Saga of the Next Generation

By Red Turtle (who even though she has 70 reviews already hasn't gotten many lately and eagerly awaits more to sustain an ego large enough to finish the story)

Michelangelo III:

Wooo, here we go again.

Though my eyes are shut, I know when we land in the new world. The air changes into something new, and fresh. Sun hits my skin, birds sing nearby, and soft, silky grass embraces my feet.

Awesome.

I open my eyes and behold this future. I'd been expecting the planet to be worse, the air filled with smog, the sun either scorching hot from lack of ozone or else blocked out by smog, the birds dead, and steel covering it all. Instead I find green grass, blue skies, white clouds, trees, birds…

And a group of stunned humans and mutants surrounding us. Endame must make quite an entrance.

"Hello", Endame greets them, "Forgive our abrupt appearance. We're looking for a female mutant turtle here."

I turn around slowly, taking in the beauty of the future. The inhabitants are quite beautiful as well, the humans mostly young and with a healthier look to them then most humans I've ever seen in my time. They're definitely more in shape, and…I believe they're actually standing straighter. They're more alert, and just…so different.

This change in the human population amazes me more than the mutants with them. I guess being a mutant myself I wouldn't find them so interesting anyway. Mostly bears, which fits with the rise in mutant bears in my own time. There aren't any foxes through. A cat, and a couple of dogs (never seen mutant dogs before) and a few different birds.

I don't see any turtles.

"Are you looking for Huxley Ann?" someone asks cautiously.

"I don't know her name", Endame explains, "But I have bought her family here for her. We would like to talk to her."

Some of them leave the group, apparently to go get her for us.

The rest continue staring.

"So, what year is this, exactly?" Leo asks after a moment.

"2103."

"A.D.?" Leo clarifies.

"What's A.D.?"

Before anyone can answer, a female turtle joins the circle. She stares at us intensely.

"I thought you were all dead", she declares, "Saber Khan killed all of you back in…way back…like fifty years ago."

"He did kill several members of your family in your time", Endame explained, "But I have some time-traveling ability and managed to rescue some of them. I also gathered those from the past, and we have come here seeking your assistance."

"What do you need?" she asks.

"We need a safe place to rest", Christopher interrupts, "By the way, I'm your…little brother, Christopher."

He reaches out and shakes hands with Huxley Ann.

"I've never met any of you", she says, "I never even met my own father."

"Well, one of them is here for you", Endame says.

We begin to break out of our large group and settle down to rest on the hill. Some of the others bring us food, fresh fruit and cooked fish. No wonder they're so healthy, there doesn't seem to be any candy bars or soda anywhere around.

"Where are we?" I ask one of the humans.

"Estoria", she replies.

"I'm sorry, where is that?"

"Um…it's, uh…used to be called Dee-trot, I think. It's in that area."

My jaw dropped.

"This used to be Detroit? For real?"

"Yeah. Near Canada, right? Canada's still over there."

I looked where she pointed, and I could just barely make out high-rises in the distance.

"Wow", I sighed.

"Yeah, your world was really messed up, huh", she agreed, "I was raised in this one, but I read history books. How could you stand it?"

"I don't know", I told her.

I was thinking about how I was going to stand going back.

Eventually I fell asleep for a while. When I awoke it was dark, and everyone else was gathered with the others around a fire, where I saw they were making a nice pot of soup, the smell of which is what woke me up.

As I stretched I looked up, and almost fell over in surprise. So that's what stars really look like! They looked so bright I swear I could reach up and touch them. I even tried.

Amazing.

"Hey, uh, me, are you going to have any soup?", my past self calls out.

"Yeah, sure."

He/I poured me a bowl.

"Aren't the stars awesome?" I asked my past self.

"Yeah, I already spent, like and hour being amazed by them."

I didn't really talk to anyone else as I ate. It was all so overwhelming, there were so many of us and so much going on. I mainly watched Splinter. It was so nice to see him again, and remember how great a father he had been. I should hug him before we all go.

Huxley Ann (I still can't believe Leo!) rang a bell to get everyone's attention.

"We should talk about this Saber Khan situation", she announced.

Endame became our official spokesperson, relating our history to the others, most of who had never even heard of us, and telling Huxley details that she didn't know. I wonder where she was living when all this was going on, cause Leo never said a word about her, and she didn't seem to have ever heard a word about him. I tuned out for a while; I didn't want to lose my edge from being consumed by thoughts about the past.

"So, can you join us in this quest?" I heard Christopher saying, "We need all the help we can get, even if you're not a ninja."

"What's the point?" Julian suddenly interrupted, surprising me, "It's hopeless. Even with her help, we still have to go up against a whole army. We'll be slaughtered."

"Ah, dude", one of the humans said, "We are an army."

A series of clicks and snaps followed the announcement. Although impossible to see in the dark, I realized everyone was cocking their guns.

"I think that's your answer", Huxley Ann replied, brandishing her own gun.

Major Awesome!

TBC…