A Turtle's Journey Beyond
Chapter 12: The Final Journey Beyond
Feeling himself back on solid ground, Michaelangelo took a brief moment to rest on the floor of the old boathouse. Although cold, tired and hungry, he was extremely thankful to feel the touch of the AMBER headset reattached to his skull. Was he back in his own time? It would have appeared so. Just to make sure, he needed to catch one or two breaths to remind himself he was alive and ticking. He was glad that he miraculously conquered the snow, sleet, and underwater roller coaster adventure. He also knew he had quite a tale to tell his family.
Speaking of his family, where were they? Lifting one eye lid, he looked to the boathouse doors, seeing them wide open. Did they even know he returned? He waited two minutes to see if anyone would come bursting in, then proceeded for five. Lying down felt good, but the lack of attention was starting to annoy him. Finally, he pulled himself up on his knees and crawled over to the exit.
"Hell-- ohh!"
He never saw it coming; he didn't have a chance to move away fast enough. One minute he was getting up on his feet, the next he was down on his shell, staring at a happy yet tear-stricken face.
"Uncle Mike! You made it back! I was so worried about you!"
"Ummph...hi, Shadow. I take it I was missed?"
"Nah, not really." Raph came and pulled her off as if she were a mere piece of luggage. "Need some recuperation bro? You look a little paler than usual."
"Hey, after what I had gone through...whoaaa...head's spinning..." Mike rolled his eyes up and fell over face down in the sand. Leonardo joined Raphael in lifting his brother up and onto his limp feet while Shadow helped remove the AMBER headset. Donatello slowly approached with the PeeK in hand, still fumbling with the buttons.
"Is he okay?" He lightly asked without looking up.
"No, he's very weak and may not survive." Donatello snapped his head up at Shadow, watching a smirk form on her lips. "Wow, that got your attention, didn't it?"
"That's not funny."
"I was just kidding!" Shadow took a few steps back to stand alongside him. "He's just drained, that's all. This thing must take a lot out of the wearer." She gestured to the headset. Hearing a beep sound from the PeeK, she turned to look at the screen. "So, what does it say now?"
Don shrugged a little. "The same thing it said the last two times. Psionic fragment isolated. Insufficient power to process."
Shadow scrunched her nose. "What does that mean?"
"It means we've still got one more thing to conquer," his eyes narrowed up to the house, "and that one thing is on Roxy's computer."
"But, how will we get to it if we don't have a password?"
"I don't know." Don looked to her sadly. "It's bound to hit me sooner or later. Come on, let's get Mikey out of here."
On the way back up to the house, Michaelangelo collapsed again upon the cement path, not realizing how much of his energy the AMBER headset took from him. He tried to talk, but found himself slurring on his words. It almost sounded as if a hunter's tranquilizer stunned him, the effects leaving him weak and his words incomprehensible.
"Pu--laay...me...on--daaat over theeeeere..."
"What's he saying?" Shadow asked.
"I dunno, I could never understand him." Raph placed his brother on one of the patio furniture chairs and watched him sink into it. "Here, just sit and relax. How do you feel?"
"Wasted." Mike stared up at them. "Guys, I gotta tell you, that had to be one of the most wildest experience in my life."
"Wait, you're still young." Raph nudged him.
"No, I'm serious!" He sat up a little more, blinking wide-eyed. "The things I saw in that world were truly unbelievable." His head dropped down to his chest. "It was also rather upsetting in parts. Such a sad fate for the poor kid."
"Tell us exactly what happened to him, Mikey." Leo said, sitting down in a patio chair beside him. The others took any other available seats left, knowing this would take awhile.
Michaelangelo explained his unusual trip in as much detail as possible. Raphael rolled his eyes at the mention of a talking doll and animated teddy bear. Though, the mention of Edwin's death made him stare in deep sympathy. Leonardo also listened closely; his face full of much sorrow for the innocent little boy. Even Donatello, who kept fiddling with the PeeK, would frown at his brother every now and then. Splinter gave an expression any parent would after they heard bad news and he too, stared in a way Michaelangelo could not look at for a long time. Lastly, Shadow, having a soft spot for children, sat there with a stunned, crinkled face.
"Oh, that's so sad, Uncle Mike. To die in such a way is a horrible thing. Where were his parents? I can't believe no one was watching him while he was out playing in the snow!"
"Yeah, that reminds me of the time you almost drowned in the lake at the farmhouse. Remember that?" Raph rose from his chair, watching Shadow cover her eyes. Yup, she remembered it all right.
"I know I've had a few minor accidents in my life." She said lightly.
"Minor?" Raph snorted. "I wouldn't doubt you're part feline with about 4 lives left. I think all of your near-death experiences happened to you under the age of 10. Then, we have the teen years..." The others had to roll their eyes at the mention of that. "It's remarkable you've made it this far."
"Tell me about it." She sighed with a laugh. "How old was I when I almost drowned?"
"Oh, I'd say you had to be about 5." Mike suggested with a lazy hand.
Shadow gawked to him. "What? No, way! I knew how to swim by then!"
"Correction." Raph pointed to her. "You knew how to swim by the end of the summer! After your little incident, your parents set you up with lessons."
"I remember this now." Leo spoke up quietly. "Casey was the one supposedly watching you...or more like not watching you. It was early summer and we were spending a weekend at the farmhouse. The so-called baby-sitter was in the living room watching hockey, April was in the kitchen making lunch, and we all went out on some nature hike with Splinter."
"Heh, more like one of our many vigorous outdoor exercises with him." Don turned to Splinter who sat quietly with a twitching whisker. "We returned tired and out of breath and the last thing we wanted to hear was a bunch of screams coming from the lake." He looked over to Leonardo with a grin. "Jeez, you ran so fast, you could've beaten out a hare! Talk about getting a second wind of energy."
"I know, I was totally exhausted after the hike." Mike chuckled and rested his arms over his chest. "It was almost like a race. We all dropped our hiking gear and set off for the lake at a record speed, getting to you just in time."
"I was so embarrassed in my wet clothes." Shadow was turning a crimson red.
"Like that's a big deal." Don laughed a little. "I almost jumped in, but quickly realized my miles meter and Walkman were still attached to my belt!"
"That would have been a shocking experience." Raph smirked.
"Well, you guys did mention you wanted to go swimming that day." Shadow shrugged innocently.
"True, we all planned on taking a nice dip in the lake. We just didn't think it'd be so soon." Leo winked to Shadow who was covering up half her blushed face.
"Soooo, what did you guys do to Dad?"
"Nothin,' unfortunately." Raph bit his lip. "Instead, he got chewed out by April big time. Then, when that wasn't enough, we all had a few hundred words to say to him. Yep, those were some unforgettable times."
"Wow." Shadow shook her head. "Drowning is such a scary experience. I'm so glad I know how to swim...though, that thing in the lake had more control over me and I probably would have..." She cut herself off and eyed over to Donatello. "Well, I'd be with Edwin by now. At least he'd have some company."
"I don't think so, kid." Mike looked to her seriously. "Edwin was stuck in a cold, lonely place and I was glad I could help him move on to a much better plain of existence. Sure, he had his toys for company, but to be stuck in one spot for so long is a terrible thing for anyone to endure." A furry hand came down upon his and squeezed it lightly.
"I am very proud of you, Michaelangelo." Splinter answered with a tired grin. "You not only helped a little child rest in peace, you also found that you have the courage to travel into another dimension to take care of the deed yourself." He looked to the others. "That goes for all of you. We have been through so much this evening, never in my life have I seen such bravery come from my sons...and my granddaughter." Shadow looked up to him as he faced her. "Yes, dear, that includes you, too."
"How do you figure?" She mumbled. "All I did was drag you all out here and get us stranded. What good is that?"
"Believe it or not, it is very good." Splinter closed his eyes briefly. "To think what would have happened to your boss if we never came out here. You may not have experienced what my sons have, but you have proven to be a very persistent young lady. Roxanne hired a worthy employee and I am not just saying that because you are my granddaughter. I am saying that because it is true."
"Oh." Shadow looked to her uncles to see them nodding mutually. "I guess I never thought of it that way." Sitting quietly, a gust of wind brushed past them, followed by the moon coming out once again from a bunch of thick clouds. Shadow looked up to it, then over at Donatello. "The moon is out again."
"I know, Shad." Don said with a deep sigh. "Just like before."
"Before what?" Leo asked, looking between the two.
"Oh, she's just observing outdoor life to the extreme." Don said, standing up with the PeeK in hand. "When we were out here on a walk, we noticed everything around us is still moving. Unfortunately, the entrance to the main road is still blocked. We may have all the missing fragments from the three spirits, but that doesn't mean we're out of the woods yet."
"Ha ha." Raph had to say, gesturing to the surrounding forest.
"You know what I mean." Don pouted briefly.
"Uncle Don?" Shadow continued to stare up at the moon as Donatello looked her way. "I think I just figured it out with this whole time standing still. The moon, the wind, the crickets, it all makes sense!" The Turtles and Splinter watched her cross over to a tree and place a hand upon the bark. The wind rustled the pine needles next to her hand, then died down again.
"What is it?" Mike asked.
"It's time. That's what it is." She looked to him. "Time has stopped for everything in this entire area, including the things that are moving by themselves. We're stuck in a repeated time frame that just keeps playing itself over and over, like a video!"
"Wait, so you mean time stopped, but time is still moving things?" Raph asked wide-eyed. "You're not making sense, kid!"
"Yes, she is!" The others looked to Don staring as if lightning had just struck his brain. "Think of a movie, any movie you love dearly, and then think of yourself sitting in front of the TV and repeatedly watching it. We're stuck in that movie. It's playing in a loop and we can't get out of it!"
"Of course." Leo said, the puzzle finally piecing in his own mind. "It's as if this whole area is some type of vortex and we're stuck within its whirlpool of a trap!"
"A vortex?" Shadow shuddered, glancing up to the swirling skies. "I never thought of it that way. Does this mean people from the outside world can't get in?"
Don shook his head. "No one knows we're out here except for that guy, Joe, and he wouldn't be able to reach us with all of our communication cut off." He sighed a little and looked in the direction of the garage. "I got a feeling if we don't save Roxanne from her suspended animation, we'll be stuck here for a very long time."
Mike suddenly thought of something memorable. "You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!"
"Hate to admit it, but you're right." Don told him.
"What?!" Mike immediately frowned. "It was a joke!"
Don nodded a little. "Understandable, but the truth is we probably did enter another world different from our own. Roxanne's headgear must have opened some sort of gate when she went astral. Since she hasn't come back, the gate remained open until someone came along the path to come rescue her. Once we entered the path, the gate closed and trapped us inside."
"But, who closed it?" Raph asked with a lowered brow. Donatello and Shadow looked up to the heavens while Leonardo and Splinter looked in every direction along the woods. Michaelangelo, meanwhile, gawked at everyone.
"Are you saying God is behind all this?" He asked quietly, afraid someone might hear him.
"Could be," Don turned to him, "or it could be an entirely different entity. Someone or something has the power to make things happen, such as allowing spirits to haunt our world or to shut us out from our normal, daily lives. It could also be the Devil at work. We don't know!"
"God would never do this to us. We're not that bad." Mike huffed indignantly. "I just never thought I'd be trapped out in some unknown place for a good length of time. It's almost as if we ourselves are...no, I can't say it." He looked to Shadow. "Well, you know...like..."
"We're dead?" Shadow asked. The others stared at her. "Yeah, it does feel like that."
"But, we're not dead!" Raph looked aghast. "Believe me, I'll know when I'm dead!"
"No, we're not dead, Uncle Raph," Shadow said softly, "but, this is, in a way, what it feels like to be dead. You're all alone, there's no one around to talk to, you walk endlessly through walls and corridors, and depending on how you died, you're doomed to repeat the death over and over until someone tells you you're no longer a part of the living world. Once you discovered you're dead, you can move on peacefully."
Don agreed. "And, of course, one of the phrases Roxanne told you was, 'Death Is Not The End.' "
"Right." Shadow nodded. "It's just the next step, the next journey in the Circle of Life. You know, like from--"
"The Lion King." Leo and Mike said with a grin.
Raph rolled his eyes. "Like we couldn't get enough of that movie, kid."
"Okay, so now that we've helped these spirits and collected the missing fragments, what is there left to do?" Leo asked, trying to look at the PeeK. His brother could be such a hog with that device, he almost wanted to snatch it away from him.
"Well, let's see." Don lifted the PeeK and pointed to the screen. "According to this, we now have to get the software working on Roxanne's computer so that we can stabilize these fragments. This shouldn't be too hard now that we have them all."
"But, what about the password?" Mike had to ask that same old question. Donatello froze and stiffened, almost crushing the PeeK in his grip.
"I already asked." Shadow whispered to Michaelangelo.
"Ut, oh..."
"The password..." Don slowly turned to his brother with a twitching eye. "...why does everyone keep asking me about the stupid password?!"
"Duh! Because, you're the geek of the family!" Raph shouted to him. "You're the only one who can crack it!"
"But, I haven't cracked it!" Don equally shouted back.
"Well, there's got to be some way to get it." Leo pointed around at the PeeK's corners. "Maybe this thing has some cord that connects to the computer and it'll give you the password." Donatello blinked and looked at him as if he said something ridiculous. "What?"
"If the password was on the PeeK, I would have gotten it by now." He responded through gritted teeth.
"Don, I understand that," Leo quickly said, "I meant maybe it's on there now that you have all three of the missing fragments--"
"Take a look, Leo. Do you see a password or any word flashing on here? Hmm?" Don shoved the PeeK in his face. "No! I sure don't!"
"Stop it!" Leo smacked it away. "I was only suggesting that maybe it'll appear once you're on the computer because you now have the fragments--"
"How?" Don waved his hands frantically. "Do you think it'll just magically appear on the screen? Do you think some angel will come to me and whisper the password in my ear? No! It doesn't work that way!" Groaning loudly, he turned to walk the length of the patio back and forth. "This is getting us nowhere..."
"Well, technically, we are in the middle of nowhere." Mike joked, then quickly sobered up when Donatello gave him a nasty glare. "Just kidding!"
"Whatever, Mikey." Raph mumbled, catching Shadow bite her lip. "And don't you encourage him."
"Don." Leo approached from behind and put a hand to his shoulder. "Hey, I was just trying to help--"
"I know that!!!" Don spun around and gulped to his second outburst. First Shadow, now Leonardo. He really felt terrible now. "I mean, I know...that...some help is better than no help." He quickly eyed up to him before looking back at the PeeK's screen. "Sorry, Leo. I guess your suggestions are as good as mine, and, at this point, I'm up for anything." He looked to him again, getting a silent nod in agreement. "Right...okay, enough yelling at each other. I'm gonna go turn the power back on and see what I can do with that computer." To avoid anymore conflicts, Don began a fast-paced walk toward to the front end of the house. Shadow looked to AMBER in her hands and ran after him.
"Oh! Wait, don't you need this?"
"Wha--" Don paused abruptly, almost colliding with her. "Whoa, Jeez!"
"Yikes!" Shadow screeched in her tracks and veered off the path.
"Sorry!" Don's cheeks turned a deep shade of green. "I should have signaled." He looked to his brothers. "Um, guys, why don't you wait outside till I get the power on? We don't need any more accidents, if you know what I mean."
"Good idea." Leo nodded.
"As for AMBER," Don pointed to Shadow's hands encircling the headset, "I will need it one more time. This just may be our last task of saving Roxanne." Don started to walk away with Shadow following closely behind.
"Well, how about I just come with you?" Again, he paused with a turn and, this time, she slammed into the center of his solid plastron. "Ooof!" Shadow gasped and fell backwards onto the ground, coughing and gasping for air.
"Oh, no-- " Don sucked in a breath. "I'm so sorry, hon. Are you okay?" Shadow inhaled sharply and gave a weak nod. It was rather difficult to speak after having the wind knocked out from her lungs. "Huh?"
"I...am...fine..."
Don frowned heavily as he reached down to pull her back up. "You know, if you keep doing that, I'm going to hurt you. Not intentionally, of course, but I'm not made out of feathers."
"Yeah...I know. I'm...good." She rubbed her chest a little. "Let's just get this over with."
Donatello nodded and continued along the path. He didn't have to look to her; he could tell she was trying to hide a smile. It wasn't for nearly knocking her down and laughing about it, either. She was smiling at the thought of this whole thing coming to an end. With the final fragment found and Roxanne almost rescued, she was glad to think they could leave this place and never return. Raphael mentioned coming back in the summertime, but he was quite certain he'd be traveling alone.
"Got the time?" She asked unexpectedly.
"To do what?" Don groaned at what he just said as she bit her lip. "You know what time it is, Shadow. The same time it has always been."
"Well, I thought after getting the third fragment, time would start to move on its own again." Shadow reached the front door first and opened it, looking in to the dark hallway. "Ugh, if it weren't for that red light by the stairs, I'd really be in trouble."
"Still afraid of the dark, huh?" Don teased.
Shadow turned pink in the face. "It's not a crime to be afraid!"
"I didn't say it was!" Don entered the hallway and felt her latch onto his arm. "Wow, you really are scared--"
"Just...shut up, and go forward." She snapped with a hint of shakiness. The two entered the dark hall and proceeded forward to the staircase. Shadow knew the routine by now, but she always regretted the part of something spooky jumping out in a dimly-lit house.
Past incidents of the power going out in her apartment brought back memories of being afraid of someone or something lurking in a dark corner, ready to strike. A family member always found and held her close, telling her there was nothing to be scared of except tripping over an object and hurting yourself in the process. That was always one of Donatello's phrases when he told the frightened child not to move and to stay in one spot. They were all so brave and she was so, well...chicken!
"We're almost there." He said to her quietly on the staircase. "I can see the office from here."
"I can, too, but it's dark." She groaned. Looking down, she felt him give her hand a light squeeze as if to assure her they'd be okay. Smiling a little, she actually felt safer when she was with him. She knew if anything technical went wrong, he was always there to fix it. At the entrance to Roxanne's office, Shadow stopped and preferred staying in the hall next to the red light, her safety beacon in the dark.
"There's the main power switch, kiddo. Here." He passed her the PeeK. "I'll go turn it on and then we can get started on the computer. Okay?" Shadow nodded once and watched Don walk over to throw the switch. "Here we go..."
CLICK
Something didn't seem right when the power hesitated. Donatello went to back away, but it was already too late. The lights began to flicker a few times and a crackling sound emerged from the switch. Like being struck by 10,000 volts of lightning, Donatello started to tremble in one spot, unable to pull away from the surge of immense power shooting up his arm and throughout his body.
"Arrrgh....Auuugh! Shadow, help!"
"Uncle Don! Nooo!!!" Shadow screamed, feeling helpless to watch her uncle being shocked to death right before her eyes. Finally, the electricity turned on and the sizzling turtle slumped to the ground in a shaking heap. "Oh, my God, no. Oh, please, God no!" Donatello's breathing became shallow until there was nothing left but silence from his lips. His view of the ceiling light started to blur and then his eyes closed shut. Shadow tapped his cheek and shook him, getting no response. "Help!!! Help me!!!"
"Shadow?" Along with trampling feet, Leo's voice was heard coming up the stairs. "Shadow-- what happened?"
"It's Uncle Don, he's been electrocuted!" Shadow wailed from her spot on the floor. Leonardo entered the office to find her sitting under the power switch with Donatello half-cradled in her lap. "Help him, please--"
"Step away." Leo instructed as he bent down on both knees to have a closer look. Shadow carefully slid out from under him and crossed to the door frame just as the others filed up the stairs. "Don, come on, bro, wake up? Don, can you hear me?"
"No, please, God, this isn't happening..." Shadow stood next to the little desk, clutching her mouth and crying uncontrollably.
"What's going on?" Mike entered next with worry already etched on his face. Shadow could only gesture to Donatello lying on the floor and Leonardo kneeling beside him. After seeing the look on his face, telling Mike that his brother was electrocuted was much too hard for her to say. Raphael came up the stairs next and pushed his way into the room.
Splinter approached last, looking very concerned. "What has happened?"
"I don't know." Mike said, looking to Shadow for an answer.
"He was electrocuted while turning on the power." She finally responded in broken words.
"Oh, my God, no. He's okay, though, right?" Mike looked past her to his brothers, watching them closely. "Leo, is he okay?" He didn't get an answer, and that made him more worried. "Huh? Well, is he? Raph?"
"Mikey...stop." Raph stood and took a few steps to the side.
"Why?" Mike looked to Shadow briefly, then to his brothers again. "Leo, is he just unconscious?"
"No." Leo sat back on his haunches, tears streaming down his face. "He's dead."
A.N.: Whoa! What a spot to leave ya, huh? I humbly apologize for taking months to update! Now, you'll have to wait for more months to see the rest! Mwahahahaha! Naaaaw, j/k, in truth, I'm currently writing the very end of Chapter 13 and just need to add some final dialogue pieces straight from the game. It's been one long journey, but I'm finally reaching the end! Thank you all so much for your kind feedback! I appreciate it to the fullest! Bye for now!