This story takes place between the 2012 episodes "Wormquake" and "The Wrath of Tigerclaw".
-2012 dimension-
"Kraang must know where the Kraang sent to the Dimensional Gateway have gone. The Kraang have not returned." The robot's face was expressionless but the Kraang in its chest had eyes that were full of anger. Thirty or so Kraang droids had been sent nearly an hour ago to the 2003 dimension - where the Technodrome - and hadn't returned, or even contacted the 2012 dimension at all.
"I don't know," Karai said, butting in on the conversation with a sarcastic remark. "Maybe they ditched you because they know we are never getting to Turtle Prime. The progress bar has been stuck on freakin' seventy-one percent for over an hour! ...So tell me - " with a flash of silver, Karai pulled out a small knife and pressed it close to the alien's face - "What is so special about this 'Technodrome'? Why waste your time on getting to it? Don't think I don't know the Kraang that left an hour ago were going to the dimension it's in."
The Kraang stared at the dagger in its face, trying to keep its mouth shut tight, but as Karai pressed the tip right against its slimy pink skin, the Kraang broke down. "The Technodrome was stolen from Kraang. Kraang intends on retrieving it, sooner rather than later from what is known as the thief."
"Is that so?" Karai said simply, a thin half smile inching up her face. "Well, how about you tell your friends to retrieve that stupid golfball on wheels later rather than sooner!" She said it loud enough that all the Kraang heard it, and thus there was no need to keep the Kraang she was talking to alive. After the destroyed robot fell to the ground, she looked at the hostile-looking robots surrounding her. She poised herself again, reminding them that she was the Shredder's daughter (but how long would that threat matter to the Kraang, now that Shredder was stuck in a hopeless adventure through the multi-verse?). "What are you all staring at?" she roared. "Get back to work!" Pointing up to the progress bar, which instantly expanded - pushing the video coverage of Shredder into the corner once again. As the Kraang put all of their energy back into analyzing where Turtle Prime was from the source DNA, the progress bar began to inch closer to one-hundred percent yet again.
-2003 dimension-
Casey Jones03 ran, his footfalls like thunder in the silent Lair with a hockey stick held in his hands like a sword. Shouting his infamous battle cry, the man leapt into the shadowy corner, only to see a large chunk of the shadow leap away from him - taking form as a man in silver, spiky armor with a burned face that no doubt had many stories to tell.
April03 watched unseen from the corner, Splinter's arm draped around her shoulder as he used her like a crutch. Casey Jones ran after the Shredder, swinging his stick like a maniac, his actions in vain as the Shredder dodged every attack with malevolent grace. "Casey, look out!"
Too late. One swift, unexpected kick and Casey was flying - soaring ten feet to land right between the couch and television - totally unconcscious. "Casey!" April tried to hold herself together, glaring at the Shredder. She would fight him if it came to that, but there was little hope that she could do anything against him immense power. The Shredder was less than a god, but more than a man.
Shredder walked towards them, the prideful way he walked suggesting that he already owned a world without ninja turtles. April bit her lip, feeling the world get darker as the man's tall shadow came over her. Shredder held his fist up - and without warning - pointy spikes two feet long, easily long enough to skewer anyone who got in the Shredder's way. She could see the glint in Shredder's one good eye, as if he was saying "Wat'cha gonna do now?"
Suddenly, April's fear completely leaked out of her, replaced with sheer anger and adrenaline. He would she what she could do. She leapt off the ground, pushing Splinter back, a few feet away from the Shredder. April soared through the air, her fist making contact with an unarmored part of Shredder's arm. Her tight frown became a smile, and as she landed she prepared to attack again. But before she even moved, something caught her in the chest. Pain rippled through her and she fell to her knees, then onto her chest - eyes closed. The last thing she saw was Splinter, struggling to stand as Shredder took towards him.
She had failed.
-2012 dimension-
"Okay, Casey, all done," Donatello12 said, brushing his hands off. Casey stood up, wincing a little, examining the wrappings around his foot. He gave Donatello12 a friendly thumbs-up and hobbled out of the room. Donatello12 watched him go, knowing that while Casey would heal just fine he wouldn't be able to fight anytime soon.
Across the lab, Donatello96 had finished disinfecting a cut on Raphael03's hand and wrapping it up, and for once the red-masked turtle wasn't pestering the 1996 turtle, letting him know crystal clear that he thought the 1996 turtles were useless. Clumsy, weaponless, cartoony, and useless. But though he hadn't insulted Donatello96, he didn't thank him either - just settling for purposely shouldering him on his way out, sneering. Donatello96 watched him go, scowling like he had something to retort, arms folded over the metal clasp that displayed his initial. He mumbled some choice words under his breath, in Japanese.
"Just ignore him," Raphael89 advised. The red-masked turtle was still leaning against the wall, and had been for quite a while, trying to ignore the tight wrappings around his head and over his shoulder and left hand. "He's not worth listening to. I can't believe I'm supposed to be the same turtle as him."
"Raphael's really not as bad as you think," Donatello03 said, defending his brother. He placed the tools back in the first-aid kit, snapping it shut a little too tight. "Just, you know...anger issues."
April12 leaned across the table some distance away from Donatello12, watching adamently as Donatello13 and Donatello87 toiled over a new version of the Gravity Gauntlet, working off of each other's ideas like a well-oiled machine. April had a small band-aid on the back of her hand, an easily handled injury from sparring with Leonardo12 a few minutes ago. Donatello12 couldn't take her eyes off her. He loved the way her blue eyes warmed up the room around her, and her kindness, and everything else about her. Donatello12 didn't notice that he was leaning over his anatomy textbook, elbows on the pages and his head in his hands as he admired her from afar.
"No, I think you should put that piece there - " Donatello13 said, brushing away Donatello87's hand.
"Hmm...No."
April perked up. "How about there? Between the generator and those wires."
Donatello13 and Donatello87 looked at the spot, their eyes slowly lighting up with realization. "Perfect!"
April laughed lightly and finally turned to leave the Lair and get back to sparring with Leonardo12. He went easy on her, but for someone on her level it was still great practice. She waved to Donatello12 as she left, smiling at the way he waved back so eagerly.
As soon as April left, Donatello12 realized that he was blushing red, a contented smile on his face, and he was leaning far over his textbook. Quickly, he readjusted himself, pretending to be engrossed in the words. But he hardly took them in.
A distance away, Donatello03 and Donatello90 shared a smug smile, knowing just what was going on. Donatello90 stepped across the room, and Donatello12 knew he was coming, and his face became beet red as he realized other turtles had noticed his affection for April. He pressed his face closer to the pages, sneakily glancing up at Donatello90 as he came closer, dreading what he knew was coming.
"Is it just my imagination, or do you have a thing for April?"
Donatello12 didn't look up. "Nope. Definitely not." But he stuttered nervously, and his tone was wrong, letting the words he'd said betray him.
"What an odd predicament. Does she know you like her?"
A shrug was the only reply Donatello90 got. But Donatello12's shoulders didn't go back down, his head hunched nervously between them as he considered pulling into his shell to avoid all of this. His eyes anxiously wondered the room, noticing a lot of the Donatellos staring at him, judging him.
"You like her! You like her!" Donatello96 cheered across the room like a small child, jeering and pointing. He had to lean against the table to steady himself, his small body shaking with laughter.
"You really think you have a chance with her?" Donatello07 asked curiously, but not in a mean tone, just poking fun.
Donatello12 still didn't like the question. He flipped to a new page in his textbook, trying hard not to reply to any of their remarks, but they cut deep like knives.
"You like her! You like her!" Donatello96 cheered again, making the other Donatellos in the group laugh. Donatello12 muttered something under his breath, afraid to speak up.
It was at that moment that Leonardo12 chose to enter the lab, finally finished sparring with April. Lucky for Donatello12, she hadn't chosen to follow Leonardo12 into the lab. No one noticed Leonardo12, and he watched as the other Donatellos teased Donatello12 over April. This was probably all in good fun for everyone but Donatello12, who looked miserable. Leonardo12 hoped no here would find out he had once liked Karai, if this is what would come of it.
"Have you kissed her yet?" Donatello03 asked, smirking.
Donatello96 echoed the same question, following it with exaggerated kissing noises. "Mwa-mwa-mwa!"
Donatello12 now looked a lot more angry than scarred. His hands clutched the sides of his chair hard, like they would end up hitting someone if not otherwise occupied. Even from across the room, a sympathizing Leonardo12 could see Donatello12's deep brown irises fading to white, the black in the middle doing so as well. This usually only happened when the turtles went into battle, full of rage, and that was no good sign.
"How long have you liked her?" Donatello89 asked, getting in on the act. "Was it love at first sight?"
"Mwa-mwa-mwa!" Donatello96 added, chuckling.
Donatello12 was now breathing heavily, shoulders heaving, like he had just run ten miles. He didn't trust himself to speak. Now it wasn't just the Donatellos in the room laughing, but all the awake turtles with injuries were smiling to themselves with silent laughter.
Donnie C doubled over with laughter, barely getting out his words. "Any - any d-dates yet, lover boy?"
Donatello13 was the only one in the group that hadn't joined in mocking Donatello12. He looked like he empathized with Donatello12, like Donatello13 was getting mocked as well, sharing the punches. After all, Donatello13 did have a slight crush on the April in his dimension. He'd missed her so much over the past day or so, having left her behind.
"Mwa-mwa-mwa!" Donatello96 said yet again. It was the only thing he could think to say.
"Do you think she likes you back?" Donatello03 asked.
The teasing voices and the words that came with them swirled around Donatello12 like a hailstorm, attacking him, breaking him. He didn't know how much more he could take. His pleads for them to stop couldn't be heard over the turmoil.
Now Donatello87 spoke. "Is she your girlfriend?"
That was the last straw, the thing that made Donatello12 snap. The way Donatello87 had said girlfriend, drawn out and in a mocking tone, reminding Donatello12 exactly of the the way his brothers would say the same word when also teasing him about April. "ENOUGH!" He stood up quick, sending his chair skidding backwards to the wall. He rushed around the table, lunging for the closest Donatello to him.
Donatello03 fell down, trying to fight off Donatello12. The turtle's eyes were unusually white, as bright and threatening as Donatello03's. Donatello12 broke Donatello03's defenses, punching him hard.
"Aargh!" Donatello03 growled, gritting his teeth against the pain.
Donatello12 groaned as well, instantly clutching his left arm in the exact area he'd punched Donatello03. He doubled over, never letting go of his arm. He breath caught up to him, becoming slow and measured. Slowly, gradually, his eyes returned to normal and he found himself atop Donatello03 - pinning him down. With horror, he'd realized what he'd done. He looked around him, to the Donatellos surrounding him, rubbing their arms as well. He remembered they were all connected, the same but different. That punch had only hurt himself.
"Donnie!" Leonardo12 called, shocked by how quickly this had escalated. He'd never seen his brother like this.
"Seriously!" Donatello03 shouted, once the pain had faded. He pushed Donatello12 off of him and scrambled to his feet. Donatello12 stumbled into the lab table, looking sorry and embarrassed. The teasing had ascended into a fight, at least for a few seconds until Donatello12 had grasped what had happened. This must be what Raphael felt like when he was angry - out of control and outnumbered a million-to-one. Everyone was glaring at Donatello12 now, like he'd been the one to start all of this. He couldn't take this anymore, and he used the only option his panicked brain could think up.
He ran.
Donatello13 held up his arm and turned on his newly updated Gravity Gauntlet, catching Donatello12 in its clutches. Donatello12 raised him into the air, and Donatello13 kept him there, watching him struggle. "LET ME GO!"
"We're sorry, Donnie!" Donatello87 said, pleading. There was a chorus of yeahs, accompanied with nods. "We didn't realize how far we were going with this We didn't know what we'd done until we'd already done it." That reminded Donatello12 again of the punch he'd thrown, and the turtle shouted once more.
"Let me go!" His voice was weaker, miserable.
Donatello12 didn't know why he'd let some light-hearted teases bother him so bad. Maybe it was because all the voices of so many Donatellos had reminded him of the voices that swirled around in his head every day, telling him what he was and what he couldn't be. Words like "Do you really think you have a chance with April?", "- Your girlfriend..", "You're a freak!" "If you want to impress April, then leave me out of it", and even "No more talking mutants in my live! I never want to see you again!"
"Sorry, brother," Donatello13 said, letting Donatello12 drop to the ground with a heavy thud once he saw Donatello12 had calmed down. He hadn't even mocked Donatello12, but he felt guilty for not trying to stop it.
Donatello07 helped Donatello12 to his feet, giving him a sad smile. Leonardo12 came over and asked his brother if he was okay. He was thankful no one in the Lair had heard the chaos, coming into the lab.
"I'm fine," Donatello12 said, rubbing the back of his head nervously. The room felt stuffy and overcrowded, like the walls from shrinking. While he forgave the Donatellos, he decided to leave the lab with Leonardo12. The two brothers took a place behind the television in the Lair and began to practice sparring - since a lot of the Michelangelos had taken the dojo for an all-out free-for-all battle/dance party. The Michelangelos seemed to be happy even when the multi-verse was on the verge of destruction.
The sparring didn't last long, as Donatello12's thoughts were in other places. Leonardo12 won without even breaking a sweat. After the battle, Leo C approached him out of no where and brought him into the kitchen area - telling him the Leonardos were all about to do something important - not even taking notice of Donatello12 there.
-2003 dimension-
April03's eyes flickered open, catching the world in a dizzy haze. She couldn't gauge the distance Shredder was from Splinter and her eyes slid down yet again. She fought to pull herself up, shaking herself awake. She had to stop Shredder from hurting Splinter. She and Casey had promised to protect him and Casey was already knocked out.
"You do not know what you are doing, Oroku Saki," Splinter said calmly, backing up as Shredder approached. "The world will fall apart around you and yet you will steal seek revenge against those who never hurt you!"
Shredder said nothing in reply. There was a pause - no noise, no movement, everyone holding their breath - and in a shocking move, Shredder12 lunged ten feet across the Lair towards Splinter. The rat fell to the ground, pinned down by the Shredder. He barely moved his head in time to avoid Shredder's sharp blades.
"NO!" April shouted. She scrambled to her feet and hobbled as fast as she could across the room. Shredder looked up, saw her coming, and kicked backwards towards her.
April used a large chunk of the little reserve of energy she had left to dodge the kick, gracefully flipping backwards to avoid it. Once safe, she steadied herself and lunged for Shredder. Her fists were blurs, striking hard. Shredder growled and got onto his feet. She leapt away as Shredder grabbed at her, and then suddenly leapt back towards him, hooking her legs around his neck and bringing him slamming to the ground. She rolled away before Shredder landed on her, using all the skills she had learned over the years.
Now she was completely out of energy, her breath quick. Her bones ached deep and she didn't move from the ground, staring back and forth from unconscious Casey, to Splinter, to Shredder approaching her. There was nothing more she could do, but she had done all she needed to, distacting Shredder and allowing Splinter to get back to his feet.
She looked at Splinter. He was standing tall, leaning on his cane. Shredder was completely distacted, marching towards April. Why wasn't Splinter leaving, running for his life? April turned her blazing green eyes on him and mouth "Go" before she felt the hefty punch to her gut.
Her bright eyes met Shredder's maleficent dark, shadowed ones and she watched - almost in slow-motion - as he brought up his meaty fist again and brought in back down, this time with the claws drawn out. April bit her lip, holding back tears as she felt the claws lightly glide against her skin, ripping it only a little - just a small hint of the torture Shredder would bring soon.
But as Shredder prepared for his next attack, something stuck him, hard. "Oomph!" He was sent tumbling away, and where Shredder had been seconds before stood Splinter, tired and weary, holding out his hand for April to grab. She took it, standing up. And she watched worriedly as Splinter went in for another attack on Shredder, so full of adrenaline he hardly noticed his injured leg.
-1984 dimension- (Turtle Prime)
After all of these years, the turtle Primes knew to leave Raphael Prime well enough alone when he was in a bad mood. Forbidden to leave the Lair until the mystery of the phantom pain was solved, all that could be heard for hours on end were loud cuss words and battle cries as Raphael practiced endlessly, letting out his frustration with swift attacks from his sai. He didn't care what he hit - the wall, the practice dummies - but the other turtles knew to leave him be, let it be them he practiced on.
Splinter sat with the rest of the turtles, watching with a quiet sadness as they grimaced over the indescribable pain they all had. It was strong, and spreading. Donatello Prime had, over the hours, described the feeling of being shot, thrown, kicked, punched, and tripped, and had long ago given up on finding a cure, or had at least taken a break on it. He couldn't cure something if he didn't know what it was. So he listened closely as Michelangelo and Leonardo, and occasionally Splinter, described what they felt, with him taking careful notes.
"What does this mean, Donnie?" Michelangelo Prime asked for what was probably the hundredth time. But it didn't annoy Donatello to hear the question again, because his mind was already playing it on loop. He shrugged.
Another swear word broke the night, and there was no doubt Raphael was suffering hard as well.
"Does this have to do with those turtle wannabes that came over to our dimension last month?" Leonardo Prime asked gruffly, folding his arms. "That event was just something so big, I can't imagine it not having any repercussions."
"True," Donatello replied,"From what those turtles had told us, the turtles of other dimensions had never met before that event, so we really have no idea how big or small the consequences of bringing together multiple dimensions could be. The dimensions were always supposed to be separate."
Splinter said,"But the most pressing question is whether this pain we all feel is a month-late aftershock from the joining of the dimensions, or if it the consequence of something new, not what happened last month, and so huge that its effects are rippling through out this 'multi-verse' you told me of."
There was a silence for a few minutes, in which not even Raphael, stuck in the dojo, cussed or did anything loud. Everyone thought quietly to themselves and were surprised to see Raphael Prime walk back into the Lair some time later, but not from the direction of the dojo. He came from the tunnels instead, liked he'd been somewhere without his brothers knowing it. He looked calmed down, but still angry and in pain. "Yo."
"Raphael!" Leonardo said, standing up adruptly. "Where did you go? Please don't tell me you went up to the surface!"
"Okay, fearless, I didn't go topside," Raphael Prime said sarcastically. "Just gotta let you know, we're not alone in this. April and Casey are feeling the pain, too. Especially Casey."
"How do you know that?" Michelangelo asked.
"I went top-side and called them in a phone booth," Raphael Prime said, shrugging. He turned around and strutted back into the dojo, smirking at Leonardo's seething expression. The leader hated it when his brothers, especially Raphael, ignored his orders. He dropped back onto the ground, arms folded tightly, and didn't join in on the conversation between Donatello, Michelangelo, and Splinter anymore.
-2012 dimension-
A group of Leonardos huddled around the table in the kitchen area of the Lair, their voices rising as their argument became more and more powerful. When working separately with their own brothers, they were sensible and tactical, but together they only were competitive and rash, trying to grab the leader position they were so used to.
"We need to go back after Shredder now!" commanded Leonardo13, slamming his fist on the table like it was the final decision. "He's got a lead on us!"
"Think, Leo," snapped Leonardo87. "We have to plan things out. We can't go chasing him through who-know's-how-many dimensions, following his path of destruction! This whole time, we have operated with out tactics or even a leader, and look where that's gotten us. A whole lot of pointless injuries!"
"I agree with that Leo," said Leonardo89, adjusting the ice pack on his forehead. "But while we do need to think things out, we shouldn't be wasting our time right now. No one is out there to defend anyone from the Shredder's attacks. Have you seen how powerful he is?"
"Like I said," Leonardo12 butted in. "We should send a small group back into the Dimensional Gateway to go recruit more turtles and hopefully find out what dimension Shredder is in. They can sneak around in there, so no Kraang from Dimension X see them."
"You, of all turtles, should know that the Kraang will notice a group in the Dimensional Gateway, no matter how small!" shouted Leonardo13. "You and Leo Classic were found out!"
"What about the Inter-Dimensional Portal Stick? It's still useful, right?"
"Maybe it would be if the Portable Portal hadn't replaced it. Or that Shredder destroyed the particle emission tracker on the Portal Stick that we could have used to find him now! And those Donatellos are too busy fighting over girls, putting stupid updates on the Gravity Gauntlet, and taking care of everyone's boo-boos!"
"Excuse me? My brother Mikey would be dead if they didn't help him!" Leo C shouted, leaning in close to the other Leonardo, boiling in anger.
"Our biggest issue of all is the lack of a leader!" growled Leonardo90. "The whole group is in chaos. I nominate myself. Want to hear my reasons?"
"It should be me!" Leonardo96 said, raising his hand like a school-child. He didn't have any reasons to believe it should be him leading, but he thought it would make up for his seeming uselessness in battle so far.
"Good thing you nominated yourself, 'cuz no one else will!"
"We should be doing something more productive than this!" Leonardo03 said smartly,"Maybe training together, sending people to the Gateway, and fixing the Portal Stick, perhaps!" Everyone ignored him.
Donatello12 watched the Leonardos argue from a safe distance away, sitting next to Raphael87.
"Sheesh, now I understand how the American government never gets anything done!" Raphael87 joked sheepishly. "They operate like a bunch of Leos trying to outshine the others."
Donatello12 chuckled at the light joke. Watching the Leonardos argue had got him wondering, Should they be fixing the Portal Stick now? The particle emission tracker on it sounded quite useful. However, it would be hard to pry the device away from the Michelangelos. They were using it in their party in the dojo, lighting up the ceiling with flickering and moving images of different dimensions. Donatello had watched part of the party, and it a mad-house. So far, Michelangelo87 had been the one in charge of the Portal Stick throughout the journey, and Donatello12 didn't know him well enough to know if he'd hand over the Portal Stick for fixing or keep it for the party.
Leonardo12 finally became fed-up with the debate and snuck away from it with Leonardo87. They came down into the pit of the Lair, joining a glum Donatello12 and a bored Raphael87, and Splinter C and Splinter12. Splinter12 was telling his counterpart about Tang Shen and her death, which had the thing that had started Shredder's vendetta and eventually led to this dilemha in the multi-verse.
Leonardo87 plopped down on the bean bag chair, and Leonardo12 sat with his legs folded on the cold floor. He looked up at Leonardo87 and said,"You need to tell me everything about the Krathatrogon - the Kraang worm you fought. Everything. Even the slightest detail may be important."
Leonardo87 was surprised at first, arching his eye ridges, but he then took a slow sigh and began his story.
"It was about two or three weeks ago, probably closer to two. My brothers and I were sitting on the roof of a building, eating pizza - extra cheese and pepperonis. The building was about...seven stories tall, red brick - "
"Okay, maybe not all of the details!"
"Make up your mind, Leonardo," said Leonardo87 seriously. He continued again, simplifying the story. "Two weeks ago, my brothers and I were eating pizza on a building roof. Out of nowhere, this weird triangular vortex thing opened up and a huge worm came out. It was wrecking havoc in the streets, so my brothers and I went down to take care of it and I said we'd go get pizza after. Well, we killed the worm eventually, but after that we were tired. We began to walk away and suddenly something burst from the worm's stomache. It was so fast, a smear of black and orange. It could fly, and it was armed with guns. Everything after that is just a blur. We tried to fight, but quickly Michelangelo fell, then Donatello, then Raphael, then me. When we woke up, the thing was gone, but the Kraang worm was still in the alley we'd killed it in. We never saw the orange and black creature that had attacked us again, and two days later we passed the alley and the worm was no longer there, not even a trace of it. None of that had ever been on the news, it was like the worm had never existed, and the attacker was gone for good."
"Tigerclaw was that orange and black thing you fought, for sure," Donatello12 interjected after the story. "He's our enemy, an assassin in the employment of the Shredder."
"I can't believe it!" Leonardo12 said,"I thought for sure that being eaten by that worm would kill Tigerclaw."
"Well, he's not in that worm anymore, or even our dimension," said Raphael87. "Someone would have found him by now. Hard not to notice a giant tiger with guns. Must have found a portal somewhere. I bet he's trying to get back to this dimension, or already has."
Donatello12 stood up, covering his ears as the Leonardo argument in the kitchen got extremely loud and overheated. "I think I'll go get the Inter-Dimensional Portal Stick from the Michelangelos. If the other Donatellos and I can fix it, it could be useful again."
"You sure you're ready to go back to the other Donnies yet?" Leonardo12 cautioned, reminding his brothers of the teasing that had gotten out of hand. Donatello12 nodded slowly and walked off to the dojo.
He came out of the dojo a few minutes later and walked into the lab, clutching the Inter-Dimensional Portal Stick. Michelangelo87 must have been sensible, willing to hand over the Portal Stick for fixing, but the turtles in the Lair still wondered how even the Michelangelos could party when their lives were on the edge.
"Hey, bud," Michelangelo87 said, coming out of the Lair a few minutes later and giving Leonardo87 a high-three. He looked tired and out of breath from the party. His eyes scanned the Lair, to the debating Leonardos in the kitchen, the Michelangelos in the dojo partying, the Donatellos working away in the lab, and the angry Raphaels ganging up on the practice dummy.
Splinter C had also noticed how split the turtles were, most of them sticking close to the brothers that shared their name and mask colors. He sighed. At least this arrangement was better than the turtles staying with only their brothers from their own dimension. Maybe the turtles had begun to trust each other a little more, even if it was only the Michelangelos that worked well with each other so far. The Leonardos spoke of unison under a single leader, but Splinter C doubted how well that would work.
-2003 dimension-
April and Casey Jones were out cold, having done all they could to prevent Shredder from reaching an injured Splinter. And yet Shredder had still defeated them easily - making April's years of ninjitsu training look like child's play and Casey's strength seem pathetic - and Splinter had been forced to fight for himself.
He had done the best he could. Splinter knew that, with his injury, he would have had no chance against this Shredder normally, but it had been April and Casey's attacks, and a painfully wounded leg on Shredder that Splinter had only now noticed, that had weakened Shredder to Splinter's level.
And now Splinter stood over the metal-covered menace, wondering how a man could become so twisted that there was nothing more for himself in life than to destroy dimensions of turtles he didn't even know. Shredder seemed to be unconscious, but how long that would last was anyone's guess. Splinter didn't know what to do. Kill the Shredder?
I hope you liked this new chapter. Reviews are always extremely welcome. Let me know what I am getting right and what I need to fix.
While TMNT has not been in my life for very long, it has definitely made a huge impact on my life. While I have always been interested in martial arts, it was the Ninja Turtles that really heightened that interest. I don't think I'd be taking Karate classes if I had never seen the Ninja Turtles. They also got me very interested in Japanese culture and history, and I love studying samurai and ninja and the Japanese language even more than ever. I also got interested in TMNT during a hard time in my life, and they inspired me to fight, always be hopeful, and never give up, and for that I thank them. TMNT just reflects so many of my interests and has magnified them so much. I'm sure I'll always be a TMNT fan.