- Chapter 49 -

Into Dimension X!

Christmastime had come to New York, and circumstances found Mikey exiting the grocery store, a big bucket of Neapolitan ice cream in his hand. As he came out, he called the others out on his T-Phone.

"Yo, I got the ice cream. On my way back," he told them, before looking around at the festive decorations. "Funny. With all the craziness, I didn't even realize Christmas was coming."

"Neither did the rest of us," Raph deadpanned. "In any event, you better not eat all the ice cream before you get back."

"Chillax, I won't," Mikey promised before hanging up.

As he went along, he stopped short seeing a disguised Krangdroid going into an alley. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, he stealthily crept after it, freezing up when he saw two Krangdroids standing in front of a purple portal.

"We must get this mutagen back to headquarters," one of them said.

At that moment, a stray cat approached them, mewling softly. One of the Krangdroids snatched it up, giving it a once over.

"This would make a great test subject," he mused. "No one would miss a mangy alley cat."

Mikey's eyes went wide and he dropped the ice cream, the lid popping off and the somewhat melted contents spilling. The sound caught the Krangdroids' attention as the orange turtle stepped into the alley.

"Drop the kitty!" Mikey ordered, drawing his nunchucks.

"It's one of the Turtles!" the first Krangdroid exclaimed.

The second looked Mikey over, scoffing. "It's the stupid one. He shouldn't be much of a challenge."

"Hey, I may be stupid, but I can still whoop you!" Mikey boasted before reflecting on what he just said. "That... sounded a lot more badass in my head."

The Krangdroids immediately began firing on them, but Mikey charged forward and kicked them both aside, knocking the cat and mutagen out of their hands. The mutagen splashed on the cat, who walked over to the ice cream and began hungrily eating it.

"Oh, no!" Mikey shouted as he finished smashing the Krangdroids' bodies.

The Utroms within scuttled away, leaving a small device behind. Before Mikey could do more to register the fact, he heard pained mewling and turned to see the cat beginning to mutate. He ran over to it, kneeling down.

"No no no, kitty! Stay with me!" He pleaded. "Don't become a monster! You have so much to live-"

He cut himself off in surprise to see the cat melt into a small puddle. He stared at it for a minute before the puddle grew two paws, a tail, and a cat's face, all composed of Neapolitan ice cream. It looked at him, meowing calmly.

"Whoa…" Mikey let out.

After a minute, he scooped the ice cream cat up in the now-empty bucket, making sure to grab the device left behind before he went.

"I… am at a loss for words," Donnie let out.

The Hamato septet sat around the table, examining the ice cream kitty in the bucket. It meowed and pawed at the air, dripping ice cream all around it.

"Okay," Vee began, "I know that mutagen generally turns someone into the last thing they touched before transforming... But ice cream? It's not even a living creature! No DNA to combine!"

"It's not too out there," Kagome pointed out. "The Spy-Roach did combine with Donnie's tech after its mutagen dip."

"Ugh. That thing," Hisako shivered. "I still have nightmares about being that bug's puppet."

Leo patted her back while Mikey scratched the cat between the ears.

"He's cute," the orange turtle mused. "Think I'll call him Klunk."

"Wait, we're keeping it?" Raph asked.

"Well, we can't just leave it on the streets, Raph," Leo pointed out. "It'll melt and die."

"MELT?!" Mikey screamed. "Oh, crap!"

He quickly grabbed Klunk and threw open the freezer, shoving him in and slamming the door.

"Phew," Mikey wiped his brow. "Too close."

A mew sounded from behind the door as Mikey rejoined the others.

"Now that that's done," Donnie held up the device the Krangdroids left, "the Krangdroids dropped this, you said?"

"Yep," Mikey nodded. "Think it might be a portal thingy."

"It is," Hisako told them. "A portable version of the Technodrome's transdimensional portal, for easy access to and from Dimension X."

"Wow, Krang is always one step ahead," Donnie mused.

"You know what this means?" Leo asked excitedly. "Krang's always a step ahead of us with his plans. We never manage to stop him until they're in the middle of one. Well, with this... no more waiting in the dark."

"Hang on, Leo," Raph began. "We'd be walking in blind. We have no idea what's on the other side of that thing."

"Still, Krang could be up to something big," Leo countered. "We can't wait around for him to come to us."

"Then let's take this thing to Mortu," Vee suggested. "He can tell us what he knows, so we're not walking in blind."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Hisako cut in, holding up her hands. "You guys want to go to Dimension X? Are you out of your fucking minds?!"

"Hisako, we have to figure out what Krang is planning," Leo insisted. "If this is the only way, then so be it."

"You're talking about going right into Krang's home turf, Leo!" Hisako shot back. "He's got armies! Weapons! And it's just the seven of us! We wouldn't stand a chance, and I am not gonna be that psycho's lab rat again!" She rubbed her arms, her nails digging into her sleeves as she devolved into terrified shudders.

"Then you can stay here," Leo told her. "I'm not gonna force you to go if you don't want to."

"Actually, we may need her," Donnie cut in, getting shocked looks from everyone.

"Donnie, look at her," Kagome objected. "Does she look in any shape to be coming along?"

"Hey, you think I wanna do this to her?" Donnie retorted. "We don't have a choice. We need all hands on deck, or else that," he pointed to Hisako for emphasis, "will happen to all of us."

"I hate to admit it, but Donnie's right," Leo gave in. "I'm sorry, Hisako."

Breathing heavily, Hisako forced her growing panic down and stood up, still shaking slightly. "I hate this plan."

"Don't worry, sis," Mikey assured. "We got your back every step of the way."

The group made it to TCRI, and outlined the situation to the Guardians. Predictably, they didn't take it too well, and Zephyr made his disbelief quite vocal.

"Leo, have you lost your mind?" he demanded. "Have you forgotten what I told you about the conditions of Utrominon?! Poisonous atmosphere! Acidic water! You go to Dimension X, you might as well sign your death warrant!"

"Which is why we came here first," Leo told him. "We figured you may have some way for us to breathe while we're there, and as for the water, we got that handled."

Everyone held up canteens as Zephyr sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"It's also swarming with dangerous creatures, like the Crinaix and Krang's flunkies," he reminded him. "You might as well walk into a nuclear reactor and lick the goddamn core!"

"Thank you!" Hisako piped up. "And if that doesn't kill us, Krang, Ch'rell and the rest of his flunkies will."

"Nothing any of you say will change my mind," Leo said firmly. "We have a perfect opportunity to find out Krang's plans and prepare in advance, and I'm not passing it up."

Zephyr blinked twice in disbelief. "Do you want to die?"

"Look, Zephyr, we're going," Donnie insisted. "You can't change our minds, so either help us or stop stalling us."

Zephyr sighed in resignation. "Alright, fine. I'm wasting my time trying to dissuade you, so go ahead. Go talk to Mortu about your little suicide mission."

"Thanks for the support, Sammy," Raph said sarcastically.

As they went, Zephyr grabbed Hisako's arm, stopping her briefly. "After everything Krang did to you, why are you just going along with this, Rita?"

"It's Hisako," she told him, "and I'm going along with this because I can't convince them not to, and because they need me."

"Alright," Zephyr gave in. "Just be careful, okay?"

"I'll try," Hisako gently freed her arm from his grasp, going after her siblings.

As she caught up, Kagome smirked slightly. "I think he likes you."

"Shut up," Hisako muttered, giving Kagome a shove. "Doesn't matter anyhow. I'm far too damaged for any kind of commitment."

-X-

In Mortu's office, he listened patiently as they outlined their plan. Eventually, he sighed.

"I can't say I approve," he began, "but I realize there's no point in convincing you."

"Believe me, I've tried," Hisako interjected.

"I'll do what I can to help," Mortu informed them.

"Got anything that can keep us from not suffocating?" Mikey asked.

"Actually, yes." With that, Mortu led them into a room filled with bizarre devices. Eventually, he picked up seven bizarre-looking respirators. "These atmosphere converters will enable you to breathe on Utrominon and its corner of Dimension X."

They all slowly took them, looking them over.

"Uh, these things haven't been used, have they?" Raph questioned.

"Of course not, Raphael," Mortu assured. "I'm far more civilized than that."

Raph sighed in relief before extending the straw-like attachment and sticking it in his mouth.

"One more word of advice," Mortu continued. "Look for the Neutrinos. Their resistance is opposed to Krang and will help you."

"Wait, the Neutrinos?" Hisako questioned. "They're real? I thought they were just some ghost story the Utroms told."

Leo turned to his sister in confusion. "Who are the Neutrinos?"

"Other beings who live in Dimension X," she explained. "The 'Unconquerable People' as the story goes. Krang's been hunting them for centuries, but they never manage to catch them all. According to the stories, there are pockets of resistance fighters everywhere."

"They're very real," Mortu assured the group. "They are a peaceful race that prefers to avoid conflict, but they're far from helpless."

"And how will we know the Neutrinos when we see 'em?" Leo asked.

"They're renowned for their pointed ears and…" Mortu coughed slightly, "eccentric hairstyles."

"So, we're basically looking for elves with freaky hair," Kagome summed up, getting a nod.

"Now you see why I thought they were a story," Hisako deadpanned.

"Alright, enough chatter," Leo handed Mortu the portal device.

Mortu pressed a few buttons on the device, and soon, a purple portal opened up. Everyone looked at the portal, then began marching towards it. Leo went in first, and Hisako took up the rear. She hesitated in front of it, closed her eyes, and jumped in.

The Hamato septet all screamed in fear and exhilaration as they fell through the portal. Eventually, they were spit out, and they all stood up and gaped in shock at the bizarre-looking landscape, with a red-orange sky and weird, purple looking plants.

"Holy Chalupa…" Donnie let out. "Look at this place."

"Dimension X…" Kagome let out.

"Freeeak shoooow…" Vee said in a singsong voice.

"There's no sun!" Donnie remarked. "There's no… anything! This is impossible!"

"Alright guys, we need to scope this place out," Leo said. "Hisako, any idea-"

However, Hisako was in no condition to answer or help. In the middle of a full-blown panic attack, she backed up to the edge of the platform... and fell off with a yelp.

"Hisako!" Mikey screamed.

They all ran to the edge of the platform, and gaped to see Hisako literally standing upside down on the underside of the platform.

"This is ridiculous!" Donnie exclaimed. "Gravity can not work like this!"

"Apparently, here it can," Raph muttered. "Those video logs you hacked out of their computer a while back did say this place had different laws of physics."

Hisako clutched the sides of her head, sinking down and hugging her legs. "I hate this place… I hate this place… I hate this place…"

Kagome pulled her back up to their level, taking her hands. She had the girl look in her eyes as she spoke. "Hisako. Take slow, deep breaths, then recite the following numbers for me: 2, 6, 1, 8, 4, 5, 3, 9."

Hisako slowly recited the numbers, calming down.

"I'd tell you to do the whole 'five things you can see' thing," Kagome remarked, offering her a hand up, "but we're kinda pressed for time."

Hisako took her hand, holding onto Kagome tightly as if she was the one thing keeping Hisako tethered to reality.

"Okay, you good?" Leo asked.

"No," Hisako said bluntly. "But I don't have a choice. We need to find Krang's hideout."

"Easier said than done," Raph remarked. "This place is one giant mindfuck."

"Well, I'd say that's a good place to start," Vee offered, pointing off in the distance.

They followed her finger to see a far-off island floating in the distance, bearing technology similar to the Technodrome.

"But how are we gonna get there?" Mikey questioned.

"Well, considering the different laws of gravity…" Vee remarked.

Vee backed up and got a running start before charging forward and leaping, jumping dozens of feet to the nearest island.

"Dude, I wanna try!" Mikey shouted, running and jumping after her. "Booyakasha!"

He landed perfectly right next to her, and they turned back to the other five.

"C'mon, you guys!" Vee yelled back.

Leo, Donnie, and Raph quickly ran and jumped over. Kagome and Hisako jumped last, but accidentally fell short and plummeted. Rather than end up on the bottom of the island, they suddenly fell from above, crashing into the Turtles and knocking them all into a heap.

"What is with this place?!" Donnie demanded.

"Dude, isn't it obvious?" Mikey asked as they pulled themselves up. "Here, reality is out to lunch."

"I really hate this place," Hisako grumbled.

"I can see why," Donnie remarked. "Nothing makes sense! Everything's flipped upside down and all around! It's nuts!"

"Just wait till you meet the monsters," Hisako warned.

A distant roar sounded at that and they all stiffened.

"That doesn't sound good…" Kagome muttered.

"It wasn't," Hisako informed her. "I suggest we get moving."

"Agreed," Leo decided, and they all began making their way to the island Vee pointed out.

As they went, a louder roar sounded, and a massive worm creature flew overhead. They all froze up, gasping.

"AHHH!" Mikey screamed. "Sky worm!"

"Worse," Hisako winced. "Kraathatrogon."

There was a beat of silence as they all looked up. Sure enough, it was the very same creature that had nearly destroyed the subway system not too long ago.

"They can FLY?!" Mikey shrieked.

Before anyone could reply, a human-sounding scream of fear reached their ears.

"Someone's in trouble!" Leo exclaimed, running off in the direction of the scream.

"Leo, wait!" Raph shouted. "Damn it!"

They followed him, and they soon found themselves on an upper platform. On a lower platform, they saw a human-looking girl with orange hair wearing a pink dress, cornered by a group of Krangdroids. Leo looked over the girl, pursing his lips.

"Pointy ears, freaky hairstyle…" he mused. "We've found ourselves a Neutrino."

"Not just any Neutrino," Hisako realized, hearing her thoughts. "That's their princess. We gotta do something!"

"Way ahead of you!" Leo jumped down, landing between the girl and the Krangdroids. They all gasped in shock.

"One of the Turtles?!" the lead Krangdroid exclaimed. "Impossible! You can't be here!"

"Can and am," Leo replied before turning back to the girl and giving her a thumbs-up. "It's okay, miss. We're here to help."

The girl tilted her head quizzically. "We?"

On cue, his siblings and Kagome jumped down to join him.

"Saving a princess…" Vee deadpanned. "What is this, Super Mario?"

"Hope not," Donnie replied. "Especially considering what happens to turtles in that game."

"This doesn't involve you!" the lead Krangdroid snapped. "Once we have Princess Trib, the royal family of Neutrino will be eating out of General Krang's palm!"

"You hurt innocent people," Leo began, "I tend to get involved."

He charged forward, wasting no time slicing through the Krangdroid. His siblings charged forward and joined in on the action. Raph quickly stabbed one in the face, taking it out. Mikey swung his nunchucks wildly, bashing them easily. Donnie swept one off its feet before bringing his staff down hard on it. Vee stabbed one in the neck before lifting it up and throwing it at two others.

As another Krangdroid came up to Kagome, she quickly sliced its arms off before slicing its legs, prompting the Utrom inside to scurry out and crawl away. Hisako's attacks were the most violent, slashing relentlessly at every Krangdroid she saw until they were all scrap. After the fight, the girl approached them. Leo sheathed his blades and turned to her.

"Are you okay, your Highness?" he asked.

"Thanks to you Gamarons, I am," the girl replied with a curtsy. "I am Princess Tribble of Neutrino."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Hold up. Gama-what?"

"Gamarons," Hisako explained. "They're a race of turtle aliens."

"We're not aliens, Princess," Donnie explained. "We're mutants from Earth."

"We're the Ninja Turtles!" Mikey boasted. "The world's most fearsome fighting team!"

Raph rolled his eyes. "Gimme a break."

Trib giggled slightly at that.

"Okay, now that that's done, what are you doing out here all alone?" Vee asked, getting to business.

"I was with the Neutrino Resistance, actually," Trib told them. "I got separated from them, and the next thing I know, Krang's minions are chasing me."

"Well, then it's a good thing we showed up when we did," Kagome remarked.

"We're actually looking for the Neutrino resistance," Donnie told her. "Mortu told us to look out for them."

"Mortu?" Trib perked up at that. "Mother and Father told me about him. He helped out our homeworld when Krang first attacked. I was just a baby then."

"Wow," Mikey remarked. "Where hasn't Mortu been in this place?"

"Can we please get some place that's some semblance of safe?" Hisako cut in, clutching her sleeves.

"She's got… personal issues with this place," Donnie explained to Trib.

Before they could go anywhere, they heard footsteps approaching. They tensed, readying their weapons... only to see a group of Neutrino soldiers wearing blue and yellow uniforms running up, led by a man with spiky purple hair. The purple-haired man aimed a blaster at the Hamato septet.

"Step away from Princess Tribble!" he ordered. "Real slowly, like your asses depend on it!"

"Hey Spiky, we saved her life from Krang's goons!" Raph snapped. "Where were you?!"

"Raph, now may not be the best time to do your usual 'get pissy' shtick," Leo warned.

They raised their hands and slowly backed away. Trib approached the commander.

"It's alright, Commander," she assured him. "They saved me. They're not our enemies."

After a minute, the commander slowly lowered his weapon. "Apologies, but the princess' safety is my top priority."

Trib scoffed. "I'm not a helpless little girl, Dask."

Raph opened his mouth, no doubt to make a snarky quip, and Hisako promptly elbowed him in the gut. "Don't even think about it."

Leo slowly approached the commander. "Look… Commander Dask, was it? We're mutant turtles from Earth. We came here to find out what Krang's planning to do to our home."

"Mutant turtles?" Dask questioned, before it hit him. "Wait, the five Turtles Krang's been raging about?"

Leo blinked. "It seems our reputation precedes us."

"Of course. That pissbag's expended a LOT of time and resources on killing you. Any enemy of his is a friend of mine." Dask holstered his gun, gesturing with his head. "Let's walk while we talk."

-X-

As they walked, Dask explained everything.

"As I'm sure you know, Krang intends to terraform your planet. And he's coming very close to finding the means to do so."

"Wait…" Kagome froze. "Are you saying he's perfected the mutagen?"

"It seems so, yes," Dask remarked.

"Fuck…" Hisako muttered.

"How is that possible?!" Mikey demanded. "We wiped his computer! We destroyed his April clone brigade! That should've set him back by years!"

"Time passes faster in Dimension X than on Earth," Dask explained. "Years could pass here while mere hours or days pass on your world."

"Damn it…" Donnie muttered, "And he must've managed to harvest enough of April's DNA to pull it off anyway."

"There's gotta be something we can do to stop it, or at least slow him down," Leo insisted. "If he is ready to launch another invasion, we're nowhere near ready for him."

"We were just about to do something like that," Dask admitted. "There's a compound nearby where Krang's men are conducting experiments with the mutagen. We blow it, it could give you the time you need."

"Now you're talking my language," Raph boasted.

Hisako smirked and cracked her knuckles. "Krang has been tormenting me since I came here. Blasting one of his outposts to kingdom come is just what I need."

"Then it's settled," Leo declared. "Dask, we'll help in any way we can."

Trib smiled, bowing. "On behalf of the Neutrino royal family, we thank you."

The group made it to the compound Vee first pointed out when they arrived in Dimension X. Sneaking into the compound, they saw dozens of Krangdroids standing before numerous portals, alongside a hologram of Krang.

"The time has come!" the alien general declared. "Our invasion begins anew! First, New York City. And then... the WORLD!"

Leo jumped down at that.

"Sorry to crash the party, but Earth's off limits!" he shouted.

Everyone whirled around to see him, alongside the rest of the Hamato septet and Dask.

"The Turtles?!" Krang exclaimed. "Here?! Now?!"

"You better believe it!" Mikey boasted.

Krang scowled, gesturing to his men.

"Annihilate them, you fools!" he ordered.

The Krangdroids all charged, and they drew their weapons. Leo easily deflected several laser blasts before zipping forward and decapitating numerous Krangdroids. Raph leapt up into the air and brought both his sai down on two Krangdroids, taking them out easily. Donnie pole vaulted over one Krangdroid before spinning around and striking it in the back. Vee threw one of her kama's into the face of a Krangdroid before leaping over to it and kicking it in the chest, knocking it to the ground.

Mikey continued bashing droids away left and right as Kagome ran up to him.

"Mikey, give me a boost!" she called out.

Mikey then turned to her and held out a nunchaku for her to springboard off of, allowing her to soar through the air and impale a Krangdroid in the chest. Hisako meanwhile just slashed violently at every Krangdroid that came close. She then threw her tessen as some Krangdroids coming at her, using her telekinesis to slice through them all easily and return her weapons to her hands.

"Donnie, get to that computer!" Leo ordered. "Close those portals!"

"On it!" Donnie ran over and began typing away.

"Shut down all but one portal, so you have a way back to Earth!" Dask ordered. "As soon as you're through, I'll plant the bomb!"

"Wait, what about you?!" Hisako demanded.

"Don't worry about me!" Dask told her. "I'll have plenty of time to escape!"

As Donnie worked, Krang sighed, shaking his head.

"All this fixation about how I made you and your family suffer, how I slaughtered your birth parents," he muttered. "What's the problem here, Oracle? You survived. That should be enough for you. Just think of yourself as lucky, and go back to the way you lived life before. Think of it this way: suffering at my hands is the same as encountering a great calamity. Rains, winds, volcano eruptions, earthquakes... they all kill people, but does anyone try to swear revenge on a natural disaster, or bring it to justice? No. Because no matter how many lives it takes, it's just something that happens, and there's nothing one can do to stop it. Why not just stop fussing over the issue all the time, and move on with your sad little lives?"

Kagome just blinked, shaking her head. "Are... are you seriously comparing the heinous shit you've done to acts of God?"

"Of course," Krang smirked. "I shaped your world and made your species what it is today, just as the Christian God was said to have done. Therefore, I am Him."

Hisako, unable to properly word a reply to that, just screamed in incandescent rage before smashing the hologram projector. Meanwhile, Donnie typed away as fast as he could, and eventually, all but one portal closed.

"Quick!" Dask ordered. "Get moving!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Hisako shouted. "We're outta here!"

She was the first one through, followed by the other six Hamato ninjas. As soon as the portal closed behind them, Dask pulled a belt of grenades out.

"See you in Hell, Krang," he swore, pressing a button on the belt and running for his life as they detonated.

The Hamato septet leapt out of the portal, finding themselves back in New York.

"Whew! That was tight!" Mikey bragged. "Their invasion will be set back for months!"

"But with the time difference, it could be hours," Donnie cut in. "Maybe even days."

Kagome clenched her fists, looking skyward. "There's a storm coming, you guys. And we better be ready when it hits."

"We will be." Leo assured. "I promise you all that."

In the Foot HQ, Shredder sat in his throne, continuing to mourn the loss of Karai. The door opened and he tensed at the sight of Krang strolling in.

"So…" he mused, "you must be General Krang."

"At ease, Shredder," Krang assured. "I'm not here to fight you."

"Then get to the point!" Shredder demanded. "I am in no mood for your alien shenanigans."

Krang chuckled slightly before going on. "I'm here to offer a deal. I've learned of what's become of your daughter, and I can help you. All you have to do... is agree to assist my second invasion, and help me destroy the Turtles."

Shredder glared at him, looking uncertain. Krang then tossed him a communicator, one Shredder caught with ease.

"I'll give you some time to consider my offer," he said before turning and leaving. "But don't take too long."

Author's Note:

The Neutrinos are from the 1987 show and IDW; I'm using the IDW incarnation of them.

The countdown to the invasion begins! Can the Turtles stand up to the deadly alliance of Shredder and Krang? Are they ready for what lies ahead? What horrors will they face? And why am I asking you all these questions? Stay tuned...

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Dask- Johnny Yong Bosch (Adam Park in Power Rangers, Ichigo Kurosaki in Bleach, Vash the Stampede in Trigun, Sabo in One Piece, Nero in Devil May Cry, Jonathan Joestar in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Zero in Marvel vs. Capcom)

* Trib- Stephanie Sheh (Yui from Sword Art Online, Orihime Inoue from Bleach, Mikuru Asahina from Haruhi Suzumiya, Mona and Kat in WarioWare Gold, Mamimi Samejima from FLCL, Sailor Moon in the Viz Media dub, Hinata Hyuga from Naruto)

Please R&R. Until next time!