Mikey

Big Leo cursed under his breath, his hand grasping at the hilt of a katana. "Not now. Please, not now."

Everywhere we looked, Foot bots crawled from the depths of the streets. They silently circled us, some holding weapons and some in battle stances. Any empty space was soon filled by a shadowed body like spilled ink over paper. I observed carefully, waiting for them to strike with my nunchaku ready.

"What do we do, bro?" I asked.

Big Leo helped me up, his other hand squeezing my shoulder mercilessly and his gaze never parting from the sea of black closing in. "We make an opening, and we run home. When that opening comes, I want you to keep running and don't look back, don't wait for me." His eye ridges lowered at the sight of dissent spreading on my face, and I withered like a weed. "I'll be fine."

Before I could acknowledge his orders, the Foot bots advanced on us from all directions. I didn't know who to unleash my nunchuck fury on first, but right as I found my target, multiple pairs of hands grabbed me. I felt their touch on my shell, my arms, my legs, even my face! One quickly seized my weapon while the rest pulled me away. My free hand gripped the handle of the merry-go-round to stay in place, and then I had an idea. I ripped my arm free from a ninja and pulled out my second nunchaku, socking everyone holding me.

"Dude, hop on!" I shouted at Big Leo.

My bro glanced at me, confused for a second, but mirrored my sly grin. He gripped the toy handle, and the two of us kicked off the ground, sending us in a spinning circle of death with our weapons outstretched and cutting through any ninja that dared to approach the merry-go-round. We took down a lot of Foot bots this way, whooping and laughing.

"Looks like you dudes aren't tall enough to ride this ride," I sneered.

After a few more spins, Big Leo declared a retreat. I wasted no time following his orders, bounding off the ride and catching my balance before shooting toward the only vacant space in the army of black.

"Keep going, Mikey!" Big Leo called.

I glanced behind me to see him fighting off the ninjas that chased after me, a rebuttal getting caught in my throat when I remembered my destiny was at stake.

He'll be okay, he'll be okay, he'll be okay, I chanted frantically in my head.

I scooped up my stolen nunchaku from the dirt before fleeing the playground. As my feet bounced off the street with my arms stretched behind me to pick up more speed, I caught movement on my right. More Foot bots matched my pace, racing across the rooftops with their red eyes trained on me. Then more on my left. My heart hammered in my chest as I tried to think of a way to avert them, but any thought that came to mind was quickly shut down when I saw who was waiting for me at the end of the street.

My feet skidded to a halt, and I ripped out my chucks at the sight of Rahzar standing there with a toothy smile, an army of ninja robots backing him up.

"Look who's finally alone?" His gruff voice sent a chill down my shell, the kind of voice that knew something I did not. It was right then I knew I was in major trouble. He must have planned this ambush, knowing Big Leo would try to hold off as many as possible while I ran. I knew I shouldn't have left. I knew it! "Not so tough without your magic stick, are you?"

I twirled my nunchaku and held it in place behind my shoulder. "I can still kick your butt, you ugly zombie dog!"

"As much as I'd love to prove you wrong, little turtle, I was ordered to do otherwise," Rahzar said, his smile evilly stretching.

With the signal of his paw, the Foot bots descended on me. I only had time to hastily whack two across the face with my weapon before I felt multiple cold, metal hands grabbing every inch of me, pulling me down to the street like an anchor in the ocean. I fought against them, straining as I attempted to pull myself out of the crowd of ninjas, but there were too many of them, and they were surprisingly strong!

"Let me go, you creeps!" I screeched. "Big Leo!"

My knees crashed on the pavement, and my arms were forced behind my shell. I felt my heart drop to my stomach as Rahzar shifted through the crowd, his yellow eyes glowing at me until they were inches from my own. His hot, smelly breath fanned my skin as he chuckled.

"Master Shredder will be pleased when I bring him the last piece of his plan."

"MIKEY!"

I swiveled my head to find my bro from the future rounding the corner down the street, looking like he'd been hit by a bus and then thrown off a cliff for good measure. He gritted his teeth at seeing my predicament, drawing his second katana. Before he could move, I watched his eyes grow wide, and he started running to me.

"No!"

I never had the chance to see what he was screaming about. Pain erupted in my skull as I watched his frantic movements, and then darkness caved in my vision before he could make it to me.

Leo

"It's Big Leo! He's pinging us. Sending you his location now!"

Donnie's words rang in my head as I zoomed across the city, ignoring the pain in my chest and my heart's frenetic beating. My brothers and I agreed tonight that we'd ping the rest if we found Mikey. So, my future self must have succeeded, and I couldn't control my excitement as I leaped off a roof's edge, full-twisting on the way down and landing on a lower building.

I couldn't wait to see that goober of a little brother, despite my disproving of him heading topside in broad daylight and running away in the first place. But a well-deserved scolding could come later; I just needed to see him…to tell him I was sorry.

I caught movement on my left and turned to find Raphael had caught up to me with a grin that told me he, too, was excited to see Mikey again. Then again, on my right, finding Donatello matching our speed and vaulting over the roof's edge with his bo.

"Can't believe Future Fearless actually found 'im," Raph said.

As much as I'd love to praise my future counterpart for finding Mikey, I knew he most likely had nothing to do with it. Like Master Splinter said, if Mikey didn't want to be found, then he wouldn't be found. He must have decided to return on his own terms and allowed himself to be seen by his family. I just hoped he was careful doing so and averted the watch of the Foot.

"They should be a couple blocks down at the corner of forty-third street and fifth avenue. A conspicuous location, if you ask me," Donnie informed.

My gut suddenly twisted. They wouldn't be hanging around in the open, especially with the Foot on constant patrol. Something was wrong. My heart raced at the thought that maybe Big Leo was pinging us for a different reason.

I surpassed my brothers with all my alarms ringing in my head and my heart pounding. My fear was confirmed when I found an unconscious form lying under a street lamp in the distance.

We hastily parkoured down the building and bolted across the street, kneeling at Big Leo's side. Donnie was the first to assess the situation by scanning my counterpart over, checking for a pulse and heartbeat. As he did so, I sifted through Big Leo's form, finding his katanas stained with oil, a substance I could only assume was residue from Foot bots. He'd obviously been attacked, but why would the Foot waste their time on him when he wasn't the main target? Perhaps the Shredder wanted revenge for the death of his second in command. It was the only explanation that made sense.

My widened eyes found Donnie, and I watched him with bated breath as he lifted his head from the injured's chest.

"He's alive, just unconscious," he reported.

"Come on, we need to move him somewhere more hidden," I ordered, already tucking my arms under my counterpart's shell.

Donnie reached out to stop me. "Hold on, Leo, we don't know if he has any serious injuries yet. We could further hurt him."

"Well, we can't just sit out here in the open, either," Raph added impatiently.

A wet cough interrupted our debate, and Big Leo's form convulsed in my arms. His blue eyes snapped open, soon to shut tightly again with a pained groan through clenched teeth. Though I knew he was in discomfort, it was a relief to see him conscious.

"Big Leo, can you hear us? Is anything broken?" Donnie asked, reaching into his bag for what I could only assume was his first aid kit.

Under a rasped, pained breath, my future self muttered something in response, his head rolling to the side with a wince. I leaned closer to him, my ears craving to hear what he was saying.

"What?"

His arm weakly clutched my own, pinching me alarmingly. I could tell he really struggled to get something out, and before he could, Donnie placed a hand on his head, silencing him.

"You don't have to speak, bro. We're going to get you home."

A flicker of frustration sparkled in Big Leo's eyes before he gave into exhaustion, ultimately shutting them and going limp in my hold. I hated to see him like this, beaten and defeated, left for dead in the middle of the street like he was nothing. It was hard to even imagine someone so skilled could be defeated in battle, and it made me wonder how far the Foot went to put him in such a condition.

I looked at Donnie, waiting for his permission to move him. After a few minutes of scanning his body over, he gave me the thumbs up, and we silently lifted the future turtle, huffing all through the couple-mile walk to the Shellraiser.


"My sons, what happened?" came Sensei's worried voice as we burst into the lair.

He hobbled after us as we carried Big Leo to the lab and set him down gently on a cot. The second his shell touched the bed, Donnie headed straight for his tools, muttering all the possible things wrong with his brother from the future under his breath as he moved about hastily.

"We were out looking for Mikey, and Big Leo was attacked by the Foot," I answered Father.

The former human's concerned stare shifted to fear. He knelt down and gripped Big Leo's hand that dangled from the cot, pressing it to his forehead with tightly shut eyes. I wondered at first if he was praying, but as I watched more closely, I decided he was trying to sense how badly Big Leo was truly hurt, maybe even reaching out to his spirit. Raph and I watched with frowns, looking at each other, equally feeling helpless in this situation.

"Your brother's spirit is quite distressed," Sensei determined.

Raph crossed his arms, his face tightening from holding back an impatient scowl. "Well, yeah, Sensei. He was beaten to a pulp by the Foot."

"That is not what I mean. There is a strong emotion beneath his physical form, a longing," Master Splinter corrected.

He stood from his crouch and steadied himself with his cane, making room for Donnie, who came barreling through with a stethoscope, a blood pressure pump, and smelling salts. We watched anxiously as our genius brother checked Big Leo's vitals, and from what I saw from his facial expressions, he didn't seem to be in the worst shape. That, or Donnie suddenly gained the best poker face I'd ever seen.

"His breathing is a little shallow, and his blood pressure is just below average, but he seems alright other than that. I'll have to wake him up to better understand his condition," Donnie diagnosed.

Cautiously, he waved the packet of smelling salts under Big Leo's beak and jumped back at the sudden inhale from the future turtle as he roused. I could feel myself pulling closer as I watched him gather his surroundings, waiting to see how hurt he really was. He only winced as he rose to a sitting position, rubbing his head, which was undoubtedly tender.

"How are you feeling, chōnan?" Sensei asked softly.

Big Leo's eyes scanned the lab for a second, soon expanding as if he had come to some kind of epiphany. He suddenly jumped out of bed, ignoring whatever injuries he must have sustained. I was the first to grab his shoulder before he could move further, wondering if he hadn't quite grasped his situation yet.

"Easy, easy! You were attacked by the Foot, remember? Donnie's going to look you over; just calm…" my words faltered as my counterpart grabbed my arms with a frightful look in his eyes, a look that sent every alarm ringing in my head, a pang in my gut. I held him in return, bracing for whatever he was about to say that I knew could not be good.

"Shredder got what he wanted; they took Mikey."

A chill permeated my body, starting at the back of my neck and traveling down to my toes. My limbs remained still like a statue, my heart pounding so frenetically that I thought it was bursting from my chest. I hadn't processed what he had said just yet. But lucky for me, Raph already had.

"What do you mean? You saw 'em?"

Big Leo released me and allowed Donnie and Master Splinter to guide him back to the cot. He hesitantly sat down, his gaze now glued to the floor in shame. "I had found Mikey; that was when I pinged your T-Phones. But the Foot had also found him. There was an ambush, too many of them for him to make it out, too many to stop me from saving him. I tried… but they all attacked me at once. I wasn't strong enough, wasn't quick enough… just like in the past." He turned to Sensei, regret shining in his eyes. "Forgive me, Master, for not protecting my brother like I—"

He was cut off by Sensei's tight embrace, returning shakily with a relieved gasp.

"Shizukana," the rat hushed softly. "You did all that you could, my son. We will get your brother back."

As I watched my future self melt into Father's embrace, it finally hit me that this was real life. Numbness still took over my body as I realized the deep trouble my little brother was in. He would die if he refused to help the Shredder use the Heiwa no Buki, and I couldn't let that happen. Fate was catching up to him faster than we could help it, and I dreaded we were already too late. No matter how hard we tried and the measures we took to prevent it, Mikey was still captured by the Foot, meaning Big Leo's history was still on track.

He could die. Mikey could die.

I trembled at the thought, the feeling in my muscles finally returning to me, yet I still had little control as I uncontrollably quaked.

Raph marched away to take his anger out on a wall. Donnie looked over Big Leo as it was the only thing he had control over at this very moment, but I could see in his eyes that he was afraid. I needed to say something to reassure them, to encourage them, but how could I when I was barely keeping it together myself?

"So what are we just standin' around for? Let's get 'im back!" Raph fumed. He readjusted his finger wrappings after furiously punching the wall.

"That's easier said than done, Raph," I said, my mouth dry as dust. "As if breaking into Shredder's lair wasn't hard enough, we have to take major precautions to make sure Mikey isn't killed like he was in the past."

Raph struck the wall again, turning to me with a fire burning away the emerald green in his eyes. "Then come up with a plan already! I'm not standin' here any longer with my thumb up my—"

My exasperated brother was abruptly cut off by a light exploding behind him. My family and I shielded our faces, confused and scared, as we witnessed two silhouettes emerging from the brightness. I instinctively snatched Raph and pulled him away from the blinding light, drawing a katana as I mentally braced for the random intruders.

When the light faded, I couldn't stifle the shock spreading on my face as I made out the figures before us—an older Raphael and Donatello stepping into the lab.


Hey, guys. Sorry for the long wait, but I hope it was worth it. I only have maybe three or four chapters left until the end for you, and that still hasn't hit me! I've had such a blast writing this story. Please let me know your thoughts and criticism, and I hope you have a great day!