Just to clarify, when I write in the 2012-universe, I am referring to a time after the main 2012-storyline ended, and life has taken a turn for the less dramatic. They are around twenty years old in this universe, so there might be a small change in their characters as they naturally all have matured quite a bit since they were teenagers. Of course, I'm still striving to keep them in character and they are 100% still themselves, but I am not the same as I was when I was 16, and all the stuff they have been through are bound to leave a few marks behind.
Anyway, I'm also back from the longest break ever (sorry!) and I'm planning to post chapters regularly from now on. How often im not sure, as I now have a baby to take care of around the clock, but I will try uploading at least once a month. But even if I don't, don't panic, cause I'm not abandoning this story again :D I hope people haven't long forgotten by now, and bother to get back into it with me xD Please enjoy and leave your thoughts in the comments :3
SAINW - universe:
Mike sighed deeply, looking tiredly at the huge machine placed at the center of Donnas run down lab. It looked like something out of a space-themed computer game, and he had never pretended to understand how it worked.
Still, he was pretty sure Donna had outdone herself with this one. When he thought about it, it actually looked more like a Transformer than anything else, with the raw metal skeleton and various moving parts. It was a thing of beauty, despite the dark, dystopian vibes it was giving off. But what didn't vibe like that around here anyway, he thought to himself.
His trail of thought was cut off by his brother barking at him; " Hey! Earth to Mikey!" he flinched a bit at his old nickname, but turned to Raph nevertheless; "What?" he scoffed. "I said, we are going in." Raph barked back, clearly annoyed at Mikes newfound fascination with the machine they were supposed to make use of any second. April smiled weakly at him from the other side of the portal, pushing buttons, and clearly giving it her all to make the thing work; "Right. I mean, Donna didn't exactly leave instructions on the matter, but I'm pretty sure I got it tuned in on the right time now." April's words hung in the air for a few seconds, the whirring of machinery and fans drowning out the silence, before Mikey piped up; "How sure?" April chuckled nervously; "80% sure?"
"Great." Raph huffed in response, clearly not impressed. "I'm doing my best, ok?" April sighed, more worried than anyone else in the room. As if she wanted to send the guys back through time and space, possibly fucking it up in the process and landing them god knows where in time.
"It's as good as it gets." Mike said, his voice revealing that he wasn't all that happy about it either. April looked over at him, worry in her features; "I don't think I'm going to hit the exact spot the girls came through, but I know you won't be further away than a year or so prior – at the most." Raph groaned, but Mike smiled reassuringly at her; "Honestly, I'd love to see some familiar faces, and getting to stick around when the world still hasn't gone to shit doesn't sound too bad." April smiled weakly in response. "Say hi to Casey for me, will you? And Donnie…" A few tears gathered in the corners of her eyes at the mention of her two beloved friends, that were now long gone; one way or another. She was happy she didn't have to see them herself though; knowing they would go back to a future without them was even worse than just staying here from the beginning. Mike smiled back, sadness in his eyes; "Of course."
He walked over, and gave April a firm bear-hug, and although a little surprised, April didn't mind it at all. She leaned in, hugging back and burying her face in his neck she whispered in a muffled voice; "Take care." Mike let her go, and nodded at her, a knowing look in her eyes. He knew it must be hard staying behind. "Both of you!" she continued, this time directed at Raph, as she tried drying off a few tears on her cheeks without anyone noticing. Not that it worked in the least.
Raph smiled reassuringly; "Will do. Ain't nothing more dangerous than staying here anyway." He said, humor in his voice. April chuckled lightly, crossing her arms and stepping back from the portal that now had started taking shape behind her. The pink and blue steam-like fog had started swirling in circles at an accelerating speed, turning white, then gray and finally a pitch-black color that really gave you the feeling of opening up a void in space itself; what looked like lightning started flaring from the center, soon engulfing the entire structure in front of them. The sight made even Raph a little wide-eyed. Mike broke the silence as he stepped forward; "See you on the other side." He winked at April and gave a little smile. April waved as they walked through and was swallowed up by the darkness; with them her last hope also disappeared. If they didn't make it, they were all dead.
2012- universe:
Don slowly rose from his crouching position on the rooftop he landed on mere moment ago, thrown out of a rift in time and space.
A fall that would have killed anyone but himself; the concrete around him was a testimony to that as it had cracked in a pattern much like the ripple on water.
He looked to the horizon in front of him, and felt a small smile spread on his face at the sight.
New York. As vibrant and alive as ever, the darkness of the night making the vivid lights that much brighter. A sudden blare of an alarm somewhere made him jump slightly; He had almost forgot how noisy the city had once been. He really didn't miss that. Letting out an almost silent groan of annoyance, he tore himself away from the weirdly familiar sight and leapt off the edge of the building, grabbing a hold of the fire escape and soundlessly making his way down to the ground. He needed to confirm he had gotten to his desired destination, and made a quick scan of his surroundings. The street he was peering into from the shadow of an alley wasn't packed, although there were a few people casually strolling, chatting and engaging in their meaningless lives. He snuck out of the shadows into the street illuminated by the artificial lights, quick and silent, only to sweep up a newspaper from the stand on the sidewalk.
Back in the shadows, he checked the date; he furrowed his brow and scoffed at the paper. This was not the date, by a long shot. He was prepared for some inaccuracy, as the machine was hard to navigate given its primitive state, but several years was too much of a difference. He had to go further back in time it seemed. He was however, perplexed, that the Shredder and his Foot clan wasn't more present in the city scape; if the date stated in the paper was correct, he would have expected to see at least a few foot soldiers patrolling the streets, still under the cover of being the city's solution to battle the growing criminal underworld, and "keeping the population safe". He almost laughed at the thought. He peered around the corner, to take closer look; there was no foot soldiers in sight, and further down the street he could see the many neon lights advertise bars and restaurants, people walking by every second. The nightlife was seemingly bustling, and there was apparently no curfew in place as of yet.
Deciding not to look further into it for now, he came to the conclusion that his plan was in no way compromised; he merely had to stick around for a while until he could track down Renet and make use of her staff. She should still be alive, according to his calculations. That did however, mean that it was more than likely that the rebellion would come after him, and he would no longer have the advantage. Though, they were not a threat to him, and he doubted they would be very successful in tracking him down before he could get to Renet anyway.
He decided to not worry about the rebellion at all, and rather focus on the task at hand.
Another disturbing smile crept onto his thin, scarred face, his dark mask almost black and his eyes a glowing red in the dim streetlight. Donnie wouldn't even know what hit him; and in just a single action he would end this once and for all. The suffering, the pain, the feeling of slowly suffocating. It would be gone. Finally, he had found a way out, a way out that this cursed form of his had not allowed him to take, no matter how hard or often he tried. The remaining strand of humanity left in him glimmered with hope at the thought of relief from this mental prison.
It was quickly overshadowed though, trampled by the dominating feelings of excitement at the thought of inflicting pain and suffering on someone, deserving of it or not. His wicked smile grew with each thought of vile actions he could take, gruesome scenarios he could create; oh, how he would enjoy this final task. He almost laughed out loud, the lonesome searching for an answer through all these years had finally come to an end; he knew what to do, how to free himself.
As quickly as the grin had appeared, it vanished again; Tears then began to cloud his vision, and wettened his mask as they streamed down his face. His brilliant red eyes suddenly had a glimpse of chestnut brown, and his grin was replaced with a quivering lip along with a look of utter exhaustion. His sobs were quiet but unmistakable, and he slid down the wall, as it seemed all strength had left his body. His freakishly tall form was reduced to a quivering mess on the ground, and his thin frame shook with each breath. His once olive skin was darkened from wear, and the many scars covered his entire body, some more harrowing to look at than others. He had survived things he should not, and both his body and mind were a testimony to this fact.
Finally, after what felt to him as an eternity, the familiar animalistic anger flooded his mind once again, and put an end to the pathetic sobs; his eyes once warm brown was once again a piercing emerald color, and a haunting look of seething hatred settled in their pits. He dried his eyes with angry movements, infuriated by the weakness just displayed to none but himself; "Get it together Donnie!" he sneered through gritted teeth, fuming with anger and determination. He huffed a few times, closing his eyes to once again find his center. Opening his eyes once again, they were now white from his secondary eyelid; with naginata in hand, he sprung from the ground, and back up the fire escape he had come down.
Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, his long thin limbs surprisingly strong for whoever might catch a glimpse of him in the dark, he made his way across town, taking a route that was alle too familiar.
Cold night air, city lights and the noisy hustle and bustle of the world underneath brought back old memories; the strange indifference he felt as past family almost appeared at the rooftops in front of him, running in formation, reminded him that he in fact had no one left. Everyone had abandoned him, left him behind and let him rot from the inside out. The memories brought him neither joy or grief, he just felt the hollowness inside as an aching pain spread throughout his chest.
Luckily, that was soon to change. The almost snarling grin of a predator had reappeared on his face; he would get his last wish, one way or another.
2012 -universe:
April casually strolled down the sidewalk, taking in the sights and smells of New York city's bustling nightlife. Her fiery red hair was cascading down her back and her golden earrings shimmered in the fading rays of the sunset; she had even let her bangs grow out, just to add to her glow-up.
Dressed in sand-colored high waisted shorts, a loose, sleeveless white shirt tucked into it, and huge sunglasses along with simple leather sandals, she looked every bit as mature and fashionable as the average New Yorker. It was warm, late at night and a weekend, so most people were heading out for drinks and fun with friends. Most people who caught a glimpse of her would assume that she was on her way to do the same. April smiled to herself, happy to be back in familiar neighborhoods. She had surely missed this city, and although Harvard was great; she had made so many friends and truly enjoyed the curriculum in biosciences, nothing could replace her family back home.
She had arrived at her father's flat yesterday evening and had really needed a little time alone with him before she went to see the rest of the guys. She had finally gotten herself together and broke the news to her dad; she couldn't wait for him to meet Nathan, and was planning on bringing him here sometime after summer break. Finally, her life had taken a turn towards the normal, and she enjoyed it to the fullest. April had a bounce in her step as she walked, so happy that everything seemed to be turning out as she had only dared to dream about a mere year ago. Although she had been worried that "normal" life would bore her, she had never really had so much fun and so much going for her in life before. She couldn't wait to tell the guys everything that had happened since she saw them during spring, and although she kept her roommate up with constant late-night chatting on the phone with Donnie, it wasn't quite the same. The multicolored tote bag she had slung over her shoulder was full of snacks and drinks, and the plastic bag she carried in her hand was filled with pizza boxes. She had even brought a few school books for Donnie to enjoy.
Making her way towards her destination, she hid in the shadows of a nearby scaffold, sneaking through a couple of back alleys before she found herself in front of a heavy, bolted door. Quickly entering the pin-code on the panel, the door opened inwards in a swift, soundless motion. Donatello's handywork was always impressive, given the few resources he had.
Luckily, they had found an alternative entrance to the lair, and no longer had to rely on the sewer tunnels; the hidden door on the surface of the old train station led to a steel staircase that eventually ended up at the entrance. April couldn't contain her excitement, as she had always hated the trip through the sewer tunnels; just thinking about the smell made her sick.
A smile on her face as she made her way down the steps at a hasty speed, she couldn't wait to see the guys surprised faces; they didn't even know she was in town yet, and she had planned to make it to the lair just before their evening patrol to surprise them. Casey should already be there as she had instructed him in showing up and stagger them in case they tried to leave early. Finally, at the bottom of the steps, she knew they had heard her make her way down; "Surprise!" she yelled loudly, passing narrowly through the ticket barriers with her hands full.
Unsurprisingly, all eyes turned to her and smiles appeared on the turtles faces as she made her way over to the sofa area. Mikey was the first to scramble to his feet, leaving the PlayStation game and Raph hanging, as he practically flew across the floor to hug her; "April!" he squealed, squeezing her in a tight grip; he had surely grown in size the past few years and was almost as buff as Raph by now, although he was not yet used to his own strength. "Hi Mikey!" April huffed; no air left in her lungs at this point. Mikey let go immediately, grinning sheepishly; "Sorry! Just so happy to see you." He gave an apologetic smile, before the scent of pizza reached him and he flung the plastic bag out of Aprils hands; "And pizza!" he exclaimed, suddenly emerged in peeking through every box to make sure she had all his favorites. "Don't hurt her, bonehead!"Raph said, punching Mikey in the shoulder as he walked by; "Its okay!" April laughed, as she had finally gotten her breath back. Raph then gave her a punch in the shoulder as well, clearly not discriminating based on neither gender or body build; "Good to see you Ape." He smiled, eyeing her tote bag; "Beer?" He said hopefully, and April merely had to snicker before Raph was all over it. "Finally, you showed." Casey said from his position on the couch; "I was getting hungry."
"Nice to see you too Casey." April said dryly, a smile still on her face. "How is everything?"
"Hockey and bounty hunting. Beer. Beating purple dragons." Casey replied, clearly engulfed in the hockey match now on screen. "Same as usual then." April smiled, and threw a bag of chips at him in an attempt to actually get his attention. "Happy to see you too!" Casey turned and smiled toothlessly; "Oh, you missed me Red. Just admit it." April laughed, and turned to him as Leo showed up; "I should call you Sensei now, right?" She said as he approached her. His content smile faded a little at her statement, and he looked a little embarrassed; "Just kidding Leo." She said, holding her hands out in the air for a hug. He loosened up again, although a little surprised at her sudden appearance; "Good to see you April. Didn't know you were back already." He smiled, and gave one of his signature big-brother hugs.
Mikey piped up, suddenly remembering that he had a brother that might be interested in joining in; "D is in the lab, as usual. You should definitely go get him April, he would be crazy happy to see you!" April turned to Mikey, nodding at him, now with a slightly worried look on her face. She knew he wasn't doing great, their conversations the last few weeks had told her that much. Hopefully this little reunion would lift his spirits a little, and get him away from the countless projects he buried himself in. She turned to the guys, addressing no one I particular; "I'm going to go get Donnie." They were all busy looking through the pizzas, Leo now wanting to know if there was pineapple on the one with ham, and Casey and Raph already on their way of emptying the beer reserves. Mikey had already eaten an entire bag of Cheetos as he grabbed a slice of jalapeno pizza, getting yelled at by Raph for making the PlayStation controller greasy as he slid back into position in front of the TV. She smiled to herself as she left the scene, happy to be around her family once again.
The noise from the living room was a stark contrast to the almost eerie silence surrounding her as she quietly opened the door to Donnie's lab, peeking her head inside before she dared entering. Maybe he was in the middle of something; she didn't want to disturb. Quietly as only a kunoichi could, she made her way across the floor, looking for any signs of Donnie. The room was dimly lit as always, and the clutter of spare parts and half-finished projects had seemed to be growing since the last time she was here. She held onto the books under her arm a little to firmly, almost scared of what she might find.
There, behind a large see-through container of green liquid, illuminated by a lone desk lamp, he was; his back facing her, hunched over a desk cluttered with screws, bolts and tiny gears, along with a few wires and unspecified tools.
Music blaring from a pair of headphones on his head, he had clearly not sensed her presence yet. She felt his though, and it was as dark and heavy as the atmosphere in his lab. Not a good sign. As she closed in on him, she noticed the many empty coffee mugs cluttering his workspace, and his worn, purple mask hung off a cabinet, clearly forgotten there at some point.
"Hey." April said, a little louder than necessary, the sound of her voice almost booming in the quiet space around her. She smiled as Donnie flinched, clearly taken aback, as he spun around on his chair, the headphones now dangling around his neck. The look of surprise on his face was evident as he faced her, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. April genuine smile faded a little at the state of him, clear without his mask to hide behind; he looked tired and worn, the shadows under his eyes were deep and dark, and his face thin. He looked pale, for a turtle, and even in his hunched over position she could see he had lost a little more body mass since last time. He blinked a few times and seemed to regain his posture; a warm smile spread as he looked her over, his eyes a little glossy, if it was the sight of her or the sudden rapid blinking that had done it, she didn't know.
"April." He said, seemingly not believing his own eyes; "You're back." His smile grew even wider, and he almost jumped out of his seat. His tall, thin form was even more evident as he stood up; suddenly he became aware of his surroundings and stuttered; "I'm s-sorry about the mess, I should have cleaned up, but I didn't know you were going to stop by..." he rambled, eyes darting from side to side, his smile gone as a distressed look had shown up on his face. April swallowed the hard lump that had been forming in the back of her throat and took a step forward, throwing her arms around his waist in an embrace he clearly needed; "I missed you." April whispered, her voice a little shaky.
Donnie carefully returned the hug, acting as if she was made of fine china and would break if he wasn't careful.
His voice sounded a little shaken as he finally replied; "I missed you too…"