Lots of action in this chapter. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons" nor "TMNT," I only own Karena.
March 30, 2037 – Todayland, North Montana, USA
DONATELLO'S POV
"Okay, okay, everybody settle down," Franny announced as we gathered back in the dining room with clean clothes… and clean bodies. "I propose a toast to Lewis and his brilliant failure. May it lead to success in the future."
"Wow, you are all so nice," Lewis replied with the biggest smile I had ever seen from him. "If I had a family, I'd want them to be just like you."
Franny looked distracted for a moment, and I turned to see Leo was distracted also.
"Oh! Uh, well then, to Lewis!"
"To Lewis!" we all shouted.
While my brothers and April took a sip, the rest of the family and Karena dumped the water in their wine glasses on their heads. We all looked at each other, shrugged, and went along with it. We dumped the water on each other's heads, and I won't lie: it felt pretty good. Suddenly, we felt another splash of water on us.
"Dr. Prankenstein strikes again!" Mikey celebrated as he held another water balloon in his right hand.
"Why I'll get you!" Raph shouted.
I laughed as Raph started to chase Mikey around the dining room. My laughter stopped when I saw a serious look on Leo's face.
"What's wrong, Leo? Is reality getting worse?"
"Something's not right, Donnie," Leo replied in a grim voice. "We're not alone."
We suddenly heard two loud thumps, and we all turned toward the window: there was a tyrannosaurus rex standing outside! Everyone screamed.
"Big boy!" Uncle Art pleaded.
"Get up, you pansy!" the puppet told Fritz when he 'fainted.'
"That wasn't the company I was meditating on!" Leo yelled with horror.
"How did a tyrannosaurus rex get here?" I asked, pondering in thought. "They went extinct a millennium ago!"
"Why didn't you tell me you had a pet dinosaur?" Lewis asked excitedly.
"Uh, because we don't!" Wilbur answered with fear in his voice.
"What are you talking about? He's standing right here!"
The dinosaur broke through the window and grabbed Lewis by the mouth!
"Oh my gosh!" April screamed.
"April!" I screamed.
I ran to her side and carried her away. Suddenly, we heard a train whistle going off, and we were all prompted to stand to the side.
"Chew-chew on this!" Billie yelled with a smirk.
"I like her," Raph said.
The train took the dinosaur off balance as Lewis come out of the dinosaur's mouth. But the dinosaur was still holding onto Lewis with its teeth, walking on each train car until it got back into the dining room.
"You guys, go!" Wilbur prompted us. "I'll take care of April and Karena."
"I can take care of myself!" Karena yelled, running into battle with the Robinsons.
"Karena, wait!" Wilbur yelled, going after her.
"Argh, I'm not standing here on the sidelines!" April yelled, eventually joining in the battle.
"Laszlo, blind him!" Leo yelled. "Gaston, ready, aim, FIRE!"
Gaston catapulted Lefty out of the much bigger meatball cannon. Lefty landed on the dinosaur's head while it was still blinded by Laszlo's paint. Lefty released Lewis from the dinosaur's grip, and Art and Mikey caught him.
"You're messing with the wrong family!" Carl yelled.
Carl stretched himself out to where Joe and Tallulah used his wheelchair, her roller skates, and Carl's body to knock the dinosaur down. I watched as Mikey fired pizza dough at the dinosaur. He fired enough to completely cover the dinosaur. All of us gathered where the dinosaur was.
"Well, everyone, I think this dino's deep-dished," Carl said happily.
Suddenly, the dinosaur moved and was able to escape from the pizza dough.
"Donnie, take April, Franny, Tallulah and Gaston," Leo commanded. "Raph, go with Billie, Joe, Bud, and April. I'll go with Wilbur, Lucille, and Karena. Now RUN!"
"Oh! He ate Carl!" Tallulah cried.
I watched as Tallulah and Bud grabbed each of Carl's legs. The dinosaur then threw all three of them towards Laszlo, hitting the artist, and they all plummeted on the wall.
"Guys! Go!" I yelled.
I watched as the dinosaur got its teeth on Art's spaceship. With its feet, the dinosaur took the dome lid off the spaceship, bringing Art and Mikey down with it.
"Mikey!" I screamed.
"Donnie, come on!" April yelled.
I met up with Lewis, who now had to run away from the dinosaur. It was very clear that Lewis was the target.
"Come on, Lewis, let's go!" I prompted him.
Franny and April met up with us, and the four of us got away from the dinosaur while Gaston remained behind, firing meatballs at it.
"Incoming!" Gaston shouted, and then yelped when the dinosaur grabbed the cannon with its teeth.
"Run!" Franny told us.
I spotted Karena just in time, running towards us to help.
"Karena, watch out!" I yelled.
Suddenly, I got hit hard, and everything went black.
WILBUR'S POV
"Oh my gosh," I gasped.
I watched the dino take out five people with one swing. Uncle Gaston was trying to take the meatball cannon out of the dino's mouth, and he was used to knock out my mom, April, and Don. Karena was knocked out with the dino's tail. I did not hesitate to run towards Karena, praying that she would wake up from her unconsciousness.
"Karena?"
I shook her, but there was no response.
"Karena!" I shouted this time, and she woke up slowly. "Karena, have you seen Lewis?"
"He was heading toward the building when we all got knocked out," Karena explained. "I was trying to rush over to help him."
"Well, come on then. Let's go!"
I tugged her hand, but she tugged it back.
"Wilbur, I just woke up from unconsciousness and I feel very light-headed."
"Do you trust me?" I asked her.
"Do I have a choice?" Karena asked in return. "What are we doing?"
"Hold on. I got you. Wrap your legs around my waist and hold on to me tight."
Karena was just a tad taller than me with the heels on, but she was able to hold on to me with no trouble at all. I carried her piggyback style to where Lewis was. After everything I had gone through today, I had no trouble running up the hill with Karena holding on to me. I blushed a little, glad that she was able to trust me, but the blush went away quickly. We were both horrified to find Lewis stuck in the corner of the house.
"Thanks, Wilbur," Karena said breathlessly.
"Don't mention it," I replied, smiling.
"Now how do we get Lewis out?" Karena asked.
"I have a big head, and little arms," the dino said to the sky. "I'm just not sure how well this plan was thought through."
The dino paused, scratching its head with its tail.
"Master?"
"Wilbur!" Karena yelled. "The dino is under someone's control. See if you can figure out who is controlling it!"
"Got it!"
I rushed toward Lewis while the dinosaur was distracted, I grabbed his wrist and led him away. I heard the dino roaring, and I turned around to look up: there was a bowler hat on its head!
"Bowler Hat Guy!" I said angrily.
Realizing that the Bowler Hat Guy was somehow able to bring a dinosaur back from the past, severely hurting the timestream, I turned back around to head toward Lewis and Karena.
"Lewis, RUN!" I yelled.
Suddenly, I felt a tug on my back.
"Wilbur!" Lewis and Karena yelled at the same time.
I was then tossed up in the air, and I screamed. I looked down, realizing what was happening: the Bowler Hat Guy knew that I was on his tail and had ordered the dino to eat me. Suddenly, I felt a tug at my ankle, and I looked up. Lewis was somehow able to use the environment around him to jump up quite a distance to try to save me. As Lewis struggled to hold on, I found Uncle Gaston's meatball cannon stuck in its teeth! I grabbed the cannon, aimed it at one of the walls, and measured my shot perfectly. I felt the dinosaur struggling to stand up, and it collapsed with Lewis and me escaping its teeth.
I slowly got up and examined myself. I had landed on the grass, which meant that I was now going to have grass stains on my pants. I felt myself being pulled up.
"Nice catch," I told Lewis with a smile.
"Nice meatball-shooting!" Lewis said back with excitement. "We made a pretty good team, huh?"
We high-fived each other.
"Yeah, I guess we did."
"Wilbur!"
We turned to see Karena running towards us, and, to my surprise, she was hugging me. Somehow, I felt safe in her arms, and I hugged her back.
"I'm so glad you boys are safe! So, a dinosaur attacks you, and suddenly it acts like a dog? This is one strange future."
"That was definitely not an accident," I replied with ice in my voice. "The Bowler Hat Guy captured the dino from the past and brought it here to get Lewis and to kill me. Luckily, I found Uncle Gaston's meatball cannon in its teeth."
"Are you boys alright?" I heard my mom asking as she got up the hill.
"We're good, Mom!" I answered happily.
My smile disappeared when my mom ran over to hug me. I felt embarrassed, so I did not hug her back. She then started to give me kisses.
"Did you see how we took out that dinosaur?" Lewis asked excitedly. "Oh man! It was so cool, Mom!"
My mom suddenly stopped kissing me, turning toward Lewis with shock written on her face. I was actually thankful for that distraction.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Lewis said, looking away in embarrassment. "I didn't mean to—"
"Oh, Lewis, it's okay," Mom assured him, giving him a hug and a kiss. "I'm so happy you're safe."
"Your… your head."
"Huh?" Mom paused, touching the bruise on her forehead. "It's just a bruise, Lewis."
Lewis and I both gazed at my family and our friends that helped us fight the dinosaur. All of them carried a wound of some sort.
"You've all sacrificed so much… for me."
"Well, of course!" Uncle Gaston replied to Lewis.
"You are a special kid," Uncle Art complimented him.
"One of a kind," Aunt Billie chimed in.
"Okay, you need to get him out of here before something really bad happens," Carl whispered in my ear, and I rolled my eyes at him.
"Silly, silly robot," I assured him, using my best Christopher Robin impersonation. "I've got it all under control."
I let go of his robot head and addressed everyone.
"Okay everybody, it's been a long hard day filled with emotional turmoil and dinosaur fights. So why don't we all hit the hay, and Lewis and I will be going?"
I walked toward Lewis as my mom spoke up.
"Do you have to go now?" Mom asked. "I mean, it's getting late. Maybe Lewis, and all your other friends, can spend the night."
"Mom, maybe some other time, okay?" I responded, speaking for everybody.
"Well, anytime you want to come over, you just come over."
"Mom—"
"The truth is, we love having you."
"We really have to go," I replied sternly.
"No! No you don't. You have to stay."
I could not believe what I was hearing from my mother.
"I mean, who would be a better family for you than us? What do you say, Lewis: Do you want to be a Robinson?"
To my disbelief, Lewis nodded his head 'yes.' While my entire family cheered, Carl and I gave each other worried looks, and I saw worried expressions on the Turtles' faces also. Both Carl and Raph gave me the hand motions of my head being chopped off, and that was enough for me to take action. By instinct, I knocked the cap off of Lewis's head, revealing his spiky blond hair. The family all gasped.
"Okay, it's true, I'm from the past," Lewis told them. "Now you know the big secret."
"Wilbur, what have you done?" Mom cried. "How could you bring him here?"
"That is an excellent question," I replied, and that was the truth.
"Please, don't get mad at Wilbur," Lewis tried to assure my mom. "He was just being a good friend."
"Lewis, I am so sorry, but you have to go," Mom said with regret in her voice.
"What? You just said—"
"I know… what I said."
"I'm from the past. So what?"
My mom approached Lewis with concern in her brown eyes as she lifted Lewis' chin for his blue eyes to meet hers.
"Lewis, Lewis look at me. You're… you're a great kid, and we would never do anything to hurt you, but… I'm sorry, you have to go back to your own time."
I finally had the gut to speak.
"Yeah, about that, umm… one of the time machines is broken, and the other was stolen by a guy in a bowler hat, which, uh… kind of explains the dino."
Everyone looked towards the dino as I rubbed my neck, and, like Karena said, the dino was acting like a house pet.
"I'm calling your father," Mom said with a flat affect.
"Wait, if I have to leave, can I at least go back and see my mom?" Lewis asked, and I panicked. "Wilbur promised."
"You promised what?" Mom asked me with ice in her voice.
"I was never going to do it, I swear!"
I gasped, realizing too late that I had spilled out the truth about myself to Lewis.
"You lied to me?" Lewis asked, and I could tell he was angry now also.
"No!" I answered at first, but I couldn't hide the truth anymore. "Yes?"
Lewis growled and started to walk away.
"Lewis, Lewis, wait!"
"I can't believe I was dumb enough to actually believe you were my friend!" Lewis lashed out at me, and then ran away.
"I am your friend!" I yelled desperately.
"Mister," I heard my mom's icy voice, and I winced. "You're grounded 'til you die."
I watched as the entire family, including Carl, walked away, and only the Turtles remained.
"That's some bad mojo, dude," Mikey said.
"Yeah, Wilbur, why would you lie to him?" Leo asked not with anger but worry in his voice.
"Well, what do you want me to do?" I screamed in anger at the blue-masked turtle. "Just immediately tell someone in the past: Hey! I'm from the future. Wanna spend time in the future with me? You can't just tell someone you're from the future, Leonardo!"
"The truth is better than lying about it," Mikey warned. "You can lose friends that way."
"Guys! I just tried getting us out of here, but the remote doesn't work!" Don said with panic in his voice. "I can't understand it. Wilbur, can you—"
"Leave me alone, Donatello!" I screamed.
Realizing that I may have hurt my new friends also, I ran off to try to find Lewis. I knew now that I needed to make this right and take him back to the past, no matter what.
"Lewis?" I called out. "Let's just talk about this, Lewis, come on! I know you're around here somewhere! Lewis?"
I ran up the hill… and found Lewis talking to the Bowler Hat Guy! I gasped as Lewis gave me a glare. I tried to mouth him the word 'no,' but he only looked away and took the Bowler Hat Guy's hand. I tried to save him, but it was too little, too late. I watched as the Bowler Hat Guy drove Lewis into the city. I felt the heaviest heart, even heavier than when I realized I screwed up the past myself and turned Todayland into Magma City. I fell, and I started to cry, having no hope left.
Suddenly, I felt a hand touching my back.
"DON'T touch me, Mom!" I cried angrily.
"Wilbur."
I sniffed, realizing the woman's voice was not my mother's. I slowly sat up and turned around to see Karena. I looked into her eyes through my tears, and I saw her eyes for the first time: they were a beautiful shade of green, as green as the emerald stone. Her brown bangs and brown curly hair had brought them out, and they were the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.
I studied her face. Karena had genuine concern in her emerald eyes and her frown told me she wanted to help me. Not realizing what I was doing, I traced her left cheek with my right fingers, and it was the softest cheek I had ever felt. My fingers found her lips, covered in the most beautiful red lipstick. I truly believed I was safe, and I felt I could tell her anything.
"This is the worst day in my entire life," I told her.
It was Karena's turn to touch my face, and her touch was soft as she wiped away my tears.
"Please, tell me," Karena encouraged me, putting a kind smile on her face.
KARENA'S POV
Wilbur and I sat next to each other at the fountain. Wilbur took a deep breath to relax, and then he started to tell his story.
"My favorite thing to do here is using the time machine to have adventures in the past. At first, they were for fun. I went back to Egypt and saw King Tut's mummy. I met Wilbur and Orville Wright in North Carolina. I had been doing this ever since my dad invented the time machine five years ago. But then, one night, the Bowler Hat Guy stole one of the time machines. As my parents had taught me to own up to my mistakes, I felt the need to correct this one. I destroyed my dad's time lab to use the prototype time machine to find this guy. Carl, who… was my best friend, helped me, telling me that he was looking for Lewis to destroy his invention. But I messed up."
"What happened?" I asked, finding Wilbur's story very interesting.
"I accidentally knocked over two science projects and completely altered this timeline. Todayland became Magma City, and with that, I had to come back. But then a huge robot ant stole the time machine, so I had to destroy robot ants as well as Emperor Stanley's Magma-bots in order to get it back. Thankfully, I realized my mistake, so I was able to go back in the past and fix it. I think bringing Lewis here from the past was an even bigger mistake than destroying those kids' projects. Now everyone hates me for my mistake."
Wilbur paused, letting out a sigh.
"Carl was the only one who knew what was going on. And now you know the true story."
Wilbur paused again, and his breath started to shake.
"My parents expect me to be Cornelius Robinson's son. They're expecting me to follow my dad's footsteps and become a scientist like him. But sometimes, I feel that my only talent is making trouble, because that's all they ever see in me."
Wilbur paused and let out a soft laugh while I put a glare on my face.
"I cannot believe I'm spilling out my life and my guts out to a girl I barely know. I don't even open myself up like this to my own parents."
"Wilbur, those words I heard just now? Those are the words of a quitter! You are more than a Robinson. You are Wilbur Robinson. You are so full of life. Being an adventurer is who you are. You have never given up. And when the situation is difficult, you have remained calm."
"Hehe, try telling my parents that. They didn't accept me for who I am before. Why would they accept me now?"
Wilbur slammed a fist on the marble.
"Some Robinson. I thought I was making the right decision when breaking into the time lab and taking that prototype machine. I'm not so sure anymore. I… I probably deserve to not exist after everything that happened."
"What's your middle name?" I asked.
"That was very random," Wilbur replied, giving me a weird look. "I have two middle names: James and Cornelius. My parents couldn't decide on which one to give me."
"Wilbur James Cornelius Robinson, everyone deserves a second chance, so don't you dare talk about yourself like that. You broke into that time lab and took that prototype time machine because you thought it was the right thing to do. Your parents cannot disown you for that. Who knows? It probably will turn out to be the right decision in the end. If it helps at all, you are actually one of the wisest guys I've ever met."
Wilbur's weird look turned into a look of shock, as if no one had ever called him 'wise' before. I let out a laugh.
"You have made mistakes, yes," I continued. "But you have learned from them, you have let them go, and you have moved forward. A wise person does that. A wise person gains experience from making mistakes. Your parents may not see you for being wise, you have been wise from the very beginning, and you are the most resilient being I've ever met. You've always bounced back, even from the most difficult of timelines."
For the first time in this conversation, Wilbur smiled.
"No one has ever told me that before. At least, not in that way. Do you actually mean it, or are you saying that just to cheer me up?"
"Well… both. I know you don't believe you have friends right now, but you've got a friend in me, Wilbur. And the way the Turtles spoke to you up there? They're concerned about you too. I mean, look at the way you welcomed them into your home. I think you just made friends for life there! They don't have many friends either because they live in the sewers, believing they will never be accepted into society."
Wilbur laughed.
"Thank you for this," Wilbur said, holding my hand. "I never thought I needed a friend in a time like this that isn't Carl."
To my surprise, I welcomed the touch. Physically, Wilbur was handsome, and his touch confirmed that. But perhaps what attracted me more was his heart and his inner strength. My thoughts went back to the present.
"Don't you have a friend to catch up with?" I asked with a smirk.
Wilbur sighed, his smile disappearing.
"The Bowler Hat Guy took Lewis," Wilbur said with a frown, and then he gasped. "We've gotta find him! And we need Carl for this!"
"Come on, then," I beckoned him. "Donnie and April are excellent at peacemaking. Maybe we can get their help."
I held out my hand for him to take, and Wilbur took it with a smile. And then I gasped.
"What is it?" Wilbur asked.
"I need to call Donnie and find out where's he's at. But I don't have my cell phone!"
"Here, use mine."
Wilbur handed me his cell phone.
"Thanks!"
I dialed Donnie's number.
"Donatello."
"Donnie! It's Karena. I'm calling from Wilbur's cell phone. Where are you?"
"We're all outside. None of the family are happy right now. I just tried calming them down, but they wouldn't speak to us. They're thinking we're from the past too. It's half-true, but… I truly tried, Karena."
"Donnie, there's one person we need you and April to help us out with: Carl. Carl is Wilbur's best friend, and Wilbur says we need him to track Lewis down. The Bowler Hat Guy took him away."
"Oh no. Meet April and me in Cornelius's lab. April and I stumbled upon it while trying to find Carl, who would not speak to us."
"We're going to the lab, Wilbur," I told my new friend, hanging up the phone. "Donnie and April found it."
"Follow me," Wilbur beckoned me, taking my hand again.
Wilbur led us to the lab, which was the most beautiful room of all the rooms in the house. Unfortunately, we were met with arguing.
"You two need to go before I kick you out!" Carl yelled.
"Okay, Carl, we all need to stay calm," Donnie sternly replied. "Being angry is not going to solve anything."
"We need your help, Carl," April pleaded with him. "You're the Robinson family. Isn't it in your beliefs to help people no matter what?"
"Wilbur crossed the line, Miss O'Neil," Carl angrily replied. "He crossed the line a long time ago when he broke into his dad's time lab."
"Wilbur probably had a good reason for breaking into the time lab," Donnie replied. "He was probably trying to do the right thing."
"No, Donatello, the right thing should have been for me to call his dad. His dad would have known what to do. Not leave it up to a child to fix the timelines."
"Everyone stop!" Wilbur screamed.
All eyes were fixed on us.
"Please, hear me out," Wilbur pleaded. "Carl, I truly am sorry for dragging you into this. I thought I was doing the right thing when I broke into Dad's time lab and taking the prototype time machine. Clearly, I made more mistakes than right decisions, but I'm ready to make up for it. Even if it costs me my existence."
Carl's angry expression turned into a concerned frown.
"Wilbur, you've always feared not existing. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Wilbur and I glanced at each other, and we held hands.
"Yes, I am certain I want to do this. Please, Carl. I need your help. We need to get Lewis back. Don can stay here and fix the time machine."
"I'm sorry Wilbur, I cannot," Donnie chimed in. "Leo sensed a presence while you two were gone. The Magician is here."
"What?!" I exclaimed angrily.
"Who's the Magician?" Wilbur asked.
"The man who originally invented this remote," I answered, taking out my magical TV remote. "His goal is to destroy the fabrications of reality and merge it all in one so he can control it. He would be the one to decide all of our fates. We had thought he was safe in Donnie's lab with the plasma handcuffs."
"But the Magician somehow escaped," Donnie chimed in. "He found his magic ring that he had been using to travel to different dimensions and separated me and my brothers and April. Not only has the Magician found us here, but he knows you're here too, Karena."
"We need to hurry," Wilbur said with determination.
"And I'll help," Carl said, putting a smile back on his face. "Little buddy, you have my forgiveness, but you'll need to set things right with your parents and little Lewis, too."
"You've got our backs, Wilbur," April said, getting her tessen ready.
"I can only fit two people on me," Carl said.
"Karena, why don't you go with Wilbur?" Donnie suggested. "Me and the others can try to fend off the Magician here. Carl, would you happen to have any spare parts I could use to try to invent something?"
"You invent, too?" Carl asked with surprise in his voice. "The spare parts are in the storage room."
"Thanks! Come on, April."
Wilbur, Carl, and I watched as Donnie and April took the travel tube to the storage room.
"Carl, I think I know where Lewis went," Wilbur said.
"Where do you think, little buddy?" Carl asked.
"Maybe the orphanage? I remember Dad mentioned having a roommate, but he never knew what became of him. If anyone were to have a grudge against Dad, it'd be the roommate."
"I'll take your word for it, little buddy. Now let's roll!"
Carl bent down. Wilbur climbed onto him, putting his legs around Carl's neck. He held out his hand, and I gladly took it with a laugh. We walked out of the lab, through the hallways, and out the front door. Carl spread his robotic limbs, extending them to where he could take giant steps. We got into the city in no time, and I was in awe with what Wilbur's dad had made.
"Your dad did all of this?" I asked. "It's so beautiful!"
"It's clearer in the daytime, trust me," Wilbur replied.
"No, no! I love neon, and this city has lots of it!"
"My dad is very optimistic about the future, but he has a heart for vintage things too, especially the neon."
We continued walking until we saw the oldest building in town. There was a bulldozer there, ready to tear the building down.
"This is the orphanage where my dad lived," Wilbur continued. "The Bowler Hat Guy must have taken Lewis here."
It all suddenly clicked.
"Time out!" I screamed, and we suddenly stopped. "Lewis is your father?!"
"Congratulations, you solved the mystery," Wilbur answered, hanging his head down.
"That would explain the really weird hat and everything!" I yelled, giving Wilbur a punch on his left shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Because Lewis was present," Wilbur answered, rubbing his shoulder and looking hurt. "I couldn't just tell him flat out: Hey, I'm your son from the future!"
Realizing he had a good point, I hung my head down feeling guilty. I suddenly felt Wilbur's hand touching my shoulder, and I looked back up at him.
"It's okay, I deserved that punch."
"Children, we need to go!" Carl prompted us, and he continued on forward.
We hid on the side of the building.
"Doris, open the latch for me please," the Bowler Hat Guy kindly requested… his… hat.
The hat was somehow able to open the hood… with robotic arms. I was getting freaked out just from that alone. Suddenly, Wilbur started cooing like a pigeon, and Carl cooed after him. I heard a wagon rolling towards us, and suddenly, Lewis and a huge box fell over the side of the roof. I caught the box while Carl caught Lewis.
"Nice catch!" Wilbur complimented me, giving me a thumbs up.
"Well, I hate to foil your evil plan and run," Carl taunted the Bowler Hat Guy, who was quite ugly. "But, ta-ta!"
We walked away quickly from the orphanage and headed home.
"I bet you're glad to see me!" Wilbur optimistically told Lewis, who returned the favor with a punch to his right shoulder.
"That's for not locking the garage door!" Lewis yelled, and Carl winced, realizing Lewis now knew the truth also.
"Hehe, you know about that?" Wilbur asked sheepishly.
"I know everything," Lewis replied, finally putting a smile on his face.
"Well, you gotta admit, this will be a great story to tell me someday," Wilbur replied, and we both laughed.
We finally made it past the gate and were coming up to the front door. Carl let out a merry laugh as Wilbur drummed his head.
"Look at that boys, we're almost home-free—AAH!"
The three of us looked over to see that Carl was stabbed by Doris! Wilbur let out a gasp as he looked backwards, and all of us fell to the ground. Thankfully, it was a steady fall, so the landing was not hard at all.
"Wilbur, the project!" I screamed, pointing a finger at the hat carrying the box away.
Wilbur glanced up, but then we all looked down as Carl moaned. He was broken, and he passed away.
"Oh no!" Wilbur cried.
The three of us then angrily glanced toward the Bowler Hat Guy within the blue time machine.
"Take a look around boys… and lady. Because your future is about to change!"
We watched the Bowler Hat Guy fly toward some sort of colorful bubble in the sky and disappear.
"Lewis, you have to fix the time machine!" Wilbur prompted him.
"No, I- I- I can't!" Lewis panicked.
"Wilbur, why are you so afraid all of a sudden?" I asked, looking at the fear in his chocolate eyes.
"The Bowler Hat Guy has won," Wilbur answered sadly. "Lewis fixed the project, and now he's going to pass the invention off as his own. I'm not going to exist."
"What?!"
"What about your dad?" Lewis asked. "You could call him!"
"You are my dad!" Wilbur pointed out.
"But that's in the future!" Lewis cried.
"There won't be a future unless you fix the time machine!" Wilbur cried back. "Look, I messed up. I left the garage unlocked and I tried like CRAZY to fix things! But now it's up to you."
Wilbur paused, putting a hand on Lewis's shoulder.
"You can do it, Dad."
"Wilbur—" I started to say.
Wilbur walked over to me and put a finger over my lips.
"Karena, in case we don't see each other again…"
He suddenly closed the distance with his lips touching mine. I was shocked at first, but then I felt how pleasant it was, and I returned the kiss.
"I've always wanted to see what that's like," Wilbur said, putting a smile on his face. "I… I love you."
I gasped at those words when blue smoke suddenly started to surround Wilbur.
"Lewis? Lewis!"
Wilbur screamed as his body got reduced to molecules.
"WILBUR!" Lewis and I screamed at the same time.
We watched as Wilbur's soul went up to the green sky, and lightning struck all around the Robinson House.
"Wilbur…"
"Lewis, go to the garage and fix the time machine!" I prompted him. "I'll find the Turtles!"
APRIL'S POV
Donnie and I heard lightning above us.
"Donnie, hurry!" I cried. "We're about to be caught in a storm!"
"Don't worry, April," Donnie replied. "I'm done."
I turned to see Donnie donning a backpack of some sort.
"Where did you find the backpack?" I asked.
"It used to be Wilbur's," Donnie explained. "I hope he won't mind if I use it to store some things."
We took the travel tube back to the lab, only to find that it looked much different.
"Donnie, where are we?"
"We're definitely not in Kansas anymore," Donnie replied with fear in his voice.
"Uh, I'm sure we are in Kansas, D. What's going on?"
"We need to find Karena, Wilbur, and Lewis, and fast!"
We managed to find a window and jumped out. We landed on the grass where we now saw a green sky and a huge hat taking the place of the Robinson House.
"Donnie, look!" I yelled, pointing to the side.
We found Karena, facing off against the Magician!
"So, I'm face-to-face with the Magician who is supposed to be in plasma handcuffs in Donatello's lab," Karena taunted him. "I see you haven't given up yet."
"Karena's brave, that's for sure," I said in awe.
"She's had good teachers all her life," Donnie replied with a smirk. "Let's help her out."
"Karena!" Leo yelled as we were joined by his brothers. "We've got your back."
"Guys! Look out!" I shouted.
We all turned to see lots of floating hats surrounding us.
"You guys take care of the hats," Karena ordered. "I'll handle the Magician."
"I'm fighting with you, Karena," I replied back, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We girls have to stick together!"
Karena gave me a smirk.
"Just be careful, April. You're still in the beginning stages of training."
"So are you, technically."
"Let's just try to stay together, shall we?" Karena suggested.
"Finally!" we heard Raph shout happily. "A real fight on our hands."
"Stay together, guys," Leo ordered his brothers.
"Looks like it's just you and us, Magician," Karena said smugly.
"I'm glad," the Magician replied. "Donatello is occupied and Wilbur does not exist. You girls don't stand a chance against moi."
"First of all, I can fight without Donnie," I shot back.
"Second of all, I don't need Wilbur to fight my fights for me," Karena retorted. "But I can promise you we'll both take you down!"
"Wait, where is Wilbur?" I asked. "Wait… did the Magician just say Wilbur does not exist?"
"The Bowler Hat Guy changed Lewis's future to where Wllbur doesn't exist because the Lewis from the past is here in the future."
"Then Karena, you fight for Wilbur. Remember? Keep moving forward?"
"There was one other thing Wilbur said," Karena replied with a tear falling down her face. "I love you."
My jaw dropped. A boy from a different dimension had confessed his feelings to Karena. Karena and I both grew serious when we heard the Magician cackle.
"Doesn't the saying go, love conquers all?" the Magician asked. "Wilbur is not here, Karena. Therefore, I'm the conqueror of this world!"
"I don't need Wilbur's physical presence to defeat you, Magician!" Karena shot back with rage in her voice. "April, play Duel of the Fates on your T-Phone. The battle is on!"
"Umm… okay."
I searched for the song Duel of the Fates on my T-Phone and I somehow recognized the tune. As the chorus started to sing, I saw a flying car fly out of the huge hat that had replaced the house.
"Karena!" Leo yelled.
We turned to see the Turtles running to us.
"You guys took down the hats?" Karena asked with surprise in her voice. "I'm impressed."
"No, that's why we're here," Donnie answered. "Lewis was able to fix the time machine! He is now the distraction. Lewis is the only one who can fix the future, so the hats are going after him."
"So what do we do?" Mikey asked.
"We kick some shell!" Raph answered, charging at the Magician.
We watched as Raph was knocked out in one punch!
"Raph!" Mikey yelled.
Mikey charged the Magician, only for him to be knocked out also.
"He's gotten stronger since we fought him last time!" Karena cried.
Leo then charged, and he actually put up a fight against the Magician. Donnie, meanwhile looked through his backpack to try to find something.
"What are you looking for, Donnie?" I asked.
"I invented an electric cell that would give the Magician a burn if he tried escaping," Donnie answered. "I'm trying to find the button to activate it."
One of the mini hats returned, and it was heading straight for Donnie!
"Donnie, watch out!" I cried.
"What?"
But it was too late. Once the hat went on Donnie's head, covering his purple mask, Donnie started to attack me!
"Donnie, wait! It's me, April!" I screamed. "Don't do this!"
Donnie, unfortunately, continued to attack me with his staff.
"I don't want to fight you, Donnie!" I cried.
"Karena! It's up to you!" I heard Leo tell her.
Suddenly, six more mini hats showed up. The other three Turtles were under the hats' control. I took out my tessen when the hat tried to control me. I easily sliced the hat in half. Karena, on the other hand, picked up Leo's katanas and sliced that hat down. The Magician easily overpowered the hat that tried to take control of him with his magic.
"Karena, you're on your own!" I cried. "I need to fend Donnie off without harming him!"
"I'll do whatever it takes to bring you down, Magician!" Karena yelled.
While I tried defending myself against Donnie, Karena had to defend herself against the Magician, Leo, Raph, and Mikey all at once… all while Duel of the Fates was playing in my T-Phone. Karena was easily disarmed, but she was easily skilled in kickboxing. She disarmed Mikey and Raph and tried to defend herself with their weapons. Then, I remembered that Karena did her best work with the bo staff, which she did not have with her at the moment.
"Donnie!" I cried, continuing to block off his attacks. "Donatello, listen to me. You are my best friend. You saved me the night we met. I do not know what my future holds, but I do know that I want you in it!"
Donnie continued to fight me.
"I love you, Donnie!"
Donnie suddenly stopped fighting me, and he paused long enough to swipe his bo staff out of his hands.
"Karena, catch!"
I tossed Donnie's bo staff to Karena, who caught it with ease. Donnie ran towards Karena, and I had to rush over to help her. We continued to fend ourselves off with our weapons. Karena and I put up quite the fight against the Magician and the Turtles. Though I immediately regretted it, I placed a wound on every Turtle with my tessen. Karena held her own against the Magician, and she used Donnie's bo staff with grace. Karena's skills were quite different from Donnie's, but her skills served her purpose.
Karena knocked the Magician to the ground, but then the latter tripped her, and Karena fell to the ground. Just when the sky started to turn blue again, the Magician gave me a good roundhouse kick, and I collapsed to the ground.
"APRIL!" Karena screamed as I blacked out.
WILBUR'S POV
I slowly felt myself being put together again. With my soul, I watched as the ugly green skies turned blue again. I watched the pollution turn back into a utopian city. The Mega-Doris hat that had replaced the Robinson House was gone, and the house returned to its rightful spot. My soul smiled as it returned to the earth.
I landed on the grounds of the Robinson House and felt myself come to form again. I first felt my legs, and then my torso and my arms appeared. I touched my left arm with my right hand to make sure I was real, and I felt my own touch. Lastly, my head appeared, and I felt complete and real. I was greeted by a smiling and relieved Lewis.
"You did it, Lewis!" I cried with happiness in my voice. "You did it!"
Then I looked to see who was next to him, and I let out a gasp. It the Bowler Hat Guy! He sheepishly laughed and waved at me with awkwardness. But I didn't care. He was responsible to changing my dad's future as well as mine. I let out a battle cry and gave him the hardest roundhouse kick I thought possible, knocking him down to his knees. I held him down on the ground.
"Run, and call for help!" I sternly told Lewis.
"Let him go!" Lewis cried, pulling me away from the Bowler Hat Guy.
"What are you doing?" I asked, not believing what I was hearing. "He's the bad guy!"
"No, he's not. He's my roommate."
I hated being right.
"What?"
"Look, I want you guys to adopt him," Lewis whispered in my ear.
"Are you nuts?" I asked him, believing he was the crazy on.
"Give me a good reason why not."
"I'll give you three good reasons! He stole our time machine, ruined your future, and he smells like he hasn't showered in 30 years! OW!"
Lewis pulled on my ear.
"May I remind you: I'm your father. You have to do what I say."
I let out a huff, not liking that Lewis pulled the 'I'm your dad' card on me. I waved my arms out in defeat.
"Okay, Mr. Yagoobian, do you want to be a Robins—where'd he go?"
We both turned to see the Bowler Hat Guy not in our sights.
"Goob?" Lewis called out. "Goob!"
Lewis found a binder with a unicorn on it, and he opened it. We both looked to find a checklist the Bowler Hat Guy had made to destroy Lewis's future, but it was all crossed out. On the bottom, there was another task, but there was only a question mark. Lewis must have changed the Bowler Hat Guy's life in some way, and it seemed to me he didn't know what to do with himself.
Just when I was about to feel pity for him, I heard a scream.
"Oh my gosh!" I cried. "Karena!"
I ran to the side of the house to see the Turtles and April knocked out cold. Karena was on the ground as a man was hovering over her. Happy to see not one, but two katana blades on the ground, I picked them both up and positioned myself to save Karena's life.
"I will not be defeated by a girl again," the man, whom I guessed was the Magician, told her. "Reality will be reborn, and you will get what you deserve."
"Get. Away. From her. NOW!" I yelled angrily.
Both the Magician and Karena turned in my direction.
"Wilbur!" Karena yelled happily. "You're okay!"
"That's impossible!" the Magician cried. "You didn't exist!"
"You're right," I replied. "I didn't. But I'm here now, and absolutely no one hurts the girl I love."
I pointed one of the katanas at the Magician.
"If you or anyone attempts to hurt Karena, I will personally see to it that you get the pain you deserve."
The Magician yelled a battle cry, and we started to fight each other. The Magician was good at using his magic, but my skills with karate along with the katana blades proved to be stronger. I had used a roundhouse kick to eventually knock the Magician down.
"Don, NOW!" I yelled, sensing the Turtles had woken up.
Donatello pushed a button, and some sort of cube made of electricity surrounded the Magician. He had no way out.
"What is this magic?" the Magician asked.
He yelped when his hand touched one of the bars that gave him a burn.
"That is a cell you will never get out of," Don answered smugly. "I invented it before the alternate reality arrived."
"Don, you truly are a genius," I complimented him, and I turned to Lewis. "You too, Lewis. But what happened to you guys?"
The Turtles looked down to see a wound of some sort on each of them.
"I'm sorry, guys," April said, rubbing her left arm. "You were under the control of those hats! I had to do something to help Karena out."
"The good news is, I have some first aid stuff to help you guys out," I said with a smile. "Off to my room, everybody!"