Chapter 10 More visions

The curtains that separated the back room from the front opened to reveal the two girls. On Annie's shoulder was a small monkey that jumped down, transforming into the giant winged cat creature Michelangelo had described. Sydney was completely shocked that they were there.

"Leo?" She asked puzzled.

Leonardo drew one katana in defense against the cat creatures. "Call off your watchdog!" Leonardo ordered. "Michelangelo needs help!"

Sydney called off the cat. "Sam, stay back," she ordered. Annie stayed in the doorway as Sydney drew closer. "Leo what happened? How did he get like this?"

"I don't know," Leonardo admitted. "It started just as we entered the shop."

"It wouldn't have happened if you came in through the front door." Annie complained drawing a bit nearer. "The front of the shop is shielded because of all the psi's and sensitives that come though."

"Yell at him later, Annie," Sydney said sounding distressed. "Help him now."

Leonardo wasn't sure he wanted this witch's help. After all she was the one who had placed Raphael under some strange spell, but he didn't complain as the girl drew closer, knelt down, and placed her fingertips gently on the top of Michelangelo's head.

"Bingo, he is sensitive, and something in here is setting him off," Annie said

"Mike?" Sydney asked astonished, "A sensitive?"

Annie nodded. "Maybe even sensitive enough to be clairvoyant." She turned to look at Leonardo. "I'm right. He's clairvoyant?" Then slightly more surprised. "He was one of the two spirits here last night."

"I don't know what that means," Leonardo said. "All I know is that he has dreams that come true, and he did dream travel here last night."

"Definitely clairvoyant then," Annie said. She looked up to the large oak table where the rose crystal ball sat. "It's got to be the crystal ball, Sydney, find the cover!"

Sydney began to move around the chamber looking for something. The tiger became some sort of cat ape cross with wings, and began to search as well. In Leonardo's arms Michelangelo struggled to keep his hold on reality.

"Sydney! Whatever your looking for hurry!" Leonardo called back to her.

"Dammit Annie, when are you going to clean up around here," Sydney complained at the same time.

"Just find the damn cover!" Annie shouted back.

Suddenly Michelangelo grew very still. Leo suppressed a shudder. "Annie," Leonardo said carefully. "What's going on?"

Just then Michelangelo's eyes snapped open, but there was something wrong with his expression. He paid no attention to Leonardo or Annie at his side. He tried to rise to his feet and make for the table with the crystal ball.

"Annie?" Leonardo asked.

Annie turned to face him, her face full of concern. "Do you want him to have a full blown all out nightmare right now or no?"

"Preferably no!" Leonardo snapped back. "Why, what's wrong with him?"

"Then don't let him go," Annie said. Now Michelangelo was struggling against their combined grip. As she struggled, she explained. "His conscious mind just shut down. He's operating only on his gift right now, and it wants to see something that the crystal will show him. I don't think you want that to happen without a little preparation, do you?"

"Not really, I've been with Mikey through enough of his nightmares to know better." Leonardo said. Meanwhile Michelangelo was struggling to reach the table.

"Lemme go! I have to go to it!" He cried.

"Sydney! Find that damn cover NOW!" Annie shouted.

Suddenly the tiger ape came up with a single piece of black silk.

"Got it!" Sydney yelled as she snatched the cloth from the creature. She dove for the table and covered the crystal ball just before Michelangelo broke free of Leonardo and Annie's grasp. He froze in mid step, then collapsed on the ground.

"Mikey!" Leonardo shouted and got there a second before Michelangelo hit the floor. Leonardo drew Michelangelo up into his lap, and checked him over. Michelangelo seemed to be fine, just unconscious. Leonardo looked up at Annie and Sydney, and demanded, "what the shell did that thing do to Michelangelo?"

Sydney glanced over at her cousin. Sidney didn't appear hostile, just curious. Annie, with a little bit of fear, backed away from Leonardo. "Easy there, it wasn't my fault. Obviously he has something to see, and he went for a scrying crystal like a moth to a flame. You say he gets dreams that come true?"

Leonardo nodded and sighed heavily. "More like nightmares that come true. I can't remember anything that he's predicted that hasn't been a warning. "

"And you've prevented most of them from coming all of the way true." Annie said thoughtfully.

"I guess," Leonardo answered. "The only ones that have come all the way true were the one's we didn't understand." Leonardo swallowed and said, "That's one of the reasons I came here. Mikey hasn't done this stuff in a long time, and recently it's gotten way out of control. He's now having visions when he's wide awake, like now almost, and when you saw him in spirit form last night, he did that without even understanding what he was doing." Even when we were kids he was never able to do that before. I'm afraid that if he keeps going on like this he's going to lose his mind. Can you help us?"

Sidney drew closer to her friends. "Poor Mikey," she said sympathetically. "He's got it worse than I do."

"How long has he been having premonitions?" Annie asked as she bent down to touch Michelangelo's head again.

"It started long ago, when we were only six," Leonardo explained. "It was only dreams back then, but they were pretty vivid nightmares, and most of them came true or partly true after only two weeks. Just recently we found out that some things he predicted back then didn't come true until about two years ago. When he turned nine, they stopped for a while, but ever since we moved into our current lair he's been having them on and off again. It's just been this last week or so it's been getting worse." Leonardo turned to Sydney. "You mentioned that necklace is to keep something from leaking out of your head."

Sidney's hands when to the new amber necklace. "Oh," she said flushing slightly. "Yeah that, I'm a projective telepath, and . . . and I'm sorry."

That confused Leonardo. "Sorry for what?"

Sidney lowered her eyes to the floor as she continued. "I...I think during my last transformation I called out to Donatello. I think I made him come back down to us. I can't be sure. It's hard to remember anything from then."

"You called him?" Leonardo thought about that for a few moments. "You know that kinda makes some sense. All of a sudden he got very obsessive about finding a cure for you, and he said he got his answer in a dream." Leonardo looked at her quizzically. "That was you?"

Still embarrassed Sidney said, "It must have been. When I changed back into that monster I panicked somehow, and for some reason he was the last thing I can remember thinking about." With that a tear came down her cheek. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to force him to come down there, but ever since we were trapped down there I could feel my abilities growing out of control. Turning back into that thing, just made me snap entirely."

"Don't blame yourself," Leonardo said. "But you may be my connection to what's going on with Mikey. Our lair was built by the same people who built that underground city. There were crystals in the lair. Did your abilities change when you were first exposed to the crystals?"

Sidney got very quiet and thoughtful. "I don't know. While I was changed, I couldn't project anything. It was only after I changed back that first time that I found my abilities were too strong to control."

"Which means you were in the city," Leonardo said nodding to himself. "Mikey's dreams came back on and off a few months after we moved into a cavern made by those same people, the Atlintians. Somehow they used the crystals as an energy source that did a lot of things including boosted their own mental abilities. I think those crystals had some kind of effect on you two."

"Maybe," Annie said. She had been very quiet throughout this exchange. "Maybe now you'll tell me where you were those three years you went missing, Sid."

"Why does she have too?" Michelangelo's voice said startling them all. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but he was talking normally. "You told Raph you did something to look for her and you found us with her."

"You mean you knew!" Sidney said accusingly at her cousin.

Annie spun around and answered her cousin back. "Sid you were missing! Of course we were going to scry for you, but by the time we found you, it was too late. The Foot had already changed you. The only thing grandad and I could do then was cast a spell of circumstance and wait for it to work."

"A spell of . . . " Sidney paused, and looked at the turtles. "Is that what made them come after me?"

"What," Leonardo asked suddenly worried. "Did you cast a spell on us?"

"Not exactly," Annie explained. With a sigh she looked at Sidney as she spoke. "Grandad was still alive when we found out what the Foot had done. We couldn't fight them directly without exposing ourselves as wizards so we cast a spell of circumstance. It alters the chance of certain events happening so that the ultimate outcome is what you wanted it to be. Naturally the only outcome my grandfather, and I wanted was to enable Sidney to come home. Once the spell was cast anything that could help her was put into motion. The spell wasn't cast on you. You were simply part of it."

"I'm still not sure I get it." Michelangelo said. Leonardo breathed a sigh of relief when Michelangelo opened his eyes. Michelangelo looked right up into Annie's face quizzically. "It's you!"

"Yes it's me," Annie said. "You were spirit walking in my shop last night."

Michelangelo shook his head vigorously then put his head in his hands with an obvious headache. "No," he said. "I didn't get a good look at you last night, but I know I've seen you before somewhere months ago!"

"Months ago?" Leonardo wondered. "Mikey do you think you saw her in another dream?"

Michelangelo eyed Annie up and down before putting his head back in his hand. "Maybe, I think so. Uhg, it' hard to remember and my head feels like its splitting open."

Annie placed two gentle fingers on Michelangelo's forehead. "Man, your gift has something major to tell us. It's not going to leave you alone. I'm surprised you can contain it at all."

"Can you help me get rid of it?" Michelangelo asked. "I don't want my gift any more than Sidney wants hers." Even as he said it, he winced as his headache increased. "I can't take much more of this."

Annie sighed sadly as she traced a symbol on Michelangelo's forehead. Leonardo almost objected, but he noticed that Michelangelo had stopped shivering and was blinking sleepily leaning against Leonardo.

"Easy," Annie said gently. "I can't change what you are. No witch or wizard of the white order would dare do something so drastic. I can make it a little easier for you. Something is inside your head and it needs to get out."

"That part I was always able to figure out." Michelangelo snapped back. "I'm just not strong enough to keep it in!"

"A gift like that is better freed." Annie said sympathetically. "It finds its way free anyhow. If you'll let me, I can help you. At least it won't hurt like it would if you were having a nightmare."

Michelangelo still struggling with his vision looked to Leonardo. "Leo?" He asked.

Leonardo knew what he was asking. He wanted to tell this witch to keep her magic to herself, but he knew how much Michelangelo had been suffering. "Help him," Leonardo said. "But I'll be watching you."

Annie nodded and traced another strange symbol on Michelangelo's head and added a few words in a language Leonardo didn't understand. For an instant Michelangelo's eyes closed and his head dropped to his chest. Then very slowly he opened his eyes and lifted his head, but Leonardo could tell that whatever spell Annie had laid on his brother was controlling him now.

"What did you do to him?" Leonardo demanded, but his voice was soft, afraid to break Michelangelo's trance.

"It's all right," Annie said. She took Michelangelo's hands in hers and helped him rise to his feet. Slowly Leonardo followed. "Sidney," she said calmly still leading Michelangelo to the oak table where the crystal that started his problems rested. "Take the cover off the crystal. It's time your friend did a little crystal ball gazing."

Sidney didn't look happy, but she took the cover off the crystal ball anyway. Instantly Michelangelo's attention turned toward it. He shook off Annie and Leonardo's support and all but ran to the crystal. Annie grabbed hold of Michelangelo's shoulders for a moment to slow him down.

"Easy," she said. "Not too fast now, or it will hurt." She guided him to a chair, and drew the crystal closer to him. Eagerly Michelangelo reached for it.

"It's . . . It's like basking in sunshine!" Michelangelo said in a detached awed voice. The moment he touched the pale pink crystal it began to shine like a lamp.

Leonardo came up behind Michelangelo and looked at Annie in shock. "Did...did Mikey just do that?" He asked pointing to the glowing sphere.

"Not exactly," Annie explained. "The crystal just focuses energies around us. What Mikey has done is tap into it. He saw the power in the crystal before you did." Annie stopped to admire something only she could see. "This is amazing he's doing in heartbeats what it takes me an hour of spell casting to do!"

"Wait until he starts talking," Leonardo said. He took a seat with Sydney. Annie moved behind Michelangelo's chair and leaned over to whispered in his ear. "What do you see in the crystal?" She asked.

In that same detached voice Michelangelo answered. "I...I can see Donnie, and Raph. They're scavenging by the junkyard. They're arguing."

Annie looked at Leonardo who shrugged. He had no clue what was bothering them. Annie turned her attention back to Michelangelo. "Listen, can you hear them?"

Michelangelo paused for a moment then with a smile said, "Yeah, Yeah I can! Raph's mad because Donnie made him leave Casey's place. Raph doesn't know he's awake yet. Raph's worried about him, and oh! Casey's there now."

Leonardo thought about that. "We saw Casey leave your shop, and we heard what he told you. We understand that you can't take the spells off of Raph until you defeat this creature of yours, but Casey doesn't."

Sydney who had been quiet up until then suddenly turned to her cousin annoyed. "You put spells on Raph? Is this what this is all about? Annie why-"

Annie didn't wait for Sidney to finish the question. "There's a dekabor loose Sid."

Sydney stopped in mid-sentence and sat down again. Her eyes were wide with shock. Leonardo, keeping one eye on Michelangelo and Annie, reached over and whispered to Sydney, "What's a dekabor?"

"A demon," Sydney answered with a shudder. "It chooses a host, someone aggressive, borderline stable, and possesses them. It kills their soul and uses their identity to create havoc in all their loved ones."

"No wonder it wanted Raph," Leonardo said. "What kind of spell did Annie use to protect Raph? She said something about holding him."

Sidney looked surprised at that but then with a sigh, said, "There's only one spell she knows where she could protect Raphael. See that pendant around her neck? The turtle one."

Leonardo nodded. He had noticed it before. It was a dark metallic red. Red was Raphael's favorite color, and Leonardo began to realize that it wasn't a coincidence. He almost wasn't surprised when he heard Sidney said, "That pendent holds a part of Raphael's soul."

"His soul!" Leonardo breathed out.

Sydney nodded. "It's the only way she could put her powers of protection inside of Raphael directly. If she wanted to she could actually work magic through Raphael now, but a white witch only uses that spell when lives or minds are at stake. She would never capture Raphael's soul to control him."

That made Leonardo relax a bit, but he tensed right back up again when Michelangelo started yelling at Casey through the crystal ball. "No! Casey, you bonehead! Don't make Raph remember her!"

"What's going on, Annie?" Leonardo asked

Annie had her hand to the little turtle pendant that Sidney just told him held a part of Raphael's soul. "I think Casey is trying to get Raphael to remember what I did." She answered absently. "When I cast the spell, I just ordered him not to tell you guys, but he was so conflicted about what I did he blocked it completely. Kinda like your brother here does with most of his dreams. Raphael understood, but he still didn't want me to do it, so by not remembering he didn't have any internal conflict. If he remembers, he might become angry enough to break the spell."

"No . . . " Michelangelo muttered shaking his head. His eyes were still fixed on the crystal before him, but somehow Leonardo knew that Michelangelo was talking to them. "No! It's there. That dekabor jell-O thing! If Raph breaks the spell now . . . "

"It's waiting for him to break the spell!" Annie said. Her hands went to the pendent at her throat. "Like a trapdoor spider, the moment he's free the dekabor will strike." Suddenly the pendent under her fingers flared a bright red. Annie closed her eyes, and began chanting under her breath.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Annie, don't let go of him." Leonardo said with a shudder. He knew how angry Raphael could get. He didn't really understand magic. Master Splinter had explained a little bit about magic to him, and he knew that it had a lot to do with will power. He wondered if Raphael's temper would give him enough will power to break Annie's hold on his soul.

Annie seemed to be struggling with holding the pendent. "He's . . . he's so angry I . . . I don't know if I can hold on to him!"

"Annie, you've got to!" Leonardo insisted.

"Leo, Annie isn't a fully trained witch!" Sydney explained. "She can't generate the power necessary to hold Raph in the pendant! It's like some kind of mental tug of war. Only the stronger will is going to win."

"A tug of war?" Michelangelo said. Leonardo blinked in surprise. He didn't know that Michelangelo was aware of what was going on in the room. Michelangelo looked from Annie to the crystal, and then back again. "Of course!" He suddenly said, he reached over to Annie and placed his own hand over hers as she held tightly onto the turtle pendant around her neck.

"Mikey?" Leonardo asked uncertainly, but Michelangelo didn't answer. He and Annie had their eyes closed, and their hands over the pendant. Even though Leonardo didn't have any particularly strong psychic gifts even he could see a slight shimmer of silver blue and red energies flowing over both Annie and Michelangelo.

"Sydney, What's going on?" Leonardo asked worriedly. "What's happening to Annie and Mikey?"

"I...I think he's helping her," Sidney said. "But I don't know how. He doesn't know any magic, does he?"

"Not that I know of," Leonardo said wishing he understood what was going on. "But with Michelangelo you never can tell."

Suddenly the two broke apart. Sidney caught Annie and moved her to a nearby chair. Leonardo managed to catch Michelangelo and lower him to the ground. There was a red glow around Michelangelo's hands, but it was fading away.

"Mikey?" Leonardo asked. "Mikey are you okay?"

"I...I couldn't hold on to everything!" Michelangelo said weakly. Leonardo stifled an involuntary shiver.

"You mean that dekabor can get him?" Leonardo said trying to keep his voice from trembling.

"N . . .no." Annie said from her chair. "We still have a hold on his spirit and body, but the restraints of his mind have been broken. He remembers now, and he's not happy."

"Big surprise," Leonardo muttered.

"Leo," Michelangelo managed to force out. "Raph's on Prince and Mercer. He's heading this way! He remembers Annie now, and he's majorly pissed!"

"I'll take care of Raph." Leonardo said. He turned to face Sidney. "Sidney, take care of them. I've got to stop Raph before he hurts somebody, namely us."

Sidney, nodded "Go ahead." She said.

Coming soon Chapter 11 Everybody Together now.

"That's how he was before," Donatello said, now coming forward with Casey. "When Casey started talking about some witch or something at first Raph didn't know what he was talking about, then something happened, and he got like this."

"He's fighting it again," Leonardo said with a sad shake of his head.

"Not exactly, Leo," Michelangelo said from behind them. Leonardo turned to see Michelangelo standing in the doorway of the shop. Annie and Sidney were behind him. Michelangelo didn't look well. He looked as if he had been in a major fight himself. He was supporting himself by leaning on the door. He was slightly pale, and the red turtle pendant that Annie had been wearing was around his neck.

"No," Raphael said in a whisper. He lifted his head, and gazed at the pendant resting on Michelangelo's plastron. "No no no!" He said fearfully. His eyes widened, and he shivered as if he had just gotten the worst scare of his life.

"All I did was pull on his leash a little so he'd stop fighting you." Michelangelo finished. He smiled mischievously as he tugged at the chain around his neck.

"No!" Raphael shouted again. But he did not get up from the floor. Instead he looked at Annie behind Michelangelo, and said rapidly. "Annie, no! I'll do whatever you say, whatever you want! I'll fight the dekabor for you, but please, please take the pendant back from Mikey!"