18

"Resolve to be thyself: and know that he who finds himself, loses his misery."

- Matthew Arnold -

Donnie, still shaken by the number of tragedies he just learned, barely heard when Karai mentioned his counterpart.

"You... you have him, right? He's... alive, right?" Donnie finally saw that this Michelangelo has feelings too. Tears were shining in his eyes and his lips trembled as he looked at Karai.

"You are not as observant as you used to be," Karai chuckled and pointed behind them. "You are surrounded."

"It's part of my everyday routine," Mikey narrowed his eyes and grabbed his nunchucks. Donnie reached for his weapon too as he looked around.

"But not with my team," she smirked, unsheathed her katana, and swung it towards Michelangelo. The older turtle's determination was unshaken and blocked her relentless attacks.

Donnie focused on the others, spun, and twirled, and created a barrier around his brother and Karai. Her movements were fluid and sharp, with every strike, breaking Michelangelo's defense. Donnie managed to disarm some soldiers with a sweeping strike, sending them to the ground. But another form lunged at him from behind. A robot, which looked like Karai, quickly disarmed the stunned turtle, and sent his bō spinning away. It landed at Michelangelo's feet, who was still trying to outsmart Karai. The older turtle's focus changed on Donnie. Karai's robots disarmed him and caught him in a firm grip. The turtles were forced onto the ground.

"So, what do you think of my legion?" Karai looked down at them with a faint smirk. After no reply, her soldiers bound the younger's hands and led them away.

At the Shredder's lair, the turtles soon found themselves in a cold, moldy cell. Michelangelo stepped to the entrance, tightening his hand around one of the bars like he could break it. Donnie was watching him from behind, thinking about possible escape plans.

"Well, this way it will be a little harder to take down the Shredder."

The next day, Karai visited the turtles. Michelangelo immediately stepped ahead, shielding Donnie from her smug smile.

"Where is Donatello?" he spat.

"He's busy. But don't worry, you will see him soon."

"What have you done to him?"

"I made a deal with him," she replied, while a soldier came forward with a key.

"Huh?"

As the cell's door opened, the other soldiers bound Donnie's hands again. They grabbed them by the arm and followed Karai.

They walked through a dark corridor until the very end, where a metal door ended their road. The soldiers pushed them inside, but they stayed outside.

"What the heck?" Michelangelo muttered as he looked around the room.

A lab.

But why were they left alone there?

Will they poison them?

No, food would be enough for that.

Then torture?

Footsteps.

The backdoor opened, and a figure entered. He slowly emerged from the shadow and looked at the turtles.

The suspect immediately left Michelangelo's face. He pressed his lips and his hard gaze softened. His eyes shined with unshed tears.

"Donatello..."

The years etched lines on his long-lost brother's face, but his familiar features remained unmistakable.

Michelangelo took uncertain steps towards him, extending his trembling hand, fingers reaching out to touch the brother he'd thought he'd lost forever.

"Mikey," Donatello's smile was warm and welcoming.

Michelangelo jumped at his brother and hugged him strongly... very strongly until Donatello had trouble breathing. Mikey quickly let him go and as he watched his brother take a breath, he remembered how things had become the way they did.

"You!" he raised his voice, startling both Donatellos. "Where the shell have you been?"

"Um, it's kind of complicated," he rubbed his nape.

"Have you been here? Working for the Shredder?!"

"No!" he put his hands up in defense.

"Then?"

"Mikey... before I tell you about my past 30 years, you have to know something," then he looked at his counterpart. "You both should know it."

"What?"

Donatello took a deep breath and furrowed his brow ridges. His gaze's focus was changing uneasily, and his face showed helplessness.

"...I'm not the one you're looking for."

Now

"Sit down, little Leo," Michelangelo offered a chair in the lab. Leo slowly sat down and looked around.

"So... someone will examine me, right?" Leo asked shyly.

"Yes. He will be here soon."

"Who's the doc here?"

Michelangelo didn't answer right away. He stepped next to the boy and squeezed his shoulder.

"Soon, you will understand me."

The door cracked open on the other side of the room and a shady figure came out. As the light hit the stranger, icy shots rushed through Leo's body. It wasn't a stranger.

"You... Donatello?"

"Yes. And you are Leonardo's son, aren't you?"

Leo looked at Michelangelo, whose dark glare was glued to the doctor.

"Umm... yeah."

This felt like the safest answer at that moment.

"Incredible. How were you created?"

"You don't ask such a thing from a child, Don," Mikey interrupted.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry for the wording. I'm just wondering how it was possible. I have some ideas, but all of them seem unlikely. Expect if there is really a female mutant turtle around. Or was."

Leo bit his lip. No way he could fool Donatello, so he should be honest. But on the other hand, he saw what Michelangelo was capable of, so he was afraid to tell the truth in front of him.

"Could we... talk in private?" he asked quietly.

"What?" the orange-clad turtle exclaimed. "Why?"

"Sure," Donatello said. "I also have something to tell you. Mikey already knows, so it would be better if we continued alone."

"What? Oh, come on... why can't I stay?"

"Mikey, please, excuse us."

Michelangelo narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist but eventually walked out of the lab after some minutes.

"So, tell me, how did you get here?"

"To this lab?"

"No, to this world."

"You knew it?"

"Of course. I mean, I wasn't 100% sure, only 92%."

Leo sighed. His anxiety eased and his thoughts became simpler.

"I don't remember much. But I dwelled on this a lot in the past 2 months, and it was probably a Kraang. They have the technology for this."

"That's very possible," Donatello walked towards the metal door he exited earlier and showed Leo to follow him. "You are not the only one who came from a different world."

Leo stepped into the secret room after the older one. But he couldn't take the next step as his body froze noticing another person.

"Donatello... again?"

A much younger Donatello was sitting on a wooden chair, looking back at him with a warm smile.

"Hi," he waved.

Donatello pointed at his younger self.

"He got here because of Ultimate Drako."

"Who?" Leo raised a brow ridge.

Donatello frowned. "Another pain in our shell. Maybe they don't exist in your world. This Donnie's world is similar to mine and this. Based on my experiences, your world must belong to another part of the multiverse."

"I'm confused."

"I thought you would say that. The point is that you are not alone in this problem, and we may be able to help you to go home."

"Really?" Leo's eyes lit up.

"We're hoping to," Donnie added. "I want to go home too."

Leo looked at him. "I feel a little better that I found a fellow sufferer. Now it's the two of us."

"Three of us, actually."

"What?"

"As I mentioned, my counterpart's world is similar to this and mine, therefore mine is not this."

"So, you're not this world's Donnie?"

"No, I'm not."

"Okay, now I'm even more confused."

"Let me explain."

ScribeofHeroes: Mikey has no proof of anything, he just suspects things. The next chapter will be about the Donnies.

yisel. e. estrada: Thank you! I'm glad you like it:)

Guest: This young Donnie is the Donnie from the original episode~

Happy Halloween!~