Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: 'He shivers violently, knowing it isn't from the cold but rather shock.' One turtle wakes to find himself in a bad situation. Originally a one shot, now a drabble series. Word count 1036 (That's right, double sized finale folks XD) Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.

Congratulations to the seven people who worked out exactly who this was.

Sampsonknight

Roxastuna

KawaiiCheesecake

Athese

CerapinTech

Lady Jeran

Feonix500

Special mention for BlackKatJinx who actually said the correct answer all the way back in chapter 1, though she changed her mind after ch 2 XD

The Situation

Ch 25 – Freedom

'Donnie!' he screams mentally. 'Help me! Please! I know you can hear me!' Honestly, while he is sure his brother has heard him in the past, he doesn't really believe he can now; but still, he continues to try relentlessly. 'Donnie! Leo! Raph! Anybody, please!'

With the amount of screaming he's done over the last week, if he'd been able to use his voice, he knows he would have been long hoarse by now, but non-stop, as he stands stiffly in place and stares blankly forward, he continues to cry out. He's called his brothers, his father, April and Casey over and over. He's even tried the Silver Sentry in his sheer desperation.

Over the past week, the shredded remains of the ninja's freedom has been completely stripped away. They don't even allow him to eat or defecate of his own volition. His oppressors control his every movement and his voice completely. They are even able to force his eyes closed for sleep but the one thing they cannot force is his mind, his thoughts.

Finally, with the prickle of tears at the corners of his eyes, he falls silent internally as they march him back into his dismal cell. Moments later, he sees why. A new mutant with eight legs and multiple eyes is being brought in. Every time they bring in a new inmate, they put him away as if he is a toy being returned to its box, all while they fit the latest prisoner with a control device and play with them for a time instead.

This time though, things are inexplicably different.

As best as he can, considering his lack of ability to move as he wants, he watches with rising interest as they immediately put the wretched new mutant away. Suddenly, out of his peripheral vision, he catches the quick movements in the shadows that only a trained ninja could perform and as his heart soars in new found hope, he wishes desperately that he had the self control to turn his head and actively watch.

After what seems like both an eternity and no time at all, three distinct turtle shaped figures somersault past his prison to the ground below and he immediately loses sight of them. Not for the first time, he wishes he could hear beyond the forcefield making up the barrier of his prison but that's only possible when they adjust the settings to allow it.

All of a sudden, the control device buried into his forehead fails and he moves faster than he ever has before, ripping the insidious device away and tossing it to the ground in disgust. He takes great joy in stomping viciously and repeatedly down on the hateful thing, shattering it into pieces and destroying it completely. Breathing hard and fast from the abrupt exertion, he swears to never let them use something like that on him again; he'd rather die first. Then he rushes to the barrier and presses his hands and face against it, straining to see what's happening below.

To his delight, there's a massive fight going on. Three mutant turtles and a bunch of the other captives are fighting, decimating his tormentors. To his abject dismay however, the turtles he sees are not his brothers, although... there is something definitely familiar about them. Their mask colours, their weapons, even the attitude he can see inherent in the way they move... and that's when he understands.

He is no longer in his home dimension and it's no wonder his own family never came to his rescue. Remembering the intense sadness he always felt from Donnie within his dreams, he finally knows why his brother kept ignoring his pleas for help.

For whatever reason, his family obviously thinks him dead and his heart breaks at the painful thought as he realises that also means they aren't even looking for him.

And probably never were...

In frustration, he pounds his fists against the forcefield repeatedly, only for the energy barrier to suddenly disappear beneath him on the sixth strike. Immediately, he loses his balance, falling hard to his hands and knees.

But as fast as he possibly can, the ninja's on his feet again and outside the confines of the cell, terrified that the forcefield might raise and trap him within once more. The light of the portal above suddenly brightens the room, making him look upwards. Every mutant in the room is immediately on the move, some attacking the Kraang, others making for the portal and without even thinking about it, he jumps into the fray, gratified that they never took his weapons away from him again after he'd recovered them; they'd obviously seen no point since there'd been absolutely nothing he could do once they recaptured him all that time ago.

He viciously takes out the nearest couple of Kraang, payback for his months of torment, and he's not the only one doing so. The giant monkey mutant and a monstrous, spiked turtle appear to be even more pissed off than he; and he laughs as he takes great delight in mocking the particular Kraang he's currently playing with.

A call suddenly rings out in an unfamiliar voice; a command for anyone still remaining to get through the portal, so he makes quick work of finishing off his enemy before making for the strange, glowing whirlpool above.

Finally only the three turtles he knows must be his other-dimensional brothers and a robotic metal turtle far below are all that remain. They hesitate, not one of them even noticing him where he stands half hidden, and look down at the automaton far below. When they eventually move, he rushes through the portal directly after them, knowing he cannot risk being left behind.

-:-

He lands roughly on his face on coarse bitumen. Groaning, he pushes himself slowly to his feet and stares around in undisguised wonder. The other turtles he'd followed are nearby, the ones he somehow recognises as Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael and something about them seems desolate; almost hopeless in the despair he feels emanating from them.

Michelangelo takes in a deep breath of the first fresh air he's breathed since he was captured and approaches them.

-:-

The end AND the beginning.

A/N: This is the end of 'The Situation'. Be on the lookout for 'AOtGO – Aftershock' for what happens next. When I decided to do this story it was always a lead up to the 2k12 side of the 'And One to Grow On' story. This is set about a week after the events of 'AOtGO ch 21.

This chapter takes place concurrently with an AU version of 2k12 S2E11 'Metalhead Rewired'. And no, I will not be rewriting that episode (or any other) to make up for the fact that their Mikey is missing.

For those that guessed the turtle was 2k3 Mikey, I'm afraid that wasn't quite right. It was close, yes, but being that 'AOtGO' is AU after 'Good Genes' and 'The Good, the Bad and Casey Jones', it wasn't the answer I was looking for XD For those that thought 'AOtGO' 2k3 Mikey, then you were 100% correct :-) If you wish to know some of the more obvious clues I put into this tying it to 'AOtGO', note me, and I'll get back to you when I can (still not receiving my emails just yet)

*cheeky grin* Sorry about the added delay on this chapter. Part of it was the computer issues I have had of recent, but also, I wanted to get the last chapter of 'AOtGO – Far From Home' out before this, for reasons :-P

Thank you to everyone who commented, faved or followed this story. Receiving those notifications makes my day :-)