Dis: I don't own TMNT
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Alice:
The dream Alice found herself in was different than the other times the Time Lord took hold of her. There was still the unearthly fog that curled around her ankles and slithered over the skin of her legs, but it had the scent of smoke and sulfur. Everything still looked white but there were other minute changes all around her. She was part of this creepy world, wearing a flowing white dress with a sheer skirt, and her hair was such a brilliant blonde that it almost could be called white. Trees were around her as well, their leafless figures resembling skeletal hands reaching out from the Earth as if they were undead giants beneath her feet ready to rise. Also beneath her slipper covered feet was snow and it crunched with each step she took, but she thankfully wasn't cold. She wasn't going to play this game so she placed herself down on the ground and waited.
"Listen, Simon," she said, her voice echoing around her. "I don't have time for this crap so whatever it is you want to say just spit it out!"
Alice jumped as what sounded like a crow cawed behind her and she stood up on her feet, eyes squinting to see through the fog, the sound of flapping wings fading away. Alice wasn't generally a nervous person but she felt her nerves starting to bubble a little in her stomach. She whipped around as a stick cracked behind her and brought up her hands, telling herself not to panic when she couldn't call upon her flame in her dream state.
"Who's there?"
"It's almost time," whispered a voice from behind her, making her spin once more, but there was no one there.
"Time for what?" she asked.
"The end." This voice was different. Lighter, but still sinister. "This world will be ours for the taking among many others."
"I'll stop you," she said, confidence returning.
"How? You have been abandoned, Little Girl," said the first voice. It was a raspy baritone and Alice felt chills travel up her spine as invisible hands gripped her shoulders and suddenly she was frozen in place. The fingers of ice trailed down her arms and finally settled at her hips. Cool air traveled around the sheer skirt she wore and a dark chuckle sounded as she tried to struggle. "Your Time Lords knew that no matter what you would remain here in this world. They have worked together to close the ability to travel here and to leave here."
The smoky fog took shape in front of her and Alice was staring at a female with pale skin and silver-like ringlets that fell to her waist. She had a silver belly shirt on with fine metallic chains that kept it fastened at her neck and at her back. She had on a sheer skirt as well, a small swath of silver material covering her most intimate places but that was all. Her eyes, really the only splash of color Alice had seen, were a pale blue. The icy touch around Alice started to take form too. Burly arms covered in black hair were holding her in place around her waist. The air at her back solidified and Alice could feel prickly hair between her shoulder blades. Hot breath hit her neck and she struggled even more and the male behind her chuckled before releasing her. She whirled around to face the both of them. The man had blood red eyes and the lower half of his face was missing, pieces of platinum machinery in the place of bone and flesh. His upper body was bare, but there were intricate tattoos that traveled up and down his arms. His lower half was covered with black, silk pants. Was it her imagination or did the guy have hooves for feet?!
"Who the hell are you?" shouted Alice as the wind around the trio started to pick up.
"How rude of us brother," purred the female. "We didn't give her our proper names."
"How rude indeed," he agreed, bowing slightly. "I am Rhazul."
"And I am Rayne," said the female. "And we're giving you a one-time offer. My brother, the softy that he is, perishes the thought of you dying. We've been watching you while you've been here. We're both pleased with how you've fought in battle."
"With you by our side, the taking of this realm and the others will be no challenge at all," said Rhazul. "Join us and we will be unstoppable!"
"I don't think so," said Alice, taking a step back. "The whole conquer the world thing? Not my idea of a good time."
"Oh, sweet thing, we don't want to conquer the world," said Rayne. "We're going to destroy it, and all the others, so that all that is left is darkness. When darkness falls, WE will reign over all, and we will enter a new era of power!"
"Uh huh…" Alice tilted her head to the side, studying the two of them. "I don't think so."
"And who is to stop us?" asked Rayne. "Your turtle lover? The handicapped one that pines for you? The weakling humans and daft dinosaurs? The one known as Shredder just about ruined our plans by deleting all the universes but now that he is gone, and that the chain has been weakened, we have risen once more!"
"The Reckoning is upon us," said Rhazul. "When the time comes, you will die. Think about it, Alice."
"Thinking… Thinking," said Alice. "Um, no. Now get the FUCK out of my dream!"
"As you wish," said Rayne, and lightning fast she was in Alice's face, her crystalline eyes filled with malicious intent. "You're going to wish you took the deal."
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Alice awakened with a slight start, eyes snapping open but body remaining still due to the duo arms that were wrapped around her middle. She felt Raphael's hot breath fanning the back of her neck, and it was oddly comforting as her rapidly beating heart settled. Taking a deep breath she shifted slightly, earning a slight squeeze from his arms but he didn't wake up. Slowly she slid out of bed, aware of the cool air on her heated skin. Immediately she found her sleeping clothes and went into the small bathroom. She turned the knobs and after a few moments the water came on. She splashed it over her face and found a spare rag and washed her body, aware of the stickiness between her legs. She mentally chastised herself while running the cloth between her legs. Just because she hadn't gotten pregnant yet, didn't mean there wasn't a chance. Eve was the prime example that the turtles and human females were compatible. Vowing to be more careful in the future, she slipped on her clothes, pulled her hair up into a messy bun, then padded back into her room. His breathing signified that he was awake but he was still lying in bed. The nightmare/vision she just had left her a little shaken so she went out of character and sought out some comfort. She slipped back into his arms and sighed contently as he brought her back to their earlier position, her resting against his chest while he ran a hand up and down her smooth back.
"Bad dream," she said, snuggling into him further.
"You okay?"
"Hmm… Yeah." She shifted so that she could look at him fully. "How did it get so bad here?"
"They have more manpower. We had the superior weapons, but not the numbers until it was too late. We were just getting on good terms with the President and the rest of the world when the Alien Invasion intensified. The United States and Russia banded together… North Korea tried to bargain with them; they along with South Korea, Japan, and half of China were the first to fall."
"Damn," whispered Alice.
"We have a small faction in Australia that are holding their own as well as the North Pole and Moscow. Right now we're the main focus, because we're the larger threat."
"And the civilians?" asked Alice. "The ones that can't fight?"
"There is so much to do, Alice," muttered Raphael, lying fully on his back now, hands behind his head. "We help who we can but when it comes down to it, we don't have the manpower to keep everyone safe. Alien numbers are on the rise while ours is on the decline. We have to hold what we have."
"At the expense of others."
"And what would you have me do?" he asked with a growl. "Have soldiers like Tate who are best needed on the field escorting those that refuse to fight into the mountains? We lay out their best route, give them supplies, and send them away."
"And the women and children?" asked Alice.
"Being a woman is no excuse to me. Women fight just as well as the men in my book. Hell, look at Emily! Siren, a woman, is my second… And Don has the best damn pilot of us all who is a woman. Children? I can't keep them from their parents when they decide to leave, but we make room for those that don't have parents when we need to. When the next caravan goes out, and the children are of age to make their own choices, they are allowed to leave if they want to. The mountains aren't far from here. Mikey and Don made sure to fortify the civilian base the best they could when this all started. World leaders, some techs, and even soldiers that volunteer are stationed there as well. This isn't a Dictatorship. If people want to leave, soldiers included, they can leave. I'm not going to make them fight or stay… But if they choose to stay they aren't going to sit on their ass and do nothing either."
"Okay…" Alice bent and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "Okay. I'm sorry… You practice that speech often?"
He grunted in reply, pulling her back down to him, and she relaxed against him. It felt so domestic, lounging in bed with her lover, enjoying the feel of his fingertips gently traveling through her hair. For a small moment, she could pretend there was no war, no impending doom hanging over her head. Then his hand stopped giving her hair attention and settled at her back.
"Tell me what happened after you fell through the portal."
She told him everything and Raphael had a lot to say about the Shredder who wanted to erase the existence of all realms. He remembered everything turning white and fading away only to awaken back in the fighter jet he'd been in. He'd almost crash landed into the dilapidated structure of what once had been the Empire State Building. She told him of going home, the disappointment she found upon her return, and he tensed only when she mentioned her ex-lover.
"If ever I was to meet this alternate version of myself I just might kick his ass," said Raphael, making Alice chuckle.
"It's in the past. It all is," she said.
"Tell me more about this… Time Lord?"
"I honestly don't know," said Alice with a frown. "There was this guy, Lord Simultaneous. He was sort of my mentor. He spoke to me in a dream-like world and warned me of Ch'rell and told me what I was. A Timestress. I can travel through time and realms in a blink of an eye using my katana as anchors, but…"
"But?" he prompted after her hesitation. She wasn't sure what she should and shouldn't tell him. For all she knew it was just some fucked up dream she had. She didn't want to burden him with this new impending doom that might not even be happening. First, she'd investigate, and then drop the apocalypse bomb on him.
"I guess I'm just worried what being a Timestress means. I'm new to this whole powers thing," said Alice easily. Trying something she focused like she had with Leonardo in the other realm and thousands of stars lit up the room and she felt relief. If she could pull up the star map, then perhaps the dream demons were wrong about her being cut off?
"Holy shit," gasped Raphael, sitting up and pulling her with him. She laughed, leaning back against his chest, legs tangling with his while she brought up her hand to point at a red star. "That's us, right there."
"Really?" His eyes darted around the room. "There are so many. There's one of me on each of 'em?"
"Maybe. Each world is different," said Alice.
"Like there being no Leo here," he said, suddenly somber.
"It's not your fault," she whispered, head tilting to the side, lips brushing over his cheek.
"I know… It was that… THINGS fault," muttered Raphael, dual fists shaking against her thighs.
Alice let the stars fade away and turned around. She easily straddled his lap, as if she'd been doing it for years, and nuzzled the side of his face. He sighed, lips eagerly seeking hers out and she allowed the kiss, humming as his fists loosened and his palms slid up her outer thighs. She whimpered as she felt his member start to harden between her legs, rubbing deliciously against the thin material that covered her lower body.
"Raphael," she whispered as his hands moved to the band of her shorts. "We can't do this anymore without protection."
"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice thick with lust.
"I could get pregnant," she said. "I mean, in my world, Donatello my friend Eve preg-" She broke off as he tensed once more, hands once again fisted, his entire body shaking. "Raph?"
"You don't have to worry about that," he said, his voice as sharp as glass. "I can't have children."
"Oh… I… I didn't…"
"Shredder made sure of that. My shell wasn't the only thing he took," he said, shifting her off his lap, rising from the bed. "I'm surprised he didn't just cut my dick off. Would've been just as effective. He did the same to Leo, too. Mikey and Don got away before… They are the only one of us who can have kids."
"Raphael I'm so-"
"Look, I gotta go check on some things and make sure Siren gave the debriefing on our last mission," he said, finding his clothes. "Meet me for dinner?"
"Of course," she said as he shrugged on the last of his clothing. He nodded, stepping to her to cup her face with a hand, his gaze intense as it traveled over her face. "Dinner sounds good."
"Good," he said, bending to press a kiss to her forehead. Her eyes closed at the contact and he lingered for only a moment before rushing out of her room, the door closing with a soft click.
"Idiot," muttered Alice, head going in her hands. "Goddammit…"
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Alice was getting ready for dinner when her communicator started ringing. She had spent the day training with some of the younger cadets, had a video chat earlier with a bored Tate who was eager to get back to duty, and had walked around the structure to get a better feel of the layout. She hadn't spotted Raphael during her tour, though the lab tech Molly had been eager to chat about Triceraton technology when Alice had stumbled upon the scientist. Most of what she said had been over her head, but when Molly had spoken about some new weapon they were working on that could scramble communications and perhaps even make Tricerton towers and satellites self-destruct Alice had started to pay attention. Now, it was six, and she was getting ready for dinner. Thinking it was Raphael she eagerly gripped her communicator, but when seeing the name flashing on the screen she grinned and hit accept when prompted for a video call.
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Michelangelo:
"HEELLOOOOOO?"
"Hi," said Michelangelo warmly as Alice's image filled his communicator screen.
Michelangelo was leaning back in the chair in his office. All around him were reports, data files, and schematics: but he ignored them all happy now to see her face on this video call. Her hair was different, but everything else looked the same, and suddenly everything felt right in the world again. He didn't know she was doing the same assessment of him, noticing he looked the same as well, perhaps a little older around the eyes, but otherwise the same as when she had left him. Save for the scar that ran around his neck.
"Have you decided on how long are you planning on staying this time?" he asked, suddenly nervous and anxious.
"Indefinitely," said Alice, waving her hand. "Or at least until I get bored with you peasants."
"Ha-ha. So are you going to tell me what the hell happened after you went through that portal?"
"I should just send a memo out to you, Don, and Emily," said Alice. "It would be easier than saying this story over and over again."
"Screw the memo, tell me," he demanded, wanting to know exactly what had happened to the woman he lo-cared, about.
"So bossy, I like MY Mikey better."
How sad was it that he felt a stab of jealousy at those worlds. He wanted to be her Mikey…
"Please?" he asked softly, and he saw her smile falter a moment before she nodded. Soon, he was hearing stories about other versions of himself, a super-pissed Shredder that wanted to end their existence, and finally her return to her world. He now knew why the world had turned white so long ago and also knew if he saw the Raphael that broke her heart he'd probably shoot him in the face and not feel sorry about it at all. "Sounds like quite the adventure."
"Mhm…"
"By the way… Love the hair," he said with a smirk. "I think you should try blonde next."
"Oh? Have a thing for blondes?" asked Alice, and Mikey fought the blush that wanted to form, and luckily won.
"Perhaps," he said with a shrug, earning an eye roll.
"So, Jake and Raphael told me what's been going on here. Tell me, what's the great plan you're coming up with to win this war?" she asked, changing topics.
"Well, Don and I have some ideas, but we want to run it by Raph…" Mikey took a breath. "And you."
"Me?" asked Alice.
"You're back, and you're now suddenly our strongest player," said Mikey in a rush. "I'm not saying you have to, you have every right to say no, but we had some ideas on how to utilize your talents to turn the tides in this war. "
"Like?" she prompted.
"Can we maybe talk about this together? A conference call between all of us?"
"When?" asked Alice.
"I'll touch base with Don and get back to you and Raph…" Mikey opened his mouth, hesitated a moment, then spoke. "I'm happy you're back. We were all worried."
"I know… I'm sorry I caused so much worry," said Alice, biting her scared lip. "Forgive me?"
"That's not fair," said Michelangelo, ignoring the sudden feeling of tightness within his shell.
"I play dirty," she said with a teasing smile.
And it did nothing to alleviate the tightness in his shell. Dammit.
"Yeah you do," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "So I'm going to talk to Don and tell him you're onboard. Raph might not be happy about this, but I'm sure you can persuade him."
"Please," said Alice. "Raph would be super lucky to have me on his team. I'll talk to him tonight at dinner, okay?"
"Yeah, okay," he said. "Call me later? Or text me, to tell me what he says? Or warn me?"
"I'll do that," said Alice.
They remained silent for a moment before bidding each other farewell. Michelangelo sighed, rising from his chair and rushing out into the main area of his compound. He texted Donatello, letting him know he was planning to have a meeting of some sort tomorrow about Alice, and that she was on board with helping them out. After, he ate some dinner, and then worked out his frustrations on the training mat. After, when a fox mutant with a luscious red coat and glinting blue eyes offered to occupy his bed for the night, he didn't protest.
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Rayne:
"He's perfect," whispered a voice as sweet as honey, but deadly at the same time. Two figures hovered over a patch of disturbed earth marked with a stone. Rayne walked slowly, her footfalls killing anything she touched, and her fingers traced the intricate carvings on the stone. To say she was bitter about that mortal basically spitting in the face of her and her brother was an understatement. Now, she wanted to make that bitch hurt. "He will be our ultimate weapon and pray upon their weaknesses and while they are distracted... We will strike and reclaim our rightful place in this universe."
"I like how you think, Sister," said Rhazul, her dear brother, his burly form almost three times her size. He leaned back against a tree, but it didn't die at his touch, it was just a curse to her by their creator who had locked them away for so long. Until now. Rhazul's eyes, however, blazed as bright as the fires of hell and watched her every move as she squatted at the marked grave of the fallen warrior. She inserted her fingers into the damp earth, her whispered spell wrapping around her before seeping into the earth.
"Rise, Brother," she whispered once the spell was complete. "Come join your rightful place at our side."
She rose and stepped back. Zul moved from the tree and stood by her as the dirt started to shift. They watched as one hand burst from the earth, decomposed flesh slowly melding back together and regaining life as another skeletal hand erupted from the ground. Finally, the upper body was free, and the figure took ragged breaths as it struggled to escape its grave. He fell to the ground, taking greedy gulps of air while coughing up dirt and insects, as the two demons stepped forward.
"Welcome back, Leonardo," said Rayne, making Leo snap his head to look at her, his black eyes finding hers. "We have much work to do."
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TBC…