I do not own rights to... vine references?
"We need to get to the top floor," Donatello said. "That's where Kraang Prime will be."
Dr. Rockwell readjusted his helmet. "The Kraang will surely be heavily guarding the stairs. Our best chance is the elevator."
"Great. Let's go."
The two geniuses, Michelangelo, Slash, Leatherhead, and Pete dashed down the hall.
Donatello glanced around at the remnants of what had, minutes ago, been an army of working Kraang robots. He mentally thanked Mikey and Raph for managing to make sure Slash and Leatherhead came to their side, and picked the head off one of the less mangled robots.
Rockwell pushed the up arrow on the side of the elevator, and the group had a rest to catch their breath.
The elevator dinged, its doors slid open, and laser fire burst from the inside.
Slash single-handedly dealt with the soldiers and swept them out of the elevator before walking to the back of the small compartment himself.
Leatherhead joined him, followed by Donatello and Michelangelo.
Even with only the four of them, the ninjas were squished into the corners. Elevators weren't made for oversized mutants, after all.
Pete and Rockwell maneuvered into the compartment and hovered above their heads.
Donatello used the severed Kraang head to bypass the retinal scanner, and the elevator jumped, then the floor numbers started to blink in turn.
Sixteen… seventeen… eighteen…
They had a while to go until they got to floor forty.
"We've been investigating another problem and have not been up-to-date with the Kraang. What exactly are they planning?" Dr. Rockwell asked.
"They want to mutate humans to be able to control time for them," Donnie said.
"I see. That is not good."
"You could say that again. At least we were able to stop some of the shipments of mutagen. We've set them way back, if nothing else. They won't be able to mutate the massive army of humans they were planning."
"That's a relief," Mikey said.
"Shipments," Dr. Rockwell echoed. "So that's why we spotted all those Kraang ships."
Donatello whipped around to face him, bumping into an already squished Leatherhead in the process. "What?"
"We've noticed increased activity in the Kraangs' scout ships. We were going to investigate as soon as we had dealt with the current problem, but came here early when you called us."
Donnie dragged a hand down the side of his face. "We didn't know about the aerial shipments. We were only tracking the ones that went out by land. We might not have stopped as much mutagen as we thought!"
Mikey's eyes grew wide "But even in the vans we didn't stop, like, a lot of mutagen!"
"I know!"
"But we can stop it now," Leatherhead said.
Slash nodded. "Leatherhead's right. It doesn't matter how much mutagen they have if they never use it. We can ensure that never happens."
Thirty-three… thirty-four… thirty-five..
The lights flickered. The elevator jolted.
Donatello's eyes flicked to the weight capacity label on the wall. He didn't mean to be rude to his friends, but couldn't help wondering if they'd surpassed the limit. Thirty-five floors up was not the ideal place to be if the cable gave out.
The compartment continued creeping up the floors.
Thirty-six… thirty-seven… thirty-eight...
The elevator dropped.
Michelangelo grabbed onto his arm.
Donatello's heart flew to his throat with the jolt, and stayed there when the elevator stopped. He put a hand over his chest, and could feel his heart pounding even through his shell. He let out a humorless laugh.
The lit button indicated floor number thirty-seven, and the lights flickered out, leaving the group in a dark, unpowered elevator five hundred feet in the air.
Actually, Donatello reasoned, it was probably closer to five hundred twenty, given an average story was fourteen feet tall, and judging from the lack of a second stop, the elevator hadn't landed snugly into one of the spaces it usually opened into.
"What happened?" Michelangelo whimpered. He sounded like a frightened child.
Donatello supposed that was a mostly accurate assessment, and once again was reminded that regular fifteen-year-olds did not have to put up with stopping alien invasions.
"They've cut our power," Rockwell murmured.
Something scratched the door. They heard what sounded like tapping on the other side, then the door squealed open a crack, and robot hands wedged in. The hands pushed the door further open with a horrible screech.
As soon as the opening was wide enough, the Kraang started firing at them.
Rockwell and Pete hovered to the sides of the compartment, knowing neither of them could take a hit.
Leatherhead and Slash stood tall and covered their friends. Both tried to tear the soldiers down, but aside from swatting a few hands away from the door, neither could fit an attack through the opening.
Still in the corner, Donatello used the light flooding in from the corridor to look at the elevator's metal door. The reflection in the metal told him where the Kraang were standing.
He produced one shuriken for each Kraangdroid, chose an angle to deflect each shuriken off the door's edge, and tossed them one by one, each and every shuriken reaching its intended robot.
Michelangelo grinned at him. "Nice."
Leatherhead shoved the doors open the rest of the way. "We'll have to find the stairs and fight our way up."
"We only have two more floors between here and Kraang Prime," Donatello said. "It shouldn't be that much more difficult." He ducked his head, and stepped down from the unlevel elevator, which was still hovering above its intended landing.
Dr. Rockwell hovered to his side. "Let's go."
Leonardo and Raphael were almost back to the lair. It had taken multiple traffic violations, but they'd only spent a few minutes to get there.
Leonardo glanced behind him for the umpteenth time since leaving TCRI. Every time, it was the same thing.
Raph was still brooding, arms crossed and slouching in his chair, staring at the floor.
Leo had hoped Raph would have lightened up at least a little by now, but he seemed stubbornly upset about whatever was on his mind.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, fearless. In the middle of a Kraang battle and no idea how Mikey and Donnie are doing. I'm fantastic."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "This isn't like how you've been in any other battle against the Kraang. I have a feeling something else is wrong."
"Like what?"
"Like whatever you wouldn't tell us while we were all talking."
"What exactly did you want me to say?"
"What was bothering you."
Raph scoffed. "Huh. We were captured by one of our greatest enemies with no foreseeable hopes of escaping before they mutated the city again. Hmm. What could possibly be bothering me there?"
"...Fair enough. You're sure there isn't anything else?"
Raphael took a moment to respond. "Yeah."
Leo braked the Shellraiser. "We're here."
The duo ran into the lair and to Donnie's lab.
Splinter rushed out of the dojo when he sensed them approach.
Leo realized they must have freaked him out, running in the same way they might have if they were going to rush someone to the couch or lab for medical attention. "Just need to grab something," he explained before ducking inside.
Raphael switched the lab's lights on.
Donnie's desk was littered with its usual mess of gadgets and tools, vials and beakers, pipettes and microscope slides, and a whole range of papers on varying subjects and in several states of wear.
Leo pointed to a test tube amongst a set of others in a wooden holder. "This is it, right?"
"No, I think that's an experiment he used to test the Dimension X substance. It's not the right color." Raph picked up a long, skinny vial, which was laying corked among some papers. "It's this one."
"That's not the kind of vial it was in last time, it was in one of these," Leo said, pointing to the test tubes.
"It could be the same thing in a different container."
"Donnie seems like one to keep the same thing in the same container. Especially in his lab, which is full of dangerous stuff, he'd want to keep things where he could easily identify them."
Raph set the vial down. "Do you see any that are the same size and color?"
"No, but his desk is a mess! It could be hidden somewhere under all this stuff." Leo started sifting through the papers.
Raphael looked through the cabinets and drawers. "Found it!"
Leo dropped his papers. "You did?"
"Oh. No, it bubbled when we spoke. It's mixed with the Dimension X substance; probably another test."
Leonardo's shoulders slumped. He went back to searching.
Eventually, Raph took Leo's place at the desk, and Leo searched the cabinets and drawers.
After only a few minutes looking at all the diagrams and charts and numbers on the papers he sorted through- not even reading them, just seeing them- Raph's eyes grew tired. How did Donnie put up with this for hours on end?
Leo picked a vial from on top a shelf Raph hadn't searched. "This looks like it. Do you think this is it?"
Raph stared at the murky substance. "I mean… I guess?"
Leo and Raph looked at the vial, then at each other.
Raph waved a hand. "Good enough. We're wasting time. It'll do… something to the mutagen they have, and they don't have an infinite supply like the Kraang, so…"
Leonardo shrugged. "Here's hoping."
Raphael pocketed the vial. "We're wasting time. We need to go."
They dashed out the lab and into the Shellraiser.
Leonardo started the vehicle. "To Shredder's lair."
"There's more Kraang the higher we go up!" Michelangelo said, using his kasuraigama to loop around a robot's arm. He pulled the captured alien towards him, then threw it into its companions, knocking down five at once.
"Kraang Prime is just two levels up," Donatello explained, advancing another step on the stairwell. "Of course she'd use a lot of soldiers to protect herself." He stabbed a droid through the chest with his naginata.
The Mutanimals weren't doing as well against the Kraang as the turtles were. After all, the turtles had gotten an opportunity to rest while they were waiting in their containment. The Mutanimals had come straight from a long patrol, jumped right into fighting up the levels of TCRI, had gotten hurt and almost captured, freed the turtles, and were now battling to the top.
It was only every so often one of the turtles' allies faltered and let a blow slip past their guard, but even that was enough to slow them down. They were bruised and aching, and grew increasingly lethargic with every passing minute.
Still, they remained dedicated, and stuck by the turtles' sides.
"Just one more floor to fight through after this," Donnie said. "Then it will all be done."
Michelangelo knew Donatello's words were meant to be encouraging, but reminding the team that they had to battle through yet another party before facing the scariest of all Kraangkind herself proved a little disheartening.
Donatello had a good idea, though, in reassuring the party.
"We won't have to worry about these jerks for much longer," Michelangelo added. "We'll be able to go back to the lair and eat pizza and play video games and hang out, and it will all be without these guys hanging over our heads." He stopped swinging at the Kraang and held his nunchucks in his palms. "You'll be able to do all the cool scienc-y stuff you want to do instead of doing the same thing for hours, and I'll be able to see Ice Cream Kitty, and-"
"Mikey, look out!"
Donatello shoved him aside, making him miss a laser beam that would have otherwise hit him right in his face, maybe in his eyes.
He'd been staring right down the barrel of a laser, and hadn't thought to notice! After all he said in the containment, all he told his brothers about them underestimating him and not listening to him- this was why they did it! How were they supposed to trust him if he couldn't even focus enough to keep himself alive? What was Donnie supposed to think now that Mikey had reminded him of why he didn't deserve to be trusted, right after he'd complained about how hurtful it was the guys didn't put more faith in him? Donatello would be right to yell at him right now, and go back to the way it was.
Mikey drew his shoulders up around him. "I'm sorry," he all but whispered.
Donatello nodded. "That's alright. Just watch out for yourself, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."
"Can do."
That was that. Donnie didn't yell. He didn't even sound angry. He just went back to fighting.
For the first time in ages, Mikey found himself faced with, not an angry yell or sarcastic remark about his mistake, but a chance to prove he wouldn't do it again. A request to do better.
For the first time in ages, it felt like one of his brothers wanted him to learn. Wanted him to grow. Acknowledged he would make mistakes, and let him be imperfect.
For the first time in ages, it felt like someone was seeing him for more than just his flaws. He was more than just a mistake in their eyes.
Michelangelo stared at Donatello. Then he got back to fighting. Concentrate. He didn't want to make the same mistake again.
He laughed, a weight bundled in his chest leaving with the air he let free.
He followed his brother's instructions, and looked out for himself. After all, this would be the first time in ages someone gave him that chance.
Mikey didn't let a single blow hit him. It would be a shame if anything happened to him, after all, since he meant so much to his family.
Michelangelo and Donatello stepped up, both able to defend themselves as well as block some hits intended for their tired friends.
Soon, the Kraangs' numbers diminished.
The thirty-eighth floor landing was just within reach.
Stab, swing, punch, clobber. A rhythm that became easier with each Kraang downed. One droid less standing in their way, and they were that much closer to the next 'checkpoint'.
Leatherhead charged the last Kraang on the final step before the landing, and ripped the robot apart like a paper towel. The Kraang inside jumped onto the stairs and went scurrying down, screeching.
Donatello poked his head around the landing to the next flight of stairs, then glanced at his exhausted, worn allies. "We can afford to rest here a minute or two," he whispered. "It'll be one more flight, then we'll face Kraang Prime."
The team tried to quiet their heavy breathing, lest the next flight's worth of Kraang heard them.
Donatello supposed they had been loud enough battling their way up, and mused the Kraang were already well aware of their presence, but still. The absence of noise might encourage them to stay there until the team was ready to move on.
He was forced to consider a different reason for their passiveness, however, when Kraang Prime's image projected on the stairwell wall.
"Kraang should have disposed of you while you were at Kraang's mercy."
Michelangelo sneered at her and adopted a strange, taunting tone. "But 'cha didn't."
"You have caused issues in Kraang's plan. But Kraang would not have survived this far if Kraang was not an adaptive species. Kraang, begin the mutation of the humans!"
Kraang Prime lingered to catch their horrified expressions, then the projection flickered out.
"We have to go back," Donnie said.
Slash let his head fall. "But we're so close! And we saw the humans' containment area when we came up; it's on the low floors. We'd have to backtrack all that way."
"We only have three doses of retromutagen, five if Leo and Raph both return with theirs. Even if we stop Kraang Prime, there's no telling what the humans will do with the mutagenic powers, or what the mutagenic powers will do to them. Brewing a new batch would take too long, and even then, we'd have no way to track the mutated humans."
Slash looked at Donatello, then at the next flight of stairs, and back at Donnie. "You save the humans. I'm moving forward."
"Our best chance is to split up," Dr. Rockwell agreed. "I'll go with you, Donatello. The rest of you should make sure we keep moving towards Prime."
Michelangelo put a hand on Donnie's shoulder. "I'm coming, too."
"Then let's go."