The bright, swirling and chaotic dizziness of the portal enveloping the room, blasting away the shadows with stark hues of pinks and purples, soon melded into a calm picture spreading outward towards the forming sunset, a new dimension stretching out forever for Shredder12 on the monitor screen.
Shredder12 turned around and surveyed the control room of the Technodrome. April O'Neil, strung so high, was screaming and swinging forward and back on her rope. Krang was yelling nonstop, waving his tentacle-like arms in his fury, his insults folding into the shrill consistent screams of April's. Shredder12 ignored it all, trying to block out the way April's shouts reminded him as Tang Shen as the fire had taken her life. He walked to the end of the room and pulled Shredder87 up by the front of his cape, stared him in the eyes. "Come with me. We will find the turtles of whatever dimension this is."
"And then what?" Shredder87 asked, watching Splinter struggle against Bebop and Rocksteady's grasp instead of into Shredder's torturous ruined eye.
"Destroy them." It was brief, and as soon as Shredder12 said it, he dropped Shredder87 and swiftly turned around, striding towards the exit. Shredder87 watched him go, amazed by this Shredders' pure determination, the way it echoed his own desire to kill the turtles. But Shredder12 was different in a way: once he failed to destroy the turtles, he just got back up and tried again - no planning, no strategy, all vengeful anger.
Shredder87 followed Shredder12 out of the exit, embarrassed at how easily he had been taken control of. However, Shredder87 had an idea. Shredder12 could destroy as many useless dimensions of turtles as he wanted, but when they got to Turtle Prime, Shredder87 would make his stand. He couldn't watch the multi-verse crumble around him, even if it meant siding with the turtles to defeat Shredder12.
-Turtles in Time: Re-Shelled dimension- (just a small video game that came out in 2009)
Shredder12 strode down the ramp of the Technodrome like he owned the world, followed by Shredder87.
It was dark, the sky spattered with white stars and a crescent moon. This New York was a strange mix of dark and bright, goofy and serious. And right now the streets seemed completely empty, so the only things with a view of a giant Technodrome was the security cameras nearby. But that could change in an instant if people started driving down this road, so the turtles of this dimension had to be destroyed quickly before the Technodrome was found out.
"Aren't we going to find the turtles with the Technodrome?" asked Shredder87, pointing to the giant vehicle they had left behind in the road.
Shredder12 scoffed. "It is much to slow, and would bring too much attention. Besides, I see the turtles now." He pointed down the road to a large building in the middle of construction, and among the rafters and wooden boards, were the four small sillouettes battling a huge collection of what looked like Foot soldiers.
Shredder12 ran to the building, climbing swiftly up the side, hoping to sneak up on the turtles while they fought the Foot soldiers. Shredder87, however, took the easier way up: the elevator the construction workers used.
-2012 dimension-
Leonardo12 and his brothers couldn't believe their eyes. They had stepped into the Lair only to see dozens of turtles surrounding them, all looking so different that it was only the red, blue, orange, and purple masks that told what turtles they were.
"Where did all of these dudes come from?" Michelangelo12 gasped. He then turned to see Michelangelo03 and Michelangelo90 digging into a box of his pizzas and ran over to fend them off. "Hey, dork turtles, get away from that!"
As soon as the 1987 turtles lead the rest of the 2012 turtles into the group, introducing everyone, Leonardo03 narrowed his eyes. "These new turtles, they look like...kids." It was, in a way, true, but still offended the 2012 turtles. The 2012 turtles, besides Donatello12, were about as short as the 1987 turtles. They had a youthful quality to them - even Leonardo12. Michelangelo12 was energetic and as animated as a cartoon character, and his freckles didn't make him seem any more mature. It sort of disappointed the other turtles. These turtles looked no match for the Shredder that shared their dimension, and maybe that was why Shredder12 had gotten loose on the other dimensions so easily. The turtles were disappointed to see turtles so young, when they had been expecting this dimension to have all they needed to take care of Shredder12.
"How old are you?" Leo C asked the 2012 turtles.
"Fifteen," replied Leonardo12, folding his arms and standing straight in a defensive position. He then turned to Leonardo87 and said,"You promised you would explain all this. Start talking." He was tired of being insulted by turtles he had just met, some who looked anything but proud to share their names with the likes of the 2012 turtles.
"Okay, okay," Leonardo87 said, noting the angry glint in Leonardo12's eyes. "But first, we have some turtles who need medical attention. Could you help?"
Leonardo90 walked forward solemnly, gently shifting unconscious Mikey C from his shoulder to the cold floor. The turtle's body was covered in bruises and gashes, but soon Donatello07 stepped forward and placed a barely unconscious Raphael89 on the floor next to Mikey C. And the crowd separated to show Donatello89, hopelessly trying to apply pressure to his arm and blood rolled down the contours of his muscles.
Leonardo12 gasped, but he and his brothers didn't say anything for a minute. They were purely astonished by the wounds these turtles had, and to their confusion they soon felt pain creep into their bodies as well. This large group of turtles had obviously been through a terrible battle, one that they hadn't won. It wasn't just Mikey C, Raphael89, and Donatello89 who showed that - it was the bruises and cuts spread through out the group, and the expression they all shared, the sad frown of someone on their last thread of hope.
"I can help you. All of you," Donatello12 said, suddenly standing straighter. He let the injured turtles be brought into his lab.
Michelangelo89 watched Donatello12 go, then turned to Raphael87 with an amazed expression. "Dude, that Donnie sounds just like you!"
"That kid?" Raphael87 said with mock arrogance. "Oh, please!"
"Does the fact that the new Donnie sounds just like Raphael Classic have something to do with what you said, Master Splinter?" asked Donatello96. "About the multi-verse being very connected."
"Probably, my son," Splinter C replied. "There is something odd about this dimension, like a secret we've not found out yet. After all, this is where the Shredder on the edge of destroying the multi-verse came from."
"Cool, I guess," Michelangelo07 shrugged, just before falling over asleep with his hand still clutched around a slice of pizza. Over a day without sleep, facing so many battles and having thier lives flipped upside-down had tired out many of the turtles, and it wasn't long before more of them began to close their eyes. But Leonardo87 stayed stubbornly awake, explaining everything to Leonardo12 and his brothers in full detail, just like he'd promised.
-Turtles In Time: Re-Shelled dimension- (Re-Shelled turtles will be referred to with 09 at the end of their names)
Shredder12 snuck up right behind the turtles of this dimension, using the robotic Foot soldiers they were fighting as cover until he was directly behind them. He noticed the way they moved, extremely fast yet with simple moves, and prepared to fight them.
And when enough of the Foot soldiers had been cleared away for the turtles to notice Shredder12 approaching them, his metal spikes at their full length, they turned to see Shredder87 coming at them from the other side. Leonardo09 shoved a Foot soldier off of himself, sending it falling off the flimsy wooden boards to the ground fifteen stories below, before shouting "Run!" His brothers obeyed, turning and dashing across the wooden boards that creaked against their weight. They pushed past Shredder87, all except for Michelangelo09, who was grabbed.
Shredder87 held Michelangelo09 outward, with no surface underneath him but the distant ground. The metal-covered menace examined the turtle more closely, sizing him up. Michelangelo09 had blazing white eyes, a bright orange mask, a sleak body, orange elbow pads and knee pads, along with a belt that was no more than a slim orange cloth tied around his waist, the ends hanging down at least a foot. He was no taller than the 1987 turtles Shredder87 was used to, but looked to have a lot of fight in him.
"Let Michelangelo go," Leonardo09 commanded, his breath quick and his shoulders moving up and down, showing his exhaustion and anger.
Shredder12 was a few yards away, shouting for Shredder87 to drop Michelangelo09 to the ground. Shredder87 turned to look at the 2009 turtles. He realized these weren't the turtles he had ever wanted to hurt. Shredder87 belonged to his own dimension, fighting the 1987 turtles, and if he destroyed the 2009 ones he was no smarter than Shredder12.
"Oroku Saki!" Shredder87 called, turning to Shredder12. "Destroying turtles who have done nothing to you will not bring you solace. It was the turtles and Splinter of your own dimension that hurt you and no one else! Destroying the multi-verse over your vendetta is pointless!"
"Enough!" Shredder12 charged Shredder87, shoving him to the ground. Michelangelo09 slipped out of Shredder87's grasp and fell towards the ground. The rest of the 2009 turtles leapt off the building. Raphael09 caught up to Michelangelo09 in the air, grabbing him. Raphael09 then grabbed the end of Donatello09's bo staff, as the purple-masked turtles had caught the side of the building. Leonardo09 grabbed a rafter with one hand, and then lead the group back up to the floor where Shredder12 was mercilessly beating up Shredder87.
"Never do that again!" Shredder12 shouted to Shredder87. "You are to obey me! Our mission is to destroy every turtle!" He stomped on Shredder87's chest and then punched his face, denting his helmet.
"Yes, master!" Shredder87 yelled as he felt blood leak out of his nose and pool into his helmet. Shredder12 pulled him to his feet, glaring. Shredder87 saw what little trust Shredder12 had had for him drown out of his eyes. The next time Shredder87 disobeyed Shredder12 he would surely be killed.
Leonardo09 leapt onto the floor, shouting a battle cry. He landed on the boards that bounced and creaked in protest, sliding his swords toward Shredder12. Shredder12 kicked, but in a flash Leonardo dodged, and Donatello09 leapt into the battle in front of him, surprising Shredder12 with a hit from his bo staff.
Raphael09 and Michelangelo09 cornered Shredder87 against the doors of the construction workers' elevator. Shredder87 punched the button to summon the elevator, but nothing happened as the turtles closed in.
"Coward," Raphael09 hissed at him.
"Stop!" Shredder87 shouted. "I don't want to destroy you. The other Shredder - the one over there - he does! He's on a mission to destroy e-every turtle of the multi-verse - it's complicated - and if he is successful at destroying the Turtle Primes, everyone dies! Everyone you know and everyone you don't know will be gone! Wiped off the face of the earth and there will be nothing you can do to stop it. Please, attack him and not me!"
"LIAR!" Michelangelo09 seethed. He lunged for Shredder87, seeking revenge for being dropped off the building. And just as Michelangelo09 attacked, Raphael09 and Leonardo09 had fallen off the building, taking Shredder12 down with them.
Finally, the elevator Shredder87 had tried to summon came up and Shredder87 rushed in, followed by Michelangelo09. There was no escape from his furious attacks and the elevator music was barely heard over his angry screams.
Shredder12 grabbed the side of the building, Leonardo09 and Raphael09 still clutching him and punching everything they could. Leonardo09 had found Shredder12's weakness in his wounded leg and consistently attacked that spot. Shredder12 held back painful shouts, failing to fend off Leonardo09, who was so quick it was like he was teleporting away from the forceful punches.
Down below, Shredder87 stumbled out of the elevator, fending off Michelangelo09. He turned to see Donatello09 suddenly leap in front of him. But behind Donatello09, Shredder87 could see the Technodrome, moving.
-2012 dimension-
Karai stared up at the corner of the monitor, holding back her emotions as she watched Shredder12 battle a new dimension of turtles. It made her smile that her father was so determined to avenge Tang Shen, and then it made her smile tremble and fall when she remembered her father wasn't winning.
But as the giant, strange Technodrome began to move down the road towards the fight at the construction site, Karai pulled her eyes off of the coverage of her father's mission and looked at the progress bar taking up ninety percent of the monitor.
Fifty-nine percent turned to sixty.
The Kraang, though, seemed to be paying more attention to Shredder12 than the progress bar for once. They pressed a few buttons and soon the coverage over Shredder's fight took up half the screen, shoving the progress bar to the side. They didn't watch the fight though, but were entranced by the Technodrome on the screen.
"It is what is known as the Technodrome," said one Kraang, and the phrase was repeated by all of the others. They held their hands up to the monitor as if worshipping the giant golfball on wheels.
And sixty percent turned to sixty-one, but only Karai cared to notice.
-2007 dimension-
Leonardo07 shut his eyes tight as he felt pain rush up his arm, as if he'd been punched by an invisible hand. Raphael07, sitting by his brother and holding back his groans over his leg wrapped in heavy bandages, and instead clenched his fist and gritted his teeth over the pain that sparked across his body in bursts, just like Leonardo07's.
Splinter07 watched them with a sad expression. He felt that when Leonardo07 had explained how Raphael07 had gotten hurt, he'd left some major details out. The details that would explain the agony destroying these two brothers.
When the pain subsided for a moment, Raphael07 looked to Leonardo07, his brother who was making sure he was recovering from his injured leg, and muttered,"Thanks for coming back home, Jungle Boy."
If Donatello07 and Michelangelo07 never came back, at least Leonardo07 had. Maybe Donnie and Mikey would be gone for two years like Leonardo07 had, with no sign they were alive or dead, and then would one day suddenly return. Just like Leonardo had.
-2012 dimension-
Donatello12 wrapped a bandage tightly around Donatello89's arm, and Donatello89 tried hard not to shout out in pain. Donatello12 was doing his best to take care of the wound, sticking out his tongue slightly as he concentrated. The first-aid kit sat closeby on a table, but most of its contents were strewn across the room, used by a few other Donatellos to help with less serious injuries on other turtles. The lab had become something of a hospital.
Taking care of Donatello89's wound - cleaning it, examining it, using a few first-aid kit tools, and then wrapping it tightly in bandages - took quite a while, so Donatello89 talked to pass the time, distract himself from the pain. He told Donatello12 all about the adventure that had changed his life. "- and then we followed Shredder out of the building, but Rocksteady came out of the window and starting shooting at us - "
Raphael89, who was regaining consciousness, called out,"And don't forget to tell him about that Donatello and his gravity gauntlet. He saved April's live with it. You should have seen how he looked at her, all moony-eyed - " He chuckled, rubbing his hand against his bandaged forehead in amused disbelief.
Donatello12 blushed, tuning out the rest of what Raphael89 said. Raphael89 was in lots of pain, a bandage wrapped around his head, a sling across his left arm, and just like Donatello89 was talking in hopes to find solace for a battle they didn't win or lose.
Mikey C was still unconscious, bearing the most bandages. Donatello89 had said Mikey C had gotten his head thrown against the wall by Shredder12, so there was possibly a concussion. Donatello12 had never dealt with an injury as serious as Mikey C's and he hoped he could help the turtle in some way. He didn't know what he would do if Mikey C didn't get better, or even died, in his care. Donatello12 tried not to think about that much, or the way this sudden reveal of multiple turtles dimensions had torn apart his view of reality and rebuilt it in a new way, instead concentrating hard on wrapping Donatello89's arm.
Michelangelo12 was still staring wide-eyed around the Lair, taking in the numerous turtles of all different shapes and sizes, astonished at this turn of events. He had an odd sort of feeling sitting in this room full of brothers he'd never met, like he felt a strange type of connection to them, like they were always meant to be together. He also felt like he shared the pain they'd all received from that hard battle. It was an unexplanable feeling, the mixture of a strong sense of belonging and shared pain, but he didn't mind it as he sat on the floor, sharing his last pizza box with Michelangelo03, Michelangelo90 Michelangelo13, and Leonardo03.
Leonardo12, however, was listening adamently as Leonardo87 recounted the entire chase after Shredder12 and explained the concept of the multi-verse. Leonardo12 nodded his head as he followed along in the story, injecting a question every so often. He was trying to remain calm even though his world had just been flipped upside-down, because he felt like he had to prove himself a good, calm leader to these other Leonardos. They thought of him no more than a young child, like even though Leonardo12 was fifteen and the same age as most of the turtles here, he didn't seem experienced or mature. He'd prove them wrong. He was just as strong a leader as all of them.
Raphael87 was going through the 2012 turtles' impressive collection of Super Robot Mecha Force VHS tapes, chuckling to himself. "You like this show? Geez, Michelangelo made me watch it with him years ago. Leonardo liked it too."
"I've grown out of it," Leonardo87 said quickly, his words clipped and strong, suggesting disdain for something so childish as Super Robo Mecha Force. He went back to explaining the multi-verse to Leonardo12, who was slightly embarrassed. He hoped the turtles wouldn't turn on the television and find that it was on the channel playing the thirtieth anniversary special of Space Heroes that Leonardo12 had missed due to the arrival of his dimensional duplicates. He didn't want them to have more reasons to think he was just a tall ten-year-old.
Michelangelo07 snored loudly, muttered "Dude...dude...dude...pizza..." in his sleep. It reminded Leonardo12 so much of the way his own Michelangelo slept.
Raphael12 had introduced Raphael03 and Raphael90 to Casey Jones12 and they, being the rebellious ones and completely ignoring the orders of multiple Leonardos to stay in the Lair, had gone skate-boarding in the tunnels, trying to relax and throw off their worries as everyone healed from the battle. Before Casey Jones12 had left, Casey Jones C had stared him down through their masks, Casey Jones12 glaring back through his own. Casey Jones C had taken an immediate disliking to his young dimensional duplicate. For no reason at all. And so Raph C didn't like Casey Jones12 either, because Casey Jones C, his best friend, didn't. Splinter had sighed, and had watched the Raphaels and Casey Joneses bicker until a few of them had stormed off with their skateboards in hand. So much fighting within the group.
Leonardo12 felt strange not having Raphael12, his brother who was almost constantly at his side, not near during a time as important as this.
Leonardo87 continued talking, not noticing Leonardo12's faraway, thoughtful look. "...And we've been chasing Shredder through the dimensions trying to stop him, but he decimated us in the last fight. We had to heal before we could set after him again, or we'd surely lose the biggest fight of our lives."
Leonardo12 nodded, only partially listening but still understanding. Leonardo87 said over Raphael96's loud snores, "Now you tell me about when you saw my dimension, like you said you would." His voice was authoritive and deep, commanding Leonardo12's full attention - something Leonardo12 wished he could perfect in his leadership skills.
Leonardo12 took a breath, sitting straight. "In our dimension, there is this race called the Kraang - "
"Race? Krang?" Michelangelo87 looked up from his pizza he's stolen from Michelangelo12's boxes. "What? Who? Where? Wh - " He would have continued if Raphael87 hadn't suddenly stolen his pizza slice - the last in the box - leaving Michelangelo87 with no option but to chase him.
Leonardo12 continued, ignoring the chaos. "...We found the gateway the Kraang use to get to Dimension X and a lot of other dimensions. We saw your dimension there, just an image of you, the other turtles, April O'neil and Casey Jones walking down the street. My brothers and I, Casey, and April all thought it was very bizarre."
"And that April had no sense of fashion," April O'Neil said with a joking smile on her face. "A full yellow jumpsuit? Come on! ...I think Donnie liked it though." She smiled, a twinkle in her eyes, and Leonardo87 gave her a confused look before turning back to Leonardo12.
"How'd you get to the dimensional gateway?" Leonardo87 asked.
"The Kraang use this thing we call a Portable Portal. We stole it from them and Donnie has it in his lab. He's been examining it."
"I want to see it." Leonardo87 stood rigidly and let Leonardo12 lead him into Donatello12's lab.
There was a scream from the kitchen and Michelangelo12 turned to see Michelangelo03 gaping at the open freezer, straight at Ice Cream Kitty meowing and waving his arms. "What the heck is that thing?"
"Ice Cream Kitty!" Michelangelo12 beamed. "She's my pet. Beautiful, isn't she?"
"Was she always made of ice cream? Man, this dimension is messed up."
Donatello12 turned around in his spinning chair once he heard the garage entrance of the lab open to reveal Leonardo12 and Leonardo87 walking in. The purple-masked turtle stood, putting down his medical tools, and strode over to meet the two Leonardos. The other Donatellos who were assisting Donatello12 with caring for the injured, watched curiously, wondering what the three turtles would be discussing.
"I need to see the Portable Portal," Leonardo87 said very formally, as always. Did he have another side to himself besides the serious leader. If so, no one had found it yet in the layers of rigid orders and determined heroism.
"Ah, I thought you would," Donatello12 said, not surprised to hear Raphael87 in the corner mutter something about their similar voices for the fortieth time. Donatello12 sighed, and slipped along the side of his table. Sitting on the faded, old computer keyboard was a contrasting shiny metal rectangular machine . It was silver and reflective, adorned with a pink symbol made of six octagons. He pressed it into Leonardo87's palm and explained what it did in full detail.
Leonardo87 looked at his reflection in the small machine. He saw the wear on the side of it, like Donatello12 had opened it up and examined the inner-workings several times. "This could be very helpful." Without asking, he pressed the design on the front and set the machine against the wall, watching as an image slid out of the bottom with a soft hum. "This portal here will lead to the gateway?" he asked Donatello12.
"Uh, yeah," Donatello12. He was surprised Leonardo87 had so quickly decided to open a portal.
Leonardo87 frowned, thinking. After a moment, he turned to Donatello12 and said,"You stay here and care for the injured. This Leo and I will go look around at this gateway. There could be something useful to defeating Shredder in there." Leonardo12 straightened, surprised that Leonardo87 was taking him to the gateway. He guessed Leonardo87 was the only Leonardo who had any respect for him.
Donatello12 opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. After a little hesitation, he moved out of the way so the two Leonardos could enter the portal. He remained focused on finished Donatello89's bandages as the two Leonardos were swallowed up by the portal, disappearing.
-2009 dimension Turtles in Time: Re-Shelled-
Shredder87 full out bolted towards the rumbling Technodrome, dodging Donatello09's punch and not stopping, but fell crashing towards the ground when Michelangelo09 caught up to him, pulling him to the ground by his feet. He kept him pinned down, glaring at Shredder87 with fire in his pupil-less eyes. But he didn't do anything, like he didn't know what to do.
"Who are you?" Donatello09 commanded, towering over Shredder87's scarred face. "You are not the Shredder we know, neither is your friend."
Shredder87 struggled and didn't talk. He watched the half-finished building, with Shredder12 leaping down from floor to floor, blurs of blue, green, and red - Leonardo09 and Raphael09 - attacking him relentlessly. It wasn't long before one powerful kick from Raphael09 sent the Shredder to the ground two floors below, sending up a cloud of brown dust upon impact. Shredder12 got to his feet quickly, but the fact that he was in pain was obvious. He sent an approaching Leonardo09 soaring into a metal pole and ran like crazy.
Raphael09 came out of nowhere, leaping on Shredder12's back, but the Shredder pulled him off and threw him. As Shredder12 approached his counterpart, Shredder87 shouted out with malice,"I knew you couldn't beat these turtles, oh great and powerful Shredder! They are strong, and you are still weak from your last battle!"
"Is this weak?" Shredder12 shouted back, sending Michleangelo09 - who had Shredder87 still pinned down - tumbling across the empty road. He pulled Shredder87 to his feet and they ran towards the Technodrome, the turtles at their heels.
"Let us in, Krang!" Shredder87 shouted out at the top of his lungs. Shredder12 struggled to keep up, his run more of a limp due to his wounded leg twisted with infection.
Inside the Technodrome, Krang chuckled to himself as he pressed the button to lower the Technodrome ramp. It felt good to see two men he hated so much suffer from their own stupidity. But now that he'd laughed himself to hysterics it felt time to get the Shredders back to the inside the vehicle. The 2009 turtles were coming closer and closer to the vehicle, and Krang was scarred of what these powerful ninjas would do to his beloved Technodrome.
As Shredder87 ran into the Technodrome's monitor room, he called out "Take us away from here, Krang! Now!" Krang started to press buttons without hesitation, preparing a portal. Shredder12 stumbled into the room a moment later, glaring at Bebop and Splinter like they'd been the ones to ruin his dignity. Rocksteady watched from the corner with an ever-present confused expression. "Hurry, Krang!" Shredder87 shouted again as the portal blasted open for the Technodrome outside.
"Just one shot!" Krang garbled wickedly. He pressed a button and the Technodrome fired a huge laser at the turtles. It darted towards them, burning the road, but they jumped out of the way just in time, disappearing from the scope of the monitor. But as Shredder12 pushed Krang out of the way, commanding control of the Techndrome once again and driving it through the portal, no one noticed that the 2009 Turtles clung tight to the exterior walls of the machine, determined to follow the two Shredders. For answers and revenge.
-2012 dimension-
The Kraang did not divert their robotic eyes from the video coverage of Shredder12, the brain-like blobs in their chest calling out in excited jibberish. Now that Shredder12 was once again in the odd machine known as the Technodrome, the Kraang were even more excited. Karai yelled at them to tell her what was so interesting and it frustrated her to receive no answers. Though it was obvious it wasn't Shredder12 they were fixated on, more like the Technodrome and a very familiar looking pink blob inside it.
Karai folded her arms, angry at being ignored by the Kraang. She had once been interested in follow her father's adventure on the video coverage, but her interest had now shifted to the progress bar on the left, being nearly squished off the screen by the video feed of the Shredder.
"Sixty-five percent, sixty-five percent," Karai muttered to herself. She took a deep breath. "Tang Shen will be avenged soon enough."