17
"Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge: those who are not encumbered at all with learning, that is to say, whose minds are not over-crowded with thoughts borrowed from others; and those who, after studying all the scriptures and sciences, have come to realise that they know nothing."
- Ramakrishna –
5 months ago
Michelangelo woke up the way he always did in the past 30 years - grumpy. He reached towards his missing arm, touching what was left. He sighed as he sat up on the bed. Was it morning or already in the evening - he didn't know. He just saw that there was no Sun. He lived in an abandoned train station, but when the Foot was too busy in his area, he hid in the nearby subway station, close to the sewers. Sometimes he just went there to nap and feel the smell of rotten things, like in the old times. Rarely he even visited their old home, sitting amongst the debris and rubble to have a nostalgic day. Those were very lonely days. And this day seemed to be like that too.
Michelangelo visited the sewers again. As he reached his old home, he longingly stared at the Sewer Sweet Sewer table that he put on the pile of rocks at the entrance.
His home is destroyed, and so is his life. He's all alone, hiding from the Foot all the time. His father was dead. And his brothers... were not his brothers anymore. He couldn't even tell when the last time was that he saw them. He had a faint idea where they could live, but he couldn't know for sure. Sometimes an urge ambushed him, making him wish to look for his brothers, to make peace with them and rebuild the family from what has remained.
But he always quickly dismissed this pang in his heart. He knew what his father would say but couldn't bring himself to fulfill his ghost's wishes. What was good in this world anymore? As long as the Shredder is in charge, no amount of work could bring peace for them. Even if he got in touch with his brothers, they wouldn't be able to maintain a brotherly relationship anymore.
Or at least, that's what he believed in. He tried to believe it.
When the urge attacked him, he forced himself to. He had to believe that there was no other way. Otherwise, not sure he would have lived to another tomorrow. If those responsibilities and what-ifs would sink deep in his mind, his heart... he couldn't bear to keep going.
"Attention servant of the Shredder, your Lord and Master will now address you."
Again, this speech. Was it replayed again or was he just hallucinating? Wouldn't be the first time.
"For those of you who are still living under the illusion that you will have freedom, know this: My armies have exterminated the last pockets of resistance and I now control the entire planet. The traitorous Utrom scientists I have captured are completing a colossal transmat device. With it, I will send forth my armies and enslave the start, one world after another! There is no hope. There is only the Shredder."
Mikey shook at the thought. In the past months, he had heard this many, many times, yet each time terrifies him just like the first time he had heard it. Same voices, same faces, same words, and the same old fear. Same as it always has been in this new era.
"Remember, the Shredder is always watching."
For a moment, he wondered how does it make Leo feel? Karai, whom he trusted so bad, liked so bad, destroyed their whole life and after everything, she's still supporting the Shredder.
He sighed and he turned around and left his old home behind, the only place that helped him keep his sanity.
As he reached the closest manhole, he climbed out to the surface and stopped.
This urge again.
Splinter.
Ahh, where should he go now? Back to the station or to his grave?
Not like he would be busy... but the thought of facing his father still scared him. He wasn't sure what's after death, but he knew if there was any kind of afterlife, then Splinter was spending his never-ending days watching his stubborn sons hiding from the world, from each other. He must be full of fury and disappointment. He was so scared just like the 7-year-old Mikey who just broke his father's favorite vase.
However, now he was an adult man, and he couldn't hide from his father forever. So he collected his courage, turned towards the grave, and jumped on a rooftop.
As he was getting closer, he heard a helicopter and a vehicle approaching the area.
"Attention, citizen!" he saw as armed men got out and surrounded a dark figure. "Place your hands in the air and drop your weapons! Repeat! Hands up and drop your weapons!"
Michelangelo took a closer look and noticed a bō.
Can't be!
How...?
Is he... back?
The figure drew his bō staff and Mikey knew he had to interfere. He threw ninja stars in front of the soldiers, grabbing their attention.
"On the roof! Get a light on him! Fire! Open fire!"
Just like every day. Dodging the lasers, unarming the soldiers took merely 5 minutes to him nowadays. He felt as his body moved automatically, while his mind could only focus on the familiar figure in the middle of the chaos.
"Mikey?"
But the fight was still on, when his nunchucks were not enough anymore, he grabbed a laser rifle and blew three armored vehicles, then fired again, now at the helicopter, and watched as it crashed down.
"Mikey! Am I glad to see you!"
He only turned around now.
Donnie...
His long-lost brother looked at him from head to toe. Michelangelo felt that horrific confusion radiating out of Donatello.
"Mikey, your- your arm! What happened to your arm?"
"You're the one that's got some questions to answer. Where the shell have you been all these years?"
His sudden joy disappeared, and anger resurfaced again. That is why he feared to confront his brothers. He was afraid he would not be able to stop himself.
"All these years?"
"You've been gone over thirty years, Donatello."
30 years, yet he changed nothing. How could it be?
"Thirty years? It can't be!"
"Can be and is. We thought you were dead. How the shell could you just abandon us like that?"
Tears were torturing his eyes, but he did not let them escape. Not now... not in front of this traitor.
"I didn't. I'd never abandon you guys. One minute, we were all in the lair together. The next minute, I woke up here. I don't know how."
Huh...what the… maybe he let his anger out on someone else? Or more like, the wrong version? But how was that possible?
"So, the turtle with the big brain finally doesn't have all the answers. Who'd a thunk it?" he turned back towards his original destination. "But we can't talk here. Come on!"
Michelangelo slipped into the shadow and Donatello followed him. As they were going from one building to another, Karai's voice was ringing in the air once again.
"Where are we going, Mikey?" Donnie asked confused.
"I'm taking you to Master Splinter."
"Are Leo and Raph with him?"
"You kidding? Leo and Raph aren't with anybody anymore." Silly Donatello, if he knew...
"Huh?"
As they got closer, Mikey told Donatello about the years he missed out. His disappearance, Leo's and Raph's fight, the Shredder...
"What about Master Splinter?"
"He's over there," he points towards the grave on the other side of the road. The name 'Splinter' is craved into the wood and his walking stick leaned against it.
"No!" Donatello ran to the grave and dropped to his knees. "No, he can't be…"
He couldn't stop the tears. He clenched his fists and his body shook.
"H-how?"
"A couple of years after you disappeared, Master Splinter gave his life protecting the three of us."
"I can't believe it! How could this all happen?" he wiped his tears off his cheek and looked up at his 'brother'. "Maybe I can't change the past, but that doesn't mean there isn't a way to change the present. We've gotta face the Shredder and take him down!"
Mikey almost burst out in laughing. Oh, poor naive boy.
"We already tried too many times."
"We're going to try again, Mikey!
"You got a plan?"
"I'm working on it," Donnie responded desperately. There must be a way, he thought- he hoped. "But we're going to need Leo and Raph."
"That's a tall order, Donnie," he sighed. Leo and Raph are out of the question for now, so what could he do? Maybe...ah wait, does he really want to restart it all? But... it wouldn't hurt to give a chance to this Donnie... right? "but I think I know somebody that can help."
"Really? Who is it?"
An icy shot went through his body as he heard that voice. But now, not over the public speaker.
"Karai?" Donatello took a step back. He felt as if her eyes pierced a hole into his head. She seemed way more dangerous than as he remembered.
"Donatello. Our sensors have identified you. I wouldn't have believed that I would see you again."
"You better leave! Can't you see that it's a family reunion?"
"Reunion? Hardly... this is not even the right Donatello."
"How do you know?" Mikey pointed his finger into her face. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes as he stared into her green eyes. "You are the one behind his disappearance, aren't you?"
Karai smirked at the turtle.
"Do you wish to see him?"
"You... you have him, right? He's... alive, right?" His voice trembled a bit as he spoke. He cleared his throat and continued the vicious glare.
"You are not as observant as you used to be," she chuckled as he gestured behind the turtles. "You are surrounded."
"It's part of my everyday routine," Mikey growled and pulled out his nunchucks. Donnie grabbed his bō and looked around. They were hiding among the trees.
"But not with my team."
ScribeofHeroes: I thank you and everyone else for the patience and for you still checking on this story from time to time.
Hopefully, he won't keep this info away from them too long.
Mikey's secrets are about to be unfolded. Some people may already suspect what's going on.
Hopefully, Leo and Raph won't make the same mistake again.
Guest: Yeah, Mikey should care about his mental health more - just like the other turtles.
I'm glad you feel like this:) you also made my day when I saw your comments and how much you like this story:)
