Better Genes 6
I wanna extend a big thanks to everyone for their reviews and to my TMNT sister BrightLotusMoon for her help in helping me with this story. Thanks sis.;)
Just to make something clear about the last chapter, Donnie knows that Bishop is really the one to blame for the Outbreak and for Mikey's mutation but he still feels immensely guilty for what's happened to Mikey. He blames himself and believes that if he hadn't slipped and fell, then Mikey wouldn't have gotten hurt/infected when he came to his aid. So he's basically pulling a Leo (self blame), right after he'd pulled a Raph (destructive rage). And now learning that Mikey is slowly dying is adding more to his guilt.
I also wanna point out that he might be out of character too, but I'll leave up to you to decide if he is or not. Also, this chapter maybe a little emotionally intense.
Hope you like this new chapter.
,,,,,,
After Donnie recovered from his emotional breakdown, Leonardo came to the decision that they, Splinter, and Leatherhead would travel to Bishop's base with Mikey for the cure.
No one said it out loud but they were all thinking the same thing, that it was a terrible idea.
When Raphael asked how they were gonna find Bishop, Leatherhead provided the location of Bishop's 'secret' base, having been a prisoner at that very base for weeks.
Knowing that the BattleShell wouldn't be fast enough to get them there, Donatello showed his family his latest project that he'd been working on in secret. The Turtle-Copter. It was the helicopter that Stockman had… left behind. Donnie, being the busy bee turtle that he was, had simply 'remodeled' it. With a few additional features added to it.
It was also decided that April and Casey would stay behind, just in case they were needed here for something. Neither April nor Casey were happy about it, but in the end they agreed to it.
With a plan made, they quickly loaded Mikey and the essentials into the Turtle-Copter, with Raph and Leatherhead at the controls of the copter before taking off into the nightly sky.
Leatherhead estimated that it would take a little over 6 hours to reach Bishop's base, in Groom Lake Nevada.
"I still don't like this plan."
"We know Raph, you've said it at least a dozen times now."
"Well I still stand by it."
"I know Raph!" Leo said firmly, "Believe me, the very thought of having to go to Bishop for help makes me so sick that I wanna puke… but what other choice is there?" He said dejectedly.
Raphael didn't reply because he really didn't have an answer. He knew in his heart that this was their only, if not last, option, but that didn't mean that he had to like it.
"I share your feelings Raphael." Leatherhead spoke, "The thought of having to go back to that… that Hellhole… sends a chill down my spine and makes my blood boil at the same time." He hissed, almost crushing the control stick in his hands, he took a deep breath to calm himself down, "But as Leonardo said, we don't have much of a choice. With Michelangelo's life slowly dwindling down as time progresses, it may be our only chance."
Raph's face softened, "Yeah, I know."
This wasn't easy for any of them, but for Leatherhead… the decision of having to go back to the place where he was kept prisoner and tortured by the same cocky bastard who caused the Outbreak and has caused them nothing but grief… well, there were not enough words in any language to even remotely describe the feeling.
"I apologize for my use of profanity."
Raph couldn't help but smile. It was a little shocking to hear Leatherhead swear because it doesn't happen. Even though he'd heard Raph and Casey swear more than plenty of times before, the mutant gator was brought up by the Utroms, so he'd considered swearing to be… uncouth.
"It's okay LH. Everyone has slip ups every now and then." Raph grinned.
"Some more than others." Splinter added with a smirk. Which made the emerald turtle frown sheepishly.
Leo grinned at the little jab his father made but it quickly faded away when he turned to his purple clad brother, who had barely spoken a word since they took off.
Donnie was checking on Mikey's vitals, for the third time since they boarded the copter, but Leo knew what was going on with his younger brother. He could see it on his face. The anger, the guilt, the feeling of failure, those were the same feelings that he'd felt not too long ago.
The only difference was that Donnie wasn't keeping his feelings bottled up like he did. His little… rampage… in his own lab was proof of that.
Donnie watched his unconscious baby brother through blurry tear filled eyes. It was agreed, reluctantly, that Mikey should be knocked out… for easier transportation. With a heavy heart, Donnie used a mild tranquilizer gas to do the task, which took a few minutes to take effect before Mikey was out like a light.
The brainy turtle was trying to keep himself from breaking down again, but the overwhelming guilt of everything that's happened still weighed heavily on his heart.
The thought of losing his only baby brother brought back the horrible memories of that awful alternate future. Where his brothers had all died one by one in front of him. Mikey had been the first to die by the Karai robots, then Leo was slain by Karai herself, then finally Raph fell the same way Leo did.
Now it was all happening again. Mikey was slowly dying right before his eyes because of his mistakes... and he couldn't do anything to save him.
'I'm so sorry Mikey… please… hang in there a little longer little brother...'
Donnie felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw his father's reflection in the glass.
"Do not lose faith my son. Michelangelo is still alive and with us, and where there is life, there is hope." Splinter said encouragingly.
Donnie only nodded silently. He knew that his father was trying to instill hope through words of wisdom, like he always does, but it just wasn't working. Not this time.
"How's he doing Donnie?" Leo asked, approaching behind his father and brother.
"Well… Mikey's vitals are stable, for now." Donnie said, clearing his throat, "I'm keeping an eye on him to make sure that it stays that way." He said, sounding as tired as he looked as he lifted his mask to rub his sore tired eyes.
Leo saw the dark circles under Donnie's eyes before the latter put his mask back on.
Donnie had been awake for over 24 hours. In that time he hasn't slept, he barely ate anything, all the coffee that he'd had consumed was wearing off, all in all he just looked terrible.
"You okay Donnie?" He knew that it was a dumb thing to ask because he knew that none of them were okay, but he still felt the need to ask.
Donnie gave his brother a deadpanned look, "No Leo, I'm not okay. I don't think anybody in their right mind would be okay right now. New York is infested with mutant monsters thanks to Bishop and the Outbreak, our baby brother is a savage monster and is dying right before our eyes, and right now we're flying more than half across the United States for a cure that we don't even know exits! And to add insult to injury, it's in the hands of a deranged alien obsessed federal agent psychopath who's been after us for over a year now and wants nothing more then to get his hand on us so that he can dissect us! DOES THAT SOUND OKAY TO YOU!?" He yelled.
Leo took a step back from his brother.
"Donatello!" Splinter interjected, "Calm yourself my son. Take deep breaths and calm your mind."
It took a moment for Donnie to calm down, when he did he turned to his father, "I'm sorry father." Splinter nodded, he then turn to Leo, "I'm sorry Leo… I… I didn't mean to…"
"It's okay Donnie, I understand." Leo said gently, giving his little brother a reassuring smile.
Donnie returned a small smile, he then turned back to the Unit, his eyes landing on Mikey. The fact that Mikey was still breathing brought some relief but then his eyes fell onto the scar on Mikey's right arm.
Where that mutant roach had cut him, on the night the Outbreak started.
(Flashback)
"Donnie!"
Donnie heard his name being called out, when he looked up he saw Mikey standing over him, nunchucks in hand. Mikey dodged, blocked, and deflected the razor sharp tentacles away from him and Donnie with his nunchucks until one stabbed him in the forearm.
"Ahhh!"
Donnie watched in horror as the last tentacle's razor talon created a long deep gash on Mikey's right forearm
"Mikey!"
Pushing himself to his feet, Donnie raised his bo staff up then brought it down on the tendril, dislodging the claw from his brother's arm.
"My arm!"
Donnie turned to his little brother, "Are you alright Mikey?"
"Yeah... I think so." Mikey nodded pressing down on the cut on his bleeding forearm.
(End Flashback)
"That should be me in there."
Leo's eyes widened in shock, "What?"
This immediately caught the attention of Splinter, Raph and Leatherhead.
"That should be me in there Leo." Donnie repeated bitterly, "If I hadn't slipped and fell, then Mikey wouldn't have had to defend me. He wouldn't have gotten cut and infected by that thing, then we wouldn't be in this mess!"
"Donnie that's just crazy talk!" Raph said loudly as he approached his family while Leatherhead remained at the controls.
"No it's not Raph." He placed a hand on the glass, "I'm the one that that mutant roach was aiming for, so I should've been the one infected. I'm the one who should've been turned into a savage monster. I'm the one who should be locked up in there… not Mikey."
"Donnie if you had gotten infected instead of Mikey then we'd be in this situation either way."
"It would've been better if it had been me than Mikey." Donnie grimaced.
Leo couldn't believe what he was hearing, neither could the others. They all knew that Donnie felt responsible for Mikey's current state but to say that he should be the one mutated into a monster was just… just… horrifying to hear.
Before Leo could think of anything to say, he saw Raph lift his hand to Donnie, then…
'Smack!'
"Ow!"
Everyone inside the copter were stunned speechless by what just happened. It felt as though someone had set the world on mute when Raph's hand made contact with the back of Donnie's skull.
"Raph!"
Raph was dumbfounded by what he'd just done. Did he really… did he really just smack Donnie?! Seeing his younger brother rubbing the back of his head confirmed that he did in fact hit him.
The emerald turtle had no idea what came over him. He just wanted Donnie to stop blaming himself for Mikey's mutation. He didn't want to have to deal with another brooding turtle. Not again. Not after seeing what happened to Leo in the last few months. But when Donnie started saying that he should've been the one in the Bio Unit as a mindless mutated monster… he just… reacted instinctively. Hoping to snap him out of this funk that he was in.
Well it worked.
Once Donnie recovered from the initial shock of what had just happened, he turned to Raph, "Did you just smack me?"
Raph was a little put off by the eerily calm tone in Don's voice, "Uhh yeah… but I only did it to calm ya down Don."
"Calm me down?" Donnie repeated, "Raph, why in the name of Issac and Newton would make you think that that was even remotely a good idea? And more importantly… WHY THE HELL WOULD THAT CALM ME DOWN!?"
"Well… it works on Mikey…" Raph said before realizing that that may've been the wrong thing to say.
Leo groaned as he face palmed himself.
"Oh, so I'm Mikey's substitute for your head slapping now?! Is that it Raph?!" Don asked.
"What? No, no I didn't mean it like that…"
"So then you did it to shut me up?! Like you do to Mikey when you want him to shut up, is that it!?"
"No… I… I mean… what I meant was…"
"Yame!" Splinter comanded, which made his sons freeze, "That is enough my sons." He turned to Raph, "Raphael, I do not know what your real intentions were for smacking Donatello but that was not necessary. We will be discussing this later when we return home."
"Sorry Master Splinter."
"That's a little hypocritical don't you think?" Donnie frowned.
All eyes turned to the olive green ninja.
"Donatello?"
"I just find it interesting that you're scolding Raph for hitting me, when you've never once scolded him before for hitting Mikey. Numerous times I might add. In fact you've never scolded any of us for hitting Mikey." Donnie said looking his father right in the eyes, "Why is that?"
"Don what're you doing?"
Donnie ignored Leo's question, still eyeing his father, "Well father, I'm waiting for an answer!"
"Donatello, why would you ask such a question?"
"Because I wanna know if you even care about Mikey at all? Does Mikey disappoint you that much that you just don't care that we've hurt him?"
"Donnie!"
Leo, Raph and Leatherhead were shocked beyond belief by what they just heard. Why was Donnie saying these things to his own father?!
Splinter was shocked and horrified that Donatello, his gentled soul son, was saying these things. How could he ask such a thing?
"Of course I care about Michelangelo!" Splinter spoke, "I love Michelangelo just as much as I love all of my children with all of my heart. How can you ask me such a question?"
"Really? Because Mikey doesn't believe that you love him at all! In fact, he doesn't think you care about him at all!"
"Don, what the shell?"
"Yeah bro, why are ya attack'n Master Splinter?"
"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!"
Raph and Leo stepped back from the erratic turtle.
"Donatello, what has gotten into you my son?"
"I'm just calling it like it is Sensei!" Donnie replied, "I've noticed that you go out of your way to help Leo, Raph and myself whenever we struggle through whatever's bothering us and you even encourage us to be the best that we can be, but whenever Mikey struggles with something you don't do that. You scold him and lambaste him! Like you did at his rematch at the Battle Nexus."
Once again the copter fell completely silent, all eyes were on the purple clad ninja and the distraught rat master. Leatherhead looked shocked and confused by what Donatello had said while Leo, Raph and Splinter looked horrified and ashamed. For they knew what Donnie was referring too.
"Donatello… you must understand that I…."
"Oh I understand perfectly Sensei. You wanted Mikey to learn a lesson in humility, so that he'd stop bragging about his Battle Nexus win. So you decided that the best way for him to learn this lesson was to abandon him and leave him to fend for himself." Don said bitterly.
Splinter cast his eyes to the floor, his ears flattened to his head. Yes, he did leave Michelangelo to fend for himself at his rematch. He thought that it was the best way for his son to learn a lesson, to be humble and modest, but then during the rematch he found out that the whole thing had been a trap.
Kluh and his father had tampered with the magic of the Nexus ring to ensure that no one could leave or enter the ring during the fight. Turning the match into a fight to the death. The image of Kluh using Mikey like a punching bag, literally, still haunted Splinter's memory.
Donnie wasn't finished though.
"I'll admit, I was annoyed by his constant bragging, so much so that I went along with it and so did Raph. Heck Raph even said that he'd love to see Mikey get 'Ground into paste' right before his fight."
Raphael cringed at the verbal jab. Why was Donnie bringing this up now?
"I myself had said some horrible things to him too but what happened that day should never have happened."
Leo approached his younger brother, "Donnie, Master Splinter didn't know that the whole thing was a trap set up by Kluh and his father. Neither did the Daimyo."
"That still doesn't make it right Leo!" Donnie countered, "The fact remains that we turned our backs on Mikey when he needed us the most and he almost got killed!"
"But he didn't!" Raph spoke, "He fought back and beat that creep Kluh and won his rematch."
"Only because Leo helped him when we didn't. I'll bet that if it had been any one of us in Mikey's place, Sensei would've bent over backwards to help us prepare for the rematch! Brush up on our katas, teach us a new move that we've never covered before, or even given us some old sage words of wisdom before the fight. Sensei no doubt would've done that for us, but he didn't do that for Mikey. He just left him. We all did, just to teach him a lesson. So he'd stop bragging about his Battle Nexus win. The only one who didn't leave him was Leo."
Donnie turned back to their father, "You say that you would never show favoritism amongst your sons, well you did. Maybe it was unintentional but you still did it. Maybe Mikey was right. Maybe you really don't care about him."
"That is not true!" Splinter yelled in denial, tears falling from his eyes, "I know that I made a horrible decision in regards to Michelangelo during his rematch. I know that, but that does not mean that I do not care about him! I love your brother, just as much as I love all of you. I am only hard on Michelangelo when it comes to his training because… I know that he has the potential to be better, to be a true ninja. I only want what is best for him."
"You wanted what's best for him?!" Donnie repeated incredulously, "Did you even talk to him afterwards?"
"I tried to talk to him, but he insisted that he was alright even though I knew that he was not. I thought that it was best to let him be and to let him come to me when he was ready to talk." He said looking shameful.
"Well you got the opposite of that result Sensei! You wanna know why Mikey doesn't talk to you anymore 'father' and why I know all of this? It's because he told me so, shortly after we got back from the Battle Nexus. I felt so ashamed for what I did that I went to make sure that he was alright, to apologize for the things that I said and for abandoning him. We started talking, then after a while he said that he understood why Raph and I went along with your orders. He got it… and he forgave us."
He sniffed, angrily brushing tears from his eyes, "Then he started telling me that he thinks that you don't love him like you love Leo, Raph, or me. He thinks that no matter what he does, nothing will ever be good enough for you, as a ninja or as a son! He thought that by winning the Battle Nexus, he thought that he'd finally earn your respect. To show you that he's just as much a ninja as we are. He wanted to prove that to all of us." Donnie sniffed, "I tried to tell him that it wasn't true, that you love all of us especially him, but he made some pretty good points to why he believes that. All he wanted was for you to be proud of him, to show that he's not just a goofball, and what happened at his rematch… that just crushed him. He just stopped trying to please you and he stopped going to you for help because what would be the point? You abandoned him once, who's to say that you won't do it again?"
Splinter felt like someone had just stabbed him in the heart with an ice dagger as tears dripped from his eyes. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. That he had hurt one of his own children so badly that Michelangelo actually believed that his own father wasn't proud of him and didn't love or care about him? That wasn't true at all! He was always proud of him and he did indeed love and care about him.
He just…. wanted him to take his training more seriously…. like his brothers…
Leo and Raph were also feeling stricken with guilt too. Leo for not noticing that Mikey had been affected by Splinter's tough-Love motion so badly after his rematch. Raph for his part in hurting his baby brother, before and after his rematch.
Leatherhead was utterly speechless by what he was hearing but remained silent. He made a mental note to ask one of the turtles or Splinter to clarify what Donnie was talking about when this was all over.
"After that I vowed that I would never abandon him ever again, but now there's a good chance that we might lose him, permanently!"
"Donnie! That's enough!" Leo said grabbing Donnie by the shoulders.
Donnie jumped at the skin contact from his eldest brother, it was enough to bring him out of his tired enraged stupor. His over stressed mind was reeling over what just happened, what he'd just said to his father, and he was horrified by his actions.
'Oh God…. what did I just do… I just got so angry that I… how could I have said…. how could I…'
"Donnie?"
"Yo Don. You okay?"
Donnie stared up at his big brothers, his vision blurry with tears, "No… I'm not okay…" He repeated sadly before turning to his father, "Sensei… father… I… I'm so… sorry, I… I…"
Splinter only gave Donnie a small smile then nodded his head, indicating that it was okay even though the pain in his eyes was still evident.
Donnie turned back to his brothers.
"We can't lose him Leo… we can't…"
"We won't Donnie." Leo promised, even though deep down he feared the same thing.
"Damn right we won't." Raph added.
The older turtles and Splinter noticed that Donnie was starting to sway a little bit from exhaustion.
"Donatello you should get some rest my son."
Donnie lifted his head, "What? No… I can't! I have to…"
"Donnie you're exhausted." Leo saw his brother roll his eyes, "I know you don't wanna hear it Don, but you've been working your shell off for over 24 hours with no sleep."
"I'm fine Leo…"
"The hell you are Don." Raph said firmly, "Even a blind man would see that you ain't fine."
"Look it'll be about four hours before we reach Nevada." Leo said gently, "You should take this time to get some sleep."
Donnie shook his head, "Leo I can't. I have to keep an eye on Mikey's vitals incase something happens and…."
"My son…"
Donnie shook his head, "No, I… I have to… watch Mikey…. I have to…"
Leo sighed, "I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to do this."
Before Donnie could turn to Leo to ask what he was talking about, he felt strong fingers press on both sides of the back of his neck. It felt like all the energy was draining from his body as his legs buckled and gravity took hold. Had Raph not been there to catch him, he would've hit the floor.
"Whoa easy there Don."
"I'm sorry Donnie, but it's for your own good." Leo said apologetically.
"No… fair… Leo…" Donnie said weakly before losing consciousness in his older brother's arms.
"Raphael, lie Donatello here by me." Splinter instructed.
Raph carefully gathered Donnie in his arms before laying him down on the ground, resting his head in Splinter's lap.
"I'm sorry Sensei, but I had to do it." Leo apologized
Splinter nodded at his eldest son, "I know my son. I would've done it myself but I thought that I could convince Donatello to rest on his own."
"Will he be alright?"
"I do not know Raphael. Donatello is emotionally and spiritually distraught by what has happened to Michelangelo, it has taken a great physical tole on him. The best that we can do is let him rest, for now."
Both turtles nodded, it hurt to see their gentle souled brother like this. Pushing himself to exhaustion without any concern for himself. Then to turn around and verbally attack their own father.
Leo secretly wondered if this was how his brothers felt months ago? When he dealing with his own PTSD, when he was on his own path of anger fueled self-destruction?
He looked to his father as he was tending to Donnie. He wanted to say something about what Donnie had said, but what could he say? What words of comfort could he give his father that could even begin to ease the painful sting of Donnie's words. He knew that the words were spoken in anger, heavily sleep deprived repressed anger, but that didn't make the words hurt any less.
He then turned to the Containment Unit, where his baby brother was still unconscious inside. Before they left, he'd asked Splinter if he'd had any luck connecting with Mikey, sadly the rat master hadn't made any progress. Splinter told him that when he tried to reach Mikey's spirit, something stopped him from reaching him.
Leo had felt discouraged. He then he told his father that he 'heard' Mikey's voice calling out to him. He didn't know if he really heard it or if it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.
Splinter then told him that it was possible that Mikey's spirit is trying to reach out to them but, like his body, his spirit is starting to weaken.
With this in mind, Leo sat in a meditative position in front of the Bio Chamber. He was determined to get through and reach Mikey.
He had to try.
He closed his eyes and went into meditation, focusing on his brother's spirit.
'''''''
Leo's POV
I really didn't know what to expect when I entered Mikey's mind, actually to be honest I was surprised that I was able to get through when Master Splinter said he had trouble getting through, but I was even more surprised that there was a lot of… nothing.
It was like I had stepped into a white room, but there was literally nothing. Anywhere.
"Hello? Hello!? Mikey?"
I was hoping for any kind of response, but I didn't get one. At least not the one I wanted.
My 'Ninja Senses' (as Mikey likes to call it) alerted me. I turned to face the approaching danger only to dive out of the way when a green blur came flying at me.
I reached for my katanas as soon as I got back to my feet, "Who's there?" I called out looking around, but I didn't see anyone or anything.
My senses went on alert again, this time I was dodging glowing blue orbs that were about the size of baseballs. At least I think they were. I ducked and dodged three of them but I didn't see the fourth one until I landed on the ground. Thankfully it didn't hit me, but it did knock me on my shell when it exploded in front of me.
"Man this is not what I need right now!"
"You are trespassing." A voice called out.
I quickly got back onto my feet to confront whoever or whatever was attacking me.
"Who's there?"
I waited for any kind of response, I still didn't see anyone or anything, then I did a double take and spotted a shadowed figure.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" I demanded.
The shadowed figure didn't respond, instead he started walking towards me. I tensed as I prepared myself for another attack. I was also eager to see who or what this being was and find out what they were doing in my brother's mind. As the stranger got closer I got a better look at him, and what I saw shocked me.
It was Mikey… wearing his (1)Turtle Titan costume. It looked different from what I remember last time. He wore brown boots and gloves that look like they were modified to fit his feet and hands. He had a brown utility belt that reminded me of Batman's. The Turtle Titan emblem hung in the center of his chest and his cape and cowl were now a darker red. I also noticed that his shield was missing.
"Mikey?"
Mikey shook his head, "No, I'm not Mikey. I am the Turtle Titan, Guardian of Michelangelo's mind." He then pointed at me, "And you are trespassing."
I was taken aback but how cold and serious Mik…. I mean, Titan sounded. Not at all like how Mikey normally sounds. Not even when he's wearing that ridiculous costume.
I sheathed my katanas, to show that I'm not a threat, "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble…"
"Then leave!" He ordered, "You have no business here."
"I can't leave, not until I find my brother Mikey."
I don't know why but I thought that that would be enough to convince Titan to let me through, but it wasn't.
"I'm giving you my final warning imposter, leave now or I will be forced to make you."
Imposter?! Who the shell was he calling an imposter?! Man, now I sound like Raph.
"I'm not leaving." I told him.
Then he grinned, "So be it, but don't say I didn't warn you."
I didn't like the sound of that, usually when people say that that means something was going to happen.
Titan and I stared each other down, waiting for one of us to make the first move. Then Titan came at me with a flying round kick at incredible speed. I bearly had time to duck out of the way. I stood up and saw Titan charging at me again, but I was ready this time, I dodged his second kick and blocked his back hand strike, then I threw a round kick of my own followed by a spinning hook kick, all of which he dodged.
We exchanged punches and kicks back and forth, some hits were made while most were either blocked or dodged. For me though it felt like I was hitting a brick wall.
I drew one of my katanas, I needed to put an end to this because I really don't have time for this.
"Mikey…. I mean Turtle Titan, please I didn't come here to fight."
Titan held up his right arm and his shield appeared. How in the shell…
"And why should I believe you?"
I lifted my katana to block Titan's shield then ducked to avoid his kicked that followed. I have to admit, it felt really strange fighting Mikey… or really a version of Mikey that didn't talk, smile, or even make jokes. I often wished that Mikey would take his training more seriously, but this… this just felt weird and… wrong.
I reached into my belt hoping to find… yes, I still had them. I needed to end this quickly.
I waited for Titan to make his move, he didn't disappoint. I waited for the right moment, then right when he was close enough I jumped back and threw the ninja bomb at the ground where I was. It exploded in a cloud of purple smoke right in front of Titan.
Now I just need to…
I froze as I watched the purple smoke cloud began to twist and form a whirlwind, then as quickly as it had formed, it dispersed. I quickly covered my face and eyes as a gust of purple mist passed through me. When I opened my eyes there stood Titan with his arms out, his cape blowing behind him before settling down.
Titan coughed once, a puff of purple mist came out of his mouth, then lowered his arms, "Cute trick."
How the shell did he… then it occurred to me. Of course, this is Mikey's mind, which means that Titan, his superhero alter ego, would have super powers.
Then he grinned, "My turn."
Titan then lifted his fist into the air, my heckles were raised to the roof. What was he gonna do? The answer came when he brought his raised fist down, slamming it into the ground. I felt the ground quake underneath me, it nearly threw me off my feet. I looked up in time to see Titan dashing towards me at incredible speed.
I quickly ducked under Titan's punch while at the same time reaching up to grab his cape, I rolled back onto my shell while bringing my feet up to his plastron then pushed as hard as I could with my feet, sending him up and over.
I used the momentum to flip back onto my feet. I looked down and saw that had his cape in my hands, I turned around… but Titan wasn't there. Where the shell did he….
I heard someone whistle… from above? I looked up and that's when I spotted Titan floating in the air.
"Of course, he can fly." I muttered.
"Not bad, not bad at all. Excellent show of thinking on your feet. Too bad you left yourself wide open though."
'What the shell is he…'
Before my mind could figure out what he was talking about, I felt something grab my wrists. I looked down and saw that it was (2)Titan's cape. It was alive! My wrists were brought together in front of me then I was in cased inside the cape. It wrapped itself around me like… like a living blanket!
I tried to move my arms to free myself but the damn cape kept me from moving any part of my body from the shoulders down.
"Heh heh, didn't see that coming did you?" Titan grinned as he slowly descended down to the ground, "I must admit that you put up a good fight, a lot longer than I anticipated, but it still wasn't enough. Now to send you back to where you came from." He said raising a hand.
"Wait! Please wait!" I pleaded, this made Titan pause, "I can prove that I really am Leonardo. Ask me anything, ask me something that only Mikey and I would know! Please!"
Titan looked slightly puzzled by my request but I can see that he was giving what I said some thought. After a moment, he looked right into my eyes.
"What did you say to Michelangelo on the mountain top before his rematch?"
The question took me by surprise but I answered, "I told him, In this life, we only have each other. If one of us goes down, we all go down."
Titan eyes widened in recognition. There was a pause of silence, then I was lowered onto the ground. Titan snapped his fingers and his cape unwrapped itself from me, making me fall to my knees, before returning to Titan.
I breathed a sigh of relief, one for being free of that cape and two because Titan finally believed me. At least I hope he did.
Titan held out his hand to me, I eyed it cautiously before taking it and then he helped me up, "I'm really sorry Leonardo, but I had to make sure that you weren't an imposter trying to get to Michelangelo while he's vulnerable."
I nodded, understanding his reasoning but still, "You could've just asked me your question at the beginning."
"With everything that's been happening since the Outbreak started and since… It took over, I couldn't take any chances."
"'It'? What do you mean 'It'?"
"The Beast."
He turned and made a circular motion with his right hand and (3) a ring of blue energy appeared in the air, like a window. Inside was the shadowy shape of the thing that Mikey had mutated into, only this one was bigger, more vicious looking, and it looked like it was… unconscious?
"Is that…"
Titan nodded, "It's been trying to get in here ever since last night, when…"
"When Mikey mutated." I finished for him.
Titan nodded, "It's been quiet for a while now. I don't know if it's playing possum or if it's something else." He waved his hand and the ring vanished. He turned back to me, "Why are you here Leonardo?"
"I'm trying to reach my little brother Mikey." I told him, "He reached out to me earlier and…."
This surprised Titan, "Wait. You heard him?"
"Yeah, he called out to me in Donnie's lab. I think he's been trying to reach out to us for some time."
Titan was silent, then he motioned for me to follow him, "Come with me."
I was about to ask him where were we going since… there was literally nothing here, when another energy ring appeared in front of Titan. I was shocked and amazed by what I saw inside, it was our Y'Lyntian Lair.
"Hey," Titan's voice broke me out of my daze. I noticed that he was on the other side of the ring, "You coming or not?"
I stepped through the energy ring, once I was through it closed behind me. I looked around the Lair, it was like I was home again. It looked just like it did before. Even the crumpled up paper balls on Donnie's desk, my melted candles where I would meditate, Klunk's cat toys scattered on the floor, the little grease stain on the floor where Raph had his bike at one time, and the large chest where we keep our sports gear in.
The only thing that was different were the glowing orbs that were floating around the Lair. Each orb were a different color, though there were a lot that were more than one color. What were they?
"Feels like home doesn't it?"
I was so distracted by the familiarity of the Lair that I forgot that Titan was right there with me.
"Yeah… yeah it does. What're those orbs? Those aren't the Y'Lyntian crystals."
"No they're not, those are memory orbs." Titan lifted his hands, carefully holding one of the orbs that floated right by him. The (4) orb was blue colored, "Mikey's most precious memories, remembered and stored in a memory orb. Some are good and some are not so good."
Titan held the blue orb out a little for me to see, I looked into the orb and I saw myself training with my katanas. I noticed that I was training with so much intensity and… anger. This must've been during my angry self destruct period.
Then I saw Mikey walk in.
"Hey Leo, you got a sec?"
"What is it Michelangelo?"
I cringed at the tone that I used, I saw that Mikey cringed too. Was that really me?
"I was just wondering if…. if you could take a break from your training and… do some… meditating with me?"
I watched myself pause then turn to Mikey.
"You want me to meditate with you?" Mikey nodded with a smile, "But you hate meditating."
"I don't hate it… I just don't like to do it as often as you and Master Splinter. So what do you say?"
"Not right now, I'm busy with my training. Which is something you should also be focusing on Michelangelo."
Watching the pained look on Mikey's face made my heart break. I didn't want to see what happens next cause I knew what was coming.
"C'mon Leo, it won't take…"
"I SAID NOT NOW!"
There was a heavy silence before the me in the memory spoke again.
"Mikey… I…"
"I'm sorry Leo… I'm sorry for… for bothering you… I'll leave you alone."
I shut my eyes as I felt a jab at my chest, like someone had just punched me in the chest. I remember that night. Mikey asking me to meditate with him and I shot him down. I also remember the crushed look on his face, those clear blue eyes filled with tears staring back at me when I yelled at him. At that moment my anger was replaced with guilt when I realized what I had done but before I could apologize, Mikey was already backing away from me then he was gone. I wanted to go after him and apologize… but I didn't. I just went back to my training.
"He was only trying to help you." Titan spoke.
"I know…"
"And yet even when you turned him down and yelled at him, he still stood up for you."
Titan held out his hand, another memory orb floated into it. He held it out for me to look into. In this one I saw all of us in the Lair, the guys and Casey were watching me train, again. I remember hearing their comments about me, how I've been acting like a jerk, calling me a Hot-head, then I heard Mikey talking.
"I think you guys should lay off the poor guy. I mean… it can't be fun. Always being the responsible one? And 'We're' the ones who really benefit. Raph's free NOT to think because Leo does all the thinking for him. Don's free to dream… and I'm free to take it easy. All because Leonardo is busy being responsible enough for all of us."
I remember thinking… 'when did Mikey become so wise?' But now I realize that he's always been wise… I… we just don't give him enough credit… or don't listen to him… but I swear that when this is all over and we get Mikey back, that's going to change.
Then I remembered what I was here for, "Where is Mikey Titan?"
"He's in his room, up there." Titan pointed up before putting an arm around me, "Here I'll give you a lift."
Before I could protest we were already lifting off the ground. On the way up I spotted the other memory orbs, each of them held different memories. Some were memories of us as tots, meeting April, Casey, and all the different people we've met, places like the farm house, our past battles and adventures.
They were all different colors. Some were solid colors, like orange, red, blue, purple, white, and green, while other ones were swirled or marbled colored.
We reached the top balcony right in front of Mikey's room.
"He's in there." He pointed.
I turned and bowed to Titan, "Thank you Titan."
Titan gave me a bow in return, then gestured with his head for me to go in.
I walked into Mikey's room, it looked just the same as it had the last time I was in here, though the floor was clean of debris, the walls were adorned with artwork that looked… incredible. No doubt drawn by Mikey himself. There were more of the memory orbs inside, one was floating right beside me. This one was different from the ones that Titan showed me, this one was orange and blue swirled and it felt… joyous.
I looked at the orange blue colored orb I saw… myself and Mikey, when we were ten years old and a… scooter?
Wait I remember this, it was the day I got my first scooter for my birthday.
I remember watching tv with my brothers and saw a commercial for the new razor scooters. I thought that it was the coolest thing ever. Donnie had gotten a bike for his birthday, Raph had gotten roller skates for his, and Mikey wanted a skateboard for his.
When my birthday came I saw a box wrapped in newspapers, when I opened it, there was a razor scooter. There were a few dings here and there, the wheels didn't match, and it wasn't the newest model, but I didn't care. I had my very own razor scooter.
I asked father how he got it and he said that Mikey found it on their last scavenging trip. Father said that it was in rough shape when they found it but my brothers pitched in to fix it. Mikey and Raph found the parts and Donnie fixed it up.
It was one of the best gifts that I ever got. I still have that scooter.
Seeing the memory brought tears to my eyes, happy tears this time, as I watched the orb float away.
"Hello Leonardo."
I jumped as my trip down memory lane was suddenly interrupted, reaching for the hilt of my katana, I turned and saw a giant sized Klunk lying curled up in the corner of the room. She was huge, like smaller than a horse but still huge for a house cat (5). Then I noticed a familiar looking shell and orange mask curled up against her body.
Mikey.
"I was wondering when you would show up here."
Okay that caught me off guard.
You'd think that with everything that I've seen so far inside Mikey's mind that I'd be used to this by now, but hearing Klunk… talk, sorta, was definitely not what I was expecting.
"Who… who are you?"
"I have been called many names, but you may call me Moro. I am Michelangelo's Spirit Guardian."
"But I thought Titan was Mikey's guardian."
Moro shook her head, "Titan is Michelangelo's inner guardian. He protects Michelangelo's mind and everything that defines who he is. I am his spiritual guardian. I help guide him and protect his spirit when it is in dire need."
She looks down at Mikey, who hadn't moved since I got here, I was beginning to worry, "How is he?"
"He's still alive Leonardo, but he is very weak. The infection from the Outbreak has taken a great toll on him, physically and spiritually." She looked up at me, "He's been trying to keep the beast at bay since the transformation but it's proven too much for him. I also know that he's been trying to reach out to you and the others as well."
Moro's words confirmed what I had already suspected. It was a bittersweet feeling.
"Can I talk to him?" She nodded, I kneeled down beside my baby brother, "Mikey?" I whispered, gently shaking his shoulder, "Mikey, wake up little brother."
Mikey groaned before slowly opening his eyes, "Mmm… Leo…"
I almost choked, it felt so good to hear his voice again, "Yeah Mikey, it's me."
Mikey smiled, but it wasn't his usual sunshine filled ear to ear smile. He looked tired and drained but it was still a happy smile, "Hey bro…. You got my message."
I smiled, "Yeah I did."
"I knew that you would… and I knew that you'd find me." Then his smile fades into a sad frown.
"Mikey?"
"I know that I'm dying… I can feel my body shutting down more and more…" He looks at me, tears filling his eyes, "I know that I don't… have much time left…"
When I saw the tears in his eyes I couldn't stand it anymore, I reached out and gently pulled Mikey into my arms, I held him as gently and as tightly as I dared, not wanting to let him go. I felt his arms wrap around my shell as he sobbed in my plastron. I could feel tears building in my own eyes as I held my precious baby brother.
"Shhh it's okay Mikey. I've got you." I cooed softly.
Mikey sniffed, "I'm scared Leo." He admitted. It reminded me of when we were tots, when he'd come to me or the others after he had a nightmare.
"I know, but I'm not going to lose you Mikey. We're going to save you." I told him.
"How?"
I took a deep breath, I already knew that this wasn't going to pretty to tell him what we're doing, "We're heading to Groom Lake Nevada to find a cure."
Mikey pulled away from me a little, the look of pure shock was etched on his face, "Groom Lake Nevada?! As in Area 51?!"
I nodded, "That's where Leatherhead said Bishop's secret base is."
"Bishop!? You're going to ask Bishop for help?! Are you crazy?!"
"Calm yourself Michelangelo." Moro spoke, "Your brother must have a good reason behind this decision."
"Thank you Moro." I nodded to her before turning back to Mikey.
I explained my reason for going to Bishop for the cure and… well he didn't like it one bit. I knew that he wouldn't, hell I don't like it and it was my idea.
"Leo… even if Bishop has a cure, you know that there's no way he's just gonna hand it over even if you ask 'politely' for it. We're talking about Bishop, an alien obsessed special ops government agent with crazy mad fighting skills not to mention an unhealthy desire to wanna dissect us." He shuddered, no doubt thinking about when Bishop trapped us and then tried to cut him up.
"I know, but it's the only option we have."
"I don't know…"
"Hey, remember what I said? In this life we only have each other, if one of us goes down…"
"We… all go down."
"That's right."
I lifted his chin so that our eyes would meet. So that he could see that I was serious. He nodded before embracing me again.
"I love you Leo. I love you guys so much."
"I love you too Mikey." I returned the embrace, "Be strong for me, for us. Try to hang in there as long as you can okay?"
I felt him nod against my shoulder. We held each other a little longer before a bright blue light made Mikey pull away from me.
"Leo… what was that? What did you do?"
"I gave you some of my ki, hopefully that'll give you a little more time."
"Leo…"
But whatever Mikey was about to say was interrupted when a tremor came through.
"What was that?"
"The beast is starting to regain consciousness." Moro explained, "It won't be long before it wakes up. And when it does, no doubt it will be very angry." Then she turned to me, "You must return to your body Leonardo, before it wakes up."
I was hesitant, I knew that I had to go back but I also didn't want to leave because this maybe the only time I get to see my baby brother. But I soon remembered the mission. I looked at Mikey, this may be the last time I see him, talk to him, hug him. Mikey smiled and nodded his head, as though giving me the okay to go.
"Be strong Mikey."
"You too Leo."
I stood up and walked to the entrance.
"Good luck Leonardo." Moro said. I turned and nodded to her.
When I walked out Titan was waiting for me. He made another blue energy ring like he did before then stepped through. I followed him without hesitation, we were back in the same white open space again. It wasn't until we were back in this place that the possibility of losing Mikey forever hit me, hard.
"Hey, you alright?"
"No." I said shaking my head, "I'm just wondering if going to Bishop is a mistake? He's the only one who holds the key to curing Mikey but what if… what if he doesn't even have a cure? That would mean that all of this would be for nothing and that we can lose Mikey forever. I just… don't know if I'm making the right choice."
Titan didn't answer right away, then he placed a hand on my shoulder, "Leonardo, a true leader is always faced with tough decisions. He must control his emotions, and act based on who has the greatest need." He told me, "I know this decision is hard but the best decisions are never easy. You've always been there for your brothers whenever they need you, now Mikey needs you and the others more than ever as you face another difficult decision."
I couldn't help but stare at Titan in awe. I've heard these words before but not from Master Splinter. It was from a show that Mikey and I used to watch when we were tots, but the way that Titan had spoken them held more meaning behind them then they did back then.
"As you said before, going to Bishop maybe the only way to save Michelangelo but you know that Bishop will not just hand over the cure, not without wanting something in return."
"I know, but I'll do whatever it takes to save Mikey. So will our brothers."
Titan smiled, "You've made a fine leader Leonardo. No wonder Mikey admires you so much."
I felt my face heat up from the compliment.
"You better get back to your body before the beast fully regains consciousness." I nodded, "Leo… please save him, save us all."
"We will, I promise."
Titan smiled at me, then all I saw was white.
''''''
Normal POV
Leo took in a sharp breath as he awoke from his deep meditation.
"Leo."
"Leonardo."
The blue clad ninja felt the warm gentle hands of his younger brother and father on his shoulders and shell. He felt lightheaded, his heart was pounding, and his legs and butt were numb from sitting still for so long.
"Here Leo drink this." Donnie instructed holding a bottle of water to his brother.
The brainy turtle had woken up from his pressure point forced sleep just ten minutes before Leo came out of his meditative trace. Safe to say that he was… a bit miffed about it, but they'd deal with that later.
Leo took the bottle and took a drink, after a few gulps he lowered the bottle, "Thanks Donnie."
"What happened Leonardo? What did you see?"
Leo didn't quite know how to answer his father's question. So he told him some of the things that he saw. Like meeting Titan, him leading him to Mikey's safe haven, how it looked like their previous home, till he found Mikey. How Mikey was afraid because he knew that he was dying.
The news hit everyone hard in different ways but it also added fuel to their determination to save the youngest ninja.
Leatherhead announced that they were fifteen minutes away from Bishop's secret base.
Leonardo nodded before turning back to the Bio Chamber. Mikey was still unconscious but Leo could see that he was starting to stir.
'Hang in there Mikey.'
''''''
A.N. Whew! Sorry for the long wait guys but I hope that you like this chapter. Also here's a few clarifications…
(1) Turtle Titan's costume description is from the look in season 5 or The Ninja Tribunal season before his official Justice Force uniform.
(2) An homage to Dr. Strange, his Cloak of Levitation having a mind of its own I thought was cool. So I had Titan's cape do the same thing.
(3) Again another homage to Dr. Strange with the portal rings.
(4) The memory orbs was an idea from the Pixar movie 'Inside Out'
(5) Klunk/Moro in Mikey's mind is the same size as Kirara in her battle form from the anime Inuyasha (If you've seen the anime then you know what I mean) and her 'voice' is the same actress who voiced Moro from Princess Mononoke. If you haven't seen it, I recommend that you do.
Extra points to anyone who can figure out which show Leo was talking about that Titan's Leader speech came from.