And so…chapter ten. Um, don't hate me? I never meant to let it go this long, but as you all know I'm sure, life tends to get in the way of hobbies. Thanks to my recent reviewers for getting me back on track! So enjoy and let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I don't own…but I wish I did.
Chapter 10
Mikey knew that Raphael would do his best to train them—but sitting on his shell, nursing a bruised wrist, he rather wished he wouldn't. His red-masked brother had waited only long enough for them to get out of the moonport and into space on autopilot before he dragged everyone to the back of the cockpit and into the dojo. And now, Mikey was beginning to realize that Raphael was more of a slave driver than Leonardo ever was.
He knew why he was doing it—Raph wanted to make sure that they were as ready as they could be. He knew it…but it didn't mean he had to like it.
Don grunted as he hit the wall next to Mikey, wincing and rubbing his plastron with one hand. "Ugh. I forgot how hard Raph can hit," his brainy brother muttered.
Mikey managed a grin for him. "I haven't. He hits me all the time."
"Only because you bring it on yourself," Don retorted, but he was grinning too, hauling himself to his feet. Raph's voice echoed from across the dojo.
"Again!"
"He sounds just like Leo," Mikey said without thinking, and froze as a look of pain crossed Donatello's features. He cursed his big mouth. When would they ever be able to speak Leo's name without that happening? Of course, now that they were on a course to maybe find out what happened to their big brother, it helped, but at the same time, it just reminded Mikey more and more of what happened. He was heading for the place that plagued his nightmares…and it was disconcerting to feel both terror and eagerness at the same time.
Raph's voice interrupted his musings again. "Do I have to come over there? What are ya doin'?"
"Sorry," Mikey called out. "There are only so many times a guy can get up after bein' knocked on his shell, you know."
Raph snorted. "Yeah, well get used to it. We ain't got a lotta time."
"We know, Raph," Don said wryly. "But it is only the first day."
"He is correct, my son," Splinter added from where he was sitting, lotus-style, against the wall. "We must take it slowly, at least initially."
Raph scowled, but he didn't argue. Instead, he shifted his stance, and Mikey recognized the first of the most basic of katas their master had taught them, many years ago. "Aww, do we have to?" He complained, rising to his feet and following Don as they joined their hot-headed sibling.
Splinter rose to his feet and slid into a stance next to Raphael. "Sometimes it is better to start from the beginning," he said softly. "Even for me." Cody jumped down out of Turtle X and joined them as Serling transformed back into his usual charming self. The robot sniffed.
"I don't see why Cody has to train like this. He has me."
"Yes," Don retorted caustically. "Right up until one of those monsters gets a tentacle onto you and then what? You saw what was left of the old Hovershell."
That had the desired effect of shutting the amazingly sarcastic robot up. Though, it certainly didn't make Mikey feel any better. Instead, he closed his mouth and focused instead on the kata. This time, they would be ready. This time, he would be ready.
There were so many of them. Mikey bit back the bile he could feel rising in the back of his throat. It was a seething mass of death down there—he tried to grin at the expression, but didn't quite succeed. He guessed it was easier to joke about death when you weren't about to experience it.
Automatically, his gaze shifted from the outside to the silent figures around him. Raph's hands were clenched around the hilt of his sai, so hard that even his dark knuckles were white. Don stared at the screen in front of him, his teeth gritted, his fingers flying with even more speed than usual on the keys. Leo was looking out at the chaos below them, his expression unreadable. Mikey swallowed. Usually when Leonardo was unreadable, he was coming to a decision that none of them would like.
Don finally seemed to notice the terrified silence that had engulfed the cockpit, broken only by the rapid typing of his olive fingers. He looked at them for a minute, seeming about to say something, then transferred his gaze to the outside. Mike watched as his brainy brother paled, his mouth dropping open, mirroring the expression he was sure was decorating his own face.
"What are they?" Don whispered. Ever the scientist, Mikey thought. Somehow, even that small quip, internal though it was, made him feel worse. It was like he was trying to bring some normalcy into a situation that was anything but. And why not? Crazy, weird stuff happened to them all the time. What made this time different?
"I don't know." The flat note in Leo's tone drew Michelangelo's immediate attention. "But we will not make it to the Alliance base in time unless we stop them from multiplying more. Donatello, there must be a way to shut down the machine."
"Well," his brainy brother said thoughtfully. "We could blow it up…but it might deplete our resources enough that we won't make it anywhere close to the PGA. And if the ship fails while we are over…that…" He trailed off, and suddenly Mikey understood the difference.
This was like that time, so long ago. That time, on the Shredder's ship…knowing that their only way out would almost assuredly mean their own destruction. Sure, thanks to the timely intervention of the Utrom, they had managed to survive that encounter. But looking down at the seething mass of creatures below them, Mikey didn't think they would have guardian angels to come to their rescue this time. They had left those a hundred years in the past.
Leonardo nodded once. He asked them now, as he had asked them then. "Raph? Mike?"
"I don't run from fights, Leo," Raph said. "Bring it on."
Typical Raph. But it was comforting, and gave Mikey the courage to respond in kind. "I'm okay with it too, Leo." He heard his voice shake, but only barely, and he was proud of himself for it. "Let's go."
"Alright." The muscles in his shoulders tightened as Leo turned the yoke, banking the ship and taking them out over the chaos, heading straight for where the brightest light shone. Leo fired as they neared it, blowing huge chunks in the ceiling, and giving Mikey a clear view of the inside. He leaned forward in disgusted fascination. The first creature was still sitting in front of the window, her bloated body bobbing up and down slightly as she continued to crunch on pieces of Triceratons and upchuck demon spawn at the same time. The normally fun-loving turtle was once again was forced to swallow the urge to lose his lunch. Knowing he would regret hurling all over the Hovershell in a situation like this, he decided to try to lighten the mood. "I'll say it again," he quipped, though it was spoiled slightly by another surge of his—according to Raph—overactive gag reflex. "Shredder's mother."
To his surprise—and shameless relief—Leonardo gave him an appreciative chuckle. "Well, let's take care of her, like we did him, once upon a time." Mikey was reassured by his brother's measured tones. The blue masked ninja touched a button, and again the cannons roared to life, a shaft of brilliant white arcing down towards the machine. Mike was about to cheer, already feeling relief that at least now no more of the ugly suckers would manage to get through—
He was forced to grab on to the seat as the ship suddenly shuddered, twisting gut-wrenchingly skyward. He gave an involuntary yelp, Raph swore, and Don sucked in a breath.
"What the hell was that?" Raph demanded. Mikey took a moment to unclench his fingers as his leader replied, voice taut.
"Tentacle."
"From what?"
"What do you think?"
"Well, excuse me, Fearless Leader, if I didn't think that even that thing could reach this high."
"Well, neither did I. And we just paid dearly for it." Leo's suddenly hollow voice silenced Raph's sarcasm, sending a thrill of horror through Mikey's system. He hated it when Leo sounded like that. It was unnatural.
"What is it?" He asked, though he didn't really want to know.
"I know," Don answered, staring at the computer screen in front of him. "That monster just infected our weapons system. Just by touching them! How is that even possible? Are they some kind of cybernetic organic blend or something? If it hits the engines, we are in trouble."
"So we have no weapons? Great." Raphael glowered down at the creature below them. "Talk about turtle luck."
Mikey stared down at the blobby monster, trying to stop his stomach from plummeting any farther. The ugly creature wiggled its long legs, shifting position. He watched it, repulsed and fascinated as it planted two of the longer tentacles in the ground and leaned back, lifting its massive jaws to aim directly up at them. Mikey frowned. This couldn't be good.
"Guys," he interrupted Raph, who was about to launch into a tirade based around the aforementioned turtle luck. "What's it doing now?"
"Hold on!" Leo shouted and then pulled up hard on the controls. Mikey grabbed onto his seat again as the ship shot straight up, his breath hitching as the air seemed to leave the cabin in one big rush. Alarms rang out, and Mikey closed his eyes, waiting for the sickening feeling of weightlessness before they fell—but the ship suddenly evened out. He struggled to catch his breath, hearing the others doing the same. It was several seconds before Leo spoke.
"Still have those grenades, Raph?"
Mikey's head shot up as his brother in red started and looked at Leonardo."Of course I do. An' you better not be thinkin' what I think yer thinkin', Fearless."
Leo didn't answer, unbuckling his seatbelt and rising to his feet. He turned to Donatello. "Take the controls. Fly me in as close as you can and I'll do the rest. Then take the ship and get as far as you can towards the PGA base. They must be warned. If this fails, then they will need to be prepared."
"What?" Don spluttered, and Mikey's breath hitched again when he realized what his oldest brother was proposing. "Leo, that's suicide!" Don voice rose. "We couldn't even get the ship in close enough, what makes you think you can take on that thing by yourself?"
"We can't leave the window open, Don, or more people than the Triceratons on this base are going to die." Leonardo's voice had taken on that irritatingly reasonable tone that meant that their arguments wouldn't sway him. As usual, that didn't stop Raph.
"You ain't going all martyr while I'm around, Fearless Leader!" Raphael roared, his gruff voice echoing around the cockpit. Mikey winced slightly at the volume, but he was grateful, at least right now, for Raph's temper. If anyone could yell Leo out of this idea, it was Raphael. "If anyone's gotta be a hero, it's gonna be me."
He straightened to his full height and took a step forward—only to collapse to his knees with a grunt as Leonardo's elbow rammed into the soft flesh between shell and plastron. With an efficient jerk, the blue-masked ninja removed the strap containing the grenades from his brother, as Raph wrapped his arms around himself and glared up at him.
"Don't be an idiot, Raphael. I'm not doing this to be a hero, and I'm certainly not intending to get myself killed. These creatures have proved themselves vulnerable to explosives. If I can get to the time window with these, I may just be able to destroy it before more of those things can come through."
This is crazy, Michelangelo thought, as the argument continued. He tried to keep focused on the discussion, but a horrible image kept rising in his head. Leonardo, standing in the center of a mass of black death, his blue glowing swords seeming small and insignificant compared to the terrifying horde. His stomach clenched. That wasn't how it was supposed to be.
He frowned, trying to change the image in his mind. He remembered back before they came to the future, when the demon Shredder was terrorizing the planet…it had been all four of them, together, that stopped it. It would be all four of them here, too, it had to be...
"Which means the ships are still intact," Don's voice interrupted his thoughts, the hopeful tone breaking through Mikey's internal musing. "And that strange code they use I'm pretty sure is for disabling machines, not running them, which means the onboard computers of the ships should still work."
Michelangelo blinked as he processed Don's words. If the ships of the base were still intact, then that meant that Leonardo would have a chance to escape. It meant…the horrifying vision of before shifted again and he saw himself, standing next to Leo, with Raph and Don beside them. That was it. That was how it was supposed to be. These thoughts running through his mind, Mikey spoke them aloud.
"But Leo, why just you? If you are just going to take a Triceraton ship, why don't we all go? That way, we won't have to leave anybody behind."
His oldest brother smiled, his eyes soft, and shook his head. His voice was calm and even, but Mikey could detect a slight bit of appreciation in his tone. Leonardo understood their concern, but as usual, he was being the big brother and stubbornly intending to shoulder this burden alone. "Believe me, Mikey, if there were any other way, I'd take it. But there are three reasons why I'm going alone. One, I don't want to leave the Hovershell anywhere near these creatures. Its tech is too valuable. Two, if I fail to destroy the time window, someone must warn the PGA. And three…" he hesitated.
"Three'd better be better than your first two, Fearless." Raph growled. Mikey nodded, the same thought running through his own mind.
Leo sighed. "I…you just have to go. You can't stay here. Please, guys. I…I need to know you are all okay."
Mikey frowned at the odd statement. Like they didn't need to know that he was okay? What kind of reasoning was that? It made no sense…but as he thought more about it, he realized that a lot of Leonardo's actions this day hadn't made complete sense to the happy-go-lucky ninja. Don, as usual, was the first one to work it out.
"You had a premonition, didn't you," he said slowly.
Leo didn't hesitate this time. "Yes. I did. And it was horrible. Truly horrible." He looked around at all of them. "It didn't involve me, it didn't involve Master Splinter or Cody, just you three. Here, on this planet, it begins. I don't have details…but it scares the hell out of me. Please just go. I promise, if I can't finish the job I'll get out of there and meet you and we'll leave together. Whatever. But just go. It's the only way I know to protect you."
For his part, Michelangelo instantly believed his brother's words. He himself had experienced what his master called a 'premonition'. It was a long time ago, the first time the four of them had ventured deep into the underground in pursuit of the monsters lurking around the lair. It had been the first time they encountered the Alantians and their subterranean city. He had been sleeping after the first arduous day of hiking, and he'd dreamed of the evil in the tower, how it had reached out to swallow him whole. It turned out there was evil in the tower in the form of an Alantian man and he had tried to force them to remain in the city. It was one of the scariest things that Mikey had ever experienced—and that was saying something, when one considered the lifestyle of a ninja.
Raph was speaking when Mikey's attention returned to the conversation. "I'm gonna hold ya to it."
Leo smiled. "Thank you, Raph."
Mikey realized he'd better get his two cents in, as well. "Me too, Leo," he said hastily. "I mean, I'm gonna hold you…uh…I mean to it…umm, hehe, yeah?"
Leo laughed softly as Raph's hand collided with the back of Mikey's head. He turned to give a glare to his red-clad brother, as Donatello pulled his borrowed gauntlet off his wrist and gave it back the Leo. "You are going to need this."
"Thanks," Leo replied, slipping it on. He reached into a compartment and pulled out a jet pack, sliding it onto his shoulders. "Let's go."
Don brought the Hovershell around, and Mikey watched out the window as they once again flew out over the decimated base. The place was teeming with black shapes. Mikey could no longer hear or see any Triceratons. The worry that was still roiling in his belly surged. If an army of Triceratons couldn't stop these things, could Leo? By himself?
Their bandanna tails whipped up around their faces as Leo opened the hatch. "Don't stop, don't slow down," Leo murmured. "They will see you before they see me, and that should be enough." He smiled at them and a lump suddenly sprang, full grown, into Mikey's throat. Abruptly he knew he didn't want Leo to go out there. The feeling was so strong it stopped his breath—and the words to stop his brother came too late as Leo leapt out of the hatch in one graceful movement and was gone.
Don turned the ship, zooming down past whipping tentacles. Mikey sat ramrod straight in his seat, fighting down the urge to grab the controls and force the ship around, back towards his eldest brother. He made himself breathe, as they moved out of range of the monsters, trying to focus on the task ahead of them. That had to be his main focus, now—getting to the PGA base as soon as possible so they could come back for Leonardo. That thought calmed him somewhat as Don gave a soft chuckle.
"Guess it's a good thing that Cody installed so much junk into the Hovershell," he said, still fiddling with the controls.
Raph growled noncommittally, staring out the side window to the rear. Mike looked at Donatello, grateful for the distraction. "Why's that?"
"It means that it'll take that virus longer to find our core engine system. We'll have a good amount of flight time to make it back—"
A white roaring echoed through Michelangelo's head. He felt the ship jerk and twist, throwing him painfully against the seat restraints as the Hovershell bucked and squealed and tumbled, rattling them like rag dolls. The world tilted sickeningly, and Mikey fought his natural gag reflex as Don struggled to right them, evening them out right before they hit the ground with a loud crash. Mikey shook his head, fighting unconsciousness, all thought pushed aside save for one.
Something had happened. Behind them. Back where Leonardo was. He ripped the seatbelt off.
Glass shattered—Mikey was dimly aware that Raph had broken the front window, but he spared him barely a thought, leaping out the new opening and running around the outside of the ship…horror flooded his mind and he screamed, silently in his mind…screamed and screamed and screamed—
Mikey woke up with a gasp. That nightmare…always the same.
Always that day.
Slowly he pushed the blanket off of himself. The dojo was silent and dark, the only sounds the soft breathing of his family. He shakily climbed to his feet, navigating with the ease of long practice to the center of the room where he activated his bracelet. With a shimmering of air particles, the dojo dissolved, and Mikey found himself standing at the back of the empty cockpit.
The darkness of the stars glimmered faintly out the windows, and the consoles emitted softer light, guiding his trembling steps to the front of the ship. He pressed his forehead against the glass, letting the cold surface soothe an incoming headache. He gritted his teeth. He hated that dream.
That memory.
It took a while, but eventually his breathing slowed, and feeling returned to his numb body. He looked up at the passing stars, losing himself in their beauty and silence. Suddenly he wondered if Leonardo was out there somewhere, flitting amongst the stars, defending the universe still, even if no one knew he was there. He wondered if his brother could see them, if he was angry that they were returning to the very danger that had cost him his life.
"Are you mad, Leo?" he asked the night quietly. There was no answer. "We have to do it, you know," he continued softly. "For us, if not for you. I don't get it. You said the premonition was about us, that we'd be in trouble. But you were the one who…the one who…" he stopped, taking a deep breath.
The night stayed silent around him. He sat for a few more moments, listening, but no answer came, no whispers, of reassurance or reprimand, issued from the silent sky around him. He sighed one last time, and returned to the back of the cockpit. A few more days, and they would be there. A few more days and maybe…
He let the thought hang, as empty as the stars.
There were so many. Desperately, he lashed out, the warm orange glow of his 'chucks briefly lighting the slimy black creature as he batted away yet another ugly limb. Across the way, more flashes of light lit the darkness around him, as Serling fired into the mass, the super powered cannons of Turtle X doing more damage than Mikey's own un-bladed weapons.
Doing more damage, Mikey thought sourly, but not nearly enough. He saw Cody grit his teeth and pull hard on the controls, pulling Turtle X away before a tentacle could touch it. That was probably the millionth close call, in the few seeming years they'd been fighting this stupid battle. It was too much. There were simply too many.
A flash of silver and red suddenly streaked across his field of vision, and Raph's irritated voice echoed in his ear as the red-clad turtle grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the way of yet another attack. "Pay attention, idiot! Are ya trying to get splattered? You're as bad as Don!" Raph knocked a tentacle out of the way and grabbed Mikey's arm, pulling him towards where Mike could see Master Splinter deliver a spinning kick, sending one of the creatures crashing into another. He landed easily, but a third monster, looming out of the darkness behind the first, bore down on him.
"Master!" Mikey yelled, pulling out of Raph's grip and starting forward, rearing one arm back to throw his 'chuck, spitting orange fire, at the attacker. It spun, seemingly in slow motion, and slammed straight into the monster's ugly, razor sharp maw. With a roar, the creature fell backwards and Splinter flashed him a smile before jumping straight back into the fray. Mike didn't smile back. He was down to one set of nunchucks, and the battle was far from over.
Raph was grumbling next to him. "Here," he said gruffly, thrusting one of his sharp-pronged weapons into Michelangelo's empty hand.
Mike immediately protested. "Hey, you need this more than I do, Raph!"
Raph snorted. "Both you an' Don can't do much damage to these things. At least with that, you'll be better able to protect yourself. I'll be alright with one."
"But…"
"Don't argue!" Raph interrupted impatiently. He batted yet another grotesque limb aside and stared forward, towards where more flashes of light blasted from Serling's cannons. Mike, frowning, followed.
They plowed a path forward, mostly through Raph's sheer irritation, and managed to close the distance between them and the others to a few feet. Mikey breathed a little easier. It would be far safer to fight back to back than to be separated in this horde. He opened his mouth to call out to Cody—only to abruptly snap it shut as movement flashed in his peripheral. A tentacle, dripping black slime, shot out from the right—straight at Raphael's unprotected flank. Raph was turned, his one remaining sai twisting as it drove a monster back from Donatello, leaving his right side totally exposed. Mikey yelled a warning as he ran forward, but it was too late.
With a sickening crack, the tentacle struck his brother in red, plunging deeply into his side and sending a splintering fissure along his shell. Raph roared in pain, dropping his sai and reaching around to his wounded side, grabbing a hold of slimy flesh and gripping hard, keeping the ugly thing from penetrating into his body any farther. Mike heard Don cry out even as he started forward, raising the sai, intending to slash through it, even though his brain screamed at him that this was impossible. The whole thing was impossible. He couldn't do it…
Not another brother…
Another flash in the corner of his eye. Another tentacle, shooting out of the darkness, straight for Michelangelo's face. He skidded to a halt, bringing the sai down in front of him, knowing as he did so that he wasn't going to be fast enough. He wasn't fast enough—not to save Leo, not to save Raph…and now, not even to save himself. Death sped towards him, shining blackly in the dim starlight—
And then the stars exploded, inches from his face. Mikey bellowed in surprise and stumbled backwards, blinded and confused, to land on his shell. He was dimly aware of hands on his shoulders, pulling him upright, and a voice saying something, unintelligible in Mikey's stunned ears. He shook his head hard, trying to clear his vision and his hearing—apparently exploding stars made one go deaf as well as blind—but the words still remained gibberish.
He blinked, painfully, willing his eyes to come back into focus, and stared up into an unfamiliar, blue-skinned face, illuminated by a flickering magenta light. Mikey stared. Blue-skinned…wait. That wasn't right, shouldn't he be seeing green? He blinked a few more times, wondering, for one terror-filled moment, if he was dead.
Then an olive green face, illuminated by the same flickering magenta light, inserted itself into his vision and he was momentarily left breathless as Donatello enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh…Mike you're alright, it's okay, you're alright…" Don was muttering feverishly, and Mike was startled to see tears streaming down his older brother's face.
"Uh…Don…what just happened?" Mikey asked hazily.
"You were almost as dumb as me," a gruff voice answered him before Don could, a painful hitch marring the last word. Raph! Mike scrambled free of Donatello's hug and ran forward to where Raph was slumped, another unfamiliar figure crouched over him. The figure also had blue skin, and Mike slowed, suddenly uncertain. Who were these people? He blinked. Blue skin…didn't the man they had tried to rescue before this whole mess happened have blue skin? He had opened his mouth to ask when he was interrupted by an unfamiliar male voice with a startling but unmistakably Australian accent, coming from behind him.
"Oh, so that's the language you speak," the voice said calmly. "I should've known. Sorry about that, mate. I didn't have time to aim farther away."
"Is this really the time to be talking?" Another voice, female and British this time, demanded from in front of him, and Mike started when he realized it was the figure bending over Raph. "I can heal this," she muttered, her hands moving swiftly over Raph's injured side, "but not here. There's not enough time." Her tone turned frustrated.
"Is everyone okay?" Yet another voice interrupted, but this time Michelangelo recognized it. Cody, still inside Turtle X, came sprinting out of the darkness, closely followed by Master Splinter. His master gave a soft exclamation and hurried to Raph's side. Mike's relief was momentary at seeing them, immediately replaced by confusion. What was going on?
"Will someone please tell me what the shell just happened?" Mike demanded in a loud voice, before anyone could answer Cody. Everyone stopped for a second to stare at him, and the blue-skinned—Australian? —man smiled.
"Sure thing, mate. As soon as we're not about to be monster-food, that is."
Abruptly Michelangelo realized that there were still deafening roars echoing in the night and the sound of laser fire was suddenly all around him, as well as the shouts and screams of battle. The monsters were still out there. He turned to stare outward, towards the magenta light, and realized what he was seeing was a wall of pinkish flames, extending outwards into the night. Beyond the light, seething darkness hissed and spit, trying to come past the flames, reaching for them.
"It's a temporary shield," Don said softly. "They put it up when they rescued us. Oh, Mike…if they'd been a second slower…" he turned to the blue-skinned man. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Grinning a toothy smile—Mike blinked when he realized the man had fangs—the stranger waved Don off. "No problem. If you hadn'ta smashed the queen, we'd all be dead anyway. Where did you get those nifty cannons?"
"Jaxle," the woman interrupted in icy tones. "If we don't get a move on, the shield is going to fail and then we are all really going to die."
Jaxle's grin faded and he glared back at the woman. "What do you expect me to do about it? We've got nowhere to run now, the only thing we can do is hope the Commander gets here before we become hag-chow."
"And how long do you think that will take?" The woman shot back. "He wasn't exactly close, and even if he sent everyone on ahead of him, it will take too long for them to get there. Not to mention the three queens in the way."
Michelangelo swallowed hard. Three queens? That meant that there were more of the ugly mother creatures out there.
Jaxle sighed and shook his head. "What else can we do? Just try to heal that'un and we'll hold 'em off."
"Wait," Cody said suddenly. He was looking at Don. "Do you think the dojo is damaged? I mean, it's not on this plane of existence, so to speak, so do you think it might have survived infection?"
Don stared at him for a second, his mouth open, before smacking himself in the forehead. "Shell, I'm an idiot. Why didn't I think about that before we jumped into this madhouse?"
Jaxle interrupted them. "What are you talking about?"
Don removed his hand from his face and looked up. "The ship, our ship, has a room that exists outside this plane. We were using it for training, and for storage space. Since it isn't actually a physical part of the ship right now…"
"Then it's a safe haven," Jaxle finished for him. "That's all I need to hear, no need for details. Can you lead us there?"
"Certainly," Don replied. "Except it's back in that direction." He pointed, out through the wall of pinkish fire, into the ocean-like mass of black.
The woman cursed, or at least Michelangelo assumed that's what she was doing, because the language was completely unfamiliar, even if her expression wasn't. Jaxle sighed. "Of course it is. Well, we don't have many of these left but I guess this counts as an emergency. The Commander's going to have my hide. Hejl! Quit messing around and get over here! Bring everybody else, too!"
A high pitched voice answered this peremptory summons. "Coming, sir! Hey everyone, this way!"
Michelangelo blinked as yet more strange figures emerged from the pink-tinged darkness. The person in the lead was as short as Jaxle was tall, maybe just under three feet, even shorter than Master Splinter. His skin, Mikey was absurdly pleased to note, was a bright shade of green, though it was a somewhat sickly color in the muted light of the flame barrier. He had bright blue eyes and a startling mop of thick orange hair, running in a spiky mohawk across his scalp and down his back, its tail end brushing the ground behind him. The most unusual feature was his large, wire-framed spectacles, their magnification making his eyes seem abnormally large. Behind him, three more figures followed, all of them sporting bright purple skin and long blue hair. These people were tall and graceful, almost willowy. The last figure that came behind them made Mikey gasp. He looked up—and up—into a craggy, rocky face, the skin a mottled green-brown. This creature was massive, broader across the shoulder than even Hun. He met Michelangelo's blue eyes with orbs of dark gold and gave him a slight, respectful nod. Mikey blinked, but he didn't have time to think about it as the shortest person skidded to a halt in front of him, looking up at all of them curiously. "Well." His high voice had an American accent, Mikey noted. "Boaz wasn't kidding when he said you look just like—" He cut off as Jaxle cuffed the back of his head.
"'Nuff talking, Hejl. You can yak their ears off later. Right now we've got to go. Still have a starbolt on ya?"
The little man sniffed. "Of course I do. You remember what happened the last time I used one without orders. I don't think I've ever seen him that mad—" Jaxle cut him off again.
"Yes, I remember, but if you don't use one now, you won't live long enough to get yelled at again. Get it out and use it! That way." Jaxle pointed a finger in the direction Don had indicated earlier, though it was slightly off. Mikey understood. Whatever a 'starbolt' was, he was certain they didn't want it hitting the Hovershell. Hejl nodded, muttering to himself as he reached into the pocket of the white trousers that covered his skinny lower half. He was wearing a white lab coat, too, of all things, though his green hairless chest was bare underneath the coat.
Mike gaped along with the rest of his family as the skinny little hand that had reached into the seemingly tiny pocket emerged with the largest hand-held weapon Michelangelo had ever seen. It looked like a rocket launcher, with a large barrel ended tube and a long padded back end made for bracing against one's shoulder. Jaxle proceeded to do as much, dropping to one knee and leveling the gun, while Hejl reached again into his magic pocket and produced a large missile. "Behold," he said gleefully, noting their expressions. "The starbolt."
Mikey was more interested in the man's impossible pocket. "What are you, Mary Poppins?" He asked, shaking his head. Raph snorted in spite of his injury and Don smiled.
Hejl blinked, reaching his free hand up to scratch at his orange mane. "Is she famous in your land? I am always interested in meeting famous people. Our most famous helidrian, Aerion, was two feet taller than me and was, some say, the smartest man in the universe." His face fell slightly. "Though that didn't save him from becoming one of the first victims of the—"
"HEJL." Jaxle's voice was sharp and tense. Mikey blinked at him, then suddenly realized that the flickering pink magenta light of the fire-barrier was almost non-existent now. He hastily glanced around at the group. Don and Splinter were standing side by side, trying to watch the darkness that was beginning to grow on either side of them. Cody had closed the hatch in Turtle X and the huge robot cradled Raph in his long metal arms. Raphael's expression was sour. Mikey couldn't blame him. Being wounded as he was and unable to keep up was most certainly rankling to the proud ninja. The woman hovered near them, anxiously bouncing on her toes, eager to go. The rest of the group stood motionless, simply waiting.
Hejl, for his part, only shrugged and shoved the massive bolt into the rocket launcher. Jaxle let out a breath. "Here we go. As soon as this goes off, run straight after it and don't stop running until you lead us to this ship of yours." His hand moved for the trigger, just as the last of the fire died and the darkness surged forward.
Michelangelo wasn't sure what he was expecting. A giant explosion? A huge super death ray? The starbolt was neither of those, but it was more amazing and terrifying than anything even his imagination could have conjured. The launcher kicked, but only slightly and the bolt rocketed straight out from the barrel, trailing orange sparks. Mike was just beginning to wonder if it would just plow a path for them bodily when it detonated, white sparks like a thousand twinkling stars erupting outward. The tiny stars flew out in all directions and where their light illuminated the night, he could see massive black bodies and razor sharp, silvery teeth. There were hundreds of the things out there! No, he realized. Thousands. The thought made Michelangelo feel sick. How could they possibly reach the ship in that? Despair threatened to overwhelm him, but then the multitude of tiny stars exploded.
A thousand flashes of light bloomed and a thousand screams echoed as the tiny stars became massive bolts of pure electricity, arcing down to slice easily through oily black flesh. Some bolts branched off the bigger ones, flashing outward to slice through more black bodies, others jumping from one bolt to another to kill yet more. Mike stared in disbelief. If they'd had a weapon like this, why didn't they use it from the start?
He learned why a second later when Jaxle grabbed his arm and dragged him forward. "Didn't I tell ya to run?" He yelled over the screams of dying monsters. Mike stumbled slightly and then righted himself, sprinting after the blue man just as a ragged slash of lightning speared the ground where he'd been standing. The others needed no more motivation. Together they charged forward, Don taking the lead, following in the wake of the deadly starbolt as flashes of light lit up the world around them.
Michelangelo wasn't aware of much during that deadly run, only the pounding of their footsteps, the flashes of illumination and the taste of fear in the back of his throat as they twisted and weaved and dodged tentacles and arcs of deadly light. They had been running forever, it seemed—he gave a startled cry and a grunt as he suddenly collided with a hard surface. The back of Turtle X loomed out of the darkness in front of him, and he could see the softer outlines of the others beyond him. "What? He asked, scrambling to his feet. "What's wrong?"
"Nuthin,'" came Raph's sarcastic answer. "Unless you count the several dozen monsters standin' 'tween us and the Hovershell." Mikey hurriedly scrambled to his feet and came around Turtle X to see better. Raph was right. Standing between them and the green hull of their goal was a wall of seething black. The creatures twisted and coiled around each other, hissing and screeching. Mike frowned. "Why aren't they attacking?"
"I knew it," Don said, watching the mass with narrowed eyes, glittering slightly in the lightning filled darkness. The starbolt had moved beyond them, but it's deadly attack was still lighting the night bright as day. His brainy brother shuddered. "I knew they were intelligent. They know we want to get to the ship."
"More intelligent than you know, mate," Jaxle murmured softly. "More intelligent than you know. Seems some of us are worth keepin'."
Don glanced at him sharply. "What do you mean by that?"
Jaxle was about to respond, when a small green shape darted past Michelangelo, one small hand once again reaching into a pocket. Mikey jumped as Hejl brushed past, having forgotten all about the little man during their flight. He blinked. How had somebody that small kept pace with the rest of them? Seemed he had more surprises in him than just a magic pocket. His hand came out of the pocket as he came even with Jaxle and Don and in it he held something small and round.
Jaxle's breathed hissed between his teeth. "Hejl, don't-!" he began, but it was too late. With a short toss of this hand, Hejl threw the whatever-it-was into the mass of creatures.
Mikey blinked and coughed as a cold hand shook his shoulder, an urgent and familiar voice calling his name. He knew that voice…but the fog in his brain wouldn't let him call a name to mind. Coughing still, he shook his head to clear it. What had just happened?
"Oh thank goodness, Mike," the voice was saying. Michelangelo looked up and Cody smiled down at him from the confines of Turtle X. Cody, Mikey thought hazily. That's the name. And Raph and Splinter and Serling, Jaxle, the woman and those others—he still hadn't gotten their names, he realized—and Hejl…
Hejl! Memory returned, of the little man throwing the small ball into the enemy…
"Ugh. What happened?"
Cody shook his head. "It was some kind of grenade. I managed to shield Raph with Turtle X, but it knocked the rest of you flat. Thank goodness you've only been out for a few seconds." Mikey looked around hastily, taking stock of the situation. Don and the blue-skinned woman were standing side by side, supporting a slumped and motionless Raph between them, and Jaxle was giving the little bespectacled man an earful.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to use those in close combat! Far away, I've told you, only far away!"
"It did the job," Hejl replied haughtily. Mikey realized he was right. The path to the ship was clear. Adrenaline surged and he scrambled to his feet.
"Let's go!" He shouted, starting forward. The others turned as one, but they only made it two steps before an awful screech, a familiar, horrifying call echoed from the darkness. Mikey felt his stomach plummet, even as a wriggling sensation started inside his skull.
"A queen!" Don shouted. "Shield yourselves!" Mike responded immediately, sinking slightly into meditation and the wriggling stopped. He was aware of his brothers, Splinter and Cody doing the same, but it seemed their rescuers were not so lucky. The woman dropped Raph's arm and staggered, her mouth opening in a silent scream as her eyes bulged with horror. Jaxle backed off from Hejl, shaking his head in denial, muttering curses in a language Mikey didn't recognize. Hejl collapsed to the rocky ground, his small body shuddering. The three willowy people clutched each other and howled. The only one who seemed less affected was the giant, who stood rock still, staring off in the distance towards the evil screech. They can't fight it, Mikey realized, with dawning horror. They haven't trained like us.
The screech sounded again, and Michelangelo knew one thing for certain. If they stayed out here any longer, they would die or be driven insane. He and his brothers could shield themselves from a psychic attack, but not forever. He made up his mind.
"Cody, get Jaxle and Hejl! Master, the woman! Uh, big guy…those three?" he called, wondering suddenly why in the world he was giving orders. Splinter and Cody didn't hesitate, each running for their assigned charges. The big man blinked and looked over at him, but to Michelangelo's relief, he moved, scooping up the purple skinned trio like they were children. Mike could see the darkness beginning to swell again as he ran for Raph and Don. Slipping an arm under Raph's shoulder, he began to run, following the others as they made for the ship. It was only a few steps—and a lifetime. As if sensing their intent, the attack on his mind suddenly intensified. He ignored it as best he could, sensing Don doing the same and suddenly the Hovershell loomed above them.
"Hang on to him," Don said hurriedly. "I need both my hands." Mike shifted, accepting all of Raph's weight, as the brainy turtle jumped onto the hull, drawing his Bo. He shoved one end of it under the cockpit hatch and wedged it open all the way before sheathing it and reaching down to help Mikey haul Raphael into the ship. Cody followed immediately, two figures tucked under either metal arm, and Splinter right behind them with the woman. The big alien was last, leaping with surprising lightness into the cockpit. Another angry screech echoed through the night and the mental assault multiplied a hundred-fold.
"Everyone, grab on to each other!" Splinter yelled. "Donatello, quickly!" The purple clad terrapin touched his bracelet and Mike breathed a sigh as the world started shimmering around them. He slid an arm out from under Raph and Don staggered and looked up at him as he was suddenly forced to compensate for Raphael's weight.
"Mike…what are you doing?"
Michelangelo smiled at him, doing his best not to let the fear choking him show. "There's no way to tell if changing dimensions will stop that thing's psychic attack," he said softly. "I won't let you get hurt. I promise."
Raph moved at those words, painfully raising his head. "No," he rasped, don't you dare—" but Mikey was already reaching for his own bracelet. He looked back only long enough to make sure his brothers disappeared before the world solidified around him and he jumped out into monster-filled darkness.
Just an fyi, as I was re-reading this, I realized something and here's the answer, lol…no, I didn't steal the looks of Jaxle and the woman from James Cameron…these guys had blue skin before Avatar, and they wouldn't be caught dead mining something with a name as lame as 'unobtainium…'…though I did like that movie.
Please R&R and so sorry for the unacceptable wait!