The Earth Stood Still

by Willow5

It started out as any other day. Then in a flash four lives were changed forever

1. Default Chapter Title

This is my first attempt at Fanfiction in general, let alone turtle fics. So please I really, really, really need feedback. I may have over-rated this but better safe than sorry I always say^.^ But please review, I would like to know if this is any good or if I'm just fooling myself into thinking I can write^.^ Thank You!

Legal Stuff: I don't own the turtles! The Gods do: www.ninjaturtles.com. And I'm not making any money off this. That's why it would be pointless to sue me; I'm broke.

THE EARTH STOOD STILL: PROLOGUE

He sat alone, gazing at the stars as they faded in the morning light. The city stretched out below him. The first golden rays hit his face and he sighed, relishing the warmth. This was the most peaceful time of day to him. The only time he could be alone with his thoughts and not have anyone around to interrupt him. No, "Fix this." Or "Explain this?" "Get to practice!" "Do your chores!" Just him and the morning and silence. He cherished this, but just like every other morning it was quickly over. And as the world below his rooftop woke up, and the car horns blared, and the people began to yell, he knew he had to retreat to his underground home, or risk being seen. He stood and stretched, savoring the sun one last time, then turned to go. But suddenly something caught his eye, a flash? He turned his head to the sky and frowned, a bright red light was streaking toward the city, and before he could react his world erupted in light.

BOOM!!!!!

The whole room shook. Leonardo and Raphael shot up from the couch looking around frantically. Mike staggered out from the kitchen still holding a mixing bowl that was dripping pancake batter. They could barley keep their footing. Mike braced himself in the kitchen doorway, while Raph and Leo stood staring at the ceiling. The shaking slowly stopped and they silently looked at each other for a few moments.

"What the HELL was that?!?!?!"

"I don't know Raph!"

BOOM!!!!

The floor jerked back and forth more violently this time sending them sprawling to the floor. Chunks of concrete came crashing down on their heads. Mike managed to get under a table; Raph got over to the front door jamb. After a few seconds that seemed like hours the shaking stopped. They stayed unmoving, for several minutes. Unsure of anything. Finally Leo tore his eyes off the ceiling and looked at his brothers.

"I'm going to go get Splinter. You guys find Donnie."

They nodded and Leo carefully made his way towards Splinters room. Huge chunks of piping and concrete blocked his way, he had to climb over some of the debris just to continue. The lair was destroyed, in some places soft rays of sunlight could be seen coming through the broken hunks of New York Street. Walls had caved in and water was trickling around his feet. As he neared Splinter's room he stopped dead in his tracks. The door had been blown off and lay in a crumpled heap on the other side of the hall. Black smoke coiled from the opening. Leo stood frozen for a moment, terrified of what he knew he would find beyond that doorway. Unable to move, unable to speak, he just stared at the smoke, and only then did he notice that all the other rooms looked the exact same way. Wood and debris littered the floor where he stood, dust and smoke filling the hall, making it hard to breath. His eyes and throat began to burn. Coughing uncontrollably he hesitantly entered Splinters room, tossing bits of furniture out of his path, making his way back to where Splinter would be. The smoke made it nearly impossible to see. And his eyes were watering, either from the smoke or from the tears he couldn't be sure. He came around the side of the massive bookcase that had fallen halfway over the bed, and there, crumpled among pieces of broken wood and torn blankets, lay Splinter underneath a huge hunk of concrete that had once been the ceiling. Leo's heart dropped. His fur was soaked with blood and his lifeless eyes stared into nothing. He gazed at the still body of his Master, hardly even able to think. His mentor, his teacher, his…Father…. gone. In a blind fury he threw the bookcase from the bed and rushed to his master's side. Only his head and chest were seen from under the rock, blood was beginning to pool beneath the bed. Tentatively he reached forward and closed the staring eyes, and suddenly feeling that morning's breakfast begin to creep back up his throat, he spun and rushed from the room. He leaned against the wall and threw up as fresh tears fell from his eyes. Raph and Mike appeared from the direction of Don's lab, and both knew, without having to ask. Raph's lips turned up in a snarl and a single tear fell down Mike's cheek.

Leo looked up at them and wiped his mouth, "Where's Don?"

Mike brushed the tear away but more just fell in its place, "We can't find him Leo. We don't know where he is." He let out a shaky breath.

Leo sighed heavily, for the first time in his life he didn't know what to do. Finally he muttered "Come on. We have to get out of the sewers. We don't want to get trapped down here."

"But what about Master Splinter?" Raph growled

Leo took a deep breath, steadying the tears. "He's gone Raph." He almost choked on the words; "There's nothing we can do for him now. And if we take him with us we might not get out." Raph started to say something but Leo stopped him, "We will come back, but we won't be able to do anything for him if we're dead." Raph closed his eyes and Leo took that as silent agreement.

They stepped out into the sewers, making their way toward the nearest manhole. Wiring sizzled around them, bouncing around off the walls, as if performing some erotic dance. Light streamed down through the cracked opening and Leo was the first to ascend the ladder, "Keep your eyes open for Donnie guys." He climbed up to the manhole with Raph and Mike close behind. A bright yellow light engulfed them as they stepped out onto the street. And what they witnessed was a sight none of them could have ever dreamed.

Complete destruction. Every building flattened. Not a soul to be seen. Giant plumbs of smoke curling up into the sky. The air smelled slightly of sulfur. The sun was blazing above them, so huge it looked like a giant fireball that would swallow the earth whole. New York was gone.

They stood silently surveying the carnage. The only sounds were the soft crackling of burning fires, the dripping of water somewhere off to the left, and the muffled sound of a quiet sobbing. Leo walked over and placed a hand on Mike's shoulder trying to comfort him but not knowing what to say. Mike wiped the tears from his eyes and looked at Leo. "We should get out of the city." And as much as it pained Leo to think of it, he knew Mike was right. He nodded slightly and looked at Raph who stood, unmoving, just staring at the sky.

"Raph?"

He sighed deeply and after a moment looked at Leo, "Let's go."

Slowly he opened his eyes. The room was dark and cold. He realized he was lying on something hard and figuring it to be the floor, carefully sat up. His head hurt. Suddenly a bright light filled the room and he covered his eyes feeling the low throbbing become a pounding that was bouncing around his skull. Blinking he surveyed the room. It was empty, except for him and a large mirror in the wall off to his left. It didn't take two seconds for him to realize what it was, a one way mirror. Meaning that someone was probably watching him at that very moment. The panic was starting to set in as he was realizing his worst fear. He eyed the mirror suspiciously. Cautiously he stood and looked around him for a door, but didn't even see a crease in the wall anywhere, 'how did they get me in here?'

Behind the mirror a man watched. He was large and very muscular. A tiny and very thin man stood next to him holding a clipboard, "This is the one you requested My Lord Deamo. My research was very thorough."

The large man smiled, "Excellent. Open the channel." The tiny man pressed a button and a small speaker appeared in the wall above the mirror. The Lord took a breath, "Welcome my strange looking friend. I am the Lord Deamo and from this moment on you will pledge your life to my service. I have been observing you for quite some time and, I must say, your accomplishments in science are very astounding. Your services are a much-needed addition to my little army. No other human has acquired the level of knowledge you possess, wouldn't you agree…Donatello?"

Don raised an eyebrow at the mirror, 'This guy's a little presumptuous, isn't he?' "Look I don't know who you think you are, but if you've been observing me as much as you claim then you have to know that I'm the good guy. And from what I know the good guy never works for the bad guy willingly. And, call me crazy, but you are defiantly a bad guy."

"I would advise you not to fight me about this. There is no way for you to escape from this room and I assure you, even if you could you wouldn't have any idea how to get home."

"Listen slimeball, I would never work for someone who hides behind a mirror like a scared little boy. If you want my attention so badly why don't you come out so I can see your face. Then maybe I'll give you my answer!"

"If that is your wish." Moments later Don watched as a door seemed to simply materialize in the wall and a very large man entered the room. He was dressed in a military looking outfit. Tight fitting black pants and a black tunic with a red sash that crossed his wide chest and various medals here and there. He also wore a cape that reached the floor the outside was black and the inside was the same color as the sash. He had black hair and a goatee.

Before he could even say a word Don lunged at him with a flying roundhouse kick, but he never even got close to connecting the blow. Lord Deamo sighed and pressed a little red button on his belt, watching amused as Don slumped to the ground, clutching his chest and screaming in agony. "Did you fail to notice the little bracelet on your left wrist? You see, you will serve me. Whether or not we do it the easy way or the hard way will be your choice. And I know that a sharp minded person, such as yourself, will make the right decision."

He spun and exited the room. Immediately the lights went out leaving Don lying in the darkness, gasping for breath as the pain subsided.

Two hours later they finally reached the city limits and walking got a little easier. They were all breathing hard from having to climb over all the heaps of concrete, but as they got into an area that had fewer buildings they were able to traverse more open ground. The destruction was massive, every tree, bush, flower, basically everything that had once been living was scorched. And it was eerily quiet; Leo could even toy with the notion that they were the only beings left living on the planet. Nothing moved, and they had yet to see a survivor. Raphael stopped and sat down on a rock, rubbing his feet.

Leo noticed and frowned, "Come on Raph, we have to keep moving."

"Chill Leo. Can't we take a five minute break, my feet are killing me?"

Leo sighed, "We need to try and find survivors."

Raph looked up at him, "Survivors? Yeah right. We haven't seen anything but concrete since we started walking! And what do you expect to do anyway? Just walk up to the first human we see, waving and saying," He stood now and walked up to Leo. " 'Hi how's it going, by the way did you noticed the huge explosion this morning' Sure, they'll start thinking this was some alien invasion and run screaming for the hills, AAGGHHH!" He turned in circles, waving his hands in the air dramatically.

Leo scowled at him, this was the last thing he needed, "Well I don't see you coming up with any ideas!"

Raph stopped circling and stared into Leo's eyes. "You want ideas? I got an idea." He turned and pointed behind him, "We turn around, go back to New York and get Master Splinter like we should have done in the first place, instead of running around for the last two hours like chickens with our heads cut off!"

"Leo growled at him, "I didn't run away, Raphael!"

Raph just stared at him with his eyes narrowed into slits and his voice like ice, "You didn't huh? Well whatever you say 'Fearless Leader'. But I'm going back, I refuse to leave Splinter in a concrete tomb. And I'm sure Don is wondering where we wandered off to." Raph turned and started back the way they came with Leo screaming after him. Mike stared after them with an exasperated look. This was no time for them to be fighting. He was about to chase after Leo when something caught his attention, it was a low rumbling, almost sounded like a growling, and it was getting closer.

He began looking around for the source, "Uh…guys?" They just kept walking, "Guys!?" No answer, "GUYS!!!"

They turned and glared at him, "WHAT!!"

"Don't you hear that?"

They grew quiet and listened. The rumbling was much louder now than when Mike had first picked it up and they heard it immediately. They ran back over to where Mike was standing and began looking around. The sound was familiar to Mike but he just couldn't place it. As it got louder they could tell it was coming from their right, on the other side of the hill, Leo was about to tell them to find cover when a brown Jeep came tearing around the hill and screeched to a stop right in front of them. There were four men inside, two immediately jumped out of the back and got on either side of the turtles, aiming very large guns at each of their heads. The turtles drew their weapons and prepared for a fight. But before they could strike another man emerged. He was tall, a good six feet, with bright read hair and a mustache. Muscles bulged out from his tight white T-shirt and tan colored jeans. They stood evaluating each other in silence for a long moment.

"Are you with the Du'har?"

Leo frowned, "The Du'har?"

"Are you spies?"

Mike's eyes widened and he looked at his brothers, "Ok, When did we enter the Twilight Zone?"

The mans eyes narrowed, "Those are very strange outfits you have. Who do you work for?"

"These aren't outfits asshole! And we don't work for no one."

"Raph…"Leo warned without taking his eyes off the man, "We don't know what you're talking about and we don't want any trouble."

"Speak for yourself Leo." Raph mumbled.

The man watched them suspiciously, "Take off that mask so I can see your face." Raph smirked and removed his bandanna. "I meant the turtle mask!!"

"I thought I already told ya! This ain't a mask!" Raph growled, retying his bandanna.

The man frowned and walked towards Mike. One gunman covered him while the other covered Raph and Leo. Mike showed no emotion on his face as the man scrutinized him. He walked a circle around him staring intently. He began to feel a little uncomfortable. The man stood back and placed a hand on his chin, smiling slightly. "That's not a costume…is it?" Mike shook his head and the man smiled a little more, "Amazing!"

Leo stepped forward then, "Look, we don't know what this Du'har is. Our home was destroyed this morning and all we want to do is figure out what is going on!"

The man turned and faced Leo, "Wilson." He spoke to the driver, "Scan them." Wilson nodded and jumped out of the Jeep, carrying a small metal box. He stood in front of Raph and a wide red beam emitted from it. He ran the beam from the tip of Raph's head down to his feet, then repeated the procedure on Mike and Leo. When he was done he handed the box to the apparent leader; "They're clean sir." He studied the small screen and then turned back to Leo. "Well you don't appear to have any Du'har tracking devices on you but we will have to do a more thorough examination back at Base Camp." He walked up to Leo and extended his hand, which Leo eyed suspiciously. "My name is Jacobs. I am the leader of the Mal'tuc."

Leo frowned at the odd name and nodded slightly but didn't shake Jacobs hand, "I am Leonardo, and these are my brothers, Raphael and Michealangelo. May I ask what the Du'har and Mal'tuc are, exactly?"

Jacobs brought his hand back, drawing himself up slightly, "Well it is a little difficult to translate my language into English, but roughly Du'har means "One who is pledged to the service of a Leader." and Mal'tuc means "One who opposes another." Kind of like your English words, Alliance and Resistance." Leo looked like he was about to say something but Jacobs cut him off, "Well Leonardo. I encourage you and your brothers to accompany us back to Base Camp. There I can explain to you in more detail what has happened today and maybe you can enlighten me on just what you are precisely?"

"And why should we trust you?" Raph snarled.

Jacobs paused, seeming to contemplate his answer. "You don't have to come with us, but I strongly suggest it. This same destruction has occurred all over the planet and has destroyed virtually all plant and animal life. Your chances of survival would be greatly increased if you were to come with us. Not to mention Du'har battle cruisers will soon be patrolling the area and I can assure you that they shoot first, and ask questions later."

Mike looked up, "So you're saying that the planet is basically destroyed!"

"Pretty much. But again I will explain everything back at Base Camp. Will you come?"

Leo thought for a moment then looked Jacobs in the eye, "You can understand that we are quite wary of strangers, with the way we look and all. We need to know that we can trust you."

Jacobs nodded, "Of course. Your appearance has been a great shock to me, but I am not the type of person who judges people by the way they look. And I am sure that we are both on the same side here. When we get back to Camp you will undergo a full examination to ascertain whether or not you friendly to the Du'har. But if you are cleared I give you my word of honor as a Mal'tuc that you will have full protection. Regardless of the fact that you are not human."

Leo scrutinized the man and cast quick glances to his brothers. Mike looked worried but also accepting, less suspicious. Raph had his classic `Trust No One' glare in his eye. He sighed, `guess it's up to me.' He looked into Jacobs eyes, "All right, we'll go with you." He heard Raph grumble something, but choose to ignore it. They all squeezed into the jeep and sped off down the road, towards Base Camp.

Chapter 1 Coming Soon……..(maybe? Let me know^.^)