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Chapter 6: Turtle Prime
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Raphael
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New York City, 1984 (Turtle Prime)
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This was it. Leo should be here, somewhere. And I had a pretty good idea where: the Technodrome. We ran towards it, and the source turtles came up with a brilliant idea to get the door open, calling for and baiting Shredder out. We approached and all hid but them.
"Shredder!" Source Leo called. "We are here!"
"Shredder, face us!" Source Don shouted, goading.
…
"Shredder, do you fear us?" My source counterpart taunted after a pause.
…
"I am here. Come and face your—ahaaahhh" the Source Shredder cried, appearing out of nowhere and disappearing just as quickly as my brothers and I threw rocks and trash cans at him, knocking the distraction, the wrong Shredder, off the building he was standing on. Source Leo motioned us back down and we hid again.
"You speak my name, but you do not know me. I am Churel, Oroku Saki, the one true Shredder, destroyer of worlds, and I fear no one!" Shredder declared.
"Told you he'd take the bait," Source Leo gloated, our cue to join the fight, leaping into action with a cry.
If there's one constant in the universe, it's the Shredder's big, fat, ego.
"Still alive…how can this be? Unless…" The Shredder gasped, then turning to see Karai,
"Karai, you?!"
"Yes father, I used the matter transporter to rescue the turtles from your scanner. And that's not all," She declared, as Krang, the wimpy 1987 Shredder, and…Master Splinter ran forward out of the Technodrome!
"Today my sons do not fight alone!" Splinter declared. I saw as his eyes scanned us all to make sure we were all safe, looking relieved at first but then disbelieving as he searched fruitlessly for Leo. My heart constricted at the despair evident in his features. "Leonardo…"
Karai heard him moan his son's name under his breath and also noticed the absence of her ally, the turtle she cared about the most. Her eyes widened. But before either could speak, the Shredder spoke for them.
"But, my my, where is Leonardo?" Shredder purred. The Leonardos from the 1987 and the Turtle Prime dimensions stiffened but did not answer, knowing that he was talking about my Leo. "Karai," he turned to her, "did you miss one?" I saw her face pale, her eyes widening further still as she thought with horror on the possibility.
"No…no, I couldn't have. I set all eight plates to transmit, and they were only set to the one place…" she turned to me in confusion, "Where is Leonardo? What happened to him?" My stomach dropped, my guts turned to ice. Leo hadn't been transmitted with the rest of us; Karai just confirmed it. He was left behind. He hadn't gotten out. My brother was gone.
No…No Leo! NOOO!!! My stomach plummeted, pushed down by the grief as I heard Karai despair and the Shredder laugh. It was all over, all for naught. I fought to control my breathing, realizing why my breaths were so erratic as I fought the sob trying to wrack my body, working to maintain my composure and channel it into anger and vengeance. Aware that my brothers were grieving all around me, unable to really care about the possible end-of-the-world-thing. Our brother really was gone.
"Leo," Mikey moaned. "No."
"Seriously?" Shredder mocked, "You forgot the leader, the most important one. Leonardo, of all of them, was the only one broken up into nonexistence. How delightfully rich!" Suddenly it wasn't so difficult to push my grief down and allow the anger to surface, because suddenly there was a lot more anger. There was still reason to fight. Leo would be disappointed in me if I let this stop me from saving the source turtles, and in doing so our brothers and counterparts everywhere, as well as every universe that supported them. This fight wasn't over. We weren't done. I lifted my chin, straightening up I drew my sai and screamed:
"For Leo!" Then leapt at Shredder, my brothers, all of them, right beside me.
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Leonardo
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New York City, 1984 (Turtle Prime)
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We reappeared in a very dark, gray world, full of the noise of explosions. It wasn't hard to find the Technodrome, as it was carving a path of destruction wherever it went. I was excited, keyed up to find out if we had to fight this fight alone, or if my brothers were here. I didn't have to wait long to find out, hearing a voice I had been hearing for the past week, but from a different source.
"For Leo!" Raph screamed, my Raph, then leapt at Shredder, leading the rest of our brothers and counterparts in the attack.
For me? They must think that I'm dead, or nonexistent. I glanced to the side at the future Raph and Angel, looking for their reactions. Raph's face hardened at the sound of my Raph's battle cry, coming to the same conclusion I did.
"Well come on," Angel urged. "They must think you're dead, so let's hurry to show them otherwise." I nodded, and ran.
I turned the corner and gasped, seeing the Shredder, somehow now giant sized, scoop up what must be the source turtles. A wave of pain hit me, but worse, I saw my family writhing in pain as well…and disappearing. I leapt up, bouncing off of the buildings and the Shredder himself until I stood on his glove, hearing my brothers screaming in pain and feeling myself disappearing, I sliced into a finger, trying to pry it open with my katana.
"Aahhh," the Shredder shouted, releasing the source turtles just enough to allow them to slip out. The pain and pressure stopped, and I felt myself, and saw my family, reappearing, looking up to see what saved them, and seeing me, standing atop of the Shredder's fist, swords raised and bandana flapping in the wind.
"LEO!" my Raph screamed in elation, "You're alive!"
"Yeah! Leo!" I heard Mikey cry.
"Go Leo!" Donny added in jubilation.
I was so relieved I could cry. My brothers were alive, they existed, and they were right here. Unfortunately, so was the Shredder. I hadn't really hurt him with that attack, just startled him, and was not quick enough to leap away. He caught me as I dropped, scooping me back up, sounding delighted.
"Leonardo, why, we were just talking about you. Nice of you to join the party. You would show up just in the nick of time to save the day, right?" He laughed, squeezing me just enough to make me groan and writhe with the pain of it, squeezed harder and I couldn't help but scream. He shook me…and then threw me into a building. I fell what seemed like a very long way and landed in a heap on the street, unable to move as the Shredder hovered above me, gauntlet blade drawn back for a final strike.
Unbelievable. I had gone through so much to find my brothers and get back to them. So much, and it was all going to end after 20 seconds. Why had I brought Raph and Angel here?
I realized, ears ringing and blood trickling from my mouth and nose, that the fight raged on around me, and every once in a while I heard my name called as a brother tried and failed to come to my side. I couldn't answer. I couldn't even look up to see who called. The world faded to black, and disappeared.
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Future Raphael
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New York City, 1984, (Turtle Prime)
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I saw as the Shredder grabbed Leo, heard him scream from the pain of being crushed by the giant metal hand, saw him flung into a brick wall, and fall several stories to the concrete below, to lie unmoving and bloody. The dust puffed up from where he fell, floating down serenely to settle and stick in the blood in such stark juxtaposition with the violence of the moment before that it seemed sinister.
Leo, Little Leo, my big brother and former leader's counterpart, the constant reminder of how it used to be, all I had left of a family torn apart by fighting and war, my friend and my savior—just a kid with his heart in the right place—left seemingly dead in the dirt for saving us all. He didn't move, and yet the Shredder was about to strike him again, to make sure he was dead, like all the rest of my family. I saw all of this, and I cracked.
I ran—no, I flew to him, leaping into Shredder's face to distract, landing blow after ineffective blow. But I suppose it wasn't ineffective, since my only real concern was keeping him away from Leo. His other brothers, plus our counterparts from the Source and the 1987 dimensions that Leo told me about, were fighting around me, fighting to drive Shredder back, to protect Leo. Angel fought by my side, and yet we were doing nothing to the Shredder.
I became aware that one of the other Raphs, his Raph, had left the fight and was at Leo's side, trying to move him out of the way and to safety. He must have realized the same thing I did: we weren't winning this fight any time soon. Shredder saw too, and laughed, ignoring our blows completely as he drew back his blades once more. Raph hadn't gotten to the alley yet. There wasn't anything he could do but twist his body so that he shielded Leo, since they were trapped by the wall. I saw in his face as he raised a sai in a nearly pointless gesture that he wasn't going to move to let Shredder have Leo. Well, we had that much in common.
I leapt, pushing my counterpart and Leo out of the way of the blow.
I got them out. They're ok…
My last thought before the Shredder's blade found me was of Leo, my Leo, and I as kids, just as they were now, and a thankfulness that at least this family wouldn't be separated so tragically washed over me. We deserved to be happy in at least one universe.
I heard Angel scream my name, felt a flash of pain…
Then nothing.
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Raphael
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New York City, 1984, (Turtle Prime)
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Leo was still alive. I had to check again as I picked him up to begin dragging him away from the fight. He was still alive. See? That's a pulse, and there, see how his chest rises and falls? He's still alive. He's still alive. He's alive. I kept reassuring myself, and I moved as quickly as I could to get him away.
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I hadn't been able to believe it when he showed up like some superhero to save the day, posing grandly and grinning down at us, clearly as relieved to see us as we were to see him. The other me, looking pretty worse for wear with more wrinkles and scars both and only one eye, along with what looked like a much older Angel who arrived with him threw me, but after Donny gasped my name, looking at the other me, and I really looked at his face, a memory came to me of Donny marveling at Mikey's and my health and youth upon our reunion, I had more of an inkling of where Leo had been all this time.
Could it be that he was sent to the same dimension where Donny was sent before? Why? And Don had said that all of our counterparts there died…how was mine still alive? I stared at him for a moment, noting the fresh scar across his chest, "he was sliced open, trying to avenge Leo" I remembered Donny telling us, and the look in his eyes. Maybe he survived…but Leo and Mikey's counterparts must not have…that was a horrible thought. Imagine being alone, the only one left. I couldn't, absolutely couldn't fathom it. No wonder he wanted to come back with Leo. Imagine finding a brother after being alone for so long…and the brother who you nearly died while trying to crawl towards too…Yikes. I tore my gaze away as I heard a terrifying sound: Leo screaming in pain.
"Leo!?" I cried out for an answer as I oriented myself to the sound.
My head snapped back to where my brother was now writhing in pain, much as our source turtle counterparts had been before he saved them, then watched as he was flung through the air and into a building several stories up…to land unmoving in the street in front of me.
"LEO! NO!!!!" I screamed, terrified by how still he was, already running towards them as he hit the pavement, leaping on Shredder to push him back and away as he raised his blades to finish Leo off.
"No!" I tore at him, ripping away at his armor in fury, desperate to get at the alien scum inside. I wanted to hurt him, destroy him, eliminate this threat to my family, but his armor was unyielding. I could see that all we were achieving was knocking him back, so I figured I'd have to try a different strategy. As soon as Shredder was far enough away I left him to the rest of our group, tearing back to Leo, who remained exactly as he had fallen.
"Leo? Leo! Answer me!" I shouted in his face, my voice cracking in panic, crashing to my knees and reaching a hand out to feel for a pulse. I was terrified, absolutely terrified that there wouldn't be one. And after all we'd gone through, thinking he had been broken down, then searching for him, thinking he was gone again, to find out that he had been safe the entire time, get one glimpse of him, and then lose him again? I couldn't. He had to be ok.
"Come on Fearless, please," I begged as I touched my finger to his neck.
There was a pulse. He had a pulse.
Leo was still alive.
I picked him up and started to drag him away from the fight. Unable to help myself from checking his pulse again, needing that reassurance.
He was still alive.
See? That's a pulse, and there, see how his chest rises and falls? He's still alive. He's still alive. He's alive. I kept reassuring myself, and I moved as quickly as I could to get him away.
It wasn't quick enough. The shadow of the Shredder fell upon us and I heard his laugh. We were too far away from any door, alley, or side street. There was no escape from this, but that didn't mean that I wasn't going to try. I twisted my body so I shielded Leo from him, drew a sai and prepared to fight for my brother's life. No, I knew that it was hopeless to think I would have any chance to put up much of a fight. I prepared to give my life. I had seen what it was like to lose him through my own experience, and had seen it in my counterpart's eyes what it had done to him. I refused to go through that. I would do everything in my power to save my brother.
But suddenly, I didn't have to. Suddenly I felt a strong push and, keeping my hold on Leo, felt myself fly through the air, twisting to keep my body between the ground and his limp and already battered body, and landed hard on concrete with his dead weight on top of me.
In our place was my counterpart, now pinned to the wall by the point of Shredder's blade.
"RAPH!!!" Angel screamed. "NOOO!!!" She tore towards us and reached his side just as Mikey and Don reached mine…just as Shredder ripped the blade from his shoulder.
"Raph, you promised! You promised us you wouldn't follow them. You promised you'd come back!" She cried, catching him as he slid down the wall, cradling his head to her body and pressing her hands to his wound.
"This is fun!" Shredder cackled, "Two turtles down, only the entire Multiverse of turtles to go!" as he turned back towards the source turtles. They narrowed their eyes, and everyone but Leo, the other Raph, and his Angel leapt to knock him back and into the Technodrome's beam. He screamed.
"Looks like we just found something he's vulnerable to!" 1987 Donatello shouted, pointing at the damage.
"Yeah: turtles," my source counterpart growled.
"The Technodrome." Donny stated.
"Hmm, go figure." Krang noted.
"Get him into that beam!" I shouted, leading the charge. We bum rushed him, pushing him back into it, giving it our all. He screamed when he stumbled into it. He screamed…and he disappeared.
"The Shredder, has been shredded," Leo's source counterpart couldn't resist quipping.
We all ran back to the three on the ground. Leo and my counterpart were pale, much too pale.
"Come on! We have to get them medical attention," Donny urged as he powered up the trans-dimensional portal-stick. We gathered around him and our counterparts surrounded us, looking sincerely concerned.
Our goofball, 1987 counterparts bid us farewell tearfully, hugging me as they stared wide eyed at my Leo, and shot quick furtive glances at the other Raph. Mikey offered them affectionate noggies and they managed smiles as their Donatello nodded to ours to activate the portal-stick. Donny offered a tight smile in return, saying:
"Thank you for fighting by our side, brothers. Farewell," before sending them back to their own dimension. Seeing them go was hard. They had been so cheerful, so blissfully naïve, that the dark world around us seemed somehow even more grim without them.
The Technodrome and its inhabitants followed them quickly, popping out of this dimension as if it had never been here.
Leo's source counterpart looked at my Leo for a moment before turning to me and placing his hand on my shoulder, much as Leo was wont to do in tense situations. I almost lost it.
"It seems you were right about him. We owe him our lives. He is brave and selfless, and clearly pretty damn tough too. He'll be ok," he assured me. The tightness in my throat made a verbal response impossible, but I nodded to show my appreciation. He stepped back to join his brothers, looking much less dark in the way they drew together around him and their Raph, seemingly unconsciously as they looked on in worry at ours.
Their Leo raised his hand in a final farewell as Donny hit the switch and we ported out of there and back into our own world, which had thankfully reappeared.
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