A/N: Apologizes for not updating. As some of you have noticed, had some issues this week and the past weekend, so when I wanted to update and couldn't and I was kinda sad that no one reviewed the last chapter. :'( Cause of that, I've decided to give you all two extra chapters this week. Also, I want to give credit where it's due. While the new Star Trek movie is what gave me the idea, I did find inspiration in Askre's Assassin series, as well as the fic 'Five Stages of Grief' by DonnieBoy. No intention is being made to copy or imitate these great works, but I had wanted to include them in my first author's note and forgot.
Also, these last chapters aren't completely beta read as my dear reader Rhoda J is at camp :'(. Tried my best, but I may missed some things. For chapters 8 & 9, I'll be a little more observant. Lastly, I was hoping to have this thing finished by the time I got to the "big reveal" as I call it, so that I could post my Hangover inspired fic, but sadly I've been lagging this week and what's worse (though depending how you look at it), I've kinda started another fic (which I have equally lagged on). RL has gotten to me, so please be patient. For my readers starting school in the coming weeks, I'll try my best not to laugh at your plight (kidding). School is important, so WMG says homework before fan fic!
運命が割り当てれば
Yuku Sue Unmei
CHAPTER SIX
There was complete and utter silence, as though the air in the room had been sucked right out, as though time itself had stopped. When it resumed, it still took a few seconds for what Donnie had told them to sink in.
"What?"
"Our son!?"
"What you talkin' 'bout, Donnie?"
Don couldn't say he didn't expect the stunned and surprised questions that arose at his statement. Even he couldn't believe it. He had started doing tests as soon as he got within his room, taking the blood from the broken glass and analyzing it.
It had taken all day, but he knew he would have a result once they returned from their run. He of course didn't expect Leo to whip out his katana and point it straight at Nick; he was still confused by the story. Renet had been taken by Lord Hebi? How? Surely with her knowledge of time and space, she would know there was trouble, so why would she go there?
Alone?
That's where Nick's story began to come apart at the seams. Donnie was convinced that things were perfectly fine in whatever world he was in and that Renet must have a reason to be chasing him. The problem with that theory was Don nor his brothers had anyway of contacting Renet; all their dealings were because she found them.
The walk home had been a ball of angry energy that apparently hadn't died once he assembled his brothers in his room. He had waited until Nick had silpped into Master Splinter's room before he hurried to his, hoping the results of his research would be ready. He had nearly groaned when he saw it would still take another thirty minutes, thirty minutes of which he watched Raph and Leo glare at the paper door leading to their father's room, just waiting to hear the sounds of a fight in order to jump into action.
The two oldest brothers had been so adamant in this, they had yelled at Mikey to keep the TV down, lest it drown out the sounds of a struggle. Mercifully, the test concluded itself and Don checked the results, seeing them clearly and knowing he had been partially right in his earlier assessment. Now he had to tell the others.
"I'm sure you'd like me to spare you a deep introspective about DNA and genes and all that stuff," he stated. Seeing the ever so excited looks on their faces at that prospect, the scientist just rolled his eyes and continued. No one appreciated science anymore. "Right," he continued. "The point of all of this is that Nick shares a high number of characteristics from his father that matches the sequence in our DNA. We all know how DNA works, right?"
He could tell the answer was immediately 'no', but no one wanted to say anything, lest he began a lengthy, thought out explanation. "DNA is what makes us who are," he began. "It's what genes are made out of. It tells our bodies what color eyes we'll have, what color hair, whether we are predisposed to an illness or a disease."
"Okay," Leo nodded. "So you're saying Nick's DNA matches one of us?"
"Again," Donnie grimaced, while shrugging. "I can't tell."
"Why not?" asked Raph, a bit irritated.
"Because the Utrom mutagen happened," the scientist mentioned. "If we hadn't come in contact with the mutagen, it would've been easier to tell, as we would all have separate DNA. Unfortunately, in order to get to this, to the forms we're in now, the mutagen overwrote a lot of it. Think of it as, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."
"Man, that sounds tasty right now."
"Mikey, shut up. The adults are talking."
"When you mix it all together," Donnie continued, ignoring the argument in the background. "It's a mesh of ingredients. So on one slice of bread, you have mostly peanut butter with a splash of jelly and on the other slice, more jelly than peanut butter. Nick's DNA is the same, he has equal amounts of turtle DNA and mutagen created DNA."
"What does that mean?" asked Raph, confused.
"It means his mother is a turtle," Leo murmured.
"A turtle like us," Donnie corrected. "Without the Utrom intervention."
"You mean his mom's a part of Roshi's Island?" Mike exclaimed.
Donnie nodded. "And one of us," he said, looking at his brothers in turn. "One of us is Nick's father."
Nov 11th
Something is not right.
For some reason, I have awoken this morning with a feeling of dread unlike any other I have ever felt. Could this be the day? I've tried to calm myself, but I can't help it. Perhaps it was seeing Renet and knowing that the others know about her as well; maybe it was my talk with Master Splinter; perhaps this is the day my father will die and I have not done anything to stall it or prevent it.
I just don't know.
All I know is, there's something not right.
As Nick had stated, he was an earlier riser. Despite that, this morning he rose earlier than normal, right around four in the moring, nearly an hour before Leo got up to meditate. There was just something that was telling the young kame things were not how they should be. He didn't know why he felt this way, he just did, and it put his mind in a turmoil.
His talk with Master Splinter the night before confirmed his suspicions that the ninja master had known all along who he was. While Nick didn't really feel bad about that – he had known himself that the aged rat knew – he was a bit apprehensive about what the other four turtles knew. He had come out of Splinter's room to see that no one was within the living room. He found that a bit strange, as he knew Mikey enjoyed a bit of late night television. His eyes were then drawn to the solid red glow in the distance, which he knew to be Donatello's room and he had vague idea of why the light was on and where the others had gone.
He had really managed to piss Leo and Raph off last night; he really thought the elder turtle was going to run him through with his sword. It was unexpectant, but yet expectant at the same time. Nick had hoped he could persuade Leo that what he saw was a minion of Lord Hebi's, in disguise of the being they knew as Renet; he had hoped the others had taken off for home and he just needed to convince Leo things were fine and dandy.
But of course, like everything else in this world, Nick had not been prepared as he climbed down the ladder and came face to face with four angry and confused turtles and a katana at his neck. Of course they had waited until the last two turtles were safely underground and of course, Leo had done his 'older brother duty' to inform them that he had just seen Renet.
That they had run away from Renet.
That's when the younger turtle had to think quickly – Leo had demanded to know why they were running from Renet, who apparently despite what he had heard, was an acquaintance of theirs. Raph wanted to know why Renet was chasing him and why they hadn't waited for her. Maybe she was trying to warn them? That had been Mikey's question. Donnie had been quietly confused. Before he knew what he was doing or saying, Nick had launched into a story about how Lord Hebi's forces had discovered about Lord Simultaneous and about Renet and they had lured her into a trap.
Renet, being loyal to the turtles, had been tortured until she finally turned against them. That was how Hebi was able to get to the turtles in the first place – Renet had lead the turtles into a trap. And that's why they had been called for help.
And that's why they were killed.
He tried to bring up the feelings he had learned from the day of his father's death, from the scene he had found, over and over again until Renet had told him he was in the wrong place. But he remembered – remembered every time and place he went where his father would be killed by something or someone; it didn't matter now who would cast the killing blow. He would not and could not lose his father again.
The quartet had been angry, of course; angry that Nick hadn't told them the source of his panic earlier, but again he appealed to them – would they have believed him? If his pursuer had been, oh say April O'Neil, would they have believed her to have betrayed them? He couldn't risk that, especially when he needed to keep as much about the future hidden from them as possible. This had done nothing to ease the worry and concerns – or the anger – of Leo and Raph, though it seemed Mikey and Don were a little more accepting. The walk to the lair had been silent, though Leo had turned to him sharply once they were inside, telling him if there were any more surprises, he had better tell them.
Yeah. Right. Like that would happen. As much as the thought of revealing what he knew was so close to being uttered, his talk with Master Splinter renewed his resolve. He needed to be sure, he needed to know if this was the correct date. With the feelings he was currently having, he thought a triumphant yes, today or tonight, something would try and take his father and he would not let it happen.
Fate and history be damned.
Knowing that he wouldn't be getting back to sleep, Nick stood from the couch and headed to the kitchen to start getting breakfast ready. He easily found the herbal tea that Leo and Master Splinter drank and began making a pot. He was just starting to get the coffee maker ready for actual coffee when a voice from behind alerted him he wasn't alone.
"You're up early."
"So are you," the young kame countered, turning and unsurprisingly seeing Leo standing behind him. He offered the elder turtle a cup filled with liquid, which Leo looked at strangely. "You still like herbal tea, right?"
The leader tried and failed at suppressing the surprise look on his face as he nodded slowly, taking the warm mug and sitting down at the table. He blew into it, letting the steam warm his face for a moment before taking a sip. Lemon – Raspberry, as he liked it, with no sugar and a bit of honey mixed in. "Make sure you…"
"Save enough for Master Splinter," Nick said, finishing the statement without turning. Leo looked up, noticing his father's mug sat off to a corner in order to make room for the two mugs that Nick was already placing down. The leader just observed the teenager; he obviously knew his way around the kitchen, easily finding the bowls – taking three down and placing them next to the mugs – and reaching for two boxes of cereal: Fruit Loops for Mikey and Honey Nut Cheerios for Raph. The teen turned to look at Leo, raising his cereal filled hands, silently asking which Leo would prefer. The elder turtle shook his head, but didn't answer. If Nick was so good…
"Toast?" he asked, seeing as Leo didn't want either cereal.
Leo nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Toast will work for me."
"Right," Nick replied, turning back around to face the counter. "Toast with honey, jam, and some fruit."
"I said nothing about fruit."
"You need fruit," the teen continued, as though this was an everyday conversation between them. "You don't eat enough, you know that? Always telling me I need to eat better and there you are having tea and toast. You realize there are four food groups and tea isn't one of them. Bread is only one of the four…" As Nick went on, Leo watched as the young man prepared toast, opening the fridge and taking out a bottle of apricot jam and a bag of berry medly before closing it and reaching into the cabinets to get the honey.
"…and fruit is good for you," he continued. "If veggies were meant to be breakfast food, then they'd be put in cereals, but you don't see anyone putting broccoli in cereals, now do you? Well, I mean, there was that one time, but Benji dared me and you know, it wasn't really that bad, but I would advise putting veggies in cereal. It's not gross per say, but…"
Leo could almost see this happening, of a little Nick eating cereal with vegetables in it. He could see it because he remembered doing it once. Well, not him, but he had a strong feeling he knew who Nick's father was just from this conversation alone.
"You guys are up early," mumbled a rather sleepy Donnie, as he stumbled into the kitchen. He had tried going to bed, he really did, but the unknown was laughing at him in regards to Nick's parentage and the brainy turtle would not be denied! So he had attempted to continue working until about two AM when his head hit his chest with a dull thud before the rest of his body found comfort on his computer desk. Needless to say, his eyes rejoiced as Nick handed him a cup of coffee.
"Um…" the teen stumbled. "I wasn't sure if you wanted sugar or cream or anything, but I left it out. You know, in case you did, but you certainly don't have to have it. Cream and sugar I mean. Some people like it black."
Donnie held up a hand, stopping the sputtering of the boy and enjoyed his first sip. "It's perfect," he mumbled, giving him what he hoped was a smile. He wasn't sure. His brain wasn't awake yet.
Brain, look! I bring an offering from the Gods! Fresh coffee, the first cup of the maker's touch, the first kiss upon the taste of beauty. Look Brain. Here, taste – taste the sweet necter the coffee Gods have given us. Drink and be merry!
The synapses in the brain began to start, firing slowly before pickingup, just as Donnie realized he was sitting down, thankfully in a chair and thankfully at the table. "What was I saying?" he asked, confused.
"Something about the sweet touch of coffee," Leo smirked, getting started on his breakfast.
"Oh God," the brainy turtle moaned. "Did I say that out loud? Again?"
"No," the older turtle joked. "I saw the way your face kinda lit up, so I just assumed you were telling your brain you had coffee in your hands."
Don couldn't help but sneer at his brother. "It's not nice to tease a sleep addled turtle, Leonardo."
Despite the early morning, Mikey was soon up as well, a good hour before he normally would get up. "Don't know how you people get up when the sky is still dark outside," he murmured, shuffling as well into the kitchen.
"You can't see the sky, Mikey," Nick chuckled. "You live in the sewers, man."
"Quiet you," the orange branded turtle admonished, shaking a fist at the teenager. "Youngin's these days, no respect for the tired, I tell ya! No respect!"
"Calm down there, grandpa," Donnie gibed. "You're gonna give yourself a stroke."
Mikey glared at his older brother. "Don't think I'm not strong enough to take you over my knee."
"I guess you didn't want that Game Guy fixed then."
"Oh no, wait!" Suddenly, Mikey was wide awake and currently hugging his brainy brother. "I love you, Donnie! Favoritest brother ever!"
Leo couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the display. "Last week I was your favorite brother ever," he muttered. "I'll remember that when you come running to me cause you have nightmares due in part to the monster movies you watch."
Nick leaned against the counter, watching the whole scene play out before him, with a big smile on his face. It truly reminded him and felt like home. Granted, there were sometimes when the memory of his father was too much, for any of them to stand and the silence around the home was suffocating, but then there were times like this – far and too few in between – when he would see his uncles tease and play pick at each other before they realized they were short a brother.
It was in these moments, it was like he saw another side to his uncles and in part, saw what his father had been a part of at one time. How many times did this scene happen? Were they like this in the living room? Watching TV, playing video games? "Hey yo!" Nick was startled out of his thoughts by a frantic green hand waving in front of him. "Alright there, Nicky-boy?" Mikey asked, looking at the young turtle in concern.
"Yeah," he whispered, the smile never leaving his face. "Yeah, sorry…um…Mikey, sorry. I was thinking about something and I guess I spaced."
"Probably wondering why we're up so fucking early in the morning."
"Morning, Raphie!" Mikey exclaimed, throwing an arm around his brother. Raph glared at him, his face speaking volumes – it was early, he was awake, and Mike was touching him. Normally, Mikey was immune to the glare; if anything it made him more annoying than usual, but today for some reason, Mike slowly removed his arm and began to back away from his more temperamental brother. The glare never wavered, even as Mike slowly sat in the chair closest to him and then slowly turned so he wasn't looking at Raph anymore.
The red branded turtle gave one last glare at the back of his younger brother's head, almost daring him to turn back around. He then focused the glare on the newcomer in their midst and his eyes narrowed. "I…uh…made you some coffee," Nick greeted. "And I…um…put out your cereal for you. Um…sir." Raph continued to glare, his eyes shifting to the freshly made pot of caffeine, to his bowl sitting out, next to the Honey Nut Cheerios. All in all, the turtle was actually quite surprised and…grateful that the kid had gone through all that trouble.
But it was too early in the morning for sentiment. Instead, Raph grunted and went past Nick to get to the coffee and food.
"You're welcome."
"Oh my God," Mikey whispered. "He understands Raph-speak. It's true! He knows us, he knows us!"
Donnie and Leo just looked at him. "How can you be hyper this early in the morning?" Don questioned.
"One of his secret mutant powers," Nick replied, taking a seat next to Donnie, and placing a bowl of cereal in front of himself.
"Did you inherit any of these powers?" Leo asked, causing Nick to look up in confusion, Mike to look over at him in a panic, and Donnie to kicking him in the leg. "Ow, Donnie!"
"Huh?" Nick asked, amid chewing. "What cha talkin' about, Leo?" Mikey quickly turned his head to look at Nick. Oh God no!
"Nothing," the eldest replied, going back to his meal. He shot Donnie a look, who seemed to be surprised as his older brother was.
The atmosphere in the lair was relatively quiet, almost peaceful in it serenity.
Mikey couldn't really stand it.
And so, for the last few hours, he and Nick had been playing various video games that they both enjoyed, though for Nick, he was playing earlier versions of games that were more advanced in his time.
For his part though, Mike had dragged the young kame out of the kitchen and in front of the monolith for some good ole fashioned beat downs, Mikey-style. This, of course, is what he told Nick and his family. The main reason was to see if what he thought Leo thought was true.
Mikey hadn't forgotten breakfast or the subtle ways Leo kept bringing up facts about him that he hoped to match with the time traveling turtle and the scary thing was that Nick responded positively to nearly everything.
That in itself had put the youngest brother in a panic. If what Leo was suggesting was true, that meant that he was Nick's father. That thought alone put a deer in headlights look upon his face that didn't go unnoticed from everyone around him at the breakfast table. But Mikey was a quick thinking turtle and he did what he would normally do.
He let his mouth do the talking.
He quickly blurted something about monsters destroying his precious city and on and on, before Nick was able to work out that the turtle was distraught over a video game, apparently one he was familiar with. That got the cogs in the orange banded turtle's brain – maybe if he spent some time with Nick, then he'd be able to find out the truth.
Maybe he wasn't Nick's father after all.
So Mikey took the idea and ran with it, urging the teenager help him rid the world of space monsters and villains trying to take over his planet. The teen had laughed, but timidly agreed, seemingly looking for permission from the others.
Now, nearly three hours later, Mikey was finding things out that he knew were pure gold.
It wasn't to say that Mikey didn't want to be Nick's father; on the contrary! Mikey loved kids and he certainly wanted to have some, were it ever possible. And certainly, the knowledge of Nick and any other members of his family meant that there was a possibility that they wouldn't have to die alone. They could fall in love, have kids, have the whole white picket fence experience he had always seen and loved on TV.
Oh no, Mikey wanted that. He just kinda didn't want it now. He knew it was probably irrational; after all, the young kame wasn't from their time. He was from the future, meaning years ahead of what the youngest turtle brother thought. But it still didn't stop the notion that…this being…this teenager, seated next to him, shooting up zombies and screaming that Claire run away…was his son.
His son.
Mikey knew he couldn't be the only one who thought about it, thought about life for young adult mutant ninja turtles. While it saddened him, he knew there would be a time that Master Spliter wouldn't be with them anymore, that one day they would be short a family member. It was a depressing thought and something the younger turtle did his very best to avoid or ignore. They had many close calls before, but the thought of actually dying had never been so real as it had back on Shredder's escape ship. For weeks, he wondered what would've happened had the Utroms not shown up.
The answer was obvious, but it was scary too. They had been ready to die; he had been ready to die.
Michelangelo would be dead.
And who would remember him? Them?
Sure, there were April and Casey, Angel, some of the homeless they knew and of course, their enemies, but…they were mostly all humans. They couldn't really go about telling people about their dead friends, the giant mutant turtles. He knew April, Casey, and even Angel would avoid the turtle thing, but humans were curious – they would ask how they had died, where were they buried, etc.
And then there was Leatherhead. The poor guy was heartsick when Don went through that second mutation and with his anger issues…no, the prospect of their death did not sit well with Mikey.
Not one bit.
But what could they do? Other than their human friends and each other, no one would remember them. Would the Daimyo know, in the Battle Nexus that two of his champions were dead? How would Usagi find out that Leo was gone?
But now, with Nick here, Mikey knew that if they did die – one day, far far in the future – they would be survived by children.
And Mikey knew there were other children. The awesome thing about video games is that it lets your guard down. The youngest brother had experience with that. He thought he always had his best conversations with his brothers when he got them to play video games. It wasn't that he was looking to pry secrets from them – okay, sometimes he was – but sometimes, in the darkness of the lair, TV on, game blaring, that Mike felt the closest to his older brothers.
With that in mind, Mikey used the same technique with Nick. And it seemed to be working. Video games and cooking were to Mike what meditation was to Leo, protecting was to Raph, and technology was to Donnie. It was his thing.
His bag, baby.
He found it relaxing, to just sink into the world of fantasy and be rid of the hardships or the suckiness of life. Oh, he knew that he'd have to come back to reality and do what they did, day in, day out; rinse and repeat. But those times that he got the chance, he'd play video games.
You could tell a lot about someone by playing video games. Mikey learned more about his brothers sometimes by just making them relax and play something with him. They'd get relaxed and chatted away without a care in the world, even Leo whom Mike always had an issue with getting to play anything with him. The only person whom Mikey couldn't do that with was Master Splinter. Oh, there had been a time when Donnie had first gotten the original Guy Entertainment System or GES and they had found those first few Giuseppe the Drain Guy games. He and Donnie had tried teaching their father how to play, but eventually gave up.
It wasn't until the third Drain Guy game that Splinter had become hooked, it was the only thing he wanted and ever did play. He had once woken Mikey from a deep sleep to help him get through one of the levels in the twelvth world. After that, the game had 'mysteriously' disappeared, only to make it's comeback five years later.
For now, Mike and Nick were dueling their race cars down an alleyway, trying to catch up to the rest of the pack. In those three hours of playing, Mike had discovered Nick had several cousins and he seemed to be the closest to the one named Benji. He was an only child – due to their deaths Mike figured – and his family was concerned he was spending a lot of time alone.
"I tend to sneak out a lot," he had said, as his character had run away from a monster in a preivous game.
"What do you do?"
Nick had shrugged, paying close attention to the game. "I just hang out," he continued. "Sometimes I just feel trapped, you know, with my thoughts and stuff. I just like being outdoors and thinking."
Mike had wondered about that. He didn't ever sneak out, well not without brotherly intervention. So he had to ask.
"Mom sneak out a lot when she was little?"
"Not my mom," Nick had said, ducking behind a wall out of sight. "Sometimes I get a bit too curious, you know?"
Mike had laughed. "Curiousity killed the cat."
"Yeah," Nick smirked. "But discovery brings it back."
The orange banded turtle knew he had heard the saying before, just recently, but he couldn't remember who said it. He knew he had first heard when he was little, after he and Donnie went out the door of their first home. He started imaging some big scary creature named Curiousity killing helpless cats in the sewers. He had nightmares for weeks.
As they raced their cars around a tight turn, Nick replied, "I wish you could get motorcycles in this. These turns are crazy tight."
"You like bikes, huh?"
"I have one."
"Oh yeah?" Mikey asked, wincing as his car slammed into a wall, turning his car around but luckily came back to face the direction he was travelling. "You build it?"
Nick shook his head. "Birthday present," he said. "My mother and grandfather refuse to let me ride it."
Mike laughed again. "Parents, huh?"
"They thought the mood I was in, I'd crash it or something," the young kame chuckled. "They just don't know that I have experience riding bikes."
"Secret lessons?"
"You could say that."
They played for another half hour until Leo proclaimed they had wasted half the day playing video games. "The day isn't wasted," Mikey declared. "It was enhanced by the superior dexterity of my magic fingers."
"Dear God," Donnie groaned, as he came into the living room. "I never want to hear that sentence again in my life."
"No one wants to know what you do with your magic figners by yourself," Raph complained.
The younger turtle glared at his brother. "You're just mad cause all the girlies love my magic fingers," he taunted.
"Blow up dolls don't count," gibed Don, causing Leo to hold in a chuckle.
"Et tu, Donatello?" Mikey asked, sneering at his big brother. "Well fine. I don't need you. I have Nick here…" As he went to put his arm around the younger turtle, he was surprised when Nick managed to dodge the arm. "Oh come on!" he exclaimed. "Not you too!"
"Hey man," Nick said, trying to placate the turtle. "What you and your magic fingers do behind closed doors is no concern of mine. I just ask that you wash your hands. Thoroughly." This of course had the three elder turtles laughing hysterically.
"Laugh away," Mikey pouted, before getting an evil gleam in his eye. "This…will not go unpunished. Mark my words, brethren, there will be payback. And you!" He pointed at Nick. "You are not safe, out here, on the couch. Yes, yes, that's grand."
"Don't mind him," Donnie said, patting Nick on the shell. "Mikey's been hit on the head."
"A lot," clamored Raph.
The time mistress known as Renet was mad.
No, scratch that. She was livid.
How long had she spent chasing after this kid? How many dimensions had she chased him down, only to have him run away and leave her to fix the mess he had made? Well, this was it. After searching and searching, she finally managed to track him down – again – and had almost had him. And of course, who should she see with him.
The turtles.
So now, not only would she have to somehow fix whatever he had changed, she'd have to erase memories. Possibly. She didn't even know if she could do that. How annoying. How utterly annoying. So instead of being at home with her husband and their children, she had to – once again – stop her crazed nephew from making things worse. She didn't even know how he knew she was there. Narrowing her eyes, the answer came to her. He always was his father's son. Of course he'd develop a way to sense when her presence was near.
Damn him!
It was like he didn't care! And why would he? As long as his father was alive, who cared who suffered? Forget that his poor mother was wasting away at home; forget that his poor grandfather was dead; or that his girlfriend had been seriously injured in some gang fight – no no. Let's worry about Nick and his life.
If she didn't have a duty to Lord S or to time itself, she would've said fuck it and been done ages ago. What did she care if he screwed up the timeline? It was only going to come back and bite him in the tail, she knew it. But even with her anger, she couldn't help but feel a sadness too. It wasn't that she didn't have any sympathy for the teenager; after all, his father was her friend, someone she respected and loved.
His death…his murder…was hard on everyone. And knowing that he had left a young son who would never know the great turtle that his father was…it was heart wrenching. But at the same time, it really didn't give him the right to screw around with other dimensions.
Besides, she knew what would happen tonight and she didn't need him to interfere. What happen would have to happen, she couldn't do anything about it.
And neither could he.
The nightly training run, which would've been moved to the next week, seemed to be something that felt like a bad omen to one of the turtles. Nick, the young kame from the future, still couldn't shake the fact that something was going to happen tonight, something fairly bad, but he couldn't identify why he felt this way. None the less, Raph had gotten the call from Casey Jones that there seemed to be a big to do over by an abandoned warehouse on the east side.
Even now, as they ran through the sewers, Nick's feelings of the night seemed to heighten. They were walking into something, he knew it, he just didn't know what. They reached the nearest manhole to where Casey said he would meet them and hurried to the surface, quickly and quietly. Casey was waiting for them like he said, sitting on the corner of Eastman and 9th, overlooking a decrepit building that didn't seem to be anything interesting. Jones was dressed as usual for a night of roughhousing, his signature mask covering his face. His eyes widened when he saw the fifth turtle, lifting his mask in order to study this person.
"Huh," he huffed. "April wasn't kiddin'. You guys did get a fifth turtle."
"We'll explain it to you later, Casey," Leo replied. "For now, this is Nick. Nick this is…"
"Casey Jones," the young kame responded, nodding to the vigilante. "I'm sorry to surprise you, Mr. Jones, but I know you quite well in my time."
"Time?" Casey asked. "You mean like, from the future?"
"Not now, Bonehead," Raph growled, coming to stand next to his brother as they looked over the edge of the roof. "What's goin' on down there? I don't see nuttin'."
"That's cause they're all inside, Nimrod," Casey shot back. "I did say I saw these guys going into the warehouse."
"What it look like, Case?" Donnie asked. "The Foot?"
"Don't know," the vigilante shrugged. "I just saw a bunch of guys going in, all shadow like."
"That sounds like ninjas to me," Mikey replied.
"So what we waitin' for?" Raph whispered, turning to look at Leo. "An engraved invitation?"
Leo gave a critical eye on his immediate younger brother. "Silently," he hissed. "Let's not forget Master Splinter's teachings." Turning to Nick, he said, "Wait here."
"What?" the youth nearly shouted. "You need me! I'm here to help you!"
"Well, you're not doing us any favors by screaming like that!" Raph growled. "Shut up and stay here. Or I'll make you regret coming here."
Nick didn't retort to the order, but he wasn't happy taking it. The look in his eyes screamed his discontent at having to stay back while Casey and the turtles – his charges – went down without him. "No worries, Nicky-boy," Mikey said, giving an experimental twirl of his nunchucks. "If it's the Foot, we'll just bash 'em in the head like we always do." Looking at Don, he chuckled. "Totally ironic, ain't it?"
"Here," Don whispered, handing the younger turtle a comm. device. "In case something happens, you're the only one out here. Call Master Splinter and April, then come see what kinda mess we're gotten ourselves into."
"But I can help!"
"Nick, it's for the best." Donnie gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, before heading after his brothers. Nick swallowed a curse and tried his best to calm himself. It wasn't fair! He could help! That was the whole as to why he was there, wasn't it? To prevent his death? How was he supposed to do that when they went running off into danger!?
Casey's description of the culprits did nothing to settle the young kame. It was bad enough that they had gone off without him, but the feeling of dread he'd been having all day seemed to have spiked once they had arrived here. While he knew they were perfectly capable of handling themselves, Nick was there for a reason. And no one was going to stop him. He came all this way to protect him, protect them, he wasn't going to just hang around while something bad happened. Putting the comm. Don gave him in his pocket and began to make his way down the side of the building before hitting the ground and looking for a sign of anyone.
From his vantage point, Nick could hear the ruckus that was going on inside and he knew for a fact that he was needed. Rushing across to the warehouse doors, he quickly jumped inside, and witness carnage. Nick had heard about this clan called The Foot – you didn't get raised and taught the art of ninjutsu by two generations and not hear of the evils of Oroku Saki – but he had never seen them, only heard. But there were several here, clearly outnumbering the five that stood their ground.
There were at least thirty, all faceless and black. Nick found it amazing that anyone could even see in the darkness of the warehouse, but being the trained ninja he was, the teenager was able to see the clarity of the shapes before him. His eyes honed on a small group of ninja that seemed to have converged on the leader, though the odds were against him. Nick wasted no time in rushing over and downing two before engaging in a third. Leo sensed someone nearby, though he knew it wasn't one his brothers or even Casey.
Taking down both of the swordsmen that had attacked her, he turned, surprised to find Nick behind him. "I thought I told you to stay behind," he snarled.
Dispatching his own attacker, Nick swung around to face Leo. "A lot of good it was doing you, right?" he spoke back.
"We can handle things here, Nick."
"Perhaps you forgot what I said when I first arrived," the kame growled. "I'm trying to keep you from getting yourselves killed. It sort of defeats the purpose if you go and get yourselves killed!"
"We're through talking about this!"
"I won't let anyone stop me from doing what I must," Nick grounded out, stepping back as a lone ninja jumped before them. The kame came around with a swift kick to the ninja's midsection, before his leg continued upwards, his boot connecting soundly with his face. The crack was easily heard, as was the man's screaming as he stumbled back to the floor. Resuming his glare at Leo, he finished with, "Not even you."
On the other side of the warehouse, the other three turtles and their human friend seemed to be making quick work of their quarry. Raph was certainly enjoying himself, almost wishing that there were more just hiding where they couldn't see. He figured these were new recruits; the noobs could never stand against them for very long. Oh, some of them were good – one even managed to get a nick across his forearm – but for all that luck, they just couldn't stand up. The red banded turtle had of course taken on as many as possible and had defeated as many as possible. There were only three that stood before him, out of the possible ten that had originally surrounded him.
"Whatcha waitin' for, boys?" he taunted. "I'm all yours."
Two came at him and two went down quickly, leaving the one that stood before him. The ninja kept his pole arm in front of him, crossed as if to block anything Raph had coming. He had heard about this turtle, the red one. The red one was said to be full of anger and vengeance and anyone that came across him either regretted it or never lived to tell about it. But, even though he was still just a junior member of the Foot Clan, he knew well enough about the turtles and their allies and he knew they would need to prepare this night. So he told those that went with them to be diligent and bring extra weapons, in case they ran into the turtles. And he was glad that some had listened.
For now, though inwardly he was confident and smiled widely, outwardly he showed no emotions as another approached the red one from behind, his axe lifted in the air. Even if they couldn't take out all of the turtles, the red one would be a God send; that and the blue menace with the katanas. The ninja could tell the red one was confused by his actions, he wasn't moving and he wasn't making any movements to move. If only the turtle could see his smile…
Nick went through as many of the Foot remnants as he could, making his way to each of the turtles, making sure they were alright and ignoring their questions of why he was there. He could clearly see Casey Jones was holding his own, knocking out a ninja as he came from behind, before clothes lining another as he ran towards him. Nick thought the room had been cleared for the most part, until he looked around and saw a ninja closing in on Raph. He knew the others saw it too, but they wouldn't be able to stop what would happen. He thought he heard the shouts, but he wasn't listening.
Not again!
He had gone through this before and he didn't want to have it replayed tonight. He knew it. He knew tonight would only be bad. The ninja's axe was coming down, right as Raph turned, surprised enough that he actually tumbled backwards into the ninja behind him, who quickly used his weapon to start strangling the dark green turtle. The axe ninja's momentum only stopped when met by resistance from the keibo that Nick kept handy. The two were locked in a standstill before Nick kicked him squarely in the chest, before dropping to his back and flipping the ninja over, flinging him through the air behind him.
Raph used the distraction to elbow the ninja behind him, before ducking as the flying ninja hit his friend, toppling them both over. Angry, the red banded turtle looked up at his rescuer. "Didn't we tell you to stay back on that roof?" he spat.
"And I suppose you normally just vanish into thin air when axes come down on you!?" Nick screamed. "What were you thinking? Did you even know he was behind you?"
"You little shit," Raph murmured. "Just who do you think you are? You come down here, spout some crap about saving us from something that ain't even happened yet, and now you're gonna lecture me on how I should watch my back!?"
"Take it easy, Raph," Leo began, trying to calm his brother down.
"Take it easy?" Raph exclaimed. "I've had just enough of this and enough of you! As far as I'm concerned, I don't care who you are or how you know us or even if we're related. You stay outta my way, kid, cause the next time you interfere is gonna be your last!"
There was no point in trying to calm the hotheaded turtle down, even as he stomped away, an annoyed Casey trying to catch up with him. "The point of being on a team is to watch out for each other and protect the others," Leo began.
"Which I did," the teen rumbled.
"To what cost, Nick?" Leo asked. "I gave you a direct order to stay behind, in the case something went wrong. That was the point. What if this had been a trap and the whole building had gone up in flames? With you in here with us, there would've been no one to get help."
Nick took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself down. "I'm trying…"
"I know what you're trying to do," Leo stated. "Or at least I'd like to think I know what you're trying to do. I haven't gotten rid of my suspicions of you, Nick. There are details of your story that don't sit right with me. I think it be best, in the future, if perhaps you stayed in the lair the next time we go topside."
"You…you think its best?" Nick asked, sarcastically. "Would you like to know what I think is best?"
"No, I wouldn't actually."
"Well, that's too fucking bad cause I'm gonna tell you anyways," Nick said. "I think it would be best if you didn't run off and get yourselves killed. You may not have seen it, but I have. I have seen your deaths, Leonardo, and I have come here on my free will to save you from those deaths." Stepping closer to the leader, Nick glared at him. "I will not let him die," he whispered. "Not again. And if you were any kind of brother, you'd help me in protecting him from the death that will occur if I'm not around to stop it. But you, of course, are the eldest. You do what you think is 'best'. I will make sure you don't die."
"Raph? Raphie?"
He was not in the mood. As soon as he had entered his room and laid down, not more than fifteen minutes went past before he heard the telltale signs that Michelangelo had encroached on his space. Raph had still been pissed from earlier, the case of beer he and Casey had shared doing nothing to temper his emotions. He was getting more than annoyed that this Nick character was still hanging around them and even more so as it seemed everything he told them was a lie, bold face and looking more doubtful by the minute.
Raph hadn't believed anything that kid had said since the moment he met them in sewers and Leo had downright just proven everything he said was a lie anyways. Lord Snake-butt wasn't sending out troops to get them and certainly he knew his older brother didn't think Renet had turned on them, no matter how ditzy she was. Nothing made sense and wasn't making sense to anyone and the red banded turtle didn't get why they didn't just heist the little shit from the railings and let him hang until they got info out of him.
And now, to make matters worse, Mikey was bothering him, no doubt because he had some nightmare and now needed to be babied about it. "Mike," he growled. "I'm not in the mood. We've had a long night and I'd like to go to bed. Alone, without the presence of a baby brother who's afraid of the dark."
"I'll have you know I haven't been afraid of the dark since…"
"You were twenty," Raph deadpanned. "Now if you're quite finished…"
"Listen Raphie," Mikey whispered, tiptoeing in and shutting the door behind him. "There's something I gotta tell you. You remember how Donnie said that we might be Nick's dad?"
"Yes," Raph said, rolling his eyes. "And if I remember correctly, Leo spent all morning telling us that you're the kid's father. Now that we have that straightened out, I'd like to go back to bed…"
"No Raph, you don't understand…"
"No," Raph muttered, glaring at his younger brother. "You don't understand. I'm givin' ya till the count of three, Mikey, for you to take your tail outta here. One"
"Raph," Mike huffed. Why couldn't his brother see? "I'm not trying to annoy you, I'm trying to tell you something!"
"Two."
"Raph, damn it!" Mikey cried. "Will you listen to me!?"
"Three," Raph grunted, cocking his arm back. Mikey knew he was a breath away from the fist on the other end of that arm impounding itself in his beak. So again, he let his mouth get him out of trouble. Sort of.
"He's not my son," he sputtered, a moment before the fist came barreling towards his face. "He's yours! Nick is your son!"