At last, we find out what the Future Turtles are up to. What lead them to embark on this journey between universes? Their motives turn out more troubling than anyone could have imagined.


This... took forever. It was probably the hardest chapter to write yet, with everything coming together in one emotionally-packed conversation. So we hope you like it!

WARNING! Mentions of character death and lots of FEEEEEELS! But also awesomeness, ALWAYS.

(Edit: by request of our readers, we also highly recommend reading this next to a box of tissues.)


Splinter opened his eyes to the sound of the familiar engines, and a powerful tingling seized his body down to the tip of his tail.

In all his years, this old rat had certainly seen and lived through much. And yet his hands shook slightly as he grabbed his cane, getting up from his meditation mat to follow the giddy exclamations and laughter approaching.

"So how're we gonna do this?" said Michelangelo's distant voice just as Splinter slid open his door. Which Michelangelo, he wasn't sure.

"What?"

"The whole name thing, like there's two of us now. What're we gonna call each other?"

"If this means you're already thinking of dorky comic-book character names for everyone, stop it! I do not want to go by Angry Temperman or something stupid like that."

"You're such a vibe harsher, Raph. Ooh—!"

"I'm not gonna be The Vibe Harsher!"

"I kinda like it. Can I be The Harsher?" That was Casey. A Casey.

Walking quickly, Splinter reached the dojo folding screens and gently pushed one aside, peeking through as double the usual amount of turtles burst in through the turnstiles. He had to do a double take even though he'd been expecting it—there really were two of each.

At the sight of the eldest, he released an awed breath. They looked formidable, carrying themselves with a steadiness come with age. The proudest sight a parent could behold. His turtles were all grown up.

He didn't call their attention, but let them look around a little longer. He could stand there all morning, just admiring them.

"Dudes, this is trippy!" the older Michelangelo exclaimed, gazing around at every corner of the lair.

"Look, the old TV set!" The older Donatello hopped over the benches to the pit, and fondly patted the device. "Man, I kinda miss it. This bad boy withstood a lot of punishment for a long time," he said, followed by two sets of Donatello laughter.

"You guys should see our lair now," older Michelangelo continued. "We've hoarded so much more crap since."

"Hey, you wanna sleep in your old beds?" young Michelangelo asked eagerly. "I'll sleep on the floor, I don't mind! It's gonna be sick! Like a slumber party with the twin I never had!"

"That's alright, Mikey. It's surreal enough as it is." Older Donatello chuckled, and twisted to show him the knapsack and sleeping mat on his shell. "We're crashing in the common room."

Splinter turned from his vantage point, listening as he made his way down the steps.

"I dunno, shouldn't we worry all the combined snoring might bring down the ceiling?" he heard one of the Caseys jest, and others laugh.

Once downstairs, Splinter steeled himself as he readied to turn the corner. When he did, he was met head-on by older Leonardo's keen stare.

He faltered. This other version of his son remained rooted to the spot, full body turned in his direction, as though he'd been waiting for him right there. Then the other three noticed him as well. One by one, they also froze.

He was about to extend a warm greeting, but their expressions made his words crumble in his mouth.

"Master Splinter," this Leonardo muttered gravely. His voice had changed. It was jagged and reserved.

Neither he nor the others seemed to believe their eyes completely, and all of them looked at him in reverent, somewhat fearful silence. Like…

Like he was an apparition.

In that very instant it became clear. Splinter felt a pinch in his chest, not for his own fate—it was quite alright, it did not trouble him. What troubled him were his children. His own sore absence haunted their gazes.

"Hm," he said aloud, nodding, and then smiled. They seemed to stall, like they forgot the script to a play and were waiting for their prompt. Whatever could he say in this circumstance? He decided not to say anything, and simply opened his arms, offering a hug.

Michelangelo was the first to move, throwing himself at Splinter's chest like his life depended on it. The others followed him: Donatello, with a wondrous half smile, draped his long arms over Michelangelo and him—he was as tall as Splinter himself now. Raphael looked down at the floor as he marched up, his fists clenched and lips pressed tight, before gently laying his forehead on his shoulder. Lastly Leonardo, two steps behind everyone else, approached him, every line on his face and muscle on his limbs radiating control. Splinter knew, he needed this most of all.

Leonardo looked up at him from underneath a wrinkled brow, and then joined the bundle.

With a heavy heart, Splinter welcomed each one of them in his arms and they in turn embraced him tight, their snouts nuzzling his robe, sobbing and sniffing quietly. They were so big, there was barely enough of himself for them to embrace, and he could hardly breathe under the combined pressure. They were not quite as he knew them now, but they were still his little turtle cubs.

"My sons," he uttered, overcome by a wave of tenderness.

Splinter gazed over their shoulders at his present family, realization in their troubled faces. Both Caseys looked on from the side, in a rare sympathetic silence, as did April. He extended them all a peaceful smile. "Such is life," it said, and if nothing else, it seemed to sooth them a little. Their mouths closed and their heads dipped. Acceptance.

"Tell me, my sons," he asked the turtles in his arms once the grip had loosened. "How is your new sensei faring?"

"He's the best, Master Splinter." Michelangelo sniffed, wiping his freckled, tear-stained cheeks.

Donatello patted Leonardo on the shell. "Couldn't ask for a better leader."

"Well, you know," Raphael grumbled out, breathing through his mouth before his voice broke ever so slightly. "He has his days."

And Leonardo beamed. All trace of austerity was gone, glossy eyes suddenly young and innocent again. "I'd give anything to have you giving orders again, though." And this time his voice, too, was kinder.

"We are equals now." He laid a hand on his shoulder. "You owe me no obedience. You will all be welcomed with the highest honors, as family. I have prepared some snacks. No doubt you have much to tell us."


Leo had been skeptical from the start. Especially about Future Leo. That guy… The others seemed mostly themselves—a bit bigger, off on a couple details. But that guy… There was something about his supposed future self that was too far removed. This Leo was stoic, impervious, and extremely methodical. Leo couldn't guess what his double was thinking, he couldn't recognize himself in him. And it was driving him nuts.

The ride back to the lair took an excruciating quarter of an hour. He should have been excited; the guys had seemed mostly so, if a little cautious. But the future turtles were hell-bent on not talking about themselves or their timeline, any questions pertaining to that swatted dead like mosquitoes to the chant of "later". Instead, they insisted on awkward small talk, and a casualness that ultimately fell flat.

Leo himself had kept quiet with the excuse he was driving the Shellraiser, and listened for any signs this might still be some kind of trap. April's attentive yet undoubting face was the only thing keeping him from stopping the Shellraiser until they proved themselves.

So, Leo had been skeptical, but all doubt went out the window the instant Splinter entered the scene. The looks on the future turtles' faces, heart wrenching, were burned in Leo's mind. Ten years suddenly felt like a long time. Doubt was not the problem anymore; now he just couldn't help feeling like they were all in trouble.

Of course, he already knew, Future Splinter had to be…

He turned away from that thought, his heart wrung into a tight knot, and tried to focus on following sensei and the 'guests' up the dojo steps—tried not to imagine what it must be like.

What more surprises did these guys have, he wondered, his stomach rising in anticipation for the coaster drop ahead. Karai and April hadn't come through the portal either...

"There's the sword, bros!" Future Mikey said under his breath as they entered, and Leo followed his gaze to the kamidana, and to the sword of Yurikawa mounted above it. "It's still in one piece. Ow!" Mikey glared at Future Donnie, who'd just kicked him in his ankle.

Leo was going to ask what had happened to the sword—their Sensei Day present—in the future, but he'd probably get no answer anyway. Not until they felt like it.

The whole group—all eight turtles, two Caseys, one April and a Splinter—gathered in the dojo and silently started sitting in two semicircles around the spread. Splinter had been busy since they went out, and had neatly placed his artisan tea set, coffee mugs, and bowls filled with various snacks in the center of the room.

"I did not know what your tastes are now. I hope you boys still like pizza gyoza," he said, in a clear attempt at relieving some of the tension, but making Leo wonder about Future Murakami on top of all else. Sensei then picked a cup and leisurely sat between both groups, closing the circumference.

So far, however, nobody else seemed very keen on eating. Future Donnie obligingly placed a handful of poppo nuts in his mouth, which became a stubborn ball in his cheek. Future Leo took a cup and set it in front of him in a show of good protocol. Future Mikey took a gyoza in each hand, but then stared at them for two seconds before looking up again to gaze around the room. Future Raph and Casey, sitting together to the side, ignored the food completely.

Everybody else just sat, expectant, eyes wide and necks stiff, waiting for the inevitable landslide of revelations. Even the Caseys were keeping quiet.

Future Leo was sitting right across and looked away as soon as Leo met his gaze. Then something caught Leo's eye that sent a shiver down his spine: his future self was wearing Splinter's iron belt ring.

It was so obvious these guys were trying to appear calm and in control, but Leo could see the tension in their shoulders and the slight tremor in their hands. It left him uneasy—they were supposed to know what they were doing.

"Now. What can we do for you?" Splinter said kindly, sipping his tea and breaking the ever-stretching silence.

Future Leo swallowed so discreetly anyone could've missed it before speaking in his perfectly level voice. "Well, it's more what we can do for you. All of you."

Splinter nodded, inviting them to go on.

"The reason we're here is because of something that happened more than ten years ago, in our timeline."

Leo's guts bunched up, imagining that ominous 'something' was probably due to happen soon in this timeline as well.

"What we're about to tell you will be difficult," the other Leo continued. "But before we tell you what happened in our timeline, know that we did not come unprepared. We have a plan, and we'll let you know what it is in a bit."

Judging by the way he talked, and his contained mannerisms, there had to be a script. And they were clearly preparing them for bad news. Leo braced himself, holding his breath. Shit.

"Rest assured, we're here to ensure that none of it happens in your reality. That everybody is safe. If you follow our lead—"

"Something happens to Karai, doesn't it!" Leo blurted out, unable to stop himself.

"And Splinter!" Mikey then cried beside him.

Donnie joined in with a panicked, "And April?" and April nodded intently beside him with eyes as round as his.

Suddenly everybody on Leo's side started asking questions at once, speaking over each other.

"Where's Karai? Are we gonna go find her?"

"Is sensei gonna be okay?"

"And what about April?" Casey insisted, almost standing.

"Yeah!" Donnie and April cried in unison.

Future Raph raised his voice over the uproar. "Hey, settle down, children!"

But what did it was the unquestionable bang of Splinter's cane on the rug, a sound that had been ingrained in them since childhood to mean silence or else.

"Let our guests speak," Splinter ordered, and when everybody had begrudgingly settled back down, he signalled Future Leo, who continued slowly.

"If you follow our lead, and all goes well, Karai will be home safely, for good, before we go back to our own timeline on Monday. We know you have a lot of questions—" Leo was bothered by how detached Future Leo seemed, like none of this was a big deal, "—and we'll try to cover as much as possible. But like we already said before, we'll tell you everything you need to know. No more, no less. You clearly already have your suspicions, so no point beating around the bush."

And there for a moment he faltered. His eyes drifted across the present group, flicking only momentarily at Splinter, before setting on Leo, who reeled.

The expression on his future self's face was blank, but in his blue eyes reigned a deep, murky sadness, like stagnant water. Leo was vaguely aware of the other future turtles looking nervously at each other.

"Yes," Future Leo said finally. "The arrival of the Lotus clan set off a series of events that, during a war with the Foot, ended with the deaths of both Karai and Master Splinter."

Leo's heart skipped a beat.

He heard Raph breath beside him, "What?"

"Oh, no…" April muttered.

"Karaiwa and Splinter?" Mikey squeaked.

Future Leo had stopped talking, and seemed to wait, giving them time to swallow the gristly ball of information. Or perhaps to compose himself. Meanwhile sensei only looked on with barely a perceivable reaction. One could easily forget he was even there.

"How?" Donnie cried simply.

Future Donnie was the one to answer this time with what Leo was sure was meant to be a reassuring smile. "The good part is, you don't have to worry about any of that. And we're pretty sure your Splinter is safe."

"How do you know that?" Leo demanded, incredulous. "And what about Karai? She's still out there!"

"Yeah, we did everything to make her happy, but she still left this morning!" Mikey said dejectedly.

Future Leo showed them his palms. "We assumed as much, but-"

"Then why are we sitting here, talking?" Leo exclaimed, deeply unsettled by their weird calm. "We have to go find her! You have to know where she is, right?"

"No. How would we?" Future Leo replied drily. "Besides, in our timeline, the Lotus stayed in the lair right until the day of the attack. Not that knowing where they are would help."

"Are you serious?" Leo practically shouted, wanting to stand up. "What is wrong with you? Why didn't you tell us she was going to get killed? We would never have let her leave!"

His older self didn't move, and stared him down with a look of impatience. "And what would you have done? Lock her in her room? Chain her to the wall? She would've hated you."

Leo set his jaw, ready to retort. But something Karai had said came back to him, making the knot in his heart redouble.

What are you gonna do? Keep me in a padded room until I die of old age? It doesn't matter if I'm miserable, as long as I'm alive?

"Just calm down," Future Leo said. "Believe us, no one wants to help Karai as much as we do. We'll get her back, but you need to trust us. All you have to do is follow our lead."

Leo sighed. No matter how little he liked it, it seemed he had no choice but to do what these people said.

Future Leo continued in a stern business manner that admittedly felt awkwardly familiar, but really set Leo's teeth on edge. "So, here's what we're gonna do. Tonight, we're heading over to the docks. We've got intel the Purple Dragons are making their final delivery of mutagen to Shredder tonight. Our objective is to intercept-"

"Woah, wait... That's all?" Leo interrupted again, because that really couldn't be it.

"Yeah, you're not gonna give us any details?" Donnie agreed with a frown.

"You don't need to know the details," Future Raph retorted cockily. "You just have to do what we say."

The present Raph spat, "Bullshit! 'Karai's dead, Splinter's dead, follow our lead'?"

"You can't do that!" Donnie cried out. "How are we supposed to prevent anything if we don't know what we're up against? How does all this happen? What kills Splinter? What about the Lotus? What does the pendant have to do with any of this?"

"And where did Hachisu-no-Hana get it?" April added. All fairly good points. Leo hadn't even thought about the pendant. About Tang Shen.

"Also who broke our Sensei Day present?" Mikey threw his hands at the sword hanging above the kamidana.

"And… what about future me?" April asked, and waited, wide eyed, holding her breath. Leo felt his stomach rise anew, anticipating even more bad news.

Though April had been looking to Future Donnie for an answer, Future Raph hand-waved the question away instead. "Relax. April's fine. She just couldn't come 'cause of work."

Suspiciously vague—just like everything having to do with these people. But it was enough to count for a small respite. Leo only hoped they were telling the truth. If they weren't, April herself should know, he supposed. He couldn't quite decipher her expression, but she seemed slightly more at ease.

However there were still many pressing questions, and the future turtles didn't seem about to answer any of them. So, tired of mysteries, Leo rose to his feet. "Here's the thing. I don't know about my brothers, but I don't trust you. And I'm not comfortable taking orders from you." He pointed a forefinger at Future Leo, whose only response was a slightly deeper frown. "I don't even know you! Who are you? You've given us nothing."

Future Donnie retorted, "There's a reason for that! Look, if you're that curious, we can tell you once everything's passed—"

"No." Leo stood his ground, looking down at them, hands balled into fists. He threw a quick side glance at Splinter for safe measure, but if his father had been against this, he'd already know it. "We've been patient so far. How do we know this isn't some kind of trap? How can you expect us to trust you this way?"

A pause. Everybody looked at the future group's leader, while the latter held Leo's gaze, unblinking.

"We want to hear the whole story, right now," Leo mustered nonetheless, and crossed his arms. "So go ahead. Make your case."

"Bro, just tell 'em, they have a right to know," Future Mikey said. "We're all ninjas here. They can take it."

But Future Donnie grunted. "How many times are we gonna talk about this? It's not just them being able to take it or not." He turned to address Future Leo urgently. "Time travel is delicate! We have to be very careful about our impact here."

Future Casey scoffed at that. "Dude, we freakin' tore their universe a new asshole and squeezed ourselves and our backpacks all the way through it. Like, that's impact, right there!" Future Donnie grimaced in disgust at the analogy—a sentiment Leo shared—while Future Mikey let out a little chuckle.

Future Donnie shook his head. "Giving details could be inconsequential... or it could be disastrous! Knowing what could happen might just precipitate events. By trying to avoid an outcome, we could instead be triggering an even worse outcome. We already changed things by just talking to them on a chat! Like Karai leaving two days early because we mentioned the pendant!"

Leo frowned, needing a moment to understand what they meant, and he turned to see his Donnie go livid with comprehension: because of his and April's meddling with the pendant, the Lotus had left the lair early, and Karai with them.

They didn't have time to delve before Future Mikey argued, "Well… how do we know we won't make it worse by not telling them?"

"Dude, you're overthinking, as per usual. Besides, it's like they said. Shouldn't they, you know, be prepared?" Future Casey added.

Though they argued among them, Leo realized they were ultimately making their case before the judge. Future Leo tore his calculating eyes from the rugs to glance thoughtfully at Splinter, and Splinter gazed back patiently.

"Well, you've heard Donnie. Are you willing to take the risk?" Future Leo said soberly, to everybody.

"I… I think we have to know," Leo said, looking at the others for confirmation as he finally sat back down. They all seemed nervous, but determined.

"It's not pretty," Future Leo said as last warning.

"We're big boys," Raph said, though his voice wavered slightly.

Splinter nodded. "It is alright, my sons. You can tell us."

Interestingly, Future Leo turned to his right still. "Donnie?"

A defeated shrug, lips tight, was Future Donnie's response.

After exchanging a few more looks with his brothers, who only waited for his verdict, Future Leo said, "Raph was the last one to see Karai alive. You can ask him." And he signalled said brother on, and said brother perked up, an indignant question in his eyes.

"You guys feel free to contribute," Future Leo told the other three before settling back, hands on thighs.

Not wasting any time in case they changed their mind, Leo asked Future Raph, "What exactly happened the day your Karai died?"

Future Raph gave a reluctant groan. "Man, I didn't even wanna come." He gave his audience a scowl, then looked at his brothers as though asking for help. "Okay, so…" Finally, he scratched his neck, and sighed. His scowl melted away as he began.

"I was up late that night. I saw Karai sneak out, and I followed her down the tunnel for a bit, but she caught me. We argued… Uh..." His eyes drifted off to the side, as though trying to remember. "Anyway, she was on her way to the rendez-vous with the Lotus, already carrying all her gear. I tried to talk her out of it, but… You know." He gave an eye roll. "I tried to phone the others, we fought, and then she used a snooze-bomb on me. I don't know how long I was out. When I came to, she was gone, obviously. So I made a dash for Shredder's church, called Leo's T-phone meanwhile. But by the time I got there, it had already happened."

Here he paused, and squirmed, looking uncomfortable.

"What had happened?" Leo's own voice came out feeble and unsteady.

"The fight was over." Future Raph shrugged, rubbing his knuckles. "The entire Lotus was dead. Police was gathering, started sealing up the area… I got in. There was no sign of the Foot, aside from a few…" He wiggled his fingers at the floor. "Bodies. And some literally half-baked mutants. I found Karai… Found her in the throne room. She'd clearly faced the Shredder."

Future Raph didn't specify, but he didn't have to. Leo was struck by the image of Tang Shen, sliced open, blood seeping from the three parallel gashes in her middle.

Future Donnie added quietly, apparently giving up on the secrecy, "Every one of the Lotus soldiers pretty much died before they could get past the hall. But not Karai. She went ahead somehow, and she faced Oroku Saki alone. Like she wanted."

Leo rubbed his face, his imagination bombarded with visions of what it must have been like—getting the call in the middle of the night, finding out Karai was gone, seeing Raph arrive with her body in his arms.

Deep inside he'd believed Karai would reconsider. That she would think about them—about him—and turn back. He felt as though he had something heavy and sharp lodged in his throat.

His turbulent thoughts then went to the Lotus people he'd met, old and young—some too young. Hachisu-no-Hana, dying before she could even fulfill her last mission. Seeing her entire clan fall under her command.

"And Splinter?" he croaked with effort, a significant part of him never wanting to know.

Future Raph's voice was coarse as he sat back, arms crossed over his chest. "Pick someone else, Leo. I hate being narrator."

"Donnie," Future Leo said, not even moving. Leo couldn't ignore the fact that this guy was pointedly avoiding telling it himself, and he wasn't sure how to interpret it. But what was more, his brothers never contradicted him. A few days ago he would have admired his future self for that. Now it rubbed him the wrong way somehow. Maybe it reminded him too much of the Lotus.

Future Donnie took a deep breath. "Well, after Karai's death…" he began, those two words sending a new pang through Leo, "...Shredder declared war on the city. There was no time to mourn. Remember all that mutagen Raph and Casey found in the Purple Dragon's warehouse? It was the main ingredient in Stockman's newest project: a mutagenic serum. With it, he built Shredder a new army."

Dammit. That missing mutagen turned up in the worst way possible, Leo thought. If only they'd gotten to it sooner, before it disappeared. He was pretty sure these guys suffered from the same regret, ten years earlier.

"The Foot clan had been recruiting kids off the street for a while, promising the usual wealth and glory," Future Donnie continued. "In reality, they just needed guinea pigs."

"Janice..." April muttered thoughtfully. "A classmate of mine, she stopped coming to class a few days ago."

Casey gasped loudly. "Billy! I crossed paths with him the other night! I thought he was high on something hard, but… I bet it was that serum thing! He probably escaped from Baxter's lab somehow!"

Future Donnie nodded. "When perfected, this serum turns the subject into a super soldier. Enhanced strength and reflexes, regen powers, the works. Think Captain America, but ugly. If Janice and Billy are lucky, they'll be joining the ranks by now, completely brainwashed. But if they happened to try one of Stockman's earliest batches…"

"Let's just say even Universal would kick 'em outta their monster roster," Future Mikey said, earning himself an elbow in the ribs.

"In our timeline, Shredder had taken over New York by Tuesday. Hundreds of people were already dead. The Foot worked in the shadows, underground. Government forces were stumped. We could barely keep up ourselves. These new foot soldiers were bigger and stronger than us, more agile. We spent ten days fighting hopelessly, without rest, together with the Mutanimals, and we were still losing. We needed rest; they didn't. Meanwhile, Splinter…" Future Donnie hesitated, casting a rueful glance at sensei, who only nodded again, calmly egging him on.

"One day, you—I mean, our Splinter, not you, sensei," Future Donnie corrected himself, looking mortified, and avoided sensei's gaze for the rest of his narration. "One day, he left the lair. He didn't say goodbye, didn't say anything. Like with Karai, we just couldn't stop him in time. I only happened to get up for some fresh gauze for Raph, and when I saw he wasn't in the lair, I got worried. The sword of Yurikawa was gone." He sideglanced towards the wall. "That seemed really odd to us, so we decided to go out and look for him." He let out an ironic huff. "And we found Tiger Claw. Actually, it's more accurate to say Tiger Claw found us. But he hadn't come to fight. He came in peace."

He quirked his brows, like he still couldn't fully believe it. "He was the one who told us what happened: that Splinter had broken into Foot headquarters, that he had killed many in his wake, and then he had fought the Shredder." He quietly cleared his throat. "And he and Shredder had killed each other."

But Leo vehemently shook his head, unwilling to believe that. Any of it. "Wait, no… That doesn't make sense! Splinter couldn't have..."

"Sensei would never do those things!" Mikey protested out loud. "Right, sensei?"

"Of course not, my son," Splinter said squarely, though he frowned, while Future Leo gave him a level gaze.

Future Donnie swung a forefinger at Mikey. "Well, as it turns out, that's true! Splinter didn't do those things," he said, weirdly buoyant all of a sudden, as if Splinter not murdering dozens was a new concept. "See, that one night, Raph brought back something else besides Karai."

The younger Donnie at Leo's left snapped his fingers. "The pendant! The ghost! She made him do those things!"

So, that's how this whole thing tied in, Leo thought. The Lotus, Karai's and Splinter's deaths... Tang Shen was in the center of it all! He then remembered Present Splinter, and tensed, watching his father out of the corner of his eye. They'd told sensei everything they knew about that onryō that had tried to kill Donnie, and was the reason the Lotus was on a hopeless mission to destroy the Shredder. Everything except that the onryō was his wife. If Tang Shen's name slipped up somewhere...

"Yes, Master Splinter was possessed in some way. And we know this thanks to you guys," Future Donnie said, a gratefulness in his tone Leo hadn't expected. "Before you told us, just yesterday, we didn't know what that pendant's powers were, or even if it had any at all."

"Okay, but why would you still pick up a random pendant in a situation like that?" Leo asked, still confused, looking at Future Raph.

"It wasn't my fault! That thing called out to me!" the latter cried defensively, but his fire was dampened by a latent guilt. "I heard it. It sounded like a voice or… I dunno. The cops were starting to seal the area, and I had to get Karai outta there. Thing is, I saw it lying there, making some kinda humming sound, and for some reason I actually reached down and took it." He clenched his fists, muscles trembling. "That fucking pendant. After that day, I… forgot about it. Sensei must have found it."

"None of us even realized he had it," Future Donnie said. "We were too busy fighting Shredder's forces, trying to take back the city."

"How could I have not felt something was wrong?" April said, looking troubled.

"You couldn't have. The whole situation sorta kept you and Casey from coming to the lair," Future Donnie explained dismissively, and April lowered her eyes, hands wound together on her lap. "Anyway, when Shredder died, Tiger Claw took on the Kabuto. Turns out, he was just as eager as we were to stop that madness, so we made a truce. The war was over. He promised to take the Foot back to Japan, and as a show of good faith, he also let us have the remaining mutagen, so I could cure all the mutated recruits."

"The surviving ones, at least," Future Raph said snarkily.

"They even let us in so we could take Splinter home," Future Mikey added, and it pained Leo to see a smile so tiny and bittersweet on his cheeriest brother.

Future Donnie continued, "And that's when we found the pendant, again. This time on Splinter. Raph recognized it, but all we ever knew was that it had been there before, when the Lotus and Karai fought the Foot, and that it might've had some sort of power. By the time we got our hands on it however, it was already empty. I did dozens of tests on it; it was nothing more than a pretty stone."

"Shredder had been killed," April said ponderingly. "So the ghost's vengeance was fulfilled."

Future Donnie gazed seriously at April, then nodded. "Exactly."

After knowing all the death that the pendant was responsible for, it became even clearer to Leo that Splinter should never learn of the spirit's true identity. The fact that Tang Shen, Splinter's wife, was behind so much death and suffering… It would destroy him.

"Well, that's the whole story. Was that detailed enough?" Future Leo cut in like a timer, his austere tone laced with a little too much impatience for Leo's taste. "Look, I bet you have many, many more questions still. I get that. But we could spend all three days sitting here explaining things to you, and time is of the essence. There's still a lot to do, especially since we can't know what else has changed. So, for now, are we good?"

"I'm good," Mikey said, sounding exhausted, and added pitifully, "Sorta. I mean, not good-good, 'cause… No offense, future bros, but this sucks. All I wanted was to meet Other Me, share some wisdom, play some videogames. I thought this was gonna be fun. Now you telling us Karaiwa and sensei might both die."

"Nobody's gonna die," Future Donnie insisted. "That's what we're here for."

"You know what? I got one last question," Raph said suddenly, his voice terse with emotion. "Why are you here?"

"I thought I just said-"

"No, why are you here? Splinter and Karai are already dead in your future and according to Donnie nothing you do here can change that, right?"

"No. Like we already explained," Future Donnie said through a long look, motioning at his younger counterpart and himself. "Simply put, our timelines split the moment my colleague here received my first text. So events taking part in this timeline from now on will have no consequence in ours."

"Right, so why come here then? What's in it for you?" Raph demanded, challenging.

Future Donnie shrugged, a broken look in his eyes, and said simply, as though it was obvious, "Closure."

Raph immediately looked like he wanted to retort, but clearly he had nothing.

So Future Donnie went on. "We couldn't save our Karai, or our Splinter. But we can save yours."

After staring them down a couple seconds longer, Raph sat back again, arms crossed, but apparently satisfied.

"We want to help you. We can help you. And we only need you to trust us a little bit," Future Donnie added, and he and the others seemed so earnest that Leo was hard pressed to doubt them anymore. Even Future Leo's expression softened. They seemed more familiar. They seemed more… them.

A reflective silence fell between the two families, the snacks in the center completely forgotten, the tea gone cold and bitter.

Leo's list of questions that he'd written for their future selves suddenly came to mind. He'd completely forgotten about it over the last couple of days, and now he found he didn't really feel like bringing it out anymore. The questions in that list seemed somewhat inconsequential after the worst info dump he'd ever heard or read. Besides, he'd had enough answers to last him a good long while.

"Guys," Future Leo said as though reading his mind, and this time Leo was surprised to hear the smallest hint of tenderness in his voice. "We know this was a lot to take in all at once. But remember, the future isn't written in stone. Nobody's fate is sealed."

Once more, Leo saw a flash of himself in that stoic stranger. These moments seemed few and far between with him.

The other Future Turtles nodded encouragingly, and Future Mikey sat up straight. "Yeah, let's keep a positive attitude, huh? You guys don't have to worry about a thing: we're here to win. We're time-travellers! Which means we've got the upper hand. It's gonna be awesome!"

"And with all the fun activities we got planned, there won't even be time to mope," Raph sang through a grin.

"Okay, Big Raph, you're way too chipper and you're weirding me out," Mikey said suspiciously. Rightly so, because Leo had noticed this Raph being a lot less Raph than he was used to.

Future Casey sniggered, nudging Future Raph. "Oh, he's just way more relaxed ever since he got himself a squeeze."

"I swear, Casey, I will throw you in the Hudson!" Future Raph growled, slapping Future Casey in the back of the head and almost slamming him face-first into a snack bowl.

"I have a squeeze?" Raph blurted out, eyes like saucers.

Future Donnie threw his hands in the air in surrender. "Guys, spoilers!"

"I have one too, you know?" Future Mikey proclaimed proudly, ignoring him, and Future Raph barked a laugh.

"You got squat."

"Hey, she's real!"

"She doesn't even know what you really look like! She thinks you're a blond hippie surfer dude who's into martial arts!"

"Are you done?" Future Leo drawled dangerously, not even turning his head.

Surprisingly, Future Mikey and Raph settled back down. "Hai, sensei."

Leo gaped, bewildered. Did he just hear and see that?

"So." Future Leo imposed himself again, this time addressing the present group. "What's it gonna be?"

Even though Leo still found the commanding tone vexing, he was, if nothing else, willing to see what these people had up their sleeves. When he exchanged looks with his brothers, April, Casey, and Splinter, they all seemed to share his feelings. Nobody was interested in questioning them anymore. All they cared about was preventing everything they'd just heard. They—and Karai, and all of New York—were counting on these visitors for that.

He released a hope-tinted sigh. "You said you had a plan?"

This seemed to be exactly what they wanted to hear as a series of relieved sounds and excited stirring overcame the older group. Future Donnie rubbed his hands, beaming, and Mikey hollered.

"Boi, we've plans comin' out the wazzoo! Plan A all the way to Plan R, right D? We got this time travel thing down!"

"Alright," Future Leo began, his pose thankfully more relaxed, but still assertive enough to impose some order. "The first part of the plan is to find the remaining mutagen and prevent Stockman from finishing his serum."

"Well, I hope you brought some clues, because we looked for that stuff everywhere. Including the docks." Mikey groaned, bringing Leo flashes of that night.

Future Leo responded, "When Tiger Claw let us in, Donnie managed to take a peek in their data logs. There should be a hidden basement somewhere in that warehouse, and the final shipment of mutagen should be tonight. We can't let it reach the Shredder. Without it, he won't be able to make his super soldiers. Meanwhile, we're gonna leave feelers around the church in case the Lotus decides to strike early."

"So what… We grab Karai right before she goes through the Shredder's front door?" Leo said.

"No," Future Leo replied squarely, taking Leo aback. "Karai left because she wasn't happy in the first place. Stopping her isn't enough."

"So what do you propose? You got coupons for free shrink sessions?" Raph said sardonically.

Future Leo paid no attention to Raph's sarcasm. "She's looking for peace of mind. And that's what we'll give her. That's why we're not just bringing her back."

"In three days, when the Lotus attack the Foot, so will we," Future Donnie said proudly.

Leo exchanged a frown with his Donnie. "You mean...?"

"Huh. I like where this is going," Raph said around a hopeful smile.

"We're gonna freakin' take out the Shredder." Future Mikey smirked. "Once and for all."

Everybody turned at the same time to look at Splinter. Sure enough, there was a disapproving ruffle on sensei's bushy brow. Leo knew this was the moment where his father finally voiced his opinion.

But Future Leo spoke before he could. "Master Splinter. You asked what we needed of you. We need you all to help us help Karai. By killing the Shredder."

Splinter's whiskers twitched as he pressed his lips, looking concerned. After a few moments, he lowered his head. "I am no longer your sensei. You follow your own path now."

"We can't do it without them," Future Donnie said, flicking his eyes at Leo's group.

Future Leo turned so that he knelt facing Splinter. "If we don't do something, the entire city of New York will suffer. Not just us. Not just Karai. This isn't about revenge anymore, Master Splinter. It's about peace."

The entire dojo was still as Splinter's proud posture faltered, and his eyes flicked pensively. Then, Leo saw how sensei closed his eyes, and gave a slow nod. "Very well. My sons have my permission to help you, if that is what is necessary."

Relief and excitement—as well as a good amount of disbelief—flooded the dojo.

Future Leo bowed, a slight curve on his lips. "Thank you, Master Splinter."

"Wait, so that's your plan? Attack the Shredder at his fortress?" Leo exclaimed, still quite disoriented.

"But that's suicide!" Donnie yelped.

"Yeah, even the Lotus know!" Mikey added.

"Ah, but you forget one thing," Future Donnie said loftily. "We're from the future."


Yasss!

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