NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes that I will fix later.
Two years later...
"So what do you think?" April asked Nebula as they walked out of the movie theater together.
Nebula shrugged. "I've seen better effects, and the acting was mediocre."
April chuckled. "Yeah, I agree."
The cyborg wore a blue coat and a grey beanie whenever she left the sewers to hide her abnormalities from other people, but some would still stare at her because of her blue skin and large dark eyes. Of course she already knew that she'd never really fit in and it didn't bother her much.
April no longer wore her red hair in a ponytail and let it flow down her back. She now worked for Channel Six as a sound technician and lived in her own apartment, but she would visit Mikey whenever she could. She had also become friends with Nebula and taught her all about human culture and life in the big city.
"So, uh, how's Mikey been doing?" she asked Nebula.
"Fine," Nebula simply said.
April was about to ask her another question when they heard angry shouting. A crowd was confronting a small group of Thanos supporters at the New York Public Library.
"Oh, no," she groaned. "Not again."
One supporter, a young woman with short brunette hair, held up a picket sign that said, THANOS DID US A FAVOR! Someone from the angry crowd threw an empty soda can at her. "Hey, you a**hole!"
"How could you defend that monster?!" a man from the crowd angrily shouted. "Are you crazy?!"
A young man with long hair shouted back, "He saved us from overpopulation!"
"He murdered our families!" an Asian-American woman shrieked. "Our children! And you're thanking him?!"
"They were going to die anyway because of climate change!" a girl with blue-dyed hair argued. "But now the rest of us have a chance!"
A middle-aged African American man pointed an accusing finger at her. "I should've known you tree-hugging hippies would defend Thanos!"
Two patrol cars pulled up to the sidewalk and four policemen stood in between the angry citizens and the Thanos supporters to keep things from escalating even further.
April sighed and looked at them with disgust. So many crazy people believed that what Thanos did was a good thing and were grateful to him, and there were even cults that would do atrocious things in his name, including murder. There was a Thanos cult that terroized the city and its citizens, and without the help of his brothers, Karai, and the rest of the Mutanimals, Mikey couldn't fight them all, plus his mental state was...well, he hadn't been the same since the Snap.
Nebula watched the crowd with sad eyes. Her father said that eradicating half the population would bring balance and harmony, but all she saw was chaos and suffering.
"Man, those Thanos worshippers are nuts, right?"
The girls both turned around to see a former-enemy-turned-friend leaning against the brick wall of a small building.
"Bebop?" April gasped.
The warthog grinned as he walked over to where they stood. "'Sup, O'Neil?"
"Hey," she laughed as she gave him a hug. "We haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?"
Bebop shrugged. "Ah, you know, I'm hangin' in there." He then noticed Nebula. "And who's this pretty lady?"
"This is Nebula," April gestured to the cyborg, who greeted the mutant with a slight nod. "Hey, where's Rocksteady?"
The grin on Bebop's face dropped and his eye ridges arched upward as he bowed his head.
April instantly understood and covered her mouth. "Oh, no," she said softly. "Don't tell me..."
Bebop sadly nodded. "Yep. Thanos got him, too."
"Bebop, I'm..." she gently touched his arm, "I'm so sorry."
"Yeah, well," he cleared his throat and looked up at her, "Rock wouldn't like it if I sat on my butt and moped all day. He would've wanted me to keep on fightin' bad guys and protectin' this city, so I do. Just yesterday I stopped these cats from robbin' a bank."
April smiled sympathetically at him and patted his arm. "That's good. You're moving on. Not everyone is capable of doing that."
"Yeah," Bebop glanced back at the crowd, "it's like everywhere I turn, I see nothin' but sad faces. And the crazy thing is, it's not just New York; it's the whole world." He lowered his head again. "I don't know why this happened. All I know is that my best buddy is gone forever."
There was a moment lf silence before Bebop's snout started sniffling and his lips quivered.
"I really miss Rock, yo," he croaked before he covered his face with his hands as he began to cry.
Tears filled April's eyes as she embraced the sobbing warthog and soothingly rubbed his back. "I know, Bebop. I'm so sorry."
...
Mikey sat on the floor in the entertainment center, hugging his knees close to his chest and rocking back in forth with a crazed look in his eyes. Lying on the floor next to him was a throw pillow that had a pair of googly eyes glued onto it.
A deranged smile formed on his lips and he chuckled. "Hey, Mr. Pillow?" He picked up the pillow and spoke in a high-pitched voice, "Yeah, Mikey?" "You wouldn't run off and leave me all alone, would you?" "Of course not! Friends don't leave!" "That's right! Friends stick together no matter what!" He hugged the pillow. "At least I still have you and Ice Cream Kitty."
At that moment, April and Nebula walked into the lair and saw Mikey having another one of his episodes. They both rolled their eyes and shook their heads. Last time he acted like this, Mikey put a wig on a lamp and called it "Phyllis".
Nebula stepped into the entertainment center and tapped Mikey on the shoulder. "Michelangelo?"
The Turtle whipped his head around and was suprised to see the cyborg. He smiled ear to ear and grabbed her in a tight hug. "NEBULA!" he shouted. "You're back! I thought I'd never see you again!" He acted as if he hadn't seen her in years, when, in actuality, it had only been two hours.
Nebula sighed and pushed him off. "I told you I'd be back. We just went to the movies."
Mikey blinked a couple of times before he grinned. "Ohhhh, that's right. You did say that."
"Mikey," April spoke softly as she pointed to the pillow on the floor, "you did it again."
He looked back at the pillow and groaned, "Aw, man. I did, didn't I? Sorry."
"You can't have a nervous breakdown every time I go out," Nebula scolded.
"I know, but I can't help it!"
"We know, Mikey," April walked up to him and patted him on the arm. "Everyone's still hurting over what happened, and it'll take time to heal. But you can't keep doing this to yourself."
Mikey sighed deeply. "Let's face it: I'm going crazy."
"You're not crazy. You're just...going through a tough time."
Suddenly Mikey started talking in the high-pitched voice again. "Oh, he's crazy, alright. He's coocoo for Coco Puffs." He glared at the lamp in the corner that wore the wig over its shade. "No one asked for your opinion, Phyllis!" he yelled in his normal voice, then he turned back to April. "But she's right: I do need help."
"Well, why don't you go out for some fresh air?" April suggested. "It could do you some good. Besides, you still need to find Rocket, right?"
At the mention of the raccoon's name, Mikey's eyes became sad and his shoulders slumped. "It's been two years, April," he said. "I looked everywhere. As much as I hate to admit it, he's probably dead by now."
The redheart's heart broke for the Turtle. She had known Mikey for years and until recently she had never seen him give up so easily and become so disheartened. The Snap had changed everyone, even Mikey, the most optimistic, sunny-spirited person she ever met.
They heard someone step into the lair and say in a loud voice, "Yo, yo! Mondo is in da house!"
Mondo Gecko had traded his skater boy attire for a black turtleneck and a pair of blue jeans and gave up his skateboard, though he kept his cool-dude attitude. He had also developed a crush on Nebula and constantly flirted with her, though the cyborg didn't feel the same way about him and it annoyed her.
He glanced at Nebula and pretended to be surprised. "Oh, hi, Nebula. I didn't know you'd be here, too."
Nebula cast him a dirty look. "Of course you knew, lizard: I live here."
Mondo chuckled. "Oh, yeah, I forgot." He pulled out a heart-shaped box from behind his back. "By the way, I bought this box of chocolates on the way over here. There's plenty for both of us. Wanna share?" he asked with a wink.
"Pass," Nebula huffed and looked the other way, giving him the cold shoulder.
"I love chocolate!" Mikey said with a big grin. "I'll share those with ya, Mondo!"
Mondo looked at him annoyed. "Nah, I hate chocolate." He tossed the box to the Turtle, who easily caught it. "Help yourself."
...
"I keep telling you, Mondo, she's just not into you like that."
Later that night, Mikey and Mondo decided to do some shopping at the former's favorite comic book store, in their disguises, of course. The Turtle wore a long raincoat and fedora hat while the gecko wore shades and a Jamaican hat with fake dreadlocks.
Monda scoffed as he picked out a graphic novel. "Whatever. She totally digs me. She's just playing hard to get, which makes her even hotter."
Mikey rolled his eyes. "Sure, dude." He then noticed a familiar face on the cover of a comic book. "Huh. A Space Heroes comic. I thought they stopped publishing these." He smiled to himself as he remembered how much Leo loved the show. His brother did not miss a single episode and memorized every line that Captain Ryan ever quoted. "Leo really loved that show," he told Mondo.
"You really miss your bros, huh?" Mondo asked softly.
Mikey nodded. "Yeah. I miss them a lot. I also miss Casey, Karai, Leatherhead..." He swallowed around a lump in his throat. "...Rocket and the other Guardians."
"You haven't found that raccoon dude yet?"
"No," Mikey shook his head. He then sighed heavily. "Everyone I care about keeps disappearing. Now I'm totally scared of being all alone, and whenever Nebula leaves the sewers, even for just a few minutes, I go crazy. Pathetic, right?"
Mondo gave him a sympathetic pat on the shell. "Nah, man. Not at all."
After they paid for their books, the two mutants walked out of the store and started down the sidewalk when a scuffling noise in the alley caught their attention. They peeked in and saw a pair of raccoons eating out of a trash bag that had been ripped open.
Mikey squinted. One of them looked like a completely normal raccoon, but there was something...off about the other one. He took a few slow steps toward the feeding rodents and looked closer.
Don't get your hopes up, he told himself. After all, it's been two years.
But then he saw the scars and implants on the second raccoon's back.
His eyes became big and his heart skipped a beat. "...Rocket?"
At the sound of his voice, both raccoons stopped eating and looked up at him. He stared at the second one's face and instantly recognized him.
It was really him. He was as naked and filthy as any other raccoon, but it was him. No doubt about it.
The Turtle grinned ear to ear and ran to his old friend with arms wide open. "ROCKET!" he shouted joyously.
The other raccoon scurried away and hid behind a trash can, but Rocket stayed where he was, and just as Mikey bent down to hug him, he slouched over and began to snarl and growl, warning him to stay away.
Mikey froze, utterly confused by the raccoon's reaction. "Rocket?"
The fur on Rocket's back stood up and his tail became poofy as he slowly back into the wall. Didn't he recognize him at all?
Maybe it's the hat, Mikey figured, so he took it off his head. "Rocket, it's me, Mikey."
But Rocket still looked at him like he was a stranger or even a threat and continued to bare his teeth.
Mikey scratched his head. Why was he acting like this? Why wasn't he talking? And why was he running around naked and eating somebody else's garbage?
"Uh, Mike?" Mondo spoke up from behind, "I don't think that's your pal."
The Turtle shook his head. "No, it's him. I know it is." He slowly stretched out his hand to the angry and scared raccoon. "Rocket, you've got to remember me," he softly pleaded. "Remember the Kyln? The Infinity Stone? Ronan? The Sovereign? Anything?"
Then out of the blue, Rocket leapt at Mikey and viciously attacked him. The Turtle screamed in pain as the raccoon bit his left shoulder before he sprinted down the alley and toward Mondo, who yelped and got out of the way. Rocket ran across the street and disappeared out of sight.
The gecko ran to his friend, who was sitting on the ground visibly shaken and holding his bleeding shoulder. "Mikey, you okay?!"
Mikey stared blankly ahead and nodded slightly. "Yeah, I'm...okay."
"Man, that was crazy! You think he's got rabies? 'Cause if he does, we need to get you treated for that bite immediately!" Mondo pulled on Mikey's arm, but the Turtle wouldn't move.
"Why did he attack me like that?" Mikey wondered out loud.
"'Cause he's a raccoon!" Mondo said. "That's what raccoons do!"
"But's he's not a raccoon. I mean, not really."
"Well, he looks like a raccoon, he acts like a raccoon, he even smells like a raccoon. So what does that make him, a poodle?"
Mikey shook his head. "I dunno why he's acting like this. It's not like him. He obviously needs our help," he stood up and faced Mondo with a determined expression, "and we're gonna go look for him."
Just to clear things up, I don't think that all climate-change activists would defend Thanos' actions or even think that way. The Thanos supporters in this story are just crazy people.