Raphael wasn't a fan of inter-dimensional travel, space travel, or time travel… or anything else that means his feet leave earth for any extended period of time. Come to think of it, he wasn't big on planes or boats either. Not that, that mattered when it came to doin' what had to be done. Like right then.
Donnie had the time wand, and the lot of them gathered around in the cemetery while he tried to remember how it worked. If he didn't get it just right, Raph might find himself goin' toe to toe with a gladiator. Not that he'd mind that. He was pretty sure he could take him. That is if there was one. Hell, he could probably take whatever was waiting for him no matter where they put him.
He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck as Donnie pointed the scepter toward the sky and with the working of some buttons a window appeared. Raph's insides were already churning. He didn't know about the rest of the guys but this always felt kinda like a free fall, and he was getting to old for surprise landings.
"Ya better get the date right Don." Raph said, marching toward the window.
Karai pushed past him then Leo bolted forward grabbing her by the arm. She wheeled around landing a palm to his shoulder. "Let me go, Leo. That's my mother on the other side of this door and nothing will stop me from seeing her."
"I got a bad feeling about this," Raph grumbled following Leo through the white square resembling a large piece of paper hanging in the sky… no hooks, no nails, no tape, no glue… just hanging there. And it never failed to creep Raph out.
But that's not why his insides were tingling. It was where they were going. After what happened the last time they were in 1999, he'd had more than enough. Being there for Tang Shen's death was not on his list of moments he wanted to live over.
Raph's gaze traveled to the back of Karai's head. Surely Leo had told her what happened there. Why was he letting her come along on this mission? There's no way they could trust her.
Michelangelo seemed to work his way around Raph, a little past Leo, even closer to Karai. Seemed he thought so too.
Donnie leapt through the portal and it seemed to zipper shut behind him. No lightning this flight, jump, whatever. So hopefully that meant—
Raph was sure his stomach was going to come out his throat the wind was rushing by so fast. The tails of his bandana were flipping around in his eyes, his breath lost in the downward spiral. Then leaves, still attached to their branches seemed to rush up beneath his shell, snapping and breaking, giving way to his absurd scramble for something to hold onto.
"Unh! Ow! Unh! Ompf!" He grunted, and groaned as each limb shattered, until he landed hard on his rump. "Oh, I am too old for this sh—"
"Language, Raph!" Mikey chirped, having landed on his feet like he was getting the hang of it.
Raph rolled his eyes, got to his feet and grabbed his little brother, pulling him behind the nearest tree trunk. And there was the seventeen year-old version of himself and his brothers, fighting with the last of their sensei's clan. He glanced around and saw Donnie motioning them towards him and the path to sensei's home.
Karai's head popped out from behind another trunk, wide-eyed and gaping as she watched Oroku Saki rush the younger version of their family right before teenage Mikey saved them with a smoke bomb.
"We've got to get away from ourselves," Raph whispered to Mikey.
Ugh. Add that to the long list of things I never thought I'd say.
Michelangelo said nothing, only nodded in agreement. His little brother's shell fell in line behind Leo and Karai, after Leo motioned for Donnie to lead. Clearly, Leo didn't trust Karai there and Raph wondered why he brought her at all. But that was his problem, so long as she didn't go trying to screw with the past. Then it was everyone's problem.
Raph came alongside Mikey, surprised at how quiet he was being… and how serious. "What's wrong, Little Brother?"
"A lots at stake here, is all. I just hope it works out different this time." Michelangelo rubbed the back of his mask, his blue eyes searching the ground beneath his feet.
Raph's head turned at the same time his hands rose to stop Mikey. "Spill it."
Mikey straightened. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean. You're acting guilty. What do you mean, this time?"
Mikey frowned, but didn't get a chance to answer as Donnie pointed them to the opposite side of the forest from where they'd stayed as teenagers. "We can't risk running into ourselves, and we've got to find Shredder, April, and Renet."
"I know where they are," Michelangelo's voice came out low, almost a mumble.
Leo's feet stopped, Karai kept trying to pry his hand off her arm but he held firm and she couldn't budge him. "Come again?"
Mikey groaned.
"Mikey, what is going on?" Donnie pressed.
"Renet is by the water tower with Shredder. It's where he plans to release the compound. Only, April will have just escaped with it. Hun is after her. She's headed this way." Michelangelo kept his gaze to the ground, rubbing his toe in the grass as he explained. "But I don't know if she's going to make it here. He might—"
"Don't finish that sentence," Donnie interrupted then swallowed hard, his eyes shifting from Mikey to Leo then toward the water tower.
Raph was dumfounded. That sounded like a damned mess. And—
"And you know all this, how?" Leo dropped Karai's arm, for just a second, and it was as if she'd been waiting for it.
"No! Leo—" Mikey yelled, lunging for Karai, knocking Raph out of the way.
Donnie seemed to see it coming and swiped his bo towards her feet, but she dodged him easily, running off toward the dojo.
"We've got to stop her!" Mikey exclaimed.
Leo wheeled on him. "And we will, as soon as you explain how you know everything you just said!"
"Ah! Leo, you don't understand, this is exactly how things happened last time. We have to do something different to change it!"
"Different?" Raph asked, a weight settling in his chest as he stepped up to his little brother. "You sound like you've been here before, and I'm not talkin' teen you."
Michelangelo sighed. "I was here… earlier today. Ever meant to take me to an alternate future but time interfered, and we ended up here. I managed to free April, and Earlier Me is freeing Renet right now, getting the Master Scepter back in her hands. But," he shook his head, "I couldn't be everywhere at once. So, you guys are gonna have to go on without me. I've got to do something different this time. You gotta trust me."
Leo frowned, his gaze shifting from Michelangelo, to the direction Karai took off. After a second or two he nodded. "Okay, so Donnie and Raph, you guys head for the water tower, look for April. Donnie do whatever you've got to do with that compound," Leo looked at Donatello, and even though Donnie had been working on that drug or whatever it was for years he didn't hesitate. They all knew what Leo was trying to tell him. They couldn't have that stuff floating around anywhere near the past.
Leo turned to Mikey, "What is earlier you doing right now?"
"Saving Renet," Mikey answered.
"Do you succeed?" Leo's voice dropped, but he looked their youngest brother in the eye.
Mikey nodded. "Yeah, but—"
Leo shook his head. "It's alright, Mikey. I know. And I'm gonna stop her." He looked at each of us. "We have to avoid the people here, and our past selves. They can't see us. We're master ninja now guys. No one should be able to tell we were ever here. We meet back here," Leo closed his eyes, sighed. "After the fire. After the teen us, save Splinter. Then we send Shredder back to the future where he belongs, and we have him arrested."
Mikey's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.
But Raph had something to say. He didn't want to hang around for the death of Tang Shen take two. "Why after the fire, Leo?"
"Because that's how long Karai needs."
