The Colonel didn't let them linger long in the Professor's room. He led them out in silence, letting each trail at their own pace. Donatello followed behind blindly, more or less in a daze. He just couldn't believe it. To think, he, out of all of them, he was destined to go completely out of his mind. Never in a million years did he think it would end like that, locked away in a bare white cell for his own protection, pouring over equations that any sane scientist would know to be a wasted effort. Neither had he imagined how sad a sight that would be…
"Hey, Donnie? Do ya think Mr. Psycho-crazy-bonkers back there can work out the Heinz-n-burgers thingie?" came Michelangelo's voice from somewhere behind him. Donatello's eyes narrowed, his annoyance factor jumping up to eleven at that little remark. Truthfully, he knew his baby brother hadn't said it quite that way out of spite, it was just how his mind worked, but he was in no mood to make excuses for the younger turtle in his head.
"It's 'Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principal,' and no." he practically hissed through gritted teeth, never bothering to look back at the other. "You can't map electrons' exact location with any kind of accuracy, you can only guess. That's why the teleporters that they have on Star Trek wouldn't really work. Besides, I haven't the faintest idea why he'd want to bypass the Uncertainty Principal. What's the practical application in a situation like this? What could he possibly do with it?"
"The Triceratons have teleporters." Mikey pointed out, a rather pleased-with-himself smile spreading across his face. His smile faded when the comment seemed to go through one ear and out the other, Donatello ending the conversation with a dismissive wave of his hand. The shorter turtle let out a small huff, his posture slumping as he stared down at some small object he'd been playing with in his hands.
"Man, no one ever listens to me…"
"Mikey? Whaddaya got there?"
Mikey let out a tiny squeak, hiding the object behind his back as he turned around to face Raphael's suspicious glare.
"N-nothing!" he lied blatantly, knowing all too well that his elder brother had already seen what it was. Raph narrowed his eyes down at him.
"Is that a marker? Did you mess with the Professor's equations before we left back there?!" he scolded in a harsh whisper, not wanting the Colonel to overhear him just yet. The rebel leader seemed to be extremely protective of his mind-addled brother, and he didn't think the man would be terribly appreciative to know that some punk kid had waltzed in and messed with his work, useless though it may be. Mikey shook his head vigorously at the accusation.
"N-no way, bro! N-not even a little! I swear!" he retorted defensively, though Raph seemed to see right through him. Suddenly, Michelangelo broke out into a run, aiming to sprint across the command center to get away from what was sure to be an angry Raphael chasing him. Maybe he'd even run past the Colonel and put him in between the two of them? Yeah, that sounded like a good plan!
Unfortunately, it was far from a good plan. The instant Michelangelo went to pass by his future self, he suddenly felt himself freeze into place, as though his entire body had been paralyzed. He remained like that for several long seconds, unable to move a muscle, sweat starting to bead on his forehead. All he could feel was the lightest of pressures on his left shoulder, though he couldn't even turn his head to see what was causing it.
Raphael skidded to a stop in his impulsive chase as soon as it happened, his eyes wide. Colonel Hamato was glaring over his shoulder back at him, a single finger pressed down against the left shoulder of his younger counterpart, the mere touch seeming to freeze the boy dead.
"This is a military base, not a playground. Start acting like it or I'll throw you out to the Swarm." He stated calmly, though the very real tone of intent in his voice sent a chill up Raphael's shell. As if to put emphasis on the fact that he could make good on his promise, he increased the pressure on Mikey's shoulder ever so slightly. The younger turtle immediately fell to his hands and knees as though the pressure had been that of a ton of bricks. Raph could only stare in amazement, and perhaps a bit of fear. He'd only ever seen Master Splinter do that.
Satisfied that he'd gotten the point across, he released his hold on the boy, such as it was. Michelangelo collapsed, drawing in a deep gasp of air as though he had been held underwater that entire time. The Colonel then continued forward as if nothing noteworthy had occurred there. Mikey scrambled back up to his feet, but rather than look dejected at the entire incident, he had that sparkle of admiration in his eyes once again.
"Dude! You so gotta teach me how ta do that, bruh!"
"I don't have time to play games, boy. I have more important things to worry about." He replied dismissively, heading over to a large table in the middle of the command center. Major O'Neil and Sergei were already there waiting for him, and the six teens soon clamored around the table, hoping to get in on the action. There was a massive map of New York City spread out on the table's surface, countless different lines, circles, arrows, and other indecipherable indicators littered across its surface. Leonardo looked up at the adult turtle.
"What's going on? Is it bad?"
"It's always bad." The Colonel retorted a little impatiently. "The problem is we don't have the resources to continue fighting as we are. At this rate, the Shredder's forces are going to chip us down to nothing in a matter of weeks."
"So, what are you gonna do about it?" Raphael asked curiously. The Colonel let out a sigh.
"The only thing we can do; pool every last resource we have and throw it all into one last blitz on his stronghold…"
"You don't sound too confident about that…" April commented with a raised eyebrow.
"Truth be told, I'm not. Even with all we have left, all the soldiers and all the weapons, even throwing Steranko's forces in, there's virtually no chance of success that I can see. It's a suicide mission any way you cut it."
"Then why bother at all?" Casey interjected with a disinterested shrug of his shoulders. That earned him a fierce glare from Colonel Hamato.
"What else would you have me do?! Just sit here and watch my men die, day in and day out?!" he roared, his fury suddenly overcoming the tight emotional control he'd had to build up over the years. "You think I enjoy this?! You think I'm playing games here?! I don't like the situation one bit, but it's all I have left! At least this way we can die on our own terms rather than waiting for death to come knocking at our door!"
It took a long moment, but the Colonel slowly cooled down to a level approaching his earlier calm. Donatello cast a glance over at Major O'Neil. She was staring hard at their fuming leader, almost seemed to be concentrating intently on him. Then, he understood in a flash what she was doing; she was using her telepathic abilities to calm him, to get him back under control. Donnie's brows furrowed. Could it be that the Colonel was just as mad as the Professor? Could Major O'Neil and her powers be the only thing left holding his mind together in all this?
"Does it have to be so hopeless?" Leonardo asked suddenly. "This last strike… Does it have to be a guaranteed failure? What if we found some way to tip the scales more in our favor?"
"Like what?" The Colonel replied blandly. "Don't suppose you've got a spare army hiding in your shell…"
"I was thinking about your brothers. The future Leonardo and Raphael. Won't they help?"
"I already told you, they refuse to have anything to do with me anymore…" he replied through gritted teeth, his control straining again already. Leo pushed further, despite the danger of another explosion of anger.
"But you can still try to get them on board, can't you? Surely if you ask—"
"You think I haven't tried all I can already?!" he barked out harshly, snapping once more. "Do you even understand what you're asking?! Those two hate my guts, possibly even worse than they hate Shredder himself! They blame me for all this! Me! And for what?! For having the gall to continue fighting even as those two fucking cowards run away from the world with their tails tucked between their legs!"
The Major had to physically put her hand on his shoulder to get him to calm down this time.
"Easy, Mike… Look, maybe the kid is right – don't give me that look, hear me out first. Maybe there's a slim chance we can get your brothers on our side. I know you've already tried everything you can do by yourself, but we have a new asset on our side this time."
The Colonel looked down at the red-headed woman with an expression of genuine confusion.
"'New asset?' What are you talking about?"
She merely gestured at the six teenagers standing across the table from her. The Colonel looked shocked.
"Them?! What can they do that I can't?!"
"They can be who they are. Think about it, Mike. Let your brothers be asked to join us by they themselves. Their past selves, in any case. They may have too big a chip on their shoulders to listen to you, but maybe they'll listen to themselves."
The Colonel stared at the six before him – particularly Raph and Leo – for a long while. Donatello thought he saw Major O'Neil give his shoulder a gentle squeeze before Colonel Hamato finally let out a sigh of defeat.
"Alright, I'll organize a proper plan for it in the morning. For now… I think we could all use some rest."
And with that, they were dismissed. Donatello couldn't help but stare after the Colonel as he left the room, his eyes darting to Major O'Neil occasionally. The older turtle's earlier demonstration on Michelangelo had certainly been impressive, but he had never seen anyone do that with a touch to the shoulder, not even their Sensei.
Morning, as was typical for a military base, came before the dawn. Sergei had come into their newly assigned room while the sky was still pitch black outside, ordering the six teenagers awake with unrestrained impatience and even a few Russian expletives tossed about for good measure. They were soon filing out into the command center once more, each of them still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. Colonel Hamato was already out there, already pouring over his maps, though they were of a wider area than just New York City this time, encompassing parts of the nearby states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He didn't look as though he'd gotten much rest. Leonardo was seriously starting to wonder if his baby brother's future self ever slept at all anymore.
"So, do we have a plan yet?" he asked once they approached the table. The Colonel nodded, never looking up from the maps.
"Of course we do. This sort of thing isn't rocket science, though we'll be relying on a bit more luck than I'd normally be comfortable with. We've just got to pray those two stubborn bastards are in the mood to talk..." He replied, mumbling that last bit under his breath with plenty of bitterness to spare. He then began indicating points on the map as he explained.
"I'm going to have you split up into two groups and head out simultaneously. I can't afford to waste time this close to the final strike. Major O'Neil, I want you to take Raphael, Donatello, and Jones and head over to Newark. The last reports from the scouts still have Raph in that location." The Colonel replied, addressing Major O'Neil more than the others. Of course, that didn't stop the other members of that group from responding rather strongly to the idea.
"He went to New Jersey?!" Donatello exclaimed, slapping a hand over his mouth as he retched at the idea.
"Even worse, it's Newark! I can smell that place bad enough as it is on this side of the bridge! I don't wanna have to actually go there!" Raphael protested just as strongly, his skin crawling at the mere thought. The Colonel gave them a bit of a sneer, but it seemed to be aimed more at the location itself than their aversion to it.
"Hate to do it to you, but that's where he's at. You boys are just going to have to grow a pair and get it over with. As for the rest of you…" he moved to an area of the map more to the west, into Pennsylvania. "I'm afraid you've got a longer trip ahead of you. Leo's group is holed up in the mountains just north of Allentown. They've apparently taken over an abandoned mine of some sort and set up shop in there. Major Steranko will take Leonardo, Michelangelo, and April there."
"What?!" came another protest, this time from Casey. "Why does April have to go with this stupid son of a rhino?! Why can't she come with us?!"
The Colonel shot Casey a sudden icy glare that made the other five take a step away from the human teen, as though not wanting to end up collateral damage.
"Because those are your orders. It makes no sense to unbalance the teams and send both telepaths to the same location. I'd like to use that particular asset to its fullest. Besides, Sergei happens to be one of my best men. I trust him with my life and I expect you kids to do the same." He replied before narrowing his eyes a bit more at the boy, his tone growing lower and more dangerous. "Or are you going to become a problem for me? I'll only warn you once, Mr. Jones… I don't tolerate problems."
Casey went rigid at that, eyes widening slightly as he attempted to swallow the lump that had just appeared in his throat.
"N-no, sir… N-no problems here…" he muttered, mostly under his breath. The Colonel, satisfied with that answer, returned to his maps. The instant he looked away from him, however, Casey's attitude returned in a flash. He gave Sergei a sneer, making a quick gesture with two fingers from his eyes to those of the Russian Major as if to say 'I'm watching you.' Sergei's response was simply to roll his eyes and shake his head slowly at the boy's utter ridiculousness.
They had to wait until the sun finally peeked out over the horizon before it was safe to leave the base. A single engine roared across the deserted interstate, the sound echoing into the eerily silent distance as it cut through the thick fog. Sergei rode an old black motorcycle that looked as though it had probably been in his father's collection since the early days of the Cold War, blowing past speed limit signs with satisfying abandon. After all, what police were left to ticket him for speeding? Leo and Mikey were cloistered together in a side car, the weight and balance of which served as the only limiting factor for how fast the Russian was willing to push the vehicle. April sat just behind the man, her arms wrapped around his waist to keep from falling off. She had a look on her face like she had chosen that spot just to spite Casey and his childish jealousy.
They were on the road perhaps forty minutes before they passed through New Jersey and into Pennsylvania, yet in all that time they hadn't seen a single running vehicle other than their own. The towns they passed all looked abandoned. In fact, the only real sign of life any of them saw on that entire trip were the huge herds of deer that they occasionally caught running across the derelict highway. Colonel Hamato had told them that Shredder had more or less ground the entire Northeastern region to a halt in recent years, but they hadn't quite believed that until they'd seen all this.
They eventually turned off the highway and onto a local roadway through a few small towns. There wasn't quite the destruction that they'd seen in New York, it felt more like people had just dropped what they were doing and left while they could. The street was filled with debris, mostly fallen branches and oceans of dead brown leaves. The early December air left a glistening layer of frost over everything, and the cold wind bit at their faces as it rushed by. They were only lucky that the snow hadn't come just yet.
The local road soon turned into a dirt track that quickly began sloping upward into the mountains, and soon they were left with hardly any trail to follow at all. They headed straight up through the rough brush and tall pines before finally coming to a stop near a cave opening.
"Finally! I thought my face was going to freeze off if we kept going!" Mikey whined as he flopped ungracefully out of the side car, rubbing vigorously at his face with his hands.
"You were offered a scarf. It's your own fault you didn't take it." Sergei replied unsympathetically, cutting the bike's engine and letting April get off first before he followed. She let out a small grunt of discomfort, trying to stretch the stiffness out of her legs.
"Ughh… I think I'm gonna be numb for a year… Why do people consider motorcycles so cool if they're so uncomfortable to ride?"
"It's an old military bike. They weren't built for comfort, they were built to get the job done." He said, directing the three teens to follow him forward. He then headed towards the mouth of the cave, the others close at his heels. Leonardo looked up at the titan of stone that was the mountain, still utterly confused as to why his future self would come all the way out to a place like this.
"Sergei, what is this place?" he asked finally.
"This is the sanctuary of the Brotherhood of Serenity."
"The who of what now?" Mikey asked, his face going blank with confusion.
"The Brotherhood of Serenity. They're an order of monks who preach non-violence and other such nonsense. Of course, their 'noble' cause doesn't stop them all from practicing martial arts and carrying swords around. I've got no idea what possessed Leonardo to join up with this bunch of freaks… No offense, of course."
By the time they reached the cave opening, a figure covered from head to toe in a thick blue robe was already there waiting for them, a sheathed pair of katana clearly visible at their waist. Unbecoming as the robe may have been, the three shivering teens found themselves a tad jealous of the unidentifiable individual contained within. It looked warm, at the very least. The figure held up a thin hand to halt their advance.
"Why have you outsiders come to our sanctuary?" came a beautiful female contralto from under the shadow of her hood, sparking a moment of slight shock from the four intruders. That bulky robe hadn't betrayed any hint that it was a woman that greeted them.
"We've come to talk to Leonardo. Is he here?" Leo asked, feeling a bit odd to be asking after himself. The woman gave a short scoff.
"All Brothers and Sisters are given new names upon entering our order. You will have to be more specific."
"Dude, he's, like, a giant mutant turtle. Ya can't exactly miss the guy." Mikey replied snarkily, at which point Sergei raised a peremptory hand to halt any further comment from the teens.
"Let me speak from now on. I'd like to see if I can do something before we fall back on using you three." Then, to the woman. "We'd like to talk to your Master if we can, Sister. Our situation is urgent and we haven't much time."
The robed woman seemed to consider them for a moment, as if gauging their honesty. Then, she bowed slightly in relinquishment, holding a delicate hand out to indicate a large rectangular depression in the rock next to the cave entrance.
"You must leave your weapons before entering. There is no bloodshed permitted within these sacred walls."
Leo, Mikey, and April, a bit unsure about leaving their weapons and entering a strange place, glanced up at Sergei as if to ask what they should do. He seemed to be glaring at the woman, glancing with contempt down at her two katana. Then, reluctantly, he gave them a short nod. April stepped forward, placing her tessen in the depression with some reluctance. Mikey followed suit with his nunchaku and shuriken, then Leo with his dual katana. Sergei, the most hesitant of all, took a bit longer to disarm himself. He first removed the two revolvers from their holsters on his hips with a slight flourish, then came the hunting knife from his belt, a second and third knife from inside each tall boot leg, a small Derringer that was hidden under his shirt, and, finally, a Swiss Army knife from his pocket. Mikey gave a long whistle.
"Damn, dude. You think you got enough there?"
Sergei had started to turn to retort the young turtle's comment when a hand shot out with surprising swiftness to grasp his wrist firmly. The Sister lifted his arm up, her alabaster fingers gliding gracefully over his sleeve and pulling it back to reveal a heavy steel bracer strapped to his forearm. He could practically feel her eyes narrowing up at him from where they lay concealed under that blue hood. He returned the supposed look in kind.
"You have already taken away my offensive capabilities. Would you begrudge me my defensive ones, even as you lot walk around with those swords at your hip?" he challenged, indicating her weapons with a small nod of his head. She considered for a moment, then released her grip on his wrist.
"Very well. You may follow me."
The four were led into the cave and into nearly complete darkness. The winding passageway ahead was lit dimly by a procession of candles mounted on the rough stone walls. April jogged a bit to catch up with Sergei's long strides, looking up at him with a quirked eyebrow.
"What are the bracers for? I thought these monks were supposed to be peaceful."
"It doesn't hurt to be prepared for anything, especially given their leader's feelings towards our cause." He replied in a low tone, not too keen on getting their escort in on the conversation. Then, a smirk formed on the red-head's lips.
"Y'know, as a Steranko, I'm surprised you settled for plain old steel. I'd have figured it would have to be gold with your family, knowing your father."
"Gold is too soft a metal for such things. Besides, who said they were just 'plain old steel?'" He retorted evenly, letting a small quirk of amusement tug at the corner of his mouth. He then pulled back his sleeve a bit, giving her a closer look at the bracer hidden underneath. She could now see the countless intricate bands of dark and light hues swirling beautifully over the surface of the armor plate. "Damascus steel. My family may have expensive tastes, true, and this is no different. Except Damascus steel is prized for its impeccable quality and strength rather than strictly monetary value."
Their conversation ended just as the cave tunnel opened up into a vast cavern. The three teens couldn't help but look around in awe. Where the passage there had looked like raw and untouched rock, this area almost seemed to be made of polished slate. The floor had been smoothed to perfection, the intricate design of a half-opened lotus blossom carved into it within a circle. Just beyond the circle was a huge stone staircase leading up to a heavy wooden door, a huge blue torii gate indicating that it was the entrance to the temple proper. The Sister came to a halt before these great steps.
"Brother Zatoichi, a man and three youths have come here in search of a turtle by the name of 'Leonardo.'" She announced in a voice barely above a normal speaking tone. They didn't see how anyone could have heard her from all the way up there and through that heavy door, but apparently someone did. The door opened, and another robe-shrouded figure emerged.
"So, the Warmongers have returned after all these years, have they?" came a soft but raspy male voice from under the new figure's hood. The monk descended the stairs without haste, a sheathed katana swinging lightly at each hip. Mikey opened his mouth to say something, but Leo immediately covered it with one of his hands, remembering what Sergei had said about leaving it up to him for now.
"We've come for Leonardo. Or can he not be spared from your oh-so-important work?" Sergei asked, just a tad too much condescension in his voice for the head monk's liking.
"Leonardo no longer exists. How many times must I explain to you? Go back to your Colonel and inform him that he has wasted his precious time yet again by having you come here." Brother Zatoichi replied without an ounce of malice in his even voice. That clearly wasn't a satisfactory answer.
"We need him. The Shredder is too strong for us to survive much longer as it is. If he doesn't come back, then Colonel and Professor Hamato – his brothers – will soon be dead, along with countless others."
"Perhaps he should have thought of that before he started this war of his."
"Have you become blind even to the past? It was Shredder who started this war against Hamato Yoshi more than thirty years ago, and the Colonel carries on the fight in his Master's memory."
"More fighting, more death is never the answer. One must be willing to put aside these petty squabbles if peace is ever to be achieved."
"That's easy to say for a coward who runs and hides away from the world's problems."
Sergei managed to raise his arm just in time to keep the blade of a katana from slicing his head open, the steel of the sword ringing against the Damascus bracer guarding his wrist.
"You will leave, Warmonger. Now." Zatoichi warned, not yet withdrawing his blade from where it had come to a stop against the Major's arm. Sergei glared stubbornly at the robed man.
"I will leave either with Leonardo in tow or with myself in a body bag. The choice is yours, monk."
What followed next was the most elegant dance of blades that Leo had ever seen in his life, a scene he couldn't help but marvel at even as he continued to hold his struggling baby brother captive in his arms to keep him from speaking. There was a flash of steel as Brother Zatoichi drew his second katana and advanced forward on the attack with surprising force. His lightning quick slashes had no beginning or end, they merely flowed into one another like water. Sergei was immediately set on the defensive, taking what almost looked like a boxing stance as he bobbed and weaved to miss getting struck by the blades by a hair's breadth, his fists raised to keep his armor-plated arms at the ready. He managed to weave around to the monk's back, taking the opportunity to go onto the offensive by aiming a high roundhouse kick at his opponent's head. Zatoichi whirled around immediately, bringing up one of his katana up to meet the Russian's shin in midair with full force. Both Leo and April had to snap their eyes shut, not wanting to witness someone getting half their leg cut off. They expected to hear a cry of pain. What they heard instead was the familiar clang of steel on steel.
When they opened their eyes again they saw Zatoichi's blade still crossed with Sergei's raised leg, though not an ounce of blood had been spilled. The Major pulled back just in time to avoid getting his stomach slashed open as the monk's other blade swung around towards him. April couldn't help but let her eyes wander down to Sergei's leg to make sure he was okay, and what she saw surprised her a bit. A sizable gash had been made in the leather of his boot leg where the two had clashed, a glint of metal peeking through in the dim cavern lighting. He'd worn bracers on his legs as well.
Sergei was soon on the defensive once more, raising both arms to each side of his head to block the blades converging on him from either side with a resounding 'clang.' One of the blades withdrew, was spun to be held backwards in the monk's grasp, and the Major felt the pommel of a katana's hilt drive painfully into his gut before he had time to react. He gasped breathlessly as the wind was knocked out of him, doubling over and clutching at his abdomen with both arms as he took a staggering step backwards. He wasn't given a chance to recover, as his opponent quickly brought a knee up to slam into his face with a sickening crack.
Sergei was sent flying backward, landing on his back with a dull 'thud' just a few feet away. He tried to will his body to move, tried to ignore the blood streaming from his surely broken nose as he watched the monk approach him, but he couldn't move in time. Brother Zatoichi was already standing over him, both katana raised above his head in preparation for the final strike. The blow came thundering down just as Michelangelo managed to finally worm his way out of his brother's grasp enough to free his mouth.
"Leo!"
Sergei flinched as the monk's katana froze dead in the air just an inch before making contact with his face. He could do nothing but stare past the blades, up into the shadowy abyss within Brother Zatoichi's hood, trying to gauge the expression of a face he couldn't see. He could hear the two young turtles scuffling with each other off to the side.
"Mikey, stop! He said he wanted us to let him try first!" came Leonardo's harsh whisper.
"No, dude! You don't get it! I've been tryin' ta tell ya all along! It's you!"
Brother Zatoichi almost seemed frozen in time as he stood over the Russian soldier, not a single muscle twitching. Then, his voice came so softly that Sergei wondered for a moment if he hadn't mistaken the wind for human speech.
"What are these specters' voices you bring me, Warmonger?"
"They're no specters." Sergei replied in as dignified a voice as he could manage with a freshly broken nose. "They're flesh and blood, and they're here from fifteen years in the past."
"Is this true, child?" Zatoichi called out, never looking away from his pinned opponent. Leo froze, somehow feeling that he was the one being addressed out of the three of them.
"Y-yes, sir. All four of us have come to this timeline, and Casey and April too. It's a long story… But we're trying to help with the situation here before we can focus on finding a way home. Colonel Hamato is fighting the Shredder with his rebels, but he needs help." Leonardo explained, pausing a moment before asking the one question that was burning in his mind at the moment. "Are… A-are you really me?"
Brother Zatoichi didn't reply right away, instead seeming to let the new information sink in for a moment. Then, he stepped away from his fallen opponent, sheathing his blades. He then made his way over to the three teens that had stayed well back from the fight, coming to a stop in front of the oldest turtle. Leo stared up at the figure for a moment, having not realized quite how tall the monk had been. Then, Brother Zatoichi raised his hands, pulling back his hood and revealing a bald green head.
Leonardo couldn't stop himself from drawing in a sharp gasp at what he saw. The large robed turtle had a band of fine blue silk wrapped around his head and covering his eyes, two jagged scars cutting down across his face at a sharp diagonal angle. Each scar passed over the exact spot where his eyes would be under that silk band. Leo's eyes widened a bit in realization. It was him, no doubt about that, but…
"A-are you blind?!" he blurted out before he could stop himself, painfully aware too late how rude it sounded to his own ears. It was a genuine question though, and Brother Zatoichi nodded slowly in the affirmative.
"I am, child." He replied in that calm, soft rasp he had when he first arrived, as though no fight had just taken place at all. Michelangelo stared up at the blind swordsman in utter awe.
"Duuude! You did all that without bein' able to see?! And I thought Future Me was badass!"
"And I am afraid he is who I must discuss with you now." The larger turtle added, a small trace of ice entering his normally even-tempered tone. "What has this Colonel told you with that silver tongue of his to convince you children to fight at his side?"
Leo's brow furrowed at that. What was he implying, speaking in such a way?
"He… He told us just what I told you, that he was fighting the Shredder. What else do we need to know to want to help him? Isn't that enough?" he replied, growing a bit unsure of himself now.
"And has he told you why he fights the Shredder?"
That question seemed to make Leonardo's brain stop for a moment.
"Wh-what kind of question is that? He's been hunting our Sensei since before we were born! He killed him! What other reason could the Colonel possibly need?!"
"Yes, he was hunting Hamato Yoshi. He killed Hamato Yoshi. Therefore, what reason is there to continue this destruction any longer? The Warmongers have chosen a path of pain, of misery, of death. They have chosen the path of vengeance. And just where has this vengeance gotten them? New York is nothing more than a pile of rubble. Thousands have died in this war of his, something I find absolutely abhorrent. He's going to have to answer for each and every one of those deaths, alone."
Leonardo couldn't help but stare up at his future self with a look of pure horrified disgust on his face. His fists balled up at his sides, an anger beginning to burn inside him. Was this really what he would become? Was it truly possible that he could ever come to think so callously about his own brothers, and especially Master Splinter? Had his heart been gouged out along with his eyes?
"So you're satisfied to just let your own brother die out there while you hide away?! What kind of coward are you?!" he roared, his building emotions quickly starting to overcome him. Brother Zatoichi seemed unphased at the accusation, and his reply, delivered coolly and casually as ever, was the last thing Leonardo could have ever imagined coming out of his own mouth, no matter how much time had passed.
"That monster is no brother of mine."
And that was all he could take. Leonardo snapped, his rage boiling over, and he lunged at the monk with both hands aiming at the uncaring bastard's throat. He may not have his weapons, but he would be perfectly satisfied with strangling the life out of him with his bare hands if he had to! He was grabbed from behind before he ever got the chance, and this time it was Michelangelo holding a struggling Leonardo down against his will.
"You sorry son of a bitch!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, glaring with absolute hatred at the robed turtle as he quietly turned away from them. Brother Zatoichi didn't say another word as he ascended the stone staircase to his temple, leaving them there to go back to New York with empty hands, their efforts completely wasted.
