the iris itself, however, the color of his iris stayed the same, his left eyes shined its brilliant midnight blue and the other shined its bright crimson red. 

Leo wanted to see how far the pink reached, pressing his finger on his upper lid, he pulled back his eyelid, the pink reached as far as Leo could see, but the farther it went the darker the pink became almost changing into a purple. However, that wasn't the only thing that changed, his fingers grew longer, and his nails were elongated and pointed at the end, yet no matter how hard he tried the nails wouldn't snap, whether he chewed on them, ground them on a rock, or even cut them with his sword, nothing would work. Hooking his finger on his cheek, Leo pulled at his cheek, he took a look inside his mouth, his teeth changed, sharpened to a point, Leo ran his tongue along his teeth, they weren't as sharp as Raph's but they could still do damage. 

But there was one change Leo didn't see through the reflection, fins grew out of Leo's shell twitching with every single movement he made, these fins were a new sense Leo gained, it's strange that he's now more aware of his surroundings whether he's moving or not, he can sense everything around him, he can see the monsters hundreds of feet away, maybe even farther, with this Leo knows where everything is, even if they make no sounds, yet ever since he found out about them, he became self-conscious...Leo used any of the materials he found to cover the fins, he never wanted the kids to see them, 'I'm not a monster...I'm...not...right?'.

 but the strangest change he noticed was the lines on each side of his neck. Leo ran his fingers along the lines only for his finger to fit under a flap, Leo pulled his hand away from his neck, and stared at the reflection in his swords, staring at the lines, 'What are theses-'

"Hey, papa...", Leo's body flinched, shaking his head, Leo looked up from his sword and stared as Jay laid on his belly, dragging a rock across the ground, the lines were hard to see, but Jay could still see what he made, having the time of his life. Leo used a clean rag he stole as he continued to clean the blade and hummed, letting Jay know he was listening, "Papa?"

"Yes?"

"When will Kris Kris walk like me?", looking up from his sword, Leo placed the blade off to the side, and grabbed the next sword, staring at Jay, Leo tried so hard not to laugh, covering his mouth, Leo only snorted, 'He has to be joking- he has to!-', he wasn't joking, Jay's face was blank, "Well, uhhhh hey system, I need help-"

Jay can you hear me

Jay pushed up from the ground and crawled straight for Leo's lap, placing the sword off to the side, looking up towards the sky, 'its almost time for patrol...', Jay sat in the little bowl Leo's legs made, "Yes ma'am, Mama!", compared to Leo and...Angie, they never got this excited over simple questions, they always wondered, and if they really needed answers neither could answer, they would ask the system, but Jay, he always seemed so excited to talk to the system, "System remember, keep it simple for him-"

"When will Kris Kris walk like me?"

Well

Jay you're a frog right?

Jay nodded his head as he leaned in closer towards the wrist device.

Well Jay

When frogs are babies

"Like Kris Kris?!", Jay pointed straight at Krisa, Leo turned towards her and froze, "wha...Krisa get your tail out of your mouth!"

Yes like Kris Kris

Anyways-

When frogs are babies they have no legs just a tail

But when frogs get older they lose that tail and grow legs

"Wha?...Ahhh!", Jay started to cry, Leo chuckled as he turned around and wrapped his arms and legs around Leo's stomach, Leo covered his mouth as he stared at Jay, but when he looked up, Leo took one deep breath and hushed him, using an extra rag, Leo cleaned Jay's snout, wiping away all the tears and snot that dripped down the kids face, he looked like a mess. For a moment, Jay reminded him of someone, he reminded him of Mikey, Leo's actual baby brother, "Papa? Did you lose your tail too?"

"No?-", placing Jay off to the side he turned around, showing him that Leo in fact still had his tail, "I still have my tail...see?", standing up, Jay wobbled towards Leo and tapped his face, dragging his hands over Leo's eyes, blinding him for a moment, "But...I thought you were a frog...like me?", Leo chuckled as he sat back and leaned on his arms, "No kid, I'm a turtle...", Jay walked around Leo, his hand tapping every part of his body, his head, shell, arms, legs, even his chest, Jay looked so deep in thought as he placed his hand on his chin, "We're you brought here- Wait did you live here like-", with his arms spread out as far he could go, he tumbled a bit, "this long?! Do you miss your brothers?...Do you miss your Papa..."

"Ha! Seems like someone has a lot of questions", Leo's laugh sounded so sad, so pathetic as he finished cleaning the blade, he did miss his family, who wouldn't...but as each day passed, he started to give up on them like they did for them, the boy messed have noticed as he stared at him, his eyes seems so sad, instead Leo reached for the kid, setting Jay back inside his lap, "I'm good Jay...I...I just really miss my family...", spinning himself around, Jay was still sitting in Leo's lap, facing him. "Well...now you have a new family", Jay was so happy, with a big smile he hugged Leo, and wrapped his arms around the turtle, "And I wouldn't trade you both for the world"

"Papa?", Leo pulled away from his hug and looked at Jay, Leo thought he was going to ask more about his family, or maybe about earth, but instead he heard, "When will Kris Kris walk like me?", Leo couldn't hold it in anymore. Leo held his stomach as he laughed so loud, he tried so hard to stay quiet as he used his hand and muffled his laughter, "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No no-", Leo sighed as he shook his head, "Krisa will never walk, she's a snake, so uhhh, hey system I need you to help me out here"

Of course Terrapin

Well Krisa here was born without legs

She can still move towards her destination she just slithers instead of walks

But other creatures move like her

Worms

Legless lizards

And other snakes

The system continued to explain to Jay how Krisa's body worked, how she moved, and even explained that even though she lacks legs she still has a high possibility of being just as fast as the rest of us. Jay listened to the system, but as she went on and on, the more tired he looked. Sketching his arms, Jay yawned as he leaned back against Leo who picked him up and placed him in his bed, "Papa...nye nye", Jay pulled the blanket over his shoulder and wrapped his arm around Krisa, falling asleep before Leo could even reply, "Night kiddos", Leo leaned over both of them and gently kissed both of their foreheads, pulling their blankets up to their chins.

---------------------------------------

Terrapin I got a reading

This may be him

Leo pushed up from the ground and reached for his swords, sliding each one into his holster, "Show me the way...", without even a word, a projection appeared to approve the wristwatch, Leo readied himself, packing everything he needed, Leo walked towards the edge, "Pa- papa", Leo stopped and turned back towards the tent, walking back he looked down at the two kids, they were still asleep, yet Jay moved so much in his sleep. He called out for Leo, his hand reaching up and grabbing the air above him, "-don't go, Dad-", Leo froze as he stared at Jay, tears streaming down the boy's face as he called out for him.

Leonardo we need to hurry before it is too late

The system was right, waiting even a second longer would put them in a bad position, turning away from the tent, Leo walked closer to the opposite side of the island, with each stride, he jumped foot after foot, and leaped off the island. Landing on the neighboring island, Leo stared at the protection and swiped toward the direction of the frequency the system was talking about, it wasn't moving it just stayed still. Leo moved his body around, and searched for the direction of the frequency, stopping as he turned back towards the island he came from, 'You got to be kidding me...', running back towards the edge of the island, Leo leaped and landed back on his home, racing across the island. Leo jumped and raced through the sky, leaping from debris to island, and soaring through the air, Leo reached for his slug and aimed it at the debris he was flying towards. Squeezing the slug the tentacle flew through the air and attached to the debris, with a harsh tug the slug pulled him through the air, Leo squeezed the slug, making it let go of the debris, launching him through the air.

Opening the projection, Leo watched as he got closer and closer to the position, aiming the slug toward the next piece of debris, Leo slingshot himself through the air and soared, watching the path ahead of him only for a flash of light to grab his attention, "What the-"

"RAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!", it was another one of these monsters that filled the Dimension, Leo glared at the creature and watched as he flew by, reaching for his sword Leo was ready to fight the creature, with his other hand he aimed the slug straight for the tree on the island, so it could pull him straight for the treat, but the system said something before he could even act it out.

Leonardo

Remember the mission

Find and save Michaelangelo

'Find...save Angie', shaking his head, Leo turned away from the monster and ignored the sounds it made, opening the projection once again, 'The building should be nearby...', looking up from the projection, Leo noticed three different buildings, but as he flew closer and closer, he noticed which one he needed to go to. Aiming the slug at the very top of the building, Leo shot the tentacle through the air, and hit right on the antenna, tugging the slug, Leo crossed his arms as the roof came closer and closer, only to roll as he reached the rooftop. As the vent got closer, Leo let the ooze slowly cover part of his body and knelt down towards the vent cover, pinching the screw, Leo slowly unscrewed each one and dropped each screw on the ground one after another, listening to the quiet pings as the screw collided with the ground.

Picking up the cover, Leo stared down into the vent and held the cover close to his chest, 'please...', Leo set the cover off to the side as he sat on the edge of the vent, lifting one leg after another, 'please...be here Angie...', falling into the vent, Leo grabbed onto the edge of the vent and hung there, letting go only to fall a few feet. Crouching down, Leo opened his remote watch and projected the ventilation layout, running his fingers along the projection, Leo found the quickest and safest route out into the hallways, turning off the projection, Leo crawled through the dark tunnels, following the path. Turning down the corners, Leo switched his gaze between the projection and the tunnels, until he saw the end. Shuffling closer to the vent, Leo stopped right above the closet, lifting the vent cover, Leo swung his legs over the edge and fell through, landing inside Leo stumbled a bit, only to land perfectly on his feet, making not a sound.

Peaking through the crack, Leo watched as the droids and mutants walked down the hallway, watching as some mutants were escorted down the halls their arms cuffed behind their backs, but he just watched, waiting for the perfect moment to escape the closet. Leo observed as the last mutants and droids turned around the corner, and slipped through the door, making his way straight toward the kitchen. But as he stepped out of that closet, his entire demeanor change,  Leo walked with a sway in his step and stared down at the ground, Leo always noticed that even though he wasn't actually a prisoner here, every single prison he went to he was always treated like a monster, mutants would quiet down as they walked passed by, whispering hushed conversations, but what he hated most was their stares, eyes watching from every corner, watching his every move, he hated this place, but he knew it would all be over he just needed to find him, he just needed to find Angie.

---------------------------------------

'Just one more floor', making his way straight towards the elevator, Leonardo lifted his hand and pressed the button, with his hand pressed against the wall, Leo leaned on the wall, staring at the doors, waiting for them to open wide.

*Ding*

Stepping into the elevator, Leo pressed the lowest button and watched as the door slowly closed, descending down the quiet elevator shaft, Leo watched as the number finally changed to the next floor, 'So far the only things we've gotten from this mission was food and medical supplies...', looking through his satchel, Leo counted everything he found, the bandages, the poly-sporin, the gauze, Leo packed away every single medically necessary item inside his pouch, even shoving food into the bag, zipping the pouch shut, Leo let the ooze slowly cover the bag, 'Just one more floor and then home'.

*Ding*

Leo didn't get to leave the elevator as the doors opened wide, Leo was ready to see hallways, cells lining the walls with mutants walked up and down the corridor, making their way back to their cells. But instead, there was a large empty hallway with two doors on each side, stepping out of the elevator, Leo's eyes switched from one side of the hall to the other, it was so strange the walls had windows lining them from one end to the other, yet no matter how hard he peered through the glass, Leo couldn't see what was on the other side. "What is this place?...", turning away from the glass, Leo walked towards the closest door, and entered the code.

"ṇ̶͌i̴͙̚a̵̖̐g̸̎͜a̶͕͋ ̴͂ͅy̷̫̓r̶͋͜t̷͙̑ ̵̣͂è̷̖s̷̙̉a̵͌ͅè̷͖l̴͈͆P̵̺̓ ̸̭̓.̴̤́d̷͕̈́i̴̮̎l̷̥͋a̶͕͌v̵͇͊n̷̨̽i̸͕͆ ̵̜́s̸̬͆i̴̢̐ ̵̰̈́d̵̥̉e̵̫͌r̴͌ͅȇ̸̙ẗ̶̩n̶͓̎e̴̯͑ ̷͇̈́e̵͕͘d̷̯͛ö̷̻́c̴̜̓ ̸͍̀Ṛ̶̓Ȏ̵͜Ŕ̷ͅR̷̪͂É̷̯"

(ERROR code entered is invalid. Please try again)

"Wha?! But that should be the code!...", Leo switched his gaze to the door and back to the code panel, his hand still hovering over it, "Unless...", typing in the code, Leo said each number out loud as he entered the code, "one one... one... eight... zero... one... zero... one one... four... zero... seven- uhhhhhhhh ... one... six... one... nine... zero... nine... one... three- god damn they made this password so fucking long- uhhhh... zero...five and-...enter!", pressing the enter, the tiny bulb glowed green. Pushing open the door, Leo peeked through the door and saw a room full of weapons each one framed on the walls, waiting for someone to use it, 'What is all of this...', Leo stood in the doorway, holding the door wide open, 'Maybe I can train Jay and Krisa when they're older...', walking towards the center of the room, Leo spun around, his eyes switching from every edge of the room, his eyes landing on the swords, the clubs, the shields, but of course what interested him the most was the Japanese style weaponry. Walking closer to the wall, his eyes switched around, and as he lifted his hand, wanting to touch the handle to feel the weapon's weight in his hold, "Prepare what is known as the prisoner's cell!-", pulling his hand away, Leo thought quickly and shoved two random weapons into his satchel and rushed towards the door, Lifting his hand towards the door, Leo reached for the handle ready to leave only for the door to open just before he could even try.

"Prisoner 013-19129418, what are you doing here?-", Leo stared at the ground as he opened his mouth, but the Kraang lifted his hand, "-It doesn't matter. Follow me", Sub-Prime looked so different, this Kraang was no longer inside his little drone, hovering around the facility as he yelled at mutants and droids, ordering everyone around, but now he was in some new suit, a smoother model compared to the rest. "I need you to take this mutant back to his cell and clean the wounds we gave him, however, I highly doubt you will even need to do anything, he seems to be taking the modifications without a problem, but I did miss the look of disgust and anger as he stared at me...", Sub-Prime entered the code as he hummed quietly, the way he entered the longer code seemed so fluent, no signs of struggles, there was no issue and as he pressed the final key, Sub-Prime pushed the door wide open.

The room was so dim, but the only object that lit up the room was a large operating light, Leo tried to look for the mutant Sub-Prime was talking about, watching as droids walked around the room, doing so many different things, some continued to clean tools, others were putting tools and unused items away, but two droids caught his eye, these droid were cleaning something on the table, even though the table was covered with something, or maybe was something laying on it, Leo wasn't sure. Walking closer to the table, Leo watched as the droids finished up the last stitch, and cleaned up the last bit of blood, "You see Prisoner 013-19129418, this mutant has been the pain in our asses for years now, so!-", Sub-Prime walked away from Leo's side and walked to the other side of the table, his hand grabbed onto the thin towel and tore the cloth away, revealing the victim below, "I see you're stunned, to think I! Kraang Sub-Prime was able to catch one of the turtles that have been messing with our plan for years, but now...", the droid kept talking, but Leo didn't even hear a word as he stared at the mutant that laid on the table, its eyes empty as it stared up at the ceiling, Leo's eyes shook, his throat burned as his teeth ground against each other, '...Angie?', Leo bit his lip as he felt it trembled, his eyes stung, "Wha...", Sub-Prime froze as he stared at Leo, "?̷̙̚m̴͕̄i̸͖͠h̶̹͗ ̴̝͂o̶͔͛t̵͓̿ ̵̦̿ö̵͉d̴͔͆ ̵̦͠ȕ̷͕o̶̳͋ẙ̵̡ ̵̇͜d̴̦̃i̷͕̽d̷͉̐ ̶̬̋ť̵̩a̶̗̓h̴͎͗W̸͎̔"

(What did you do to him?) 

The droid never looked at Leo with any form of pity, the droid treated Leo as an inferior, laughing as he slammed his hands on the table, breaking Angie from his trapped state, ".̵̡̕.̴̜̒.̸̫́ė̵͎s̴̞͌r̴̯͠u̵̜̐o̴̖͠c̶̫̿ ̸̞͘f̶͓̍ö̶̼́ ̷̺͘m̷͖̿î̵̝h̸͚͋ ̵̼̉d̴͖̅é̵͜v̷̗̂ö̵̩́ṟ̴͋p̴͓̃m̸̘͊i̵͓̚ ̵̞̌I̶͙͐"

(I improved him of course...)

Notes:

Mikey(2012): 18 years old

Leo(2018):17 years old

Krisa: 9 months old

Jay: 6 years old

Chapter 19: You Are Perfect

POV 3rd Person(Leo):

'Improved him...', Leo couldn't hear anything, even though the room was filled with droids and equipment, it felt so empty as he stood over Angie, his head ached as his heart thumped louder and louder inside his ears. There was so much wrong with him, stitches and staples were all over his head and shell, his skin was no longer its olive color anymore, now it had become a pale green scales stained with red and brown patches of blood and bruises, even the freckles that littered his face disappeared.  'Angie...what did they do to you...', Leo wanted to listen to the droid beside him, to try and blend in as just another prisoner, but as he stared at Angie's barely conscious body, listening to his shallow breathing, Leo's body froze, leaving him with no control over his own body.

"Mutant...", the droid's words were muffled as it spoke, which only caused the rest of the droids to look his way, each robot exchanged glances and one of them walked forward.

"Terra..."

Venom spoke loudly as the robot continued to reach for Leo's shoulder, its steps were the only thing he could hear, listening to step after step, to others the foot steps were so quiet barely louder than a whisper, but to him, his ears rang with each step.

"Terra...TERRA!"

Leo flinched at the sound of Venom's voice, screaming his name, but what grabbed his attention was the droid that grabbed him by the arm. Leo's eyes were finally torn away from the awful sight, his eyes widened as he stared at the hand holding him, "!̵̝̂!̴̀ͅ!̸̥̺́̎!̴͎̇!̷̠̥̒̓!̷̦͎̃̉!̴̜̺͆̒!̵̫̥͆́!̸͖̦̈́Ë̶̱͛E̷̘͙̕͘E̶̡͝E̷͍͌͜E̸̢̻͑E̵̳͑E̴͉̒Ȅ̶͍̈́E̵̬͒̽͜Ë̴͚̋E̸̯͈̚E̵͍̥̿͝M̸̠͘ ̵̗͆F̶̧̈́͝Ȯ̶̳̩̐ ̵̩͔̃̐Ŏ̷̢G̸̦͑ ̶̦̽̂Ţ̴̲̈È̶̡̆L̵̘̑", turning on his heels, Leo grabbed the droid by the throat, and hurled the droid across the room, Leo's body stayed in the position he threw the droid as his breath came out heavy, droids aimed their guns straight towards the mutant in front of them, but Leo couldn't breathe. Scratching at the bandages around his neck, he even tugged at the badges that wrapped around his shell, Leo dragged his nails across his skin, trying to peel away the uncomfortable bandages that hid his body, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think straight, Leo felt trapped.

"Terra..."

Leo's breath got caught in his thought as the heart thumping inside of his ears finally stopped, all he could hear was Venom.

"You need to take off the badges..."

"B-..but-", the droids kept their guns aimed straight for the trembling mutant, "This one's too far gone...euthinize it"

"I'll no longer be...me", Leo choked on the air and leaned on the bed beside him, staring at Angie beside him, "I'll be a monster!..."

"No you won't...These Kraang think we're weak-That you're weak-"

It was strange, 'Where have I heard that before', Leo felt a strange shift in the atmosphere, no he felt something different change inside him.

"Because they haven't seen what you can do-"

Leo's strips and crescents glowed brightly and his eyes shined a bright white, lighting up the dimly lit room, 'I remember where I heard that from'.

"You are Leonardo Hamato! And we are Venon"

Leo snorted as Venom yelled those words inside Leo's head, his voice was filled with pride and strength as he yelled those, but all Leo could do was laugh, "Dude you sound like a dumbass-"

"MUTANT!!!", Leo could finally hear the sounds of the voices around him, "Get back to your cell immediately", looking up from the ground, Leo's finger got caught on the bandages and with little effort he yanked off the wraps, giving the droids full view of the spiky fins on his back and the gills on both sides of his neck, Sub-Prime held something up in the air as he walked closer to Leo, but as the ooze slowly disappeared, the more Leo noticed the attonish and horror he saw in the droid's expression, "What-", Sub-Prime's voice trembled as he continued to stare at Leo, "What is that thing...". The sounds of the guns powering up filled the room, Leo could see everything, he could feel every shift in the air, in the atmosphere, Leo finally felt free, "I'm the team's face man...". Pulling out his sword, Leo watched as the curved bladed illuminated in the darkness, lighting up just like his last pair, "Oh ho ho hoooh, this is gonna be fun", positioning the blades be his side, Leo pushed off the balls of his foot and lunged for the closest droid, swinging his swords, the blade sliced straight through a droid, "Don't just stop! Kill that thing!"

Droids aimed the guns and shot through the air, every single droid missed the turtle as he dodged the lasers, but one bullet didn't miss.

Leo held onto his shoulder as the other held up his blade, glaring at the droids as they held their guns, stepping closer and closer toward him, they pushed Leo straight into a corner. The droids backed away from the turtle as he crouched down, giving Sub-Prime a path as he walked closer, holding a pronged staff in his hold, he pointed the weapon towards the mutant, looking down towards him, "What are you?- You have to be a failed experiment if you can't even hold your perfect form-", Leo needed to get this guy's guard down, he needed to confuse him and the only thing Leo could think might get him in more danger. The droid continued to aim their guns at Leo, they were waiting for him to do something, to do anything. Staring at the droid in front of him, Leo's mouth hung open and as he took in one long deep breath, the gills on the side of his neck flapped open, "!̴̙͇̕!̴͖͋!̴͚̪̕!̴̼́!̴̹͝!̶͉̳̇̐!̶̜̩̌̂!̵̦͐!̶͙̏̚H̷̖́H̸̜͗̉H̶̫̽ͅH̶̩̍͘H̶̢̛̉H̴̘̭͊H̸͉͙̿H̵̻̥͛H̷̳́A̶͙͓̽͑A̴̢̔̈́A̸̝͋͘Ą̷̪̄̏Ä̶̰͕́͒A̴̖͋Ā̸̠̐Ạ̶͒A̸͖̾Ȧ̴͖̚Ạ̸̳͒Ạ̵̑̽A̸̤͈̅A̷̼̚A̷͕̱̅̊A̶̞̹̽͘Ȃ̶̠͕Ä̸́ͅȂ̸̯̑Ȁ̸͖Á̸̢̧A̵̡̪̔Ǎ̴͓Á̵̰", Leo screamed at the very top of his lungs, visibled sound waves passed through the room, the lights flickered and all the droids went offline, causing all the droids to fall to the ground one after another.

Silence filled the room as all the droids laid motionless on the ground, leaving Sub-Prime to be the only one left standing, covering his mouth, Leo stared at the droids around, laying motionless on the ground, "What did I do-"

"Oh to think, I called you imperfect, you are the master piece Kraang has every created-Ack!-", Sub-Prime stopped talking for some reason, Leo held his shoulder realizing the blood still hasn't stopped, only to see a hand wrapped around the droids abdomen, grabbing onto the Kraang's face the hand pulled the Kraang out of the suit, "Hur-...ry-", Leo turned towards the voice, and his throat stung as he stared up at the creature that spoke those words, "Angie...sorry I took so long", his smile was so sad to look at as he held the Kraang up in the air, holding the alien by its tentacles, "Kn-...ock it...", he sounded so out of shape, breathing in between each word he spoke, having barely enough strength to even hold up the alien, "out...p-please...", reaching for the alien, Leo glared at the creature in his hands, and held it up in the air, watching as it squirm around, "You better let me go you firthy creature-", Sub-Prime didn't get to finish what he was going to say, Leo banged the alien against the ground, hitting him over and over and over again, he waited for the squeals to quiet down and as he hit the ground once last time, Leo dropped the Kraang on the ground, and turned back towards Angie as the turtle tried so hard to get up, but he couldn't his body had no strength to get up.

"My...*gasp*...stuff", leaning against the bed, Angie pointed at the small table on the opposite side of the room, it had all his stuff, his mask, gear, wraps, weapon, and his satchel sat on top of the table, tossed away like trash. Shoving each item into his satchel, Leo zipped his bag shut and turned around, watching Angie continued to push himself, his arms trembled as they held onto the edge of the bed. Reaching towards Leo as he packed all of Angie's stuff in his bag, "Alright we need to hurry before the rest of the droids get alerted-", Leo whispered as he rushed towards Angie, pulling one of Angie's arms over his shoulder and lifted him off the table, Leo readied himself to hear Angie cringe, groaning in agony as Leo pulled him along, but there was nothing.

Slamming his fist on the button, Leo stood still as the door slowly opened, and walked out of the lab, making his way straight towards the elevator, Leo was so tired, he wanted to stop, he wanted so badly to take a break, but he couldn't, if he waited even a second this mission would have been a loss. Pressing the button, Leo stared at the doors, waiting for the doors to open wide, 'Wait...what if', Leo stared at the blurred reflection in the doors, and wondered if there was a way, if he was finally able to find himself inside this endless dimension. Reaching with his free hand, Leo grabbed one of his swords and pointed it straight for the elevator, "-eo", Leo never took his eyes off of the reflection, it hurt so much to hear how much pain Angie's was in, his body trembled as it strangled to hold itself up, his breathing seemed so heavy whenever he spoke, "what...are you...doing?"

"I'm trying something", Leo used all his concentration as he stared at the doors, through the corner of his eyes he saw it, the base of his blade started to glow its brilliant blue, and his markers shined just as bright, "Wha-", holding his breath, Leo squinted his eyes, trying so hard to open a portal, but as the blue markers slowly move towards the tip of his sword, they disappeared just as fast, "Damn it!-".

*Ding*

Pulling Angie into the elevator, Leo let go of Angie's arm and readjusted themselves, pulling the smaller turtle onto his back, Leo used the ooze to hold onto the wounded turtle, and pressed the button to the top floor. Pulling Angie's hands over his shoulders, Leo held onto his hands as he pointed the blade straight for the door, "Come on come on- Come on!-", Leo tried so hard as he pointed the blade, but just like before, the results never happened. "God damn it. God damn it. God damn it. God! DAMNIT! Come on...", Leo couldn't hold the blade up any longer, he couldn't even stared at the reflection of himself, he failed, he couldn't do something this simple. Stress filled his mind, and his body as his jaw clenched tightly, tears streaming down his cheeks. The elevator was so quiet, his voice echoed across the metallic walls, light flowed through the crack as he passed each floor , Leo was tired, he just wanted to sleep, he wanted to be next to the kids, Leo was just so...hungry.

"...eo...its...okay...were almost home-"

"!̷̫͊!̵̜̝̝́!̸̹̞́͋!̵͎̩͛̑!̶̟̔̌̾ͅ!̶̛̮̀N̶͙̔N̸̲̳͊͂̂N̶̛̟̈́Ȍ̴̬̣͠O̷̞͒̕Ő̶̠̜ ̷͓̘͈͛̋͋E̴̺͔̩͑Ẽ̷̪̓Ẹ̸̙͇͌͌͠M̴̖̄M̸̟̮͌͌̚M̵̦̻̦͊̄O̶̢͉͓͝O̸̥̰͂Ơ̶̝̙C̸͕̠͔̄̍͋C̵̭̑̊͊C̸̬̯͈̎̅"

(CCCOOOMMMEEE OOONNN!!!!!!)

Shaking the entire elevator, Leo covered his mouth, but as he opened his eyes, they opened even wider when he saw it, "I-...I did it", he did it, without using a sword, Leo was finally able to open a portal. Walking closer to the portal, Leo wiped his face with his free arm, and rubbed the snot on his stomach, his hand reached for the portal, to touch the very thing he hasn't been able to create for almost a whole year, "If I wasn't so...tired, I would be so excite...but right now...I don't...think its a good idea to go...through it..", Angie was right, pulling back his hand, Leo tried to rationalize his thoughts, "All my portals go where I want them to-", picking up his sword, Leo slid it back into its holster and lifted his leg, "watch!", Leo placed all his trust into this one step, but as he stepped forward, so much was going inside his mind, 'what if there is danger on the other side? What if this isn't my portal...then what will happen to us...', Leo squeezed his eyes shut, but as he felt his foot hit the ground, he fully stepped all the way through, hearing the sound of the portal closing, Leo opened one of his eyes and looked around, "A-"

"Closet?...was this where you...wanted to go?", looking around the closet, Leo recognized it, "No no no no- this is good!", looking up, Leo could see the vent he came out of, "Yep, were still in the same facility-"

"How do-"

ALERT!!!

MUTANT PRISONER ESCAPED

KRAANG DROIDS BE ON GUARD FOR A MUTANT HYBRID

"...know that...", Leo smiled as he pulled out the slug, "shut up...", gasping dramatically, Leo pressed his hand against his forehead as he leaned against the wall, "You would say that to your savior, I must say you don't sound at all happy to see me", laughing through his teeth, Leo pulled on the slug and attached Angie's hand to his chest with the ooze. Reaching for the edge of the vent, Leo pulled them both inside, and slid the cover back into position.

*BANG*

Leo flinched as the door below them slammed open, peaking through the cover, Leo saw droids charging inside the closet, lights flashing around the room, they were looking for them. Covering his mouth, Leo continued to watch as the droids made their way out of the closet, leaving the door wide open, ".̸̤͝ͅ.̸̳̎.̵̥̌t̷̰̯̔ị̷̤̍ ̸͙͋̄ļ̵̩͊l̴̬͆̋i̴̩̐̋k̸̙͋.̶̣̍̾.̶̪̍͑.̷͔̊ͅt̸͙̗̍͊i̴̻̙̚̕ ̷͎̒̀f̵̗̼̕ö̵̙͖́ ̶̰͛d̸̩͊e̷̹̽r̶̞̗̿̅ö̶̺́̔b̴͔̫̊ ̶̙̑n̴̟̯̉w̴̦̒̇ö̶́ͅͅr̶̹̤͑͒g̶̰̙̋ ̴̛̣ë̴̠́̂v̴̷̶̮͈̮͔̈́̀͌͘'̵̝̎I̶͔̫̿.̸͍̽̀.̵̙͐̈́.̵̝̉ȓ̴͕͂ͅẹ̸̪̕h̵͇̞̏̕t̶̛̻́o̶̭͙̚ ̶̟͉̿̂ě̸̟h̵̰̼̓͊t̶͈̀͌ ̸̧̕t̶͙͠u̷̗͕̓̍b̵͈̈ ̷̘̼͊,̶̠̓̀g̴̻̓̽n̷͚̐͛a̵͔̐̊á̸̘͘r̶͎̖̀̚K̶̬̋ ̴͖̫̏͝e̵̩̔h̸͎̕͜t̸̛̞̂ ̵̘̅̆o̵̭͆t̵̥͓͑̆ ̴̬̉̐e̸̦̣̒̅u̷̧̩͗l̷̼͎̊a̴̋͜v̶̟̤͝ ̸͚̂͜t̵̲̫͛a̵͉̿͑e̵͗ͅr̷̡̔g̸͍̀̊ ̷̗̌̚͜w̷̛̟͐o̸͍̻͗̓h̷̩̙͆s̸͉͑͝ ̸͖̜͐l̸̼̅l̶̜̈́ǐ̵͉w̵̧̓ ̴̖̈́̅ͅẻ̴̯ṋ̴̡̛̎ö̴͕́ͅ ̷̰̂̈r̶̺͒̌ẽ̶̩̫́l̶͚̦͠l̴̟̳̊́a̴͚͓̓̄t̸̛̟̜̔ ̴̘̳̏͘e̶͔͝ḫ̸͑̓t̴̝͙̐̕ ̸̥̈́,̸̛͇̾e̴͕̩̋c̵̘̏̑a̸͍̒l̶͉͎̆p̶̼̝̕ ̸̡̖͌s̴̮̅t̵̰̭̄͝ĭ̶͇̩͂ ̸̧̙̇͝ò̷̞̗̽t̸̘̄n̸̡͝i̷̲͆̿ͅ ̸̧̹̔t̶͉̞̐ṳ̵̅͝p̷̫͖̿ ̶̟͚̏͋d̸͔̥̓̒n̶̢̿̚a̵̭̞̓ ̷̙̍̆d̴̙͒ͅë̷̟̦́n̷̪̹̆i̸̺͉̍ả̶̩̪̐r̸͎̭͝ť̸̩̈́ ̶̧̗͗͗f̵̪̳͝I̴̜͕̐̊ ̸̥̬̂!̸̠͋͒!̶̹̳͋!̸̧̼͐̋E̶͍̫̓͌M̸̺̚ ̴̬̂̂O̵͙͎̎̅T̶͔̄ ̴̰̇K̸͙͉̂̋C̶̘̈́̈Ä̵̼̐Ḅ̷̨͐ ̵̡̪̈́M̶̺̽E̴̱͒̐Ḩ̷̠̋͑T̶͈̂͘ ̶̝̰̓G̶͙̀͝N̵͚͆̌Í̷̖̾R̴̜̄B̶̮̙͌̍ ̵̡̒Ď̵̜̟̕Ň̷͇̎Ą̴̤̇̒ ̵̺̮͗͐-̶̡̈s̷̺̗͝ẗ̵͍̻́n̶̯̙̅͠a̵͉͐ͅt̴̖̕u̵͓͛ḿ̶̨̦ ̸̟͛õ̶͚͇͠ẅ̶̰́̈́t̸̙͂͋ ̵̨̘̆̅ȅ̵̱s̶̠̏o̷̬̥͂h̷͍̿̍ṫ̵ͅ ̸̟̾d̵̟̔ņ̴̅͛i̴͎̊̾f̴̳͋ͅ ̸͍͂́o̷̻͘͝t̵͕̕ ̶͓̆u̸̦̦̒͝o̶̥̾ÿ̷̜́͌ ̷̼̋̉t̴̛̚͜n̶̝̎͒a̵̛͙w̸̳͂ ̴̡̦̊͘Ǐ̷̝̊"

(I want you to find those two mutants- AND BRING THEM BACK TO ME!!! If trained and put into its place, the taller one will show great value to the Kraang, but the other...I've grown bored of it...kill it...)

Leo's breath got caught in his thought as the words Sub-Prime said repeated inside his head, 'Kill it. Kill it.Kill it.Kill it.Kill it.Kill itKill it.Kill it!...why would you kill-', Leo's nails grinded against the metal, tearing holes straight through the metal of the vent, his breathing slowly got faster and faster, and his almond-shaped iris shrunk to a pin width shape almost like a cat glaring at the enemy in front of them. Leo bore his teeth, drool dripping down his chin, Leo wanted to, no he almost jumped out from that vent, he wanted to kill every single Kraang in this building, he wanted to destroy every single Kraang like monster from this entire dimension, but as he placed one knee in front of the other, a hand grabbed his shoulder, its hold was so weak, it barely had enough strength to even stop Leo from what he truely wanted to do, but as he looked back, he froze, "Leo? I-m really tired....can we go...home...can I see Papa?...I...want my...brothers..."

Leonardo we need to take Michaelangelo back to the island

He has several wounds from the work of these Kraang

Leo didn't say a word to the system as it spoke up, so he nodded his head, and made his way behind Angie, laying the wounded turtle on his lap, wrapping his arm underneath his arms, Leo used his other arm to pulled them down the long ventilation shaft. "I need you to survive, Angie-", Angie's head hung as Leo pulled him down the long tunnel, swaying side to side, "please don't die on me...your family's coming-", Leo hushed as he spoke between each breath, scooting further and further down the long vents, "-so you better survive god damnit-".

"I thought I would get...annoyed of...your foul...language, but I missed hearing you so much...", Leo could see it, a light peered through the top of the vent, that was their way out. "You know-", a soft tired chuckle left the weak turtle's mouth, "-when we get back to my home...Donnie...can or someone...can help you get home?...", Leo pushed himself up to his feet and reached for the vent cover, pulling it off. Leo pulled out his slug and aimed it directly towards antenna, tugging on the tentacle, the slug slowly pulled the both of them out of the vent and onto the cool concrete roof, "Venom...I need you to carry Angie home, I-", Leo pushed up from the ground, but as he sat up and leaned back, his arms trembled, trying so hard to hold himself up, "-I can't do it...please"

"Just rest, Terra. Me and Mother will take over from here"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Where...', the whole room was so dark, there was no light, there was nothing, just Leo and the darkness, 'Where am I?', Leo cupped his hands over his mouth and screamed into the darkness.

"Helllllooooooooooooooooooo..."

His voice sounded so loud as he screamed into the emptiness, but it was so strange there was no echo, looking around the darkened void, Leo reached for his swords, but as he stepped forward the sound of a splash from water filled the room, 'What the-', all of his gear was gone, the wraps, his holsters, even the satchel that held all of their gear was gone. Yet none of that mattered as he crouched down, reaching for the water, Leo knelt down onto his knees, and as he has got closer and closer to the water...a mask appeared, its color seemed so faded, parts of the mask were stained with the user's blood, Leo realized who's mask it was...it was his.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!-"

Looking up from the mask, Leo expected to just see the void, to see the emptiness he saw before the voices screamed, echoing in the darkness, but instead, he saw them...

"I CAN SAVE HIM!-"

"Mikey! It's over he's gone!-"

Leo stared at the brother's he slowly forgot, watching as they mourned for something, mourning for someone, but what, Leo had no idea, he watched Raph try to calm down the youngest, only to struggle as Mikey fought against his eldest brother's hold, Leo felt something, his eyes and throat stung as he watched his happy brother cry out, wanting to save something. Leo's hand rested over his chest, he felt something in his chest, a sort of tightness. Leo watched one of his brothers struggle to stay calm, Donnie was crouched into a tight little ball, hugging his legs as his eyes hung wide open, the iris shaking with so much movement, Leo could tell he was tired.

"Please! Just let me try!"

Mikey didn't have the strength to even stand any longer as he fell into Raph's hold, his sobs sounded so sad, leaning closer into his the eldest hold. Leo stepped forward, reaching for his brothers, Leo wanted so badly to feel their embrace, to feel the warmth he has forget, but as he stepped closer, his touch just an inch from feeling the warmth...

" What have you done to yourself... "

A voice spoke up, its words rattled the entire ground, stepping back Leo looked around, trying to find the source, but as he turned around, he found it, he found the source, it was...

Him...

" You are a traitor to your own kind..."

This must be the version Casey jr talked about, the Leo from the future, his sensei, but it was strange, he spoke, yet his mouth made no movement, 'Am I mind melding with myself?'

"You are a traitor to your own family..."

His brothers' cries went quiet as the room slowly filled with more water, rising closer and closer to his stomach.

"You're just like the filthy beast that invaded your planet... You are a monster..."

Chapter 20: Time Seems...Slower

~One Week Later~

POV 3rd Person(Leo):

'It's only been one week since I rescued Angie, and what a slow week it has been, each day passed by slower then the day before hand, the days stretched on and on, seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours, and the fours stretched on, until finally the seventh day came. Angie practiced Kraang every single chance he had, and they all did, even Jay spoke Kraang for him, even though he didn't trust him in the beginning. But...it was so weird, for the first two days, Angie took it easy, and laid underneath the tarp, eating the soft food I collected during every single mission, but as we reached the third day, Angie was already on his feet, practicing with his nun-chucks, he even practiced some ninjutsu, but ever since we left the facility, Angie has been wearing his gear, and hasn't taken it off since, not even for sleep.'

'Without any of his gear or camophlage, all of his wounds were very visible, without his mask there was a scar that wrapped all the way around his head, his belt hid the unevenly healed shell scar, and the wraps on his arms hid the pinpoint scars from the dozen of needles that stabbed his skin. Without any of the coverage, every single procedure was quite visible, after I woke up a while ago, the system told me the situation and what was wrong with Angie. System explained that the Kraang removed multiple organs from his body, his spleen, appendix, kidneys, and worse his liver and gallbladder. Explaining in great detail, the system explained that Angie could no longer consume any foods that are fatty, processed, or sugary, meaning he could no longer eat pizza, I myself completely understood after hearing that, eating any of that food will cause severe abdominal pain, however, Angie seemed more distant as the words repeated inside his mind'

'The system continued stating that out of all the procedures, there is only one organ that could lead to severe issues, which was the liver, she also added that there were other issues, however, they weren't as severe as the prior, turns out that the Kraang poked and prodded Angie's brain, to the system the brain looked fine except two parts, the part of the brain that handle's his emotions and the part that handles pain. What are we going to do when his family comes...turns out Angie already had a plan for that, but for some reason he wouldn't tell me'

'Ever since I finally got my powers back, I trained...using all the ways I've learned to open portals and as each day passed, opening portal after portal, teleporting from sword to sword, using my swords and voice, I've finally perfected the skill, but now it gets me thinking...what's stopping me from leaving this place...'

'What's stopping me from going home...'

"-̵̡͙̂͊̌!̴̼̺̥͑ó̷͙͚d̸̩͎̅ ̶̡͗́̇n̸̙̼̬̆̔͘a̵̖͖͒̊c̸͎̓ ̴̝̰̔͌͌I̷͓͇̊ ̶͎͊t̴̤͍̫̓ả̵͚͍̈́h̶͎͐w̴̱͙̅̆ ̴̧͕̀̃̆k̴̹̭̱̅ŏ̸̘͍͒͑ò̴̡̯̙̌́L̶̢͇͉͌͋ ̶̧̿!̸͍̈́a̵͔̽͘̚p̶̲̉a̵͚̜̐͘P̶͙̦͆ ̷̛͕͊!̶̥̥͐a̴̬̤̺͛͛͘p̵̧̲̝̈́̇̈a̵̛̮̜̠͝P̶͔̭̒̓"

(Papa! Papa! Look what I can do!-)

Running in front of Leo, Jay crouched down and placed his hands on the ground, "-̵͍̤̎̚͜!̶̼̔̍͐?̴̻͔̮͐̈͌g̷̻̎͑̊n̵̞̑̍i̵̱̪͂͋͛h̸̥̗̅c̵̨͓̭͊̓̀ẗ̸̛̬à̷̬̤̫w̴̤͘͝͝ͅ ̸̝͚͊ű̵̯̝͉̈́o̶͒̚ͅý̵̧̱̙ ̶̩͍̻͆e̸̹͋̌̕r̶͎̺͝Ä̷̪͈́̈"

(Are you watching?!-)

Looking up from his swords, Leo placed them off to the side, and watched Jay as he bounced on his tippy toes, "p̶̖̞͍͋ẹ̴͙͆̚Y̴̛̥͉"

(Yep!)

Bouncing off the tips of his toes, Jay's legs went higher and higher and higher. He was so close that he overshot and flipped onto his back, "!̷̯̞̒̂ë̵͖͖̹́̽s̷͔̈̔̏o̶̧͒̑̇l̶͉̙̃c̴͔̊̂̕ ̴̦̍̓̐o̷̜͈̐͝s̵̱̬̄̚ ̶̗͉̉s̸̓ͅȁ̸͎̪̒w̸͚̫̜͒͋̋ ̴̢͔̚I̷͙͇͙͌̚ ̴̪͛́!̵͙̼̋̊́?̴͓͒t̴̟̱̘̋͊̀à̷̦̥h̶̲̘̔͝t̵̝͇̥͛̌̔ ̷̡̆͂e̵̙͐̅͛ḙ̴̄̑͝s̴͚̫̓ ̶̲̻̠̀ǘ̶̧̮̘o̸͎̱͙͘y̶̜̥̎͘ ̴͈̬̘͂d̷͓͓͊͝i̴̬͌́̚D̷̜̉!̷̯̞̒̂"

(Did you see that?! I was so close!)

"n̵̖̓̊͘ȉ̸̼͑͜a̸̠̓̃̚g̴̡̭̾ą̶̗̝̂͘ ̷̧̛̰̳̈́̽t̴͓̉̀i̸͚͍̅̾ ̷̦͉̝̋o̷͓̝͋̾ͅD̸͕͔̳̈̈ ̷̰̑!̷̲̟͗͑̃e̵̛͉͔̍r̶̜̾̚e̴̝̘̞̅̅̕ẅ̷̡̟̩́̃͛ ̷̨̛̆̄u̷͓̫̿̌̄o̴̻̼̒̇ͅŷ̷̟ ̷̼̰̳͝h̶̨̋̿́a̷͉̘͑̂̋e̵͉̍͑̽ͅỹ̵̨ ̵͔̑̿̚k̸͈̱̣͗c̶̝̊͝ė̴̙͕͐͜H̶̛̥̯"

(Heck yeah you were! Do it again)

Jay laughed as he laid on his back, flipping over, Jay squated back down and leaned on his hands, hopping over and over again, and as he hopped one last time his legs stayed in the air for only two, maybe even three seconds, Jay laughed as he pulled himself down and ran towards Leo, "!̸͚̚g̷͉͖̤͐̚n̸̜̏̽ö̷͔̞́͆l̶͍͙̆͠ ̷̨̰͐̑s̴͇̱̔i̶̛̯̇̆͜ͅh̷͍̃̎̒t̷̝͌̈́ ̷̹͙̑̇p̷̯͔͂͛͝ụ̷͚̭̈́̆ ̵̮̓s̴̙̀̿a̷̠̠̙̽̉͋w̴̯̳͉͝ ̷̢͇͠ͅȊ̶̠̔͒ ̴̙̓!̶̯͔̟̾?̴̛͈͇͛e̷̫̳̾͌͜ę̷͆͐̽ś̷̥̋̈́ ̸̨͕̎̑ủ̶̹̒̇o̷̺̭̻̅̎̚ÿ̵̡̭͈́͌ ̵̺̬͝͝͠ď̷̡̬̦͝i̷͉̲͛͂D̶͉͕̩̓́̚"

(Did you see?! I was up this long!)

Jay spread his hands out,  his back leaning further and further back until he fell, Leo laughed as he pulled jay under his arm, grinding his knuckle on the top of Jay's head, "Leo...", looking up from Jay, Leo turned around and noticed Angie waving him over, nodding his head, Leo turned back to Jay who continued to laugh, wanting Leo to stop as he spoke between his fits of laughter, "y̸̳̰̏͠e̸͚̪̝̿̀ǩ̵̳i̶͉̻̿̀̔M̶͙̗͊͝ ̶̧̮̭̕e̸̩̥̱͋̍l̶̙̩͇̾̂̚ć̵̄͑͜n̵̦̑u̴̠̕ ̶̝̋r̶̖̈́͜ȕ̷̧̇̈o̸̙̊̑y̶̨͐ ̸͕̤̆͐̕ŏ̵̏͜ṱ̵͘ ̵͈͚̏̈́k̴̭͊̑͘l̴̮̩͒̓à̴̠t̶̯͈͂ ̶̢̟̣̄o̷̬̠͒g̷̻̮̓̉ ̴̥̃I̷̛͍̣ ̷̹͆ȅ̶͇̈̈l̵͙̼̓̏́ĭ̶̙͇͂ͅḧ̴̯̹͕́w̴͎͛ ̷̡̡̻͂̓g̷̫̑̂̏ň̶̘̀í̴̮̫c̵̹̉͂į̶͉͊̍͆t̷̞̰̲̒͘ç̸̛͕͛à̸͖̰̼ȑ̶͉͇̭͝p̴͖͒ ̶̫̪̉̓̈́p̸̬͕̏̓͝e̵̞͆e̷̠̔̂k̸͓͉̍͂ ̷̧̨̉̏̒ů̵̝͇̽o̸̗͍̟̍̒y̷͓̖͓͒́̿ ̶̟̅̀͆͜t̴̰̱̙̀'̸̠̅͝n̴̗̊͝o̴͙͒̔͐͜ď̴̢̮͖́ ̴̱͋̽y̵̫̐ẖ̵͋̿̄w̸̛͇̲̗̎͗ ̷̡̗̟̈̽,̸̧͇͔͘w̶̹̃o̷̗͙͙͋̐̒Ń̵̥͊̾ ̷̠͚̅͋!̷̠͋y̷̜̿̇d̶̡̪̥̾̾d̵͕͖̝̊u̷͔̯̒ͅb̵̤̍́ ̷̂̏͜d̴͈̳̳̏̐i̴̙̊̌̑d̷͔̺́͜ ̵̲̈̀̚ü̵͓̓̑o̷̮̳͒̑̋Ý̵̖̞͊"

(You did buddy! Now, why don't you keep practicing while I go talk to your uncle Mikey)

Jay nodded his head and crouched back down where he was before, "Leo, we need to talk..."

"Sure what's up?", sitting underneath the tarp, Leo watched as Jay played in the light and Krisa gummed on the fish Leo gave her earlier, "You can't tell my brothers what happened to me inside this dimension, they can't even know how long we've b-"

"What?! Angie, I don't underst- they will know how long we've been here, they already know, but listen if you have an epileptic episode, your brothers need to know!-"

"No! You heard the system, yes the fluid will build up in my brain, but it won't happen for years, plus she said if I take uhhhhhh...some type of pill, that I should be fine, I just need to find a way to get them...but please...can you just be there for me when I need you...", resting his arms on his knees, Leo hung his head as he scratched the back of his neck, "Look, I'll keep it a secret, but when it comes to a time when you need your brothers, I will not hesitate to tell them-", lifting his head, Leo glared at Angie, peering over his arm, "-and how the hell are you going to hide your scars?! Speaking up which-", taking his arms off of the legs, Leo crawled closer to Angie and untied Angie's mask, letting the piece of cloth fall onto the smaller one's shoulders. Running his finger over the stitches and staples, Leo analyzed the state of the wound, "When did they put these in?", pulling his head down, Leo even looked at the stitches on his forehead, "I'm not sure...maybe a few hours before you got there? They never took me out of that room, not even for bathroom breaks-"

"I could tell...that room and you smelled like shit-"

"Language", Leo snorted, moving his head around, he could tell the stitches needed more time to heal, "Looks like these just need a few more days", letting go of Angie, Leo reached into the bag and pulled out dried meat, tearing it up with his teeth, "Do you even have the stuff to take the strings out?", Angie spoke as he tied the mask back on over his face, hiding away the scar that wrapped around his head, "Yep!-", grabbing his satchel, Leo pulled out the many wrapped instruments he stole from the facility, "-And yes I know how to use these, I'm the team medic, Mikey's too empathic to deal with anything that involves "harming" his brothers or anyone, Donnie gets overwhelmed by the sight and smell of blood, and Raph is just too big and clumsy to do it, so I took the place, plus my Raph hurt himself so many times I've learned the many ways to do stitches and how to remove them", leaning Angie back onto the tarp, Leo lifted his arm and pulled back the wraps, looking at each scar on his arm, "Uhhhh Leo, what are you doing?..."

"There's a chance that the Kraang closed everything up without caring if they did it correctly, so sit still...hey if you don't want me to tell them about this-", Leo waved his hand around Mikey, "This whole situation, you have to promise me something..."

"What?"

"You can't tell anyone about Venom-"

"What?!"

"What?!", Angie pushed himself up and turned towards Leo, Venom and Angie had similar reactions yet their tones were different, "Look, when I say this I'm talking to both of you, we don't know if your- Angie's brother's will react just as positive as he did, for all we know they could consider us a threat, however Venom when we know no ones around, you can front, but until we know they won't attack us because of what we are...please don't tell them about us..."

"Okay...", laying on his back, Leo ran his hands over the areas the Kraang cut into, his abdomen, his arms, he made sure to check every part of the turtle, and of course everything look good, well except for his legs, "Back on topic, when you said they didn't let you leave, you never left that room?"

"Well there was one time, I almost got out only to get caught as soon as I reached the exit, why?", lifting Angie's leg, Leo bent the leg and watched each muscle do its job, everything looked good, but his legs looked so thin and the scars on the back of his legs, made Leo worry even more, all of the scars that healed unevenly, even if you stared for a second you could tell something wrong happen, but the wounds that didn't heal oozed a yellowish clear puz, the wound red and inflamed with so much heat coming off of it, "For these, I can put ointment on the wound-", pushing himself up to his feet, Leo made his way towards the satchel and searched through the many supplies he stole, grabbing the small bottle of polysporin, Leo crouched down in front of Angie, and placed each leg on his lap, unwrapping the clumsy wraps Angie put on his own.

Michelangelo

Terrapin forgot to add that since your muscle tone seems moderately well I still advise you do some leg training to build up the muscle tone so you can get back to what you were before

You've already done simple training so far such as

Walking

Getting up and down from your bed

And...

Running back and forth

As for the decubitus ulcers or bed sores

Beside bedtime I advise you spend little to no time resting in your bed for long period of time

Your wounds might resurface or in worse case scenario get worse

Terrapin

You understand that you must administer that ointment on Michaelangelo every six hours correct

Rolling up the wraps, Angie pushed himself up to his feet and sketched his arms, standing just right outside the tent, Leo placed all Angie's wraps on the bed, and pushed himself up, walking right beside Angie, Leo knawed on the leathery rough meat, watching as Jay played with Krisa, they seemed so happy, "You know...", Leo's head jerked to the side as he was finally able to tear through the jerky, "...the system said that I can't have greasy foods because it'll upset my stomach and cause pain, but...didn't she say I can't...feel pain?"

Yes I did state that

However eating large amounts of fatty or greasy foods without a gallbladder can cause

Indigestion

Gas

Bloating

And diarrhea

This is because the gallbladder stores bile which helps the body digest fat

Without a gallbladder Michaelangelo bile flows directly into the small intestine which can act like a laxative

Angie turned towards the device that wrapped around Leo's wrist, "That still doesn't help me know what will happen-"

"Angie, she's basically you will cause you to shit yourself everytime you eat those foods"

Precisely

However Michaelangelo I did not say that you will "shit" yourself

"Fine I guess, but did you really have to use such colorful language-"

"Uncle! Papa!-", tripping over himself, Jay ran towards the tent with his arms wrapped around his baby sister's body, running behind the two turtles, Jay used Leo as a mutant shield, and hugged Krisa tightly, "Whoa whoa, what's up kiddo?", turning back towards Jay, Leo held the boys face and watched as the frog trembled, pointing at the sky behind the turtle. Turning back towards the sky, Leo tried to see what Jay was talking about, that's when he saw it, "Angie...is that-", they could see them, all three of his brothers raced through the sky, running away from the very first monster Leo saw the moment he stepped foot inside this place. "My brothers!", Angie stumbled to his feet and shoved everything he had into his satchel, it didn't take Angie long to put on his disguise and wrapps, he raced across the island, giving Leo no time to catch up, "Wait!-", Angie didn't listen to anything Leo had to say, he just...left.

Looking over everything they collected over the months, maybe even almost a year, Leo tried to figure out what to bring and what to leave behind, Leo decided to leave the tarps behind, and readjusted the bandages, making sure each one was never loose around his neck and shell, covering the parts he wanted no one ever to see, he didn't even want Angie to see them. Tossing the empty satchel over his shoulder, Leo picked up Krisa and slid her inside the bag, "Jay! Get on my back!-"

"Papa why did Uncle Mikey leave us...does he...does he not like us anymore?-", Jay crawled onto Leo's back and wrapped his arms over Leo's shoulders, ooze slowly wrapped around the boy's body as Leo stuffed the satchel with cushioned cloths, "No, he still loves both of you too, but do you remember when I said that we're both waiting for our families to come get us?", Leo could feel Jay nod his head as he stood up, walking closer and closer to the side of the island, looking and listening for Angie's brothers, "Well his brother's finally came to rescue him, but Jay please listen, I need you to stay silent for a bit-"

"Okay papa, but when can I start talking again", stepping back just a bit, Leo raced across the island and leaped across to the other side, his arms flailing in the air as he reached for the edge of the neighboring island, and pulled himself on top, "I'll let you know but not until we're safe, okay?", Jay didn't say a word as he nodded his head. For a split second, Leo noticed Angie was just a few islands away, Angie raced across the debris, so Leo followed him. Holding Krisa close to his chest, he continued his journey underneath the island, Leo couldn't lose him...

He couldn't...

Not again...

Reaching into the other satchel, Leo pulled out the slug and aimed it towards a tree that grew underneath the soil, squeezing the slug, Leo watched as the tentacle flew through the air, and grabbed onto the tree, with all his might he tugged on the slug and flew through the air. "AAAAAAHHHHHH!-", Leo could hear them and as he analyzed the islands around him, there they were, he saw them, they ran with their hands covering their ears as the monster yelled, its screams piercing through the air, chasing after its prey. Noticing the tree coming his way, Leo held his hand out and grabbed onto the branch, spinning around and landing on the ground. Leo reached for his swords and stepped closer to the edge of the island, but before he could even ran out to save them, something else got to them, Leo raced towards the direction they were captured only to find Angie standing over them, facing the monster that just attacked them, "Stay away from my brothers-"

"Mikey?", his brothers sounded so confused once they caught sight of their brother, but as the monster stepped forward, Angie waved his hands in the air, "-̶̪̏Ả̶̠̂͐A̵͍̼̠̓͒Ä̴͚̲́̇͠-̵̞͛Ả̸̢̅Ā̷̘͗̀A̵̢̗͇͊̽-̴͓̣̌̍̓Ȁ̵͖Ā̴̪̚À̵̟-̴͇̞͋͘͝Ấ̴̮Ā̸̠̊̓Ą̸͈̭̾̅̒-̷͓̊͐̅A̶͓͜͝Ą̴͕̑ͅA̸̙͈̠͆̐-̷̜̂͂̈́A̸͔͌Ã̶̡̛̟A̵̧̍̅͠-̸̫̈́̚A̷̠̣̻͆͊A̸̘̗͐R̵̭̐͒R̴̠͂̚͘R̵̫̜̃͊", Angie pulled out the small crystals from his belt and chucked them are the monster, "Buzz off rocktopus!-"

"Whoa!-", Jay tried to get a better look, "Papa get closer- get closer-", tapping his shoulder, Leo pressed his finger over his mouth and crawled just a bit closer, 'What where did the monster go!', Leo wanted to get closer, but there was no trees on that side of the island, "You're okay!-", Leo turned back to the group as he shuffled around the island, getting as close as he could, "We were worried about you!-"

"Well what took you so long I've been here for months", Leo was confused as Angie spoke, 'We've been here longer than a few months, what is Angie talking about, "Months?", Leo was glad to see his counterpart noticed what Angie said had to be false, "Or maybe a few hours-", Leo wanted to run up to Angie, to shake him back into reality, but Angie just kept talking, "-I don't have a watch"

"But we went through the portal like fifteen seconds behind you?-"

'...what?-', letting go of the edge, Leo turned away from the group, and stared at his hands, 'Fifteen? This can't be true, if...if that were true then...', Leo felt something dripped down his face, 'They-...they could still be looking for me-"

"G̵̳͔̭̎ͅG̴̨̡͎͕̘̎͒G̸̢̼̜̖̊͑͑́̔̎Ṅ̵̜̎̾̀N̸̓́̍̀̕͘ͅN̷̲̯͗̓̌̐͋Ǎ̸̮̩̠̼̮̺̄̀̋͠A̸̙̰̯̻̼̼̓̐̕A̷̫̐͋́̈ͅÀ̵̰͇̻̥̣̔̉̑͝Ả̶͈̲̖̲̀̆͌A̷̢̽̏R̴͎͓̟̝̝͜͠R̶͇̖̜͕̳̄̍̈́͠͝R̶͖̋͗K̶̬̝͉̀̈́K̶̢̗̹̝̞̒K̵͙̺̫̋̀͌̎", breaking out of his thought, Leo peaked back over the edge and watched as the monster ran away, "Wait how did you-"

"Let's get moving! That things gonna keep coming back, and we gotta rescue leatherhead- ooh! Better stock up on bang rocks"

"Mikey be careful?!-", Leo watched them as the group continued to talk, he watched Angie's brothers interact with him, but the thought- those words continued to repay in his head, 'My brothers...what if they're still looking for me?!', squatting down on the underneath of the island, Leo lifted his wrist towards his face, "System, has...", he didn't want to think about, what if they already came for Leo, what if it's too late, "Has there been any portals opening inside the Prison Dimension?", it took a moment for the system to speak as it tried to think back to any abnormal activity, Leo looked up towards the group.

Yes Leonardo...

It seems there has been portal activity seen inside the Prison Dimension

During the time period when the portal was opened

I remember trying to wake you

However you didn't wake to my alarms

'They...they already came...'

"Now let's go rescue Leatherhead!", Leo turned back towards Angie as he lead his brothers to a building, 'that dream...', pushing up from the ground, I raced after Angie and his brothers, "System, I had this dream where my brothers failed to save me, but instead saved a version of me from the future, is that possibly-"

It could possibly be a vision you saw

I am aware that you and your kin have supernatural powers

However the portal could have been something unrelated to your kin

"No! It had to be him, they did come for me...now its my turn, I have to find them...", pulling out the slug, Leo aimed for the underside of the neighboring island and shot the tentacle, tugging on it, Leo flew threw the air, "System the moment we get out of this place, I need you to find any way to get back home...no matter what it takes"

Yes Terrapin

Chapter 21: We're Free Angie

POV Leo:

Landing on the underside of another island, I crouched down on my hands and knees, crawling on the tips of my fingers and toes. I moved closer and closer to the edge, peering over the edge, I readjust the disguise and watched as the group crouched in front of a building. Tearing my eyes away from the group, I stared at the building, 'Why does this place look so...familiar?...', I decided to ignore the thought and crawled over the edge, and without making a sound, I crawled further on the topside of the island and made my way straight towards them, listening as the group talked amongst each other, "Okay! I got some good news and I got some bad news", Angie hung upside down from the tree, hanging from the slug, "What's the good news"

"There's thousands of Kraang droids in there-"

"I said good news-", Angie flipped down from the tree, and stood behind his brothers, crouching down on the tree, "I know-", crouching down close to the ground, I looked around the area and noticed the very top of the tower, that was how we were getting inside. Breaking away from the group, I slowly stood to my feet and ran off to the side, listening as their voice got lower and lower, 'As long as I get out of this place, it doesn't matter if they know I exist!-', something broke my concentration, the ground around me shook below my feet, and as I looked up there was two huge monsters, staring at the group I left behind, I watched as Angie's brother's broke off, not listening to a word Angie had to say. 'They're distracted-', reaching into my satchel, I grabbed the slug and aimed it for the very top of the tower, squeezing the slug, the tentacle flew through the air and stuck to the edge. Before I even tugged the slug, I looked at Angie as he ran into the fight, 'Its time I go home to Angie...', looking back up at the roof with a strong pull, the slug pulled me all the way to the top, send me straight in the air just a few feet above the building, "Papa...why aren't we going with Uncle Mikey?"

"Because he needs to be with his other family for a while, but don't worry-", landing on the roof, I raced for the vent, and unscrewed each bolt, dropping each one off to the side, "-When I find a way, you'll get to see my- our family soon, okay?"

"But I don't want a new Uncle, I want him...", with my legs hanging over the edge, I took a deep breath and stared down into the dark tunnel, "I know Jay, but life's not always fair, so unless his brothers want me around, we're just gonna go into hiding for now...now shhh we don't want the monsters to hear us", falling into the vent, I held onto the edge and stared at the bottom of the vent, "Yo! Bro!-", a voice spoke loud enough as I fell down and hit the bottom, "Uncle!"

"Uncle?", three voices spoke in unison as they stepped forward and stared at us, "Jay, quiet voice-", I whispered loudly and looked back up to Angie, "Dude what are you doing here, I thought you were going through the front!-"

"Was I supposed to? Anyway, I saw you climb up here!-"

"Mikey, you have five seconds to talk. Who is this guy?!", I couldn't see who was talking as a hand pointed towards the vent, the other turtle looked inside, staring at me, "Oh! I forgot to tell you! This is Leonardo from another dimension!"

"What?!"

"Look, we don't have time to waste", crouching down, I crawled down the vent, making sure his brothers knew I was not there to waste time, 'Come on...where', an army crawl was all I could do without hitting Jay on the head, holding Krisa close to my chest, I turned down every corner I needed to, noticing the vent opening at the end of the tunnel. I crawled just a bit faster, and as I reached the end, I moved the cover out of the way. Freedom was so close, we were almost home...

I am almost home...

I wanted to leave this place, to get out of this damn dimension and as I reached for the cover, I tossed it off to the side, and hung my feet through the vent, holding onto the ledge, "Leo- hold up!-", I dropped to the ground, and stepped closer and closer to the door, Angie whispered louder, begging me to stop, but I had an advantage, I was a fake prisoner. Tossing all the gear onto the floor, I could hear his brothers slowly making their way to the exit and as I tossed off the mask, I reached for the door and pushed it open, "What is he doing?!-", and as I stepped out the door was shut just as quickly, "System, is this dimension's Kraang Sub-Prime in this building"

Negative

"Good", I knew this place looked familiar, looking around, but the moment I was out of sight from the others, the ooze slowly covered my body as I strolled down the hall, and took off both satchels and swords, holding the bags in one hand and the swords in another, "Prisoner 013-19129418, you were due to arrive in what is known as the food preparations sector, five minutes prior to the moment that is known as now"

"c̵̣̽ḯ̶͈̤f̷̧̲̃̋f̶̩̋ã̸̫̣̏r̷̩̄̿ṭ̷̇.̷͖̆͑.̸̼̀́.̶̟̞̏͝o̵̡̟͂t̶̝͕̉ ̸̙̍ë̸̯̣́͗u̸̬͌̍d̴̟̤̄ ̴͉̱̒ẽ̸͜t̷͍̓͘ͅạ̴͍̎l̴͖̒ ̶̦́s̴͍̚å̵̢̚ẅ̷̩́ ̸̺̤̃9̶̜̦̄1̷̰͖̋̄2̴̨̱̋̕0̶̠̌͘ ̴̱̹́d̸̗̈́ǐ̴͕ò̵̺͙ȑ̷͎D̵̨̊̓ ̴̨̪͑,̷̮̫̄r̷͉̓ĭ̸̩̗̀s̴̞̯̊ ̸̪̐s̶͙̕ė̸̘̣̕z̸̢̼͆ī̷̙͉̏g̴̬͛o̷̙̼͂͐l̴̦̍͜ö̶̖̞́̇p̶͓̦̾̈́A̵̗͘"

(Apologizes sir, Droid 0219 was late due to...traffic)

"Alright. Proceed", my steps were slow as I looked around the floor, 'He should be-...there!', throwing my satchels and swords back into place, I let the ooze slowly disappear and as the last bit of ooze vanished the others turned the corner, trying to keep up with me, 'Hopefully they didn't see anything'. I hopped on the ball of my feet, racing towards the end of the hall, looking back over my shoulder, I watched as the three tried to keep up with Angie as he was able to run by my side, "How did you do that?", he spoke quietly as he ran, 'Shit Angie saw...', racing towards the corner, I slowed down and peaked around the corner, "How do you think I found you...", noticing two droids guarding the hallway, both fully armed.

 His brothers finally caught up and as they saw the droids, his Leo reached for his swords only for Angie to stop him, and reached for two slugs, aiming them straight towards the droids, Angie pulled the aliens out of their suits, "Smooth...", turning around, I could hear something on the other side of the hallway, voices...walking away from the group, I noticed a small laboratory door and peered through the window, the others followed over, watching as the Kraang sprayed a tree, smothering the tree as ooze dripped onto the floor and the tree turned into one from this dimension, 'No...no no no no no!', my eyes shook as I watched them cover the tree.

"This is good Terra, this could lead to another fight on earth if we don't fix it now"

'Venom's right. We had to fix this before it's too late, but how?!', the door opened wide with any effort and the group ran inside, leaving me behind as I glared at the ground below me. But I was stuck, everything replayed in my mind, "It's going to happen again..."

"But Terra this war might be different!"

I slowly stept inside, and stared at the screens, imagines of their plan was everywhere, "How...how is this different-"

"These Kraang are weaker!- We- you can win this one!-"

"No-", I shook my head and stood there, "- not this time, I don't have my brothers-", Angie grabbed my hand and pulled me along, "Come on! Donnie found where Leatherhead!", a creatures screams filled the halls, 'this isn't safe! We should go home-'

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!-"

"This way I hear him!-"

"We know Mikey, we can hear him too-", I couldn't face him, he would recognize me...running behind Angie, his friend's voice echoed around the halls, everyone had their weapons out by their sides and as we got closer Angie's brothers made it to the front, taking down the droids before they even knew who was here, "Leatherhead! Are you okay? What can I do for you? Can you-", Mikey pulled off the restraints, only for his friend to fall right on top of him, "Ooooow...Get...off of me!-", his voice was muffled, pushing up from the ground, his friend leaned on his knee, and took some time to catch his breath, "Thank you, my friends. I feared you would never come", his voice sounded so raspy as he spoke and he looked...too old, is this actually Angie's friend, "Dude, did you quit moisturizing or something? You look, like, a ton older"

"It's the temporal differential, Mikey"

"Yes, I have been in this place for many decades now, spying on the Kraang. When I discovered that they had perfected the mutagen, I had to contact you. The time has come. Their invasion begins now. Follow me!", grabbing his crystal staff, Leatherhead raced out of the cell only to stop and roar at the Kraang creature at his feet, "He's a little cranky"

-------------------------------------

Running to the edge, I stared at the many portals that filled this room, "Papa...I'm hungry...", I turned back towards Jay as he whispered to me, and reached into my satchel, handing him a piece of dried meat, "Oh, that's not good", there was only a few droids, working on the console in the middle of the room, "So many portals! Why so many?!-"

"Look!", Leatherhead pointed towards the door as alarms went off and the door opened, releasing thousands of droids into the room, "So looks like we're done here?", the group talked to one another, but as they talked, I couldn't hear any of it. The sound of ringing filled my ears as I stepped closer and closer to the edge, I couldn't breathe, none of the little air that filled this place touched my lungs, I felt trapped. Reaching for the swords I left in my holsters, I stood on the very edge and as I held my sword out, the ringing finally stopped and the air finally reached my lungs, I was finally in control of this body, "Protect them, Venom...don't be seen"

"Of course, Terra"

With all my might, I hurled the sword towards the center of the army and watched as the blade through the air, "He's blowing our cover!-", holding the sword with all my might, my stripes glowed brightly as the air around me shifted, swapping places in a blink of an eye, "!̶͓̖͗!̴̗̐!̵̟̰̩̰́͒̊̕G̴̰̞͕̩͝G̵̜͌̽̀́G̶͔̤͝N̵͇̋͐͜N̷̨̗͚̩͛͆͘͘Ñ̶͙̈́́A̵͈͈̳̚A̵͍͚̹͐A̴̢̺͗͂̏Á̷̜̩̙̾A̶̩͒̏͂ͅÄ̴̻͎̜͔́̾͛́Ȓ̷̻̓͝Ṟ̷͆̏R̷̲̾̈́͒͠K̷̙̪̰͕̀͑͑͝Ḱ̶͕͈̟̯̈́̂̔Ḵ̸̳͎͎̽", droids tumbled as I screamed around myself, lights flickering on and off, "HALT! The one that is known as Prisoner 013-19129418-", the droid talked on and on as the other surrounded me, their weapons aimed straight towards us, "-You will come with Kraang-", ripping the sword from the ground, I held each sword on each side of my body, and crouched down closer to ground, pushing off the balls of my feet, I charged towards the closest droid and watched as the blade slid through the robot, "!̸̢̜͇̤͚̓̇!̷̯͕̟̒̋͜ͅ!̴̢͙̣̀͗̄̀̊R̶͔͙̦̊͗̓͜͠E̷̫͉͑̍͝V̸̛͖̖̰͜Ê̴̫̯̩Ǹ̶̙͉̺̊ ̵̼̽̉͊́̔R̵̟̼̀̚Ŏ̴̙̘͍͙̈́ ̵̨̼̄̈͝W̷̭͘O̷̖͈͊͐͗͛͜N̵̘̣̤͎͛̑̌̚ ̷̞͚̓S̷͈̹̝̮̅̿̅͘T̵̜̤̗̺͊̌̇̋I̶̧͇̗͗̑̔̑͝ ̸̫̘̯̪̉̋́!̸͔̹͔͙̼̓̋͘?̶̤̮̺͐R̵͐͗͜O̸̻̚F̴̼͎̈́͛̏̽̂ ̶̰̠̼͉̯̕Ǧ̵̹̙̦̈́̈́̕͜N̶̡̋̓͊͐Ḯ̴̻͖̬͠T̴̬͎̓̍̇͝Ḭ̴̛̩̠͖̤̄̎͐̉A̷͐̕͘ͅẄ̸̡̹̗́͝ͅ ̴͍͛̈́͐͗U̵̡̼̾̚Ǒ̷̞̞̤̂͜͝ͅŸ̵̡̞̯́̌ ̶̢͕̣̘̐̅͋̚̚Ë̵̤̭̹͕̯́̓͌R̵̟̈́̊̓̋̕Ȃ̵̪̫͖͘͜ͅ ̷̠͔̠́̎T̴̗͚̞̻͑͆͆Ạ̸̧̘̻͛H̶͋̀͜͝W̸̨̲͔̙͑̂̔"

(WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! ITS NOW OR NEVER!!!)

I raised my blades and as I stepped closer to the hoard the ground shook and a loud roar followed, making all the droid turn away from me. "Yo don't take all the fun!", Angie's Raph ran towards me and stabbed the droid next to him with Leo on the other side. "Ha! You don't understand how much I needed this!-", droids fired their guns straight for us, but I was faster, bouncing around the droids, I hooked the end of the blade around their necks and hurled the droid across the crowd, laughing as the droids fell to the ground.

"Terra you need to be careful, Krisa isn't as strapped in as Jay is-"

"Shit!-", I looked around the room, searching for something, someplace where I can fix myself, 'the ledge!-', spinning on my heel, I chucked my sword straight towards the edge and watched as it flew through the air, spinning around and around, and as I held my sword up in the air, I closed my eyes and transferred where the sword was, grabbing it just in time, but the air was filled with Krisa's cries as her hands reached out from the bag, "Oh no no no no no no- It's okay. It's okay...", picking her up, I saw the reason for her tears, my throat stung and my eye watered, covering my mouth, I hugged her close to my chest, "I'm so sorry-I'm sorry-", pulling her away from me I stared at the wound on her arm, my hands trembling as I watched it bleed and her skin turning paler by the minute, "System please tell me she's going to be okay?!-", reaching into my satchel, I grabbed a small bundle on bandages and gauzes, wrapping the cloth around her arm and tie the left over into a little knot, giving her arm enough room to breath.

The wound care you did will have to work for now

Looking at her arm it doesn't look like she'll need stitches

However I want you to understand this will scar

Sliding down the wall, I pulled my knees and held Krisa even closer, listening as her wails became quiet whimpers, "I'm so sorry honey-, shh sh sh its okay, dada's here and I'm not going anywhere hon", I dragged my fingers under her eyes as she smiled up at me, wiping away the wetness from her cheeks, "Nothings going to happen to either of you, not when I'm with you...not anymore-"

"LEOOOOOO!!!", lifting my head, I turned towards the voice, 'Shit I wasted too much time', clutching Krisa close to my chest, I stumbled closer to the edge, and threw my sword straight for the portal, teleporting just as quickly. Stepping on the ground, I reached into my satchel and as I stepped through the only open portal, I threw a half of the remainer crystals I had, taking out many droids, "Angie come on!"

"Wait-", Angie was finally through, but with the slug, he grabbed one more thing, a crystal, 'Wait! Breaking it off the tree means?!-', I didn't get to finish the thought as the portal was almost closed the entire facility on the other side exploded, destroying everything. 'I'm out...I'm-...we're free', stepping away from the group, I stared out at the morning sky, "Donnie! I got you a power source for your Turtle Mech", for the first time in so long, I finally could relax and fell to the ground, letting the ooze fully disappeared. Turning back towards Jay, I pulled him closer to me and hugged them so tightly, "You can talk now Jay...we're safe...", his hand reached around Krisa and me, and hugged us tightly, "Papa...I'm hungry..."

"Me too Jay, me too-", my whole body tensed as something grabbed my shoulder, wrapping my arm around both my kids, I held my blade up, glaring at the threat, "Whoa whoa!- Its okay!-", crawling away, I glared at the mutants that surrounded me, "Wait he has kids?!", my heart pounding in my head as I pointed my blade at the mutants that surrounded me, I couldn't breathe, I didn't recognize any of these mutants. Searching around the rooftop, I saw the rows of buildings, "Whoa Leo its okay its me...remember $(!*#%?...", I glared at the mutant that walked closer, its hand reaching towards me, "Ang- angie...angie...where! Where's Angie?!", I turned back to where the portal once was, my brow bone turned upwards, 'No no nononononononono! I left him behind'

"I- I left Angie?!"

"&*%%@$, what's wrong with him?"

"It's his time inside Dimension X possibly, he has been so used to threats, that his body perceives everything as a threat even in a safe place, including !@^$~!-", this place isn't safe, but as I stood up the mutant reached for me, it was too close, grinding my teeth, I was ready to kill it, "!̷̗̭͛̇!̴̳̞̐̑̏͝!̴̨̬̹͓͎̒E̷̟͍͈̝͌̃̀M̶̞̪̳̋ ̷͓͙͇̫̥́́̈́̎͜Ṁ̶̮̥͖̟̈̆ͅO̶͉̼̩̥̱̯̾͊̏̾̏͆R̶̢̫̥̳̐́̽̕F̴̧̡̧̪̙͎͌́̍̃̚ ̴̟̠͛Y̴̭̒̀͝A̸̡̳̓W̸̧͋̅̈̈̆̚A̸̜̬̲͔͑̉̓̄ ̵͉͕̥͌̂̆͜Ţ̷̛̥̰͙̻̲̈̓Ȇ̶̺̺͓̜̈́G̶̫̹̮͒"

(GET AWAY FROM ME!!!)

But as I lifted my blade, a voice spoke up, hugging me with all its might, "You're safe Leo...we're both safe, you- your kids...We are all safe...", the fog from my eyes disappeared, showing who the mutants really were, "Angie- I thought I left you-"

"Pfft- You couldn't get rid of me no matter how hard you tried!", I laughed quietly as my arm relaxed, "Yeah I know-"

"Guys we should go its already day out..."

"Oh shit-, yeah that's probably a good idea"

I was free...

Pushing myself up from the ground, I tumbled back onto the ground, "Angie...I...don't...feel"

"Leo?", my eyes fluttered as something floated in and out of my vision, "Mikey what's going on we need to-"

"Hey kids...", I couldn't breathe as the sound of their voices rand in my ear, 'I needed to get home...please...I want to see...my family', my hand reached for my throat as I looked at the kids, Jay's eyes full of worry, "I'm...", my voices sounded almost close to a breath, wheezing as I spoke, "-really tired...be...good to your Un-", I didn't get the chance to finish, my head felt so heavy, laying down on the ground, I watched as their footsteps ran straight for me, hands pressing against my neck...

"Guys...please...take me...home..."

 

Chapter 22: Fighting Another War

POV Leo:

Darkness was all I could see, I couldn't feel anything, but as I laid on the ground, I listened to the sounds that filled this void, listening to the voices surrounding me...

"Noooo Papa! Papa!"

"Mikey help me get these kids off of him, I need to check his vitals!"

"Bro stop!- Ack- Donnie you're scaring them!"

The voices spoke around me, arguing amongst one another, pushing up from the ground, I looked around the darkness, 'loud...too loud...', why was it so loud...

Walking away from the noise, I wrapped my hands around myself, and my eyes felt heavy as I stepped further and further away from the sounds, away from the arguing. Lifting my hands I wrapped the palms of my hands over my eyes, closing my eyes as tight as I could, my teeth grinding against each, listening as their voice slowly got louder and louder, and the sound of ringing filled my ears.

"Stop..."

I whispered as I continued to walk, my hands never falling from the side of my head as I slowly walked faster and faster, gripping the side of my face, I pinched my skin harder and harder, yet for some reason I couldn't feel anything...

I couldn't feel the pain...

"Stop..."

"Stop"

"Stop"

"Stop"

"Stop"

"STOP"

" STOP "

"Leonardo..."

Everything felt silent as the soft voice broke the noise, lifting my head, I looked around but as I looked forward, there she was...

"GramGram?..."

My knees gave out and fell to my feet, I watched as she walked forward, I tried to speak, to say something to her, but nothing came out out of my mouth, my jaw chattered as my words trembled, my throat and eyes stung as I reached out for her, noticing the gentle smile appear on her face...

"Hello Leonardo...how have you been?"

She walked towards me, and helped me up from my knees, letting me sit on the ground right next to her, but for some reason I didn't speak, staring at my hands as I rubbed my thumb along my palm

"Hm...then how are the kids... How is Venom ..."

I froze, turning towards GramGram, I squeezed my hand and looked back down at my hand, watching as the nail dug deeper and deeper into my palm, yet I couldn't feel it

"Wha-what?"

"You think I didn't know about them? Krisa Karai and Jay Lou?"

It was strange...

Her voice sounded so calm as she spoke, yet I could feel my heart racing, pounding in my head as she said their names, sweat dripping down my forehead.

"And I must say..."

She lifted her hand, waving something over in the darkness, I tried to see what she saw, to see what she wanted to come over so badly, but as the dark figure walked out, I could tell in a moment who it was...

"Venom?"

Switching back and forth between the two, I feared Karai would take him down, that she would kill him before she ever got to know him, but as she reached for his hand bringing him down to join us, her soft smile never left her face as she turned towards me

"You need to understand, from what I've seen all three- your kids and Venom care a lot about you, Leo...and even though Venom is-...was created by the enemy, he is a good...person"

I wanted to believe her words, I truly wanted to, but as I looked around the void and stared at Venom, I could only laugh, my face falling flat into my palms as my laughs grew louder and louder, until finally I stopped and looked up towards GramGram, her smile left and her brows were turned upwards

"I know this is just a dream..."

"Le-"

"I know none of this is real..."

My eyes stung, and my throat burned as I glared at the ground, drop after drop fell to the ground

"Goodbye Leonardo and-"

She stopped, pushing up against the ground she slowly walked away as a green light covered her entire body only to stop and look at me one last time

"Your brothers miss you...I hope you know that..."

-------------------------------

Opening my eyes, I winced and squeezed them shut, 'why is it so bright...', my body felt stiff as I laid on a cloth surface, squinting my eyes open, I shifted my head to the side only to look back up, taking slow deep breaths, 'Where am I...how...how long did I sleep', staring up at the ceiling, my eyes felt so heavy as felt around the bed, searching for something familiar. 

"Ah! I'm so worried, I can't even eat", lifting my arm, I groaned as my arms slammed back down on the surface, 'Right...I'm no...longer in Dimension X', I listened to the group speaking on the other side of the room, fidgeting with the blanket that was draped over my body, protecting me from the cool air, "Me too, totally-", he didn't sound worried, dragging one leg off of the cot, I exhaled quite loudly as I felt something heavy lay on my chest and another weight pushed against my side, "You have a right to be concerned. The Kraang invasion is imminent. What plans have you devised to stop it?", my body felt so heavy, everything felt so heavy, I felt so...weak, "I give you my latest invention-", sounds of paper shuffling around filled the room, finally with all the strength I had, I looked up, wanting to know what the weight was, it was my kids resting soundly against my body, "-the Turtle Mech! It's fully armed with rockets, flame throwers, and an electro harpoon. Guaranteed to stop a massive Kraang invasion army, or your money back", I tore my eyes away from the kids, and stared at the group, turning my gaze up to the subject they were speaking of, a giant robot, "Giant robots are awesome! I vote Turtle Mech!-"

"But that thing's not even ready. It could damage New York more than help it"

"It's ready... enough", I was finally able to drag both feet off the bed with Krisa pressed firmly against my chest, I leaned back against the wall, I felt dizzy, and watched as the world around me went in and out of focus as I stared at the group, "Papa...I don't feel so good...I feel...heavy...", I nodded my head as I tried to stand up only to fall back onto the bed, "Same bud...lets go to the bathroom-"

"Leo-", I looked up at the voice, "Angie...where's the bathroom? And...can you carry Jay", nodding his head, Angie reached down and picked Jay up, letting the young frog lay his head on his shoulder, Angie lead us towards the closest bathroom, "But you're not leader, Donnie! I am!", Angie stopped as he looked towards the group, "Oh, snap-

"Enough! Your egos fight one another when we should be preparing to fight the Kraang", sliding open the door, Angie ushered me out and closed the door before any of them could notice, "Sorry about them-"

"It's fine...", stretching my legs, the heaviness was starting to disappear, I was able to keep up with Angie, "Right here-", with his feet he pushed open a bathroom and as I made it through, I locked the door immediately.

Michelangelo it has been far too long since our discussion

I advise one of you to go out and get those water pills

If we wait any longer then there could be complications

However in the meantime until you get those pills

Any form of a diuretic will suffice

"Like what?"

Fruits

Vegetables

Herbs

And coffee

Some common fruits and vegetable that you can eat are things like

Lemons

Celery

Garlic

Onions

Bell peppers

Watermelon

Cucumbers

Ginger

Grapes

Asparagus

Pineapple

"That sounds good for now, there are other forms of diuretics, however, the list she gave you is on the healthy side, so we'll stick with that if we don't find any water pills-", tossing water on my face, I shook my head and walk straight towards the door, by as my hand hung over the knob I stopped, "Hey System, is there a reason the three of us are feeling...funny?"

The only explanation I have is gravitational differences

"Wha?-"

Think about it

You four were in a Dimension X for almost an entire year

Your bodies got use to the semi zero gravity inside that dimension

So when it got back to earth

Your bodies felt "funny" as you put it Terrapin

You just need to walk for some time

You both look fine for now

As for the kids try to make them move around more

They'll be fine in less than a day

"Okay...", pushing open the door, Angie and I walked out of the bathroom and walked straight towards their ancient TV, "Hey...I'm going out-"

"What- no!"

"Just put TV on for them, but lay pillows on the ground for them", looking around their lair, I saw two pillows and a blanket folded neatly on the concrete couch. "Leo, its still day out- You could be seen!-"

"Its fine, I'll stay in the shadows", with only one hand I pulled the blanket and drapped it over the ground, placing each pillow in the right spot, "But until I come back, please watch them, and remember Jay can eat whatever, but Krisa has to have fresh meat, she's too young for anything else-"

"Papa...can I come with you", Jay was finally able to lift his head, but as he looked at me, I could only smile, setting Krisa on the ground, and laying her head on the pillows, "Sorry buddy, its dangerous for you right now, plus... I'm just getting something for Uncle Mikey okay? Don't tell anyone, can you do that for me", Jay nodded his head as he hugged Angie, "Plus, if Angie tells me you did good, maybe tonight, you can join me while I train..."

"Really?...", his voice sounded so tired as he spoke, I nodded my head, "Can you teach me how to fight too?"

"Sure buddy, now get some rest", making sure, I had everything, I turned towards the entrance and turned back towards Angie, "I'll be back soon...". Nodding his head, I walked past Angie and made my straight towards the tunnels, "System show me the route to the closest pharmacy and clothing shop nearby", noticing a tunnel nearby, I ran straight towards it, sounds of water hitting the concrete filled the air, squeaks from the rats echoed across the walls.

*DING*

The device on my wrist glowed and a projection came from it, showing me the quickest route to the pharmacy, 'Okay...okay!-", racing down the dark tunnel, I could see the dark ladder at the end of the hall, I reached for the ladder and climbed to the very top. Pushing up at the cover, I peeked through the crack, 'No one...good', pushing the cover out of the way, I stepped out and ran straight towards the fire escape, looking back and forth from the projection to the edge of the alley. 'Five blocks...', reaching up towards the next bar, I climbed to the very top and looked over the block, racing towards the direction of the store, I struggled, jumping from rooftop to the next, but as I leaped from building to building, I was finally getting the hand of it, 'ooh! Maybe I should pick something up for the kids, and pick some food up for Krisa while I'm out!-', landing on the neighboring building.

Staring at the projection, I looked away from the map and looked around the rooftop, "It should be right...", noticing some boxes placed off to the side, I moved each one, "Here!", and found a vent barely big enough for me to fit through. Peaking over the edge, I sat back down, unscrewing each bolt and placing it on the ground, 'Where is everyone?... This dimension is way quieter than mine- and smaller', stepping into the vent, I slid down to the bottom of the tunnel, dragging my hands along each ridge, 'Fffff-uck its so cold-', noticing a sliver of light, I crawled faster, my toes clawing at the vent. Reaching the light, I peeked through the open slivers in the vent, and looked for the first item, clothes. Looking around, I noticed a pair of black sweat pants and a massive black graphic hoodie both with red accents on them, 'Perfect...', reaching for my sword, I waved my blade around in a small circle, creating a small portal right in between the clothes. Reaching inside the portal, I grabbed each pair of clothing and pulled it all the way through, closing the portal before the clerk could even notice, 'One down...one  to go'.

-------------------------------

*Ding*

'God- who knew a few bandages would make me feel so cramped...', counting through the tens and twenty, I walked through the door and turned towards the front counter, 'I think this should be enough- Wait wheres the cashier?', shrugging my shoulders, I shoved the money into my pockets and walked through the aisles, 'medication...medication...I think I should stock up on some other medications as well'. Standing in front of the pharmacy section, I slipped kid vitamins, bandages, I was even able to find polysporin, tossing all the stuff into the basket, 'Now where's that- oh here we are', reaching for the water pills, I tossed it into the basket, and made my way straight towards the counter.

*Ding*

Adjusting the hood, I walked straight towards the counter, keeping my head turned downwards, "Just this today- oh!-", noticing a mask, I grabbed it off the display and placed it on the counter, "and this too-"

"Halt!", my hand froze in place as I stared down at the ground, slipping on the mask, I turned my head just a bit, and stared at the newcomer, 'Kraang?!', shoving my hand into my pantleg, I grabbed my sword and turned towards the droids, still holding onto the basket. "Human!-", pulling out only one sword, I turned towards the droids, and lifted my head, watching as one of the droids raised its arm, opening its mouth, I lunged straight towards the droids. Slicing the blade straight through the two Kraang's robotic bodies and watched as each half fell to the ground.

Stepping over the robots, my eyes widen as I saw the outside, 'Wha-...WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FOUR MINUTES I WAS INSIDE?!'. robots as tall as the buildings walked the streets, chasing humans from one side to the other, 'Alright this has to be similar to my dimension- it has to be! Find the key. Stop the Kraang!', gripping the basket, I raced towards the closest alley, humans of all ages raced passed me, cars spreading down streets, honking at one another as they tried so hard to get out of the city, but as I reached up towards the fire escape ladder, pulling myself up, something grabbed my leg, trying so hard to pull me down. "Let go!-", kicking the hand, I looked down at the threat, but as my eyes met the creatures below, memories...one I wished never resurfaced inside my mind.

It was a monster, no...

It was a human mutated by the Kraang and turned into a Kraangified beast...

"No...no no no no no!", kicking the mutant's hand, I climbed the fire escape and reached for the top bar, pulling myself to the very top of the building, "System! Where's the main threat?!"

Ten blocks east of your position

Coordinates have been sent to you now

"Right!", racing across the rooftops, I searched for the threat, wanting so badly to end this all, I could do it again whether I survived this one like the last, or not.

"Terra..."

"What?!", I stopped as I stared across the space between the building I stood on and the next, the street laid right in between, noticing the fire escape, I climbed down the stairs and hung ten feet in the air, I fell, continuing my journey, searching for the threat.

"Don't think like that...you need to survive for them, for your kids"

'My...my kids!'

"Terra we should head back-"

"No, they're safe! Angie is with them and if he can take down two fucking rock monsters he can handle some Kraang", racing down the street, I held the sword close to my side as I looked down each alley, I ran passed each one and turned down the corner, "Kid! Where are going?! The cities being evacuated-", a police officer stood in front of me, blocking the way out of here, "Wait-...what's with the weapon!-", stepping off to the side, I hurdled of the streets guards, and ran straight towards the end of the street, noticing that the threat was just a few more blocks down the road, "Kid! Stop!", I was ready to end this fight, to finish this fight and find my way back up, but as a robot taller than the buildings themselves stepped out, my foot stuttered, but I couldn't stop, not now, not when I'm this close.

"Casey! Stop that kid-", I looked away from the threat and turned towards the voice, 'Casey?!', a kid skated faster and faster straight towards me, "Ha! You think you can catch me? Haaaaa watch this!-", watching as the inside of the hoodie glowed, I laughed as I turned back towards the teen, his hand getting closer and closer, "Now you see me! And now...you don't!-", watching as a portal appeared, I ran straight through it and got rid of it the moment I stepped through, landing myself just a block away from the main threat, "Kraang Prime..."

Slowing around, I noticed the fire escape and raced towards it, reaching for the lowest bar, I pulled myself up, climbing bar after bar, I watched as the robot threw cars across the street, landing blocks away. "System look over the robot and tell me where the weak point is on the robot", reaching up towards the edge of the building, I pulled myself up to the top of the building, standing at eye level to the robot before me.

Do you see those three hexagons on the Kraang forehead

That is its weakness

"Got it!" placing the basket on the ground, I reached into my pant leg and pulled out my other sword, taking off each piece of clothing, I placed them into the basket and turned towards Kraang Prime, stepping closer and closer to the edge, I took in one deep breath and as the robot turned in my direction, I screamed louder than I ever have, my throat stung as I yelled, "!̴͎͇̱͒̾͌̕͝!̴̼͖̂̑!̴̭̈́͝!̷̠̱̳͖͇̅̀!̶̧̜̖͂̐̒!̵̧̱̞̒G̴̟̩̥̻̔͝ͅG̴̱̰̝̲͕̓̏͝G̶̬̥͊̔̕̕͝͝G̶̦̙̾G̸͖̱̾̅̐̂G̸͕̍͂Ń̴͖̤̤͉̃̔͒̃̒N̷͔͛̌̚͝N̷̫̯͗͆̇̐͝N̶̢͚̾̎N̶̢̬͕̥̟̰͆̌̅̚N̸̮͇͈̝͌̓A̷̡̅̎̀A̸̺͎̯̿̏͜À̴̦́́͝A̶͕̖̤̬̭̔̀̚À̵̬̲̹͊À̴̡̳͕͆̎̽̽Ȃ̵̧͔̹͇̗̎͝Á̷͖͖̟̖̪͂̊̍͝Á̴̛͕̤̉̇̿̚͜Ȁ̸̡Ả̷̳̬͊́̇̕Á̵͎̜̤̺̲̍̍̎̌ͅR̵͇͗R̴̢͍̓̃́R̴̦̃̔R̶͖̍̆̿̍̄̊R̷͎̭̗̘̗͌̇͌R̶̢̾́K̴͈͋̀Ķ̴̀̓̈́̌̌K̶̝̖͔̯̫̂K̵̋ͅK̵̯̝̼̩̻̰̐K̸̛̫̯̎"

 

Chapter 23: Where Are You Leo...

POV Mikey:

Pushing up the manhole cover with my only free hand, I looked around the surfaces, noticing no threat or humans in sight, adjusting Jay as he rested his head on my shoulder with his hands wrapped as tightly as he could around my neck, "Alright coast is clear-"

*Vrrrrrroooooommm*

Ducking my head, I felt the entire ground shake as I dropped the manhole cover, holding on tightly to Jay's hands. Pushing the cover up again, I looked all around the area, noticing that it was clear this time, "Okay, now the coast is clear", moving the cover out of the way, I stepped out the way, and helped both April and Donnie out of the sewers, pushing the cover back into place, "Mikey, please help she won't stop crying no matter what I do-", Krisa cried loudly as she looked around the area, searching for Leo, I turned towards Donnie, noticing him hold his arm, "Ow, ow, it hurts so bad", setting Jay on the ground, I opened my satchel, and picked up Krisa, "You are not putting her in there- you'll be alright, Donnie. I'll get you fixed up, and Mikey I'll hold her just until we get somewhere safe", nodding my head, I tightened the strap over my shoulder and picked Jay back up, resting him on my back. I reached into Leo's satchel and pulled out my T-phone, trying to call Leo, trying...to get ahold of my brother. "Leo, you there? Come on, bro. Poke your head out of your shell and pick up! He's not answering"

"It's my fault. Man, I shouldn't have argued with Leo. Now he's gone-", listening to Donnie, I watched as a tiny pink triangle started to form, reaching for the two, I pulled the straight towards the nearest spot, covering my mouth as I peeked through the glass, "I don't think they saw us"

"Leo was right. We should've gotten out of the city while we had a chance-"

"Not without my dad and the others. Come on, guys", nodding my head, I looked back at Donnie, he still looked worried as he stared down at the ground, 'These two haven't been without Leo ever when they awake-", tightening my hold as Jay leaned on my shell, his arms and legs wrapped tightly around me, but all I could listen to was the sound of Krisa's sobs that filled the air turning into quiet tired whimpers, "We can't leave without him!-"

"Wait since when did Leo save two little mutants?", peaking over the window, I stood up and adjusted Jay on my back, "Not our Leo, a Leo from another dimension"

"Wait what?! When-"

"We don't have time, April. Can you lead the way to your place? I promise when the time comes I'll explain", I looked over towards Donnie as he continued to hold his arm, "Plus if we find him, he's his team medic, he'll be able to look at Donnie's arm", April nodded his head and stood up just enough, peaking over the car, April waved us over and raced out of the alleyway, still holding onto my phone, I scrolled through my contacts, and pressed my finger on Raph's, watching as the phone rung, I placed it right next to my ear.

Raph: "Mikey, where are you?"

Mikey: "On the way to April's apartment. Meet us there, dude!"

Raph: "Roger that"

Shoving my phone into my pocket, I caught up with April, "Raph knows where to meet us"

"Good!", April quickened her steps as we ran down the streets, looking around any openings we passed through, I tried to look for Leo, looking at street after street, but there was no sign of him, I listened to the destruction around us, the screams and noises of demolition filled the air, I couldn't hear him, I wanted to scream, to yell out for him, but that would cause attention on us, and Donnie's not in any good shape to fight, so I did the only thing I could think over, "April! Take Donnie to your place! Donnie send me her apartments location when you get there-"

"What about you?!-"

"I'm going to look for Leo, he went out after he woke up and we still haven't seen any sign of him!", slowing down, I looked for the closest fire escape, walking further and further from the group, "No er- Mikey we need to go to April's place. After we all meet up, we will look for Leo-"

"But what if he needs our help...wha-"

"Mikey!-", April's voice sounded so loud as she spoke, using her only free hand, April grabbed onto my arm, pulling me towards her apartment, "April!- Stop, we have to look for him, he could be hurt-"

"Then we'll look for him after the group meets up at my place! Look-", we stopped running, letting go of my arm, April turned back towards me with Donnie right by her side, it felt so lonely, no one was here with me, no one was on my side, except one person...and these "friends" are telling me to forget him, to leave Leo behind, "After we get the group together and these two in a safe place, we will look for your friend-", I tried to speak up, to say something, I had to, I couldn't just leave these two without their dad, "Mikey, April's right, if that guy is seriously in danger, its better if we all go together as a group, not just you"

"Fine", I knew if I didn't agree to these two, I would be in way more trouble with Leo, sighing tiredly, I walked towards Donnie, glaring at him as he stumbled a bit backward, pressing my finger against his chest, "-but if he's severely hurt, I will seriously shove that in both your faces forever", nodding her head, April quickly turned around and raced down the alleyway. I watched every single movement April made with her body, nothing too aggressive, nothing too crazy, but I didn't care about April, I cared about the life she was carrying, staring at Krisa, I made sure every hand she used to hold the tiny infant who was still barely over a foot tall.

'Too rough! Too rough-", running closer to April, I watched as she swayed her body back and forth, shaking the baby with her, "April, give me Krisa-"

"What?- No its okay I got her-"

"April, that was a request, give me my niece now-"

"Mikey what the heck is with you! April is more than enough to carry a infant-", April ran towards a building, only to slow down last moment, but Donnie and I were still standing in the alley, I watched as he blushed, scratching the side of his cheek with a strange smile on his face, 'Does he really have time to think like that!-', turning away from Donnie, I raced towards April as she messed with the front, door, pulling it harder and harder, shaking Krisa way too much, "April, just give me my niece"

"Mikey, its fine!-"

"Donnie, I don't care about what you think about in your head, but I care more about my niece than April's opinion- Now April give me Krisa now-"

"Why won't you just let me help you?!-", I felt something snap as I stared at the girl, everything she was doing was wrong, holding Krisa with one arm, shaking her around as she ran, Krisa could be in a alot of pain and April wouldn't know it, "Because you hurting her! Look at her-", Krisa before I even told April to give her back fought against April's hold, pushing against her shoulder, whines filling the air, but now she was crying uncontrollable as she turned towards me, reaching for me, "That's because you're screaming-"

"No its because she doesn't know you! She wants her Uncle!...come here kiddo", April tried to keep her close, but as Krisa leaned her body towards me, I grabbed her only for April to glare at me, but I didn't care, not right now, the only people I cared about were these two and their father, "Jay hold on as tight as you can, just for a bit longer", voices my words under my breath, and got a nod as a responce. Walking in front of April, I followed the path to the floor she lived on, 'April lives on the third floor, so-"

*SMACK*

I could never get used to the feeling of no pain, it felt so strange...

Turning around, I faced an angry Donnie as he walked beside me, April passed us as I stood still staring at my pissed brother, "Mikey, what the hell is your problem...", Donnie grabbed my shoulder, my face was left flat as I watched him use all his strength, trying so hard to scare me, yet I felt nothing as I watched him try, "Are you done, I need to get these two safe", walking as quickly and smoothly as possible, I followed after April as she held the stairway door wide open, waving us over. Donnie tried so many times to talk to me, but I just ignored him, now was not the time to chat, I honestly don't understand why he thought it was perfect timing, but I didn't, "Michaelangelo", I hated when my brother Leo said my full name, so when I heard Donnie say it seriously pissed me off, 'Where does this dude get the right to teach me a lesson', Donnie ran beside me as I made my way up the stairs, "Donatello?", staring at him through the corner of my eye, I raised my brow bone, "Hurry up guys!", speeding up, I ran through the door and followed after April, I watched as she unlocked a door and held it wide open.

Running inside the room, I made my way straight for the couch, and placed the tired Jay on the side of the couch, sitting right next to him, "Look Jay, I know you don't feel good, but I know how to help you!-", I noticed through the corner of my eye, April guiding Donnie into the apartment, setting him on the floor in front of the crouch, but that wasn't what distracted me, it was Kirby, walking back and forth. "How?...", Jay's voice sounded so tired as he spoke, rubbing his eyes, I try to wake him up from this sleepiness and the weight he feels, "Here-", Krisa fell asleep just a few moments ago, placing her on the couch, I reached for both of Jay's hand and pulled him off the couch, standing right behind him, "Uncle Mikey, I don't think I can do this...", Jay's legs almost gave out a few times as I made him walk a few feet, his small hands held on tightly, "Let's walk around this couch two times, then you can sit down okay", nodding his head, he stared down at his feet, watching as one foot stepped in front of the other, "Good job, just one more time-"

"The city's overrun. What are we!-... What is anyone going to do?!", stepping over Donnie's legs, I noticed Jay walked just a bit faster, actually walking without my help for a moment, only to stumble, his foot caught on the carpet blanket, falling onto the ground, "Oops! One second buddy-"

"And you said April was careless...", Donnie's words were mumbled, yet he spoke them so loud, "Kids fall Donatello if he falls he learns-", I chuckled as I picked up Krisa, giving Jay room to sit down, "Thought someone so smart would know that...guess not...", I could tell Donnie wanted to say something, but as April pulled on the bandage, Donnie writhed in pain, "Donnie, I'm sorry-"

"Ow. No, I'm okay. April, now that it's the end of the world and all, again, I figured I'd better just tell you, kind of, how I feel- OW!", April tugged on the bandage harder than she did before, causing Donnie even more pain, "Oh, sorry, Donnie! You should stop talking. It just makes things hurt more", staring at the two, I watched as Donnie seemed more down by her words, 'Its for the best...he should have known that by now', turning back towards Kirby, I watched as he continued to freak out, falling to the floor only to wrap his arms around his legs, mumbling under his breath, "We're doomed! Doomed! Oh, my poor sweet April!", placing Krisa in Jays small lap, I rested my hand on Kirby's shoulder, "Don't worry, Mr. O'Neil-", pushing up from the couch, I walked straight towards the window, reaching for the curtains, I looked over my shoulder, "This whole alien invasion thing is really no big deal-", with one quick movement, I pushed the curtains wide open and turned back towards Kirby, watching as he walked straight towards me, his arms wrapped around his body, he was trembling so much, but as I stepped off to the side, "Look!", I showed him everything that was going on outside of this apartment.

"Oh. never mind...", without even a warning, Kirby fell to the ground, I didn't move, I wanted to see what he saw, I wanted to see what shocked this man so much, but as I stared out the window, my heart sunk as I watched the city I was sworn to protect crumble before me, rocktopuses destroying every building around them, 'We failed...we failed our only job...', dead soldiers from both sides filled the streets as one after another was killed, left behind like there was just a piece that could be easily replaced, "Oh, boy...", walking away from the window, I leaned over and grabbed Kirby by his wrist, dragging him all the way to the front of the cough, "God- your dads super heavy!-", dropping his hands on the ground, I walked over towards the TV and grabbed the remote, turning the volume up just a bit, "Invasion! That's right, folks. The aliens are back! Robots are emerging from portals! UFOs are everywhere! A giant alien brain is stomping through the east village!". Placing the remote back on top of the TV, I walked back towards the couch and stepped over Kirby, sitting next to Jay, I reached over and picked Kris up from his lap, letting her rest her head on my shoulder, "Yeah, I'd say we're basically doomed"

"This is all my fault. If I hadn't brought Irma to the lair...", April was right it was all her fault, I wanted to say something, but of course, Donnie had to swoop in, "You can't blame yourself, April...", resting his hand on her shoulder, she looked back towards him, smiling softly as she listened to his words, "Yeah-", April turned back towards me, as I swung my legs, and looked away from her, staring out the gas-filled sky, "-we can do that for you".

*SMACK*

"Dude, would you stop hitting me!-"

"Would you watch what you say before you say it!"

"What did I say that was wrong?-", glaring at Donnie, I rubbed the back of my head, "Its true, sure she shouldn't think like that, I can!"

"But you don't say rude stuff to people directly!", April didn't say a word, instead she stood up, gaining both our attention, "I'm gonna fix this. I'm gonna find your brothers and Casey", glaring at Donnie as I leaned back, letting Kris lay on my chest and belly, her tail wrapped around herself, using it as a sort of pillow as she rested. "You can't go out there, April! You have to stay with me. I'm scared", flinching dramatically, I held my hand against my chest, 'When did he wake up...', Kirby's voice sounded so stern as he pushed himself up from the ground, April argued with her Dad, the two discussed against each other, but I turned away as I felt something vibrate, 'Oh my T-Phone!-", reaching into my pouch, I pulled out my phone and looked at the most recent text, "Whoa! Raph just sent me a text. "On our way, being chased by Kraang Prime. Frowny face. " Oh, guess they'll be a few minutes late".

-----------------------------------------

~Thirty Minutes Later~

"I just had the worst dream. The Kraang were trying to invade...", looking through the satchel, I tried to see if there was any food, "Don't worry, Mr. O'Neil. Reality is way worse than your nightmare", I felt the weight of both children pressed against me, Jay fell asleep ten minutes ago, but Krisa is still awake, she won't leave me no matter how hard I try. Giving Kirby someplace, I stood up from the couch and walked towards the window, the curtains were barely open and the window was cracked open, letting in the cool breeze flow inside, "Don't worry Kris, I'll make sure to find your Papa...I'll save him as he saved me...", I felt something pull on Leo's satchel, and looked down, only to notice it was Jay, holding onto my leg as he peaked through the small crack, "Uncle Mikey, we have to go back, Papa doesn't know where we are", kneeling down closer to the ground, I looked into the small one's eyes, "We will when every one of my friends get here, once they do-"

"We gotta move- Kraang Prime is stomping this way!", looking up from Jay, I noticed the newcomer, "Raph!", standing up with Krisa still inside my hands, I ran straight for Raph and wrapped my arms around him, 'I know I saw him when we left Dimension X, but it feels like its been over a year since I'd actually gotten the chance to talk to him...well sort of-', I could feel Krisa pushing against Raph as I hugged him, "Aw, I missed you too, little brother", letting go of Raph, I walked back over towards Jay. I stood next to him, 'All we're waiting on is for both Leo's and Dad...'

"Uh, not to break this up, but Leo is still out there!"

"What?!", leaning backwards with one hand, I held onto Krisa as I stepped towards Jay and held onto his hand, "Both Leo's aren't, but its a long story, bro. Basically-"

*CRASH*

I didn't even look back to see what happened, crouching down towards the ground, I pulled Jay closer to my body, and placed him in front of me, shielding both from any harm, "Leo!"

 

Chapter 24: I failed you, Terra...

Notes:

posted earlier because I will be away over the weekend

POV 3rd Person(Leo):

Everything around Leo was the enemy, multitudes of human soldiers could see him from every angle, aiming every single weapon directly at his position and Kraang Prime stood before him with her fist held high, "Come!", her voice echoed across the walls, shaking the entire ground, startling the birds around him. Standing on top of a building, both sides of the war thought of him as a threat, Leo could sense everything around him as he held the bandages that hid his mutations in his grip, his arms dangling by his side. Leo didn't need to look around, guns aimed for every weak point the humans could think of, but on the enemy side, the droids were on stand-by, guarding the fire escape below just out of sight, waiting for Leo to let his guard down. "Why would you work for this puny spect of dirt these humans call a planet...", placed the basket near the edge, his hands fully relaxed, letting the bandages fall out of his hand, falling softly into the basket. Stepping closer and closer to the edge, Leo pointed his blade straight into her face, his arm extending almost as if reaching for the alien's face, Kraang Prime stayed motionless, staring at the point, "I've failed my family before...not this time, I'll make sure nothing happens no matter what it takes...s̷̢̹̬͛͗d̸͓̥͑͗̐e̷̱͍̻͗e̴̗̳̞̍͜ņ̵̩̻̀̊̄̂ ̷̲̓̋͗͐d̵̲̝̹́̒ͅl̷̜̓͝͝͠r̴̹̭̥͖͑̎̓ỏ̶̻̝͎̍͊w̵͔̪͉̒ ̸̢͍́̇̇͘ś̸͈̚͠î̴̺̃h̷͔̉̏͘ṫ̶̙̬̫ ̸̟͈̹͑̂͝o̵̘̰̙̽̒̑r̸̡̩͕͐͌̈́̓ë̶͓́͑ḣ̵̹̙͉̟ ̸̰̪͔͊e̸̦̰̽̏͛ḧ̸̖̇ṱ̷̢̗̈̑̄ ̷̼̑͜e̵̟̤̼͒̀b̶̫̼̑͑̄̏ ̵͓͔͗̊͝l̵͓͈͙͕̅̐̐ḽ̶̲́͘̕į̵͈̍͗̋ẅ̶̧̝́͜ ̷̘̈̌͌́Ḯ̷̲̜"

(I will be the hero this world needs...)

Kraang Prime's once flat emotionless expression showed a smile, and laughed...

"A̶̛̲̥͗͑͂͜H̴̡̘̙͍̿͑̌A̸̖̘̖̔̋̎͝Ḩ̶̡̺͙̐A̵̪͔̹͐H̶̲͕͊̋̋͜A̵̙͓͂̐̔̚ͅH̷̬͎͊̂A̸̡̟̅̄̋H̶͔͔̳͔̓̀̓A̷̹̽͜H̶̤̥̍̎͝͝Ã̷̞͓̜̽̔̉H̷̟̱̻́͒͜A̵̧̬͋͂̋H̴̩̗̤́̒͑Ą̶͎̖̝́͗͝H̵͖̹́̈́̓A̶̰̲̐̈́̍̊Ḩ̴̎A̴͕̗̘̍̏̎͂H̵̰̒Ä̵̲́̑̀H̷͚̱̽A̶͉͘͠Ḧ̵̰̫̒͛̃͜A̴̧̛̲̫H̸̘͊A̴̭͛̔H̶̭̑A̵̜͚̍H̶͉͍̫̺͆̆͝A̷̛̤͂Ḧ̵͇̈́͑Ä̶̩͚́̒̎͝H̵̰̯̩̍̽A̵̺̩͌̓͠H̸̙͈̲̀̆̌͗Ǎ̸͙̞̗́͐Ḣ̸͎Ã̴̱͂̈́̈͜H̸̨̛̛̠̝̊͋Ȁ̶̠͉̆͠Ḩ̵̱̪̫͐́̚͘À̵̲͐̋H̴̨̱̍̋̒̋A̶͍̓͂͂͝H̸̳̀̈̐̾À̸͇͎̥͠H̴̛̭̋͝A̶̼͉̭͂H̷̾͛̕͜A̴̺̿̅̊ͅH̶̖͌̆A̶̰̯̥̽H̶̡̬̒͛͜A̸̡̼͎̟̚Ḩ̷̰̦̥͗̓̽A̸̫̩̓̋̉͝H̸̛̩̰͒̕ͅḀ̶̛̖͇̄H̸͚̃̎̃A̶̫̲̓̀͑͝H̷͙͌̈́A̵̡͙̠͂̌͝ͅH̵̙͕̙͌͜A̵̳͊̓͝H̷̦̄̓", her laugh pierced through the air, causing pain to everything around them, to some her laughter sounded like a glitched virus filled computer, to Leo all he could hear was the screams of fallen, the screams of the weak, he hated it, covering his ears, Leo's nails dug into his jaw and cheek, pressing harder and harder, until...

She spoke...

"Why protect a universe that isn't even yours to begin with?", her words echoed in his mind as he stood there, standing on the very edge, Leo could feel the breeze rush over his scales, "What are you talking about...", Leo bore his new sharp fangs, showing off the gums in his mouth, "You think I didn't notice? None of the humans!- creatures!- Mutants!- come close to the sheer power-"

*BOOM*

"ACK!-You filthy humans!", glaring at the robot ahead of him, Leo's eyes changed, becoming thinner and thinner, until they resembled a needle stand on its own, 'What's that?!'. His hand gripped the handle of his sword and lifted the blade up in the air, Kraang Prime was distracted, Leo knew this was his moment, yet it was strange, he could sense something big coming towards him, but as he stepped further and further from the edge, he could see the city around him, monsters ran up and down the street, humans leaving the city without a second thought, and the buildings were slowly being demolished by the creatures of Dimension X. Leo felt something snap, 'This is nothing like the war I fought, there's no way to send them back...', stepping further and further away, 'I need my brothers...I need the-', Leo froze as he back up into something, "Now what do we have here?~", the creature's voice rumbled in Leo's ear as he loomed over his head, 'It was him?...', looking over his shoulder, Leo watched as the metal soldier raised his fist.

Glaring at the figure, Leo raised his leg, ready to step away, but as he lifted the blade, the soldier grabbed his wrist, and picked him off the floor, "You know Kraang Prime, I came here to thank you, yet you come with more gifts", gripping his hand tighter, Leo's hooked blade fell to the ground as he winced in pain, "The one that is known as...Shredder", Kraang Prime spoke through her teeth as she glared at the man that stood before her, the mere sight made her disgusted as she watched her new toy being destroyed by her own ally, but for Leo, his body went limp, the man's name echoed inside his head as he stared down at the ground, "Shr-", the man hummed, gripping Leo's wrist even harder, moving his wrist back and forth, grinding his tendons and bones. 'I have to get out of here-'

*CRACK*

Leo's eyes shot open as the pain radiated through his entire arm, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!", Leo's voice yelled out as the man finally let go of the turtle, and let him fall to the ground, "And there's its voice-", reaching for his swords, Leo pushed himself up to his feet, but as he stood on his knee, Shredder stepped on his back and pressed his heel into base of his shell, "You know...ever since I met those wretched turtles...", Leo groaned as the Shredder pressed harder against his shell, the cracks that once healed began opening again, "-I've always wanted to crack one of their shells wide open...", his words echoed in Leo's head, lifting his leg in the air, Shredder crushed the slider's back with one final blow, Leo's back was destroyed beyond any repair,a few of the bones cracked and displaced, puncturing the organs that laid near them. Leo could feel it all, his hand no longer reaching for the blade instead, gripped onto the very edge of the building, red dots illuminated the metal soldier's face as his foot slowly moved higher, pressing against the very middle of the turtle's shell.

Leo knew no matter how loud he cried his own brothers wouldn't come, they wouldn't even be able to hear him, so he called out to the person who would come, "-̷̖̘̜̃͛̉͜!̵͇̣̜̈̔!̴̗̆̾!̶͔̯̈́̽̑Y̶̫̏̅̽̚Ỳ̶̨̔̇Ÿ̸̪̞̥́É̴͈̤̐͑K̵̯̜̄Į̶̖̉̔̚̕M̶̭̰̭̯̍̔͠"

(MIKEYYY!!!)

Shredder's foot pressed even harder, cracking the very shell he stood on, "!̸̼̕!̸̣̀!̸̼́E̵͎̿M̶̢̑ ̷͎̔P̵̘͌L̷̢̆E̷̐ͅH̶̫͐.̶͕͆.̷̪̓.̸̩͛E̸̠̐S̴̗͠Ả̸̻E̷͉̕L̴͔̀P̷̼̾"

(PLEASE HELP ME!!!)

But as he spoke into the air, his words went unheard. His eyes stung and his throat burned as he yelled out, "Those turtles aren't coming..."

"You don't know that!-Get...GET OFF OF ME!!!", watching as the ooze moved down his arm, Leo wrapped the tendril around the Shredder's leg and tossed him off to the side. Pressing my hands against the ground and pushing myself up with all my strength, I tried to stand up, to fight back, but something was off, 'I...', Leo looked away from the ground and stared at his legs, he used every ounce of strength he had, but he couldn't no matter how hard he tried, "Venom...I-...I can't feel-... m-my legs..."

"Alright! Time to go!"

------------------------

POV 3rd Person(Venom):

Reaching for the swords, Venom covered his host's entire body in the black ooze, and stood up to his feet, looking around the roof, grabbing everything his host collected, Venom raced towards the ledge, and pushed off the edge, "r̶̘͐ĭ̸̦ä̸͉́l̶͚̾ ̸̡̓s̴͎̿e̴̪̚l̵̙͒t̸̋ͅr̶͔̚u̷̳͐ẗ̶̟́ ̶̚͜ĕ̵̠h̶̗̃t̷̲͑ ̸̨͋o̸͖̕t̷̰̉ ̶̣̈́k̴̖̃ĉ̸̩a̷̧̕b̵̗̒ ̷̠̎ľ̸̤ȧ̸̲t̶͈́r̶̺͋ò̶̟p̴̮̓ ̴̯̎å̵̢ ̷͈̃é̷̺k̴͖̒a̵̹͘m̸͝ͅ ̶͚͋ỏ̵̧t̵̹̑ ̴̭̔u̸̞̔o̶̦͌ỷ̷̫ ̵̲̏d̴͕̔e̵̦̾e̶̠͗n̴͍̅ ̶̼̄Ȉ̷̢ ̶̤̐,̶̖͒a̷̩̋ṛ̷͌ŗ̸͊e̴̬͂T̴̽ͅ"

(Terra, I need you to make a portal back to the turtle's lair)

Reaching for the next building, Venom hung from the edge and pulled himself up, giving Leo control of his right arm, Venom stood still and looked back towards the foes, both coming towards them quickly. He grew nervous, looking back and forth, waiting, hoping that Leo could do it, but as he swished his sword a bright blue portal appeared in front of them, and without a second thought, Venom rushed through, "Close it!-", and as he made it all the way through, the portal shut just before the metal human could even reach them. "System! Tell us the quickest route to this turtle's lair!"

Be quick we need to tend to his wounds

On my radar it shows there are seven entities inside their home

"They're still there?! The- My kids-"

Looking at the projection, Venom ran down the tunnel, listening to every sound that filled this concrete tunnel, sounds of water, the sound of his feet hitting the ground, even the sound of Terra's breathing filled the air, each breath filled with a gasp or wince, he was injured. "Survey the sewers! Those wretched turtles have to be around!-", looking around the walls, Venom reached for the ceiling and pulled himself up, gluing his host body to the dark damp ceiling, "-And if any of you catch sight of April O'Neil or the Prisoner, bring them to me!", Venom watched Kraang Sub-Prime walk out of the lair, and droids followed him with their guns pressed against their chest, except one droid, staying in one spot, its eyes watched the entire tunnel.

General I need you to take down that droid

But don't destroy the body

Nodding his head, Venom's fingers stuck to the ceiling as he slowly climbed down the wet bricks, his hands slapped against the wet soppy walls, reaching closer and closer, he was just in reach of the droid in front of him, without a sound, his hand changed into something similar to a tentacle and wrapped around the droid's torso, holding the droid still, Venom laughed as it squealed, calling out for his boss to save him, with his other hand, Venom reached around the belly of the robot and dug his sharp fingers into the alien, pulling him out with little to no effort. Staring at the Kraang, Venom felt a hunger, a craving for something more, he didn't care for justice, not even mercy sounded right, but as he raised that alien in the air and his jaw unhinged, over-extending them, the alien screamed as it watched death drawing closer and closer. Venom waited for Leo to say something, to stop Venom from eating this Kraang, but as its tendrils brushed against his tongue, he couldn't hold back any longer, shoving the Kraang into his mouth he chomped down on the alien, blood dripping down his chin, savoring the flavor he never tried before, 'oooohhh~-', he laughed as he savored the flavor, licking each one of his teeth that were marinated in that copper tang, 'Is this the taste my predecessor savor each time they fought to survive...I see why they never stopped...', holding onto the corner of the wall, Venom set the droid down carefully and walked further inside the lair.

"Krisa?!...Jay?!"

Venom sighed as the turtle called out for the two children, but how could they hear him, Venom was in control, not him.

There are two drones in the lair

See if you can connect the port to one of the drones

These parts of the sewers were considered, or looked to be abandoned, with rubble everywhere outside of the lair, pieces of brick and wood, and even equipment tossed aside from the workers who gave up on this sector, so Venom used his environment to his advantage. Reaching for a brick, Venom wrapped a tendril around it and stared at the droid as it hovered around, searching for any intruders. Using the brick like a baseball, Venom hurled it through the air and watched as it collided with the drone, killing it on impact, however, the collision gained the other drone's attention. Racing towards the drone, Venom let the ooze disappear from Terra's arm, revealing the wrist device as he stepped closer and closer, the drone charged its weapons, ready to shoot the enemy any second. Venom wrapped his tentacle around the drone and pulled out the port, plugging it in before the drone even had a chance.

Good

Now give me a few moments

Venom's gaze switched between the drone and the entrance, he was growing impatient, more time wasted could result in the enemy finding them, but as he heard Mother alert, letting him know she was finished, Venom let go of the drone, for a second he thought the machine would have fallen, hitting the ground the moment he let go, instead the bright purple colors changed into a pale pink, arms grew from underneath the drone and it looked between each hand, then looked up at Venom. He couldn't tell who controlled the machine, but as the droid spoke, he knew exactly who it was.

Excellent everything looks to be in perfect working condition

Hurry bring Terra to the lab-

"N...n..."

His host's words became mumbled once he spoke, sounding increasingly unclear each second.

"F...i...nd...ki...sss"

Terra if we search now we have no way of making sure you survive as well

The possibility of you surviving if we leave is impossible

Adding to the fact if you do survive you won't have any motor abilities below the rib cage

"Terra... as you said the kids will be fine...I mean they're with Michaelangelo of course, but after we help you, you can look for them...", Terra didn't say a word as Venom walked back towards the entrance, retrieving the droid and bringing it back towards the lair, searching for Mother.

Come the purple one's lab is in this vicinity

Pushing the metal door wide open, Venom rushed inside and Mother closed the door just as quickly, locking every entrance to this part of the lair, Mother made her way towards Venom, "So what is the droid for? Wait can you control two machines at once?-"

Negative

However for now until I am finished I'll need you to separate from Terrapin's body

Just for the meantime until I have completed the procedures

Plus I will need your assistance in finding the necessary materials and items for the procedure

Venom groaned as placed the droid next to the table, climbing up on the table, Venom laid on his back and placed his head at the very top of the table, letting the ooze slowly drip down his arm onto the droid beside, but as the last bit of ooze finally left Terra's body...

Something wrong happened...

Gasping for air, Terra's hands reached for his throat, inhaling breath after breath, his hand reaching into the air, something was wrong, none of the air that entered his body ever made it to his lungs, "Mother?! What's happening?-", pushing up to his feet, Venom stood over of Terra, looking over his entire body, mainly his throat, Venom didn't understand, what could have happened, everything was fine until...using just a bit of ooze never fully detaching, Venom placed his hand over his host's mouth and let the ooze slowly move down his trachea and entered his lungs. Terra was finally breathing again.

Venom...

What did you do-

"Look!-...inside both the Prison Dimension and Dimension X, Terra would have not survived if it weren't for us! Both were filled with deadly doses of nitrogen, if we didn't help him he would have died-"

Yet instead you helped his lungs breathe for such a long period of time that they forgot how to work on their own

You have made it impossible for this host to live on its own once or whenever you leave his body

"We were never supposed to leave his body!-", Venom breathed out heavily as he glared at the drone, watching as it hovered, "Terra, is my host! Leo belongs to me, System...And no matter what you say, I will always be with him, I was the one that protected him...I was there when his brothers weren't...", a tear fell down the conscious boy's cheeks as he stared up towards Venom.

You say you're protecting him...

Look-

Mother floated towards Terra, and scanned over his body, showing me a visible projection of the state of his lungs.

Do you see what you have done

Mother never had a range of tone when she spoke, no emotion radiated either, instead it was all perception, so to Venom she sounded concerned, yet angry at this fact as she pointed to a piece of his lung, hovering closer to Venom as she spoke.

Because of you his alveoli died over time and were replaced by you

"Then I will help him breathe...I'll keep him alive long enough to find his kids, long enough to find his brothers...long enough until his body begs me to end it all...and right now all his body wants is to look for the two...now please...Mother help me fix him", Mother said nothing as the projection disappeared. Scanning over his entire body, pieces of bones and components in his body showed on the projection.

The intervertebral discs between L1 to L5 are completely ruptured

L2 to L4 however seem to have cracked

Pieces of the vertebrae pierced his intestinal wall

The discs can be replaced 

If done immediately I can give him a higher chance of mobility

The lumbar spine shows the most damage

As for the thoracic spine

Discs between T12 to T9 weren't ruptured instead displaced

Those can be readjusted which is good

This disc sit perfectly under the host's new mutation on his mid-upper shell

So no damage will occur to those fins

However back to the issue it does look like a piece of T10 broke off and pierced through the underside of his left lung

As for his left wrist

There is some bruising however the major is the tear in  his flexor digitorum profundus

That will just need a splint while the tendon heals back into place

I'll see what we have in the meantime

Dont leave his side

Mother hovered around the room, scanning every surface of the room, little tools and medical gear hidden away for safekeeping.

"Ooo...zzzz"

"Not right now, you have to save the little strength you have", Terra was already struggling to speak from all the pain and blood loss, but speaking became even more difficult due to the fact that Venom's helping him breathe through his mouth. Sighing tiredly, Venom turned away from him with his hand still pressed over his mouth, leaning his body against the table, Venom stared at the door, "Look, I'm sorry for...you know ruining and destroying you're body with the necrosis and mutations, but I promise none of this was in my control....I'm trying to protect you, protect us from everything that could harm either one of us...and-", his voice sounded so flat as he spoke, sounding similar the droids in this dimension, "I'm sorry I wasn't there in time to protect you...-", Venom turned back towards Terra, watching as his kept his eyes open just enough to see him, "I promise I'll be better next time..."

 

Chapter 25: Leave Me Behind...

POV Mikey:

"Hurry everyone, its time to go!", Raph ushered everyone towards Kriby's van, Casey looked over the driver seat, waiting for everyone to enter, but I couldn't, "No! We are not leaving!-",

"Michaelangelo, I swear-"

"No! Donnie! April! Both of you said that after we got the group together, we'll go look for Leo!-"

"What is he talking about? Mikey Leo's right here, now come on before the shredder's goons and the Kraang get here-"

"Mikey, come on Raph's right, we have to lea-"

"NO!-", my body trembled as I glared at everyone, Jay stayed beside me, his face pressed against my side as I held Krisa close, "I told both of you!...Donnie...", my voice was caught in my throat as I glared at my immediate older brother, 'I couldn't leave Leo, he was the reason I escaped, he's the reason I am free...', snot dripped down my nose as my glare fade into a look of pathetic sorrow, pleading to my brother to listen to me, "...you pro-...mise...", my body just trembled as I looked down towards the ground. "You...!̶̢̤͉̲͇̋͊͋̈̏!̵̢̛̱͙̜̣͔͎̅̓͆!̷̫̠̖̬͓͖̈́̀̚D̸̡͈͈̺̰̭̏͗E̵̦̅̄̑S̶̪̮̃Î̵̗̽̾̇͝M̵̨̰̬͕͑̊O̴̳̼͔̱̅̈̃̔̓͂͒Ṙ̶̡̠͕̣͚̠͜P̷̢͇͙̣̀-"

(PROMISED!!!)

I rubbed my arm over my eyes and snout, cleaning my face, "Michaelangelo...", Raph's brow bone was turned upwards as he reached for my arm, but I stepped back, shaking my head, "No...no. No...they promised...Donnie and April, they...", Raph after some time was able to reach for my shoulder, "You want to protect the kids right?", I froze, turning back towards the kids, each one looked beyond exhausted, nodding my head, I turned my head away from them, "Plus think about it-", Donnie spoke up as he held onto his hurt arm, breathing through his teeth, Donnie leaned his head back against the inside of the van wall, "-the kid seems pretty strong and tough, plus didn't you leave a T-Phone in the lair just in case he gets back?", my eyes widened when he said that, pushing Raph off my shoulder, I stared at him "You saw that?"

"Yeah, so when he sees it, he'll call one of us, plus can't he just portal to us or something?...Now come on, if we wait any longer the Kraang might follow us", Raph slowly walked behind me with his hand pressed against my shell, "No...", I shook my head as I stepped away from the van, "No...no I have to save him- Leo could be in danger...He doesn't know this dimension like we do- He doesn't know the shredder like we do...", I turned away from the van, staring at all the destruction that destroy the city I grew up in. My hand held Krisa close to my chest, and the other held Jay's head as he pressed his face against my side, trembling as he listened to the conversation. Kneeling down towards the ground, I looked at Jay and pressed my hand against his cheek, "Look buddy, I need you to protect your sister-"

"But I want to come!", I shook my head as looked him in the eye, but it was strange, something else had his attention, but what. "No buddy, it's not safe, but I'll make sure to save your D-", my body fell limp as something was pressed against my neck, I wanted to fight back as Krisa was pulled out of my arms, darkness filled my vision and my body fell to the ground, "Uncle Mikey?! Let go!-".

---------------------------

POV 3rd Person(Mikey):

~Three Hours Later~

His body was shoved into the corner of the van, 'Wha...', staring up at the ceiling of the van, Mikey's neck was bent at a harsh angle as he listened to the sounds that surrounded the van, the wheels driving over the once smooth pavement now has become gravel, pieces of rock hitting the underbelly of the van, he even listened to the sounds inside, Krisa's breathing as she wrapped her body around his head with her head resting on his shoulder, searching for any warmth she could find, 'What happened...'. Everyone in the car made their own sound, Donnie's teeth whistled as he slept against Raph, Casey rhythmically tapped the wheel, Raph's limbs twitched every few moments, hitting any surface around him as he slept as well, and April tapped at her phone, looking through god knows what, but there was one mutant he didn't hear anything from. Lifting his hand, Mikey pulled Krisa closer around his neck, and wore her like a scarf, holding his hand in his palm as his elbow leaned on his knee, Mikey looked around the van, "Where's-...", Raph looked up towards him, he stared at Raph as Jay sat up, pushing himself closer to him, "Where's Leo?", Raph turned his head away, 'we didn't save him...', his throat burned as Mikey glared at his second eldest brother, "Where's Leo, Raphael-"

"We left him, Mikey", Donnie spoke for Raph as he used his good arm to push himself, "We had to leave or else Rahzar or Tiger Claw would have gotten us, all of us could have been in more harm, if we did what you said-"

"Then why didn't you leave me", for the first time his words shocked Donnie, his eyes widened, yet Mikey's eyes continued to be hooded, glaring at both of them, "Wha?-"

"You could have left me behind, I would have been fine-"

"No you wouldn't have, you can barely beat your own brothers in a duel-"

"I survived Dimension X didn't I?!", Raph sighed as he leaned his head back against the wall, the car slowing down, turning around a sharp corner, "You were in Dimension X for a week, maybe two-"

"Nuh uh!", I flinched as Jay yelled out louder, and pointed at Raph, speaking louder than the conversation, "We were there longer than two weeks!-"

"Kid you probably don't know how long one week is-"

"Days: Seven. Hours: One Hundred Sixty-Eight. Minutes: Ten Thousand Eighty. Seconds: Six Hundred and Four Thousand Eight Hundred. Milliseconds-"

"We get it, kid-"

"I have lived in that Dimension my entire life, sir...", Jay was trembling as he spoke, reaching for his hand, Mikey held on tight and watched as he told off Raph, "I have learned things in that Dimension that a normal six-year-old shouldn't know...and *hic*", I froze as I held him hiccup and looked at him, his eyes turned downwards, pressing his face against Mikey's arm, wiping the snot that dripped down his snout, "Papa is giving me and Kris Kris, the life we should of had...I finally get to act like a kid...", Jay stopped talking and hid behind me, "Look what I'm saying is, it was too dangerous to send you there on your own- you could have gotten killed!-"

---------------------------

POV Mikey:

"We're here!" Casey said, walking over Raph's legs, I leaped from the car. Jay followed me as I raced towards the forest, clutching Krisa close to my chest. I only looked back to make sure Jay was following. "Mikey!" Raph called out my name, but it was strange. Besides Jay, I didn't hear anyone run after me. My cheeks became wet the harder I ran, I wanted to scream at them, I wanted them to care about someone other than themselves, yet those people were selfish.

Slowing down, I pulled Krisa off of my neck, waiting for Jay to catch up, "Uncle Mikey-...slow dow-...whoa", whoa was right..., standing still I listened to the gentle ripples of water splashing against the shore, I could feel the wind brushing against my scales, "What is that", I laughed as I turned back towards Jay, "I thought you said you knew everything...", a stream rushed by, the water wasn't calm instead it was moving slow enough to be safe for kids to swim in, "Its a stream-", placing Krisa on the soft grass, I reached back to Jay and watched as he grabbed onto my hand, "Just put your feet inside", he seemed so nervous the closer we walked, but as I dipped my foot into the cool water, he seemed so intrigued and let go of my hand.

Dipping his foot into the water, "It's cold!", Jay jumped away from the water, wrapping his arms around his body, which only caused me to laugh as I held onto my stomach, I threw my head back and fell flat on my back.

*SPLASH*

Pushing myself up from the ground, I stared at Jay as the water dripped from my shell, watching as he laughed uncontrollably, "Oh you're in for it now!- Come here", pushed myself up to my feet and raced towards Jay, with each step I took off any and all gear that was fitted to my body, reaching for my mask, I wondered if it would be a good idea and yet as my fingers hook onto the cloth, I took off my mask, "Haha ha haa-Ahhhhhhh!-", sprinting towards the kid, I reached underneath the kid's arms and held him up in the air, swinging him up and down until I finally threw him up in the air, "Ahhhhh!!! Let me go-Noooo-", catching him moments after, I spun around on my heels, each step inching closer and closer to the water, "StoooOoooO- Ahhhhhhh!", stepping into the water, I waited in the water for the feeling, that sting, that frost that bite his scales, but the shock never came. With one final spin, I tossed Jay into the hip-deep stream, throwing him closer to the shore.

"Uncle Mi-", I wanted to laugh, to smile as the boy complained, glaring at me, but I couldn't and stared at the river. 'I can't...feel', the water felt so numbing as I stood in the center of the stream, I could feel the coolness as it rushed against my skin, yet I couldn't feel the sting as the freezing water sent that shiver down Jay's spine, that feeling that made the 'hairs on my arms stand on end', that feeling that gave me goosebumps. Looking up from the water, I stared at the sun that shined over us, the shadows cascaded around me. I listened to everything around me, the rustling of the tree's leaves, the water rushing down in a hurry wanting to get to the end, even though no voices or horns were honking, the forest sounded so much louder than my own home, and as I took one large deep breath, I plummeted into the water, "Uncle?!-"

The only place I could truly rest my mind was underneath the surface, with no brothers yelling at me, belittling me for every single mistake I made, no Kraang to torture me until I passed out, it was just me and the kids. My brain couldn't think, I didn't even remember why I was mad at the others. All my mind could do was study the sounds around me, the feeling of the cool water against my scales, the vibrations of the ripples and creatures swimming in the water. I loved all of it, even the sense of water slipping into each tight crack and crevice on my body. The water even pooled inside my ear, closing my eyes as my body sunk to the bottom of the stream, my mind was finally at rest...

*Swish* *Swish*

Slowly opening my eyes, I stared up at the young frog, his arms wrapped around his body as he stepped closer and closer to me, standing just a few feet away from my head only to dip into the water moments later, completely submerging his body into the water. Jay was already distracted as he played with the stones that laid on the bottom, 'We can't just leave Kris on her own...', looking away from Jay, I took the water in one last moment, 'Maybe I can take the two of us out here some time...', I already knew I was going to bring Jay back out here later, but for now it was time to head back. Pushing up against the rocks, my head broke out of the water,  his feet planted on the bottom, the water was reaching my shoulders. Standing still in the water, I chuckled quietly when I noticed what had all Krisa's attention, and waited off to the side. She was motionless, staring at the small squirrel as it looked for food, the squirrel didn't even notice her, it just looked around and glanced once in a while at me, but as it turned away from Kris, she launched off the ground, and grabbed onto the animal, wrapping her tail around it just as quickly. "Good Job Kris!", I cheered as I walked closer to the shore, my body crouching down lower and lower until I was near the shore, laying on my belly, watching the snake wrestling the squirrel.

Staring at the gear I tossed off to the side, I groaned as I dragged my hand over my head, my fingers stopped as they felt the stitches, 'Shoot...how am I supposed to take the stitches out...'. Flipping onto my back, I stared at the trees above me, my head fell to the side and watched as Jay trembled hugging his arms around his body, "Uncle Mikey, I-mmm-m co-hold...", his teeth chattered, clicking together as the cool breeze brushed against his skin, flipping back onto my stomach, I crawled towards the gear, and put on each piece one at a time, "Let me put my gear on first-"

"Mikeeey!" a voice echoed, sounding somewhat far away. I had to rush. Reaching for my mask, I tied it tight behind my head, wrapping my legs as fast as I could. "Miiikeeey!?", slipping on the last piece of gear, I finally called out, flinching as I felt Jay press his cold wet skin against my own, "Over here!"

"Uncle Mikey-", Jay continued to complain, his arms wrapped my arm with his face pressed against my arm, "I know kid, now let's take Krisa back to the house and cleaned up- you too", walking over to Krisa, I reached over and picked her up, chuckling as the tail hung from her mouth, "Mikey we need to discuss future plans and...Oh-...OH MY GOD?!-", racing towards the group, my heart raced as I checked every part of my body, 'None of my wounds are visible- wait what about the scar on my head, can April see that?!-'

"Come on! Spit it out!- Mikey help me here!-", Krisa pushed April's hands away as she tried to take her food away, turning away from April, Kris pressed her face against the my neck, slurping up the last bit of squirrel before fully swallowing the rodent, "Mikey, what the heck?! You just let her eat a freaking squirrel, I thought you were trying to take care of her- Why are you wet- Why are you and the kid wet?! Oh my-...", April pinched the bridge of her nose and turned around, walking back in the direction she came from, "Look April, before you tell the guys that Krisa ate a squirrel, let me exp-"

"Explain what?! Kids her age should only be drinking formula, maybe even baby food, but definitely not a whole squirrel!", I could see the house, it was only a half a mile away, "And why are you both wet, he's still in his...gown? And all your gear is wet-"

"Why does she keep lecturing us, Uncle Mikey?", looking down towards Jay, my eyes switched between the two, and a soft smile appeared on his face, "I think-", Jay looked up towards me, listening to his possible answer, "-its because she cares and maybe...", I looked up at April, watching as she was climbing up the stairs, opening the door wide open as she watched for the group to join her, "-just maybe, she feels sorry for what she did to us-...to you guys...".

Walking up the steps, April raced towards a separate room, only to run out moments later with two large towels, "Here, wrap this around your body...you're still shaking, let's get you something warm to drink", with her hand pressed against his back, April ushered him somewhere else, Jay's eyes widened as he looked back towards me, "Wait where are you taking him?-"

"Don't worry Mikey, he's freezing so I'm giving something warm to drink- I think there should be hot chocolate somewhere in the cupboards", April whispered the last part under her breath as she brought Jay towards the couch, "If there's extra can I have some too?", walking towards the couch, I held Kris against his chest and pulled out my T-Phone, 'No call yet...please be okay, Leo...'

Leaning back against the wall, I scrolled through the messages and calls, the notifications and alerts, but nothing came from the T-Phone that I left behind, "Come on...". Pressing the unknown number in my phone, I pressed the phone against m ear, listening as the phone rang on and on, "Please answer- please be alive-"

"The number you contact is unavailable or no longer in service, if you-"

Mikey hung up before the voice message even finished, "Alright here's the Hot Chocolate~, be careful kid it's hot", nodding his head, Jay blew the stream and took small sips, only to stick his tongue out, reaching for mine, I chugged the warm sweet liquid, melting as he felt his entire body warm up, "Mikey?!"

"Wha?", April's brow raised as she looked at my, her hand reaching over, pressing against the mug only to flinch away, and place her finger in her mouth. "How are you not in pain? That's hot", I froze and looked down at the glass in his hand, 'Shoot- I forgot', I'm supposed to fake his pain, "Uhhhh-"

*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*

Pulling out my phone, my heart froze as I stared at the number, listening as the pheon continued to ring, “Jay stay with April, I need to answer this- April, she’s sleeping, but please hold her real quick”, walking towards April, I placed Krisa in her arms and raced towards the front door, pressing my finger on the answer button as I shoved the door wide open, closing it moments later.

------------------------------------

Me: "Hello?...HELLO?!"

Unknown: "How does this thing work- Wait I heard something...Michaelangelo are you nearby?!"

Me: "Venom, I'm calling you right now- How's Leo?! The kids are worried sick-"

Unknown: "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH-...*gasp* H̷͕̩͈̾A̴͙̙̪͒̈́̽À̸̼̾A̷̧̲̤̿͜Ą̵͎͗̇̚A̸̡͇̝͂͐̍A̶̲̗̣̝̅̀̔A̶̡͖̤͐A̵͔̼̦̓͑̓A̴̗̥̲̋̈́͗Ȧ̴̘̮̈͒͝A̵͙̤͕̍͊͗̅Ȃ̸̩̞̮̄͂Ä̶͎͔̝́͠À̷͍A̴͚̩̘͛̔͝Å̶̙̟̠͙A̴̮͋̀̈Ȧ̴̬͜Ạ̷̲̽̀̌͝A̶̘̰̘̎̽̏̂ͅA̶̗͈͆̆-"

Me: "What's going on?! What's h-"

Unknown: "PLEASEEEEEEE...STOP MY FACEAHHHHHHHHHHHH...MY FACE HURTS"

------------------------------------

All I could hear through the call was the sound of Leo's screams, begging whoever to free him from the pain, "Wha...", my hand trembled as I stared down at the phone, eyes peeled wide open, listening to the blood curdling screams that filled the silence around him, 'What's going on...'

Chapter 26: You Knew?

POV Leo:

"SYSTEM!-*cough* *cough* *gasp* AHHHHHHHHH!-", my throat burned as I screamed, begging for the robot the system possessed to stop, a limb reached out from the drone, for a moment I thought she was going to stop, to end this, but instead, she pressed my shell, holding me in place as she continued the precedure. I was going to make it, it hurt. Everything hurt so my as I choked on the ooze that filled my throat, Venom's hands pressed harshly against my mouth, making it impossible to breathe through my mouth.

"MOTHER! Is there a reason you aren't using any more anesthesia for my host!"

I put more than enough local anesthesia into his vertebrae

Even without the anesthesia he shouldn't feel a thing

All of his nerve endings below his mid-thoracic column shouldn't be receiving any pain signals

"AHHHHHHHH!!!-", with the multiple limbs the system had, every part of my body was held down, I wanted to free myself as my skin burned and itched the longer it was left untouched, "PLEASEEEEEEE-...let go...", my cheeks, eyes, jaw, even my teeth felt so tight, aching to be used, my eyes burned as I stared at the ground,  screaming as hard as I could, yet they were silenced by Venom's ooze, "LET GO OF MY ARRRRRMMMMMMMSSSSSS!-"

"Venom! What is going on with Leo?!-", my head shot up, looking back and forth, 'that voice?-Angie?!-', I pulled at the restraints as I looked around the room, searching for the voice, 'No no no no no! He was supposed to be somewhere safe with the kids!-', I pulled hard, and felt the joints and hinges pop, until finally one of my arms broke free, and I reached for the phone. I could see it just out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn't reach it, I watched as Venom held the phone only for it to fall out of his hold, landing right underneath the table, I could see it, and for a second I thought I could almost reach it, but as my fingers reached for the phone, "Angie-", pain was the only thing I could feel, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!", it was all I could think about. Grabbing onto the table's edge, my nails dug into the metal itself, piercing the air with the aching noise, sounding close to nails on a chalkboard, "Venom! System! What the shell are you doing to Le-"

"H̵͎́̾̃̈̈́̚H̶̲̜̻̉́̒̔̆͘͘͝H̷̺̦̥͍̱̄Ḥ̴͇̺̩̙͉̪͗̐̍͐H̵̜̘͔̜̺̝͖͛̈́̏́̔͛̽͜͝H̵̢̺̭͍̞̼͓͛̆̏͌̎̅̚͜H̵̨̩̖̝̤̖͋̈̅̓̆͜͝H̵̢̘̉́͑́H̵̡͍̣̐̓̉̾͆́̇͝H̵̦͍̹̯̖̠͒́̆̍̂͒̒͠A̶͆̕ͅͅÁ̶̡̫͉̭̥͖̩̎͛̒A̷̢̨̟̬̟̙̜̦̥͗̉Å̴͎͊͋̌̐͗́A̴̧̛̭̅̈́̋͑̕Å̷̛̦̔̅̍͝Ą̸̭̽̈́A̷̡̢͖͔͚̖̺̠͆À̷̙͎̩̙͈̍͑͝À̶̢͓̻̻̞Ǻ̶͎̦̭̠̠Ȧ̴͖̼̖̦̽͑́̏̕̚͘Ą̸̡͈͕̘̮̱͆͜A̵̡͎̙̽̀̑͜Ȁ̴̱̝̌͘̚A̷̧̒̔̆̇͘Ä̷͓́͐̀̅́͑͘͝A̶̛̛̭̮̭͚̗͊̔̍̔͘À̵̻͚̳̘͍Ȃ̴̦͈͈͒̉̌ͅA̸͙̾̐̒̎̉̌̂A̶̢̡̢̢͉̞̒͆͜A̴̡̝̼̠͇̅̊A̷̲̳̞̳͕̬͐̾̋͜͜Å̸͓̭̍̓̒͊̑͠Ą̸̘͓͉̘̲̲͌̏̍̽̕ͅͅĄ̵͈̟̱̝̯̯̎̿͘A̷̧̧̱̩̭̱̋̈́̏̉͒̉͝Ą̶͍̖͓̻̼̦̗̙͠A̶͙̼̞̱̍Ä̸̯́͐̇͛A̴̤̫͕̅͜ͅÃ̴̫͒̏͌̿̀̆A̴̬͍̰̯̹͔̜̹̿̆̈̂͝Ǎ̸̟͕̮͔̤̙̺̠̖̔̅Ä̴͔̩̟̩̜̘́̿̆A̶̡̨̛̳̼̳̻̩͆̂A̴̞͉͈̝̬̟̱̘̮͊̐͊̈̒͋͘͝Ä̸̱̣̪̝̭͊̓̏́Á̸̲̍̄̎̈A̷͙̦̝̿̔̈̕Ä̴̰͔̮́̄̚Ą̷̥͉̺̺̆̊A̸̛̹͓͎͍͗͌̓̒̈Ā̷̢̺̟͊Ȧ̶͎̱̰̈̇̿̿͐A̶̮͓̍̂͑́͋̀͜A̶̧̛͙̟͉͚̣̘͍̣͐͝Ä̵̻͙̻͔́͌̆ͅͅĂ̷̫̈́͊͘A̶̖͕̓̅́̓͊̿A̶̛̻̜̜̱̟̦̳̓̔̆̚A̸̜͛͂R̴̢̨͒͠R̸̡̨̻̮̯̫̈͑͆͆̎̂̈́͝R̶̢̢̹̮͈̜̄Ŗ̶̠̮͉͕͙͇͌͑̍̏̅̍̒̈́͠R̶̲͛́̽̆̿͂̇͜R̴̳̭̱͚̆̒̈́̓̚̚͝R̸̝̳̆̅̒̍̽̐̏R̷͇̀́R̴̢̞̣̘̮̓͆̓͆͘͘͘̕R̷̠͚̭̻͍̞͊͐́̈́R̶̢͚̈̽͗̑̅͝R̵͎̋̌̓̈́͝Ŗ̴̫͓̺̦͈͙̈̄ͅ"

My mouth opened wide as I screamed, opening wider than it ever has, so many sounds filled the laboratory, my screams, pieces of metal being welded together, but what was louder was the sound of flesh tearing, ripping apart as my screams became louder than moments before,

 "H̸̡̙̖̭̫̼̼̣̮̀͗H̶̨͍̟͙̱͂H̵̖͔̟̰͉̭͒H̸͍͉̏͘̚͠Ḩ̵̘͚̈́̎́̊̏͗̚͝Ḫ̷̩̤̱̠̜͚͕̈̈́̅H̷̡̰͇͈̣̙̞̄̇͜Ḩ̸̮͖̠̫̩͇̀͜ͅH̷͓̼̼̻̆̓̀̆́̀̂͝ͅH̴͓̐̽̿͒͐̂͘Ḩ̶̟̿H̴̛͈̣͉͍̟̝́̎̀̇̔̓̕͠H̴̥̼͓̒́͗̈́̒͝Ḣ̶̡̟̱͖̳̗̙̔H̸̜͛͑̈́͌͜͝H̸̖͕̪́̓̿͂̈́͑͜͝Ḧ̶̡̟̲H̴̪͈̀̃H̷̢̨̛̗͋̄͐͠͝H̸̡̨̼̙̝̟̲̄̈́̉ͅH̵̜̣̲̩̩͒̃́̇́̊̋͗͝H̷̬̖̻̘͍̱̮̣̓̀̈H̷̼͎̐̌͒͜H̴̤̹͓̪̏̾̌̈̄͛̚̕ͅẢ̸̧̠͉̫͖̱͙̬͌ͅA̴̳͝A̷̡̞̘̙͉͓̓̎̇́̅̅̒͠A̸͚̹̋͒̓̾̉̈̔̊̓A̶̢̻̙͍̯͇̍͊̈́̿ͅA̷̙͔̪̱̟͈̔̓̀̆̕A̸͚͆A̸̡̲̫̹̰̽̋̓̊̎̅͝A̷̡̬͇̳̟̓̽̊̇͝͝Ă̷̢͓̟̖͍͠Ą̵͉͔̃̍͂̄̈́͠Ả̸̬̻͎͙̺͎̺̆̎̏̒A̵̖̭̙̖͓̘̲̚A̴͉͌͑͑̿Ḁ̶̡͍͊̓Ã̷̢̜͔͙͚͈̣̎̾͒͛͜A̷̘̺̓͑͒̿̾͌̈́̆͠A̶͕̔͑̽̆͊͌̾̀̈A̵̟̭̰̜̦͉͍̠̳̋̋̔́̑̃͘Á̸͙̅̔A̷̡̳͇̠̬̫͇̓A̶̺̠̼͇̱͖̘̤̙̓̀͊̾̈Â̵͕̂̋̈́͘A̸̧̧̪͕͎̱̤̪̺̎̽̽̀͛́́̚A̴̡̨̝̮͙̟̫̭̲͛͐̅͛A̸̡̯͚̠̟̮̪̐ͅA̵̳̣͎̤͗͜Å̵̧͚̰̤̘̩̝͔̲͗̔̽͋͆͋͝A̷̭͔̗̓̍̅͆̀̀̈̑́͜A̴͙͒̀̅̏A̷̡̡̢̳̤̠̲̳͐̋̎͗͐Ạ̴̛̳̝̙̋̌̒͊̄̌Á̴̟͎̋͊͘A̷͓͔̫̳̗͕̬͘Á̶̢͔̰̘̲̥̙̞́͗̍Á̵̪̘̟̂̈̃̈́̑̋̚͘A̶̲̱͝Ǎ̶̮̼̇̀̾͘Ḁ̴̪̝̜̺̬̦͇̀̌̐̑̓̒̀͊A̸̧̦̼̔͆͜͜Ȃ̴̛̟̥͍͍̼̿̃̀̔̿Â̶̛̟͍̙̎̑̀̓̌͠Ä̵̝̮̯͖́̓Ą̴͙͚̣̬͎̜͑̑̕Ą̶̱̞̦̏͋̎̽͗ͅÁ̷͖̪̗͕̟͚̹̆̈́͌͗͆̒͌͆A̷̱͙͇̎̈̏̈͜A̸̢̙̻̍͌͜A̷̻̓̍͗̾̆͌͝A̶̠͚̳̙͖͓͉̺͗͒͌̈́̇Ẩ̵̺͆̑̄̀̄̕͘A̶̛͙̤̖̥̼͛̇̂͒͑͗͌̚A̶̡̳̲̟̯͇̜̺̽͋̌̄͋̐̏̈̎Ą̴̻̤͐̉̈̅͊͠Á̴̹̞̦͈͔͈͊Å̶̜̱͍̝͘Ȃ̸̢͇̬̜͎͖̝̯͒̂͌̐A̵̛̳̭̠̼͌Ă̶̳̙̙͈̒͂͒̃͗̀̚͜A̶̻̋̏̾̑̓͋͒̔͝Ã̶̧̯̖̽́͌̉̀́͂Ä̵͙̪̱̯́͒̾̓̊̈́̊̕͝A̵̺̘̥͐̉̋Â̷͔̪̰͙̩͇͖̖̅͛̀̾Ã̵̯͙̲̈̌Ả̷̩̞̟͋̉̾̇Ȃ̶̺̦̓̃͋̈Ą̶̦̝̲̺̼̺̾͋̍̿̾̍̕͠͝Â̶̫͓̟͎̈́̽̋̏A̵̧̬̎͗́̈́̌̄Ą̸̤̼̜̗̻̞̯͓̏̍͒͝A̶͈̲̫̔͘Ą̶̻̎̔͊̓Ą̸̙͍̱͎̠̖̎͆̀̉̋͘A̸͍̯̼͇̓͑̎̓͛̏̕A̸̫̟̘͇̼̤̪͇͇͊̒͂̇͝Ä̴̢̼͈̦̯̬̱́̑̈́̚͜͠Ȁ̷͓̦̗̩̘͓̦̼̆̏̉̈́͛̀͋͝A̷̜͙͚̋À̷̢̬̦̠̯͒̈́A̴̻̮̭͛̊͂̒̒͐̀̅̕A̸̹̠͊͝A̸̻̞͙̥̠̤͐̈́͗̀̂̐͜A̵̺̩̼͋̑͂̌A̵͇͕̱̲͕͓͈̞̔̄̒̒̈́̅͌͒͘A̴̤͚̻̜͖̐́̕A̵̗̖̩̲͂͌A̷̺̞͙̓̈́̌͛͛̕ͅA̵͖̣͉̳͈̞͉͊͑̈͑Á̴̞͕͖̍͒͌̒̓͐͘Ȧ̴̮̗̞̣͙̭͐̚A̶̛͓͍̹̹̓̆Ą̷̠͙̖̗̤͂̑̈́̂͝Ḁ̷̦͙̻̄A̸͍͛͌͛̐͗͝A̴̛̞̝̦̥̗̾̍͜A̶̖͑̏̀͋͘A̷̢̢̠͔̻̱̙̞̋A̷̮̺͕̾̈́̔̌̃̎͗Ā̵̯͚͝À̵̱̭̳̉̊͗͌ͅA̴͔͍͉̲͙͔̪͆̓̕Ą̶̡̞̰̤͙͔̲̻̋Ā̵̝̙̙̰́́̂̈́̓̉̈́͋A̸͙͇̦̣̜̝̙̮̯̋͂̽̃̈Ạ̸̢͈̫͖͈̭̦͒̈̋Ạ̶̼̭͈̘̰̟͍̀͑̈́͑̚̚À̵̰͔͒A̷̘̍͆̿̑̐̒́͒.̷̗̯͕̺̫̥́̿̊̕͜͜.̷̨̛̻̦͈͉͈̖͉̆̂͂̅͋͊͝͝.̴̟̾̾̿͒̊-̶͕̺̯̮̞͎̰̲̆͒A̶̡̐͛͒̿̾̑͋̏̚A̷̗̬̺̹̱͛͠A̶͕͔̙͗̽͂͒ͅA̵̠̰͖̜̙͕̘͇̐͒̑̀A̶̦̪̽́̐̆͊͠A̸̘̯̝̜̠̦̞̒͂̇͛̃̕Ā̸̧̹̜̈́Ȧ̷̺̰͆͋͂̄̓̋̚͝A̸̧̛͕̝̽̽̌̃̊̀̆A̵̰͊͗͛Ȧ̴̤̩̂̄̉́ͅA̴͎͔̳͂̏̏̋A̵̜͎̰̺̜̅̏̈́͗̈́̕̚A̶̡̐́͑̈́̈́͒͑͂͊A̵̭̙͚̠̮͖̦͓͒̽̈́͝ͅẠ̸́̈́̄̾͗A̴̰̝̺̬͉̖̭̪̤̅̀̒̄A̵̟̯͆͌Ả̸̢̢̺̪͉A̸̟̰̓̔̅̊͝Å̸̬̙̤̳̲̚Ā̶̤͌͋̈́̓Ạ̵̢̛͂͋̓͆̚͝͝A̴͉̩̳̼͉̞̅A̶̦̭̐̓́̆Ȃ̷̗͍͆A̸͒̈͊͑̎̓͐̓͊͜Ă̶̙͖̠̯̝̲̍Ą̸̧̤̤͉͉̫̠̦̔͒̂͠A̴̠̗͇̺̦͍̥͐̀̑̓̌͆̒͊͘ͅA̴̹̥̽̔̽͊A̶̝̳̝̪̙͚̒̚Ą̴͚̦̞̹̀A̵̢̛̦̙͓̼͍͛̑͑̀̎͛͘ͅA̴̧̧̛̤̯͈̦̱͆̉͗̀̀Ă̸̺̺͙̮̳͊̉́̀͊́̕͠Ą̸̼̏͊͐͂̕̕͜Ä̴̛̟̮̱͕̦͓̞͇͗̿̃̔̊͝A̶̛̪̟͖̻̖͕͆̓͛̈́͒̽A̵̠̯͓̬̟̯̯̔̀͒͘Ȃ̵̖͊̀̈̓͒̌A̷̬̫̭̙͗̇̄̚A̶̢̛̰̳̱͔̙̞̲̔̿̇̕͝Ă̸͙̰̭͎̦͂̀͊̾̋͘͝A̵̛͕̠̙̒̽̀̑̐̆̚Ą̸̤͈͕̤̥̈́̒̐͂̈́͘A̶̛͙̫̐̓͘̚͝A̷̡̟͔̤̬͚̓͑Ȧ̵̳̮̣̤̝͕̙̽̋̽͘Ȃ̷͈̣̙͎̞͈̅͂̈́̈́́A̴̖̫͔̥̔̓́̌͌A̸̡͎͍̯̱̐̋̃Ạ̴̜͇̫̦͔̥̹͚͊Ā̷̰̹̒̋͋̓Ă̸̢̢̘͙͇̲͌͛Ă̴̦͕͜Ą̶̺̗̥͋̈͌́̈Ȃ̸̖̏́̏̐͊A̷̡̻̤͖̭̼̭̞̬͌̈́͒͆̆̚Ḁ̴̡̛̗̀̄̌̍̑̕A̷̡͎̪̯̖̬͕͌̑̒̇͜A̷̟͉͇͖͛̕A̴̡͇̫͖̣̪̜͎̤͛̀͊̈́̊A̴̧̯̥̫̥̋̽̀̏͊͛Ą̴͚̚Á̷̲̤͍͇̰̓͘A̵̼̝̎̀̐͊͑̈́͗̅Ā̸̢̤̰̬͔͎̺̲͙̒̈́͌̌́̌A̵̗̘̜͇̍̑́̀̿̕A̸͙̖̫͂̈́̏̿̆̅̿͂̕A̶͈͓͌̈͋̓̿̾̄Ǎ̶͕̘̣̠̌͗̄̐̀̃A̴͚̜̝͑A̸̠̻̠͉̭͈͌R̷̫̣̽̑́͛R̶̬̭̞͉̦̙͊̽̆ͅR̵̡̪̞̺͛̓R̵͓̯̙̙̱͔͈͈͙̄͗͊̏̾͑͊͝R̸̯̓̓͊͗̕͠R̴̢̮̘̤͗̈́̽̒͘͜͝͠R̴̟̩̗̀̓̐̅͐R̶̤̱͚͌̈́̉͂̀̔R̸̯͓̫͔͍̮̱̭̻͆R̴̨̧͔͈̠̘̹̬̤̓̚R̵͈̝̗̮̜͎̱̓̒̌̈̕R̷̲̖͔̤̭͉̊̅̉͗͊̀R̵̡̜̞̬̦̥̦͑̍̾̋́̆R̵̥͛R̵̲̳̪̤̝̎͊̾̐̋͛̃̓̈́ͅR̷̜̱͕͎̳͙̣̫̝͋Ŗ̸̛̹̙̯͂́͂͋̌̈̎͝R̶̼̐̽̅̂̄̚̕͝R̸̦̪̦̫̠̅R̴̨̝̭̺̥̜̩̐̑̽͛͊͊͒̑̓͜͜Ŕ̶̙̣̫ͅͅŖ̵̠̭͉̟͗R̶͍̤̥̙̫̗̂̔͜R̴̺͋̍͒̿̌R̶̠̘̖̳̉̉̓͗̂R̵̝͇̦̝̰̩̟̪̓̃́͌̋R̵̛̫͎̓̾̆̂́R̵̹̳̥̺̈́͌͌̍̉͠͝R̵͓̹̳̗͇̘̘̖̗̆R̶̙̦̙̩͝R̸̡̯̻̼̤̈̈́̇̈́̄͝R̶̭̍͆̎͝R̵̰̪̺̼̂̒͌̽̕R̵̖̲̺͚͊̄̍͜R̷̡͎̞̃̇̇Ȓ̵̠͉̥͈̥͚̙̗͛̉͛̕R̷̭̉͐͜R̵̩̹͑̊̓̇R̴͇̄͌̇͊͒̽̾Ŗ̴̧̜̦͕̻̺̻̍̿̈̈́̈́͑̊͘ͅ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Drip*

 

 

 

 

 

*Drip*

 

 

 

 

*Gasp*

 

"Angie!-"

It was finally quiet...

"No..."

The pain was finally gone, yet...

"NO!!!-"

The darkness was an old friend I never wanted to see again. A darkened room filled ankle-deep with water, I never knew where the water came from yet for some reason the water was the only thing that put me at ease in this entire place, but it didn't matter I still hated this place. I wanted to get out of here.

"Fuck you.FuckyouFuckyouFuckyou.FUCK. YOOOOUUUUUUU !!!!!"

All my gear was gone, the bandages that hid my deformities were gone as well, I was bare, out in the open for anyone to see.

"Leonardo..."

Why does she keep appearing. In every single dream I've had she is always here, in the beginning the sight of my Gram Gram always made me happy, to know that she's watching over me...

But now...

"Why are you here, Gram Gram..."

It just felt like some sort of cruel joke. I couldn't look at the image of my grandmother, she was just a hallucination caused by the insanity and pain coursing through my veins, she...isn't even here with me.

"You...are not real..."

There was nothing to stare at, no people, no objects, there was nothing, all there was was Gram Gram's bright green light filling up this dark gloomy room, but the light I once thought was so stunning, I sight I wished I would forget, showed my true form. My jaw crackled as the joints of my lower jar popped in and out of place and now I had four eyes...I am a monster...

"You're family misses you...your family wants you home-"

"I can't go home..."

I dragged my hand along the tears on my cheeks, stretch marks lined above and below the rip.

"Your youngest brother is stuck...just like you...why don't I bring him here"

I wanted to laugh as the image spoke, there was no way my brothers were stuck, all of them were safe, safe in a place that I didn't reside in, a place where I wouldn't danger them anymore. I didn't have time to waste sitting in this place, I needed to wake up...I need to find my kids. Crouching down towards the ground, I leaned down on my hand and sat down, closing my eyes, I cleared my mind, and listened to the water, drop after drop echoed across the darkness.

"Leo?..."

His voice sounded so real as it spoke, the voice trembled almost like the user was close to falling apart, but I knew it wasn't real, none of this was, this was all just some messed a dream, but I won't fall for it, this isn't my brother, and the voice that spoke before wasn't my grandmother.

"To think I would have a dream this messed up...sure nightmares of the Kraang destroying my home, but this...this is all kinds of fucked up"

Ripples of water passed by me, and the dream's bright green light was blocked, darkening the void once again.

"Leo...please...turn around...wha-...what is all of this?"

Even though this was all a dream, for a moment, I could sense a hand reaching for the fins that protruded from my shell, and as I took one final breath I could feel the fins relaxing, resting right up against my shell. I needed to get back to the real world, I needed to find Angie, the kids. Pushing up from the ground, I walked away from the figures, searching for a way out of here.

"Leo..."

"I can't come back...I-..."

I laughed as I thought my words over, why did I need to explain to this figment of my imagination, it should already know, so why...

"You should already know this...since this is all just a dream in my head-"

"A dream?- Leo what are you talking about, what should I already know?"

I took a deep breath through my teeth as I finally turned back towards Mikey, giving the figure the full view of what I had become, and his eyes only widened as his hand covered his mouth.

"That I'm a traitor..."

"Wha- what happened- What do you mean traitor?!"

"Terra!"

That was my way out, Venom could help me, he can get me out of this hell hole.

"Venom!"

"Leo- Wait! What do you mean?! And who's Venom?!-"

" I AM "

Venom towered over me as he glared at the figures in front of us, his voice shaking the very floor we stood on as his arm wrapped around me, never actually touching my body.

"Kraang Prime's experiment. He has been the one who kept me safe, keep all of us safe-"

"You're working with the very aliens that came to destroy your home,  our   home !-"

"Terra it is time to come back. Go over a plan to find the others"

"No! Leo please! We can help you get back to normal...just like you did when Raph was under...their command...please...we can't live without you...you're the team's leader"

I could finally see it, the way out of this place, turning away from Mikey, I reached for it, I could feel the coolness touch my skin.

"I was never the team's leader...Raph was...remember?"

-----------------------------------

~Three Weeks Later~

POV Mikey(2018):

"LEOOO!-", reaching out where Leo once was, I screamed, calling out his name, wanting so badly for him to come back, to come home. His name echoed across the walls and materials that filled the room, 'Where am I? What's going on- We were just on Staten Island, and then-...', I tried to figure out where I was, trying so hard to figure out what happened, "Wait...Gram?!- Gram Gram?!", pushing myself up from the med table, I leaned against the wall beside me, if all that was truly a nightmare than Gram Gram, the she wouldn't understand, but if she does then...then maybe, "I'm still here Mikey-"

"What was that- that dream or whatever?! Was that actually Leo- and if it was, is he still alive?!", footsteps grew louder, someone was coming but who, "Slow down Michaelangelo, you were just in a meditative state and yes that was your brother, however, he is trapped, you need to save him from himself", I wanted to laugh, cheer, Leo was still alive, we still had a chance to save him, yet I wanted to ask more, I wanted to know what she meant, "Wait Gr-"

"Mikey?", I needed to save him, he was still alive, "Raph, I saw him- I saw Leo! He's alive-", Raph's once tense shoulders and fidgeting hands rested on my shoulder, "I- maybe if both our Dad's help, we can find Leo-"

"Mikey...", my hands moved so much as I spoke, whether I was moving them around as I spoke, or if I kept them still on my lap, for some reason I could keep my hands still, "You all believed he didn't survive in the Primson Dimension, but I knew to trust my gut!-"

"Mikey!", Raph never was one to lose his temper, out of all of us he was the most level-headed one, yet whenever he broke, his anger was the most terrifying thing to see, and this was only half of his anger, "Leo is gone...", Raph's tone was flat as he spoke, walking around the cot, he pulling the blanket back up to my neck, pushing me back down, but I fought against his hold, "No! I saw him, I was talking to him! Why don't you trust me?!"

"Because we saw what was left of our brother three weeks ago...his mask was covered in blood- it was even blue anymore and there was no proof to prove that he was still alive-"

"But there was no proof to say he was dead either"

"Donnie told us that Leo's vitals weren't active...", sighing, Raph raised an arm and scratched the back of his head, turning away from Mikey, "I get you miss him, Mikey, we all do...but you need to understand...that Leo isn't coming back...you were just having a nightmare...", sitting up from the bed, "That's because he's trapped!-", I wanted to persuade him, "We need to save him!-", he didn't even stop to listen as I watch Raph walked back where he came from, I wanted to scream, to yell at him, I wanted him to believe me, "Why-...", but as he slowly disappeared all I could do was cry, "Why won't you believe me...". 

Dragging my forearm against my snout, I stared down at my hands as they laid in my lap, trembling uncontrollably and my fingertips twitched, I wanted to run back to the island, no I needed to, I needed to find a way to save him. "No one believes me...", looking around the room, I tried to find anything that could help me, and that's when I noticed my phone plugged in and off to the side. Holding onto the side of the bed frame and the wall, I dragged one of my legs across the sheets, causing the sheets to fall onto the floor, but I didn't care as I reached for the counter, reaching closer and closer to my phone, I was so close, "I'm...so...close"

"Ah Michael, you're awake"

"Hey good timing, can you reach my phone real quick", Donnie was quiet as he looked down at his gauntlet, swiping through the projection, searching for something. "How long ago did you wake from your slumber?-"

"Donnie can you get my phone please-"

"Audible sigh...Michael, your health is far more fundamental than your phone, now when did you wake up and get back into your cot-", pushing my legs back into the bed, he adjusted the sheet, never meeting my eyes once, sighing tiredly, I rubbed my thumb over the crease in my palm, "I woke up ten minutes ago...now can you please give me my phone, Donn-"

"No...not until I make sure your health is adequate", falling back onto the pillow behind me, I watched as the projection in his gauntlet became bigger, the silence was so loud inside the med-bay, "You know I heard the conversation between you and Raphael-", tightening my fist, I didn't look up towards Donnie, "-the chances of...L-...", Donnie's voice stuttered as he cleared his throat, "-the chances of him surviving is very unlikely, even if he was alive my machines would have received a signal from him-"

"Bu-but what if there was a way to get out of that dimension- what if he found a way out-"

"And how would he do that- Unlike the portal you created on Staten Island, he can only teleport from different locations in the same dimension, you were able to travel to two different dimensions"

"But- B- what if there was a way!", Donnie's fingers messed with the gauntlet, "-What if the Kraang kraangified him and tried to find a way to escape-"

"Even if that were true, he would have still been there, his vitals would have still connected to my gauntlet- Michael you opened a portal approximately twenty five seconds after the key was disconnected, shutting the portal completely. That is not enough time to escape-"

"But Gram Gram!-"

"You know what...sigh...I can't deal with this right now-", turning away from the cot, Donnie reached over towards my phone and tossed it towards me, "I know others grieve differently so go at it, talk to whoever...", shutting off the projection on his gauntlet, Donnie turned away and waved over his shoulder, "I'll be in my lab...I'll let Raph know your stable", I didn't answer him back as I scrolled through my contacts, I didn't have many, so it was really easy to find Dad's.

*Ringing* *Ringing* **Ringi-*

Dad: "Michaelang-"

Me: Dad! Can you come down to the lair? There's something I just saw and want to talk about-"

Dad: "If you called me to talk about a painting you want to pain-"

Me: "No its not! Just please"

Dad: "Fine I will be there in thirty minutes"

Me: "Alright see you soon"

------------------------------------

~Forty Minutes Later~

"Draxum?! What are you doing here?-"

"Ahhh- Your youngest wanted me to get here, he wanted to tell me something-"

"Orange is awake?! Why didn't red or purple tell me!-", pushing up from the bed, I shoved my phone underneath my leg, my hands trembling far worse than moments ago. I wanted to get up, but as I picked my leg up, gravity pulled it back down, "Ah Michaelangelo, now-", Draxum crouched down underneath the arch into the medbay as Dad ran around him, running straight to the bedside, "What is it that you wanted me to know and tell me?"

"Look this is gonna sound crazy, but just before I woke up, I-...", turning away from them I looked down at my hands, watching as my thumb tapped each finger, moving from pointer to pinky then back, "You?"

"Whatever you saw you can tell us, Orange", Dad's hand rested on my arm, waiting for me to saying something, so I nodded my head, and let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding, "I saw Leo- and I know guys are just going to say it ws a dream!- But-...Gram Gram was here, she was standing right there...she told me what I saw was real...", looking up from my hands, I switched my gaze between the both of them, "Well?...What did you see?"

"Its hard to explain...at first I was in a dark room by myself, but then, she led me further and further from your guys voices, I-...I was scared, for a moment I thought I died, but then, I saw him, he was yelling, screaming and repeating the word no, cursing into the air. Leo was turned away but when I showed up he stopped, but...that was the part that terrified me, he...he was different-"

"Different how?"

"He had spikes on his back, his limbs seemed thinner and lanky, I wanted to see him, but-...there was no way my mind could have made that up in a dream, he was talking nonsense, saying stuff like, this was all just a dream in his mind, but when he turned around, besides the spikes, mutations covered his body, four eyes, the corners of his mouth torn further back, gills on his neck, a-a-nd-...", I could remember it so clearly, it felt so real, "there were scars all over his skins, and cracks all over his shell, and for some reason he had metal boots?!-", looking over towards Dad, he handed me a small bowl of gruel, I was struggling to even sit up, let alone lift my hands to grab a freaking bowl, so I shook my head, turning back down to my palms, "And...he kept saying he was-"

"Michaelangelo?-"

"Leo kept telling me he was a traitor, I was so confused what he meant, but I know you cant feel things in dreams, but it felt so heavy, and when I looked up-...I think the Kraang got to him, but not the one we fought, he loomed over Leo, almost like he was protecting him or something, but he was mutated just like they did to Raph!-"

"Michaelangelo, why did you want to tell me this?", Draxum walked closer to the table, his hand draped over the rail at the end of the bed. Taking in a deep breath, I looked back up towards Draxum, "Both of you know that Leo can open portals to different places on earth right?"

"Of course?"

"Yeah?", they both spoke at the same time as they leaned in closer, "I was able to open a portal to the Prison Dimension as well as the dimension Leo's future self came from-"

"Is that why your hands...wait a moment...Donatello-"

"Dad, he doesn't believe me, neither of them do, especially since Donnie said Leo's vitals didn't show..."

"Do you at least remember what the Kraang looked like", nodding my head, Draxum peeked around the corner, "Casey!"

"Yeah?!", Casey leaned around the corner wall, looking around the room, "Oh! Master Michaelangelo you're awake-"

"Yeah yeah, awesome-, Casey-"

"Did something happen?"

"Sensei! Uhhh no I guess they just have a question?"

"Casey, Michelangelo came across something while he was unconscious, however, I want to know if either of you heard or seen of this before-", nodding his head, Casey walked further into the room, standing beside Dad, "Michaelangelo?"

"I saw this...creature, a Kraang that loomed over his shoulders, but it was weird, the Kraang we saw was pink, but this one was pure black, its eyes were big and white, no pupils-"

"Did this creature have a big creepy smile with sharp teeth?"

"Sensei?", turning from Casey to the future Leonardo, he loomed over Draxum, he was only a few inches taller, but the height was almost terrifying, "I'm here, but I must leave soon, I have machines that are calling my name-"

"That creature is a symbiote called Venom, one created by Kraang Sub-Prime himself to bond and force itself upon its host and spy on our comrades, however the only mutant it was able to attach itself to was Donnie. Donnie was infatuated by the creature...", turning away from the bed, he rested his hand on the arch, "I would give up on Leo, he's too far gone to save, the bond is permanent-"

"I never said who it was...", he froze, and everyone did as the room went quiet, "Did...did you know he was alive?"

Chapter 27: What are you hiding, Mikey...

~Three Months After Leaving New York~

(At the Farmhouse)

POV 3rd Person(Donnie):

'Leo still hasn't woken up. For the past three months, everyone has been doing their own thing, doing anything to fill the empty hours, for hours on end I would stay inside the barn, working on the formula to perfect the retro-mutagen, yet nothing was working. I worked on this projection day after day after day, I had no time to rest, I had to save Kirby, April was depending on me and I can't let her down, she needs me...she finally needed me'

'Yet as the weeks and months merged, I could tell how long I was in that barn, I didn't even remember when the last time I ate, I couldn't stay in the cramped barn for another second, I needed a new atmosphere, a new space, and for two weeks I've been working inside the living listening to the TV as the two kids sit on a nest of pillows and blankets, the older one eating the small snack April made him over an hour ago, I wonder why they're not with Mikey.'

'Mikey hardly ever comes inside the house, always working in the fields, working close with the crops and animals, he's always busy with something whether its chores or these kids. Casey fills his time working on the vehicles we have, checking the party wagon, and fixing up the old truck in the barn, but whenever we are tired, we sleep on the barn couch. April stays in her room for hours on end and only comes down whenever the kids need her, which is rare since Mikey's the one caring for them, yet...as I listen, taking just a moment to listen, for small moments I swear I could hear something pounding on the wall and just barely the sound of something crying. But she's not the one that worries me the most, its Raph...'

'For the past three months, he has not once left the Leo's side. No matter what we try whether that's making him come to bed or even eating a freaking meal, Raph won't leave the bathroom, and...as time goes on, I don't know if we'll be able to take our city back...'

"Yayyy!!!", Jay threw his arms up in the air, and pushed himself up to his knees, crawling closer and closer to the screen, "Shhhhhhh April's asleep kid", looking at the boy, he watched as he nodded and stepped back from the TV, Donnie continued to work on possible recipes, thinking of any possible ingredients that would help yet the task was deemed impossible, he had no way to prove his hypothesis, he didn't have the right tools, and whatever chemicals he had was used to make a medicine for Leo when he woke up, yet in addition all he had was the testing rods and mutagen he brought here from the lair. 

'Alright... let's look this over one more time', pulling one of his hands away from the keyboard, Donnie reached into his pouch. He pulled out his small trusty notepad, "Mutagen: originally found in its purest form from the kraathatrogons, produced to feed its young. Mutagen contains different proteins and non-proteins, as well as some chemicals. Components so far identified: proteins are casein, α-lactalbumin, lactoferrin, secretory immunoglobulin IgA, lysozyme, and serum albumin. Non-protein nitrogen-containing compounds, including urea, uric acid, creatine, creatinine, amino acids, and nucleotides, comprise ~45% of the kraathatrogon's milk nitrogen-", as Donnie named off each ingredient, he wrote them down on the notepad, writing them underneath their groups, "-The mutagen underneath a microscope contains chemicals that look alike or have similar structures like bisphenol A, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, hexachlorobenzene, and the cyclodiene pesticides, which include dieldrin, heptachlor, and chlordane-"

*RINGING* *RINGING-*

Donnie stopped speaking at the sound of someone's phone beginning to vibrate on the table, looking through his satchel, he noticed that he still had his own, so..., "Oh! That's Uncle Mikey's phone!", pushing himself up, Jay ran straight towards the table and grabbed the phone, answering it before he even looked at the screen, "Hello?"

'Who the heck is calling Mikey...Maybe Casey? April?', listening to Jay gasp, Donnie reached into his pouch and pulled out his worn-down headphones, plugging them straight into his computer, "Hello Venom...Kris Kris is with me watching TV-...", in moments like this Donnie was truly happy that he hijacked all his brothers' phones, he made sure to leave no visible proof that he was listening or reading anything that was going on with their phones, but ever since the Chris Bradford and Mikey incident, he put it in all their phone. "Alright! I'll give the phone to Uncle Mikey, one sec!"

'Come on just a few more things and...there!', with that, he started recording the call from both ends, Donnie wanted to know who this kid was talking about, who was this Venom. Donnie needed to pay attention to the voices, the words, the..., 'Did this kid really leave his sister alone!', Donnie switched his gaze from the computer to the kid in front of him, debating on whether he should leave the couch or just trust this kid won't hurt herself, 'Damn it', groaning as he carried his computer, Donnie walked around the table. He sat on the ground, leaning his back against the heavy table, his legs right night to the infant, "Uncle Mikey!-"

'Oh here we go-'

"Uncle Mikey?!"

"Over here, kiddo!" Donnie could only hear the sound of the kid racing through the tall grass. "Venom's on the phone!"

"What?! Come here-", something hard hit the phone the loud tap to be replaced by heavy breathing, "Venom? Venom?!-"

"Michaelangelo?-", a chill ran down Donnie's shell as the voice scratched his brain, staring at the screening, for a moment he thought the caller used a voice changer but there wasn't, "Jay, can you cover your ears real quick...good...Venom. What in the absolute fucking shit was that-", both Donnie and the caller went silent, neither has ever heard Mikey swear, what could have set him off this badly, "-you do not just call me random with the sound of Leo being tortured in the background and hang up moments after. AND THE FACT I TRIED CALLING YOU BACK AND YOU DONT ANSWER MY CALLS FOR MONTHS?!?!?! WHAT THE SHELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"Look I was going to call you back but there have been...some... issues that happened during and after his...surgery?"

"SURGERY?!-", Mikey's voice sounded so loud as he yelled into the mic, 'wait...surgery, why-wait...who was the one that did the surgery?', for a moment, Donnie could barely hear Mikey apologizing to something, most likely the kid, "Jay why don't you go take these inside while I talk to Venom okay?"

"Is Papa okay?"

"Of course he is, your dad is a really strong fighter, now go on...", the call went silent, pulling one headphone away from his ear, Donnie waited for the kid to run in, with what, Donnie wasn't sure, "Venom, why on earth would Leo need surgery and why hasn't Leo gotten here yet? I'm sorry but taking care of two kids, especially one that doesn't chew her food is super stinking stressful"

"Well...about why...before Leo's surgery, we fought against Kraang Prime and ran into...I think it was one of your enemies, he knew you guys-"

"What did he look like?", the turtles had many enemies, so the description could narrow it down or not, "Well it was this tall human? It wore alot of metal, like armor...", the call was silent once again, "You met...the shredder? But...but that doesn't explain-"

"Look I honestly don't know what happened, it happened so quickly, that creature pressed his foot into his back-", Donnie tried to listen to the words this Venom said yet all he could here was the sound of scratching, each scratch getting louder and louder, "Ah!- Why does he wear such itchy accessories-"

"General you must calm down or else you will irritate Terrapin's skin-"

"Calm down. Calm down! Mother I have not eaten in a year, all my host has been eating is that damn jerky for almost an entire year. I need that copper tang his blood gave me, I need to eat a human-", his eyes opened wide as those words rang in his mind, he couldn't be hearing this right..., "General go calm down, but do not scratch your host skin...Michaelangelo", Mikey didn't answer, this must be new to him as well, but as the voice called out his name over and over again, Mikey finally spoke up, "Michaelangelo-"

"S-sorry, yeah?"

"As Venom spoke about earlier, Terra had an accident that caused paralysis below his thoracic cage or ribs, however with great news the procedure went well, with training and practice Terra should be walking in no time"

"Is that why you guys haven't arrived yet?"

"No, that is why I called you, Venom is very agitated. Terra hasn't woken up since then and then...my hypothesis, has gained a new power, one Venom nor I understand how to "turn off""

"Power?"

"Terra has been in this phantom or ghost-like form while he stays in his coma, Venom has been unable to grab ahold of anything, leaving him stranded in your kins' lair-", just like their Leo he has been in his comatic sleep ever since they left their home, "Wait ghost? Are you saying Leo-"

"Of course not, Leo is still in a sorts alive, for a ghost to exist it must die leaving his physical form on this plane while it moves on to the next or in a way stays trapped until it moves on. As for Terra, this new ability makes it possible for him to walk through anything -", both turtles were quiet as they listened, waiting for the voice to continue with the news, whether it was bad or good they listened.

"The other issue is...during his surgery, their bond is...continuing to have a negative effect on the turtle's body, while Terra was searching for you in Dimension X, during the first few months-"

'Searching for Mikey? What happened in there and...why didn't Mikey tell us. I'll have to talk to him when I get the chance'

"-there were a few mutations that surfaced, he grew dorsal fins, fangs as well as gills similar to his Kraang Sub-Prime, but now with the two new mutations it will become harder for him to hide these...side effects"

"Well... isn't there anything you can do to help him?"

"Michaelangelo. Terra is patient zero, we have no research or knowledge on this subject, we have nothing to go off of to learn from, Venom was created to spy on humankind, but during his creation, he has grown a form of self, Venom is not an experiment, he is his own being. For all I know this could be the worst he'll get before he gets better, or he could be stuck like this", Donnie stared at the screen, extremely glad that he was recording this, knowing full well he had to keep this somewhere safe away from anyone, "But I will make sure to monitor him carefully...Michaelangelo?", Donnie could hear a hum from one side of the line, there was so much spoken in just one call, Donnie didn't know what to focus on the murderous hunger, the mutations, the surgery?! Donnie knew he was going to talk about this call to Mikey when everyone was back to their normal selves, but for now, Donnie needed to hear more on the situation. "What Venom said...please...don't think less of us...of Terra, Venom was created from the fallen Kraang that cannibalized as a last resort to survive, because of this his diet consists of fresh Kraang, and unfortunately human is the closest thing...that can fill that appetite, so please...", the call sounded so quiet as the voice spoke into the air, "-do not hate them for just surviving..."

"I-...I just need time to think-"

"Hold on...Michaelangelo do not speak until I inform you-"

"Wha?-", the voice hushed Mikey, making the call go silent, 'Wait what's...shit!-', reaching off to the side, Donnie grabbed his phone and plugged it into his computer, transferring the entire recording into my files, something was messing with my codes, but what, Donnie knew it had to be the voice Mikey spoke to, pressing one last button the recording was fully transferring over, pulling the plug out moments after. None of this was making sense, how did that person know I was listening, all my hacking is encrypted, so there would have been no way the caller would have noticed.

Donnie tried to listen, but it ended from his side, 'Wh...what are you hiding from us, Mikey?'

----------------------------------------

POV 3rd Person (Mikey):

"Alright. Michaelangelo, can you hear me?", a breeze ran past Mikey as he held onto his hat, "Yeah! Now why did you tell me not to talk?"

"Someone tapped into our call, and by the looks of  it they were able to record a majority of our conversation, however, the user must have noticed quickly, and I was unable to pinpoint the hacker's location-"

"Shoot!- System it was my brother, Donnie-", Mikey groaned in annoyance as he figured out who it was, "But that does not make any sense, why would your brother spy on you?"

"Because he doesn't trust me, none of my brothers do, not after I tried making a friend of my own...", looking away from his T-Phone, Mikey looked up at the trunk and turned towards it, "Did something happen between you and your...friend", reaching into his satchel, Mikey pulled out his forgotten weapon and released the blade, swinging it around over and over again, and let go of it, watching as it flew threw the air, wrapping around the branch above him, "Well, I kinda wanted a friend for myself I guess, Raph and Casey got along, Donnie keeps company with April, and Leo has Karai. I didn't have any human friends so I thought that he wanted to be my friend...turns out he only wanted to kidnap all of us for the shredder-", climbing just a bit further, Mikey was able to reach the branch, and pulled himself up, sitting near the trunk with his arm wrapped around it, "-so it kinda makes sense why they don't trust me...I almost put my family in danger, just because I wanted something my brothers' have...", his legs swayed back and forth as he looked down at the field he had been tending to, it was a small field, but it was something of his own, something he cared about, "I guess I'm just jealous...of...".

"No. Wanting to make a new companion is not wrong, it is who you stay with depends all on you, Mikey. He was a bad friend, someone that betrayed your trust, and you only tried making a friend of your own two times...that I know of-"

"What are you talking about System? Chris Bradford was the o-"

"Terra. You also befriend him. You put all your trust in both of these creatures, yet, only one of them never made you doubt him once...I can't go into it, I'll let Terra open up to you, but instead of not trusting others, he doesn't trust himself. You have to not be so hard on yourself, your brothers are only protecting you. Never forget that, Michelangelo", Mikey never really had a feminine figure to look up to, to go to when his brothers were too rough with him, but as he listened to the voice, he could almost imagine a familiar older feminine figure, whether it was betrayed as an elder sister or a mother, he couldn't tell, yet all that came out was, "Thanks, big sis..."

"No Problem, Mikey", the phone stayed in the center of his palm as he looked up towards the sky, the sun was getting closer to the horizon, "How is New York during our time away?"

"The streets are covered in demolished pieces of buildings, humans are hidden away from the Kraang. It looks like a calmer version of the battle Terra fought on his planet. I am the only one that is able to go to the surface since Venom and Terra are bonded as a phantom at the moment-"

"Wait how? Aren't you just like...AI? Siri? Alexa?"

"I was transferred over into one of the Kraang drones that monitored your home, that way I can hide in plain sight, while searching for more supplies. Like I was saying, I have been collecting materials to strengthen up the lair, as well as stock up on materials I overheard your kin stating the importance of obtaining the item and materials to fix or replace anything that broken was inside your home", moving his legs around, Mikey leaned his shell against the trunk, "Sounds suuuuuppper fun...you know you need a name, calling you system is just too baaugh"

"Well, what do you think I should be called?"

"Hmmm...", Mikey continued to look up towards the sky as he tapped his chin, thinking of something brilliant, something ground taking, "How about...S.A.M.!"

"Sam?-"

"Yeah! It stands for Super Awesome Machine! Sam!", reaching into the air, Mikey cheered causing him to almost drop his phone, "Then you can call me Sam, Michaelangelo"

"Sick!-"

"Mikeeey!!!-", looking up from his phone, he noticed Donnie running around, making his way straight towards my usual spot, "Mikey where are you?!"

"Hey Sam, I got to go, but you better call me as soon as Leo wakes up okay?"

"Of course, farewell Mikey"

"Bye!!!", ending the call, Mikey shoved the phone into his satchel and wrapped his weapon around the branch, lowering down until finally he reached the ground, "Mikey-"

"Over here!-"

"Mikey, you need to come quick, come on!-", Donnie grabbed his hand, and pulled him by the wrist, "Wait woah slow down, what's going on?", he didn't say anything, Mikey grabbed Donnie's fingers, "Dude let go and just tell me-"

"Leo finally woke up!" 

Chapter 28: A Blue Lunar Eclipse

Notes:

posting early cause im busy for thanksgiving <3

POV Mikey:

'Leo! He was finally awake!', pushing past Donnie, I raced with all the strength I had, "Mikey! Wait-", I ignored Donnie, I knew why he wanted me to stop, but he couldn't make me leave my only friend, "Uncle Mikey! Uncle Mikey! The dead guy in the bowl's awake!-"

"He's not dead kid!-", sticking out his tongue toward April, Jay laughed as he ran back inside the house, running up the stairs, "Mikey! Take off the farming gear-"

"Oh right," I said, leaning against the wall. I took off everything piece of cloth that was covered in dirt, the wraps around my legs, knee guards, hat, and apron, and hung everything over the edge of the porch. "Mikey, I really need to talk to you-", I didn't say anything as I walked past him, making my way straight towards the only bathroom. Reaching for the door frame, I swung around it and slowed down, only to see my weak older brother, his head pressed against the rim, his eyes counting each person that walked into the small room.

The bathroom was so quiet as everyone stared at the turtle, yet even in the silence all I could hear was the sound of my heart pounding in my ears, pounding louder and louder, quickening as each second past, but as Donnie spoke, "Leo?", everything went quiet. I could tell how much pain he was in as he smiled with all his strength, his brow bone turned upwards, "Hey, guys...", I didn't think it would have happened, but as I heard the rasp, the scratch in his voice as he spoke, something snapped. My hand reached up towards my mouth, covering it as an itch ached in my throat and eyes, tears fell and my vision went blurry. Stepping slowly closer and closer towards Leo, I didn't have control any longer as I lunged towards him, hugging him with all my might, never wanting to let him go, fearing that the moment I let him out of my hold, he'd leave again...just like the others, "LEO! You're back!"

"Ow..Okay, that hurts"

"Take it easy. Let us get you out of here," Raph said, slowly letting go of Leo. I stepped away from the bathtub as Donnie and Raph stepped forward, pulling Leo up to his feet. I pushed myself to my feet and stepped backward, watching as they moved him out of the bathroom. "I can't believe he was out for three months, man..."

"It doesn't even feel like we've been here that long." April was right. Even though we stayed in this house day after day, it only felt like a month had passed. "I'll empty the tub-"

"Hey Uncle Mikey?" leaning over the tub, I reached for the plug and pulled on the chain, watching the water spinning over the drain, creating a tiny whirlpool. "You had us worried sick, Leo. Raph barely slept", their conversation sounded so quiet as I pressed the side of my face against the edge of the tub, watching the water level descend lower and lower, "Uncle-", yawning tiredly, Jay leaned against my shell and drew small circles towards the top of my shell, "...Mikey...I'm tired...", as the last bit of water funneled down the drain, I turned around and picked up the small frog, letting him rest his head on my shoulder.

Walking out of the bathroom, I made my way towards the living room, starting to feel tired myself, I knew it was time to go to bed both for me and the kids, "Hey April...", the group went silent, my eyes felt heavy as I swayed back and forth on my feet, "Yeah?"

"I know me and the kids normally sleep on the couch—" I took a deep breath and sighed, "and I don't want to kick you guys out...so...do you mind if Jay sleeps in...one of the beds?", I could hear the sound of something moving closer towards me and a hand pressed against my shoulder, "Come on, let's get you two to bed-"

"No no, I-I'm not tired-"

"Just go to bed Mikey, Raph will watch Kris-"

"Why was I chosen as the babysitter?!-", the group continued to argue, going on and on, yet none of it ever registered in my ears, April continued to pull my arm, tugging us closer and closer, "You, the kids and your brothers can take my dad's room, its not much just...just get some sleep, Mikey", nodding my head, I walked closer towards the bed, and pulled the covers off to the side, "Hey...April?", I didn't turn towards April as I laid Jay slowly on the bed, "When Krisa gets tired...can you bring her up here. She doesn't like being alone when she...sleeps...", my eyes slowly got heavier and heavier and as my head pressed against the soft pillow, I finally felt peace and fell asleep.

---------------------------

POV Donnie:

'I guess I'll have to talk to Mikey later...', it was so quiet, barely audible as I heard the sound of a door shutting, "So, like, why does he sound different?", reaching off to the side, I unscrew the top of the vial and picked up a spoon, "He sustained damage to his throat, and pretty much everywhere else for that matter", I watched the spoon as I mixed the medicine around and around, pouring the medicine into the utensil, I held it up to Leo's face waiting for him to take it. "Here. Take some more of my special patented mutagen medicine. You'll be healed in no time", I needed to make sure it worked, so I watched him intently. Leo held his stomach as he hunched over, a hand pressed against his mouth, almost like he was ready to vomit my medicine, reaching forward, I pushed my hand on his shoulder, looking for anything wrong, but instead, he leaned back, groaning as his tongue hanging out, "Ugh, that tastes like it's supposed to come out of me, not go into me", I chuckled, placing the spoon off to the side, I screwed the lid back on tight enough not to spill, but easy enough for Leo, "First thing tomorrow, we're gonna start training again, you and me. I'll have you on your feet in no time, bro".

"Here. You'll need to take this twice a day, just a small sip when you wake up and before you go to bed. When you run out, let me know", nodding his head, Leo turned back towards the stairs, switching his gaze between the stairs and his own hands, "Mikey has never been one to go to bed this early...", Leo looked at everyone, no one knew what to say, until April spoke up, "He's been working the most compared to the rest of us-"

"Now hold on-"

"Raph you can't say April's wrong when you were stuck in the bathroom since the day we got here", Raph clicked his tongue as he crossed his arms, "But April's right though. The only time he actually rests is when he goes to bed with the kids, but when he's awake he's either working on the small acre, tending to the crops outside, or taking care of the chickens-"

"And when he's not doing that he's watching the kids, making sure they're well fed...", Leo winced in pain as he leaned back, pushing against his knee, Leo laid his head back against the couch, "And why haven't you guys been helping him. There's no reason for him to be working that hard and taking care of kids- and don't say you've been helping, because none of you look as tired as him", leaning away from Leo, I sighed as I looked off to the side, 'I really did miss him...but not this part of him...'

"Leo, Bro. We did our own things to stay busy and...he never asked for help, I mean me and Donnie were always working in the barn-", Casey continued, trying so hard to persuade Leo, only to fail as he sighed. Leo turned away from us, saying nothing, not even a word. I tried to see what he was looking at, but as I turned towards the thing that intrigued him, the small snake that sat there, eyes glued to the TV never looking away finally looked around herself, her pupils the size of dinner plates, looking back and forth looking for something, "...Where-", Leo spoke with a rasp as he reached out, inviting the small child to be held, but instead of running towards him or anyone, she back away, hiding in the furthest part underneath the TV, "Where's Leo?", I turned towards the others, and of course April and Casey were confused by his question, "Who-"

"We left him in New York, but...", I reached into my pocket, staring at my phone, this can show the group what I heard, I can keep this family safe from an enemy none of us saw coming, yet...

"But?", I shook my head, shoving the phone deep inside my satchel, my hands tightly intertwined with one another, "It's nothing...we...we just had to leave there was nothing we could have done- Leo...we had no idea where he could have been-"

"So you left him behind?...", Leo's head was turned downwards and his eyes stared at me from the corner of his eye, glaring at me, "Look we had no way of saving him. Two of us were injured and someone had to take care of the kids! Do you think Mikey would have been able to protect the two of us and the kids, while the others went out looking for him!-"

"Its doesn't matter!-", Leo spoke as loud as the rasp would let him, coughing in between each sentence, trying so hard to ignore that itch in his throat, "-you were supposed to make sure everyone made it out of that city safely until we healed up and made a plan-"

"Well what about the others! Leatherhead, Mondo Gecko, the others- what about them, we had no way to take them all with us-"

"THEY ARE FROM THIS DIMENSION!-", Leo held his throat as he coughed, patting his shell, Leo was slowly able to compose himself once again, wiping his chin clean of any drool, "Leo...what are you talking about?", April's voice tinged in worry as she leaned closer to Leo, her brows turned upward, her gazed was filled with want, begging him to explain, "The dad of those kids that Mikey keeps talking about is my counterpart from another dimension", I knew what Leo said was true, I wanted to look away, ashamed by his words, but April's face was filled with so much guilt as she looked at Leo, turning her gaze towards me, I knew what she was thinking, did you know this?, and of course I did, but nothing matter more in that moment than April's safety. "When we went inside Dimension X to get Mikey back, in his time inside that place he befriended a mutant, we later found out that he was my counterpart. We still have no idea how he got inside Dimension X, I was actually going to discuss it with him when the time was right. Do any of you even know if he even survived?"

I was the only one that knew the state of his counterpart, well me and Mikey knew, but...I needed my questions answered before I even think about bring him up in this topic. Turning away, I reached into my satchel and pulled out my notepad, "Donnie?", I froze, my hand stopped as it went for the pencil, "No. I haven't heard anything from him", I wasn't lying in a sense, I haven't talked to Leo since we left New York, "Then look at me and say that again...", everyone was quiet. 'Why am I being targeted! How should I know', Clicking my tongue, I shoved everything into my satchel and threw the strap over my shoulder, pushing myself up from the couch, "I told you, Leo, I don't fucking know anything! If you want to know so badly, why don't you ask Mikey himself-", walking around the couch, I pulled open the door and glared at Leo, "He probably knows more than I do!-"

*SLAM*

I could feel my feet stomping against wood, walking down step after step, charging straight towards the barn, "Donnie!-", it was Casey. I never turned back towards him as I swung the door wide open, only for the door to close right on him, I was tired, too tired to work or even think at that moment, "Donnie, what was that...", he was breathing out heavily as he walked closer towards me. Reaching for the blanket on the couch, I threw myself on the worn down cushions and pulled the blanket over my shoulders, my head turned away from his voice, "I tired Casey...let me sleep..."

"Whatever man, but you know Leo's gonna be on your ass the moment he gets the chance", groaning, I pulled the blanket over my head, blocking all the light out, "Whatever..."

---------------------------

~Four Hours Later~

"Mmmmmmmm!-", stretching my arms and legs, I overextended my limbs, and groaned into the cool freezing air, relaxing as I felt the stiffness finally leave my body. "Casey...", I called out to the only other person that occupied this space, I could feel the itch as the goosebumps appeared on my skin, "Caseeeey!-", whining his name, I flipped onto my side, only to notice no visible sign of anyone working in here, all the tools were put away, the lights were shut off and the few blankets that occupied the top of the couch were moved over my warm body. Sitting up from the couch, I looked around and noticed the boy sitting in the truck's driver seat, resting the night away. 

"...", pushing the blanket to one side of the couch, I stood up and walked over to the truck, Casey looked so uncomfortable as his head pressed against the horn, no noise came out, but if it did he would've been scared awake. Reaching for the door handle, I pulled the door open and reached under the boy's arms and legs, picking him off the worn-down cushion only to hear the sound of his face coming unstuck from the wheel. I chuckled as I saw his skin turn red where the wheel and his skin connected, carrying him away from the truck, I placed Casey on the couch and draped the same blankets I used over his own body.

Walking towards the closest light switch, I flicked the light off and walked out of the barn, my skin shivered underneath the freezing air as it brushed against me, wrapping my arms around myself I leaned against the barn, taking in the skies beauty only to notice...

"Mikey?", leaning forward I caught myself with each footstep, step after step until my walk slowly became a jog, I raced straight towards the front door, 'Yes! The lights are off', pushing open the door, I looked around the entrance and sprinted towards the stairs, climbing each step quietly, I froze as every other step caused the wood to creak under my foot. Pressing my hand against the wall, I reached for the doorknob and pushed it wide enough for me to squeeze through, peaking through the opening, I noticed that there was only three occupants, the kids at the top of the bed and Leo resting at the foot of the bed, 'Shit-', looking around the room, I noticed the window cracked open, that was how I was going to talk to him. Walking on the tips of my toes, I kept my eyes on Leo as I raced across the room, stepping closer and closer, I reached for the window and froze, waiting for something to happen, but everything was silent.

Crawling out of the window, I crept up the side of the roof, 'God its so freaking cold out here'. Holding onto the edge of the roof, I saw him as I crouched over the roof, catching his attention the moment a stick slipped under my footing, "Wait! Mikey, please I just want to talk", whispering as quietly as I could, I held my hands up, noticing his guard was never let go as he stared at me, "Please...can we just talk?", relaxing he didn't say a word and turned away from me, so I walked forward and sat beside Mikey, looking up at the sky, I looked at each star and realized what tonight was...

"A Blue Lunar Eclipse...", being in the sewers day after day, never being allowed to see the light of day or being alone at night, fearing the chance of something coming after us, yet now...we get to enjoy months of freedom...something I dreamed of for so long. "Mikey?-", looking down towards my small pouches, I searched for my T-Phone and pulled it out, taking a photo of the moon above us, "Just be honest with me and I swear on science itself that I will not tell a soul...", I tried to think my question over, my words stuck in my throat as I looked at the sky and turned my gaze over towards Mikey, "What is he?". Turning away from me, he closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders, leaning back and laying on the roof, he laid his head on his arm, "I'm not sure, but...he's not dangerous...that I know. But what I do know-", a big smile appeared on his face as he turned towards me, "Leo and Venom are just doing their best to keep each other alive", nodding my head, I made sure to remember that name...

Venom...

*RIIINNNGGG* *RIIINNNGGG* *RIII-*

"Hello?-", looking away from the sky, I looked at Mikey from the corner of his eye as I tried to think who would be calling at this time of night, but his expression explained it all, "Leo?!-"

 

Chapter 29: I am your Protector, Terra

POV Leo:

"Mmmmmmmm-", cold...

Everything was so dark and...

So cold...

My body felt so heavy as I tried to lift my hand, I wanted to block the lights that surrounded me, yet I felt so heavy...

I felt useless

"Raph?...", everything inside this foreign room sounded so loud, yet as I pressed mh cheek on a cool surface, I knew all too well I was in my room, my safe haven. I tried so hard to ground myself, "Raph?!-...", wincing in pain, I pressed my forehead harder against the table as my voice rang in my ears, there was no sound of medical equipment monitoring my vitals, "Donnie?", the med bay was so oddly quiet for once, no beeping from the heart monitor, not even the sound of the IV dripping was heard. Leaning my elbow on the cool surface, I reached for my left arm, and felt no cuff, not even an oximeter was placed on my finger, groaning annoyingly, "I gotta really go to the bathroom...Mikey?", Donnie has always been the type to watch his monitors constantly, and if he wasn't the security system should have alerted him by now.

Something cool touched my shoulder and a rag was dragged my forehead, sending shivers down my shell, another person continued to check my face, "Wow what's with all the attention. You guys miss me that much?", no one said anything, reaching for my arms, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N pulled me up from the table, holding me still as I tried to stand, yet I couldn't, I draped my body over his head as he continued to drag me towards something, 'I hope to god that they're taking me to the bathroom, but...why isn't anyone talking'

Leo!

Can you hear me

"S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N., why do you sound so weird...", my words slurred as the door creaked very loudly, someone ushered me inside, placing me on the cool tiled counter, something felt off, in the entire time I've kept my eyes closed, nothing has felt right, dragging the ends of my fingers across the counter, I noticed something new, the grooves between each tile...their gone.

"Donnie, did you remodel the bathroom-"

"Terra!- Kraang dam- here talk to Mikey...Mikey! Terra's gone nuts-"

"Mikey where's Mikey?", pressing my hands on the counter, I rubbed my hands over my face and peeled my eyes open, I was ready to see the bathroom Mikey and I decorated, the fairy lights lining the walls, the paintings Mikey created on the walls, and yet all I could see...was me, standing alone in a dimly lit bathroom.

The days—no...the months of memories flood my mind. During the entire year I spent with Angie and the ki—my kids inside Dimension X—I protected them. I tried to get us out of there. " V—", the letter was stuck on my lips, but...I couldn't say a word, my lower lip hung, trembling as I took in the sight I saw, 'The kids...where are the kids?!', turning away from the mirror, I stumbled over uneven tiles, "JAY?!-", I could hear the sounds of voices, sounding so much different than Venom's, they didn't matter, I needed to find my kids, my family, "KRISA?!-"

"Leo!", turning back towards the bathroom, I stared into the flickering light inside, a voice was speaking, 'The Kraang?! Their tracking us?!', rushing inside the bathroom, I noticed the device lighting up the mirror, and reached for the device, glaring at it as a voice continued to speak through, calling out my name. ".̸̛̺͙͍͗͒.̸̛̩̄̋.̴̭͌́g̴̱͛͌̿n̸̠̤̘͊͘͝ã̶̡̛͕͍͌å̴͕̑͆r̵̜̮̐̌k̴̰̩̜͆̐͝ ̴̗̣̓͑̈́ͅȇ̸͉̘̒͜i̴̡͔̹̾͆͗d̸̛͓̋͆.̷̮̮̝̈.̷̨̑.̴̲͕̒", for the first time the phone went silent as I dropped it to the ground, crushing it below my foot. "Venom. System. Any news from Mikey's whereabouts?-", pushing the door wide open, I looked around the abandoned lair and noticed the small blanket I put the kids on.

Terrapin

You must sit down and take it easy

You just wo-

"No. I have rested long enough, my kids I probably out there with just their uncle!- Have either of you heard where Angie is?", both were silent, but strangely Venom was quieter than usual.

Location has...

Not been determined

We were unable to receive feedback on their location

I was going to pinpoint their location through the call...

But-...

However as of yesterday I spoke to Michaelangelo informing him of some sudden obstacles due to...

The bond formed by you and Venom has shown some mutations occurring at a rapid rate

The system continued to speak as I trudged through the cold lair, lights flickering on and off, "So what, I should get from this is the fact that neither of you have any idea where my fucking kids and Angie are...", both were silent. Chuckling tiredly, I walked back toward the lab and shoved the door wide open.

"Terra, please listen to Mother. So far from what we heard yesterday is the fact that the kids are safe, we may have no idea where they are, but they are safe", he was right, listening to Venom's words calmed me for a small moment, but that didn't matter, this city. Their home wasn't safe for them and knew these two small swords weren't going to do the trick, reaching for the swords that were tossed off to the side, I held the blades together as I closed be eyes, imagining the swords I lost oh so long ago.

Terrapin you still must rest

"What the h-"

In this dark room, the blue from my blade shined so brightly as it changed for the hooked blade to my old katanas. Opening my eyes, I examined the new blades in my hands, they were just like the ones I lost.

"Since when could you do that?"

"For a while now-", I smiled as I reached over my shoulder, and ripped off the old holster as I walked back into the lab, searching for my satchel, "...and fine system, I will take a moment, but you have to explain why-", leaning against the cot, I felt something soft underneath my hand, "Wha-"

That Terra is your new pair of clothing I discovered on my search for materials throughout the city

I would give you the item you had last time however they were torn to bits during you altercations with this dimension's enemy

Holding them up in the air, I watched as the cloth slowly unfolded, revealing pants bagging than the last with the crotch lower than the sweats, but that was what confused me, "What...are these- and what's with the slit in that back?!", I carried them over towards the work bench, and examined the premade slit in the back, 'Maybe its for my tail?...But the slits freaking huge?!' lowering them closer to the ground, I placed one leg in after another, only for the pants to get stuck on something, "What the h- Did I grow an ass in a few hours?!", looking over my shoulder, my eyes widened at the sight.

That Terra is a new limb enhancement I added after the incident

Which explains why I brought you this article of clothing

This should give you a better chance of hiding this new mutation

It may take some time to get comfortable and control over this

"Wha-", letting go of the pants, I reached under and grabbed my own tail, only to notice what the system did, "You built the robot tail around my actual tail?!- Did-", my fingers felt around, examining the base of my shell, I noticed there were multiple screws embedded in my shell, "Did you really have to put screws through my fucking shell"

Do not worry Terrapin

With the technology and tools I used 

I create you a new tail to help you with your balance just until you get used to the implants I put into your spine

But once you gain control of your balance your limp enhancement will learn your habits

Your moods

Then the limp enhancement will feel just like the tail you had before but just a bit heavier

"System what do you mean you put implants inside my spine", I didn't want to believe what I heard, shaking my head, I only hoped that she would clarify, that she would say he put a brace on my back for some sort of injury I never knew I had.

Before I continue I must clarify a constant mistake you keeping saying

Terra you were not asleep for three hours

You weren't even asleep for a day

"So what?- was I asleep for-"

Three months

You were in a coma for three months

The system gave me a moment of silence, yet that silence sounded so loud as her words echoed in my head, "Your-...you're lying"

"Terra-"

"No-...", lowering myself onto the metal table, I rested my face in the palms of my hands, "Did...did my brothers ever come for me?", the bot hovered closer to me, "Did...", pulling my legs close to my chest, I wanted so badly to know that fact they came for me, that my brothers tried more than just that one time, "Did my brothers even try?"

No Leo

Ever since that one time in Dimension X

Your brothers' haven't shown any promise since then

"I know...I may the last person to say this but Terra"

Taking in a deep breath, I looked up and stared at the metal door in front of me, "Yeah?"

"I think you should just live you're life here...live in a place where your children are safe from the Kraang...the Kraang that created me...that tortured us"

Holding my breath, I looked away from the door and stared at my hands as they reached into my pouch, pulling out the very photo I'd kept all this time, the one of my family, 'All I bring is danger to my family...to my home...', nodding my head, I shoved the photo back into my pouch. I looked back at System, "So what happened before I went out...", the drone instead of speaking, for a moment stared at me, analyzing everything about my expression, my mood and then she spoke.

Terrapin you can't give up just yet there is still a chance your kin are looking for you

They could be think of ways to find you

You-

You can't just give up that quickly

I-...you need to go back to your dimension

That's where you belong-

"System...", why did she want me to go back so badly, I wanted to know but her silence changed just like the subject. 

You fought an enemy from this dimension

From what we heard from Michaelangelo is that the creature you fought is quite the strong foe

During your fight he injured your wrist as well as your spine resulting in permanent paralysis below your rib cage

So to fix the issue I was able to replace the disks and strengthen the vertebrae using internal and external supports

Looking over the possibilities of how these implants would affect you led to the point of me bioengineering your current limb enhancement

Researching your species, I was able to make it where the tail can compact into your shell only when you pull your entire body into your shell

"But...I remember being awake after that fight. Did something-...wait?", looking away from the drone, I pushed off the table and reached downward, pulling the pants up to my waist, I tied the knot in the back as I tried to think of anything that could have caused the coma, but as I turned back towards the table and stared at the blurred image of myself, I felt the new healed tears in my cheeks, remembering that night oh so clearly, "Wait! During the procedure, I faintly remember being in immense pain, especially in my face, do you think-"

It is a possibility

The stress and pain from not only the pain caused during the fight as well as the tears and new eyes coming in could be the cause of your fainting

However Terrapin that may be the cause

But you still need to rest and I don't mean sit around or just walk around

Venom has been able to keep your body active by walking around due to the fact that...

Him being unable to leave the sewers...

"Yeah! Your powers got in the freaking way from me eating!"

"How could portals get in the way of you going out to eat? I feel like that would help you more since you can go wherever whenever you want-"

"No when you body phases through everything except the floor! Speaking of which, I'm starving-"

Venom's face appeared beside my face, his eyes squinting as he glared at me "What are you talking about?"

During your time in a coma

Your body went into a sort of fight or flight response causing your entire body to leave this physical plane and enter the Astral plane without ever leaving the physical

"Stop you need to dumb it down, I don't understand what you saying-"

"She's saying you turned into a ghost, but you didn't die! You were see-through and could phase through all objects, but Mother could still see you"

"Wait what?! I have new powers! Sick..."

And the moment these new powers appeared your new markings appeared as well

I think just until you are used to fighting again you should train

That way when you find the others you can protect them

Nodding my head, grabbed my swords and shoved the door open, stopping for a moment, "Maybe I should look around first. See where everything is"

"Good idea"

--------------------------------------

(Right after the call cut off)

POV Donnie:

The call ended so quickly as Leo spoke those sounds, I had no idea what he said, but I knew Mikey understood, he left the call on speaker as he held it up, and the error call rang out letting us know that we had no way of calling him back, "Leo?...", his voice sounded so weak as he spoke, reaching for his shoulder, I placed my hand on his shoulder only for him to pull away, "Mikey?...", I sighed as I turned away from him, watching as the sun peaked over the horizon, it was time we headed back inside, yet I froze, I had so many questions, so many that I wanted to know, but now wasn't the time. "I'm going to head inside...don't wait out here too long", pushing up from the roof, I turned away from the ledge, "and later...maybe not today, but when you're ready...let's talk", I didn't wait for him to answer as I climbed across the roof, I held onto the roof and slid through the window, keeping it wide open for Mikey to crawl through, "Was there a reason you were on the roof?".

I may have only heard his voice once, but I could recognize that rasp anywhere, never turning around, I sigh as I pinched the bridge of my snout, "I needed air and the sky looked nice this morning, plus their was a rare eclipse this morning, so I sat on the roof", turning around, I looked at the bed and noticed the kids were still resting with Leo at the end of the bed. "Also keep your voice down, the kids are resting", walking straight towards the door, I waited for him to speak up, to walk to me, yet he stayed still and spoke two words, "How's Leo?", that tone, gritted my teeth, I stood in the doorway as I held onto the frame, eyes widening, 'He couldn't have heard everything the-', swallowing that uncomfortable lump in my throat, I shrugged my shoulders, "Not sure, Mikey would know more about that then me", reaching for the knob, I stood there one second longer, "Don't forget to take your medicine", I pulled the door shut and raced down the stairs, making my way towards the kitchen.

"Donnie?! Its weird to see you up this early...and out of the barn...", walking past April, I bent over and opened the fridge, my stomach growled, begging to fill the empty space that was occupied by the acid. "I just wanted to see the sky. I'm just not use to seeing a star-filled sky yet...you know living in New York-"

"Oh! Don't take the veggies, I'm going to try and make chicken noddle soup, a recipe my...mom wrote down...", nodding my head, I reached further in the fridge and pulled out three eggs, shutting the fridge with my foot. Walking towards the stove, I grabbed a pan from the cupboard, cracking each egg into the dish, 'Its just eggs...how hard can it be'

-----------------------

"Crap ...", staring at the semi-burnt eggs on my plate, I piled as much of the food onto my spoon, and shoved it into my mouth, 'I just realized I didn't season these...', chewing down on the eggs, I could hear the sound of something crunching inside my mouth, pieces of shell stabbed my gums and the roof of my mouth. "Geez, who made your breakfast", I could hear the sneer in Raph's voice as he spoke, pushing against the counter, I held my plate as I walked out of the kitchen, ignoring Raph as he continued to speak, taunting me, "God, what side of the bed did you sleep on?"

"Shut up Raph", reaching for the door knob, I pushed the door open and stepped out, "Wait for me!", racing down the stairs, Mikey and Jay raced passed me and slowed down on the porch, closing the door just as they passed through.

"Uncle Mikey, can we train! I wanna fight like papa-", jabbing the air with a imaginary sword, I chuckled as I walked past them, "Well when my brother Raph starts training with Leo-"

"The dead guy?!-"

"Yes the dead guy. You can train with them", making my way towards the barn,  Mikey stopped me, "Donnie can you hold Kris real quick! I need to put my gear on-", placing the infant in my arms, my eyes widened as I held her against my chest, frozen in place, I waited for her to do something, to cry, scream, to push against me, yet Kris just stared. Touching anything in her reach, she pulled at my mask until the piece of cloth fell off my head, "I can't believe she's not fussing with you?"

"Well I mean, I have been working in the living room for three weeks now", stepping down the steps, I watched as Kris placed my mask over her eyes, staring at me, I chuckled and followed Mikey, "Then why aren't you working in there today?", groaning, I walked away from Mikey for a bit, dumping my failure of a breakfast into the chicken coop, placing the plate on top. "Because Leo decided to be an overbearing leader the moment he woke up", jogging towards Mikey, I looked between the two and Kris, 'She seems a little smaller than she should be at her age, she barely looks fifteen inches from head to tail'

"You just realized he was like that", Mikey smiled as he threw a blanket onto the ground underneath the trees, "Well no- but last night he was asking about their Dad and where he was, I told him that we left him behind and he got super pissed, he asked if we knew how he was doing and everyone was quiet, but for some reason he thought I was hiding something. So...I got pissed and went to bed-"

"You know that makes you look more suspicious right?", looking at me through the corner of his eye, he pulled the hat over his head and reached for Krisa, placing her right on the blanket with a small dead creature just within her reach, "Alright, if you want I can explain everything to you, but not here. I found a spot just a half of a mile from here, wait til then and I promise to explain, okay?", I didn't know whether to not, so I sighed, "Alright"

(Sketch of Leo by Me :D)

Chapter 30: Change Not Always Good

~Three Weeks Later~

POV Leo:

'I-...I can't find them...'

'I have been searching day after day, night after freaking night searching, looking for my family, yet no matter how hard I tried New York's city stretches on and on for miles, it feels like it never ends. I trained as much as I could, but the moments- no the hours I spent not training were used to keep their home safe from anything that could them, but most of the time was spent looking for my kids, looking for my brother.'

'Yet, no matter how hard I search, I...could never find them, I knew they had to be alive, they just had to be, yet no matter where I looked whether that was the warehouses, the harbor, or even the amusement park, I even took the time to peak through each window, calling out for the kids, for Angie, but none of them ever responded. Yet it was strange, there were moments I could hear them, I could hear the sound of their voices, but it was never my kids, it was my brothers, it was April, I could hear them when I was awake, I could even remember them in my dreams...but they were never dreams when it involved my brothers...it was always a nightmare, watching my brothers-, my home gets destroyed by the very thing I trapped inside the Prison Dimension, but there was still a chance he could escape, that chance terrified me to my core, the fear overwhelmed my dreams, my life, I couldn't think a thought without being reminded of my mistake, so... after talking to Venom, I decided that it would be better for us to stay in this dimension, but for me to stay I must take away the one thing that could harm the things I loved, the Kraang and Shredder, to think the very first villain that put my family in danger was the one from another dimension that made my legs useless. I will make this dimension safe for my kids and all I had to do was train'

'It didn't take me long to learn the ropes again. Portaling to different parts of the lair, even to different parts of New York, it all just felt like muscle memory to me, swishing the blade in circles as I created a variety of different-sized portals, it felt way too easy. Yet...I learned much from this new trick when practicing my new ability. The system informed me that whenever I'm able to turn on the ability my form is unreadable by thermo-readers, but what I didn't learn without her help was that whatever I touch is transferred into the other plane as well. There was one time, when it took all my concentration and strength as I tried and I turned completely invisible to everything around me, yet the only thing I had learned was how to turn the ability on and off for my entire body, but I could only keep it on for a moment before it faded back into my physical form, I needed to do it on command'

"Terra, we are starving"

"I just needed to train for thirty more minutes", taking in a deep breath, I stood near the edge of the roof, taking in a deep breath of the semi-clean air, that was one of the things I liked about the humans' being gone, without the cars and factories constantly pumping fumes into the sky, the sky is starting to look bluer, '...I wonder if the kids can see the sky'. Stepping away from the ledge, I looked down at the roof and bounced back and forth as I shook the nerves from my hands, letting go of the breath I held.

Remember Terrapin you have to just phase through the roof

Grab the apple and phase through to the next floor

Stopping there without moving any further down

Nodding my head, I took in a deep breath as I closed my eyes, listening to the sounds of the mutated and the monsters down below, and as the last part of my lungs filled my lungs, I held my breath and felt through the ceiling. Reaching for the apple, my power was turned off for a moment, just a moment I reached for the apple and grabbed it, "Got it!-"

*SLAM*

"Uuuuggggggghhhhhhh—", leaning forward onto my knees, I pressed my hand against the base of my shell, feeling where the metal collided with the shell. "Give me a moment..." pushing up from the ground, I put the apple back into place and walked towards the open window.

"Terra...don't you think you should rest? You've been at this for hours-"

"No. I-", swallowed the uncomfortable lump in my throat, I leaned out of the window and slowly climbed the fire escape, "-I need to become stronger-"

"But you are far stronger than most beings in this dimension-"

"Most. I lost to the shredder, Venom... and I will make sure I am the strongest living being that man has ever seen", climbing each step, my breathing came out heavy with each step. Stopping halfway up the flight, I looked over the ledge of the fire escape, Venom was right, so I listened. Turning around towards the steps, I stepped up the stairs, remembering that I brought some food just in case and the thought made my stomach rumble in excitement, stepping up onto the ledge I walked over to the spot I marked earlier and reached for my bag, grabbing the sandwich I left earlier, I sat on the ground as I stared at the box earlier that sat beside me, "Hey system?"

Yes, Turtle?

"I was thinking, originally the plan was to fall through the ceiling, transfer back into my physical form, grab the apple and then fall through the floor again. But what if instead of turning the ability off entirely, what if I just do it for just my hand and turn it back on again?", biting into the sandwich, I stared down at the gauntlet, waiting for the system to speak.

That's...

Not a bad idea

However before we do that you will have to learn how to do that

First you should experiment and see if that is even possible

Shoving the last bit of bread into my mouth, I pushed up from the ground and through the bag over my shoulder, stepping closer and closer to the edge, "System do you have any sightings of Kraang around here- And not the humans or mutants that were mutated!", leaning over the edge, I spun around and pushed off the roof, everything happened so slowly, birds flew just a few feet above me, lifting my hand up into the air, I closed my eyes as I felt the coolness brush against my skin. My arms fanned out as I tilted my head back towards the upcoming ground, yet it was strange, I felt so free in that moment, a moment where everything was on the line, where I chose whether to live or...to die.

Sightings of Kraang two miles east Terrapin

Reaching up towards the back of my head, I grabbed my swords and as the building I leaped from slowly got further away, I looked around, trying so hard to remember where East came from. My gaze was frantic as I looked from the building across the street and the ground, it was so weird, for others they would be screaming, begging someone to save them, yet right now as my heart raced and my mind ran miles per hour, it was so exciting. Pulling my arm behind my head, I threw the sword towards the building and watched as it spun around, flying in the air and as it got closer, I gripped my sword and swapped places with it, landing comfortably on the neighboring building.

Sheathing my swords, I looked down at the gauntlet as I pulled up the projection and turned towards the east, "You got this", sprinting across the rooftop, I watched as the ledge was coming quickly and as I pressed against the edge, I leaped across the alley. My arms flailing in the air, landing on the next apartment over, I raced even faster as the sound of monsters became louder, New York felt so much like Dimension X yet I felt less light, no zero-gravity to pull me away from the islands I ran on, no Sun that looked like an eye, it was just Earth.

Reaching up behind my head, I pulled out one of my swords and raised the blade above my head, I needed to be quiet, opening the portal with my voice would only cause the monster and mutated to run straight towards me, so I had to be silent. Slicing the blade through the air, a portal opened just big enough for me to step through only to disappear when my whole body stepped through, landing me right next to a worn-down warehouse. I stared at my gauntlet as I pulled up the position, noticing that we were in the right spot, I smiled and closed the projection, pressing my shell along the wall as I listened for anything that walked close. Peaking around the corner, I noticed two droids standing guard outside, I stepped back, pressing my head against the wall, "Hey buddy, wanna be in charge?", standing there, I waited for Venom to say something, yet all I heard was the sound of laughter as the ooze slowly covered my body, taking over all my senses.

---------------------------------------------------

POV Venom:

Stealth was never my...thing.

Yet Terra was the one who taught me its importance.

But sometimes...

I like my way better >:)

Stepping around the corner, I pushed off my right leg and sprinted towards the droids, reaching with my ooze, my tendrils wrapped around their body as I flung them across the street, the Kraang squealed as clutter fell on their suits trapping them from any form of escape. Turning away from the warehouse, I walked toward the droids, my body swaying back and forth as the cool air stung my skin, my tendril reached across the space between us, and switched from its pitch black to a shiny silver. Standing over the rumble, I held up the tendrils as I glared at both Kraangs, "m̵̲͑ó̴͚ȓ̵͇f̵̡͌ ̴͓̒ȅ̷̳m̵̫͛ǎ̵̩c̸͉̐ ̸̟͘Ǐ̶͎ ̴͉̈́è̶ͅn̷̢̚o̴͔̕ ̴̻̿ë̵́ͅh̶̯̅t̶͈͗ ̷̧́n̸̮̈a̴̽͜h̷͚͝ţ̸̾ ̸͔͆ŕ̸̘e̶̝̓i̶̛̠t̷͓̍s̴͌ͅă̵̲t̴͇̑ ̸̪̍r̴̟̀a̶͖͗f̴͚̌ ̷̠͗s̸̒͜í̶̳ ̶͈̚d̶̬͐n̵̻͛ĩ̷̺k̶̈͜ ̷͍͐r̵͎̋ȕ̵̲o̷̪͒Ý̴͇"

(Your kind is far tastier than the one I came from)

I watched as the tip of my tendril flew through the air before the aliens could even make a sound, stabbing the one closest to me between its teeth, I winced as the other one squealed louder than before, covering my ears, I glared at the alien and killed it moments later, memorized by the sight of two aliens on a silver skewer, "Terra. Do you think I'll ever get the chance to...try humans?-"

"No. We talked about this, Venom. You can only eat the Kraang"

Lifting the aliens into the air, the limp bodies slowly slid down my tendril until one fell into my mouth, landing with a wet slap as they hit my tongue, "But what if its a bad human- Like a thief or...oh what about that shredder fellow Mother spoke about", my mouth was full as I spoke, I didn't really need to chew my victims, I could easily swallow them whole, yet as I savored the flavor that coated my tongue, my moaned passed my lips. Licking my teeth, I turned towards the warehouse and jogged, noticing that Leo hasn't said a word since my question, "Terra?-"

"You can only eat the really bad humans and I don't mean thiefs, I mean people that cause other humans harm or put others in danger, you can only eat those humans- And! You can't do it in front of the kids or the others...I'll have no way of explain if they saw me standing in an alley covered in blood. Got it?"

"Of course~", leaning against the door, I peeked into the building, and counted every single droid that work inside, making sure to remember the number of droids disappearing down the hidden elevator shaft. "Terra. Do you still have those crystals you found last week?"

"Yeah, they should be wrapped tightly inside my satchel, why?"

"Good", racing around the open door, I sprinted towards the boxes in the corner and hid before any of them caught sight of me, peaking over the boxes, I stared at the ones closest in my direction, listening to their oddly spoken conversation. "Kraang Prime has ordered the ones that are known as us to keep watch out for that escaped prisoner"

"Does the one known as you know where that mutant came from? I looked into what is known as the mutant's charts to see if there was any information on it, yet there was nothing on its origin"

"I heard that the one known as mutant originated from Dimension X, yet it is strange. We should have the information yet we don't"

"Kraang 5382 is right. From what Kraang has found is that the mutant was used on an experiment Kraang has never heard of"

"What was the name of the experiment?"

"Project Symbiote", lowering my head, my eyes widened.

"Venom..."

"I know, I know, shoot! " I whispered under my breath as I glared at the droids. Soon, our position would be discovered, and our leverage would be ripped from underneath us before we knew it. Yet now that I think about it, it has already happened. That night, on the mission we saved Michaelangelo, that was the moment our cover was removed. When Terra showed this dimension's Sub-Prime what he really is, that was the moment we lost our disguise. Standing up from behind the boxes, I slowly walked out and glared at each droid as they stood below me, cowering the moment they caught sight of me. Multiple tentacles appeared from behind my back as they reached for the boxes. Droids called out for help, only to fall on deaf ears as the boxes I held crushed every single droid, destroying their suits beyond any repair, my ears rang as I listened to the aliens' scream, trying so hard to escape only for them to be crushed underneath my foot, obliterated against the wall as their blood painted scenes of horror. They couldn't escape, not when I'm here.

Looking around the warehouse, I searched for the console, and noticed a strange purple glow behind a human-made machine, walking towards the light, I pulled open the door and found the console I was looking for. Opening the elevator, I watched as the vehicles slowly moved up and walked towards the lift, my hand tracing over the smooth metal of the vehicles that filled this room, only for the smoothness to leave my touch as I lowered down into the earth. My hand stayed where it was I looked up towards the light that disappeared, my hand frozen as it remembered the feeling, 'I do wish my host continues to stay with me...I don't want to leave him'.

Relaxing my arm, I lowered my head as my arm fell by my side and watched as level after level passed by in an instance, "Mother, where are the supports of this facility-"

"No"

"Terra-"

"You are not going to murder tens of hundreds of innocent mutants, just kill the Kraang and free the others. You are not killing innocent lives with me as your host got it"

A low growl billowed from my throat as my lip curled upwards, "Fine"

---------------------------------------------------

POV Mikey:

"Donnie, are you sure its safe to leave the kids alone? What if Krisa gets hungry- plus- plus! It's fine if they come, Jay loves swimming in the water and Kris should be fine on the shore-"

"Mikey, you worry too much—" Donnie laughed as he followed by my side. We both left all distractions back at the farmhouse, well, other than our phones just in case. "April can do anything; she's awesome like that." I wanted so badly to trust him—I really did—but as I watched his blank expression turn to one lost in a daydream as his face became love-struck, I doubted her ability to watch over the kids, and Donnie was especially not helping. My hand felt the skin, searching for any uneven surface, any scab or callus, noticing a scab on my wrist, my nail kept getting caught on the healing wound, picking at it over and over as I looked at the trees around me, my heart thumped loudly inside my chest, I couldn't breathe as every nervous thought filled my mind, the kids, Leo, the thought of this conversation, everything terrified me as we stepped towards our destination. Reaching into my satchel, I grabbed a carrot and focused my nervousness on my teeth as I bit into the veggies, listening to the crunch as it was the only sound that filled the air.

"Oh, do you have any more? I'm starving." Nodding my head, I reached into my satchel and grabbed another, shoveling it into his hand without even looking his way. "So Mikey, quick question: Did Leo find those kids before he found you...or after?"

"Uhhh...after he found me, we found them when I was looking for Leatherhead, it was honestly by accident", humming quietly, I shrugged my shoulders as I threw the last piece in my mouth, "-Oh theres the spot!", I picked up the pace as I began racing away from Donnie, sprinting towards the creak, I was so excited, listening to the gentle rapid, "Mikey wait up!-", my hand reached for the wraps, ready to rip off everything to swim in the cool waters, yet as my foot stepped into the water, my fingers never pulled off the pieces of cloth wrapped tightly around my skin.

"Geez give me a chance to catch up-", he chuckled as his words came out winded. I wanted to jump in, to feel the air around me silenced as the water became the only thing I could hear, he can't know...no one can know. Shaking my foot off, I stepped away from the water and sat down on the bank, hugging my knees with one arm as the other grabbed a stick, mixing the water and dirt, making just a bit of the water murky. Donnie's feet slapped against the wet mud as he walked closer, kneeling down right beside me, "So you gonna tell who he really is and how he got there?", my face was turned away from Donnie as my cheek pressed against my knees, drawing little pictures with the stick I found moments ago, "I'm...honestly not sure", I could hear a sigh come from Donnie when I said those words, "To start Venom...isn't a separate person..."

"What do you mean? You mean he's a mutant he met in our dimension right? Cause I'm pretty sure the only mutants that came out of that portal that day was us, Leatherhead, him and his kids-"

"No Donnie, from what Sam has told me-"

"Sam?"

"Sam is the system that helps Leo with all his missions, anyways from what she told me is that Venom is this sort of...parasite? I'm not really sure, but he doesn't harm Leo, he actually protects him from anything and everything-"

"Its called symbiosis, guessing by your description on the type of relationship, I want to say it's mutualism, but...how did he even get into Dimension X?"

"I-...i don't know...Leo never told me", I lifted my head and turned towards him, "Leo doesn't tell me anything he doesn't want others to know"

Chapter 31: Home...

Notes:

A/N~ Hello guys, unfortunately, I have bad news, I am going to take Christmas and New Year week off this year, so basically after this chapter the Sunday between Christmas and New Years there will be no chapter posted, I need to time to catch up, plus I really wanna spend time with my family, so it's only going to be for that Sunday, but I should be back on a regular schedule after. I know this is a terrible Christmas gift, but I hope all of you have good time with family or your friends, or whoever you consider your family whether that's your neighbor your dog or cat, your coworkers, or partners or associates, I just hope everyone has happy holidays to all religions around the world as well as none religious folks, anyways hope you like the chapter.

Bye Bye <3

(Please read the note above)

~Two Months Later~

POV Mikey:

"Uncle Mikey! Where do you want me to take the veggies again?", standing up from the ground, I stretched my hands and held my breath, balancing all my weight on the tips of my toes, reaching my hands closer to the sky. Letting go of the breath, I turned back towards Jay as he held the basket, waiting for me to say something, "Just take it inside, we're gonna need as many veggies as I can find in this batch", nodding his head, Jay turned away and ran straight towards the house, I could tell he was excited, his expressions were happier than usual and he seemed so anxious as the hours passed. But he wasn't the only one, I was scared, for the last three months, I had been begging Leo to take us back, to go home, to make sure he was okay, but he always said we weren't ready, that we needed to become stronger if we wanted to find their father. After asking him day after day, Leo finally told the group when we were leaving, and that day was today.

Kneeling back down towards the ground, my fingers dug through the course dirt, even grabbing the food that grew underneath the ground, potatoes, and carrots, honestly, anything I grew I began to harvest it, leaving the unripe plants in the ground. Pushing up from the ground, I grabbed the basket filled with different herbs and plants, turning back towards the house, I froze for a moment and took in my small creation one last time, the field and crops I had grew for over half a year, and now I was leaving it all behind, only for us to hide underground once again...

"I...", letting go of the basket, I turned back towards the acre and fell to my knees, crossing my legs, and running my fingers through the dirt, I didn't want to go back, I didn't want to fight anymore, 'I wished you found us Leo...I wish we didn't have to leave this place...', letting out a shaky breath, I closed my eyes and let my head hang there as the sun warmed my shell, a warmth I wouldn't feel for the rest of my life. There were things I noticed during the months we stayed here, my freckles which were once very dim, became more open, and there were even more freckles than before. I even learned that Raph had freckles as well, not as many as me, but he still had them, all our pale scales darkened, showing off nicer green hues than the pale scales we had before. I so badly wanted to be selfish, I wanted to stay here, but none of us had a choice, we had a job to do whether we liked it or not.

"Mikey?", it was almost time to go, I waited for Donnie to say something, to tell me to hurry up, yet as the silence grew longer, I heard the sound of footsteps coming closer become louder before Donnie sat right beside me saying nothing. "Hey, Donnie?", he hummed as Krisa cooed, "Do you think it selfish to think I don't...actually want to go back to the life we had"

"I thought you wanted to return to ensure Leo was safe?"

"I do, I still do, but I don't want to go back to fighting thugs and the shredder only for it never to end", opening my eyes, I looked off towards Donnie through the corner of my eyes, watching as he closed his eyes with his head hung back, letting the warmth hit his face as Krisa tapped his shell, "I hate hiding in the shadows...I-", looking away from him, I picked up a handful of dirt and watched as it fell out of my hand, "I don't want to be a ninja anymore"

"Me neither", he sighed as he said those words, I was shocked and turned towards him, I always thought he fought and trained to show off to April, so when I heard those words, I was shocked, "Really?...", he chuckled as he looked towards me, "Yeah. Do you think I like risking my life day after day, protecting a city that doesn't even know we exist?"

"Well even if they knew about us they would probably experiment on us"

"Heh that is a fact-"

"Alright! Everyone in the party wagon!", Leo's words echoed in the air, but I didn't look back, taking in the forest and field one last time, "We better get going", sighing sadly, I took in the fresh farmland air one last time, and pushed myself up from the ground, reaching for the basket, I walked towards Jay as he ran towards us, his smile bigger than ever. "Come on! We going to see Papa!", laughing tiredly, Jay grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the van, leaving Donnie behind without a chance to catch up. "Slow down bud, Uncle Dee needs to catch up too-"

"Hurry up, Uncle Dee you're too slow!"

"No! You're too fast, wait for me!", Donnie pushed himself up from the ground and stumbled towards us, racing as fast as he could. Everyone was ready to leave, shoving the little materials we had into the van, Leo called out for us, "Hurry up guys, the sooner we get back to New York, the sooner we save it!", my hand held onto my hat as I was pulled along, racing closer and closer towards the van, "Bud go get in the van, while I put my stuff away, okay?", Jay didn't say a word as he nodded his head, only for him to run to Donnie instead of the lab, bouncing on the balls of his feet, in a way always having a bouncing in his step. Walking into the barn, I flicked the light on and walked towards the wall covered in tools and farm equipment, removing every piece of the O'Neil's equipment, I brushed off the dirt and hung it on the wall, trying to leave everything as nice as it was before.

“Alright! One, two, three, four, five, six-...Where’s Mikey- Mikey?!”, turning back towards the door, Leo peaked around the corner and yelled at me, ordering me to hurry up, “Mikey hurry up!”, I didn’t say anything as I jogged by him, jumping into the back, sitting in the furthest corner beside the kids, sandwiching them in between my and Donnie, “Do you think Papa’s protecting the city? Do you think he’s beating up those aliens?”, Jay’s voices dripped with enthusiasm, punching the air as he switched between the two of us, “Heck yeah bud! If I know your dad, he’s probably fighting off every single Kraang he finds, scaring all of them like this- Ahh!”, Jay flinched back, only to hold onto his belly, laughing as he turned towards Donnie, “I bet he’s beating up Kraang Prime right now!- Do you think I get to fight the Kraang too, sir?”, he didn’t call Leo nor Raph his uncle instead they were addressed as sir to Jay, a sad chuckled left Leo’s lips as he smiled, “Not yet kid. You still have a lot of training to go”.

"Awwww- no fair"

"Speaking of which, Mikey what's Leo's counterpart like-"

"Oh! And what does he look like?"

"He's kinda like...well like...me?- But way cooler than me"

"Yeah! Papa can portal anywhere he wants-"

"And looks and acts nothing like our Leo-", Donnie snorted as Jay got more excited, "From what I've seen, I'm pretty sure, Leo's counterpart is a red-eared slider", Donnie continued to explain as I leaned my head back against the wall, "But do you even think he's still not Kraangified?", everything went silent when Raph brought up that point, there was no way I would tell Raph about the calls I made to S.A.M. and Venom, I couldn't I would have to tell them everything, "Raph-"

"What? Think about it, Mikey left a T-phone for the guy and we still haven't heard anything, maybe he was already mutated-"

"Raphael-"

"Mikey, have you heard anything from Leo since we came here?" My brow bone turned upwards as I stared at Raph. My eyes flickered towards Donnie just for a moment, my eyes looking for the answer in his eyes before I looked at the kids. "No..."

"See!-"

"But that doesn't mean he was Kraangified! He could be fighting back-"

"Mikey have you ever even seen Leo fight?!-"

"We all did! We watched him take down so many Kraang",

"And honestly now that I think about it, in that fight I don't think I even saw him harm any of the Kraang..."

"I don't think I ever even saw him harm anything inside Dimension X..."

-----------------------------------

~Three hours later~

POV Leo:

*SPLAT*

'The practice and training, all of it was working. As each day passed, I became stronger than the day I woke up, going from killing twenty to thirty droids a week to almost a hundred every week. The system could tell the damage I was putting on the enemy. Droids searched the street, looking for my presence, but none of them found my position. Every part of my body was a weapon, even the tail that the system attached was being used, I was finally stronger than the Kraang from this dimension, searching all over to kill any threat I found, yet...'

'No matter where I looked I could never find my kids, I couldn't find Angie, as each day passed my heart ached from their absence, my mind wondering to every possibility of what happened to them, but what kept appearing was my biggest fear of all. Nightmare after nightmare, and even evil thoughts of their deaths, their bodies killed by the very creatures I searched for and destroyed, killed by the very man that destroyed my body. I couldn't sleep those nights, my chest tightening from my anxious thoughts, the only places I could think of were April's place and the hidden city, but I didn't even know where either of those places were, I tried every possible entrance to the city I could find, looking for mutants that knew of its existence, but no matter where I looked no one escaped to such a hidden place. I even tried looking for Angie's friend, what was it...leatherback?...whatever his name was I could never find him'

'So in the meantime, I stocked up on everything that I could use. Making errands to the pharmacies on every street I could find, going to stores and getting canned goods, some rice, anything that wouldn't expire within a few months, but I could tell there was still life in this city other than the Kraang and I, stores and pharmacies stripped of vital goods, I took anything I could, I was even able to find my favorite flavors of teas and similar skin care brands. Nevertheless, I stored it away in the laboratory, it was the safest part of their home, there was even a bathroom connected where I shoved all the blankets I collected into the large built-in bathtub, using it as a place to rest, a place I felt safe, my own personal cocoon'

*drip*

*drip*

The air was filled with this metallic aroma as the blood stenched the air, shaking the blood off my hands, I turned away from the mounds of corpses and made my way out of the warehouse, taking in the clear blue sky, there were even animals I didn't see months ago running around the streets, "Where are we off to next?"

There is more Kraang activity two miles down the road

But wait Terrapin you haven't eaten in days

You must eat something

Shaking my head, I sheathed my swords and walked towards the nearest fire escape, climbing up each step, "I'm fine, I honestly don't even feel hungry"

Terrapin it doesn't matter if you don't feel hungry

You are showing the effects of not eating

'She was right...' Reaching for the ledge, I pulled myself onto the top of the roof, and sat on the very edge. I could feel the effects the system spoke of. My mind felt slow, and I had no energy left after that one fight. "I guess you're right..." pressing my hand against my forehead, I pushed myself up from the ground and looked around the area, searching for any nearby stores.

There is a gas station two miles north

However be careful

Four entities are positioned near the entrance of the gas station

Reaching for my sword, I walked closer to the edge, looking for something, listening for something, waiting for that moment that someone would call out my name...no one did, I sighed and sliced my blade through the air, creating a portal with its bright blue hues. Lifting my leg, I stepped through the portal and looked at the tunnel of blues surrounding me, it was always so pretty to look at the inside of my powers, almost like a wormhole through space. Sighing calmly, I stepped out and scanned the area, noticing I was just across the street, just out of the beings' sight the system spoke of. I held for my swords my body slowly disappeared in the light and vanished from every creature's sight, walking passed the creatures, I kept my voice quiet, my swords gripped tightly in my hold as my eyes watched everything that moved around me.

Racing towards the store, my hand pressed against the glass and looked back, pushing open only to catch their attention for a moment, 'Please turn around... Please turn around-', the creature crept towards the store, its body swaying with each step it made as it shoved the door open with just its body, searching for me. Stepping back, I turned away from the mutants and began my search, 'Let's see...the pastries and sandwiches molded months ago, so...', looking around, I found two packets of ramen and remembered I still had a bottle of water left in my bag, forgotten from the hours of fighting, 'This should work for now', grabbing the two packets, I shoved each one into my satchel, zipping the bag shut.

-----------------------------------

*CRUNCH*

Chewing into the partially cooked ramen, I leaned my head back and swung my legs, counting every animal that passed my sight, "I bet I'm better at the alphabet game then you-"

"That is where you are wrong, Terra, for you see I am far superior in this little game"

"Oh really? Fine!-"

If I may inquire what is this alphabet game you both speak of

"The rules are simple, the player goes in turn and what letter you're at, you have to find something in this area THAT ALL PLAYERS CAN SEE-"

"Oh come on, you just said something in the area?!"

"And you said air? No one can see air!"

"You're just a sore loser, Terra"

"Fine! You start first-"

"Your Alphabet or mine-"

"Venom!"

"Fine..."

"Plus system with this game, Venom learns new words", Venom's head formed on my shoulder as he looked around, searching for a word that started with a.

I see 

May I by chance join

"Sure, it will go Venom, me then you-"

"Apartment! Terra it's your turn!"

Chewing on the last piece of ramen, I looked for anything that started with the letter b, only to hear Venom chuckle as he blocked my view.

"Is someone struggling to find a word that starts with B~"

Venom stuck his tongue out through his teeth as he giggle evilly, but instead, I smirked, leaning back on my hands, "Building~"

"You took my answer!"

"Last time I checked you said apartment"

"And what is an apartment? A building!"

Shoving Venom away from my face, "System its your turn", grabbing the last ramen packet, I debated on even eating this one or just saving it for later, so with one final thought I decided to eat it later, "System?"

Vehicle

"Not to disappoint you, but vehicle doesn't start with c- and also what vehicle are you talking-"

Terrapin

There is a vehicle moving in our direction with eight entities inside

Pushing up from the ledge, I climbed onto the roof, searching for the vehicle the system spoke about, 'We haven't seen anything other than tanks and Kraang ships for months- what if its more supplies from outside the city?!". I didn't take the time to fix the wraps around my face as they draped loosely around my neck, resting on the collar of my cropped hoodie, "System-", pushing myself up as I stumble, I raced across the roof, listening to the sound of its engine buzzing quickly down the road, "Do you have any info to confirm whether or not it's a Kraang vessel?"

The frequency doesn't seem similar to the Kraang of this dimision

Wait...

Leaping across the alleyway, I finally caught up, 'A van?', I needed to see where the van was going.

Terra

I may be wrong but...

Michelangelo is in there

My feet faltered as her words echoed in my mind, "Angie?", my lip wobbled as tears threatened to overflow, "My...", my body without even a second thought raced across the roof, vanishing from thin air, becoming translucent to everyone around. The wheel screeched against the ground as it drove faster, driving further and further out of my sight, I wanted to scream, to call out for them to stop for me, but none of them would hear me, "Please...", my voice trembled, landing on the neighboring building only to realize too late as my body fell through the roof of the apartment, separating me from my family, "No!-", coming back down to my physical form, I slammed my fist on the ground, "I was so close-", my words squeezed through my teeth as I pressed my forehead against the floor, "I almost had them- god f-"

Terra we have to hurry

Using the street cameras

There seem to be two humans driving the turtles and the kids somewhere

The destination is unknown to me

The gauntlet shined a bright projection and showed two humans in the front seat, I didn't have a second to think a plan over, I needed to save them, "But how did they get captured by two kids?- Do you think they're taking them to Kraang Prime?!"

It's a possibility

I heard over the streets that droids were bribing mutants to look and hand over the turtles

All we know is we need to get them out of there

Nodding my head, I vanished once again and phased through the walls, running through wall after wall, and as I ran through the last, my power was turned off, leaving me on the fire escape.

The van stopped three miles down the road in an alleyway

Reaching for a single blade, I held the sword up and sliced through the air, watching as a blue portal opened up, the creation released a scent of ozone into the air, making my head feel lightheaded by the smell. Shaking my head, I walked through the portal and landed on the roof just above the van they were sealed inside, my body vanished as I slipped further down the fire escape, landing in the furthest point of the alley. I wanted to run, to protect my brothers' counterparts, but something stopped me...or someone.

'Krisa?', my daughter stared at me as her tongue wiggled in the air. Still, I was invisible to their eyes, "One sec-", confusion filled my mind as I watched Angie's smile spread across his cheeks, walking closer and closer to me, not realizing my presence. "See Kris? There's nothing-", Kris reached out her hand, almost reaching for me, my once calm expression changed to one of sorrow as both her hands reached towards me, crying into the air to be held. I couldn't take it, I reached out to her as her cries grew louder, my invisibility slowly showing me once again only for Angie to freeze, his eyes widened as Krisa fell into my hold, "I missed you too hon"

Chapter 32: Papa...

POV Leo:

"I missed you too hon", leaning my back against the wall, bits of sobs broke through my quiet laughter, tears falling down my cheeks as Krisa pressed her face against my cheeks, whimpering tiredly, whining longingly, never letting go of my shell, "Leo?...", stepping towards me, Mikey's hand reached towards my face, only to stop just a few inches away from my cheek, "...those eyes...your cheeks- I-"

"Where the hell were you guys?...", his eyes widened at my words, stepping towards him, his words stuttered as he looked everywhere but me, "I looked for you day after day after day after day- I had fucking nightmares for god's sake! I thought you guys were kidnapped or worse dead?!-", I waved my of my hands in all directions, I was so angry, so mad, yet all he could see and hear were the sounds of my fears and worries bubbling over, "And it looks like I was right!-", pointing my hand towards the van, I knew his brothers were over there as well, yet part of me was confused, 'How did Angie escape so easily and why aren't the humans searching for him', Mikey finally looked up at me, moments like this I had to keep reminding myself of the trutch, he was older than me, yet as I looked at him, it still felt like I had to protect him, that he was my baby brother, "Look I'm not mad, you did the one thing I asked you to do and you did it perfectly, Kris looks happy and healthy and as for Jay I can't wait to see him-"

"Those humans aren't strangers, Leo..."

"What? Then-"

"That's April and Casey...they're our friends", my whole body relaxed when I heard those names, pressing my hand against the wall, it took me a moment to catch my breath as I looked at him, "Whoa!-", my back pressed against the wall as I hugged Krisa, "And Leo to answer where... we were at April's farmhouse out in new hampshire-"

"I-", those words were stuck on my tongue as I stared at him, "...I was just so worried...I thought I had failed at protecting the family I had just made...Look-"

I cleared my throat as I turned away, staring at the ground and rocks, watching as pieces of trash passed by. "Venom and I talked and...I think it best if we stay here..." Mikey's eyes widened, there were so many emotions, I couldn't tell what he was feeling. I could tell he didn't know where to look, whether it was the top ones or my own eyes. Something in my chest burned when he kept looking into them. I hated it. "From this point on..."

"Are-...are you serious?", reaching behind my neck, I pulled over my hood and covered the eyes that formed, blocking them from anyone's sight, I needed to hide them, no one could know. I nodded my head as I looked at him, "Yeah, we have no way of getting back anyway...plus I'm sorry Venom, with the whole war in our dimension, I'm not sure they would welcome either of us", Venom barely showed his face as he peeked over my shoulder, waving at Mikey.

"You are probably right, however, I agree with Mother, you should still try and find your way back, even though you don't have the knowledge nor skill to travel dimensions"

"What do you mean? I've traveled multiple dimensions, the prison dimension, dimension x, this dimension, in my opinion, that's a lot of travel- one moment hun-", passing Krisa back towards Mikey, I shoved the mechanical tail into my pants and wrapped it around my leg. I hurried myself as I tightened the bandages around my mouth, watching as Krisa began to whimper once again, "Uncle Mikey! Uncle Donnie told me to tell you to hurry up!", I froze as I tugged the wraps tight behind my head, my body staying still as I slowly looked up and saw who was standing, "Jay Lou?", he froze as well dropping the brasket he was holding, vegetables and fruits spilling everywhere, "P-...papa?", his voice sounded so quiet as he spoke, taking one step after another, he walked closer, squinting almost like for a moment he thought this was a dream only for his eyes too widened as he raced towards me, "PAPA!-"

*THUMP*

"Oof!", his body slammed into mine as he hugged me so tightly, snot dripping down his face only for him to wipe it all over my hoodie, but I didn't care, my kids were safe, they were home. Kneeling down, I wrapped my arms around him and let his body collapse against mine, "I'm so-... ha- happy to see you, Papa", he hiccuped through his words, "I-...thought you were go-...gone...I-I thought you died-", his words turned into shallow breaths the longer he spoke, "Whoa whoa it's okay breathe for me like this...", Jay copied my breathing techniques, breathing in and out until his breathing started to become stable, I couldn't have him passing out on me now, not when we just found each other, "I thought...*sniff* I was going to be alone again"

There it was again...

That burn

That ache inside my chest. Shaking my head, I pushed myself up to my feet, and pulled Jay up to his feet as well, "I will make sure you are never alone as long as I'm your Dad...alright bud?", reaching behind me, I picked Krisa up from Mikey, and turned back towards the entrance of the alley. "Awwww I dropped my cucumber"

"I think I should have more in the van. Let me go check", walking away from us, Jay led the way, taking me where I was guessing the rest of the group was, "You know Jay? Where I lived with my brothers there was this funny skeleton guy and he gave me a very funny nickname, do you want to know what it was-"

"Finally Mik-"

"Leo?...", Mikey's brother stared at me as I stood in the doorway, I couldn't move, their eyes stared at me as I was frozen in place, 'They could see everything...my eyes- my cheeks- my tail?!', my body trembled as I tried to step back, my head shaking as all their eyes were watching me, 'They can see me...I'm a monster...I needed to leave', my counterpart stepped closer to me, his hand reaching for my shoulder, but his eyes trailed all over my body, staring at the bandages that covered me.

"Terra just breathe...its going to be okay"

"No...no..."

"Is he okay?", a girl's voice spoke up, my eyes darting around the room, making sure everyone was accounted for, "Papa?-"

"Alright! Jay I got you a new cucumber-", I turned back towards Mikey, never once letting go of Jay's hand, "Leo?-"

"I think-...I think I'm gonna take the kids back to the lair...", my words were barely audible as I leaned over Angie's shoulder, he only nodded his head and stepped to the side, "Be careful...and when you're ready, we'll be here-", nodding my head, I turned away from the ground, still holding onto Jay's hand, "Wait?! Where is he going-"

"He needs space Casey, just give it to him"

"Mikey, you know it's not safe for him to be alone alone, especially with those kids!" I didn't walk out; instead, I stood by the door, listening to Mikey as he tried to let me leave. But they were right. I needed to stay here. I could make the same mistake as last time. I needed to trust my team..this...this is my new team.

"No- no, it's fine, Leo's right...I'll stay", turning back around, I realized we were in a small pizza shop, Antonio's was the name, 'I'm pretty sure we had one of these pizza spots back in my dimension'

"So...you two are? Guessing by the mask you're Casey Jr?", I tried looking around for April and Casey, but for some reason, I couldn't find them, "I thought Mikey told you? I'm April O'neil", a soft smile showed on her face, she tried to seem friendly, but that couldn't be right, "You're...white?", the room fell silent as I squinted my eyes, "Why you got a problem with that?"

"No, not at all. I am in no position to discriminate in this whole situation, but to add my April's African American, that's why I asked." I could tell April understood my mistake, relaxing back into the couch that was shoved against the wall. "But wait, what do you mean, "Junior"?"

"Don't you have a mom? Cassandra Jones? Plus-", letting go of Jay's hand, I walked closer towards the hockey kid, "you don't really look like you're from the future?"

"The future?!"

"Yeah? You know the future where the Kraang take over the earth, killing off the human race?", my stomach growled once again, I reached into my satchel and pulled out the uncooked ramen, biting a big chuck out of ramen, I looked away from Casey, staring at each one, "So...I'm guessing that's a no then"

"Wait are you saying that from you're dimension the Kraang took over your planet?!"

"Yeah. When the invasion happened here, I thought I could just repeat what I did on my planet to save everyone, but I guess your Kraang are different than mine", Leo walked beside me, while Donnie stood in front between me and April, standing just a few inches off to the side, "Wait how did you save you're planet", I shrugged my shoulders as I tossed the last bit of ramen into my mouth, brushing my hands along my pants, cleaning all the crumbs away, "I just took Kraang Prime back through the portal and shut it permanently"

"And you were able to escape right?", April's eyes were strangely filled with so much worry, but all I could do was laugh, "How do you think I ended up here?"

"But—" Donnie spoke up, his eyes looking everywhere but me. "How did you get to our dimension? Did the dimension have any way of traveling dimensions?" Shaking my head, I looked down at the ground. "I honestly don't even know how it happened. The Prison Dimension was filled with dead Kraang and destroyed techno drones. Nothing was working except a techno drone on the very edge of the dimension. I later found out that there was like a tear."

"A rip in the dimension's walls..."

"Yeah! I went through and the moment, I passed through the rip disappeared, I regretted it at that moment, I tried to find a way out and back to my brothers, looking for any sort of portal back but I never did, I was stuck...and that's when I found out I was in Dimension X...and later found Angie...", I stared at him, watching as a gentle smile appeared on his face, yet his brow bones were turned upwards, he was worried, so I thought of a plausible story and so far it seems to be working. "I'm confused though, what's with all the bandages?-"

"Yeah and why is your face covered up so much, there's no nitrogen from Dimension X here, right Donnie?"

"Well in technical terms, there is always nitrogen in the air, it's just produced in small doses that are breathable to humans-"

"Donnie", Donnie stopped speaking, I couldn't say anything the disguise was working, 'They were going to find out, I had to leave-', Angie stepped forward, and stood between me and the others, "Look he told me that his planet is way warmer than ours and...that he wears this stuff to stay warm-"

"But doesn't all life adapt to its surroundings, shouldn't he be fine by now?"

"Its to cover up my wounds...", they were quiet, I had to think of something that would get them off my back, I needed to persuade them, "...and they make people feel...uncomfortable", reaching up I pulled my hood lower across my face, hiding it from everyone around me, 'I shouldn't have said anything, I should have never come back, they're going to find out-'

"Terra please just breathe...take a moment and get some air"

I nodded my head by those words, Venom was right, I needed a moment to myself, I needed to leave, yet...Jay stopped me, "Hey Papa? Can you tell me what your nickname back home was?", I chuckled, happy that Jay understood the situation, so I told him, "Well, my friend called me Pepino, which is spanish for cucumber...guess he called me that cause I'm as cool as a cucumber", Jay giggle at the terrible pun I made, "Uh-", April looked at me as I sat down closer to the ground, my legs crossed over one another as Jay played with my hand, "So why did you name him Jay and her Krisa?", Mikey sat next to me, "Well I gave Krisa her first name but Jay came up with his own, naming himself after his favorite bird"

"And Krisa?"

"After Chris Bradford, a character from my favorite show- but instead of 'Ch' we went for 'K' and called her Krisa! Oh but Leo thought of the middle names for them", I nodded my head as I looked at both of them, "Jay I gave him my favorite movie star/Dad's name Lou and-"

"Wait your Dad was a movie star!"

"Yep Lou Jitsu was his name", Mikey's eyes sparkled at the thought only to pout moments later, "I wish Master Splinter was a movie star!", I chuckled as I switched my gaze over to Kris, her hand messing with the wraps along my chest, "And this little one's middle name is Karai"

"Did...", I looked up towards Leo, shock covering his face, "You named her after your..."

"Yep! She's named after her Great Gramgram", Leo didn't get to finish his sentence, but the news still shocked him, "Wait Gramgram?"

"Yeah, in my dimension, Karai was a warrior that was related to us, who was the daughter of the Shredder who kept him trapped for eons-"

"So she's...not your sister? And you're related to the actual Shredder?"

"In a sense yeah!"

"Neither of our dimensions are similar at all- at least tell my you guys were created by the Kraang by accident", Donnie and Raph leaned forward, waiting for me to answer, but I couldn't, looking around the room, I stared at all of them, even Mikey, "What are you guys...talking about?", I leaned back a little as Donnie peered at me, "Draxum created me and my brothers, called himself an alchemist and self-proclaimed protector of all mutant-kind, he created us to take down the human race and take back the world humans stole from the yokai"

"What?!-"

"Are- are you gonna kill us?! Is that why you're here?!", I shook my head as I pushed myself up from the ground, "My Dad took us away from that guy, he raised us like normal kids until..."

"Until?!"

"Well because of that whole destiny shmestiny stuff, Dad trained us to protect the city, we were able to keep humankind safe from all threats, and after some time Draxum changed because of Mikey and now he's like...our second dad?-"

*CLAP*

"Alright! That's enough, we need to discuss the plan to take back the city and save Master Splinter! Donnie look through security footage all over the city and the sewage system! Leo have you heard any news on Shredder's position", I bowed my head as I looked away, that name made my whole body freeze, yet vibrate in so much emotion, I only knew of this man for less than a year and I so badly wanted this man dead, "I hadn't seen any sightings of that man when I went out looking for you guys, I did run into one mutant that seemed rather aggressive, multiple actually, but I don't think they were part of his gang, however, I think the Kraang put a device inside your home in the bathroom, looked almost like a turtle shell with a screen, someone was talking through it, it almost sounded familiar, but it could have been my mind playing tricks, so I disposed of it"

"Device? That was a T-Phone-", I turned towards Leo as he spoke, walking over towards the couch, he sat on the arm of the chair, his arms crossed over one another, "A-...A what?", I was confused by his words, "A turtle phone, my invention. Since we can't just own a phone, I made it myself-"

"I think that was the one Mikey left for you to call him from, but wait-"

"Oh really?! Haha...geez, I didn't realize-", I turned away as I looked towards the door, "-anyways, the mutants kept asking where you guys were saying "Where are the turtles?", but I never spilled-", I continued to explain my time here, but as I looked up towards Leo, his eyes glared at me, they were searching for something, he knew something, 'Did I slip up? No- well just a bit, but no one's questioning it', turning towards the door, I looked over my shoulder and noticed I was still holding a resting Kris, "But for now, you guys are low on food, I can go get some from my stash, but there's a gas station down the road", leaning over Mikey, I placed the resting child in his arms as I turned back, "I'll be back, it should take me long-"

"Its not safe to go alone, Leonardo...Mikey- Donnie, go with him to collect food, we'll go over a game plan and inform you three when you get back...and Jay?"

"Yes sir?"

"You practice your meditation until your Dad gets back"

"Awwwww...", I chuckled as Jay whined and walked into the furthest corner, his face pressed into the corner, Mikey handed Kris off to Leo and ran towards me, Donnie was just a few feet away, "Don't worry Leo, I'll make sure they're safe with me", I hesitated and looked back, everyone was on edge since I revealed my origin, I couldn't stay here, I wasn't wanted, "I'll be back kids. Don't cause too much trouble"

"Kay Papa!", I waved my hand as I stared at Jay in the corner, his eyes closed and his arms rested on his crossed legs, 'I missed so much...I am even a good Dad?'

 

Chapter 33: The Hidden Truth

A/N~ GUYS THERE IS A POSSIBILITY AO3 IS GOING TO BE BANNED WITH TIKTOK IN AMERICA, JUST IN CASE THAT HAPPENS YOU CAN READ THIS STORY ON WATTPAD, I HATE THIS BAN T^T

WATTPAD USERNAME IS @sleepy_tablesalt

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POV 3rd Person(Leo 2012):

Leo's eyes trailed the glimpses of his brothers as they walked through the door, watching as the door slowly swung close, hearing the sound of a soft click, the door was shut,  but he couldn't wait for them, there was no time to waste. Standing up from the couch, Leo walked over towards his younger brothers' satchels, "You know something don't you?", Raph spoke up as Leo's hand fished around the inside of Donnie's bag, he pulled out everything inside; note pads, pencils, earbuds, goggles, for some reason he even had an empty mutagen vial, and yet his phone wasn't here. Leo wasn't surprised that his phone wasn't in the bag, Donnie always kept it by his side, keeping it with him just in case someone important called or texted, "Leo. Tell us, what did you find out?". Leo didn't say a word, instead, he kept searching, looking through every zipper, every pocket, anywhere he could find evidence of the calls they had, messages to his counterpart during the months they had been away, he couldn't tell but one of the three were hiding something, but what. Placing Donnie's bag back where it was, Leo moved towards Mikey's bags, "Leo?".

Mikey's bag in turn only contained the vegetables he grew and that's it, his phone was nowhere in sight. Leo's grip on the bag lessened as he stared at the two kids in the room, Jay in the corner and Krisa resting in his hold, "It's nothing...I was just overcomplicating things once again...", Leo placed each bag where it was and turned away from the group, he was overthinking over small things again, he's done this before, thinking that every small thing meant something bad. 'There was no way they spoke to him...not when he destroyed it', a sigh escaped his lips as Leo reached for a cucumber in Mikey's bag, taking a big bite out of it, "Nah man I know that look, tell us and I'll let you know if its stupid or not", Leo took in a deep breath and leaned on the table, holding that breath until finally let it out, staring at Raph, "During our time in the farmhouse, I noticed that something was off about those three...April, did Donnie tell you anything about Leo or how he was doing?"

"No. After some point Donnie stopped telling me stuff, he used to go on talking for hours and hours, but then he just...stopped"

"That's what I mean, something happened during our time there-"

"Then what were you looking for in their bags?"

"Their phones. One night, I heard those two on the roof, talking to someone, but it didn't make any sense, Leo said he crushed the phone, so who were they talking to, also Donnie seemed super secretive- And you know he can't look at people when he lies", chewing on the last piece of the vegetable, Leo walked over towards the couch and leaned on the arm of the old sofa, "Maybe it was that mondo gecko dude"

"Casey could be right Leo, maybe he was just checking up on the others?-"

"Plus you don't expect Donnie to tell you everything, if you do, he'll become more secretive, just leave him be and maybe he'll come around and tell you whats going on in his head", sighing, Leo leaned his back and pressed it against the wall, "You're probably right"

------------------------------------

POV Leo(2022):

"Leo...", the portal closed right behind the two as I walked down the quiet tunnel, "Leo! Wh-", I could tell Mikey stumbled as he tried to catch up to me, each breath he took sounded more breathless by the second, "Leo, where are you going? I thought you said-"

"Mikey, I trusted you", I finally turned back towards Mikey, I was only a few inches taller than him, yet I still towered over him, my eyes glaring at the both of them, "I told you not to tell anyone about this...I wanted- I-", turning away from them, I walked into the lair, and made my way straight towards the lab. "Look, it wasn't my fault, I swear-"

"Terra, just hear him out-"

"No! Just shut up both of you, what evidence do you have that can prove you didn't tell your brother-"

"Terra, just listen to Michaelangelo, it wasn't his fault-"

"I SAID SHUT UP-"

"NO LEO! LISTEN TO US!"

"God- You never listen to me, you talk on and on only when I need you to shut up for once!", I groaned as I shoved the door to the side, "Leo, I can explain? But no ones talking right now, are you okay?-"

"They're fighting right now-"

"You told him about-", I told in a deep breath as I snatched my satchel off the table, walking quickly back over to the kitchen, "You know what?! Fine, Donnie what proof do you have that can change my mind and trust you!"

"With this", Donnie held out his phone as he stood in the way of my path to the kitchen, grabbing my wrist, Donnie pulled me back towards the lab, I clawed at his fingers, and tried to free myself, I knew these two had no way of persuading me, there was no way I could trust them again. Reaching for the speaker that was shoved off to the side, Donnie plugged his phone in, and scrolled through what seemed little pages upon pages of files, "Here! Just listen okay?", Donnie pressed the play button on his phone and set it on the counter, I waited for something the conversation I told Mikey to keep secret, only for it to begin with the sound of something running through the grass, "Wha-", Mikey hushed me as he walked closer, and stood right beside me, "Uncle Mikey!...", Jay's voice echoed inside the lab as he called out, "Huh?... Uncle Mikey?!"

"Over here, kiddo!"

------------------------------------

~Twenty Minutes Later~

"Do not hate them for just surviving...", my breath stilled as I heard the system say that, and just the same, Mikey on the other line stayed silent, the only thing you could hear was the sound of wind passing over the speaker, "I-...I just need time to think-"

"Hold on...Michaelangelo do not speak until I inform you-"

"Wha?-", the call went silent again, I couldn't tell what was going, I tried to step closer, hoping that the conversation would go on, that there would be anything more than just this, but it just ended, the call cut before I knew it, leaving me in the silent cold laboratory, with my chaos filled mind. I looked up from the ground and turned towards the two, they looked so worried, waiting for me to react, to say something, but as I turned back to the ground, there was only one thing, the only thing I could think of in that moment, "...Did you tell anyone else?", both shook their head, staying where they were, I could tell Donnie had alot of questions.

"Hm?" I hummed as I stared at him. "...uh-...in the call those voices, who are they?" My attention was torn away as the sound of metal whirling to life sounded off behind me.

"Can we show ourselves, Terra"

I couldn't help, but smile as the drone came into their view, they pulled out their weapons as Donnie reached for his phone, but I blocked him, raising my hand to calm both turtles down, "This...as Angie calls her, S.A.M. and this-", looking at my shoulder, I watched as the black ooze pooled on my shoulder and switched my gaze over to Donnie, for a moment I thought he would have been understanding, I thought he would have acted the same as Mikey, yet his eyes widened as he took a step back, his hand hovering over Mikey's shoulder. My chest stung as he stared at me with that look, no one but Mikey was supposed to know about me, about us, reaching up, I pulled my hood lower over my face, and my mind wandered, repeating the same few words over and over, he thinks you are a monster. Everyone thinks you're a monster.

'I...am so stupid. Why did I think he was just like Angie', clicking my tongue, I pushed passed Donnie and shoved the door wide open, Venom slowly disappeared underneath my skin, "Wait Leo?!-"

"No. We're done with question-"

"But Leo-", I turned back towards Mikey as he tried to stop me, "-̷͖̋r̶̞̎e̴͕̊t̸͓̓s̸̙̓n̷̞̿o̴̻̅m̶̱̎ ̶̤̃ȧ̸̪ ̷̖̌m̵̷̸͍͖̖͌́̂'̴̙̌I̸̟͝.̴̛̻.̴̼̽.̵̟́e̵̢̿r̸̻̆è̶ͅh̶̖̒ ̷͔͆ė̵̺b̷͍̎ ̷͉̅t̸̸̸̪͓̱͛͗̀'̴͕̐n̷͍̓ḏ̴̂l̶͓̋ư̴͖o̶͙͗h̴̤̀ṡ̵̤ ̴͉͒I̸̙͂.̴̜̓.̷̘̀.̸̨̆s̷̙͝ů̸̘ ̵͈̄f̸͕̈́o̶̥̓ ̷̜̈-̸̲̀ẽ̴͔m̵̥̚ ̷̗̉f̸̮̃o̷̺̔ ̶͙̀d̶͉̂ę̸̈́r̸̼̓a̸̟͊c̵̙̾s̷̱̍ ̶̖̍ĺ̶̪l̸̛̘a̶̩͝ ̷̙̓e̴̠̒r̵͉̎a̴̹̿ ̸̣̈ÿ̶̖e̶̡̋h̵̹̅t̵͚͠.̶̩͑.̷͎͌.̶̧̚e̴̠͆c̶̛̠a̷͚̋f̶̪͝ ̶̤̋s̴̻̀i̸̺͑h̶̥͛ ̴̦͠ẹ̸̆ę̵̉s̸̪̕ ̴̹̌t̴̴̸̨̛̯̮͂̊'̴̺͠n̶̮͋d̶̡̒i̶̯͝d̴͙̆ ̶̖̌ǘ̶͕o̸͓̒Y̷̲͂"

(You didn't see his face...they are all scared of me- of us...I shouldn't be here...I'm a monster-)

"Leo...-̶̯͋o̵̠̍d̵̤̀ ̷̬̎u̸̘͛o̵̗̎ÿ̶̮ ̴͓́e̵̺͐k̶͍̑i̶̖̚l̷̜̑ ̸͓͑s̵̪͠r̸̜̾e̸͍͛w̶̠̏ö̷͕́p̶̲͗ ̸̪͝ě̵̟v̷͖̓ạ̸̊h̷̹̓ ̶͔͑t̴̸̴͙̗̱͑͋̋'̷̛̝n̴̗̋o̸͇͂d̸̞̚ ̶̢̽n̸̞͆ô̷̲ì̶̲s̶̾͜n̵͍̊ḙ̴̔m̴̠̓i̶̞͌d̷̜̋ ̷̜̕y̴̘̍m̶͉͒ ̸̲̃m̸̺̄o̷̹̽r̴͙͠f̶͕̂ ̶̺̉s̶̭̎n̵͓̏a̶͗ͅm̶̥͐ǘ̶͙ḧ̸́͜ ̷͔͊d̴̟̈n̷̈́͜ǎ̸͙ ̸̧́s̶̼̾ť̶̩n̸̡̽á̸̟t̷̼̆u̷̘͊m̸̓͜ ̴̣̐,̸̩̐o̷͙͑ę̷̛L̵͖͑ ̴̆͜t̸̥̓i̷̺̋ ̸̘̓t̴̞̀ů̸̫o̶̬̕b̸͎́a̵͔͊ ̶̊ͅk̵̡͗n̷͖̋i̸̹͑h̷̝̏ṭ̵͝ ̵̦̈́s̸̫̅ü̴̖l̶̙̈p̷̮̉.̴̳̆.̵̢̈́.̵̟͝e̸̩͑r̷̢̆o̸̪̐f̸̖͘ë̷̤́b̸͚̀ ̷̠̕m̵͚̾ò̵̤n̸͕̓ē̵̺V̵̝̕ ̸͍̈́ȩ̶̂k̵̥̈i̷̳̐l̷͙̈́ ̵̨̄g̴̣͐ń̷̟a̵͜͠ả̴͓r̶̳̎K̴̩͑ ̵̞̈́n̴̘͂ë̶̘́e̶̻͗s̶̬͆ ̷̧̐r̵̩̈e̵̖̚v̸̠͗e̴͓͊n̴̜͋ ̶̖͝ĕ̴͕v̶͎̄a̴̙̽h̵̰́ ̵̥̽ȇ̷̜W̶̨͝"

(We have never seen Kraang like Venom before...plus think about it Leo, mutants and humans from my dimension don't have powers like you do-)

Glaring at Mikey, "Then why aren't you scared of me!-", my breath came out heavy as I wrapped my arms around myself and pulled off my hood, reaching around my head, I pulled at the knots that held my wraps up and unraveled them. Hooking my fingers on the wraps that covered my mouth, I yanked them down and looked at both turtles, Mikey covered his mouth, but Donnie was the cherry on top, his eyes widened wider than I've ever seen, his pupils shaking as his eyes scanned my body, staring at each and every mutation that covered my body, I felt naked, despite the pants I still wore, I felt exposed, 'Monster...', I looked back up at Donnie, waiting for him to cals the others, but his face, it was just like Dee's...he was thinking of something

"Wait a second?", I looked over towards Donnie as he reached for my arm, he didn't hesitate to grab me, pulling me back towards his lab, "Let me go!- Why aren't you scared, I'm a mon-"

"S.A.M., do you keep tabs on Leo's mutations?"

Whenever his mutations are not covered up then yes

"Good", I tried to push his arm, I wanted to run, to escape, "Donnie, what's wrong?", Donnie didn't say anything, instead he searched through the drawers around the room, I knew that face, Donnie thought of something, "You're thinking of something...", looking down towards the ground, I thought back to the short conversation the system and Donnie had, I couldn't tell what he was thinking, yet as each second passed I wanted to know. As I watched Donnie continue to search, I walked towards him, trailing close by his side as I tried to get an idea of his hypothesis, I looked at his face trying to see what changed his expression to one of glee, yet I could tell the fear or maybe more like shook was no longer lingering on his face, instead he looked comfortable as I stood near.

"Ah ha!", he pulled out a soft measuring tape and turned towards us, "Leo, I'm sure if you were paying attention during the entirety of the call, but at one point S.A.M. stated that your mutations are getting worse, but she has no idea how, all she knows is the fact the there is a possibility it may get better or it may get worse, stating that there was no way to determine due to the fact that you two are the very first experiment, so there was nothing to go off of, however-", I went to turn in his direction, but instead he kept me in place, "S.A.M., can you pull up all tabs on Leo's dorsal fin?".

Of course Donatello

There were so many projections of my fins, my eyes widened as I looked at all of them, 'she...she was keeping tabs on my...mutations', I tried to step back, I wanted to see everything, but Donnie held me still, "Show me the first time the mutation showed up and the most recent tab", the system filed through all the entrees and showed two side-view projections of myself, "S.A.M. can you tell me the length from-", Donnie walked forwards next to the drone the system controlled and pointed at the projections, "where the mutation and his shell meet to here"

When Terra's dorsal mutation first appeared sixteen months prior

When fully stretched was five inches from his shell to the tip of his fin

However right before I noticed your kin's arrival back to this region it was nine nearly ten inches in length

"Kay—Leo, can you stretch your fins out as far as possible?" I nodded. Taking a deep breath, I looked over my shoulder, watching as the fin slowly opened up, revealing fins larger than the system spoke about. Standing behind me, Donnie pressed one end of the tape to my back and measured my fins. "I knew it!" he whispered loudly as he walked in front of me and held the tape up, "ten inches and three-quarters..."

"But why?"

"Do you think they'll be three feet long?!"

"I'm not sure about your question Mikey, but as for why Leo I possibly have a hypothesis. Leo, what were you think before you showed me what you looked like underneath your wraps?", looking down at the ground, the words appeared in my mind, but as I looked up ready to tell him, I couldn't speak, I couldn't talk, thankfully Donnie spoke for me, "I think I heard you before, you kept repeating the line, calling yourself a monster correct?", lowering my head, I nodded my head, I felt so much ashamed as he spoke my thoughts aloud, I wanted to shove my hand over his mouth, I wanted to shut him up so badly, but I wanted to know what he was thinking, so as I looked at him threw the corner of my eye, I listened to him, "Would you say that train of thought was the same and/or similar to what you thought when this mutation first appeared?"

"Yeah kinda, I just hid them with the tape I had when we looked for Leatherhead"

"That just proves my point more! What I think is going is because of your bond with Venom your fears are manifesting, and you're becoming the thing you fear most, a monster"

"So what! Are you saying there is nothing I can do about all-", I waved to everything all over my body, as I stood up straight, "-this!"

"Well, I'm not sure, but I have a-"

*RRRIIINNNGGGIIINNNGGG*

"Its Leo!"

"Why are you whispering?", Donnie said that as Mikey shrugged his shoulders, they were getting distracted, so I grabbed the phone from Mikey, "Hey!"

*RRRIII-*

"Shello~", I turned back towards the two, Mikey reached for his phone, by instead, I vanished, still visible to them, but Mikey couldn't touch me.

------------------------------

Leo🫐: "Wha?- Nevermind whatever that was, but where are you guys?! I thought you said it was done the road, it shouldn't be taking you this long to get some food-"

Me: "Geez who put your panties in a twist- me and the guys are just chillin' and chattin' on a rooftop, we have the food, okay?-"

Leo🫐: "You know your kids miss you right?!"

Me: "shit- alright, we'll head back now see you soon-"

Leo🫐: "Wait-"

-------------------------------

*Beep*

"Alright back to the topic at hand-"

"How did you do that?!", I stepped back as the two stepped towards me, "Do...what?-"

"Lie without fumbling?! I can't lie to save my life!-", laughing, I walked past them and made my way toward the kitchen, "Well, its honestly super simple, basically part of it wasn't a lie, I said we were chatting which we are, however, I lied about half the story, were not top side. But yeah just tell a half lie with a little bit of the truth in it, that way if they do learn that we were just chatting, they'll know nothing's up!"

"Whoa..."

"Alright continue Donnie, what were you thinking before the call?", walking through the doorway, I leaned on the chair and sat down, "Huh? Oh! I was thinking maybe if you get used to these mutations...maybe they'll go away? But like I said its just a theory-"

A theory that has a high and low chance of success

Terra I think you should give this theory a shot

"But there's an issue, if he wants to come to turns in a sense with these mutations he can't...hide them...", my eyes deadpanned at Donnie as he leaned on the island, "And how am I supposed to do that, Donnie? You know how freaked out the others are going to be when they see these Kraang mutations?!"

"I mean if you want we can test using the retro-mutagen on you, however, I'm not sure how you or Venom will react to the transformation", turning towards Mikey, I switched my gaze back over towards Donnie, he continued to explain the possible reactions I could experience, but I didn't hear a word he said, "Retro-what?", he stopped speaking, and stared at me, "You know...retro-mutagen?"

"You know saying it twice doesn't explain anything right?"

"Its the opposite of mutagen, mutagen turns humans or animals into mutants and retro-mutagen turns them back into their previous form, so for us, we would turn back into turtles, specifically diamondback terrapins...but I think using it on you won't eliminate the mutations, so I think you should take some time away from the group without those wraps-"

"Oh! And maybe we can find you a new mask!-", I could only laugh as Mikey and Donnie thought of ways I could grow accustomed to my mutations. Pushing up from the chair, I walked back towards the lab, looking for my satchel, "Where did I leave it?-"

"What are you looking for?", peaking around every space in this room, I looked for that bag, "My satchel, I swore I brought it here?", turning towards the spare bathroom, "No...I didn't go in there-"

"Here it is!"

"Great! Now let's head back-"

"We don't have any food though!"

"Oh right! Here-", walking back out of the lab, I shut the light off and headed back to the kitchen, swinging the cabinet doors and fridge wide open, showing the vast of sustainable drinks and food I've stocked up on, "What do you think we should bring?-"

"WHERE THE SHELL DID ALL THIS FOOD COME FROM?!?!?!"

 

Chapter 34: A Father's Tears

Notes:

Posting this earlier due to the fact that I am unsure if AO3 will be banned, but like I said in a previous post you can find me on wattpad, bye bye

POV Leo:

"And where the heck were you guys?!", Leo's words sounded so loud as I walked throw the heavy side door, standing there I turned back towards Mikey and Donnie, their gaze turned downwards as my counterpart glared at the three of us, "You guys were supposed to return over an hour ago-", my skin itched, I wanted him to stop, but something else grabbed my my attention. I looked around the room and noticed Jay off to the side with Krisa as they played with one another, I was ready to call out their names, but instead, Leo stepped closer to me, and pressed his finger against my shell, he wanted to guilt trip me, telling me what I did was irresponsible, but none of the words he said ever registered in my head. Walking past Leo, I shoved my shoulder against his and ignored his calls, telling me to listen to him. Kneeling down beside the two, I joined them as Jay played with a stick he found. "What cha' doing, buddy?"

"Papa! Oh!- I want to fight swords, but I don't think Kris Kris is ready yet...", lifting his comically large stick, he poked his sister repeatedly, poking her over and over into the side of her belly. Krisa giggled as her brother tickled her side, pushing the sword away as much as she could, only to fail as he continued, "Leo, we need to make a plan-"

"Mmmmmmmm... nah I'm good...", crawling closer to the kids, I laid on my side with my head next to Krisa who leaned over my face, her belly pressed against my cheeks, I decided to attack. Smirking evilly, I grabbed Krisa and flipped her back, blowing loud ticklish raspberries against her belly, making her laugh even harder than before, "What?! What do you mean nah?", I didn't say anything as I scratched Krisa's sides, tickling her until she was in an uncontrollable fit of laughter, pushing against my face, she reached for her brother, so I lifted my face, giving her some time to breathe, "Just as it sounds. I haven't seen my kids for six months and I will spend every second I wasted away from them by their side, you okay with that buddy?"

"Yes! Can we fight?! *Gasp* Wait, did you bring something new to eat?! " I chuckled as I reached into the satchel, leaving my hand just out of sight. "Well, that depends. What have Uncle Mikey and Donnie been feeding you?"

"I ate chicken, its eggs, and lots of veggies!"

"Well, that doesn't sound fun. Here I brought something I had when I was a kid you want to try it", nodding his head, I pushed myself up to my feet, and reached down, picking up Kris and carrying her on my waist, "Leo. We need to think of a way to take New York back. You are a leader-"

"I did my part when you guys were away, now it's time you guys pick up the slack", I whispered through my teeth into Leo's ear as I glared at him, I wasn't going to be ordered around by my counterpart. Walking past Leo, I looked around the small kitchen this pizzeria had, and noticed the old brick oven with a wooden paddle next to it, 'Mikey would have loved this', placing my hand on the bricks, I dragged my fingers along the gritted clay, and leaned over, looking around the inside of the oven, "So what is it! What is it?!"

"Woah woah calm down bud, just wait a second while I heat it up", stepping away from the brick oven, I looked around the small pizza kitchen, "Uhhh- Leo we seriously need to think over a plan- I mean you have been here for the last six months so you know whats going on better than we do-", the girl tried so hard to persuade me as she spoke, I could tell this was the girl that easily persuaded a few of the people on this team, this Donnie and Casey swooned over her, Mikey was just happy to have other friends other that his brothers and I, so he did anything to keep the company, but I wasn't easily persuadable, "That's not true, you guys have live here your entire life, so you should know the Kraang better than me, and if what you said is true-", I exhaled through my nose as I grabbed the wood hidden deep in the lowest cupboard, "Then you guys have a whole knew issue to deal with...", tossing one piece of wood into the oven, I reached into my small pouches and pulled out a piece of cotton soaked in hydrogen peroxide, searching through my other pouches I tried to find a lighter, yet I couldn't find one. 'Shit...'

Leaning over the counter, I waited for a second as Leo started going over a plan to take back the city, but before that, they thought of anything to save their dad, Splinter. "Mikey-", Mikey was just on the other side of the counter as I whispered to him, "-do you have a lighter?", Mikey shook his head, only for April to speak up, "Oh I do!-", rummaging through her pockets she pulled out what looked to be an old lighter, "Oh...thanks...", grabbing it from her hand, I walked back towards the oven. I lit the piece of cotton, placing it up against the wood. Leaning on the edge of the opening, I could feel the warmth pooling out from the inside of the oven, taking in a deep breath, I let out a deep yawn as I pulled out a small knife I found, and tore open the can, leaving it open ready to heat up the cold soup.

"That meal looks...off"

"Oh shut it. Jay's going to love it", reaching underneath the cupboard, I pulled out the long paddle and laid it on the edge of the opening, placing the can on top and pushing it deep inside. I sat there patiently waiting with the towel in my hand. Closing my eyes, I listened to the soft crackles of the flames, the sound of the sparks popping into the bricked oven, it was all so calming, so relaxing...so...warm...

I tried to stay awake as I rubbed my eyes, pulling out the can slowly, I grabbed it with the towel, and set it to the side, blowing it with my breath as I tried to cool it down, "Give it a few seconds, its still hot...", my eyes felt so heavy as I sat on the counter, resting my head on the side of the bricked surface, it was so comforting, and as I took in the heat, my eye felt heavier and heavier, until finally fell asleep, resting the can on the counter.

-----------------------------------------

POV Venom:

This warmth, this heat felt so comforting, so inviting, Terra pressed his cheek against the hot surface, I was so close to falling asleep, I relaxed my body, listening to the noises around me, "What are you doing", noticing that Terra was already asleep, I took control of his body and stared at the human in front of me, her hand froze in place just a few inches away from my face, "I-", reaching up towards my hood, I pulled it lower over my face and leaned back, reaching for the can, I handed it off to Jay, who ran over excitedly, "Hey kiddo, here's dinner pa- I was making for you"

"Look I just thought you must be hot with that hoodie and wraps on while you leaned against the oven-"

"Well...I guess you're wrong then~", I sneered as I leaned closer to her, I knew she couldn't see the shit-eating grin I had underneath all these wraps, but it made it even better. Watching as she backed away, I scooted off the counter and walked towards the closest empty cushion on the couch, falling right in between the purple one and the other human, "I thought you said you weren't going to help, Leo?", shrugging my shoulders, I reached down towards Kris. Picking her up from the ground, I placed her in the center of Terra's lap, yet my eyes never looked away from my host's counterpart, I couldn't place it, something felt strange about this mutant, he nor his kin showed any sort of threats to me or Terra, yet I could tell something was on his mind, but I couldn't tell. "I just needed to make dinner for the kids, plus I think Jay understands...right Lou!", Jay was sitting right where I was just sitting, shoving spoonful and spoonful into his mouth, never taking a moment to breathe, only nodding his head, I could tell this was a new food for him, a new food he liked. "Alright...anyways-", leaning forward, I looked at what looked to be a map of the sewer systems, tunnels trailing in and out of the train systems, parts of the sewers that I myself have never reached.

"So what exactly are we doing?...", the red one took a deep breath, his eyes glared at me through the corner of his eye, "You're right Mikey, he's just like you-"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, ラント-", pushing myself up from the couch, I glared at the short turtle as he glared at up towards me, "WHO THE SHELL-"

"HA!- Awww~ Is the small turtle not aloud to curse-", leaning over, I kept my face just a foot away from his as I tapped my legs, "Come on~ Say it-"

"ENOUGH! Leonardo. Raphael-"

"I told you to stop calling me that-", falling into the couch, I leaned closer to Mikey's ear, my voice barely loud enough for even Mikey to hear, "~̷̣͂?̸̤̪̺̇d̸͈̓͝e̸̢̛̜̫̅͛̏ḓ̷̞͐̈́ȁ̷̻̝̼͋͠e̶̺͑̏͂͠h̸̜̼̃͝t̷͓̋̎o̸̗̎ḩ̸̬̙͚̒̍̚ ̴̭͓͉̃̉͘̚ͅs̸̜̫̈i̸͉͉̦̫̽͑̌h̷̛͎̼͆̓̚͜t̷̜̞͎̔ ̵͉̘̝̺͋s̶͙̘̠͗̈y̷̢̦̟̮̎a̴̱̟̮͊w̶̖̼̽̕l̵͔̅a̸̢̛̭̠̲ ̸̟̀r̶̡̩̔̕͘e̸̱̹̖̋̅̐͐h̵͖̫̀t̸͇̗̳̅̓͆ö̵̰̠͙͌̿ͅȓ̸̫͛b̶̳̱̐̾́̿ ̶̝̩̳̌r̷͎̃ẽ̵̢͖̞̟͒g̴̯̊̌n̷̗̘̣̈u̴̪̖̥͚͂ò̷̮̬̥͗y̸̟̍̅ ̷̹̏͑͆r̴̲̓u̶͎̮͑̅o̶̧̼̓̽y̸̼̥͙͗͊̉ ̷̤͐s̴̗̔͊i̴͉̐̋ ̶̣̙͘͜ź̴̛̥̊e̴̜̠̾͜e̷̫̫͕͝G̵͙̫͊͌̓"

(Geez is your younger brother always this hotheaded?~)

Mikey snickered into the back of his hand, leaning his head back against the cushion, he looked at me and squinted his eyes, "~̵̘͖̜͍̅̓̂t̴̥̍̍͝s̴̨̘̞̓̾̾è̵̟̕d̷̹̘̳̿l̴̠̃̄ỡ̸̹͍̈ ̷̮̌d̸̨̨̖̯̈́̎̈͒n̵̡̟̄o̸̧̞̙͑̕͠͠c̴̮̊͗̒̕e̷͉̩̻͋̆s̶̰͓̮͊ ̷̲̱̲̦̀̀e̸̥̊̑̌͘h̴̫̗͉͂̉͜t̴͍̯͉͊̈́ ̴̞͔̯̍̓̑ỳ̴̹̯͙̼l̷̨̼̹̖̾̓l̷͈͕̑̍a̶̡̮̍͊̊̂u̵̡͈̣͑t̶̛̟̋͊̇c̴̡̹̈a̴͔̋͐͝ ̴͙̇̔s̷̬̰̏̔'̵̛̭̭͉̄̉̎e̸̬͈̍͛͜h̷̟̙̙̲̾͝.̶̙̝̾̍͜ͅ.̷̢̫̙͋̐.̴͈̆m̸̨̛̦̺̖̔̂o̶̡̭͕̫̅́̍̌n̵͕̤̲͐͗̇ͅë̸̦́̅V̶̢̖̐̏̚͠"

(Venom...he's actually the second oldest~)

"What?-", chuckling quietly, I pressed my hand against my mouth as I peered at the red turtle, "Leo pay attention-"

"How could he? Mikey and he are sharing one brain cell-"

"You're just mad that I'm closer to Mikey than you are...his own brother, you better watch out, I might take Mikey to be an addition to the Hamato family in my dimension-"

"Leo!", lifting my head, I glared at the blue turtle, who in turn stared at me, saying not a word, his hand resting on the piece of paper on the floor, "Fine. Look-", pushing Mikey, I looked at the map, and scanned over places that I remember, places that looked familiar. Pressing my finger against the section written lair, I looked up towards the blue one, "At the time the Kraang began the invasion there were exactly eighteen droids and three drones monitoring the inside of your home, however when I arrived Kraang Sub-Prime as well as six other droids left in search of you guys, during my time inside those tunnels, I noticed that Kraang Sub-Prime kept three droids or two drones down every corridor, reporting once a week to Kraang Prime, staying out of their sight was quite simple for me, however, some mutants might have trouble staying quiet!-", coughing into my fist, I looked at the red one for a second and turned back towards the map.

"After two months, the Kraang stopped monitoring the lair, however, they do pass by this sector multiple times a day. So it may be dangerous for you guys, you might get spotted by any of the Kraang's droids if not focused-", reaching for a pen, I circled certain parts of the system and placed the pencil right beside the layout, looking back up towards Leo, I set Kris into the purple's one's lap, "the tunnels and sectors I circled are areas I have not ventured to due to it either being too far from your home or blocked off by the humans from this planet, I am unaware what could be in those areas...", nodding his head, the blue one looked up towards me, "All this information is good...- have you caught sight of any mutants? Maybe Master Splinter?", I tried to think back, but I was stuck, trying to think back to Terra's conversations with Mikey, but the name didn't sound familiar, "What does your Master Splinter look like?"

"He-"

"Dad looks like a really tall rat with a Japanese robe-"

"You know we're supposed to call him Master Splinter or Sensei, Mikey!-", nodding my head, I knew who Mikey was talking about, that was Terra's parent, 'the short rat from the photo...tall must mean short in his dimension', taking a breath, I looked up towards the blue one, "No, I have not seen any mutants inside the sewers, especially none that fit that description...well-"

"Well?!", waving my handing, I decided to demiss the thought, I knew I could have been seeing things, I mean, Terra had been having months upon months of nightmares, so I couldn't tell what was real and what was fake, "Ah nevermind, it could have been Te-...a nightmare I had...anyways, when I finally was able to find the surface, I-"

"No wait Leo what did you see?!"

"I told you it was a dream, I knew it had to be cause I saw some weird silvery white snake roaming around the tunnels, there were even times it followed me", staring at the blue one, his eyes widened at my words, yet I was confused, did I say something wrong, 'Maybe I really was dreaming it...', turning back towards Michelangelo, his and his kin's eyes widened as they stared at me, however, the blue one just stared at the map below us, "However during my time here, I highly doubt I could have been seeing things correctly, it could have been a dream-", looking down at map, I tried to think back where the dream happened, the area looked familiar, "because why would a mutant have heads for hands...", I spoke those words under my breath as I pushed myself up to my feet, stepping over Mikey. "Leo-"

"I'm heading out for some air, this place is really stuffy", sighing, I turned back towards Krisa and Jay as a soft smile showed up on my face, I knew I needed to spend more time with them, Leo- we needed to catch up on all the months we were separated, "Lou, you want to join me for some fresh air?", scooping the last bit of alphabet soup from the can into his mouth, his eyes sparkled as he stared at me, "Can I?", nodding my head, I reached towards the purple turtle and picked Kris up, her smile was so big as she wrapped her tail around Terra's forearm, "Leo wait- we still need to talk about our plan to get Master Splinter back-"

"Yeah sorry, I need a second to clear my mind, and I'll do that with these two knuckle heads", noticing something move in the corner of my eye, I watched as Mikey tried to get up, but instead of letting him follow, I pushed him back down, his brow bone turned upwards as he stared at me, "You heard the blue one, you have to think of a plan to save your dad", he didn't say anything instead nodded his head, staring at me his eyes looked so worried, resting back in the spot he was in, "Alright!, you ready for your dinner, Kris", turning away from the group, I could feel all their stares, their eyes watching me as my hand pressed against the door, but I didn't care, no one other than these kids, Michelangelo and my host matter, they were all pest that could be easily killed by me, killed by one of the weakest Kraang in the empire, even though I am the weakest, I could kill them all in moments, living this planet bare of any humans or mutants, I will make this planet safe for all of them... I will make this planet a home, one that won't harm anything that matters to my host, to me...

Shoving the door shut behind me, I walked towards the fire escape and pressed Kris closer to my chest, covering her torso and tail in my tendrils, leaving her head and arms free to move. "Lou, come on, I know a spot you'll love", crouching down towards the ground, Lou jumped onto my back, "Let's go!"

"Shhh-", pressing my finger against my mouth, Jay giggled as the tendrils slowly covered his back, pressing him firm against Terra's shell, "And on we go"

-----------------------------------------

~Fifteen Minutes Later~

"Whoa!", letting the tentacles loosen around Jay, he jumped off my back and ran towards the edge, "Whoa- hey be careful!", reaching for Jay, I wrapped a tendril around his torso, "Venom, this building is so tall", I chuckled as I slowly let go of him and walked over, sitting beside Jay with my legs dangling over the edge. "So, kiddo where were you guys?", reaching around Jay, I wrapped Terra's arm around his shoulders and rubbed my knuckles into his head, causing him to giggle, pushing me away, "You know your Dad was super worried, he thought the Kraang got you guys", letting go of Jay, I turned back towards the scene in front of us, 'Kraang its hot...', reaching around my body, I pulled the hoodie off my Terra's body and placed it off to the side.

 Reaching up again, I pulled at the knot in the back and slowly unwrapped the bandages around my mouth, I didn't look at either kid as the wraps fell to the ground, giving Jay a full view of what Terra had become. Leaning back on my hands, I looked at Jay through the corner of my eye, and his eyes were widened, yet it was funny in both Jay's and Krisa's eyes I didn't see an ounce of fear, neither back away at what their father as become, instead Jay seemed excited by the new look, and for a moment I felt a pain in my chest, Terra was awake, he was watching his son marvel at his new mutation. Crawling closer to me, his hands reached up towards Terra's face, his fingers tracing over the new stripes and crescents on his face, he even looked into Terra's new eyes, he seemed so curious.

"Venom-"

"Venom...why are you crying?", Jay touched the water that pooled from my eyes, the moment I saw them, I knew they weren't mine, "Your papa just missed you two so much"

It was their father's.

Chapter 35: Blue Fluffy Dragon

POV Leo:

"Papa you're awake!", I couldn't move, my body stayed motionless as I stared at my son and looked into his eyes. Jay seemed so happy, taking in the mutations, the new features that covered my face, I tried to see the terror, the small signs to prove that my own kids were terrified by me, the tremble in their bodies, the steps they take back, I even looked at Kris, my daughter, waiting for her to start screaming as she looked up into my eyes, yet I didn't see an ounce of fear in those eyes, not even Krisa was afraid, but why. Tears fell down my cheek as I looked back at Jay, "How...", Jay stopped for a moment and stared, his once joy-filled expression changed to one of worry, he never stepped away instead just stared, stepping closer, "How are you not scared of me...I-", turning away from Jay, I took in a deep breath and untied the knot near my belly, letting the wraps slowly fall off my body, "I'm slowly turning into the same creature that kept you prisoned your whole life- I-", pushing myself up from the ground, I shoved the pants down to my ankle showing him the knew limb he didn't see before, I was ready to see the disgust start to billow over, ready for him to want to stay anywhere but here, instead the more I showed my true self he seemed so much more excited, racing towards me and his hands touched whatever was in his reach, "Because you're my Papa, you saved me and sissy, why would I be scared just because of a few extra parts?"

My eyes widened when Jay said those words, my lower lip trembled, and my breath was stuck in my throat. Watching as Jay smiled, walking towards me, he wrapped his around me, his face pressed against my belly, swiping his snout back and forth against my stomach, tickling me in a sense, I could only laugh pathetically. "God...how could I be so lucky with the both of you...", I knelt and wrapped my arms around him, his face pressed against the crook of my neck, "Now...", pushing away from the hug, I looked back at the mound of wraps and clothes and reached for the hoodie, sliding it over Jay's head, "It's a little big on you", I snorted as I covered my mouth, watching Jay try and adjust it, making it fit better, but it was still too big on him, "You'll grow into it-"

"But what about you Papa? Venom said you don't want the others to see you?", looking down towards the alley, I switched my gaze between the street and Jay, smirking as I reached for the pants the system found, I pulled them on and grabbed all my wraps, shoving all them into the pockets I had, "Why don't we visit one of Papa's favorite places", reaching over my shoulder, I pulled out both swords and turned away from Jay, yet his eyes were fixed to my swords, the glimmer in his eyes never left, "When do you think I can get my weapon?", crouching down, I didn't even need to say anything as I felt Jay's body smash against mine, he was excited, rocking back and forth, "Who knows? Let's see how good you can fight and I'll think about", his whole body vibrated with so much excitement, quietly hoping that it was swords, I could only chuckle as I walked towards the fire escape, "Wait where are we going Papa?"

"You'll see~", Venom already knew the plan and covered Jay's body in tentacles, keeping his body firmly pressed against my shell, giving him no room to slide or fall out. Lifting my swords, I gripped the hilt and waved the blade, watching as the stunning portal appeared, I stepped through the portal and walked into the only mall this side of New York had, it was so strange looking at this place, it seemed so foreign, untouched by the effects of war, there was no sign of life, no humans nor Kraang were ever here, just the plants overgrowing its pottery, covering the malls corridors in dust and greenery. "Whoa!", his voice echoed off the glass and walls that filled the mall. Hushing him, Venom removed the tentacles that covered his body. The moment Jay was free, he pushed off with all his might, and jumped off my shell, running in front of me, his eyes darting in every direction, taking in everything, "Now if I remember correctly-", walking towards Jay, I put one of my swords away and reached his hand, giving him the chance, the choice to hold on, and he did.

"So where are we going?"

"Well, there are a few places I want to check out", walking up the broken escalator, Jay raced ahead of me, still holding onto my hand as he pointed at everything we passed, he wanted to visit all of them, so...we did.

--------------------------------

~Hour and Thirty Minutes  Later~

"Papa look! Look!", running out from behind the curtains, Jay showed off the new hoodie he found, it fit him so nicely just baggy enough that he could wear it for years, maybe until he's ten or eleven! "I like that one, browns really your color, did you find anything else?", nodding his head, Jay pulled out two additional pairs of clothing: sweatpants his size and a pair of baggy shorts, both in the color black with white stripes down the side, "I'm getting shorts a- and these to train and fight in! But these are when we get to watch tv!"

"Smart~ I like it. I like it. Now lets see if Daddy-o can find himself a new favorite hoodie!", Jay held onto the clothes he found, he was so happy, all he wanted was that, yet...as I looked at him, something burned in my chest, 'I should have known he would have felt uncomfortable without anything on, I was just so used to wearing just this that I thought he felt the same'. For a moment, I felt guilty as I looked through each hoodie, "Papa! After you find a hoodie can we get something for Kris Kris?", the thought disappeared, chuckling quietly, I found a soft and warm hoodie along with a black loose tanktop, "Sure bud...", hanging the rest of the hoodies on the rack, I watched as Jay raced ahead of me, and looked around at all the clothes he could see, but he never walked to far out of my sight.

I decided to look around on the way out one last time, never stepping out of the path towards the exit, I looked around and found a deep blue shirt, I knew it would never fit my shell, but as I looked at it, my hand graze against my cheeks, I was starting to miss the feeling of a mask against my face. 'I can use this to hide my eyes...', grabbing the shirt, I tore off a large section of the shirt and ripped the loop into a long strip of cloth, "What are you going to do with that?", walking towards the front counter, I searched through all the drawers, finding a pair of scissors in the lowest drawer, "Well Papa can't have a hood on forever so...", removing the hem from my new mask, I cut out to prefect eye holes and held it up. Looking around, I noticed a mirror screwed to a pillar and walked towards it, there was graffiti all over the place, it was almost difficult to see my own reflection, but as I tied the mask around my head all I could do was smile. I knew I was going to need to find another one soon, a more durable one, but for now, this should do.

Nodding my head, I turned back towards the exit, I watched as Jay looked around for something, but I wasn't sure, part of me thought that he was looking for clothes for himself or maybe he was looking for clothes for his sister, I didn't know what to think, but as we walked out of the store, something caught his attention. Stopping where he was, he turned back, his eyes sparkled with so much curiosity, "What's that?", I looked at where he was pointing, "A playground?...", looking back down at him, I watched as he looked back and forth, noticing a store I wanted to visit, I looked back at him, "Do you want to check it out while I go inside the store right there?", he nodded his head so aggressively as he ran towards me.

"Go on, but if there is any danger, I want you to run straight to where I am, don't even think about fighting them, just look for me okay?"

"Yes Papa", watching Jay run off towards the playground, I took in account the two stores I needed to visit, standing just beside the playground, I walked towards the closest store, a toy store, during this trip, looking for clothes for Jay was the original plan, even looking for something for myself, but as I passed store after store, something caught Jay's attention, a blue medium-size dragon, and this store had it. Grabbing the dragon, I shoved it into the inside of my hoodie, it was a good size plush, one he could easily hug and sleep with during my night patrols, 'He'll love this!', walking away from the stand, I wanted to get something for Krisa too, but I didn't know what, I checked out plush after plush, waiting for one to catch her eye, waiting for any sort of a reaction, that was until Krisa's hand reached out, I stopped in front of one specific plush, a turtle, one that looked just like...

Me...

"Papa!", before Jay could see, I shoved the turtle into my hoodie and turned towards him, my heart stopped as he hugged me, something was wrong, kneeling down, I grabbed ahold of his face as he continued to babble, mumbling about something. "Whoa-Whoa buddy what's wrong? Did you hurt yourself-"

"Papa there are humans outside!", his voice was so quiet as he spoke, his head pressed against my neck, trying so hard to hide, but we couldn't just stop here, we needed to hide, pulling Jay close, I hushed him as I became transparent, hiding the three of us in the farthest corner. I listened to the sounds outside, "Bro you're probably hearing things-"

"No I'm serious, I heard somethin!-"

"Oh like what?- You know there have been no sightings of anything inside this place", their voices and footsteps grew louder as they walked in our direction, we needed to getting out of here, "He's right dude, why would there be anything in here?"

"Papa...", hushing Jay, I pressed my head through the side of the wall and looked around, I couldn't see them, but they were here, my fins flailed out as I glared at the dark mall around me, I could see them, 'They're in the store next to us...', pulling my head back from the wall, I tried to remember the layout of this place, my eyes all over the place, but I couldn't leave, I needed to get Krisa some clothes, I couldn't just forget about her, she needed something too. Reaching over my shoulder, I grabbed one of my swords and held it out, holding onto Jay's hand, I waved the blade and created a portal, "Papa what about Kris Kris-"

"We'll have to come another time, we can't be seen by the scary humans-", stepping through the portal, I pulled Jay along with me, and landed just outside the building the others hid inside. Letting go of Jay's hand, I began wrapping my neck with the wraps I pulled from my pocket,  "Papa, we have to get something for sissy...", tying the wraps into a knot, I knelt down in front of Jay as I pulled my new jacket over my body, his lip pouting as I denied the one thing I promised him, "Look buddy...", reaching for the last bit of wrap, I raised my mask just a bit and tied the wrap over my mouth, covering the tears and sketch marks that littered my cheeks, pulling the mask back into place, "How about this, tonight while I do patrol, I'll go get Krisa some clothes-"

"No! I want to come too!", looking away, I tapped my chin and stood up, "Weeeeeelllllllll...fine, we'll go tomorrow and get you're sister some clothes okay?"

"Promise?", he crossed his arms as he looked at me, I could only chuckle as he did so, he reminded me too much of my younger brother, pouting whenever he didn't get his way, "Promise...now come on the others are probably wo-"

*SLAM*

"Michaelangelo!-"

"No! I'm going to look for them! They've been gone for over two hours! They could have been hurt-"

"And so what! That bastard just has a death wish and I'm not going to have you look for someone that doesn't even listen to his team", they were yelling, fighting with each other and based on the contents, I could tell who it was about, looking down at Jay, he was about to call out, he was going to say something, but I pressed my hand over his mouth, and disappeared from their sight, invisible to their sight, I walked closer towards them, I needed to know what they thought, I needed to know, "Oh stop with this Leo, you just don't trust him because he's my friend...he's my brother-"

"HE IS NOT YOUR BROTHER! YOU ARE NOT EVEN THOSE KIDS UNCLE!- NEITHER OF YOU ARE-", Jay began to tremble as he pressed against me, 'How did all of this start...did I do this?', looking down towards the ground, I turned back towards the manhole, it was my only escape, a way to free them from all this fighting. "...we are your brothers...", his Raph for a moment sounded so much like mine, sounding so much like the day I was trapped, torn away from my old family, I was tearing up a family, "Mikey...he'll come back, just wait a little bit longer...".

I froze as I felt Jay squeeze my hand, tugging my hand over and over, I knelt down to the ground only for Jay to shove his face into my ear, "Please papa I don't want to leave Uncle Mikey and Uncle Dee!-", he whispered, mumbling that into my ear over and over again, he didn't want to leave, I chuckled and for a moment I thought he read my mind, I mean who was I to take that away from him. Taking in a deep breath, I held onto his cheeks, my thumb rubbing away every single tear that threatened to pour over, pressing our foreheads together, "Alright, but breathe", Jay took in a deep snotty breath as he laughed sadly, rubbing the snot over his forearm, it was gross, but I wouldn't say that. Looking up from the ground, I watched as the group stepped back inside, closing the door without a second thought. Standing up to my feet, our bodies became visible and as we took one more second to collect ourselves, I stared at the ground and Jay looked up at me, standing in front of the door, Jay's hand reached for it and waited, Jay wanted so badly to go inside, to see his uncles, but I couldn't, I wasn't wanted here, I was an outsider.

Jay pulled the door wide open, it only took a moment to hide everything I thought as a smug grin covered my face, "We're ba-", I didn't get to finish my words as the sound of sniffles filled the room, it was the only thing I could hear in this awkward silence, letting go of my hand, Jay raced towards Mikey and wrapped his arms around him, pleading over and over, but no one could understand him, "Whoa buddy did something happen?!- Leo?!", I froze, everyone was staring at me, Leo's and Raph's eyes pinched in a glare, "What did you do?"

"What? Me?!"

"Yeah-", Raph yelled as he shoved my shoulders, causing Krisa to cry, "Uncle Mikey I don't want to leave!"

"What?! Why would you leave?-", the black tentacles that covered Krisa disappeared as everyone turned towards Jay, leaving me with a crying and tired child. Wiping his snout over his forearm, Jay stepped away from Mikey and glared at the two turtles in front of me, "I don't want you to train me! I hate you!"

"What?", walking towards Jay, he turned towards me and stood in front of me and Mikey, "You said they weren't my uncles-", I could tell the moment he spoke those words, it clicked in their minds, looking up towards me Leo's eyes we're filled with so much emotion, those words, those hateful words Jay spoke broke something in him, and all I could do was stare down at the ground, "Look buddy, we've just been-"

"SHUT UP!-"

"Leo were you...here during our conversation?", the girl spoke up, she was the one that persuaded Mikey I would come back, and Jay knew it as well, but as he went silent he turned towards me, "Yeah, but look- we just got back from the mall and I was going to come in, but you guys started yelling, I was going to leave but-", Jay hugged my arm, and pressed his forehead against me, repeating the same line quietly over and over again, his pleases only understood by Mikey and me, "-̷̡͐e̶̲̋s̵͎̕a̸̡̾e̴̘̅ĺ̸̰p̵͇̔ ̶̓ͅn̸̪͑ȉ̵̙å̷͙g̶̢̈́á̴̞ ̵̥́ê̶̬n̶̗̒ǒ̴̯l̷̪̒a̴̮̚ ̶̢͊ë̶̟b̴̭͑ ̸͕͛ẗ̷̨́'̵͈̈n̴͓̽â̶͉c̶̦̏ ̸͇̇I̶͖͌ ̶͖̃.̶̰̃t̵͙͂'̴͕̽n̶̻͑o̶̘͗D̵̹̓ ̶̥̈.̶͎̂t̷̹͑'̵̳́n̵͍͐ȯ̵͈D̶͍̒ ̵́͜.̵̳̉t̷̢͘'̵̰̈n̸̟̆o̶̡͝D̶̬̃ ̴̯͠.̴̳̊ë̴͕́n̸̼̿o̵̻̒ĺ̶̥a̴͖͌ ̶͓̌è̴̻v̵͖̈a̷͉͐ḙ̸̑ḽ̴͝ ̶̻́t̸̟̒'̸͙̚n̶̰̓ǫ̴͘d̵̰̽ ̷̳̇e̴̳͒s̴̺̃â̸̩ẽ̸̠l̶͖͂P̸̠̌ ̴̥͌.̴̡̂ņ̸͊o̶̥͘s̵̠̉ ̶̞̆r̷͔̓ẽ̸̞t̸̲́t̸͍͂e̵̖̾b̷͙̃ ̶̣̂ä̵́͜ ̵͚̓r̷̤͗ë̸͕́ẗ̷͈t̸͔̀ẹ̸̐b̸̞͊ ̸͛ͅl̴͑͜l̷͍͝'̵̩̑Í̵͖.̵̜͝.̵̦͆.̵͓̇-̸͖̋Ȋ̴̜ ̸̝̀r̴̔ͅȅ̴̝t̴̬͋t̵̞̕e̵̳͝b̴̭̆ ̷̩̿e̸̩͑ḃ̶̺ ̸̆͜l̷̠͋l̶̳̀'̸͈̂I̷͇͊ ̵̥̋e̴̬͝s̶̜̈ḯ̵̟m̵̦̿ỏ̵͔r̴̅͜p̴̝͝ ̸̳͝I̷̖̽.̴̭̀.̵̡̛.̸̈́͜a̴̯̐p̵̭̑a̷̫͌P̴̗̊ ̸͙͝,̵̯͝e̵̫͐m̵̝̔ ̴̲̍ę̸̊v̵͔̈́a̵̱̕ê̶͕l̶͕̽ ̵̛̟t̴̙̏'̶̣̇n̴͒ͅo̸̖̚d̶̛̤ ̸͉̀e̸͉͝s̵͇̅ȃ̸͇ě̵̲l̵̹̈́p̶̯͑.̴̡̈́.̶̜̾.̸̤̆

(...please don't leave me, Papa...I promise I'll be better I-...I'll better a better son. Please don't leave alone. Don't. Don't. Don't. I can't be alone again please-)

He spoke those words over and over, he was scared not at the turtles that screamed his unrelated blood, but instead, he begged me, his dad not to leave him, not to forget him...like the others, "Shhhh shh shhhhh, -̵̼͗g̴̛̦n̷͕͋ī̴͉h̷̫͒t̷̹̾ę̷̆m̵̖͛o̶̮͊s̵̳͗ ̶̹̅u̶̲̇o̴̜͂y̵̨͝ ̶̰̋t̵̖̀ǒ̵̤ǵ̵̻ ̵̠͝Ị̷͋ ̶̪͗k̸̺͑ö̸̢́o̶͍͗L̶͙̀.̸̼̈.̷̣͝.̶̨̄?̴̟̽t̷͉̂h̶͙̾g̵̖͝i̴͗͜r̵͙̅ ̶͍̈́ṯ̶͐ā̸͓h̵͎͂ṭ̴̅ ̷̢͝w̶̰̏ó̵̙n̵͔͝k̷̩̔ ̷̬̄ủ̶̙o̷̪̅y̶̞̆ ̶̢̔,̸̝̅e̴̻͠m̴̞̀ ̵̝͠o̶̢͊ṱ̷͝ ̶̨̎ẖ̵͠c̴̟͠u̷̠̍ḿ̶̹ ̶̢́ò̴̭s̴̳̉ ̴͔̈́n̷̟͐ȧ̵̠e̵̲̒m̸̢̋ ̵̞͘ó̶̘w̵͓͛t̸̜̚ ̴̳̄u̶͙͗ȏ̶ͅÿ̷͚́ ̸̱͝w̷͚͛ő̸͇n̷̮̒k̸̘̈́ ̸̧̔ṳ̵͠ȯ̸̫y̷͙͊ ̶̧͋,̶͇̒ṯ̷́a̵̦̅h̶̥̉t̵͕͘ ̵̱̅k̴̤̔ǹ̶͜ì̵̩ĥ̸̘t̸͎͂ ̵̫̌r̵̞̀ẽ̵̱v̷̭͐ȅ̸̤ ̷̬̓u̷̻͋o̶͚͝ý̴͔ ̴͔̐d̵̩̕ḷ̵́u̷̱̅o̷͈̕ŵ̶̼ ̶̻̿y̴͇͊h̷͖̅ẁ̵͔ ̸͔̀,̴̧͘ú̷͍ȯ̵̲y̶̺͋ ̵̜̆e̶͙͗v̴̬̅â̶̻ẽ̷͖l̸̹̈́ ̸̪̔t̸̖̆o̷̟̓n̶͖͛ ̸͍̈́m̵̪̓'̷̬̕I̴̲̿ ̷̹͋,̶̼̒a̴̧͝b̸̧̆ḃ̷͉ū̶̜b̶̼͛ ̵̙́y̷̱̓a̵̺̐ķ̵̍o̴̜̐ ̶͖͆s̷̳̏t̶͙̋I̶̧̕ ̵͓̕"

( Its okay bubba, I'm not leaving you, why would you ever think that, you know you two mean so much to me, you know that right?...Look I got you something-)

Handing Krisa over to Mikey, I reached into the sweater I brought back and pulled out the dragon plush I found, his eyes sparkled at the sight of it, and wrapped his arms around it, with all his might, he was happy, thanking me over and over, but as I looked up, Raph already left and sat next to Casey, mumbling comment after comment under his breath, but I didn't care, "You got this for me?"

"Of course I did! I saw how much you wanted it- I mean you just kept staring at the darn thing that I thought might as well-", Jay slammed his body against mine, and whispered quietly, "Thank, Dad.."

Chapter 36: Donnie's Gift 2.0

Notes:

Hey! Posting earlier cause I'm going to be out this weekend...enjoy <3

~Two Week Later~

POV Leo:

‘Why…’

‘Why does she keep staring at me, watching me every moment she gets, her eyes peering into mine like she knows something I didn’t, I tried to look away, trying so hard to look away from her glossed-over eyes, tinged in a white film, yet every time we looked at one another, I kept my distance from her, I never spoke to her, she knew something, but what...’

‘...My…my mutations are getting worse, they’re becoming harder and harder to hide, my fins grew stiff, I suffocated underneath the wraps that covered my mouth and gills, I try so hard to hide them, wrapping my shell tighter and tighter every time it grew just a bit, but it hurts…it hurts so much to hide the side I hated, the fins, the gills, the eyes-...those stupid stupid eyes, and my hands…my nails and the tips of my fingers were tinged in a light pink into an ombre into a deep purple. Hiding the color change and eyes was easy, yet no matter how hard I tried to find a moment to myself, even a second with just me and my kids, I was so close, I was becoming comfortable with the way I turned, the fins and eyes were useful, even the kids thought they looked cool, and after one- just one night the fins- the tear on my cheeks were starting to get better…they were healing…but she had to ruin it, she had to ruin everything... I PRACTICED THAT DAY, PRACTICED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER, SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MOMENT AWAT FROM THAT GROUP IN FRONT OF THAT GOD DAMN MIRROR-...yet…as I stare at that lowly human, the counterpart of my sister, the girl from my dimension that looked at us with only curiosity and amazement…’

‘No…this girl knows something else, something that should ever have existed,,, but what? ‘

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Breathe in’

 

*Drip*

 

‘And…breathe out…’

 

I listened to everything around me as my eyes stayed closed. The ripples of the water tapping against my skin, I even listened to myself, my breathing whether I breathed through my nose or my mouth I listened, meditating in a well-protected place away from mutants, Kraangs, humans, and even the others, I was away from them, I needed this, a moment away from the chaos, a moment to myself, a moment to become comfortable with the being I had become.

I knew as a father I should have brought Jay, I should have brought my kids, but I needed this, and neither of them would understand. But…maybe later, when they mature, when Kris and Jay grow up, I’ll tell them everything. For now, it was me, sitting inside the once busy, loud mindscape that is now empty, only filled with water—the hidden thoughts that stayed trapped inside my own mind…emotions that can’t escape.

Slowly I opened my eyes to the world around me and stared at the lowly figure in front of me

“Hey Venom…”

The figure looked so incomplete like he was missing something or more like someone.

“Was there a reason you decided to meditate now?”

“I’m waiting for someone-”

“Were you waiting for me?”

Her voice sounded so gentle as she spoke, her arms splayed out, waiting for me/

“Hey Gram Gram...”

Pushing myself up from the ground, I walked past Venom only to start sprinting, I ran into her body and wrapped my arms around her.

“Was there a reason you want to see me so badly”

Her voice was filled with so much love as she spoke to me. Her hand caressed my cheek as I looked up at her. But before I could even speak, she let go of my face and walked around me. Streams of greens or teals enveloped her body as she walked through my mind space.

“You know I’ve never seen someone with so many thoughts have such a quiet mind…while you’re brothers fit there quite well but yours?”

The way she said that sounded almost like a question, crouching towards the water, her hand reached for the pools of water beneath us, she scooped a handful of water in her palms and a bright light shined so brightly, lighting up the green hue that colored her skin and the sound of laughter, childrens’ laughter filled this quiet space.

“Wha-”

“Rara! Look! Look!-”

My…my voice

I listened to the sounds of my voice, looking away from my grandmother, I stared down at the liquid that filled this room, these were not just my thoughts, the secrets I kept in my mind…these were my memories, the millions of memories I had, the ones I shoved to the farthest part of my mind, they were even the ones I forgot. Crouching down towards the water, I swept my hand into the water and filled my palm, watching as the liquid swirled around, and created a whirlpool. I could almost see it, peering through my eyelids, I watched as the clear liquid changed into a picture, a memory.

“Hey, Dee?”

“Yeah, Leo?”

My eyes widened as a memory formed inside my palm, a memory I wish I had forgotten, one I wish I didn’t see at this moment.

“Do you think we’ll be twins forever?”

“Dumb Dumb I told you this, we’re not twins-”

“Yeah we are!”

“Nu-uh!-”

“...”

I was so quiet after Donald said that, my head was filled with so much fear, my own twin- my own brother denied being my twin. I remember the thoughts that filled my mind, dejection, loneliness…fear

“Would you look for me if I ever got lost in the tunnels…if…if I ever ran away from this place, would you guys even look for me…”

This…this was the first time I ever opened up to my brothers, and I regretted it every single day after, Donnie he…he told everyone, my brothers- dad…the months, even years of them saying things that seemed so fake, words filled with some much fake pity, including me in things they never asked before, things they never asked me to be apart of ...it felt…

So fake…

So terrible…

None of their words felt realistic, nothing they said felt true, so…for them I masked, hiding away behind a disgustingly fake smile, laughing along with them, but it hurt.

“What? Leo, what are you sa-”

Spreading my fingers, I watched as the liquid seeped through my fingers, the liquid was so warm to the touch, gliding down my fingers and falling back into the water.

“Gram Gram- I-”

Shaking my hand, droplets of water flew back into the water as I walked towards my grandmother, he body nor eyes turned towards me, instead, she just looked at the memories that filled her palms, her knees knelt close to the ground, ready to scoop up any new memories she missed out on.

“Gram Gram, I need a favor and I need you to listen, please”

“No.”

“What?... Please Gram gram, I need you-”

“I already know what you’re request is and what makes you think I would ever do that to your family… to my family ”

“Please grandma-”

Looking around the area around me, I tried to think of something, looking for the words that would persuade her, but I couldn’t.

“...Do they even if I’m alive?...Did my brothers even try and look for me?”

“They do. Your brothers have been trying day after day looking for you, but they don’t know where to start, some of them aren’t even convinced that your even alive-”

“Then tell them I’m not-”

“Leo-”

“Please Gram Gram, just tell them that I died during the war in this dimension! Please-”

“ And why should I do that ? Hm? Your brothers care about you so much, and you want to traumatize them with the face of death, what are they going to think when you come back home-”

“But Gram Gram that’s the point I’m not…”

Her sweet expression was gone, instead, she glared, and the memory she held close to her heart spilled through her fingers.

“Gram Gram I’m not going back…”

“ AND WHY IS THAT?!  Your brothers miss your presence-”

“And so what!”

She was so shocked by my words, my tone, and even the anger in my eyes scared her, she took a step back as I stepped closer.

“I have brought my brothers so much danger…so much harm-”

“And you think bringing that bad luck to this dimension is okay? Do you think these turtles will be okay with the danger you brought to their family…”

Bowing my head, I looked at the reflections in the water around us, I didn’t say anything to her, I knew she was right, I was bad luck, causing harm to everyone around me, but there was something different from my home.

“Gram Gram…this dimension is safer for the kids, they would never survive with the number of threats in that dimension…the Kraang sister is still on Earth…”

A figure stood beside me, for a moment I thought it was Gram Gram, leaning a little bit of her weight on my shoulder, but instead it was Venom, he wasn’t looking at Gram Gram, he wasn’t even looking at me, instead he stared at the memory that filled his palm, ‘The lair games…’

“Gram Gram, look I will make a promise then”

“And that is?”

“When my dimension becomes a safer place with no Kraang excluding Venom, I will go back and surprise them, but until then, I need you to tell-”

“Fine.”

“Huh?!”

“But the moment I learn that the Kraang sister was sent back or killed, you are to return immediately, understood?”

She didn’t even give me a chance to say anything, brushing her hands against her gown, she looked off to the side. Her green glow slowly disappeared as she walked away…

“Bye Gram Gram…”

Standing in the water, I suddenly realized how loud my mind sounded. I listened as the water splashed against my shins, the current becoming stronger. Kneeling down into the water, I crossed my legs over one another and held hands together. Closing my eyes, I imagined the world, the dimension I was in, and as the water sounded, the rapids calming down, I waited until finally…

The room fell silent…

----------------------------------------

I could hear something, a pencil scratching against the surface, something‘s foot tapping against the ground, someone was here, taking in a deep breath, I slowly opened my eyes, only to find Donnie sitting behind the table right in front of me. “How did you find me…”

“Your new T-Phone. Plus I needed to get away from the chaos back with the guys-”

“ Papa, how do you meditate for so long!”, Jay’s voice echoed over Donnie’s, turning over towards Jay, I watched as he tried to copy me, his legs crossed over one another he was so close to perfecting the lotus pose, but yet he couldn’t, “Well, I was…kinda meditating?”, my voice pitched up a little higher as I spoke the last bit, turning my gaze away, I could tell Donnie was thinking of something, “I…talked to my grandma and told her…”, taking a deep, the whole situation was finally settling on me, “to tell everyone who she told of my survival that I died in the war against the Kraang in this dimension…”

“...What?!-”

“Look! Me and Venom have been talking and we think it's best if we stay behind where it's safer for the kids…”, pushing up from the carpeted floor, I walked over towards the paper Donnie worked on, I couldn't figure out what it was, so peaked closer, “Does Mikey-...do the other’s know?”, shaking my head, I leaned back on the table as Donnie stood over his work, “Mikey’s the only one beside you that knows, but for now, I want no one to know about my plans-”, lifting my head, I looked down at Jay, his eyes were so wide as I looked at him, “... including you Jay, you can’t tell the others. I want you to live a good life with your uncles and me, and for that to happen, you can’t tell them, okay?”, Jay didn’t say a word for a moment, staring down at the ground, I could tell something was on his mind, so I crept closer, “But…but I wanted to meet my other uncles and aunties, Papa…I wanted to meet your Papa…”, my throat burned when he said that, I was failing him again, opening my mouth, I swallowed the uncomfortable lump, “I’m sorry buddy…they weren’t coming anyways, Lou…plus-”, reaching towards Donnie, I wrapped my arm around him and smiled widely, “-you already have two awesome uncles here! Aww look what you did buddy-”, placing my fingers on the ends of his mouth, I pulled Donnie’s cheeks down forcing a frown, “You’re making your Uncle Dee sad- Waaaahhhhh-”

“Alright stop that!-”, Jay laughed as Donnie pushed me away, walking back over towards the blueprints he drew on, but I just stood there, watching Jay hold his belly as he laughed, kneeling in front of him, I wrapped my arms around him, “You good now…”

“...only if I can have more spaghetti-o’s?…”, snorting, I nodded as I walked back towards Donnie, “Fine, I think there should be a can back with the others-”

“Oh Leo, before we leave can you look at this?”, walking over towards Donnie, I leaned against the table, looking over the blueprint, I could sort of tell Donnie was working on the head of some machine, or maybe even a helmet, I couldn’t tell, “Are you rebuilding Metalhead?”, turning the paper towards me, I looked around the print to find the structure of Metalhead’s body, yet it wasn’t here, “I get his name is Metalhead, but where's the rest of his body?”

“That’s the thing, Leo. This isn’t Metalhead" Reaching up towards the top of the sketch, Donnie removed a piece of paper covering the edge of the sketch. “Leo’s New Mask?”

“Yeah!- So far, I just have the sketch, but once I get the materials and tools, I’ll be able to have it ready for any and all use!-”

“Wait…why are you making me a mask?”

“So you can get just to your mutations in a way-”

Donatello if I may ask a question

How would this mask help Terrapin get used to his mutations

He is still hiding them so-

“That’s the thing! With your help S.A.M., I want to make this mask as light weighted as possible, and not one you slip on and off, one that is hidden in the shape of a collar-”

“A collar…?”, reaching up towards the throat I looked back down at the sketch he created, a collar indestructible to everything, yet light enough to feel no imbalance, '...just like...Donnie's gift back then...', my throat burned as I looked at the sketch, “Yeah!...-But it will hide your gills, and the antennae will fit to your shell, hiding in plain sight! The part I need your help is inside the mask…”

Inside?

“Yes! Every part of the mask that is in his peripheral vision whether that in front of him, through the corner of his eyes- every direction he looks it will be like he isn’t wearing a mask, that way-”

It will trick his mind into thinking he isn’t wearing anything to hide his mutations

“But in what cases will I ever wear this mask? Won’t the others think it's suspicious that I’m wearing a freaking mask”, Donnie looked off to the side as he stared at his sketch, “...you can wear it during your late night patrols-”

“What are you talking about, I don’t patrol at night, that’s what you guys do-”

“Oh shut it, Leo. I stay up late, you think I don’t notice you leaving when your own son comes to me to sleep while I work”, looking over my shoulder, I stared at Jay as his legs were still crossed, his widened eyes looking up at me, “Sorry…I just like the sound of Uncle Donnie typing on his computer…plus…I have nightmares when I’m not with either of you…”, sighing with a smile on my face, I walked over towards Jay and rested my hand on his head, “You’re fine, buddy. Just make sure you’re getting enough sleep okay?”, turning back towards the table, ooze pooled on my shoulder as Venom’s face appeared, “Now…what’s…with the bunny ears-”

“They're not!-”, pinching the bridge of his nose, Donnie squeezed his eyes shut, I could only chuckle as he did so, “They are not ears…These enhancements are to help pinpoint any sounds or activity around you that you don’t hear or see!-”

*RRRIIINNNGGG*

Flinching at the sudden noise, the room was so quiet as the call rang,“Wah?!-”, looking up from the blue print, the ringing echoed around the office, “Papa! Someone’s calling you!-”, standing next to me, Jay held onto my side as he read the screen, “A…april?...*Gasp!* Its the human Papa’s scared of!”

“You’re scared… of April?”, my eyes widened as Donnie smiled with a sinister look in his eye, “What?! No- I’m not scared of a human- Look I just feel…off about her, there something about her that sets me off, like she knows something- like she can easily read me-”

*RRRIIINNNGGG*

Reaching for the phone, Donnie answered the call and placed it next to his ear, “Donnie?!-”, pulling the phone away from his ear, Donnie hushed me as he put the call on speaker, “Hey April!”

“Donnie, is Leo near you?”, my brows furrowed as I looked at Donnie, without muttering a word, ‘Please…don’t tell her I’m here’, I mouthed those words as I looked at him, “Which Leo…”, my jaw slacked as I glared at Donnie, the call went silent after Donnie’s words, and my frustration only boiled over, “Are you kidding me!”

Chapter 37: Leo's Stripes

~Two Months Later~

POV Raph:

*Clink* *Clank*

Dragging the sponge over the last dish, I watched as the suds covered the plate, and steam rose from the plate, tiredness filled my mind as my eyes grew heavy, shoving the dishes under hot water, my eyes slowly flickered close, but I couldn't rest, not yet, '...just one more dish-'

"Raph?", my eyes fluttered open as I took in a deep breath, and looked over towards Mikey as he stood beside me, staring at the dish, "H-Hm?", letting go out the breath I held, I shook my head and tossed some water in my face, trying so hard to wake myself up, "Is something wrong, big man?", placing the last plate on the drying rack, I reached for the rag and cleaned my hands of any soap, "Nah you just look tired". I yawned as I looked down at him, covering my mouth, I walked past Mikey and draped my hand over his head, "K'... Night Mikey"

"Night Raph!", stepping out of the kitchen, I followed the path toward my subway car and pulled out my phone. Opening the gallery, I scrolled through the photos I saved, my thumb swiping over and over again, looking at all the photos I took, until I landed on one specific photo, 'heh pizza pigeon...', chuckling at the phone, I set it as my wallpaper and shoved the door out of the way. My bed looked so comfortable as I watching towards it. Falling onto my bed, I could feel the daze I felt in the kitchen slowly come back and as my eyes grew heavy, I fell asleep, resting in the warmth of my blankets...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Where am I…’

Standing on a slab of concrete, I looked around the sky, but something was off I looked around searching for birds clouds, maybe even an airplane, but instead all that filled the sky, pieces of skyscrapers soared through the air, trucks and other vehicles slammed against everything, yet I was filled with so much confusion, looking around, I walked towards the edge of the block, looking for something.

*CRASH*

Turning towards the sound, pieces of rock filled the sky as something fell, or more like someone.

“Raph! Go!-”

“What?...”

I hesitated, I turned towards the voice and froze at the sight of him

“Raph?! What are you doing- Save them!-”

I wanted to reach for him, I wanted to hold him, but I had no control of my body.

“No!-”

I turned away from him and stepped closer and closer to the others, pushing against the ground, sprinting with every muscle in my body, but I didn’t want to.

“LEO PLEASE-”

Turning away from Leo, I leaped off the edge, Leo called out as he opened the portal, I wanted to call back, I want to know what he said, but everything was happening so fast. I was surrounded by my brother’s colors, the different colors of blues, I almost forgot what the inside of his portals looked like, but oh how I wish I could smell it…I wish I could remember his voice, moments ago, now that I think about it, that…didn’t sound like my brother…but…how would I know…

In a split second, the portal opened, and my body flew through the air, I could see them, Donnie, Mikey, they were falling quickly, falling too fast for comfort, bringing my arms close against my sides. I dove toward the two and as I was within their reach, I grabbed onto Mikey and swung myself towards the other side.

“Gotcha! Don't worry, Donnie! This is not a hug. It's a rescue!”

A projection formed around us, my arms wrapped around both of their body, I waited for the ground to come as I closed my eyes and waited for the pain, the collision, yet it never came.

“Casey. Casey, come in”

‘Leo!’

Pressing the shell, I tried to speak to Leo, I needed to get back up there, I shouldn’t have left his side.

“Leo?! Can you hear me!-”

“Sensei, I'm here. And I've got eyes on the Key. Just tell me when you're home free, and I'll pull the plug”

“Leo, please bring Raph back to your position! Raph will fight with you”

I walked away from the others as I yelled into the intercom.

‘Why can’t they hear me-’

“Leo listen to me! Bring me up where you are!-”

“Casey, listen to me. When I get to the other side, you close that door-”

“ NOOOOOO!  Leo, please! Why can’t you hear me, please-”

“What? Sensei, no!”

Glaring at the intercom strapped to my wrist, I jammed my finger into the button, watching as it glowed over and over again every time I pressed it, but Leo could never hear my pleases.

“Casey, it's the only way. He's too strong. He's not gonna stay on the other side unless I keep him there”

I pounded my fist onto the button, I tried each time the light glowed, but he never heard my calls.

“There has to be another way!”

“We tried everything, Case. This is the only way”

I jammed my finger onto the button and the light glowed its bright green color, I had to stop him, I had to protect him. I couldn’t fail him again.

“Leo, please don't do this! Leo!”

There was radio silence. I waited for either Leo or Casey to speak, for Casey to try and persuade Leo, but instead, all I heard was Leo laughing.

“You're one to talk, big bro. Hero moves are totally your style”

“No…NOOOOO-”

I glared at the intercom, I tried to think of something, I knew I needed to get up there. Walking towards the edge, I took in a deep breath, I needed to save him. But… nothing was working …

My powers, my strength, they weren’t working, I knew if I grew my projection big enough, if I could sketch my arms and reach him, I could save him.

‘Wait…’

Turning towards the others, I charged in their direction, but they didn’t look at me, Donnie, Mikey, they just kept staring up at the sky, watching as the techno drone slowly passed  through the portal, entering our world.

“Donnie, I need you to get me up there!”

He didn’t look at me, he just kept staring, his eyes glue to the ship he once controlled himself.

“DONNIE! Come on!-”

He ignored me, I knew he would hate me for this, but I needed to, reaching for his shoulder, I rested my palms on both his shoulders, but he didn’t even flinch, there wasn’t even a shudder away from the touch on his shoulder, but what was worse, I couldn’t feel him, his cool skin, there was nothing. I pulled my hands back and stepped away, my body shaking as the realization finally settle in my mind…

There was nothing I could do to save him…

I couldn’t save Leo…

My eyes stung as I glared at the water puddle I stood over, glaring at my reflection, I failed, I knew I did, but what was worse is the fact I couldn’t even save him in my own dream…

*BOOOOOOMMMMMM*

The sky above me glowed a deep green as the portal finally closed, I wanted to yell, to scream at the sky above me, but my throat tightened, shaking as I turned back to look at the sky, to see the very thing that took my brother, yet…

All I saw…

Was darkness.

“Wha-”

“R̶̊ͅa̴̳͊ṕ̶̥h̶̭͌?̷̹̂”

A distorted voice broke the silence, but as I spun my head around, spinning towards the sound of footsteps, there was no one.

“Who’s there?!”

“D̶o̶n̸'̸t̸ ̸y̴o̸u̵ ̸r̵e̵c̵o̶g̷n̸i̵z̸e̸ ̵m̸e̷?̴.̸.̷.̸D̶o̴n̴'̷t̷ ̴y̸o̴u̵ ̷r̵e̷c̴o̸g̴n̷i̸z̴e̸.̸.̶.̷”

Their footsteps grew louder as the silence grew longer. I reached for my sais, but my holsters were empty however, my projections were working, red wrapped around my forearms and fists as I glared into the darkness, and with one quick spin.

“ Ý̵͇ö̷̙́ũ̷̘r̷͖͋ ̵̹̕ô̶̼w̴̺̏n̸͑͜ ̶̺̚b̷̟̉r̷͓̿ó̷͈ẗ̴͎́h̵̳̃ė̷͉r̷͕̎?̵̠̀ ”

Leo stood in front of me, his head pointing straight towards my chest and his eyes…his eyes glared into mine, but his body…

“W̴h̷a̸t̵'̴s̶ ̸t̶h̷e̸ ̷m̶a̵t̵t̸e̸r̶ ̴R̸a̸p̴h̵?̶ ̷D̶i̸d̶ ̸y̴o̸u̷ ̷f̶o̷r̴g̷e̷t̴ ̵a̵b̷o̴u̸t̵ ̴m̶e̷.̸.̵.̴D̸i̷d̸ ̷y̴o̴u̶ ̷f̷o̸r̸g̷e̴t̵ ̸m̷y̴ ̴a̸c̷t̷u̶a̷l̷ ̶v̵o̷i̶c̵e̸?̸!̶”

His body was covered in blood, and his shell…it was gone, his spine and ribs visible to everyone, jaw broken, it would almost be hanging if his skin weren’t still attached. I reached for him, I wanted to hug him, I wanted to hold him and never let him leave my sight, but he stepped away.

“Y̷o̴u̴ ̴l̵e̶f̷t̵ ̶m̴e̵ ̵t̴o̸ ̷d̶i̸e̵…y̴o̷u̴ ̶g̸u̸y̷s̶ ̷n̸e̵v̴e̸r̵ ̷c̵a̴m̷e̶ ̸f̴o̶r̶ ̷m̷e̵…”

“We did!- W-we looked for you! Mikey opened a portal, but-”

“T̴̩̲͗H̶̢̛͖Ȧ̷̦̚T̸͉̅̋S̶̡͎͌̀ ̸̩͇̐Į̴̓͛T̷̮̀?̵̎ͅ!̷̥̒”

“What do you mea-”

“Y̶̲̲̒̕O̷̩͈̾Ṵ̴̽ ̸̟̋J̸̡̞̈́U̷̹͗̃S̸̛̩͂T̴͛͜ͅ ̵͎̍Ǵ̵̭̯Ä̶̛̹̦V̴̭̣́E̷͉̎ ̵̩͊͗Ủ̵̲͕P̴̱͆ ̴͚̾͜Ą̶͐͘F̶̗̕T̸̤̾Ė̸̮̹̈́R̸̘̪͌͝ ̴̡͍͛̒T̷͓͍̓H̶̡̗̅Ạ̶͉̅T̸͙̾ ̴͈̘̀H̸̥̏̐U̴̠̣͒̊H̸̫͓̆̚!̴͕́̿…Y̶̰̮͆Ò̴̧͇Ů̸̼͕ ̵̨̎̋ͅO̷̼͌̓N̸͔̿̆L̸̩̣̀͆Y̶̍̍ͅ ̵̬͘T̷̥̟̎͌R̸͍̀Ï̶̘͇̕Ę̵̬̐̾D̷̥̱̑͠ ̷̟̱̇Ő̶͙͓N̸̝̤͗C̴̙̎Ě̴̗̍-Ỏ̷͙͙͛̎ͅN̸̻̮̉̎̆Ç̶̺̻̒̄͋Ë̶̞͙͈̋͐! A̴̡̪̒̍N̷͉̝̆D̸͙̔̍͝ ̴͕̑Y̵̛̝̏̄O̸̖̤͆̈̈Ṳ̷̭̣̊ ̸̟̯̠͗Ǎ̷̘̥̳̇L̴̟̭̞͒̈́̌R̵̈́̏͜Ë̴̘́A̴̠̹̓D̵̫̈́̇Y̷̩̱̕͜ ̴̝̘͎̔͐̀F̵̢̲͙̓͠Ö̸̢̮́͗͘Ų̷͉̊̈N̶̠̓̐̓D̸̡̗͓̿ ̴̧̺̗̀̋A̵̛̯͉͐͊ ̷̜̰̓̒̕Ģ̴̻̋̄O̶͓̜̺̅̚D̴͚́ͅ ̸͙͙̪͑̒D̴͔̆A̸̱̲͗͜M̸̢͎͈̑͂N̸̩̈ ̶͉̥̍͊̾R̵͎̹͐̋Ë̷̱̖̹́̍P̶̡̦͉̊͂̀Ĺ̵̪̩͝A̵̧̪̽͛͝C̴͍͋E̸̖̝̒̋͝M̷̛̻̞̙͠E̴̯͌͝N̷̺͌́̚T̵̝̿”

“What?! No- we would never replace you, Leo-”

“T̷h̵e̸n̸ ̷w̶h̴a̷t̵ ̶d̷o̸ ̴y̶o̷u̸ ̷c̶a̵l̸l̷ ̵t̵h̴a̸t̵…”

Lifting his hand, I could hear the sound of Leo’s bones rubbing against one another as he pointed off to the side, and my eyes widened at the sight, it was him…future him.

“No… no no nonononononono- Leo its not what you think-”

“N̷̢̪̲͉͕͕͉͈̯̹̗̫̗̤̈́͒̿̾̔͋͐̿̽͠͝ǫ̴̪̪̫͎̞̞͍͌̒̎̐ͅt̸͖̤̣̝̀̀̔͆̈́ ̷̨͍̞̟̝̹̲̮̖̹̖̀̐͆̍̀̄̉͒̌̔̏͆͠w̷̨̥̻̗̺͎̣̺̘̗̎ĥ̷̡̢̡̛̰͓̼̪̙̦̙̹̖̐̈̓́͊̅̽͑̀ͅa̸̖̙̬̦͕̟͖̺̘̹͓͖̎͂̽͐̌̃́͐́͋͠͠͠t̵͎͕͒̆̈́̐͝ ̴̪̠̳͖̐̇͒͒̀͊̈́̐̈́͐̕͝͝Ḯ̴̩̮̻̭̟̗̼̲̰̏͜ ̵̨̖̗̳̲̭͔͈̾̀̾t̶̡͇̯̖̺́͒h̴̨̖̘̪̮͚̾i̸͇͚̬̝͙͂̈̃͂̈́͑͘n̴̺̤̱̦̲̱͛̇̎͐͝k̴̨̧̖̭̤̯̰̥̺̿̀̒̒͘͝͝?̵͙̥͖̓̉͂̍̿͛͗̿͌́̄̔͝͝͝ ̷̹̹̮̪͖͛́̈̇̚̚͠…”

*CLANK*

“T̸h̵i̸s̸ ̵i̶s̴ ̷t̷h̶e̸ ̴v̷e̵r̵y̸ ̵r̸e̵a̷s̵o̷n̶ ̵D̸a̵d̸ ̶m̵a̶d̷e̴ ̵m̴e̵ ̵t̷h̷e̴ ̵L̸e̶a̸d̸e̸r̴.̴.̶.̸”

Leo finally turned his head up towards me, his eyes didn’t show an ounce of sadness, there was nothing but anger, glaring at me as the sound of something metal banged against the ground, it almost sounded like footsteps, stepping closer and closer towards us.

“I̸ ̶w̷a̵s̵ ̸a̷b̴l̶e̸ ̸t̶o̶ ̸k̴e̵e̶p̸ ̴t̴h̵e̷ ̴t̵e̷a̵m̷ ̴s̵a̵f̵e̸!̸ ̴I̷ ̵w̶a̷s̸ ̵a̸b̴l̵e̴ ̸t̴o̶ ̴s̵a̴v̷e̵ ̸o̵u̴r̵ ̷h̶o̷m̶e̶!̷”

My eyes widened at the sight of the owner's footsteps, my body trembled as it stood behind Leo.

“K-...Kraang?...”

“B̵u̶t̶ ̸y̶o̶u̶ ̴a̵l̴r̵e̷a̵d̵y̸ ̶f̸o̷u̵n̴d̴ ̵a̵ ̴n̶e̶w̷ ̸l̸e̸a̶d̶e̷r̶ ̷t̶o̸ ̸r̶e̸p̶l̷a̶c̷e̴.̵.̵.̶”

He laughed, chuckling under his breath, and finally, a smile pulled at his cheeks as he looked up at me, stepping back, I watched as the Kraang rested his hand on his shoulder, the fear in my own body, in my eyes never left, he was covered in Kraang tentacle…

He became the very thing I was turned into when the Kraang kidnapped me.

“R̵a̸p̶h̸.̵.̷.̴i̴f̵ ̷y̵o̵u̷ ̵r̶e̴p̶l̵a̵c̸e̸d̶ ̴m̷e̸.̶.̷.̷w̵h̴y̴ ̷w̴o̷n̴'̴t̸ ̷y̶o̵u̶ ̶f̷o̴r̷g̵e̴t̷ ̴m̸e̸.̴.̵.̴”

*STAB*

*SQUELCH*

*cough* *cough*

His eyes widened as he looked up at me, blood dripping from his mouth, and his hands held onto the tentacle, holding the very thing that was killing him. I couldn’t breathe, I wanted to kill it, I wanted to save him, but I couldn’t move…

“L…LEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”

“Raph?!”

*Gasp*

“Raph! Raph!”

“Michael, what’s is going on?”

I couldn’t pull my eyes away, his blood painted the ground, and his body laid limp with a large hole straight through his shell, I could feel the bile in my belly coming up as I stared at him, organs twitched as blood squirted onto the ground, I couldn’t pull my eyes away. Slowly, I searched and looked up, hands shook my shoulders, even metal hands grabbed onto my arms, but the hands weren’t the things gaining my attention…

It was him…

“Hello Raphael~”

“ RAPH! ”

*GASP*

My eyes squeezed shut, but as they shot open, he was gone, Kraang Prime disappeared and so did Leo’s body, yet my body still trembled. Looking around the darkness, my eyes met Mikey’s, I switched my gaze between the two, Donnie walked around the darkness, looking for something, however, Mikey looked worried, his hand held onto my shoulder, looking around.

“Where…where are we, guys?...”

“You are in your brother’s mind, Raphael’s specifically…”

“Gram-Gram!”

“Hello, sweetheart”

She held Mikey, her arms wrapped around him.

“Gram-Gram, what’s going on…”

Gram Gram didn’t say anything. She just held my youngest brother, her palm dragged against Mikey’s scalp, petting him as she hummed a quiet toon, her eyes closed, but her brows were pinched upwards.

“Gram Gram?”

Mikey looked up at her, staring at her, I tried to think of why we were here, why all of us were here

‘Why is everyone in my dream…’

Looking down at the ground, I tried to think of something, something that would make this dream make any sense, but something felt off.

‘...unless’

“Gram Gram?...”

She turned her face towards me, but her eyes…

They never looked at me

“You know something…don’t you”

“Raphael, my brother what are you talking about?-”

“Gram Gram, please…just tell us- wait…does this have to do with Leo? Did something happen to him?!”

“Raph…”

Mikey stared at me, his gaze switching between me and her, pushing up from the ground, Mikey stepped back and stood beside me.

“Your brother…”

She didn’t look at us, staring at the ground, she knelt and placed her hands on her lap.

“Leonardo was able to escape the Prison Dimension-”

“Wait so he survived!-”

“ However …your brother landed in another dimension where a different Kraang started their invasion on the planet…Leonardo was killed during the invasion, one that is... still... going on…”

“No…”

Shaking my head, I stepped back as my hand reached up, covering my mouth.

“...No…y-you just told us a few months ago that he was still alive, that we still had a chance to save him!”

“I know, Raphael, I know, but-”

“Wait is he here?...”

Gram Gram’s eyes widened when she heard Mikey's question, switching between the three of us, she took in a deep shaky breath and turned back towards the ground.

“He's trapped…”

“What?...”

“ He’s trapped!  For months, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get to him, I couldn’t even figure out what dimension his mind- his body is trapped…I’m…I’m sorry”

I stared at her, slowly I looked up towards the others, Mikey was trembling, his arms wrapped around himself, while Donnie was frozen. This couldn’t be real, it couldn’t be.

“You’ve known for months?! Why didn’t-...*sigh*...How do I know this isn’t just one of my stupid dreams?”

Mikey’s eyes widened as he turned towards me, only to look down towards the ground, but all I could do was glare at our grandmother.

“When we wake up, let’s say a code word, one that none of us hardly ever say to prove that it was real-”

“Right, what word should we do…”

“Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, an easy word-”

“How about Leo’s stripes?”

Our grandmother pushed up from the ground and turned away from us, walking farther and farther into the darkness.

“I’m so sorry, kids…I-...farewell”

She didn't even wait and left us with the news, I wanted to yell at her, but I was so confused, why did she hide this from us, looking around, a light behind us became brighter.

“I really hope this is just a dream, guys…”

“You and me both big man…”

------------------------------------

~Thirty Minutes Later~

POV 3rd Person(Raph):

Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, Raph’s eyes slowly opened, “Ugggghhh…”, groaning,  Raph pushed himself up from his bed, leaning on his arm, he closed his eyes. His body felt so stiff, and his face felt sore, swinging his legs over the side of his bed, he stared down at the rugs that covered that subway floor, mats specifically protecting their feet from the freezing rough surface, '...it was just a dream...'. Raph had already planned today’s tasks, yet something kept him from completing the first one, ‘ dream…’, he needed to leave the room, he had to, Raph wanted to workout, train, maybe even go out to run of the mill and get some pizza, but that nightmare, the simple proof his brothers discuss in his dream…

He didn’t want to leave the safety of his room, learning the truth would destroy him, his heart pounded in his chest as he pushed himself up from the bed and stepped out of the subway car, making his way straight toward the bathroom. Each step he took felt heavy, swaying back and forth as his tail dragged across the cold concrete floor, reaching up towards his face, he scratched the bits of crust on the corners of his eyes and mouth, trying so hard to rid his face of the nightmare he just experienced.

Pushing open the door, Raph walked straight towards the bathtub and turned the faucet on, watching as the water slowly filled the comically large tub, Raph knew it was going to take some time for the water to fill up and walked over towards the door, leaving it unlocked so the others still had access, but closed for privacy for any passers-by. ‘Gosh…”, Raph’s tired eyes widened just a bit as he took in the state of himself, his eyes red and puffy, but what took the cake was the mess on his chin, swiping his finger over his chin, he sniffed the mess only to find out the source, “Did I really through up last night?...geez I thought I would have grown out of that by now…”, turning on the sink, Raph washed his face repeated, only to taste the reminisce still inside his mouth.

Raph stared at his teeth as he swiped the brush back and forth, getting rid of any stains and smells he could find coating his teeth, he looked at his teeth one last time, and spit out the toothpaste, shutting off the faucet only to stare at him, his reflection looked so tired, so weak, the dream really messed with him, the imagines, the voice, Raph even took a moment trying so hard to remember what Leo’s voice actually sounded like, but…he forget. Sure he was around Leo from that corrupted future, but his voice was way different, deeper than what he could remember, but how did he know, Raph for a while has been trying to find videos on his phone of his brothers, honestly anything, but for some reason he never took videos of his brothers, only photos…

“...Maybe I can ask Donnie to see me the recording from last year's lair game”, Raph sighed as he walked over towards the tub, shutting the tap off and hoping right in, the water felt so nice on his stiff limbs, his aching back, maybe he could ask April to deep clean his shell again. Lowering himself into the water, Raph was always grateful to Donnie for making the tub big enough to comfortably fit him.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Lifting his head out of the water, Raph hummed and dunked his head back inside, his body floaty on the surface, slowly relaxing from the heat. “...”, the person’s words were muffled as they spoke, Raph waiting for them to speak clearing only realizing that he was still underwater with his ears full of water, lifting his head, he found Mikey leaning on the edge of the tub, his heart froze when he saw his face, ‘...please…’, Raph hummed, his eyes lidded as he was so close, the tension in his shoulders slowly leaving his body, ‘...please don’t say it…’, Mikey kept staring into my eyes, he was looking for something and as his mouth opened, stuck whether he should say the words, he finally spoke.

“Leo’s stripes…”

The air was stuck in my throat as my eyes widened, “...it wasn’t…a dream?”

---------------------------

Hey guys I'm a little behind on chapters and I having writers block so I'm going to take some time away from posting to catch up, I'll most likely post again in march, I'm sorry for the issues

Also about Raph saying he threw up a lot as a kid, I did that alot when I was a kid and put it in the story

Chapter 38: An Accident Leads To A Discovering

~Two Weeks Later~

POV Leo:

"Wait so how would I say my name?", looking over from the phone Donnie made for me, I stared at the notepad in his hands, watching as he tried spelling it out only to fail instantly. "Bro if you really want to learn you have to learn the alphabet first", Donnie groaned as I reached for his notepad, I snickered at his annoyance, "Why though?! I can learn that later-"

"Dee-", staring at Donnie, I placed my hand on his shoulder as he peered at Donnie through squinted, "...if you don't learn the alphabet you won't know if you are pronouncing it right or not"

"Leonardo is right, Donatello. To learn the basics of any language, you must understand the building blocks of said language," speaking calmly, their Dad continued only to finish as he spit his hot teeth, chuckling under my breath. I smirked as Donnie glared at me. Groaning once again, I turned towards the side and whispered under my breath, barely audible to Donnie or any of the others around the room, "Venom, can you teach Dee the Kraang alphabet?"

"Sure. But we better go out tonight, I'm starving..."

Pinching the bridge of my snout, I sighed as I squeezed my eyes shut, "Fine..."

"Yes!"

I didn't even get a moment to ready myself as Venom fronted, but before I was pushed towards the back, I whispered loudly, "But please use my voice!"

POV Venom:

Lifting my host's arms in the air, I could feel the aches and pains slowly disappear with each passing moment, but not completely. Scratching the back of Terra's neck, I looked down at the notepad in my hand, "Wah?... Donatello, this isn't even close to how the Kraang writes-", placing the notepad off to the side, I looked back over towards Donatello, but as our eyes met he looked from one eye to the other, his mind focusing on something, his eyes squinting harder and harder, "uhhhhhh...do I have something on my face Dee?". His eyes widened as he pointed at me, peering around the room, I noticed everyone's attention was turned toward us, but the blue turtle and the human girl could tell something was wrong, I needed to get their attention away from their conversation, "Bro don't! You know is rude to point? I think I heard that somewhere...anyways! Let's start with the first twenty-five letters-"

"The first?! " I nodded my head. I looked at the others from the corner of my eye. Some of them went back to their tasks, while one continued to stare at me, 'April...I think that was her name...'

"Alright, so this is what is going to happen, I'm going to tell you the twenty-five and then we are going to go over each letter until you get it right, okay?...alright-", I didn't wait for his reply as I thought back to the first letters I taught Terra, "a̸͍̥͔̒̈ a̶̻̲͊̿̒̕ͅͅi̴̙̪͗̊͒͘ a̷̧̿̉̋u̶̧̱͌͜ a̷̺̭̯̓y̴͇̗̾̌ b̷͕͋̒ b̶̹͑ý̶̪͓̇ c̸͇͖̤̈́̽̄ c̷̡̙͎̜̋c̶̦̼̳̪͋̒̚ ç̸̻̿̎̍̈͜ḧ̴̢͍́ ç̵̺͆̇̆̒ͅl̴͎͈̀͠ c̷̗̑͝ÿ̷̼ d̶̗̻̥̰͆͠ d̸͖̾̓d̸̝̋ ḓ̶̗̭̋́̌̾ḧ̵̨̦́ ḏ̸̓͝s̵̘̃ d̷̳̳̂̂̈ỳ̶̧ e̴̗͝ ę̶̝̄ã̵̧̠ e̵͉͍͐ĭ̷̺̙͘ e̸̛̝̪̕y̷̟̋̾ f̸̦̐̂ f̶̠̈́͐ĩ̸͕͊ f̵̛͍o̸̡͔̐ f̸͎̓h̸̰̦̋̊ f̷͈̣͗y̴͙̒͗...alright you ready for the first letter?", Donatello just stared at me, turning my body on the couch, I made my body face him straight on. I laid my hands in the dip of my host lap, only to fall straight onto Krisa's head, I froze, watching as her calm big red eyes changed to wide dilated eyes as quiet whimpers spilled out. Gasping, I looked down at her as I held her face, my hands cupping her cheeks as my thumb rubbed over the spot my wrist landed, "Oh Bubba...". Looking up from Krisa, I looked back at Krisa, and planted a peck on top of her barren skull, "Papa, is so sooooo sorry, Bubba-", rubbing the area with my thumb, my hands pulled her cheeks up as I pressed my forehead against her, "Does it still hurt or are you okay?...", I waited for something, a hug, a nod, honestly anything, but instead she turned her face down towards her lap, playing with the strings in my pants.

I was patient, my hands rubbing around the spot I hit with my elbow, while the other hand held her cheek, it was only for a moment but her mouth, trembling as it opened and closed multiple, her hand tapping her chest as she looked up at me, "ą̴̼̍̋p̷̰̎ȁ̴͚̱P̷̗̖͊ ̸̹̜̒̚,̷͙̌y̵͉͐a̵̟͂ḱ̷̛̲ǫ̷̹̅.̵̲̎͒.̴̤̔.̶̤̇-̵̢̺̅O̵̧͌"

(O-...okay, Papa)

The air in my lungs left as my eyes widened, "Kr-...", reaching underneath her arms, "V- I mean Papa did you hear that?!", Jay leaned over my lap as he stared at Krisa, his eyes sparkling as he watched her every move. I lifted her from my lap and raised her into the air, "Oh my baby! Ah!-", pulling her close to my chest, "Let's go tell Uncle Mikey you said your first words! Come on Donatello!"

"Wait?! What did she say?", turning away from the couch, Krisa continued to giggle as I placed small pecks on her cheeks, "Mikey!", tapping my fist on the door, I waited for Mikey to say sometime, yet all I could hear was his voice talking to something. Pushing open the door, Jay stood between us as he followed directly behind me, holding onto me, Angie continued to work with the material Donnie collecting, "Mikey?", pushing passed the two of us, Donnie charged towards Mikey, "-HAVE YOU LOST YOUR SHELL?!-"

"Pish posh and tut-tut my good man!", walking beside Donnie, I looked at everything on the table, but I could tell something else had Krisa's attention as she pointed at the cat on the table, her mouth drooling as she glared at it, "I've been brewing that retro-mutagen for MONTHS! If you ruined it I swear I'll-"

"Hold on dude I got this...", my heart froze as I watched Mikey pull the blue liquid towards the retro-mutagen, "Mikey wait-", Donnie reached for the retro-mutagen. Still, Mikey pulled back, fighting against Donnie, I had to step in I knew I should have but as Donnie shoved his body against his, and a single drop fell dripped from the blue vial. Everything happened in slow motion, the drop felt like it was falling forever and as it touched, the liquid disappeared in a moment, everyone waited as we watched the liquid, yet...nothing happened. I could hear Donnie sigh as his body relaxed, I sighed as well as I held Jay's hand, walking closer towards the the two of them, I noticed Donnie's body tenses as the retro-mutagen began to glow bright, and sounds of bubbling become louder and louder as the liquid glowed brighter, "Oh no- Oh no Mikey?!"

Mikey screamed as he held onto Donnie, the liquid bubble over as I looked around myself, searching for Jay, but he wasn't here, instead he was right beside the liquid, his eyes staring at it, and his hand...reached for it...

"Jay!-"

*FFFFWOOOM*

-------------------------------

POV 3rd Person (Leo):

Leo's body was wrapped around Krisa, and his tails wrapped around both his and his youngest body, almost making a cocoon, his body trembled as his ears rung, his pupils going in and out of focus as he stared at the sounding wailing child in his hands, gaining back the control over his own body. "...child...child, where-", he continued to mumble words as he stared down at his daughter, and his eyes checked over every inch of her, noticing she flinched in some place while others she didn't...she was hurt. "Hurt.hurt...hurt-hurt hurt hurt hur-", his lips never stopped mumbling words as he remembered something, 'hurt...', lifting his head, he looked around the room and found his son, and his eyes widened at the sight, his body laid limp near the wall, his son was hurt.

"Jay...jay jay jay jay- son son son son- son hurt", clutching his daughter close to his chest, ooze wrapped around her as Leo reached for Jay, lifting his body off the ground, there was no stiffness, instead he laid there loose and limp as he fell against Leo, his breathing was so soft, so shallowing as Leo pressed his ear against Jay's chest, his heartbeat sounded slow, and for a moment he could swear he heard it stop for a moment, only to start again beating at a slow pace. "No no no no no- hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt-", he couldn't stop talking, but nobody could hear him, no one paid attention to the ones that were hurt. Reaching for the wraps that covered his mouth, he pulled off the clothes and mask that covered his face, turning his son's face towards him as he tapped the side of his cheek, "Come on buddy, its me Papa- its time to wake up", a headache grew as the ringing grew louder, he wouldn't be able to hear his own voice, he couldn't hear anything, how was he even supposed to hear his own son.

"Hos-hospital now now now now- leave now go go come on- safe safe safe safe safe safe- somewhere safe-"

"Leo?", his eye twitched at the sound of a voice, he needed to leave, he needed to save his son, he needed to protect his kids. He continued to crouch over Jay's body, but as the ringing slowly dimmed away, his heart thumped louder and louder in his ears, letting his mouth hang out as he glared at the wall. Slowly Leo stood up and with one deep breath, a piercing scream tore through the air, summoning a portal in moments, Leo pushed off the balls of his feet and rushed through, shutting it the moment he passed through, "where-where where where where-", his footsteps echoed with each step, he knew where he was, he was in a hospital. Before the war, before he even reached this planet, Leonardo had never set foot inside any medical facility, not even the ones inside the hidden city, he wasn't welcome there, he wasn't welcomed anywhere, he was neither human nor yokai, he was a mutant, and experiment...just like Venom...he was not even Kraang...they were the same...

"S.A.M. scanned the entire facility for all the necessities to treat both my children, and scanned Jay Lou- no both of them! I want to make sure they're okay"

Of course Terrapin

"Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!", Leo could finally hear her cries, he thought the moment he could finally be able to hear, he could have been happy, yet Leo's heart ached, he failed, he couldn't protect his son, maybe...maybe Leo wasn't fit to be-

Terrapin

Bed four has everything you need

Will you do everything here?

"Yes. And once everything is clear, we head back to the lair"

Do you mean the facility the others are?

"No. I need to keep them safe and to do that they have to be with me and only me. Now tell me what you found"

Both of your kin are fine

However the youngest one will have bruises on her body

And the younger has a moderate concussion

The back of his head was hit against the wall when the blow from the explosion through you all back

As for you-

"Nope. I don't matter right now, my kids do-"

Terrapin

Your head slammed against the wall too

I will do a test later to make sure everything seems clear for now

Take care of your kids

Nodding his head, Leo looked up from his gauntlet and looked around himself, his eyes trailing over the numbers on the doors, and noticed room four just at the end of the hall. Racing towards the run, Leo shoved the glass door to the side and charged towards the side of the bed, placing Jay into the cot, Leo placed Krisa right beside Jay and watched as she clung to her brother, her body was trembling as she pressed her snout against his arm, Leo's heart melted at the sight, but he needed to focus on the task. Leo walked around the bed and pulled up the side rails, reaching for the oximeter, Leo connected all the wires to his son, and flipped on the heart monitor, turning down the volume, making it only audible to himself. "good good goodgoodgood good-"

Taking in a deep breath, Leo listened to the sounds of the heart monitor filling the room with quiet beats, his oxygen was good and so was his heart rate. "Fluids...fluids fluids where where where where where fluids-", looking around the room, Leo grabbed the saline drip bag and looked over it, the sack was untouched, however he flipped the bag over and stared at the expiration date, the last day was today. Hanging the solution on the stand, Leo searched through the drawers and cabinets, and found the winged infusion set, reaching for the tourniquet, he wrapped it around Jay's biceps, pressing along his arm, Leo found a nice vein in the center of his arm, 'okay...fourty more seconds', popping off the cap, Leo aimed the needle against his arm and pushed.

Leo's body ached as he noticed that was no reaction in his son's body, there was no flinch, no whine, his eyes didn't even squeeze tighter for a moment, 'Please be okay, buddy-', reaching for the tube, he connected the drip tube to the butterfly needles, and watched as the saline slowly dripped down the tube, Leo ripped off a piece of tape from the roll and tapped the tube into place, removing the tourniquet, Leo's eyes looked at everything, making sure it was strapped down.

'Good...everything...is good', making his way away from the bed, Leo closed the door and walked back to the side of the bed, all the lights were shut off as he crawled into the cot, and moved Jay closer to the railed edge, picking up Krisa, Leo placed her next to Jay's neck and laid beside them, his head just a few inches higher on the pillow, Leo pulled up the railing on his side and pulled the blanket over their bodies. His tail flicked around as it hung over the end of the bed, Leo could feel the restlessness, the stress getting to him, closing his eyes, Leo pulled his hood over his head, letting the fatigue overcome his body, and falling into a shallow sleep.

-------------------------------

~Two Hours Later~

POV 3rd Person(April):

"Donnie, are you even sure he's here?", walking behind the group, April listened to the silence as she looked around, Master Splinter stood beside her, watching her as she looked around, staring down the hallway, she could have sworn she felt something, heard something, "Drip...drip...drip-"

"We found his phone but it was left on the ground", April didn't listen to the others as her body turned towards the sounds of dripping, or wait was that...beeping? Walking away from the ground, she opened her ears for anyone's loud thoughts as she looked into each exam room, 'Come on where are you, Leo?'

leave...

April froze, stopping in her tracks, she recognized that voice, and this could be her chance, a moment to talk to Leo, to figure out what he truly was. Lifting her foot, she was ready to continue the search, but one of the brothers stopped her, she was an idiot in their eyes, a weakling that needed protecting, the very words they said to her, everything they thought of her made her feel so small, she felt...like an object. "April, come on we have to keep looki-"

"Donatello. Let go of Ms. April", the boys always listened to their father, stepping away as Master Splinter walked closer to the girl, he stared at her, her brows turned upward as she looked back where the voice came from, and as she looked back a soft smile appeared on his face, nodding his head, "Boys. Head back to the pizzeria, Ms. April and I will continue the search"

"But Sensei-"

"Now. Especially you Michaelangelo", April could tell Master Splinter's words hurt Mikey, his brow bones pinched up into a frown as he stepped forward, "But Sensei-"

"Michaelangelo. Leonardo is in a state of panic, and if he sees you, I would be surprised if he didn't attack the four of you. Now go, and we will return with him once he calms down", looking away from the group, April listened, the voice grew louder and louder as she stepped further into the abandoned hallway.

Leave leave leave leave leave leave-

One two three four five six-

Not safe not here leave we need to leave-

Terrapin...

'There it is? That voice?', April knew something was going on, but as she turned back, she watched as Master Splinter continued to talk to the others, she listened and sprinted towards the sound of water droplets echoing in the hallway, the drips and beeps alternated, 'drip...beep...drip...beep-', each drip was four seconds apart, while the beeps were every six seconds, 'Come on Leo-', screeching to a halt at the end of the hallway, April looked around the row of rooms, this was the hallway. Slowly April walked past each door, sliding them open quietly enough to peer inside, but as she opened door after door, she didn't find anything, maybe she was hearing things, its been happening for a while, but as she stood in front of the last door, her hand hovered over the knob, and slid the door open slowly, only to find an empty room, the water from the package dripped loudly, echoing against he solemn walls of this facility.

No...no why her

Not her-

"April. Did you find Leonardo?", looking at Master Splinter, she turned back towards the bed, staring directly at the bed as the sound of the machine beeped as it monitored someone's heart rate. Nodding her head, she pointed at the bed inside, April was ready for Splinter to disagree, to say that she must be hearing things, but instead he looked into the room, and walked inside, closing the door behind him as April joined him, "Leonardo, we know you here-"

"Blue.", slowly Leo started to appear from thin air, "Wha?"

"Do not call me Leonardo. My dad calls me Blue. Raph is red, Donnie's purple, Mikey's orange and I'm blue...", Aprils eyes widened at the sight, at the end of the bed a metal tail flicked around as he lowered the railing and slipped out of bed, "Leo?-", Master Splinter held up his hand as he walked towards around Leo, only to stop as Leo's metallic tail grabbed onto Sensei's robe.

Don't touch them!-

Hurt- My kids hurt-

 Master Splinter didn't fight, he didn't even budge, instead, he turned towards Leo, "But blue isn't even a real name...your name...is Leonardo"

 

Notes:

Hey guys, I'm so sorry about the long wait, so much as been going on as well as writer's block, I'm going through some things and I promise I will continue posting, but from this point on I'll be point every other Sunday, I hope you en joy the chapter

Chapter 39: I Am Their Protector

POV 3rd Person(Leo):

"Leonardo...", the rat's eyes were filled with so much sorrow, Leo glared at the two confused why the other felt this way. Their Dad never even met him before, "...blue isn't even a real name...you're name...is Leonardo, young one-", Leonardo's tail never came close to releasing the rat's robe, he needed everyone, no matter who they were to stay far away from his children, he was their protector, Leo was their father...it was his job to be there with them are there lowest point, to help them grow and learn how to protect themself once the time has come, that was his job, not this mans. A sigh pushed through the rat's lips as he stepped away from the cot and stood beside the girl, 'Leave.Leave.leaveleaveleaveleaveleave.LEAVE!!!'

"We're not going to leave Leo. You need help, especially your kids...", the girl walked past the rat. She continued to stare at Leo, her brows turned upward as she looked from Leo to her Sensei only to stare at the ground, taking in a deep breath she looked up at the turtle, she tried to see him, she wanted to see the emotions in his eyes, but the darkness from the hood hid that. His eyes stared at the ground, flickering around the floor, "Leo...I know what you are...you don't have to hide it from me...from us", Leo's eyes glared at April, he had to prove something, and if the hypothesis is true...he wouldn't know what to do...

'I'm not sure what you're talking about?'

"Leo. I know what you are- I can see it, I can sense it-"

"So you can hear my thoughts...", charging towards April, Leo glared at her, but as he watched her make no movements, all he could do was laugh, turning his body away. A manic laugh bellowed from his belly, "HA! So why even ask me if you already know, huh?! You want to use this as blackmail? You want me to what?!...make me beg for your forgiveness?! To grovel on my knees and beg you not to tell anyone?!-", Leo's tail whipped around as he towered over the girl, but her face...her stupid dumb face, he couldn't read it, he couldn't tell what this girl was thinking, "...look-", reaching around his hips and pulled the hoodie off of his body, untying each wrap, he slowly let each one unravel as he walked towards Jay. Leo placed his hand on his son's forehead only to flinch away, 'Why is his body temperature high?...', touching his forehead again, sweat drenched the boy's forehead.

Terrapin

Jay's body temperature has risen to 101.2

I advise a cold cloth

Nodding his head, "What was that?"

"Her name is S.A.M....shes kinda like AI but can answers based on previous conversations and information she's learned over time...", Leo never looked back at the two, he knew the face they would have, fear as they looked at everything: the fins, gills, the tinge of pink that covered his forearm, "Look...if you don't think it's safe for me to be around the others...that I could alert the Kraang about the location of the others, then I understand-"

"Leo..." Walking towards the sink, Leo held the washcloth, watching the bowl slowly filled with water. "Leo...please...just listen to me..", taking in a deep breath, Leo finally turned towards her, yet as he stared at her, the breath he took...wouldn't come out, he knew revealing-, showing them what he truly was would tear the relation he had with Michaelangelo's family, it would tear the bond between his kids and their uncles, but it was too late, April knew. He knew she would use this fact against him. All he could do was except the fact, "Leo...I know about both of you...", Leo froze for a moment, 'both?!...', his eyes wondered the ground, maybe she was talking about Angie and his time in dimension X, maybe she new Angie lied about their time there, that had to be the answer, cause...if she knew..., "I know about Venom..."

'That pain...'

'Why...'

'...why is that pain back...', Leo's body froze in place as his hand reached for his left side, his hand trembling as he pressed into the pain, wincing as he stared at the wall, "Ms. April, if I may ask, who is this...Venom?", pressing his free hand against his mouth, Leo could feel bile that filled his belly rise to his throat, he felt sick, he felt violated, tears raced down his cheeks, blurring his vision, 'They promise...they...said they wouldn't tell anyone...they're liars...liars....LIARS!..."

"Terra..."

Leo's body trembled as black ooze pooled in the middle of his shell, "please...not now...", his hand pressed harder against mouth as he stumbled towards the sink, "...please...", Venom didn't give him a chance as black consumed his entire body, and took control of every limb, leaving him helpless, only able to except the fate that was coming.

----------------------------------

POV 3rd Person (Venom):

Venom never turned towards the two as the anger slowly began to build up, reaching the brim as he looked over his shoulder, glaring at the two behind him. The girl's eyes widened in shock, and the rat stood in front of her, protecting her from Venom of all Kraang. He wanted to laugh as he watched the fear in the rat's eyes pour over, he never showed it, but the way his eyes shook in the most suttle ways, trembling as Venom took just one step. They had every right to be afraid of him...he was a monster, a Kraang that if he wanted to could kill them in moments, but instead, stepped back and looked over towards the children, noticing Krisa stirring in her sleep, tears threatened to pour over as she held her brother. Venom reached towards her, "Don't!-"

Grazing his thumb over the young creature's cheek, the snake turned away from her brother and pressed her cheek into his palm. "Hello, young one", her eyes flickered open as he picked her up from the bed. "How did you know about me...", pressing Krisa close to his chest, he giggled softly as she nuzzled into his neck, trembling against the cool air. Looking around the room, Venom noticed a blanket shoved into the corner, a tentacle formed as it reached across the room and grabbed it, but his eyes never looked away from the two for longer than a second, flickering back and forth, he waited for her answer as he wrapped the blankets around her body, "Speak girl.". Taking a deep breath she looked up at Venom, he found it so funny, the rat didn't show it, yet he was filled with terror, but her...she looked like Venom was just another Kraang she ran into every single day, "You already know I can read peoples minds...correct?", Venom nodded his head as he leaned on the bed, waiting for her to continued, "Well every once in a while I could here Leo talking to someone inside his head- and not like him talking to himself. Like I could hear someone responding to his words...I could hear...you..."

Venom stared at the girl, only to switch his gaze over towards the rat, the rodent reeked of fear, "Rat! Would you prefer if I was in a form similar to my host's structure?-"

"No...no. I am just shocked is all, just continue...", Venom didn't feel like the rat was telling the true, he continued to stared at the Rat, "I want you to understand my behavior is just the result of my protectiveness to my host and his kin, during my time watching everyone, I still don't trust any of you, still don't trust that Donatello turtle, but Terra does and thats all that matter...", nodding his head, Venom nodded back and turned back towards April as he curled his brow bone, "Back on the topic, however that still doesn't explain how you knew my host was part Kraang?"

"I could sense it...", Venom wanted to laugh, to blech out a wheeze at the sound of her words, "You could sense it?~", the girl snarled as glared at Venom, "No offense, human, but the only way someone can sense me is if they were part Kraang, and girl I haven't seen any moment where this Kraang mutated you~", reaching for her headband, the girls other hand reached for the hair tie, pulling them both at the same time as she closed her eyes. Sucking a deep breath, fins revealed themselves, sprouting from her hair, bright pink tentacles emerged from behind her neck and the most shocking of all her features was her bright green eyes.

{Photo}

'H-...how?'

"The rest of the group doesn't know about this, so please I need both of you to tell no one, however, the others do know I am half Kraang. My...my mother was a Kraang, however what the boys don't know is during one of our mission I was held hostage and dropped into a vat of mutagen, Baxter Stockman was ready to mutate me, to change me into something, but at the time I was confused why nothing happened, turns out Kraang are immune to mutagen", the rat placed his hand on her shoulder and a soft smiled appeared on her face, "...but a few days later, these tentacles, fins- my eyes began to change into what they are now. I couldn't go to the lair, so I found ways to hide it...but, during the nights at home, I meditated and after weeks of the practice, the features disappeared- but not completely. If any sudden emotions like anger or anything similar, they appeared without even trying. But you can easily train yourself to hide and summon the features", looking off to the side, Venom thought over the girls words, 'could we finally be able to blend in...', looking back at the girl, he took in a deep breath as he closed his eyes, slowly letting the ooze reveal his host, until all that was left was Terra still unsure, still trembling.

-----------------------------------

POV 3rd Person (Leo):

"Where are the others?- Are they waiting outside?!", peering around the room, April shook her head as she stepped forward, staring into Leo's upper eyes, but Leo had to make sure, he had to know if they were here. Walking past the two, Leo walked out of the room and peered around the corners, each step he took, the metal from his feet echoed across the halls, there was no movement, there was nothing, even the floors below looked clear, 'good...'. Walking back into the room, Leo made his way towards the sink and grabbed the cool rag, cleaning off Jay's forehead, wringing the rag out of water and sweat. Leo resoaked the cloth and draped the cloth over his forehead once more, never once letting go of his daughter, "Leona-...Leo, may I ask you something...if it is too personal, you don't have to tell us...", Leo peered over his shoulder, and nodded his head as he looked back down at Krisa, walking over towards an extra chair, Leo sat down with Kris pressed close to his chest, "What's-...what's with all the metal on you shell and your legs?", reaching for his hoodie, Leo could hear something, placing Krisa down on the bed, Leo pulled the sweater over his head as his eyes peered around the room, something was watching them, he could feel it, he could here the intruders steps.

"Move", pushing past the two, Leo finally found the intruder, "Gotcha", his hand reached down towards the ground, and grabbed the viewer, ' a cockroach?'. Walking back towards the sink, the roach squirmed in his palm, crawling and squeezing through the opening in his palm, but Leo shoved it underneath the faucet, and washed away any and all dirt from the bug, "Leo, what are you-"

"I thought you said they went back to the pizzeria?", looking over his shoulder, his lids opened halfway as he glared at the two, he knew he shouldn't have trusted them, "...Why did I ever think I could trust you"

"But you can! You can trust me...trust us-"

"Yet you're still afraid of me...both of you are...", shaking his wet hand into the drain, Leo held the roach up between his pointy finger and thumb, holding up the evidence, proving that their lies, their excuses will never work on Leo again. He could tell April recognized it as he aimed the head towards April, her Kraang mutations long since disappeared, Leo thought her face would go pale, that she seemed terrified at the thought of Leo finding out her wired bug.

But instead, all she did was glare at the roach he held, she wanted to grab it and yelled at the insect, Leonardo knew that out of all bugs, cockroaches were the hardest to to destroy, the hardest to kill, but as she stepped closer, he tossed the bug into his mouth, chewing the tender bug over and over, and swallowed the last piece of carcass, turning back towards the sink, Leo spat the camera and wires into the bowl. He glared at the girl, all he could see in her eyes now was disgust, he needed her to leave, he needed both of them to leave, "...get out", Splinter's eyes widened by the boy's words, Leo didn't want to be around them for sometime, Leo didn't know how long but for now, he couldn't be near them, he needed to be near people he trust, not...these ones, there was no one now, "Leonardo, please, it wasn't-"

"I told you to call me blue. Not Leonardo, not Leo, but blue...now please get out, don't wait for me. Don't look for me, just...*sigh* just leave okay...", April's brows pinched together as she looked at him, stepping towards Leo, Splinter stopped her and shook his head, "Let's go, Ms. April"

"Wait?!- at least take my T-phone-", Leo shook his head as he walked back towards the cot, "If I'm actually deep shit then I'll call you just...", lifting the rag off of Jay's forehead, Leo smiled as he felt the heat dissipate, "Just leave your number somewhere, whether its your T-Phone or regular one", rubbing his hand over his son's forehead, removing all the sweat and wiping it onto his pants. "Alright. Be safe, Blue", Leo hummed as he laid a fresh cool towel over his son's forehead.

The room felt so quiet once they left, the cold air brushed around his cheeks, and his tail swayed back and forth, he couldn't stay here any longer, but Leo knew he couldn't, walking towards the edge of the bed, Leo picked up Krisa and crawled into the bed, his back leaning against the wall as he watched both of his kids.

"Sleep, little one, close your eyes~...", looking up from his kids, his head leaned back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling, "Your body's cooling with the night~... Let your worries slip away~"

"Tomorrow is a brand new day"

"Shimmering moon and satin sky

Soft wind breathes its lullaby

Your dreams are here to set you free

The dawn will bring you back to me", Leo felt his throat sting as he stared at the ceiling, tears pooling in the corner of his eyes and his vision started to blur, "The dawn will bring you...back to me~", Leo sighed as his head leaned forwards, his hands pressed against his eyes and his breath trembling as he finished the song, a song he hasn't heard since he was four, "Your voice sounds so pretty, Papa"

"Jay!", leaning closer towards the younger, he hugged him close as his face pressed against the rag, "Oh buddy you scared me, heh"

"I'm sorry, Papa-"

"No no! Don't be sorry, you have nothing to be sorry about-"

"But I wasn't careful! I-I should have stayed next to you-"

"But you didn't know, none of us knew what would happen...for now though, we're going to stay at the lair for now, okay?"

"We're leaving Uncle Mikey and Uncle Dee?", Jay's voice pitched up and his eyes widened, "Just until I'm sure both of you are okay. But once both of you are good, we'll go back to them", nodding his head, Leo walked across and grabbed a flash light, making his way back towards the other side, "How long do you think we'll be away from the others?", leaning over the bed, "Four- maybe five weeks? Okay, keep your eyes open buddy"

"Why that long? Can't you just make sure right now, then we'll go back", Leo shook his head as he stared at each of Jay's pupils, 'Alright same size...', aiming the beam at the corner of his eye, Leo flashed it over his eye and repeated on the other side, "Okay your eyes look fine. When I pressed on your head and it hurts, let me know", Jay nodded his head and closed his eyes, standing beside the bed, Leo held onto his head, looking for any lumps, bruising, Leo was honestly looking for anything off, but he didn't once hear his son complain, pulling hands any, Leo looked down at Jay, the concern never left his face, "Any pain or discomfort?", shaking his head, Jay's eyes travel around his fathers feature, but as his eyes landed on Leo's fingers, Jay froze, Leo reached for his face ready to comfort him, "Jay is something wrong-"

"Dad...yo-...your hand?", Jay's voice dripped with terror and his eyes widened as he looked around the bedside. Grabbing a small pair of gloves, Jay pulled on the gloves as he reached for Leo's hand.

"I'm fine, buddy. It's just a cut, your Dad has been through waaaaaaaayyyy worse", Leo laughed as he walked around the bed, taking out the IV stick, and tossing the needle into the sharps bin, 'shit...I forgot my swords'

"Alright, we're going to head to the lair, come on bud", holding out his hand, Leo waited for his son to grab his hand, to follow him back home, yet...his hand trembled as he reached, Jay never touched his hand, instead he pulled away, "Its okay Papa, I can walk...", Leo's breath froze as he stared at his son, his throat trembled burning as Jay turned away from him, waiting for Leo to open the portal, "...Alright son"

Chapter 40: Hatred of a brother

POV April:

The hospital sounded so quiet, my shoes tapped against the ground, Sensei's robes and tail dragging against the floor, it was all too eerie. "Master Splinter?", I walked beside him, his hands tucked behind his back and mine were shoved deep inside my jean pockets, my thumbs poking out from inside. Looking up from the ground, I turned towards him, my brows pinched together as my gaze looked back towards the ground, watching my feet as I took step after step, counting each step, making sure I step in each square twice, and never stepping on my lines, "Do you think its a good idea to leave him on his own with the kids, I mean-", I couldn't think of the words, the reason we should stay by his side, it just seemed so obvious, "I heard him think about staying at the lair?!- That can't be safe with the droids and drones monitoring every corner and tunnel near the lair, right?!"

"You must trust him, Ms. April. If he is in any danger, I am sure he will find a way to protect and do anything to keep them safe", the walk was so quiet and neither of us exchanged words, not even a glance, but a thought or two kept repeating in my head, the memory kept repeating itself inside my head as I watched Leo toss the bug into his mouth, and chewed on the beetle, only to spit out the metal piece that was strapped on the cockroach, I thought I would feel weirded out, or maybe disgusted by the act, yet instead, all I felt...was anger, but not towards Leo, I was mad at the creator of said invention, Donnie. The turtle was always spying on me, trying to 'make sure' I was okay, but the ways he did it, bringing me things I used in secret, like a replica of my favorite pencil, a specific brand of medication I took when I couldn't sleep, everytime this happened, something in my gut twisted, the attention was something I loved, but that was only a piece of me. The rest of my mind, my gut, wanted all of this to stop. "Master Splinter?", opening the door to the stairwell, I looked back towards Sensei as he held the door open, "Do you mind if I punch Donnie for spying on us?"

--------------------------------

~Thirty-Five Minutes Later~

"We're back", Master Splinter spoke as he held the door open, trailing behind him, I trudged towards Donnie, he tilted his head as he looked behind me, "Were you guys able to get L-"

*SMACK*

"Donnie?!", both Leo and Mikey spoke in unison as he held his check, but Raph covered his mouth, trying so hard to hold back his laughter, I watched as his skin slowly turned red, for sure going to bruise in due time, "April, wh-", pushing passed Donnie, I charged towards Mikey, glaring at him, I knew these two know about what Leo is, they talk about it so much, their thoughts are so loud, "Mikey-"

"Look April, just let us explain-"

"Then tell me who else was listening", his body trembled, stepping back away from me, he leaned to the side, looking for something, and I know who, "He's not here, Mikey", I was starting to get impatiently, and my words only made his eyes wider, "Answer the question, Mikey", I spoke through my teeth and Mikey's head lowered in his shell, hiding from me.

"WE WERE ALL LISTENING!-please don't hit me-"

"MIKEY!"

"Bro!"

"What?!- Unlike you I don't wanna be punched, bro", waving his free hand around, "Whoa whoa wait a second", Donnie walked towards me, pushing Mikey off to the side, standing a good five feet away, "What do you me he's not here, did...did you guys leave him at the hospital?!", shaking my head, I turned away and sat beside Master Splinter, glaring at every single turtle and human in front of me, "He wanted some time away from the group, he wanted to be alone with just his kids"

"What?!"

"WHAT?!", I glared at them, I could feel my body become lighter as my body floated up into the air, I stared at Casey and the brothers, but as my eyes landed on Mikey, his expression was different than the others, "why would you leave him behind...", Mikey was standing behind Donnie, his hand was once clutching his older brothers arm was let go of as he pushed passed him, his eyes were pure white glaring at me, "-̸͚̌!̸͇̔H̸̹̋C̵̦̀Ṱ̶̾I̵̢̿B̴͖̎.̶̬͗g̷͙̑n̸̳͝i̸̡͒k̷̭͘ĉ̵̡u̷̡͊f̴̥͘.̴̤͑d̷͍́i̸̛̠p̸͖̄ú̶͈t̵͎̓ṣ̴̛ ̵̻͠u̸͙͂ǒ̴̲ȳ̶̺.̸̺̉.̵̳̔.̴̞̾!̸̫̏S̸͙̽Û̴͕ ̸͇̈́S̷̞̓A̷̜̋H̵̳̅ ̶̥͆ẏ̸̦ḷ̵͊n̴͌͜o̴̼͐ ̴̘̐e̸̫͐h̶̺̄.̶͈͠.̷͚̆.̶̢͆d̵̟̋é̸͉n̵͙̋o̶̩͂d̵̖̆ń̶̰a̵̻̓b̵͓́ä̶̞́ ̸̕͜e̷͓͛b̷̬̓ ̷̰͠o̵̡͗ť̵̩ ̴̍͜ț̶͝n̸̳̅ä̶̯́w̴̳̄ ̷̛̞t̸̢̾''̸̨̎n̴̘͘d̷̩́ì̵͔d̷͓͊ ̸̯̂e̷̡͐H̴͕̄

(He didn't want to be abandoned...he only HAS US!...you stupid.fucking.BITCH!-)

*SMACK*

Mikey held his snout as his eyes widened, he turned his attention towards Sensei, who just sat there, drinking the cup of tea he held in both hands, his eyes closed, enjoying the warmness, "Sensei?! Are you seriously going to let-", I reached forward and grabbed onto the edge of his shell, pulling him close to my face, "You think your father would be fine with his son calling a girl a "stupid fucking bitch" huh?!", letting go of his shell, I pushed him away, and he stood up to his full height, clicking his tongue he turned away from us, only to stop as he looked at the others behind him, "What?-"

"April...", pinching the brow of my nose, I closed my eyes, groaning as I leaned further into the couch, I hummed letting Leo know I was listening, "How did you know what Mikey said...", slowly on cue, Mikey turned towards me, his glared dissipated into worry, his eyes switching all around, "What are you talking about he spoke english. What? Can you guys no longer speak English?~", groaning annoyingly, I reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone, pushing myself off the couch, I walked passed all of them, but as I stepped into the kitchen, Mikey called out my name, I didn't stop to listen to them, until he said something, "ḷ̵̾i̴͓̿ṛ̶͠p̷̝̲̒Ḁ̵̇͝ ̶̤́,̸͈͆ṡ̵͍̙ì̸̫̈́ ̸͓͉̈́̇ȩ̴͛h̷̳̀͝ ̷̨̛̔ḙ̸̀̽r̴̼͆̈e̸̤̝̒h̵̳͗w̷̥̳̔̃ ̵̗̋w̴̮̞̉o̴̰̊n̴̘̗̍̌k̸̢͝ ̵͍̍̃I̸̲͍̿͗ "

(I know where he is, April)

Freezing in space, I glared at Mikey, "If you try and look for him, I swear to god, I'll make sure you never eat pizza again for the rest of your life", I walked off before I could soccer punch any more of these idiots, walking towards the back, I pushed open the bathroom door, "APRIL-", locking it the moment the door frame came into contact. "Ooooooooh god-", rubbing my temples, I pressed my forehead against the wall, "...not another headaaaaache"

--------------------------------

POV Mikey:

"APRIL!-"

*SLAM*

Grinding my teeth, together, I charged towards the side door, "Mikey!- Since when were you and Leo teaching April the Kraang dialect, I thought you were going to teach me first-"

"Donnie I- RrrrrrrrAAAAAAHHH!-...I'm going out to make sure Leo's okay, I'll be back in- Ack-", someone's finger pressed against my neck, causing my body to tense up, they pushed me lower and lower until my hands and knees were pressed against the ground, they finally relaxed, "What the heck is your guys' problem-"

"Michaelangelo", Master Splinter stood over me, his shadow casting over me, completely blocking the light from my view, "Stand next to your brothers", the words were never able to surface as I switched my gaze between him and the door, my hand waved towards the door, I prayed, no I hoped that he would understand what I was saying. Still, instead, his stare hardened, pointing right next to Donnie. Sighing, I spoke Kraang underneath my breath only to receive a harsh tap to the back of my head from his tail, "I may not know what you said like April does, however, I will not accept that tone, Michelangelo", walking passed me and the others, Sensei sat down on the couch, drinking his drink, he didn't hum in delight, the tea was no longer its hot tempature, instead was luke warm, a temperature worse than warm, a temperature Sensei didn't like. "None of you will go searching for Leo until he comes to us-"

"WHAT?!", Donnie and I were the only ones that spoke after Sensei's words, leaning forward, I looked at the others, and none of them seemed to care, but somehow, Leo looked like he cared the least, "But Sensei, he is out there alone WITH HIS KIDS! At least let me go...", as I looked around, I looked at the others, I wanted their help, their voice to persuade Sensei. "No. You are the very last person he wants to see right now", Sensei's voice was firm as he spoke and mine...mine was broken, I tried to speak, trying so hard to say, to think and all that came out was, "But why?!", looking down at the ground, my hand pressed against my cheek as I laughed, "I did nothing wrong?- I-I...I was helping Donnie with the retro mutagen-"

"And that's why", I felt confused, looking back towards Donnie, he shrugged his shoulder as he tapped his chin, "That experiment resulted in an explosion, causing injuries to both his kids-"

"But how would I have known there would have been an explosion?! I'm not a scientist- Sensei please, I didn't mean to hurt my nephew and niece, hah...it just happened", Master Splinter sighed as he placed his finished tea in Leo's hands, but he never took his eyes away from me, "It doesn't matter whether you meant to or not...Michaelangelo.. Donnie...everyone of you, thanks to your...", pinching the bridge of his snout, a sigh passed through his nose, "Curious minds...Leo doesn't trust me or April at all. Leo sees all of us as threats, people ready to harm or take his kids the moment he relaxes. He didn't even let me near the young frog", looking down towards the ground, my throat burned. My eyes stung, and I did my best to keep my voice strong as I spoke, "But...I didn't mean to hurt them...I-...I'm sorry"

"It isn't me who you should apologize to..."

"Then let me go see them...please?", looking up from the ground, "No Michaelangelo...he will come back in due time", my throat burned harder, and the pain on my face burned, I wanted to see him, I wanted to make sure Leo, my brother was okay. But they wouldn't let me, "Then let me go", lifting my head, I looked off to the side, Raph was the one that spoke up and stepped forward, I was shocked, yet...part of me was thrilled, 'As long as someone checks on him, I'll be fine with it-'

"No.", pushing himself up from the couch, Sensei walked towards us, "None of you are going, not even me nor April, and if I catch any of you doing so, I will give you a specific punishment made for you, so for now go over the plans you were making to take back the city", Master Splinter spoke so firmly, almost like he was ordering us around. Turning back towards the group, I thought they were going to go over the plan, to think of how they were going to spray the retro mutagen over the city hitting only the infected, but instead they surrounded me, their eyes staring down at me as their bodys towered over me, "When did you guys teach April Kraang?"

"I still can't over the fact that she soccer punch both of you", Raph cackled as he held his belly, I could still feel the sting as I touched my cheek, I knew it was going to bruise, "I still can't get over how Leo ATE my freaking Spy-Roach", Donnie seemed bummed, all I could do was nodded, its true, that behavior was more on the route of Venom, Leo didn't even drink or eat anything that was from the kitchens in the prison or Kraathatrogons meat, so eating a cockroach is entirely out of character. "Mikey-", Leo spoke firmly as he stared at me, his tone was even, yet I could tell he was slowly losing patience, "When did you and Leo teach April Kraang"

"Dude, Leo? What the heck is your problem with the other Leo?", the attention on me was pulled away and all eyes were aimed at him, it was strange though, for some reason Leo has been the only one other than Raph who is slowly getting used to Leo's humor, that seemed hesitant-, no...he seemed more suspicious of Leo, 'Does he know something...he can't still be thinking of the conversation on the roof right?', looking down at the ground, everyone else waited for him to speak, "Look, I do not trust the turtle, come on- Raph? Casey??? You guys can't seriously trust him!", looking at one another, both of them shrugged their shoulders, "I mean he seems like a cool dude, but he keeps his distance-"

"Don't you think that's weird though?!"

"Honestly, with his whole situation, the way he's acting just makes sense-"

"BUT HOW?!", Donnie pinched the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut, "Look, he might have been like this for a while, but look at the facts, Leo. He was trapped in Dimension X for an unknown amount of time- way longer than Mikey was in there, and during his time in that dimension, he adopted two kids. And-...what did he tell you when you first went into Dimension X, Mikey? "

"He said he was sixteen when he was trapped in his version of Dimension X, then somehow he transferred into ours through a portal I think, but he was sixteen when he was first trapped", Donnie nodded his head, but once I looked at the others they seemed shocked, not Leo of course, "Right. The kid went into the dimension alone and came out with two kids, Leo...Over time in there, his mind has changed. I-no, none of us knows what he was like before he was trapped, all we know is that the turtle keeps his distance", Donnie stared at Leo with a blank face, turning my gaze towards Leo, he looked more frustrated than annoyed this time, "But that still doesn't explain why he doesn't help us with plans, why his moods changed from weird to even weirder, why he never joins us on patrol?! Donnie- Guys! He goes out on his own, and why do his kids hate us so much-"

"Leo...", my voice dipped with concern as I looked at him, "Leo, he doesn't trust us, especially after Mikey's experiment. He doesn't know anything about this dimension at all, I heard him talking to himself so many times, he was literally calling out our names, having full-blown conversations to no one, part of me thinks he was talking to us, but instead out counterparts...", Donnie sighed as he walked closer, resting his hand on Leo's shoulder, he stiffed at the touch, glaring at his brother, "...Leo...he's scared. He's alone in a place he doesn't recognize, and now he has to protect two fairly young kids"

"And to answer the last two questions-", pushing past Donnie, I jammed my finger against Leo's shell, my eyes pierced into his, "They kids don't hate you...you just lost their trust the moment you insulted their father, when you said neither of us", I motioned between Donnie and I, never pulling my eyes away from him, "-were their uncles...", the edge of Leo's mouth curled up into a smirk as an airy chuckle came from his mouth, he held his head up as he stared down at the ground, "But your not. I'm not wrong, you're not blood related at all-"

"But he's still my brother.", Looking down at the ground, I closed my eyes as I pounded my fist against my chest, pointing my finger into the air, "My brother from another mother...wait-"

"we don't have mom's..."

"From another father? But that doesn't rhyme?...anyways, being family doesn't always mean we have to be blood related, dude. And Leo goes out on his own he needs time away with just his kids, not with them and me, not with them and Donnie, just them", Leo scoffed as he turned around, walking away from the circle, "I just don't trust him, h-he- he's not even trying to go back to his dimension!", groaning annoyingly, I walked away from the group and let gravity take over, falling face first into the couch, my legs swung back and forth as I played on my phone, there was still room from one more person, but as Casey took that spot, I could feel someone else sitting on my legs, "Leo, you can't be serious right now", Donnie spoke up, his tone stern, "We are literally in the middle of a freaking war?! Going back to his home isn't the first thing on his mind right now, honestly, it's probably not even the second thing on his mind?"

"Oh ho ho hooo~ then tell what else is on his mind right now other than this war he's not even helping us with-"

"His freaking kids!!! God do you even listen to anything I say or is your head so far up your own butt that you cant even hear your own fucking team", resting my head between my arms, my forehead pressed against Casey's leg as I took in a deep breath, I didn't want to be here, I wanted to see the kids...I wanted to see Leo, I want to chat for hours, competing on who would be the strongest in the shows we were currently watching, yet...I couldn't...not until he comes back, when he gives us the okay to see him again, turning my head away from the others, I could feel the heavyness of sleep push down on my body, my lids felt heavy, and the pressure on my body felt nice, pulling me deeper and deeper into sleep, the conversations around me went unheard as they flowed through one ear and out the next, but it didn't matter, Leo and Donnie were arguing, and I didn't want to be apart of it. Yawning widely, I pushed my phone underneath the cushions, and only one thing came to mind, 'I hope Leo's doing okay...I hope...the kids are okay'

Chapter 41: Leo's Fate

~Three Weeks Later~

POV 3rd Person(Leo):

The water felt so comforting against Leonardo’s scales, the water stained with the blood that slowly dripped from his arm, his skin as time past by, taking bath after bath, was stained by his own blood, his once soft pampered scales were now rough to the touch smelling mostly of copper. Leo so badly wanted to rest, to sleep, to lay his head back, closing his eyes as he listened to the gentle ripples, created by the flinches and jerks formed by his body, but rest was not an option, drones and droids surrounded the area,  sending more then there were in the beginning, they were searching for the others, looking for any living life forms, and he couldn't rest if by chance his kids would get hurt.

Leo was alone, Leo was weak. His skin pale from the slow blood loss, his skin never truly had the chance to heal. His skin after a week away from the others began to rot, his veins turned a deep blue, but the drops of blood looked off, his blood was brown.

The smell of his rotten flesh and blood filled the air, spoiling the once bleach coated tiles. Krisa hated the smell, she never minded the sent of blood, instead it was the rottoning scent of her father that pushed her away but Jay…

He wanted to help, he wanted to help his dad, but Leo didn’t want the help, this wasn’t his kid's fault, it was his.

Leo should have been more attentive, more careful, yet he wasn’t.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

“Papa?”, his body froze, but his eyes trembled as he glared at the door, the water quietly rippled, “Yes Jay?

“Papa are you okay”

“Yeah!-“, Leo winced, reaching up to hold his throat, pain radiated through his body, his arm, his throat, his head ached, but his arm was numb, tied off at the shoulder, cutting off all circulation, preparing himself for another surgery, “Yeah…I fine buddy…just…just swell”, the door jiggled, “Papa…please…we haven’t seen you all day…”, his voice was filled with neither disappoint or anger, instead its was filled with fear, pulling at the door, trying so hard to free his papa, “Let me finish up and we’ll watched some tv okay?...can…-”, his breath came out airy, wheezing his hand pressed against the side of his head, “ca-...can you get Papa a blanket, he’s…a little chilly”, the water has kept him warm every day, filling, replacing, and draining the water every single time he got too cold only to fill it back up immediately after. “Okay Papa…”

‘Works out well, the water was starting to get cold anyways’, reaching underneath the water, Leo yanked on the plug and listened as the water began to slowly drain. The freezing air burned his skin, itching every inch of his rotting arm, Leo winced as he grabbed ahold of the side of the tub, and reached for the towel, drying his damp skin over and over, but only dabbing the flesh on his rotting arm, ‘shit!...wheres system, she should be back with the arm by now’, grabbing onto his sweater, Leo pulled the cloth over his head, and pulled the discarded pants up his legs, reach for the doorknob.

His body, his mind felt completely drained, but he has too help his kids, he needs to be there for them, “Papa-”, reaching for his other arm, he pulled up the rotting arm and shoved it inside his pocket, no kid should see it, “papa! I got the blanket!”.

“Thanks…bubs”, lifting his hand, Leo reached to place it on his head, but yet again, Jay back away, his head turned down as he rubbed his hands. Leo back away, “Did…”, kneeling down, his legs trembled as Leo crept down closer and closer to the ground, smashing his boney knee against the concrete, “Jay…Di-did I do something wrong?...”. With his left hand, Leo reached for Jay’s face, to rub his thumb over the boys cheek, wanting so badly to comfort his son, to calm him down, “please…please just tell me-”

*Pitched Sniffles*

“Dad…I can’t touch you…”, each piece of the sentence, the empty words were replaced by sniffles and gasps, “I…I don't want to hurt you…*gasp* Pa-...pa”, Leo never moved towards the boy, watching as he stood beside the bathtub, using all his strength to stand up. Yet the boy backed away, pressing his body firmly against the clear shower panel, “No no no no no no no-”, his head shook, his face turned downward, but his eyes never left Leo. “Jay, please…”, Leo didn’t make a step, not even stepping back, Leo stood still, “...tell me, what’s wrong… just tel-”

“Papa, what am I?”, there was no confusion in the boy’s voice. Jay knew the answer, but he wanted Leo to answer, “You’re my son-”

“No. Papa, what animal am I?”, Leo’s eyes squinted, his brow raised as he stared at his son, ‘what does this have to do with him being afraid of me?’

“A frog?-”

“A blue poison dart frog…”, his voice finally stopped shaking, but his body stood still, and his eyes never left Leo, “Papa…do you know what happens to people or animals when poison dart frog’s mucus enters their body?”, turning his head towards the ground, Leo tried to think of the symptoms, yet as his headache grew worse he shook his head, trying to remember, “Well, if it was just the frog itself, a small dose can lead to symptoms like convulsions, muscle contractions, salivation, respiratory muscle paralysis, papa you could die!-”

“But…but that doesn’t explain anything, my symptoms aren't on that list-”

“Because I didn’t finish. The kraang changed my genetics before I was mutated, the effects worsened after their tests, and now theres more: Hyperpyrexia, mild leprosy, ecchymosis, necrosis, acute pain, and skin discoloration-”, as he spoke, Jay finally tore his eyes away from his father, and all Leo could do was wait, “Pa-...”, his hand held his head as he turned away, “Papa, you could be dying and you don’t even know it- Wait?! Papa, where’s S.A.M.-”

“-̸͍̌̒!̵̛̰!̷̥̜̈́̐!̴̲͝H̷̦͖̽H̴̤̅H̶̙̅͘H̴̹̦̄H̵̫̣̚H̸̱͍͘͝A̷̝͙̍̇A̴̞̿Ā̸̡A̴̟̲̒́A̴̗̥̚À̴͓͝W̷̯͍͒̚Ẁ̵̱͚͂W̷̨̌W̵͚͈͝͝Ẁ̷̳̠̚Ẃ̴̪̣̈́W̴̲̾͠W̶͙̕”, a Kraang like call cried out loud, blasting right outside the lab, “Krisa?!”, Leo’s body ached as he rushed towards the extrance of the bathroom, his arm wrapped around his body and held onto his side, gritting his teeth as he leaned on the door, “Krisa!-”. He couldn’t run, pain raked through his body as he held his side, “Jay! Go-”, his son didn’t wait for the call and rushed past him, Leo waited to hear who it was, ‘was it the others? Was it April?! I told her-’

“Papa! Help the Kraang are trying to take Krisa!”, Leo’s eyes widened by his sons words and black ooze covered his body in moments, Leo may have been pissed ready to killed them all with every ounce of strength he had, but Venom was furious and oh so hungry~

POV Venom:

'Breathing became more laboured as the week grew longer, my host was injured, I wanted to help in away I could, but Leonardo is far to stubborned to request help from the other creatures, however, I don’t trust Donnatello and Michaelangelo, they were the reason my host is injured, they are the reason my host kin were injured, I will not allow them near the children'. Gripping onto the wall, I launched myself towards the heavy metal door, stepping out of the purple one’s laboratory, I glared at the drones and robots surrounding the children, they didn’t just want Krisa, they wanted Jay as well, guns pointed at them as they spoke in strange sentences. “s̸̘̹̰̙̝̺̾͊͆̅͂̕e̵͖̗̦̱̞̅̿t̸̞̠͉̳͓̂̏͐i̴̱̓s̷̨̢̧̛̔̀ͅa̷͓̹̳͕̭͑r̵̺̟̘̝͛ǎ̷͙̤p̷͍͗̒̾͐̕ ̷̢̢̥̰͕͝ͅǔ̵̦̕o̸̢͔̦̖̍̈́̎́ͅy̴̢̭̗͋̈́̀ ̷̱͙͌̊̾́̕͠n̷̜̹̽͆̋e̵͉̣͙͔̭͆̒ŗ̵̻̼̪͖̿̉̎̒̒͘d̶̖̤̭́͘̚͠l̶͚̭̞̻͚̊̒̐͊i̸̛̤͇̊̅͗h̸͎̓c̸̡͙̫̗̜̎ ̵͇̔̉͒ë̴̹̘͕̦̱́͋̎h̸̡͙́̆t̶̤̫̼͗͛͝ ̸̛̝̖̒͗͗͊͜m̸̞̖͖̃͋́͗̕̚ŏ̶̞̣̙͔̰̤̏͛͒̋ŕ̸̛̜̗͠f̵͉̔̉͑͝ ̸̨̭͓͙̠̦̓͒y̸̮̩͎̯̮̿͊͝͝ͅä̷͍̼̥̮̓̂̈́̈͛w̶̙͙͔͈͍͑̊̒͊̏a̵͉̱̣͐́̏͗̏̇ ̵͕̪̯̯̿͘ͅp̷͖͋̐̀͛̚͝ē̸̪͕̩͔͈̙̓̌̈́͌́t̴͖̓̆̎̒͊͘S̷͈̒̔͒̚̚”

(Step away from the children you parasites)

My body loomed over the droids, shadows cascaded over them, none of them trembled as they turned towards me, “Kraang, it is the one known as the missing prisoner, Kraang Prime will be what is known as please with us once we capture this beast!”

“I’d like to see you try”, my arms changed into tentacles as I spoked through gritted teeth, my sharp teeth stood on full display, tinged in such a light red, stained from the meals I’ve eaten. Wrapping my tendrils around the droids body, I glared at them and hurled the droids against the wall, “Mutant! Stand down, you will do what is known as following us to the main facility known as TCRI-”, the droids held their guns towards my face, all cocked back ready to fire at any second I didn’t comply, but as I glared at the puny creatures, I laughed, “Ha! You think those tiny weapons would cause me harm?!”, tendrils emerged from my back, and dangled in the air, all their weapons were aimed at all of them, but their wasn’t enough. Reaching underneath them, the tentacle gripped onto one’s leg and whipped it around, throwing the robot across the room, destroying any use or purpose it had before.

I grabbed the head of two droids, and crushed them underneath my palm, a tendril wrapped around the belly of another crushing the bot and the alien that hid inside, blood painted the floor as I dropped the droid to the ground, six droids remained and none of them dared to pulled their eyes away, each one forgot about their fallen allies, even forgetting about the children they came to steal. Dragging the tendril across my tongue, I moaned as the blood coated my tongue, it tasted oh so delicious, and I needed more, pulling back my hand, my other grabbed ahold of the droids head and thrusted the tips of his finger into the droids belly, ripping the alien out as tentacle after tentacle losed its gripped, until finally the alien lost its grip. The creature squirmed inside my hold, its tendrils wiggling all around the air, squealin, “-̸͚̙̃a̴͚͑ĉ̴̝ǫ̷̭͘ľ̶̘͍͝ ̷͈̬́̋s̸̞͂é̴͕͈̆ŗ̵͗͘u̸͚̱̕t̴͍̓a̷̲͛̏ȩ̶̓͝r̵̗͍͆c̶͔̀̏ ̴͉̦̚͠s̴̅̏ͅͅi̵̻̟͊h̴̭͕̉́t̶̲͊̔ ̶̤̹̈́f̷̩̂ò̷͎ ̵̨͊e̶̬͐͠ḿ̷̢̝i̴̱͉̍r̶̠̗̒̂P̷̼̆ ̵͉͝g̵̩̘̎̓ṇ̶͙́͗ä̷̩́̇a̵̡͖͑r̷̨̈́K̶͈̂ ̵̦̣͝t̸̮̉͐ṟ̸̤̉e̶̪̯̿l̸͎͝a̷̬̞̓ ̸̙̑ḏ̵͌n̴̗͍͌̿a̵͓̻̒̎ ̵̢̓̕͜p̷͎̦͐̍ȕ̸͇͊ ̴̲̉̌k̵̥͑͘c̸̭̋́a̷̞̎͜b̷̰̣͂̍ ̸̺̊ṡ̸͖͖ạ̴̟͆͝ ̶̡̗͑n̴͇̪͛̿ẁ̶̨̹ö̷̤̈́n̷͉̒k̸̼̔ ̴̨̜̓̕s̵̙̥͑͘ȉ̴͎̬ ̴̛̲̔ͅt̶͔̯̒̚ḁ̶̣͆h̴̛͓w̶̪̮̒͗ ̷̱̥́̌ȓ̵̨͑ͅo̶̭͉͂f̴̥͠ ̴̣̖̆̈́l̶̨̽l̶̦͖͐̈́ȃ̸͖C̷̩̿͝ ̵͖̭͑̽!̷͈̕ģ̷̨̑̀ń̴͖̤̈́a̶̡̲̒̎ạ̷̫̒r̸͖̜͐͛K̶̛̳͊”

(Kraang! Call for what is known as back up and alert Kraang Prime of this creatures loca-”)

The creature didn’t have enough time to complete the order, Krisa’s small body was soaked in the alien’s blood, giggling as she looked up towards me, but the Kraang I held was not smiling. He was the last Kraang standing in this fight, he was trapped and his body trembled as he looked up towards Venom, “-̴̡͇̒h̷̼̍t̷̫̓ ̸̭̈̒ň̸̻ẃ̸̻̯̿o̷͐ͅd̷͓̉ ̸͔̭͛͑e̷͈̼̍̒m̵͎̝͂ ̵̡̽t̸͇̏͜u̶͎͠P̸̨̺͆ ̵̦̽̕.̷͚̹̆͂t̵͉̀n̵͔̝̈́̈à̶̲̱t̶͓̳͘͝u̸̗͌M̵͎̦͊”

(Mutant. Put me down th-)

“Ha! Mutant huh~”, I pulled the Kraang closer to his face, my fangs glimmer with the shine of blood and saliva coating them, my tongue dragging across each one, “I know you Kraang are by far the most idiotic and inferior Kraang I’ve met. Far weaker than the Kraang that created me~”, the Kraang furrowed his brow as it looked at me, “-̵̨̮͒̕r̸̰̒u̵̜͒͝o̷̲̹͘̚Y̷̻̪̓ ̷͔̘̽̚!̴̢̮̇͐?̶͉̖̈́t̷͊́͜i̶̻͊̋a̶̻͔͊Ẁ̶͎”

(Wait? Your-)

“Yes. We are both Kraang but my kind would have taken over this earth in a moment, while you pest have taken months, yet still haven’t even taking control of the city~”, a tendril grew from my shoulder, reaching closer and closer to the creature’s face, “Why don’t I show you an ounce of power our Kraang Sub-Prime has”, it was a minor ability Venom controlled, the ability to show others his memories, the horrors that filled his mind every single moment of his life, the memories of his predecessors.

Thousands of memories, thousands of decades crossed the smaller Kraang’s mind, the nightmares, the killing, the cannibalism, all of it rushed across its mind, and its eyes flickered from one side to the other, until…

They stopped, eyes trembling as the Kraang slowly raised its eye, meeting my hollow white eyes, “?̴̺̦͘ŭ̴͕̈́̿̽ò̴̻͔͓̎̀̄y̶̝͈̻̏̔̋͝ ̴̫̼̗̓̊̽e̶̙̅̓̈́r̶͕̖͖̆a̸̤͔̻̼͊̓ ̷͚͇͎̎̔̓͋n̶̰̣̟̆ě̸̱͈̄v̶̛̳̳͕ë̴͈̳́́̉̉ ̶̼̩͆͋̀͜͝l̷̤̏l̴̢̗̮͔̔̓̋e̶̛̘̫͆̊͜͝h̸̢̤͊̈́̾͘ ̷̥́͝ĕ̷̱̉̅h̵̛̬͊͘t̷̳̐ ̷̨̰̼̫̚ẗ̸͙͙̻à̵̞͎̀h̴̜́̀̐̍w̶̮̭̬̎̔.̴̞͋̀͌̓.̵͎͍̒̽.̵̧̛̻̖͊͜͝t̸̼̔̔́̚a̵͉͌̕͝h̸̹̤͚̿W̷̻̥͒̚”

(What…what the hell even are you?)

Drool dripped between my fangs, my tongue slithering through the air, as I brought the Kraang closer to my eyes, I could only laugh at the runt's words, its questions hung in the air, making the atmosphere feel so much more tense and cramped, “A Monster created by Kraang Sub-Prime himself~”, I wrapped my tongue around the smaller Kraang’s body, and dug my teeth into the alien’s body, moaning as the copper taste coated my tongue, adrenaline rushing through my mind as I swallowed his fresh kill.

Licking my lips, I looked around the lair and analyzed all the stains and Kraang, the smell of blood and oil filled the air; it was delicious and almost intoxicating. My head felt fuzzy and dazed at the smell filled my lungs, “How lucky am I~”

“Venom?”, tearing my eyes away from the massacre around the room, and gazed down at the children, “Is papa okay?! He shouldn’t be moving around too much-”, Jay’s voice was filled with so much concern, he spoke to me with worry filling his voice, his hands reaching but never touching Venom, “m̷̻̟̙̟̬̐̂̐͑o̶͎̥̮͓̿͗̚N̴̦͓̱͍͇̼͒͂̈̌̂̕ ̷̛̫͚͂̐̃̂͜m̷̭͓̪̟̹̈́͊̾̓̐o̷̬̗̔͐̍͑̌̊N̵̢̛͖͍̮͎̞”

(Nom Nom-)

Krisa moved towards me, her hands reaching up in the air, “You hungry?”, shaking her head she pointed at me, poking me as she repeated herself, “m̷̻̟̙̟̬̐̂̐͑o̶͎̥̮͓̿͗̚N̴̦͓̱͍͇̼͒͂̈̌̂̕ ̷̛̫͚͂̐̃̂͜m̷̭͓̪̟̹̈́͊̾̓̐o̷̬̗̔͐̍͑̌̊N̵̢̛͖͍̮͎̞”

(Nom Nom)

I stared at the child, my mind filled with confusion, as I turned towards Jay. “She’s been calling you that for a bit. I guess she can't pronounce your name?”

“!̸̗̄͑̑̓̌p̷̖͇̽͋̉̕͘͝ͅư̷͇̯͇͑͂̌́̈͜͜ͅ ̶̢̱̏̿͌̚p̵͕̗̱̫͍͔̉Ư̸̱͚̮̐͝͝”

(Up up!)

I didn’t even attempt to reach forward, instead a tendril appeared from my back and lifted the young one from the ground, stepping closer to the stained and painted walls, “Lou.”, it took a moment before the young frog spoke, his voice sounding hesitant as he spoke, “Yes Venom?”

“I need you to look inside the purple turtle’s lab and find the hydrogen peroxide, can you do that for me?”, Jay said nothing, yet I knew the boy understood as his footsteps grew quiet as he walked further and further away.

There were only a dozen droids and Kraang that filled the room, some clung to the wall, some laid in their own blood, and others were still trapped with their droids. I collected for every single Kraang I could find, eating them one after another, my belly not yet full, but I felt content from the days, no weeks of eating nothing but the food my host consumed. It was tiring, my palate craved for more, it craved Kraang. I swallowed the last one and glared at the droids around me, lying lifeless on the floor or against the wall, “Where can I throw these away?”

POV 3rd Person(Venom):

Do not throw these machines away

Turning around, a subtle smile appeared on his face as he watched the system float into the room, analyzing all the droids inside the room.

In the case that the antidote I created does not work as intended

There is a chance we will have to amputate the terrapins limb

And we will need these parts to recreate a new limb or any new part that gets poisoned

But we must do this now

Waiting any longer could result in the poison reaching further into his body than we anticipated

Come with me General

Venom never pulled the ooze off his host body; he could barely hold himself up, even now Venom felt weaker than he normally felt. He needed to keep his host safe, Venom needs to be the protector his host needed. Walking around the lair, Venom picked up as many droid shells as he could, carrying them in one after another. “Venom, I found the hydrogen peroxide you wanted”

“Good, leave it on the bench in the living room and make a warm bath for your father, he needs as much rest as he can get”, Lou still looked worried as he set the liquid down, racing away towards the bath Leo has spent his time. Setting the last droids in the furthest corner inside the lab, Venom stood tall at the doorway, waiting for the system’s next requested task.

General

Please sit here on the table

And reveal your host’s body

It didn’t take much effort for the ooze to shrink his form, from his tall, muscular form down to his host's physique still covered in the ooze, but as the ooze slowly shrank and disappeared, the more Venom could feel the aches, the pain radiating through Leo’s body, it hurt. Every strut, step, and even reaching for the table, all Venom could feel was pain. “System, why…why does this body hurt… so much”, relaxing as much as Venom could, he turned his gaze towards the floating robot.

What you are experiencing is a completely normal reaction

Your host came into contact with its kin's mucus

And from what I have heard

How this came around was the fact that your host had an unknown open wound and came into contact with the mucus

And it looks like the frog knows of this reaction

I must ask the kin some inquiries

“Do it later, System. Please just help him- help us”

Alright General

The ooze revealed the host body, until all that was left was Leo’s trembling body with Venom still in control and his tendrils still holding Krisa close to his shell.

“Venom…”

Venom could feel worry start to billow over as the system prepared the area, cleaning it down with an alcohol wipe, “Its alright Leo, it will be over soon. Just breathe for me, buddy…”, Venom’s voice spoke so softly to his host. He knew there was no physical way to comfort his host, so as the drone pinched his shoulder, Venom rubbed his thumb over the other hand, comforting the arm that was receiving the shot.

Venom has received injections before, all of them felt like nothing, pain was never an issue, but this…

Venom couldnt tell if this was because of his host’s body or because of this infection, all he knew was as the liquid was pushed into his arm, Leo’s took control before Vevon could even react, normal arm flew towards his mouth, cupping his mouth shutting, muffling the noises that came from him.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!-”

It wasn’t Venom who was reacting, but Leo, his whole body convulsed as he continued to cover his mouth, screaming into his palm.

“VENOM PLEASE-”

Venom ran towards the bathroom, ready to put Leo into the bath.

“VENOM!- THE OTHERS-”

Venom wanted so badly to rip his arm off, to get rid of the very thing causing his pain, but thats not why Leo was yelling at him.

“VENOM! THEY’RE HERE-”

Slamming the door shut, Venom locked the door, he could hear the system shutting off all the lights outside, “Lou, whatever you do, please don't make a sound”

“Okay…”