It seemed silly, really. All the petty things that I'd worried so much about in my lifetime, short as it had been. Worrying about my hair and my nails and whether or not anyone noticed the scar on my lip was pretty inconsequential when you no longer had lips. Or a body.
Yep. I was dead. "Deader than a doornail" was a common phrase I'd used in my life to describe things that were in my situation. Though what doornails had to do with floating through the void I was in escaped me. I thought about it all a few times, all the things I'd done and all the words I'd said. All the words I hadn't said. All the times and places I'd kept quiet and held my peace for the sake of tact. If I could have gone back and tried again, I would probably have said what was on my mind a little more. But again... that didn't really matter now that I was here. Wherever here was.
For what must have been the five hundredth time I called out into the void for someone, anyone, to hear me. It was silly and useless but really... I didn't have many other options. It was either that or just keep existing here alone for another eternity. I wasn't even sure how long I'd been there. Maybe it was as short as a few weeks and maybe it was as long as a century. Without a watch and with no one to keep you company... it was a little difficult to tell.
But finally something heard me. Something huge and powerful and radiant and beautiful. It wrapped around me protectively, cradling my consciousness and chasing away the sickening fear that I was going to be alone until I faded away.
You have much to give and much to learn, young One. You have known pain and thus you can bring pleasure, known heartache and thus can bring charity, known anger and thus can bring joy, known neglect and thus can bring care. You will lift up the heads of the weary and strengthen those who are no longer strong. This is the desire of your heart. But it will come at a heavy price.
You have what is required by a special place in the multiverse. Without someone like you being placed there a whole dimension is in danger of crumbling under the weight of the evil that is working to overthrow the balance that has been established. It will be a long and dangerous road ahead of you but if you will work and give everything you have to offer that universe you might be able to tip the balance back in favor of peace and order.
Do you accept this placement?
I started, surprised. Placement? You mean… like… another life?
A continuation of your existence in a new physical frame.
H-have I had other lives? Other… frames? Before?
Of course. But with each new birth those memories are hidden. The pain and the loss of the ten thousand lifetimes that you have lived, all of the people that you have known and loved that have each gone on to live their own continuations whom you may or may not ever see again... It would be crushing and more than your body could bear.
Ok. I guess that makes sense. So all of these lives and experiences... It sounds like an insane number of beings to keep track of. There must be a lot of different worlds out there in order to accommodate all of those existences.
That is correct. There are worlds without number and lives immeasurable. Universes and Dimensions and possibilities endless.
I thought for a while about that and then addressed the IT again. I accept, but please allow me to retain my memories from my last life. If I am to do all of these things then I can't forget the lessons I have learned. Please. Let me go there with all of my memories from my last lifetime and let me start there as an adult. If I am going to do all of those things then I want to hit the ground running. Please don't make me suffer through childhood again. I want to make a difference now.
IT turned a pleasant, bright green and glowed with happiness. Agreeing to my request, I felt IT carry me through an enormous expanse of space and time. I watched galaxies fly by in every size and shape for what felt like ages and yet almost no time at all. I was amazed at every one of them, millions of lightyears across, filled with every color and variety of star and planet, and each one different from the last. We zipped along smoothly, passing them all by until I was brought to a swirling spiral galaxy and we dove into it. Dust and stars flew by as we approached our destination and at the frightening speeds we were moving at I wished dearly for eyelids that I could have closed. Without them, however, I watched in nervous anticipation as the planet flew closer and closer until…
Pain.
The sensation of being compressed was almost overwhelming and I was sure I was going to be crushed and destroyed. But then it subsided and instead I was left with only the feeling of incredible heaviness. Why was it dark? Why was I cold? …Cold? Wait…. I had a body again! I twitched my fingers and was so relieved to find that there was sensation in and beneath them. My eyelids flicked open and I grinned. Eyes. I had eyes. I sat up and looked at my hands, so grateful to have flesh and bone again. Flexing them a few times I sat up and looked myself over. It took a few minutes of tapping knees and wiggling my feet excitedly before I reached up and felt my hair. It was wet and long like it had been when I had first entered college. Wait… Wet?
It was then that I realized it was raining. I lifted my face and let the water pour over me, breathing in the humidity and happily basking in the pitter patter of the drops on my skin. I shook my head and giggled, then laughed loudly. I splashed in a nearby puddle with my hand, only to be immediately made aware that it was filthy. My clarity of mind starting to return, I looked at myself anew.
I was dressed fully with shoes on my feet, but that was all. No purse, no identification, and nothing in my pockets. I stood up and looked around, finding myself in a dark alley that I had never seen before. Come to think of it, I was in a completely new world. I hadn't ever seen any of this before. But it looked… human. Earthy. There were dumpsters and buildings and as a car drove by on the street I wondered if maybe I'd just been given a new life on my same planet. It certainly had looked a lot like earth from outer space… though the galaxy had looked a little different from the pictures I'd remembered seeing…
Shaking my head again I stepped out onto the sidewalk and looked around. It was a neighborhood. Though, from the looks of it, there were some business buildings nearby. Just down a few alleys that went through to the streets on the other side. No problem. And so, with no real idea of what I needed to do or where I needed to go, but knowing that I had Somewhere I desperately needed to be, I started walking.
The first alley was no problem, but the second alley did not prove to be so kind. I got halfway down the stretch when three large men, tattooed and carrying crude weapons, appeared at the end of the alley. Feeling more annoyed than anything, since I had only just been put here and I clearly had things that I needed to do, I kept walking. They looked at each other with a slight amount of confusion and moved together to block my way. I rolled my eyes and sighed audibly, stopping in front of them and folding my arms.
"Look, I don't have anything you can steal. I don't have a purse, I have nothing in my pockets, so would you please be so kind as to move so that I can be on my way?"
The smallest of the three shifted a little and moved to get out of the way but the man next to him snarled and elbowed him. "The hell are you doing?"
"The hell are you doing? She jus' said she ain't got no money. And we's late ta meet da boss-man."
"Shut ya mouth, rookie. We got time, and this pretty little thing's got plenty ta go around." The largest man advanced forward, making me instinctively backpedal. Suddenly remembering IT mentioning a great cost that my placement here would require, I started to panic.
"Nooooo nonononono you can't be serious. No way." I tripped on an empty box and hit the asphalt hard, but ignored the sensation of bruising and gravel digging pits in the palms of my hands. Scrambling I rolled and ran. There was shouting from behind me, urging the 'rookie' to catch me. Spurred on by the realization that only one of them needed to catch me to secure my demise, I picked up speed and began knocking things over behind me to slow my pursuer down.
My efforts were not enough, however, and it wasn't 20 seconds later that I felt a hand snatch the back of my shirt and jerk me backwards. I whirled around, smacking him hard with the back of my hand and stomping his foot. He yelped and cursed, dropping me, and I turned to run again only to bump forcefully into the most muscular of the three gang members.
"You gonna pay for that, girlie!" The howling man snarled at me, pulling out a knife. "Imma gut you right here and right now so I neva hafta see your face again!"
"COWABUNGA!" The victory shout from above announced the arrival of a new player to this deadly game as a massive form dropped from the roof above and immediately sprang into action. As quick as lightning and with the whirling hum of a bullroar the three thugs were dispatched and dropped to the ground, leaving me wide-eyed and breathless. Then as quickly as he had come he started to scale the fire escape and disappear into the night. It took my brain until he'd nearly reached the top to realize who this was and I screamed his name to keep him from leaving.
"MIKEY! MICHELANGELO! Wait!"
He froze in place and slowly turned to look at me. I could read shock in his posture, though he was too darkly veiled for me to see his expression. He dropped back down the fire escape and cautiously approached, sticking in the shadows. I was panting and my head was reeling at the fact that I was really speaking to him, but I had to say something or else risk losing this once in a lifetime moment.
"Th- uh- Thank you. I… I thought I was done for. But you saved me. Thank you Mikey."
"How do ya know my name? We met before?" He asked cautiously, and I was surprised at his timidity.
"No, no. You won't believe me when I tell you how I know you but you've definitely never met me before." I laughed and started walking forward, but froze mid-step when he immediately backed away.
"No don't do that! Don't… I'm… I'm different. Wouldn't wanna scare ya, you know?"
I laughed again and tilted my head to the side. "I know you're a turtle, silly. Now stop running away so I can give you a thank you hug."
"Wait… what? You know I'm… how?"
"It's a long story." I replied with a grin and a slight shake of my head.
It took him a second to process but suddenly his reservation was spent and he rushed forward, picking me up and spinning me around. "WOW! Somebody who isn't scared! I knew it I knew it I knew it! Leo swore it would never happen but I just knew! I knew somebody someday wouldn't be scared! Aw girl this is the best day ever!"
I squealed and laughed, my arms pinned to my sides and my lungs crushed in his powerful embrace. I wheezed and tried to speak as best as I could but the sound came out sounding strangled. "UGH! Excited to meet you too… Mikey… Oh geez… Can't breathe…"
He put me down quickly and I gasped for air, stumbling from the dizziness brought on by his spinning and my lack of oxygen. His arms carefully braced me on either side and I clung to him with a giggle and a grin until the world ceased its crazy spin. When his beaming face came back into focus I smiled even wider and straightened up, tugging my soaking shirt back into place.
"Well, that was exciting! So are you out patrolling alone or are your brothers nearby?"
His eyes grew wide and his head ducked a little bit in awe as he leaned forward towards me. "You know about the bros too? Are you a Jedi? What else do ya know about us, girl?"
I chuckled and looked down. "More than I should, probably. I know Leo is the oldest and he and Raphael butt heads all the time about him being leader. Raph is always scowling but really he's a sweetheart once you get to know him. Donnie is generally seen as the mild one but he's also sassy and hilarious. You are usually seen as the goof off but really you are… uh… well… The heart of the team. The anchor in a way. You keep everyone going when things look hopeless. And then there's Splinter, your father and Sensei, and he's a bit of a hardass but genuinely he loves you all more than anything."
Michelangelo's jaw had dropped in amazement and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Duuuuude… That is all totally true. Did you read my mind or something?"
I sucked in a deep breath to answer when a movement on the rooftops caught my eye. My head snapped up and Mikey turned, keeping a hand on my waist, and squinted to see who it was.
"I can't tell… was that Don? Wasn't big enough to be Raph…"
"Yeah, it's the Don-man. He 'n I are takin' this side of Manhattan, Leo n Raphie got the other side."
Mustering up a little bit of courage, I called out cautiously to the rooftop, "D-Donatello? Donnie, uh, it's ok. I know you're there. You can come out now."
The cautious form of one of Donnie's cameras peeked over the edge of the building. Mikey snorted and shook his head. "Naw, he ain't comin' down."
I grinned over at the orange-banded terrapin. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to go up to see him. If you want to scale up there quickly and let him know I'm on my way up, I'll take the stairs and be up in a minute or two."
Mikey rolled his shoulders confidently and smirked at me, making my heart flutter just a little bit. Damn that smile was addictive. "Aw, no need for stairs girl. I gotchu. Jus' hang on and the Mikey Express'll take care of the rest."
Giggling and blushing I put my hands up defensively and took a step back. "Noooo no no no. I'm way too heavy for that. I can take the stairs."
He cocked an eyebrow ridge and quickly scanned me up and down, burning my cheeks a slightly darker color. "Psh, you're… what… like 130 now that you're soakin' wet? I can bench like two of you, sweet thing. I got this."
"A buck 40 when I'm dry, actually, and that's a vertical climb." I replied with just a hint of firmness in my tone, shifting my body weight unconsciously a little to stand up straighter.
Tilting his head to the side, he looked at me carefully for a second and then took a half-step back. "I ain't gonna make ya do somethin' that makes ya uncomfortable, angelcakes. If ya wanna take the stairs, I'll let ya. But you aren't heavy, and I'll carry ya if ya want."
I was startled by his reply, completely unused to not having to fight over something like this. I glanced up quickly, and then looked back at Mikey and considered his offer. Sucking in a deep breath I smiled nervously and stepped over to him. "I know I'm going to regret this if I don't, so what the heck."
He gave me a cheeky grin as I wrapped my arms around his neck, and then with a quickstep I smoothly jumped and tucked my knees to my chest while supporting my weight with my arms. His arm cupped me tightly, securing me to his chest, and he nodded appreciatively. "Oooo, nice moves. You a dancer?"
I snickered to myself and shook my head, averting my gaze in mild embarrassment. "No, not officially. I just dance with my… well… I used to dance with my friends anyways. But… uh… they're pretty far away now so I can't really anymore."
"Aw, did they move away?" He asked, walking easily over to the fire escape and coiling up to spring. Tightening my grip on him I buried my face in his neck and squeezed my eyes shut. He chuckled at me just before launching the two of us vertically into the air and beginning his easy climb up the fire escape. I didn't say a word until we reached the top and I felt him walking across the level rooftop. Peeling my eyes open I caught sight of Donatello's nervous form shuffling on the other side, crouched and hiding to keep out of sight. Uncoiling a little I popped my head up and grinned, incredibly excited to meet the brains of the tmnt operations. He, on the other hand, did not share my sentiments.
"Mikey!" I heard him hiss at his brother, "What are you doing!?"
"Chill, brah. It's cool. She's totally on the level. Aincha, babe?" He stopped walking and gently released his hold on me, allowing me to slide to my feet and stand on my own.
"What kind of brain injury has she sustained to allow you to hold her like that?" He hissed again, pulling back out of sight with a small flinch when his eyes met mine.
I laughed and walked around the cooling unit with a warm smile. He pulled back further into the shadows with a tiny 'Eep!' as I tried stepping forward to him. Furrowing my eyebrows in confusion I dropped down to a crouch and used my hands in a rather ape-like fashion to help me hop-walk a little closer. "Don… Donatello… hey… Hey it's ok. I know about you, hun. There's no need to hide. I know about your mutation and your family and I can assure you that I have not sustained any injury, thanks to your brother. Come on out. It's ok."
He blinked a few times in the darkness at me, his head tilting to the side in disbelief. "You… aren't frightened of my appearance?"
I grinned at him and knelt down in the hopes of talking to him for a minute at least. "Hardly. As a matter of fact I find you a very handsome gentleman indeed, scales and all. You won't believe this, but I think that you, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael are all very handsome and I have absolutely no fear of you. Now how about you come out of the shadows there. That looks like an awfully uncomfortable place to crouch."
He smoothly slid out of the shadows and into the light nearby my side, pulling his goggles down to inspect me a little bit more closely. "Are you sure you don't have some kind of concussion? Are you a spy?"
I chuckled lightly and shook my head, answering with a cheeky grin, "No no, I'm no spy. I only just arrived here, truthfully. Though after the day I've had, I wouldn't put a concussion completely out of the question. Honestly you're the most familiar face I've seen in I don't even know how long and it's … I'm honored, really."
Donatello balked and lifted his goggles to peer into my eyes in shock. "Honored? You?"
"Yes of course!" I laughed again and leaned back against the cooling unit. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you why, but trust me when I say that I am truly and deeply honored to meet you and Mikey."
There was the tiny sound of something tinkling on the metal I was leaning on, and I looked up to find Mikey leaning over the edge with his arms folded and his chin resting on the lip. He was grinning down on me and I laughed at his antics, earning me an even wider smile and a little wiggle that brought him scooching forward over the edge so his arms could dangle down and reach me where I sat.
"Mikey, what are you doing you silly goose?" I giggled as I looked up at him and his wiggling fingers trying to reach my face.
"Well I was gonna try ta poke ya but I can't reach."
Snickering at him I swatted playfully at his hands. "Hey, tuck your chin and shake your head a little. I wanna see if you can land your necklace on me."
Beaming like it was the greatest idea he'd ever heard, he immediately obeyed. His necklace slid over the back of his head and dropped, his sunglasses bonking me on the head but the rest of it landing on my left shoulder. I giggled and looked up to see Mikey's mortified expression.
"Ohmagosh, chica I am SO sorry…"
I scrunched my face at him and blew him a raspberry before holding his necklace up to him with a wink. "I dunno what you're freaking out about, but you missed. Scoot a little to the right n try again."
He looked over at Don with a huge grin and wiggled to the side, slipping the necklace on again and attempting the feat once more. He landed it that time and I pumped my fists triumphantly in the air. "Scooooore!"
Mikey laughed and propped himself up on his elbows. "Aw yeah, the Mikeynator's got skillz, brah. Sorry for whackin' your head the first time…. Uh… Geez, I dunno your name."
"Aaliyah."
He blinked twice and furrowed his eye ridges a tiny bit. "Say it again. I wanna get it right."
I smirked and pronounced it again. "Uh-lee-yuh."
He tried it a few times before grinning down again at me. "Damn. Pretty name."
I blushed again and looked out at the rooftops around us. "Thanks. It's ok if you forget, I forget names all the time. I usually have to ask people to remind me like eight times before I remember it on my own."
"Forget?" Mikey rolled and dropped down next to me, making me squeak and giggle, inching a little closer to Don out of surprise. "Naw, no way I'd forget you. You're the first girl that hasn't tried throwin' a brick at my head or run away screamin'. I couldn't forget ya if I wanted."
I made a noise of total disbelief and pulled a face. "Whaaaaaa? No, that can't be true. What about April? April loves you guys, doesn't she?"
Suddenly solemn, Mikey's gaze dropped to the roof and he picked at the ground for a moment. "She…"
"How do you know about April?" Donnie asked behind me, leaning forward to catch my eye.
"Ummmmm….. VERY long story. But I know she saved you guys from the fire when you were babies and everything. So…"
Donatello tilted his head to the side and kept his face void of expression. "What else do you know about her?"
Suddenly on the spot I tried to recall as much as I could from their world and put it in a way that wouldn't incriminate me. "Weeeeelllllllllllllllll… I uh… I know she took a picture of you boys after the subway hostage situation. Then she uh, kinda accidentally showed Sacks the way to the lair and then she and Raph and Vern had to go on a rescue mission to get you guys from the estate. Then she went to the tower with you guys to take on Shredder and she got the canister of mutagen that was distilled from your blood from Sacks and she kicked Shredder in the face and then she got her job back at Chanel 6 news as a reporter but kept your secret and… she's your friend?"
Stoney-faced, Don looked out over the rooftops. "Mostly your information is correct. Except for a few details at the end. I don't know who this 'Vern' is, and April did manage to get the mutagen from Sacks but at the cost of her life. She was shot twice in the abdomen and we were not able to get her to medical attention in time. Unfortunately, in our haste to get April to a hospital we were seen by dozens of onlookers and were hunted mercilessly for 15 months and 27 days afterwards. We have not been able to be seen since without gross repulsion and terror, as we are something of a boogeyman here in this city. You see, the bystanders thought that we were the cause of her death, though the way Raphael in particular was acting it is a logical conclusion to come to. We considered leaving, but without us New York has no chance against the Shredder; so we stay and fight from the shadows."
Horrified, I looked at Mikey and Donnie back and forth. Mikey was sullen and silent, and Donatello had set his face firmly though there was an extra glitter in his eyes that belied his stoicism. My heart aching I wrapped my arms around Mikey and nuzzled his shoulder. "Mikey… I am so sorry. I didn't know. I really didn't know. I understand now, and I am so sorry." Letting go of Mikey I turned and hugged Donnie as best as I could with his pack and tech.
Donatello stiffened in surprise and leaned away a little. Sputtering and scrambling for words, he shifted out of my grip and turned a noticeably darker shade of green. "That, uh, well that is, it was years ago and we've adjusted since then. We do well enough. But that doesn't explain where you received your information. How do you know what you know… and how did you not know about April's death? It was reported on the news for months."
Shivering a little at the evening drop in temperature, I smiled and shook my head. "If I tell you the truth you'll think I'm delusional. Either that or intoxicated in some way. It's just too crazy."
Mikey draped an arm over my shoulder carefully and I snuggled in to his side. It was some slight relief, but his cold-blooded body didn't provide much in the way of heat. "Girl, you're freezin'. How about we getcha home an' you can get dry."
Shivering again, though I did try to stifle it, I smiled up at Mikey. "Aaaaaaaaaaactually about that. See…. I… aw hell, I might as well tell you the story. The long and the short of it is I don't have a home. This that I'm wearing is all that I have. But let me explain why and hopefully I can do it in a way that doesn't make me sound too clinically insane."
And so I started from the beginning. My home, my life, and my death. The encounter with the IT and our exchange, and then my arrival here and meeting Mikey. I explained how on my world they were fictional characters that I knew and loved and how their version of the TMNT story went on my world. I started to tell them about other versions of them but by then my teeth had begun to chatter too much for conversation and I was freezing.
The brothers looked at each other for a moment over my head, passing back and forth some silent expressions and gestures before Donnie sighed heavily and Mikey beamed. "Miss Aaliyah… if your story is true then we cannot leave you out here on the streets alone with nowhere to go. Your body temperature is already dropped to 97.7 and will continue to drop quickly in this weather. Leo and Raph won't like it, but…"
"We're keepin' ya!" Mikey exclaimed, scooping me up easily and hopping to his feet. I giggled and squealed at the sudden movement, clinging to Mikey tightly.
"What? I get to go to the lair? Are you serious?"
"Hell yeah, girl! You're gonna love it! I'll show you all over my crib and we'll getcha all toasty and dry and we'll watch movies and play videogames and…"
"Woah woah woah… Hold on. Easy there tiger." I giggled, chiding him a little and tapping him gently on the snout. "You are forgetting one very important thing. Splinter. I will not step one foot into the lair without getting Splinter's ok first. I love and respect him too much to simply invade his home that way. So you call Splinter first and THEN we'll see if I can stay for a little bit."
Mikey smiled at me warmly and hugged me even closer, nuzzling his face into my neck. "Awwwwww, girl, after hearin' that I just KNOW he's gonna like ya. Don-man'll call on the way and work his magic. Won'cha Don?" He called over his shoulder at his brother, earning him a snort.
"I'll see what I can do, Mikey, but I'm no miracle worker. You know how he feels about bringing people home."
He smiled a bit nervously at Don but wiped the apprehension from his face when those baby blues shifted to focus on me. "It'll be alright. I ain't lettin' ya stay out in the cold t'night. If Don can't convince him, I'll work my Mikey charm and win him over. But we better get movin' before ya turn into a cute-cicle."
I giggled and blushed, turning my head a little and looking away. "Awww, you are so sweet. But you know you don't have to butter me up any. I already like you guys a lot so there's no need to try to win me over."
He beamed at me and shook his head a little, his eyes still twinkling with happy disbelief. "Man, I'm never gonna get used to that. And I don't wanna either. Let's go, babycakes."
Mikey led the way, running and jumping across the rooftops easily with Donatello in tow. I couldn't hear what was being said but it did sound like he was doing his absolute best to explain the situation to their father calmly and rationally. We dashed over the sleeping city for what felt like miles until Don called out for Mikey to wait, that this was far enough. The younger of the two brothers sat down with me on his lap, wrapping his arms around me protectively and hugging me tightly.
"Man… I'm sorry I'm not warmer, girl. You're freezing. First thing I'm doin' when we get home is stickin' you in the tub so you can stop shaking." I nodded my head and buried my face in his neck to keep out of the wind that had picked up, chattering violently and hoping Don could convince his father soon. Donnie began pacing the rooftop and I could finally catch his side of the conversation now that we were no longer running through New York City.
"Sensei, whether or not her story is believable seems a moot point. She has no key on her person, no I.D., and her core temperature is rapidly dropping in this weather. She has nowhere to go and until we can find out more, I don't see how we have a choice. Weather aside, letting her go seems foolish. … … Hai… Hai… … Hai, Sensei. Estimated arrival time is 7.47 minutes. Hai… Thank you Sensei."
Donnie ended the call and slumped his shoulders, letting out a rush of air and buckling his knees slightly. "You are cleared to enter our home. Now come on Mike, we have to get her inside right now." He adjusted his goggles a little and took another thermal scan. "96.1 … Any more time out here and you'll enter severe hypothermia. Let's move, Mikey."
Michelangelo quickly stood up and shifted my shaking figure around in his arms so he could safely drop down the side of the building and slip after Donatello into the sewer system. Cold as I was I didn't have the capacity to be repulsed by the overpowering stench of the place, nor did I care enough to count myself so blessed. I didn't pay attention to the twists and turns we took once underground, only noting that it was significantly warmer out of the wind and rain. There were voices and questions and a little bit of jostling in Mikey's arms… I felt two different large hands each press in turn to my face to feel my temperature and then one smaller and bonier one. I knew I was in trouble when huddling closer to Mikey actually did feel warm, but as cold as I was there was no way I could do anything more than pray that my pitiful situation would not fall on deaf ears tonight. Or else there was a real chance I wouldn't get the opportunity to greet tomorrow.
