Hello! While I have written many stories over the years, this is my first TMNT fan fiction. So, I can't wait to get knee-deep into the tale!

For the record, I want to invite you to imagine whichever version of the turtles you like best; personally, I'm imagining the turtles from the 2k7 Imagi movie (with some inspiration from the 2k3 Mirage series), using the weapons featured in the 2k12 Nick series. ^_-; Uhh, yeah...

I'm rating this story T for Teen to be safe. Rated for: mild bloodshed, violence, angst and agony, and hair-raising/sticky situations.

XD I hope you enjoy!

TMNT

Unlinked Chain

Chapter 1: Separation Anxiety

It happened again. The lives of the four mutant turtle brothers Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael had once again been interrupted by cosmic forces. What seemed like what was to be an ordinary day in the Lair turned out to be anything but.

Master Splinter heard it from his room, a popping sound. At first the old rat thought the sound was little more than an activity one or more of his sons was engaged in. But when the popping grew louder and stretched into the ominous howl of an incredible wind he knew something was wrong.

Before the sensei could reach the door to his room, he heard the voices of his sons crying out in alarm and fear. A powerful gust plowed into him as he slid the door to his room aside, and he staggered as he recovered his balance. "My sons!" he cried as he pulled himself forward.

There, in the center of the high Lair ceiling was a great funnel of light, swirling and roaring with power. And there were the four turtles, clinging to each other in an awkward chain as the raging funnel attempted to suck them into its maw.

Raphael was the one closest to the ground, having stabbed into the floor with one of his sai. While holding to this anchor Raph was also keeping his other arm around Leo who, in turn, was holding onto Donnie's wrist and Mikey's ankle. "Hold on!" Leo commanded his two youngest brothers.

"To what?!" screamed Mikey, "You're the one who's got my leg!"

"Boys!" called Splinter, clinging to the doorframe of his room.

"Father!" cried Leo, struggling to keep hold of his brothers.

Quickly assessing the situation, Master Splinter called out to Michelangelo. "Take out your kusarigama!" he bellowed, "Throw the end to me!"

Mikey gulped while his body swayed in the winds, and reached for his belt. Pulling loose the chain, Mikey twirled the weighted end and threw it towards his sensei. Splinter caught it but reaching out allowed the pressure of the wind to sweep him away from his door. He skidded a ways before catching himself.

"Master!" cried his boys. Splinter regained his balance and fought to get back to his door, his four sons looking on all the while. Raphael gritted his teeth, groaning, for his grip on his sai was weakening, the sweat from his green palm making the hilt of his sai slick.

Leonardo could feel this, and, over the roar of the winds, shouted: "Hold on Raph!"

Raphael clenched his teeth. "What's it look like I'm doin'?!" he barked back.

Donatello looked 'round, he and Leonardo locking eyes for a moment. "Just hold on!" called Leo, "Everything's going to be okay!"

"Then why do I feel like the exact opposite is true?" wailed Donnie.

Michelangelo gripped his kusarigama tighter and smiled as his father rat was finally able to reach the safety of his room, still with the chain in hand. "Hold on my sons!"

Just then, the whole group felt themselves jerk towards the whirling vortex. "Argh!" growled Raphael, struggling to maintain his grip, but the muscles of his hand and arm had begun to tremble with fatigue. "Can't—!" he was saying.

Leo gritted his teeth. 'If only I could draw my katana, Raph wouldn't have to hold us all!' His mind came to a solution of a sudden. "Don!" he hollered, "Hold on to my leg!"

"What?!"

"I need you to let go of my hand and hold onto my leg! Hurry! NOW."

Reluctantly Donatello let go of Leo's hand, slipping down Leo's leg a ways before catching a decent hold. A momentary shiver ran through him as he realized there was very little between him and dimensional oblivion.

Splinter began pulling, pulling with all his might; he saw Leonardo drawing out one of his katanas and realized, at the same moment Leo did, that the turtle in blue really wasn't at the proper angle to drive his blade into the floor.

"I'm—sorry," hissed Raphael, his body shaking with the strain, "I—can't—!"

All the turtles yelped as Raph's hand slipped from his sai. Their world spun out around them as they were immediately drawn upward. Master Splinter gasped as he was ripped forth from his room, still clutching the weighted end of Mikey's chain. But he crashed against one of the lair's pillars, the chain yanked from his clawed hands. "NO!" he cried, looking up from where he had fallen. But his sons were already gone.

Leonardo winced: somebody was poking him in the shoulder with something sharp. He opened his eyes, and saw the point of a pike very close to his face. He immediately slapped the weapon away, jerking up into a sitting position; he saw at once that he and his brothers had been surrounded by several human men dressed in armor. But he was the only one who had awoken; the other three were still unconscious.

"What are they?" asked one man approaching the group with the look of complete curiosity on his face.

"I don't know." replied the man holding the pike.

Leo gritted his teeth as he brought his feet underneath him. "You could just ask." he said, rising.

The men blinked. "Well," said another man standing somewhere behind Leo, "least we know they can talk."

"If they can talk," said the man with the pike, "Then they can answer questions." Leo was getting the impression that this man was in charge of the others. "What are you?" asked the man, "And why are you here?"

Leo's brow hardened slightly, and he blinked. "We are turtles. And I don't know why we're here. A magical vortex picked us up and brought us here, wherever here is."

The men continued to stare at the turtles, but only the gaze of the man holding the pike seemed hard, though not altogether unfriendly. Leo's heart was thumping; he wished his brothers would awaken, for he knew he would be hard put to it to defend them if the need arose. Indeed, he counted a dozen armored men in total.

"Well," said the lead man, "This is her Lady IraVana's land. And we are charged to bring anyone, man or beast, who crosses her land to her. You and your fellow turtles are no exception."

Leo glanced at the men out of the corners of his eyes. "We have no problem abiding by the rules of your land. However, if your Lady wishes to do us harm, then I will have no choice but to defend myself and my brothers."

There was something of a pause before some of the men loosed scoffing chuckles. Leonardo felt himself tensing already.

"No harm, turtle. Her Ladyship only wishes to keep account of those who would make their way through her land, and has a need to see you in person."

"Very well." answered Leo, then turning. He knelt and took hold of Michelangelo's arm. "Mikey, hey, wake up."

The man with the pike noticed the two scabbards strapped to Leo's back; only one still had a sword in it. "You won't be needing this when you go before her Ladyship—" As he pulled Leo's katana free the turtle immediately spun, grabbing his arm. Yet just as Leo took back his blade, four men seized him which then allowed their leader to resume claiming Leo's katana.

"That's my sword!" growled Leonardo, straining against those who had taken hold of him. He suddenly wondered where his other blade was.

"You do not need to be armed when you meet her Ladyship." clarified the man.

"Oh man," whispered Michelangelo, having seen the man disarm his brother. Mikey quickly turned and started shaking both Donnie and Raph. "Guys!"

A great deal of worry came upon the youngest of the turtles as one of the armored men then noticed the bo staff at Donatello's back. "Dude!" exclaimed Mikey, as the man promptly took the staff. The turtle in orange immediately reached out for Donnie's weapon, but another of the men drew forth a sword and forced Mikey to recoil.

"Don't hurt them!" demand Leo, "We're not here to fight!"

"W-what?" asked Donnie, groggily looking around.

Raphael sat up just as two men stepped forward and took hold of Mikey; they stood him up, just noticing his nunchakus. "Are these your weapons?" they asked, reaching for them.

"No, don't take those!" called Michelangelo.

Raphael's eyes widened; he took in everything at once: Leo was being restrained, Mikey was being disarmed, Donnie was in no position to fight, and now some men were coming towards him. A flame ignited in his breast— in a split second he had sprung into the air, kicking into the men that had appeared on either side of him. He dropped low, kicking the legs out from under two more men.

"Raph!" called Leo, understanding the situation could turn very bad for them very quickly.

Raphael drew out his sai, realizing then that he had only one. He twirled it into the face of a man coming up at his shoulder, and instantly dropkicked another man flat to the ground. The turtle terror then whipped around, slashing into the arm of one man and into the leg of another.

"Raph stop!" commanded Leo.

The man with the pike grit his teeth, and pulled a dirk from his belt. "Stop your assault you fiend-turtle or your brothers die!"

Raph's gaze shot backward over his shoulder, and he froze. All three of his brothers had blades against their throats; in fact, the blades were sharp enough to have already drawn blood: a small trail of crimson was running down Donnie's neck. Raph turned, clenching his sai in his fist. "You dirty—!" he snarled.

Five of the men Raphael had been fighting immediately tackled him to the ground. They shoved his face into the dirt, and fought to restrain him; eventually they got their manacles around his wrists and ankles. He growled venomously as they got up off him.

The men's leader put his dirk away and looked at the other three terrapins. "Yes," he said, "We'd better do that to all of them. No telling what these creatures are capable of after that display."

Leo, Mikey and Donnie were shoved down against the ground. "Why are you doing this?" barked the turtle in blue, "We didn't come here to fight!"

"Well, you could've put one over on me!" snapped the pikeman, holding an open hand toward Raphael. Leo shut his eyes. Why was this happening? WHY?

When he opened his eyes again, he saw both Donnie and Mikey were staring at him; their eyes were filled with apprehension and they were looking to him for some kind of solace. Leo softened the worried frown creasing his own green-skinned face, and mouthed: don't worry.

The turtles were soon yanked up from the ground and loaded into the back of a steel-wheeled buckboard; two men sat up in the seat at its head and made ready to move with the troop. Very soon the man with the pike gave the order to return to the Manor of the Lady, and each man mounted his horse and started off.

The turtles found the trail rough and hard considering they hadn't been allowed to sit up and were instead lying on their sides, one next to the other like sardines in a can. Raphael glowered at their captors, that is, until he heard Donatello coughing behind him. He craned his neck back to see his little brother. "You okay Donnie?"

Donatello cleared his throat. "Considering I'm shackled in the back of a primitive transport headed who-knows-where for who-knows-why…I could be better." Donnie started coughing again.

Raphael didn't care for the sarcasm, but neither was he willing to chide Donatello for it. He turned back, looking over Michelangelo toward his big brother Leo. "Leo," he said in a loud whisper, "What're we gonna do?"

Leo pulled against his chains for a moment. "Use our heads." he answered, "The way we are at the moment we're in no position to fight back. We can't risk ticking these guys off any more than we already have."

"Them ticked?" riled Raph, "OH if they think they're ticked, they ain't seen nothin' yet! I'll show 'em ticked!"

"But not now!" growled Leo. Raphael grit this teeth and reluctantly controlled himself. That's when the turtles realized all the men in the troop were glaring at them. Each turtle except Michelangelo glared back, and it was only then that the three oldest turtles realized how very quiet their baby brother was being.

"Mikey?" asked Leo. Mikey didn't immediately respond, which prompted Raph to nudge him in the back of the head. "Yo Mikey, you okay bro?"

The buckboard went over a large bump causing the turtles' heads to bounce up before slamming back down against the floor. They groaned through gritted teeth. "What, couldn't afford no stinkin' shock absorbers?" grumbled Raphael.

"I'm sorry bros," piped up Michelangelo of a sudden, "I just, don't feel very good."

Mikey's brothers blinked, glancing at one another. "What's wrong?"

"I just feel, kinda, sick…" muttered the turtle in orange, shutting his eyes.

Leo tried to turn over in order to face Mikey, but quickly realized there wasn't enough room. He grit his teeth, turning his face instead. "Don't worry Mikey, we'll get this sorted out once we see their Lady."

"Indeed we will." came the voice of the pikeman. He was riding up alongside the buckboard carrying his pike close to him. The turtles eyed him, as indeed he eyed them.

Leonardo cleared his throat and spoke up. "What is your name?"

The man cocked an eyebrow, and was silent for a good long while, eyes moving from the road to the turtle and back again. "M'name's Winsul." he said finally, "And you, turtleman?"

Leo paused before responding. "My name is Leonardo. We don't want trouble with your people, we only want the freedom to go our own way."

"Don't we all." mumbled the man; he then shook his head as if to banish the comment. "Your name is from the Dead Language," he said informatively, "Yet you speak in the New Tongue. How is this?"

Donatello blinked, frowning. "Dead language? It's Italian. Even Spanish if you want to get technical."

"We don't wanna get technical!" snapped Raph, causing Donnie to sigh and look away. The frowns of several men in the troop deepened whenever Raphael spoke, especially those whose blood he'd drawn — and their anger towards him grew.

"I'm not sure I can answer your question." replied Leo, "We're not from this land. Come to think of it, this probably isn't even our world."

Winsul shrugged. "Everything will be sorted out once we reach the Manor." He pointed with his pike. "It's yonder."

Donnie, Raph and Leo craned their necks to see. The men called it a manor, but it looked more like a castle, and it stood like a mountain sprawled across the landscape. All at once the turtles realized they could hear their hearts thumping in their chests — they had arrived.

–—–

The Grand Hall was grand indeed. The ceiling seemed almost as high as the sky, and light poured in through the massive windows, reflecting off the slightly gray stone. There were deep red drapes hanging from every possible eave, and there were little candles burning low on small perches every so often.

The turtles would've been more dazzled, that is, had they not been in chains. They were brought to the end of the immense chamber where there were three grand chairs: one to the left, one to the right, and one straight ahead and it was the biggest of the three. The chairs faced a large sunken area in the floor, and it was down in this sunken area that the turtles were deposited.

They were lined up in a row on their knees; then the guards retreated. The turtles looked to one another, the three older ones realizing Michelangelo still didn't look quite himself. "Mikey?" asked Leo.

"How're you feeling Mikey?" quizzed Donnie.

"I d'know, better I guess." replied the youngest of the brothers; he still looked ill. Raph and Leo frowned.

"Well where's the dame that runs this joint?" hissed Raphael, "We gotta get outta here."

Leonardo nodded. "I know." He looked up towards the big chair, and started in surprise — there was now a woman seated there.

Her hair was mostly dark, though her bangs were light brown; her eyes were a piercing green and her lips a dull pink. Her build was lean and yet something about her was strangely intimidating. The Lady looked over at Winsul who came down the steps into the sunken area and stood behind the turtles. "What have you to report?" she asked.

Winsul opened his hands toward the four terrapin brothers. "We found these creatures on your land Ladyship."

"What are they?"

"We're turtles lady!" snapped Raph, "And we ain't happy!"

The Lady looked down into Raphael's face. "You are very confident to speak so boldly. But, are you as strong as you think I wonder."

Raph looked confused; he would have asked what she meant had Winsul not made an interjection. "Indeed," said the man, "Out of the four, he is the only one who attacked my men."

"Did he now? Well, that was very rude, and very unwise."

Leo took a quick breath in and out. Something about the tone of her voice made Leo think of a blade's sharp edge. He shook his head and gave Raphael a noticeable nudge. "That's my brother all over, ma'am. But he thought we were under attack. We came onto your land by accident. Please, we didn't mean any harm."

The Lady studied Leo for a moment.

"Please, release us." said Leonardo, "We will cause you no further trouble, and will leave your land at once."

"I cannot let you go until I know if there is some meaning behind your arrival."

The turtles blinked. "Meaning?"

Before the Lady could explain, a small girl came bouncing forward from somewhere at the back and stopped beside the large chair. "Ooo!" she said, as the reptilian ninjas caught her eye, "What are they?"

"They are turtles." informed the Lady.

The girl's eyes widened suddenly as she smiled. "Oh! Can I have one?" she was bouncing with excitement, "Can I? Can I please!"

"What?" exclaimed the turtles.

The Lady gave a slight shrug. "For a little while, I suppose, if it pleases you."

"Bu—wait!" began Leo, but the little girl had already come down into sunken area to look at them.

"Be careful the one in red, Rynnie," warned the Lady, "He's already attacked some of the guard."

This warning prompted the little girl to look straight at Raphael; she frowned and stuck her tongue out at him. "Hmph! That one's ugly anyway!"

"Ugly?!" sounded Raph.

Leo immediately gave him a light head-butt in the jaw. "Don't make things worse than they already are, Raph."

Raphael glared, hissing: "How could they be worse?"

"I don't want to find out." stated Leo.

All this while Michelangelo had been leaning forward, head adroop. Only now did he open his eyes and realize the small girl was standing in front of him. He raised his face to meet hers, and she pointed at him.

"This one!" said Rynnie, "I want this one! He looks adorable and his eyes are pretty!"

Mikey chuckled nervously as beads of sweat slid down his skin. Understanding his brother was still unwell, Donatello quickly leaned in. "But Miss," he said, "He isn't feeling very well. It wouldn't be the best thing for him or you if you were to take him."

The girl shook her head. "If he's feeling bad, I'll just take care of him until he feels better. So it's okay."

That's when the Lady nodded, moving her hand, and two guardsmen came down, lifting Michelangelo up between them. Mikey winced as they caught up his legs as well. "Bros..!" Mikey let his head fall backward so he could see his siblings even while he was being carried off after the girl.

"Mikey..!" Donnie, Leo and Raph watched him 'til he was taken out of sight. Raphael growled and turned to his big brother. "Leo, DO something!"

"Do - what? I'm not exactly in a position to stop them!" Leo took a breath, "Besides, Mikey's condition worries me. We can't exactly help him right now, and the girl can. Just leave things as they are for the moment." And here Leonardo glanced up at the Lady in charge. "Anyway, making too loud of an objection could make them decide to hurt him instead."

Raphael looked up at the woman, but she wasn't looking at them; though her face was forward, she was staring out of the corner of her eye. "All right Aztragus, I know you're there," said she, "Let's have an end to your skulking. Come out and see them up close. You know that's why you're here."

The turtles watched as a tall man robed in blue came forward from a shadowed alcove along the wall; there was a hood over his head. The man bowed and came to stand beside the Lady's chair; he looked down at their green-skinned captives.

"Well?" asked the Lady, leaning her head against her hand, "What do you think?"

"I can't be sure." said the man, "I would need to take one of them and consult my charts in order to determine their significance."

The ninja brothers didn't like the sound of this. But the Lady nodded, and the man came part way down into the sunken area to look them over. Finally, he pointed. "This one on the end."

Raph felt something tighten in his chest, for the man had chosen Leo. As guardsmen came down for the turtle in blue, Raphael saw that Leonardo did not intend to offer up any resistance. 'Allow me!' he thought, springing up, and ramming his head into the face of the nearest man.

"He's at it again!" cried a young guard, haphazardly retreating.

"Raph!" yelped Leo. Leonardo didn't want to be taken from this brothers, but he feared the consequences retaliation would bring. Even still, Raphael was determined to fight, and jumped backward, catching himself despite the shackles 'round his ankles.

At the same moment Leonardo was seized and yanked towards the robed man, one of the men from the troop came running towards Raphael carrying a very large war club. Raphael saw it even as Leo and Don called out to him. Yet, as Raph made to spring away, the man caught him in the gut, sending him skidding backward almost into Donnie's lap.

The scuffle had prompted her Ladyship to rise out of her chair; only now did she resume sitting, watching as Raphael tried vainly to right himself. "Go on Aztragus," she said, "The guardsmen can handle the situation from here."

The robed man bowed once again and headed off, Leonardo grunting as men from the troop dragged him along in tow. Raphael almost roared in frustration as he rolled back onto his knees. Donnie grit his teeth and shouted: "Raph! Stay down!"

"No!" snarled Raphael. Donnie looked up, quailing slightly as the guardsmen began to surround them.

"Ladyship!" said a young guard standing next to the man whose nose Raph had broken, "As long as they're being separated, might we have the violent one?"

The Lady arched an eyebrow. "What for?"

"There are several among the Guard who desire to teach the creature some respect."

The Lady gave a gibing grunt. "You want him for vengeful purposes? Hmph, how petty." She frowned, yet sighed. "Mm, very well."

The men smiled, but Raphael wasn't about to let them enjoy their victory. Before they knew it, he was up like a shot, ramming his head into Winsul's stomach. Winsul fell like a sack of bricks. But even as the men grabbed ahold of Raph, the turtle spun to the side with all his might, throwing them off once again. The only thing that stopped the fierce turtle was the weight of the war club falling across head.

This time Raphael fell like a sack of bricks. Donatello cringed. "Oh Raph…"

Winsul stood, watching his men angrily seize the chain to Raph's shackles and begin dragging him out of the sunken area. "You may have him," came the Lady's voice, causing the men to stop, "But you must do nothing that will result in the creature's death. Until I know their significance, I need them all alive."

The men's faces were hard, but they nodded. They then proceeded to haul Raphael back out the way they'd brought him in. Donatello watched them until they were out of sight; he lowered his head for a moment before looking up at the woman. He was startled to find she'd been watching him all the while; he swallowed.

"And then there was one." she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Donnie's face creased, almost painfully so. "Please," he said, "Please you don't understand, we didn't even mean to come here. We, we don't want any trouble! I'm sorry about my brother's temper, he's always like that. But you—" Donatello was at a loss on what to say further.

"Don't worry," coaxed the Lady, "My astrologer Aztragus will be able to determine the significance of your arrival."

Donnie's face betrayed his confusion; he shook his head. "But what does that mean? Which is worse? Being significant or insignificant?"

Her Ladyship waved her hand dismissively. "I haven't the time to explain it now. Wait 'til this evening, I will expound on these matters further then."

Don opened his mouth to speak, but the Lady ordered him removed to her chamber. Donatello was taken away, just as his brothers had been. And at that moment, each turtle, in his various position, looked upward — longing not only for their masterful father and one another, but also their home.