Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.
Summary: The Madness of the Symbol has struck again, affecting one turtle in such a way that he is trapped and cut off from everyone and everything he loves. How do you cope when no one even knows you are lost? NOT a death fic! Thoughts, comments and concrit welcomed.
A/N: This is inspired by both the Madness challenge for TMNTMadness and the September Writer-Nexus challenge, 'The World Through Your Eyes' on Deviant Art.
About the Madness (excerpt taken from the TMNTMadness journal):
It's happening, a madness like no other... consuming, twisting our lovable turtles! Dragging them into the pits of darkness, changing their roles, giving them new meanings, not in a good way! The cause is truly unknown, other than this... this symbol!
What is it?
Where did it come from?
Why is it corrupting the turtles in every universe?
Spread the Madness!
Snatched
Ch 1
"Nyeer!" Michelangelo taunted in a singsong voice as he danced lightly out of Raphael's range. "You're too slow and too old to catch me, Raphie!"
"We're practically the same damned age, ya little twerp!" Raph growled menacingly as he lunged for his annoyingly agile brother. "You just act like a ten year old!"
"Yeah," Mikey laughed, "but you're only as old as you feel and since you're moving about like an old man, you must be feeling pretty ancient right now!" He dodged around the couch, keeping the seat between him and his brother, moving from side to side to keep out of Raph's shadow.
"I swear Mikey, you're askin' for it! Gonna cream ya into paste when I finally catch you!" Raph snarled, his face darkening with anger. Raph jumped onto the back of the couch before launching himself off it at Mikey. The couch fell backwards with a loud crack as it joined the rest of the overturned and knocked aside furniture in the room.
Jumping backwards, Mikey effortlessly avoided his raging brother, "Dude! You should so see your face! It almost matches your mask!" Grinning with delight at the easy sport, Mikey then quickly added, "Hey, think you can hold that pose while I get a camera?"
With mocking laughter, Mikey jumped away again before lightly springing in another random direction to avoid Raph's assault but as usual, he didn't look before he leapt. When he landed, one foot came down onto a spill created when they knocked over the coffee table earlier. His foot slipped, flying out from underneath him as he fell backwards and unable to control his fall, Mikey cried out in fright. His head slammed painfully into the corner of the table and his shell through a wooden leg, shattering it.
Raph grinned maliciously as he approached, "Got ya now, you little shi..." Suddenly Raph paused, concerned when he noticed the unnatural stillness of his fallen brother. "Mikey? Hey, you alright bro?"
There was no reply and Raph shot forward, automatically worried and all anger forgotten. "Mikey? Mikey! I swear if you're playin' stupid games again..." Raph squatted down beside his brother and reached out, recoiling slightly when he noticed blood slowly pooling from under Mikey's head. He breathed in harshly and turned his head screaming, "Donnie! Get your shell here now!"
A few moments later, Donatello emerged from the depths of the garage, covered in grease and wiping his hands on a rag. He glanced in Raph's direction in annoyance as he asked, "What now?"
Raph scowled up at Donnie before realising the genius couldn't see Mikey from his current position, the fallen couch concealing his view. "It's Mikey, he's hurt bad!"
Donnie's expression shifted to worry then anger as he dropped his grease rag and rushed to the aid of his brothers. "What did you do this time, Raph?" he asked accusingly.
"Me? I did nothin'! He slipped when I was chasin' him and hit his head!"
Donatello glanced up at Raph sharply before turning his full attention to Michelangelo. He quickly checked to make sure it was safe to move him before gently lifting Mikey's head and seeing the small but nasty gash. "Help me get him to the infirmary, I need to clean and stitch that." With that, Donnie jumped lightly to his feet and ran ahead to wash and sterilise his hands while Raph carried Mikey.
-:-
"Okay, lay him back gently Raph, I'm done," Donnie commanded, turning to put the needle and thread away. He returned moments later with a small penlight and peeled Mikey's eyelids open to shine the small light into his brother's eyes, one after the other.
Raph watched silently in concern, worry eating away at him. Nothing had been serious about that whole 'fight'. They'd both been just fooling around in their own ways, taking advantage of the fact that Splinter and Leo were away overnight for private training. He only wished they'd been more careful instead of dicking around like that in the main living area. If they'd only stopped to pick up the knocked over furniture or at least cleaned that spill immediately, Mikey would never have had that stupid accident.
"Will he be okay, Don?" he eventually asked when Donnie backed away after his examination of their injured brother.
Donnie was silent for a time, letting the consequences of what had just happened sink in before finally answering. "Mikey should be fine, Raph. It's not really a bad bump as such, he was just unfortunate enough to hit a sharp corner of the table."
"So he'll wake up soon?"
"I should think so, his vitals are fine," Donnie replied thoughtfully. "In fact, I'm somewhat surprised he hasn't already woken up."
Raph relaxed, feeling a lot better about the whole thing with Donnie's confidence fuelling him. He settled back in the chair beside the medical cot to await his brother's awakening.
-:-
Two days later, Leo and Master Splinter arrived home to find the lair unusually quiet and the living area trashed. Intense worry filled Leo as Splinter sniffed anxiously at the air.
"I smell blood."
"Sensei?"
Splinter's ears twitched, picking up sounds only he could hear. He strode directly to the infirmary adjacent to Donatello's lab, Leo close behind. As they approached, frustrated voices began to become clearer within.
"What the shell's wrong with him, Don?" Raph's angry voice came through clearly. "You said he'd be awake any time but that was two days ago!"
"I know what I said Raph," Donnie protested in exasperation. "He should have been awake long ago! I know head injuries can be unpredictable but I just really don't understand this."
"Well..."
"What has happened, my sons?" Splinter interrupted, not quite covering his anxiety as he entered the room and approached the insensate Michelangelo.
"What happened to Mikey?" Leo gasped, stopping in shock at the unnatural sight of his unusually lifeless brother. "Does it have anything to do with the mess out there?" he gestured beyond the doorway while glaring accusingly at Raph. Splinter laid a calming hand on Leo's arm and continued to look to Donatello for answers.
Donnie swallowed, dreading having to explain what happened while his father and brother were away, "Raph and Mikey... They were horsing around like normal when Mikey slipped on a puddle created from their rough housing. Mikey cut his head open on the corner of the coffee table and well... here we are..."
"The blood smelled old," Splinter pointed out, fishing for more information.
"It was two days ago..." Raph said glumly. "Don said he'd be awake by now but he isn't!" As he spoke, his distressed voice rose in volume and speed.
Splinter nodded, having heard that much before entering the room.
"His vitals are fine, Sensei! I don't understand why he's still unconscious!" Donnie insisted. "But how could I? I'm woefully unqualified to be a doctor!"
"It'll be okay, Don," Leo soothed, far calmer now as he tried to quell his brother's rising panic. "You've done your best and I know Mikey will be fine." Leo moved towards the bed to take Mikey's hand, pouring his love and strength into the unconscious turtle, hoping it would reach him.
Raph looked from Leo to Splinter and back again before asking, "An' what about you? You said you were only goin' to be away overnight!"
Splinter ignored the disrespect and pulled up a chair to sit beside his son.
"We only meant to be away overnight but we ran into some unexpected trouble," Leo explained. "It was nothing major but it did prevent us from returning soo..." Leo suddenly stopped speaking as a pained moan made itself heard from the turtle laid out on the cot.
"Mikey?"
Michelangelo's bright blue eyes flickered open slowly, his expression full of pain and disorientation but he didn't speak. He stared around the room as if seeing it for the first time and the rest of the worried family looked on with bated breath. Finally Mikey's gaze lingered on Splinter and suddenly he was moving, wrenching his right hand out of Leo's grasp as he launched himself at Splinter, flinging his arms around him and wordlessly burying his face into the rat's chest.
Splinter lifted a hand and gently pat the top of Michelangelo's head while looking towards Donatello worriedly. "Did something more happen that the two of you have yet to inform me of?"
Donnie and Raph exchanged wide-eyed, questioning looks and the former shook his head. "Not that either of us are aware of Master Splinter." Donnie moved forward and gently peeled Mikey's face away from their father. "Are you okay Mikey? Are you feeling any dizziness or light-headedness?"
Mikey nodded slowly and reluctantly pulled away from Splinter. "I've got a mega, raging headache but otherwise, I'm fine Don," he finally answered, his voice rough from two days without use. "Um... what happened to me?"
Donnie stared at Mikey in apprehension and confusion, "You don't remember?"
Mikey kept his gaze fixed on the genius but shook his head carefully while the rest of the family exchanged scared glances.
"You riled Raph up again and led him on a merry chase through the living room. At some point, you slipped and fell, hitting your head," Donnie explained calmly, too calmly. "I had to give you several stitches."
"Oh..." Mikey reached his right hand up to touch the stitches and Donnie gently but firmly caught his hand and pulled it away.
"Don't touch them," he chided. "Does any of that ring any bells, Mikey?"
Mikey's hesitation was obvious as he seemed to mull it over. "Yeah, I think so."
Donnie frowned then asked, "What's the last thing you actually remember?"
Mikey hesitated again before saying, "My head hurts too much to think right now..."
"Like ya need an excuse," Raph muttered loud enough to earn a glance from the normally hyper turtle.
"I think... I'm tired and sore, Donnie," Mikey said quietly. "Mind if I just get some sleep for now?"
"Of course," Donnie replied with a slight frown. "Get some more rest but if you have any further issues, make sure you come to me, okay Mikey?"
Mikey gave his brother a faint, pained smile, "Sure Don. Can... someone please help me to my room? I'll feel a lot more comfortable there."
"Sure brat." Raph stood, then helped Mikey to his feet and gently led him from the room.
As the others watched the slow, wobbly progress of the two brightly adorned brothers, Donnie faced Leo and Splinter, worry and uncertainty filling his voice. "I know better than anyone here how head injuries can have unpredictable consequences but I really would not have thought such a relatively minor injury to have affected him this badly. I just don't understand it!"
-:-
Mikey moaned as he woke. Everything ached terribly and he was more exhausted than he could ever remember feeling at any previous time in his life. It felt ten times worse than when he had that flu several years back with the the days long, seemingly non-stop coughing fits. The mere thought of even trying to open his eyes right now was too much effort so he didn't fight it and instead just let himself flop back.
Eventually, finding himself unable to sleep again, Mikey frowned. He was cold but it was an odd kind of cold and he really couldn't work out just why he felt so tired either. It wasn't as if he had been sick lately and the last thing he could remember was playing with Raph so it wasn't like he'd been caught up in a fight for his life that lasted for hours, or worse, days. As far as he could remember, there was absolutely nothing to account for this bleargh feeling.
Mikey finally forced his eyes open, taking in a sharp breath of fright at the unexpected yet pervasive pitch darkness completely surrounding him. He tried to lift a hand in front of his face but besides the exhaustion hampering his efforts, he also felt weird, almost weightless, and he was unable to tell as he waved his hand if he seriously just could not see or feel the movement or if he was actually unable to move. Something he remembered Donnie once saying about what being in a sensory deprivation unit would be like came to mind and his fear spiked anew at the possibility.
He shivered and tried to wrap his arms around himself for warmth and comfort but he still couldn't see or feel a thing and the rising panic bubbled to the surface unbidden.
Raph, Donnie! Mikey called desperately. Help me!
There was no response but Mikey at least felt calmer when he realised he could at least hear his own voice, even if it did sound kind of peculiar. He worked hard to calm his breathing the way Splinter taught him years ago when he he'd awaken, terrified of the nightmares that routinely plagued his sleep back then.
Guys? Mikey tried again. Can anyone hear me?
The absolute silence following his cries was deafening but finally a strangely familiar but older sounding voice responded. 'I see you are finally aware. It's about time.'
Mikey stilled, trying to place where he'd heard the voice before.
'I've never had anyone put up as strong a fight as you before,' the voice continued, sounding somewhat impressed, 'but I was beginning to think that maybe I'd accidentally smothered you into oblivion. I'm glad to see I was wrong.'
Who are you? Mikey asked hurriedly. Something about that disembodied voice was way too creepy and disturbing and he was willing to admit, it was freaking him out. Where am I? What the shell have you done to me? The questions tumbled at increasing speed from Mikey like verbal diarrhoea.
The voice chuckled and Mikey shuddered. By this time, he could barely contain his breathing and it was all he could do not to hyperventilate. He still couldn't see or feel anything and other than the extremely ominous voice floating within the darkness, he couldn't hear anything else either, not even his own breathing which felt close to being out of control. It was almost enough to send him over the edge.
You better not have hurt my family! Mikey yelled, using threats to cover his fear. And what do you mean, 'smothered into oblivion'?
'Just relax, Michelangelo,' the mocking voice interrupted. 'There's plenty of time for answers. In fact, you have the rest of your 'life' for them.' He laughed and the sound was not only familiar but extremely unpleasant to Mikey's hearing. Almost malevolent, if Mikey had to pick a single, descriptive word. He shuddered again.
Who are you? And how do you know my name? Mikey would have cringed back into the dark but not only wasn't he sure he was even able to move but he couldn't even tell the direction the voice came from. It seemed to be everywhere and nowhere all at once.
'Don't you recognise your own voice, Michelangelo?'
Mikey froze.
'I'm you, Michelangelo or rather, another you from an alternate reality and your body now belongs to me.'
-:-
To be continued