A Turtle's Journey Beyond

Chapter 10: Sink or Swim

The exhausted turtle welcomed all the help he could get down the gazebo staircase and even farther on down the wooden log path. Leonardo quickly took a hold of one shoulder while Donatello raced up to grab the other. Raphael looked to them with a heavy sigh. He knew he could walk, but his feet didn't feel quite up to par. The sight of his family and the support of his brothers' arms left a long lasting comfort inside his weakened state.

Raphael looked to his surroundings next, feeling a strange sensation wash over him. Something was different here; he could sense it. The cold wind brushed against his cheeks, the trees swayed back and forth, and the crickets chirped as if nothing was wrong. Yet, a lingering doubt told him they were in far deeper trouble than before. While he was away from his own time, it seemed as though the force, similar to what took him to Brice's world, had taken possession of everything and anything in its path. That meant it was also controlling their own existence, their own world, and...their own time.

"Guys--"

"Easy, Raph, just hang on." Don said quietly as he took careful footing down the set of logs. "You've probably got a lot of explaining to do, but first, we want to get you back in the house before you collapse."

At the bottom of the grass hill stood three onlookers, waiting for the arrival of the other three as they made their way down the winding path. The three smiled and gave a silent thank you to whoever or whatever it was that safely returned their loved one.

"Uncle Raph?" A familiar voice popped up to him. "Are you okay?"

"Hey, Shadow." Raph lifted half a smile to her. He then glanced to the furry creature standing next to her. "Sensei..."

"My son..." Splinter reached out to touch his arm. "You have no idea how relieved I am to see you are all right." He gestured to Michaelangelo and Shadow. "I know I speak for all of us."

"Yeah, we were getting a little worried about you." Mike stepped away from Shadow, watching the AMBER headset swing innocently in Donatello's free hand. Splinter looked to his agitated son and knew exactly what he was thinking. "Soooo, how did it go?"

Raph kept his smirk strong. "Oh, man. The things I gotta tell you--"

"Can wait, Raph." Leo said rather sternly. "Your body is totally wiped of energy. It's probably a chore for you to even talk."

"Naaaw, I'm cool doing that." Raph answered, his voice sounding slurred. "Donny...your flashing thing is flashing."

Don blinked with a nod. "I know, Raph. Don't worry about it."

The flashing PeeK against his belt went ignored for several seconds. Donatello knew what the message was without looking at it. To stop it from flashing, he instructed Shadow to take it and view the screen, getting the same results as before. 'Psionic fragment isolated. Insufficient power to process.' Another fragment entered Roxanne's headset, but the balance was not yet complete.

Reaching the front porch, Donatello ran inside to throw the main electrical switch upstairs. He quickly noted whenever anyone returned with AMBER, the power overloaded the circuits and caused a blackout to the entire house. They were all sitting around in the living room when the incident occurred, telling them Raphael had either returned from his unusual trip, or something far worse had happened.

Leonardo and Michaelangelo agreed to put their brother on one of the sofas in the living room. The long flight of stairs would have been too much for Raphael to handle. Shadow heated up another cup of hot tea for the weary turtle, deciding to use the same cup as before. It would have been pointless to waste an extra one. Raphael sipped it slowly, enjoying the tea as it cascaded down his throat. When invisible, every sensation he described was exactly what Leonardo felt during the course of his journey. The rest, however, was entirely different.

"The man, Brice, was a total nut case." Raph started. "He was not only obsessed with this girl, Mandy, he was heavily into flying saucers and thought some aliens from outer space were going to take him away...heh, in the end, they did! Saw the whole thing myself..."

As he continued with his story, Michaelangelo announced he had to use the bathroom. Leonardo offered to come along, remembering the 'safety in numbers' rule, and ended up tagging along behind his brother. Without warning, Michaelangelo suddenly paused and rested against the wall. Leonardo also paused and gave him a puzzling expression.

"Mike--"

"Sorry, Leo." Mike looked over Leonardo's shoulder into the living room. "I'm sure you wanted to hear his story; I just didn't want to listen anymore."

"It's fine. He probably won't mind repeating it for the rest of our lives. Are you all right?" Leo frowned when he shook his head no. "You're nervous about doing it, aren't you?" As a response, Michaelangelo hugged his arms and lowered his eyes. From the looks of it, he was nervous and ashamed. "You know, you don't have to do it if you don't want to--"

"Yes, I do." Mike hissed. "Haven't you noticed? So far, the two ghosts that have been helped made a sort of bond with you and Raph. He played Brice's tonal residue and got a blast of cold air in his face while you got a shock from touching Margaret's door and seeing her face in the bureau mirror."

"How did you know about the shock--"

"Shadow told me." Mike quickly interrupted. "My point is, those weren't just coincidental occurrences. Those ghosts became attached to you guys and that's why you were both chosen to help them. Already, I've become attached by playing the tonal residue at the boathouse and seeing a monster in the lake!"

Leo looked to him oddly. "What monster? That glow of light we all saw?"

Mike shook his head. "No, I saw something floating in the lake when I was waiting for the PeeK thing to go off. There was a...thing in the water; it looked like a demonic clown. All it said was, 'help, meeee' and I knew right then and there, I'm doomed to help it! I know I have to, but I'm just freaking out at the same time!"

"Listen, Mike," Leo placed a hand to his shoulder and looked to him closely, "the first thing you need to do is calm down. I understand how you feel and it's perfectly natural. If you want, you can go upstairs and have some time to yourself. I don't want you to feel rushed if you're not ready to go."

"Okay, Leo." Mike sighed. "Why not? We've got all the time in the world."

Leo equally sighed. "I know."

**********

Raphael sat up a little more to complete the last of his story to his remaining audience. Shadow occasionally looked to Donatello with a few escaped yawns while he nodded repeatedly. Splinter sat quietly and listened to everything his son had to say, noting the many times he said, you just had to be there! to them.

"So, what do you think?" He finally asked.

"Fascinating." Shadow and Don answered simultaneously.

Splinter nodded once. "I am certain, that, despite the crimes Mr. Walker committed, his soul is now in a much better place. You have finally freed him from his punishment of wandering around in that world, and I am also certain he will no longer haunt these premises again."

"Exactly." Raph moved to a sitting position and slurped down the last of his tea. "Now, all we have to do is get Mikey down to the boathouse with AMBER attached to his noggin, deal with that spirit, and then we'll have all the fragments Roxanne needs!"

"Um, not right now." Leo said, re-entering the living room. Raphael shot him a confused look. "Just thought I'd let you know Mike's upstairs resting for a bit. He's not ready to use AMBER just yet."

"Huh?" Raph blinked to him. "Wait, I'm the one who was practically carried down from the gazebo and Mike's tired?"

"No, not tired." Leo looked away. "More like he's nervous--"

"Well, then tell him to snap out of it!" Raph stood up, feeling a little stronger from the tea and rising anger. "I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to! Do you realize it's been like 5 hours since we've been here?"

"Um...Raph?" Don lifted a finger as he watched his brother march over to look out one of the windows. "We need to, um, talk about that."

"Talk about what?" Raph asked without looking.

"Um...about how long we've been here." Don caught Shadow stand up and close her eyes briefly as Leonardo went to stand next to her. Splinter remained seated and shook his mangy head. "According to my watch, it hasn't been five hours, and um, according to the clock in this room, there hasn't been any hours at all."

Raph lifted his head and rounded on them. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"There's no time..." Shadow whispered, hearing Leonardo groan to those words from behind. "Uncle Raph, we...we have not had any hours pass. That clock on the mantle has said 7:55 and it hasn't moved."

"So, what? Maybe it needs new batteries." Raph stepped over to the mantle and lifted the clock to hear a ticking sound. "Could be just dead, you know. I mean, that sounds absurd...having no time. Time can't stop!"

"Maybe not in the outside world, but somehow, it stopped where we are." Don stood up next and crossed over to the mantle, gazing at the clock. "As soon as we arrived here, my watch said 6:45. I didn't pay close attention to the time until we started using the PeeK to pick up tonal residue. It was around 7:45 when I last looked at my watch. I know damn well after all the spirit encounters, finding Roxanne, and Leo slipping through a portal, we've been here longer than an hour."

"This is crazy..." Raph looked away, turning his gaze onto Leonardo. "You're not buying this are you?" Leonardo sighed and bowed his head. "Then, you're both losing it!"

"No, we're not!" Leo shouted more than he intended and continued in a softer tone. "Raph, whatever is keeping us here has also stopped the course of time from continuing. You're right, it's been about five hours and, by now, the time would be closer to midnight. After you left from the gazebo, we returned to the house and something didn't seem right when I looked at the clock."

"Hmph." Raph grunted. "Something didn't seem right from the start, and you know, none of this would have happened if we didn't agreed to..." He paused and looked to Shadow. Her face was deadpan, dark circles had multiplied under her eyes, and his last sentence made her head bow to the floor. "Oh, damn it..." Raph growled and stomped past them toward the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Leo asked.

"Heh, nowhere, I guess." He said with a snort. "Gonna go check the refrigerator. We may have electricity, but if time has truly stopped, then we're going to have a serious problem with the perishable food items." Before Leonardo could retort or get the last word in, Raph walked out of the room, punching a fist against the wall as he went. Luckily, it didn't break the plaster.

"Hey!" Don almost went after him, but paused and turned to Shadow. She looked ready to either explode into a barrage of shouts or cry a river of tears. "Don't listen to him, he had no right to say--"

"Yes, he did. You know it's true." Shadow said through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry I got you in this mess, guys." Leonardo squeezed her shoulders as Splinter calmly rose up, patted her arm, and proceeded to locate Michaelangelo to see how he was doing.

Donatello looked to her sadly, wondering what to do now. With all the philosophy he studied, he couldn't figure out how it was humanly, or even spiritually, possible to stop time in its tracks. He suddenly thought of Stephen King's book, The Langoliers. It was a story about a group of people falling through a rip in the fabric of time to relive a moment discarded from the present. He knew they were in the present, but it was as if they were on a record player with the needle stuck in one place. Looking out a window at the trees, he prayed no such thing as a Langolier would come chomp its way over and eat them alive.

Shadow sighed and gazed around the quiet living room. She hated being blamed for her mistakes, or worse, looking like some sort of villain. Raphael was no help either. After what he said, it made her seem as if she deliberately forced them out to some deserted, unknown place. She tilted her head to the window. Taking a walk sounded like a good idea. She had to get out of the house for just a few minutes.

"I need some air." She said briskly with a turn on her heel.

"I'll join you, kiddo." Don placed the PeeK back onto his belt and buttoned up his coat. "Besides, I think it's safe to say that, until all the spirits are at rest, we've got plenty of time on our hands."

Leonardo took a step back and watched her head out the front door with Donatello in tow. With a sigh, he turned and headed for the kitchen to see what Raphael was doing. A perishable food item check sounded like a lame excuse to hide the real fact of being hungry. However, depending on how long they'd be here, it may not be a bad idea after all.

**********

Up on the second floor, Splinter found Michaelangelo stretched out on Roxanne's bed. In his hands was her notebook diary from the end table drawer. Although too short for his tastes, it was interesting to read about other people's dreams and try to analyze the things they experienced. Many times, the turtle himself would wake up after a deep sleep and begin to write out the images he had just witnessed moments ago. Sometimes, if he was lucky, he would get on Donatello's computer and type at lightning speed everything he can remember before the images faded from memory.

Splinter sat upright on the bed, eyes closed and mind focused on another place in meditation. He too, like Leonardo, enjoyed the ceiling fan breezing down on him; he almost wanted to ask Donatello if he could have one installed in his own room. With the room quiet enough, he wanted to continue finding Roxanne and try to get in contact with her. However, with Michaelangelo in the room, he knew it wouldn't be quiet for long.

"Hey, sensei?" Splinter lifted one eye to him. "Did you read these dreams Roxy wrote?"

"No, Michaelangelo, I have not." Before he closed his eyes again, he caught him getting up off the bed. He stood for a moment, looked out into the hall, went to go, then stopped. He went to speak, but closed his mouth. Splinter sighed and did a low 'ahem' to get his attention. "Is something troubling you?"

"Yes...no...maybe. Um..." He looked to the hall and hung his head. "I gotta stay awake, but...would it be rude of me to splash some cold water on my face? I mean, I haven't done much of anything since we got here because of all the spirits around and...um, well, what do you think?"

"I think that is fine with me." Splinter smirked pleasantly. "I see no harm in you doing that, Michaelangelo. Feel free to go wash up, but, just incase something should happen, keep the door unlocked."

"Right." Mike nodded and headed over to the bathroom. To his relief, the atmosphere in the house felt almost normal without the disturbance of two ghosts haunting it. Even though the third was all the way down at the lake, the whole place didn't seem fully at rest. Roxanne continued to lie in limbo while he and the others acted like they were under house arrest, prisoners doomed to only dwell within the house itself or walk to a certain limit in the great outdoors.

Once inside the bathroom, he closed the door behind him, but didn't lock it. He knew better than to do that. Turning to the mirror, he made a face of disgust. The reflection revealed his reptilian self, but there was an added look of no sleep and lots of stress. His skin was a lighter shade of green and dark circles were forming under his eyes. He was staring at a twin of Donatello! Michaelangelo bent down and splashed the cold water on his face, feeling the element almost work its magical, soothing powers. He splashed a second time, nearly drinking the liquid as it fell upon his parting lips. Looking up to the mirror again, his face was not only wet, but a smile had appeared. The water felt so good to his skin, he knew he had to have more of it. Behind him in the mirror was a view of the stand-only shower. His smiled broadened.

"Why not?" He asked himself. "We have plenty of time."

Michaelangelo removed his boots and placed them near the window. Next, he removed all of his clothing and placed it neatly on the sink counter. Finally, he found some fluffy towels in one of the cabinets and placed them beside the sink. With a smile still present, he crept over to the shower door and opened it up, stepping into the little room made of dark blue marble tile. Fortunately, a bar of soap was sitting in one corner. Irish Spring. He was going to smell quite divine when finished, and what was wrong with that? After what he'd been through tonight, he deserved this. The faucet turned on and sprayed a welcome of hot water to his weary feet. Seconds later, the overhead nozzle sprayed from top to bottom. This was going to be a wonderful treat.

Splinter heard the shower running in the bathroom; no doubt it was Michaelangelo in there. He was going to be a clean boy; just the way he liked his sons. The ceiling fan above continued to swirl the cool breezes upon him, making his eyelids grow heavy. He looked over to the hallway; there were no sounds coming from downstairs. With the others tending to other things, he figured it wouldn't hurt to take a quick rat nap. Turning on his side, he hugged the pillow underneath and slowly began to drift off to sleep, letting the last sound of the flowing water echo in his ears.

**********

"Raph?" Leo entered the kitchen to find him resting against the island counter with a pretzel bag in front of him. "What are you doing?"

"Is this a trick question?" He asked through chews. "I'm testin' the food. Tastes fine to me."

"Did you check in the refrigerator?" Leo asked, but went to check for himself. Roxanne needed to do more shopping, but everything in the fridge looked normal and unspoiled. "Don't see any science projects yet."

"That's now." Raph said. "But, we should keep an eye on it. So, where is everyone?"

"Mike's still upstairs. Splinter went to go talk with him." Leo reached for the water jug in the fridge. "Shadow went outside with Don to get some air." He gave him an evil look in the corner of his eye and he knew Raphael caught it. "You know, I really didn't appreciate what you said to her."

"What, you don't appreciate me telling her the truth--"

"I don't appreciate you treating her that way!" Leo threw back.

"Hey," Raph pointed to him, "she didn't cry, did she?"

"What the hell difference does that make?!" Leo was so appalled, he slammed the water jug down on the counter with a heavy thud. "Jeez, Raph, I can't believe you act like it's no big deal!"

"No, I'd say being stuck out here for the rest of our lives is more of a big deal!" Raph growled and tossed the pretzel bag aside. Five seconds passed and Leonardo only stood there with arms crossed and squinting eyes. "Don't give me that look--"

"How do you expect me to look at you? You hurt her, Raph--"

"I upset her, okay?" He corrected. "I got a little carried away, but you know I would never hurt her, Leo. Not now, not ever."

"Then, maybe you should go apologize." Leo said hoarsely and coughed a little. His throat was starting to feel scratchy from yelling so much.

Raph leaned against the counter. "I will, when I'm good and ready to."

"Fine, Raph, whatever you say." I'll believe it when I see it. Leo gave him a surly glare before sipping the water.

**********

Outdoor life immediately greeted Shadow and Donatello once they stepped off the front porch. Along the dirt path, the wind continued to pick up, the crickets incessantly chirped to themselves, and they could see the clouds moving overhead. Time was going on for everything else except for them, and Donatello wanted an explanation. He wanted to know why Shadow couldn't get a hold of anyone on her phone, or when she and Michaelangelo couldn't find the main road back to civilization.

"Ooh, it's cold out here." Shadow quickly bundled herself up.

Don agreed. "Yeah, it is."

"How can there be any wind if there's no time to move it?" She heard a low grunt.

"I don't know, Shadow. I'm trying to figure out a lot of what's going on around here."

Donatello dropped his brow to think it over inside his head. Something had cut off all means of contacting the outside world and it was starting to test their sanity, or worse, their anger. Raphael only appeared frustrated at this point, but what if he suddenly lashed out due to cabin fever? He once remembered a time when Splinter quarantined his brother from a contagious flu bug. He not only trashed his room, he tried to destroy their entire home!

As they walked down the path, he began to feel a slight pain between his eyes, and it seemed to increase whenever she asked a question he couldn't answer. The headache could not come at a better time; the best he could do was try to ignore it. He attempted to ignore her as well, but it was a little hard to do when there was nowhere else to go.

"Do you hear the crickets chirp?"

"Yes..." Don droned quietly, rubbing his temple with one hand.

"But, if time stopped, how would they--"

"I don't know..." Don groaned, feeling the pain deepen. A headache was definitely coming on, perhaps a migraine by the magnitude of it. If she asks just one more question, I am going to lose it! He thought to himself. The two continued their walk along the path in hopeful quietness. Overhead, the moon peeked out from a cloud drifting across the night sky. Shadow craned her head to look at the powerful glow giving off an eerie blue light upon their forms.

"The moon came out."

"So, it did." He looked up with a squint.

"But, how can it do that if time stopped--"

"I don't know!!!" Don screamed, causing Shadow to jump to one side. The headache increased to its full level, the pain almost bursting his cranium wide open. "Look, I don't know what's going on with our time! I haven't figured it out clearly enough to give you a precise answer, okay?" Pausing, Don's mouth began to quiver as if he were in shock. "Oh..."

Shadow watched him fall to his knees and cradle his head in his hands, not only feeling the pain of the headache, but now feeling the guilt for yelling at her. He couldn't look to her; he couldn't see the expression on her face, but the silence was making him curious. Slowly and warily, he gazed up to her, seeing no anger, sorrow, or surprise. She apparently looked too stunned to make any sort of reaction to him.

"I'm sorry..." Don breathed out as he started to rise onto his feet. His head was still pounding and he had to take the movement very slow. "Shadow, I didn't mean to yell at you...I-- "

"It's okay." She whispered. "You're under a lot of stress and you just suddenly cracked from the pressure. If you want, I'll be quiet..." Shadow felt a lump in her throat and immediately shut her mouth. Donatello rose to his full height and stared at her soft, glazed eyes. He could tell she was fighting back the tears, but the more she looked to him, the more she lost the battle.

"Please, don't cry." Don choked on his words. "I feel bad enough for yelling the way I did."

"I'm not going to cry." She said with a stiff upper lip. It was tough, but her mouth lifted up into a forced, toothy grin. "I'm fine, see?" Uh, huh, sure. This was painful to watch. Donatello knew she needed a hug, or at least, he needed one to redeem himself. The problem was, if he did such an act, she would lose all of her strength and crumble in a sobbing heap. Instead, he slightly chuckled and leaned an arm out for her to take it.

"Let's just walk, okay? No more questions, no more yelling..."

Shadow nodded with a small smile and they resumed their walk as if nothing happened. He actually felt better after she allowed his emotions to run wild. She, in turn, felt better knowing his conniption was unintentional. It wasn't the first time either; they've had these little outbursts before. On rare occasions, they practically had to leave the lair to have a screaming match in the underground tunnels of the sewer lines. If they were too loud, a referee would come out to break up the argument. It never happened before, but someone above could easily report strange 'noises' coming from a sewer grate. He hated yelling at her, she hated asking questions she wish she knew the answers to, and they both hated this feeling of dual frustration. Their walk certainly had to continue now; the cold night air did absolute wonders to a pair of angry hotheads.

At a turn along the dirt path, the two reached a view of the lake, or the same area her poor Chevy Suburban veered off the road. Shadow turned and looked to the left across the lake's surface, catching the glow of the car's headlights. The car's highlights?

"Uncle Don, look! The headlights are still on!" Shadow climbed down the grass bank and rushed up to the shoreline, staring wide-eyed at her half-sunken car. Donatello followed behind, also staring with disbelief.

"That's impossible. The battery would have died by now."

"Maybe time stopped for my car as well?" Shadow bit her lip, afraid to see his expression. "Sorry, don't answer that."

Don smiled. "I won't. It is, however, strange to see the headlights stay on for so long. It's as if the lake itself is keeping the car alive underwater." Shadow looked to him wide-eyed. "No, that doesn't mean we can rescue it. There's no way the four of us can get it without half-killing ourselves."

"Even if we did get it out, it's water-damaged." She said with deep regret.

Don patted her arm. "You're on GAP Insurance, remember? I'm pretty sure it also has coverage for cars that fall into lakes after the driver veered off the road to avoid hitting a specter." Shadow snorted to that. "Don't worry, it'll all be taken care of when we get back to New York." He took a moment to gaze around the surrounding woods. "That's if we get back to New York."

"Hey, what's that?!" Shadow pointed to a new light glowing next to the boathouse. Bubbles began to disrupt the water as if some sort of motorized vehicle turned itself on under the wooden planks. Before Donatello could answer, Shadow took off for the boathouse. "I'm gonna go see--"

"Er, wait! Man, I knew I should have brought a leash." Don groaned and went running after her. It was so much easier when she was a toddler. Her little legs weren't fast enough and he or one of his brothers could quickly catch her before she wandered off too far. Now, as an adult, her legs were longer than his and she could take longer, wider strides. Shadow jogged along the beach at a fast pace, wondering what strange formation was appearing this time. Reaching the lamppost, she stood at a safe distance to watch the bubbles pop all over like an oversized Jacuzzi. Don finally caught up and panted heavily. "Jeez, did you have to run--"

"Shh! Listen!" Shadow raised a hand to silence him. It was low, but there was a definite sound of someone or something gurgling in the water. "Hello?" Shadow took a few steps onto the wooden planks, gazing downward. "Who's there?"

Don stepped closer. "Shadow, could you please come away from there?"

"It's okay." She shooed him back. "We'll help you if you're in trouble."

"We will?" Don made a face. "I don't think so."

**********

Michaelangelo was rubbing the bar of soap onto his plastron when he thought he heard the sound of voices whispering. His eyes were closed under the water, but his ears could plainly hear it coming from somewhere within the bathroom.

"Is he there...doyouseehimthere...yessss...I see him..."

"Hello?" Mike opened her eyes and listened. "Master, are you in here?" Turning to face the glass door, he tried to open it, but the latch refused. "What the...oh, no...!" At his feet, the drain immediately shut by itself and the faucet turned on full blast, allowing the water to slowly rise up. "Hey! Gah! No! Help!"

**********

"Hello? I don't hear anything now." Shadow said quietly.

"Shadow, please come away from the edge." Don waved a beckoning hand to her.

"All right, all right, sheesh, you worry too much!" Shadow turned and went to walk away, feeling something pull at her pant leg. "Hey--" A ghostly-white hand reached up from under the plank and grabbed her foot, pulling her down into the water.

"Shadow!!!" Don screamed as he raced forward to the planks.

Shadow began a slow, floating descent into the dark waters, hearing the gurgle sounds all around her. She tried to swim, but something kept pulling her body closer to the floor of the lake. In a panic, she tried desperately to yank free, feeling her air start to run out from her lungs. Soon, a pair of hollow eyes and a distorted pale face stared back at her, mouthing faint words she could barely understand.

"Hel....lp....me-ee-ee-ee...."

**********

"Help me, please!" Mike howled, banging on the glass door at full force. The water continued to flow at a remarkable speed, soon reaching the level of his thighs. "Help me! Somebody get me out of here! Help!"

"Michaelangelo?" A soft voice came to the door. "What is going on?"

"Master!" Mike wailed. "I need help!"

Splinter twisted and door knob, finding it locked. "Open the door! Did I not tell you to lock it--"

"I didn't lock it, honest! Hurry!"

"All right. Hold on, my son...I will get help..." Splinter rushed down the stairs, feeling his heart pound faster when he entered an empty living room. "Leonardo?" He tried the parlor room next, also finding it vacant of occupants. "Where is everyone?" He then heard a familiar argument escalating and decided to follow the voices to the left. "Leonardo! Raphael!" Both turtles nearly jumped two feet when Splinter came bounding through the swinging kitchen door. "Quickly my sons, I need you upstairs. Michaelangelo is trapped in the bathroom!"

"So, what else is new?" Raph snorted. "He's pulled that stunt at home!"

Splinter shook his head. "He is trapped against his own will and I cannot get to him! Please, come with me now!"

The two turtles gawked at each other, dropped what they were doing, and ran off past the parlor room and over to the stairs. Leonardo knew he flew up the stairs so fast, he never touched a single step. Splinter followed behind, but was nowhere near as fast as his agile students.

"Help!" Mike screamed through the glass door. He suddenly remembered when Leonardo almost drowned in a room filling with blood. In this case, his fate was to drown in water, a less gooier substance. The only difference was Leonardo's encounter was only a dream. This was really happening! Leonardo reached the bathroom door first and began twisting the knob and banging on the door. Raphael soon joined him and the two pounded at full force. "Guys, help me--"

"Hang on, Mikey!" Raph shouted through the door.

**********

Donatello, knowing it would take too long to get help, dropped down on his knees and stuck half his body in-between the broken planks. Looking around, he was afraid to admit he could no longer see her. Shadow had given up the battle and floated in one spot while the creature continued to beg for her help.

"Shadow! Damn...that does it!" Taking in a breath, Don leaned farther down under the planks and dropped more of his body into the water. To his relief, his hands brushed across a pair of shoulders and he quickly gripped them, yanking her and himself upward. "Urgh, got you!" Don lifted Shadow onto the planks, carried her to the shore line, and held her up in a sitting position. Some light slaps to her back sent the water spewing out of her mouth onto the sand. Shadow fell into his chest, coughing and shaking from head to toe.

"Th--th--ank you..."

"Don't mention it." Don patted her back. "Are you all right?"

"Uh...I think so..." She looked up to him in confusion. "What happened?"

**********

The two turtles finally took a few steps back, ran at full force, and kicked in the door. Steam had already filled the entire room as they made their way over to the glass door. Splinter entered the room next, his heart sinking when he saw the form of his son inside the shower room floating around.

"Oh, jeez! Mikey! Watch out, sensei..." The glass door, being under pressure, slowly cracked open and a river of hot water came flooding out at them. Leo nearly slammed into the toilet from the powerful flow as Michaelangelo gushed out onto the tile floor. After the water cleared, Splinter inched his way along the counter top and grabbed for a towel.

"Good lord." Splinter fell upon the tile floor and wrapped the towel around his body, pulling him close to his chest. "Are you all right?" Leonardo and Raphael circled around and bent down, looking between the two. Michaelangelo blinked and puffed out a huge breath. "Oh, thank heavens..."

"Remember, he's practically at home in the water." Raph assured Splinter who looked like a typical worried father.

"Mike, you okay, bro?" Leo asked in concern.

"I'm fine; I held my breath." Mike sighed in a slight daze. "What happened?"

Meanwhile, Donatello kicked the front door in and carried the soaking-wet child up the stairs and over to the bathroom door. He had just reached the top landing when he felt himself start to slip and slide all over the saturated wood floors. With a yelp, he began to lose control of his balance and slammed against the far wall, dropping Shadow between his legs. A framed picture next to the door of Roxanne's office fell from the wall onto her head with a light thud.

"Owww!"

"Ack, ah, sorry, kid! Guys! Did someone clean the floors up here or something?"

"Don, what are you-- whoop!" Raph rushed out of the bathroom, also sliding across the wet floor and almost into another wall. Placing his hands flat prevented him from kissing the plaster. Leonardo carefully stepped out and looked to the situation. Shadow was sprawled on the ground soaked to the skin, Donatello was standing above her with his knees buckled, and finally, Raph was seen gripping the banister for dear life.

"Don? What-- " Leo paused and looked to Shadow adding more water on the floor from her wet clothes. He looked to Don again; the top half of his coat was also wet. "Why are you guys wet?"

"What I want to know is, why is the floor all wet?" Don asked, feeling himself do the splits and squeaking as he went.

"My fault." Mike stood in the bathroom doorway with Splinter looking around his arm. "Had a little a problem in the shower."

"We...ah, also had a little problem down by the lake...or more like in the lake..." Shadow said with a roll to the eyes. She slowly started to rise; her shoes squishing as she went over to Roxanne's bedroom. "Let me, uh, find something dry to put on and we'll explain everything." Leonardo looked right back at Donatello whom shrugged with an innocent grin. He looked to the floor next with a sigh.

"So, does anyone know where Roxy keeps a mop?"

**********

The six eventually met up and shared both experiences in the living room quarters. Shadow sat in a pair of Roxanne's sweats with a towel wrapped around her head while Donatello left his half-soaked coat out to dry on the front porch. Raphael paced the room, Splinter sat next to Shadow, Leonardo sat on the opposite sofa and Michaelangelo stood in the entryway, blaming himself for this whole mess.

"The natives are getting restless." Raph said quietly. "That spirit out there almost tried to kill you guys. It has to be put to rest."

"It couldn't have been the ghost child that caused all this--"

"Then, what Mike? That lake monster?" Raph shook his head and paced some more. "Look, I don't care how chicken shit you are, you gotta go put AMBER on and help that child spirit before something else happens!"

Michaelangelo took a few minutes to look around the room at his family. Donatello went back to checking the PeeK to see if it was water-damaged, Splinter stared down at the floor, Shadow began another series of teeth chattering, and Leonardo could only sit and think to himself. No one seemed to look in his direction except for Raphael who waited impatiently for a reply.

"All right, I'll do it, but only because it has to be done." Mike stepped forward and bent down to Shadow's level. "I'm real sorry, kid. I let you and my entire family down all because I was scared. Guess I'm not considered the bravest turtle anymore, huh?" Shadow stared forward and hugged herself. After she went through the shock of her life, it was no surprise she could barely talk, let alone move.

"I..." She merely uttered and closed her eyes, seeing the hollow, pale face stare right back at her. "Nooo!" The others watched her bury her face in her hands and shake uncontrollably. It wasn't from being cold, either. She was shivering with fear.

"Child, you must calm down..." Splinter reached out to touch her shoulder, feeling his hand start to wobble. The trembling worsened and she went from fear to panic in two seconds flat. Michaelangelo gripped her hand on the other side and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Please, Shadow, you need to relax...Shadow?"

Shadow suddenly lost sight and sound within the room. Her vision went black and her hearing felt as if water clogged up both her ears. A dizzy spell reached her head and she wasn't sure whether the room was spinning or she was spinning in the room. Her family gasped almost mutually when her eyes rolled up and she slid down from the sofa onto the carpet.

"Shadow!" Mike jumped to his feet as Splinter crouched down beside her. "Whoa! Sensei, what's wrong with her?"

"I do not know, Michaelangelo. Shadow?" Splinter lightly tapped her cheek, watching her eyes flutter, then close again. "It would appear she just fainted." He looked to each of them and gave orders. "Raphael, please go fetch a cup of water, Donatello, I will need a washcloth from the restroom." He looked painfully to Michaelangelo and sighed to him. "My son, forgive me for saying this, but, you should go prepare yourself with AMBER. We must end this now." Although speechless, Michaelangelo knew he was right, and obeyed his master. Splinter looked to the remaining turtle. "Leonardo, help me get her back on the sofa." Leonardo nodded and the two lifted her across the cushions. Shadow slowly reopened her eyes, blinking at them in confusion.

"Ehhhh...whoa..."

Splinter sighed with relief. "Ahh, child, you gave us quite a scare."

"Ssssorry." Shadow said quietly. "What happened to me?"

"You passed out, sweetie." Leo brushed a strand of damp hair back, eyeing up to see Raphael enter with the water cup. "I think you've had all that you can take from this place."

"I'll vouch for that." Raph bent down with the water cup. "Here kid, drink this."

"Ugh, more water..." Shadow made a face to it, but she knew better than to disobey an order, especially one coming from Raphael. Donatello entered last with the washcloth, applying it to her clammy forehead. She couldn't hide her smile from all of this pampering. "You guys are too much. Where's Uncle Mike, preparing a hoagie for me?"

"Not exactly, although he should have one last meal before he leaves our world." Don thumbed backwards. "The last place I saw him heading was the parlor room, probably to prepare to use AMBER. I'll see if he's ready to go." Don walked out into the hallway and looked in the parlor room, almost going into a fit of giggles. Sitting at a small desk chair was his brother, eyes closed, and holding AMBER in his palms as if he was about to crown the wood floor beneath him. "Um...Mike? What are you doing?"

"Quiet!" Mike hissed. "I'm trying to concentrate with AMBER!" Without warning, Donatello reached over and snatched it away from him. "Hey! Why'd you do that? I need to get the feel of it!"

Don groaned to him. "You'll get the feel of nothing if you hold it in your hands. It has to go on your head in order for you to feel something. Now, hold still, it won't bite you." Michaelangelo cringed as Don lowered AMBER onto his head.

"Well?"

"It's on you."

"It is?"

"Yup."

"Oh. Great."

Donatello backed away to watch his brother's reaction. So, far, he remained motionless as if afraid to move from his spot. He eyed up warily to him, blinking with uncertainty. Next, his head bowed as the voices found a new head to play with, and began to come and go through his ears. Just as the others heard, they were distant and intelligible. They all spoke at once, they all wanted his attention, and their pleads for help started a tingling sensation down his spine.

"Do you hear them?"

"Yeah, they sound so...sad. Wow." Mike lifted the headset off and stared at it. "I'll put it back on when we're at the lake, okay?" Donatello nodded slowly. "All right, I'm going now." As the two headed out into the hall, they caught Shadow back on her feet, walking over to the hallway. Raphael, Leonardo and Splinter followed behind. "Where are you guys going?"

"I want to see you go." She simply replied.

"We all do, actually." Raph said next.

"We're ready when you are, Mike." Leo told him with a face of total seriousness.

"I'll never be ready," he smirked, "but, this is something I have to do."

Michaelangelo lead the way down the cement path and over to the awaiting boathouse. The view of them was unlike anything a person could describe to another without being labeled as a total lunatic. A group consisting of a mutant turtle with paranormal headgear in his hands, another mutant turtle carrying a young girl, and two more mutant turtles and a rat certainly was something no living soul had ever seen before.

"Well, here we are," Mike paused at the boathouse and turned to his family, "and here I go!"

"Wait." Shadow spoke up in the background. Michaelangelo froze and looked to her. Raphael put her down and she carefully stepped over next to him. "Before you go, you must do me one favor, okay? One big favor and nothing else."

"Name it, sweetheart." Mike placed a hand on her shoulder, looking deeply into her eyes. "If you want me to be brave, I'll be brave. If you want me to be strong and self-reliant, I will do as you ask. You name it, and I will do it."

"All I want," Shadow leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "is for you to come back. Please, promise me you'll do that."

"I promise." Mike smiled sadly and gave his little niece a strong hug, holding her tightly for several long seconds. The others watched in silence as they embraced. The whole world could have been coming to an end and not one of them could turn away from that tender, heartfelt scene.

"Too bad I left my camera at home." Don grinned. "Definitely a Fuji moment."

"Wha-- nooo! I heard that you camera-happy turtle!" Shadow pulled back and gave him the evil eye. "I don't think so! Look at me, I'm in a bath robe!"

"All the more reason to." Raph pointed with a smirk. "The things you can put on the Internet these days..." Shadow pouted to him as the others snickered softly, all except for Splinter who did not look pleased. "Just a joke, Master."

"I most certainly hope so." The rat answered coolly. "Michaelangelo, have a safe journey and we will be seeing you shortly. Take care of yourself."

"Yes, sir!" Mike saluted and reapplied AMBER onto his head. "Whoaaaa...that's interesting." Now at the boathouse, the voices started to buzz more loudly in the turtle's ears. Strong as the frequencies were, he could have picked up signals from distant planets. Eyes squinting, he heard the calls for help on almost every plain of existence. They strive for young, vibrant souls, and his was aura was so positive, it became a feeding-frenzy for which spirit got to reach him first. The others stepped closer to watch him open the doors to reveal a dark, shabby room once used for various boating activities.

"I wondered what was inside this little boathouse." Shadow sized it up.

"Absolutely nothing." Raph also looked inside. "What a waste."

"That's not what I see." The first thing Mike saw out of the norm was an eerie green light coming from beneath the floorboards. "Look at the floor! It's literally glowing! Do you guys see it?"

"No, Mike." Don shook his head. "If it's the portal, then we can't see it. Only the wearer of AMBER can see it."

"I wish I could see it." Shadow said quietly.

"Oh, then here..." Mike took it off and passed it to her. "Take a look--"

"Don't you dare!" Leo stepped between them. "Her first experience was bad enough and we don't need a repeat of that!"

"Well, I was just..." Mike looked back to the floorboards, seeing the light had disappeared. "Hey, where'd it go? The light's gone! Hmm...I wonder if..." Mike placed the headgear back on and the light reappeared. "Huh?" He then took it off and the light disappeared once more. "Hey, did you know the portal disappears if you remove AMBER from your head? That's pretty freaky!"

"Only you would notice that." Raph rolled his eyes.

"Mike!" Leo shouted angrily, then paused to swallow a bit. That definitely hurt his throat. "Mike, quit playing with it and just go, please."

"Right, right, I'm gone." Mike applied AMBER and went to stand over the green light. "This is so...weird." Gazing down, he felt a strange force take over his body and push him closer to the floorboards. "Ow...what the...hey!" Seconds later--*SNAP* the wooden boards broke away and Mike found himself falling through a water hole full of swirling bubbles and strange orbs of light. Shadow gasped as she watched his form turn into a beacon of light, then fade away like a ghost evaporating from view. After the light died down, the boathouse returned to a dark, empty shell of a room once again. Shadow walked back up to the 4 remaining mutants and sighed heavily.

"He's gone." She mumbled.

"Yes, but, he will return." Splinter assured her. "I have that confidence in him."

Leo looked to her. "Will you be all right?"

"Yes." She nodded. "As long as Uncle Mike is, I will be just fine."