Ch.4: Broken Trust
A sickening feeling of déjà vu once again hit Raphael as he found himself sitting under the suspicious glares of his brothers.
Master Splinter stood at the side of the room, worried that hostility may erupt from this conversation. According to Leonardo, it seemed that Raphael had been keeping secrets about the Crimelord.
If this was true, then what hidden terror was Raph about to reveal?
" Raph, we know the truth" said Leo " We know who Crimelord is,"
"We also know why he targeted you the first time he arrived" said Don " He's your future isn't he?"
"No, he can't be" said Raph " I would never turn into someone like him!"
"Then why is he still here?" said Don " If he's not your future, why didn't he disappear?"
"I don't know" said Raph " When I found out who Crimelord really was, I was stunned. I didn't tell you guys because I couldn't believe all the horrible I…he's done! But I would never do that!"
"But you are doing it Raph" said Leo " and that's the problem,"
"It's hard living with the fact that your own brother is going to become a supervillian," said Mikey.
"And an even more powerful one than what we dealt in the past," said Don.
Raphael frowned, because he knew his brothers words rang true, and Master Splinter finally decided to speak.
" I think that is enough questioning for today" said Splinter " you four get ready for bed,"
Breathing out a huge sigh of relief, Raphael joined his sensei as he walked out of the room. Leo and the other turtles though lagged behind.
"What are we going to do Leo?" asked Mikey, looking nervously towards his blue-masked brother.
"Crimelord's still here" said Leo " He's still part of Raph's future, and he has to be stopped,"
"But how will we do that?" asked Don " He has magic and that shark on his side,"
"I don't know" said Leo, sadly " but if worse comes to worse we may have to…,"
Leo didn't finish his sentence. He didn't need to. Both Mikey and Don could feel what the final words would be.
If worse came to worse, then Raphael may have to die.
Later that night, a restless Raphael twisted and turned in his sheets. Vicious nightmares plagued at his mind, threatening to tear apart his soul.
He could see himself staring into the cold eyes of Crimelord, free from mercy and totally filled with hate. Armageddon's eerie laugh also came to haunt him.
"Ha!" laughed Armageddon, kicking Raph in the chest "You don't have enough power to beat someone like me. Just like you didn't have the strength to save your brothers lives, or tell them what you knew about Crimelord,"
"You're weak and pathetic. No power, no hate. Your future won't change if this 'kindness' is all you got. "
"I will stop the Crimelord" said Raph, unaware that Mikey was just coming out of the woods "He'll never get me to fulfill his future,"
"Just try it" said Armageddon, getting up close to Raph's face " We'll wait for your surrender,"
Even worse than the horrors of his future, was the emotional suffering Raph felt when his brothers scolded him from hiding the truth.
" Raph, we know the truth" said Leo " We know who Crimelord is,"
"We also know why he targeted you the first time he arrived" said Don " He's your future isn't he?"
"No, he can't be" said Raph " I would never turn into someone like him!"
"Then why is he still here?" said Don " If he's not your future, why didn't he disappear?"
"I don't know" said Raph " When I found out who Crimelord really was, I was stunned. I didn't tell you guys because I couldn't believe all the horrible I…he's done! But I would never do that!"
"But you are doing it Raph" said Leo " and that's the problem,"
"It's hard living with the fact that your own brother is going to become a supervillian," said Mikey.
"And an even more powerful one than what we dealt in the past," said Don.
The last image Raphael saw before jolting awake in his nightmares, was Crimelord's cold, cruel face as the villain laughed.
Sweating with fear, Raphael sat up straight in his bed, hugging the blankets close in fists, ventilating for security.
He couldn't let these horrible things happen. He couldn't allow this terrible future to come true.
"I'll never be like him!" said Raphael " I won't turn into Crimelord!"
But how could he stop his own future? Crimelord was still here, and he possessed powers Raphael didn't even have.
"I can't stop him if I'm to weak to even fight back," thought Raphael, in his mind.
While thinking of a way to get stronger, Raphael's eyes landed on the spell book, Master Splinter's witch friend had left behind. The red-masked turtle had kept it safe just in case the witch ever came back, but now his mind found a different use for it.
Grabbing the book from his night stand, Raphael laid it out on his bed, and started flipping through the pages, searching for a spell that would make him as powerful as Crimelord.
The turtles and Splinter lay ignorant in their beds, as multiple glows suddenly illuminated from their dark lair, feeding Raphael the mystical power he richly sought.
But one set of eyes was not closed to these proceedings, as he watched from far away, in the glow of his mystical orb. Grinning wide beneath his mask, the Crimelord laughed out in triumph.
"The evil seed has taken root, and soon it shall bloom. Come to me Raphael, I'll be waiting for you,"