Disclaimer: TMNT is owned by Mirage and so do any other companies that have legal rights to the franchise. I do not own TMNT, however, or any rights thereto, because I am poor. Dirt poor. I don't even own a McDonald's toy. (I do have the movies on original VHS though!)

Many thanks to my beta-reader! Who makes this better than it could ever be if I were on my own. (You'll all be seeing a subtle plug for her upcoming story later. Don't worry. It'll be subtle. Except for the link at the bottom. That won't be so subtle. Though, if I were completely honest, I'd say there's a subtle plug for it in here, too, but it's so subtle I don't think I can rightly even call it a plug. Anyway, I digress.)

Please enjoy. Reviews and thoughtful criticisms welcome.


Leonardo and Raphael noticed suddenly how dark it had become when their opponent stepped into the edge of the lamplight. When did night fall? When did the charcoal-blue haze turn back to the grey and red sky that first greeted them? Had this earth been this miserable when Donatello came? Staring at their opponent's only good eye, Leonardo wondered what else Donnie withheld from them. You said so little, Don, thought Leonardo as he gripped his katana, no matter how much we pried. I think I'm beginning to understand why. Who would want to retell even a heroic story about a world that couldn't have gotten any worse even if you failed miserably? What kind of story is it when you literally have no where to go but up?

Now I wonder if it made any difference when you won.

He pondered if this was how future Michelangelo had greeted Donnie. When asked, their brother had just shook his head. Eventually Donatello had been let alone.

"The Shredder is your Lord and Master! Obey him and live."

And always those damn reminders. Raphael was sure they only played every hour, but was it just him or did they play more often even at night? Can't get even a damn moment's peace around here. The only seemingly good change in the air was that instead of the foul stench of the park, a waft of something sweet entered their noses. It reminded the turtles of freshly cooked pork.

The older turtle shifted.

"Wait!" Leonardo spread his weapons apart before their opponent could make another move. "We're not here to fight you! We've been looking for you. We're from the past and—"

Leonardo gasped and rolled to the side as a sai flew where his neck had been.

"Stop it! I said we're—!" Leonardo gasped as he was knocked to the ground. He rolled away as his brother launched himself at their attacker.

Raphael was sent into the air, but he landed on his feet, crouched low. Dirty, One-Eyed Pirate.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," he finally answered Leonardo. A scowl replaced the previous grin. "Gotta say, Shredder's gotten a lot better. Used to see you fucking clones ten miles away. With you guys, I needed at least five." He flipped back, picking up the sai he had thrown on the way.

Leonardo's brother came storming and rushed at his older twin again, who twirled and kicked him in the back. "Idiot," sneered One-Eye. "You even got the old weaknesses down. Too bad for you I'm Not--" Punch. "--That--" Punch. "--Stupid anymore!" Punch! Three punches sent Raphael back against a building, where he fell to the asphalt with a groan.

"Raph!" Leonardo jumped forward, attempting to disarm the older turtle, but was sent rolling over backwards instead.

"You guys are good... Nearly perfect copies…" Sai twirling, the older Raphael narrowed his good eye. "But only nearly," Leonardo watched a slightly mocking twitch form on the other's lips. He could just barely make out the words, "Just never learns, does he?"

Suddenly, Leonardo was defending himself from flying punches, kicks, and sai attacks. "We're not! Clones!" he grunted. "We want! Your help! Please!" He ducked, rolled, and swept his foot under Raphael with lightening speed, sending him to the ground on his shell. "Listen to me!"

Raphael, in turn, grabbed Leonardo's bad ankle and yanked it hard with a twist. He had been favoring it, Leonardo realized with sudden shock as his nerve endings screamed.

The young turtle gasped and tried to do a jump-kick from his good foot, but ended up crashing painfully on his side.

When Raphael leaned over him with his sai though, Leonardo set his jaw, rolled on his shell, and kicked with both legs, ignoring the agony that shot through him again, sending the other turtle flying against a dumpster.

Leonardo stood up again, sucking in air through gritted teeth and sweating from the pain. His leg felt about ready to fall off—if he did not chop it off himself. Swallowing, he clenched his weapons.

Young Raphael stood up from his place on the asphalt. His bruises were going to last a week, he was sure. Growling, he twirled then gripped his sai. He'd be damned if he was going to be taken down by some old fogey! Even if the old fogey was himself! The ultimate sparring match. Well, Sensei always told me I should aim to win over myself, Raphael thought bitterly. Har dee har har.

He took a running leap towards his counterpart, who rolled out of the way. Yanking his sai from the ground, Raphael turned to make another attack but his twin had disappeared into the shadows.

"Damn it! I lost him! Leo, you got him?" He heard a soft intake of breath. "Leo!"

"I'm fine!" barked Leonardo, sounding irritated. "He's on your right!" Raphael turned just in time to stave off an attack with a body slam over his shoulder.

Leonardo grimaced and wiped his hand over his shoulder. Taking it away, he saw blood. Shuriken. Throwing stars. Looking up again, he saw his brother taking care of himself fine. Leonardo was thankful for that since the pull on his bad ankle had done even more damage than he had thought at the time. I can barely stand, let alone help Raph. Damn it, but this is ridiculous! Why doesn't he believe us? They believed Donnie obviously…would it really be that much of a stretch to believe we're just like him?

Leonardo watched the fight, but as the seconds ticked, he became more frustrated. God, Donnie, I could sure use you. I don't know what you did to make them believe you, but it would be real helpful to know right about now. Did Mikey attack you too? You didn't say he did, and it sounded more like he helped you out of a fight than throw you into one...

The blue-masked teenager sucked in a breath, "Unless—"

"Leo, he's comin' your way!"

Clash! Clatter!

"Heh, whatsa matter, 'Fearless Leader'?" mocked their opponent. "Weren't you payin' attention? Too busy talkin' to yourself?"

Leonardo narrowed his eyes at the taunt. "I still have one sword—that's more than enough!" The barb stung because it was true. I won't lose concentration again! It must be the situation they found themselves in, he tried to reason—to be in Hell and fighting one of your own. In Leonardo's mind, only when Donnie had been transformed into a raging beast with little to no hope of cure had things ever been worse.

No! I won't be defeated! Not then, and not now.

His opponent laughed sharply. "Right."

"Can't you at least listen to us? We're telling the truth!" Raphael groaned in the background as he approached. Damn it, Leo, if he doesn't want to talk, don't talk! This ain't Dr. Phil!

"I know… I know how you would pick on Mikey when we were kids! Break his crayons and such!" Memories.. Maybe through memories… If Donnie hasn't come yet, of course he wouldn't know us! We're too soon

Unfortunately, Leonardo was not able to dig very deep. The drug Raphael had used on the shuriken was beginning to take effect. As his body felt heavier, his mind began to swim. "Your favorite cereal is Wheaties-- and.. and I, I mean your brother, likes rice and fish and pineapple pizza—"

Leonardo ducked and rolled to the side as One-Eye came again, but he was not fast enough. Raphael cursed as he saw Leonardo get flipped over and gripped by the neck. A sai pointed dangerously close to Leonardo's neck. "Thanks for the menu, but I don't think I'm hungry right now."

Leonardo was pinned to the ground with his sword under their combined weight.

Damn it, Leo! Why are you bein' so slow? Stop tryin' to win him over and fight! Raphael was sure his brother was being an idiot and trying to play 'peacemaker'. Whether or no, however, his brother was pinned. That would just not do.

Muscles charged, Raphael leaped against the alley wall, then down—but he was sent back with a high kick for his troubles.

"I think you know the drill," rasped One-Eye. "You move. He dies. Very simple, right? I suspect you pro'bly like gettin' to the point as much as I do so I'll keep this short: drop your weapons, who is your immediate commander, and who designed you?"

Rolling to his feet, Raphael let out a noise of exasperation. "We don't work for anyone! Leo's been tellin' you the whole damn time we're not clones!" If we were sent here just to die by my own, future hand... He cursed Rene for the umpteenth time.

"Raph! Talk to him!" urged Leonardo from the ground. "Say something only you would know!" I'm not sure I'll be able to do the same in a little while here… In the past minute, Leonardo's mind had begun to swim; his body felt heavy. He was drugged. Already, he could feel his thoughts moving more slowly.

"Man, you are an idiot." The sai pressed into Leonardo's throat as the wielder ignored him. "I said drop your weapons. Do I need to illustrate my point? Are you one of those 'visual learners'?" mocked the green devil, shadows playing on his face.

Raphael had never known he could be such bastard.

"Talk, Raph!" The command broke his brother from his thoughts. As his brother cursed, Leonardo squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them. The grimy pavement, layered in dirt and rocks, helped him focus while pressing into his face. He tried to use the pain. I have to… stay awake... Concentrate...

The other teenager scowled. "Ahhh… When I was fourteen, I.. ah, I..Damn it, Leo!"

Glaring daggers, he spoke quickly, "Once I crashed my bike into a wall and got burned pretty bad, but I told everyone I got attacked. Everybody went searchin' for the muggers that did it for days, thinkin' they knew what I was, but since they never existed, we never found them. There!"

Leonardo blinked beneath the sai at his neck. What the..? "You.. You lied? But we searched for days!"

"Yeah, I said that, Leo." You'd think I'd never lied before, geez.

"But we ended up—"

"Hey, you gave the order, Leader, so shut up!"

"—dressin' in stupid costumes with big, pla-plastic heads," Leonardo licked his lips, "-in,in the daylight and—"

"Leo, shut up. We got more important things to think about right now!"

"—an' we nearly got caught an'—"

Raphael gave his brother a look that said he was crazy. "Leo—"

"'An… Mikey fell in, in the trash.. the trash bucket.. trash.. the dumpshter… You.." Leonardo blinked, as though trying to stay awake. "You jerk…"

What the fuck? Why isn't he shutting up? Leonardo could be a mother-hen with the worst of them but he usually knew when to shut it during battle. That Leonardo was beginning to slur concerned him, too. "Leo!" he snapped. "Quiet!" What did that guy do to him? Concussion? "Just stay awake and be quiet!"

While the pair were going back and forth, elder Raphael took a quick peek at his hostage. The teenager thought he saw a faint expression of satisfaction cross the other turtle's face.

Standing up, he then released the young Leonardo, who was nearly completely under. His eyes shutting and opening, Leonardo tried vainly to stay conscious. He tried to sit up, but his shaking limbs could not hold him. He fell forward again, letting out a sigh before falling asleep. Clearly, there was no further threat from him.

"Leo!" Raphael rushed his future self, roaring, not caring who heard them. "Damn you! What did you do?" Swiping left then right, the other turtle dodged them all before matching sai for sai. The other Raphael did not answer, focusing instead on the fight.

"Yer gonna pay for that—we were just askin' for your help!" Jumping up, he flipped back onto a wall, then came down again from another angle, but not before being sliced by two of three shuriken. They went unnoticed as he landed a punch anyway. What a mess.. What fucking mess.

We're in a nightmare. A black, grey, red, and GREEN nightmare! Where Shredder is Satan, our lookalikes are his minions, and we're the new souls on the block. Friggin' wonderful. I always wanted my life to be a fuckin' emo movie. Better yet, a fuckin' emo movie with some one-eyed Pirate version of me.

"Y'know, this is great exercise and all, but I don't have time to play with you right now." One-Eye grimaced at his young copy.

"Too bad! You don't have a choice!" Young Raphael lunged again, but this time, the other turtle just jumped away, not even bothering to block. What? Is he leaving?

His answer came from behind as a third shuriken, slicing his calf this time.

He spun around. "Wha-… drugs!" He's trying to take him down with drugs! Raphael bristled. "Coward!" he screamed. "Come out and face me if you're so tough! I.." Raphael stumbled as he tried to move forward. Shuriken could not give a large amount, so it took a long time for Leonardo to fall, relatively speaking, but Raphael was on dose three. Drugged—the bastard poisoned Leo!

The turtles never used drugs; Splinter said it was not their way. He muttered under his breath, "Dishonorable, yellowbellied…" Leo.

If Leo died…

Damn it.. It's happening already… Gritting his teeth, he turned his head, looking for a the other turtle. He had to be here. He would not leave them on the ground to be found, would he?

For the Shredder to find? For his foot police? His damn thug gestapo?

"Coward," he muttered again under his breath. "Can't fight me to my face.. Where's the damn honor in that? Huh? None of it, that's what… Jus'.. Jus' nuthin'.." Leo, when did he get you? Did he get you when you were down? When… His head swam. Can't.. stand.. think? He spun around, looking for his brother. Where was he?

The ground? When did he fall? "Leo...?" Thump. His sai clattered next to him.

Finally, the only turtle standing reappeared. Through a haze, Raphael thought he made out a slight sneer cross the other's face as he muttered under his breath. "Shredder's losin' his touch if he thinks I'm gonna fall for the 'on the same side' routine. That only worked once and it wasn't on me." He studied the still forms, then nudged one with his foot—the one claiming to be himself. Raphael was too tired to wince and could barely feel anyway. One-Eye snorted softly, "Honor, huh? I remember when that used to be so cut'n'dry."

The older Raphael took out his sai, then hesitated. He stared thoughtfully at them, seeming to shake his head subconsciously. One-Eye muttered to himself, "Right down to the condescending 'I'm your fearless leader' tone." Snort. "Maybe Karai helped on that one."He stared down, twirling the sai slowly, taking a long moment. Raphael's half-lidded eyes closed the rest of the way.

Before he fell asleep, he heard a curse, then a crackle and a hiss. Faintly, on the edge of his hearing, Raphael heard a voice. "Hey, delta blue, it's Orwell. Yeah… I need a truck…. No, it's none of yer business. Tell yer commander-in-chief if you gotta problem with it. Get over here fast as ya can. Over around by site thirty seven. I'll signal." The hissing stopped.

As he drifted away, Raphael felt himself being dragged by a voice he could no longer place. "Gettin' soft in your old age, Raph. Too soft."

----

----

Someone… talking?

"—sure they ain't got trackers on them?"

What? Who?

"Paul scanned them thoroughly. I promise you, if they…. on their bodies, we'd have found them…."

Familiar…

"…deep? Just move'em."

Leonardo fell back asleep.

----

----

Leonardo jerked awake as he was dropped onto the bed. He heard a clank from a door not far away.

"It should be discussed with everyone, Raph. This concerns Leo, too, that's why I called him."

"Leo! What the hell does he need to know?" The voice was scoffing.. kinda like Raph. "He'll probably say, 'Sure! Put'em in charge of a unit, too!'"

"Raph, you know that's not true.." April?

As Leonardo's pupils adjusted, he took in his surroundings, but could not understand them entirely. He was in a cage.. with thick, metal bars. He was laying on a bed with some thin bedding. Next to him was a metal wastepaper bin, and on the door a slot for… food? Was he alone? Mikey? Don..?

No, Raphael was in the next cell, but not awake yet. Why is he sleeping? Where are the others?

"Well, you jus' wait. Either way he's worthless.." Leonardo turned his head. Raphael?But I thought he was over…

"He needs to know. What if it's true? Do you really want to kill yourself off on a lark?"

Slowly, Leonardo sat up. My limbs feel so heavy. He steadied himself by putting a hand on the wall. So tired… Where am I?

"Would it be that bad if I did?" The voice was bitter.

Leonardo then felt an urgent need to talk to someone. He needed to tell them… what? Here.. Why they were here. He had to stay awake though. Putting his legs to the cold, cement floor, he tried to stand up and fell back, grunting as he hit the wall. Slowly, he tried again. It was shaky, but doable. He then tried to use his voice, but it cracked. Leonardo coughed, trying to muffle the sound under his hand. The guard had already heard him try to stand though and called for April's attention.

"Sir, one of them's awake. The blue one." The voice was male, and very polite. Maybe even gentle.

Leonardo grimaced, thinking of how Mikey told them all that it was never good when he or his brothers were referred to by color. Mikey said that you knew someone was evil in movies when they used full names. He called it the foreshadowing of their lives. So funny now that he thought about it, actually. He lips quirked. Why was that so amusing to him?

He coughed again, trying to clear his throat. No, I must focus. "I.. " Cough! "I'm Leonardo," his voice croaked. "And.. and I think you're.. April?" He looked for his friend, and found himself staring an old woman. Grey hair, dry skin, but the same eyes he had known for years now. April? Strange, to see her as this elderly, raggedly dressed woman. He blinked slowly, trying to take her in, but the thoughts melted away into a drugged haze. He simply could not focus.

The woman studied him over. "Yes. I am," she answered calmly. "We looked you over for bugs but couldn't find any. Raphael brought you here, but you probably figured that out yourself."

Leonardo moved his eyes to the turtle behind her, but he was staring somewhere else.

"Yeah.." Actually, he had not thought of it yet. But sure, that made sense--about as much sense as anything could make to him, at the moment. He raised his voice, "Thank you, uh, Raphael, for.. for bringing us here." Leonardo bowed respectfully to the elder turtle, or tried to. The motion made him dizzy and he fumbled forward. One hand grabbed the bars as the other went to his face.

"You'd better go back to bed," April ordered. Leonardo swallowed hard, feeling sick to his stomach. He vaguely felt as though her tone were familiar to him. Like she was someone used to be followed… almost like himself. The woman continued, "The anesthetic will take more time to wear off. You should have been asleep for another two hours."

The turtle shook his head at this direction though. "Sorry for.. the trouble..? Yeah.. What? Wait." Leonardo took a breath. He wanted to say this while April was here. She would understand this kind of thing. She and Donnie knew bucketloads about science. "No, I have to say this… We're not from this world!" he blurted, almost desperately. "This time, I mean. Both, I think, but an atla-alternate one. We.. We got sent here because of some.. one.. She.." His eyes were trying to close on their own, but he forced them open. Leonardo felt the need to keep going. He was responsible for his brother. If they don't believe me, we might not wake up again. I have to convince them for Raph and me! Have to...

"Go to sleep. Tell me later."

"You know about those, right?" he continued, drawing in air. He leaned against the cement wall of his cell, hoping the cold would shock him awake. " I.. don't, unfortunately. No more than I've ever needed to.. I mean, Donnie does.. so you would too, I think. Right? Alternate choices, I guess? Making….alternate worlds? Something like that, I promise there's something like that… He explained it to me once, or tried.. I didn't quite understand it all… He said it was a theory…" God, why can't I remember? I have to remember…! I wish Donnie were here.

"Leonardo," the woman's voice was firm. "Go to bed. We won't hurt you or your brother until we hear your whole story, I promise. You have my word."

He opened his eyes—when had they closed? "I think he said there's something like.. like a.. an infinite-.. " Stop. "Oh." Wait, what was he saying? Nevermind… "Thank you, April." He waited a second, feeling as though he had forgotten something, then shook his head. Yeah, bed.. That would be real nice... I'm so tired.

It was so odd though, Leonardo thought distantly, as he drifted away again. Why would a prisoner need a wastepaper bin?