Chapter 3: It's Big Brother Time!

Michelangelo wasn't sure what happened next. Next thing he knew was that he was in the sewers. It wasn't the futures sewers, but the familiar smell of home. Was he able to travel back to the original time of 2007?

He looked around and noticed Leo wasn't around. He must have not traveled through time with him. Not like he wanted to see Leo or his other two brothers anyway.

"Looks like none of my bros are here. Good riddance!" he mumbled as he stood up. He was familiar with the area he had appeared in and decided to head to the lair. Hopefully his comic books and rare trading cards of superheros were still intact. Maybe he would find his Turtle Titian costume and join up up with the Justice Force again?

Mikey could tell he was getting close, the scent of the lair was getting stronger. He had a funny feeling he was being watched and turned around. He saw no one, but the presence remained. It was familiar and definitely not foe. Before Mikey could react, he was swept off his feet and could feel someone trying to pin him.

"Wait!" Mikey cried. "It's me!"

He looked up into the brown eyes of Master Splinter, who frowned down at the young turtle.

"Michelangelo, I have been looking for you for nearly an hour! Where have you been?"

He sounded mad, really mad. Mikey wasn't sure how to tell his father why he had disappeared. He knew this couldn't possibly be the same Splinter he left behind in 2105 along with his brothers.

"I guess I lost track of time."

Splinter sighed and shook his head before letting Mikey stand up. "I expect you to be more responsible from now on, my son."

"Responsibility has never really been one of my strong points," Mikey chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. Poor Splinter knew that already.

"You best start acting responsible!" Splinter growled, slamming the bottom of his walking stick to the concrete, making Mikey flinch.

"I'm not in THAT much trouble, am I?"

Splinter forced himself to calm down and sighed again. "Michelangelo. One day I may not be here to protect you and your brothers. Promise me you won't go running off again without me knowing first."

Mikey felt a little bad. Splinter seemed to be telling him something really deep, almost as if he were scolding Leo.

"Okay, I promise, Master Splinter."

"Good," Splinter nodded. "Now come. Your brothers are waiting for our return."

Being able to see his brothers wasn't really what Mikey wanted, but he already agreed to go back to the lair with him.

The good, old lair. It felt good to be back home! Looked as if Mikey and the others had only left hours ago. Immediately, Mikey headed for the TV, eager to play his 'old' video games.

"Michelangelo!" Splinter scold, hitting Mikey on the head with his stick.

"What?!" Mikey whined, rubbing his head.

"You must spend more time on your training than on vid games!" Splinter scolded. "There are more important things to think about and spend your time on."

"Like what?"

"Your attention to your brothers, for one."

Mikey rolled his eyes. Why should his brothers care if he's gone or not? He looked aound and noticed his brothers were not around.

"Oh, so you scold me and not my brothers?" Mikey questioned. "They're probably up on the surface having the time of their lives and causing all kinds of trouble."

"Your brothers have never left the lair before, Michelangelo. You must not joke about such things."

What did he mean about his brothers never leaving the lair?

"Master Splinter!" yelled three little voices. Splinter smiled and knelt down, letting the three turtle tots embrace him. Michelangelo shrieked and stood up on the couch like a women in the cartoons would every time she sees a mouse.

"WHAT THE SHELL?!"

These three little turtles couldn't possibly be his brothers! But they all wore their signatures masks.

"Mikey!" the tots greeted him with glee. Well, the were kinda cute. Mikey got down from the couch and let his brothers nuzzle him. He then felt a sharp pain on his ankle and realized he had been kicked...by Raphael.

"Ow! Ow! Ow1" he cried, hopping on one foot. "What was that for?!"

"Because you left us alone, you big jerk! I had to listen to Leo nag me all day!"

"I wasn't nagging!" Leo argued.

"You were so!" Raph stuck out his tongue.

"Raphale! Leonardo!" Splinter stopped them before they could argue more. "I told you not to quarrel. You are brothers, and must learn to have patience with one another."

"Yes, Master Splinter," the two said, hanging their heads. Mikey's head was still hurting. He wasn't sure if it was from his hover-board accident in 2105, or if he was still having a hard time believing that his brothers were younger than him.

Back in 2105, Leo had informed everyone about what had happened with Mikey. Raphael had returned from his hover-cycle ride by now.

"Gee, I knew he was upset, but I didn't think he was THAT upset."

"Neither did I, Leo agreed. He handed the orb to Donatello and the tech turtle began to examine it. He put it on the table and began getting it scanned. It took a few minutes, but he was able to analyze the surface.

"Well, it's definitely not a diamond or pearl of sorts, but it is made up of rare material. It appears to be some kind of teleportation device."

"A teleportation device?" Raph questioned. "Where could Mikey have gotten his hands on something like that?"

"I don't know," Donnie said, resting his hand to his chin. "But I have a bad feeling there's more to it than just a teleportation device."

Leo and Raph were silent as they watched Donatello continue his examination of the orb. Donnie could feel them breathing down his neck and it was starting to annoy him.

"No offense, but you two are sucking the air out of my personal bubble."

"Sorry," the two brothers said before giving Donnie a little more space to work. Another moment of silence followed before Raph spoke.

"Do you think Mikey's okay?"

"I'm not sure," Leo told him.

"What if he's stuck in some Triceraton prison?"

"If he is stuck in a Triceraton prison, then I would be more worried about the Triceratons," Leo chuckled a bit. "You know how annoying he can be when he's hungry."

Raph smiled a bit. "Yeah."

"Maybe," Donnie shrugged. "But what if something worse happened? We don't even know if he's alive."

"He's alive, Don," Leo said, putting a hand o his shoulder. "He has to be."

"Poor, Mikey," Raph held his head, looking unusually worried. "What if he's being tickled to death?!"

"Maybe he's being brainwashed! Or maybe he's being torn apart by some alien laser!" Donnie began to panic as well. "That poor little guy!"

Leo was starting to get worried, but forced himself to keep a level head.

"Guys, we don't know anything. Besides, Mikey's not as helpless as we think. He's a strong warrior like the rest of us. I'm sure he can find a way to take care of himself."

Raph and Donnie nodded, but they still looked worried.

Mikey had never trained so hard in his life! Master Splinter pushed him hard!

He was flat on his stomach, trying to catch his breath. He wiped away sweat.

"Maybe it's time for a time out?"

Splinter nodded. "Very well, but we will train again later."

Mikey was relieved to have a break. Splinter tossed him a sweat towel and smiled proudly.

"I am very proud of you, Michelangelo. You have taken this training session very seriously. I'm sure your brother will learn from your example."

Mikey smiled. He never had Splinter praise him so highly before. Leo was usually the one who was given all the praise. He stood up and bowed.

"Thank you , Master."

"Can I ask a favor of you, Michelangelo?"

"Sure, anything."

Splinter put a hand on Mikey's shoulder and he could tell his sensei was going to ask something very important.

"I must leave the lair for a while, my son. While I am gone, I expect you to keep a close eye on your younger brothers. You must not let them leave the lair, and above all, you must not go up to the surface."

Being in charge of his little brothers? This is what he has been hoping for since he got here!

"Of course I can do that!"

"Remember, Michelangelo," Splinter frowned. "I am very serious! You must not let them leave the lair under any circumstance. You must stay together."

"Don't worry, Master Splinter," Mikey grinned and began nudging him toward the entrance. "I can totally handle it!"

Splinter had his doubts, but he decided he'll have to trust the turtle on this. Mikey waved goodbye with an innocent smile. When Splinter was gone, Mikey began rubbing his hands together. "Hehe, time for Mikey to become the big brother he's always wanted to be! This is going to be great!"

He was so excited, he had to shout! And best of all, mean ol' Raph wasn't there to knock him upside the head as he screamed his favorite catchphrase.

"COWABUNGA!"