(Author's Note: Based on a conversation I had regarding spaceships, warp travel, wormholes, hyperspace, and tesseracts, and the sudden realization that I had invented a neurophysiological Doppler effect when it came to Mikey's psionics. This is a very bizarre, confusing little story that was inspired by a red physics bumper sticker with a physics joke: "If this sticker turns blue, you're driving too fast." Haa, nerd humor.)

Blue Shift

"Wait, stop," Michelangelo gasped, "You're confusing me again. Can you start from the, um, start?"

"What, the whole start?" Donatello blinked. "I just explained the Doppler effect in the simplest terms I know!"

Sighing, Mikey, leaned forward and tapped Donnie on the forehead. "Think about your last two words. What you know compared to what everyone else knows is…it's like…uh…a star compared to a planet."

Leaning back, Don frowned. "It's really that complicated for you?"

"Yes!" Raph snapped. "You keep climbing on that high horse expecting us to run after you, but d'you even know how tired we get?"

Don glanced at him and pouted, biting his lip. "I…okay. Okay. I can try. But only because Mikey needs to completely understand the science and the ramifications of what his psionic center is doing when it gathers and releases power."

From her cozy position in Mike's lap, Gaia yawned deliberately, showing off the sharp teeth, the rough tongue. "I would like to remind you," she said, "that I am working on degrees in neurology and neuropsychology, and I also know more about it than you, so please don't try. You get petty."

"I do not!" Donnie pouted. April slung her arm around his shoulders. "He's so cute when he realizes he's not being right."

"Fine," Don said. "Let me explain the physics and the Doppler effect. You apply all of that to psionic brains enhanced by alien organic technology."

Gaia smirked. "We could start with April."

"We will not start with April," said April. We already know I'm half human and half Kraang alien mutant creation. It's not the same as the M'Kari creations. The only trace of their history is stories and…and Mikey's brain."

"Oh, sure, put all the pressure on me."

Gaia sat up with feline grace halted by hemiplegia, shook herself so the fine fur on her limbs fluffed, and leaned against Michelangelo's shoulder, ankles crossed. "April and I can tag team into your mind, you know. Have a chat with Neural, maybe? Pull Donnie into it, so we actually explore the similarities between psionics and Doppler? Remember the telepathic sex?"

"Ohh! Yeah, that was fun. Like, okay, guys, our bodies were together, right? And then I pulled us into that funny red darkness…"

"…which was technically red shift."

"Right, yeah. And as we sped up, it all went blue, and we were literally glowing blue, like blue energy you could see on our skin. And then it all went white. And I think maybe some things broke? Or melted? Or warped?"

"Wait," Leonardo said. "Was this in…"

"It was in my room," Gaia assured. "All my life, my sister and her wife made sure that anything in my room was soft and sensible for overexcited autistic, um, outbursts."

Donatello was breathing slowly, struggling to keep track of these scientifically implausible events while assigning new science terms for them. "Okay. So we know what happens in blueshift. Everything speeds up, culminates, just like in spacetime, yes?"

"Yes," Gaia said. "The redshift to blueshift. Continue."

"Now," Donatello said, "Whenever Michelangelo gathers power, he starts off surrounded by red darkness. As he moves his power forward, it's like…traveling, like wavelengths, and he speeds to blueshift. When he releases that power the blueshift lingers during that white flash, because of the electrical currents radiating from his body. This is why when we look at him during an energy release, we observe what appears to be blue light on his skin, expanding like an aura as his power builds momentum. And then, according to Mikey, there is a flash of white."

Everyone nodded.

"In physics, that's all about perception of a wavelength. Psionic energy runs on its own wavelengths but still must obey some laws of physics. It's like…mmm…it's like working with the kusarigama, you must keep moving the chain, as it undulates between you and your opponent. Right? So, as these waves pass across Michelangelo's brain, they will speed up and pass through wavelengths until boom, the shift into the spectrum of white, all the colors, in which Mikey's powers burst out of his head and become energy that manipulates his external environment."

He turned to April. "It is a similar thing with your psychic blasts. Like with the Kraang and the Mom-Thing. Your energy builds and builds, and you may not be consciously aware of the shift in wavelengths, all you feel is power gathering and then bursting, correct?"

April nodded, eyes wide.

He turned to Gaia. "And with your unmatched telepathic range and quick bursts of telekinetic force, it must be similar."

She nodded. "I see red shifting to blue, exploding in white."

"So," Raph said, "what, exactly, does all this mean?"

Don shrugged. "Oh, I just wanted to play with a theory I had regarding hyperspace and tesseracts and potential faster-than-light travel."

Leo sat forward. But we've already done that sort of thing, remember? On the Ulixes?"

"Yes, but the fact that our resident psychics experience a sort of neurological psionic Doppler effect when unleashing their powers just…got me thinking."

"Can you think a little quieter?"

"Raph, if you only knew how many times I have held back on you."

"Well," Leo said, getting into lotus position, "I'd like a demonstration with Mikey."

"Yes, me too," said Don.

"Been there, but what the hell," Raph said.

They held hands, Mikey smiled and immediately pulled them into the red darkness.

"Okay," Michelangelo's voice floated. "So, all this is red."

"Indeed," said Don.

"You wanna see blue."

"Yes. Like that electromagnetic aura on your skin."

There was a disembodied shrug. And then they were moving, faster than Donatello could think, and suddenly the world was filled with blue lightning, blue streaks, blue electricity, a network of blue that zapped back and forth and kept going, and the speed only increased, and as the red vanished the blue became darker, and there was nothing but blue light, before the world exploded in a white flash.

Their eyes snapped open at the same time.

"Oh," Don muttered.

"Crap," Leo hissed.

Michelangelo was shaking, curled up in both Gaia's lap and April's lap. Around them were scattered objects, some embedded in the floor and walls.

"I think we went a little too fast," Raph mused.

"That's what a concentrated burst gets you," Gaia said lightly. "Who has headaches?"

Heads lowered, they all raised their hands.

"April?"

"Ice packs and headache medicine, coming up," and April all but skipped into the infirmary.

"Hey!" Donatello groaned. "No smiling at our pain."

"So," Gaia smirked, "Did you go through hyperspace?"

Raphael just grumbled.

"I'd call it a success, bros," Michelangelo said, curling both arms around Gaia's waist but not sitting up. "We probably annoyed the laws of physics, too."

April returned, arms full. "I am not doing that again. My own tessen tried to smack me."

"S'their fault," Mikey muttered, nuzzling Gaia's lower belly as he breathed through meditative exercises. "Donnie wanted me to be an embodiment of astrophysics and psionics at the same time."

"At least I proved my theory," Don mumbled. "Psionics technically could latch on to a branch of physics previously unknown. Not quite quantum mechanics, but close."

"So," Leo said, "All you wanted to do was prove a vague theory that psionic powers acted similar to spacetime movement including hyperspace?"

"Yes," Donnie said. "Basically."

Leonardo reached out and lightly smacked him on the head. "And on that note, I am taking a well-deserved nap."

Raph got up and followed silently.

Donnie just stared and shrugged. "Well, if you can't get your family in on your experiments…"

A white, red, and black blur tackled him and he found himself pinned by Gaia. "Next time, please completely warn said family," she smiled toothily. "All this residual energy is making me twitchy."

Mikey, sitting up with April's help, laughed. "Yeah, don't make the crippled kitten angry, bro. She's getting really good at modified compensated jujutsu."

Gaia grinned. "Sometimes I use being crippled to my advantage."

"Duly noted," Donnie said, and they separated, as she darted in for a kiss on the cheek. "You guys are all adorable, I want to squish you. We can talk neurobiology and neurophysiology later. Right now I'm frisky and my boyfriend is right there."

"So, sex actually channels and releases pent-up psychic energy, huh?" Donatello grinned. "Fascinating."

As Mikey and Gaia hurried toward his bedroom, April winked at Don. "They'll tell you about it later. Right now, I challenge you to video games."

Of course they both chose a space travel game, just to debate the Doppler effect. And when the rest of the family came out to prepare dinner, there was quiet giggling at the way the two had fallen asleep leaning on each other. Rather than disturb them right away, Gaia leaned over the couch and sent them both the same lucid dream. Just for a theory's sake. She could explain the neuropsychological ramifications of telepathically dreamwalking later. This was just fun.