Mikey wiped his nose with his wrist and a sniff. The bumps of the road didn't help his mood, it reminded him too much of when the Kraang invaded. Having Leo in the back of the van, prone, and quiet set a familiar fear. Nothing was going to be the same, only this time, their father was there to try to help instead of Donatello, April's dad was driving with Casey next to him instead of Casey driving with April sitting shotgun. A warm arm around his shoulders was the only thing that kept him from slipping away from sanity. He was confused. He was hurt. He was scared. This was all too much for him.
"Don't worry, he'll be okay." Raph rubbed his little brother's shoulder, squeezing him up to his side. He knew what Mikey was thinking. It was hard not to, after all, this situation felt much too similar to their past events. There were only few differences but that terrible feeling of fleeing was nipping at him. He felt as if they were running away with trouble chasing them down… or maybe it wasn't trouble but Death riding his pale horse.
He pressed his cheek on the top of Michelangelo's head. The actual thought that Death may be following them scared him, but he couldn't show fear. Mikey needed him strong, strong as Leo had been for them in the past. Splinter needed him to give the hope that Mikey once supplied. It felt as if everything was on his shoulders now. They would get through this. He would make sure of it. There were no more options. He wouldn't let any of them slip away from him, not any more. Even if he had to sell his soul to the devil. He would keep his family safe and sound.
"Raphie?" Mikey's voice was tiny.
"Yeah, little brother?"
"You're squeezing me too tight…"
"Sorry. I…" The words died in his throat. Seeing Leo tucked in next to them, seeing their sensei's ears pulled back as he cradled his eldest's head… it made him feel as if it was a now or never situation. He twisted and pulled Mikey into a full embrace. He squeezed him as tight as he could. He nuzzled his cheek against freckle kissed skin. "Don't you worry about Leo. Don't worry about anything. I love you. Leo loves you, and I know Donnie did too. So… so be strong for us, okay?" He pulled away and rubbed away some tears that slipped out from under the wet orange mask. "Be the strong ninja I know you are."
Michelangelo nodded as a breathless, "Okay" was pushed out from between his lips.
Raphael smiled, it was sad, stressed, and tired, but it was a good smile.
Mikey sniffled while pulling his mask down to his neck. He took in a deep breath then let it out slowly. Raph was right. He had to get a hold of himself.
"You look tired. We got some time before we get there." Raph shifted himself so that Mikey could stretch out. When his little brother gave him an unsure look he understood immediately. He smiled and rubbed the top of Mikey's head. "Go saddle up next to Leo."
"Raph?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you too." Mikey smiled and leaned against his brother for a little bit. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the strength that Raph offered.
"Get some sleep, goof-ball."
The youngest turtle crawled across the moving floor. He slipped himself alongside his eldest brother. He wrapped his arms around one of Leo's and tucked his head onto a tone shoulder. His father's hand stroked over his head as he stifled a yawn. If he tried, just for a moment, he could pretend he was a little turtle once again, too young to know what the outside world was like, and Donnie wasn't too far.
It was barely an hour later. The bumps in the road felt more soothing, the night air flowed in through Mr. O'Neil's open window. The man had been quiet most of the drive, only asking Casey a few things from time to time to make sure he was going the right way. He had understood when Casey came to him to drive, after all, Casey may know how to drive but now that there were regular police patrols it was best to have an adult behind the wheel. He had stayed quiet mostly because he didn't know what to say. His own daughter had… had killed the smartest person he knew. The one that never gave up on him besides his own little girl when he had been kidnapped. The one that figured out a cure to turn him back to normal when he had been mutated. The least he could do was give the suffering family a lift.
He glanced behind his shoulder. Splinter was hunched over, neck relaxed as he slept sitting up. Raphael had found his way over to Mikey and Leo, bending around them as if he was trying to protect a clutch of eggs. Mikey clung to Leo as if his big brother was a teddy bear… and Leo? Leo looked empty, even in his sleep.
He looked back to the road, memories of the time he lost his wife surfacing.
"Do you think this will work?" Mr. O'Neil asked softly, as to not wake the others.
Casey scratched the back of his head. He honestly had no clue. "It's… better than just waiting around."
"It's really hurt them… especially the blue one."
"Leonardo." Casey supplied.
"He must have been close to his brother."
"They're all close." Casey leaned against the van door, looking out to the inky black mess that whipped by.
"It wouldn't surprise me, they're Endlings after all."
"Endlings?"
"The last of a species kind."
Casey never thought of it that way. At first he freaked out when he met them but now… now they were simply normal people. They may be green and have shells but to him they were every bit human as his next door neighbor. Thinking of them as Endlings… it hurt him to think there will never be anything quite like his friends again. It scared him too.
"Sorry… I didn't mean to bring you down."
The teen shrugged. "It's okay. There's not much to look up to nowadays."
"How much farther?" The balding redhead decided to change the subject.
"Another hour's worth."
"We're headed towards the coast?"
"Yeah. There is an old Military base there, decommissioned or something. It's been left to just sit there since World War II. Not many people know of it."
"Then, how do you know?"
"My dad took us camping last year. My sister and I were exploring and found it."
"Do you know what it's called?"
"Nah, most of the words on the sign are all messed up."
Once again they fell into a silence. Curby followed along the dotted yellow and white lines that determined his lane until he had to slow down to turn onto a freeway junction. They were taking a tight loop around a decline of road. He could only hope that these creatures that have proven to be more reliable than most humans would be alright.
When Leo woke up, they were almost there. The rest of his family was still asleep. He could feel Mikey's arm draped over him as Raph snored, his face not far from Leo's own. From the gentle movement he could tell he was in a vehicle. Splinter had uncurled enough to get blood back into his legs that he had stretched out next to his sons, while he rested his back against the bench seat. Leo's jaw clenched. His hands gripped into a tight fist.
They had taken him.
He wasn't home. They had taken him away from resources that he could have used to help Donnie with.
He glared, his body became tight and rigid. Judging from the last thing he remembered, to his current situation, he could surmise what had happened to him. He knew now that they would be watching him like a hawk ready to dive down on a field mouse. It didn't help his situation that he did not know where he was nor which way to walk to go home. He was stuck for the time being.
Silently he moved away from his family, pressing himself up against the back corner of the van. He drew up a knee and rested an arm over it. He would just have to find another way to save Donnie. There was no way he was going to leave him in that hell. He had to think.
What would Donnie do?
Create a timeline?
Maybe… but he was uncertain when it would start. Gathering clues was hard enough. He knew in one dream he was shown some parts. In the past… or… another dream, he wasn't certain, but Donnie himself had told him what tubes where. He found a manual for radios dated back to the 1940's in Donnie's things. The taps or beeps in his nightmare, or the state he was in that Donnie could reach out to him, Casey said it was Morse Code. That meant they were dots and dashes. So far, everything was pointing back to World War II, but why? Donnie only recently… Could something have happened back then? Something that would have triggered such specific current events? This was where he needed Donnie. He would have been able to research everything, dig through all the piles of information of the past and make sense of them. They weren't really taught history, Splinter never really intended to let them out of the sewers. Human history was not essential to learn. But from what he knew from a few TV documentaries there were nuclear capabilities at that time. Strange experiments that were happening in every country. There were more mysteries that the war itself either created or covered up than any normal citizen would care to know about.
So… in conclusion… he had little to nothing. Except… He reached into his belt. The feeling of paper greeted him as he pulled out the folded piece that was tucked into a hidden pocket. He didn't have much light to see Casey's sloppy handwriting, but he had the numbers. Two different lines, probably spaced due to the pause that was between the dots and dashes he had fed out.
He squinted at them. There was something familiar about the numbers. The more he stared at it the more he felt the bothersome taunt of a thought just out of reach.
The van started to slow, the change in pace made his family stir. He quickly tucked his piece of paper back to where it had been. He kept a hard eye on the others as they woke. Raph complained that Mikey had drooled on him at some point. Mikey gave a sheepish smile before seeking out Leo. Seeing his brother's gaze he didn't say anything, only looked down. Splinter got on his knees and turned around to look out of the windshield between their two human escorts.
"We're here, yo!" Casey tried to sound more excited than tired.
Splinter had opened his mouth to say something only to have his words halt on his tongue by the sound of the back doors to the van opening when they came to a complete stop.
"Leonardo, do not wander far." He cautioned as he caught a glimpse of a shell and the tails of a blue bandanna disappear into the night.
"I'll keep an eye on him." Mikey was quick to follow his brother, his hands grabbing two backpacks from the back as he went. He slung one over his shoulder, stepping out into the cold night air. His body shivered, goosebumps rising on his thighs and arms. He saw Leo's form standing off to the side in the tall grass that was almost as high as his knees. He picked up his feet, while stifling a yawn and went up to his brother's side. If he was quiet and closed his eyes he could hear it, the rolling of waves.
"Hear that, that's the ocean, bro." Mikey's voice was quiet and calm. "Doesn't really smell all that salty, but you know, we live on an island anyway."
Leo didn't reply, only stood still. His arms were folded over his chest, his eyes focused on the old military base in front of them. It's buildings were mostly squat, maybe two stories at the highest. There was about three buildings that had more floors, each varying. The tallest was about six to seven floors. There was evident structural damage in the buildings he could see; fallen sections of walls, cracks showing roof cave ins, brick and mortar scattered in piles. Most floors wouldn't be safe to stand on.
"Leo?" Mikey touched his brother's arm only to have it shaken off. As a desperation to not be shut out he quickly looked around. Splinter and Raph were currently grabbing lanterns as Casey and Mr. O'Neil worked to open the neglected chain link fence that surrounded the place. They were all busy. It gave him some cover. He opened the bag in his hands, the one he had packed for Leo. He dug out a book and pressed it up against his big brother's arm. That got the attention of his sibling. He looked down, seeing Mikey hold out to him the book he had left in Donnie's room. The one with his name encompassed in a heart.
He turned, unfolding his arms as he gently took hold of the book.
"I… I saw what Donnie wrote in there." Mikey clutched the backpack in his hands. He pushed back one of his feet so he could dig his toes into the ground in an anxious motion. "... I think I get it now… why you're so hurt."
Leo's shoulders sagged a little.
"I think Donnie tried chasing April so bad to try to not mess things up with you." Mikey pulled up the backpack in his hands in favor for wrapping his arms around it. It hurt to talk about Donnie. "He liked you the most, you know? I think he was too scared to do anything because if you said 'no' then you may have treated him differently. He would have had to live with you knowing you didn't love him back… but you do… don't you?" Mikey's big eyes turned up from the book to his brother's face.
Leonardo's once hard expression softened. He nodded while taking in a sharp breath.
Mikey's lips tugged into a little smile. "I brought you the book because I thought you need it. You need to remember Donnie more than I do. He loved you and… and… I know we'll see him again, but it just may take a lot longer than we really want it to."
"Yo!" Raph's voice carried over to them. "Will you two bozos come and help?! We need more eyes to scout out a good place to set up for the night!"
Mikey handed Leo his backpack, he stepped around his eldest sibling to head toward the others. Leo looked down at the book, thankful he had one thing that could help him in this whole damn mess. He stuffed it into the bag and secured it. He slung it over his shoulders. In front of him was the old military base, rising high in the night sky were red lights that gently faded in and out. There were radio towers close by, and with a little luck, maybe Mikey just had handed him the one thing he truly needed to save the love of his life.
