I've always dreamed of one day being in outer space and now it's a reality. This is possibly the best thing that's ever happened to me... well, at least one of the best things that's ever happened to me. This isn't even close to the... doesn't matter.
When we were little; Me, Donnie and Raph used to watch up through the grate. We would sit there for hours, just watching up at the stars. Donnie said he would build a rocket ship one day; he was like five when he started on the schematics. I think he still has them and I think they're on the wall in his lab.
I wish we were in space under different circumstances. You know, for the enjoyment that we dreamed of as kids, but that's just never the way for us, it seems. Instead, our planet was destroyed and swallowed by the Black Hole Generator, a weapon the Triceratons set upon us because of the blasted Kraang.
A call out of his nickname snapped Leonardo out of his thoughts which in turn made him almost drop his phone.
Turning back toward the source of the voice coming from behind him, he found Raphael standing behind him, leaning over the back of the sofa. Exhaling deeply and with a snarky tone, Leo greeted his brother. "What's up?"
Raph let out a low growl, he was unhappy with the tone his brother had just given him. Rounding the sofa, the hothead stood in front of his brother with his arms folded across his chest. "Great tone bro, thought I'd let you know that Mikey is up for the simulator" Raph informed his brother. Leo's eyes grew wide, he couldn't think of anything to say, but he was dead against that idea and had been for a while. Raph went to walk away but turned himself around again. "You know this attitude of yours has gotta stop. It seems like you've been acting like this since we got here maybe even longer" Leo wasn't listening, at least it didn't look like it to his brother.
Standing up out of his seat, Leo shoved passed his brother, grumbling under his breath something just about audible. "You wouldn't get it" he raced away toward where he knew the rest of the group would be.
Meanwhile, outside of the simulation chamber, April and Casey were stood to one side while Donatello gave the youngest and newest member to the team a little pep talk before he went in to the chamber, their new found android friend, Professor Zaton Honeycutt stood by his side.
Changes in Michelangelo's behaviour had given the two geniuses on board the ship some concerns about his wanting to go in to battle. First of all, he wasn't really eating properly, instead of anything solid, he would just have a bottle of milk, which was more like a baby bottle of milk. Then his sleep schedule was peculiar as in, it was a lot more than someone their age required. Tantrum fits, crying whenever he started to feel hungry. His speech even started to sound a little younger. He was forgetful around all but Leo. In fact, the youngest turtle would stick to the eldest like glue.
"I wanna go in, now" Mikey demanded, giving emphasis by stamping his feet and pointed. Really, with his mind and actions already being childish, it shouldn't be much of a concern but it was. "I wanna beat up bad guys"
Donnie rolled his eyes, the only thing he could think of that was causing this new found behaviour was possibly how much Leo was doting on to him; spoiling him with affection and allowing this kind of behaviour to slip by and give in to his demands easily, not that the they were much to complain about. A hand was placed upon Donnie's shell. "We should let him try" April suggested. "It's not like it's totally dangerous. Especially if you put it on easy" Donnie turned back toward his friend, with a small smile, he agreed.
"We can always turn it off if it gets too much for the wittle guy" Casey stepped in. Mikey shoved at the teen, pushing him away from him. He hated being spoken to as if he were a child, worst of all he hated his cheeks being pinched.
Donnie brought his brother's attention back to him, placing both hands on the boy's shoulders, Mikey stood still for a moment. "You're definitely up for this?" Mikey nodded frantically in response. Though he was still unsure, for some reason Donnie could never refuse his little brother.
Leo and Raph finally joined the others. Leo's eyes were the size of the dinner plates when he saw Mikey jumping and darting around the room. He would have been impressed with the newcomer's abilities if he wasn't completely enraged with the others.
"Look, see he's ready. He's doing great" Leo had to admit, he was rather proud of the newcomer, they all were. Mikey moved with such ease and grace. Darting around the room, dodging and taking down his opponents. "It looks a bit too easy for the boy, doesn't it" All but Leo seemed to agree. The leader's hand was immediately on top of Donnie's as he reached for the control panel. His eyes were on the genius turtle, staring and waiting for him try again.
It hadn't been ten minutes in to the session and already Mikey looked weary; his movements started to become sloppy and unmotivated to a point where his opponents could jump him. "Aahh!" Mikey screamed as he was suddenly taken to the ground, held down by his opponent. "Mikey!" Leo cried, louder than the others. His voice was panic stricken.
The simulation was immediately shut down, the door thankfully opened and Leo burst in to the room. "Mikey..? Michelangelo...? Look at me. Come on wake up, little man, please."
The others gathered around Leo and Mikey, all sharing the same expression of worry and panic as their leader. They were getting no response from the youngest turtle. "Something's wrong, Donnie. What's wrong with him?" Leo yelled at his genius brother, receiving a confused reaction. Donnie had never seen his brother so panic stricken before. Placing two of his fingers on the younger's neck, Donnie looked up toward Leo watching as he held the boy closer. "Help him, please"
The crew was forced to wait outside. All they could do was watch through the window as the Professor was doing everything he could in an effort to save Michelangelo. Nobody knew what to say, none of them could help him. All they could do was just keep on hoping that Michelangelo was strong enough to pull through his ailment. "He c... can't... die right" Casey asked. Nobody knew how to respond, all they could do was remain silent.
All eyes fell upon Leo as they heard a sudden shudder in his breathing. No one had ever seen him cry before, he was the one that was supposed to remain strong, he was the eldest, he was the leader, at least that was what Leo always believed. Leo's body jumped a little as he felt two hands be placed on the back of his shell. "It's okay, you don't have to be strong all the time" Leo turned his head from side to side. Both of his brothers had tears in their eyes. They were right and he really couldn't hold it back any more.
It was about half an hour later... the Professor exited the lab with his head hung low. "No, no!" Leo yelled. He had to be held back before he could attack the Professor. He was hysterical. Swinging at Donnie and Casey, giving himself only one opponent to worry about. Leo struggled against his brother and it was getting increasingly harder to contain the angered leader. "Get off me!" Leo growled. Ripping away from the hold his brother's hold on him. "Leo!" Within seconds, Leo was in the Professor's face.
"Leonardo, I promise I did everything I could for your son" The group exchanged glances with one another and Leo could only give a quizzical look to the Professor, then anger. "How did you..?" Leo forced the Professor against the wall, waiting for an answer. "No, if you tried everything, my son would still be..." Leo suddenly felt dizzy and his eyes felt heavy very quickly, they rolled back as everything went dark. Leo's body fell limp. Before he could hit the ground the Professor caught him as he fell forward.
From behind him, April panted, she dropped her arm once Leo was down, she didn't want to have to do that. As an unconscious Leonardo was taken in to the infirmary, April and Raph could then proceed to help Donnie and Casey back up on to their feet. "Did they say Leo's son?" Donnie asked.
April sat on the floor of infirmary with Leo's head resting upon her lap. She didn't completely know what she had done to him to make him pass out, she needed to be sure that she hadn't hurt him. "I keep hoping it's a prank" Donnie said, his voice cracking with each word. "Like his eyes are just gonna suddenly snap open. He'll laugh and then Raph will punch him for making us think— —" before Donnie could finish something weird and maybe wonderful started to happen to Michelangelo's body.
Before their very eyes, the colour in Michelangelo's skin started to reappear as if nothing had happened, but then any scars that he had gained started to fade. "What the heck's going on Donnie? Professor? Either one of you geniuses?" Neither genius had an explanation, all they could do was watch, Michelangelo's body was now starting to decrease in age and they were unsure of when it was supposed to stop. "This is impossible, Michelangelo's body is regressing, decreasing in age" Was all the Professor could say. All of a sudden Michelangelo was gone but Leo's stomach had grown, then slowly it started to shrink back to the size it was before. "Words, anything?" Raph questioned. All eyes were wide; only Michelangelo's mask and gear were left behind. "It's like he was just erased" Donnie struggled to say. He was unable to stop staring at the empty bed where his apparent nephew once lay. How could someone just disappear like that? Leo had no idea that he had just re-absorbed his son, none of them were sure how or whether they would tell him. It was a scary thought of how he could very possibly react.
Leo had finally woken up an hour ago and since then he had been moping around, laying on the sofa and feeling just miserable. Constantly uttering that he had let his son down, somehow. It was Leo, he'd always find a way to make it his fault.
The group was gathered in the wreck room, while the others were being forced to sit on the floor, Leo lay on his front, across the sofa. "Leo...?" Donnie went to say something but found that words alluded him as a whimper escaped Leo's throat, the sofa couldn't quite muffle the sound enough to make it inaudible, no matter how much Leo tried. "Is there anything we can do for you?" Donnie resorted to asking.
"No" Leo croaked a whisper in response. "I just want to be left alone" Maybe it was for the best that they left him alone, none of them knew what to do or say, having never suffered the loss of a child before. None of them knew Michelangelo as well his father did.
Quietly, the others left the room, leaving Leo alone, just as he had asked.
Three and a half weeks later...
Lately, Leo seemed to be completely drained of energy, he slept in til noon, only to then rush to the bathroom and then eat and drink as if he hadn't in days. He would have constant dizzy spells and bouts of nausea. While the others thought it was all part of the grievance process, Leo suspected otherwise. He knew these symptoms, he had them before.
Locking himself in the bathroom, Leo struggled to wait patiently for his results. This two minutes seemed to be taking forever. He tried to meditate and think about what either result could mean for him, but this situation was stressful enough without the risk of his mind wondering down a road it couldn't return from.
Leo clenched his hand tighter around the two pregnancy tests he had made with the universal replicator, resisting the urge to look before the timer on his phone went off. "Will you hurry up" Leo whispered harshly to his phone. He could hear his heartbeat thumping in his head, pulsing his brain, honestly he felt as though he could throw it up. Then finally thank shell the timer went off. Leo unclenched his hand from around the sticks. "Positive"