Abyss - Chapter 21

Rated: T

Sacrifice

Chapter Summary: The group races to save Earth but is already too late?

Wow, y'all, I thought the last one was crazy long, this is just ridiculous lol. But at least it's done.

This is the end guys. All that remains is the short Epilogue I will submit tomorrow - I think an even number of chapters is better anyway. Hope you're enjoying the ride for we're coming to an end here.

Thanks for stickin' it out with me. :-)

Reality hit them hard once the ship screeched to a halt.

All of the members jolting forward with the movement as all of them came to grips that they all indeed, were still alive. A viable tension faded slightly as each of them caught their breath; surprised they were still seating of their space pods like before when they should have been splatters adorning the walls. Or, the more likely scenario of them all blowing up with the explosion of that dying star...

"Woo, literally dodged a bullet there! Ha-ha! I knew those improved thrusters would come in handy!" The Fugitoid exclaimed much to excited and happy for the state of the remaining group who were still coming to terms with the fact they were all still drawing breath.

That was close...

Way too close...

Raphael was silent, chest heaving as he stared at the console in front of him; stomach in knots and heart lodged somewhere in his throat. Swallowing it back, it started hitting him. Raphael didn't know why he was so upset; he'd only known the small creature for a few moments, but it was simply accepting the fact he left Chompy to die when he had a chance to save him really bothered him...

"I'm sorry, Raph. I-I know you trusted me with him, but I had to give him back to her, she was-" April approached, speaking only when she noticed the downtrodden turtle.

"I know. It's okay. That was his mom, you did the right thing." Raph softly admitted with a sigh, "It's just - she was just protecting her baby...it's just not fair for them to go out that way...It was our damn fault for luring those stupid Triceratons to that planet in the first place..."

April reached out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder but second-guessed herself. Reluctantly pulling it back as Raphael's eyes gravitated back to his lap.

Raph and April completely unaware that all eyes were on the two, the group in shock for it was the first time these two had been cordial in weeks. It was a rather miraculous sight none of them expected.

"Those Triceratons are rather ruthless. They put the piece there on purpose; it's like -" Fugitoid began.

"Hey! Look who hitched a ride in your shell!" Mikey spoke suddenly, leaning over to Raph when a certain head popped from the back of the Raphael's carapace..

Raphael physically jumped, his head almost doing a 180 as he glanced over his shoulder and met familiar purple eyes.

"Chompy!" he exclaimed happily, scooping the small creature into his hands and pressing his face into the chortling turtle's.

April smiled warmly, her heart hammering as the smile lit up his face... It only grew when Raphael suddenly pulled away from the turtle to look at her, the same smile bestowed upon her and she couldn't help but return it.

"I hate to break this up, but we are still in a life and death struggle here." Fugitoid interrupted the heart-warming moment; the tension returning with a vengeance. "The Triceratons have all the pieces of the Black Hole Generator and..."

A sudden ring-tone uninterrupted the robot yet again; signal blaring from Fugitoid's console had them all looking at the overhanging screen.

"Who is it?" Donnie asked.

The screen lit up and the face of Mozar flashed upon it. The group sickened by the appearance of their greatest enemy they've ever faced; who threatened everything they cared for and everyone they loved...

"Look what we have here - the completed Heart of Darkness..." Mozar presented, gesturing behind him where the full circle of all the Black Hole Generator pieces. A sight that had all of them feeling physically ill. "It was all thanks to your contribution we found them all so fast, so I must thank you for that, Fugitoid..."

"You'll never get away with this!" the robot screamed back.

"Oh, please!" Mozar laughed heartily and loud before continuing, "...and you know what; since you all were such good sports, I think I have the perfect place to try it out on - a little planet most of you know quite well - Earth..."

The screen turned black.

The turtles and humans were in complete disbelief, staring at the screen that had long since turned off. Dread and trepidation each of them weren't expecting churning rapidly inside their gut.

One by one, they turned to Fugitoid; the android who always had a plan to get them out of so many impossibly tight spots. Yet, this time, he looked so lost; his orange lit eyes fading a bit as he stared blankly at some fixated point in the distance.

"What are we going to do, Fugitoid?" Donatello asked, gaining his bearings and standing to his feet to approach the silent robot.

A rather strange sight indeed...

"Is it too late to save Earth now?" Donnie reiterated when the robot still didn't answer, the dreaded question they were all pondering finally voiced.

"I...I don't know. Heh." he chuckled mirthlessly, "I truly don't, Donatello. It was never supposed to happen this way; we were so close...it was in our grasp...we..." Fugitoid mumbled, rubbing frantically at his robotic face with antsy hands.

"We can't just give up. There has to be something we could do." Leo spoke up; moving to stand near the group that began slowly growing around Fugitoid.

"Leo's right! There has to be some way. We can figure it out together." April weighed in, placing a steady hand upon the robot's trembling shoulder.

"Yeah, Fuge." Casey said with a shrug. "If anyone can figure this out, it's definitely you." Casey missed the salty look given to him from Donatello.

"You've gotten us outta tight spots before, what makes this any different?" Raph asked with a shrug and little Chompy agreed with a loud chortle.

"I agree with Chompy! You can do it, Fugitoid! We believe in you!" Mikey laughed; his bright hopeful smile that could bring anyone out from a funk lit up the youngest turtle's face.

Fugitoid was nearly silent as his eyes lifted to those surrounding him; his bizarre family of sorts for the past six months. Each of them he came to know and care about in his own way. He hadn't felt much at all since he became nothing but a brain in a robot body, but this group had proved him wrong, for he wanted to help them. Save their planet and give them all an ending they deserved. They'd become his family and he desperately wanted to see them make it out of this alive - just like he promised he would almost half a year ago... It would also finally mean he could make amends for something he still held back telling them about...

The barest hint of light filled his eyes. A determination he hadn't felt in quite some time.

They were right. He could do this - he had to. For all of their sakes as well as the Earth that had no idea it was soon to be invaded.

"Let's do it." Fugitoid voiced and the finality lacing it had the desired effect.

"YEAH! Let's do it, team! Group hug!" Mikey exclaimed, pulling his arm around Raph and Donnie standing near him and trying to involve the whole group. At first, they didn't care for the idea, but they allowed it to happen anyway.

"I'm making a course for the Milky Way Galaxy. My hope is that we make it there before the Triceratons; which, while improbable, is in fact possible. We may use up all the generators and excess fuel to do so, but by my calculations, we should be there in just a little over two days. I'm just hoping our excess reserves of fuel last that long. The last thrust away from Magdomar really cost a lot of fuel..." Fugitoid more of less mumbled to himself over the console; his fingers working quickly over the panel as Donatello worked with him nearby.

"Is there any time to fuel up if necessary?" Donnie asked.

"No. None. If we stop for any reason at all; they will surely beat us there." Fugitoid replied; making their situation seem dimmer by the second, but there was still hope among the group. It was all they had to hold on to at this point.

So, they did the only thing they could do - wait.

There was a profound silence during dinner; the turtles, April and Casey uncharacteristically quiet as they ate (or rather tried to eat) some strange dried space noodles Fugitoid had dug up from the way back of the pantry. Food had been a bit scarce lately but the robot was always certain to provide even if the final results never tasted very good. They let it slide though for the Fugitoid didn't eat and hadn't for who knows how long. He didn't really know any better and space food left a lot to be desired anyway.

Nothing compared to pizza...another thing they missed terribly about Earth.

It was a silent affair only punctuated with the sound of clinking forks against bowls or Chompy chewing loudly on some space veggie Raph had dug up from the back of the fridge. The only thing that wasn't covered with mold.

Without any excess power, they weren't all crowded in front of the television or computers to do what they wanted. Forced to live in relative darkness as all their power and fuel went to getting them to earth as quickly as possible.

None of them suffering as much as Michelangelo, but said turtle was handling it rather well considering the circumstances.

It was during these two days the group were just together; more of a family than they'd been in a long time. Not realizing how technology and other things got in the way of just being together.

Talking, laughing, telling stories and just reflecting on their time in space.

There was something rather profound in the knowledge that their journey, and lives may be over in just days. While there was a lingering sadness and anticipation at that fact, there was also fierce determination; the happiness just to be able to experience Earth again. It brought them closer; brought them together as one unit made up of really unlikely heroes.

Something unspoken went around the group; the knowledge that while there was still vast trepidation over what tomorrow held, they were gonna get through it regardless. Brothers, friends, family. It was what they were and none of them would change it for the world. Sure, they didn't get along all of the time, but they all loved each other at the end of the day. Even if they had to face the apocalypse or their certain death, they were going to do with their heads held high because now, there was no regrets.

No fear regardless of what fate held for them.

The Fugitoid hummed lightly to himself, eyes kept glancing toward his multiple computer screens and back out toward the occupants of the ship. There was a sense of dread and trepidation but the small footsteps and cries of an alien newborn turtle was helping uplift their spirits even if it was only momentarily. Pretty soon, they'd be back on Earth facing the Triceratons to determine the fate of their home.

Fugitoid heard a small beep indicating a new message and he looked at the screen. A video message from none other than Y'Gythgba flashed onto it and in a panic, muted it and hooked up a chip into his ear so only he could hear it. He watched in stunned silence as the war-torn alien faced the camera. Her skin bruised and battered and her ship behind her not faring much better; it was apparent the woman had been through a fierce war.

Any compassion he may have felt was dissipated by the state of Raphael and April when they returned from meeting her. Coldly, he watched the alien remain quiet for quite some time before speaking.

"...this message is for Raphael... I know I'm most likely the least likely person you would have expected to hear from, but I wanted to apologize. I was completely irrational for attacking you without cause." she sighed, obviously holding back tears and struggling with her heavy accent as she continued, "but losing G'thraka - my partner... *sigh* he was more than that... Losing him devastated me and I took it out on you when it was wrong to. For that, I'm sorry. I am not asking for forgiveness for I believe we're far past that. I'm not asking for anything - just to apologize, Raphael... And thank you to that human female for putting me in my place and preventing me from making a grave mistake..."

"I made a lot of bad decisions in my life; things I regret, but if I went through with it...that would have been the greatest of all. For Raphael, I can't recall the last time someone made me feel the way you did. For that, I'm grateful and I'm so sorry it ended up where it did. I take full responsibility of my actions in hope perhaps if we ever meet again, it won't be for naught. Anyway, I doubt it's gonna happen for I'm not sure where to go. Regardless, I do apologize for any and all pain I may have caused you. ...that's all... Goodbye." with those final words, the screen bleeped out of existence and Fugitoid was left staring at it for Lord knows how long...

Eyes gravitating toward the scene, he watched silently as April approached the group, the small little Chompy walking over to her and wagging his spiked tail. Raphael looked at her as she sat, the barest hint of a smile lifting the edges of his lips. The two spoke words he couldn't make out; but they were pleasant and he couldn't remember the last time he saw the two speaking like friends for a change. A happiness in Raphael he was certain was diminished with their confrontation with Y'Gythgba. Her betrayal and injuries she gave to Miss April almost ended their journey for good. Her words were kind and apologetic but he feared if he brought it up now, it would do far more harm than good. All he had to do was recall how close they came to losing these two members for something so menial made up his mind for him.

He reached over to the console and pressed 'delete'.

Mikey, Leo, Casey, Raph, and April sat in a circle on the floor playing some card game as Donnie and Fugitoid were still working on harnessing any excess energy into getting them to Earth; anything to make the ship faster. They were quickly approaching the Milky Way galaxy and by Fugitoid's predictions would land by morning if all went well.

What should have been a somber atmosphere was alight with laughter.

Leo winning the game was quickly disbanded upon Chompy stealing away his winning card and the leader screaming in frustration as he tried to grab it back from the rambunctious newborn. Chompy was now hiding under the couch and nipping at Leo's prodding fingers when they got too close. A hilarious sight if there ever was one.

Mikey took this opportunity to go through Leo's other cards and switch out any winners as Casey dug through the draw pile desperately looking for an ace.

"Stop yer cheatin' numbskulls!" Raph growled at the two boys as April laughed out loud when Leo suddenly let out a high-pitch screech, pulling his hand from under the couch only to see little CP attached to the end of it, his jaw locked onto the leader's finger. The scene brought all the attention to the blue-banded turtle who continued to fruitlessly pry the newborn turtle off his digit. More laughter rang out from Mikey and Casey as Raphael became involved believing Leo could hurt him if he pried too hard.

It was moments like this the group treasured most. Times to look back on and dwell for they slipped through your fingers like sand in a timer that always ran out too soon. Upon their night falling and Earth's closeness at the forefront, the group couldn't delay the panic much longer. As ready as they were to right and willing to die for Earth, life and death situations always put everything in perspective.

The group opted to spend their last night in space and perhaps alive, in the main room; either lost in their own thoughts or desperately pushing it to the back of their minds.

April wouldn't lie - she was scared. Whatever happened tomorrow, she knew either way she was going to see her dad again; either in this life or the next. That thought took its toll on her for she could barely recall the particular sound of his voice and what his cologne smelt like. The one constant in her life she always could count on. Who'd been through hell since she met the turtles but she knew, given the chance, she wouldn't change anything. Even with her dad turned into a bat than later into Kraang goo, the city being invaded multiple times, Northampton, falling in love with Raphael, the confrontation with Y'Gythgba...she wouldn't change any of it.

Thoughts soon gravitated toward said turtle and so did her eyes. The redhead was silent as she took in the scene; Leo and Casey were about in their own pods; silently staring at the wall or ceiling and lost in their own thoughts. Donnie was by the Fugitoid as they continually watched over the ship. Raphael sitting by Mikey; the youngest brother asleep and leaning on his shoulder while Chompy slumbered on his lap. A sight that warmed her heart and involuntarily made it skip a beat. The only wish she made right now was for more time; something so irrevocably precious and valuable that you don't even realize it til you know it could soon run out. Yes, there were a few things she wished she'd done differently, but if she did, perhaps she wouldn't be right here in this moment. Hanging on the cusp of tomorrow; the promise of either life or death. It was certain that only one was guaranteed and she was desperate for the latter.

There was a lot she wanted to say now; to all the people here but the words simply wouldn't come. A part of her berating not wanting to make a big production and say things to make a fool of herself if they lived tomorrow; another not wanting to regret not saying anything should they die. Long story short, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"You okay?" Raph asked a bit nervously noticing her continuing stare.

"Huh?" April asked, thoughts shattered and cheeks flushing as she questioned just how freakin' long she'd been unabashedly staring at him.

"Well, I just noticed you're not sleeping yet."

"Neither are you." she replied.

"Heh. I know. I just can't. My minds goin' a thousand miles a minute."

"Yeah. Mine too." April admitted, her eyes falling to her lap where her hands nervously pulled at her yellow jumpsuit.

"We'll be okay, you know?" Raph tried to reassure but April thought it sounded more like he was saying it to himself.

"Yeah, I know..." she replied yet it wasn't at all what she planned to say. April was desperate to speak, to air everything she still had to but the words simply wouldn't come and it wouldn't be fair to dump a bunch of her panicked words upon him. Everyone here was dealing with the same fears, regrets, and questions she had; there was no doubt. Yet...there was so much to be said and she feared it might just die with her.

"Miss April?" a voice to her side broke her from whatever she may or may not have said.

"Yeah?" she asked, looking up to see the Fugitoid standing over her.

"I think you should keep this." Fugitoid spoke upon approaching the redhead.

April peered up at him from her seat upon the floor and once she got a good look at his proffered hands, the object in them surprised her. She'd almost forgotten.

The small crystal was attached to a new string, a thick black cord long enough to hang comfortably from her neck.

"I found this was the reason you got so ill after your confrontation with Y'Gythgba." Fugitoid explained, "I did more research and while this does make Telekinesis more intense, it does drain it's owner of a lot of power; especially when you hold on to it after you pass out. If it wasn't removed in time, it may have well killed you." he finished with a light chuckle not noticing the shock that overcame Raphael's face as he eve's dropped.

"...and you think I should keep it?" she asked in slight confusion at the Fugitoid's rather morbid sense of humor.

"It may come in handy one day." he responded and April wasn't sure what to think. Instead, she didn't, she stood up and gratefully retrieved it from the robot's hands.

"...um, thanks."

As soon as she grabbed it, he was fast to place his hand upon her own. Blue eyes met the orange lights of his own in slight confusion.

"Is something wrong?" April asked.

"No, just wanted to tell you that I'm very proud of you, Miss April. The gift you have and the ability you've honed in only these short six months is nothing short of astounding. In all the years I've been here in space, I had yet to meet someone with so much...potential. How you tapped into this power you knew so little about is rather impressive, my dear. I'm very proud to have been the one to help you through those first trying weeks."

"Wow...Well, thank you, Fugitoid; and, heh, thank you for dealing with me those first few times." she laughed, recalling those moments where things went so terribly wrong yet he never gave up on her.

"Hmm. You're very welcome, Miss April." he replied, the easy smile from what should be an emotionless android had her returning it. There was so much about him that reminded her of her late grandpa; a genius and kindness a basically emotionless android shouldn't be able to possess. As crazy as this ride had been for all of them, he certainly made it better.

Before April could respond, he'd walked away.

All too soon, morning came and they were closing in on Earth. Still in the range of Neptune, the group gathered around the main console and waited to arrive back to their home planet. While nervousness flooded them, there was a calm none of them expected.

It was about to be shattered though; not by the Triceratons, Dregg, or even the Black Hole Generator - but Fugitoid.

The robot had been unexceptionally quiet that morning; his normal upbeat attitude seemed to dissipate as they slept. It didn't last though for he spoke words they never wanted to hear.

"I...I have a confession." Fugitoid mumbled, catching the attention of everyone upon the ship who stared at him in utter confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Donnie asked from the module, lifting his head from his work at the robot's sudden words.

"I should have informed you of this sooner, but better late than never, I suppose... I... R-Remember when I told you how the Kraang invented the Heart of Darkness?"

The group didn't speak, just a few looked at each other before turning their attention back to he android and nodding in agreement.

"That was a lie."

"What!?" Leo yelped.

"What do you mean, Fugitoid?" Donnie asked, the panic lacing his voice causing it to break.

"Then who did?" Casey butted in.

"...It was me. I created it."

The profound silence that followed was visceral; tension increasing as the confession no one of them could ever fathom.

"A long time ago when I was still human and working for Kraang Subprime. He paid me a vast sum to convert the Heart of Darkness from an energy generator to a doomsday weapon. I was young and naive and back then, all I cared about was my research; my life's work. I was so blind to the ultimate circumstance of my actions that I allowed it; I-I turned a deaf ear to what Kraang wanted it ultimately for... It's only now that realize that I have made a monumental mistake and I deeply regret it - almost as much as I regret keeping the truth from you. But I'm not that person anymore, I want to make amends and that's why I'm here! That's why I'm helping you!"

The one who'd been helping them all along was the source of all of the chaos in the first place...

It became too much for some.

"You're the one who caused all this!" Leo bellowed, his anger out of control as he heard it. "If it wasn't for you, Earth never would have been destroyed! Our dad wouldn't have died in our arms!"

"Leonardo, please, I -"

"How could ya, Fugitoid!? We lost everything!" Casey screamed angrily.

"Why did you never tell us?" Raphael asked.

"I - I-I please, I - " Fugitoid stuttered.

"Yeah. Why?" Mikey reiterated.

"How DARE you!" Leo screamed, not believing that this whole fiasco was his fault to begin with. The Triceratons, Earth, Splinter...everything...they could lose it all because of greed and research of all things!?

April was in shock, eyes filling with tears as she watched all of this unfold. The only one to remain silent during this all; she wasn't sure what to think. This man who reminded her so much of her grandfather and dad was lying the whole time; responsible for the Heart of Darkness when they blamed it on the Kraang. He allowed them to believe that and now at the cusp of what could spell the end for all of them - he hits them with this?!

Everything all fell apart at once; Leo's angry words starting a domino effect of most the group not trusting the Fugitoid anymore; not listening to his advice as they neared Earth. The Triceratons and their ships, the Ulixes, were growing closer and by the time Mars was in sight, all hell broke loose.

For Leonardo, it was certain what he had to do when he saw the Triceratons begin setting up on Mars. The red planet filling quickly with the shapes of the Triceraton ships while they remained helpless. But not for long.

"I'm going!" Leo announced and the group, still in shock from everything happening didn't really listen. Didn't move as Leo dressed into his space garb and began heading for the ship's roof hatch. It wasn't until Leo was near it when they began noticing his plan.

"Leo, what the fuck are you doing?!" Raphael growled, placing Chompy down to try and follow after his brother but it was too late and Leo didn't listen.

Instead, he was gone with a slam of the door, locking it behind him from the outside made it impossible to open.

"Leonardo! No!" Fugitoid screamed, bringing everyone else out of their reverie to realize exactly what had just taken place; Leonardo launching a one man attack on the Triceraton's scout ship. It was a suicidal mission that no one noticed until it was too late to stop him.

Raphael was in utter panic as he watched his brother throw himself from their ship to launch his one man attack and it apparently was contagious. Donnie and Mikey doing everything to try and talk Leo into coming back but the blue-banded leader wouldn't listen to anybody even shutting off his end of the communication on his suit. April was forced to hold onto Chompy as the rest of the turtles began getting ready for a reconnaissance mission to go after their brother.

This wasn't supposed to happen - they were supposed to be one unit, that's when they were strongest, but now it was going to hell...

April looked over at Fugitoid and saw the utter despair in his what should have been emotionless eyes. Any anger she held at him dissipated upon knowing they needed him. He'd been there with them through thick and thin, he could have easily left them to die and their planet exploded but it was because of him they were still here and Earth still had a chance.

"Fugitoid, what are we going to do?" April asked and for once, the robots eyes lit up and looked at her in sheer astonishment.

"Miss April?"

"We need you - regardless of whatever happened, that was in the past. This is now and we need you, even if they don't think so - we do."

"But I messed up, I..."

"We all make mistakes. Believe me...we all do. It's what makes us human..." she whispered, placing a hand upon his cool metal shoulder.

Fugitoid's gaze was steady and unsure but over the next couple moments, it was as if a fire was lit and he began moving.

Mikey Donnie and Raph watched in horror was Leo attacked the Triceratons and their raptors and Ulixes from the camera Fugitoid set up to see what was happening but it was for naught. They watched breathlessly for God knows how long at the struggle. Desperately wanting to help but there simply was no time to do so. Helplessly, they watched as Leo gought, struggled, then would somehow get ahead only to get pushed back again. It was a dangerous tango the leaser was playing but as soon as it seemed he perhaps was going to do it, there was an ambush. The Scout Ship was triggered and Fugitoid's frantic voice suddenly rang out in an utter panic.

"It's self destructing!" he screeched at the console as he tapped into their systems.

"NO!" Raph, Mikey, Casey, and Donnie screamed, plastered to the window only to hear an explosion, a bright light that caused them all to physically flinch and fall back.

"LEO!" Raphael bellowed as he fell to his knees; body convulsing as he believed he just watched his big brother get blown up.

Mikey and Donnie were speechless, both in such shock at what had just taken place.

"No..." April whimpered, a hand to her agape mouth and tears building; Chompy wiggling frantically in her arms.

Leo couldn't be...

That was when Fugitoid saw a familiar figure in the debris.

"Leo's out there He escaped in time!" Fugitoid joyfully informed. But all went silent when he noticed the other smaller Triceraton's ship heading to Mars to try and set off another explosion.

"Hold on!" he ordered before using the excess saved fuel to charge forward and head straight toward the seemingly lifeless Leonardo.

Raphael's soul was in tatters as they finally able to bring Leo back into the ship... His suit damaged and a huge crack in his helmet. Seeing him like this was all too familiar and bringing such horrible memories back from Northampton. Those flashes of waiting; of wondering if he'd ever wake up. So much time spent by his side. As much as they argued, he loved him so much it hurt...he just had to be okay...

"Leo?" Raph asked as Donnie quickly went to work to help Leo as Fugitoid made his way toward Earth.

They all were running out of time.

"His hearts not beating..." Donnie muttered bleakly after checking his vitals of his unresponsive brother. The shutter that went through all of them was enough to set off an utter panic.

"Wake up, Leo!" Mikey cried being held back by Casey as he tried to get closer to his blue-banded brother.

"Don't fuckin' die on me! You better not, dammit!" Raph shouted but stayed back, his hands shaking as he stared at his lifeless older brother. April watched this all, little Chompy in obvious distress at seeing in Raphael in such a state but there was nothing she could do than witness it all take place.

Donnie looked like a chicken with his head cut off, pulling out his bo staff and using it's excess energy to see if he could make a defibrillator of some sort. "Work with me, Leo. You better work with me." Donnie spoke, his hands trembling as he removed most of Leo's suit before pulling apart his bo staff until only electrical outputs remained.

Fugitoid kept glancing over at the group wanting to help but with that boost of fuel they used, there was no way to waste more. It simply wasn't possible he could leave his controls.

Sticking the two prongs right underneath Leo's plastron, Donnie shocked the leader, his body jumping at the electrical current and Mikey whimpered at the sight as Casey tried and to cover his eyes. Donnie checked hit vitals after the shock but still didn't get any response.

"Don't do this, Leo. Come on..." Donnie begged, sticking them in again and sending yet another jolt. Desperately pushing his finger under Leo's neck, he got a quick pulse but any hopes from that were dashed for it faded quickly. "No..." he growled, pushing the prongs deep and pushing them in firmer before he gave an especially brutal jolt and this time, it worked.

Leo gasped against the shock and Donnie allowed happy tears to begin leaking from his eyes as Leonardo's heartbeat returned and regained it's normal rhythm.

Raphael collapsed onto his knees and made his way over to Leonardo just as Mikey approached. All of his brothers watching in anticipation as the leader's blue eyes peeked out from his lids. They didn't bother holding back their emotion as they helped him to seating position before Raphael moved to hug him, pushing his face into his older brother's throat and allowing a soft sob to escape. Donnie and Mikey soon joined in; their arms wrapping over both Raph and Leo in sheer thankfulness that he was alive.

"Never do that again...ya hear me?" Raph mumbled into Leonardo's neck and the leader couldn't help but tighten his hold over all of them.

"Um...guys?" Fugitoid asked and the traumatic experience seemed to have mellowed each of their anger at the Fugitoid considering he'd wasted a lot of fuel to save their brother. It was still a bit difficult to trust him but they had little choice at this point in time anyway. "We're here."

The group peered out the window and there it was -Earth.

The joy at seeing their beloved planet was short lived for someone was already there - Mozar and the rest of the Triceratons.

Heading toward their home of New York, the turtles, Casey and April feared they were already too late for the Heart of Darkness had already been set up on Washington Square. While the sight itself was surprising it was what they saw on the feed that stopped them all in their tracks...it was them.

Technically, their past selves from six months earlier, as well as the Mutanimals, Mondo Gecko, Muckman, and...Master Splinter. They all turned toward Fugitoid to ask for an explanation but they were too afraid of the answer. Space time continuum as difficult to hear from Renet, let alone the Fugitoid who used words that were capable of even giving Donatello a headache at times.

"This is where you get off." Fugitoid said still refusing to meet any of their gazes as he continually stared at his console.

"What?" Donnie asked incredulously.

"You must go help your past selves and your friends and I will do my best to retrieve the Heart of Darkness and dismantle it."

"You sure you don't need help?" April asked, hating the tone of his voice and the finality lacing it as desperate as he probably was to hide it.

"No. I need to do it myself. The only way to destroy it is with my combination of Fusion Energy and Dark Matter, something this ship possesses." he spoke and the apology lacing it had everyone stopping in their tracks yet they knew he was right.

As the group got ready to dispatch, April was frozen for a minute as he began beaming them all down to Earth. His orange eyes met her for a moment but there were no words spoken. Within moments, he'd beamed them down; none of them hearing his final words.

"Goodbye, friends."

Fugitoid was gone with a flash of light as the turtles were placed back upon Earth. Their thoughts still not comfortable with the Fugitoid's plan were forgotten when they met up with their past selves. To say the stares between both themselves and their clones were confused would be a sore understatement.

"Uh, dudes, is that us?" Past and Present Mikey asked at the same time.

"As if this couldn't get any weirder..." the two Donatello's muttered under their breath.

"Wait, isn't this..." Future Leo stated, recalling this moment six-months prior. The moment he'd never forget - Splinter.

"DAD!" Present Leo shouted and the Master, whole shocked with seeing double of his sons was able to stop the attack from Shredder; throwing Oroku Saki and rendering him unconscious.

"The detonator!" Donnie screamed suddenly, and they moved toward the weapon just in time. Leo jammed his katana into the device when it wouldn't accept a button-command and the damage was great enough to short-circuit the Heart of Darkness.

A flash of light filled the area just seconds later, a roar coming from Mozar as he landed. His anger seething off the gigantic Triceraton as he charged toward them. Hoping to restart the weapon and continue with his plan, but this time, they weren't going to let it happen.

Aided by their past selves, the group moved like one; taking on the Triceratons like a small army and the dinosaurs had no choice but to retreat. Instead of ending them like they should have, the Triceratons were able to head back to their ships and take off to the skies. All too certain they'd defeated them, the turtles allowed them to leave.

The group all too ready to celebrate when Donnie spoke up, "Wait...aren't the Triceraton's spacecraft running on Dark Matter?...and the few times I helped with Fugitoid's generator...it was a Fusion Generator...that means... No..." Present Donnie mumbled, the horror of what Fugitoid's ultimate plan came to light...

"What do you mean Donnie?" Present Leo asked.

"It's suicide. He's gonna it them with his ship and they'll all detonate. It's a Kamikazi mission..." Donnie explained and the group were horrified.

Using their communicators still hooked up to their suits, they blasted the ship with messages.

"Don't do it!" Leo screamed

"You can't!" Mikey shouted.

"There has to be another way!" Donnie was frantic.

"Please stop!" Casey pleaded.

"What are you doing!?" Raph asked.

"Please, Fugitoid! Don't!" April sobbed.

Fugitoid was silent as he listened to all the calls, the voice frantic and pained as they came through the speakers of the ship. A somber expression on his face as he saw the Mozar's Flagship up ahead. His mind made up; his conscious finally clear of the horrible misdeed he'd committed so long ago...

"I'm sorry..." Fugitoid spoke over their devices. "I'm sorry for all the harm I have caused to you and your planet."

"Fugitoid, please! There has to be some other way!" April called back, the sobs in her voice apparent and he couldn't help but feel something as he heard it.

No one had cared for him in so long and here they were, forgiving him and wanting him to do this in a way he wouldn't be hurt - yet, there was none.

"There isn't." he informed them, the group tense as they listened desperately to his voice. "...but it's okay. I promise. You will all be okay...and thank you. Thank you all for everything. I couldn't have done it without you. Goodbye, my friends. So long."

With that, the engines were put to max and the communication left off with a painful screech as the group could do little more than stare at the sky where the Triceraton's last ship remained. The Fugitoid heading toward it and the broken Heart of Darkness was beamed up. The crash was silent, the radiance of light and fire coming off as a cataclysmic explosion engulfs the Triceraton flagship, creating a bright flash that can be seen on Earth before it fades away

"NOOOOO!" April screamed, tears gathering on her bottom lids, but it was too late.

Fugitoid was gone in a flash of light.

The pain of it lasted for a moment when a familiar ship came out of virtually nowhere. The door opening as the saddened group looked toward the door and there he was... The Fugitoid from 6-months prior.

"Who wants to go on a space adventure!?" The chipper robot asked and their past selves were more than excited; gathering around Splinter to hug him before they took off in the ship.

"Wait! Aren't you going to ask me first?" Splinter asked desperately after they were already getting on board with loud excited whoops. The present group were a little more than confounded by everything; even Donatello was getting a massive headache. The ship was gone in a flash of light and they could do little more than watch it go.

"What just happened?" Splinter asked pretty much what was on everybody's mind.

"Master Splinter, we..." Leo began explaining but Splinter put his hand up, an exhausted sigh leaving his throat and halted whatever Leonardo was about to say.

"I changed my mind...Not now..." he stated, "Let's just go home..."

With those words, Splinter began walking back toward the Lair and the group looked at each other. A little confused and worse for wear, but they couldn't argue with him. The Mutanimals and other allies didn't bother staying with them, just gave their goodbyes and were gone into the night as the rest of the group continued to the lair.

As April stood at the manhole cover awaiting to go down, she took a moment to look at the sky. A pain filling her chest for knowing a previous Fugitoid was alive didn't mean theirs was...and just what it all meant...

"Hey, you comin'?" Casey asked when he noticed her hesitation.

"Yeah." she responded before she followed after them into the lair. Before she closed the lid, she stared at the sky one more time, whispering, "Thank you, Fugitoid..." before she closed it behind her.

Holy CRAP, y'all. That was utterly painful. My hand may just fall off. Don't get me started on how I feel about the last episode. It was so confusing and a part of me wondered if the writers were on something while writing it because it makes NO damn sense! GAH! They better make it somehow tie in later in the series because having two sets of turtles only 6 months apart running around just gets WAY too complicated in the basis of events and how it effects canon and whatnot.

Don't get me started on having to write it...this chapter was a nightmare and a half.

Yet, it's over and yes, I wanted to change it but decided to keep it keep to keep it truer to the story. I doubt I'll write canon events again because they're so freakin' complicated!

I will be uploading the epilogue tomorrow. Thanks for sticking it out with me! Let's finish this! :-)